## The Hub Trust Report and Accounts Period ended 31 December 2022 1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk ## **THE HUB TRUST** ## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS** ## **FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022** ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE 11 Trevor Road Hitchin Hertfordshire SG4 9TA GOVERNING DOCUMENT CIO Constitution incorporated 21 July 2016 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1168348 TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR Jeremy Burrowes MANAGING THE CHARITY Robert Bryan (resigned March 2023) David Holmes Daniel Oakes Nicholas Smith BANKERS The Co-operative Bank plc. INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Jaimée Young Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB ## **INDEX** Page 1 Pages 2-9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Legal & Administrative Details Trustees' Report Independent Examiner's Report Receipts and Payments Account Statement of Assets & Liabilities Notes to the Accounts Page 1 The Hub Church Hitchin +44 (0) 7754 153 664 info@thehubchurch.co.uk www.thehubchurch.co.uk ## **The Hub Trust** ## Trustees’ Report For the Year ended 31st December 2022 ## **Charity Purposes** The purposes of The Hub Trust are for the advancement of the Christian faith in Hitchin, Hertfordshire and such other parts of the United Kingdom and the world as the charity trustees may from time to time decide. In planning the activities, the Trustees have applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission. ## **Governance** The Hub Trust is governed by trustees who meet regularly to review activities. Some of the day-to-day decisions about operations are delegated to the church leader where suitable. New trustees are appointed by the existing trustees and the church leader. ## **Covid-19 Pandemic** This year has been largely unaffected by the Covid-19 Pandemic and we have moved into a post-pandemic approach to gathering together. With little to no restrictions, we have reverted back to our pre-Pandemic gatherings and practically look very similar to a few years ago. However, we are still feeling the emotional and psychological effects of the Pandemic and have noticed this within our attendees. Mental health challenges have increased, and we have seen some behaviours change as a result. ## **Main Activities** ## **Advancement of the Christian faith in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.** The Hub Trust has continued to provide a number of services in Hitchin throughout the past year. We have continued providing a safe place where people can come and explore the Christian faith, while belonging to a community of people. The Hub Church is part of The Hub Trust. Registered charity no. 1168348 2 The Hub Church Hitchin +44 (0) 7754 153 664 info@thehubchurch.co.uk www.thehubchurch.co.uk ## **Morning Community** The aim of our morning community is to enable families and young children to attend church in a fun and engaging way. This means that we prioritise learning together and making sure young and old are valued equally. Over this year we have seen more families join the community and there is a wider range of ages now attending, from very young babies to those who are retired. We love the multi-generational nature of this. St Johns Community Centre has continued to be our home for this gathering, and we have become more at home here the longer it’s been. Whilst we have been cautious about not spreading viruses unnecessarily, most people have felt comfortable meeting together with no masks or restrictions. Our children’s groups reverted back to splitting into two age groups and we’re thankful to have the space to do this. We have seen a steady number of new families join us throughout this year and get involved in what we do. We have lots of volunteers on a weekly basis to help set up and run this gathering and it feels like a safe place for families to come to. We’re continuing to try and read the community surrounding the centre and our Easter Egg Hunt attracted some families from the local area. People in the congregation give financially to the vision and mission of the church which is used to contribute towards the cost of the venue and employ staff to assist in the running of the gatherings. ## **Evening Community** The work of the evening community is orientated around attempting to engage with 20s and 30s, many of whom have left church in the past or have never been connected with one. The majority of people who attend are in the 20s and 30s, however we do have a small group who are slightly older but find they like the style of the service. This service is funded predominately by people giving to the church and outside funders, the money is used to pay towards staff costs and venue hire. Over this year, we have seen a return to a more normal style of meeting together. There has been a fluctuation in people attending but this seems to have settled towards the end of the year. This has been for a number of reasons, but the main one has been people travelling to see family and friends now that there are no restrictions. The Hub Church is part of The Hub