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← Croydon Vineyard

2024-12-31-accounts

Croydon Vineyard

Reports and Financial Statements

For the 12 months from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024

Croydon Vineyard

Charity & Company information

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Charity Registration Number 1151324 Company Registration Number 08409393, company limited by guarantee Company Directors (Trustees) Graham Bright (Chair) Tiffany Brown Cerys Brunsdon Sarah Hombarume (resigned 25/03/25) Dayo Omolokun David Prothero Tom Thompson Company Secretary Cerys Brunsdon Registered office The Harvest Centre 72 Chelsham Road South Croydon CR2 6HY Company Bankers CAF Bank: 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4TA Independent Examiners Archie McDowall, BA, CA, of Stewardship: 1 Lamb's Passage, London, EC1Y 8AB

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Croydon Vineyard

Contents Page
Charity & Company Information 1
Trustees’ and Directors’ Report 3
Independent examiner’s report to the members of Croydon Vineyard 9
Statement of financial activities (including the Income and Expenditure Account)
for the 12 months ended 31 December 2024 10
Balance sheet as at 31 December 2024 11
Notes to the Accounts 12

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Croydon Vineyard

Trustees’ and Director’s Report

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1. Introduction

I am pleased to introduce the Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the accounts of Croydon Vineyard. We give thanks for all God has done in us and through us in the last 12 months.

We decided to reframe the way we describe our mission:

we want to be an Antioch style church from the book of Acts where:

And in God’s strength and with your support we will continue to do this.

Yours in Christ

T Thompson

Tom Thompson

Senior Pastor & Trustee/Director

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Croydon Vineyard

2. Trustees’ Report

The trustees of Croydon Vineyard, who also act as directors for the purposes of company law, present their report and financial statements for the 12-month period from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024 in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and the Companies Act 2006. The trustees are satisfied, to the best of their knowledge, that these statements comply with the current statutory requirements, the church’s governing documents and are in accordance with the Charity Commission’s Statement of Recommended Practice (2019 SORP).

3. Objectives & Activities

The main object of Croydon Vineyard is the advancement of the Christian faith. This was achieved primarily, although not exclusively, through: the development and multiplication of small groups of people meeting mid-week, and the growth of local church congregations meeting on Sunday mornings and evenings in Croydon.

The trustees note that considerable volunteer time has been given by lay-leaders and church members in achieving the aims and objectives of the church.

4. Review of the year

We continued to use Harris Academy in Purley for our Sunday services. We launched a new 4pm service to increase capacity for people and this led to our numbers continuing to grow, with over 320 regularly attending on a Sunday. We continued to make space for people to encounter Jesus in our midst and 21 people were baptised this year. We were pleased to launch our first Worship EP under the name Coming Kingdom, and at the time of writing this is approaching 80,000 streams on Spotify.

As our Youth Pastor and Kids Pastors continued to invest in under 18s, we saw more kids and teenagers engaging with our events, with over 60 0-11s and just over 40 teenagers attending regularly each Sunday. 50 teenagers attending the Vineyard national residential DTI. Our Thursday morning community toddlers group continued and we continued to grow our provision of midweek events for school years 7-13. We are so grateful to all the volunteers who have made possible all of the work we do with under 18s.

We worked hard to sharpen our vision for our mid-week small groups, so that anyone attending would find them encouraging and catalytic for their spiritual growth. This led to us renaming them as Connect Groups and providing more resources for those leading them, for example with clearer study notes and with clearer suggested itineraries to help the groups all run with a similar feel. We also worked hard to help people integrate into the church and much of 2024 was spent exploring methods for how to do this. By the end of the year we felt that we had landed on a clearer and more effective system, using flows on our database and more integration events to help people move towards a Connect Group.

We continued to push hard on improving what we do with Vineyard English School (VES), this year focusing on expanding the strength of the volunteer teams and creating a catalogue of resources to reduce the administrative burden on our teachers. In October we hosted a Welcoming Well Conference to try to coordinate our work with other similar agencies in Croydon.

In March we saw Boon Cafe launched at Harvest Church’s facility which we are leasing from them. Boon Cafe is a Social Enterprise family-friendly cafe run by a couple in our church and we have partnered with them through providing them the facility rent free. This has enabled a much deeper integration of our work into the local community.

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Croydon Vineyard

We also continued our effort to do more in Croydon by running our biggest ever Christmas Outreach event. We saw 400 people attend and we hope to continue to push for similar invitational events as easy ways for spiritual seekers to come into our services and come to faith.

