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2025-12-31-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 31[st] December 2025

Parochial Church Council of Holy Trinity with St. Gabriel, St. Lawrence and St. Jude (Commonly known as Easton Chris�an Family Centre)

Charity Registra�on Number: 1197246

Easton Chris�an Family Centre Trustees’ Annual Report: year ended 31[st] December 2025

Contents

Contents
Page
Trustees’ Annual Report 1-10
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees 11
Statement of Financial Activities 12
Balance Sheet 13
Notes to the Financial Statements 14-20

Aim and purposes

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of Holy Trinity with St. Gabriel, St. Lawrence and St. Jude (commonly known as Easton Chris�an Family Centre) has the responsibility of coopera�ng with the incumbent, the Reverend Canon David Moore, in promo�ng in the ecclesias�cal parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelis�c, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of the church building, Easton Chris�an Family Centre, Beaufort Street, Bristol, BS5 0SQ.

Objec�ves and Ac�vi�es

The PCC is commi�ed to enabling ECFC to be a family-friendly mul�cultural Anglican church in Easton, Bristol. We desire to be a place of welcome, mee�ng and refuge for all, inspired by the generous, loving, non-violent life of Jesus.

The PCC maintains an overview of the life of the church, including Sunday services and midweek ac�vi�es, and our rela�onships with other groups and churches locally, especially those who use our buildings, and with our neighbouring school.

as part of our parish community through:

To facilitate this work, it is important that we maintain the fabric of the Easton Chris�an Family Centre buildings.

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Easton Chris�an Family Centre Trustees’ Annual Report: year ended 31[st] December 2025

Achievements and Performance

Sunday Worship

We con�nue to open our church for worship on Sundays and at various other �mes during the week. During 2025 we have con�nued to be joined by many people seeking asylum and with refugee status, par�cularly (but not exclusively) from Iran. Our Sunday morning gatherings are for us to bring our lives to Jesus. We also spend a lot of energy ensuring that our services are accessible to those with English as an addi�onal language. Towards the end of the year we started to use the Breeze transla�on App which sends a transla�on of what is being said to people’s phones. We con�nue to offer Zoom links to enable those who are unable to come to the building to join our services. Each month we have a Church Meal for everyone who a�ends the service that Sunday. It is normally cooked by Iranian members of our congrega�on. O�en towards 100 people a�end.

Ministry to Asylum Seekers and Refugees

our church.

Wednesday Night Persian Bible Study

We have been mee�ng with enquirers to the faith from Persian and Kurdish background who have been finding their way to church – most through personal recommenda�on from fellow asylum seekers and refugees. During 2025 12 people were bap�sed (June and July.) Prior to Bap�sm we insist that people are with us for 6 months and within that �me we offer Bible study on a range of topics and then specific Bap�sm prepara�on. Post-Bap�sm we encourage con�nued a�endance at our growing and vibrant group which o�en numbers about 25. The group is run by a commi�ed group of 5 or 6 volunteers.

Pastoral care

We have con�nued to support people in the asylum system via our Refugee Support Team which meets every month, and at the end of 2023 appointed a part-�me Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Worker. We have good partnerships with local chari�es for any advice needs we iden�fy and are able to help asylum seekers through the stresses of the asylum system and a�er they get leave to remain to rese�le in Bristol. Many good personal rela�onships have been formed with long term benefit to both asylum seekers and those working alongside them. We have wri�en a large number of support le�ers to assist people in their asylum claims. Many of our Refugee and asylum-seeking congregants have integrated into the life of the church and they have got involved in volunteering in church rotas, community café and midweek groups.

Baraka Community Café

prices (with free meals available, funded by a ‘pay it forward’ system). During 2024 the café increased its days of being open to 4 days a week, and that has con�nued during 2025. This has contributed to an increase in café takings. During 2025 the café has done more external events, which is the main reason for an increase in café income. The café con�nues to provide its volunteering programme, which is good for the mental health of volunteers, and offers them opportunity to develop skills which improve their employability. The programme is led by the part-�me Volunteer Coordinator. We also employ an Assistant Manager in a fixed-term development and training role.