Trust. Registered charity no. 1168348 3 The Hub Church Hitchin +44 (0) 7754 153 664 info@thehubchurch.co.uk www.thehubchurch.co.uk A big part of this community is the social side of it as many people attending do not have family close by or may have moved to the area for work. For example, each week after the service has finished, a group will head to the pub next door for a drink and some food. We have also been able to do much larger social gatherings now that the restrictions have been lifted. We have also had a number of new people join this community, some of whom have joined through other initiatives we’ve started such as Bridge the Gap (see below). ## **Midweek Gatherings** Alongside our Sunday communities we also run a number of midweek gatherings. These enable people from either community to meet each other, be social and provide support for one another. Since the COVID restrictions ended, we were able to gather in these small groups in person again with only a few groups meeting online. However, COVID still affected the number of the people ready to meet in person, since some were anxious about seeing people physically. ## Mini Hubs The main example of mid-week gatherings has been through our mini hubs, smaller groups meeting up around a specific topic, course, or an activity. The aim of these groups is for people to socialise and get to know each other, in a way that isn’t possible purely though our Sunday gatherings. They are led by members of the Hub and people are expected to commit to meet regularly for a term. Examples of our mini hubs this year have included online prayer meetings, board games, bible study discussion groups, kids masterchef and worship jam to name a few. ## Journey groups Another way to meet with each other is Journey, a new discipleship opportunity. The Hub launched Journey groups in October 2022. These groups are an opportunity for those in the church to intentionally walk their journeys together and support one another as they grow in their relationship with God and each other. Through Journey groups, members of our church meet regularly to pray, read the Bible, and grow deeper in their faith. The discipleship team created a guidebook to help the groups set out the terms of their group, establish ways to deepen their relationship with God, and stretch their faith by putting it into action. The Hub Church is part of The Hub Trust. Registered charity no. 1168348 4 The Hub Church Hitchin +44 (0) 7754 153 664 info@thehubchurch.co.uk www.thehubchurch.co.uk After an initial six-month commitment, the groups will have the opportunity to either recommit to another six months or complete this part of the journey together. In October, 10 groups of 3-4 people signed up. We are looking forward to seeing how their journeys unfold. ## **Alpha** Alpha continued to run at the Hub Church in 2022 with the successful trial of a new format of a meal at a leader’s house followed by discussion prior to summer 2022. This was enabled by the generosity of our Alpha leaders and the nature of the group being almost all already known to the Hub meant that this format was well received and worked well. Later Alpha courses in 2022 reverted to the previous format due to increased attendees and have seen numerous individuals become part of the Hub community having been on a course. ## **Bridge The Gap** We launched Bridge the Gap with the aim of establishing a footballing community that would be a bridge between unchurched young men and The Hub. We begun meeting for weekly football sessions in September with 12 young men and since then we have grown to a community of over 80 on the books with a weekly attendance of 26 and on average each person attends roughly half of all sessions on a monthly basis. We have therefore reached capacity on our existing third of a pitch and have successfully trialled a mini pitch expansion to give us capacity to grow to 32 individuals per session we the aim of expanding to 32 by the end of 2023 by upgrading our booking for the second pitch into a full third allowing us to have two simultaneous full squad games on a weekly basis. We have already seen upwards of 15 individuals engage in Church as a direct result of Bridge the Gap. ## **Socials** Socials continued to be a big part of the hub community and we prioritised spending time together. One of the biggest socials we had this year was a weekend away that we called ‘Hubfest’. This was the first time we have been able to do this since the Pandemic and we loved going away together. This was a camping weekend where we spent lots of time having fun, eating together and doing a few ‘church service’ type gatherings. It was a huge success and we will definitely be doing it again. The Hub Church is part of The Hub Trust. Registered charity no. 1168348 5 The Hub Church Hitchin +44 (0) 7754 153 664 info@thehubchurch.co.uk www.thehubchurch.co.uk Another of our favourite socials was a visit to a pumpkin farm. This is great because it is fun for lots of different age ranges and enables lots of people to come together at the same time. Similarly, we finished off the year with a Christmas meal. People from both communities were able to come together and celebrate. We find that the socials are a great way to get to know people better and support one another. ## **Wider Church Engagement** As part of our engagement with other churches in Hitchin, we led a town-wide Christmas carol service for our joint organisation, ‘Churches Together in Hitchin’. This was a highlight of the year for us as we were able to bless other churches and Christians local to us with music, reflections, and mulled wine. We hope to be able to more of this in the future! ## **Advancement of the Christian faith in other parts of the world.