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2025-12-31-accounts

Charity registration number: 1075068

SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

https://saswtrust.com/

SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

INDEX TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

Page
Legal and administrative information 1
Trustees' annual report 2 - 8
Independent examiner's report 9
Receipts and payments account 10
Statement of assets and liabilities 11
Notes to the financial statements 12 - 14

SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

Trustees: Rev Daniel Parkes - Chair
Caroline Broadhurst - appointed 24 March 2025
Rev Ben Dyer - appointed 24 March 2025
Martin Fairweather - appointed 24 March 2025
John Forshaw
Stephen Griffiths
Elizabeth Lacey
David Lloyd-Jones
Nicola Millington - resigned 11 January 2025
Anne Pickup
Shirley Potts - resigned 7 January 2025
Tina Powsey - resigned 14 January 2025
Treasurer: David Lloyd-Jones
Charity Number: 1075068
Charity Address: Scarisbrick New Road Baptist Church
Scarisbrick New Road
Southport
PR8 6PU
Independent Examiners: Lifestyles Accountancy Limited
39 Kirklees Road
Southport
PR8 4RB
Bankers: HSBC Plc
331 Lord Street
Southport
PR8 1NJ

Page 1 of 14

SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

The trustees submit their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025. These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the receipts and payments basis.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

The charity is a Charitable Trust which was registered on 18 January 1999. It is governed by its Declaration of Trust dated 18 January 1999 as amended on 7 July 2008.

Recruitment and appointment of the trustees

The board seeks to achieve a balance of skills and experience amongst the trustees. In order to maintain this, the board reviews its skill and experience mix each year and seeks to recruit new trustees when necessary, subject to the conditions set out in its Declaration of Trust.

Appointment is made by a resolution of the trustees taken at a meeting where a majority of trustees are present and the resolution is recorded in the minutes and signed by the new trustee and chairman. New trustees are required to agree to the Trust Statement of Faith, Declaration of Trustworthiness and policy and procedures reflecting the ethos of the trust.

Trustee induction and training

The current board of trustees will provide any new trustee with an overview of the timetable of board meetings, copies of the recent minutes of meetings, the recent reports and accounts and explain their general and specific responsibilities. The trustees formally met 6 times throughout 2024.

Ongoing training is provided by the board of trustees as and when the need arises.

Risk management - Safeguarding

The trustees take Safeguarding very seriously. They updated and approved their Safeguarding Policy at their meeting on 30 June 2025. There were two minor safeguarding concerns in 2025 which were all dealt with appropriately. Anne Pickup is our lead trustee for safeguarding. She has attended the required safeguarding training so that she can train the other Trustees, workers and volunteers as and when that is required. All Trustees, workers and volunteers hold appropriate DBS certificates. In 2024 we registered with 31:8 and they continue to help us with our safeguarding responsibilities.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Objects of the charity

The trustees have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives and in planning future activities.

The purpose of the charity is to advance the christian faith in accordance with statement of beliefs, which are available on request, particularly amongst children and young people in the schools, colleges and other educational establishments in Southport, Formby and the surrounding areas and elsewhere as the trustees may from time to time think fit and to advance education in accordance with christian principles in the said locality and elsewhere as the trustees may from time to time think fit.

Page 2 of 14

SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT (continued)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Review and summary of the year

In relation to its charitable objectives, the charity has:

While we have only had 1 full time and 1 part time youth worker this year, we have continued to run much of our usual ministry while working to strengthen what we have in preparation for future growth. In April, we hired a part time administrative assistant who has been working towards this goal by increasing communications with volunteers, supporters, and partnering churches while also improving our administrative processes.

Safe Space continues to be a key part of our work. Each day of the week our team of staff and volunteers is in a different high school during lunchtime with our Safe Space Gazebo encouraging students to track their mental health and to engage with a question about the big and little issues of life and faith. This accessible format has continued to provide students with space to process big feelings around friendship struggles, loneliness, exam stress, anxiety and overwhelm (including some who have started to open up with their thoughts of processing the tragedy of the events of summer 2024 in Southport). Our team has had the pleasure of recording primarily positive mental health and having conversations that go beyond one word answers into students openly sharing their thoughts on happiness, resilience, faith, prayer, and big issues such as persecution, charitable causes and responding to violence. For a generation that is increasingly more curious about faith and spirituality, our teams have been able to give students opportunities to share their thoughts and beliefs and to point to other safe spaces, such as our partner church youth groups, where they can seek answers to their questions. Because of the way our team tracks the students’ mental health check ins, they are able to pass the information onto the schools’ pastoral teams so that they can follow up with students or plan resources based on the struggles of their student body.

