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2023-12-31-accounts

Trustees' Annual Report for the period
**From ** Period start date To Period end date
01 Jan 2023 31st Dec 2023

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name Redeemer Croydon Trust

Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 1164555

Charity's principal address School House School House
Selborne Road
Croydon
Postcode CR0 5JQ

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1
2
3
4
5
6
Trustee name Office (if any) Dates acted if not for
whole year
Name of person (or body)
entitled to appoint trustee (if
any)
Stephen Lock Nov 2015 – May2023
Victoria Paxton From March 2016
David Fletcher From June 2017 – 1 Jan
2022
Oksana Price Dec 2020 – Dec 2023
Ramona
Ramsahadeo
From Dec 2020
Jack Popplewell From Dec 2023

Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)

Name Dates acted if not for whole year

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of adviser Name Address

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Mark Fossey (Lead Pastor) Gina Somerton (Operations Director)

Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Redeemer is governed by the Redeemer Croydon Trust Constitution. The Type of governing document governing document dates from November 2015. Updates to the constitution were (eg. trust deed, constitution) made in April 2019. Redeemer Croydon Trust is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company) New charity trustees are appointed by the existing charity trustees. In selecting Trustee selection methods individuals for appointment, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, (eg. appointed by, elected by) knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO. Trustees should also hold to the Trust’s Statement of Beliefs and have lives with evidence of Christian profession.

The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees' annual report and the Responsibilities of trustees under financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom charity law Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). Charity law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charity as at the balance sheet date and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, for the financial year. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

  1. select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;

  2. observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;

  3. make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

  4. state whether the applicable accounting standards have been followed, s material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

  5. prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis unless it is in presume that the charity will continue in operation.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011 and the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:

Each person appointed trustee gives signed assent to the Christian faith as defined in the doctrinal basis as a condition precedent to his or her appointment. The constitution provides that new trustees be given a copy of the constitution, as well as the latest CIO Trustees’ Annual Report and statement of accounts. In addition to this, it is standard practice at Redeemer for new trustees to receive a copy of the minutes of the previous trustee meeting.

Redeemer Croydon Trust trustees oversee the Trust and take responsibility for the management of the Trust’s resources. They ensure that the charity is complying with its governing document and the law, that it is accountable and that it is carrying out its purposes for the public benefit. Accountable to the trustees are the elders who are responsible for spiritual aspects such as teaching and for pastoral care. Redeemer Croydon Trust is a membership church and, upon joining, members are provided with an Introduction to Redeemer membership course, which sets out Redeemers’ vision and values and its governance structure. Members’ meetings are held on a termly basis.

Redeemer has been a member of the Evangelical Alliance since 2016 and became a member of the FIEC (Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches) in 2020 and became a member of the London Gospel Partnership in 2022.

There are three main risks identified by the trustees:

First, a reduction in giving, should a number of members leave Redeemer at the same time or members fall into financial difficulty. To address this, monthly giving (regular and external) is monitored carefully by the Treasury team, elders and trustees against projected giving. Reserve levels are also maintained in accordance with the reserves policy.

A second risk is key personnel leaving or becoming unwell. To mitigate against this, the trustees have discussed an emergency plan should either the Lead Pastor or Operations Director be out of action. In the case of the Lead Pastor, this would involve the eldership and small group leaders taking responsibility for the care of church members. In the case of the Operations Director, the trustees have familiarised themselves with the key operational and financial documentation, and all staff have had access arranged to Redeemer’s administrative platform Churchsuite. In the circumstances where both the Lead Pastor and (if there is someone in post) the Assistant Pastor would be out of action, the eldership would jointly step into the role of the Lead Pastor with Operations Director’s assistance on operational matters and Trustees’ assistance where required until such time as the Lead Pastor is able to resume their position or a new Lead Pastor is appointed. Should the Assistant Pastor resume their position before the Lead Pastor’s return/appointment, the Assistant Pastor would act as Lead Pastor and the eldership and small group leaders taking responsibility for the care of church members

A third risk is security of the venue given that Redeemer does not have its own building in which to meet. In order to address this, the staff team work hard to build relationships and regular communication with those responsible for the venues. This ensures that any issues can be identified and addressed early on. Furthermore, rent hikes are taken into consideration in the budget and there is a contingency line for this. Redeemer has a list of alternative venues available which it can contact should Archbishop Tenison’s no longer be a suitable location. Pandemic/Lockdowns: Regular reviews were made of the risks related to the COVID pandemic, which were actively monitored for financial and operational impact. In the event of further lockdowns, we are in a much stronger position to ensure continuity of our offering.

