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2026-03-31-accounts

Annual Report and Accounts for Period Ending 31[st] March 2026

The Olive Branch (Faith in Action) Registered Charity No: 1186017

Harpers Mill, White Cross Estate, Lancaster, LA1 4XQ Tel: 01524 555715 Email : info@the-olivebranch.org.uk website: www.the-olivebranch.org.uk

Contents Page
The Purposes of the Charity 2
Structure, Governance and Management 2
Volunteers and Community Support 4
Performance and Achievements 4
Serious Incidents and Complaints 8
Future Plans 9
Financial Review 10
Independent Examiner’s Report 14
Financial Statements
Receipts and Payments Accounts 15
Statement of Assets and Liabilities 16

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The Purposes of the Charity

The Olive Branch (Faith in Action) is a registered charity. In our constitution our purpose is expressed as a mission statement, which is:

Our specific objects are:-

How our activities deliver Public Benefit

The Charity Commission issues guidance on delivering public benefit, which in summary requires that

The Trustees have had regard to this guidance in managing the activities of the Charity and believe our activities meet these requirements.

Specifically, our activities provide benefit to those who live in the area administered by Lancaster City Council. Our emergency food provision is available to any member of the public facing hardship at a particular time in their lives, primarily as deemed by referral agencies such as Citizen’s Advice, with whom we work in close partnership.

Our face-to-face work provides hospitality and on-going support to anyone who is disadvantaged, marginalised or vulnerable. This support includes a safe place of welcome, a ‘listening ear’, signposting to specialist agencies (such as for budgeting advice, or support to address substance misuse), information, access to the internet and the offer of prayer when appropriate, as well as emergency food.

Working alongside other agencies, these activities provide support that relieves poverty and helps people move towards greater well-being. The personal benefits to individuals are those intrinsic to our purpose and so are not deemed to be excessive.

Structure, Governance and Management

The Olive Branch (Faith in Action) exists as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), under a constitution adopted on 29[th] October 2019.

There are currently nine Trustees of the Charity. They are:

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Linda Currin Trustee and Hon Chair David Ashbridge Trustee and Vice-Chair Paul Holland Trustee, Hon Treasurer and Hon Secretary Barbara Kirby Founding Trustee Jonathan Mullen Founding Trustee Michael Sparks Trustee Victoria Wellesley-Smith Trustee Tim Purcell Trustee David Ramm Trustee

The Trustees meet approximately monthly as a Trustee Board, joined by the (non-voting) Project Manager, Assistant Project Manager and Comms/Admin Assistant.

Leslie Mann Project Manager Jaimie Heath Assistant Project Manager Lucy Barker Comms & Admin Assistant

Members of the charity elect honorary officers and Trustees at the AGM in accordance with the constitution. The Management Committee may appoint additional members to serve as co-opted Trustees until the next AGM.

Honorary Officers hold office for one year. Prior to the 2025 AGM, Honorary Officers could only be re-elected for up 4 subsequent years, but the clause stipulating this (Clause 13 paragraph 1[h]) was removed from the constitution at that AGM.

Whilst some of the Hon Secretary responsibilities are shared amongst the Trustees, with minutes of meetings being taken by the Admin and Comms Assistant, it was also noted that the constitution requires that a Trustee be appointed as Hon Secretary. It was agreed that Paul Holland should hold that office (in addition to his role as Hon Treasurer) because he is already the named contact at the Charity Commission and takes a lead on compliance.

Neither Officers nor Trustees receive remuneration.

There must be between four and nine Trustees, up to three of whom may be co-opted. One third of Trustees (any who have been co-opted, and then the longest serving) must retire at each AGM but may offer to be re-elected.

Trustees are recruited in a range of ways. Some are invited by existing Trustees who recognise their potential suitability for the role. Some approach us themselves, having been aware of our work through local churches or other agencies which support our work. Where specific vacancies exist on the Trustee body, the need is advertised through our networks.

Most often Trustees are recruited from our team of volunteers who are therefore already involved with our work and wish to strengthen their commitment to the Charity.

Unless already well known to Trustees, potential Trustees are interviewed by two existing Trustees, who then propose them if satisfied of their suitability.

