OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

← The Hill Church Swansea

2024-03-31-accounts

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 08415396 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1151797

Report of the Trustees and

Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

for

The Hill Church Swansea

Ashmole & Co First Floor 1 St John's Court Upper Fforest Way Enterprise Park Swansea SA6 8QQ

The Hill Church Swansea

Contents of the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Page
Report of the Trustees 1 to 15
Independent Examiner's Report 16 to 17
Statement of Financial Activities 18
Balance Sheet 19 to 20
Notes to the Financial Statements 21 to 31
Detailed Statement of Financial Activities 32

The Hill Church Swansea

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: 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) (effective 1 January 2019).

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Objectives and Activities

The objects, for which the charity is established, as stated in its Articles of Association, are:

  1. To advance the Christian faith in Wales in such ways and in such parts of the United Kingdom or the world as the trustees from time to time may think fit;

  2. To prevent or relieve poverty in Wales and in such parts of the United Kingdom or the world as the trustees from time to time may think fit;

  3. To fulfil such other purposes which are exclusively charitable according to the law of England and Wales and are connected to the charitable work of the charity as the trustees from time to time may think fit.

These objectives are either achieved separately or collectively depending on our activities and initiative as outlined in this report. For example, the Matthew's House initiative to achieve objective two.

Ethos

There is a complete vision for human health, wellbeing and flourishing at the heart of the message of the Christian faith. The Hill Church is committed to being faithful to the Bible. The foundation of this message is reconciliation with a God of love, truth and grace through Jesus Christ. The Christian faith is meant to be living, active and effective for all those who encounter it.

As a church we acknowledge that many people desire to consider and understand the message and wisdom of the Christian faith. We desire to reach out to people of all backgrounds, characteristics and circumstances and to provide a safe and welcoming environment for people to explore the claims of Jesus Christ. One application of the Christian message is an unrelenting compassion for people, particularly those considered as vunerable, isolated and least.

As a registered charity, we are committed to ongoing best practice, lawful compliance and improvement in all we do. In our activities we will demonstrate love for people. We will seek to be clear in our communication and use plain language. We will act with transparency and integrity. We reject actions and attitudes that intentionally seek to devalue or damage human dignity. Each of our guests, volunteers, members and staff, regardless of their background, characteristics and circumstances has immeasurable value and will be treated with dignity, respect and free from threat of harassment.

Public benefit

The Trustees have paid due regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit, and keep it in mind in all developments, to ensure that all our activities are delivering benefit to the public, as defined there.

Page 1

The Hill Church Swansea

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE Objective One

From March 2023, significant moments in the year included:

Objective Two

Matthew's House continues to nurture and develop friendships and partnerships in the wider community of Swansea, the local authority, Welsh Government and third sector. These relationships continue to strengthen due to our heart for positive culture and our drive for Hospitality that brings the sheer power of Hope through all our expressions. We continue to strengthen the project whilst developing innovative ways to bring more Hope in a coordinated approach around Swansea. This last season has been a season focused on strengthening resilience both as a project on a whole and a staff team as we prepared for the long-term challenges we hadn't fully felt before, that include the cost-of-living crisis.

Page 2

The Hill Church Swansea

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

This season saw us plan recruitment (due to grant funding of 2 new roles) aimed at development, sustainability and volunteer coordination to build resilience throughout the project. The roles equalled 1FTE and with a great planning time, recruitment process, personnel to help us manage the process, we successfully completed the recruitment of two new staff members. One of which was previously not connected with Matthew's House, and another previously a volunteer. Both were trained and started in the final third of the year and successfully completed their training, probation and are already showing significant benefits to our infrastructure as a small project team. During this time, we made adaptions to our cafe service, introducing Hope Hall. Hope Hall is a blend of support services registered on our app, Hope in Swansea that we have invited on site and are available for our guests and volunteers for additional specialised support. We have also continued to run without breaks to service or reductions in operations for all seven expressions of giving hope including their periodic extras like haircuts showing resilience through the challenge of growth in a cost-of-living environment. More on our expressions here: https://matthewshouse.org.uk/expressions/

For just the first full (22/23-23/24) year we have managed to run all our expressions following their probationary/startup phase due to dedicated leadership, staffing and volunteering teams. Regularly our leadership dedicate a day a month to access the health of the project including developments, expressions, individuals, and funding which allows us to identify areas that need support and areas to acknowledge and highlight. This has been key to strengthening our infrastructure for the future as well as the moment we are in. Part of this is having a focus on being values driven, having a culture that empowers and welcomes and the efforts of this from the staff team, including the new appointments has been nothing but encouraging. We believe these to be vitally important for the development and growth of Matthew's House and wouldn't have been possible without the energy, passion and intentionality of our volunteers. With a focus being wellbeing, individual growth, chemistry, and the culture of volunteering at Matthew's House we have been able to sustain a large dynamic and diverse team of 122 volunteers. Our recruitment has seen us welcome 37 new volunteers this year who bring even more wisdom, expertise and freshness with them.

