2024-12-31-accounts

Trustees' Annual Report for the period

Period start date Period end date Month Year Day Month Year 1 January 20224 To 31 December 2024

From

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name Bishop’s Stortford and Sawbridgeworth Street Pastors

Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 1199311

Charity's principal address St Barnabas Centre

St Barnabas Centre	St Barnabas Centre
Church Lane
Bishop’s Stortford
Postcode	CM23 4BE

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1 2 3 4 5 6	Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole **year **	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany)
	Gareth Tracey	Chair
	Susan Bates	Secretary
	HilaryMcNeeney	Treasurer
	Corinne Lewis
	Paul McCafferty
	Choe Ribeiro

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Philippa Roy-Chowdhury Coordinator (employee)

Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Foundation Constitution

Type of governing document (eg. trust deed, constitution) Charitable Incorporated Organisation Registered 15[th] June 2022 How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company) There must be a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 9 trustees. New Trustee selection methods trustees are appointed by the existing trustees for a minimum term of 3 (eg. appointed by, elected by) years. Each must subscribe to the vision and mission of the Street Pastor movement, and must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

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You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:

• policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;

• the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;

• relationship with any related parties;

• trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.

New trustees meet with an existing trustee who acts as a mentor and offers an opportunity to shadow or work in partnership together. All trustees are issued with the policies and procedures of Street Pastors, along with the Charity Commission’s core guidance ‘The Essential Trustee’. Training is also provided by our umbrella body, Ascension Trust.

The charity works in close partnership with local police and the local authority. This is known as the ‘Urban Trinity’.

• The principal risk facing the charity would be lack of grant funding. The Coordinator actively seeks funding from a variety of sources, including local authority grants and private donations. In the event of inadequate funding, we would continue to operate with volunteers, using donations from local churches to purchase resources and training, but we would not be able to employ a coordinator.

Section C Objectives and activities

To advance the Christian Faith in accordance with the Street Pastor Licence Agreement with The Ascension Trust, through:

• I. the provision of public pastoral care services to help people on the streets and other public places, giving guidance, support and signposting which assist in preserving public order, avoid anti-social behaviour, relieve sickness and preserve health and by

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document

• II. enlightening others about Christianity through raising awareness and understanding of ecclesiastical relevance to community and public life, mobilising the Church ecumenically to unity of worship and to advance the Christian Faith by carrying out the mission and outreach work of the Gospel for the benefit of the public.

To develop the capacity and skills of socially disadvantaged groups in our community in such a way that they are better able to identify, and help meet, their needs and to participate more fully in society; in particular but not exclusively through raising awareness, promoting, sustaining and increasing individual and collective knowledge, skills and expertise, through the practical development of individual capabilities,

competences, skills and understanding through formal training, informal talks and capacity building in voluntary services, according to Christian principles and the Street Pastor Urban Trinity principle of church, police and local government working together for the benefit of the community.

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Street Pastors are fully trained volunteers from local churches in Bishops Stortford and Sawbridgeworth who care about our community. They visit the town centre weekly on Friday and/ or Saturday nights, in mixed teams of men and women, aiming to care for, listen to, and help people who are out and about in our town, especially those who are vulnerable or at risk Summary of the main of harm. activities undertaken for the Our volunteers regularly meet people in the night time economy who are public benefit in relation to at risk of making poor decisions as a result of substance misuse, or those these objects (include within who are struggling to get home safely. The volunteers are particularly this section the statutory mindful of lone individuals, especially women, who may be susceptible to declaration that trustees have unwanted attention. The volunteers also often support people with poor had regard to the guidance mental health, loneliness, and those sleeping rough. issued by the Charity Commission on public When planning our work in the community, the trustees have considered benefit) the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. Although our volunteers are Christians from local churches, they seek to help everyone, are non-judgemental, and only speak about faith with others when asked to do so. They strive to demonstrate their faith by caring for others: people of all faiths and of no faith.

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:

• policy on grantmaking;

• policy programme related investment;

• contribution made by volunteers.

Volunteers are integral to our work in the community. We currently have 17 volunteer Street Pastors who take turns to go out on patrol in teams of 3 or 4 each week between the hours of 10pm – 2am, helping to keep people safe. We also have a team of 4 Prayer Pastors, who take turns to meet with the team each week and pray for them. Our trustees are also volunteers. Our work would not be possible without our volunteers.

To support our work, we seek grants to purchase training, uniform, safeguarding checks, equipment and the coordinator’s salary. We approach local authority departments, local businesses, churches and individuals, inviting them to make a contribution to support our work.

Section D Achievements and performance

This year, we have seen an increase in mental health needs within the Summary of the main community, including those with suicidal thoughts. We have received achievements of the charity specific training to understand these needs, along with training on drug during the year and alcohol awareness.

We have met with our local MP, who is very supportive of our work, and have also met with members of the local Business Improvement District (BID), working towards applying for Purple Flag status for our town. On patrol in 2024 we spent over 550 hours on the streets, helped 668 people, and collected over 600 bottles and broken glasses.

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Section E Financial review

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Brief statement of the

charity’s policy on reserves

Our trustees agree not to have a fixed reserve policy, as this is not practical with our reliance on periodic grant funding. However, finances are monitored very carefully, with ongoing applications for funding, and a system to alert trustees should funds drop below £3000, which is approximately 4 months running costs.

Details of any funds materially

in deficit

Further financial review details (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:

• the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);

The charity’s principal sources of funding will come from grant applications made to local authorities, and donations from local churches, businesses, and individuals.

This funding is vital to enable our volunteers to continue our work, including purchasing up to date training, resources, uniform and equipment.

• how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;

• investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.

Section F Other optional information

Section G Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Hilary McNeeney Signature(s) Corinne Lewis Hilary McNeeney Full name(s) Corinne Lewis Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Trustee Treasurer etc) Date 21st August 2025

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BISHOPS STORTFORD AND SAWBRIDGEWORTH STREET PASTORS
ACCOUNTS 1 JANUARY - 31 DECEMBER 2024
	£
INCOME	INCOME
TrainingRefund	150.00
Churches	2,465.64
Chari?es & other organisa?ons	13,182.18
Local Authori?es	0.00
Volunteers & individuals	169.85
	15,967.67
EXPENDITURE
Co-ordinator's remunera?on	5,140.20
PAYE	1,285.00
Training	944.02
Postage, sta?onery& literature	47.00
Uniforms & equipment	245.54
DBS checks	129.60
Ascension Trust Licence Fee	1,591.35
Subscrip?ons	10.00
Miscellaneous expenses	193.61
	9,586.32
OPENING BANK BALANCE	3,391.75
INCOME	15,967.67
EXPENSES	9,586.32
CLOSING BALANCE	9,772.90

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