REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1178345
Report of the Trustees and
Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2024
for
Hope Church
Accountancy Services Raddon Station Hill Chudleigh Newton Abbot Devon TQ13 0EE
Hope Church
Contents of the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2024
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Report of the Trustees | 1 to 4 |
| Independent Examiner's Report | 5 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 6 |
| Balance Sheet | 7 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 8 to 12 |
| Detailed Statement of Financial Activities | 13 |
Hope Church
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 December 2024
The trustees present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2024. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Objectives
The charity is a registered charitable incorporated organisation and is governed by its Constitution dated 11th May 2018. The objects of the charity, as set out in the governing document are:
a) to advance the Christian faith in accordance with its Statement of Beliefs in Dawlish, and in such other parts of the UK or the world as the charity trustees may from time to time think fit and to fulfil such other purposes which are exclusively charitable according to the law of England and Wales and connected with the charitable work of the charity.
b) to relieve sickness and financial hardship and to promote and preserve good health by the provision of funds, and services of any kind, including counselling and support in such parts of the UK or the world as the trustees from time to time may think fit.
Public benefit
In planning the Trustees have applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission. The church is open to all.
Volunteers
Most of the charity's activities are undertaken by volunteers as there is only one part-time Pastoral Lead, one part-time Church Operational Manager, one part-time Church Administrator, One full time Café Manager, one part time catering assistant and two part-time cleaners The charity could not operate effectively without the efforts of its volunteers. This is done by praying, training, public teaching and worship, besides all the befriending. All the running costs of the church are covered by the freewill donations of the 80 or so members.
ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE
Charitable activities
To further the above objects and vision, the charity's main activities and achievements were as follows: The trustees note that the Church is not a building, but a gathering of ordinary people of different ages and backgrounds, whose lives have been changed by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The New Testament reveals the Church as a community of people, properly taught and cared for, who by loving and serving Jesus Christ, were also committed to love and care for each other and to bring a blessing to the area in which they lived. Hope: its trustees, leaders and members are committed to the restoration of those New Testament principles. It is not alone in this, it is one of many Churches in the area, country and all over the world that is re-discovering the excitement of knowing Jesus Christ. The vision is to see the people of Dawlish and District come into this experience of knowing Jesus as their Lord, and friend.
The church's strap line is "more people, more like Jesus in more places".
The church has partnered other social and statutory groups in Dawlish to offer "Helping Dawlish" to anyone in Dawlish. From this there have been opportunities to support families and isolated people. The church also supports the local Food bank known as The Dawlish Larder that is run by the ROC (Redeeming Our Communities) Dawlish charity and Christians Against Poverty (CAP Teignbridge). During the year, the Hope Café was opened and provides a service and facility to the local community.
Fundraising activities
During the year voluntary fundraising was undertaken to raise funds for the completion of our new Church Community Centre. In total £13919 was given by Church Members and £184 from fundraising and £20 was recovered through the gift aid scheme. Approximately £140,000 is still needed to be able to complete the building project.
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Hope Church
Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 December 2024
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Financial position
During the year, the total income was £285,041, being £253,629 unrestricted and £31,412 restricted (2023 was £305,757 being £187,430 unrestricted and £118,327 restricted), and total expenditure, excluding the building, was £203,833 being £165,548 unrestricted and £38,285 restricted (2023 was £135,311 being £105,954 unrestricted and £29,357 restricted).
As a result, the balance on the restricted fund was £38,285 (2023 year-end balance was £25,926) and the unrestricted year-end balance was £165,548 (£105954) excluding the cost of buildings and fittings.
Investment policy and objectives
The Constitution allows Trustees to invest the moneys of the church not immediately required for the furtherance of the objects in or upon such investments, securities (including the making of loans) or property as may be thought fit, subject. to conditions and consents as may for the time be imposed or required by law. The Trustees have considered it appropriate to hold funds in a combination of short-term deposits.
Reserves policy
The trustees have determined that the charity should aim to hold unrestricted cash of no less than £30,000 (which equates to about 5 months of unrestricted expenditure) so that the charity could continue to operate should income and or expenditure vary adversely. At the year end, the charity held unrestricted cash of £188,018 and the charity is complying with its reserves policy. The trustees expect to use these reserves to help pay for the higher running costs of the new building and for some of the completion work still required.
