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← Wade Street Church, Lichfield (United Reformed And Baptist)

2024-12-31-accounts

CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 1134904

Wade Street Church

Unaudited Financial Statements

31 December 2024

Wade Street Church

Financial Statements

Year ended 31 December 2024

Page
Trustees' annual report 1
Independent examiner's report to the trustees 14
Statement of financial activities 15
Statement of financial position 16
Notes to the financial statements 17
The following pages do not form part of the financial statements
Detailed statement of financial activities 26
Notes to the detailed statement of financial activities 27

Wade Street Church

Trustees' Annual Report

Year ended 31 December 2024

The trustees present their report and the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2024.

Reference and administrative details

Registered charity name Wade Street Church Charity registration number 1134904

The trustees

Genny Cannan Doug Neil (Resigned 12 March 2024) Margaret Rendle (Resigned 26 March 2025) Alan Weaver (Resigned 12 March 2024) Helen Langham (Resigned 12 March 2024) Keith Newton Darren Gibbons (Resigned 13 June 2024) Rev Danielle Leigh Dennis Platt Nigel Parrett (Resigned 12 March 2024) Lawrence Williams (Appointed 12 March 2024) (Served from 12 March 2024 to Nicholas Tudor 10 March 2025) Louise Charters (Appointed 12 March 2024) Helena Cresswell (Appointed 12 March 2024)

Independent examiner Kate Wright FMAAT FCCA Fortuna Accountants Limited Hilton Hall Hilton Lane Essington South Staffordshire WV11 2BQ

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Wade Street Church

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

Structure, governance and management

Wade Street Church, Lichfield (United Reformed and Baptist) is a charitable unincorporated association governed by a Constitution agreed and overseen by its members.

There are two types of meeting whereby the members make decisions as to the governance and management of the Charity; (1) the Annual Congregational Meeting and (2) Ordinary Congregational Meetings.

The business of an Annual Congregational Meeting is, on an annual basis, to:

  1. Receive the report of the Trustees on the Charity’s activities since the previous Annual Congregational Meeting;

  2. Review the life and witness of the Charity;

  3. Elect Trustees from among the Members by processes that are clear and open;

  4. Receive the accounts of the Charity for the previous financial year;

  5. Appoint an auditor or independent examiner for the Charity; and

  6. Consider any other business put before it by the Trustees.

The business of an Ordinary Congregational Meeting is, on a quarterly basis, to:

  1. Review the life and witness of the Charity;

  2. Consider topics relevant to the local and wider witness of the Charity;

  3. Receive reports covering all aspects of the life of the Charity;

  4. Consider matters brought to it by the Trustees, so as to offer advice or guidance (to which the Trustees must have regard), and to indicate support as required;

  5. Help to shape the life, work and vision of the Charity.

The Charity is administered and managed by a body of trustees consisting of:

  1. Ex officio Trustees, being the ministers of the Charity for the time being;

  2. Up to Twelve Elected Trustees elected at the Annual Congregational Meeting; and

  3. Not more than three Co-opted Trustees appointed by the Trustees

Authorised ministry within the Charity is provided by Ministers (whether clergy or lay). The Ministers provide spiritual and pastoral leadership within the Charity.

Objectives and activities

The purpose of the Charity is to advance the Christian faith in the Lichfield and the surrounding area in accordance with the principles and practices of the Participating Churches.

In achieving its purpose, the Charity will engage in a range of activities, either on its own or with others, including (but not restricted to):

  1. The celebration of public worship;

  2. The teaching of the Christian faith;

  3. Mission and evangelism;

  4. Pastoral work, including visiting the sick and the bereaved;

  5. The provision of facilities with a Christian ethos for the local community, including (but not restricted to) the elderly, the young and other groups with special needs; and

  6. The support of other charities in the UK and overseas

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Wade Street Church

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

Achievements and performance Baptist Union of Great Britain Annual Return 2025 submission (2024 number) plus comparisons with 2023

Members and Baptisms

Numbers at 31 Dec 2024
2024
2023		 Numbers at 31 Dec 2024
2024
2023		 Numbers at 31 Dec 2024
2024
2023
LEP Members
184
160
Church Members
184
166
Baptisms 10 8

NB These are actual numbers from our records

People in regular contact with as a church

Numbers at 31 Dec 2024
2024
2023		 Numbers at 31 Dec 2024
2024
2023		 Numbers at 31 Dec 2024
2024
2023
No of Adults
396
350
No of Young People
50
22
No of Children 75 40

NB These are numbers based on Church Suite and estimates from children and young people’s work that cover midweek activities as well as Sunday worship and include Sunday Youth, youth bible studies, Messy Church, Toddlers, Active Wednesdays. Baseball Camp and ad hoc activities are excluded.

Regular Attendance at the main Sunday Service

----- Start of picture text -----
Numbers – average in year 2024 2023
65 plus 70 70
31-64 85 80
18-30 15 8
11-18 20 8
0-11 29 10
Online 15 30
----- End of picture text -----

NB These are estimates based on using 2022/23 as a base and registers taken of children and young people. The service numbers from both 9am and 11am are included as we have 2 regular services each week with different attendees across the two, a very few who attend both. This has been the basis of previous years submissions since we went to 2 Sunday services. Evening services are not included as are not held regularly.

