Registered No: 232467
PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024
PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
Registered number: 232467
Registered and principal office
10 Fenchurch Avenue London EC3M 5AG
Annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024
| Contents | Page |
|---|---|
| Reference and administration information | 3 |
| Annual report of the Trustee | 4-8 |
| Statement of the Trustee's responsibilities | 9 |
| Independent auditors' report to the trustee of Prudential Staff Charitable Trust | 10-12 |
| Statement of financial activities | 13 |
| Balance sheet | 14 |
| Statement of cash flows | 15 |
| Notes to the financial statements | 16 to 20 |
2
PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
Trustee
The Prudential Assurance Company Limited is the holding trustee for the purposes of holding investments and cash belonging to the charity. The directors of the holding trustee at the date of this report are:
Mr R S Bowie (Chairman) Mr C P Adamson (resigned 13 January 2025) Mr A Barbour (appointed 13 January 2025) Mr C Bolton Ms L Fowler Mr S Horgan Dr I Owen Ms M Tannemaat Mr D K Watson
Members of the Supervisory Board
The members of the Supervisory Board are the managing trustees of the charity. The members of the Supervisory Board are:
Mr S Moffatt (Chairman) Mr D Green Mr S Sharma Mr M Thompson Mrs C White
Independent Auditors
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Chartered Accountant and Statutory Auditors 144 Morrison Street Edinburgh EH3 8EX
Bank
HSBC Bank Plc Regional Service Centre, Europe PO Box 61004 2[nd] Floor London SE1 9RX
Investment adviser
M&G Investment Management Limited 10 Fenchurch Avenue London EC3M 5AG
Solicitor
Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP 10 Queen Street Place London EC4R 1BE
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRUSTEE FOR 2024
Objective
The Prudential Staff Charitable Trust ('the Trust') is an unincorporated charity governed by a Trust Deed. The Supervisory Board has been appointed to administer and manage the Trust under the terms of the Trust Deed dated 15 June 2010, as amended. The objective of the Trust, as registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, is the relief in cases of need, hardship or distress of persons who are or were either pensioners or past or present full time or part time employees or their dependants of Prudential plc (prior to 21 October 2019 being the date of the demerger from M&G plc) or of M&G plc or of companies whose ultimate parent company is either Prudential plc (prior to 21 October 2019) or M&G plc.
The Supervisory Board resolved in July 2009 that in order for an individual to apply for assistance from the Trust, they must generally be resident in the UK and participate, or be eligible to participate, in the Prudential Staff Pension Scheme (PSPS). At the October 2009 meeting the Supervisory Board extended the eligibility for applications to members of the Scottish Amicable Staff Pension Scheme (SASPS) and the M&G Group Pension Scheme (M&GGPS). The Board can exercise its discretion to grant assistance to former employees who reside outside of the UK.
In setting the Trust’s objectives the Supervisory Board has given careful consideration to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit.
The strategies employed to achieve the Trust’s objectives are:
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to make grants or loans of money to or provide or pay for items, services or facilities for beneficiaries with and upon such terms and conditions as the Trustee may consider appropriate;
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to pay for such items, services or facilities as aforesaid by way of donations or subscriptions to institutions or organisations which provide, or which undertake in return to provide, such items, services or facilities for beneficiaries; and
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to do all such other lawful things as are necessary for the attainment of the objective of the Trust.
Investments
The Supervisory Board has the general power of investment defined in the Trustee Act 2000.
Investment performance
Charifund/Charibond
The Trust has held long standing investments in the Equities Investment Fund for Charities (Charifund) and the Charibond Fixed Interest Fund (Charibond), both of which are managed by M&G Securities Limited. M&G Investment Management Limited is the investment adviser. Charifund primarily invests in a diversified portfolio of high yielding UK equities and is designed to provide a high and growing income for charities, while at the same time protecting their capital from the erosive effect of inflation. The aim of Charibond is to provide charities with an actively managed fixed interest fund investing in deposits, UK government bonds and other sterling denominated fixed interest securities, designed to produce a high income while preserving capital values.
UK equity performance in the calendar year 2024 was strong, with the FTSE 100 posting a total return of 9.7%, largely driven by strong corporate earnings from key sectors within the UK market such as financials. Against this backdrop, Charifund delivered a total return of 9.0% during the year, fuelled mainly by continued strength in the contribution from income (yield approximately 6%); this slightly lagged our FTSE All-Share Index benchmark return of 9.5%, but came in ahead of the average return of all IA UK Equity Income Fund sector peers at 8.7%.
Global fixed income performance was fairly weak, as stickier inflation and reasonably robust economic growth led investors to price slower cutting cycles for interest rates. Across most tenors of the gilt curve, yields rose around 1%, with the 10 year gilt yield going from 3.5% to 4.6%. The FTSE UK Conventional All Stocks Index posted a negative total return of -3.3%. Charibond posted a total return of 0.9% during the year, with a negative capital return reflective of the weaker market environment being bolstered by a contribution from income of around 4.5%.
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRUSTEE FOR 2024 (continued)
M&G Charity Multi Asset Fund
On 8[th] November 2024, Trustees elected to reduce their exposure to bonds by reinvesting £1.8m to establish a new position in The M&G Charity Multi Asset Fund. This is a globally diversified strategy aimed at delivering competitive rolling 5-year total returns with a strong and consistent contribution from income; for comparison purposes, over the course of calendar year 2024, the M&G Charity Multi Asset Fund delivered a total return of 8.0% with a published income yield at year-end of 4.4%.