The volunteer family is known for being incredibly diverse, open, accessible, and compassionate in the city with a wealth of lived experience, wisdom and expertise. It has continued to show resilience, togetherness, and integrity in so many ways, more recently as our weekly support grew 27% for nearly a two-month period and we managed these increases together. The culture remains infectious to all who experience Matthew's House and the volunteers are key to showing and sharing this. Volunteers together have donated more than 12,500 hours of their time this year with a total of 86,000 hours donated to the project since 2017. In March we celebrated our seventh birthday as a beacon of Hope in Swansea, when we introduced our seven-year volunteer reward badges that recognise this incredible commitment and continue the collection of milestone badges we have setup. More than 14 were delivered to the volunteers who have achieved this which reflects the volunteer management credibility we have with a high retention rate including the now 20+ receiving the six-year award. We continue to receive volunteer applications on a regular basis through our website, local connections, recommendations, and social media platforms and have found our recruitment in a healthy position without the need to promote or advertise. We drive a culture of raising others up at Matthew's House seeing the hearts and potential in every individual who joins out volunteer family. Another part of this, is recognising training and making it accessible and achievable for all our volunteer family. This now includes our regular specialised safeguarding and values training, Naloxone overdose prevention training, first aid training, certified food hygiene training, suicide first aid training and more recently developed in house this year, Managing challenging moments workshop. These are on top of Matthew's House inductions that start with introduction documents guided into venue and operational walkthroughs. All of these are setup, led and organised by an extremely experienced and gifted safeguarding, leadership, and staffing teams.

Page 3

The Hill Church Swansea

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Matthew's House has a following of supporters that is increasingly growing, and our annual fundraising has stayed in a healthy position showing growth as hoped for. This year saw the return of our infamous Sleepout event, newly titled "The Swans Big Sleepout" in partnership with the Swansea city Foundation. With limited prep time, new planning teams and spaces and acquiring sponsors, it was a resounding success raising £28,000 on the whole of which we had a share of 50% = £14,000 which came in very late in the year when totalled. Another strong Christmas season of fundraising and a successful Half marathon helped us also to raise more funds than in recent years. The half marathon which included a team of 7 runners helped us raise £3,580. Our support base continues to rise with an additional 500 new contacts this year raising the total number to more than 4400 with many of them being local and national charities, individual supporters, members of parliament, schools, large and small businesses and more. We continue to grow our monthly financial supporter base (Friends of Matthew's House) of 265 supporters with an aim to increase this number more this year, alongside the 900 people who receive our monthly updates. These supporters come from mainly Swansea, Wales and the UK but include supporters from areas in Germany, Spain, America and South Africa. As a church membership we have now donated collectively more than £78,000 and this does not include over 24 church members who donate as friends of Matthew's House as well.

Cost of living Notes:

With our Covid efforts being a significant trust factor to city wide groups believing in us and seeing Matthew's House to be a beacon of Hope in Swansea we have shown how effective we can be in a crisis. From one crisis to another we have continued strongly with citywide connections, awareness, drive and willingness to help setup new support services around the city that involve emergency food provision. We have continued the very useful "Food & Friendship" publication freely available to everyone through our collaboration and support with other groups included in this network. More recently we have been a source of support and advice to likeminded groups as they are also tackling the cost-of-living challenges and have guided and supported where possible. Currently through a great network of groups giving hope in the city, our collaboration, guidance, and coordination, we can continue to share, even in another crisis, Swansea has a place to go, for advice and food every single day of the week, most days even two places.

Achievements for 2023-2024 Season

In the past year we have successfully been awarded grants and financial support from a wide range of local and national supporters. These include The Waterloo Foundation, Austin Bailey Foundation, Amazon Swansea, Swansea City Council - Food Poverty Fund, Swansea City Council - Period Poverty Fund, Swansea Council - Enabling Communities Fund, National Lottery Awards for All, Alcoholics Anonymous, Nationwide Community Trust, Nationwide Building Society, Girls Guild Trust, Pobl Trust, Dezrez Legal, Peter Lynn & Partners, Gracechurch Bromsgrove, iCreate, The Hill Church, Linc Cymru Housing Association, Community Foundation Wales, E.G Lewis Group, Skelton Thomas Engineers, Puffin Insurance, Red Kite Law, Waunarlwydd Carnival Committee, Hoowla, National Grid Swansea, Hullabaloo Band, Macquarie Group Foundation and many other schools, church's, community groups and fundraisers.

This funding has allowed us to achieve the following:

Page 4

The Hill Church Swansea

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

o This included a new 0.4 FTE Volunteer Co-ordinator role which is a new developed role to improve volunteer wellbeing and support.

o Our 0.6 FTE Event coordinator left the project to re-educate after service for 6 years making way to develop a new targeted role.

o A new role created at 0.6 FTE named Fundraising and Development Coordinator

o All have completed their probation periods and continue to thrive in their new and adapted roles.