Section C Objectives and activities

Summary of the objects of the
charity set out in its governing
document
Summary of the main activities
undertaken for the public benefit
in relation to these objects
(include within this section the
statutory declaration that
trustees have had regard to the
guidance issued by the Charity
Commission on public benefit)
The object of RCT is supporting Redeemer Croydon Church for the public
benefit and the advancement of the Christian faith in Croydon, and such other
parts of the United Kingdom and the world as the charity trustees may from time
to time decide.
Advancement of the faith for the public benefit and the advancement of the
Christian faith in Croydon:
All these are open to the whole local Croydon community and many are
attended online by those in the UK and further afield.
Redeemer has a number of Sunday ministries such as the Sunday morning
meeting including children’s groups from age 0-teen, and monthly evening
prayer meetings.
It also has several weekday ministries, notably:

Men’s and women’s ministries, such as teaching, training and social
activities.

‘Growth Groups’ who meet together on a weekly basis to study the Bible,
including a women’s group meeting twice and a new Portuguese-
language group started in 2023.

Outreach social groups called H.O.P.E groups for example a rapidly-
growing men’s football regular night, museum visits, women’s pilates
etc.

Other events include termly membership meetings, membership courses for new members, prayer triplets, youth group social events, and an annual retreat (last held in May 2023) with an external guest speaker.

We held widely attended Good Friday, Easter Sunday & Christmas carol services, including a children’s choir, and a Christmas Eve service.

We continue with regular and popular ‘Bring & Share’ meals after church several Sundays a year, some of which are designated as ‘World’ meals where attendees bring foods from their countries and cultures, to celebrate our multicultural community and broaden understanding through sharing meals of attendees backgrounds. To further broaden the community spirit, particularly to welcome newcomers, is an initiative called Hospitality Sunday, a ‘match-making’ scheme between people wanting to host Sunday lunch and those wanting to attend as guests.

Teaching and training are provided by the church in a number of ways. This includes:

Our Lead Pastor, with considerable experience in preaching, teaching and pastoral care, has brought a high quality of teaching through a number of teaching series on Sundays and in small group/1on1 settings. Our volunteer Missionary Pastor who was a part of the preaching team, as well as teaching and training on theological matters, supported the Lead Pastor in this as well as producing teaching series in person and online. The website and YouTube channel continue to be updated in order to reach out to the local community and to be a resource for Christian material and Biblical teaching.

Additional pastoral support is provided for members of the congregation suffering illness, mental illness or significant socio-economic issues. Volunteers also organise meal rotas and housework rotas for those in need for support. A new support group was created to focus on practical aid to the elderly in our congregation.

We were delighted to team up with Operation Forgiveness (OF), run by London City Mission, in a community outreach endeavour, to further their efforts to reduce knife crime by sending volunteers from Redeemer into local schools to talk about the issue in keeping with the mission of OF.

Advancement of the Christian faith in the United Kingdom and the world:

Redeemer supports a ministry school in the Gambia via a UK charitable organisation Living Word Ministries (and pre-covid ran annual overseas missionary trips which are expected to resume). The church also has an inhouse missionary from a UK organisation, London City Mission, who does outreach in the local schools.

Redeemer’s social media and YouTube channel is widely accessed by the congregation, local community, in the UK and overseas. Our online services since then into 2023 saw a number of people join us live

from across the UK and overseas. Many of these non-local visitors have continued to use our digital resources. Our social media, which exists for public benefit, has seen increased interaction and we now have over 1000 followers on Instagram.

