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2025-03-31-accounts

Oikos Annual Reports 2024/2025

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Introduc�on

This year there are two main reports; both included in this one document. One from Mary about the shop and the other from Hannah re the Food Bank. Clearly that is not all that happens at Oikos and last year we received a report on each element. This year I have topped this with a one page summary of ‘A Week in the Life of Oikos’ and tailed it with how all that happens maps on to 12 markers of a healthy Chris�an Community taken from the Methodist Way of Life. As individuals we may contribute to one par�cular a�ribute; that may be prayer or serving people in our community. However, together as Oikos, we collec�vely have something to offer in all these and colour in a bigger picture.

So a huge thankyou to each and every one of our 43 volunteers for what you contribute.

Mary steps down as Shop Manager this Christmas and we are grateful to Nick Thompson for being willing to take on this role. Mary was an ins�gator of what was colloquially known as the 3M’s project: this with the sole ambi�on of providing a six week pop-up shop in the runup to Christmas 2016. Mary will con�nue as a trustee but we all owe her huge thanks for what she has brought to Oikos, and its fore-runners, over the past 9 years.

Trustees meet monthly to ensure we remain true to the commitments expressed in our Cons�tu�on, and to remain, safe, solvent and legal. There is a separate document on Governance. Following requests we have started to publish summaries of each trustee mee�ng and to provide space at the beginning of each for anyone to bring any ma�er to the a�en�on.

and I’d like to thank Alan Smith for his input to those rela�ng to Safeguarding but also Cy Pe�t and Piero Strina for keeping on top of the ones rela�ng to finance.

in the text below: a contract for services with Hannah to deliver our suite of Food Bank ini�a�ves, the Community Fridge, becoming a Cadent Centre for Warmth, provision of support for the neuro-diverse community, running a summer BBQ etc… and to Bev for the ini�a�on of Women’s Breakfast group. Later in our mee�ng we’ll have �me to consider new things for 2025/26: the Grief Café, Passion Play 2026, the development of a Life Skills Course with North Lincolnshire Council and of a New Place for New People.

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Oikos-Brigg, Lower Ground Floor, 67 Wrawby Street, Brigg DN20 8JE Charity Registra�on No. 1184594

Oikos Annual Reports 2024/2025

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

A Week/Month in the Life of OIKOS

(Events are weekly unless indicated otherwise)

OIKOS

Sunday

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Oikos-Brigg, Lower Ground Floor, 67 Wrawby Street, Brigg DN20 8JE Charity Registra�on No. 1184594

Oikos Annual Reports 2024/2025

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Shop Report by Mary Knaggs

The shop con�nues to open from 10 �ll 2 every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Customer interest and sales vary from day to day, with most sales being on cards, bibles and books, and the busiest �mes of the year being Christmas and Easter. Sales this year have been down on previous years, following the na�onal trend. Interest in the Eco-friendly products has increased, especially with customers bringing in their empty bo�les for refills.

The cost of our online purchasing of Eco products has increased this year and so a decision was made to stock only the products that are selling. So no Fairtrade biscuits, jams and honey, or biscuits!

The window display, the theme of which is changed regularly, a�racts a lot of a�en�on and o�en brings new customers in. We try to make the display topical. At the moment it is Harvest/Autumn, with prayer books reminding people to thank God for all He has given. This same theme was on the shop’s Facebook page a couple of week’s ago, with a photo of the window, which, sadly, can’t always be seen in the street because of the permanent market stall outside.

My thanks go to the volunteers who work alongside me. They have had quite a number of issues to deal with recently, but hopefully, following a mee�ng of trustees and volunteers, these issues have been resolved.

And my very special thanks to Anne, Piero, Stephen and Carol, my assistant managers. I couldn’t have managed without them.

And my even special thanks go to Nick Thompson, one of the shop volunteers, who has offered to take over from me as manager from January 2026. This is slightly earlier than I intended, but with a bout of poor health, and instruc�ons from family and friends to “slow down and take things easy”, I felt the �me had come to re�re a�er 10 years. I shall s�ll be a volunteer and a trustee of Oikos-Brigg. I hope everyone will give their full support to Nick.