As a follow-on project for secondary school students, we also run “Impact” in partnership with Churches Together in Ainsdale. This provides a safe space for students to hang out after school with sports, games consoles, music, and chill space leading into a shared meal and “cake space” where we discuss our Question of the Week with an up front talk and table discussions. Our team has reported good attendance and participation, even when the young people have had outside responsibilities, which has led to strong relationships between students and our team and students stepping up to help, volunteer, and model good behaviour.

Page 3 of 14

SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT (continued)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (continued)

Review and summary of the year (continued)

Sweaty Church continues to be a highlight of primary school ministry. After Hettie resigned at the end of 2024 to focus on other things, Simon took over running it in 2025. Sweaty Church is a primary afterschool club that combines sport and games with a worshipping community. This combination has led to active and lively high participation sessions where children and sometimes their families have explored faith by engaging in prayer and in discussions on baptism, sharing faith, and following God. In 2025, our team of volunteers have reported emotional support and care between the children, good teamwork, and even older children eager to take on ownership though volunteering to support their peers. We run this fun and formative club weekly at one of our local schools.

Mission Impossible, our Easter presentation where pupils become secret agents and discover the facts of the Easter story leading to them being given the opportunity to decide for themselves whether the evidence proves the death and resurrection of Jesus, continues to be one of the highlights of this past year. It was great to have a large and diverse spread of volunteers from local churches take on the roles of secret agents in order to give hundreds of children an Easter experience to remember.

The 2025 Christmas production was praised as one of our best productions to date! Christmas Rebuilt brought Minecraft-style adventure to life with 17 showings across our local schools this December. After discovering the theft of the village’s most treasured book — a collection of ancient wisdom, poetry, history, and the words to the Special Village Christmas Pageant Show — Simon the Librarian arrived in our world seeking help. Together, Tabz and the children travelled back to his village to track down the thief, rebuild lost resources, and mended broken relationships in time for the big Christmas show. Filled with laughter and problem-solving, the show invited pupils to explore themes of community, forgiveness, redemption, hope, and restored relationships, all whilst clearly sharing the life-changing message of God sending his Son into our broken world to bring light and love. Pupils told us, "It was amazing!" "[the show was] funny, interactive, enjoyable, [and had] good costumes!" "It was great - we can still remember what happened. It made us laugh. It reminded us of the story behind Christmas." School staff said, "The show was completely interactive. It was amazing how many children got involved. It was really engaging." and "It was relevant to the children with the Minecraft theme, yet reflected the true meaning of Christmas. The children were really engaged and had fun!"

We also did our usual Moving On sessions with year 6 students as they prepared to “move on” to secondary school. This year we invited secondary school students, particularly those in year 7, to write a note “to themselves” giving encouragement for starting in high school which we then shared with the year 6 students. The students seemed to collectively find the sessions to be helpful in dispelling fears regarding the move and also to find encouragement in the fact that our team would see them after they made the move. Following these sessions, we noticed particularly good interaction and engagement at Safe Space with the new year 7 students in September.

Page 4 of 14

SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT (continued)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE (continued)

Review and summary of the year (continued)

We ran various assemblies and lessons throughout 2025 with resources from Christians Against Poverty and Walk Through the Bible. Assemblies on forgiveness; peace; compassion; the Power for Good, taken from Anti-Bullying Week resources; and many others gave us opportunities to give children hope in and encouragement for themselves, their community, and faith.

Other organisations

We continue to be a partner of Scripture Union. Our youth workers attend their annual conference for training, ideas sharing, and encouragement. We also have periodical visits from Rob Steward, the Regional Mission Team Leader for the North of England, who provides pastoral support and guidance for our youth workers. We use many of Scripture Union’s resources including their Rooted Hub Conversation cards which have inspired our “Question of the Week” that we bring to secondary schools as a part of Safe Space.

Tabz and Anne, one of our Trustees, are trained to deliver Youthscape Essentials Training which we plan to deliver in 2026.

Tabz is trained and licensed to provide lessons to primary schools from Christians Against Poverty (CAP) and Walk Through the Bible. CAP Money Kids lessons in primary schools teach students skills that will ensure that they are wise with money in the future by teaching life skills and numeracy while developing teamwork and problem solving skills. Walk Through the Bible lessons introduce students to the big picture of the Bible and show them where the familiar stories fit into the whole of the Old Testament through engaging and interactive storytelling.