Page 5

The Hill Church Swansea

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Other noteworthy statistics and recognition surrounding Matthew's House:

Stories and highlights 2023-2024.

To illustrate the impact of what we do we would like to share the following stories and highlights which are just a few of many that show the impact of Matthew's House on our guests:

Page 6

The Hill Church Swansea

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

I nearly gave up today - Guest Story.We have been supporting this particular guest for some time. They have a chaotic lifestyle, with lots going on and have made mistakes in the past. They have tried and tried in recent years but their battles with addiction, mental health struggles, isolation and terrible loneliness have pushed them to breaking point. We spent some time with this guest recently, just chatting and encouraging them and trying to find some way through their troubles. Then, one day he was with us at Mathew's House, and he just broke down. He's a big guy and it was really sad to see him as his tears started to flow. He just wanted to give up on life. One of the team just sat with him and listened and found him the hope for that day to hold on to. As we were finishing that conversation, he said, "You must be doing something good here because I don't cry with anyone else. I don't cry." That day, as he held back more tears and he said, "I nearly gave up today, but I'll keep going. I just need people, I just need something to do, something to live for. Today you have given me the hope to keep going. Thank you for all you do. You really are saving people's lives. Not just mine; I know a lot of people who say you at Matthew's House have helped to save their life."

Getting them where they needed to go. On a Sunday evening in 2024, a young couple came into Matthew's House in quite a distressed and anxious state. They had arrived in Swansea in difficult circumstances and didn't know the city at all, or where to turn to for help. Someone near High Street Station had told them to go to Matthew's House saying, "If anyone can help you, they can." It was already getting dark and the temperature outside was near to freezing. Our volunteers welcomed the couple in, gave them a hot meal and a drink and were able to provide them with pop up tents and sleeping bags to see them through the night. It wasn't ideal but at least they were safe and had shelter for the night with advice and support to come back the next morning.

The next morning, with frost thick on the ground, the couple were able to come back into Matthew's House for a wash, a hot meal and drink and for invaluable advice and support from our Matt's House Buddy advocate. After several hours of phone calls and chats with various support services, both in Swansea and in the area the couple had originally come from, they decided that it would be best for them to return to their hometown. Our lovely volunteers supported the couple out once more with warm clothing, dignity packs and food. We then linked them up with a support service who arranged a train ticket home for them, reassuring them that they would be met at the other end by support services who would assist them in finding a safe place to stay.

It felt so good to see this couple leave Matthew's House feeling uplifted and loved. They had arrived feeling lost and left us with a clear sense of direction and support. We were so happy to receive the news a couple of days later, that they had arrived safely and to hear that they wished to pass on their thanks to the whole Matthew's House team. This was their message: "Thanks for your amazing support. Well done for all you do! You are all superstars."

Leave the troubles of life behind. Matt's Community Choir has been running for two years and thriving. The weekly sessions are an opportunity to escape, come together with others, let your worries go, and is considered a form of therapy for many. We asked our members what choir means to them. One person said, "It's a great way to unwind and leave the troubles of life behind and escape for an uplifting sing song together".

Guest and Volunteer Survey Quotes. Here are a selection of quotes from our guest and volunteer survey reports we wish to publish publicly next year including the stats, improvements and results of each of them.

Guest "I think you are as vital as anyone. The most helpful. You are like the fourth emergency service". Guest "Matt's Cafe has helped me with confidence and my mental health".

Guest "Food poverty has been a problem for me on benefits. Matts has on many occasions stopped me from starvation".

Page 7

The Hill Church Swansea

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Volunteer "Being in Matthew's House is one of the highlights of my week. It's like being with family. I feel so proud and happy whenever I get chance to share with others the wonderful work that Matthew's House does."

Volunteer "The leadership team are very supportive, quick to notice if someone is struggling and always ready to give extra support. Communication is excellent. The awards and rewards system really makes everyone feel valued."

Volunteer "I always feel safe at matts house as a volunteer, encouraged, supported and valued". Volunteer "I'm always made to feel welcome and a valued member of the team".

Making the most of the moments. In March this year we were invited along to an annual away day for DVLA teams in Llansamlet. Many teams over the years have come across to us for a Matthew's House, workday to help us clean, sort, paint and maintain our beautiful building and they have been wonderful. At one of them many months ago the idea started, and we were ecstatic to be invited then to their away day with over 100 staff members. The brief was simple. 30 minutes, engage and share your passion and the impact that a positive community, purpose and culture can have on not just the workplace but all of us as individuals. We also had the first slot to set the tone and the mission was accepted. Following the event we had great support with a collection, staff members signing up to support us monthly and new friendships we hope will be fruitful for the project in the future.

