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2025-03-31-accounts

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO

Annual Report and Accounts

31 March 2025

Charity Registration Number 1185348 (England and Wales)

Reference and Administrative Details of the Charity, its Trustees and Advisers 1

Contents

Report of the Trustees

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT
Introduction 4
Arc One – Our Foundress and her Vision
Arc Two –Province Leadership Team
Arc Three – Communication
Arc Four – Traditional Ministries
Arc Five – Financial Support

FUTURE PLANS		 28
FINANCIAL REVIEW 29
Income
Expenditure
Tangible Fixed Assets
Results for the Year
Investment Performance
Reserves Policy
Financial Position
PROPERTY – SALES, DONATIONS, ONGOING DEVELOPMENT,
MAINTENANCE POLICIES, REPORTS AND PLANS 33
GOVERNANCE, TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND
RISK MANAGEMENT 36
Governance
Trustees’ Responsibilities Statement
Risk Management
SUMMARY AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 40
Auditor’s report and accounts
Independent Auditor’s Report 41
Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities 45
Charity Statement of Financial Activities 46
Consolidated and Charity Balance Sheets 47
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows 48
Principal Accounting Policies 49
Notes to the Accounts 56

Reference and administration details of the charity, its trustees and advisers

Trustees Sister Claire Dawson C.P.
Sister Margaret Gorman C.P. (Sister Carmel)
Sister Margaret O’Regan C.P. (Sister Therese)
Sister Margaret Steed C.P. (Sister Savio) (Resigned 15
August 2025)
Sister Eithne Donoghue (Appointed 15 August 2025)
Sister Maureen McNally (Appointed 15 August 2025)
Sister Marie McNeice (Appointed 15 August 2025)
ROI Committee Sister Máire Ni Shúilleabháin C.P.
Sister Anne Harnett C.P.
Sister Claire Dawson C.P.
Sister Carmel Miley C. P.
Province Leader Sister Margaret O’Regan C.P. (Sister Therese)
Province Bursar Mrs Sakina Lowe
Principal address The Briery Retreat Centre
38 Victoria Avenue
Ilkley
West Yorkshire
LS29 9BW
Telephone 0161 655 3184
Email pltcpSisters@gmail.com
Website www.crossandpassion.com
ROI Committee Address 13 Clare Road
Drumcondra
Dublin 9
Telephone 01 837 5511
Chairperson Sister Clare Dawson
Charity Registration Number
England and Wales 1185348
Accountants Buzzacott Audit LLP
130 Wood Street
London
EC2V 6DL
Auditors Saffery LLP
10 Wellington Place
Leeds

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 1

Reference and administration details of the charity, its trustees and advisers

LS1 4AP Investment Managers Sarasin & Partners LLP Juxon House 100 St Paul’s Churchyard London EC4M 8BU Charles Stanley & Co Limited 55 Bishopsgate London EC2N 3AS Principle bankers Royal Bank of Scotland plc 1 Dale Street Liverpool L2 2PP Bank of Ireland 2 College Green Dublin 2, D02 VR66 Solicitors – England and Wales Wrigleys Solicitors LLP 3rd Floor, 3 Wellington Place Leeds LS1 4AP Solicitors – Northern Ireland Conway, Todd & Co 22 Market Square Antrim BT41 4DT Edwards & Co 28 Hill Street Belfast BT1 2LA Solicitors – the Republic of Ireland Mason Hayes + Curran South Bank House Barrow Street Dublin 4, D04 TR29

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 2

Reference and administration details of the charity, its trustees and advisers

Finance and General Purposes Elizabeth Wilson, Wrigley’s Solicitors Committee Amanda Francis Andrew Mather, CS2 Insurance Brokers Steve Burns, Marsh Insurance, UK Liam Conlon, Arachas, Ireland Energy Broker Charles Lowe, EnergyFlowe Limited, UK

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 3

Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

The Trustees present their statutory report, together with the accounts of the Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO (the ‘Charity’ or ‘CIO’), for the year ended 31 March 2025.

The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out on pages 49 to 55 and comply with the Charity’s Constitution and the Charities Act 2011. The accounts also comply with 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 United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT

Introduction

The Sisters of the Cross and Passion is an international Roman Catholic Religious Congregation founded in industrial England in 1852. It is divided into a number of individual areas and provinces under the authority of the Congregational Leadership Team (CLT), members of which reside in the UK, the USA, Chile and Australia, their offices are in Larne, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland.

The Sisters in St Paul’s Province live in England, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. The accounts accompanying this report are those of the Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO, on which the assets of St Paul’s Province were held during the year to 31 March 2024. The Charity is governed by the constitutions of the Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO dated 17 September 2019 and is registered with the Charity Commission:

Charity Registration Number England and Wales 1185348 Charity Registration Number Republic of Ireland 20015893

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 4

Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc One - Our Foundress and her vision

The corporate mission of the Sisters of the Cross and Passion is to witness to the reconciling, forgiving and compassionate love of God through openness to the needs of the world and especially those of the poor and marginalised.

The Sisters of the Cross and Passion identify with Christ in his Passion, Death and Resurrection. We aspire to a more just and compassionate world, where the rights and dignity of the whole of creation are upheld and respected.

What follows is an account of the work of the CIO from April 2024 – March 2025

The objectives of the Sisters of the Cross and Passion, as stated in the constitution of the Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO, are the relief of poverty, the provision

of relief assistance and comfort to the sick, the provision of education and the advancement of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church (or other such charitable purposes as are lawfully authorised from time to time by the constitutions of the Congregation) by such means as are suited to the time and place in which the provision is to be made.

Arc Two - Province Leadership Team

To fulfil these objectives, the members of the Province Leadership Team, PLT, regularly evaluate their pastoral activities in the light of the Congregation’s charism, present day needs and requests for help in both old and new ministries. They continue to evaluate their pastoral activities in the light of the diminishing number of sisters, increasing age profile and decreasing financial resources. Policies and procedures are reviewed and updated regularly in accordance with statutory regulations and congregational objectives.

We are covenanted to be bearers of the compassion of God by responding to the needs of the world in our time, as Venerable Elizabeth Prout, our foundress, did in hers.

Our Lay Bursar’s Role

Our lay bursar continues to show just how many skills she has and is willing to use them on our behalf. Her responsibilities include managing our Care Home Managers and Retreat Directors and she is available to assist them in daily tasks of caring for the Sisters in our care homes and the smooth running of our Retreat Houses. Her salary is reviewed annually.

ROI Committee

Realising that the area covered by the charity includes the communities in the Republic of Ireland, the Trustees invited three Sisters in Dublin to form an ROI Committee with one of the PLT Trustees as the Chair of this committee. This has worked well. A report from this committee is now an item on the monthly Trustees’ CIO agenda.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Two - Province Leadership Team (continued)

Archivist

One Sister is engaged full-time in preserving the archives of the Province. She ensures that all collections are sorted, carefully stored and remain confidential. She is also the archivist for the entire congregational archives. Finding a permanent home for the storage of our archives still remains one of our goals. Sister often receives requests especially from families interested in developing their own family trees and she is very thorough in her research when responding to such requests.

Our Sr Archivist is also a historian and enjoys delving into old Documents and gathering stories. She took a special delight in recounting the early days of our Cross and Passion Foundation in USA. The 5[th] of May 2024 was a day of Celebrations throughout the Provinces.

Province Secretary

Our new Confidential Secretary began work on Monday 13[th] February 2023, lives locally and now has a working knowledge of our Communities. During this last year she has assisted the PLT, using her technology skills, especially when we decided to minimise our storage of paper files and documents and has scanned many old documents to the Cloud.

Arc Three - Communication

Communication throughout the Province:

To assist the Province Leadership Team, we continued to have two-way communication with our Sisters in the Province using gatherings by Zoom. Through good communication the PLT encourages the Sisters in their ministries and supports them as they reach out and develop new ministries, mostly now in a volunteering capacity.

Province Zoom

Restriction to travel in 2021 gave us an opportunity to develop our use of technology and meetings by Zoom were encouraged. One such meeting was the Province Zoom which continues to be held monthly. This enables Sisters to meet, albeit virtually, and to listen to up to date news and developments. It also gives them the opportunity to share ideas and items of interest from their communities. During these meetings we try to keep alive the decisions made during the Chapter of August 2022, so that they make a difference in our lives and those among whom we minister.

One of the themes which has exercised our minds since January 2025 is the theme of Structures. Our 2022 Chapter invited us “To explore alternative Structures available to us which will enable us to live out our Mission, given the needs of our changing world.” To this end we have called on our Finance and General Purposes team to assist us on a way forward. In February 2024 we met with them on an away day in the Briery Retreat House. This proved a very valuable experience and we came away with a plan on a way to begin initial steps. These we share with the Sisters during our Province Gatherings. This work is ongoing.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Three – Communication (continued)

Province Zoom (continued)

While Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation remain an integral part of our spirituality, at the Province Chapter in August 2022 we strengthened this statement by inserting Pope Francis’s statement on Care of our Common Home, to listen to the Cry of the Earth and Cry of the poor. We call on each Sister to grow in awareness of the poor in her local area and do something concrete. One Sister in Dublin plays an active part in helping serve meals to the homeless poor and/or refugees and migrants. We ask too that each Community “Buy locally and seasonally to cut down on transport and reduce our carbon foot print.” In two communities raised beds are prepared for growing vegetables to reduce the food cost for a few weeks during the year.

Ecology Group

In 2021 many Sisters attended the Laudato Si’ Zoom meetings set up by the Laudato Si’ Animators. Following these meetings we agreed to form an internal group of Sisters who were interested in growing in awareness of the issues set out by Pope Francis. We are known as the Ecology Group and we meet once a month by Zoom and share on our activities or some topic relating to Laudato Si’. The theme of Laudato Si’ week in May 2024 was “Seeds of Hope”. We are conscious that we can only do small things but by coming together and sharing, we can plant seeds of hope as we continue to pray, share, listen, learn and hope we make a difference for the sake of our common home.

Paul’s Post

The previous Provincial team set up a weekly newsletter which is called St. Paul’s Post. Our new Secretary has brought her own unique skills in continuing to make this weekly newsletter one which the Sisters enjoy reading. It is also uploaded to our website. It is a way of communicating with the Sisters of the wider international Cross and Passion Communities. Sisters are encouraged to send items of interest, happenings or celebrations from their own community so all can enjoy. Through these pages we are encouraged to pray for sick Sisters, family members, or people in the wider parish Communities who ask for our prayers.

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries

  1. Education

  2. Parish Work

  3. Counselling

  4. Le Chéile Trust

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

1 Education

Whilst the apostolate of the Sisters in earlier years was very strongly based in teaching, Sisters, who have vast experience in education, now bring their skills to assisting new teachers to become expert in their field especially of passing on the tenets of the Catholic Faith.

Its objectives are to:

One Sister is involved as a full-time director in this project. The New Syllabus which is being worked on is in response to the 2023 Edition of the ‘Religious Education Directory.’

Teachers expressed gratitude for the home-learning resources for religious education on our website www.tere.org. In addition, permission was granted to schools that had purchased The Way, the Truth and the Life CD/DVD ROMs to put the contents on their own website.

Some Teacher Responses:

This was a very useful Zoom session on how to make religious education meaningful for our pupils. It has given me a much better understanding of theology in The Way, The Truth and The Life.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

1. Education (continued)

Thinking about the key messages in each lesson and why they are important has been a great help. The example of how to link the task to the children’s experience will be very useful.

Telephone support for teachers is always available. To offer further support to schools, a decision was made to convert The Way, The Truth, & The Life programme into digital format. Teachers continue to express appreciation for the wide range of free resources available for all age groups on our TERE website.

Future Plans

Provision of in-service training by Zoom will continue because it is enabling teachers in schools from all over the United Kingdom to participate in greater numbers than if they had to travel to London.

In the words of Cardinal Nichols , “This is a group of teachers working hard to improve classroom RE, especially in Catholic Schools. This enterprise has my full support and encouragement.”

The Le Chéile Trust mission is to “promote Catholic education as an option within the Irish education system and to develop the schools given to the Trust in the service of their local communities.”

Le Chéile is governed by two companies limited by guarantee: Síol (Irish for Seed) and Le Chéile (Irish for Together)

Our schools, Maryfield College in Dublin and Cross and Passion College Kilcullen, County Kildare are members of the Trust.

The Síol Schools’ Trust deals with the finance and property issues. It is a company limited by guarantee and is a registered Irish Charity and as such is registered in the Register of Charities and in the Companies Office in Ireland.

Síol Schools’ Trust has adopted and is fully compliant with the Governance Code for charities in Ireland. Two members of each of the participating 15 Religious Congregations are the company members.

The Le Chéile Trust, also a company limited by guarantee, as above. This deals with Enterprise, i.e. the management and running of the Schools. Members of the school Communities as well as the Religious Congregations, are members of this company.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

1. Education (continued)

Le Chéile Trust (continued)

Members attend the AGMs of both companies annually. A conference is also held during this time and two pupils from each school together with the company members also take part in the conference. Congregational Leaders or their representatives also attend an annual gathering in Dublin to update them on the financial and property issues.

Both schools are now managed by the Board of Le Chéile. However, the Sisters are invited to events in the schools during the year. This has also included meetings with pupils.

Le Chéile Trust invites us to join them for Prayer Gatherings with schools and keeps in touch with us re any new developments and projects. A new permanent office building for Le Chéile was officially opened in June 2022 in Templeogue, Dublin. All Congregations were represented. Office space had been rented until this time.

The school buildings and land at Maryfield College have been donated to the Le Chéile Trust. While the Trust has taken on the management of the Cross and Passion College, Kilcullen, the process of donating the property and land is still in progress as there are complications involved with an attached building, which used to be the convent. That building had been sold to KARE, a charity that provides special needs education in the Kildare area. One room in that building is used as a CP College classroom and at the present time the school needs that space until a new extension is built. The Department of Education and Science, as part of an overall plan for schools in the County of Kildare, is funding a large extension to the school in Kilcullen.

