**Charity Registration No. 1185491**
St Matthias Church 360c Ditchling Road Brighton East Sussex BN1 6JG
**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**
**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION**
|**Trustees**|Larry Dean Anderson|
|---|---|
||Andrew Peter Denham Auld (Treasurer)|
||Laura Batten|
||Sarah-Jane Buys|
||Amelia Louise Chant|
||Timothy Mark Hugo Palmer Fry|
||Caroline Rachel Palmer Fry|
||Dr Katherine Jennifer Gardner|
||Jonathan Hugh Green|
||Quin Delport|
||Rev Thomas James Holbird (Chairman and Vicar)|
||Rachel Holland|
||David Benjamin Jones|
||Isaac Watson|
||Christopher Adrian Lomas|
||Rev Dr Katherine Sarah Middleton|
||Susan Elizabeth Middleton|
||Nicola Ruth Probert|
||Christine Richardson|
||Isaac James Athanasius Watson|
|**Charity number**|1185491|
|**Principal Address**|St Matthias Church Office|
||360c Ditchling Road|
||Brighton|
||BN1 6JG|
|**Independent Examiner**|TC Group|
||The Courtyard|
||Shoreham Road|
||Upper Beeding|
||Steyning|
||West Sussex|
||BN44 3TN|
|**Bankers**|HSBC Bank plc|
||153 North Street|
||Brighton|
||BN1 1RE|
## **THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON CONTENTS**
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Page
Trustees' report 1 - 16
Independent examiner’s report 17
Statement of financial activities 18
Balance sheet 19
Notes to the accounts 20 - 27
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**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON TRUSTEES' REPORT**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
The trustees present their report and accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024.
The accounts comply with the Charities Act 2011, the charity’s Trust Deed and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) (effective 1 January 2019).
## **Status**
The PCC is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC is registered with the Charity Commission. Our Charity Commission number is 1185491.
These are our fifth accounts as a registered charity and cover the year to 31 December 2024.
The PCC members who served during the year were:
Larry Dean Anderson Andrew Peter Denham Auld (Treasurer) Laura Batten Sarah-Jane Buys Amelia Louise Chant Timothy Mark Hugo Palmer Fry Caroline Rachel Palmer Fry Dr Katherine Jennifer Gardner Jonathan Hugh Green Rev’d Thomas James Holbird (Chairman and Vicar) Rachel Holland David Benjamin Jones (Secretary) Lai Lai Lam – resigned September 2024 Christopher Adrian Lomas Rev’d Dr Katherine Sarah Middleton Susan Elizabeth Middleton Nicola Ruth Probert David Shaun Jonnes – resigned September 2024 Christine Richardson – appointed April 2024 Isaac James Athanasius Watson – appointed April 2024 Quin Delport
All staff undergo a formal recruiting and selection process, followed by an induction period that includes any training considered necessary to effectively perform their role. Volunteers and trustees’ follow the recruitment and selection process in line with our Safer Recruitment Safeguarding policy and they receive necessary induction and training for their specific roles.
## **Aims and Organisation**
The aim of the PCC is the promotion in the Ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the church.
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**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
## **Overview of Church Activities: 2024**
2024 has been a fruitful year at St Matthias and St Richard’s. We have seen our youth ministries at both churches grow with some very encouraging stories of young people coming to faith and being baptised. St Matthias launched a new focus on spiritual formation aligned with a newly articulated vision to see our community transformed by the goodness of God. This has led to deeper engagement with ways in which we are seeking to practice the way of Jesus in our own contexts. The St Matthias Play Café has continued to enable the church to be a hub for community throughout the week. St Matthias also launched Livewell community events with panel speakers on topics including anxiety and burnout.
St Richard’s has invested in training and deploying leaders, especially many young adults. Sundays at St Richard’s continue to grow across all of the age groups. The Hollingdean and Fiveways Foodbank has had real success in supporting those in food crises with the underlying causes, thereby enabling many Foodbank guests to move beyond emergency food provision by getting the support that they need from other agencies and services.
2024 has been a healthy year financially as we have seen giving increase to offset the reduction in SDF grant funding, and we were able to meet our Parish Share pledge.
This report gives a summary of our activities as a church throughout 2024.
## **St Matthias**
## **Kids Church**
In 2024, Kids Church have covered a ranged of teaching series, from unpacking the concept of the Trinity, to looking at the parables told by Jesus and exploring key events from the life of King David. We have also run a number of outreach events which have invited the local community into St Matthias, giving opportunities both to hear about God and be invited to other church events. Downs Y3s and Balfour Y2s have visited the church within their RE curriculums, where they were able to explore the building, hear a story about Jesus and encounter God through worship music. Our School Discos have been valuable opportunities to serve our local primary schools financially and extend either Christmas or Easter invites to families who we might not have reached otherwise.