Here is a little snippet of feedback sent over following the event. "Huge thank you again for joining us on Tuesday and for speaking so well. The feedback has been overwhelming and positive. We are very proud as a planning team to have delivered such a successful event themed around Community. The event would not have been a success without your input!

Here are some of the comments we have had on our feedback forms ..

"I particularly enjoyed the speaker from Matthew's house." | "The humbling work that Matthew's House does and realisation that I need to do more to support others." | "Thom was an inspirational speaker." | "I found the guest speaker inspirational and tied in perfectly with the theme of 'community'." | "I think Thom was an excellent guest speaker and matched the theme perfectly." | "I thought the' section talking about Matthew's House was inspiring and registered to become a Matthew's House Friend."

I feel safe. This is my family - Volunteer story. At Matthew's House we have volunteers from all walks of life. At the time I am writing this, we have over 110 volunteers, from collectors, members of the admin teams, cooks, servers, cleaners, maintenance people, a whole range of wonderful people. We call it our volunteer family and we love a positive family culture of loving unconditionally, of redemption and restoration, of second chances. We love that and we love to drive that, and our volunteers have bought into this culture and help us to cherish it. Our volunteers, as I said, come from all walks of life. They can be 17 to 77, they can be in university or never have studied before; they can be someone with a skill, someone without, someone with lots of time, someone with not much time at all and we take everybody. We give everybody a chance at Matthew's House, no matter what their background, circumstances, or beliefs. All can be welcomed into the Matthew's House family as long as you believe in the values and culture of Matthew's House. One of our sayings is: "If you are willing, it will work." It's as simple as that.

One of our volunteers popped away on a little holiday. They managed to have a short break, to look after themselves: a bit of self-care which we love to see and be part of. When the volunteer came back one of the team checked in with them and said, "Hey, how was the trip?" The volunteer replied, "It was brilliant. I loved it but I kept thinking about the team here and wondering how everything was going. So, I'm really glad to get back and find that it's all good and I had a great time as well!"

The volunteer turned to me again and said, "Do you know what? I really feel safe here. This is the place where I feel most at home. No matter where I go, or what I do, this really is my family." Some of our volunteers may not have many other people around them in their lives. That's why the family culture at Matthew's House is so precious. It's a place where you can find purpose, it's a place where you can find brothers and sisters and it's a place where you can find safety.

Page 8

The Hill Church Swansea

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Grub Smiles and Laundry, It's me who should be thanking you!. Just recently we met new guest who was told to visit by another support service. They were apologetic on arrival but quick this turned into gratitude after enjoying meals and drinks in a beautifully bright café with super friendly volunteers. Getting to know us and being homeless themselves they asked about laundry and a shower, and we were able to help. Whilst drying their clothes they wanted to give back and helped us clear down after a day serving 231 meals in just 2 and a half hours. They started sweeping the café and moving furniture around to help us and when they got their laundry back and we thanked them, they said "no its me must be thankful, you have really helped me"

Hope Hall. An idea that started with Hope in Swansea and Buddies, the thought of combining them and inviting professionals on site so we can use the power of the relationship of Matthew's House with guests and volunteers to take people to the next step with professionals on site supporting us. With several Support services stepping up to the call and wanting to partner with us Hope Hall was developed and implemented. It will continue to develop through the next year but guided by the guest feedback of additional support they may need we have acquired another level of giving Hope to those who need us.

Food and Friendship Poster has been updated and developed through collaboration with organisations in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and also some groups have struggled we have managed to maintain the promise of meal support and advice every day in Swansea.

Page 9

The Hill Church Swansea

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Christmas Food Provision leaflet was created to ensure food was accessible and communicated daily during the holiday period with the support of new friends in the form of companies and food providers to ensure every day through a tough period for many was covered with food and support.

Swans Big Sleepout The well anticipated return of the one of Swansea biggest fundraisers for homelessness and the causes of it was a real success with company sponsorship and significant funds raised by a large number of fundraisers. In partnership with the Swans Foundation

Please follow this link to our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz4qeVQlQuVpcEQt-o8TYqA where you will find updated videos about the work of Matthew's House, particularly What is Matthew's House - SwanTV 2022

Page 10

The Hill Church Swansea

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Financial position

Total income for the year was £317,199 (2023 - £286,428) with expenditure of £224,519 (2023 - £331,523). Most of the income is through two streams. Primarily regular tithes and offerings from church members, and secondly voluntary donations and grants related to Matthew's House. Together these amount to £308,734 (2023 - £282,958). Both activities, and therefore the charity as a whole, are heavily reliant on these. A more detailed breakdown can be found in note 2.

The net result for the year was a surplus of £92,680 (2023 - £45,095 deficit). Unrestricted funds carried forward were £410,868 (2023 - £375,246). Restricted funds carried forward were £135,395,(2023 - £78,337).