Maryfield College, Dublin Cross and Passion College, Kilcullen

Catholic Schools Week, united Le Cheile Schools in Celebrating Community, Faith, and Service to others and love one another strengthening our shared values.

The Cross and Passion College Kilcullen Ember Team celebrations for Le Cheile Day included an Act of Kindness that students intended to do over the next few days. They also made a display and a Kindness Chain. “No Act of Kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

Students were welcomed to school with a kindness charm and a quote to encourage them to spread kindness during the week.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

1. Education (continued)

Education of the whole person – sport and activities

Kilcullen Community Centre (KCC) and an All Weather Pitch (AWP) nearby are both leased. As the lease on the AWP, and the piece of land around this are due for renewal in the next few years, we are in the process of joining both areas and drawing up one lease which will include the total area. This has involved ensuring all land boundaries are correct. KCC are also anxious to provide space for a Scout Den on some of this land.

Other portions of land adjacent to the school, which have not been included in the area to be donated to Le Chéile have been leased to other Sporting organisations (Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and Soccer Club). The Primary and Secondary School have an entitlement to use these pitches during school time. These pitches ensure there are green spaces in the heart of the town,

The above shows one of the green spaces leased to the Pitch and Put in Kilcullen.

Supporting early school leavers was a task one of our Sisters gave much of her time. She has retired from this work but the interest is still strong and an alternative way has been established to continue this support.

There is a school in Tallaght, Co Dublin which we support financially. It is a small school set up for early school leavers who come back and study for their leaving Certificate.

M., our contact wrote:

“We are very grateful for your continuing support. At the moment we have a high rate of depression and anxiety. This can often end in tragedy and suicide. We have doubled the hours of our psychologist/counsellor. We also try to create happy and interesting experiences.

Very many thanks.”

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

1. Education (continued)

Leeds Trinity University

Leeds Trinity University (LTU) was co-founded by the Sisters of the Cross and Passion and the Catholic Education Service as a Teacher Training College in 1967. In the fiftysix years since its foundation, it has transformed itself into a university renowned for teaching excellence and has been ranked by the Times and Sunday Times as the sixth best university in the country for teaching quality. Leeds Trinity offers undergraduate, post graduate, foundation and top-up courses, as well as apprenticeship and work based learning.

In accordance with the Articles of Association, the trusteeship of the University remains with the Diocese of Leeds. While the Sisters are no longer actively involved in the dayto-day life of LTU, they have a representative on the board of governors. The Congregation also has the right to nominate up to five people to be independent directors

on the board.

“Our mission is guided by our Catholic identity and faith foundation…We are committed to the promotion of dignity, respect, social justice and equality in order to deliver positive social and economic impacts.” (LTU Mission Statement.)

Leeds Trinity was the first University in Yorkshire to achieve the Race Equality Charter (REC) Bronze Award in November 2020 in recognition of its commitment to improving the representation, progression and success of black, Asian minority ethnic students and staff. To quote Professor Charles Egbu, Vice Chancellor of Trinity University:

We have taken positive steps towards race equality in higher education, but recognise the progress we still need to make.

Following the REC Bronze Award in 2020, Leeds Trinity University received the Gold Whatuni Student Choice Award in 2021 for diversity and inclusion and was short listed for Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the Times Higher Education (THE) Awards in 2021.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

1. Education (continued)

Leeds Trinity University (continued)

The U-Connect scheme initiated by Leeds Trinity was launched in September 2021. It is a diversity mentoring scheme which will provide cross-instructional mentoring to colleagues at Leeds Trinity, Sheffield Hallam, York St John, Huddersfield and Sheffield Universities. The aim of the scheme is to provide university staff from diverse backgrounds with career support, development and progression. Participants can engage in the scheme as a mentor or be mentored by someone from a different institution. The scheme was initiated by Leeds Trinity University as part of its ongoing commitment to ensure an inclusive and diverse community of students, staff, governors and partners in which everyone is valued equally.

These are some of the values that we, as Sisters of the Cross and Passion, aspire to and are happy to see implemented.

In November 2022 Leeds Trinity University established a city centre location at 1 Trevelyan Square, Leeds, to complement its campus in Horsforth as part of its strategy for growth. The University has secured a lease on the 57,000 square foot building, which is located just off Boar lane in the heart of the city, subject to ‘Change of use’ planning application.

Leeds Trinity’s campus in Horsforth, located just six miles from Leeds, will continue to be central to its offer – including new programmes in Nursing and Biomedical Science, which are being designed to respond to key public sector workforce needs in the City Region.

“Under Professor Charles Egbu’s, Leadership, it is clear that our University is firmly focused on the future, on delivering exceptional opportunities for our students and on the contribution we can make to enhance outcomes for all in our community.”

2. Parish Work

For many years our Sisters were very involved in supporting the families of the children in our schools, this meant that while teaching in schools all week, they spent Saturday afternoons visiting families and encouraging the parents to keep their children in regular attendance in school. Since we no longer teach in schools, sisters offer support in their parishes by assisting the local Clergy who may be overworked because of shortage of priests. Sisters are able to take up this active role in parishes once again. There has been a noticeable increase in requests for prayers coming into all our Sisters, who see this as an invaluable service to the wider community. Parish Sisters work in Belfast, Dublin, Bolton, Liverpool, London and Sutton St Helens.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

John 10 10

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

3. Health Care

Communities of Care

Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life, life in all its fullness.”

It is our desire that Sisters in communities of care are encouraged and have the opportunity to live life as fully as possible, in both its human and spiritual dimension, for as long as possible. (Province Chapter Mandate 2016)

In order to provide this care the Province owns and manages four care communities.

Elmleigh , Yorkshire, is located in the residential town of Ilkley, in Wharfdale. This is a non-registered, residential care community. The majority of the Sisters are ambulant but in need of assisted living.

Elmleigh Care Home

The gardens in Elmleigh, a beautiful space for the sisters to enjoy.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

3. Health Care (continued)

Communities of Care (continued)

East Holme, Lancashire, is located in Lytham-St-Annes on the Fylde coast. At 31 March 2025, it was a CQC registered nursing home with two levels of care: independent living, upstairs where Sisters

can enjoy the best views across the green to the windmill and the river’s estuary. A 10 bed full nursing unit downstairs, with four beds dedicated to dementia care. The home has the CQC rating of GOOD, which it held after an inspection on 9 May 2022. Although restrictions have been eased for most people, care homes still follow the local health authority guidance.

Going forward, however, the Trustees have been advised that since we no longer envisage accommodating secular lay people it would be more cost effective to deregister the Home. In March 2025, with the help of our HR experts we began the process of deregistering from CQC. This work is ongoing.

Photo taken with permission from Staff.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

3. Health Care (continued)

Communities of Care (continued)

Villa Pacis, Belfast, Northern Ireland, was opened in June 1995 as a non-registered retirement convent for Sisters. It is now a 15 bed care community for our Sisters, with one Sister receiving full nursing care. The other Sisters living there are ambulant, but require assisted living. They are encouraged to enjoy their outdoor space and make good use of their garden to provide vegetables and herbs for their own use.

Sr R. working on the raised beds in the garden. (Photo printed with permission)

Marino, Dublin, Ireland, is also a non-registered residential care community for Sisters in need of assisted living. In September 2024 we closed a flat in Sutton UK and the Sister expressed a desire to return to Ireland. We had a conversation with the Manager and she was very happy to welcome her to the community in Marino. The community also gave her a great Irish welcome. Now Sr E can spend more occasional days with her family who live in the area which for years she was unable to do.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

3. Health Care (continued)

Care Home Managers

Each of our care communities has a managerial structure which employs appropriate staff. The PLT is in weekly contact with the care managers by phone. During this past year, meetings with the managers and Sisters have taken place on Zoom. Managers are encouraged to keep in touch with each other to share ideas, and sometimes find solutions to problems together, thus creating a strong support system for good management of our care communities. Our Province Bursar offers support to the care managers and local bursars in their everyday tasks. Looking to the future management of our care homes, we have input from HR consultancy services. After consultation with our managers we have engaged three of these HR consultancy services to give additional support to our managers in terms of employment, health and safety and risk assessment. The services we have engaged are; Croner, England (to work with Elmleigh and East Holme); Peninsula, N Ireland (to work with Villa Pacis); and Collier Broderick, Dublin (to work with Marino).

The total expenditure of our care homes is financed by the Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO. This is part of the cost of maintaining members of the Province.

Spiritual Care

One Care Community has a pastoral Sister, who organises the spiritual care and liaises between the Sisters and the management; while two of the Communities have teams of Sisters. In the fourth Community the manager and Sisters work together with the local parish retired clergy. The Sister Sacristans take care of the Spiritual Exercises for the Community and look after the Chapels.

St Gemma’s Hospice

St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds, founded by the Sisters of the Cross and Passion and opened in 1978, is a local independent Charity and has provided expert care to the people of Leeds for now 47 years. In September 2017, St Gemma’s Academic Unit of Palliative Care was the first in Britain to be recognised as a University Teaching Hospice. This prestigious national status reflects the substantial research and teaching activity undertaken in collaboration with the University of Leeds. Health care professionals from across the city receive training here and the research helps to improve patient care.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

3. Health Care (continued)

St Gemma’s Hospice (continued)

In line with other health and social care providers, St Gemma’s is regulated by the Care Quality Commission and is subject to inspection. Their current rating is outstanding. This rating was maintained in the CQC inspection which took place on 2 November 2021. Among its outstanding practices, the CQC Report published on January 2022, stated: that the staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took into account their individual needs, and helped them to understand their conditions . It was noted at the January Board meeting, which followed the publication of the Report, that this inspection had been carried out under the new hospital testing regime and it was of great credit to the management and staff to have maintained an outstanding rating. Many of St Gemma’s patients are supported in the place they want to stay – often in their own homes. St Gemma’s is currently listed in the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Companies for recognising their commitment to staff satisfaction and engagement. The hospice is also in the UK’s top 50 Inclusive Companies. The list acknowledges organisations for, “ harnessing a truly diverse workforce” and recognises “the significant efforts of organisations nationwide that excel in their commitment to equality and inclusion across all strands of diversity.”

They have also seen significant transformation of their clinical and support services in a very short period of time, including remote consultations with patients, support of families and the provision of more tele-education. Staff wellbeing is vitally important and wellbeing initiatives have been expanded to increase health promotion, support for working carers and, providing safe spaces for the staff to discuss their fears and concerns.

It is very reassuring to know that the ethos upon which St Gemma’s was founded is still alive and actively reaching out to people who are in need of care, especially in times of crises. One new Ministry is outreach to the Homeless of Leeds, initiated by one member of Staff and supported by all.

The Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO retains ultimate control of the company, and as such its accounts, and those of its own subsidiary trading company, are included in the accounts attached to this report. From time to time, the CIO also gives the hospice financial support. The grant of a long term lease for the transfer of the whole property, including the convent, was concluded and signed by the Trustees on 19 December 2024. The Sisters gave St Gemma’s a grant of £50,000 following the signing of this lease.

Following the retirement of the CEO who led the Hospice for 14 years, a new CEO was appointed and the Trustees had a meeting with her in June. They were very interested in her dream for the Hospice.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

4. Pastoral and Spiritual Care

Retreat Ministry

Retreat work was of the earliest works of our Congregation. Given the levels of stress in today’s society, this work helps people to have rest, respite and spiritual renewal and as such, is an invaluable source of wellbeing for people from all walks of life. Sisters are involved in, and working directly with, three Retreat centres – The Briery and Drumalis, which we own and manage and one Sister works in Tearmann Spirituality Centre now known as Glendalough Sanctuary.

The Briery Retreat and Conference Centre is a place of spiritual renewal, where those

who come can find God in an atmosphere of love, prayer, healing and peace ~ where all are valued, encouraged to discover their gifts and challenged to use them in the service of others ~ where the poor, the suffering and the lonely can experience the power of the cross and the hope of resurrection in Christ.

In May 2024, the Sisters in charge of the Briery having suffered some health issues decided to retire and advertise for a New Manager. A local lady was appointed.

As the numbers of Religious attending preached retreats has naturally declined, the Briery has experienced a reduction in the number of people attending but there has been a flourishing of new groups who have their own leader. All who come have experience of prayerfulness, enjoy the solitude and silence and have gone away having enjoyed the home-made food, pleasant accommodation and peacefulness of the house and its surroundings. Having only 22 ensuite rooms, plus a self-catering cottage in the grounds, has meant that small groups have been viable.

None of the above would have been possible without the wonderful work of the lay staff who have worked at the Briery for a good number of years, know their jobs inside out and are always ready to go the extra mile. It is a credit to them that people comment on the cleanliness of the house and the excellent homemade food. The two administrators ensure that bookings are dealt with efficiently and invoices are paid on time. Their bursar ensures that bills are paid, accounts up-to-date, service contracts are correct and salaries are paid. They are a small team but they all work well together to ensure that The Briery is a place of hospitality and warm welcome.

As well as their in-house Team, they have a Parish Retreat Team who, as their title suggests, leads the Parish Retreats. They are a group of lay people who volunteer their services and come together annually, with the Retreat Director and her Deputy, to plan the retreats for the coming year. This year in line with our General Chapter Directive they have made The Cry of the Earth, and the Cry of the Poor their central theme.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

4. Pastoral and Spiritual Care (continued)

Another very valuable group is the Briery Advisory Team members of which meet twice a year to review accounts, maintenance, bookings, staffing and share ideas on possible new groups and Retreat Leaders. They are a group of professional people consisting of a former retreat House Director, a retired Vice-Chancellor of a university, a Diocesan Catechist Co-ordinator and a priest with retreat knowledge who represents the Diocese. The Administrators and Bursar attend this meeting. The advice the Director and the Deputy receive at this meeting is invaluable and the minutes, which give a good overview of the work, are sent to the Provincial Leadership Team.