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**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
## **Groups**
We have 9 groups, which meet across a variety of venues and times/days. Most are in person, although one continues to meet on Zoom for those who find getting out in evenings difficult. We have also launched a daytime group as some people find this a better time of day to connect. Around 100 people from the congregation connect with groups regularly, with many others in indirect contact via social media or message group spaces.
Our groups offer people the opportunity to explore topics discussed in our talks in greater depth as well as providing additional information and teaching. They are also spaces where people can get to know and build relationship with a smaller group of people who might not be those they would necessarily come into contact with otherwise. This becomes more and more valuable as the church grows and people really benefit from those smaller groups where they can feel truly known. Whilst some groups attract people in a similar stage of life most therefore bring together people of different ages and life stages. Groups are therefore also an important space for pastoral care through the deeper connections people can form, and actively offer first line support to those in challenging life stages e.g. after the birth of a baby or illness.
## **Alpha**
We hosted two Alpha courses at St Matthias – one in the morning and one in the evening. Although these courses were small, each course was attended by people who are exploring faith, and the feedback from each course was very positive.
## **Play Café**
2024 has been an exciting year for Play café. In January we employed a new Play café coordinator (Laura). We sold 8926 items to play café guests, and our total sales were £46,277.95.
We held 2 new events, an end of term summer party which brought extra income during the summer when we are generally quieter. Our toddler Christmas carol event saw 450 guests through the door and an extra £300 in café income.
In 2025 we are going to run toddler carols on more than one day to make sure as many people can attend as possible. We will also be holding 2 extra termtime events this year.
We ran one Alpha in the autumn term. We had 4 guests attend. 2 of the guests who didn’t consider themselves Christians before the course now do and one guest is being baptized on Easter Sunday at St Peters.
The dramatic rise in the cost of living and the employer costs of moving the staff over to PAYE left us with £6,930.81 loss. To address this, we are running extra events and also having conversations with guests about the structure and vision of the play café, which is making them more aware of the options to donate.
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**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
We have made networking connections with pro baristas, which has seen them signpost volunteers to us, which has been a great asset to our team.
## **Youth**
Over the last year, we have continued to run Youth Café, enabling us to keep building relationships with local teenagers who otherwise do not interact with St Matthias and present church as a safe and welcoming space, regardless of their beliefs. After the success of running Alpha Youth in January 2024, consistently attended by about 15 Youth Café youth, we have been preparing to run the Alpha Youth re-launch in January 2025. Friday Youth Club has developed into a valuable small-group space for the young people in our worshipping community to grow in relationship with each other, as well as a place to look more closely at the Bible and see how its teaching relates to their own lives. Collaborating with our Family of Churches has also provided excellent opportunities for our Youth Club to interact with young people from across the city, experience youth-led worship, and hear Bible teaching from other youth leaders. Our Sunday Youth has witnessed an exciting growth in the second half of the year, with attendance consistently sitting around 15-20 young people, necessitating a split into Younger Youth and Older Youth sessions. Two Older Youth girls without any Christian background have been attending consistently on Sundays, become Christians, and have started preparing for baptism in the coming year.
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**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
## **Dadventure**
Dadventure was run every month during term time throughout 2024. At Dadventure dads get together to enjoy the outdoors with their children while getting to know other dads and their kids. Dadventure has two functions. Firstly, it is a community building exercise for dads and kids joining St Matthias. Secondly, it’s a chance for us to create a little bit of God’s kingdom into which we can invite dads and kids from our wider community. Dadventure continues to perform both functions and is constantly growing. We now have 82 dads in the Whatsapp group. Including the children, we have around 240 members! On average we have between 30 and 40 attendees every month. The Dadventure team also run periodic socials. These are a chance for dads to get to know each other better without the kids. These often involve a walk, a barbeque and a bottle of beer.
## **TOTS**
TOTs is a group aimed at the older, retired members of our congregation. We meet in the church hall, once a week, on a Friday morning, between 10 am to 12. We use this time to have fun and support each other. Each session includes a variety of activities (for example: indoor bowls, sit down football, indoor games, sit down keep fit, bingo, talks, where possible singing, making decorations for Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, Remembrance Sunday). We also use a variety of quizzes to keep our minds active. However, throughout these sessions we also look to support each other, so lots of chat and a cuppa, support through the good and difficult, more challenging times. As well as our regular Friday sessions we also try to organise occasional trips (for example: visiting the Bowls club for a lovely lunch, the Theatre Royal to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory followed by a lovely meal; hopefully more to follow). This group is an important part of our church’s community outreach. Although small in number we seek to support all of faith or no faith, so they all know that we are here for them but also rejoice when a member of our group find their way back to regular church attendance.
