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BEACON HOUSE OF PRAYER Registered charity 1159478

Trustees report and Financial Statement 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025

Beacon House of Prayer

registered charity 1159478

Trustees report and Financial Statement 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025

Registered charity name Beacon House of Prayer also known as Beacon HOP, BHOP, The Beacon.

Charity number 1159478 Registered company number CE002415 Principle & registered office 550-552 High Street, Sandyford, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 5PD

Trustees in the year Mrs Katie Britton Mr Kevin Britton Mr Kevin Benson Mrs Judith Benson Mr Paul Ian Critchley Mrs Tracy Critchley Mrs Alison Gaunt Mrs Dilwen Gwyn Naylor Mr William John Naylor Mrs Karen Jane Porter (resigned 31[st] July 2025) Rev William Robert Porter (resigned 31[st] July 2025) Mrs Dawn Heather Tarr Independent Examiner Daryl Denson ACMA, VAST The Dudson Centre, Hope Street, Hanley, Stoke on Trent. ST1 5DD Bankers NatWest Bank, 75 High Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire ST5 1PN Solicitor Debby Hackney, Nowell Meller, 24 Market Place, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 4AX Beacon Advisory Group Mr Jonathan Bellamy, CEO Cross Rhythms City Radio Mrs Heather Bellamy, Cross Rhythms City Radio Mr Lloyd Cooke, CEO Saltbox Miss Jane Holloway, National Prayer Director, World Prayer Centre Rev Robert Mountford, City Vision Ministries

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Beacon House of Prayer is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered charity number 1159478, company number CE002415, registered on 3 December 2014. Responsibility for Beacon House of Prayer rests with the board of trustees, known as the Leadership Team, which meets quarterly. Board members are appointed in accordance with the constitution.

Objectives as stated in the Constitution

The objects of the charity are to advance the Christian faith and to promote the values thereof for the benefit of the public by:

(1) developing and making available a Christian prayer resource centre in the north Midlands, helping people to explore prayer and the spiritual dimension of life with multiple prayer rooms available for prayer and staffed by a team of volunteers;
(2) organising activities and special worship services that explore Christian prayer in various dimensions;
(3) being a resource hub of information about prayer and education about Christian spirituality for local congregations and individuals;
(4) offering Christian outreach and services for community groups based around exploring spirituality;
(5) providing a drop-in service for people seeking support or a chat;
(6) running training courses about prayer and aspects of the Christian faith;
(7) co-ordinating conferences for Christians in the wider area;
(8) offering help in local schools through RE classes, assemblies and school visits to our premises; and
(9) running a confidential listening and healing prayer service in a local community building. Our facilities are open on most days and evenings.

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT - SEPTEMBER 2024 AUGUST 2025

I. GENERAL

This year has seen a period of transition, William and Karen Porter, stepped down from Leadership on 31[st] July 2025 and are no longer Trustees.
Kevin Britton has stepped into leadership as Interim Senior Leader for a year as of 1[st] August 2025.
We have continued to maintain our community rhythms and are open to the public three days and two nights a week.
This has been our 18th year as a city house of prayer, and it continues to be a vibrant ministry and an important worship and prayer facility in the region.

II. REVIEW OF THE YEAR (Sept 2024-Aug 2025)

a) Worship and prayer rhythm

We open three days a week – Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings 9.30am-1pm, and Tuesday and Thursday evenings 7-9.30pm. Each day we have a rhythm of gathered worship and prayer, covering different topics and issues.
Once a month we have a Teaching evening and once a month we have a community gathering point on a Saturday morning.
We maintain an online presence, broadcasting the evening meetings and morning worship offering times.

b) Connecting with local churches

At any time, we have individuals who join us from various churches as well as our own community. The Beacon hosts a monthly city leaders Connect meeting and lunch, which is an important gathering point for leaders across denominations. There are a handful of church leaders who use the premises for personal prayer and join in the gatherings
We have seen a renewed interest in local church and wider Christian organisations using the space for retreats and away days
Healing Rooms England and Wales, which was originally established at The Beacon, continue to meet at the House of Prayer for leadership gatherings.