The Friends of The Briery, a group of volunteers, have brought a whole new dimension to the centre. Their events are not only fundraising activities but very enjoyable community gatherings which have been so important. Their fundraising has enabled them to purchase the extras which add to the attractiveness of the centre. In August 2022, they purchased beautiful curtains for the Dining Room, Computers for the Admin office and the bursar, and a large, smart television for the Conference Room. The most recent purchase was that of a defibrillator which is placed on the outside wall and can be accessed in case of an emergency. Local people know it is there.

The newest Team has been the leaders of our Thursday meditation via Zoom which prepares the Mass Readings for the forthcoming Sunday. These lay people have experience in leading retreats or have been trained by the Briery as Prayer Guides or Parish Retreat Leaders. This online prayer is now held every second Thursday at 7.00pm. The people have found in this gathering an on-line community and are very faithful, often sending apologies when they can’t attend.

Celebrating Community is important for the Briery. People enjoy coming together for the Summer Fayer which usually takes place in July when the weather may be good. It is a fun day and full of activities, followed by tea and home–made scones with lots of conversations and story sharing.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

4. Pastoral and Spiritual Care (continued)

Tree Planting in Drumalis Drumalis Retreat and Conference Centre

Drumalis is a Retreat and Conference Centre situated on the beautiful, scenic Antrim Coast. It offers a wide variety of events especially in the areas of faith and spirituality, the environment and community relations. Drumalis is a Grade B+ listed building, which also has a magnificent modern Conference Room. Participants from all corners of the world and from all sections of the community are welcomed.

Having kept Drumalis doing what it did best, building many bridges during their long years of service, the two Sisters who had run the retreat centre needed a well-earned long rest. Together with a representative group of Sisters a number of meetings were held to discuss its future. The outcome of these was the confirmation that Drumalis was an important ministry within the Province. We concluded that we needed a new Director and eventually one was appointed in April 2024. He has a three year contract. Having worked for a year, the Director recently joined our CIO Meeting and gave a report on his vision for the future of Drumalis.

Parish retreats have taken place with retreatants from Larne, Glenarm, Ardboe, St Paul’s as well as ladies arriving by ferry from Scotland for their Three Towns Retreat.

Adult Faith Development courses have continued as well as Carers Days.

They discovered a new way of learning could be applied to courses such as Pathways and Certificate in Christian Thought – enabling participants to be at the centre, as well as those unable to travel to attend simultaneously via Zoom from their own homes. This of course required investment in IT equipment and staff, but it means that people from many parts of the world can participate in courses or retreats given in Drumalis. It also helps to reduce the carbon footprint of the retreat centre.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

4. Pastoral and Spiritual Care (continued)

Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation; Two CP Sisters gave two half day sessions.

A Message of Hope and Challenge in a Time of Global Emergency; another of the Elizabeth Prout Memorial lectures, was delivered by a visiting Sister.

A partnership with A Rocha UK works with individuals and communities, encouraging them to think about their use of the environment and develop practical ways to care for the planet, locally and globally.

One member of the Drumalis Team has completed a training course to qualify as a Global Climate Animator. Drumalis continues to participate in the Eco Congregations Ireland activities.

In the course of this year Drumalis has participated in several new ecological initiatives in partnership with various organisations. Under the direction of A Rocha, the projects are

  1. Rewilding is being expanded in order to grow the biodiversity element of the area. One exercise involved Threading of the Rope Ceremony, a ritual which takes place in a number of A Rocha projects world-wide. At Drumalis, this involved threading the rope through the posts circling the new wild flower area. After a few months it was recorded that twenty three species of flowering plants were growing in an area of less that twenty square meters.

  2. Red squirrel protection activities are all under way in the woodland.

  3. Most recently, Drumalis has become part of an endangered bird life project for Swifts and Ravens. The heronry is now well established in the trees and their numbers and nests are being carefully monitored by a retired Schoolteacher.

  4. The number of beehives has grown to 16.

These developments are all an expression of the Cross and Passion General Assembly direction to respond to the Cry of the Earth, and engage with Issues of Climate Justice. The emergence of these activities and the growing interest, also highlights the future potential of the entire site, and the opportunity to integrate the strands of spirituality, ecology, and cross community action as Laudato Si encourages.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

4. Pastoral and Spiritual Care (continued)

Retreat ministry (continued) Minsteracres Retreat Centre is a Passionist, community-based retreat centre situated in Northumberland. Minsteracres, like the other retreat centres, provides a space where people are enabled to find healing and wholeness in their relationship with God, themselves, others and creation.

The retreat centre runs a large O utreach programme , which provides respite days/weekends for people on the margins of society. Some of the groups who come to Minsteracres on a regular basis are Kinship Carers, Blue Sky Trust, Free the Way, Cancer Support, Justice First, Freedom from Torture , to name but a few.

The CIO give occasional financial support to the outreach programme from our Crisis Fund.

Tearmann Spirituality Centre situated in Glendalough, Co Wicklow, is a small, self-catering retreat centre. Glendalough is a valley steeped in the Celtic monastic tradition and is a popular place of pilgrimage.

At Tearmann a number of different retreat

programmes are offered. One Sister has been involved with the retreat work here since its founding in 1993.

In the words of the Retreat Director: The centre has been a blessing for many people throughout the past 25 years. Hundreds of people have stayed in the apartments and benefited from the experience of being in Glendalough for a period of time, while thousands more people have walked the pilgrim paths with us, listening to the stories and sharing their own experiences.

Our CP Sister wrote recently:

Our circumstances have now changed here at Tearmann in Glendalough. As Fr M’s health has declined two interested people have taken over the running of An Tearmann and changed the name to Glendalough Sanctuary. This centre is getting established with every passing day. It is a place of Sanctuary for anybody, whatever faith or none, are always welcomed. The bookings for the next two months are very promising. School groups are welcomed on day pilgrimages. Groups from all the valleys organise a pilgrim walk following all the pilgrim routes from the valleys leading down to Glendalough.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

4. Pastoral and Spiritual Care (continued)

Hospital Chaplaincy

Only one sister remains in hospital chaplaincy work on a voluntary basis in London. It is her intention to retire in May 2025.

Spiritual Direction

A number of Sisters have been trained in Spiritual Direction and offer their services in our Retreat Centres. One Sister is a Spiritual Director and Counsellor at St Luke’s Centre, Manchester – “the Church’s ministry of wellbeing and healing.

5. Social care

At the heart of our Charism is a call to respond to the crises of our day which afflict the people around us, especially the poor or marginalised. Our Chapter mandated each Sister to respond as well as she could to the needs of the area in which she lives and to grow in awareness of the global mission of the Congregation and support it, among other ways, in prayer. Given our age profile, we are no longer involved in social care as we once were. However, we do give financial support to this kind of work from our Crisis Fund.

Volunteers

A number of Sisters are still involved directly, in a voluntary capacity, reaching out to people in need.

One Sister works as a volunteer in Dublin at the Capuchin Centre for the homeless and people with addictions. Another Sister is involved in the STAR Project in Ballymun, Dublin. This is a registered charity which provides a drug rehabilitation programme, a family support service and easy street outreach team to people who need support for drug/alcohol issues and/or dealing with the effects of addiction within the family.

In Belfast one Sister works in the parish, supporting the Parish Priest with his daily rounds of visiting the sick.

The Destitute Project in Bolton

For many years two Sisters helped in the Destitute Project at the Victoria Hall in Bolton. Because of age and ill health they have both had to withdraw from the heavier work. This is one of the projects we continue to support financially. In their Autumn Newsletter the writer

reports “ Now that the cost of living has soared for all of us and because Asylum Seekers are having to cope on a very limited budget, we are, for the time being, continuing to give out food parcels. This is only because of the most wonderful generosity of the people of Bolton and some of our funders.”

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

5. Social care

The Destitute Project in Bolton (continued)

The sisters having closed a Community House in Manchester found a good home for monitory vouchers, household goods, and warm bedding (blankets and duvets). The Destitute Project was very glad to be the beneficiary as acknowledged by the letter below.

Dear Sister.

It was really lovely to see you and your friend/colleague when you came to Bolton. I am sorry I have been a long time thanking you for all your donations but I have been waiting so I could tell you how we spent the gift vouchers.

The two Marks and Spencer vouchers were spent on individually wrapped Christmas treats for the party in two weeks. There will be plenty for adults and children thanks to you. The Tesco voucher was spent on 48 tins of tuna, and also sardines and orange juice. With the remaining voucher I am going to buy socks and underwear from Primark which will be much appreciated by all the recipients.

I hope all is going well for you and that you have a wonderful, peaceful Christmas and New Year. I wonder if I will be able to contact you on the same email address once you move. If not perhaps you could give me a contact address so I can invite you to our AGM next year?

All good wishes,

Sue and all of us in the clothes room.

Mountain Park Centre

This is an intercultural Drop in Centre in Tallaght Dublin. This Centre is a daytime hub for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. Often it is the first point of contact and support for Individuals and families from new communities. As Sr Clare wrote, “I have the joy and good luck to volunteer as a teacher of English at the Centre on two mornings a week. It is the place to meet people from the War Torn areas of the World; both young and not so young men and women from Afghanistan, Nigeria, Somalia, Iran, Jordan, Ukraine, the Congo and Palestine. All divided by language but united in their desire for a safe place to live and learn the English Language. They desire to have a place to call home and raise a family in a peaceful environment.” Clare shared a conversation she had recently with Youaz from Afghanistan. He had come to the end of a four year journey travelling through Europe and eventually arriving in Rosslare, Co Wexford.

There was great rejoicing recently at the centre when Sugile, sporting a green sweater showed everyone his Irish Passport. It is an honour and a joy to show that Ireland, in spite of incidents of racism, is still the land of “Cead Mile Failte.”

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Four – Traditional Ministries (continued)

5. Social care (continued)

Teaching English to Migrant People.

On returning from Botswana Mission, Sister taught English, for eleven years to Asylum Seekers in Leeds. She has now moved to our Care Home in Lytham and has been fortunate to find similar work in St Anne’s on Sea.

The Project in St Anne’s was set up by the Local Churches Together Group in 2008 and is strongly Ecumenical. The teaching space is provided in the Parish Hall of our Lady Star of the Sea; and the Coordinator and the teachers are volunteers from different Churches.

The purpose of the group is to offer English Classes to migrant peoples in an environment that is warm and welcoming. This is important as these people can often find themselves lonely and isolated. The classes are offered at Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced levels. Currently, the students are from Hong Kong, India, Brazil, Bangladesh, Iraq, Ukraine, Guinea, Thailand, Spain, Italy and Estonia.

Chaplaincy in John Lennon Airport.

One Sister has completed her training to work as a Chaplain in John Lennon Airport in Liverpool. Sr M wrote;

“I first came across Mite Chaplaincy in an advertisement in my local Parish and decided to explore the possibilities offered. Mite operates in many business places and one being John Lennon Airport which is approximately 30 minutes by bus from where I live. After meeting for an interview with the Chaplain at the Airport we decided I would be accepted and went ahead with the training Mite offered. Alongside that training there is a rather vigorous training by the Airport Personnel. Once through that I was ready to go.

I go there once a week for a few hours. To the many staff and travellers, I meet I am a listening ear and support and all is confidential. Many travellers just need a listening ear as travelling can be a stressful experience. We often presume that those travelling are off to have a good time. Unfortunately that is not always the case as people are often going home or returning from a funeral or visiting a sick relative. They just need someone to talk to.”

Another sister wrote: “Though I have retired from active ministry, I can still offer a listening ear when travelling by bus. It is a great opportunity to reach out to someone sitting on their own and who has no one with whom they can talk.”

Counselling and Community Care

One Sister, a trained psychotherapist, works in and is the co-founder of WAVE, Belfast, a charity which provides support for those bereaved or traumatised by the “ troubles ”, or people suffering from PTSD.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

WHO WE ARE, OUR WORK AND IMPACT (continued)

Arc Five – Financial Support

1. Crisis Fund

In 2017, when one of our houses became vacant, there were suggestions that we use the house for asylum seekers or homeless people. Considering the decline in numbers of our active Sisters, and on the advice of our financial team, it was decided to ring-fence the money from the sale of the property to support projects, run by others, which are trying to alleviate the sufferings of asylum seekers, the homeless and crisis situations which are brought to our attention.

From this Crisis Fund we continue to support needs that are in line with our charitable objectives and meet the guide lines we set out in our Financial Support Policy.

During the year, monies were donated to various causes:

Preference is given to applications for projects based in places where Sisters have worked or still have a presence, e.g. Minsteracres, Bolton, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, London, Belfast and Dublin.

2. Missions

Our mission outreach has always been a part of our Charism. Almost half of our Sisters in the Province have had experience of working and living on our Missions. These Missions are now the responsibility of the CLT (Central Leadership Team of the Congregation). Our contributions to the Missions will therefore be channelled through the CLT. Durning the year we received a legacy of £13,367.90. We transferred it to the CLT which has shared this money between our Missions in Chile and Argentina where people suffered greatly from Fires in Chile and Flood in Argentina.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

FUTURE PLANS

The Charity’s goals for 2025/26 are as follows:

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Income

Income for the Charity and its subsidiary is generated through:

Expenditure

The majority of the Sisters have given most of their working lives to the charitable activities of the Congregation. Where this work is for organisations independent of the Charity, any earnings and pensions are covenanted to the Charity.

Expenditure of the Charity comprises:

Expenditure of the subsidiary comprises all costs associated with the provision of hospice care together with fundraising, running charity shops and investment managements.

Tangible Fixed Assets

Tangible fixed assets of the Charity and its subsidiary consist mostly of buildings with their furniture, fittings, equipment and plant.