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## **THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
## **Events and Special Services**
The church connects with hundreds of people who do not come to Sunday services, through a variety of events including our play café, on weekdays in term time, social events such as quiz nights, our primary school discos and events recognising key moments in the liturgical year. All are well attended, often stretching the capacity of the space to its limit.
Easter combines traditional services, held during the daytime, with celebration or special events. Our Good Friday service took the form of a tenebre reflection, with music and space for personal prayer. Easter Sunday was a time of celebration with a family garden party, petting zoo and hot cross buns followed by an informal service.
Likewise, Christmas combines the fun and informal with traditional spaces. This year we added a toddler carol service, with age-appropriate songs, and the retelling of the nativity story to build our nativity scene. It was very popular with over 400 guests, many of whom also stayed to meet Father Christmas afterwards and receive a free Christmas gift. Our Christmas Carol service combined traditional hymns with creative approaches and local performers sharing monologues written by a local author to offer a new perspective on this well told story. We were honoured to host an original art installation from local artis Rachael Nicholson, standing tall and proud in the Chancel and representing the incarnation; God's love reaching down from heaven to bring beauty out of human chaos and mess. The traditional nativity services on Christmas eve continued to be very busy, as our own children retold their own version of the nativity story, with live music and a visit from a donkey. And on Christmas day we gathered for an informal communion service blending family fun with the Christmas message of hope and love.
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**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
A new event in 2024 was Livewell, a community space designed to help people think about challenges of 21st century life and think about how we live well - with tips for health and wellbeing. Topics have covered both our own wellbeing (eg Burnout) and that of our children. These events are not faith focused but bring together local experts who share their own professional or personal experience. Recordings are also shared on our podcast.
And of course, the highlight of our year is the chance to enjoy the warmer weather in the summer, with a service and lunch on the beach, summer socials before Sunday services and our annual trip to Focus, joining people from St Richards and the other HtB network churches at the Newark Showground to eat together, chat and have fun and attend events for worship and teaching together.
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## **THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
## **St Richard’s**
Over the past year, St Richard’s has continued to grow in depth, breadth, and impact. Our vision remains to be a welcoming, mission-focused church at the heart of Hollingdean, committed to hospitality, discipleship, and community transformation. We have seen significant growth in our congregation, deepened relationships in our community, and strengthened our ministries to serve those in need. Here are some highlights of key areas of ministry and development from the past year.
We give thanks for all that God has done this year and look forward to what He has in store for St Richard’s in 2025!
“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.” – Psalm 127:1
## _Sunday Gatherings & Worship:_
Cafe Church on Sunday mornings has flourished, with regular attendance now exceeding 100 people, including approximately 25 children and young people. The informal and welcoming format beginning with breakfast and followed by worship, prayer, and teaching continues to resonate with our congregation. We have also seen an increase in those engaging in prayer and Bible study beyond Sundays.
In addition to our weekly gatherings, we had the joy of celebrating two Thanksgiving services in 2024, marking special moments for families within our community to give thanks for their children and dedicate them to God. These services were wonderful opportunities to welcome extended family and friends, many of whom do not typically attend church, and to share the love of Jesus with them.
We also held a Baptism service for one of our young people where we gathered as a church family to celebrate them publicly declaring their faith in Jesus. It was an incredibly moving service, filled with testimonies of transformation and God’s faithfulness.
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## **THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
_Prayer Garden:_
In June 2024, folks from St Richard’s and the local community joined together to bring the St Richard’s Community Prayer Garden to life. At its centre sits a beautifully crafted bench, lovingly built by a local carpenter, inviting anyone who passes by to pause, breathe, and find stillness. We hope that this garden becomes a little oasis in the heart of Hollingdean—a place for prayer and moments of quiet.
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## **THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
_Focus:_
We took 40 of our St Richard’s family to Focus last year and it was an incredible time away! It was so valuable to be camping together with St Matthias and this provided ample opportunities for people to connect, share meals and have fun together. One of the highlights for us was time around the campfire in the evenings with songs, stories and marshmallows. But best of all, we celebrated news of two of our young people becoming Christians during the worship sessions in the youth venue!
## _Play Café:_
The Play Café continues to be a beautiful connection point for our community, welcoming between 40 and 50 parents and carers each week.
We run the Play Café because we love Hollingdean and want everyone to feel valued and at home at St Richard’s. But beyond offering a welcoming space and affordable cake, our deepest hope is that those who come find something far greater - belonging, love, and the presence of God.
One of the first mums to join us when we opened recently said her goodbyes, as her child, who has severe special needs, has now outgrown the group and is starting school. She left us a heartfelt card, sharing that she wouldn’t have made it through the last three years without the love, friendship, consistency - and, of course, the cake, that the Play Café provided.
