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2024-12-31-accounts


Report & Accounts

for the year ended 31st December 2024


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THRIVE YOUTH MINISTRIES

for the year 1st January - 31st December 2024

Reference and Administration Details Reference and Administration Details
Registered charity number
1145794
Charity’s registered address
119 Cubbington Road
Leamington Spa
Warwickshire
CV32 7AP
Charity’s office address Thrive Youth Ministries Office
c/o Whitnash Methodist Church
Murcott Road East
Leamington Spa CV31 2JJ
Trustees Andrew Fulcher Chair (resigned from board 18/01/24)
Kevin Johnson Chair (appointed 18/01/24)
Simon Archer Treasurer (until 18/01/24, remains on board)
Lindsey Selley Treasurer (appointed 18/01/24)
Susannah Solt Secretary
Samuel Davis Safeguarding Lead
Ian Derbyshire (resigned 21/11/24)
Samantha Lee (appointed 21/03/24)
Chief Executive Andy Castle
Staff members Fiona Stutton
James Yates
Ryan McNair
Rosemary Pauling (left 15/3/24)
Marvin Vogel (started 27/08/24, left 01/09/24)
Independent Examiner Blessing Simango
25 Myton Crofts
Leamington Spa
CV31 3NZ
Bankers CAF Bank Ltd
25 Kings Hill Avenue
Kings Hill
West Malling
Kent
ME19 4JQ

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STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document Deed of Trust adopted on 14th November 2011 How the charity is constituted Trust

Governance/Structure

The Board of Trustees meets up to six times per year for business meetings. The day to day running of the charity is handled by the Chief Executive.

The Board have four sub-committees (teams), which assist the CEO with the oversight and development of the charity. These teams are:

The Board of Trustees have given their approval to policies, procedures and guidelines, which are applied within Thrive Youth Ministries’ (more commonly referred to in this report as Thrive) daily activities.

The charity has the following policies in place:

Regular meetings of the Board of Trustees allow all Trustees to keep up to date with the development of the charity and in between meetings, any matters arising are shared by email or phone conversation, or at a fortnightly prayer meeting.

Meetings are scheduled for every other calendar month, with an expectation of a minimum of three meetings per year with an additional annual vision and prayer day, where possible. In

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2024, the trustees met six times formally, plus a vision & prayer day with the staff on Saturday 6th July. Each of the teams met at least once.

Our core values are:

An Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is obtained prior to commencement of employment or trusteeship, with a renewal after every three years. We also ensure that all volunteers working with Thrive have a current DBS check in place.

All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no remuneration or other benefits.

Thrive Youth Ministries is a local mission partner of Scripture Union.

Recruitment of Trustees

New Trustees are identified through connections made with individuals in the course of Thrive’s activities. Exploratory conversations occur and if the time/skills of the individual and the needs of the Board align, the person considering a trustee role is invited to meet other trustees at a meeting, where they have the opportunity to ask further questions and introduce themselves. If a synergy is identified, the person is invited to become a Trustee based upon the voting of existing Trustees.

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OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Objects of the charity: To advance the Christian faith among young people in England, as set out in our Deed of Trust.

Summary of Main Activities Undertaken for the Public Benefit in Relation to These Objects

In planning the activities of Thrive, the Trustees have given consideration to the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission in September 2013. Thrive aims to fulfil its vision as shown above and in so doing, serve the local and wider communities who connect with Thrive.

Thrive’s vision is to see every church within its area of operation with a thriving youth ministry of some kind. Our area is defined as Warwickshire and Coventry. With our office in Leamington Spa, it means we can reach anywhere within an approximate drive of 30 minutes, therefore keeping our work local.

We recognise that for Thrive’s vision to be realised, Thrive also needs to help churches with their children’s ministry as if this is weak, it is much harder for there to be the possibility of a strong youth ministry. As a result, we work with churches to develop all ministries reaching under 18s.

Our primary means for fulfilling our vision is by focusing on three priorities:

1. Mobilising the Church

We offer to walk alongside churches as they look to develop their youth and children’s work. We offer resources to help them review their attitudes to young people as well as offering advice on how to improve their delivery of youth work.

We have developed a step by step process to help churches create a youth ministry fit for the new century, and with a hands-on approach from Thrive. We have two Youth Mission Enablers who provide churches with the expertise and knowledge to lead them through the process.