Mary Knaggs

3 | P a g e Oikos-Brigg, Lower Ground Floor, 67 Wrawby Street, Brigg DN20 8JE Charity Registra�on No. 1184594

Oikos Annual Reports 2024/2025

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Food Bank Report by Hannah Mitchell

Our Food Bank project opera�ons con�nue to grow, with more of a focus given to suppor�ng outside of food wherever we can, whether this be signpos�ng to services, bringing services in-house, making more partnerships and in general ge�ng to know our clients and understand what they need, with par�cular focus to each individual.

Our food services are run and managed by the overall Food Bank Project Manager who is contracted in, however, we have a core of 15 volunteers who support the day-to-day running of our food services and this is extremely appreciated and we could not run without our amazing volunteers. As we moved further along in 25/26, we con�nue to look to grow our volunteer numbers to con�nue to support the growth in services and provide more support throughout the week, especially during opening hours.

We have a number of elements in which we support through our Food project:

Emergency Support: This is our food parcels system. Our volunteers meet every Monday morning on a rota system to help pack for our emergency parcels. Our emergency parcels are referral only, with some understanding internally that every situa�on is different and if an urgent case is iden�fied with us without referral, we may provide them with some shortterm food to keep them going un�l a referral or their first parcel without referral, with an explana�on of how to receive a referral moving forwards.

During 24/25 there has been a small increase of food parcels now averaging 36 parcels a month, up from 32 in 23/24. We are aware we s�ll have a number of long-term food bank clients with us, who as we now have more support services (for both referring to and inhouse) we are able to provide more direc�on and support outside of “just food”. We understand that food parcels are not always short-term as everyone’s situa�ons are different and whilst we do see a number of our food parcels referrals (approximately 30%) receiving 3 or less referrals, our other food bank clients have either received more than these from us or have had breaks in between periods, depending on their own personal circumstances.

We work with third par�es to refer to us so that we can ensure there is a service being provided to households and individuals to help them move from reliance on emergency

4 | P a g e Oikos-Brigg, Lower Ground Floor, 67 Wrawby Street, Brigg DN20 8JE Charity Registra�on No. 1184594

Oikos Annual Reports 2024/2025

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

internal conversa�ons about our approach, which is men�oned further down this report.

Our emergency food parcels are supported by individual dona�ons of food directly or monetary dona�ons in the main. Depending on our stock levels, we may also direct grant funding (as allowed) and business dona�ons (stock or money) as appropriate.

We also provided Christmas Hampers in December 2024. We provided 96 fresh hampers altogether, which included treats too. These are referred from a number of different organisa�ons, together with anyone we have iden�fied internally who we are suppor�ng.

Pantry: We hold our Community Pantry once a month on the third Tuesday. We average 112 households a month with an average of 25% new household rate each �me. We have maintained the £4 recommended dona�on for the year, of which our totals are always slightly above this average as some give slightly more which is always appreciated.

Each month we purchase a fresh (vegetable/fruit), an ambient and a frozen pallet from His Church. This costs £975 (a £50 increase was applied in 2025). Up un�l recently (July 2025), we collected our own pallets, however, due to no longer having a volunteer with a van, we assessed op�ons and chose to partner with We Are One Founda�on in Grimsby who now collect our pallets, deliver them to us, and take our cardboard and crates away. We donate £100 for this service which is in line to costs we would incur through sourcing ourselves, and we felt we could support another Charity who very much supports us by choosing this op�on.

Our Na�onal Lo�ery funding which supports our Pantry runs out in November 2025 for our pallets, therefore, we are currently looking at other ways to purchase these moving forwards with ac�ve bids submi�ed and proposals being discussed at Trustee mee�ngs.

As well as His Church collec�ons, we also use our LIDL and ALDI Neighbourly pick-ups to support our stock on the day.

