Finance Score: 2
Governance Score: 9
Support Score: 10
  • Strong growth: +2
  • No PartB
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Overall weighted support: +10
Overall GiG Score: 21 ?

OPENSTORYTELLERS LIMITED

We are a team of professional storytellers with & without learning disabilities who inspire people through the sharing of personal & traditional stories. We aim to enrich the lives of people with learning disabilities & those who live & work with them. We seek a world where everyone,regardless of their disability, finds a voice to tell their story & listeners are able to hear & support the telling
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • Over half the Board have joined recently

Financial issues to consider:

  • There has been a change of accounting period recently, so trends may be hard to determine
  • A PartB annual return has not been required and so detailed financial information is not available from the online data

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
N.B. data has been adjusted to reflect year end change
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit £k
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/03/24£254£229£25n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/23?£211£230£-18n/an/an/an/an/an/a
28/02/22£178£201£-22n/an/an/an/an/an/a
28/02/21£232£152£80n/an/an/an/an/an/a
29/02/20?*£149£160£-10n/an/an/an/an/an/a
28/02/18£186£171£15n/an/an/an/an/an/a
28/02/17£161£154£7n/an/an/an/an/an/a
28/02/16*£165£199£-33n/an/an/an/an/an/a
28/02/15£173£197£-24n/an/an/an/an/an/a
28/02/14£178£152£26n/an/an/an/an/an/a
28/02/13£173£149£24n/an/an/an/an/an/a
29/02/12£107£113£-6n/an/an/an/an/an/a
28/02/11£73£67£6n/an/an/an/an/an/a
28/02/10£85£72£13n/an/an/an/an/an/a

Highest pay bracket: less than £60,000
Established: 15 years

www.openstorytellers.org.uk

info@openstorytellers.org.uk

01373454099

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookInstagramX
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • Arts/Culture/Heritage/Science
  • Disability
  • Education/Training
GiG Classification
  • Services for people with disabilities
How it operates
  • Provides services
  • Sponsors or undertakes research
Where it operates
  • Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire,
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People
  • Elderly/Old People
  • Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
  • People With Disabilities
  • The General Public/Mankind