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Easton Chris�an Family Centre Trustees’ Annual Report: year ended 31[st] December 2025

Community Chaplaincy

Our community chaplain has been busy this year listening to the needs of our community and gradually building partnerships and rela�onships to inspire posi�ve change.

She has con�nued as an important point of connec�on with our neighbouring primary school. She has led the termly ‘prayer tents’ whereby a year group a�ended our building and took part in lively group ‘prayer’ ac�vi�es. Prayer Tents has now evolved into termly Reflec�ve Prayer Spaces in which we have trialled a prayer space on the school premises which children chose to come to at lunch�me. It includes instrumental worship music and a pop-up tent with a reflec�ve ac�vity, and has proved to be popular. We are in dialogue with the school to see if we can offer these more frequently, with the hope that more children would be able to come more regularly.

The Chaplain also reads with some of the children each week, as a way of serving the school and ge�ng to know pupils and teachers.

The Community chaplain also partners with the ‘Spring of Hope’ shelter for women experiencing homelessness. The shelter is within a stone’s throw of ECFC and she has started a drop-in session for the women to come and talk, be listened to and receive prayer.

During 2025 she has worked hard to develop a ‘listening and wellbeing service’ with the local GP surgery and social prescribing services.

Easton Primary School

Our rela�onship with our adjoining primary school is hugely important to us.

We want to support the school in its work with local children and families as much as possible.

During the year we have led the Christmas in a Box presenta�on of the Christmas story for year 3, done Prayer Tents , supplied two coaches to the Transforming Life for Good Early Interven�on programme, run two Kids Ma�er paren�ng courses (see below), supported Encounter Chris�anity presenta�ons to classes, shared in the leading of ‘Falcon’ summer holidays for about 10 children from the school, led a Christmas all-school assembly , talked to a year group about church and taken cake at the end of each term.

During the year we appointed our Children and Families Pastor and Community Worker. She is growing her rela�onship with the school, and has become a TLG coach.

The Priest in Charge is part of the ‘Ethos and Chris�an Dis�nc�veness’ sub-commi�ee of governors which meets three �mes/year.

We host a termly prayer mee�ng for the school.

We're so pleased to have the support of Bristol Schools Connec�on in helping us grow our rela�onship with the school.

Community use of the building

to two local refugee chari�es, Bristol Hospitality Network (BHN) and Bridges for Communi�es, and to Central Bristol Children’s Centres who offer family support services to families in crisis. Three large ‘drop-ins’ are run in our building every week: BHN run a drop-in, which includes support services for des�tute asylum seekers on Mondays (100-150 people), Refugee Women of Bristol run a drop-in (60 – 120 people) on Tuesdays, and on Fridays a large Arabic Speaking women’s group including young

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Easton Chris�an Family Centre Trustees’ Annual Report: year ended 31[st] December 2025

children (30 -50 people) meet in in our building. We run our own Stay and Play, Group, an English Conversa�on Class, and our Midweek Meetup (see below), and we have been planning for a second English Conversa�on class hosted by church staff and members, and with Iranian breakfast.

Bristol City Council’s Learning Communi�es Team run one or two groups each week, usually English teaching. Bridges for Communi�es also regularly hire spaces for different events and mee�ngs, including a weekly sewing class.

In response to the 2024 summer ‘riots’ the police ini�ated monthly community mee�ngs which take place in our building, a�ended by up to 80 members of the local community as well as police and City Council workers. This series of mee�ngs has developed into a series of ‘Love Stapleton Road’ mee�ngs with its own steering commi�ee, on which are two of our members. We are being asked by Bristol City Council to provide administra�ve support to the work of the Steering Commi�ee, especially in its work of distribu�ng Community Grants for Community ini�a�ves.