Bankers

CAF Bank Ltd,25 Kings Hill Ave, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4JQ

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Kingdom Bank, Ruddington Fields Business Park, Mere Way, Ruddington, Nottingham, NG11 6JS

Premises

The Olive Branch continues to operate from excellent premises at Harpers Mill on the White Cross Estate close to Lancaster city centre. Harpers Mill provides exceptionally well for our operational needs, enabling all our activities to be provided on one site. The premises offer improved efficiency, better working together, attractive space for the drop-in/listening service and capacity to extend services, as well as holding all food stock on site. The units are held on leases fixed for five years from 1[st] May 2024 to May 2029, with a third year break clause at May 2027. The feedback from guests, volunteers and staff is very positive; the location, ambience and facilities of these premises contribute to achieving the objectives of the charity, rather than just being a roof over our heads. As such we see Harpers Mill being our home for the foreseeable future.

Volunteers and Community Support

The generous support and engagement of the community in and around Lancaster is a hallmark of our work, and a privilege for which we are continually thankful.

The charity provides volunteer opportunities for adults who help with hospitality and welcoming of visitors; administration; storing supplies and packing food parcels; delivering food parcels; cleaning etc. We have approximately 35 volunteers who may offer just a few hours or up to 2 or 3 days each week. Volunteers are the lifeblood of The Olive Branch and we are immensely grateful to each one of them for their commitment, skills, time, good humour and vitality – all of which make possible the work of the organisation.

In addition, community support is received from a multitude of members of the public. They donate non-perishable food items either individually or via local schools, churches, community groups and businesses. Despite the ever-rising cost-of-living, both food donations and financial support continue to sustain our work, making a profound and vital contribution to support local people facing extreme need.

Performance and Achievements

The year 2025-26 has been a time of continued fruitfulness for The Olive Branch.

Our work continues to be shaped by our six strategic aims that were agreed by Trustees in 2023. Our performance and achievements for the year will be considered under these six aims, with the objectives set out in last year’s Annual Report.

Aim 1. Maintain our core activities offering food and hospitality; and extend our support for people facing hardship

Objective: To maintain the foodbank and drop-in service, and to extend our offer to guests by repeating the CAP course and the Law Clinics; also to explore the possibility of similar clinics with other partner agencies from time to time .

2025/26 has been primarily a year of consolidation of our core services.

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Across the year we saw demand for both emergency food and hospitality continue at a high level. On average, 80-90 guests were welcomed each week for hospitality, listening, signposting to other services, prayer and other support specific to their circumstances. Around 50% of our guests were asylum seekers, with the other 50% being people in a variety of circumstances including unemployment, debt, benefits problems, release from prison and health issues.

We saw a slight increase in guests coming solely for personal support (rather than food), and have also been aware of guests coming to us with more complex needs. Our team have increasing expertise in supporting guests who face multi-faceted issues, and this in turn has shaped our plans for team development (see Future Plans Aim 3). Perhaps related to this, spiritual conversations have increased in frequency and depth, as have opportunities to pray with guests who have been appreciative of this specific form of support.

Our offer to guests includes access to funds for one-off purchases to meet exceptional need. During 2025-6 this has been made possible mainly through a fund generously provided by an individual donor, enabling us to buy items up to a value of £200 very simply and quickly. This fund has been used over 36 times during the year and has been a wonderful resource, deeply appreciated by guests. Purchases have included much-needed shoes, a cooking pan and a portable radiator.

More expensive purchases have been provided through the crowd-funding site ACTS 435. This fund has been used 16 times during the year, for purchases including a washing machine and essential furniture for a child’s bedroom.

Our ‘Back to School’ project in the summer of 2025 provided packs of school clothing essentials for 35 primary school age children, relieving some of the pressure on hardpressed family finances as well as benefitting each child directly.

For a number of reasons, the planned expansion in hosting clinics by partner agencies did not materialise during the year. Reasons include changes of approach in some partner agencies, temporary absence of key contacts, or long lead-in/planning times with agencies. The door remains open for such initiatives in future, and communication continues with all our partner agencies.

Aim 2. Gain deeper insights into the benefits of The Olive Branch to guests, using IT and other mechanisms

Objective: To design simple ‘feedback surveys’ for occasional use with guests, and to explore ways of measuring longer term impacts of the support we give.

The simple feedback form was introduced as planned and responses have been systematically collected, ready for use in service review and other contexts such as support for grant applications (where consent is given). Feedback, whether solicited or unsolicited, has often been heart-warming for team members. Perhaps the most memorable comments have been the simplest, including “I don’t know what I would do without you lot” (used with consent).

