2025-04-05-accounts

Charity
registration
number꞉
1206263

FREEDOM
CHURCH
WORCESTER TRUSTEES'
REPORT
AND UNAUDITED
FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS FOR
THE
PERIOD
19
DECEMBER
2023
TO
31
MARCH
2025

Freedom
Church
Worcester Contents

	Page
Trustees'Report	1—4
IndependentExaminer'sReport	5
StatementofFinancialActivities	6
StatementofFinancialPosition	7
NotestotheFinancialStatements	8—11

Freedom
Church
Worcester Trustees'
Report
For
the
Period
19
December
2023
to
31
March
2025

The
trustees
present
their
report
and
the
financial
statements
for
the
period
ended
31
March
2025.

Objectives
and
Activities

Aims
and
Objectives

The
core
activities
of
Freedom
Church
Worcester
CIO
are
summarised
as
follows꞉

• 1.
The
advancement
of
the
Christian
religion
mainly,
but
not
exclusively,
by
means
of,
broadcasting
Christian
messages
of
an
evangelistic
and
teaching
nature,
holding
meetings
and
producing
or
distributing
literature
about
Christianity.

• 2.
The
prevention
or
relief
of
poverty
or
financial
hardship
anywhere
in
the
world
by
providing
or
assisting
through
all
the
necessary
support
to
help
individuals
to
be
self‑sufficient.

• 3.
To
advance
in
life
and
help
young
people
through
activities,
training
and
support.

• 4.
The
relief
of
persons
who
are
in
conditions
of
need,
hardship
or
distress,
or
who
are
aged
or
sick.
Our
mission
statement,
which
captures
the
essence
of
these
aims
is,
‘Connecting
anyone,
anywhere
to
a
life
changing
relationship
with Jesus’

Our
main
long‑term
objectives
are꞉

• 1.
To
grow
our
current
church
and
help
to
begin
new
churches,
developing
and
diversifying
our
approach.

• 2.
To
strategically
develop
our
staff
and
volunteer
teams
to
support
this
growth

• 3.
To
serve
and
engage
with
our
local
community
more

• 4.
To
increase
our
digital
ministries
and
broadcast
capabilities
to
increase
engagement

• 5.
To
increase
our
financial
stability
and
strengthen
our
financial
planning
Freedom
Church
Worcester
relies
heavily
on
the
contributions
of
our
volunteers.
Volunteers
are
involved
in
almost
every
aspect
of
the
running
of
Freedom Church
and
the
delivery
of
our
services,
events
and
other
programmes.
At
least
half
of
our
church
members
volunteer
at
our
events,
support
our
staff
team
and
we
are
very
grateful
for
their
time,
passion
and
skills.

The
CIO
complies
with
the
code
of
Fundraising
Practice.
It
does
not
engage
the
services
of
professional
fundraisers
or
commercial
participators,
and
it
has
not
received
any
complaints
relating
to
fundraising.

Public
Benefit

Core
to
our
approach
as
a
CIO
is
the
objective
of
generating
public
benefit.
We
continue
to
do
this
in
all
areas
of
our
activity.
The
trustees
confirm
that
they
have
complied
with
the
requirements
of
section
4
of
the
Charities
Act
2011
to have
regard
to
the
public
benefit
guidance
published
by
the
Charity
Commission
for
England
and
Wales.

The
trustees
confirm
that
they
have
complied
with
the
requirements
of
Section
17
of
the
Charities
Act
2011
to
have
due
regard
to
the
Charity
Commission’s
guidance
on
public
benefit.

Future
Plans

The
CIO
remains
focused
on
developing
our
core
activities
which
strengthen
spiritual
well‑being,
build
a
caring
and
supportive
community,
reach
out
to
our
local
community,
advance
the
Christian
faith
and
develop
leadership
and ministry
skills.

