ANNUAL REPORT 2024
Our Trust's work and finance
What we have done
Lighthouse Charity Trust uses Lighthouse Community Church's building and its facilities for the services we provide.
In accordance with our Charitable Object, we seek to reach into the wider community by providing a meeting place and facilities for the community's benefit, so that people can engage in positive activities and leisure pursuits to build social contacts, relationships and support.
In this, our tenth year, our Charity’s service to the community continues to build on the recovery from the pandemic restrictions. The returning and new groups listed below illustrate the scope of need in the area for a place for people and groups to meet for their benefit and enjoyment:
Sally King Pilates NNU3A (North Norfolk University of the Third Age) Local History Group Sheringham Singers Sing Your Heart Out Sinfonia (orchestra) occasional concerts and choir workshops Away Days for various church leaders' meetings Sheringham Little Theatre Rehearsals Sheringham Little Theatre Youth Drama Who Let the Dads Out Sheringham Helps Day *
* Various organisations and charities serving the local community met in the Lighthouse building. In the morning they shared experiences and information together; and in the afternoon they invited the public to look around, talk to representatives, and consider volunteering. The day was considered to have been very encouraging.
In carrying out our aims this year, Lighthouse Charity Trust continues to be a thriving part of our local community, touching many lives. Through a wide variety of flourishing clubs, groups and activities many people have made new friends, gaining support and confidence through new contacts and experiences.
Some of our youth members took part in a sponsored car park sleepover to highlight homelessness in Norwich, raising £562 for the work of YMCA.
Lighthouse Football has two youth teams, (U14s and U16s), who train on a weekly basis. Unfortunately the Norfolk Christian league hasn’t been functioning for their age group but they have been able to arrange several friendly matches against local teams. We have entered an u16 team in the league for the forthcoming season.
Three coaches and around 20 players attend regularly, with a balance of church and community youngsters. Numbers have grown as young people invite friends, enjoying the inclusive ethos, where everyone has the opportunity to play. Many parents have commented how positive it is for their child to engage in sport, exercise and to socialise as part of the club, when otherwise they would largely be indoors on computers or phones.
Our weekly training for adults (16+) has grown significantly to 20-30 regularly attending, with many having previously played in youth teams. We have recruited additional coaches/leaders to facilitate the adults team.
As such we have taken the step to apply for entry to the Norfolk Christian League for an adults team for the 2024/2025 season, with many of our team comprising of teenagers.
ThreadBear: Clothing Children, Strengthening Community. At the heart of Lighthouse Community Church TheadBear, more than just a charity shop, is a vital hub of care, connection and compassion, serving children from birth through their teenage years, offering pre-loved clothing, shoes, toys, bedding and books to families facing financial hardships across our region.
The shop’s reputation has grown over the past year through word-of-mouth and social media, from a local lifeline to a valued resource for families from surrounding towns and villages. Integration with the Lighthouse Café, Soft play area and Family Food Fridays, fosters a warm, welcoming environment, inviting families not only to shop, but to build relationships and finding support.
ThreadBear’s proceeds go directly into the Lighthouse community. While our Soft Play and Family Food Fridays remain free to all, shop sales now contribute £600 per month to our broader outreach work. Additionally, 10% of our annual income is designated to charitable causes - this year supporting the Lighthouse Church’s Soft Play extension. We will extend funding to this project’s extensive additional costs next year, ensuring our facilities to grow with our community’s needs. ThreadBear commits to sustainability and ethics. Unsold items are directed to a dedicated recycling bin, reducing waste and generating extra income - a small act with big impact.
What truly empowers ThreadBear, though, is its people. Our volunteers are the shop’s heartbeat, offering dignity to those in need, purpose to those who serve and friendships that last beyond a shift. In 2025 we plan to build on this foundation by appointing a co-volunteer manager to help grow the team, increase outreach and develop our long-term impact.
Looking ahead, our strategy is simple but ambitious:
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Strengthen our volunteer base
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Provide compassionate, informed support to families
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Expand our reach while keeping prices accessible to those in most need
We invite trustees, supporters and the wider public to stand with us in this next chapter to encourage, donate and volunteer time to help make this work not only possible - but powerful. Together, we’re not just re-homing clothes - we’re restoring dignity, renewing hope and rebuilding community.
Lighthouse Table Tennis Club in 2023-2024 ranged in numbers from 12 to 20.