Our Pantry is open to everyone, with no excep�on. We take a view that all our services should be accessible and without judgement, with apprecia�on that no ma�er your situa�on, if you can save circa £50-60 a month on your shop which could be allocated elsewhere, this is worthwhile and helps everyone as we are all feeling the effects of the cost of living crisis regardless of our situa�on.

During Pantry days, we con�nue to be thankful for support from No�ngham Building Society in the way of volunteers and we are also grateful for our young volunteers who also help to run the day.

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Oikos-Brigg, Lower Ground Floor, 67 Wrawby Street, Brigg DN20 8JE Charity Registra�on No. 1184594

Oikos Annual Reports 2024/2025

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Community ‘Fridge’: We were successful in November 2024 in becoming a Hubbub Community Fridge and receiving funding in order to setup. We were already pu�ng our excess dona�ons out before this point, so this step helped us formalise what we were doing.

Most days of the week, we u�lise the market stalls outside the front of the shop, which we are thankful to the Council and Town Council for the support in allowing us to do this, to put our ‘fridge’ out. This consists of predominantly excess food from our pickups at ALDI and LIDL which ensures we can reduce our waste and help in any way we can to ensure food is directed away from refuse.

have made who have animals and livestock; with the final des�na�on being a food bin that the No�ngham Building Society allow us to share to ensure the waste becomes energy through anaerobic diges�on.

Social & Community: It is really important we support the community through interac�on, and food is a great way to do this. This includes our twice-monthly Space 2 B sessions where we open up for 2 hours and provide free refreshments and cakes, and chat in any way anyone needs.

Further to this, we provide a monthly Community Meal Night which we host at the Methodist Church, where we come together as a community and cook together. On average we have around 30 individuals at a meal night, with 65% usually being young people. We run the ac�vity jointly with Brigg Youth Club, and Grace (Methodist Youth Worker) supports the young people with making the dessert and running ac�vi�es, and the adults cook the main course.

party suppliers, bought in a buffet or cooked a BBQ which meant there was more of a social aspect and through Christmas and Easter, we could also provide space to link to the Bible through an Open The Book style performance.

Educa�on & Training: We are always looking at ways to further enhance our educa�on and training offering. Our most notable training through 24/25 was our air fryer training which we applied to the Council for funding. We trained and distributed air fryers to 59 households through this funding and training. We are also pleased to now be a Cadent Centre For Warmth through funding via Community VISION. To date, as at September 2025, we have trained and distributed slow cookers to 25 households, with more in plan to do. We are also able to support with Carbon Monoxide monitors/training, Priority Services Register registra�on/awareness and other energy awareness offerings.

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Oikos-Brigg, Lower Ground Floor, 67 Wrawby Street, Brigg DN20 8JE Charity Registra�on No. 1184594

Oikos Annual Reports 2024/2025

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

During 24/25, we worked once again with the No�ngham Building Society and the Police to deliver a Fraud and Romance Fraud awareness session, with another planned in September 2025.

We are pleased to be entering into partnership in November 2025 with Adult Educa�on services who will ini�ally be running a life skills course from our premises, with hopes this will grow further in 2026 subject to success and community voice.

Support: We con�nue to work closely with third par�es including Council services, Ci�zen’s Advice and Ongo. When iden�fying further support, we will always signpost our clients to the relevant service, or support them in contac�ng/engaging.

We are regularly asked to support with facilita�ng phone calls, online help and other guidance too. Whilst we are not trained in everything, we will always endeavour to ensure we find someone who can help. This has also included sharing details of mental health services and drug/alcohol support services, amongst other services.

We are fortunate to have secured 2 hours a week (Friday 10am – 12) from Ci�zen’s Advice as a drop-in service which adds to the overall package of support available to all those who interact with Oikos and the wider community too.