Who supports them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
National Lottery Heritage Fund£249,498
National Lottery Community Fund£55,299
Somerset Community Foundation£38,307
DCMS£31,389
Garfield Weston Foundation£30,000
Paul Hamlyn Foundation£19,900
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Garfield Weston Foundation - Multi-Year Grant (2 Years) award
£30,000 19/09/2023
24
OpenStoryTellers
National Lottery Community Fund - OpenStoryTellers and Me
£35,682 30/08/2023
This funding will support the project to review and build on the ways of making decisions that elevate the voices of people with learning disabilities at all stages within their organisation. The project aims to empower people with learning ....more
National Lottery Heritage Fund - Grant to Openstorytellers Ltd
£249,498 24/08/2023
Through the Front Door
Somerset Community Foundation - Supporting positive mental health for people with learning disabilities through wellbeing groups in Frome
£3,198 28/02/2023
Grant to OpenStoryTellers
Somerset Community Foundation - Contribution towards the overheads of a service for adults with learning disabilities in Frome
£5,000 06/02/2023
Grant to OpenStoryTellers
Co-Operative Group - Grant to OpenStoryTellers
£1,053 22/10/2022
We aim to support people with learning disabilities/autism to grow fruit and vegetables in our sensory garden. They will learn more about the process of local food production for health and wellbeing.
Somerset Community Foundation - Re-establishing open access sessions for adults with learning disabilities and autism in Frome
£5,000 13/06/2022
Re-establishing open access sessions for adults with learning disabilities and autism in Frome
National Lottery Community Fund - Get Connected
£9,950 14/04/2022
The funding will be used to support continuing the sessions for adults with a range of learning disabilities and complex needs as well as staff costs. The project aims to help increase people's networks opportunities and connection to the wider ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - ACE - Words Can Change the World
£9,667 08/04/2022
The funding will be used to run a series of spoken word workshops and performances that celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. The project aims to support adults with learning disabilities giving them a platform to express in their own words what the Queen ....more
Somerset Community Foundation - SSEP
£15,000 09/03/2022
Increasing delivery of day services for adults with learning disabilities from across Somerset, but particularly Frome and surrounding area, by 20%. Converting online classes into products, then marketing nationally to generate additional income.
Somerset Community Foundation - Reducing social isolation among adults with learning disabilities in Frome
£2,500 27/10/2021
Reducing social isolation among adults with learning disabilities in Frome
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Covid-19 Emergency Funding
£19,900 14/10/2020
12
Openstorytellers is a community arts charity which uses the arts in a range of ways to empower children and adults with learning disabilities and autism. This grant provides support to aid the organisation in dealing with the challenges posed by ....more
Somerset Community Foundation - COVID19 Virtual and face-to-face sessions for adults with learning disabilities in Frome
£7,609 03/09/2020
2
Grant to Openstorytellers Ltd
DCMS - VSCE CMC Fund
£7,609 27/08/2020
NET, Comic Relief and Children in Need will use this funding to provide: increased support to vulnerable people and hidden groups, thus reducing the burden on public services; reach local grassroots and small organisations who can provide an ....more
DCMS - Coronavirus Community Support Fund
£23,780 19/08/2020
"The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring they have the financial resources to operate, thereby reducing the burden on public ....more
Somerset Community Foundation - Get Connected
£20,320 08/05/2019
11
Community hub for adults with learning disabilities and autism in Frome
National Lottery Community Fund - Openstorytellers Community HUb
£64,172 21/03/2019
25
The funding is for a community hub based at the project and a community outreach initiative, in order to reduce social isolation. The project works to enrich and empower the lives of local people who are marginalised because of learning and ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Memory People
£72,929 30/01/2019
36
The project enriches and empowers the lives of people who are marginalised because of learning and communication difficulties. This is achieved through the telling and sharing of stories, including personal narrative as well as classic stories.
National Lottery Community Fund - Community Hub
£9,921 29/11/2018
12
The funding will be used to provide a range of activities and support services for people living with learning disabilities. The project aims to build social relationships and raise aspirations.
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£10,000 17/09/2018
Community Hub for People with Learning Disabilities
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Grant to Openstorytellers
£14,585 25/07/2018
12
To fund a Change Manager role to develop a business plan based on social enterprise opportunities and promotion and sales of Storysharing programme, to review organisational structure and improve governance arrangements.
Somerset Community Foundation - FMU - Songs and Film
£3,404 07/12/2017
12
Supporting young people with additional needs in Frome to challenge perception of disabiity
National Lottery Heritage Fund - Grant to Openstorytellers Limited
£47,600 10/05/2017
The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Fanny Fust: an 18th Century adventure story
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Grant to Openstorytellers
£20,900 27/01/2012
the salary and on costs of the Administrator
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Open Storytellers
£85,984 15/06/2011
Towards the salary of the chief executive, to increase learning and employment opportunities for people with learning difficulties.
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (6)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split
Based on 5/6 persons

Age Range of Trustees: 39-70
  • BENJAMIN BANKS Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Grants Manager
  • ELANOR STEEL Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Independent Advocate
  • JACQUELINE ANNE LUCAS Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Carer
  • SALLY ELIZABETH DAVENPORT Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Parish Councillor
  • SARAH TALBOT-WILLIAMS (Chair) Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Non Executive Director And Consultant
  • JANE FLOOD Appointed: 2019, Occupation: Professional Storyteller
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 12/06/2009, number: 1130148
  • Registered at Companies House on 25/02/2009, number: 06829975
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Conflicting interests
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
  • Social media policy and procedures
  • Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
14 returns made; AR20: 16 days late, AR16: 34 days late,
Main office

RISE
Whittox Lane
Frome
Somerset
BA11 3BY

Objectives

(1) TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT AND PRESERVE AND PROTECTTHE HEALTH OF PERSONS WHO HAVE LEARNING AND COMMUNICATION DISABILITIES,THEIR FAMILIES AND CARERS BY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP STORIES ANDSTORYTELLING.(2) TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE ART,PRACTICE AND VALUE OF ORAL STORYTELLING AND IN KNOWLEDGE OF THE FORM ANDCONTENT OF THE ORAL TRADITIONAL OF PEOPLE AND CULTURES.

Defined Area of Benefit:

UNDEFINED. IN PRACTICE, NATIONAL

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving

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