Changes made to our record-keeping software, Foodbank Manager, during 2025 now enable us to record the full range of support offered to each guest rather than just one or two options, as previously. We have consequently been able to report more fully on how often guests are signposted to other services, how often discretionary purchases are made, how often prayer is offered, and so on. Volunteers have been trained and supported to complete this as fully as possible even during busy periods.

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Guest feedback and statistical records together express an important narrative about the impact of our work on guests. We will continue to look for further ways to identify, measure and record impact.

Aim 3. Develop our team of staff and volunteers to increase capacity and ensure a rewarding working experience

Objective: To increase staff team capacity for 12 months (in the first instance) by extending the Assistant Project Manager’s hours. The intention is to free up time for her and also for the Project Manager, by giving the opportunity for uninterrupted management work.

As planned, an additional 6 hours were assigned for the Assistant Project Manager (APM) during the year with many benefits for the team and the service. The APM now works every day except Monday, and her presence has proved a direct asset directly for our guest services and also in enabling the Project Manager (PM) to undertake management work, engage with other agencies and so on. In January 2026, Trustees agreed to extend these additional hours into the coming financial year with a review point in early 2027.

The team of staff and volunteers have also benefitted from training in the course of the year. The priority has been training for safeguarding, focussing on our own safeguarding policy and delivered by team members. All volunteers and most Trustees have undertaken this training, and remaining Trustees will be included in forthcoming sessions.

Our Comms and Admin Assistant attended training on the effective use of social media, offered through Lancaster District Community & Voluntary Solutions (LDCVS). Our social media posts are of a very high standard and a strategy has been developed for this area of work.

Our volunteer team continues to be stable, with high levels of skill and commitment evident across the team in whatever capacity volunteers participate (as listeners, packers, drivers, administrators or speakers at outreach events). A small number of volunteers had to step down during the year, but recruitment has been buoyant and we were pleased to welcome new volunteers so that numbers remained steady. Each working day has its own team and its own ‘flavour’, with strong interpersonal relationships. The calibre of our volunteer team is praiseworthy and highly appreciated by the staff team and the Trustees – as well as by our guests whom they serve

As ever, a highlight of the year was the Christmas meal, celebrating the contribution of staff, volunteers and trustees across the year. The White Cross pub deserves mention for its exceptional food, service and warm welcome, all creating a fitting ambience in which to celebrate The Olive Branch team.

Aim 4. Collaborate with other agencies to share good practice and promote food justice

Objective. To continue partnership arrangements already established and to identify new opportunities that can enrich our offer to guests.

This objective has been well met throughout the year. Our PM continues to represent The Olive Branch on Lancaster’s Food Justice Partnership and to liaise regularly with Morecambe Bay Foodbank, ensuring that our work is mutually supportive and complementary in nature.

The referral system by which our foodbank operates is founded on good partnership arrangements with the referring agencies. All our employee team contribute to on-going relationships with these agencies in the course of their work, and there is a sense of mutual respect and collaboration combining to serve the needs of those who need support during times of hardship.

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Our work with asylum seekers continues to flourish. Links with Global Link and RAIS (Refugee Advocacy, Information and Support) are well established, and members of Bare Methodist Church also continue to work under our aegis to welcome asylum seekers staying in the Morecambe area. Numbers attending at Bare have risen to around 18 asylum seekers in some weeks during the year, taking pressure off our service at Harpers Mill as well as being more convenient for the asylum seekers themselves.

One specific development to note is a new link with HALS, the Hospital Alcohol Liaison Service. Operating from Royal Lancaster Infirmary, this small service supports people who struggle to engage with regular health services due to alcohol issues. This could, for instance, involve staying with a patient during a long wait at A and E and supporting them during the consultation. Linking with HALS has increased the team’s awareness and provided a link for guests struggling to access healthcare in these circumstances.

Similarly, Morecambe Community Foundation now employs a support worker to assist military veterans on a one to one basis. Through their approach to us, we are now able to signpost appropriate guests to this service as well receiving referrals from it to ourselves,.

As a final example, LDCVS took up an invitation to visit The Olive Branch, and in fact held a full team meeting here as well as exploring the premises and gaining a better understanding of our work.