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Wade Street Church

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

Minister’s Report

2024 was their first full year as minister at WSC, and they had the privilege of conducting ten baptisms, two infant dedications and one wedding.

In our Sunday gatherings we started off looking at our vision and values, using the book of Colossians, then it was the Amazing Cross series that took us up to Easter, and Act on Poverty after Easter. Next we had our Summer of Psalms followed by Learning from Acts, before ending the year with the Down to Earth series for advent and Christmas.

There have been several Sunday services led by house groups throughout the year, and a number of CYM (Children and Youth Ministry) services where the children and young people lead us under the guidance of the Children’s Ministry Enabler and the Youth Ministry Enabler, all of which have brought a rich and inspiring variety of different voices that point us towards Jesus and living authentically for him.

In terms of mission and outreach we have held many events, including Baseball Camp in the summer and Alpha in the autumn. Many of our regular activities are run with outreach in mind, because all we do is about living and sharing the good news of Jesus! We also overhauled our external missionary giving in 2024 and are continuing to build relationships with new missionary partners.

Consultation on same sex marriage

WSC is a church which belongs to two denominations – the Baptist Union and the United Reformed Church. In 2017, following the introduction of same sex marriage in the UK, the URC launched a consultation to find out how its member churches stood on the issue, and ultimately if they would be registering their buildings for same sex marriage. The URC as a denomination concluded that to be in a same sex marriage wasn’t sinful and is happy for any URC churches to carry out same sex marriages. At that time the church discussed and concluded at a church meeting that we uphold the traditional view that marriage is between one man and one woman.

In 2024 the Baptist Union came to the end of its consultation process to find out the views of member churches along a similar line. The consultation was driven by a request to allow accredited Baptist ministers to be in a same sex marriage without it constituting gross misconduct and concluded that most Baptist churches still hold the traditional view of marriage and therefore did not make the requested changes to the accreditation rules. (Note: as Baptist Churches are governed independently, they are free to register their building for same sex marriages and a number of them have done so or are in the process of doing so.)

At the moment, our current position as a church on the matter of human sexuality and same sex marriage is the traditional view, as concluded during the URC consultation in 2017. As our minister said during her Q&A session after her preach with a view she believes it’s important for us as a church to have an open and honest discussion about this subject, as we need to know how we can effectively reach out to our LGBT family members, friends and neighbours with the good news, and what kind of welcome they might receive at our church. A conversation to that end has already begun within the eldership, although it is only in the early stages of educating and informing itself about what Scripture says about sexuality and the different views on how to interpret it in today’s culture. It may take some time to formulate an appropriate approach to how these conversations should be held within the membership and wider church family.

We are a wonderfully diverse church and we pray that as we continue to keep our eyes on God and keep Christ at the heart of all we do we will live out our vision to be ‘a place where lives are being

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Wade Street Church

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

changed by God, and his people look upwards in worship, forwards to growth and maturity, and outwards in care, concern and evangelism.’

Our Worship

We are hugely blessed by the musical and worship gifts of so many in our church. We have 25 members of the music group supporting all services, funerals and other occasions. There are 5 members who regularly lead sung worship in services.

The tech team has 12 members, covering sound, vision, streaming and slide creation for services, funerals and other occasions.

This is a wide range of ages and instruments all helping us as a church to make a joyful and wonderful noise to the Lord and share that with our church family members.

At Christmas we were able to involve a wider group to sing carols on 2 nights at Lichfield Cathedral, supporting outreach to over 2000 people each evening.

Several of our team are also using their gifts and sharing their faith by being involved in music groups, orchestras, and bands in the city and we have hosted music evenings for Ukraine and for friendship and fellowship.

Property Team News

During 2024 we replaced two boilers, secured permission to remove the last remaining pews in the balcony and to replace them with chairs, thus increasing the capacity for worship and prepared plans to modify the front entrance of the church to make it more accessible.

Global Mission

Change to our approach

As a church, we decided to refresh our approach to mission giving from January 2025 and agreed the following principles to guide our approach:

2025 partners

We agreed seven mission partners for 2025, a mix of local, national and global partners. These partners will share 10% of Wade Street’s 2025 income equally.

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Wade Street Church

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

# Partner

2025 Fundraising Focus: Water Warriors

Through 2025, we decided to raise funds to bring clean water to a village in Africa in the name of Jesus, through a partnership with World Vision.

We set ourselves the target to raise the required £12,000 by the end of 2025. By the end of February, with the 1:1 match from generous church members, we had already reached £10,000 and the church agreed to try and raise an additional £12,000 to bring clean water to a second village.

Church Manager

The team of office and maintenance volunteers support the Office Manager and are a real blessing to the church. They all have different skills that they bring to the role and complement each other very well.

Room Hire continues to be busy with a variety of regular hirers together with one off hires.

The cleaning of the building is contracted out and is working well.

Children and Families Work

Messy Church

We see a lovely group of regular families that attend each month. There’s a great balance of church and non-church families and non-church families. We start our sessions straight from school with an informal welcome, which involves a cuppa and an afternoon snack. A variety of activities, laid out in stations for the families to take part in, follows and these are generally related to the theme for the month - interactive, craft-based, science-based and edible activities. We are very keen as a team to encourage a relaxed and informal approach to the regular gathering. The age of the children ranges from 9 months -12 years old. Fifteen minutes of story and worship time follows and then we share an evening meal together. Eating together has become a special part of Messy Church and it’s such a blessing to watch the relationships flourish during this time. A typical number attending is about 30 people.