Neurodiverse Groups

In a voluntary capacity, Hannah setup a neurodiverse peer support group which runs out of Oikos usually twice a month, with just one a month over the Summer holidays. There is s�ll growth for the group, with a discussion around what is needed or what everyone wants, and we are all learning together. It is a safe space for any individuals aged 18+ to come together with their experiences of neurodiversity whether it be themselves who are neurodiverse, they live with someone who is or they a parent to a neurodiverse child. Hannah is neurodiverse herself and has a passion to support and connect with other individuals. This is not an advice group or a professional service, but simply a get-together of individuals to talk, make friends, socialise and grow together.

7 | P a g e Oikos-Brigg, Lower Ground Floor, 67 Wrawby Street, Brigg DN20 8JE Charity Registra�on No. 1184594

Oikos Annual Reports 2024/2025

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?[39 ] When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’[40 ] “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:36-40

Serve: ‘We will help people in our communities and beyond”: Food Bank, Community Pantry, Community Fridge, Community Meal Night

Pray: Weekly Prayer Meeting: Men’s and Women’s Fellowship. Active involvement in Thy Kingdom Come

Flourish: “We care for God’s creation and all God’s gifts”: Low energy lighting, Eco-refills, Fair Trade, Food Waste minimisation, Cadent Centre for Warmth

Worship : “We worship with others regularly” . Not through formal worship but through everything

Notice : “We notice God in scripture and the world” : Weekly Bible study. Café Fellowship, Pilgrim group, Ecumenical richness, diversity and insights

Challenge: “We Challenge Injustice” : We aim to alleviate food poverty and minimise some consequences of low incomes, such as social isolation, through Space 2 B, Community Meals etc..

Tell: “We tell of the love of God”: Hopefully in everything we do but specifically in open conversation at the shop and through the high street window displays and “Thoughts for the Week” posts.

Care: “We care for ourselves and those around us”. Through formal and informal fellowship and the wider care for the community

Live: “ We live in a way that draws people to Jesus” : Oikos is based on Matthew 25, above. Oikos runs as a mixed community of people who do and don’t express faith.

Learn: “We learn more about our faith” : Bible study and various fellowship groups within the richness of ecumenical diversity

Share: “We share our faith”: With other Christians (Bible Study, Prayer Meetings and Fellowship groups) and with others (through the Pilgrim ~~group, at the shop and through acts of service in the Food~~ Bank) 8 | P a g e

Open : “ We practice hospitality and generosity ”: Community ~~Meal Nights~~

Oikos-Brigg, Lower Ground Floor, 67 Wrawby Street, Brigg DN20 8JE Charity Registra�on No. 1184594

Oikos Annual Reports 2024/2025

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Appendix: Passion Play 2026 (taken from text provided by Nick Thompson)

The Greatest Story Ever Told is the title of Bear Grylls’s new book, his compelling retelling of the life of Jesus. In a parallel spirit, The Brigg Passion Play 2026 seeks to bring part of that narrative vividly to life; namely, the final, climactic days leading up to and including the Crucifixion. This open-air, no-ticket performance will unfold in public spaces on Good Friday (3rd April 2026), drawing on drama, music, and community involvement.

Audiences are invited to move through living scenes: the Last Supper, Gethsemane, Peter’s denial, the trials before Pilate, confrontations with religious leaders, Roman humiliation, and finally, the Crucifixion witnessed by Mary and Jesus’ followers. This dramatic and emotional journey underscores the central narrative: God’s sacrificial love for all humanity, demonstrated through Jesus’ death.

Oikos-Brigg , an inter-denominational community hub on Brigg’s high street, serves as the organisational anchor. Its mission, to unite people of faith and none in shared purpose, is reflected in this project’s collaborative design. Major contributing partners include Brigg Live Arts , Brigg Community Partnership , the Methodist Church’s youth outreach, Purple Pineapple performing arts group (Cast & Director: Lizi Welch), and an inclusive network of local churches (St John’s, St Mary’s, Brigg Methodist Church, Connect Church). Local primary schools will be involved through Open the Book teams, and secondary students via church youth workers.