Finally, we continued to give significant time to other churches and to praying and resourcing a resurgence of the church in the UK and beyond. This included continuing to enhance our New Testament Journey Resource, contributing to VCUKI College, Conferences and Leadership Teams and giving money to Vineyard Sri Lanka, Open Doors and St Stephens Society in Hong Kong.

We again say that we are deeply grateful for all the time that volunteers give to see people come to life in Jesus in Croydon. We realize that all of the above requires a lot of hard work and we do not take any of it for granted.

5. Administrative Operations

Staffing

Tom and Lesley Thompson lead Croydon Vineyard, with a focus on setting the vision and direction of the overall ministry of the church, leading weekly congregational celebrations on Sundays as well as the day-to-day running of the church and overseeing the development of the ministry of the church by working alongside and through volunteers. Tom also acts as a trustee.

Additional staff were as follows:

We saw over 190 volunteers give 3+ hours a month each to the operations, some giving far more. Estimated total volunteer hours for the year are above 7,000.

Compliance

We continue to develop and enhance our policies on Child Protection, Risk Management and Financial Control. Further policies will be implemented as required by the growth of the church. We have continued membership of the 31:8 (formerly CCPAS) scheme to assist us in our Safeguarding. We have continued to apply for Disclosure and Barring Service checks as appropriate for all children’s leaders, following the church’s Child Protection Policy and Operational Guidelines. The accounts have been independently examined by Stewardship.

6. Future Plans

Over the coming financial reporting period we have set particular goals to:

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Croydon Vineyard

7. Structure, Governance & Management

Croydon Vineyard (incorporated on 19 February 2013) is a charitable company limited by guarantee and is governed by the Memorandum and Articles of Association which were adopted on 19 February 2013. As a charity the church acts entirely as a non-profit making organisation. The church has also been granted exemption from using the word “Limited” in its title. The trustees of the church are appointed by resolution of the Board and act as directors for the purposes of company law.

The church is also affiliated to Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland, a wider network of some 100 or so churches across the country. Croydon Vineyard regularly grants a proportion of its income to the work of Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland in the establishing of new churches and missions work abroad.

Trustees & Directors…

The trustees below have held office during the period from 1 January 2024 to the date of this report are listed on page 1.

The trustees met formally to discuss business on a quarterly basis throughout the year. The board of trustees requires a range of skills and experience to carry out its duties effectively. When recruiting trustees, an important attribute is a passion for the work of our church, and all trustees are active church members. Trustees are responsible for different areas of oversight such as safeguarding, finance, IT and communications. The senior pastor is on the board of trustees to enable insight into management and strategic direction.

8. Statement of Responsibilities

Charity and company law require the trustees/directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the profit or loss of the company for that period. In preparing those financial statements the trustees/directors are required to:

The trustees/directors are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

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Croydon Vineyard

Internal Controls

As part of their continuing responsibility the trustees have endeavoured to ensure that reasonable internal control procedures are in place as appropriate for the development of the church. They include:

Risk Management

Throughout the period the trustees maintained a centralised risk log to identify and mitigate major strategic, operational, and financial risks to the charity.

9. Financial Review

Results for the year

Total income for the year was £467,791 (2023: £410,152). Total expenditure for the year was £437,769 (2023: £331,715). Overall, the surplus was £30,022. The charity has unrestricted funds at 31 December 2024 of £354,258 (2023: £339,060). The restricted fund total is £53,699 (2023: £38,875). The Charity relies on the generous donations of its members as its principal source of income.

Investment Policy

Currently, all investments are held as cash at bank balances.

Operating Reserves

The church aims to hold Cash Operating Reserves in line with the monthly expenses incurred. The trustees aim to maintain such reserves to at least the equivalent of 3 months of operating expenses in these accounts in the future. This equates to target cash reserves of c. £100,000. At 31 December the cash balance held in the general fund was £297,193 after designating £57,065 to the Go and Grow fund.

Grants & Gifts

As detailed below in the financial statements, the church has made payments to Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland (VCUKI) connected to the licensing of the church. VCUKI promotes the planting of new churches and provides support to churches in the Vineyard movement in the UK. During the period, including those payments, Croydon Vineyard gave away 5% of its unrestricted income in the form of grants and gifts.

Public benefit

The trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the Company’s aims and objectives both in the year under review and in planning future activities. The trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no private benefit – Tom Thompson is paid a salary by the Company in his role as Senior Pastor of Croydon Vineyard, as set out in Note 5.

Independent Examiner

So far as each of the trustees is aware at the time the report is approved:

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The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small entities.

Approved by the trustees/directors on 26 June 2025 and signed on their behalf.