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Wade Street Church

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

Active Wednesday

We see a regular group of key stage 2 children attend this session each week, with one or two church children and other non-church children. Parents are not expected to stay. We play all manner of crazy games from hide and seek to dodge ball. Refreshments are provided. The session is for 90 minutes and ends with a thought for the week and prayer, where we offer the children an opportunity to share anything.

Wonderfully Made

This group meets monthly and is aimed at parents of children with additional needs or for parents that might be in a season of finding parenting tough. Children can also be accommodated. It is a joint initiative with Lichfield Methodist Church. The idea is to offer support through a listening ear, a cuppa and a piece of cake. It’s a safe place where there’s no judgment or expectations, a place to let off steam and a place to build one another up. Although there is no direct biblical context shared and received, we do model ourselves and our ethos on Jesus, everyone matters and everyone is wonderfully made.

We receive referrals from organisations across a wide geographical area.

School Mentoring

The Children’s Ministry Enabler currently mentors five children in association with the Lichfield Christian Schools Work Trust in local primary and secondary schools.

Sunday Club

There is provision for children from the ages of 0-11 years.

Creche

The creche is set up each week and provides a place for carers to sit and watch the service whilst their small children (0-3 years) play. Once a month the parents can drop their children off and go back into church for the service.

Sparklers

Once children turn 3, they can join the Sparklers group. Currently we have 13 in the group. Parents/carers can leave the children in this group and return into the Sanctuary to enjoy the service child free. This group has a more structured session consisting of a story, some worship and a craft. The syllabus has been following the same bible passages as being preached on in the service, allowing for intergenerational conversations to take place at home.

Blaze

This is for children in key stage two/year 3 upwards. The current number of children is about 10. This group also follows the format of the weekly church readings and teachings, allowing for good discussions on various topics. We achieve this sharing of scripture through play, fun, discussions, craft and games.

Toddler Club

The Toddler Club attracts around 40 children each week, from babies through to those about to start Reception. There is a range of activities from mats and toys for the babies, through the ever-popular

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Wade Street Church

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

Peppa Pig World table for middle-aged-toddlers, to trikes and scooters for those with energy to burn off. Refreshments are provided together with a singing session.

Youth Ministry

Young people are pursuing Jesus and inviting their friends to join in! Our biggest victory is the culture. People have been commenting about the atmosphere of our groups, one of acceptance, inclusion, safety and silliness. It’s pretty special when teenagers want to play silly childish games or even dance together! This culture is shaped by the team of incredible leaders who volunteer their time, talents and gifts to love young people, bringing a genuineness that young people can recognise a mile off, and respond to!

This culture has led to an incredibly special place where young people seem more secure in who they are and are open to finding out more about this Jesus person who has captured our hearts. And Jesus is turning up, just as he always promises to!

Over the past year the young people have danced at ceilidhs, jumped into lakes, led services, prayed, preached, gone out into the city to pray for strangers, wrestled with big issues, thrown copious amounts of dodgeballs, started journeys of faith, developed as leaders, eaten a lot of donuts and more!

We have four main groups –

Ignite – Sunday morning group, games, snacks and bible study. Often following along with the same passage in the main service, in the hope families can have joined up conversations at home. The first Sunday of the month is always prayer, in the hope that we can enable the young people to develop tools and patterns to inform their own prayer life.

Unite – Sunday evening silliness. This is our main ‘entrance’ to the youth ministry. A space where young people can be silly and make friends. We ALWAYS talk about Jesus at some point and always offer opportunities for prayer As we get to know the young people and develop purposeful relationships with them we then invite them into our other groups and encourage them to explore faith and how we can navigate life in the light of Jesus’ love and plans for us.

Explore – fortnightly mid-week bible study for school yrs 7-9. Currently going through Youth Alpha to encourage YP to explore who Jesus is to them. As they embark on their turbulent teenage years and figure out who they are, we also want to enable them to identify who Jesus is to them, beyond an inherited faith of their family. There are many recurring themes of silliness and sometimes we spend most of the session upside down in our chairs but there is joy and love and grappling with issues of faith and life too. An absolute delight to be there, but not for the faint-hearted!

Navigate - fortnightly mid-week bible study for school yrs 10-13. Our oldest young people, many of whom possess a solid foundation of faith and are trying to navigate life in the light of it. We get our teeth into some deep stuff - war, gritty bible stories of murder and abuse, the fight for justice, equality, our response to a broken world and how Jesus can speak hope and light and truth into the issues we face. They also challenge the rest of the church on how to engage in prayer. One week we spent the entire session in creative prayer and worship and praying for one another. There’s also the odd game of splat and cuddling giant toy vegetables too, it’s serious stuff but underpinned by our culture of love and silliness.

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Wade Street Church

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

Baseball camp

In July 2024, we ran Baseball Camp again with our partner church, The Woodlands Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. Numbers were greater than the year before, with 72 children aged 8 to 11 years in the morning sessions and 55 young people aged 12-18 in the afternoon. For the first time we held the Camp at Nether Stowe School. This change proved to be a success, despite some initial access problems.