Income Sources

The principle funding source for church faith-based activities is the tithes and offerings of the congregation which provides a very stable source of income. The charity also expects that tax recovery on donations made under gift aid will further bolster funds.

The principle funding source for Matthew's House activities is the donation from the church and the regular monthly support from the Friends of Matthew's House scheme. Ad Hoc fundraising and donations for Matthew's House use have also steadily grown since early 2017. The charity also expects that tax recovery on donations made under gift aid will further bolster funds.

Reserves policy

The trustees consider that a sum equivalent to a half of a year's anticipated normal ongoing expenditure (excluding specific projects such as purchase of as building) or £5,000, whichever is greater, is a sufficient sum of money to have readily available in reserve. Based on this financial year the charity's minimum requirement for reserves would have been £112,260 (2023 - £106,180). Actual free reserves were £190,044 (2023 - £143,323), plus the Emergency Contingency Fund of £53,000 (2023 - £53,000), gives a total reserve of £243,044 (2023 - £196,323).

Page 11

The Hill Church Swansea

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

FUTURE PLANS

The effects of the current 'cost of living crisis' may affect the levels of financial giving. However, we are nonetheless in a secure position financially for the foreseeable future due to our wide and faithful support base, and hope and believe that our plans as detailed below are viable and achievable.

Objective One

Objective Two

Our aims and desires for the next financial year at Matthew's House are listed below supporting our focus on project development, people and service in our community:

Page 12

The Hill Church Swansea

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

We have been able to manage the increase in demand, popularity, and successful outcomes of Matthew's House by increasing our volunteer teams, development and training of those teams and necessarily increasing the staff team to the visioned 4FTE size to help us manage all areas of the project with strength. The recent additions to the staff team and role changes continue to be a very successful return on investment and have furthered our ability to achieve our objectives as proven above and below with continued and increased sustainability and strength.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

The Hill Church Swansea The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 22nd February 2013 and registered as a charity on 26th April 2013. The company was incorporated under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. In the event of the company being wound up, its members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1.

Board of Trustees

The directors of the charitable company ("the charity") are its trustees for the purpose of charity law, and throughout this report are collectively referred to as the trustees. The trustees meet at least twice a year.

Trustee Induction

The need for new trustees is reviewed regularly, and where appropriate possible names are presented at a trustee meeting for consideration. The existing trustees make any new appointments, for an indefinite period. New trustees are given copies of the governing documents, appropriate Charity Commission information and recent trustee minutes.

Page 13

The Hill Church Swansea

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Risk Management

The trustees recognise that they have overall responsibility for ensuring that they implement an appropriate system for the management of risks, whether financial or otherwise, to which the charity may be exposed.

Risk reviews are conducted regularly and the trustees consider that there are no major risks to the charity's continued operations in the foreseeable future.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Company number

08415396 (England and Wales)

Registered Charity number

1151797

Registered office

33 Tawe Park Ystradgynlais Swansea SA9 1GU

Trustees

Ms D Bishop Local Government Officer Ms L A Dwyer Administrator (resigned 24/11/23) Mr D K Ellerby Forest Officer Mr J Tressider College Tutor (resigned 15/6/23) Mrs R S Moran (appointed 1/3/24) Mr J C Moran (appointed 1/3/24)

Independent Examiner

Ashmole & Co First Floor 1 St John's Court Upper Fforest Way Enterprise Park Swansea SA6 8QQ

Bankers

The Co-Operative Bank plc PO Box 250 Delf House South Way Skelmersdale WN8 6WT

16th October 2024 Approved by order of the board of trustees on ............................................. and signed on its behalf by:

Page 14

The Hill Church Swansea

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 ka, ................................................................. ~~—~~ “a Mr D K Ellerby - Trustee

Page 15

Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of The Hill Church Swansea

Independent examiner's report to the trustees of The Hill Church Swansea ('the Company')

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 March 2024.

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.

Page 16

Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of The Hill Church Swansea

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 member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, 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.

Oo

Samantha Kelly Keith

Ashmole & Co First Floor 1 St John's Court Upper Fforest Way Enterprise Park Swansea SA6 8QQ

17/10/2024 Date: .............................................