c) Our prayer community

The Beacon has an informal prayer community of around 40 people.
We have encouraged people to connect with a local church on Sundays.
Our monthly community touching points continue, that is our Saturday morning breakfast, worship and communion, and monthly Tuesday evening bible teaching times.

d) Team and training

Our leadership team have continued to set the vision and ongoing programme for the Beacon.
Our outreach initiatives including garden and café projects are now well established.
Our safeguarding policies, health and safety policies, risk assessments and volunteers recruiting processes are all established and in use.

e) Special events

As usual we facilitated a creative and reflective journey through the Christian festivals of Christmas and Easter, open to people of all churches.

f) Houses of prayer network

The Beacon is a hub for gathering and connecting with other houses of prayer in the country. We held our annual gathering at the end of September 2024, with house of prayer leaders from across the country.
The houses of prayer core group help to organize occasional zoom calls and a termly newsletter for this relational network.

g) Outreach

Our Friday morning ‘Transformations Café sees a steady influx of visitors, coming for a cake and coffee (No Charge) and/or for healing prayer, during the cafe opening there is also an opportunity for visitors to engage in worship.
Additionally, the Beacon continues to be an open door, with people dropping in for either a visit, or requesting personal prayer or practical help.
In April 2024 William started a self-funded prayer walking mission in the capital cities of Europe, which some members of the Beacon have supported, this has now been completed after just over a year, some people connected with the Beacon have joined him on various parts of this journey.
Paul and Tracy Critchley, through their work with Presence Worship have been leading student worship events at Saint Peter’s Secondary School on a regular basis, and we have seen an increase in the number of pupils attending these events.

h) Healing ministry

The Sozo team have expanded their team to continue their excellent prayer ministry sessions, both in the house and online, the team (currently 6) is made up of people from various city churches. They cater for both adults and children, and they hold regular training and development sessions for the team, including Safeguarding.

i) Building and land

The new petrol station and convenience store development opened in the new year of 2024. It has smartened up the land around us and provided us with a dedicated car park as well as a fenced off and gated prayer garden.
Loan repayments for our building have now been completed, allowing the Beacon to continue as a sustainable charity and going concern.

III. FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS FOR 2025-26.

During Spring / Summer of 2025 Robert Mountford has been assisting the leadership team in preparing for the stepping down of William and Karen Porter.
We have clarified continuing vision, governance, structure and discussed future leadership options.
Kev Britton has stepped into leadership as Interim Senior Leader for a year as of 1[st] August 2025, the leadership team will be meeting in Spring 2026 to discuss further options for Senior Leadership.
Our financial position is once again looking healthier, so we can plan for continued activities in the house of prayer.
We recognise there is still much untapped potential that we want to develop – to connect more with churches and Christian groups across the city, to be a help and resource, and to be more of a hub of prayer and worship for the region.

IV. FINANCE REVIEW

Beacon House of Prayer is financed mainly through the regular giving of around 25 individual supporters together with others who make occasional donations.
Cash at the bank and in hand at 31 August 2025 was £28,539.
Receipts amounted to £47,675 and payments £44,593 which were expended in accordance with our purposes.
Net assets are recorded as £165,678 .
Gift Aid repayments of tax from HMRC are not counted as income until it has been received. Accounts are prepared on a receipts and payments basis.
Generally . Since the Covid pandemic national lockdown and changes to the Beacon’s timetable, finances continue to be challenging, and we are always reviewing ways of encouraging new supporters to give to the Beacon. Expenditure continues to be tightly managed.
Reserves . To ensure that the charity remains sustainable as a going concern in the event of significant loss of income or other unforeseen circumstances, it is the trustee’s policy to hold reserves of approximately 3 months expenditure.
Financial Investment Policy . In accordance with the governing document the trustees have the power to invest money as in their absolute discretion they think fit.