Achievements
and
Performance

Main
Achievements

The
2024–2025
year
has
been
an
exciting
year
for
us.
We
became
a
separate
church
location,
(previously
having
come
under
the
umbrella
of
Freedom
Church
Hereford)
which
has
given
us
more
autonomy
and
the
ability
as
a
church
to better
reach
our
local
community
and
will
help
us
to
promote
healthy
and
sustainable
growth.
We
remain
part
of
the
Freedom
Nation
and
under
the
ultimate
leadership
of
our
senior
pastors
and
their
directional
leadership
team.

This
move
to
become
a
separate
church
has
enabled
us
to
set
up
our
own
charity
in
December
2023
and
separation
from
Freedom
Church
Hereford
became
effective
on
1st
April
2024.
Over
this
last
year
we
have
begun
to
see
growth
in all
aspects
of
church
life,
especially
in
the
areas
of
children's
work
and
our
Sunday
morning
meetings.
This
has
led
to
the
need
to
look
for
larger
premises
and
in
December
2024
we
secured
rental
premises
on
the
building
next
door
to our
current
rental
property
to
be
able
to
use
for
our
children's
work.
In
January
2025
we
began
renovation
of
this
property
as
well
as
enlarging
our
main
building
space
to
accommodate
the
growth
seen
in
numbers
coming
to
church
and to
give
space
for
future
growth.
To
help
with
the
increase
of
people
coming
to
the
church
and
all
the
administration
required
to
support
our
activities
we
have
employed
one
of
our
Pastors
for
40
hours
a
week
and
an
admin
assistant
for
8 hours
a
week
in
an
admin
role
increasing
to
12
hours
mid
2026.

Page
1

Freedom
Church
Worcester Trustees'
Report
(continued) For
the
Period
19
December
2023
to
31
March
2025

Financial
Review

Financial
Position

Following
on
from
the
decentralisation
of
Freedom
Church
Hereford,
we
as
Freedom
Church
Worcester
established
a
charity
in
December
2023
and
opened
our
own
bank
account
at
this
time
to
enable
our
congregants
to
donate
money into
this
account.
(Previously
all
donations
received
by
Freedom
Worcester
had
been
managed
by
Freedom
Church
Hereford.)
Our
main
source
of
income
is
via
donations
and
in
the
financial
year,
2024
‑2025
this
income
was
£294,756. We
also
received
a
grant
of
£20,000
from
Freedom
Church
Hereford
to
help
us
get
established
as
a
church.

The
expenditure
on
facilities
did
not
rise
fully
during
this
year
as
although
we
secured
another
rental
property
for
our
children's
work,
we
had
a
rent‑free
period
of
3
months
and
only
began
paying
in
March
2025.

We
increased
our
Pastor’s
hours
slowly
as
she
was
self
employed
and
eventually
became
contracted
with
us
in
January
for
40
hours.
There
was
no
increase
in
salaries
this
financial
year,
we
are
looking
at
a
pay
increase
for
next
year
in conjunction
with
inflation.

Our
net
income
for
this
financial
period
is
£133,160.

The
trustees
apply
the
funds
of
Freedom
Church
Worcester
at
their
discretion
and
in
accordance
with
the
charitable
purposes
and
objectives
of
the
CIO.
The
total
spending
on
charitable
activities
was
£161,596.
Our
grant‑making
policy outlines
how
grants
can
be
made
and
the
priorities
for
support.
The
current
priorities
for
funding
are
the
advancement
of
the
Christian
faith
within
our
local
community
and
the
relief
of
poverty
within
local
communities
among
the world’s
deprived
and
needy
peoples.

Reserves
Policy

The
trustees
of
Freedom
Church
Worcester
recognise
the
importance
of
a
reserves
policy
to
demonstrate
good
stewardship
and
financial
management.
Our
policy
is
to
retain
reserves
to
ensure
that
the
charity
can
manage
future unforeseen
financial
difficulties
and
to
ensure
that
excessive
funds
are
not
held
without
any
identifiable
reason.
During
2023‑2025,
the
trustees
reserve
policy
considered
that
3
months
of
staffing
and
lease
costs
£50,000
is
a
sufficient reserves
level.
We
are
working
towards
this
as
a
new
charity.