Page 17

The Hill Church Swansea

Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Unrestricted
funds
Notes
£
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM
Donations and legacies
2
192,255
Investment income
3
3,579
Other income
4
4,886
Total
200,720
EXPENDITURE ON
Charitable activities
5
Hill Church
56,761
Matthew's House
108,337
Total
165,098
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
35,622
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward
375,246
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD
410,868		 Restricted
funds
£
116,479
-
-
116,479
-
59,421
59,421
57,058
78,337
135,395		 2024
Total
funds
£
308,734
3,579
4,886
317,199
56,761
167,758
224,519
92,680
453,583
546,263		 2023
Total
funds
£
282,958
455
3,015
286,428
63,355
268,168
331,523
(45,095)
498,678
453,583

The notes form part of these financial statements

Page 18

The Hill Church Swansea

Balance Sheet 31 March 2024

Unrestricted
funds
Notes
£
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible assets
10
73,083
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors
11
21,117
Cash at bank and in hand
320,975
342,092
CREDITORS
Amounts falling due within one year
12
(4,307)
NET CURRENT ASSETS
337,785
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT
LIABILITIES
410,868
NET ASSETS
410,868
FUNDS
13
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds
TOTAL FUNDS		 Restricted
funds
£
-
-
135,395
135,395
-
135,395
135,395
135,395		 2024
Total
funds
£
73,083
21,117
456,370
477,487
(4,307)
473,180
546,263
546,263
410,868
135,395
546,263		 2023
Total
funds
£
78,542
17,759
361,143
378,902
(3,861)
375,041
453,583
453,583
375,246
78,337
453,583

The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 March 2024.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for

The notes form part of these financial statements

continued...

Page 19

The Hill Church Swansea

Balance Sheet - continued

31 March 2024

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on ............................................. and were signed on its behalf by: 16th October 2024

Sei?

............................................. Mr D K Ellerby - Trustee

The notes form part of these financial statements

Page 20

The Hill Church Swansea

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: 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) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Donations, legacies and similar incoming resources are reported gross and the related fundraising costs are reported in costs of generating funds.

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable.

Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Fixed assets and depreciation

Depreciation is provided by the charity to write off the cost of tangible fixed assets by equal instalments over their estimated useful economic lives as follows:

Leasehold building - 89 years Equipment - 4 years

Provision is made for depreciation on the leasehold property over the term of the lease which was purchased in May 2016.

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

continued...

Page 21

The Hill Church Swansea

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

2. DONATIONS AND LEGACIES

Donations
Reclaimed tax
Grants
Hill Church
Matthew's
House
2024
2024
£
£
Donations
51,150
159,047
Reclaimed tax
12,333
11,567
Grants
-
74,637
63,483
245,251
3.
INVESTMENT INCOME
Deposit account interest
Hill Church
Matthew's
House
2024
2024
£
£
Deposit account interest
692
2,887
4.
OTHER INCOME
Hill Church
Matthew's
House
2024
2024
£
£
Other Income
-
4,886		 2024
£
210,197
23,900
74,637
308,734
Total
2024
£
210,197
23,900
74,637
308,734
2024
£
3,579
Total
2024
£
3,579
Total
2024
£
4,886		 2023
£
146,801
22,612
113,545
282,958
Total
2023
£
146,801
22,612
113,545
282,958
2023
£
455
Total
2023
£
455
Total
2023
£
3,015

continued...

Page 22

The Hill Church Swansea

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

5. CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS

Hill Church
Matthew's House		 Direct
Costs
£
56,761
167,758
224,519
Matthew's
Hill Church House Total Funds Total Funds
2024 2024 2024 2023
£ £ £ £
Venues - 20,579 20,579 21,810
staff costs 39,839 86,994 126,833 109,959
Equipment 2,312 - 2,312 1,692
Leadership & Training 86 - 86 1,221
Volunteers - 1,085 1,085 4,002
Resouces 593 - 593 371
Travel & Subsistence 1,344 - 1,344 552
Administration & Insurance 3,610 10,213 13,823 13,516
Publicity 1,344 1,817 3,161 654
Building Refurbishment - - - 119,163
Depreciation 902 4,557 5,459 5,457
Governance 4,074 - 4,074 2,888
Grants to other charities 100 - 100 8,200
Project costs 6,701 37,551 44,252 41,460
Hospitality - 587 587 372
Sundry 231 - 231 206
61,136 163,383 224,519 331,523
Matthew's house contribution to Hill
Church (11,365) 11,365 - -
Hill Church contribution to Matthew's
House 6,990 (6,990) - -
56,761 167,758 224,519 331,523

continued...

Page 23

The Hill Church Swansea

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

6. NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)

Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting):

Depreciation - owned assets 2024
£
5,459		 2023
£
5,457

7. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 March 2024 nor for the year ended 31 March 2023.

Trustees' expenses

There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31 March 2024 nor for the year ended 31 March 2023.

8. STAFF COSTS

Staff numbers and cost

Wages & Salaries
Social Security Costs
Employers Pension Contributions		 2024
£
113,027
7,094
6,712
126,833		 2023
£
100,846
2,306
6,807
109,959

The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:

2024 2023
Charitable Activities 7 6

No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000.

continued...

