Annual Activity Report Grace Church Loughborough January 2024 – December 2024.
Grace Church serves a small community in the town of Loughborough. The church comprises of church members, the church officers who are also the church’s trustees. We do not have any paid staff nor office holders, we are all volunteers.
We had been having our weekly meetings in a community centre in the centre of town since 2022, but this venue had become unworkable for us towards the end of 2024, so we began to search for another venue within our local area by starting to make enquiries in December 2024. De Lisle School, which had been a viable option that was open to us post Covid was available in the afternoons and we planned yet another move for 2025.
We held various activities for the community during 2024, 2 quiz events for the church community and beyond, a Firework Party, Christmas events and a summer BBQ. We also reached out to the community to invite them to make prayer requests. This involved a group of people slipping card through letterboxes and inviting people to send in any prayer requests.
We continue to see growth in our numbers which is really encouraging. The shape and dynamic of the church is gradually changing. Our student ministry is picked up during 2024 up and we also have good links with the student union and the Christian union. We support the Christian Union financially so they can continue to support students on campus. Some of our students secured employment in the area and have remained at Grace for which we are very thankful for all their contributions.
We base our outreach around specific events during the calendar year as well as running. A monthly men’s breakfast meeting and whole church activities. We are currently planning a mental health course for the community and have links with a well-being centre in the town and will be working in partnership with them and GP’s surgeries to promote this for our community and providing lunch for those who come along.
Finance
Grace supports a family in Eurasia on a monthly basis, and we also give a 10[th] or more of our income to causes that are closely connected to the church family.
As a church, we have a lot to do with students and we are keen to support students who have come into the UK from another country who may feel isolated and need the support of a family and a church, so we looking to forge strong links with another National charity Friends International who have a branch within the town.
We also support a couple in Bolivia who work with students around developing their leadership skills and running programmes for the community.
Safeguarding
The church has a safeguarding policy that was updated during 2024 and all our children’s volunteers are DBS’d checked. All our training is in line with charity legalisation and guidance as well as local safeguarding arrangement policy & procedures .
Grace Church Loughborough Trustees
October 2025 for year ending December 2024
Jan24 to Dec 24
Grace Church Loughborough
January 1-December 31, 2024
| DISTRIBUTION ACCOUNT | TOTAL |
|---|---|
| Income | |
| bank interest | £502.76 |
| Gifts/one off donations | £649.90 |
| Tax refund | £3,286.29 |
| Tithes/regulargiving | £21,886.52 |
| Total for Income | £26,325.47 |
| Cost of Sales | |
| Gross Profit | £26,325.47 |
| Expenses | |
| Advertising and Promotion | |
| Literature & Publicity | £180.00 |
| Total for Advertising and Promotion | £180.00 |
| Bank Service Charges | £62.50 |
| Church Giving | £2,400.00 |
| Church Tithe | £2,175.00 |
| Gifts & Donations (One off) | £35.00 |
| Gifts(weddings/leavingetc) | £288.00 |
| Total for Church Giving | £4,898.00 |
| Conferences and Meetings | |
| Conference Attendance Fees | £1,175.00 |
| Rooted | £75.52 |
| Total for Conferences and Meetings | £1,250.52 |
| Equipment | |
| Small consumables & Equipment | £401.42 |
| Total for Equipment | £401.42 |
| FIEC | £900.00 |
| Food & Drinks | |
| Hospitality | £84.83 |
| Whole Church Meals | £676.70 |
| Total for Food & Drinks | £761.53 |
| Licenses and Insurance | |
| Copyright license | £253.00 |
| Insurance Expense | £320.19 |
| Total for Licenses and Insurance | £573.19 |
| Materials & Resources | |
| Activity Materials & Resources | £31.98 |
| Study and Teaching Materials | £36.43 |
| SmallgroupResources | £77.10 |
| Total for Study and Teaching Materials | £113.53 |
| Total for Materials & Resources | £145.51 |
| Professional Fees | |
| Accountant charges | £374.40 |
| DBS checks | £36.30 |
| Total for Professional Fees | £410.70 |
| RENT | £5,611.00 |
| Garage Rental | £600.00 |
| Total for RENT | £6,211.00 |
| Sunday school | £72.81 |
| Telephone | £100.08 |
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Accrual Basis Monday, October 13, 2025 05:44 PM GMTZ
| DISTRIBUTION ACCOUNT | TOTAL |
|---|---|
| Travel | £34.40 |
| Total for Expenses | £16,001.66 |
| Net Operating Income | £10,323.81 |
| Other Income | |
| Other Expenses | |
| Unrealized Gain or Loss | |
| Total for Other Expenses | |
| Net Other Income | |
| Net Income | £10,323.81 |
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Accrual Basis Monday, October 13, 2025 05:44 PM GMTZ
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ members of
Charity Name Grace Church Loughborough
On accounts for the year ended
December 2023
Charity no (if any)
1170926
Set out on pages
(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
Responsibilities and basis of report
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/12/2023
As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed 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 which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
-
accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
-
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.
- Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Signed:
Date:
28/05/2025
Name:
Larraine Eckert
1
October 2018
IER
Address:
Independent examiner
25 Springfields Close
Burton on the Wolds Loughborough Leicestershire
LE12 5AN
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
2
October 2018
IER