## GCH Community Report and Accounts Year ended 31 March 2025 1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk ## **GCH COMMUNITY** ## **LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025** ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE St Anne's Vicarage 37 Hemsworth Street London N1 5LF GOVERNING DOCUMENT CIO - Association registered 09 July 2021 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1195110 TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR Guido De Graaff (resigned May 2026) MANAGING THE CHARITY Geri van Essen Andrew Jones Murray Macaulay (resigned May 2026) Niamh MacLeod Sarah McMurtie (appointed June 2025, resigned May 2026) Edward Stansfield (resigned June 2025) BANKERS HSBC UK Bank plc INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Jaimée Young Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB ## **INDEX** Page 1 Legal & Administrative Details Pages 2-7 Trustees' Report Page 8 Independent Examiner's Report Page 9 Receipts and Payments Account Page 10 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Pages 11-12 Notes to the Accounts Page 1 ## GCH COMMUNITY ## __________________________________________________ ## Annual Report for the year ended 31[st] March 2025 ## GCH Community ## _Registered charity number: 1195110_ The Object of the CIO is the advancement of the Christian faith in particular (but without limitation) by providing worship, prayer and Christian teaching within the Anglican tradition and within the frameworks of the Church of England. ## **Objectives and Activities** GCH Community is the CIO governing Grace Church Hackney which registered as a separate legal entity in 2021 from the Grace Church Hackney Trust that had been established within the Church of England in 2004. Grace Church Hackney is not a parish church but rather operates under a Bishop’s Mission Order granted by the Bishop of Stepney, Joanne Grenfell. Grace Church Hackney has a particular remit to engage with younger, creative people in the East End of London with a vision to see the Gospel renew the city spiritually, culturally and socially. There are 5 values which we think are particularly important: 1. The good news of Jesus Christ which is experienced together week by week in a service of Word and Sacrament according to the liturgy of the Church of England. 2. An outward face where we assume people who do not assent to the Christian faith are present in all our gatherings. 3. A community focus where we encourage people to form community within the church but also to be involved in communities beyond the church. 4. An urban focus where we celebrate the good things about the city (particularly in the creative arts) and work with others to begin to mend some of the broken things in the city. 5. A commitment to beginning new forms of Christian ministry. Page 2 When planning our activities for the year, the trustees have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. We have sought to embody our object and values in our activities for the public benefit. ## **Achievements and Performance** On Monday 15[th] April 2024, Revd Andrew Jones (the minister-in-charge of Grace Church Hackney and chair of the GCH Community CIO) became the vicar of the parish of St Anne’s Church, Hoxton whilst continuing in his role as leader of Grace Church Hackney. This means that we are currently two churches sharing one building and vicar but with a vision to become one church with one vicar and two services. Our aim during this period has been to get to know one another better. This has led to a number of shared services and activities between the two churches including a joint evening between the two church councils and a joint ‘beating the bounds of the parish’ on Ascension Day. ## **Sunday Services** GCH meets for **Sunday worship at 5.15pm** each week at St Anne’s Church, Hoxton. Our Sunday worship follows the Eucharistic liturgy of Common Worship, an authorised prayer book of the Church of England. Hence it embraces our object of _the advancement of the Christian faith in particular by providing worship, prayer and Christian teaching within the Anglican tradition_ . Our sermons during this period followed the lectionary of the Church of England. This service is open to anyone who wishes to attend. GCH joined with St Anne’s to celebrate St Anne’s Day together on Sunday 27[th] July 2024. Member of GCH joined members of St Anne’s in order to clean the church on Saturday 26[th] and the service itself was followed by a shared lunch between the two churches. This was an excellent opportunity for GCH to experience the tradition of worship at St Anne’s as well as to build relationships. On Sunday 17[th] November, GCH took the morning service St Anne’s in order to allow St Anne’s to experience the tradition of worship at GCH. Again, this was a helpful way to get to know one another and to build