Church run groups

Midday Monday Zoom Prayers

A group of 5 or 6 meet on Zoom on Monday at midday to pray for the life and work of ECFC.

Midweek Meetup

Greatly inspired by the Monday Group which had been running for over 28 years and stopped mee�ng in July 2024, this new adult group began mee�ng weekly during term �me in the ECFC building on Wednesday a�ernoons in October 2024, and has con�nued throughout 2025. The group is open to all and consists of people from the church and the wider community who are exploring faith and finding friendship, support and belonging.

‘Home Groups’

Our weekly home group meets on Monday evenings, which is normally a�ended by 5 or 6 adults. Members alternated between two different homes, for Bible study and prayer. A similar online ‘Zoom’ group with a similar size membership meets at the same �me.

During Advent three ‘integrated’ home groups met. We used Bishop Guli’s ‘Listening to the Music of the Soul’, and a meal was provided at each mee�ng. Two of our Iranian members hosted the mee�ng and other Iranian members joined the groups.

Stay and Play

Stay and Play meets weekly during term �me at ECFC on Wednesday mornings. We welcome parents and pre-school children from the local community and aim to provide a friendly and relaxed environment where we can connect with parents and children while they play. We par�cularly like to give the children the opportunity to get messy with a variety of textures such as foam, cornflour and jelly! We finish with a snack, singing and story �me. The families really appreciate the group, and we all have a lot of fun.

During 2025 we appointed a full �me Children’s and Families’ Pastor and Community Worker (using money from the Priority Community Network) who has strengthened the Stay and Play Team. Numbers a�ending have grown. O�en about 20 local children a�end.

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Easton Chris�an Family Centre Trustees’ Annual Report: year ended 31[st] December 2025

Kids Ma�er paren�ng courses

During 2025 the paren�ng course has been delivered to two cohorts of Mums from our local church school, one in the Spring and one in the Autumn. Each cohort consists of 6 or 7 mothers who are grappling with the challenges of bringing up their children without the usual support available in their home countries: Somalia, Sudan, Pakistan. This year the Spring course was for parents of children showing some neuro-diversity. The course is delivered by trained volunteer facilitators from local churches and is very popular. Many of those who have a�ended the course have spoken very warmly of the help it has been for them. The Head teacher has shared how mothers who have a�ended the paren�ng course have become more engaged in their children’s learning and development and that

English Conversa�on Class

This group runs every Friday morning in term-�me – a�rac�ng refugee women and those from the se�led communi�es hailing from a range of different countries - Somalia, Pakistan, Sudan, Bangladesh, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Egypt, Turkey. Led by a small team of volunteers, we focus on extending vocabulary and sentence usage, building confidence in engaging in conversa�on with na�ve speakers of English and having fun together as we learn. In 2025 there was a summer ou�ng to Bath using money from an ESOL fund held by the church. Travelling by train and walking around the centre of the city, which was beau�fully “decorated” with flower displays for the summer season, was a real treat for all who had never been to this city. We hope that its proximity and the ease of ge�ng there will introduce women to inexpensive and interes�ng places to take their children in the school holidays.

There are natural opportuni�es which arise and are taken to share faith conversa�ons as a group and these are a point of posi�ve engagement where we learn to listen well to each other even though different faith backgrounds are represented.

Eritrean Drop-in/Support

In 2023 the PCC agreed to support an Eritrean Drop-in group that now meets weekly in the building on Fridays. The volunteers in this group have provided asylum support, in-house IT training, registra�on at City of Bristol ESOL courses, paren�ng skills, and referrals to groups for assistance with accommoda�on and employment.

Fabric of the building

The bookings of our building are managed by our (par�me) Opera�ons Manager (who supports hirers and develops groups using the building) who is growing teams to manage and oversee all the aspects of running the building. Our part-�me Buildings Manager is responsible for fabric and day to day repairs.