Over 200 people attended Texan night. For the first time we had an inter-churches volunteer team, with Life Church and Lichfield Methodist Church helping plan and providing leaders. We housed 24 Texans, including hosts from Life Church. Sunday services in both Wade Street and Life Church were led by our Texan friends. We covered our costs and each year the numbers grow. Baseball Camp mission was led by us as a church with so many of the church family getting involved.

- Discipleship House Groups

The mid-week groups have continued to form the backbone of the church. The following reports have been provided by our house group leaders.

Heritage Court House group

This house group meets on a Thursday evening.

The format of the evening is to have a chat/opening prayer, followed by bible study and discussion. Then we have a time of prayer plus a time of fellowship with refreshments, tea, coffee and cakes.

Our current Membership is 13 and we average an attendance of 8 -10

We consider the core value of what we do is to give care, love, and support to one another, knowing we can share things in a confidential environment. As we study together, our faith is strengthened and grows deeper.

We hold two social events a year, at Christmas and in the Summer, where we have a bring and share supper.

Marsh Croft House group

We meet every Thursday evening during term time. The Bible studies and questions are based on the previous Sunday’s sermon. Sometimes we meet for walks and have socials a few times each year.

We have a house group WhatsApp and a separate WhatsApp for prayer. We have 13 members, but weekly numbers are 6 or 7 and new members are always welcome.

– Wednesday Living The Word

Living The Word (Lichfield Room group) meets Wednesday afternoons. It's been a year of minor changes: our name became Living the Word, we extended our membership to men, and in January 2025, as a trial, we became two groups because of growing numbers. One continues to meet in the Lichfield Room, and the other at Sarah Siddons House.

During the year we have mostly followed the house group study subjects: Amazing Cross, Act on Poverty, and Parables, with occasional non-study sessions and social get-togethers. Following on from Act on Poverty, we contributed to several toilets in the Toilet Twinning project. We continue to support and pray for one another during the week mostly via WhatsApp and face to face.

Numbers for the Lichfield Room group average nine but we're always keen to see new faces.

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Wade Street Church

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

Sarah Siddon House Group

The group have been studying ‘the parables of Jesus’ using the material recommended but digressing and including the needs of the group or discussing a particular subject when it emerges. One week was spent talking about personal experiences of the Holy Spirit and the impact these have on furthering the Kingdom of God.

We have become a close-knit group, enjoying being in a home environment, encouraging each other and looking out for each other pastorally. The group prays for each other.

Broad Lane House group

The Broad Lane House Group has enjoyed another productive and prayerful year. As well as our fortnightly study evenings we have been privileged to lead two full mornings of Sunday services involving the whole group. These have been well received and have bonded us as a group to serve. We have also been involved in providing the choir at International World Day of Prayer services in 2024 and 2025. We are looking forward to what the year ahead brings with our usual tagline of fun, food and fellowship!

“Just 10” Group

We’re called Just 10 after the J. John course studying the Ten Commandments (it’s not that there are only ten of us!). We meet weekly on a Tuesday night and always start with tea/coffee, treats and then usually follow this with a themed game or challenge. We then spend time looking at scripture, not just focussing on the New Testament but also looking at how our story is rooted in an ancient relationship between God and His people. However, the group is not a dry, academic study and we are keen to consider how our faith is worked out in practice in our daily lives. The evening typically ends with prayer. During the course of the year, we make time for socials such as walks, meals together and other one-off activities like our Hogmanay Shindig! The friendship and support are valued by everyone who attends.

Well Holy house group

The 'Well Holy' house group continues to meet each Thursday evening, term time only. Membership has grown a lot this year and we currently have 18 members and are at full capacity for now! The group continues to meet in a hybrid fashion, both 'live' in a home and a zoom option for those who can't be there in person sometimes, and we have found an increase in regular attendance.

Some members of our group have been through challenging circumstances over the last year, but the group has been a place of solace and community and support. We see each other as family.

We continue to enjoy bible study and prayer most weeks, with occasional socials together and our WhatsApp community chat continues to be very active and supportive.

The Friary House group

Our group has had a year where we have shared the leadership across 6 of us. This has been energising and enabling for the group, as we have tried different approaches and listened to new voices leading us in study, worship and prayer.

We remain a large group with regularly 18 plus of us meeting together. We do that by breaking into small groups of 6 to share and pray more intimately together. The group is very caring and supportive of each other and much happens during the week to help each other. We have also started to walk as a group and that has been so good for fellowship and friendship.

Scotch Orchard House group

Scotch Orchard House Group meets weekly on Mondays. We average about nine people for each session, and we follow the sermon series questions. We have led one service at church, and most of our home group members are actively involved with leading parts of the group every week.

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Wade Street Church

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

Pastoral Report

This year has been a productive year for the Pastoral Team.

Virtual Pastoral Groups

We identified that there were about 110 friends/members of Wade Street, who were not accessing pastoral support through attendance at a House Group.

Eldership Prayer

At our Elders’ meetings, we always discuss any pastoral needs and pray for these. We also share needs as they come to us, with the permission of those needing prayer and support.

Prayer team

We have a team of 20 members who have been encouraged with love and great wisdom. We respond to prayer requests made through Church Suite and are available at the end of services to listen to anyone who seeks prayer, in total confidence, and to pray with or for them as required.