FUTURE PLANS
The church has moved into a new Church Community Centre in a new housing estate. Having been offered land by the Local Council and hearing God directing the church, a £1.9m budget was set to build a café, meeting rooms, worship hall, function room, toilets and offices to provide a Community Centre in the midst of the planned 1,000 homes being built on the north side of Dawlish. By careful management of the project the budget is now £1.7m. The project was started onsite in November 2019. The move to this new building in May 2022, also coincided with a planned Church name change to Hope Church.
There are still aspects of the Church / Centre that need completion and fund-raising continues. During 2024, the premises have been made available for use by individual and local organisations as well as two local primary schools that needed accommodation due to building work being undertaken on their own premises.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Governing document
The charity is controlled by its governing document, a constitution dated 11th May 2018, and constitutes a charitable incorporated organisation.
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Hope Church
Report of the Trustees
for the Year Ended 31 December 2024
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Responsibilities of trustees under charity law
The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees' annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom 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 charitable company 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:
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select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently.
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observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP.
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
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state whether the applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
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prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to 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.
Organisational structure
The Oversight Leadership Team are responsible for the spiritual aspects of the church, including the vision and strategies. Ministry Leaders, each responsible for activities of church life e.g. Prayer, Youth work, Outreach etc., meet to implement the strategies and to keep all the church members informed and involved. The trustees, are responsible for all the legal duties, including employment matters and risk management, by exercising the powers of the CIO. Major appointments and decisions for the church are also put to the church members for a consultation and vote.
We support the Christians Against Poverty (CAP) debt councillor in Teignbridge (our local district council area) as well as Redeeming Our Communities {ROC} which works in the community as part of a national initiative.
Key management remuneration
James Levasier – Pastoral Lead Sara Jones – Operations Manager Cecilia Middleton - Church Administrator Mike Atkinson – Hope Café Manager
Risk management
The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error.
The charity is exposed to various risks - be they operational, or reputational. The trustees review the charity's activities regularly to identify significant risks and, where possible, they respond appropriately to mitigate those risks.
The church takes advice from the organisation Thirtyone: eight for safeguarding matters.
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Hope Church
Report of the Trustees
for the Year Ended 31 December 2024
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Charity number 1178345
Principal address Hope Church Swift Road Dawlish Devon EX7 0FS
Trustees
A C Rudall Mrs K Turner (resigned 20.2.24) P S Morrish Chair R S Baker (appointed 20.2.24)
Independent Examiner
Clare Lillington FMAAT. Accountancy Services Raddon Station Hill Chudleigh Newton Abbot Devon TQ13 0EE
Advisers
Bankers: Lloyds Bank PLC Lewisham Branch PO Box 1000 BX1 1LT
Approved by order of the board of trustees on 17[th] April 2025 and signed on its behalf by:
........................................................................ P S Morrish - Trustee
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Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Hope Church
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Hope Church
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of Hope Church (the Trust) for the year ended 31 December 2024.
Responsibilities and basis of report
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 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
Since your charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a listed body. I can confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Association of Accounting Technicians, which is one of the listed bodies.
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:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by Section 130 of the Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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the accounts do 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.