T Thompson

Tom Thompson 26 June 2025 Trustee/Director

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Croydon Vineyard

Independent examiner’s report to the members of Croydon Vineyard

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I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2024 on pages 10 to 16 following, which have been prepared on the basis of the accounting policies set out on page 12-13.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

Since the Company’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, which is one of the listed bodies.

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

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act 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; or

  4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities [applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)].

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.

Archie McDowall

Archie McDowall, BA, CA Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland

Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage London, EC1Y 8AB

Date:4 July 2025

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Croydon Vineyard

Statement of financial activities (including the Income and Expenditure Account) for the year ended 31 December 2024

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Notes **Unrestricted ** Restricted 31 Dec 2024 31 Dec 2023
Funds Funds Total funds Total funds
£ £ £ £
Income 2
Donations 3 410,491 19,325 429,816 403,598
Grants - 1,000 1,000 -
Rental income 19,607 - 19,607 -
Other income 17,368 - 17,368 6,554
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
Total income 447,466 20,325 467,791 410,152
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
Expenditure
Charitable activities 4 432,268 5,501 437,769 331,715
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
Total expenditure 432,268 5,501 437,769 331,715
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
Net income/(expenditure) 15,198 14,824 30,022 78,437
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
Net movements in funds 15,198 14,824 30,022 78,437
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward 339,060 38,875 377,935 299,498
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
Total funds carried forward 8 354,258 53,699 407,957 377,935
═══════ ═══════ ═══════ ═══════

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities.

Movements on reserves and all recognised gains and losses are shown above. The notes on page 12-16 form part of these accounts.

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Croydon Vineyard

Balance sheet at 31 December 2024

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31 December 2024 31 December 2024 31 December 2023 31 December 2023
Notes £ £ £ £
Current assets
Debtors 6 22,346 19,657
Cash at bank and in hand 416,258 368,250
────── ──────
438,604 387,907
Current Liabilities: Amounts 7 (30,647) (9,972)
falling due within one year
────── ──────
Net current assets 407,957 377,935
──────── ────────
Net assets 407,957 377,935
════════ ════════
Funds 8, 9
Unrestricted Funds 354,258 377,935
Restricted Funds 53,699 -
──────── ────────
407,957 377,935
══════════ ══════════

For the year ended 31 December 2024, the company was entitled to the exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. Responsibilities of directors/trustees:

Approved and authorised for issue by the board on 26 June 2025 and signed on its behalf by

Tom Thompson Director/Trustee 26 June 2025

Charity Registration Number 1151324 Company Registration Number 08409393

The notes on page 12-16 form part of these accounts.

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Croydon Vineyard

Notes to the Accounts

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1 Accounting policies

1.1 Accounting convention

The accounts have been prepared under the historic cost convention, in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued on 16 July 2014; and with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

The trustees (who are the charitable company's directors for the purposes of company law) have assessed whether the use of the going concern basis is appropriate and have considered possible events or conditions that might cast significant doubt on the ability of the charity to continue as a going concern. The trustees have made this assessment for a period of at least one year from the date of approval of the financial statements. In particular the trustees have considered the charity's forecasts and projections and the possible implications should projected income and/or expenditure vary unexpectedly. The trustees have concluded that there is a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue to operate for the foreseeable future. The charity therefore continues to adopt the going concern basis in preparing its financial statements.”

The following are the accounting policies which have been applied in dealing with material items: -

1.2 Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are those which are not subject to any special restrictions, and they can be used as the Trustees decide in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds are part of unrestricted funds and are amounts the Trustees have set aside to cover particular expenditure.

Restricted funds are those where the donor has imposed restrictions on how the fund may be used, but which do not prevent the fund being spent. The details of restricted funds are given in note 8.

Endowment funds are those where there is a requirement imposed by the donor to retain capital, but which allows income arising to be used. On 31 December 2022 Croydon Vineyard held no endowment funds.

1.3 Income

All income is included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:

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1.4 Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be recovered and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates.

1.5 Pension costs

The company operates a defined contribution scheme for certain of its employees. Pension premiums are charged as they are paid.

1.6 Taxation

The company is a registered charity and is exempt from taxation under the Income & Corporation Taxes Acts.

1.7 Cash Flow Statement

The charity has taken advantage of the exemption in Financial Reporting Standard 1 ‘Cash Flow Statement’ which allows small companies not to prepare a Cash Flow Statement.

1.8 Critical accounting estimates and areas of judgement

The trustees do not consider that there any material sources of estimation or uncertainty at the balance sheet date that could result in a material adjustment to the carrying values of assets and liabilities in the next reporting period.

2 Income

The income and net movement on funds are wholly attributable to the company’s main object. The income arises entirely in the UK.