– Prayer Community Prayer

We meet on Zoom on the first Saturday of the month at 8.30am. Members of the group have been praying for many years, and we see so much fruit through the activities that go on in the community in schools, in the churches, in the park through the Men’s Club and refugee work. We have opened the group to include people from other churches and that widens the impact and our prayers.

Discipleship – The Women

The Women is led by the Women Planning Team who feel called to gather the women of Wade Street Church, to empower them by faith and grow with Jesus together.

The Women Gather : We have hosted two Saturday morning brunches, which included worship, a speaker, prayer requests and tasty pastries. These raised over £250 each for charity (Water Warriors campaign and the women / children supported by our mission partners in Prague, Dignity).

We also organised social events in which we encourage the ladies to invite their friends along. The Women held a walk across the city followed by drinks outside during a lovely summer evening in July.

A large group of The Women also attended together The Orchard Women’s Conference at the ICC in Birmingham in October 2024. Female members of Ignite also attended The Orchard Youth Conference. The Women provided financial support to those women who could not afford the £50 ticket price.

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Wade Street Church

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

The Women Pray : Each month The Women meet in the Sanctuary on a Friday morning to pray together. There are also plans for The Women to meet on a Wednesday evening so that working women can also attend. The vision for the Women Pray is to meet in praise and worship God in our prayers, embrace each other in care and compassion and make space for the Holy Spirit to move amongst us and respond to the needs of others in prayer.

The Women Care: Over the last 12 months, The Women have organised meals to be delivered to a new mum, and those in our WSC community who are going through a difficult time and needed practical support. We have also reached out to women who have recently left WSC for coffee and stay connected with those feeling on the outside.

The Women Stand : The Women gathered last summer to write prayer cards to local women in prison and women facing persecution because of their faith in Christ.

The Women WhatsApp : The Women also host a WSC Women’s WhatsApp group which has over 55 female church members. The WhatsApp group is used as a forum for encouragement, prayer requests, sharing praise reports and worship songs, sharing Christian book reviews and helpful Christian podcasts/sermons, and updates on The Women events.

Discipleship – Mankind

Mankind (Wade Street’s Men’s Ministry) has been quiet over the last 12 months. We did create a small planning group, which generated at least one good discussion in the pub… and a fabulous group breakfast.

So, without letting on that we’re copying their better approach to organisation, we’re going to adopt something annoyingly simple that The Women have… a WhatsApp group for general communication and organisation.

We’ve had

The 'Well'

For the past year the 'Well' – a member of the Renew Wellbeing group based in Nottingham – has met every Wednesday from 10am to 12 pm, except for 2 weeks at Christmas and 1 at Easter. We have continued to average 40 – 45 people, not including our team of up to 8 hosts, along with a small group of valuable helpers. We enjoy chatting together and sharing crafts and refreshments and continue in the mode of ‘Slow Down, Show Up and Pray.'

The Well is based around the '5 ways to wellbeing' to promote good mental and emotional health. These are: to connect, give, be active, keep learning and take notice, and meets our church aim of 'care and concern' for the community.

This year, as well as our annual birthday party and Christmas party, we have enjoyed a day out at Beacon Park with crazy golf and refreshments, and a hilarious trip to see Jack and the Beanstalk at the Garrick Theatre.

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Wade Street Church

Trustees' Annual Report (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

We would really appreciate your prayer support with regard to the wellbeing of all the group and for any future expansion in Lichfield. There is certainly a great need. Also, several of our group attended last year’s Alpha course and a 'Talking about depression/anxiety’ course, both based here at church, as well as some of the group attending church services.

One main feature deserves a special mention – the friendships and genuine care and support that has developed between the Well-goers

Take a Break

Take a Break meets twice per month. We serve home-made vegetable soup with bread, cake, plus tea and coffee. Guests begin arriving from about 11.30am, and stay, chatting as long as they wish, to around 2pm. Many of the guests are not church regulars, although several also attend Monday Tea and Cake Club.

Tea and Cakes

We usually have 15 – 20 retired people attend on a Monday. They value some time with others and love to sit and chat over tea and cake.

We hold a Songs of Praise on the last Monday of the month with visiting speakers.

For our guests, it is a very important part of their week, they have made new friends and look out for each other.

Financial review

The accounts for the year ended 2024 reflect a deficit of £14,747. While this shortfall is a matter of concern, the Trustees have proactively taken steps to improve the financial position of the charity.

These include:

Despite the reported loss, the balance sheet remains robust with healthy unrestricted reserves. The Trustees remain committed to supporting external mission and charitable causes, maintaining the practice of donating at least 10% of total income annually.