2. Enabling healthy youth & children’s leaders

We provide regular one-to-one mentoring for youth and children’s leaders, both volunteers and employed staff. This helps leaders to feel valued, understood and supported in their ministry. It enables them to grow and develop as leaders as well as in their ministries. We

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believe mentoring is an essential element for a leader if they are to be resilient and have longevity in their position.

We hold both open training events and closed events, specifically at the request of a particular church. Training enables people to come together and to discuss new ideas and encourages greater creativity and dependence on God.

Our website is an effective means of communicating with a lot of people in one go. Our leadership blog is popular, as is our increasing bank of useful web links. The website is used by a large number of people regularly. We also have a popular weekly podcast and YouTube video called, ‘The Heart of a Youth Leader’.

3. Investing in the next generation

Thrive only wants to do what the local church on its own is unable to deliver. So we run leadership courses for Christian young people, enabling individual churches to each send one or two young people to participate. We also oversee area-wide youth and children’s events.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

2024 was a positive year for Thrive, as the work progressed and the team were able to grow in their confidence and reach.

At the start of 2024 Thrive took over the day to day management and delivery of the Warwick Youth Bus, colloquially known as the ‘Thrive Bus’. This is a partnership with the Anglican Churches of Warwick and King Henry VIII Foundation. This has been an exciting, yet challenging, project to get off the ground but we were confident that Thrive should take on this responsibility, not least because James Yates, one of Thrive’s Youth Mision Enablers, has significant experience in the past of driving coaches! It felt like God was preparing us to be able to deliver this project for the churches and see young people reached with the Gospel.

Following a rebrand at the start of the year, we recruited volunteers from the churches in Warwick and started to take the bus out from the summer term. In total it went out 54 times to 10 different locations across Warwick, with additional visits to St Mary’s Church Leamington, St Paul’s Church Leamington and to the King’s Lodge in Nuneaton with YWAM. The bus had its doors open for 130 hours, welcoming 948 visits by young people in Warwick alone, supported by 41 local volunteers.

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Through our Manifesto for 21st Century Youthwork, Thrive has supported 20 churches to take bold, creative steps in reaching and discipling young people in their communities. This has included the launch of new youth groups, evangelistic events like “Golden Ticket” reunions and Year 7 cafés, and the use of Thrive’s Bus to connect with young people after school. Churches have responded with energy and innovation—hosting football and pizza nights, starting youth homegroups, and developing initiatives like The Lounge and Milkshake Club to encourage faith exploration, Bible study, and peer evangelism.

Several churches have made first-time connections with young people through hot chocolate giveaways, ice cream stalls, and pop-up sports events in high-footfall areas. Others have built on school partnerships to develop regular youth ministry, with one church celebrating baptisms, including one young person following their encounter with God at a Thrive event.

Across all these initiatives, churches have been equipped to move from intention to action, reaching new young people and helping them take steps toward faith and discipleship.

Our annual Basecamp youth weekend was our biggest to date, welcoming groups from 16 churches, totalling 150 people. One young person, Hannah, told us: “It was so much fun, and I enjoyed meeting people from so many different churches.”

The theme for the weekend was ‘What Was I Made For?’, taken from the song title of the same name by Billie Eilish, from the Barbie movie soundtrack. It enabled us to explore issues of identity and self-esteem, and to seek God for his plan for each of us.

We also had lots of fun, including a ‘Basecamp does TaskMaster’ evening led by our young leaders team, made up of teenagers who have completed Thrive’s Youth Growing Leaders programme in the past. It was an encouragement to see them putting what they had learnt on the course into action and seeing them continue to be intentional in their walk with Jesus.

Our weekend reunion event in September, known as Base, saw 140 young people gather together at New Life Church in Warwick. Starting with hotdogs and a UV party, we then moved into worship and used prayer stations to help us engage with God as we prayed for each other, our schools and our communities.

In April, Thrive Juniors brought together over 160 children, alongside leaders and young people, from 16 different churches, for a spirited and vibrant worship event hosted at All Saints Church, Emscote.

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The celebration kicked off to energetic “Just Dance” music before transitioning into heartfelt worship, all centred around the theme of fixing one’s eyes on Jesus and persevering in faith.

What made the event especially inspiring was the active involvement of 20 young leaders, many of whom had progressed through Thrive’s Youth Growing Leaders course. Young people such as Dan and Mim played key roles—they co‑hosted the afternoon, shared testimonies, led worship, and even choreographed and performed a drama piece, earning spontaneous applause from the crowd. Their leadership not only enriched the event but also showcased how earlier equipping through Thrive is bearing fruit, enabling young people to shine as confident, Spirit‑filled leaders.