Recently, a single mum from Morocco, living in a safe house after escaping an abusive relationship, found her way to us. We were able to connect her with the Support Café and Foodbank, and now she and her little boy come every week, finding safety, encouragement, and a space where they can relax and feel at home.
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## **THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
Many of our Play Café families join us for special events, including the Christmas Community Fair. Some were deeply moved by the Live Nativity, while one parent, who stayed for Carols around the fire, later shared how profound and significant it was to experience that moment of warmth and togetherness.
These stories are glimpses of God’s presence at work—small but powerful moments where the beauty, love, peace, and hope of His kingdom touch the people of Hollingdean. We long to see even more of this unfold in the year ahead.
## _Discipleship:_
At St Richard’s, discipleship groups have been a key part of helping our community grow deeper in faith. Over the past year, we have been journeying through the Practicing the Way course, which has been well received, offering a clear and practical pathway for developing spiritual rhythms and practices. More than 30 members have committed to the course, engaging with it not just as a study but as a way of shaping their daily lives around Jesus. These groups have created space for meaningful conversation, accountability, and spiritual growth, strengthening our church community as we follow Jesus together.
## _Studio:_
The Studio serves a very diverse group of women of all ages, social classes, ethnicities, and beliefs. What started as a sewing group has grown to provide other crafts like knitting, cross stitching, crocheting, nail painting, colouring by numbers, tiling, jewellery making, glass painting and sometimes just drinking tea and eating cake.
A group of up to 17 women will join us every week for connection, support and community. Many of these women live alone and it is beautiful to see how they care for and look after each other.
Other ministries at St Richard’s are made possible because some of these women volunteer to serve our community. We have amazing conversations about life and faith and in between every stitch we feel the Spirit is weaving something unique.
They join Community Meals, Christmas Fair, Carol Services, Quiz Nights, etc. They may still be making their minds up about Jesus, but they love His Kingdom and its values.
One of them lost a son during Christmas 18 years ago. This Christmas she came to our Christmas Dinner at St Richard’s, and it was the first time she was able to celebrate Christmas with other people since the death of her son. Till that
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## **THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
moment, Christmas only meant a time of isolation and mourning. She shared that it felt like she celebrated Christmas with family and that she felt very loved and had a deep sense of belonging.
## _Youth Ministry:_
Youth work at St Richard's has slimmed down a little this year but has been more fruitful than ever. Rich Fridays, our Friday night youth club has continued to thrive, attended each week by 15-20 people, most of whom aren't from churchattending families. The sense of community and family is building all the time at Rich Fridays, as we play games, eat food around a table together and hear a short thought about the Christian faith. One highlight was our Rich Friday sleepover in November, which was a brilliant opportunity to connect more deeply with our youth. Another was Shift, a youth service we ran jointly with St Matthias, where 40 (mostly unchurched) youth came for games, worship and reflection.
Focus was also a real highlight for youth. Around 8 young people came along, and some were seriously impacted by the sense of community and the Youth sessions. Two previously unchurched young people committed to following Jesus, and another has been coming to church on Sundays regularly since. This has had a lovely impact on our Sunday Youth sessions, which are often a healthy mix of young people with and without a church background.
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## **THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
## _Kids Ministry:_
2024 was a busy year for kids. We had 2 families join our church, adding 9 children between them! It has been great to see our group grow - so much so that we swapped cabins with youth to give us more space. We continued with our bible timeline and so the kids have covered the whole bible up to Jesus death and resurrection with many connected crazy games and crafts along the way. We organised a fun social event with Laserzone, pizza, and games to help our new members settle in and build connections before Focus. It was a great opportunity to bond and get to know each other in a relaxed setting.
## _Foodbank:_
Laurel became the Foodbank Manager in January, and from February to August, she was supported by Zoe Watson as the Foodbank Coordinator. We temporarily closed in January to implement key changes, allowing us to develop St Richard’s Support Café alongside the Foodbank. This pause also provided an opportunity to support individuals who had become reliant on the Foodbank, helping them create a plan to move toward financial independence and sustainable food shopping.
We navigated these changes alongside our volunteer team, and we saw a significant shift over the first few months. There was a major reduction in long-term users and those not in genuine need of emergency support, while more people in our community were able to access the help they truly needed. Along the way, we’ve witnessed countless stories of individuals and families receiving grants, white goods, jobs, homes, and more.
Behind the scenes, we’ve strengthened our volunteer teams and roles, launched an online shop and giving page, and built strong connections with local schools and businesses. We’ve also seen a massive increase in donations, for which we are incredibly grateful.