V. RISKS AND POLICIES

The principal areas of Beacon House of Prayer activity, finance and strategic planning and risks are regularly considered by the trustees. Systems and resources allowing risk to be mitigated are implemented as appropriate.
Safeguarding . Beacon House of Prayer prioritises safeguarding and is committed to following guidelines from government and thirtyone:eight (previously known as CCPAS -The Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service) on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and good working practice including training, safe recruitment of workers and volunteers.
Data Protection . Beacon House of Prayer is registered with the Information Commissioners Office and follows GDPR guidelines and code of practice for stored data and cctv images.
Privacy Statement . A copy is displayed in the appropriate places.

signed on behalf of the trustees

Kev Britton

Date 14/6/2026

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Beacon House of Prayer for the year ended 31 August 2025

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the period ended 31 August 2025 which are set out on pages 8 to 10.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

As the charity’s trustees of Beacon House of Prayer, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act).

I report in respect of my examination of Beacon House of Prayer accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

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

Accounting records were not kept in respect of Beacon House of Prayer as required by section 130 of the Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
the accounts to not comply with the accounting requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view’ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

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

16/06/2026

Signed ____ Date _______ Daryl Denson ACMA VAST

Beacon House of Prayer Receipts & Payments Account for the year ended 31 August 2025

	2025	2024
	Total	Total
	£	£
Receipts
Gifts & Donations	21,656	36,780
Sales	21,125	-
Gift Aid	4,894	5,486
Total receipts	47,675	42,266
Payments
Water	378	390
Light & Heat	6,919	6,057
Licence Fees	1,073	930
Loan Repayment	5,000	5,000
Sundries	-	998
Professional Fees	120	270
Insurance	1,390	1,076
Repairs & Renewals	1,769	3,978
Building Maintenance	247	-
Gifts	1,376	-
Presence Worship	9,800	9,800
Stipend Services	11,040	11,040
Admin Support	59	49
Resources	670	718
Printing & Stationary	461	-
Refreshments	2,032	1,639
Computer, Internet, Telephone	509	651
Equipment Hire	523	1,304
Publicity	39	100
Tools & Equipment	606	3,366
Cleaning	247	40
Training	114	174
Safeguarding	221	18
Total payments	44,593	47,598
Net receipts/(payments)	3,082	(5,332)
Cash funds at start of this period	25,457	30,789
Cash funds at end of this period	28,539	25,457

Beacon House of Prayer Statement of Assets and Liabilities at 31 August 2025

Cash Assets Notes Cash in Bank and at hand Tangible Fixed Assets Freehold Property 3	2025 £ 28,539 28,539 165,678	2024 £ 25,457 25,457
	165,678	165,678

These financial statements are accepted on behalf of the charity by:

Signed _ ___ Dated _14/6/2026_ Kevin Britton

Beacon House of Prayer Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 August 2024

1. Receipts & payments accounts

Receipts and payments accounts are statements that summarise the movement of cash into and out of the charity during the financial year. In this context “cash” includes cash equivalents, for example, bank accounts where cash can be readily withdrawn to pay for debts as they become due. For the purposes of understanding a statement of assets and liabilities at the year-end has been included.

2. Trustees’ remuneration

Trustees received no expenses, remuneration or benefits in this year.

3. Tangible fixed assets

	Freehold Fixtures &	Freehold Fixtures &
	Property Fittings		Total
	£	£	£
Costs
As at 1 September 2024	165,678	-	165,678
Additions	-	-	-
Disposals	-	-	-
As at 31 August 2025	165,678	-	165,678
Depreciation
As at 1 September 2024	-	-	-
Additions	-	-	-
Disposals	-	-	-
As at 31 August 2025	-	-	-
Net Book Value
As at 31 August 2025	165,678	-	165,678
As at 1 September 2024	165,678	-	165,678

4. Related party transactions

Presence Worship (Trustee Paul Critchley) was paid £9,800 for the provision, training, development and oversight of worship music.

2025-08-31-accounts