Going
Concern

The
trustees
are
confident
that
the
CIO
is
a
going
concern.
Whilst
we
do
recognise
the
ongoing
challenges
of
the
UK
economy
as
reflected
by
the
cost‑of‑living
crisis,
and
how
this
can
reflect
in
a
drop
in
donations,
we
have
seen
an increase
in
the
number
of
people
attending
our
church
and
with
it
an
increase
in
donations.
We
will
seek
to
protect
any
financial
surplus
against
any
future
drop
in
income
to
act
as
a
cushion
in
the
event
of
any
economic
challenges. Budgets
and
spending
will
be
governed
by
economic
realities,
and
we
will
continue
to
encourage
contributions
to
the
charity
from
our
members.
The
trustees
confirm
that
the
going
concern
basis
for
preparation
is
appropriate.

Structure,
Governance
and
Management

Governing
Document

Freedom
Church
Worcester
is
a
Charitable
Incorporated
Organisation
(CIO)
registered
charity
number
1206263.
The
CIO
has
adopted
a
foundation
model
constitution.
The
board
of
trustees
is
focused
on
ensuring
that
Freedom
Church Worcester
meets
its
aims
in
an
appropriate,
legal
and
accountable
manner.

The
trustees
provide
governance
oversight
to
the
Church’s
senior
directional
pastors,
who
in
turn
work
with
the
leaders
of
our
various
teams
to
meet
our
objectives.

Charity
commission’s
guidance
on
the
duties
of
a
trustee꞉
Trustee
Recruitment
Cycle
from
Reach
volunteering.All
trustees
have
been
provided
with
the
Charity
Commissions’
guidance
on
the
duties
of
a
trustee.
A
large
number
of decisions
relating
to
the
CIO
are
made
by
the
senior
directional
Pastors,
but
are
subject
to
the
accountability,
approval
and
oversight
of
the
board
of
trustees.

The
board
of
trustees
makes
all
decisions
relating
to
remuneration
of
staff
and
have
benchmarked
salaries
against
equivalent
roles
in
other
sectors.
While
many
risks
can
be
carefully
managed,
the
trustees
recognise
the
need
for
a comprehensive
risk
management
strategy.
Including
a
regularly
reviewed
and
updated
risk
register.

The
safety
and
wellbeing
of
our
church
members
and
staff
remains
a
key
priority
for
us
and
we
recognise
the
need
for
safeguarding
policy
training
and
procedures.
We
will
be
looking
to
update
our
safeguarding
policy
and
safeguarding training
in
2025.

Trustee
Selection
Methods

The
trustees
have
been
recruited
from
the
churches’
membership
for
an
initial
term
of
3
years.
In
selecting
individuals
for
appointment,
the
trustees
must
have
regard
to
the
skills,
knowledge
and
experience
needed
for
the
effective administration
of
the
CIO.

Page
2

Freedom
Church
Worcester Trustees'
Report
(continued) For
the
Period
19
December
2023
to
31
March
2025

Reference
and
Administrative
Details

Trustees

Mr
Martyn
Sharpe
‑
Chair
(appointed
19/12/2023) Mr
Samuel
Petts
(appointed
19/12/2023) Mrs
Kate
Noor
(appointed
19/12/2023)

Charity
Number

1206263

Principal
Address

4B
Lowesmoor
Wharf Lowesmoor Worcester Worcestershire WR1
2RS

Independent
Examiner

Thompson
&
Co Thompson
&
Co SME
House Holme
Lacy
Industrial
Estate Hereford HR2
6DR

Page
3

Freedom
Church
Worcester Trustees'
Report
(continued) For
the
Period
19
December
2023
to
31
March
2025

Post
Balance
Sheet
Events

We
have
since
finished
our
building
works
on
both
properties
and
have
seen
this
grow
our
kids
and
adults
numbers
and
made
it
easier
to
teach
and
interact
with
our
children's
work
with
the
extra
space. We
have
also
increased
our
admin
and
operations
assistants
hours
from
8
hours
to
12
hours
to
help
with
the
increased
demand
as
our
church
has
grown.