a sense of being one community. Page 3 ## **The Bread Festival** Saturday 28[th] - Sunday 29[th] September 2024 we ran our third **Bread Festival** . This was designed to be a contemporary expression of a harvest festival. The festival began with a series of activities open to everyone in St Anne’s Church. We ate tea together and there was a retiring collection for a food charity. This was an open event and good numbers of people from the wider community attended with a significant increase on previous years. Again, friends from St Anne’s Church joined with us. Our Sunday service began with bread baked the previous day being carried into the church by the children ready for our communion service of thanksgiving. ## **Youth and Children’s Activities** Our youth and children’s activities continue on Sundays. Two groups meet at 4pm before the evening service for teaching, prayer and discussion: **The Cupboard** (16+ years) and **Snackchat** (for 11-15 year olds). **Grace Kids** (for 4 -10 years) meet during the service and has expanded to involve any under 4’s also present. We do not need a separate crèche and tots group at the moment. Teenagers participate in the service by reading the bible, playing instruments, PA etc. Younger children are in the main service for the gathering and preparation, then leave the service during the ministry of the word and rejoin the service for the eucharist. The Youth and Children’s work is overseen by a part-time member of staff, who co-ordinates the teams of volunteers who lead the groups. There are currently 12 volunteers who also regularly attend GCH. Again, these activities are open to all who fall within the age boundaries. TRU, our collaborative youth work with Saint Barnabas Dalston, was bought to a close in March 2024 after 8 years. This was due to changing capacity among the group of leaders and changes in staffing at St Barnabas, Dalston. Past members of TRU came back for a celebration, and we give thanks for everyone involved. After a period of consultation with the young people, **Grounded: a Climate-Caring Youth Group** began in June 2024 at Grace Church Hackney. Teenagers (age 11+) meet monthly on a Thursday, 7-9pm at St Anne’s Hoxton, with a team of 5 adult volunteers. The group take a topic each month to research and discuss, as well as eating together and playing games. The aim is to promote living simply, sustainably and in solidarity with our global family. Topics such as biodiversity, local wetlands and endangered species have been considered, as well as participating in a canal towpath clean up, and visiting a local homeless project. Page 4 In December the young people fundraised for the Ivy Centre, a local provision for new parents and children in the parish. They visited the centre to help unpack Christmas gifts and toys and set them up as a ‘shop’ for parents to choose items free of charge. Additionally in December, we welcomed a school visit from the local primary school. Andrew and Jen lead a Christmas nativity session for the children and teachers in the church. We look forward to developing this relationship. ## **Midweek Activities** We currently run two **Splinter Groups** , small groups which meet in homes in order to eat, pray and explore the Bible. Most members of these groups are regular attenders at Grace Church Hackney but during this period there were some members who do not attend church on Sunday. The groups are open to all. ## **Advent and Christmas 2024** We held our annual **Carol Service** in St Anne’s Church in December 2024. This was well attended and as usual many attended the service who do not usually come to church. For the first time this service was a joint service with St Anne’s Church. We formed a joint choir of 21 people (carrying on last year’s inclusion of children) and shared the readings between members of the two churches. This strengthened the relationship between the two churches and developed new relationships between individuals. During the Advent period we also collaborated one Saturday morning with St Anne’s Hoxton and a local charity, Hoxton Trust, with carol singing and festive food and drink. Unfortunately, the activities had to be curtailed due to storm conditions, but it was good to collaborate. On Christmas Day we again joined with St Anne’s Hoxton for a joint all age communion service. This was the first ‘blended service’ we had attempted together outside of the carol service. Our intention was to create a form of service in which both churches recognised themselves but neither of them thought they were attending a service of the other church. This was generally well received with a number of people from the wider community joining us. Page 5 ## **Lent** We carried on the experiment of ‘blended’ services with a joint Ash Wednesday service with St Anne’s. This was attended with good numbers gathered around the