In budgeting for activities for the year, trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

Over 2023, there is a strong contribution from 75 volunteers at Redeemer Croydon. In the reporting period, there were 69 members, many of whom served You may choose to include further on teams including: statements, where relevant, about: Sunday School & Youth Group • policy on grantmaking; Welcome Team Set Up Team • policy programme related Music and Sound Teams investment; Recording Team Refreshments Team • contribution made by volunteers. Small Group (‘Growth Group’) Leaders Elderly Care Team Prayer Ministry Team

Section D Achievements and performance

Supporting the work of Redeemer Croydon

Redeemer Croydon Trust looks to ensure that there are a variety of opportunities for community members to meet together and participate in church life. This provision is tailored to meet the needs of a diverse congregation of different ages, cultures and educational backgrounds.

We continue to meet at a local secondary school, Archbishop Tenison’s Church of England School and have built good links with them.

The children’s Sunday school continues to grow and four groups are offered: Tots (Pre-School, Nursery & babies), Kids (Reception to Y2), Juniors (Y3-6) and Youth Y7+.

The children especially enjoyed diverse learning opportunities, special Christmas and Easter activities and parties. Over the summer they are offered a special programme and help is given to all children as they graduate up to the next group.

Youth are encouraged to serve on teams in an age-appropriate capacity and help at children’s events. In addition, field trips and other midweek events have been offered to help the teens bond and enjoy a range of activities.

Aside from the regular Sunday meetings, growth groups meet weekly, on a monthly basis prayer meetings are held to provide adult members of the church an opportunity for quiet contemplation and prayer. We have been encouraging the congregation to more widely use our ChurchSuite app for broadening their communities and inviting friends and family in Croydon.

Missionary support Redeemer supports a ministry school in the Gambia and, following a successful visit in 2018 & 2019, Redeemer arranged a further trip in 2020. Regular updates

Section D Achievements and performance

are shared with the congregation on Sundays and at monthly prayer meetings. We increased links with London City Mission by welcoming a new mission link who partners with local Croydon schools to support them in their pastoral work internally. She provides the congregation with updates periodically. Relief for those suffering hardship and physical distress Pastoral and financial support was given to those in a position of disadvantage and hardship, including church attendees suffering with addiction and serious family social issues. Redeemer continues to care particularly for members in need of regular pastoral care. Pastoral staff provide support for those suffering social issues, illness and bereavement, as well as larger life events where help is needed practically, emotionally or financially. Operations In 2023, we continued to streamline financial and practical operations. A number of redundant and non-operational restricted funds were removed from the accounts and our CRM systems were continually updated for better member and volunteer management. Gift aid processing was further improved within our ChurchSuite platform, as well as attendance records and volunteer rotas. Policy & procedural updates were made to the Health & Safety policy and the associated Lone Worker Policy and Food Guidelines to incorporate the most upto-date government guidelines, including the serving of food at our events and educating those managing them on food allergies, food safety to ensure we our very best to minimise risk in these areas. Emergency procedures at our current primary venue were also updated and shared. We continued to evaluate our technological systems, to allow for a better quality in the wider-reaching hybrid in-person and digital operation of the church to reach the community more effectively. We begun the trial to implement live translation to reach attendees with all levels of English and make services more accessible for those who feel more comfortable to follow along in their own language, especially important given the international demographic in Croydon. Safeguarding training was provided for all staff and members of children’s teams or other key positions in Dec 2023 by a new safeguarding officer, following the departure from Croydon of our existing officer. Volunteer DBS, training and selfdeclaration processes were tightened to ensure improved record-keeping. Children’s Ministry Expectations and the Emergency Procedures Policy for our venue were shared with relevant people. Walkie talkies have also been purchased to ensure good communication for needs of the children’s rooms across the site on Sundays. We re-evaluated procedures for children on Sundays to ensure the volunteers were up to date on best practice.

Section E Financial review

Brief statement of the charity’s
policy on reserves
The Redeemer policy on Reserves states that Redeemer must maintain a
balance which equates to at least three months unrestricted payments.
Reserves are held to ensure availability of an internal source of funds to cover
situations such as:

An unanticipated loss or reduction in regular income.

Significant cash flow fluctuations.

A sudden increase in expenditure.

One-off unbudgeted expenses.
The aim is to ensure stability in the operation of Redeemer Croydon, particularly
in respect of the employment of staff engaged to advance the objects of the
Trust.

The Operating Reserves are not intended to replace a permanent loss of funds or eliminate an ongoing budget gap. Rather they are there to provide time, where necessary, for action to be taken to obtain additional funding and/or reduce further expenditure and revise assumptions in line with affordability.