** The Hub trust aids in the advancement of the Christian faith abroad both directly through trips and time spent with other charities abroad, and also indirectly through financial support and donations to charities working throughout the world ## **Soul Action - South Africa** We have for some time now supported Soul Action - South Africa, a charity that works with leaders - of business, charity, the Church, and education - to establish a more equitable, equal, and integrated South Africa; a society where everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their God-given potential. Throughout the year we have continued to support their work and sent them a financial gift after the year end. ## **Lebanon Refugee Support** We continued to financially support the great work carried out by the team at YFC in Lebanon after the year end. We also keep in relation with them and hope - to re visit them at some point in the future. The Hub Church is part of The Hub Trust. Registered charity no. 1168348 6 The Hub Church Hitchin +44 (0) 7754 153 664 info@thehubchurch.co.uk www.thehubchurch.co.uk ## **Financial Review** In anticipation of the church leader’s curacy being completed in August 2023, and the church renewing its Bishops Mission Order (BMO) where The Hub Church will operate more along the lines of a conventional CofE church, we decided to align our accounting year in line with that of the diocese. For this reason, this accounting period covers the 9 month period 1[st] April 2022 to 31[st] December 2022. Income for this period was slightly below our projections but this was offset by our expenditures also being slightly below budgeted figures. We continue to be committed to paying our salaried staff the Real Living wage which increased by 10% this year. As we do not own our premises, our venues incur monthly rental charges. While two venues increased their charges, we were able to negotiate a reduction in a third which had the effect that monthly rental charges reduced. As mentioned above, our new outreach Bridge the Gap initiative commenced September 2022. This attracts match fees and other kit charges from participants and for this we use a Zettle card reader to take payments on the day. We also make monthly payments to hire the match facilities. With grants and income, we aim to at least cover our costs over the year. While we budget small amounts to cover church social events throughout the year our larger organised gatherings are covered by subscriptions from participants. We now use a SumUp account to take on-line payments which also provides a card reader for occasional payments. The overwhelming majority of monthly donations from worshipers are received by bank Standing Order and alongside the Zettle and SumUp facilities, negates the need for us to take cash. However, we still retain the capabilities and checks to receive cash if required. We were successful in a obtaining a diocese mission outreach grant which was used to promote Alpha and our new project Bridge The Gap and a further diocese grant which was used to purchase equipment to make the setup and operation for services much more efficient. The trustees have determined that the charity should aim to hold unrestricted cash of no less than £15000 (which equates to about 3 months of unrestricted expenditure) so that the charity could continue to operate should income and / or The Hub Church is part of The Hub Trust. Registered charity no. 1168348 7 The Hub Church Hitchin +44 (0) 7754 153 664 info@thehubchurch.co.uk www.thehubchurch.co.uk expenditure vary adversely. At the year end, the charity held unrestricted cash of £29,100 and the charity is complying with its reserves policy. The Hub Church is part of The Hub Trust. Registered charity no. 1168348 8 The Hub Church Hitchin +44 (0) 7754 153 664 info@thehubchurch.co.uk www.thehubchurch.co.uk ## **Trustee Responsibility** Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year. We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities. This report was approved by trustees and signed on their behalf by: Jeremy Burrowes Date: 19 May 2023 The Hub Church is part of The Hub Trust. Registered charity no. 1168348 9 ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT** ## **TO THE TRUSTEES OF** ## **THE HUB TRUST** I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of The Hub Trust ('the charity') for the period ended 31 December 2022 on pages 11 to 13 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. Jaimée Young Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB Date: 07 June 2023 Page 10 ## **THE HUB TRUST** ## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT** ## **FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022** |Notes
**_Income receipts_**
Donations