Church Maintenance and Cleaning Mornings happen monthly to manage minor repairs and addi�onal cleaning of the building. Usually about a dozen church members and other volunteers gather on the second Saturday morning of each month to look a�er the building.

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Easton Chris�an Family Centre Trustees’ Annual Report: year ended 31[st] December 2025

Building redevelopment project

During the summer of 2025 we completed the second phase of our building refurbishment plans, which included replacing all external windows and doors with high performance windows and doors, installing cavity wall insula�on and replacing some of the old cladding.

We are now preparing for the next stages of our building refurbishment which is the replacement of the original (1976) failing flat roof. We con�nue to plan to improve the energy efficiency of the building including steps towards being carbon neutral.

Financial Review

from individuals and support from a number of grants we were able in 2025 to implement the next phase of our Building Redevelopment project, at a cost of nearly £232,000.

At the same �me our day-to-day ‘revenue’ ac�vi�es con�nued to grow. Thanks to the ongoing generosity of those who give to the church through bank transfers or the collec�on plate, regular giving rose again (from £45,139 in 2024 to £48,852 in 2025). This enabled us to pay our full ‘Parish Share’ to the Diocese for the shared cost of clergy salaries and of support for training, church schools and leadership. We also con�nued to pass on 10% of our ‘unrestricted’ dona�ons (and some other income) to the chari�es we support. In 2025 we brought into the church accounts the ongoing child sponsorship through Compassion UK supported by a number of members of the congrega�on.

Café sales and rental income both remained strong, growing compared to 2024, and we con�nue to a�ract grants and gi�s. Including over £235,000 of capital grants, our total income increased from £205,947 in 2024 to £500,569 in 2025.

The following table summarises the main sources of income, and areas of expenditure.

Unrestricted Income 2025 2024 Change
Unrestricted giving (inc. Gift Aid) £68,534 14% £57,321 28% 20%
Legacies £0 0% £0 0% N/A
Rent £63,716 13% £58,474 28% 9%
Baraka Café Sales £36,733 7% £33,682 16% 9%
Other (inc. investment income, fees
and income from solar panels)		 £3,446 1% £5,226 3% -34%
Total unrestricted income £172,429 34% £154,703 75%

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Easton Chris�an Family Centre Trustees’ Annual Report: year ended 31[st] December 2025

Restricted Income 2025 2024 Change
Grants for Building Redevelopment
Fund		 £235,514 47% £5,309 3% 4336%
Gifts and fundraising for Building
Redevelopment Fund		 £55,977 11% £17,484 8% 4336%
Revenue grants £15,030 3% £12,000 6% 220%
Trust income £2,016 0% £1,969 1% 25%
Other restricted income (inc.
donations for Refugee support £19,603 4% £14,482 7% 2%
worker salary)
Total restricted income £328,140 66% £51,244 25% 35%
Grand Total £500,569 £205,947
Expenditure 2025 2024 Change
Mission Giving £7,294 2% £5,845 3% 25%
Parish Share £26,000 5% £26,000 12% 0%
Other ministry costs (inc. Youth &
Children's work)		 £15,073 3% £14,746 7% 2%
Building costs (regular) £49,923 10% £25,020 12% 100%
Building Redevelopment Project £231,995 48% £14,726 7% 1475%
Employment costs £110,875 23% £92,325 44% 20%
Cost of goods sold (Baraka café) £13,748 3% £12,308 6% 12%
Other costs (inc. admin) £25,062 5% £19,662 9% 27%
Grand Total £479,970 £210,632

Reserves policy

It is the policy of the church to hold in reserves the equivalent of three months general running costs including payroll costs. It is also our policy to hold an amount for likely building works at the next quinquennial inspec�on.

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Easton Chris�an Family Centre Trustees’ Annual Report: year ended 31[st] December 2025

Op�onal Informa�on

Volunteers

Many of the key workers in our organisa�on are volunteers who give huge amounts of �me and energy to their work at ECFC. We depend on them, and are amazed by their generosity. We’re so grateful to them.