Results for the Year

The consolidated statement of financial activities shows net expenditure before investment gains of £4,016,529 (2024 – net income of £5,944,302) with total income amounting to £18,423,360 (2024 – £16,669,162) before transfers from the charitable trust of £nil (2024 – £9,820,000), giving total income of £18,423,360 (2024 – £26,489,162). Expenditure amounted to £22,439,889 (2024 – £20,544,860).

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

FINANCIAL REVIEW (continued)

Results for the Year (continued)

Total income includes £1,348,977 (2024 – £1,440,999) of salaries and pensions of individual members of the Congregation which are donated to the Charity either by deed of covenant or by gift aid, £3,923,307 (2024 – £3,389,798) of other donations, legacies and similar income, £4,648,832 (2024 – £4,309,544) of income from charity shops and £4,812,638 (2024 – £4,509,535) being St Gemma’s income from the Clinical Commissioning Group and Health Foundation. Other major categories of income include investment income and interest receivable, fundraising events and lotteries, and retreat and conference offerings.

Total expenditure includes expenditure on St Gemma’s Hospice. The main expense of the hospice is staff costs which totalled £11,464,963 (2024 – £10,785,823) representing payments to the average staff count of 305 (2024 – 299). Other expenditure includes the personal and living costs of the members of the Congregation and their ministry, donations paid and the costs of administering the Charity.

Deducting expenditure from income (including the transfer from the charitable trust) for the year gives net expenditure after investment losses for the year of £4,046,788 (2024 – net income after investment gains of £7,324,339).

Investment Performance

The purpose of holding listed investments is to earn income to be used by the Sisters in their ministries while carrying out the charitable work of the Congregation now and in the future.

The Charity has discretionary investment agreements with Charles Stanley & Co Limited and Sarasin & Partners LLP. The trustees meet with the fund managers and financial advisers during the year to ensure that the funds are managed in accordance with the investment policy and the religious and ethical principles of the Congregation. The objective of the fund managers is to achieve a reasonable return of both income and capital growth with no more than a conservative to moderate level of risk. The performance and structure of the principal portfolios continues to be closely monitored by the Finance and General Purposes Committee.

On the Charity’s listed investments, an income yield of 2.6% was achieved, with an overall capital gain of 7.6%. At the end of the year, the Charity’s portfolio of listed investments comprised 64% unit funds, 18% UK equities, 2% UK fixed interest stocks, 12% overseas unit trusts and 4% alternative investments.

The value of the group’s listed investments at the end of March 2025, excluding cash held for reinvestment, was £19,580,192 (2024 – £18,960,612).

Reserves Policy

The Charity has a commitment to support members of the Congregation, many of whom continue to carry out charitable work long past the normal age of retirement. The Sisters retire only because of ill health and/or old age and frailty. The trustees of the CIO accept responsibility for establishing an appropriate reserves policy to cater, in the first instance, for the medical care of the Sisters now and in the future.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

FINANCIAL REVIEW (continued)

Reserves Policy (continued)

The funds set aside to provide for the Sisters in later life, none of whom have resources of their own, were re-assessed during the year. The calculations, based on actuarial methods, indicate that £16 million is needed to be set aside in order to provide £20,000 per annum for Sisters over 65 years of age and, because of the greater health needs, £30,000 to £40,000 per annum for Sisters over 75 years of age and £40,000 to £50,000 for those over 90 years of age. The trustees have currently designated £13 million towards this reserve, with the intention of designating further funds in future years.

The board of management of St Gemma’s Hospice has adopted a reserves policy to maintain a minimum level of resources to ensure that the hospice can continue to provide its current level of services, having regard to possible fluctuations in income and expenditure. These reserves should exclude those amounts designated for the upkeep and renovation of the hospice and those funds already invested in tangible fixed assets. Total reserves of St Gemma’s at 31 March 2025 were £14,295,986 (2024 – £14,861,720) of which £5,695,702 (2024 – £5,921,053) had been designated within the St Gemma’s Hospice accounts by the Board of Management for the continuing upkeep and renovation of the hospice. All of the St Gemma’s Hospice Funds are reflected within these consolidated accounts as restricted funds.

The trustees have examined the need for free reserves, i.e. those unrestricted funds not invested in tangible fixed assets, designated for specific purposes or otherwise committed. The trustees consider that, given the nature of the Charity’s work and its commitments, the level of free reserves should be up to an amount equal to annual unrestricted expenditure, currently approximately £6.2 million.

Financial Position

The consolidated balance sheet shows total reserves of £58,447,446 at 31 March 2025. Included in total funds is an amount of £14,295,986 which is restricted. These funds, which include all funds relating to St Gemma’s Hospice, include other monies that have either been raised for, and their use restricted to, specific purposes or they comprise donations subject to donor imposed conditions. Full details of these restricted funds can be found in note 15 to the accounts, together with an analysis of movements in the year.

The tangible fixed assets fund totals £24,445,944 (2024 – £25,020,488) and represents those tangible fixed assets not financed out of restricted funds or used by St Gemma’s Hospice.

Funds which are available to support the work of the Sisters in the future are those shown on the consolidated balance sheet as general funds. These amounted to £6,444,809 at 31 March 2025 (2024 – £9,339,593). Although this amount is in excess of the stated target of £6.2 million given in the reserves policy, above, the trustees consider the funds to be adequate, but not excessive, in the light of current economic and political uncertainties and the continuing challenges presented to the charity.

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

FINANCIAL REVIEW (continued)

Property – Transactions and Maintenance

Transactions

The transfer of Cross and Passion College, Kilcullen land to the Le Chéile Trust is ongoing.

The properties at 3&5 Carberry Road, Drumcondra, Dublin are now vacant and will soon be sold.

Middleton Convent: This property was vacated and placed on the market for sale.

The grant of a long term lease by the Charity to St Gemma’s Hospice for the transfer of the whole property, including the convent, is now complete.

Maintenance

By its nature this is never ending.

Sisters are encouraged to be vigilant in the maintenance of houses for health and safety reasons, as well as general upkeep. PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) and fire risk assessments are carried out in our properties on a regular basis.

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POLICIES, REPORTS AND PLANS

We reviewed our: Risk Management Policy Health and safety Policy Safeguarding Policy Crisis Fund Policy GDPR Policy

We ensured that our care communities and our retreat centres all have Health and Safety Policies in place.

We compiled our: Annual Appraisal Province Action Plan CIO Annual Report and Accounts (UK)

Safeguarding

The trustees are committed to implementing the policies and procedures of the Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA), the Religious Life Safeguarding Service (RLSS) and the National Board of Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland (NBSCCC). Two Sisters in Ireland (North and ROI) are delegated to represent the Province.

The Safeguarding Lead in the UK was unable to continue owing to poor health. The Trustees realised the time had come for them to consider a lay person to take on this work in the UK. After much consideration it was decided to appoint a retired lay person as the UK Safeguarding Lead. Two Trustees attended a course given by RLSS in Liverpool in November 2024 and invited our new Lead to attend in February 2025.

Just at this time we received an email from the CSSA advising the Trustees that they would conduct a safeguarding audit in April 2025. The result of this will be recorded in the 2026 Trustees’ Report.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

With the help of our solicitors we have drawn up an umbrella Data Protection Policy for the Charity, which covers the processing and control of data from four main areas: employment data; data relating to Sisters in care; data relating to the users of our retreat centres and data kept on individual Sisters in the Province Office. This policy is reviewed on an annual basis.

St Gemma’s Hospice has its own Data Protection Policy. An IT security audit has been completed. All high level remediation advice from the previous assessment has been actioned and none of the vulnerability discovered during the latest assessment is considered an immediate threat to the security of St Gemma’s Hospice.

Investment Policy

The Charity’s investments are managed by Sarasin & Partners LLP and Charles Stanley & Co Limited in the UK. There are no restrictions on the Charity’s power to invest.

The Investment Strategy is set by the trustees and takes into account income requirements, the risk profile and investment manager’s views of the market prospects in the medium term.

The policy is to maximise total return through diversified portfolios whilst providing a level of

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

income advised by trustees from time to time.

POLICIES, REPORTS AND PLANS (continued)

Investment Policy (continued)

There is also an Ethical Policy precluding any investment in any company which, after reasonable enquiry, clearly has significant profits from any activity whose objectives are contrary to ours and considered to be unjust or damaging to health and wellbeing. The Charity has divested from fossil fuel companies in the Charles Stanley portfolio and redirected its investment towards green energy and social housing.

The performance of the portfolios and the Charity’s Investment Strategy are reviewed by the trustees, who meet with the investment managers at least annually.

Insurance

A review of the major risks to which the Province is exposed and of systems established to mitigate those risks is undertaken annually by the trustees. The province bursar is in regular contact with insurers for Ireland (Arachas) and United Kingdom (Marsh Commercial).

Crisis Fund

Donations given to projects from our Crisis Fund are discussed, approved and recorded at our trustee meetings. The agreement of three trustees is needed to approve a donation. Due diligence is observed in checking the background details of the projects and those managing them. This includes alertness to possible scams. Acknowledgement is requested and accountability for any money given. Sisters are appraised of donations which have been made and information shared on the projects which are supported.

Requests are sometimes made from the Congregational Leadership Team to assist the work of the Congregation in other parts of the world.

The Sisters acknowledge, with gratitude, those who have given donations towards our Mission projects. Restricted donations go straight to the project for which the money has been given.

Whilst the trustees give support to United Kingdom organisations, whose work is within the objects of the Charity as stated in the Constitutions of the Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO, the Charity does not regard itself as a grant-making entity and applications for grants are not invited.

Fundraising Policy

Income generation at St Gemma’s is conducted by a team of fundraisers and retail staff directly employed by the Charity and led by the Director of Income Generation. No external professional fundraisers have been utilised during the year. The Hospice benefited from some relatively low value commercial participation partnerships with local companies, which were managed by the Senior Fundraiser (Corporate) and governed by written agreements. St Gemma’s Hospice is registered with the Fundraising Regulator. The Director of Income Generation is a member of the National Association of Hospice Fundraisers. There have been no failures to comply with the standards set by these organisations.

The trustees of the Hospice monitor the activities of the Income Generation Team via quarterly meetings of the Finance and Business Committee. The chair of the Committee also meets

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

with the directors of Corporate Services and Income Generation.

POLICIES, REPORTS AND PLANS (continued)

Fundraising Policy (continued)

Policies to protect vulnerable individuals are in place and all fundraisers are aware of their responsibilities in this area.

Continued Professional Development etc

For our own professional development and to keep ourselves updated with changes we have attended the following online courses and Zoom meetings over the past two financial years:

COREW, Conference/AGM COREW Meetings by Zoom AMRI, Dublin – AGM AMRI Meetings Safeguarding (UK) RLSS Insurance Meetings

May, 2023 July, Oct 2023 September 2023 April, June, July, October 2023 November 24; February 25; January, March 2024

Meetings planned for our own needs:

F&GP Committee with input from Investment Manager Audit Planning Audit Clearance

November 2024 and February 2025 July 2025 March 2024 and September 2024

Meetings related to our Ministry:

St Gemma’s Hospice, Leeds All Board meetings & 2 Strategy meetings Le Chéile Trust, Dublin Drumalis AGM

AGM, November 2024

February 2025 October 2024

Internal Province Meetings

CIO Trustee and PLT meetings Province Zoom Meetings ROI Committee PLT/Managers of Care Communities:

Monthly Monthly June, October 2024; January 2025 Weekly by telephone

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Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

GOVERNANCE TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND RISK MANAGEMENT

Governance

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO

In terms of Canon Law, at international level the Congregational Leadership Team (CLT) is the major spiritual and administrative body of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Cross and Passion. The administration of the CLT continues to be centred in the United Kingdom.

The Province Leadership Team (PLT) consists of the Provincial Leader and her Councillors, who were elected at a Provincial Chapter in August 2022 by members of the Province for a term of three years. The Province Leader is the highest authority in the Province and is its official representative. Her authority extends to all the Sisters, communities and properties of the Province. The Provincial Leader and team are assisted in their work by the Provincial Bursar, who is now a lay woman, appointed in October 2019, and the Confidential Secretary, and by a group of Sisters (Links Sisters), who represent smaller clusters of Sisters. The Link Sisters meet the PLT three times annually. This system allows for maximum participation in decision-making by all Sisters throughout the Province.

In terms of civil law, the Charity is governed by the Constitution of the Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO dated 17 September 2019 and is a registered charity under the Charities Act 2011, Charity Registration No 1185348 (England and Wales). It is also a registered Charity in the Republic of Ireland, Charity Registration No 20015893. The Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO is the main vehicle for delivering Province activities.

The trustees of the Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO are the Congregational Leader, the Provincial Leader and Provincial Councillors. As all trustees are members of the Congregation they have a detailed knowledge of the work of the CIO and of its structure. The trustees, are members of the Congregation and whilst their living and personal expenses are borne by the CIO, they receive no remuneration or reimbursement of expenses in connection with their duties as trustees. On being appointed, new trustees spend time with those trustees leaving office. They also meet with the Congregation’s legal, accounting, investment and property advisors in order to obtain a full briefing of their responsibilities and the CIO’s position. They attend training courses and seminars where appropriate.

The names of the trustees who served during the year are set out as part of the reference and administration details on page 1 of this annual report and accounts.

St Gemma’s Hospice

St Gemma’s Hospice has its own board of governance, and one Sister has been appointed as a representative of the Charity. The Board is responsible for the overall direction and management of the Hospice, approves strategy and oversees its implementation.

The Board has approved a scheme of delegation, under which the majority of operational management and decision making is delegated to the Chief Executive. The Chief Executive has a key role in the management and monitoring of service delivery, patient satisfaction, financial performance, the assessment and control of risk, and the prioritisation and allocation of resources.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 36

Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

GOVERNANCE TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

Governance (continued)

St Gemma’s Hospice (continued)

The Chief Executive of the Hospice leads a Hospice Leadership Team (HLT) consisting of the Director of Nursing and Deputy Chief Executive, Director of Income Generation, Director of Medicine, Consultant in Palliative Care and Director of Corporate Services. The HLT has a strategic role in driving forward the Hospice and assisting the Chief Executive in discharging the duties delegated by the Board. It is the HLT that is in charge of challenging, leading, running and supporting the Hospice to achieve its aims.