Aim 5. Generate financial resources and use them effectively to ensure sustainability

Objective: To recruit a new bid-writer to prepare applications for grant funding; to review initiatives such as Light Up Lancaster and consider their effectiveness for fundraising; to monitor and review membership of the Chamber of Commerce for its effectiveness in developing relationships with local businesses

This aspect of work has been a significant focus during the year (see also the Financial Review below).

Trustees continued to implement a fund-raising strategy incorporating a mix of approaches, namely grant applications, fund-raising events, relationships with local businesses and deputations. As well as seeking to generate income in their own right, most of these also have the longer term aim of increasing regular financial donations.

All four strands of the strategy have proved fruitful during the year, though not all through the expected mechanisms. This is particularly true of the grant application work, which took an unexpected turn in terms of approach. Rather than recruit a single bid-writer, a team approach emerged and the team (Chair, Treasurer and former Trustee Katherine Froggatt) worked effectively on grant applications from July to the end of the financial year. As the year ended, it was agreed to invite the Comms and Admin Assistant to work two additional hours each week in 2026/27 to support research for future bid-writing.

Although our involvement in Light Up Lancaster was not repeated in 2025, we instead moved into hosting significant fundraising events of our own. The year began with a memorable ‘Cross Bay Walk’ (a guided walk across the sands of Morecambe Bay) which raised nearly £6,000, and ended with a Quiz Night which included a top quality meal, catered by Harriet MacArthur, as well as the excellent quiz itself, raising nearly £3,000. Thanks go particularly to the Trustee with special responsibility for events, Victoria Wellesley-Smith, for her leadership, organisation of and networking for these events; and to all those who worked hard to make these events happen – whether staff, volunteers, Trustees, family members or friends.

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Building links with local businesses, with a view to sponsorship and other forms of support in the long term, have focused on membership of the Chamber of Commerce. This has already started to bear fruit through seasonal donations (from businesses and CoC itself) and awareness raising, and we have chosen to continue our membership of CoC for the coming year. We also began to build links with our neighbouring businesses on the White Cross Estate, and we hosted successful breakfast events for both these networks during the year. One regular sponsorship arrangement has now been established with the IT company TPCS, whose support is much appreciated.

We are privileged to have many committed financial donors and the number has risen during 2025/26 thanks to all these initiatives and also to deputations, effective social media coverage and personal contacts. Those who set up regular donations give us a strong and sustainable financial foundation and we are immensely grateful to everyone who supports us in this way.

Aim 6. Seek continuous improvement in governance and compliance as a charitable organisation

Objective: To implement the proposed policy review schedule and look for further ways to improve governance arrangements

The policy review was implemented during the year as planned, and neared completion as the financial year ended. This has enabled Trustees to review every policy for The Olive Branch and ensure they are fit for purpose.

We continued the established pattern of annual training for the role of Trustee, led by Paul Holland, to train new trustees and refresh the awareness of all. In 2025 this training was delivered as part of the July Trustees meeting.

Arising from this, Trustees also began a major piece of work in reviewing the organisation’s compliance with the Charity Commission Governance Code. This too is led by Paul Holland and will be completed in the coming months as we consider one Principle at each Trustee meeting.

As a further improvement to governance, a skills matrix was drawn up to clarify areas of expertise, interest and responsibility for each trustee. At the end of the year, a decision was also made to introduce an annual individual review for Trustees, giving opportunity to consider the effectiveness of the Board as a whole and each Trustee’s own role within it.

Serious Incidents

The Olive Branch operates a ‘Serious Incidents Policy’, as recommended by the Charity Commission. By this we are required to include in the Annual Report a declaration of any Serious Incidents that occurred during the year. We are pleased to report that no serious incidents occurred during 2025-26.

Complaints

The Olive Branch also operates a ‘Complaints’ policy/procedure and is required to report annually on how often this has been used. We are pleased to report that no complaints were received during the year 2025-26.

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Future Plans

Our plans for the coming year will continue to be shaped by our six strategic aims. Specifically, we plan the following:

Aim 1. Maintain our core activities offering food and hospitality; and extend our support for people facing hardship

We plan to maintain our core services and be alert for opportunities to extend our offer to guests. We will extend our support for families through the Back to School project, subject to funding, by moving beyond primary age children’s clothing to include school equipment (school bag, stationery, geometry kit, etc) for children making the transition to secondary school.