The trustees' annual report was approved on 6 October 2025 and signed on behalf of the board of trustees by:

Lawrence Williams

Lawrence Williams Trustee

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Wade Street Church

Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Wade Street Church

Year ended 31 December 2024

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Wade Street Church ('the charity') for the year ended 31 December 2024.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the charity's financial statements carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's statement

Since your charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a listed body. I can confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a registered member of The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), which is one of the listed bodies.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or

  2. the financial statements do not accord with those records; or

  3. the financial statements do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair' view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Kate Wright FMAAT FCCA Fortuna Accountants Limited Independent Examiner

Hilton Hall Hilton Lane Essington South Staffordshire WV11 2BQ

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Wade Street Church

Statement of Financial Activities

Year ended 31 December 2024

2024 2023
Unrestricted Restricted
funds funds Total funds Total funds
Note £ £ £ £
Income and endowments
Donations and legacies 4 218,250 – 218,250 192,444
Other trading activities 5 44,386 23,294 67,680 31,523
Investment income 6 4,562 – 4,562 3,868
-------------------------------- ---------------------------- -------------------------------- --------------------------------
Total income 267,198 23,294 290,492 227,835
================================ ============================ ================================ ================================
Expenditure
Expenditure on charitable activities 7,8 305,239 – 305,239 233,936
-------------------------------- ---------------------------- -------------------------------- --------------------------------
Total expenditure 305,239 – 305,239 233,936
================================ ============================ ================================ ================================
-------------------------------- ---------------------------- -------------------------------- --------------------------------
Net expenditure (38,041) 23,294 (14,747) (6,101)
================================ ============================ ================================ ================================
Transfers between funds 22,494 (22,494) – –
-------------------------------- ---------------------------- -------------------------------- --------------------------------
Net movement in funds (15,547) 800 (14,747) (6,101)
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward 707,328 – 707,328 713,429
-------------------------------- ---------------------------- -------------------------------- --------------------------------
Total funds carried forward 691,781
================================		 800
============================		 692,581
================================		 707,328
================================

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

The notes on pages 17 to 24 form part of these financial statements.

- 15 -

Wade Street Church

Statement of Financial Position

31 December 2024

2024 2023
Note £ £ £
Fixed assets
Tangible fixed assets 14 506,232 495,126
Current assets
Debtors 15 17,225 749
Cash at bank and in hand 175,188 214,477
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
192,413 215,226
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 16 6,064 3,024
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Net current assets 186,349 212,202
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Total assets less current liabilities 692,581 707,328
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Net assets 692,581 707,328
================================ ================================
Funds of the charity
Restricted funds 800 –
Unrestricted funds 691,781 707,328
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Total charity funds 17 692,581
================================		 707,328
================================

These financial statements were approved by the board of trustees and authorised for issue on 6 October 2025, and are signed on behalf of the board by:

Lawrence Williams

Lawrence Williams Trustee

The notes on pages 17 to 24 form part of these financial statements.

- 16 -

Wade Street Church

Notes to the Financial Statements

Year ended 31 December 2024

1. General information

The charity is a public benefit entity and a registered charity in England and Wales and is unincorporated. The address of the principal office is Wade Street, Lichfield, WS13 6HL.

2. Statement of compliance

These financial statements have been prepared in compliance with FRS 102, 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland', the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (Charities SORP (FRS 102)) and the Charities Act 2011.

3. Accounting policies

Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis, as modified by the revaluation of certain financial assets and liabilities and investment properties measured at fair value through income or expenditure.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the entity.

Going concern

There are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees to further any of the charity's purposes.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular future project or commitment.

Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure declared by the donor or through the terms of an appeal, and fall into one of two sub-classes: restricted income funds or endowment funds.

- 17 -

Wade Street Church

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

3. Accounting policies (continued)

Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities when entitlement has passed to the charity; it is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the charity and the amount can be reliably measured. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:

Resources expended

Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is classified under headings of the statement of financial activities to which it relates:

All costs are allocated to expenditure categories reflecting the use of the resource. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs are apportioned between the activities they contribute to on a reasonable, justifiable and consistent basis.

Tangible assets

Tangible assets are initially recorded at cost, and subsequently stated at cost less any accumulated depreciation and impairment losses. Any tangible assets carried at revalued amounts are recorded at the fair value at the date of revaluation less any subsequent accumulated depreciation and subsequent accumulated impairment losses.

- 18 -

Wade Street Church

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

3. Accounting policies (continued)

Tangible assets (continued)

An increase in the carrying amount of an asset as a result of a revaluation, is recognised in other recognised gains and losses, unless it reverses a charge for impairment that has previously been recognised as expenditure within the statement of financial activities. A decrease in the carrying amount of an asset as a result of revaluation, is recognised in other recognised gains and losses, except to which it offsets any previous revaluation gain, in which case the loss is shown within other recognised gains and losses on the statement of financial activities.

Depreciation

Depreciation is calculated so as to write off the cost or valuation of an asset, less its residual value, over the useful economic life of that asset as follows:

Freehold - 2% reducing balance Fixtures & Fittings - 25% reducing balance

Impairment of fixed assets

A review for indicators of impairment is carried out at each reporting date, with the recoverable amount being estimated where such indicators exist. Where the carrying value exceeds the recoverable amount, the asset is impaired accordingly. Prior impairments are also reviewed for possible reversal at each reporting date.

For the purposes of impairment testing, when it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, an estimate is made of the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs. The cash-generating unit is the smallest identifiable group of assets that includes the asset and generates cash inflows that largely independent of the cash inflows from other assets or groups of assets.

For impairment testing of goodwill, the goodwill acquired in a business combination is, from the acquisition date, allocated to each of the cash-generating units that are expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination, irrespective of whether other assets or liabilities of the charity are assigned to those units.

Financial instruments

A financial asset or a financial liability is recognised only when the charity becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at the amount receivable or payable including any related transaction costs.

Current assets and current liabilities are subsequently measured at the cash or other consideration expected to be paid or received and not discounted.