We have suffered from youngsters leaving for University and to move to Norwich to look for work. There are currently 3 teams: 2 playing in the Premier League, and 1 playing in division 2. We have welcomed a new church member into our ranks, who is showing a lot of promise. However, the club does need to recruit more in the younger range. In addition, we have no females left in the club, which is a great shame.
We have suffered many injuries to the players this season, which I put down to having an older range. This has often meant playing with only 2 players instead of 3, or conceding the match: another reason for pushing for a younger age range.
We, in the club, look forward to meeting these challenges in the coming year.
Sheringham Shed and Priory Patch Community Garden.
Sheringham Shed has continued to be well supported. We run two sessions on a Tuesday, morning and afternoon, with about 15 people, male and female, a variety of ages attending We also launched a Wednesday morning session which has not been so busy, so we are in conversations about starting a group for home schooled children in its place, and have conversations with parents or teachers looking for schooling a group. We aim to run that from September 2025.
Priory Patch has remained on pause without being used. However, there are currently conversations with two separate groups that might be interested in using that space, one of those being for children who are home schooled.
The money that the Trust has received
Lighthouse Community Church provides activities and clubs open to both church and non-church people alike. These include a parent and toddler group, a fortnightly Youth Life Group for high school aged students, football teams for various age groups, and a table tennis club. These made donations to the Trust for their use of facilities or the Charity’s administrative services. Outside groups and organisations also made donations for the use of the Trust's hired building and its facilities. The Norfolk Community Foundation helped to establish “Who Let the Dads Out” in supporting fathers, carers and children.
Grants, donations and voluntary help for the “Family Friday Meals” have provided free fortnightly communal two-course meals, food items and domestic products to help families in need. Other grants received were for Sheringham Shed and Patch for salaries and utilities.
How the Trust has spent the money received
Lighthouse Community Church organisations and all outside groups made donations for their use of the building’s utilities, maintenance, service and technical costs; and for donations to the salaries of church staff involved in clubs and activities run under the Trust's hirings.
From funds received, the Trust has been able to pay for its own insurance and music licence.
The Charity continues to seek funding and grants for refurbishing and operating the building. Sheringham Shed, Lighthouse Church’s project, provides an environment, facilities and support for users with varying needs.
In our next year, apart from holding a reasonable contingency, maintaining good stewardship of our assets and responsibilities, and seeking awareness of how the Trust should develop, our focus - rather than accumulating a large account balance - will continue our commitment to be of positive service, support and encouragement within our community and the wider area.
Lighthouse Charity Trust
Statement Of Accounts Year Ended 31st August 2024
Lighthouse Charity Trust
Year Ended 31st August 2024
Contents
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Accountants' Report | 1 |
| General Fund Income and Expenditure Account | 2 |
| Sheringham Shed Income and Expenditure Account | 3 |
| Balance Sheet | 4 |
| Fixed Asset Schedule | 5 |
Lighthouse Charity Trust
Accountants' Report
Year Ended 31st August 2024
We hereby certify that the accounts for the year ended 31st August 2024 set out on pages 2 to 5 have been prepared with an independent examination, from the Charity's accounting records and information supplied by the Treasurer.
Our accounting procedures include examination, on a test basis, of evidence relevant to the amounts and disclosures in the accounts and an assessment of whether the accounting policies are appropriate to the Charity's circumstances, consistently applied and adequately disclosed.
We have obtained all information and explanations which we considered necessary to enable us to give reasonable assurance that the accounts are free from material errors.
In our opinion the accounts reasonably reflect the state of the charity's financial affairs as at 31st August 2024 and of its surpluses for the year then ended.