Aim 2. Gain deeper insights into the benefits of The Olive Branch to guests, using IT and other mechanisms

We plan to continue use of feedback systems and IT records and will look for other ways to measure and record impact, eg by compiling case studies and/or producing a short impact report.

Aim 3. Develop our team of staff and volunteers to increase capacity and ensure a rewarding working experience

We plan to invest in the staff team by introducing an appraisal system and will develop staff and volunteers alike through training opportunities, eg Prayer Ministry, Mental Health First Aid, Knife Awareness.

Aim 4. Collaborate with other agencies to share good practice and promote food justice

We plan to continue partnership arrangements already established and to identify new opportunities that can enrich our offer to guests.

Aim 5. Generate financial resources and use them effectively to ensure sustainability

We plan to continue with our mixed approach to generating financial resources, including grant applications, events, social media, business links and deputations. We will monitor expenditure to ensure effective use and sustainability.

Aim 6. Seek continuous improvement in governance and compliance as a charitable organisation

We plan to complete our review of compliance with the Charity Commission Governance Code, to implement individual role-reviews with all Trustees, and to review our strategic aims.

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These aims and plans are an important way to focus our work as we move forward. Our over-arching aim remains, as it always has been, to bring closer the kingdom of God as we serve the most vulnerable people in our community.

Financial Review

Overall, the financial position of the charity remains strong. Income exceeded expenditure by £13,925. The projected budget deficit of £36,000 was successfully met by grants from charitable trusts, for which we are grateful, whilst private donations exceeded expectations to carry the year into surplus. This was the first full financial year in Harpers Mill, and operating costs have been kept broadly level whilst the underlying income from supporters has grown such that the projected deficit for next year has reduced by a third to £24,000, which we will plan to cover from accumulated reserves.

During the year we had two successful fundraising events and have started to look at ways local businesses can support us. Our fundraising strategy is to ensure long term financial stability without having to rely on grant funding and we recognise that this will take a few years to achieve, but we are moving in the right direction.

As a charity we exist to provide relief and comfort amongst disadvantaged or marginalised people in Lancaster and are reliant upon the generosity and support of local people and organisations in that work. We are immensely encouraged by that support and always endeavour to maximise the benefit of each pound given.

Expenditure

This year total expenditure was £145,853, a reduction of £9,744 compared to the previous year; However, this is largely due to the previous year including a repayment of an unused capital grant of £10,000. Employment costs increased by £5,744 associated with some increased hours (in response to increased activity) and wage inflation but were offset by reduced expenditure on furniture and fittings (now that the premises move is complete). Our biggest cost, of fresh food to supplement donated tins and packets, has increased by 6% reflecting general food inflation but premises’ costs reduced.

57% of our costs are associated with our foodbank activity, a quarter of which is used to support Asylum Seekers who are living in the community rather than hotels. The actual value of food parcels is considerably more because we only purchase fresh food to supplement the tinned food and packages collected by the community. Whilst we spend £49,410 on food the total value of food parcels is estimated to be 10 times that amount – a truly astonishing gesture of generosity from the local community (be it residents, streets, groups, churches, schools or businesses).

28% of our costs are associated with our drop-in activity. Harpers Mill has great space for guests to talk about their situation and needs and get support from volunteers, with project staff able to help with complex cases often involving liaison with agencies and other organisations.

7% of our costs are incurred on fundraising including fundraising events, and 9% on charity governance and administration and communications, which are done to the quality standards expected by the Charity Commission (Governance Code) and donors. The bulk

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of these costs are staff time, although the majority of the work in this area is done by the Trustees who are volunteers.

The graph below shows the breakdown of costs by charitable activity and type of expenditure.

As with most charities, the accounts reflect only the financial resources received and used and do not do justice to the value of the thousands of hours given by volunteers nor the value of the food generously donated. Without these we would not be able to do the work we do, but equally we are inspired by the role we play in giving the people of Lancaster district an opportunity to show their concern and compassion for their neighbours through their giving of time, food as well as money; For these we and our guests are truly grateful.

Going forward, we have set a budget of £143,000 for the year to March 2027 which is virtually the same as our expenditure in the current year, with efficiency savings offsetting wage inflation.

Income

Total income was £159,778 which was £33,959 higher than the previous year. Half of the increase comes from individual supporters where we have been honoured by more regular donors and also a few significant one-off gifts, whilst a quarter has come from the fundraising events that we ran for the first time, which were also great fun for all involved. The final quarter of the increase came from grants from charitable trusts and churches which our volunteer bid-writer helped secure.

