Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts June - December 2024
These accounts cover the initial financial year from June to December 2024, as the Leading your Church into Growth Charitable Incorporated Organisation (LyCiG CIO) Charity number 1208507.
The transfer of funds, assets and charitable activities came from Leading your Church into Growth Charitable Trust (LyCiG Trust) Charity Number 1104285 which was removed from the Charity Commission's record of Charities on 3rd June 2025.
These accounts represent just one month of trading activity before the LyCiG CIO’s financial year-end of December 2024. All previous trading activity was undertaken in the LyCiG Trust and is presented in those accounts to its year-end of November 2024. A copy of those accounts is available upon request, as they are no longer accessible from the Charity Commission, as the LyCiG Trust has been closed.
Contents
| Cont | ents Page No |
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| Trustees’ Annual Report | ||
| 1. Reference and Administrative Details 3 |
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| 2. | Structure, Governance and Management 3-5 |
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| 3. | Objectives and Activities 5-6 |
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| 4. | Achievements and Performance 6 |
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| 5. | Financial Review and Reserves 7 |
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| 6. | Risk Management 7 |
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| 7. | Taxation Status 7 |
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| 8. | Access, Inclusion and Policies 7 |
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| 9. | Volunteers 8 |
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| 10. | Trustee Recruitment, Induction and Training 8 |
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| 11. | Charitable Trust Transfer of Assets and Funds to CIO 8 |
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| 12. | Approval of Annual Report and Accounts 8 |
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| Independent Examiner’s Report 9 Annual accounts 10-13 |
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Trustees’ Annual Report
1. Reference and Administrative Details
Charity Name: Leading Your Church Into Growth (LyCiG CIO)
Registered Charity Number: 1208507
Registered Office:
7 Wren Crescent Bodicote Banbury Oxfordshire OX15 4FZ Tel: 07392 762592
Email: operations@leadingyourchurchintogrowth.org.uk Website: www.leadingyourchurchintogrowth.org.uk
Chair: Tracey White Treasurer: Jane Adams Secretary: Revd Neil Short
2. Structure, Governance and Management
Leading Your Church Into Growth is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (LyCiG CIO) registered with the Charity Commission on 3rd June 2024, Registration No: 1208507. LyCiG CIO was established to take over the charitable activities and assets of Leading Your Church Into Growth charitable trust (LyCiG Trust), registered with the Charity Commission Registration No: 1104285. The LyCiG Trust ceased all activities on 30th November 2024 and was removed from the Register of Charities on 3rd June 2025.
The LyCiG CIO is governed by a constitution dated 2nd May 2024, and its trustees are responsible for the control of LyCiG CIO and are responsible for promoting the Objectives.
Background to establishing the LyCiG CIO
The trustees reviewed their Governance and Management and found that the existing registered Charity Constitution, which had been in place for twenty years, was not sufficiently robust to support the growth of the charity. It lacked clarity, used non-inclusive language and did not support partnership working. Trustee liability was also an issue, and the charity was struggling to recruit new trustees.
In consultation with the Charity Commission, and after several discussions at Trustee Board meetings and with the volunteer team, it was decided to apply for LyCiG Trust to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). To ensure the volunteers had a sufficient voice in the work of the charity, the Association model was used.
Although some trustees of the former charity would become trustees of the LyCiG CIO, the Charity Commission were satisfied that the reasons for the change and the procedures followed did allow for the new CIO to be registered. The LyCiG CIO registration was completed on 3[rd] June 2024.
At the first Annual General Meeting of the new LyCiG CIO, all trustees offered their resignations as required by the Constitution. All trustees were appointed to the Trustee Board of LyCiG (CIO). However, Dr Rachel Jordan-Wolf indicated her intention to retire from the Trustee Board.
A new procedure for trustee recruitment was put in place. An information pack was produced which requests a CV and covering letter. This is followed by an online interview. The CV and covering
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letter are then circulated to the entire Trustee Board so that they can ask any questions, raise concerns or confirm that they wish to appoint the candidate to the Trustee Board.
Two new trustees were recruited in 2024 (commencing in January 2025). These appointments strengthen the Trustee Board in areas previously identified as insufficiently robust.
Once appointed all trustees are required to attend a LyCiG residential conference if they have not already done so. Those who do not hold a CofE Bishop’s License are also required to complete the Church of England Safeguarding Foundation and Basic modules.