‘It was a joyous occasion and so good for all of the children to see that they belong to a much bigger Church than just their own patch. It was so good too to see All Saint’s (Church) being used to its fuller potential – I loved the theatrical set up in the main space and the way the young people were involved with the music and much more. A lot of work went into it from the Thrive Team and I could see that there was an amazing back up team too. Inspirational.’ – Rev Diane Thompson, vicar at All Saints Church, Emscote

‘Well done everyone. The puppets were a highlight as ever! I wish I could have bottled the enthralled expressions of some of our kids.’ Rachel Budd – leader at Heathcote Parish Church

2024 saw the end of one Youth Growing Leaders Programme and the start of the next. The end of the 23/24 programme had eight young people coming from six local churches. Upon finishing the course one participant commented, “I’m better as a leader now. I’m rooted deeper in Christ … and I feel closer to God as a result of this course.”

The new programme at the end of 2024, had 12 young people from seven churches and concludes in April 2025.

James Yates led our Worship course again, with help from three volunteer leaders, including two Youth Growing Leaders’ alumni! James writes, “The worship course was a success with 10 young people. It was encouraging to see members of the group involved throughout the year. Seeing young people grow in their skills and understanding of worship is always a privilege.”

We continued to support youth, children & family workers throughout the year. As well as our regular mentoring and local networks, we also hosted three training and retreat days for the Heart of England Baptist Association. Each of the days had a three-prong focus: to connect with God, to be inspired for our ministries and to network with like-minded people. We had very encouraging comments at the end of each day from the participants who travelled from

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across HEBA’s area of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, the Black Country, Birmingham, Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

Andy continues to record his regular weekly podcast, ‘The Heart of a Youth Leader’, short tenminute episodes to inspire listeners to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus, and to encourage youth and children’s leaders to be investing in their own spiritual walk, and not just that of those they lead. Each episode is usually downloaded 25-30 times at least, with additional viewing on Thrive’s YouTube channel. Whilst numbers are not huge, this is a fantastic opportunity to invest in 30 leaders each week.

We continued to develop our Transitions Initiative, helping churches to get alongside their local primary school and those pupils in Year 6, as they prepare to move to secondary school in the autumn. We worked with 8 churches. They did leaving events in the summer and then held reunion events in the autumn, to maintain the contact with both the church and their friends from their primary school. So far, we have seen at least three new youth groups established using this model.

As we look back on the year, it is with satisfaction at the progress that has been made in so many different areas; the joy of new initiatives taking root and churches reaching more children and young people. We are so grateful for the wide support that we have received and the privilege of being able to speak into the lives of so many different people, and to hopefully be a blessing to local churches, all seeking to proclaim the Good News of Jesus and further His Kingdom.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The detailed finances of Thrive Youth Ministries are reflected in the financial statements which follow on later pages with the associated notes. This review serves as a summary.

Total receipts for the year were £240,879, an increase of over 6% from last year (£225,388). This is due to the continued support of major donors such as the King Henry VIII fund and includes the impact of the various courses and events which have been run throughout the year. Receipts from donations and grants were £208,927, an increase of 4% from last year (£200,820). These gifts, which represent the generosity of both individual and local churches, have where possible been further supported by Gift Aid. Donations were supplemented this year with grant funding from Deo Gloria which contributed to the running and further growth of Thrive and with some successful local fund raising initiatives, for example “Boats & BBQ” and “Kayak across the County”. For all the gifts both large and small the trustees extend their gratitude both to the givers and to our God the provider.

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In the pursuit of the vision set out above, Thrive Youth Ministries has expended £220,312 this year, an increase of £11,972 from 2023. At £181,212 (£182,689), the cost of salaries, pensions, national insurance and expenses were the majority of this expenditure. Salaries were increased generally in line with inflation though the departure of one member of staff mid-year mitigated the impact of the salary increase. The trustees continue to believe that they should seek to be generous in the remuneration of staff to reflect the generosity of God’s grace to Thrive Youth Ministries. The trustees also recognise that increase staff numbers will be required to deliver the vision given to Thrive and continue to plan accordingly.

With a full year of an expanding programme of courses and events, the income and costs associated with these have continued to increase. Thrive Youth Ministries continues to set course fees to cover all costs, but we are conscious that as venue rates increase this will place increasing pressure on those churches and parents who pay these fees.