altar in the chancel area. Again, we blended music and readers, with the service being led by Andrew Jones and his colleague, the curate from St Anne’s, Andrew Large. We ran a joint Lent group between the two churches exploring various spiritual practices. This was mainly attended by small number of people from GCH but was well received. ## **Music** Music continues to play a significant and weekly role in the life of our church and is overseen by our music director. Our music team comprises four singer-guitarists with another seven volunteer musicians who play regularly and has increased by one person since last year. It is not unusual to involve others beyond for musical or performance art items at the principal festivals. The changing shape of our Carol Service meant an increase of rehearsals. Plans to develop the choral collaboration between the two churches following the success of the carols choir were halted due to the heating system at St Anne’s being condemned just before Christmas rendering the church too cold to rehearse for any lengthy period of time. ## **Volunteers and staff** GCH Community employs three part time members of staff who co-ordinate large teams of volunteers. These teams make a huge commitment to the life of our church and we wish to express our thanks to them. ## **The Structure and Management of GCH Community** GCH Community was constituted as a CIO on 20[th] July 2021. 5 members of GCH Community CIO have served as trustees for the period in question. There were 52 members of the CIO during this period. ## **Fundraising** GCH Community continues to be funded by its members, former members and a wider group of friends of Grace Church Hackney. Page 6 ## **Reserves policy** The trustees have determined that the charity should aim to hold unrestricted cash of no less than £35,000 - 40,000 (which equates to about 3 months of unrestricted expenditure) so that the charity could continue to operate should income and/or expenditure vary adversely. At the year end, the charity held unrestricted cash of £39,980 and is complying with the policy. ## **Responsibilities of trustees** Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year. We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities. ## **Approval** This report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by: ## Andrew Jones ___________________________ Andrew Jones (Jul 15, 2026 10:37:54 GMT+1) Andrew Jones Jul 15, 2026 Date:_______________________ Page 7 ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT** ## **TO THE TRUSTEES OF** ## **GCH COMMUNITY** I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of GCH Community ('the charity') for the year ended 31 March 2025 on pages 9 to 12 following. ## **Responsibilities and basis of report** As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 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 2011 Act. ## **Independent examiner’s statement** I have completed my examination. I 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 accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with the accounting records. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ## J. Young J. Young (Jul 16, 2026 09:46:10 GMT+1) Jaimée Young Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB Date: Jul 16, 2026 Page 8 ## **GCH COMMUNITY** ## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025** |Notes
**_Income receipts_**
Donations
Gift aid receipts
Grants from The Grace Church Hackney Trust
Grants from Stewardship and Charities Trust
Fundraising activities
Interest
**_Total receipts_**
**_Payments_**
2
3
**_Total payments_**
Transfers between funds
5
**Net movement in funds**
Cash funds as at last year end
**Cash funds at this year end**
A
Net of receipts / (payments) before
Grants
paid
in
relation
to
charitable
activities undertaken by others
Payments
in
relation
to
charitable
activities undertaken directly|General
Designated
Funds
Funds
£
£
16,234
-
2,019
-
-
-
83,646
-
278
-
845
-
103,022
-
97,278
-
274
-
97,551
-
5,471
-
-
-
5,471
-
34,509
-
39,980
-
Unrestricted Funds|Restricted
Funds
£
899
-
-
3,000
-
-
3,899
510
690
1,199
2,700
-
2,700
10,242
12,942|2025
£
17,134
2,019
-
86,646
278
845
106,921
97,787
963
98,750
8,171
-
8,171
44,751
52,922|2024
£| |---|---|---|---|---| |||||19,164
-
53,153
108,467
-
608| |||||181,392| |||||156,953
1,663| |||||158,616| |||||22,776
-| |||||22,776
21,975| |||||44,751| The notes on pages 11-12 form part of these accounts. Page 9 ## **GCH COMMUNITY** ## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES** ## **AS AT THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025** |Notes
**A Cash funds**
Cash at bank with immediate access
Notice deposits
**B Other monetary assets**
Gift aid due to charity
**C Liabilities**
**Falling due within one year**
Pension due
Fee for Independent Examination [2023/4/5]
Accrued expenses