Donations from the community (residents, churches, schools and businesses) rose by 28% as we have sought to broaden this supporter base. We undertook four events to engage with existing and potential supporters - the Cross Bay Walk, a Quiz night and supper, and two breakfast for White Cross and the Chamber of Commerce.

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We are grateful to our bid writing team who had a target to cover the budget deficit and were largely successful in explaining our purpose and needs to grant making trusts. Over the years we have relied upon such grants but next year we will pause bid writing whilst staying in touch with these trusts as we believe we have adequate general reserves to cover the budget deficit. The team will instead consider how we can sustainably fund the charity in the long term.

Donations and legacies made up 55% of our income and we are appreciative of the support of local people and for the increased numbers supporting us through regular monthly gifts and we are aware that we must continue to provide public benefit and demonstrate good stewardship to merit the funds we are given. The chart below illustrates that both small and large donations make a difference and are all equally welcome.

Reserves

We reviewed our Reserves Policy in accordance with Charity Commission guidelines (CC32) and set aside a Statutory Reserve Fund of £43,000 which is sufficient to cover an orderly closure of the charity, if ever required, comprising statutory redundancy costs (£10,000), up to 12 months left on the property lease (£28,000), and one month of other operating costs (£5,000). This is an increase of £3,000 from the previous year and was transferred from the General Fund.

The General Fund carries forward £60,809, half of which was as a result of the releasing unused funds from the New Premises Fund at the end of the previous year. The Trustees have a duty to ensure reserves are used appropriately and have decided that just under half will be used to cover the budget deficit next year whilst the rest is invested in higher earning deposit accounts. This leaves scope to manage fluctuations in income and expenditure and to fund new initiatives that may arise.

On the basis of the reserves and budgeted income and expenditure, the Trustees are confident that the charity remains a “going concern” for at least 12 months from the date of this report.

Acknowledgements

Particular thanks go to Linda Currin and Kathrine Froggatt for their grant bid writing, Victoria Wellesley-Smith for organising the fundraising events and to Mike Sparks for the bookkeeping activities, which have been an immense support to the charity.

In keeping with our past practice, we acknowledge with gratitude non-individual donors and grantors:

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3R Foundation Marsh Charitable Trust Arnold Clark Community Fund Moorside School Bare Methodist Church New Life Church, Lancaster Blackburn Diocesan Fund Norman Whiteley Trust Booth & Co Parish of St Mary's Hornby Breathe into Alchemy Bethel Chapel Cedar Financial Management PayPal Giving Fund Cornerstone Church Probus Club of Scotforth EJ Thompson Charitable Trust Ripley St Thomas C of E Academy Evangelical Church Capernwray Scarab Sweepers Ltd Francis C Scott Charitable Trust Seedfield Trust Frazer Trust St James & St John Friends of Lancaster Library St John The Baptist, Tunstall Garstang Free Methodist Church St Mary's Hornby & Our Lady's Caton Heal for Nations St Peter's Quernmore Holy Trinity Church, Bolton-le-Sands St Thomas Church Hope Church St Wilfrid's Church, Melling John Mason Family Trust Stobart Newlands Charitable Trust Lancaster Baptist Church TerraCycle UK Ltd Lancaster City Council (Household Support) The Dowager Countess Eleanor Peel Trust Lancaster District Community & Voluntary The Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund Lancaster Priory Sanctuary Guild TPCS LTD Lawrence Hunt & Co Ltd Trinity United Reformed Church Lee Bakirgian Family Trust Wellington Court Lunesdale Probus Willow Lane Church

Declaration

This report was approved by the Trustees on 20[th] May 2026 and signed on its behalf by

L Currin

Linda Currin Chair of Trustees

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Independent Examiners Report

I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of the The Olive Branch (Faith in Action) (the Charity) for the year ended 31 March 2026.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity Trustees of the Charity 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 Charity's 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

I have completed my examination. I confirm that the accounts are in the required form. I also confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records.

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.

Signed: C Lawson

Name: Charles Lawson

Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies (if any): Not required however Charles Is an Associate Member of the Chartered institute of Securities and Investments and has a diploma in investment advice and is therefore competent and comfortable with accounting practices and reporting.

Address: 2 Alexandra Road, Lancaster, LA1 2DS

Date: 29/05/2026

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