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The net result for the year 2024 was a surplus of receipts over payments of £20,567 which is an encouragement to the trustees that God’s provision for the expanding work of Thrive is continuing. When the 2024 surplus is added to bank and deposit balances brought forward from 2023 the Net Assets at the end of December 2024 totalled £105,623. Other Monetary Funds and Liabilities have been recorded and accrued to December 2024 and so are included in this figure.

As Thrive Youth Ministries ends 2024 with this healthy balance the trustees must continue to look to God as the sole provider for Thrive and for His leading of the ministry into 2025 and beyond. The basic budget set for 2025, excluding interest, course costs and fees, requires receipts of c.£228,000 to deliver nil deficit in the year, so the trustees and staff again step out in faith that He will continue to support the work. The trustees continue to be aware of the need to further extend a regular giving donor base and to make applications for grant funding when appropriate, the development of the fundraising strategy for Thrive Youth Ministries remains focused on these.

Reserves Policy

It is the policy of Thrive Youth Ministries to maintain a balance of funds which equates to at least three months payments, in 2025 this is c. £57,500 and the balance held at the end 2024 exceeds this target. It is also the policy of Thrive Youth Ministries that if the cash balance at the end of any month reduces below £25,000 the Treasurer informs all trustees.

RISK STATEMENT

The Trustees and Chief Executive have reviewed the risks to which a small charity operating with few employees and a larger volunteer base is exposed. Appropriate general and public liability insurance has been obtained. Operational risks associated with the ministry activities and the holding of events have been reviewed and appropriate guidelines and policies agreed to ensure that any risk is minimised.

Approval

This report was approved by the Trustees on Thursday 18[th] September 2025 and signed on their behalf by:


Kevin Johnson - Chair of Trustees

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Thrive Youth Ministries

Financial Statements for year ending 31 December 2024

Unrestricted Funds Restricted Total Total
Undesig. Desig. Funds 2024 2023
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
Receipts
Donations, Legacies & Grants
Local Churches 4. 117,322 - - 117,322 84,886
Individuals (gift aided) 53,462 - - 53,462 69,295
Individuals (non-gift aided) 9,391 - - 9,391 12,600
Endowments & Grants 5. 2,000 - - 2,000 12,620
Local Fundraising 6. 7,935 - - 7,935 4,483
Gift Aid Recovered 18,818 - - 18,818 16,936
Total Donations, Legacies & Grants 4. 208,927 - - 208,927 200,820
Course Fees 10. 30,066 - - 30,066 23,119
Interest Received 1,886 - - 1,886 1,200
Other - - - - 249
Total Receipts 240,879 - - 240,879 225,388
Payments
Ministry Payments
Ministry - Gross Salaries 149,775 - - 149,775 151,961
Ministry - Employers National Ins 11,109 - - 11,109 9,708
Ministry - Pension Contributions 11,781 - - 11,781 12,165
Ministry - Expenses 8,546 - - 8,546 8,855
Total Ministry Payments 7. 181,212 - - 181,212 182,689
Operational Running Costs
Office Overheads 3,380 - - 3,380 3,150
Printing, Stationery & Materials 2,500 - - 2,500 2,969
Website & Virtual Media 1,309 - - 1,309 1,615
Equipment Purchase 591 - - 591 143
Total Operational Costs 7,779 - - 7,779 7,878
Management & Administration
Banking Service Fees 806 - - 806 609
Insurance & Accounting Fees 546 - - 546 356
Safeguarding Fees 364 - - 364 145
Scripture Union 8. - - - - -
Other Fees - - - - -
Total Mgt & Admin Payments 1,716 - - 1,716 1,110
Courses - Venues, Travel, etc. 10. 29,605 - - 29,605 16,663
Expenditure on Raising Funds 6. - - - - -
Total Payments 220,312 - - 220,312 208,340
Net of Receipts/(Payments) 20,567 - - 20,567 17,048
Transfers between funds 3,125 - (3,125) - -
23,692 - (3,125) 20,567 17,048
Total Funds Brought Forward 81,710 - 3,346 85,056 68,008
Total Funds Carried Forward 9. 105,403 - 220 105,623 85,056
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
Cash Funds
Current account (CAF, Stripe & Pay Pal) 12,758 - 220 12,979 14,645
Deposit account (CAF Gold) 95,513 - - 95,513 70,411
108,271 - 220 108,491 85,056
Other Monetary Funds
Thrive Youth Weekend receipts 325 - - 325 10
Gift Aid recoverable (due Jan 2025) 5,359 - - 5,359 4,429
11. 5,684 - - 5,684 4,439
Investment Assets 2. - - - - -
Assets retained for use 3. - - - - -
Liabilities
Thrive Youth Weekend costs 5,149 - - 5,149 4,470
PAYE and National Ins (due Jan 2025) 3,403 - - 3,403 3,735
11. 8,552 - - 8,552 8,205
Net Assets 105,403 - 220 105,623