Gift aid receipts
Grants
Events and mission trip
Other charitable activities
Other
**_Total receipts_**
**_Payments_**
2
3
**_Total payments_**
Transfers between funds
5
**Net movement in funds**
Cash funds as at last year end
**Cash funds at this year end**
A
Net
of
receipts
/
(payments)
before
transfers
Payments
in
relation
to
charitable
activities undertaken directly
Grants
paid
in
relation
to
charitable
activities undertaken by others||General
Designated
Funds
Funds
£
£
34,874
-
9,048
-
-
-
3,341
-
-
-
310
-
47,573
-
42,426
-
224
-
42,650
-
4,923
-
(744)
-
4,179
-
24,928
-
29,107
-
Unrestricted Funds|Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
2,400
-
1,079
-
3,479
3,273
-
3,273
206
744
950
531
1,481|9 months to
Dec 2022
£
34,874
9,048
2,400
3,341
1,079
310
51,052
45,699
224
45,923
5,129
-
5,129
25,459
30,587|Year to
Mar 2022
£| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |||General
Funds
£
34,874
9,048
-
3,341
-
310
47,573
42,426
224
42,650
4,923
(744)
4,179
24,928
29,107|||| ||||||50,451
-
500
367
1,129
22| ||||||52,469| ||||||61,343
6,243| ||||||67,585| ||||||(15,116)
-| ||||||(15,116)
40,575| ||||||25,459| The notes on page 13 form part of these accounts. Page 11 ## **THE HUB TRUST** ## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES** ## **FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022** |**A Cash funds**
Held at bank
Petty cash
**B**
**Other monetary assets**
Gift aid due to charity
Other debtors
**C**
**Liabilities**
**Falling due within one year**
Fee for Independent Examination
Accrued expenses
**D**
**Assets retained for charity's own use**
Equipment|General
Designated
funds
funds
£
£
29,107
-
-
-
**29,107**
**-**
8,602
-
-
-
**8,602**
**-**
660
-
2,087
-
**2,747**
**-**
Unrestricted Funds|Restricted
funds
£
1,481
-
**1,481**
-
-
**-**
-
-
**-**|9 months to
Dec 2022
£
30,587
-
**30,587**
8,602
-
**8,602**
660
2,087
**2,747**
Value
Dec 2022
£
9,326
9,326|Year to
Mar 2022
£| |---|---|---|---|---| |||||25,454
5| |||||**25,459**| |||||10,435
367| |||||**10,802**| |||||750
818| |||||**1,568**| |||||Value
Mar 2022
£| |||||8,741| |||||8,741| The trustees have used insurance values as the trustees are unable to reliably estimate current values; insurance values may differ materially from current values. ## **E Guarantees and secured debts** The charity has not given any guarantees and has not provided its assets as security for any liabilities. The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by date Jeremy Burrowes 19 May 2023 Page 12 ## **THE HUB TRUST** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS** ## **FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022** ## **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 (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to 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 in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects. |**2**
**Payments in relation to charitable activities undertaken directly**
Employment costs
Rent
Church ministry activities (including events)
Parish share
Insurance
Support and administration
Equipment
Independent examination
Other costs||Unrestricte|Designated
funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
d Funds|Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
2,073
-
-
-
1,200
-
-
3,273|9 months to
Dec 2022
£
23,747
7,847
9,249
-
-
1,971
1,657
780
447
45,699|Year to
Mar 2022
£| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||General
funds
£
23,747
7,847
7,176
-
-
1,971
457
780
447
42,426||||| |||||||32,947
14,356
4,456
1,484
460
2,952
3,472
750
467| |||||||61,343| Employment costs include payments to the Diocese relating to accommodation (customary for ministers so that they could better perform their duties). ## **3 Grants and gifts paid to others** |Organisations:
Soul Action
Organisations < £1,000
Individuals|-
224
-
224|-
-
-
-|-
-
-
-|-
224
-
224|4,452
1,791
-| |---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||||6,243| ## **4 Transactions with related parties** Jeremy Burrowes, a trustee, received in the 9 months to 31Dec2022 £444 [year to 31Mar2022: £1,494] for his role as finance manager, not in his role as trustee, as permitted by the governing document. No payments were made to any other trustees or persons related to them, except for reimbursement of expenses paid out on behalf of the charity. |**5**
**Movement of funds**
General funds
Designated funds
Restricted funds
Refugee Fund
Diocesan grant
Outreach grant
Total funds|Opening
balance
£
24,928
-
24,928
281
-
250
531
25,459|Receipts
£
47,573
-
47,573
-
2,400
1,079
3,479
51,052|Payments
£
(42,650)
-
(42,650)
-
(1,200)
(2,073)
(3,273)
(45,923)|Transfers
£
(744)
-
(744)
-
-
744
744
-|Closing
balance
£| |---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||||29,107
-| ||||||29,107| ||||||281
1,200
-| ||||||1,481| ||||||| ||||||30,587| The Refugee Fund is set up to provide support for refugees and victims of human trafficking. The Outreach grant was given to support Bridge the Gap and Alpha course activities. The Diocesan grant was given to support the work at St John's Community Centre. Page 13