We constantly seek to iden�fy opportuni�es for those wishing to volunteer and use their gi�s and energy within ECFC. We now have dedicated volunteer coordina�on for the café and have worked hard on our safer recruitment processes for volunteers.

Structure, governance and management

The Trustees of the charity are the members of the Parochial Church Council (PCC).

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representa�on Rules. At ECFC the membership of the PCC consists of the incumbent (our priest-in-charge), our curates, the churchwarden and members elected by those members of the congrega�on who are on the electoral roll of the church. All those who a�end our services / members of the congrega�on are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for elec�on to the PCC.

The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all ma�ers of general concern and importance to the parish, including ensuring the safety of the building and that our Safeguarding is upto-date and working. They have a rolling programme of reviewing and upda�ng policies and are responsible for deciding how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. New members receive ini�al training into the workings of the PCC and are encouraged to read “The Essen�al Trustee” and a�end addi�onal training, including training provided by the Charity Commission and the Diocese of Bristol.

The full PCC meets most months and deals with the strategic development and oversight and governance of the church. There is a Standing Commi�ee, consis�ng of the incumbent, the curates, the churchwarden, the lay chair and the treasurer, which also meets most months and has delegated responsibility for prac�cal details and refers any governance decisions back to the PCC.

We appointed an Opera�ons Manager (30 hrs/week) in 2024 to oversee the administra�on of our organisa�on. Five teams were established covering responsibili�es for aspects of our life which report to the PCC: Safeguarding team, Building Refurbishment Team, Fundraising Team, Refugee Support Team, Baraka Café Management Team. During 2025 a Finance team was also established.

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Easton Chris�an Family Centre Trustees’ Annual Report: year ended 31[st] December 2025

Administra�ve informa�on

Easton Chris�an Family Centre is situated in Easton, Bristol. It is part of the Diocese of Bristol within the Church of England. The correspondence address is Easton Chris�an Family Centre, Beaufort Street, Bristol. BS5 0SQ.

The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representa�on Rules 2006) and a charity registered with the Charity Commission, Number 1197246.

PCC members or Trustees who served from 1st January 2025 un�l 17[th] May 2026 are:

Elected members:

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Easton Chris�an Family Centre Trustees’ Annual Report: year ended 31[st] December 2025

Statement of trustees’ responsibili�es

accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accoun�ng Standards including Financial Repor�ng Standard 102: The Financial Repor�ng Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accoun�ng Prac�ce).

statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the income and expenditure of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

accuracy at any �me the financial posi�on of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Chari�es Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regula�ons 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed/cons�tu�on. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the preven�on and detec�on of fraud and other irregulari�es.

Approved by order of the PCC (Board of Trustees) on ………………………. and signed on its behalf by the Reverend Canon David Moore (PCC chairman):

.................................

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Easton Chris�an Family Centre Independent examiner’s report: year ended 31[st] December 2025

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of the Parochial Church Council of Easton Chris�an Family Centre

I report to the trustees on my examina�on of the accounts of the Parochial Church Council of Easton Chris�an Family Centre (the Charity) for the year ended 31 December 2025.

Responsibili�es and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Charity you are responsible for the prepara�on of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Chari�es Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examina�on of the Charity’s accounts carried out under sec�on 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examina�on I have followed all the applicable Direc�ons given by the Charity Commission under sec�on 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

Since the Charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in sec�on 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examina�on because I am a member of the Ins�tute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which is one of the listed bodies.

connec�on with the examina�on giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. accoun�ng records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by sec�on 130 of the Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Chari�es (Accounts and Reports) Regula�ons 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a ma�er considered as part of an independent examina�on.

I have no concerns and have come across no other ma�ers in connec�on with the examina�on to which a�en�on should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Joshua Kingston BSc, FCA Burton Sweet Limited The Clock Tower 5 Farleigh Court Old Weston Road Flax Bourton Bristol BS48 1UR

Date: …………………………

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