This collaborative model ensures that the Passion Play is not merely a performance but a shared communal celebration, uniting generations, abilities, and backgrounds. It supports artistic development, inter-faith connection, civic engagement, and cultural heritage. Free admission ensures accessibility for all, echoing the universal nature of Jesus’ message. The Passion Play will provide an opportunity for audience interaction, shared reflection, and collective celebration of our town’s rich arts heritage.

Project Description

A core team of a dozen volunteers, meeting at Oikos, has already achieved threshold milestones: secured script and core cast list, established a fundraising group, agreed support from Brigg Live Arts for marketing, and received commitment from Brigg Community Partnership for event logistics (including road closures and first-aid provision). We have secured the town’s bandstand, formal dialogue with North Lincolnshire Council events team, and designated Grace Smith (Methodist youth/schools outreach worker) to act as liaison to secondary schools. Most importantly, we have appointed producer/director Lizi Welch (Purple Pineapple), whose performing arts track record assures a high-quality outcome.

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Oikos-Brigg, Lower Ground Floor, 67 Wrawby Street, Brigg DN20 8JE Charity Registra�on No. 1184594

OIKOS-BRICiG Charity 1184594 Balance Sheet l%1 April 20?4 to 3 Isl March 2025 Broubht lorw'ard ?0?4 . ?U?5 Iiiii)m¢ 0?4 .' 05 Ex￿￿di1￿[L Ba]tsnie 31.st M￿Cl) 1015 GeDer&l fund £17.%5f t6253 L9.IM5 SeryicLS C4)ntribution £1107 E13.65fi Fo(bd Ald fund £14,917 F￿￿1 Aid L3301kil £7??25 Contract £12()69 £6372 SeTh'ices contrilwtion L4?63 17111$ Relall fund £3?36 £4933 £4407 Li)I'IL¢ tyansfLY io &Kil £407 Sern'ices iontributson L7501 £1153 L1352 Social £31¥1 LY593 Youth £1125 CotTeL' £1379 Ll?40 CollLe tran$fer Irom RLsiail £407 £3610 Reconciliation £370 L63035 L5416 L45Y34

Name of Organlsatlon Charty Number Accountlng Period Olkos4rf99 1•t Aprfl 202441•t IAarch 2026 I have completed my examinats"on. I c(x)fEmi that no matsrlal mati8r8 hm to my attenlion in conr*ctk>n with the examination {0th8r than that d18clo8ed t￿0￿) which we CAuse to that in, any matertal respect: tho aw￿llIng re￿rdI ￿re not kept In accordance 8ecak)n 130 of the Art. Ich atterrtlDn should bo in thi• report in ord•r to onabl8 a ur#l8r8tandiThJ of tho counts to be reached. Slgnatureof irthperthnt•xaminw .. . ... ................... Relevant profwKM)al qualllkfilk￿ of lTrJBpetht examiner ... N•ne offirm (kn aFyropriate) ........... . . 3¢

Name of Org$nNIioft Ch•rity Numtr Accountsng PeriLJJ Olko•4rlgg 1184594 l•t Aprfl 202431•t Ilar¢h 2026 Indopondent Ex•mln•e• Stst•mo I have cOmp￿ted my examinatson. l ¢onflmi th91 no matwlal matters have come to my attention connection vthh the exorninthn loth8rthan thal dlsclosed which we me cause to ￿11&ve that in. any mat•rlal respect.. the 8¢¢ounting records re not kept in a(£Jrdance 8ection 130 of the & or thg #ecounts do ftot 8ccord wlth the gcc(Junling records. I hav• no concems and have CO￿ acros5 no other matteTr in conneclion wilh the examination lo vknlch attenkn shoubj be drawn in thi8 report in ordèrto enab￿ a pwper ur•Jor8tandlng Of th& accounts to be reached. S¥ngluro of Independ8nt exanwnBr . Nom¥ of Indyndent examlner .......... Rok¥ant profe88tonal qua1lfKa￿n ofI￿n10x4miMr ............ ... ........................... Nam8 ofllrn I￿re apprwrmts) ...........