St Richard’s Foodbank is the only one in Brighton & Hove providing seven days’ worth of emergency food rather than the standard three. We ensure every parcel includes meat or meat alternatives, as well as fresh fruit and vegetables. Recognising our impact, Brighton & Hove City Council’s Emergency Food Network used us as a case study for best practices in the city, and the Council’s new Beyond Foodbanks initiative is now modelling its approach on our ethos and community connections.
## _Christmas 2024:_
We were very excited to try something new last year and hosted the St Richard’s Christmas Fair. St Richard’s Hall was transformed into a market place where local sellers could set up a stall and sell their wares. There was live music and a cafe selling refreshments. Alongside this we were running a live nativity with a full cast characters and even real donkeys! All guests heard the real story of Christmas from angels and shepherds and even got to meet Mary and Joseph. The event cultivated with carols around the fire which was very special indeed!
We also hosted our annual Community Carols, a completely special evening of carols and songs in the round with special performances from some of our very own talented artists!
We hosted our annual Christmas Day lunch again this year and as with previous years, it was a wonderful opportunity to join with many in our community who would otherwise be alone or without a meal on Christmas Day. We sang carols, enjoyed a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, and thanks to the Love Christmas Campaign everyone in the room left with a Christmas gift!
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## **THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
## **Legal and HR**
## **Staff**
There have been some considerable and exciting changes to the staff team. Sarah Johnstone was appointed as Operations Coordinator at St Matthias. Laurel Nathan became our Foodbank Manager. Ruth McCormick was appointed as St Matthias Kids and Youth Pastor as Johnny Hart began ordination training. Sam Hodson also embarked on ordination training and Millie Avard was appointed as Kids and Youth Pastor at St Richard’s. Laura Dicker was appointed as Play Café manager. Richard Merrick ended his curacy and was licensed to Chapel Royal.
## **Risk Assessments**
All events and activities are Risk Assessed, and the PCC is confident that it has reacted appropriately to the risks it encounters. Financial Risk is minimised by robust accounting procedures, and strict procedures for the counting and receipt of monies. We are thankful to our book-keeper Charlie Hammond who left St Matthias at the end of 2024, and has handed this role to Maria Topping, and to Brian Steele for providing extensive support to our finance team.
Fire protection is well maintained and all those who run events are Fire Marshall trained. Our verger regularly reviews the premises for other Health and Safety issues and take appropriate remedial action.
## **Children and Vulnerable Adults Protection and Safeguarding**
The Priest-in-Charge is DBS checked, as are all of our Kids Church Team. The Priest-in-Charge and Kids Church Team have received training on Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment. We have fully complied with the Diocesan Safeguarding measures for children and vulnerable adults including the Simple Quality Protects process. All outside groups that use the premises and involve children must adhere to our Safeguarding Policy.
The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, in relation to having due regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.
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## **THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
## **Financial Review**
Total income for the year was £434,019 (2023: 398,526). Expenditure was £415,391 (2023: £405,743). This resulted in a surplus of £18,628 (2023: deficit of £7,217).
At 31 December 2024 the charity had total reserves of £119,712 (2023: £101,084), made up of unrestricted funds of £74,491 (2023: £52,766) and restricted funds of £45,221 (2023: £48,318).
## **Reserves Policy**
The charity’s reserves policy is to hold positive free reserves and a minimum cash balance totalling at least 3 month’s staff costs in order to ensure the charity is able to meet its ongoing operational needs. The charity held positive free reserves and a cash balance of £91,706 at the year end. This is in excess of the minimum policy requirements.
## **Public Benefit**
In shaping our objectives and planning our activities for the year, the trustees have given consideration to the duties set out in section 17(5) of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to public benefit and to the Charity Commission Guidance on public benefit. In particular, the trustees have considered how the planned activities will contribute to overall aims and objectives that they have set.
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**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
## **Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the accounts**
The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the accounts in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
The law 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 of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charity for that year.
In preparing these accounts, the trustees are required to:
-
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and
- prepare the accounts on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate 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. 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.
21/10/25
Approved by the board on ………………………………..