Organisational Structure
Some trustees also volunteer as part of the speaking team. Some of the staff are required to deliver as part of the speaking team. This ensures that all elements of the organisation are aware of the challenges and opportunities of the charity’s work.
Although much of the charity’s work is with the Church of England dioceses and parishes, LyCiG also works with the following churches in Britain:
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United Reformed Church
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Church in Wales
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Methodist Church
It also provides conferences for other umbrella organisations such as The Society.
LyCiG occasionally undertakes work with dioceses overseas. In recent years these have included New Zealand, Australia and Norway.
Trustees:
Revd Neil Short (Secretary, Safeguarding Officer from 25.11.2024) Ven Paul Ayers (resigned as Safeguarding Officer on 14.11.2024) Mrs Jane Adams (Treasurer) Mrs Tracey White (Chair) Ven Robert Jackson Bishop Rhiannon King Dr Rachel Jordan-Wolf - resigned 27.02.2025 Mr Mark Sheard - appointed 01.01.2025 Rev Edwin Steele - appointed 01.01.2025 Rev Pieter-Jan Bosdin Leech - appointed 01.09.2025 Alisdair Allan Fraser - appointed 01.09.2025
Trustees are fully aware of their responsibilities under Charity Law. Within this, the day-to-day running of the charity is delegated to staff. However, Trustees and Staff are clear that all decisions on policy that may create significant financial or other risks or which affect material issues of principle must be taken by Trustees not Staff.
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There are no corporate trustees. There are no trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity.
The Staff Team for June 2024 - December 2024
Director: Robin Gamble Operations Manager: Toby Everett Administrative Assistant: Maureen Gamble Contracted Bookkeeper: Natalie Harmer Contracted Interim Project Director: Diane McCarthy (from August 2024)
The Volunteer Team for June 2024 - December 2024
Our work has been supported by the time and wisdom of volunteer team members gathered from different areas of ministry and church background in the UK.
Revd Sarah O’Donoghue Revd Harry Steele Ven Kate Peacock Ven Catherine Pickford Revd Stuart Radcliffe Revd Grace Sentamu-Baverstock Revd Neil Short Revd Linda Tomkinson Tracey White Revd Sharon Kaye Revd Peter Leech Bishop Sophie Jelley Revd John Marsh Revd Sarah Maughan Bishop Beverly Mason Revd Rolf Mason Revd Layfetta Masih Revd Emma Nash Fr Grant Naylor Bishop Philip North Revd Anna Norman-Walker Revd Helen Bent Revd Sue Cooke Revd Claire Corley Ven John Day Revd Ed Down Ashley Evans Revd Ruthi Gibbons Ven Bob Jackson Bishop Rhiannon King
3. Objectives and Activities
To advance the Christian faith for the public benefit in such parts of the world as the trustees shall from time to time determine through the provision of education and training to clergy and laity to promote church growth.
We are a Christian organisation equipping leaders and churches to grow in faith, mission, and number.
Our approach is simple, Spirit-led, and rooted in the real, everyday life of the local church. We understand the unique challenges and opportunities that church leaders and congregations face, and we’re committed to walking alongside them. Whether they are just beginning the journey or looking to build on existing momentum, LyCiG is here to help every step of the way.
We offer practical tools, training, and support to help churches grow — not just in numbers, but in depth of discipleship and community impact.
From conferences and courses to hands-on training and accessible resources, everything we offer is designed to help churches flourish.
Our conferences are delivered by a volunteer team made up of passionate, energetic and missional individuals who are bishops, archdeacons, directors of mission and parish clergy of all traditions, along with lay people. Conferences can be run as a residential event, on Zoom or in a central venue with participants returning home each night. We have built a strong track record with many dioceses in the Church of England and our conferences have also been delivered with partners in New Zealand, Australia, Norway, The Church in Wales, the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church (URC).
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Aside from delivering conferences and courses, LyCiG CIO produces materials which are designed to enable church leaders to grow their church locally. For example:
Start! A six-session Christian enquirers course. Moving On A seven-session nurture course. LyCiG Local A seven-session course exploring growth in the local church. 100 Days with Jesus A devotional book written by Robin Gamble with associated Bible Studies.
