The Full Stop Community CIC

For the period 1 December 2024 to 30 November 2025, we are pleased to share the following podcast statistics: 7.3k downloads 5.9k listeners via the Podbean app 4 new Podbean followers Apple Podcasts remains our most popular listening platform, accounting for 62% of listens This year, we expanded our reach by adding Player FM, iHeart Radio, and Podchaser to our Podbean distribution, in addition to our existing presence on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Podbean’s in-app player. While download metrics cannot confirm how many episodes are fully listened to, our total cumulative download count now stands at 44.4k. Our audience remains primarily UK-based, with 44.75% of engagement, followed by the United States (23%) and Australia (11%). Website Report Our website has undergone a significant upgrade from Squarespace 7 to 7.1, completed voluntarily by director Berenice, who runs a design micro-agency. This upgrade introduces new accessibility features aligned with the European Accessibility Act, ensuring a more inclusive experience for users, including the estimated 3 million people in the UK experiencing sight-related challenges. We have seen an 11% increase in page visits, which aligns with the growth of our visibil-ity and engagement on social media. Geographical patterns broadly reflect those of our podcast analytics. We have also begun building a merchandise page featuring mugs and pin badges. These will be created on demand, generating a small profit while gently raising awareness of our work. The collection is planned for launch in January 2026, with designs created in collaboration with our Full Stop Community. Outreach Michael was invited to speak at the FSANZ on the experience of unsuccessful IVF. That has become the impetus for a Full Stop advocacy project to gather data on the experi-ence of unsuccessful IVF in an effort to highlight this to the industry to influence change. Sarah attends the Fertility Show in London and has done every year since 2019, representing her business and Full Stop raising awareness of childlessness and the resources available to people coming to the end of their fertility journey. This year she was invited to speak on a panel about childlessness. Berenice has continued to support Storyhouse Childless as part of their annual Focus Group in Chester, UK, an event dedicated to raising awareness and providing support for childless and childfree people. Both Sarah and Berenice hosted sessions and met many of our guests throughout the year. This work will continue into 2026 and remains a vital way of strengthening connections with listeners and our wider community. We updated Finding Connections 2025, a printed and online booklet, adding more resources and printing additional copies for community members and event distribution. It continues to act as a helpful guide and a practical introduction to the Full Stop Commu-nity CIC. Berenice was also a guest on the Trials of Democracy podcast, discussing how future planning for Cambridge must include social housing for non-parents, citing Full Stop and Ageing Without Children as examples of positive practice. Full Stop Community (Circle) This year, Berenice hosted 12 Culture Club episodes, which together formed a curated list of recommended books published on Bookshop.org. Sarah facilitates the wellbeing section of the community, as a qualified therapist she offers psychoeducation around aspects of mental health. Our membership has grown to 38 members, even with several members leaving after guest-rate periods ended. Engagement levels have risen alongside this growth, and our £10 membership rate continues to be appropriate and accessible. It remains a lively place for conversation and support with good retention in comparison to other paid groups that we each have been part of. KOFI We propose closing our KOFI page in 2026 and moving all donations directly to our website. Although KOFI allows users to leave virtual tips, we received £100 in tips in 2025, which does not offset the $144 per year subscription fee. With those tips came positive reviews and it’s been a useful way for allies who are not childless to support us with monetary donations. Social Media Performance Over the past 12 months, we have strengthened our presence on social media, focusing on the platforms that offer meaningful engagement: LinkedIn and Instagram, while also developing our YouTube channel. As a strategic choice, we have reduced activity on Facebook due to the negative impact its advertising algorithm has on many within our audience. Instagram Followers increased by 12.6% Post impressions increased by 5.3% LinkedIn Followers increased by 70% Impressions increased by 150% These results were achieved through consistent posting via our scheduling tool Pallyy, using a blend of quotes from episodes, short videos, community-led questions, aware-ness-day content, and shared posts from like-minded organisations. Engagement remains organic, purposeful, and community-centred. Statistics above were recorded using Pally between 9 November 2024 and 9 December 2025. Newsletter Our newsletter remains active and is regularly promoted on social media. Sent alongside each podcast release, we published 11 editions this year with an average open rate of 65%, reflecting strong engagement and interest in our updates and episode announce-ments.