Connecting with our supporters and the local Church

We have maintained and built our connections with supporters and the local church through a variety of avenues. Because of having a part-time administrative assistant for the first time in many years, we have increased the frequency of our supporter newsletters from once a term to monthly. Here we expand on stories we have highlighted in our weekly social media posts, share prayer requests and praise reports, shine a spotlight on members of our team - whether staff, trustees, or volunteers, give updates about recent stand out ministry, and let our supporters know about things that are coming up in our calendar that they can be praying about or participate in. This year we have also been working to grow our team through advertising roles in partnership with various churches. We have had to work together to decide what we are looking for and what kind of person would suit both aspects of the role. We continue to be reliant on our volunteers from churches throughout Southport and the local area to run weekly and one off ministry and have been working this year on taking steps to make sure they feel valued, appreciated, and like the vital part of the team they are. We have also started bi-monthly prayer meetings to invite Christians throughout Southport to participate in our ministry and to be encouraged by the results we have seen of children and young people growing in their confidence and understanding of faith.

Page 5 of 14

SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT (continued)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Principal funding sources

The principal sources of funding for the charity continue to be donations received from individuals and churches in the local area to which the Trust is so grateful and thankful for.

Financial review of the year

The treasurer monitors the trust finances throughout the year and provides the trustees with up to date information at each trustees meeting. Annual income in 2025 was £86,178 (2024 - £80,387) and expenditure was £45,954 (2024 - £51,621). This resulted in an overall surplus of £40,224 (2024 - £28,766). This surplus will be used to finance the youth work in future years including the possibility of further recruitment.

There has been improvement in our finances during 2025 due partly to increased one-off funding and also the reduction in staffing costs since Hettie resigned. It continues to be clear that the profile of the Trust has been progressively raised among the Churches and individuals in Southport. Not only have we more supporters than ever before, but those supporters have become more generous.

Reserves policy

The trustees have agreed that in order to be able to offer a commitment of continuity of employment to employees and because a large proportion of future income is uncertain, they aim to have in reserve at the year end an amount equal to the following year's estimated expenditure which is calculated to be around £54,500.

In addition to this, the funds of the Trust have been built up to allow the trustees to designate a pot of funding equal to £75,000 which is envisaged to cover the costs of one additional part-time youth worker, shared with Christ Church Southport for the next 5 years which was agreed in order to ensure that the work that is enhanced as a result of having an additional, part-time youth worker, is not short lived and can continue on into the future for many years to come.

In the year to 31 December 2025 the amount available in free, unrestricted reserves was £54,594 (2024 - £89,370) which is perfectly in line with the policy. We give thanks that we were in this position at the end of the year. As we move forward the trustees will contiunue to monitor the trusts financial position and look to raise further income so that the work can grow further.

Page 6 of 14

SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT (continued)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

FINANCIAL REVIEW (continued)

PLANS FOR FUTURE PERIODS

General plans

We are looking forward to building even stronger relationships with our partner churches. Following the success of Simon’s time being split between Canning Road Evangelical Church and the SASW Trust, we have hired a new youth worker in partnership with Christ Church Southport who will start with us in March. We are speaking with other churches and denominations about a similar partnership which would enable us to build stronger bridges between churches and the young people in schools with their families.

As we grow the size of our team, we are looking at expanding what we can offer to some of our schools, for example a lunch club in one of our high schools, and also expanding our regular ministry to include some schools that have previously been slightly outside of our key catchment zone. These projects will also require additional volunteers and partners, but plans are moving ahead to make these things possible.

We also have plans to strengthen our current team. In addition to the annual Scripture Union training conference, Simon is looking at attending a new Sport Coaching course to strengthen his leadership of Sweaty Church.

Using the Youthscape resource, we will be running the Youthscape Essentials training course for anyone who is currently interested or involved in volunteering in youth ministry throughout 2026.

Page 7 of 14

SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT (continued)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES

Law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the charity's financial activities during the period and of its financial position at the end of the period. In preparing financial statements giving a true and fair view, the trustees should follow best practice and:

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

This report was approved by the trustees on 2 March 2026 and signed on its behalf by:

………………………………

Rev Daniel Parkes - Chair

Page 8 of 14

SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

We report on the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2025, which are set out on pages 10 to 14.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is our responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner's statement

Our examination was carried out in accordance with general directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent examiner's statement

In connection with our examination, no matter has come to our attention:

have not been met; or

Daniel Styles (Independent examiner)