The pay of the HLT is reviewed by the Board of Trustees, through the Remuneration Committee. The amount paid to members of the HLT is carefully considered, comparable to other roles in the market, and is benchmarked against other local hospices and national hospice reward and charity reward surveys and data. Best practice recommendations on setting remuneration, including those of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), are also taken into consideration. The levels paid are those necessary to ensure a well-run, effective organisation in line with regulatory requirements. Competitive salaries also help the Hospice to attract, recruit and retain the best possible calibre of staff, in a fiercely competitive environment.

Trustees’ Responsibility Statement

The trustees are responsible for preparing the report of the trustees, who together with the Operations Manager prepare the accounts in accordance with applied law and United Kingdom accounting standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales, and in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, requires the trustees to prepare accounts for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and the group and of the income and expenditure of the group for that period. In preparing these accounts, the trustees are required to:

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 37

Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

GOVERNANCE TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

Governance (continued)

Trustees Responsibility Statement (continued)

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 accounts comply with the Charities Act 2011, Applicable Charity (accounts and reports) Regulations, the Charities and Trustees Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities’ Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006, the Irish Charities Act 2009 and the provisions of the Charity’s Trust Deed. 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.

Public Benefit

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with their duty under the Charities Act 2011 to have regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.

Risk Management

Sisters of the Cross and Passion

The key risks for the Charity, as identified by the trustees, are described below, together with the principal ways they are mitigated:

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 38

Report of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025

GOVERNANCE TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES AND RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

Risk Management (continued)

Sisters of the Cross and Passion (continued)

Reliance on key staff and the need for succession planning Advice is taken on investment management, accountancy, actuarial, architectural, and legal and business matters from lay professionals. The Finance & General Purposes Committee meets three times a year, with sub-committees meeting when necessary. The Committee monitors risks and the Risk Management Policy and refers matters to the PLT for consideration.

During their pastoral visits, the trustees continue to monitor the major risks to which the Charity may be exposed and systems are investigated and established to mitigate these risks. Mostly meetings with Sisters and staff have been conducted by Zoom, though one meeting was arranged with the Trustees and Care Managers and Bursars. The trustees attended various online courses during the year to keep abreast of any developments.

St Gemma’s Hospice

The Board of St Gemma’s Hospice assesses and reviews the management of the major risks to which the Hospice is exposed. There is a risk framework to support the identification and management of key risks and ensure risk management is an integral part of planning, decision-making and the day-to-day operations of service delivery. This framework incorporates procedures and processes and identifies clear roles and responsibilities in the reporting and management of key risks.

The risk register is developed by the Hospice Leadership Team and is scrutinised by the relevant committees and Board on a quarterly basis. The Chief Executive prepares an Annual Governance Statement (AGS) which identifies how the Hospice ensures effective governance and risk management in compliance with the Voluntary Code of Good Governance framework.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 39

Rèport of the trustees Year to 31 March 2025 SUMMARY AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report is a summary of the work ofthe Charity. The accounts accompanying IhY8 report show the movement offunds in the year ended 31 March 2￿5. le, the Trustees. a￿n05¥1@dge th gratityde the professlon8118m and oommitment of all our staff, volunteers and the Individual membern of the Congregation. Their dedication, support and positive approach are very encouraging for us. We wish a￿0 to record our thanks to the profe5slonal bodies on *those a<fvice and expertisè we rely. Approved by the TrusteeB and signed on thelr behalf by.. Sistsr Trustee Mar ret O'Re an C.P. Sister Therese Date: 14/11 / J¢J26 Sisters of the Cross and Pa￿on CIO 40

Independent Auditor’s Report to the Member of Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO for the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO (the ‘parent charity’) and its subsidiaries (the ‘group’) for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the consolidated statement of financial activities, the consolidated and charity balance sheets, the consolidated statement of cashflows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the group and parent charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the group or the parent charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 41

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information; we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 require us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the Trustees’ Responsibilities Statement set out on page 39, the trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the group and the parent charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the group or the parent charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditors under the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with regulations made under that Act.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 42

Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements (continued)

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the group and parent financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion.

Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud are detailed below.

Identifying and assessing risks related to irregularities:

We assessed the susceptibility of the group and parent charity’s financial statements to material misstatement and how fraud might occur, including through discussions with the trustees, discussions within our audit team planning meeting, updating our record of internal controls and ensuring these controls operated as intended. We evaluated possible incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements. We identified laws and regulations that are of significance in the context of the group and parent charity by discussions with trustees and updating our understanding of the sectors in which the group and parent charity operate.

Laws and regulations of direct significance in the context of the group and parent charity include the Charities Act 2011, the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and guidance issued by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Audit response to risks identified:

We considered the extent of compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our audit procedures on the related financial statement items including a review of financial statement disclosures. We reviewed the parent charity’s records of breaches of laws and regulations, minutes of meetings and correspondence with relevant authorities to identify potential material misstatements arising. We discussed the parent charity’s policies and procedures for compliance with laws and regulations with members of management responsible for compliance.

During the planning meeting with the audit team, the engagement partner drew attention to the key areas which might involve non-compliance with laws and regulations or fraud. We enquired of management whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations or knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 43

Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements (continued)

We addressed the risk of fraud through management override of controls by testing the appropriateness of journal entries and identifying any significant transactions that were unusual or outside the normal course of business. We assessed whether judgements made in making accounting estimates gave rise to a possible indication of management bias. At the completion stage of the audit, the engagement partner’s review included ensuring that the team had approached their work with appropriate professional scepticism and thus the capacity to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations and fraud.

There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we would become aware of it. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the parent charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the parent charity trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the parent charity and the parent charity’s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Saffery LLP

Saffery LLP 10 Wellington Place Statutory Auditors Leeds Date: LS1 4AP 5 December 2025

Saffery LLP is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 44

Consolidated statement of financial activities Year to 31 March 2025

Notes Un-
restricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
funds
2025
£		 Un-
restricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
funds
2024
£
Income from:
Donations and legacies
1
Investment income and interest
receivable
2
Charitable activities
. Provision of hospice care
3
. Retreat and similar income
Other trading activities
. Income from charity shops
. Room hires and rental income
. Fundraising events and lotteries
Other sources
. Miscellaneous income
Donations from Sisters of the Cross
and Passion Charitable Trust (Charity
Registration Number 1038483)
24
Total income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
. Cost of raising donations
. Fundraising activities including
charity shops
. Investment management costs
Charitable activities
. Provision of hospice care
4
. Donations and support of overseas
missions
5
. Support of members of the
Congregation and their ministry
6
Total expenditure
Net (expenditure) income before
net investment (losses) gains
Net investment (losses) gains
Net (expenditure) income and net
movement in funds
8
Reconciliation of funds:
Fund balances at 1 April 2024
Fund balances at 31 March 2025
18		 1,505,734
645,577
—
539,485
—
8,010
—
52,070		 3,766,550
401,179
5,563,855
—
4,648,832
—
1,226,070
65,998		 5,272,284
1,046,756
5,563,855
539,485
4,648,832
8,010
1,226,070
118,068		 1,558,239
625,248
—
464,203
7,502
—
27,344		 3,272,558
313,834
4,923,294
—
4,309,544
—
1,110,022
57,374		 4,830,797
939,082
4,923,294
464,203
4,309,544
7,502
1,110,022
84,718
2,750,876
—		 15,672,484
—		 18,423,360
—		 2,682,536
9,820,000		 13,986,626
—		 16,669,162
9,820,000
2,750,876 15,672,484 18,423,360 12,502,536 13,986,626 26,489,162
—
—
1,297
—
17,699
6,171,716		 1,773,415
3,720,760
28,301
10,726,701
—
—		 1,773,415
3,720,760
29,598
10,726,701
17,699
6,171,716		 —
—
4,465
—
153,634
5,565,496		 1,698,067
3,273,166
32,597
9,817,435
—
—		 1,698,067
3,273,166
37,062
9,817,435
153,634
5,565,496
6,190,712 16,249,177 22,439,889 5,723,595 14,821,265 20,544,860
(3,439,836)
(41,217)		 (576,693)
10,958		 (4,016,529)
(30,259)		 6,778,941
922,680		 (834,639)
457,357		 5,944,302
1,380,037
(3,481,053)
47,632,513		 (565,735)
14,861,721		 (4,046,788)
62,494,234		 7,701,621
39,930,892		 (377,282)
15,239,003		 7,324,339
55,169,895
44,151,460 14,295,986 58,447,446 47,632,513 14,861,721 62,494,234

All recognised gains and losses are included in the above statement of financial activities.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 45

Charity statement of financial activities Year to 31 March 2025

Notes Un-
restricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
funds
2025
£		 Un-
restricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
funds
2024
£
Income from:
Donations and legacies
1
Investment income
2
Retreat and similar income
Other trading activities
. Room hire
Other income (including foreign
exchange gain)
Donations from Sisters of the Cross
and Passion Charitable Trust (Charity
Registration Number 1038483)
24
Total income
Expenditure on:
Investment management costs
Donations and support of overseas
missions
5
Support of members of the
Congregation and their ministry
6
Total expenditure
Net (expenditure) income before
net investment (losses) gains
(Losses) gains on investment
assets
. Realised
. Unrealised
Net (expenditure) income and net
movement in funds
8
Reconciliation of funds:
Fund balances at 1 April 2024
Fund balances at 31 March 2025
18		 1,505,734
645,577
539,485
8,010
52,070		 —
—
—
—
—		 1,505,734
645,577
539,485
8,010
52,070		 1,558,239
625,248
464,203
7,502
27,344		 —
—
—
—
—		 1,558,239
625,248
464,203
7,502
27,344
2,750,876
—		 —
—		 2,750,876
—		 2,682,536
9,820,000		 —
—		 2,682,536
9,820,000
2,750,876 — 2,750,876 12,502,536 — 12,502,536
1,297
17,699
6,171,716		 —
—
—		 1,297
17,699
6,171,716		 4,465
153,634
5,565,496		 —
—
—		 4,465
153,634
5,565,496
6,190,712 — 6,190,712 5,723,595 — 5,723,595
(3,439,836)
(12,456)
(28,761)		 —
—
—		 (3,439,836)
(12,456)
(28,761)		 6,778,941
405
922,275		 —
—
—		 6,778,941
405
922,275
(3,481,053)
47,632,513		 —
—		 (3,481,053)
47,632,513		 7,701,621
39,930,892		 —
—		 7,701,621
39,930,892
44,151,460 — 44,151,460 47,632,513 — 47,632,513

All recognised gains and losses are included in the above statement of financial activities.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 46

Consolidated and charity balance sheets 31 March 2025 Gmup Ch8vty Notes 2026 2024 2025 2024 FJxed a35ets: Tangible a5￿ts Investments . Listed investments . Programme re18t8d investments Total fixed assets 11 26.878.804 27,572,252 2444944 25,020,488 12 19.900.490 19.679,051 13,329,614 13,004,983 12 134.340 136,364 134,340 136,364 48,993,434 47.387,867 37,909,798 38,161,835 cu￿ont assets: stocks Debtors Investments Cash at b8nk and in h￿d Total current assets 17,681 10,941 864,125 760,586 3.0fy).000 3,500,000 8.696,477 12,155,184 6.341,936 12,478,263 16,426,713 6A70.385 13 24449 52,007 9,563,780 9,615,787 Llablllll•s: CTedthrs: amounts f811ing cJe wilhin one year Net ¢urr•nt assots 14 (1,0242511 11,320,148 {128.7231 (145,1091 11,454.012 15,106,567 8.241,e82 9,470,678 Total net assots 58,447,446 82,494,234 44.1S1,480 47.632,513 Tr¢ ￿ndS of the Charlty. R¢stricted fvnde Unrestiided . D•signd frjnds . Tangible fix•d assets fund General fund 15 14,296.988 14,861,721 16 13,260.707 12,272,432 13.260,707 13,272.432 17 24,44S,944 25,¢y20,488 24445,944 25,020.488 18 6,444.809 9,339,593 8A44,809 9.339.593 ,447.446 S2,494,234 44IS1.460 47,632,513 Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by.. Trustee Approved on.. 14111 lao?S- Slsters of the Cross and Passion CIO 47

Consolidated statement of cash flows Year to 31 March 2025

Notes 2025
£		 2024
£
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities
A
Cash flows from investing activities:
Investment income and interest received
Proceeds from the disposal of tangible fixed assets
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
Proceeds from the disposal of investments
Purchase of investments
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year
Cash and cash equivalents at 1 April 2024
Change in cash and cash equivalents due to exchange rate
movements
Cash and cash equivalents at 31 March 2025
B		 (4,079,782) 6,683,646
1,046,756
8,800
(757,515)
1,705,882
(2,355,719)		 939,082
8,768
(826,490)
6,229,823
(5,246,089)
(351,796) 1,105,094
(4,431,578)
16,373,621
54,732		 7,788,740
8,511,258
73,623
11,996,775 16,373,621

Notes to the statement of cash flows for the year to 31 March 2025.

A Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

----- Start of picture text -----
2025 2024
£ £
Net movement in funds (as per the statement of financial activities) (4,046,788) 7,324,339
Adjustments for:
Depreciation charge 1,396,134 1,350,689
Losses (gains) on investments 30,259 (1,380,037)
Investment income and interest receivable (1,046,756) (939,082)
Net loss on disposal of tangible fixed assets (6,479) 6,836
(Increase) decrease in stocks (6,720) 3,330
(Increase) decrease in debtors (103,537) 1,453,810
Decrease in creditors (295,895) (1,136,239)
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (4,079,782) 6,683,646
B Analysis of cash and cash equivalents
2025 2024
£ £
Cash at bank and in hand 8,596,477 12,155,184
Cash held by investment managers 400,298 718,437
Current asset investments 3,000,000 3,500,000
Total cash and cash equivalents 11,996,775 16,373,621
----- End of picture text -----

No separate reconciliation of net debt has been prepared as there is no difference between the net cash (debt) of the charity and the above cash and cash equivalents.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 48

Principal accounting policies 31 March 2025

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the accounts are laid out below.

