2024-12-31-accounts - Contagious

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CONTAGIOUS - Trustees Annual Report

Year Ending 31st December 2024

Charity Number: 1089954

Trustees

The following is correct as of 31[st] December 2024:

Trustee	Date	Status
Andrew Duf	21/05/2013	Appointed
Henry Playle	16/11/2016	Appointed
Madeline Russell	04/03/2019	Appointed
Roy Dobb	24/02/2020	Appointed
Maureen Dixon	03/11/2021	Appointed
Sue Inglis-Jones	16/02/2023	Appointed
Susan White	09/11/2023	Appointed

Specific responsibilities of Trustees

Chair of Trustees Andrew Duff Treasurer Maureen Dixon Employee Supervisor Sue Inglis-Jones Safeguarding Lead Sue Inglis-Jones Minutes Secretary Madeline Russell Fundraising Andrew Duff

Activity leaders in addition to Trustees:

Jessica McArdle Ignite Youth & Schools Worker/Project Leader Sarah Hamer Pioneers Schools and Community Worker (from 6 November) Chris Friend Ignite Chaplaincy at Duchess Community High School Caroline Friend Messy Church Alnwick representative

Partner organisation representatives:

Geoff Brown Scripture Union representative Robin Winder Appleby Trust Trustee, Alnmouth

General overview

The work of the charity has continued to progress under the working title ‘IGNITE’. The official charity-registered name remains ‘Contagious’. 2024 has been an exciting year of develoment, completing our first year as a ‘Growing Faith Learning Hub’ supported by the Church of England’s Growing Faith Foundation, and working in collaboration with church groups across Alnwick’s Duchess High School catchment area. We appointed a second part-time Pioneer Schools and Community Worker in February, bringing our team to three, led by Jess McArdle’s as full-time Ignite Project Leader. To support the expanded work, income streams and spending commitments we have implemented a new proprietary accounts management system.

Trustee Meetings

Six Trustee meetings were held in 2024: in January, March, May, July, September and November. Each meeting was quorate with a minimum of 3 Trustees present, plus our Ignite Project Leader.

Objectives and Vision

No change has been made to the charity’s core aims, which are:

Our belief that all young people should be encouraged to think about spiritual matters while recognising that they need the space to make their own choices as to what to believe.
Our desire to raise the aspirations of young people and facilitate their healthy and full development.
Our wish to help young people become active in the community and develop into mature and responsible citizens.

Activities provided under the banner of IGNITE

The designation of Ignite as one of 12 ‘learning hubs’ supported by the Church of England’s Growing Faith Foundation has been a significant investment into developing new ways of working with schools, churches and families. The first of two year programme of work was completed in September, guided by a Steering Group of local leaders. Jess McArdle has also continued to take part in the Growing Faith Strategic Leaders development programme.

Working with Schools has included regular Open the Book (Bible Society) story-telling involving volunteer teams, Year 6 ‘transitions’ work offered to High School feeder primaries, RE curriculum support, Prayer Spaces in schools and other seasonal activities. A team of three experienced volunteers support the Duchess High School Pastoral Team to engage with young people facing personal challenges. School staff and Ignite chaplaincy team have also been trained in Restorative work started with some students to address behavioural issues in school. Practice in Schools and

‘Rooted’ youth groups involve around 30 young people, led by Jess McArdle and a session worker (via The Roost) and supported by a small team of volunteer leaders and helpers. Baby Basics is a new local social project (linked to a national charity) led young people from the Rooted groups. Work has started to set up and begin to prepare ‘Moses baskets’ of everyday essentials for delivery (via referral) to vulnerable new parents. Meanwhile Alnwick Messy Church has continued monthly during school term-time, led by a small group of volunteers, well attended with a number of families regularly taking part.

Finances

With the expansion of activities, employees and funding partners including the Growing Faith Foundation and the United Reformed Church, our turnover has increased singificantly during this year. Whilst support from individual donors has declined slightly. our finances remain in good shape overall and our reserves remain healthy. The final year-end accounts show a surplus of income over expenditure of £4,052. This surplus is already designated for activities to be delivered in 2025. Work has started on preparing a fundraising strategy to enable us to plan sustainable activies into the future.

Volunteers

We have been fortunate in retaining many of our existing volunteers and recruiting some new ones, currently 50 in total. They are mainly involved in Open the Book and other school activities, and in support of the Rooted groups. All volunteers working with young people or vulnerable adults are DBS checked (as appropriate) with a requirement that they register for the update service so allowing the charity to carry out 6 monthly checks on the volunteers.