4. Achievements and Performance
When the founder of LyCiG announced his intention to retire, the trustees recognised the need to employ a National Director to move LyCiG into a new phase of its work.
LyCiG achieved one of its major goals when it secured funding to ‘Step Up and Scale Up’ its work from the Church of England Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board (SMMIB).
The funding initially enabled LyCiG to fund a contracted part-time Interim Project Director to achieve the following objectives:
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Work with the trustees and staff to ensure policies and procedures were adequately in place to support the growth of the charity.
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Implement a partnership with Youthscape as per the SMMIB requirements.
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Develop relationships with potential beneficiaries.
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Develop a brief for the research element of the SMMIB project.
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Oversee the filming of promotional video clips to support the work of the charity.
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Oversee the development of the Job Description and manage the recruitment of a new National Director.
The Interim Project Director was appointed from 29[th] July 2024 and completed her work in February 2025.
5. Financial Review
These accounts are prepared on a receipts and payments basis.
For the period ending 31 December 2024, the organisation recorded a net surplus on unrestricted funds of £110,422. This is largely due to the incoming transfer of assets from the LyCiG Trust of £103,024. Without this, the surplus of unrestricted receipts over payments would have been £7,398.
Conversely, restricted funds recorded a net deficit of £3,657 in the reporting period. This was due to the SMMIB grant being claimed in arrears from the Church of England. The LyCiG Trust incurred the initial costs, and the LyCiG CIO received the funding claim. The administrative expenses that the LyCiG CIO incurred were received from SMMIB in January 2025.
The reserves policy sets a target free reserves balance of 3 month’s salary costs. On 31st December 2024, there were three employees, with monthly salary costs of circa £3,000. Free reserves of £106,765 are therefore significantly above our target balance.
The Trustees are confident of the organisation's future and have prepared the accounts on a going concern basis. At the balance sheet there is a strong reserves position, however, with an increase to the staff team and other operating costs in 2025, as part of our ‘Step Up and Scale Up’ strategy, the
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organisation is increasingly reliant upon SMMIB funding to meet its obligations. The management of working capital will therefore be increasingly important in the future.
6. Risk Management
Financial risks have been identified in relation to staff costs, conference expenses, working capital management and publications. The Trustees will undertake an annual risk analysis exercise. No contract has been or will be entered into without the certainty that funds are available to fully service all such commitments.
LyCiG CIO has no fixed assets and therefore there are no associated risks.
Non-financial risks, including operational, reputational, and compliance risks are reviewed through the charity’s governance framework to ensure that appropriate mitigation measures are in place through identification, training, policy and procedure (see 8. and 10. below).
7. Taxation Status
As a registered charity, Leading your Church into Growth (LyCiG CIO) is entitled to certain exemptions from corporation tax on profits from trading activities carried out in furtherance of its charitable purposes.
8.
Access, Inclusion and Policies
LyCiG CIO is committed to access and inclusion in all its work. Revd Neil Short has been elected as the trustee responsible for Access, Inclusion and all Policies. These are revised each year and presented for adoption by the trustees at the AGM. The following policies and procedures are in place.
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Health and Safety - Safeguarding Policy & Procedures
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- Equality, Diversity & Inclusion - Complaints & Feedback - Finance - Environmental - Disciplinary Procedures - Data Protection - Grievance & Dispute - Trustee Expenses & Services - Conflicts of Interest - Pay Policy
9. Volunteers
The majority of LyCiG’s work is carried out by the members who are all volunteers. The volunteers are not paid for their time, but expenses are reimbursed.
10. Trustee Recruitment, Induction and Training
A new procedure for trustee recruitment has been put in place. An information pack is given to potential Trustees which requests a CV and covering letter. This is followed by an online interview. The CV and covering letter are then circulated to the entire Trustee Board so that they can ask any questions, raise concerns or confirm that they wish to appoint the candidate to the Trustee Board.
All trustees are required to attend a LyCiG residential conference if they have not already done so. Those who do not hold a CofE Bishop’s License are also required to complete the Church of England Safeguarding Foundation and Basic modules.
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11. LyCiG Trust Transfer of Assets and Funds to LyCiG CIO
On the 30th November 2024, the LyCiG CIO received the transfer of all assets, liabilities and activities from the LyCiG Trust. From this point the LyCiG CIO commenced trading activities and the LyCiG Trust was in the process of closure, which was completed on 3rd June 2025 when the LyCiG Trust was formally closed and removed from the Register of Charities.