On behalf of the board of trustees
**Thomas Holbird Chairman**
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## **THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT**
## **TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON**
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the year ended 31 December 2024.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the charity’s trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
## **Independent examiner's statement**
The charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 and I am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
- the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
- the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
## **Mark Cummins FCCA FCIE**
On behalf of TC Group Office: Steyning, West Sussex
Dated:
17
**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
|||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**funds**|**funds**|**2024**|2023|
|**Income from:**|**Note**|**£**|**£**|**£**|£|
|Donations|**3**|**303,301**|**31,742**|**335,043**|280,278|
|Other trading activities|**4**|**97,899**|**-**|**97,899**|117,590|
|Investment income|**5**|**1,077**|**-**|**1,077**|658|
|||**`────────`**|**`────────`**|`────────`|`───────`|
|**Total income**||**402,277**|**31,742**|**434,019**|398,526|
|||**`────────`**|**`────────`**|`────────`|`───────`|
|**Expenditure on:**||||||
|Charitable activities||**379,762**|**35,629**|**415,391**|405,743|
|||**`────────`**|`────────`|`────────`|`───────`|
|**Total expenditure**|**6**|**379,762**|**35,629**|**415,391**|405,743|
|||**`────────`**|`────────`|`────────`|`───────`|
|**Fund transfers**|**14**|**(790)**|**790**|**-**|-|
|||**`────────`**|`────────`|`────────`|`───────`|
|**Net income and net movement**|**in**|||||
|**funds for the year**||**21,725**|**(3,097)**|**18,628**|(7,217)|
|**Reconciliation of funds**||||||
|Total funds brought forward||**52,766**|**48,318**|**101,084**|108,301|
|||**`────────`**|**`────────`**|`────────`|`───────`|
|**Total funds carried forward **|**15**|**74,491**|**45,221**|**119,712**|101,084|
|||`════════`|`════════`|`════════`|`═══════`|
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the period. All income and expenditure derives from continuing activities.
18
## **THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON BALANCE SHEET**
## _**AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
|||**2024**||2023||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Notes**|£|£|£|£|
|**Fixed assets**|**11**||**28,814**||25,663|
|**Current assets**||||||
|Debtors|**12**|**8,969**||17,453||
|Cash at bank and in hand||**91,706**||70,435||
|||`────────`||`────────`||
|||**100,675**||87,888||
|**Creditors: amounts falling due**||||||
|**within one year**|**13**|**(9,777)**||(12,467)||
|||`────────`||`────────`||
|**Net current assets**|||**90,898**||75,421|
||||`───────`||`────────`|
|**Net assets**|||**119,712**||101,084|
||||`═══════`||`════════`|
|**The funds of the charity:**||||||
|Restricted funds|**14**||**45,221**||48,318|
|Unrestricted funds|**15**||**74,491**||52,766|
||||`───────`||`────────`|
||||**119,712**||101,084|
||||`═══════`||`════════`|
The accounts were approved by the Board of Trustees on .....
......... .....................
## **Thomas Holbird Chairman**
## **Charity Registration No. 1185491**
19
**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
## **1 Legal status of charitable company**
The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Matthias, Brighton is a charity. The charity’s registered number and office address can be found on the Legal and Administrative Information page.
## **2 Accounting policies**
## **2.1 Basis of preparation**
The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Matthias, Brighton meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).
The financial statements 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 UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) and in accordance with Church Accounting Regulations 2006.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest pound.
## **2.2 Going concern**
After making appropriate enquiries, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. There are no material uncertainties about The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Matthias, Brighton ability to continue as a going concern.
## **2.3 Income**
All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is legally entitled to the income, it is probable the income will be received and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.
Donations and other forms of voluntary income are recognised as income when receivable, except insofar as they are incapable of financial measurement.
Income from charitable activities comprises grants awarded for activities undertaken by the charity's project partners. Grants are credited to the Statement of Financial Activities in the year in which they are receivable unless a grant is subject to donor imposed conditions that specify the time period in which the expenditure of the resources can take place; in which case they are deferred.
## **2.4 Expenditure and basis of apportioning costs**
Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis with the irrecoverable element of VAT included with the item to which it relates and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category.
Charitable activities comprises all expenditure directly relating to the objectives of the charity.
Governance costs (included within Support costs) comprises all costs associated with constitutional and statutory requirements with which the charity must comply.
Depreciation relates to fixtures and fittings depreciation, being written off over 15 years straight line.
20
**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
## **2 Accounting Policies (continued)**
## **2.5 Debtors**
Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.
## **2.6 Cash at bank and in hand**
Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments. The trustees seek to use short term deposits to maximise the return on monies held at the bank and to manage cash flow.
## **2.7 Creditors and provisions**
Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in a transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably.
## **2.8 Fund Accounting**
Unrestricted funds are to be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the Trustees.
Restricted funds are to be used for particular restricted purposes within the objectives of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
## **2.9 Judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty**
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised.
The trustees do not consider that there are any critical estimates or areas of judgement that need to be brought to the attention of the readers of the financial statements.
## **2.10 Cash flow statement**
In accordance with Section 7 of FRS 102 the charity is claiming exemption from the requirement to prepare a cash flow statement on account of its size.