Basis of preparation

These accounts have been prepared for the year to 31 March 2025, with comparative information given for the year to 31 March 2024.

The accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policies below or the notes to these accounts. The accounts are presented in sterling and are rounded to the nearest pound.

The accounts have been prepared in accordance with 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 United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (Charities SORP FRS 102), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.

The accounts are presented in sterling and are rounded to the nearest £1.

Critical accounting estimates and areas of judgement

Preparation of the accounts requires the trustees and management to make significant judgements and estimates.

The items in the accounts where these judgements and estimates have been made include:

Assessment of going concern

The trustees have assessed whether the use of the going concern assumption is appropriate in preparing these accounts. The trustees have made this assessment in respect to a period of one year from the date of approval of these accounts.

The trustees of the charity have concluded that there are no material uncertainties related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the ability of the charity to continue as a going concern. The trustees are of the opinion that the charity will have sufficient resources to meet its liabilities as they fall due.

Consolidated accounts

The accounts consolidate, on a line-by-line basis, the results of the Charity and its charitable subsidiary, St Gemma’s Hospice, and the hospice’s subsidiary, St Gemma’s Hospice Services Limited, made up to the balance sheet date.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 49

Principal accounting policies 31 March 2025

Income recognition

Income is recognised in the period in which the Group has entitlement to the income, the amount of income can be measured reliably and it is probable that the income will be received.

Income comprises donations and legacies, investment income and interest receivable, income from the provision of hospice care, retreat income, grants receivable, income from trading activities (including the operation of charity shops, room hire and income from fundraising events and lotteries) and miscellaneous income.

Donations, including salaries and pensions of individual religious received under Gift Aid or deed of covenant, and donations from the Cross and Passion Charitable Trust are recognised when the Group and Charity has confirmation of both the amount and settlement date. In the event of donations pledged but not received, the amount is accrued for where the receipt is considered probable and can be reliably estimated. In the event that a donation is subject to conditions that require a level of performance before the Group and Charity is entitled to the funds, the income is deferred and not recognised until either those conditions are fully met, or the fulfilment of those conditions is wholly within the control of the Group and Charity and it is probable that those conditions will be fulfilled in the reporting period.

In accordance with the Charities SORP FRS 102 volunteer time is not recognised.

Gifts in kind and donated services are included at the lower of their value to the Group and Charity and their estimated market value.

Legacies are included in the statement of financial activities when the Group and Charity is entitled to the legacy, the executors have established that there are sufficient surplus assets in the estate to pay the legacy, and any conditions attached to the legacy are within the control of the Group and Charity.

Entitlement is taken as the earlier of the date on which either: the Group and Charity is aware that probate has been granted, the estate has been finalised and notification has been made by the executor to the Group and Charity that a distribution will be made, or when a distribution is received from the estate. Receipt of a legacy, in whole or in part, is only considered probable when the amount can be measured reliably and the Group and Charity has been notified of the executor’s intention to make a distribution. Where legacies have been notified to the Group and Charity, or the Group and Charity are aware of the granting of probate, but the criteria for income recognition have not been met, then the legacy is treated as a contingent asset and disclosed if material. In the event that the gift is in the form of an asset other than cash or a financial asset traded on a recognised stock exchange, recognition is subject to the value of the gift being reliably measurable with a degree of reasonable accuracy and the title of the asset having being transferred to the Group and Charity.

Dividends are recognised once the dividend has been declared and notification has been received of the dividend due.

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the Group and Charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 50

Principal accounting policies 31 March 2025

Income recognition (continued)

Contracts and service agreements in respect to the provision of hospice care are recognised to the extent that it is probable that the economic benefits will flow to the Group and Charity and the income can be reliably measured. It is measured at fair value of the consideration received or receivable, excluding any relevant value added tax.

Income from the provision of retreats is recognised to the extent that it is probable that the economic benefits will flow to the Charity and the income can be reliably measured. It is measured at fair value of the consideration received or receivable, excluding any relevant value added tax.

Grants from government, NHS bodies, Clinical Commissioning Groups and from trusts and foundations have been included as income from charitable activities, i.e. the provision of healthcare and related services where they amount to a contract for services but as donations where the money is given in response to an appeal or grant application or with greater freedom of use, e.g. for core purposes. Deferred income includes amounts received in respect of grants received for work to be carried out in the next financial year.

Income received by way of fundraising events, lotteries, room hire and other trading receipts are credited in the accounts when the Group and Charity are legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. These are shown gross before deductions of related expenses and net of VAT.

Expenditure recognition

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis. The classification between activities is as follows:

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 51

Principal accounting policies 31 March 2025

Expenditure recognition (continued)

All expenditure is stated inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.

Allocation of indirect costs and governance costs

Indirect costs represent indirect charitable expenditure. In order to carry out the primary purposes of the Charity and Group it is necessary to provide support in the form of personnel development, financial procedures, provision of office services and equipment and a suitable working environment.

Governance costs comprise the costs involving the public accountability of the Charity and Group (including audit costs) and costs in respect to its compliance with regulation and good practice.

Indirect costs and governance costs are able to be allocated directly to the specific charitable activities to which they relate.

Tangible fixed assets

All assets costing more than £1,000 and with an expected useful life exceeding one year are capitalised.

Depreciation is provided at 2% per annum on a straight line basis to write the buildings off over their estimated useful life to the Charity. Land is not depreciated.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 52

Principal accounting policies 31 March 2025

Tangible fixed assets (continued)

Assets under construction are included at cost. Depreciation on these assets is not charged until they are brought into use and reclassified to freehold land and buildings, or improvements to leasehold properties.

Fixed asset investments

Listed investments are a form of basic financial instrument and are initially recognised at their transaction value and subsequently measured at their fair value as at the balance sheet date using the closing quoted market price.

The Group and Charity do not acquire put options, derivatives or other complex financial instruments.

As noted above the main form of financial risk faced by the Group and Charity is that of volatility in equity markets and investment markets due to wider economic conditions, the attitude of investors to investment risk, and changes in sentiment concerning equities and within particular sectors or sub sectors.

Realised gains (or losses) on investment assets are calculated as the difference between disposal proceeds and their opening carrying value or their purchase value is acquired subsequent to the first day of the financial year. Unrealised gains and losses are calculated as the difference between the fair value at the year end and their carrying value at that date. Realised and unrealised investment gains (or losses) are combined in the statement of financial activities and are credited (or debited) in the year in which they arise.

Programme related investments

Programme related investments comprise units in an investment vehicle promoting global justice by challenging people, churches and others to share their resources though socially responsible investments and by empowering disadvantaged people by providing them with credit. These are included on the balance sheet at cost with any diminution in value debited to the statement of financial activities.

Stocks

Stocks are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Items donated for resale are not included in the accounts until they are sold.

Debtors

Debtors are recognised at their settlement amount, less any provision for non-recoverability. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid.

Current Asset Investments

Current asset investments include short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 53

Principal accounting policies 31 March 2025

Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand represents such accounts and instruments that are available on demand or have a maturity of less than three months from the date of acquisition.

Creditors

Creditors are recognised when there is an obligation at the balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably. Creditors are recognised at the amount the Group and Charity anticipates it will pay to settle the debt.

Fund structure

The general fund comprises those monies which may be used towards meeting the charitable objectives of the Charity and which may be applied at the discretion of the trustees.

The tangible fixed assets fund represents the net book value of the tangible fixed assets excluding those used by St Gemma’s Hospice.

The designated funds are monies set aside out of general funds and designated for specific purposes, although the trustees may ultimately use such funds for other purposes.

The restricted funds are monies raised for, and their use restricted to, a specific purpose, or donations subject to donor imposed conditions and comprise the net assets of St Gemma’s Hospice and its subsidiary.

Foreign currencies

Assets and liabilities in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at the rates of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date. Transactions in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at the average rate of exchange for the year. Exchange differences are taken into account in arriving at the net movement in funds.

Pension costs

Charity:

The Charity offers its employees membership of a defined contribution pension scheme administered by the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST). Contributions to the scheme are debited to the statement of financial activities in the year in which they are payable to the scheme. The assets of the scheme are held by an independent corporate trustee, whose activities are governed by the National Employment Savings Trust Order 2010, made by the Secretary of State in exercise of powers confirmed under the Pensions Act 2008.

St Gemma’s Hospice

The hospice operates two pension schemes:

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 54

Principal accounting policies 31 March 2025

Pension costs (continued)

St Gemma’s Hospice (continued)

Services provided by members of the Congregation

For the purpose of these accounts, no monetary value has been placed on the care, administrative and other services provided by the members of the Congregation.

Operating leases

Rentals applicable to operating leases where substantially all of the benefits and risks of ownership remain with the lessor are charged to the statement of financial activities on a straight line basis over the lease term.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 55

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

1 Donations and legacies

Group
Salaries and pensions of
individual religious received
under Gift Aid or deed of
covenant
Legacies
Donations
Grants
Other voluntary income
Total funds		 Unrestricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
funds
2025
£		 Unrestricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
funds
2024
£

1,348,977
13,368
133,051
—
10,338
1,505,734		 —
1,631,871
1,900,030
234,649
—
3,766,550		 1,348,977
1,645,239
2,033,081
234,649
10,338
5,272,284		 1,440,999
8,378
108,772
—
90
1,558,239		 —
1,796,980
1,351,231
124,347
—
3,272,558		 1,440,999
1,805,358
1,460,003
124,347
90
4,830,797

All unrestricted funds for both 2024 and 2025 relate to the Charity only. The Charity received no restricted donations and legacies during the year ended 31 March 2025 (2024 – none).

2 Investment income and interest receivable

Group Unrestricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
funds
2025
£		 Unrestricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
funds
2024
£
Income from listed investments
Interest receivable
. Bank interest
. Interest on cash held by investment
managers
Total funds		 349,161 138,118 487,279 316,146 157,967 474,113
277,864
18,552		 263,061
—		 540,925
18,552		 261,060
48,042		 155,867
—		 416,927
48,042
296,416 263,061 559,477 309,102 155,867 464,969
645,577 401,179 1,046,756 625,248 313,834 939,082

All unrestricted funds for the year ended 31 March 2024 and 2025 relate to the Charity only. The Charity received no restricted investment income and interest receivable in the year ended 31 March 2024 and 2025.

3 Income from the provision of hospice care

Group Unrestricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
funds
2025
£

4,812,638

226,376

243,729

94,611

186,501

5,563,855		 Unrestricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
funds
2024
£

4,509,535

—

159,579

83,518

170,662

4,923,294
District Health Authority Income
Hospice UK grant
Training and education
Bistro
Other income
Total funds		 —
—
—
—
—
—		 4,812,638
226,376
243,729
94,611
186,501
5,563,855		 —
—
—
—
—
—		 4,509,535
—
159,579
83,518
170,662
4,923,294

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 56

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

4 Expenditure on the provision of hospice care

Group
In-patient care
Community care
Day hospice
Bereavement support
Education and research
Total funds		 Unrestricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£

6,749,951

2,016,658

679,298

452,528

828,266

10,726,701		 Total
funds
2025
£

6,749,951

2,016,658

679,298

452,528

828,266

10,726,701		 Unrestricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£
6,252,461
1,892,116
625,617
303,926
743,315
9,817,435		 Total
funds
2024
£
—
—
—
—
—
—		 —
—
—
—
—
—		 6,252,461
1,892,116
625,617
303,926
743,315
9,817,435

5 Donations and support of overseas missions

Group and Charity Unrestricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£

—

—

—		 Total
funds
2025
£
11,300
6,399
17,699		 Unrestricted
funds
£		 Restricte
fund
 d
s
£
Total
funds
2024
£

140,000

13,634

153,634
Grants to the Sisters of the Cross and
Passion Charitable Trust
Grants to the Congregation's
overseas missions		 11,300
6,399
17,699		 140,000
13,634
153,634		 —
—
—

6 Support of members of the Congregation and their ministry

Group and Charity Unrestricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
funds
2025
£		 Unrestricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
funds
2024
£
Sisters’ living and personal expenses
Premises
Education, training and spiritual
renewal
Administrative and similar costs
Other costs
Foreign exchange losses
Governance costs (note 7)
Total funds		 596,491
4,034,644
439,665
916,073
22,381
73,525
88,937
6,171,716		 —
—
—
—
—
—
—
—		 596,491
4,034,644
439,665
916,073
22,381
73,525
88,937
6,171,716		 627,960
3,656,736
406,784
682,875
16,522
90,566
84,053
5,565,496		 —
—
—
—
—
—
—
—		 627,960
3,656,736
406,784
682,875
16,522
90,566
84,053
5,565,496

7 Governance costs

Governance costs
Group
Accountancy
Auditor’s remuneration
. Statutory
. Non-statutory
St Gemma’s other costs
Bank fees and charges		 Unrestricted
funds
£
48,670
28,393
—
—
11,874
88,937		 Restricted
funds
£
—
19,040
1,995
84,000
—
105,035		 Total
funds
2025
£		 Unrestricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£
—
21,475
4,900
80,211
—
106,586		 Total
funds
2024
£
48,670
47,433
1,995
84,000
11,874
193,972		 49,215
22,562
—
—
12,276
84,053		 49,215
44,037
4,900
80,211
12,276
190,639

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 57

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

7 Governance costs (continued)

The above governance costs have been allocated to the following activities:

Raising funds
In-patient care
Community care
Day hospice
Bereavement support
Education and research
Support of members of the
Congregation and their ministry		 Unrestricted
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
funds
2025
£		 Unrestricted
£		 Restricted
£		 Total
2024
£
—
—
—
—
—
—
88,937
88,937		 36,841
42,031
11,080
7,046
2,782
5,255
—
105,035		 36,841
42,031
11,080
7,046
2,782
5,255
88,937
193,972		 —
—
—
—
—
—
84,053
84,053		 36,938
43,849
10,722
7,336
2,702
5,039
—
106,586		 36,938
43,849
10,722
7,336
2,702
5,039
84,053
190,639

8 Net (expenditure) income and net movement in funds

This is stated after charging:

Group Total
2025
£
47,433
1,995
1,396,134
611,716
12,271		 Total
2024
£
44,037
4,900
1,350,689
522,360
13,746
Total
2024
£
22,562
627,219
Auditor’s remuneration
. Statutory
. Non-statutory- Taxation services & reporting to group auditors
Depreciation
Operating lease rental - land and buildings
Operating lease rental - equipment
Charity Total
2025
£
28,393
634,798
Auditors’ remuneration
. Statutory
Depreciation

9 Staff costs and remuneration of key management personnel

Staff costs and remuneration of key management personnel
Group 2025
£
12,361,024
1,145,440
829,315
14,335,779		 2024
£
Staff costs during the year were as follows:
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs		 11,588,712
1,049,141
768,393
13,406,246

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 58

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

9 Staff costs and remuneration of key management personnel (continued)

Charity 2025
£		 2024
£
Staff costs during the year were as follows:
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs		 2,612,443
223,921
34,452
2,870,816		 2,389,307
201,027
30,089
2,620,423

The number of employees who earned £60,000 per annum or more (excluding employer’s pension contributions but including taxable benefits) during the year is shown below. All of the higher paid employees were employed at St Gemma’s Hospice.