Timothy Hignett and Partners Limited
7 High Street Cromer Norfolk NR27 9HG
3rd June 2025
Signed on behalf of the Trustees on 3rd June 2025
S R Charsley, Treasurer
1
Lighthouse Charity Trust
General Fund Income and Expenditure Account
Year Ended 31st August 2024
| £ £ Income: Threadbear grant - Threadbear shop 6,898.34 Subs 1,263.20 Lettings 10,549.95 New Day 6,984.13 Transfers from Sheringham Shed 1,203.06 Transfers from LCC 138.00 Other Income 1,526.50 Football B/fwd 360.00 Receipts 1,504.20 C/fwd (100.00) 1,764.20 Grants 7,282.25 Expenditure: LCC 138.00 LCC Threadbear 6,400.00 Threadbear shop 658.27 Rent 9,000.00 Insurance 1,084.76 New Day 5,873.12 Football 1,214.08 Printing, postage and stationery 32.68 Music licence 25.12 Youth subs expenses 347.66 Accountancy fees 1,244.00 Grants 1,692.50 Utilities for Sheringham Shed 1,102.85 Depreciation charge 1,007.22 Miscellaneous 603.50 Excess of income over expenditure 2024 |
£ 37,609.63 30,423.76 7,185.87 |
£ £ 1,750.00 6,346.33 1,009.30 10,313.00 5,940.00 1,011.06 702.09 1,518.25 360.00 1,365.14 (360.00) 1,365.14 8,451.92 702.09 5,000.00 1,679.79 6,000.00 982.36 5,256.35 1,005.99 66.29 253.28 211.25 1,140.00 6,814.24 1,282.31 1,187.36 1,162.00 2023 |
£ 38,407.09 32,743.31 5,663.78 |
|---|---|---|---|
2
Lighthouse Charity Trust
Sheringham Shed Income and Expenditure Account
Year Ended 31st August 2024
| Income: Lettings Donations Gift aid Grants Utilities refunded Sundry income Expenditure: Priory Patch Wages and salaries Insurance Repairs and renewals Printing, postage and stationery Music licence & subscriptions Utilities Rates Training courses Miscellaneous Transfers to LCT Depreciation charge Excess of income over expenditure |
£ £ 1,500.00 2,345.00 - 7,800.00 572.04 2,090.93 14,307.97 - 9,816.00 1,090.56 1,361.68 112.50 55.03 3,281.15 92.21 680.00 - 1,237.50 957.05 18,683.68 (4,375.71) 2024 |
£ £ 1,602.75 494.54 271.25 29,579.07 - - 31,947.61 2,462.31 15,115.94 878.60 1,935.34 8.49 235.34 3,339.09 86.43 720.00 406.02 50.00 1,276.06 26,513.62 5,433.99 2023 |
|---|---|---|
3
Lighthouse Charity Trust
Year Ended 31st August 2024
| Fixed Assets Per schedule Current Assets Premium account Barclays current account - LCT Barclays current account - SS Cash Debtors and prepayments Current Liabilities Creditors and accruals Net Current Assets Net Assets General Fund Balance b/fwd SS Excess of income over expenditure Excess of income over expenditure |
£ £ 244,615.85 0.23 23,897.93 22,888.35 50.00 483.57 47,320.08 (1,350.00) 45,970.08 290,585.93 287,775.77 (4,375.71) 7,185.87 290,585.93 290,585.93 2024 |
£ £ 246,113.32 0.23 16,214.70 26,718.78 50.00 238.74 43,222.45 (1,560.00) 41,662.45 287,775.77 276,678.00 5,433.99 5,663.78 287,775.77 287,775.77 2023 |
|---|---|---|
4
Lighthouse Charity Trust
Fixed Asset Schedule
Year Ended 31st August 2024
Cost
Depreciation
Net Book Value
| At 1st September 2023 Additions Disposal At 31st August 2024 At 1st September 2023 Charge for the year At 31st August 2024 At 1st September 2023 At 31st August 2024 |
Total Freehold Property Fixtures and Equipment £ £ £ 261,046.36 238,723.05 22,323.31 466.80 - 466.80 - - - 261,513.16 238,723.05 22,790.11 14,933.04 - 14,933.04 1,964.27 - 1,964.27 16,897.31 - 16,897.31 246,113.32 238,723.05 7,390.27 244,615.85 238,723.05 5,892.80 |
|---|---|
5
Lighthouse Charity Trust
Statement Of Accounts Year Ended 31st August 2024
Lighthouse Charity Trust
Year Ended 31st August 2024
Contents
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Accountants' Report | 1 |
| General Fund Income and Expenditure Account | 2 |
| Sheringham Shed Income and Expenditure Account | 3 |
| Balance Sheet | 4 |
| Fixed Asset Schedule | 5 |
Lighthouse Charity Trust
Accountants' Report
Year Ended 31st August 2024
We hereby certify that the accounts for the year ended 31st August 2024 set out on pages 2 to 5 have been prepared with an independent examination, from the Charity's accounting records and information supplied by the Treasurer.
Our accounting procedures include examination, on a test basis, of evidence relevant to the amounts and disclosures in the accounts and an assessment of whether the accounting policies are appropriate to the Charity's circumstances, consistently applied and adequately disclosed.
We have obtained all information and explanations which we considered necessary to enable us to give reasonable assurance that the accounts are free from material errors.