The
trustees'
report
was
approved
by
the
board
of
trustees
and
signed
on
its
behalf
by꞉

Martyn Sharpe (Jan 30, 2026 09:28:48 GMT)	Kate Marie Noor (Jan 30, 2026 08:51:27 GMT)
MrMartynSharpe	MrsKateNoor
Trustee	Trustee
29/01/2026

Page
4

Freedom
Church
Worcester Independent
Examiner's
Report
to
the
Trustees
of
Freedom
Church
Worcester For
the
Period
19
December
2023
to
31
March
2025

I
report
to
the
trustees
on
my
examination
of
the
accounts
of
Freedom
Church
Worcester
(the
Trust)
for
the
period
ended
31
March
2025.

Responsibilities
and
Basis
of
Report

As
the
charity
trustees
of
the
Trust
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
Trust’s
accounts
carried
out
under
section
145
of
the
2011
Act
and
in
carrying
out
my
examination,
I
have
followed
the
applicable
Directions
given
by
the
Charity
Commission
under
section 145(5)(b)
of
the
Act.

Independent
Examiner's
Statement

Since
the
Trust’s
gross
income
exceeded
£250,000
your
examiner
must
be
a
member
of
a
body
listed
in
section
145
of
the
2011
Act.
I
confirm
that
I
am
qualified
to
undertake
the
examination
because
I
am
a
member
of
The
Association
of Accounting
Technicians,
which
is
one
of
the
listed
bodies.

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
respect
of
the
Trust
as
required
by
section
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
contents
of
accounts
set
out
in
the
Charities
(Accounts
and
Reports)
Regulations
2008
other
than
any
requirement
that
the
accounts
give
a 'true
and
fair
view'
which
is
not
a
matter
considered
as
part
of
an
independent
examination.

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.

Thompson
&
Co 29/01/2026 SME
House Holme
Lacy
Industrial
Estate Hereford HR2
6DR

Page
5

Freedom
Church
Worcester Statement
of
Financial
Activities For
the
Period
19
December
2023
to
31
March
2025

Notes INCOMEANDENDOWMENTSFROM꞉ Donationsandlegacies 3 Charitableactivities꞉ Academy+ Events Othertradingactivities 4 EXPENDITUREON꞉ Charitableactivities꞉ 6 Academy+ Barbarians CommunityOutreach Events Facilities Finance GuestServices HR Kids Marketing Pastoral/Leadership Production She Worship Zeal NETINCOME NETMOVEMENTINFUNDS RECONCILIATIONOFFUNDS꞉ Totalfundsbroughtforward TOTALFUNDSCARRIEDFORWARD 15 Thenotesonpages8to11formpartofthesefinancialstatements.	31March 2025 Unrestricted funds £ 294,757 700 350 295
	296,102
	(3,481) (241) (474) (10,047) (54,171) (53,186) (4,395) (347) (2,183) (1,676) (29,205) (969) (135) (586) (1,846)
	(162,942)
	133,160
	133,160 ‑
	133,160

Page
6

Freedom
Church
Worcester Statement
of
Financial
Position As
At
31
March
2025

Notes FIXEDASSETS TangibleAssets 10 CURRENTASSETS Debtors 11 Cashatbankandinhand Creditors꞉AmountsFallingDueWithinOneYear 12 NETCURRENTASSETS(LIABILITIES) TOTALASSETSLESSCURRENTLIABILITIES NETASSETS FUNDSOFTHECHARITY UnrestrictedFunds TOTALFUNDS 15 Onbehalfoftheboard MrMartynSharpe Trustee MrsKateNoor Trustee 29/01/2026 Kate Marie Noor (Jan 30, 2026 08:51:27 GMT) Martyn Sharpe (Jan 30, 2026 09:28:48 GMT)	31March 2025 Unrestricted funds £ 5,250
	5,250 49,615 94,243
	143,858 (15,948)
	127,910
	133,160
	133,160
	133,160
	133,160

The
notes
on
pages
8
to
11
form
part
of
these
financial
statements.