Clare Lillington FMAAT
Accountancy Services Raddon Station Hill Chudleigh Newton Abbot Devon TQ13 0EE
Date: 14th May 2025
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Hope Church
Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 December 2024
| Notes INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Donations and legacies 2 Investment income 3 Total EXPENDITURE ON Charitable activities General NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) Transfers between funds 9 Net movement in funds RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD |
Unrestricted funds £ 246,992 6,637 253,629 165,548 88,081 (61,712) 26,369 1,841,755 1,868,124 |
Restricted fund £ 31,412 - 31,412 38,285 (6,873) 61,712 54,839 48,623 103,462 |
31.12.24 Total funds £ 278,404 6,637 285,041 203,833 81,208 - 81,208 1,890,378 1,971,586 |
31.12.23 Total funds £ 303,986 1,771 305,757 135,311 170,446 - 170,446 1,719,932 1,890,378 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The notes form part of these financial statements
Page 6
Hope Church
Balance Sheet 31 December 2024
| Notes FIXED ASSETS Tangible assets 6 CURRENT ASSETS Debtors 7 Cash at bank and in hand CREDITORS Amounts falling due within one year 8 NET CURRENT ASSETS TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES NET ASSETS FUNDS 9 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds TOTAL FUNDS |
Unrestricted funds £ 1,687,496 2,483 188,018 190,501 (9,873) 180,628 1,868,124 1,868,124 |
Restricted fund £ - - 103,462 103,462 - 103,462 103,462 103,462 |
31.12.24 Total funds £ 1,687,496 2,483 291,480 293,963 (9,873) 284,090 1,971,586 1,971,586 1,868,124 103,462 1,971,586 |
31.12.23 Total funds £ 1,681,519 2,588 210,454 213,042 (4,183) 208,859 1,890,378 1,890,378 1,841,755 48,623 1,890,378 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 17[th] April 2025 and were signed on its behalf by:
............................................. P S Morrish - Trustee
The notes form part of these financial statements
Page 7
Hope Church
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2024
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of preparing the financial statements
The financial statements of the charity, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Charities Act 2011. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.
Income
All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds; it is probable that the income will be received, and the amount can be measured reliably.
Expenditure
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings, they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Grants offered subject to conditions which have not been met at the year-end date are noted as a commitment but not accrued as expenditure.
Tangible fixed assets
Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.
Fixtures and fittings - Straight line over 7 years
Taxation
The charity is exempt from tax on its charitable activities.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.
Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.
2. DONATIONS AND LEGACIES
| Offerings & donations Gift aid Charitable activities Alpha course Hall hire Church events Café sales Centre Function sales Carried forward |
31.12.24 £ 112,899 13,064 701 916 105,328 9,167 33,144 3,185 278,404 |
31.12.23 £ 200,500 17,841 4,457 - 81,188 - - - 303,986 |
|---|---|---|
continued...
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Hope Church
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 December 2024
2. DONATIONS AND LEGACIES - continued
| 2. DONATIONS AND LEGACIES - continued |
||
|---|---|---|
| Brought forward 3. INVESTMENT INCOME Deposit account interest |
31.12.24 £ 278,404 278,404 31.12.24 £ 6,637 |
31.12.23 £ 303,986 |
| 303,986 | ||
| 31.12.23 £ 1,771 |
4. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS
There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 December 2024 nor for the year ended 31 December 2023.
Trustees' expenses
There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31 December 2024 nor for the year ended 31 December 2023.
5. STAFF COSTS
The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:
| 31.12.24 | 31.12.23 | |
|---|---|---|
| Operations Manager – Started 1/6/24 | 0.58 | |
| Pastoral Lead – Started 14/10/24 | 0.46 | |
| Church administrator | 1- | 1 |
| Cleaners | 0.28 | |
| Café Manager – Started 1/6/24 | 0.58 | |
| Catering Assistant – Started 7/11/24 | 0.39 | |
| Missional leader – Left 31/5/24 | 0.41 | 1 |
| Centre manager – Left 12/11/24 | 0.88- | 1 |
| 4.58 | 3 |
No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000.
continued...
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Hope Church
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 December 2024
6. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
| Freehold property £ COST At 1 January 2024 1,650,626 Additions 16,086 At 31 December 2024 1,666,712 DEPRECIATION At 1 January 2024 - Charge for year - At 31 December 2024 - NET BOOK VALUE At 31 December 2024 1,666,712 At 31 December 2023 1,650,626 7. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR Trade debtors 8. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR Trade creditors 9. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS Net movement At 1.1.24 in funds £ £ Unrestricted funds General fund 1,841,755 (408) Designated - 88,489 1,841,755 88,081 Restricted funds Restricted 48,623 (6,873) TOTAL FUNDS 1,890,378 81,208 |
Fixtures and fittings £ 70,765 - 70,765 39,872 10,109 49,981 20,784 30,893 31.12.24 £ 2,483 31.12.24 £ 9,873 Transfers between funds £ (16,086) (45,626) (61,712) 61,712 - |
Totals £ 1,721,391 16,086 1,737,477 39,872 10,109 49,981 1,687,496 1,681,519 31.12.23 £ 2,588 31.12.23 £ 4,183 At 31.12.24 £ 1,825,261 42,863 1,868,124 103,462 1,971,586 |
|---|---|---|
continued...