Page 24

The Hill Church Swansea

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

9. COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
Unrestricted Restricted Total
funds funds funds
£ £ £
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM
Donations and legacies 171,913 111,045 282,958
Investment income 455 - 455
Other income 3,015 - 3,015
Total 175,383 111,045 286,428
EXPENDITURE ON
Charitable activities
Hill Church 63,355 - 63,355
Matthew's House 88,462 179,706 268,168
Total 151,817 179,706 331,523
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) 23,566 (68,661) (45,095)
Transfers between funds (5,931) 5,931 -
Net movement in funds 17,635 (62,730) (45,095)
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward 357,611 141,067 498,678
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED
FORWARD 375,246 78,337 453,583
10. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
Leasehold Plant and
Building machinery Totals
£ £ £
COST
At 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024 80,300 35,333 115,633
DEPRECIATION
At 1 April 2023 6,315 30,776 37,091
Charge for year 902 4,557 5,459
At 31 March 2024 7,217 35,333 42,550
NET BOOK VALUE
At 31 March 2024 73,083 - 73,083
At 31 March 2023 73,985 4,557 78,542

Page 25

continued...

The Hill Church Swansea

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

11. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

Trade debtors
Other debtors
12.
CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
Social security and other taxes
Accrued expenses
13.
MOVEMENT IN FUNDS		 2024
£
12,049
9,068
21,117
2024
£
2,225
2,082
4,307		 2023
£
-
17,759
17,759
2023
£
1,881
1,980
3,861
Unrestricted funds
General fund
Apostolic Initiative
Poverty Relief
New Churches
Listed Building
Contingency Fund
Green Hill Garden Project
Hope in Swansea App Development
Seed Strategic Investment Fund
Restricted funds
Hospitality Fund
Choir Expression Fund
Advocacy Expression Fund
Matt's Cafe Expression Fund
Salary Costs Fund
Hope in Swansea Fund
Homeless Period Expression Fund
Volunteer costs
Other restricted grants
Greenhill Garden
TOTAL FUNDS		 At 1/4/23
£
239,624
7,303
5,295
6,379
48,645
53,000
10,000
5,000
-
375,246
19,794
580
8,853
1,623
32,605
14,692
190
-
-
-
78,337
453,583		 Net
movement
in funds
£
44,620
-
-
-
-
-
(8,998)
-
-
35,622
-
1,360
(2,564)
4,708
18,333
(6,501)
2
712
3,558
37,450
57,058
92,680		 Transfers
between
funds
£
-
(7,303)
(5,295)
(6,379)
-
-
-
-
18,977
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 At
31/3/24
£
284,244
-
-
-
48,645
53,000
1,002
5,000
18,977
410,868
19,794
1,940
6,289
6,331
50,938
8,191
192
712
3,558
37,450
135,395
546,263

Page 26

continued...

The Hill Church Swansea

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

13. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued

Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Unrestricted funds
General fund
Green Hill Garden Project
Restricted funds
Choir Expression Fund
Advocacy Expression Fund
Matt's Cafe Expression Fund
Salary Costs Fund
Hope in Swansea Fund
Homeless Period Expression Fund
Volunteer costs
Other restricted grants
Greenhill Garden
TOTAL FUNDS		 Incoming
resources
£
200,720
-
200,720
1,550
1,492
5,640
56,100
-
1,105
4,200
8,942
37,450
116,479
317,199		 Resources
Movement
expended
in funds
£
£
(156,100)
44,620
(8,998)
(8,998)
(165,098)
35,622
(190)
1,360
(4,056)
(2,564)
(932)
4,708
(37,767)
18,333
(6,501)
(6,501)
(1,103)
2
(3,488)
712
(5,384)
3,558
-
37,450
(59,421)
57,058
(224,519)
92,680

continued...

Page 27

The Hill Church Swansea

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

13. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued

Comparatives for movement in funds

Unrestricted funds
General fund
Apostolic Initiative
Poverty Relief
New Churches
Listed Building
Contingency Fund
Green Hill Garden Project
Hope in Swansea App Development
Restricted funds
Hospitality Fund
Choir Expression Fund
Advocacy Expression Fund
Matt's Cafe Expression Fund
Covid Fund
Salary Costs Fund
Hope in Swansea Fund
Building Improvement Fund
Homeless Period Expression Fund
TOTAL FUNDS		 At 1/4/22
£
215,169
7,466
164
6,812
60,000
53,000
10,000
5,000
357,611
19,794
2,806
34,531
2,333
5,424
27,094
14,341
26,829
7,915
141,067
498,678		 Net
movement
in funds
£
23,566
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
23,566
-
(2,226)
(1,678)
(710)
-
(20,939)
2,801
(38,184)
(7,725)
(68,661)
(45,095)		 Transfers
between
funds
£
889
(163)
5,131
(433)
(11,355)
-
-
-
(5,931)
-
-
(24,000)
-
(5,424)
26,450
(2,450)
11,355
-
5,931
-		 At
31/3/23
£
239,624
7,303
5,295
6,379
48,645
53,000
10,000
5,000
375,246
19,794
580
8,853
1,623
-
32,605
14,692
-
190
78,337
453,583

continued...