It is the intention of the Redeemer Croydon Trustees that any Reserves utilised should be replenished within a reasonably short period of time.

Details of any funds materially in deficit

N/A

Further financial review details (Optional information)

The primary source of giving is voluntary donations from the membership (with recovery of associated Gift Aid). A secondary source is external giving.

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:

The level of reserves is monitored regularly and reported to the trustees for review at each of their meetings. At the report year end 2023 the level of the reserves stood at the equivalent of 24 months expenditure.

During 2023, total Income was £192,997 (2022: £214,500) and total Expenditure was £169,335 (2022: £178,086), the cash funds at the end of the year were up compared to last year.

RCT had 3 employees and 1 volunteer staff member during this period. No amounts were paid to Trustees or to any person connected to them.

Section F Other optional information

At present finances and regular giving look sustainable and Redeemer is a ‘Going concern’, but the trustees will continue to monitor this carefully on a monthly basis. Costs have been prioritised and spending freezes implemented across many areas. Funds will be used to relieve financial hardship as appropriate in keeping with the charity’s objectives. The trustees are of the view that the charity can continue to meet its objectives.

Section G Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Victoria Paxton

Full name(s) Victoria Paxton Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc)

Trustee Date 24 May 2024

Redeemer Croydon Trust

Report and Accounts

year ended 31 December 2023

Westlands Accountants Limited

Office Suite 8, McMillan House, 6 Wolfreton Drive, Anlaby, East Yorkshire, HU10 7BY

REDEEMER CROYDON TRUST

LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE Redeemer Croydon Trust
School House
Selbourne Road
Croydon
CR0 5JQ
GOVERNING DOCUMENT CIO registered November 2015,
amended March 2019 & April 2019
CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1164555
TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR Stephen Lock (retred 17 May 2023)
MANAGING THE CHARITY Victoria Paxton
Oksana Price (retred 17 December 2023)
Ramona Ramsahadeo
Jack Popplewell (appointed 9 November 2023)
KEY STAFF Mark Fossey
Gina Somerton
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Stephen D S Baker ACA MAAT
Westlands Accountants Limited
Ofce Suite 8 McMillan House
6 Wolfreton Drive
Anlaby
East Yorkshire
HU10 7BY
BANKERS CAF Bank Limited
The Charity Bank Limited
INDEX
Page 1 Legal & Administratve Details
Page 2 Independent Examiner’s Report
Page 3 Receipts & Payments Account
Page 4 Statement of Assets & Liabilites
Pages 5 to 7 Notes to the Accounts
Appendix Trustees report

1

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT

TO THE TRUSTEES OF

REDEEMER CROYDON TRUST

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Redeemer Croydon Trust (‘the charity’) for the year ended 31 December 2023 on pages 3 to 7 following.

Responsibilities and basis of report

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

I report in respect of my examination of the charity’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 giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. Accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or

  2. The accounts do not accord with the accounting records.

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

Stephen D S Baker ACA MAAT

Westlands Accountants Limited Office Suite 8 McMillan House 6 Wolfreton Drive Anlaby East Yorkshire HU10 7BY

Date:

2

REDEEMER CROYDON TRUST

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Notes
Income receipts
Donatons and
grants
Gif aid receipts
Events
Interest
Other
Total receipts
Payments
Relatng to direct
charitable actvites
2
Grants paid for
charitable actvites
undertaken by
others
3
Total receipts
Net of receipts/
(payments) before
transfers
Transfers between
funds
5
Net movement in
funds
Cash funds as at
last year end
Cash funds as at
this year end
A
Unrestricted Funds
General
Funds
£
Designated
Funds
£
154,302
-
27,610
-
1,148
-
7,192
-
2,745
-
192,997
-
167,292
-
2,043
-
169,335
-
23,662
-
1,275
-
24,937
-
304,677
-
329,614
-
Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
(1,275)
(1,275)
17,873
16,598
Year
Ended
2023
£
154,302
27,610
1,148
7,192
2,745
192,997
167,292
2,043
169,335
23,662
-
23,662
322,550
346,212
Year
Ended
2022
£
186,086
48,801
1,060
2,152
191
238,290
178,951
2,631
181,582
56,708
-
56,708
265,842
322,550

The notes on pages 5 to 7 form part of these accounts.