21
**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
## **3 Income from donations**
|||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**funds**|**funds**|**2024**|2023|
|||**£**|**£**|**£**|£|
||Planned giving|151,139|17,186|**168,325**|151,359|
||Collections|1,196|-|**1,196**|532|
||Appeals and donations|90,730|-|**90,730**|43,655|
||Foodbank|2,943|14,556|**17,499**|56,534|
||Gift Aid tax reclaimed|57,293|-|**57,293**|28,198|
|||`────────`|`────────`|**`────────`**|`───────`|
||Total income from donations|303,301|31,742|**335,043**|280,278|
|||`════════`|`════════`|**`════════`**|`═══════`|
|**4**|**Income from other trading activities**|||||
|||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|Total|
|||**funds**|**funds**|**2024**|2023|
|||**£**|**£**|**£**|£|
||SDF salaries|14,364|-|**14,364**|34,031|
||St Matthias hall revenue|19,915|-|**19,915**|21,847|
||St Richards hall revenue|5,143|-|**5,143**|958|
||Snooker club|694|-|**694**|1,408|
||Weddings and funerals|1,937|-|**1,937**|1,418|
||Other events|50,160|-|**50,160**|51,553|
||Capex SDF|5,686|-|**5,686**|6,375|
|||`────────`|`───────`|**`──────`**|`──────`|
||Total income from other trading activities|97,899|-|**97,899**|117,590|
|||`════════`|`═══════`|**`══════`**|`══════`|
|**5**|**Investment income**|||||
|||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|Total|
|||**funds**|**funds**|**2024**|2023|
|||**£**|**£**|**£**|£|
||Interest receivable|1,077|-|**1,077**|658|
|||`────────`|`───────`|**`──────`**|**`──────`**|
||Total investment income|1,077|-|**1,077**|658|
|||`════════`|`═══════`|**`══════`**|**`══════`**|
22
**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
## **6 Total expenditure**
|**Total expenditure**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Staff**|**Depreciation**|**Other**|**Total**|Total|
||**costs**|**costs**|**costs**|**2024**|2023|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|£|
|**Expenditure on charitable activities**||||||
|Activities undertaken directly|141,218|2,820|191,821|**335,859**|321,860|
|Support costs|-|-|79,532|**79,532**|83,883|
||**`──────`**|`────────`|`───────`|**`──────`**|`───────`|
|Total charitable activities|141,218|2,820|271,353|**415,391**|405,743|
||`─────`|`────────`|`───────`|`──────`|`───────`|
|**Analysis of support costs (including Governance costs)**||||**Total**|Total|
|||||**2024**|2023|
|||||**£**|£|
|General office and administration||||**76,532**|81,183|
|Governance costs:||||||
|Independent examiners fees||||**3,000**|2,700|
|||||**`───────`**|`───────`|
|||||**79,532**|83,883|
|||||`════════`|`════════`|
Activities undertaken directly includes £60,000 (2023: £35,000) payable for Parish Ministry Costs (PMC).
## **7 Comparative Funds – Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2023**
||Unrestricted|Restricted|Total|
|---|---|---|---|
||funds|funds|2023|
|**Income from:**|£|£|£|
|Donations|224,434|55,844|280,278|
|Other trading activities|83,559|34,031|117,590|
|Investment income|658|-|658|
||`────────`|`────────`|`────────`|
|**Total income**|308,651|89,875|398,526|
||`────────`|`────────`|`────────`|
|**Expenditure on:**||||
|Charitable activities|323,872|81,871|405,743|
||`────────`|`────────`|`────────`|
|**Total expenditure**|323,872|81,871|405,743|
||`────────`|`────────`|`────────`|
|**Net income/(expenditure)**|(15,221)|8,004|(7,217)|
||`────────`|`────────`|`────────`|
|**Reconciliation of funds**||||
|Total funds brought forward|67,987|40,314|108,301|
||`────────`|`────────`|`────────`|
|**Fund balances carried forward**|52,766|48,318|101,084|
||`════════`|`════════`|`════════`|
23
**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
## **8 Trustees**
Members of the PCC receiving remuneration directly from the charity in 2024 included Millie Chant £6,661 (2023: £nil), Flo Sparham received £nil (2023: £5,613).
Helena Lomas received £7,798 (2023: £11,380), Clark Buys £5,544 (2023: £nil), Caroline Palmer-Fry £nil (2023: £40) and Millie Chant £2,398 (2023: £6,385) in a self-employed capacity.
## **9 Employees**
## **Number of employees**
The average monthly number of employees during the period was 10 (2023: 8).
|**Employment costs**|**2024**|2023|
|---|---|---|
||**£**|£|
|Wages and salaries including social security costs|**141,218**|123,944|
||`───────`|`───────`|
||**141,218**|123,944|
||`═══════`|`═══════`|
No employee earned greater than £60,000.
## **10 Taxation**
As a charity, The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Matthias, Brighton is exempt from tax on income and gains to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.