Page 28

The Hill Church Swansea

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

13. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued

Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Unrestricted funds
General fund
Restricted funds
Choir Expression Fund
Advocacy Expression Fund
Matt's Cafe Expression Fund
Salary Costs Fund
Hope in Swansea Fund
Welsh Government Fund
Building Improvement Fund
Homeless Period Expression Fund
TOTAL FUNDS
Funds		 Incoming
resources
£
175,383
-
-
7,398
9,000
10,000
1,000
80,979
2,668
111,045
286,428		 Resources
Movement
expended
in funds
£
£
(151,817)
23,566
(2,226)
(2,226)
(1,678)
(1,678)
(8,108)
(710)
(29,939)
(20,939)
(7,199)
2,801
(1,000)
-
(119,163)
(38,184)
(10,393)
(7,725)
(179,706)
(68,661)
(331,523)
(45,095)

Apostolic Initiative

This fund is to support new or innovative Christian-based initiatives. It is funded by faith-based donations only via The Hill Operating account.

Poverty Relief

This fund is used for poverty related relief and associated costs to relieve poverty or make a significant difference to poverty. It is funded by faith-based donations only via The Hill Operating account.

New Churches

This fund is to support new churches being started. It is funded by faith-based donations only via The Hill Operating account.

Listed Buildings

This fund is used for unexpected and high value building repairs, refurbishments and related improvements, including due to listed building status.

Contingency Fund

This fund is to ensure sufficient continuity of operating, salary and charity costs during an economic or practical crisis over a six-month period. It is a fund that is being established over a period of years with the view that the charity is in its infancy and needs robust resilience over the long-term.

Green Hill Garden Project

This fund is for the long term repair and improvements to the external landscape and grounds of Matthew's House.

continued...

Page 29

The Hill Church Swansea

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

13. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued

Funds - continued

Hope in Swansea App Development

This fund is part of the short term troubleshooting and long term development and improvement to the 2021 launched smartphone app freely serving multi-organisations in Swansea.

Hospitality Fund

This fund relates to grants and donations towards refurbishment and improvements to Matthew's House.

Choir Expression Fund

This fund relates to grants and donations towards the cost of Matt's Choir hospitality expression.

Advocacy Expression Fund

This fund relates to grants and donations received towards the Matt's Cwtch and Buddy Scheme hospitality expression.

Matt's Cafe Expression Fund

This fund relates to grants and donations received towards refurbishment and improvements to the Matt's cafe hospitality expression.

Salary Costs Fund

This fund relates to monies that have been raised to cover salary costs.

Hope in Swansea Fund

This fund relates to monies raised to launch and run the 2021 smart phone app freely serving multi-organisations in Swansea.

Homeless Period Expression Fund

This fund relates to grants and donations received towards the Homeless period expression.

Volunteer Costs

Fund that is dedicated to grants and donations restricted towards volunteer costs.

Other Restricted Funds

This collects small restricted grants and tracks their expenditure.

Greenhill Garden

Fund for the costs of Greenhill Garden at Matthew's House.

Seed strategic investment fund

This fund is to merge the Apostolic Initiative, Poverty relief, and New church funds into one designated fund.

Fund transfers

There was one transfer of £18,977 to the Seed Strategic Investment Fund that was to merge the (£7,303) Apostolic Initiative, (£5,295) Poverty relief, and (£6,379) New church funds into one designated Hill Fund.

continued...

Page 30

The Hill Church Swansea

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

14. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES

The total amount of donations received during the year from related parties was £13,269 (2023: £13,610)

15. ULTIMATE CONTROLLING PARTY

In the opinion of the trustees there is no single ultimate controlling party of the charity.

Page 31

The Hill Church Swansea

Detailed Statement of Financial Activities
for the Year Ended 31 March 2024
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS
Donations and legacies
Donations
Reclaimed tax
Grants
Investment income
Deposit account interest
Other income
Other Income
Total incoming resources
EXPENDITURE
Charitable activities
Staff costs
Leadership & Training
Administration & Insurance
Volunteers
Resources
Travel & Subsistence
Publicity
Buildings Refurbishment
Governance
Grants to other charities
Project costs
Hospitality
Sundry
Equipment
Venues
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets
Total resources expended
Net income/(expenditure)		 2024
£
210,197
23,900
74,637
308,734
3,579
4,886
317,199
126,833
86
13,823
1,085
593
1,344
3,161
-
4,074
100
44,252
587
231
2,312
20,579
5,459
224,519
224,519
92,680		 2023
£
146,801
22,612
113,545
282,958
455
3,015
286,428
109,959
1,221
13,516
4,002
371
552
654
119,163
2,888
8,200
41,460
372
206
1,692
21,810
5,457
331,523
331,523
(45,095)

This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements

Page 32