Bromley Relief in Need CIO
Trustees’ Annual Report
For the period from 1st January 2025 to 31st December 2025
Charity registration number: 1185879
Introduction
Bromley Relief in Need (BRiN) continues to provide assistance to people experiencing poverty and hardship within Bromley. The charity was founded in 1631, when the Bishop of Rochester made a donation for the benefit of the poor of Bromley Parish Church. Its work now extends across the whole of the London Borough of Bromley, rather than being limited to the parish boundaries of Ss. Peter and Paul, Bromley. The charity’s heritage remains an important part of its identity, reflected in the continuing role of the Vicar of Bromley Parish Church as Chair of Trustees.
Trustees report for the period ending 31st December 2025
The charity’s objectives are as follows:
To provide relief, either generally or individually, to persons resident in the London Borough of Bromley who are in conditions of need, hardship or distress.
We seek to meet this objective by funding essential household items, including cookers, fridgefreezers, washing machines, beds, mattresses and second-hand furniture. To ensure that support is directed to those with genuine need, applications are accepted only through professional third-party sponsors, such as social workers, healthcare professionals, religious leaders or other charities.
During 2025, we received 127 (112) applications for support, of which 119 were valid. Four applications were self-referrals, which the charity does not accept, and five related to people living outside the London Borough of Bromley and were therefore ineligible for support. Of the valid applications, 73 (68) were assessed as demonstrating sufficient need to warrant assistance from the charity. In some cases, applicants were referred to other charities considered more appropriate to their circumstances. We also continued our partnership with Beckenham Parochial Charity, referring cases that fell within its area of work where appropriate. Figures in brackets are numbers for last year.
The most commonly funded items during the year were mattresses, washing machines and beds, reflecting the continuing need for basic household goods among applicants.
Trustees
The trustees met four times in person during 2025 and maintained regular communication by email to ensure that applications could be considered promptly. Each decision was discussed by a majority of trustees. The trustees retain overall control of the charity and responsibility for policy and major decision-making. They are unpaid and make no expense claims. The charity has no employees or volunteers, and its only overheads are bank service charges of £10. The trustees believe that these arrangements help ensure that the charity operates for the public benefit and in accordance with Charity Commission guidance.
The trustees serving as at 31st December 2025 were:
Jessica Arnold
Peter Ayres
Jane Cleveland
Simon Jeal
James Harratt (Chair and ex-officio trustee)
Keith Nye
Edwin Leslie Tree
Financial
In recent years, the charity’s income has rarely met expenditure. However, 2023 was an exceptional year, with donations reaching a level not seen in recent memory, the majority of which came from churches and their members. This level of income was not sustained in subsequent years, during which the charity experienced both a sharp fall in income and an increase in demand for support.
| Year | Income | Expenditure | Net diference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | £11,005 | £16,382 | -£5,377 |
| 2024 | £7,513 | £12,387 | -£4,874 |
| 2023 | £16,368 | £9,738 | £6,630 |
Figures in brackets are numbers for last year.
The accounts have been prepared by Edwin Tree, a trustee of the charity, and have been independently verified. They have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis.
Signed on 16[th] July 2026
By
James Harratt (chair of Trustees)
Signed on 24[th] July 2026
By
Edwin Tree (Treasurer and Trustee)
BROMLEY RELIEF IN NEED reg: 1185879 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES 1st January 2025 to 31st December 2025
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis.
| INCOMING RESOURCES | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Investment Income COIF | 1525.05 | 1485 |
| Investment Income M&G | 1159.48 | 1291.01 |
| Investment income Bath Bond | 50 | 50 |
| Donations | 7,396.00 | 3300 |
| Bank interest | 0 | 8.18 |
| HMRC Gift Aid | 875.00 | 1378.68 |
| Total incoming | 11005.53 | 7512.87 |
| RESOURCES EXPENDED | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Grants | 15651.94 | 12377 |
| Investment COIF | 0 | 0 |
| Bank Charge | 10 | 10 |
| Total Outgoing | 15661.94 | 12387 |
| NET INCOMING | -4656.41 | -4874.13 |
| BROMLEY RELIEF IN NEED reg: 1185879 BALANCE SHEET AT YEAR END |
BROMLEY RELIEF IN NEED reg: 1185879 BALANCE SHEET AT YEAR END |
BROMLEY RELIEF IN NEED reg: 1185879 BALANCE SHEET AT YEAR END |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| FIXED ASSETS | 31/12/2025 | 31/12/2024 | 31/12/2023 |
| Investments | 17,190.89 | 17,190.89 | 17,190.89 |
| CURRENT ASSETS | |||
| Cash at bank | 2219.94 | 6876.35 | 11750.48 |
| Total Assets | 19,410.83 | 24,067.24 | 28,941.37 |
| Change in assets | -4,656.41 |
Book value of shares
| Book value of shares | Book value of shares | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of shares* | 20251231 | 20241231 | ||
| 7703.612 | Charibonds shares | 8833.82 | 8833.82 | |
| 1015 | Charifund Units | 2343.99 | 2343.99 | |
| 1 | Bath sola bond | 1000 | 1000 | |
| 2688.28 | COIF shares | 5013.08 | 5013.08 | |
| Total Investments | 17190.89 | 17190.89 |