Value of Assets transferred from LYCIG Trust at the 30th November 2024
Total Cash at Bank and In Hand: £83,775
Value of Stock: £5,879
Further transfers from LyCiG Trust during December 2024
Cash at Bank and In Hand: £3,623
12. Approval of Trustees Report and Accounts
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above and the accounts for the Year Ending 31st December 2024.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
24[th] October 2025
Tracey White Chair of Trustees
Date
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Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of LyCiG CIO
Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Leading your Church into Growth (LyCiG CIO)
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Leading your Church Into Growth (LyCiG CIO) for the year ended 31 December 2024.
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 Charities 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 no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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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.
Justin Charlesworth MAAT Association of Accounting Technicians c/o Emerge (UK) 51 Kyffin Place Sutton Community Centre Bradford, BD4 8NB
24th October 2025
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Annual Accounts
Receipts and Payments Accounts for the year ended 31st December 2024
| Unrestricted Restricted Total 2024 2024 2024 |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts Income from conferences Income from sale of materials Grants Other Income Transfer from LyCiG Trust to 30th Nov 2024 Transfer from LyCiG Trust to 31st Dec 2024 |
11,810 - 11,810 |
see Note 2 | |
| Income from sale of materials | 762 - 762 |
see Note 2 | |
| Grants | - 15,931 15,931 |
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| Other Income | 275 30 305 |
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| Transfer from LyCiG Trust to 30th Nov 2024 |
99,401 -15,626 83,775 |
see Note 3 | |
| Transfer from LyCiG Trust to 31st Dec 2024 |
3,623 - 3,623 |
see Note 3 | |
| Total Receipts Payments Cost of Sales Costs of running conferences Costs of materials and related selling costs |
115,871 335 116,206 |
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| Costs of running conferences | - - - |
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| Costs of materials and related selling costs |
90 - 90 |
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Total Cost of Sales |
90 - 90 |
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| Total Administrative expenses Total Payments Surplus/(Shortfall) for the year |
5,359 3,992 9,351 |
see Note 4 | |
| 5,449 3,992 9,441 |
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| £110,422 -£3,657 £106,765 |
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Statement of assets and liabilities at 31st December 2024
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | |
| £ | £ | ||
| Current assets - Cash at bank | and in hand | ||
| Bank Current account | 39,202 | -3,657 | 35,545 |
| Bank Deposit account | 71,631 | 71,631 | |
| Stripe accounts | 29 | 29 | |
| Total Cash at bank and in hand |
110,862 | -3,657 | £107,205 |
| Items not showing in bank due to difference in | Items not showing in bank due to difference in | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| settlement dates | |||
| Pension payable from Bank Current | -185 | ||
| Transfer to Stripe from Bank Current | -255 | ||
| Adjustment to balance Receipts & Payments |
-£440 | ||
| Other assets | |||
| Grant income outstanding | 4,159 | 4,159 | |
| Invoices outstanding | 510 | - | 510 |
| Total other assets | £510 | 4,159 | £4,669 |
The grant income outstanding relates to the LyCiG CIO 2024 SMMIB expenses to be claimed in 2025 (£3,992) and further expenses in the LyCiG Trust of £166 that were not previously claimed due to timings of the claim submission.
Stock
| 31 Dec 2024 |
30 Nov 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock at lower of cost or valuation | £5,668 | £5,879 | ||
| Liabilities | Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | |
| 2024 | 2024 | 2024 | ||
| Deposits paid in advance | ||||
| received by the LyCiG Trust: | ||||
| National Conferences 2025 | 9,325 | 9,325 | ||
| Diocesan Conferences 2025 | 7,500 | 7,500 | ||
| Deposits paid in advance | ||||
| received by the LyCiG CIO: | ||||
| National Conferences 2025 | 5,150 | 5,150 | ||
| Diocesan Conferences 2025 | 550 | 550 | ||
| Total Liabilities | 22,525 | 22,525 | ||
| Creditors | 21,783 | 22,500 | 44,283 |
The creditors at the Year End were predominantly invoices from Christian Conference Centre Trust for future conference deposit payments (£17,600) and Youthscape for consultancy relating to the SMMIB claim (£22,500) which were paid in January 2025. The Youthscape costs were recovered in a SMMIB grant claim made in January 2025.