3 Donations

3
Donations
Total Total
Unrestricted Restricted 2024 2023
£ £ £ £
Donations 340,283 9,500 349,783 342,321
Gift Aid receivable 70,208 9,825 80,033 61,277
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
Total 2024 410,491 19,325 429,816 403,598
═══════ ═══════ ═══════ ═══════
Total 2023 356,665 46,933 403,598

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4 Expenditure on Charitable activities

Total Total
Unrestricted Restricted 2024 2023
£ £ £ £
Staff costs (note 5) 215,321 − 215,321 188,270
Ministry costs† 66,060 5,501 71,561 48,468
Premises costs 99,273 − 99,273 49,629
Marketing and administration 9,389 − 9,389 5,687
Charitable giving 14,979 − 14,979 15,191
License payments to VCUKI 20,900 − 20,900 17,450
Governance costs* 6,346 − 6,346 7,020
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
Total 2024 432,268 5,501 437,769 331,715
═══════ ════════ ══════════════
Total 2023 323,657 8,058 331,715

† Ministry expenses consist of the following spend elements, which are core to the Church mission: Sunday adult hospitality and materials, Kids hospitality and materials, Youth hospitality and materials and mentoring, football academy, adult small group materials and training, outreach initiatives, Vineyard English School running costs, pastoral care gifts and travel.

Note* The independent examiner’s fee, included in governance costs, was £1,650 (2023: £1,440).

5 Staff costs
2024 2023
£ £
Wages and salaries (including directors’ emoluments) 180,505 160,871
Payroll taxes 9,968 8,191
Pension contributions 24,848 19,208
─────── ───────
Total 215,321 188,270
═══════ ═══════

The charity had 5.4 full time equivalent employed staff (2023:4.7). Its activities are generally carried out by volunteers. No staff member received remuneration at a rate of more than £60,000 per annum (2023: none).

Remuneration payable to key management (gross, including pensions) amounted to £51,109 in the year ended 31 December 2024 (2023: £48,888).

Salaries of key management was the only remuneration paid to trustees (and connected parties) as allowed in the Memorandum and Articles of Association in their capacity as pastors to the church and not for work undertaken as trustees.

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Croydon Vineyard

6 Debtors

6
Debtors
2024 2023
£ £
Gift aid 22,346 19,657
═══════ ═══════
7
Creditors
2024 2023
£ £
Amounts falling due within one year:
Payment to VCUKI 7,150 5,700
Accruals 6,497 4,272
Deferred income 17,000 −
─────── ───────
Total 30,647 9,972
═══════ ═══════

Deferred income relates to grants received in advance for funding Vineyard English School improvements in 2025.

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Funds
2024 2023
£ £
General funds 297,193 285,870
Designated funds 57,065 53,190
─────── ───────
Total unrestricted funds 354,258 339,060
Duncan’s Theology fund 2,771 3,021
Vineyard English School fund 6,559 448
EP fund 719 2,406
Building fund 43,650 33,000
─────── ───────
Total restricted funds 53,699 38,875
─────── ───────
Total funds at 31 December 407,957 377,935
═══════ ═══════

The company is limited by guarantee and does not have a share capital.

There is a single designated fund: Go and Grow of £57,065 (31 December 2023: £53,190). The purpose of this designated fund is to provide funding for activities that will help the members of the church “go and grow” in the Mission Jesus has called them to.

Restricted funds comprise:

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Croydon Vineyard

9 Analysis of net assets between funds

Total Total
Unrestricted Restricted 2024 2023
£ £ £ £
Fund balances at 31 December are
represented by:
Debtors 22,346 − 22,346 19,657
Cash at bank and in hand 362,559 353,699 416,258 368,250
Creditors due within one year (30,647) − (30,647) (9,972)
─────── ─────── ─────── ───────
Total 354,528 53,699 407,957 377,935
═══════ ════════ ══════════════

10 Related party transactions

Vineyard Churches (UK) is deemed to be a connected charity for the purposes of applicable accounting standards and Companies Act 2006. Vineyard Churches (UK) provides oversight and leadership to Vineyard Churches in the United Kingdom. The charity has a policy of making payments to Vineyard Churches (UK). A total of £20,900 was due to VCUKI for the year (2023: £17,450).

Remuneration paid to the senior pastor and connected parties in their capacity as pastors to the church is disclosed in note 5 above. No other trustee or connected party received emoluments from the charity during the year (2023: £nil).

Four trustees were reimbursed expenses of £1,051 in relation to administrative and travel costs (2023: £913 to one trustees).

The total amount of donations to the charity funded by trustees and connected parties was £44,704 (2023: £71,306).

11 Members

Each director of the company commits to contribute if the charity is wound up an amount of £1.

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