Debt instruments are subsequently measured at amortised cost.

Where investments in shares are publicly traded or their fair value can otherwise be measured reliably, the investment is subsequently measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognised in income and expenditure. All other such investments are subsequently measured at cost less impairment.

- 19 -

Wade Street Church

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

3. Accounting policies (continued)

Financial instruments (continued)

Other financial instruments, including derivatives, are initially recognised at fair value, unless payment for an asset is deferred beyond normal business terms or financed at a rate of interest that is not a market rate, in which case the asset is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest for a similar debt instrument.

Other financial instruments are subsequently measured at fair value, with any changes recognised in the statement of financial activities, with the exception of hedging instruments in a designated hedging relationship.

Financial assets that are measured at cost or amortised cost are reviewed for objective evidence of impairment at the end of each reporting date. If there is objective evidence of impairment, an impairment loss is recognised under the appropriate heading in the statement of financial activities in which the initial gain was recognised.

For all equity instruments regardless of significance, and other financial assets that are individually significant, these are assessed individually for impairment. Other financial assets are either assessed individually or grouped on the basis of similar credit risk characteristics.

Any reversals of impairment are recognised immediately, to the extent that the reversal does not result in a carrying amount of the financial asset that exceeds what the carrying amount would have been had the impairment not previously been recognised.

Reserves policy

(Approved at the September 2024 Church Meeting)

The Church's policy is to hold sufficient reserves to provide financial stability and to ensure the ongoing operation of core activities in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Specifically, the policy is to maintain:

These levels are deemed sufficient to manage short-term fluctuations in income or expenditure and to allow time for remedial action if required.

In addition to general reserves, the Church has designated funds set aside for specific purposes:

The reserves position is reviewed at least annually in conjunction with the approval of the financial statements to ensure ongoing appropriateness and sufficiency.

- 20 -

Wade Street Church

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

4. Donations and legacies

Unrestricted Total Funds Unrestricted Total Funds
Funds 2024 Funds 2023
£ £ £ £
Other donations and legacies
Other donations and legacies 218,250
================================		 218,250
================================		 192,444
================================		 192,444
================================

5. Other trading activities

Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2024
£ £ £
Other income from other trading activities 29,978 800 30,778
Income from Grants & Collections 14,408 – 14,408
Income from Improvement Work Grants – 22,494 22,494
---------------------------- ---------------------------- ----------------------------
44,386 23,294 67,680
============================ ============================ ============================
Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2023
£ £ £
Other income from other trading activities 31,523 – 31,523
Income from Grants & Collections – – –
Income from Improvement Work Grants – – –
---------------------------- -------------- ----------------------------
31,523
============================		 –
==============		 31,523
============================

6. Investment income

Unrestricted Total Funds Unrestricted Total Funds
Funds 2024 Funds 2023
£ £ £ £
Bank interest receivable 4,562 4,562 3,868 3,868
======================= ======================= ======================= =======================
Expenditure on charitable activities by fund type
Unrestricted Total Funds Unrestricted Total Funds
Funds 2024 Funds 2023
£ £ £ £
305,239
================================		 305,239
================================		 233,936
================================		 233,936
================================

7. Expenditure on charitable activities by fund type

8. Expenditure on charitable activities by activity type

Activities
undertaken Total funds Total fund
directly 2024 2023
£ £ £
305,239 305,239 233,936
================================ ================================ ================================

- 21 -

Wade Street Church

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

9. Net expenditure

Net expenditure is stated after charging/(crediting):

Net expenditure is stated after charging/(crediting):
2024 2023
£ £
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets 15,076 13,703
============================ ============================
10. Independent examination fees
2024 2023
£ £
Fees payable to the independent examiner for:
Independent examination of the financial statements 1,388 1,323
============== =======================

11. Staff costs

The total staff costs and employee benefits for the reporting period are analysed as The total staff costs and employee benefits for the reporting period are analysed as follows:
2024 2023
£ £
Wages and salaries 122,142
================================		 87,243
============================

The average head count of employees during the year was 5 (2023: 5).

No employee received employee benefits of more than £60,000 during the year (2023: Nil).

12. Trustee remuneration and expenses

No Trustees received remuneration from the church for their roles as Trustees. The Minister, who is also a Trustee, received remuneration and expenses for her role as the full-time minister of the church.

13. Transfers between funds

The transfers between restricted and unrestricted funds relate to property improvement grants received where the improvements were carried out on the restrictions complied with and released.

- 22 -

Wade Street Church

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

14. Tangible fixed assets

Land and Fixtures and
buildings fittings Total
£ £ £
Cost
At 1 January 2024 717,190 161,613 878,803
Additions 25,334 848 26,182
-------------------------------- -------------------------------- --------------------------------
At 31 December 2024 742,524 162,461 904,985
================================ ================================ ================================
Depreciation
At 1 January 2024 238,460 145,217 383,677
Charge for the year 10,420 4,656 15,076
-------------------------------- -------------------------------- --------------------------------
At 31 December 2024 248,880 149,873 398,753
================================ ================================ ================================
Carrying amount
At 31 December 2024 493,644 12,588 506,232
================================ ================================ ================================
At 31 December 2023 478,730 16,396 495,126
================================ ================================ ================================
Debtors
2024 2023
£ £
Trade debtors 1,273 –
Prepayments and accrued income 15,952 749
---------------------------- --------------
17,225 749
============================ ==============
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
2024 2023
£ £
Trade creditors 1,244 –
Accruals and deferred income 2,498 1,323
Social security and other taxes 2,322 1,701
----------------------- -----------------------
6,064
=======================		 3,024
=======================