**D Assets retained for charity's own use**
Equipment||General
Designated
funds
funds
£
£
6,442
-
33,538
-
39,980
-
5,368
-
5,368
-
374
-
4,152
-
430
-
4,956
-
Unrestricted Funds|Restricted
funds
£
-
12,942
12,942
-
-
-
-
-
-
Fund to
which asset
belongs
General|2025
£
6,442
46,480
52,922
5,368
5,368
374
4,152
430
4,956
Value
2025
£
12,585
12,585|2024
£| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |||General
funds
£
6,442
33,538
39,980
5,368
5,368
374
4,152
430
4,956|||| ||||||6,112
38,639| ||||||44,751| ||||||4,309| ||||||4,309| ||||||257
2,952
520| ||||||3,729| ||||||Value
2024
£| ||||||11,872| ||||||11,872| The trustees have used insurance values as the trustees are unable to reliably estimate current values; insurance values may differ materially from current values. ## **E Guarantees and secured debts** The charity has not given any guarantees and has not provided its assets as security for any liabilities. The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by: Andrew Jones Andrew Jones (Jul 15, 2026 10:37:54 GMT+1) ___________________________________Andrew Jones Jul 15, 2026 Date:_______________________ The notes on pages 11-12 form part of these accounts. Page 10 ## **GCH COMMUNITY** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025** ## **1 Accounting policies** The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity's receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity's assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a 'true and fair' view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to present) a 'true and fair' view of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs. General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects. |**2**
**Payments in relation to charitable activities undertaken directly**
Employment costs
Note 4
Diocesan fund
Minister's accommodation (paid to Diocese)
Minister's expenses
Rent
Activities and support costs
Independent examination
Insurance
Weekend away||Unrestricte|Designated
funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
d Funds|Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
510
-
-
-
510|2025
£
47,765
22,002
-
830
19,800
6,410
480
500
-
97,787|2024
£| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||General
funds
£
47,765
22,002
-
830
19,800
5,901
480
500
-
97,278||||| |||||||46,108
48,240
30,690
3,480
21,300
6,588
-
487
60| |||||||156,953| Reverend Andrew Jones, a trustee, receives a stipend from the Diocese; the exact cost of these stipends is not included above, however it should be noted that some of the funds paid to the Diocesan Fund are used to help pay the stipends. Revd. Jones was also provided with accommodation in a previous year (which is customary for clergy) and the cost of this accommodation - which was also paid to the Diocese - is shown in last year's costs in the note above. Revd. Jones incurred expenses whilst serving as clergy and these costs are also disclosed in the above note. ## **3 Grants paid in relation to charitable activities undertaken by others** |**nts paid in relation to charitable activities undertaken by others**|||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |Grants for:
Young Minds
Other small grants to organisations|-
274
274|-
-
-|-
690
690|-
963
963|1,355
308| ||||||1,663| ## **4 Transactions with related parties** No payments were made to trustees or persons related to them, except for reimbursement of expenses paid out on behalf of the charity. Page 11 ## **GCH COMMUNITY** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS** ## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025** ## **Movement of funds** |**vement of funds**|||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |General funds
Restricted funds
Special appeals
Breadwinners 24
Bread Festival 2022
6:10 fund
PA fund
Total funds|Opening
balance
£
34,509
429
-
171
8,392
1,250
10,242
44,751|Receipts
£
103,022
546
154
-
3,200
-
3,899
106,921|Payments
£
(97,551)
(546)
(154)
-
(500)
-
(1,199)
(98,750)|Transfers
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-|Closing
balance
£
39,980
429
-
171
11,092
1,250| ||||||12,942| ||||||52,922| The Special appeals fund is for funds raised for specific charitable purposes which align with our charitable objectives. Funds paid during the year relate to The Ivy Street Family Centre, which is a local charity in the Hoxton parish that provides services to pre-school children and their families and carers. The remaining funds were paid out after the year end. Funds raised for the Breadwinners charity were paid out in the year. The funds raised at the Bread festival 2022 is for the Breadwinners charity and these funds will be paid out in the 2026/27 financial year. The 6:10 is a fund to help those in need who are known to members, at the discretion of the trustees. The PA fund is to raise funds for PA equipment. This was purchased after the year end. Page 12