Group Total
2025
No.		 Total
2024
No.
£60,001 - £70,000
£70,001 - £80,000
£80,001 - £90,000
£90,001 - £100,000
£100,001 - £110,000
£120,001 - £130,000
£140,001 - £150,000
£150,001 - £160,000
£170,001 - £180,000		 5
2
2
1
—
1
1
1
1		 1
1
2
1
2
—
—
1
—
14 8

As shown above, St Gemma’s Hospice has employed fourteen individuals (2024 – eight) who earned over £60,000. Four (2024 -Four) of these are medical consultants who are directly employed on NHS equivalent contracts, in line with national agreements. The others are members of the Hospice Leadership Team (HLT), responsible for running the Hospice. The Chief Executive is not the highest paid employee. No trustees received remuneration during the current or prior year. No travel or subsistence expenses were paid to trustees during the current or prior year.

The average headcount of employees during the year was:

2025
No.		 2024
No.
St Gemma’s Hospice
Support of Sisters and their ministry		 305
112
417		 299
117
416

The Trustees consider that they, together with the Province Bursar, comprise the key management personnel of the Charity in charge of directing and controlling, running and operating the Charity on a day to day basis.

In terms of St Gemma’s Hospice, the Charity’s subsidiary, the board of St Gemma’s Hospice is responsible for the overall direction and management of the hospice. The Board has overall responsibility for ensuring the Hospice is managed efficiently, approves the strategy and oversees its implementation.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 59

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

As explained in note 10 below, all Trustees are members of the Congregation and whilst their living and personal expenses are borne by the Charity they receive no remuneration or reimbursement of expenses in connection with their duties as Trustees.

The Charity's Trustees are all members of the Congregation and consequently their living and personal expenses, all of which are consistent with the amounts paid in respect to other members of the Congregation, are borne by the Charity. No Trustees received any remuneration or reimbursement of expenses in connection with their duties as Trustees (2024 – none) and therefore no remuneration was payable to the key management of the Charity during the year (2024 – none).

The total remuneration (including taxable benefits, employer's pension contributions and employers’ national insurance contributions) of the key management personnel of St Gemma’s Hospice and the group for the year was £666k (2024 – £717k).

10 Trustees' expenses and remuneration and transactions with trustees

The Charity's Trustees are all members of the Congregation and consequently their living and personal expenses, all of which are consistent with the amounts paid in respect to other members of the Congregation, are borne by the Charity. No Trustees received any remuneration or reimbursement of expenses in connection with their duties as Trustees (2024 – none).

As members of the Congregation, none of the trustees have resources of their own as all earnings, pensions and other income have been donated to the charity under a Gift Aid compliant Deed of Covenant. During the year, the total amount donated by the trustees to the charity was £54,383 (2024 – £64,861).

The trustees of St Gemma's Hospice did not receive any remuneration (2024 – none). No trustees of St Gemma's Hospice was reimbursed expenses during the year (2024 – £nil). Indemnity insurance is provided for the trustees of St. Gemma's Hospice. The aggregate amount of cash donations received from Trustees of St Gemma’s Hospice during the year was £1,655 (2024 – £5,195).

Schofield Sweeney has provided legal advice in relation to St Gemma’s Hospice’s lease arrangements. Chris Schofield (a trustee of St Gemma’s Hospice, who resigned on 30 September 2023) is the Chairman of Schofield Sweeney.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 60

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

11 Tangible fixed assets

----- Start of picture text -----
Freehold Improvements Plant,
land and to leasehold furniture and Motor Assets under
buildings property equipment vehicles construction Total
Group £ £ £ £ £ £
Cost or valuation
At 1 April 2024 30,617,217 6,691,003 7,144,862 452,996 212,051 45,118,129
Transfers — 287,490 — — (287,490)) —
— —
Exchange movement (67,201) (2,318) (2,218) (71,737)
Additions — — 668,081 13,995 75,439 757,515
— — —
Disposals (19,190) (21,195) (40,385)
At 31 March 2025 30,550,016 6,978,493 7,791,435 443,578 — 45,763,522
Assets at historic cost 10,264,798 6,978,493 7,791,435 443,578 — 25,478,304
Revalued assets 20,285,218 — — — — 20,285,218
30,550,016 6,978,493 7,791,435 443,578 — 45,763,522
Depreciation
At 1 April 2024 5,978,562 5,916,172 5,281,368 369,775 — 17,545,877
Charge for year 567,300 359,653 450,727 18,454 — 1,396,134
— —
Currency adjustment (15,611) (1,517) (1,901) (19,029)
— — —
On disposals (19,190) (18,874) (38,064)
At 31 March 2025 6,530,251 6,275,825 5,711,388 367,454 — 18,884,918
Net book values
At 31 March 2025 24,019,765 702,668 2,080,047 76,124 — 26,878,604
At 31 March 2024 24,638,655 774,831 1,863,494 83,221 212,051 27,572,252
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
Freehold Plant,
land and furniture and Motor
buildings equipment vehicles Total
Charity £ £ £ £
Cost or valuation
At 1 April 2024 30,617,217 1,620,647 403,264 32,641,128
Additions — 101,312 13,995 115,307
Exchange movement (67,201) (2,318) (2,218) (71,737)
Disposals — — (21,195) (21,195)
At 31 March 2025 30,550,016 1,719,641 393,846 32,663,503
Assets at historic cost 10,264,798 1,719,641 393,846 12,378,285
Revalued assets 20,285,218 — — 20,285,218
30,550,016 1,719,641 393,846 32,663,503
Depreciation
At 1 April 2024 5,978,562 1,312,105 329,973 7,620,640
Charge for year 567,300 51,526 15,972 634,798
Currency adjustment (15,611) (1,495) (1,899) (19,005)
On disposals — — (18,874) (18,874)
At 31 March 2025 6,530,251 1,362,136 325,172 8,217,559
Net book values
At 31 March 2025 24,019,765 357,505 68,674 24,445,944
At 31 March 2024 24,638,655 308,542 73,291 25,020,488
----- End of picture text -----

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 61

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

12 Investments

At 31 March 2025 fixed asset investments comprised:

Group Group Charity Charity
2025
£		 2024
£		 2025
£		 2024
£
Programme related investments (see a
below)
Listed investments and cash held for
re-investment (see b below)
At 31 March 2025		 134,340
19,980,490
20,114,830		 136,364
19,679,051
19,815,415		 134,340
13,329,514
13,463,854		 136,364
13,004,983
13,141,347

a. Programme related investments

The Charity holds units managed by Oikocredit International Share Foundation (Oikocredit). Oikocredit is incorporated as a foundation under the laws of the Netherlands and has its registered office in Amersfoot, Netherlands. The trustees consider it to be a suitable vehicle in which to invest, being a world-wide co-operative society, promoting global justice by challenging people, churches and others to share their resources through socially responsible investments and by empowering disadvantaged people by providing them with credit. Oikocredit offers a dual return to the investor: social and financial. In addition to earning modest financial returns, investors are secure in the knowledge that their money is being used to fight poverty, promote fair trade and respect our planet’s natural resources. As a result, the trustees believe it appropriate to regard these funds as programme related investments and they are included on the balance sheet at cost.

Group and Charity 2025
£		 2024
£
At 1 April 2024
Exchange movements
At 31 March 2025		 136,364
(2,024)
134,340		 139,239
(2,875)
136,364

b. Listed investments and cash held for re-investment

----- Start of picture text -----
2025 2024
Group £ £
Listed investments
Market value at 1 April 2024 18,960,614 18,564,311
Additions at cost 2,355,719 5,246,089
Disposals at book value (proceeds: £ 1,705,882; losses: £7,261) (1,713,143) (6,267,910)
Net unrealised investment (losses) gains (22,998) 1,418,124
Market value at 31 March 2025 19,580,192 18,960,614
Cash held by investment managers for reinvestment 400,298 718,437
19,980,490 19,679,051
Cost of listed investments at 31 March 2025 13,735,047 13,061,215
----- End of picture text -----

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 62

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

12 Investments (continued)

b. Listed investments and cash held for re-investment (continued)

At 31 March 2025 listed investments held, all of which were dealt in on a recognised stock exchange, comprised the following:

----- Start of picture text -----
2025 2024
Group £ £
Fixed interest based common investment funds 1,111,835 974,542
Equities 2,931,275 2,852,809
Unit trusts 8,526,437 7,957,662
Alternative investments 832,121 1,062,253
Overseas funds 187,058 177,112
Property 5,991,466 5,936,234
19,580,192 18,960,612
----- End of picture text -----

Included in the investment portfolio was the following holding which, at 31 March 2025, had a market value which was deemed material in comparison with the market value of the total portfolio at that date:

----- Start of picture text -----
2025 2025 2024 2024
Market Percentage Market Percentage
value of portfolio value of portfolio
Group £ % £ %
Sarasin Endowments Fund (Income Units) 8,526,437 43.5 7,957,662 42.0
2025 2024
Charity £ £
Listed investments
Market value at 1 April 2024 12,346,966 12,489,766
Additions at cost 885,192 186,358
Disposals at book value (proceeds: £225,095, losses £12,456) (237,551) (1,251,432)
Net unrealised investment (losses) gains (28,761) 922,274
Market value at 31 March 2025 12,965,846 12,346,966
Cash held by investment managers for reinvestment 363,668 658,017
13,329,514 13,004,983
Cost of listed investments at 31 March 2025 7,601,235 7,097,779
----- End of picture text -----

At 31 March 2025, listed investments held, all of which were dealt in on a recognised stock exchange, comprised the following:

----- Start of picture text -----
2025 2024
Charity £ £
Fixed interest based common investment funds 422,780 278,048
Equities 2,291,474 2,194,833
Unit trusts 8,526,437 7,957,662
Alternative investments 222,601 475,275
Overseas funds 1,502,554 1,441,148
12,965,846 12,346,966
----- End of picture text -----

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 63

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

12 Investments (continued)

b. Listed investments and cash held for re-investment (continued)

Included in the investment portfolio was the following holding which, at 31 March 2025, had a market value which was deemed material in comparison with the market value of the total portfolio at that date:

Charity 2025
Market
value
£
8,526,437		 2025
Percentage
of portfolio
%
67.2		 2024
Market
value
£
7,957,662		 2024
Percentage
of portfolio
%
64.5
Sarasin Endowments Fund (Income Units)

13 Debtors

Debtors
Group Charity
2025
£		 2024
£		 2025
£		 2024
£
Trade debtors
Income tax recoverable
Other debtors
Prepayments and accrued income		 6,756
51,463
571,976
233,930
864,125		 12,215
69,414
402,770
276,189
760,588		 —
—
—
28,449
28,449		 —
—
—
52,007
52,007

14 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Group Group Charity Charity
2025
£		 2024
£		 2025
£		 2024
£
Expense creditors
Taxation and social security costs
Other creditors
Accrued expenditure		 7,269
36,686
599,253
381,043
1,024,251		 25,763
26,749
674,116
593,518
1,320,146		 951
36,686
19,833
71,253
128,723		 8,462
43,995
4,529
88,123
145,109

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 64

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

15 Restricted funds

The income funds of the Group and Charity include restricted funds comprising the following unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust to be applied for specific purposes.