Safeguarding and Risk Management

Our safeguarding policy and procedures were updated in 2024. Our Safeguarding Recruiter ensures that all volunteers complete the current appointment process and checks. We continue to maintain and apply policies on risk assessment, anti-bullying and data privacy (including GDPR compliance). We maintain comprehensive insurance cover for all activities, with risks reviewed annually.

The future

With the Growing Faith programme continuing, and local collaboration agreements up for review in the light of experience, we expect to require further change and development of activities and how these are best delivered and funded over the next couple of years.

Trustees will continue to meet at least four times per year. Priorities for the year ahead are to:

Continue to develop the work amongst young people within the wider Alnwick High School catchment area as part of the Growing Faith Learning Hub and in collaboration with key local church partners and organisations.
Continue to build relationships with local church leaders, community organisations, teachers and students in local primary schools and the Duchess High School.
Review our policies, procedures, risk assessment and management structure to ensure that we provide effective support to our employees, activity leaders and volunteers, and that we have the capacity and skills to respond to new opportunities.
Recruit and train new trustees and volunteers and an appeal for new supporters and prayer partners.
Plan and carry out fundraising to augment our finances and enable us to deliver activities on a sustainable basis.

Signed:

Andrew Duff Chair of Trustees 5[th] June 2025

FOR ENGLAND ANti VIAIES Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the peiiod from Section A Receipts and payments Unrn8trlcted Restricted funds Endowment funds Tolal fund• Last y•ar tothe nwest É Al Recelpts Group monthly Group On donations Individual monthly donabon¥ Individual one-off donations HPIRC Gift Redaim other monies received bal1 Progornme revenue Interest on dwtsil a¢<xNJnt Mighty Oaks Fund- gfanls aThJ 24,575 8.684 1,124 2,062 11733 12.733 12,500 55,558 12,600 527 mss income AR) 167 81157 40,320 (see tsble). 8B,157 A3Pa ments Stsff $818ries PAYE to HMRC Pen&on wrrtribultorts (NEsn Insurance. admin and overhe Training and safeguarthrwJ c£6ts Stsff expenses Youth 11$ Messy Church EV1$, ycth 8tYI ctsrmurty ace$ M"ighty Oaks nJnning ojsts 53.158 8.266 8.OS8 1676 702 818 9A27 51158 15,949 1,319 2,194 9,240 1.286 2,329 2,752 117 141 811 8.058 3,676 702 818 Sub totsl 04.105 84105 38,139 A4 As66t and investment rcha ta Sub total 84.105 Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between fund8 A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds thls year end CCXX R1 accounts (&S) 23104r2025

Section B Statement of assets and liabilitips at the ei)d of the period lJnre•trict•d R•5tri&ted funfl• fund• Endowmèffl 31 Cagh fvnd• lJoyOi 31,7 Total cash fvnd¥ 47.807 UnrMtrl¢t•d R•gtrlÈt•d lund¥ Endowm• lund• Deiails Fund * *hl¢h C••t l•ptlo v4lu• 83 Invo•lmont a8Wt8 Fund to ¢o•t {optlmQ Curr•nl lu• 84 A8••t8 r•talnod tor th• ¢h•rlty'• own Fund to ¥thlch du• {opUaN Wh•n du• BS Ll•bllltlo• béhaff of oll the tru81084 Slgn Pont Nam• Date 01 SLI3AFJ L4J AIT ec R2 #Cun {SSJ

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Contagious (Ignite) Chaiity. Alnwick On accounts for the year ended 311t December 2024 Charity no (If any) 1089954 Set out on page8 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charty (Yhe Trusv) for the year ended 31 It December 2024. Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of rnport of the accounts in accordance wÈth the requirements of the Chartties Act 2011 (Ihe Acf). I report in respect of my exatnination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination. I have followed the applicable Directions gNen by the Charity Commission under section 145(5){b) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confinn that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: accounting records were not kept in accordan with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord vrith the accounting records Independent examinerfs statement I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection wÉth the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a woper understanding of the accounts to be reached. . Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not appty. Signed: 23rd April 2025 Jean Barr Relevant professional quallflcation{s) or body (If any): Addross: 37 Springfield Park Alrwick Northumberland NE66 2NH IER October 2018

Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners Give here brief detsils of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER October 2018