2024-12-31-accounts - Faith Christian Group (Reading) CIO

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REPORT AND STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] DECEMBER 2024

FAITH CHRISTIAN GROUP (READING) CIO CHARITY REGISTRATION No: 1163355

FAITH CHRISTIAN GROUP (READING) CIO

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Other working names

Trustees at 31[st] December 2024

Faith Christian Group Faith ReadiFood B4N Bed for the Night Mr Oliver Davidson Mr Peter Horne Mrs Helen Martin Mr Edward Rundell Mrs Stella Stroud

GOVERNING INSTRUMENT

Faith Christian Group is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation whose only voting members are its trustees. It was registered with the Charity Commissioners on 1[st] September 2015.

OBJECTS

The objects of the CIO are, for the public benefit:

a) to advance the Christian faith in Reading and other parts of the United Kingdom and the world as the charity trustees may from time to time determine; and

b) to relieve persons in conditions of need, hardship or distress or who are aged or sick in Reading and other parts of the United Kingdom and the world as the charity trustees may from time to time determine.

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FAITH CHRISTIAN GROUP (READING) CIO

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] DECEMBER 2024

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Faith Christian Group (Reading) CIO for the year ended 31[st] December 2024.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts are eligible for independent examination. I report in respect of my examination of the CIO’s 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 2011 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 which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
the accounts did not comply with the applicable 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.

Mr Michael Homer AFA MIPA

Independent Examiner MCH Accountants Ltd 68 Charlton Road Andover Hampshire SP10 3JN

Dated: 9[th] September 2025

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FAITH CHRISTIAN GROUP (READING) CIO

TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] DECEMBER 2024

Organisation

The work of Faith is primarily to fight physical poverty among the homeless, needy and deprived, and by so doing to share the gospel through love, care and practical service. This work is carried out largely by teams of volunteers as well as part-time staff, mostly Christians from many different churches in and around Reading. In 2024, Faith employed one full-time member of staff, twelve part-time staff, with three temporary members of staff in addition.

The organisation was running for some time before receiving charity status in 1996 as Faith Christian Group (Reading) Trust. Since 2015, the organisation has been a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO).

2024 review

Throughout 2024, Faith worked in four main, related ways to achieve its objects: “Readistreet” and “A Bed for the Night” (B4N), which work with the hungry and homeless on the streets of Reading, “ReadiFood” which provides food parcels to individuals and families who are housed, but struggling to make ends meet and Reading Pantries, which are subsidised food shops where members can choose food as well as access support at a café run alongside each site.

“ReadiStreet” involves the distribution of food to those on the streets. On Tuesday to Friday evenings, the support of Reading Minster Church gives us a town centre base from which we offer free sandwiches (kindly donated by Pret a Manger) and hot soup to the hungry and homeless of Reading. We have different partners who come on different evenings offering hot food. On Sundays, we run the Tea Bar to provide free hot and cold drinks, soup and rolls. A key element of this work is to demonstrate to everyone we meet on the streets that they are valued individuals.

“ReadiFood – Reading's Food Bank” is a service delivering food parcels to families and individuals in need throughout the town. Those in need are referred by RBC Social Services, Job Centre, Citizens Advice and other charities, agencies and churches. The average weekly number of food parcels delivered in 2024 was 170.

A Bed for the Night is a winter night shelter. In 2024 we opened two models; one for the rough sleepers of the town and one for refugees who were homeless. We opened seven nights a week from January to March, offering a meal, a warm space, and bed and breakfast.

“Reading Pantries” A pantry is a membership-based food shop where, for a nominal subscription, members can buy subsidised goods, so giving choice and support for those on low incomes or on benefits. We now have over 400 members able to use the shops. A café running alongside each shop creates a setting where members can be better supported and signposted to other partner agencies if additional help is needed.

This year saw St Barnabas, Wesley and Southcote added to the Coley Park, Whitley Wood, Pavilion and Norcot pantries.

Relationships

Continuing to build on relationships is a key factor in the success of what we do. Providing some sandwiches on the street, or a food parcel via ReadiFood, can lead to befriending and further opportunities to help in many other practical ways. We have seen members helped and supported through our Pantries. On occasions, Faith has to act as an advocate for those without a voice, and the charity helped a number of individuals in this way during the year.