In our opinion the accounts reasonably reflect the state of the charity's financial affairs as at 31st August 2024 and of its surpluses for the year then ended.
Timothy Hignett and Partners Limited
7 High Street Cromer Norfolk NR27 9HG
3rd June 2025
Signed on behalf of the Trustees on 3rd June 2025
S R Charsley, Treasurer
1
Lighthouse Charity Trust
General Fund Income and Expenditure Account
Year Ended 31st August 2024
| £ £ Income: Threadbear grant - Threadbear shop 6,898.34 Subs 1,263.20 Lettings 10,549.95 New Day 6,984.13 Transfers from Sheringham Shed 1,203.06 Transfers from LCC 138.00 Other Income 1,526.50 Football B/fwd 360.00 Receipts 1,504.20 C/fwd (100.00) 1,764.20 Grants 7,282.25 Expenditure: LCC 138.00 LCC Threadbear 6,400.00 Threadbear shop 658.27 Rent 9,000.00 Insurance 1,084.76 New Day 5,873.12 Football 1,214.08 Printing, postage and stationery 32.68 Music licence 25.12 Youth subs expenses 347.66 Accountancy fees 1,244.00 Grants 1,692.50 Utilities for Sheringham Shed 1,102.85 Depreciation charge 1,007.22 Miscellaneous 603.50 Excess of income over expenditure 2024 |
£ 37,609.63 30,423.76 7,185.87 |
£ £ 1,750.00 6,346.33 1,009.30 10,313.00 5,940.00 1,011.06 702.09 1,518.25 360.00 1,365.14 (360.00) 1,365.14 8,451.92 702.09 5,000.00 1,679.79 6,000.00 982.36 5,256.35 1,005.99 66.29 253.28 211.25 1,140.00 6,814.24 1,282.31 1,187.36 1,162.00 2023 |
£ 38,407.09 32,743.31 5,663.78 |
|---|---|---|---|
2
Lighthouse Charity Trust
Sheringham Shed Income and Expenditure Account
Year Ended 31st August 2024
| Income: Lettings Donations Gift aid Grants Utilities refunded Sundry income Expenditure: Priory Patch Wages and salaries Insurance Repairs and renewals Printing, postage and stationery Music licence & subscriptions Utilities Rates Training courses Miscellaneous Transfers to LCT Depreciation charge Excess of income over expenditure |
£ £ 1,500.00 2,345.00 - 7,800.00 572.04 2,090.93 14,307.97 - 9,816.00 1,090.56 1,361.68 112.50 55.03 3,281.15 92.21 680.00 - 1,237.50 957.05 18,683.68 (4,375.71) 2024 |
£ £ 1,602.75 494.54 271.25 29,579.07 - - 31,947.61 2,462.31 15,115.94 878.60 1,935.34 8.49 235.34 3,339.09 86.43 720.00 406.02 50.00 1,276.06 26,513.62 5,433.99 2023 |
|---|---|---|
3
Lighthouse Charity Trust
Year Ended 31st August 2024
| Fixed Assets Per schedule Current Assets Premium account Barclays current account - LCT Barclays current account - SS Cash Debtors and prepayments Current Liabilities Creditors and accruals Net Current Assets Net Assets General Fund Balance b/fwd SS Excess of income over expenditure Excess of income over expenditure |
£ £ 244,615.85 0.23 23,897.93 22,888.35 50.00 483.57 47,320.08 (1,350.00) 45,970.08 290,585.93 287,775.77 (4,375.71) 7,185.87 290,585.93 290,585.93 2024 |
£ £ 246,113.32 0.23 16,214.70 26,718.78 50.00 238.74 43,222.45 (1,560.00) 41,662.45 287,775.77 276,678.00 5,433.99 5,663.78 287,775.77 287,775.77 2023 |
|---|---|---|
4
Lighthouse Charity Trust
Fixed Asset Schedule
Year Ended 31st August 2024
Cost
Depreciation
Net Book Value
| At 1st September 2023 Additions Disposal At 31st August 2024 At 1st September 2023 Charge for the year At 31st August 2024 At 1st September 2023 At 31st August 2024 |
Total Freehold Property Fixtures and Equipment £ £ £ 261,046.36 238,723.05 22,323.31 466.80 - 466.80 - - - 261,513.16 238,723.05 22,790.11 14,933.04 - 14,933.04 1,964.27 - 1,964.27 16,897.31 - 16,897.31 246,113.32 238,723.05 7,390.27 244,615.85 238,723.05 5,892.80 |
|---|---|
5