Page
7

Freedom
Church
Worcester Notes
to
the
Financial
Statements For
the
Period
19
December
2023
to
31
March
2025

1. GeneralInformation FreedomChurchWorcesterisacharitableincorporatedorganisationregisteredwiththeCharityCommission,registeredcharitynumber1206263.Theprincipaladdressis4BLowesmoorWharf,Lowesmoor,Worceste WR12RS. 2. AccountingPolicies 2.1. BasisofPreparationofFinancialStatements ThefinancialstatementshavebeenpreparedinaccordancewiththeCharitiesSORP(FRS102)"AccountingandReportingbyCharities꞉StatementofRecommendedPracticeapplicabletocharitiespreparingt accordancewiththeFinancialReportingStandardapplicableintheUKandRepublicofIreland(FRS102)(effective1January2019)",FinancialReportingStandard102"TheFinancialReportingStandardap andRepublicofIreland"andtheCharitiesAct2011. ThecharityisaPublicBenefitEntityasdefinedbyFRS102. 2.2. IncomingResources AllincomeisrecognisedintheStatementofFinancialActivitiesoncetheCharityhasentitlementstothefunds,itisprobablethattheincomewillbereceivedandtheamountcanbemeasuredreliably. 2.3. DonatedGoodsandServices Donatedgoodsandservicesarerecognisedatopenmarketvaluewhenthebenefitisreliablymeasured. 2.4. ResourcesExpended Liabilitiesarerecognisedasexpenditureassoonasthereisalegalorconstructiveobligationcommittingthecharitytothatexpenditure,itisprobablethatatransferofeconomicbenefitswillberequiredinsett amountoftheobligationcanbemeasuredreliably.Expenditureisaccountedforonanaccrualsbasisandhasbeenclassifiedunderheadingsthataggregateallcostrelatedtothecategory.Wherecostscannotb toparticularheadingstheyhavebeenallocatedtoactivitiesonabasisconsistentwiththeuseofresources. 2.5. TangibleFixedAssetsandDepreciation Tangiblefixedassetsaremeasuredatcostlessaccumulateddepreciationandanyaccumulatedimpairmentlosses.Depreciationisprovidedatratescalculatedtowriteoffthecostofthefixedassets,lesstheire value,overtheirexpectedusefullivesonthefollowingbases꞉ ComputerEquipment 33%straightline Individualfixedassetscosting£500ormoreareinitiallyrecordedatcost,lessanysubsequentaccumulateddepreciationandsubsequentaccumulatedimpairmentlosses.FreeholdProperty‑whereapplicable‑ valuewithgainsandlossesrecordedthroughtheStatementofFinancialActivities. 2.6. CashandCashEquivalents Cashandcashequivalentsarebasicfinancialassetsandincludecashinhandanddepositsheldatcallwithbanks,othershort‑termhighlyliquidinvestmentsthatmatureinnomorethanthreemonthsfromthe andarereadilyconvertibletoaknownamountofcashwithinsignificantriskofchangeinvalue,andbankoverdrafts. 3. IncomefromDonationsandLegacies Donationsandgifts Donatedgoods,facilitiesandservices 4. IncomefromOtherTradingActivities Incomefromothertradingactivities	r,Worcestershire, heiraccountsin plicableintheUK lement,andthe edirectlyattributed stimatedresidual isrecordedatfair dateofacquisition 31March2025 Unrestricted funds £ 286,921 7,836
	294,757
	31March2025 Unrestricted funds £ 295

Page
8

Freedom
Church
Worcester Notes
to
the
Financial
Statements
(continued) For
the
Period
19
December
2023
to
31
March
2025

5. Net
Income/(Expenditure)

The
net
income
is
stated
after
charging/(crediting)꞉

henetincomeisstatedaftercharging/(crediting)꞉
Depreciationoftangiblefixedassets‑owned . AnalysisofExpenditure Academy+ Barbarians CommunityOutreach Events Facilities Finance GuestServices HR Kids Marketing Pastoral/Leadership Production She Worship Zeal	Activities undertaken directly £ 358 125 ‑ 4,777 136 ‑ 1,595 ‑ 885 ‑ 493 23 135 ‑ 416	Supportcosts (seenote7) £ 3,123 116 474 5,270 54,035 53,186 2,800 347 1,298 1,676 28,712 946 ‑ 586 1,430	31March2025 £ 2,586
			31March2025 Total £ 3,481 241 474 10,047 54,171 53,186 4,395 347 2,183 1,676 29,205 969 135 586 1,846
	8,943	153,999	162,942