We have continued to work hard to maintain good working relationships with relevant agencies and organisations in the town, including the various sections of RBC such as Social Services, Housing, Homeless and Housing Pathways.

In 2024 we also grew our support from local businesses, both financial and volunteering.

Safeguarding

All charities are required to report serious safeguarding incidents to the Charity Commission. There were no such incidents to report.

Financial summary

We receive financial support from many individuals, accounting for 54% of giving, local churches and a number of local businesses and organisations. In addition to the direct financial donations received, a significant value of food and other items were donated to Faith for distribution to people in need. Income from churches and other organisations was notably higher than prior year 2023.

In the year ended 31 December 2024 the Charity had an overall deficit of £58,602 as the Charity continues to effectively deploy reserves in a controlled manner. Overall costs were in line with the prior year 2023 with similar levels of staffing and expenditure, with cost allocations shifting between projects, notably as activities for Bed for the Night decreased and Food Pantries increased.

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FAITH CHRISTIAN GROUP (READING) CIO

Reserves remain high due to the carried-forward surplus from the COVID period. The forward-looking plan remains to be the effective use of these resources over a period of time rather than any immediate big outlay, considering our largest expense is ongoing staff costs.

THANKS

The trustees thank all the volunteers and paid staff for all their hard work in 2024 enabling Faith to serve so many of the disadvantaged and poor in Reading. Also, the trustees would like to express their thanks to churches, organisations and individuals in and around Reading for their support. The trustees are very grateful for the generous financial support the charity receives, as without this continuing and increasing support Faith would not have been able to serve the needy in Reading.

Signed on behalf of the Trustees

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FAITH CHRISTIAN GROUP (READING) CIO

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024

Analysis of Total Income and Expenditure by Activity - 2024	Analysis of Total Income and Expenditure by Activity - 2024	Analysis of Total Income and Expenditure by Activity - 2024	Analysis of Total Income and Expenditure by Activity - 2024	Analysis of Total Income and Expenditure by Activity - 2024	Analysis of Total Income and Expenditure by Activity - 2024		2023
General Funds	Street work	Bed for the Night	Readifood	Food Pantries	CIRDIC	Total Funds Unrestricted and Restricted	Total Funds Unrestricted and Restricted
2024 £ 35,690 46,510 143,562 13,940	2024 £ 145 1,549	2024 £ 2,700 3,780 2,499 15	2024 £ 4,120 17,752 17,500 36,663 2,750	2024 £ 6,172 7,750 14,500 849 23,460 601	2024 £ 500	2024 £ 48,682 76,437 32,000 185,123 23,460 17,305	2023 £ 28,081 31,230 10,000 205,756 6,394 6,626
239,702	1,694	8,994	78,786	53,332	500	383,007	288,087
524 116,926 287 3,733 1,619 2,447 10,440 5,879 3,208 6,034 4,709 3,580 30 2,500 1,741 561 10,250 925	6,312 17,976 485 3,400 845 205 575 1,629 709 501 349 22	2,749 9,788 11,317 16 190 319 888 532 273	8,110 66,035 341 2,400 2,700 4,168 577 32 23,299 2,524 1,782 7 109 187 24 84	35,419 36,200 666 2,659 215 3,198 1,392 983 35 119 48 121 6,868	109 4,413 12 389 169 119 1,625	53,223 251,338 13,097 2,400 6,100 8,762 5,250 3,600 39,842 11,205 6,865 6,076 5,285 3,815 30 2,668 1,741 561 18,827 925	18,282 199,441 22 2,400 3,494 9,752 10,024 992 38,245 14,080 9,114 10,127 2,335 4,450 520 2,855 4,949 246 11,475 900
175,391	33,008	26,073	112,378	87,923	6,836	441,609	343,704
64,310 (122,912)	(31,314) 31,314	(17,079) 17,079	(33,593) 33,593	(34,590) 34,590	(6,336) 6,336	(58,602) -	(55,617) -
239,878 181,276	- -	- -	- -	- -	- -	239,878 181,276	295,494 239,878

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FAITH CHRISTIAN GROUP (READING) CIO

ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

BALANCE SHEETS as at FIXED ASSETS Fixed Assets at Cost or Valuation Accumulated Depreciation Total Fixed Assets Sundry Debtors Prepayments Cash at bank and in hand Current Assets Creditors due within a year Creditors due after a year NET ASSETS Street Work Restricted Fund B4N Restricted Fund Readifood Restricted Fund Food Pantries Restricted Fund CIRDIC Restricted Fund General Fund CHARITY FUNDS Taxation and social security Deferred Income Other creditors	45,823 41,417 (17,884) (19,398) 27,939 22,019 5,541 3,788 13,752 12,129 208,283 244,101 227,577 260,018 (2,636) (3,100) (31,703) - (3,500) (2,659) (37,839) (5,759) (36,400) (36,400) 153,337 217,859 181,276 239,878 - - - - - - - - - - 181,276 239,878 181,276 239,878 31 December 2024 31 December 2023 £ £	45,823 41,417 (17,884) (19,398) 27,939 22,019 5,541 3,788 13,752 12,129 208,283 244,101 227,577 260,018 (2,636) (3,100) (31,703) - (3,500) (2,659) (37,839) (5,759) (36,400) (36,400) 153,337 217,859 181,276 239,878 - - - - - - - - - - 181,276 239,878 181,276 239,878 31 December 2024 31 December 2023 £ £	45,823 41,417 (17,884) (19,398) 27,939 22,019 5,541 3,788 13,752 12,129 208,283 244,101 227,577 260,018 (2,636) (3,100) (31,703) - (3,500) (2,659) (37,839) (5,759) (36,400) (36,400) 153,337 217,859 181,276 239,878 - - - - - - - - - - 181,276 239,878 181,276 239,878 31 December 2024 31 December 2023 £ £


			239,878
			- - - - - 239,878
			239,878

TRUSTEES RESPONSIBILITIES IN RELATION TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The trustees have considered the best approach to present the accounts to give a fair view of the charity's financial results for the calendar year ended 31 December 2024 and to allow proper comparisons with the results in 2023.

Approved by the Trustees on and

Signed on their behalf by Trustee

Trustee

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FAITH CHRISTIAN GROUP (READING) CIO

NOTES to the Accounts for the year ended 31st December 2024

Note 1 Basis of preparation

1.1 Basis of accounting

These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts.

The accounts have been prepared 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 Charities Act 2011.

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.

1.2 Going concern

The accounts are prepared on a "going concern" basis. The Trustees actively review the major risks which the charity faces on a regular basis and believe that maintaining the free reserves stated combined with an annual review of the controls over key financial systems will provide sufficient resources in the event of adverse conditions. The Trustees have also examined other operational and business risks which they face and confirm that they have established systems to mitigate the significant risks.

Note 2 Accounting Policies

The Accounting Policies, used and applied consistently throughout the period, are set out below. The Trustees have reviewed the other accounting policies covered by the Financial Reporting Standard and consider they are not applicable to this period's accounts.

2.1 Income recognition

Income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when the charity becomes entitled to the resources, the monetary value can be measured and it is more likely than not that the charity will receive the resources.

2.2 Offsetting

There has been no offsetting of assets and liabilities, or income and expenses, unless required or permitted by FRS 102.

2.3 Grants

Grants and donations are only included in the SoFA when the general income recognition criteria are met. In the case of performance-related grants, income is only recognised when the performance-related conditions are met. The charity has received a local government grant in the reporting period.

2.4 Tax reclaims on donations and gifts

Gift Aid receivable is included in income when there is a valid declaration from the donor. Any Gift Aid amount recovered on a donation is considered to be part of that gift and is treated as an addition to the same fund as the initial donation unless the donor or the terms of the appeal have specified otherwise.

2.5 Donated food, goods and services and volunteer help

The value of any donated food, goods and services and volunteer help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the trustees’ annual report.

2.6 Liability recognition

Liabilities are recognised where it is more likely than not that there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out resources and the amount of the obligation can be measured with reasonable certainty.

2.7 Redundancy cost

The charity made no redundancy payments during the reporting period.

2.8 Deferred income

No material item of deferred income has been included in the accounts.

2.9 Tangible fixed assets for use by charity

These are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year, and cost at least £1,000. They are valued at cost or valuation. The depreciation rates and methods used are disclosed in Note 6.

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FAITH CHRISTIAN GROUP (READING) CIO

2.10 Debtors

Debtors and loans receivable are measured on initial recognition at settlement amount or amount advanced by the charity. Subsequently, they are measured at the cash or other consideration expected to be received.

2.11 Creditors

The charity's creditors are measured at settlement amounts less any trade discounts.