----- Start of picture text -----
At 1 At 31
April Income Expenditure March
2024 /gains /losses Transfers 2025
Group £ £ £ £ £
Hospice funds
Hospice general funds 8,806,125 15,357,917 (15,339,472) (339,155) 8,485,415
Hospice Designated Funds
Earmarked Funds (designated funds
in the Hospice) 52,934 — — — 52,934
. Service Transformation fund 154,306 — (37,960) 116,346
. Digital Development Reserve 464,664 — (65,734) (108,054) 290,876
— — — — —
. COVID Response Reserve
. AUPC Strategy Reserve 500,000 — — — 500,000
. Buildings Upgrade Reserve 2,197,385 — — (94,497) 2,102,888
. Leadership and Development
Reserve — — 200,000 200,000
Tangible fixed assets fund 2,551,764 — (742,119) 623,013 2,432,658
Hospice Restricted Funds
City-wide Education Programme 10,550 — — — 10,550
Postage costs – restricted donation 29,625 — (15,662) — 13,963
Training and Education 63,162 — (2,247) — 60,915
Hospice UK Grant Funding — 226,376 — (226,376) —
Restricted Trust Income 13,857 72,649 (15,568) (54,931) 16,007
Mental Health Clinical Nurse
Specialist 13,199 — (12,448) — 751
Sundry Restricted Donations 4,150 26,500 (17,967) — 12,683
14,861,721 15,683,442 (16,249,177) — 14,295,986
At 1 At 31
April Income Expenditure/ March
2023 /gains losses Transfers 2024
Group £ £ £ £ £
Hospice funds
Hospice general funds 11,215,951 14,335,852 (13,976,724) (2,768,954) 8,806,125
Hospice Designated Funds
Earmarked Funds (designated funds
in the Hospice) 52,934 — — — 52,934
. Maintenance of the Hospice 262,356 — — (189,168) 73,188
. Building Development reserve 214,174 — — (89,977) 124,197
. Service Transformation fund 201,311 — (77,614) — 123,697
. Digital Development Reserve 571,074 — (34,988) (71,422) 464,664
. COVID Response Reserve 30,609 — — — 30,609
. AUPC Strategy Reserve — — — 500,000 500,000
. Buildings Upgrade Reserve — — — 2,000,000 2,000,000
Tangible fixed assets fund 2,556,917 — (649,587) 644,434 2,551,764
Hospice Restricted Funds
City-wide Education Programme 10,550 — — — 10,550
Funding from Clinical
Commissioning Group for various
specific projects 18,378 — (5,179) — 13,199
Other restricted funds 104,749 108,131 (77,173) (24,913) 110,794
15,239,003 14,443,983 (14,821,265) — 14,861,721
----- End of picture text -----

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 65

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

15 Restricted funds (continued)

The specific purposes for which the funds are to be applied are as follows:

St Gemma’s Hospice general funds

This fund represents the net assets of St Gemma’s Hospice, which are not otherwise specifically restricted to purposes other than the general running and operation of the Hospice.

St Gemma’s Hospice earmarked funds

These funds represent monies set aside out of funds available to the hospice by its trustees for future maintenance and renovation work, for staff development needs and to support the ongoing service development needs of the hospice.

St Gemma’s Hospice tangible fixed assets fund

The funds held by St Gemma’s Hospice are for use specifically for the purposes of providing palliative care. As such funds should be deemed restricted in the consolidated accounts regardless of how they have been classified in the accounts of St Gemma’s Hospice.

The transfers between funds represent:

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 66

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

16 Designated funds

The income funds of the Charity included designated funds which had been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.

----- Start of picture text -----
At 1 At
April New Utilised/ 31 March
2024 designations released 2025
Group and Charity £ £ £ £
Future healthcare of Sisters 13,000,000 — — 13,000,000
Crisis donations 136,068 — (9,701) 126,367
Programme related investments fund 136,364 (2,026) — 134,340
13,272,432 (2,026) (9,701) 13,260,707
At 1 At
April New Utilised/ 31 March
2023 designations released 2024
Group and Charity £ £ £ £
Future healthcare of Sisters 13,000,000 — — 13,000,000
Crisis donations 136,698 27,982 (28,612) 136,068
Programme related investments fund 139,239 — (2,875) 136,364
13,275,937 27,982 (31,487) 13,272,432
----- End of picture text -----

The future healthcare of Sisters fund consists of monies which the Trustees set aside in order to provide for the Sisters in later life. The calculations, based on actuarial methods, indicated that £16 million is needed to be set aside in order to provide £20,000 per annum for Sisters over 65 years of age and, because of greater health needs, £30,000 to £40,000 per annum for Sisters over 75 years of age and £40,000 to £50,000 per annum for those over 90 years of age. The trustees have currently designated £13 million towards this reserve, with the intention of designating further funds in future years.

The crisis donations fund consists of monies which the trustees set aside from the proceeds of the disposal of a property in Liverpool. The fund will be used to fund donations to projects, run by others, which are trying to alleviate the suffering of asylum seekers, the homeless and crisis situations.

The programme related investments fund has been designated to represent the carrying value of the Charity’s programme related investments. The amount has been set aside from the Charity’s general funds in recognition of the fact that the assets have been invested in Oikocredit International Share Foundation and therefore cannot be regarded as funds that would be available to meet future contingencies.

17 Tangible fixed assets fund

Group and Charity 2025
Total
£		 2024
Total
£
At 1 April 2024
Net movement in year
At 31 March 2025		 25,020,488
(574,544)
24,445,944		 25,625,885
(605,397)
25,020,488

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 67

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

17 Tangible fixed assets fund (continued)

The tangible fixed assets fund represents the net book value of the tangible fixed assets excluding those used by St Gemma’s Hospice. A decision was made to separate this fund from the other funds of the Charity in recognition of the fact that the tangible fixed assets are essential to the day to day work of the Charity and as such their value should not be regarded as funds that would be realisable with ease, in order to meet future contingencies.

18 Analysis of net assets between funds

Group General
fund
£		 Tangible
fixed
assets
fund
£		 Designated
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
2025
£
Fund balances at 31 March
2025 are represented by:
Tangible fixed assets
Investments
Net current assets
Total net assets		 —
6,245,667
199,142
6,444,809		 24,445,944
—
—
24,445,944		 —
7,218,187
6,042,520
13,260,707		 2,432,661
6,650,975
5,212,350
14,295,986		 26,878,605
20,114,829
11,454,012
58,447,446
Group General
fund
£		 Tangible
fixed
assets
fund
£		 Designated
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
2024
£
Fund balances at 31 March
2024 are represented by:
Tangible fixed assets
Investments
Net current assets
Total net assets		 —
2,107
9,337,486
9,339,593		 25,020,488
—
—
25,020,488		 —
13,139,240
133,192
13,272,432		 2,551,764
6,674,068
5,635,889
14,861,721		 27,572,252
19,815,415
15,106,567
62,494,234
Charity General
fund
£		 Tangible
fixed
assets
fund
£		 Designated
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
2025
£
Fund balances at 31 March
2025 are represented by:
Tangible fixed assets
Investments
Net current assets
Total net assets		 —
6,245,667
199,142
6,444,809		 24,445,944
—
—
24,445,944		 —
7,218,187
6,042,520
13,260,707		 —
—
—
—		 24,445,944
13,463,854
6,241,662
44,151,460

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 68

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

18 Analysis of net assets between funds (continued)

Charity General
fund
£		 Tangible
fixed
assets
fund
£		 Designated
funds
£		 Restricted
funds
£		 Total
2024
£
Fund balances at 31 March
2024 are represented by:
Tangible fixed assets
Investments
Net current assets
Total net assets		 —
5,923,160
3,416,433
9,339,593		 25,020,488
—
—
25,020,488		 —
7,218,187
6,054,245
13,272,432		 —
—
—
—		 25,020,488
13,141,347
9,470,678
47,632,513

The total unrealised gains as at 31 March 2025 constitute movements on revaluation and are as follows:

----- Start of picture text -----
Group Group Charity Charity
2025 2024 2025 2024
£ £ £ £
Unrealised gains included above:
On investments 5,845,145 5,899,399 5,364,611 5,249,187
Total unrealised gains at 31 March 2025 5,845,145 5,899,399 5,364,611 5,249,187
Reconciliation of movements in unrealised gains
(losses)
Unrealised gains at 1 April 2024 5,899,399 5,753,185 5,249,187 4,888,531
Less: in respect of disposals in the year (31,256) (1,271,910) 144,185 (561,618)
Net (losses) gains arising on revaluation in the year (22,998) 1,418,124 (28,761) 922,274
Total unrealised gains at 31 March 2025 5,845,145 5,899,399 5,364,611 5,249,187
----- End of picture text -----

19 Pension commitments

Charity:

The Charity offers its employees membership of a defined contribution pension scheme administered by the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST). Contributions to the scheme are debited to the statement of financial activities in the year in which they are payable to the scheme. The assets of the scheme are held by an independent corporate trustee, whose activities are governed by the National Employment Savings Trust Order 2010, made by the Secretary of State in exercise of powers confirmed under the Pensions Act 2008.

St Gemma’s Hospice operates two pension schemes:

National Health Service Pension Scheme

A defined benefit scheme operated by the National Health Service Superannuation Scheme, which is only available to staff who have previously contributed to the scheme. The administration of the scheme is dealt with by the National Health Service Pension agencies. Contributions to this scheme are paid in respect of current service, and there is no liability to the hospice in respect of past service.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 69

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

19 Pension commitments (continued)

St Gemma’s Hospice operates two pension schemes: (continued)

Group Personal Pension Scheme

In addition there is a Group Personal Pension Scheme, which is a defined contribution pension scheme, administered by Standard Life which is available to all employees.

The charge to the consolidated statement of financial activities of £794,863 (2024 – £768,393) represents contributions to funds during the year. Contributions payable to the schemes at the year-end date totalling £nil (2024 – £43,452) are included in creditors.

20 Leasing commitments

Operating leases

At 31 March 2025, the Group had the following total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases relating to land and buildings and office equipment:

Group Land and buildings Office equipment Office equipment
2025
£		 2024
£		 2025
£		 2024
£
Within one year
Between one and five years		 449,917
818,042
1,267,959		 417,458
958,417
1,375,875		 14,632
22,200
36,832		 12,271
18,233
30,504

The Charity had no leasing commitments at 31 March 2025 (2024 – none).

21 St Gemma’s Hospice

The charity wholly owns a subsidiary, St Gemma’s Hospice, a charitable company constituted as a company limited by guarantee, Charity Registration No. 1015941 and Company Registration No. 02773867 (England and Wales). The charitable company operates a hospice in Leeds providing palliative care, treatment or relief of people with active, progressive and advanced illnesses without regard to their means, culture, faith or belief. A summary of its results for the year is shown below. Audited accounts will be filed with both the Registrar of Companies and the Charity Commission.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 70

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

21 St Gemma’s Hospice (continued)

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Designated Restricted Total funds
funds funds funds 2025
£ £ £ £
Income:
Donations, legacies and trusts 3,667,401 — 99,149 3,766,550
Other trading activities 5,940,900 — — 5,940,900
Investment income 401,179 — — 401,179
Charitable activities 5,337,479 — 226,376 5,563,855
Total income 15,346,959 — 325,525 15,672,484
Expenditure:
Cost of raising funds 5,522,476 — — 5,522,476
Charitable activities 9,816,996 845,813 63,892 10,726,701
Total expenditure 15,339,472 845,813 63,892 16,249,177
Gains on investments 10,958 — — 10,958
Net income (expenditure) before
transfers 18,445 (845,813) 261,633 (565,735)
Transfers between funds (339,155) 620,462 (281,307) —
Net movement in funds (320,710) (225,351) (19,674) (565,735)
Reconciliation of funds
Fund balances at 1 April 2024 8,806,125 5,921,053 134,543 14,861,721
Fund balances at 31 March 2025 8,485,415 5,695,702 114,869 14,295,986
----- End of picture text -----

22 St Gemma’s Hospice Services Limited

St Gemma’s Hospice has a wholly owned subsidiary, St Gemma’s Hospice Services Limited, a company incorporated in the United Kingdom and registered in England and Wales Company No. 03739423. The company undertakes trading activities including the sale of goods and the provision of room hire. A summary of its trading results for the year is shown below, the company donates its taxable profit to St Gemma’s Hospice under Gift Aid. Audited accounts will be filed with the Registrar of Companies.

2025
£		 2024
£
Profit and loss account
Turnover
Cost of sales
Gross profit
Administrative expenses
Management charge
Operating profit
Amount gift aided to St Gemma’s Hospice
Retained in subsidiary
Aggregate capital and reserves		 65,998
(21,398)		 57,374
(26,173)
44,600
(2,684)
(17,987)		 31,201
(2,624)
(25,450)
23,929
(23,929)		 3,127
(3,127)
— —
2 2

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 71

Notes to the accounts 31 March 2025

23 Ultimate control

The Charity, which is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, was controlled throughout the period by St Paul’s Province of the Sisters of the Cross and the Passion by virtue of the fact that the members of the Congregation appoint the Trustees. The Province does not hold any assets, incur liabilities or enter into any transactions in its own right.

24 Related parties

During the year ended 31 March 2025, the charity made donations amounting to £11,300 (2024 – £140,000) to the Sisters of the Cross and Passion Charitable Trust (the predecessor charity) to cover legal fees, insurance premia, utility bills and security costs relating to St Gabriel’s Hall and the Imani Centre. These properties were sold by the predecessor charity during 2024, resulting in a donation of the proceeds of £9,750,000 from the predecessor charity to the Charity.

In addition, a further donation of £nil (2024 – £70,000) was made to the Charity by the predecessor charity to support its cashflow.

Other than the transactions detailed above and in notes 9 and 10, there are no related party transactions that require disclosure (2024 – none).

As members of the Congregation, none of the trustees have resources of their own as all earnings, pensions and other income have been donated to the charity under a Gift Aid compliant Deed of Covenant. During the year, the total amount donated by the trustees to the charity was £56,783 (2024 – £64,861).

25 Taxation

The Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO and St Gemma’s Hospice are both registered charities and, therefore, they are not liable to income tax or corporation tax on income or gains derived from their charitable activities, as they fall within the various exemptions available to registered charities.

The trading subsidiary of St Gemma’s Hospice is liable to corporation tax on its taxable profits. Current tax, including UK corporation tax and foreign tax, is provided at amounts expected to be paid (or recovered) using the tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the balance sheet date. No tax was payable during the year (2024 – £nil)

26 Liability of members

If the CIO is wound up, the member of the CIO has no liability to contribute to its assets and has no personal responsibility for settling its debts and liabilities.

Sisters of the Cross and Passion CIO 72