3

REDEEMER CROYDON TRUST

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

A
Cash funds
Cash at bank with
immediate access
Notce deposits
Pety cash
Fund balances
Unrestricted
General
Designated
Restricted
Unrestricted Funds
General
Funds
£
Designated
Funds
£
153,905
-
175,696
-
13
-
329,614
-

329,614
-
-
-
-
-
329,614
-
Restricted
Funds
£
16,598
-
-
16,598
-
-
16,598
16,598
Year
Ended
2023
£
170,503
175,696
13
346,212
329,614
-
16,598
346,212
Year
Ended
2022
£
151,892
170,645
13
322,550
304,677
-
17,873
322,550

The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf

By

date 24/05/2024

Victoria Paxton

4

REDEEMER CROYDON TRUST

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

1. Accounting policies

The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity’s receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity’s assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a “true and fair” view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not been (and cannot be) prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present a “true and fair view” of the charity’s financial activities and state of affairs.

General funds are unrestricted funds, which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects.

2. Payments relating to direct charitable activities

Employment costs
(Note 4)
Venue and ofce hire
Ministry and staf costs
and training
Church events
Insurance
Administraton and
support services
Governance and
professional fees
Website and publicity
Youth and
children’s work
General
Funds
£
113,583
32,628
6,280
1,769
312
302
11,079
894
445
167,292
Designated
Funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Year
Ended
2023
£
113,583
32,628
6,280
1,769
312
302
11,079
894
445
167,292
Year
Ended
2022
£
126,210
31,503
6,054
1,373
261
105
12,083
981
381
178,951

5

3. Grants paid for charitable activities undertaken by others

Organisatons:
Servants of the Word
London City Mission
Individuals
General
Funds
£
1,980
-
63
2,043
Designated
Funds
£
-
-
-
-
Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
-
Year
Ended
2023
£
1,980
-
63
2,043
Year
Ended
2022
£
1,980
500
151
2,631

4. Transactions with related parties

No amounts were paid or are payable to any trustee or to any person connected to them.

The charity incurred expenditure (see below) in respect of the provision of accommodation (which is customary for ministers) so that they could better perform their duties.

Breakdown of employment costs:

Gross salaries and employer’s NIC
Pension employer costs
Other employment expenses (provision of
accommodaton)
Payroll costs
Estate agent fees/deposits
Total employment costs
Year Ended 2023
£
70,817
7,834
34,243
689
-
113,583
Year Ended 2022
£
78,961
8,322
33,394
589
4,944
126,210

5. Movement of funds

General funds
Restricted funds
Property
Mission trip
Re:Defne
Total funds
Balance at
31 Dec
2022
£
304,677
16,598
1,252
23
322,550
Receipts
£
192,997
-
-
-
192,997
Payments
£
(169,335)
-
-
-
(169,335)
Transfers
£
1,275
-
(1,252)
(23)
-
Balance at
31 Dec
2023
£
329,614
16,598
-
-
346,212

The property fund relates to funds donated towards the purchase of a church manse.

6

6. Reconciliation

During the accounting period the charity moved from Prepayments and Accruals basis to Receipts and Payments basis. The following reconciliation was performed.

Closing funds in 2022 accounts
Reversed closing other monetary assets
Reversed closing liabilites
Opening funds in 2023 accounts
Other monetary
assets
General
Funds
£
Designated
Funds
£
Gif aid due to
charity
-
-
Prepayments
-
-
Rental deposits
-
-
-
-
Liabilites
General
Funds
£
Designated
Funds
£
Pensions due
-
-
Other creditors
-
-
Fee for accounts
and Independent
Examinaton
-
-
Accrued expenses
-
-
-
-
Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
-
Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
£
324,480
5,354
3,425
322,550
Year
Ended
2023
£
-
-
-
-
Year
Ended
2023
£
-
-
-
-
2,004
Year
Ended
2022
£
2,585
465
2,304
5,354
Year
Ended
2022
£
724
178
2,700
(177)
3,425

Guarantees and secured debts

The charity has not given any guarantees and has not provided its assets as security for any liabilities.

7