2.12 Volunteer Help

The value of any voluntary help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the trustees’ annual report.

Note 3 Restricted Funds

3.1 Restricted Funds for the year ended 31st December 2024

Street Work	Bed for the Night "B4N"	Readifood	Food Pantries	CIRDIC	Total Restricted Funds
£ -	£ -	£ £ £ - - -			£ -
145 1,549	2,700 3,780 2,499 15	4,120 17,752 17,500 36,663 2,750	6,172 7,750 14,500 849 23,460 601	500	12,992 29,927 32,000 41,560 23,460 3,366
1,694	8,994	78,786	53,332	500	143,306
1,694	8,994 0	50,556 21,134 7,095 (0)	36,200 5,572 11,559	500	97,945 26,707 7,095 11,559
1,694	8,994	78,786	53,332	500	143,306
-	-	-	-	-	-

3.2 Restricted Funds Details

The Street Work Restricted Fund represents donations to support the distribution of food and drink to those on the streets.

The Bed for the Night Restricted Fund - funds donated towards the cost of running the night shelter or drop-in Hub. Preparation and training costs can be incurred in the prior year in preparation for the "B4N" in the following winter.

The Readifood Restricted Fund represents funds donated specifically for use for the food parcel service. This year, the funds were used for expenses directly related to Readifood including a contribution to salaries for those working for Readifood.

The Food Pantries Restricted Fund represents donations to support the provision of food distribution through Food Pantries.

The CIRDIC Restricted Fund represents donations to support the collaboration with CIRDIC in providing a drop-in Hub.

3.3 Unrestricted Funds Details

The General Fund represents income donated which is not given for a restricted purpose. In the Income and Expenditure Statement any costs that cannot be readily allocated or apportioned to the activities of the Streetwork, Bed for the Night, Readifood or Food Pantry are shown under General Funds. Any deficits on the activities are funded by transfers from the General Fund.

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FAITH CHRISTIAN GROUP (READING) CIO

Note 4 Staff Costs and Numbers

Gross Wages and Salaries Employer's National Insurance Costs (net of Employment Allowance) Pension Contributions Number of employees Full Time Part-time Temporary - Part time	CIO 2024 £ 227,695 14,328 (5,000) 14,315 251,338 1 12 3 16	CIO 2023 £ 184,117 13,318 (5,000) 7,006
		199,441
		1 10 3
		14

No employees received employee benefits for the reporting periods of more than £60,000 per annum.

Note 5 Pension Scheme

The Charity operates a Defined Contribution scheme, and contributions are charged to the SOFA as incurred. The charity enrols all employees that meet the criteria for automatic enrolment and pays employers contributions.

Note 6 Tangible fixed assets

2024 2024 Motor Vehicle Fixtures & Fittings £ £ 26,094 15,323 13,500 - (9,094) -	2024 Total £ 41,417 13,500 (9,094)	2023 2023 Motor Vehicle Fixtures & Fittings £ £ 26,094 15,323 - - - -	2023 Total £ 41,417 - -
30,500 15,323	45,823	26,094 15,323	41,417
16,194 3,204 6,100 1,480 (9,094) -	19,398 7,580 (9,094)	12,700 1,724 3,494 1,480 -	14,424 4,974 -
13,200 4,684	17,884	16,194 3,204	19,398

17,300 10,639	27,939	9,900 12,119	22,019

Basis of depreciation – straight line

The other fixed assets acquired from Faith Trust with individual values of less than £1,000 are summarised below:

Estimated original value Office furniture and 3,000 equipment

Note 7 Creditors falling due after one year

On 31 March 2016, the FAITH Christian Group rented 33 Boulton Road under a Full Repairing and Insuring lease. In March 2021 the lease was extended for 5 years. The Trustees resolved to provide for the Full Repairing obligation by providing for the repairs through the life of the lease. In 2023 the provision was reviewed and assessed reasonable to hold at £36,400 going forward.

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FAITH CHRISTIAN GROUP (READING) CIO

Note 8 Payments to Trustees

No payments were made to trustees or any persons connected with them during this financial period other than purchases made on behalf of the charity for which a trustee has been reimbursed. No other material transaction took place between the organisation and a trustee, or any person connected with them.

Note 9 Fees for examination of the accounts

Fees towards independent examination of £925 were accrued for in 2025 (2024 fees £900).

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