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Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31st December 2024
1. Accounting Policies
These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and the Charitable Incorporated Organisations (General) Regulations 2012.
The accounts are prepared on a Receipts and Payments basis.
Income is recognised when received. Expenditure is recognised when payments are made. The charity is not registered for VAT, so all figures are inclusive of VAT where applicable.
2. Analysis of Income
Trading activities commenced in December 2024 as the LyCiG Trust was still actively trading until the transfer date of 30th November 2024. Income from the sale of materials and from conferences is therefore only reflecting one month of active trading.
3. Comparative Figures and Financial Year End, Transfer from LyCiG Trust
This first financial year-end for LyCiG CIO has been shortened to 7 months, to 31st December 2024 in order to align with the charity’s reporting cycle, and this is an adjustment from the financial year-end of the LyCiG Trust which was 30th November.
There has only been one month of trading activity, therefore providing comparative data for the 7 month period would not make sense.
Consequently, the period covered by these accounts is both shorter than 12 months and not directly comparable with the equivalent period of the LyCiG Trust accounts.
The next year of LyCiG CIO accounts will provide a combined set of comparable figures, and allow for the comparison with a full year of trading activity.
On 30th November 2024, all assets and liabilities from the LyCiG Trust Registration Number 1104285 were transferred and received by the new LyCiG CIO Registration Number 1208507.
The assets and liabilities received by the LyCiG CIO on 30th November 2024 comprised of:
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Cash at bank and in hand: £83,775
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Debtors: £5,055
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Creditors: -£161
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Stock: £5,879
Further transfers from LyCiG Trust during December 2024:
- Cash at Bank and In Hand: £3,623
The LyCiG Trust was removed from the register of Charities on the 3rd June 2025, and the LyCiG Trust bank accounts were closed on 21st July 2025 after any remaining funds were transferred to the LyCiG CIO accounts.
4. Analysis of Expenditure
Expenditure related to the cost of sales and administration expenses only reflects one month of operations and trading activity.
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5. Movement in funds during the year
The movements in the different funds can be summarised as follows:
| Unrestricted Funds Transfer from LyCiG Trust General Fund Designated Bursaries Total Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Transfer from LyCiG Trust (SMMIB) see note below Transfer from LyCiG Trust (Team Gift RG) SMMIB LYCIG CIO Team Gift RG Total Restricted Funds |
Opening balances at 3 June 2024 Incoming Resources Outgoing Resources Transfers Fund balances at 31 December 2024 0 103,024 0 -103,024 0 0 9,797 -4,549 102,174 107,422 0 3,050 -900 850 3,000 |
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| 0 115,871 -5,449 0 110,422 |
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| 0 -16,097 0 16,097 0 0 471 0 -471 0 0 15,931 -3,491 -16,097 -3,657 0 30 -501 471 0 |
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| - 335 -3,992 0 -3,657 |
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| Total Cash Funds | £0 £116,206 -£9,441 £0 £106,765 |
The SMMIB Restricted Fund is the Church of England ‘Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board’ grant funding for the LYCIG ‘Step Up and Scale Up’ partnership project over 3 years. This is claimed quarterly in arrears from the Church of England. The initial costs incurred are shown in the LyCiG Trust transfer of a negative Restricted Fund of (£16,097) these were transferred to the LyCiG CIO, and have been claimed back via a SMMIB claim received through the LyCiG CIO in the financial year ending 31st December 2024 (£15,931). Due to claim timings, the first claim was less than the costs incurred in the LyCiG Trust, resulting in a difference of (£166) between the different aspects of the SMMIB fund. The difference has been claimed in a subsequent claim.
LYCIG Team Gift for Robin Gamble was for donations received in the LyCiG Trust financial year 2023-24, and in the LyCiG CIO financial year 2024 towards a leaving gift from the team during the AGM Team Meeting in November 2024. These funds were spent through the LyCiG CIO by the end of the financial year 2024.
6. Trustee’s Remuneration and Expenses
No trustee received any remuneration during the year.
Expenses reimbursed to trustees for training and travel costs: £ 191
7. Related Party Transactions
There were no related party transactions during the period.
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