The accounts and statement of assets and liabilities set out above, with the notes on the following page, relating to the year

Kevin Johnson, Chair Simon Archer, Interim Treasurer Date Date

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS

Report to the Trustees of Thrive Youth Ministries, charity number 1145794.

On accounts for the year ended 31st December 2024, set out on page 12.

Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner

The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s 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 my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner’s statement

My 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 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 my examination, no matter has come to my attention:


Date:_______

Blessing Simango 25 Myton Crofts Leamington Spa CV31 3NZ

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Financial Statements for year ending 31st December 2024

Notes

  1. These accounts have been prepared on a 'receipts and payments' basis in accordance with Section 133 of the Charities Act 2011.

  2. Thrive Youth Ministries has no investment assets other than a short term CAF Gold account.

  3. Thrive Youth Ministries has no fixed assets retained for use other than low value IT equipment.

  4. Donations from local churches have risen by £32,436 from £84,886 in 2023 to £117,322 in 2024, a substantial change. A large contribution from a group of churches in Warwick (via the King Henry VIII fund) to the Youth Mission Enabler programme and to the Thrive Bus project accounts for a significant portion of this with support also coming from other churches which benefit from this work. Giving by individuals has fallen from £81,895 in 2023 to £62,853 in 2024, with Gift Aid recovery moving generally in line with this. The total General Fund giving has grown from £194,820 in 2023 to £208,735, an increase of 7%.

  5. Grants have been received from the organisations below in 2024. Deo Gloria £ 2,000 one off gift for general funding.

  6. Local fundraising included a “Boats & BBQ” event hosted at the Warwick Boat Centre and sponsorship raised for the “Kayak Across the County” challenge taken by Andy and Dan Castle.

  7. Ministry payments increased generally in line with inflation in January 2024. One member of staff resigned at end March 2024, with a new recruit joining for a brief period from September.

  8. No voluntary contribution was made to Scripture Union in 2024, and the mutual benefit of this relationship is under review.

  9. Analysis of movements in fund balances is given below.

Undesignated
General Fund
Events Fund
Base Camp Fund
Restricted
Children's Worker Fund
Youth Mission Enabler
Fund
Puppet Team Fund
Balance
B/fwd.
Receipts
Payments
Transfer
Balance
C/fwd.
70,020
210,976
189,657
3,125
94,463
60
2,382
745
-
1,697
11,631
27,521
29,910
-
9,243
81,711
240,879
220,312
3,125
105,403
1,240
-
-
(1,240)
-
1,885
-
-
(1,885)
-
220
-
-
-
220
3,345
-
-
(3,125)
220

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The Events Fund represents accumulated fee receipts for attendance on residential retreats, courses and youth events which are used, in the first instance, to cover the costs of these events. To increase granularity of reporting the funds collected and expended for the Base Camp Youth Weekend (see note 10) have been disaggregated from the Events Fund for 2024 and 2025.

The Children's Worker Fund, Youth Mission Enabler Fund have previously captured the costs of our Children’s Worker, our two Mission Enablers with positive balances is maintained by supplementing from the General Fund. A change in accounting software allows this data to be collected otherwise so practice has been discontinued with surplus funds transferred back to the General fund.

  1. Thrive Youth Ministries ran a youth weekend in January 2025 with receipts and payments for the youth weekend spanning between 2024 and 2025. A summary of these receipts and payments is given below. Also shown are details of a similar event run in January 2024, these do not form part of these accounts and are for comparison only.
Receipts Payments
Thrive Youth Weekend 2024 19,790 18,832
Thrive Youth Weekend 2025 27,511 25,437
  1. Other Monetary Funds and Liabilities have been recorded and accrued to December 2024 to determine the Net Assets. Gift Aid recoverable in January 2025 includes Gift Aid claims for January to March 2024 and December 2024.

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