Dated: 11 March 2026

for and on behalf of Lifestyles Accountancy Limited

Page 9 of 14

SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
cash funds cash funds cash funds cash funds
2025 2025 2025 2024
Notes £ £ £ £
RECEIPTS
Voluntary receipts:
Donations and gifts 2 84,034 - 84,034 78,769
Investment receipts: 3 2,144 - 2,144 1,618
TOTAL RECEIPTS 86,178 - 86,178 80,387
PAYMENTS
Charitable activities 4 45,954 - 45,954 51,621
TOTAL PAYMENTS 45,954 - 45,954 51,621
NET RECEIPTS 40,224 - 40,224 28,766
-
Cash funds at 1 January 2025 89,370 89,370 60,604
Cash funds at 31 December 2025 129,594 - 129,594 89,370
Represented by:
Unrestricted funds 54,594 - 54,594 89,370
6
- -
Designated funds 75,000 75,000
-
129,594 129,594 89,370
----- End of picture text -----

The notes on pages 12 - 14 form part of these financial statements.

Page 10 of 14

SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2025

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
funds funds funds funds
2025 2025 2025 2024
Notes £ £ £ £
CASH FUNDS
Cash at bank 6 129,594 - 129,594 89,370
-
129,594 129,594 89,370
OTHER MONETARY ASSETS
Gift aid tax to reclaim 6,070 - 6,070 4,879
-
6,070 6,070 4,879
LIABILITIES
-
PAYE to pay to HMRC 1,237 1,237 (1,092)
Staff expenses owed 354 - 354 -
-
1,591 1,591 (1,092)
----- End of picture text -----

Approved and signed on behalf of the trustees on 2 March 2026 by:

……………………………… Rev Daniel Parkes - Chair

The notes on pages 12 - 14 form part of these financial statements.

Page 11 of 14

SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

1 ACCOUNTING POLICIES

a Basis of preparation

These financial statements have been prepared under the receipts and payments basis.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest whole £.

b Going concern

At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

c Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity and which have been designated for specific purposes.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. The cost of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements where relevant.

d Receipts

All receipts are included in the statement of receipts and payments when the charity receives the money rather than when it is legally entitled to the income. No amounts are included in the financial statements for services donated by volunteers.

e Payments

All expenditure is accounted for when costs are paid by the charity and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of the resources.

Page 12 of 14

SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

2 VOLUNTARY RECEIPTS

Donations and gifts:
Donations from churches
Donations from individuals
Gift aid tax reclaimed
Online giving
Grants received
Legacies received
Other donations received
3
Building Society interest received
4
COSTS OF CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
INVESTMENT RECEIPTS
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
cash funds cash funds cash funds
2025
2025
2025
£
£
£
32,148
-
32,148
31,816
-
31,816
6,133
-
6,133
2,765
-
2,765
4,000
-
4,000
-
-
-
7,172
-
7,172
84,034
-
84,034
Unrestricted Restricted
Total
cash funds cash funds cash funds
2025
2025
2025
£
£
£
2,144
-
2,144
2,144
-
2,144
Total
cash funds
2024
£
30,455
27,004
7,617
4,713
2,970
4,000
2,010
78,769
Total
cash funds
2024
£
1,618
1,618
Salary costs
Staff expenses
Miscellaneous
Insurance
Bank charges
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
cash funds cash funds cash funds
2025
2025
2025
£
£
£
37,983
-
37,983
6,329
-
6,329
886
-
886
700
-
700
56
-
56
45,954
-
45,954
Total
cash funds
2024
£
45,868
4,771
269
635
78
51,621

Page 13 of 14

SOUTHPORT AND AREA SCHOOLS WORKER TRUST

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

5 EMPLOYEES

The average monthly number of employees during the year was:

2025
Number
2024
Number
2 2
Total staff costs recognised in the year:
Wages and salaries
Pension costs (defined contribution scheme)
2025
£
36,984
999
2024
£
44,500
1,368
37,983 45,868
Balance at
Incoming
Resources
1 Jan 25
Resources
Expended
Transfers
£
£
£
£
Unrestricted funds:
General funds
89,370
86,178
(45,954)
(75,000)
Designated funds:
5 year worker
-
-
-
75,000
FUNDS
No employees whose total employee benefits (excluding employer pension
insurance costs) for the reporting period amounted to over £60,000 (2024 - none).
Balance at
31 Dec 25
£
54,594
75,000
and national
89,370
86,178
(45,954)
- 129,594

6 FUNDS

The newly formed designated fund has been estabilshed to set aside sufficient reserves to fund a part time worker for up to 5 years. This was agreed in order to ensure that the work that is enhanced as a result of having an additional, part-time youth worker, is not short lived and can continue on into the future for many years to come.

7 RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

There were no known disclosable related party transactions during the year (2024 - none).

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