15. Debtors

16. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

17. Analysis of charitable funds

Unrestricted funds

At At
1 January 20 31 Decembe
24 Income Expenditure Transfers r 2024
£ £ £ £ £
General funds 707,328 267,198 (305,239) 22,494 691,781
================================ ================================ ================================ ============================ ================================
At At
1 January 20 31 December
23 Income Expenditure Transfers 2023
£ £ £ £ £
General funds 713,429 227,835 (233,936) – 707,328
================================ ================================ ================================ ============== ================================

- 23 -

Wade Street Church

Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)

Year ended 31 December 2024

17. Analysis of charitable funds (continued)

Restricted funds

Restricted funds
At At
1 January 20 31 Decembe
24 Income Expenditure Transfers r 2024
£ £ £ £ £
Restricted Funds – 23,294 – (22,494) 800
============== ============================ ============== ============================ ==============
At At
1 January 20 31 December
23 Income Expenditure Transfers 2023
£ £ £ £ £
Restricted Funds – – – – –
============== ============== ============== ============== ==============

- 24 -

Wade Street Church

Management Information

Year ended 31 December 2024

The following pages do not form part of the financial statements.

- 25 -

Wade Street Church

Detailed Statement of Financial Activities

Year ended 31 December 2024

2024 2023
£ £
Income and endowments
Donations and legacies
Other donations and legacies 218,250 192,444
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Other trading activities
Other income from other trading activities 30,778 31,523
Income from Grants & Collections 14,408 –
Income from Improvement Work Grants 22,494 –
---------------------------- ----------------------------
67,680 31,523
---------------------------- ----------------------------
Investment income
Bank interest receivable 4,562 3,868
----------------------- -----------------------
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Total income 290,492 227,835
================================ ================================
Expenditure
Expenditure on charitable activities
Purchases 8,697 18,728
Wages and salaries 122,142 87,243
Rates and water 69,498 64,520
Insurance 3,102 2,861
Other establishment 7,098 1,724
Other motor/travel costs 1,250 –
Legal and professional fees 1,778 2,162
Other office costs 29,632 15,085
Depreciation 15,075 13,702
Other interest payable and similar charges 86 80
Training and conferences 12,751 240
Grants and collections 11,466 –
Donations 22,664 27,591
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
305,239 233,936
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Total expenditure 305,239 233,936
================================ ================================
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Net expenditure (14,747) (6,101)
================================ ================================

- 26 -

Wade Street Church

Notes to the Detailed Statement of Financial Activities

Year ended 31 December 2024

Year ended 31 December 2024
2024 2023
£ £
Expenditure on charitable activities
Activity type 1
Activities undertaken directly
Direct charitable activity 1 - meals and activities 8,697 18,728
Direct charitable activity 1 - wages/salaries 122,142 87,243
Direct charitable activity 1 - premises running costs 69,498 64,520
Direct charitable activity 1 - insurance 3,102 2,861
Direct charitable activity 1 - sundry expenses and refreshments 7,098 1,724
Direct charitable activity 1 - other motor/travel costs 1,250 –
Direct charitable activity 1 - legal and professional fees 1,778 2,162
Direct charitable activity 1 - Literature, materials, subscriptions & office
costs 29,632 15,085
Direct charitable activity 1 - depreciation 15,075 13,702
Direct charitable activity 1 - bank charges 86 80
Direct charitable activity 1 - training & conferences 12,751 240
Direct charitable activity 1 - grants & collections 11,466 –
Direct charitable activity 1 - donations 22,664 27,591
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
305,239 233,936
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
-------------------------------- --------------------------------
Expenditure on charitable activities 305,239 233,936
================================ ================================

Signature: Lawrie Williams (Oct 21, 2025 14:06:03 GMT+1)

Email: lawriew@wadestreetchurch.co.uk

- 27 -

Final Accounts_updated_13.10.2025

Final Audit Report

2025-10-21

Created: 2025-10-21 By: Fortuna Accountants (admin@fortunaaccountants.co.uk) Status: Signed Transaction ID: CBJCHBCAABAAEEnQ9jE5SZidJU2yw5IMkEVfD7o8kcFg

"Final Accounts_updated_13.10.2025" History

Document created by Fortuna Accountants (admin@fortunaaccountants.co.uk) 2025-10-21 - 9:25:07 AM GMT- IP address: 89.241.73.242

Document emailed to Lawrie Williams (lawriew@wadestreetchurch.co.uk) for signature 2025-10-21 - 9:25:12 AM GMT

Email viewed by Lawrie Williams (lawriew@wadestreetchurch.co.uk)

2025-10-21 - 1:04:10 PM GMT- IP address: 104.47.85.126

Document e-signed by Lawrie Williams (lawriew@wadestreetchurch.co.uk) Signature Date: 2025-10-21 - 1:06:03 PM GMT - Time Source: server- IP address: 89.242.151.186

Agreement completed.

2025-10-21 - 1:06:03 PM GMT