1. Analysis
of
Expenditure

2. Support
Costs

Employeecosts Premisesexpenses General administration Depreciation Interestpayable Governancecosts	Academy+ £ 794 ‑ 2,329 ‑ ‑ ‑	Barbarians £ ‑ ‑ 116 ‑ ‑ ‑	Community Outreach £ ‑ ‑ 474 ‑ ‑ ‑	Events £ 1,871 ‑ 3,399 ‑ ‑ ‑	Facilities £ 57 44,373 7,948 ‑ ‑ 1,657	Finance £ 12,584 ‑ 37,451 2,586 565 ‑	GuestServices £ ‑ 222 2,578 ‑ ‑ ‑	HR £ ‑ ‑ 347 ‑ ‑ ‑	Kids £ 397 ‑ 901 ‑ ‑ ‑	Marketing £ ‑ ‑ 1,676 ‑ ‑ ‑	Pastoral/ Leadership £ 4,791 ‑ 23,921 ‑ ‑ ‑
	3,123	116	474	5,270	54,035	53,186	2,800	347	1,298	1,676	28,712

Page
9

Freedom
Church
Worcester Notes
to
the
Financial
Statements
(continued) For
the
Period
19
December
2023
to
31
March
2025

8. Staff
Costs Staff
costs
were
as
follows꞉

Wagesandsalaries Noemployeesreceivedemployeebenefits(excludingemployerpensioncosts)forthereportingperiodofmorethan£60,000. 9. AverageNumberofEmployees Averagenumberofemployeesduringtheperiodwas꞉2 10. TangibleAssets Cost Asat19December2023 Additions Asat31March2025 Depreciation Asat19December2023 Providedduringtheperiod Asat31March2025 NetBookValue Asat31March2025 Asat19December2023 11. Debtors Duewithinoneyear Tradedebtors Otherdebtors 12. Creditors꞉AmountsFallingDueWithinOneYear Tradecreditors Taxationandsocialsecurity Accrualsanddeferredincome	31March2025 £ 13,378
	Computer Equipment £ ‑ 7,836
	7,836
	‑ 2,586
	2,586
	5,250
	‑
	31March2025 £ 3,683 45,932
	49,615
	31March2025 £ 13,944 804 1,200
	15,948

1. Credit
Risk

The
CIO’s
principle
financial
assets
are
bank
balances,
cash
and
other
receivables.
The
credit
risk
on
liquid
funds
is
limited
because
the
counterparties
are
banks
with
high
credit‑ratings
assigned
by
international
credit‑rating
agencies.
The CIO
has
no
significant
concentration
of
credit
risk,
with
exposure
spread
over
several
counterparties
and
customers

Page
10

Freedom
Church
Worcester Notes
to
the
Financial
Statements
(continued) For
the
Period
19
December
2023
to
31
March
2025

14. Liquidity
Risk

To
maintain
liquidity
to
ensure
that
sufficient
funds
are
available
for
on‑going
operations
and
future
developments.
Further
details
can
be
found
in
the
statement
of
accounting
policies
in
the
financial
statements.

1. Movement
in
Funds

5. MovementinFunds
Unrestrictedfunds General꞉ Generalunrestrictedfund Totalfunds	Asat19 December2023 £ ‑	Income £ 296,102	Expenditure £ (162,942)	Asat31March 2025 £ 133,160
	‑	296,102	(162,942)	133,160

1. Transactions
with
Trustees

None
of
the
trustees
received
any
remuneration
or
any
other
benefits
from
an
employment
with
the
charity
or
a
related
entity
during
the
current
year.

No
trustee
expenses
have
been
incurred.

1. Related
Party
Disclosures

There
have
been
no
related
party
transactions
in
the
reporting
period
that
require
disclosure.

Page
11