## **11 Fixed Assets**
|**Cost**
**At 1 January 2024**
Additions
**Cost at 31 December 2024**
**Depreciation**
At 1 January 2024
Charge for the year
**At 31 December 2024**
**Net book value**
**At 31 December 2024**
At 31 December 2023|**Total**
**Fixtures and**
**Fittings**
**£**
38,750
5,971|
|---|---|
||**44,721**
13,087
2,820|
||**15,907**
**28,814**
25,663|
24
**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
|**12**|**Debtors**|**2024**|2023|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**£**|£|
||Gift Aid|**-**|5,337|
||Trade Debtors|**3,215**|4,069|
||Other debtors|**489**|8,047|
||Prepayments and accrued income|**5,265**|-|
|||`───────`|`───────`|
|||**8,969**|17,453|
|||`═══════`|`═══════`|
|**13**|**Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**|**2024**|2023|
|||**£**|£|
||Trade Creditors|**6,501**|3,777|
||St Peters|**482**|1,020|
||Accruals and deferred income|**2,794**|7,670|
|||`───────`|`───────`|
|||**9,777**|12,467|
|||`═══════`|`═══════`|
25
**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
## **14 Restricted funds**
The income funds of the charity include restricted funds comprising the following unexpended balances of donations and grants held for specific purposes:
|||**Movement in funds**|**Movement in funds**|**Movement in funds**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Balance at**||||**Balance at 31**|
||**1 January**|**Incoming**|**Resources**||**December**|
||**2024**|**resources**|**expended**|**Transfers**|**2024**|
|Elderly People Project|1,000|-|-|-|**1,000**|
|Night Shelter|100|-|(100)|-|**-**|
|Youth Work|15,645|12,500|(15,732)|(10,645)|**1,768**|
|SRH Community Garden|2,613|26|(981)|-|**1,658**|
|Church Roof|2,000|-|(2,000)|-|**-**|
|Foodbank General|9,181|7,752|(3,024)|(13,909)|**-**|
|Foodbank Counselling|2,100|-|(1,800)|-|**300**|
|Foodbank Salaries|2,088|4,804|(6,633)|(259)|**-**|
|Foodbank Portacabin|13,591|-|-|(13,591)|**-**|
|Foodbank Van|-|2,000|-|-|**2,000**|
|Kids Work|-|1,200|(1,109)|-|**91**|
|Acts 435|-|3,460|(4,250)|790|-|
|Foodbank Retained Earnings|-|-|-|38,404|**38,404**|
||**`───────`**|`──────`|`───────`|`───────`|
`───────`|
||**48,318**|**31,742**|**(35,629)**|**790**|**45,221**|
||**`═══════`**|`══════`|`═══════`|`═══════`|
`═══════`|
26
**THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MATTHIAS, BRIGHTON NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**_
## **14. Restricted funds (continued)**
**Elderly People Project -** donation for a new support group for elderly people which we plan to start in 2023.
**Night Shelter** – gift towards the St Matthias Night Shelter for those experiencing homelessness. **Youth Work** – grant to enable St Matthias to launch the Youth Café.
`–` **SRH Community Garden** grant to improve the St Richard’s Garden for community use.
**Church Roof –** grant to contribute towards works needed to be carried out on the north chancel roof. **Foodbank General –** grant received towards the church Foodbank for community use.
**Foodbank Counselling** - funding for counselling service at Foodbank.
**Foodbank Salaries** - funding for Foodbank staff salaries.
**Foodbank Van –** funding received for purchase of a Foodbank Van.
**Kids' Work** - funding for children’s work within the church.
**Acts 435 Restricted Fund -** grants received to provide financial help for people in need. **Foodbank Retained Earnings** - Surplus remaining at the year-end of funding restricted to the foodbank.
## **15 Analysis of net assets between funds**
|**Analysis of net assets between funds**||||
|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|
||**funds**|**funds**||
||**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Fund balances at 31 December 2024 are represented by:||||
|Fixed assets|28,814|-|**28,814**|
|Current assets|55,454|45,221|**100,675**|
|Creditors: amounts falling due within one year|(9,777)|-|**(9,777)**|
||`───────`|`───────`|**`───────`**|
||**74,491**|**45,221**|**119,712**|
||`═══════`|`═══════`|**`═══════`**|
|Fund balances at 31 December 2023 are represented by:||||
|Fixed assets|25,663|-|25,663|
|Current assets|39,570|48,318|87,888|
|Creditors: amounts falling due within one year|(12,467)|-|(12,467)|
||`───────`|`───────`|`───────`|
||52,766|48,318|101,084|
||`═══════`|`═══════`|`═══════`|
## **16 Ultimate controlling party**
The charity was under the control of the PCC Members (trustees) during the period under review.
27