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Hope Church
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 December 2024
9. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
| Unrestricted funds General fund Designated Restricted funds Restricted TOTAL FUNDS |
Incoming resources £ 109,903 143,726 253,629 31,412 285,041 |
Resources Movement expended in funds. £ £ (110,311) (408) (55,237) 88,489 (165,548) 88,081 (38,285) (6,873) (203,833) 81,208 |
|---|---|---|
Comparatives for movement in funds
| At 1.1.23 £ Unrestricted funds General fund 1,697,235 Restricted funds Restricted 22,697 TOTAL FUNDS 1,719,932 Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are a Unrestricted funds General fund Restricted funds Restricted TOTAL FUNDS |
Net movement in funds £ 81,476 88,970 170,446 s follows: Incoming resources £ 187,430 118,327 305,757 |
Transfers between funds £ 63,044 (63,044) - Resources expended £ (105,954) (29,357) (135,311) |
At 31.12.23 £ 1,841,755 48,623 1,890,378 Movement in funds. £ 81,476 88,970 170,446 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
Restricted funds consist of:
Building fund - fund for new church building currently under final construction Christians Against Poverty (CAP) - Support for local Teignbridge group of CAP Church Weekend - Annual Church weekend
Missions - Foreign missions Parent & Toddler - Group restarted 28/3/25. Signpost International - Support for 2 children in Africa.
continued...
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Hope Church
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 December 2024
9. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
Hope Friends (formerly Thursday Club) - Weekly group for mainly older people. Hope Youth (Formerly Youth Fund) - Groups meet on Tuesday evenings, Sunday mornings and evenings. Missional Leader - the fund supports this post for 18.5 hours on a fixed term contract to 31st May 2024 Missscom – The fund supported missional community work in Dawlish – ceased 31/5/24. Hardship fund - Mainly used to help people in the community. VGSWYM - Used to support a Southwest Youth Ministries worker with us during 2022 to 2024. Warm Spaces – Fund used to support the warm spaces initiative. Now closed.
10. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES
During the year, the charity received donations totalling £34,224 (2023 £24,965) from related parties. These include trustees, any other members of key management and anyone closely connected to them.
.
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Hope Church
Detailed Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 December 2024
| Detailed Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 December 2024 |
||
|---|---|---|
| 31.12.24 | 31.12.23 | |
| £ | £ | |
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS | ||
| Donations and legacies | ||
| Offerings & donations | 112,899 | 200,500 |
| Gift aid | 13,064 | 17,841 |
| Charitable activities | 701 | 4,457 |
| Alpha course | 916 | - |
| Hall hire | 105,328 | 81,188 |
| Church events | 9,167 | - |
| Café sales | 33,144 | - |
| Centre Function sales | 3,185 | - |
| 278,404 | 303,986 | |
| Investment income | ||
| Deposit account interest | 6,637 | 1,771 |
| Total incoming resources | 285,041 | 305,757 |
| EXPENDITURE | ||
| Charitable activities | ||
| Wages | 86,178 | 43,184 |
| Church running costs | 16,106 | 17,815 |
| Support / gifts | 10,682 | 5,052 |
| Equipment | 15,570 | 9,096 |
| Sundries | 7,825 | 10,059 |
| Staff expenses | 4,582 | 5,748 |
| Office costs | 9,245 | 8,331 |
| Travel expenses | 171 | 863 |
| Centre manager salary | 8,395 | 8,800 |
| Caretaking | 277 | 314 |
| Café catering & events | 14,287 | - |
| Depreciation of tangible fixed assets | 10,109 | 10,109 |
| Grants to institutions | 14,216 | 9,390 |
| Grants to individuals | 2,378 | 1,795 |
| 200,021 | 130,556 | |
| Support costs | ||
| Governance costs | ||
| Rates and water | 914 | 1,317 |
| Staff training | 1,252 | 2,700 |
| Bank charges | 816 | 388 |
| Accountancy | 480 | 0 |
| Independent examination | 350 | 350 |
| 3,812 | 4,755 | |
| Total resources expended | 203,833 | 135,311 |
| Net income | 81,208 | 170,446 |
This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements.
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