M&G Sustainable Total Return Credit Investment Fund
During March 2024, a £1m new investment payment was made into the “M&G Sustainable Total Return Credit Investment Fund" (STRCI Fund). The STRCI fund aims to offer investors a sustainable multi-asset credit fund, combining M&G’s expertise in credit investing with an assessment of ESG factors. The fund applies a positive ESG selection to focus on investments that meet environmental and social sustainability criteria. A further £1m payment was invested into this fund at the end of June 2024.
STRCI outperformed its cash benchmark by 4.61% for the calendar year 2024. Positive contributions were primarily driven by exposure to industrials & financials, whereas exposure to utilities detracted through the year. Credit markets are uniformly expensive across asset classes relative to historical spreads, with very little downside risk being priced in. Simultaneously, we have seen increased political uncertainty in Germany and France, whilst concerns regarding high levels of global government debt, future borrowing and broader geopolitical tensions remain.
M&G UK Property Fund (UKPF)
In September 2021 the Supervisory Board of the Trust were advised that the M&G UK Property Fund (UKPF) Management Company had decided to conduct an orderly closure of the fund in the interests of unitholders, subject to receipt of certain regulatory approvals. Given the impact of increased redemption orders, the Management Company was of the opinion that it is no longer possible for the fund to meet its long term investment objectives and maintain a balanced, diversified portfolio of assets. As a result during 2024 the Trust received net distributions from the Property Fund comprising proceeds from asset sales as well as income, as noted in the Financial Statements.
Following the prolonged downturn, UK real estate performance showed tentative signs of recovery towards the end of 2024, following interest rate cuts and a shift in market sentiment. The M&G UK Property Fund (UKPF) delivered a total return of -8.0%. Whilst income provided a positive contribution of 3.3%, it was more than offset by a negative capital return of -11.3%. This was primarily driven by a decline in the valuation of the Edinburgh student accommodation asset, following clarification on the extent of remedial works required to address concerns with respect to cladding and fire safety works, ahead of marketing the asset for sale. Offices were once again the weakest performance sector, with retail and industrials outperforming, as structural tailwinds continued to support occupier and investor demand.
As at 31 December 2024, the Property Fund had five remaining assets, representing 10.2% of the NAV at the start of the liquidation, with an occupancy rate of 91%. Rent collection facilitated income distributions totalling 2.8% during the year, however, receipts will continue to naturally diminish as the liquidation process is progressed.
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRUSTEE FOR 2024 (continued)
Supervisory Board
The present members of the Supervisory Board are shown on page 3. Board members, from time to time, shall be appointed by any member of the Group Executive Committee of M&G plc who shall also appoint the Chairman of the Supervisory Board. The Supervisory Board meets on a quarterly basis. Appropriate training sessions are made available to all Supervisory Board members.
Reserves policy
Income which becomes available to a charity to be spent at the Trustees' discretion in furthering any of the charity’s objectives, but is not yet spent, committed or designated is described as free reserves. It is the policy to include all income earned from the capital account (permanent endowment fund) in the income account (unrestricted fund) (Note 1(b) Funds structure).
The Supervisory Board on behalf of the holding Trustee is committed to maintaining the capital of the Trust as described in Note 1(b) Funds structure.
The actual free reserves (unrestricted fund) in excess of the capital as at 31 December 2024 were £7,756,041 (2023: £7,258,209) and the value of the permanent endowment funds were £11,745,000 (2023: £11,569,455). It is the policy of the Supervisory Board that the reserves maintained in excess of the capital at the balance sheet date should be sufficient to meet the Trust's objectives. The Supervisory Board aims to maintain free reserves in the unrestricted fund at a stable level to ensure that there are sufficient funds available to respond to future applications from beneficiaries. The Supervisory Board is satisfied that the current level of free reserves are sufficient. The Supervisory Board acts in accordance with the Trust Deed by not setting a target level of reserves. The Supervisory Board monitors the level of free reserves on a quarterly basis. It is the view of the Supervisory Board that the Trust has sufficient reserves available to meet future needs, opportunities, contingencies and risks of the Trust without having to realise any investments from the capital account.
Risk management
The Supervisory Board periodically reviews the major risks to which the Trust is exposed. The Supervisory Board ensures that the Trust's investment policy and performance is appropriate and that the funds are distributed in line with agreed policies. The Board ensures that there are sufficient funds to meet the current and future requests from beneficiaries using independent experts where appropriate. One of the key risks identified is that the investment performance is poor leading to a reduction in the funds available to meet the Trust's objectives. The Trust has implemented various controls to mitigate this, such as:
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Regular review of the investments and investment strategy.
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Use of skilled personnel across the business to monitor the investment performance.
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Maintaining a balanced portfolio.
There is also a risk that the Trust receives a significant increase in applications leading to a significant reduction in the funds available. This risk is mitigated by the eligibility criteria that are reviewed periodically by the Supervisory Board.
General grants
Grants made in 2024 and 2023 were as follows:
| Single grants Grants to supplement income of pensioners |
2024 2023 £ £ 13,300 4,000 16,586 14,192 29,886 18,192 |
|---|---|
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRUSTEE FOR 2024 (continued)
Christmas grants
The Trust makes Christmas grants, currently a payment of £250 (2023: £250), to pensioners who have completed 5 years' service and whose total household income excluding State Benefits is less than £7,963 per annum (2023: £7,457 per annum). The income limit has in the past been increased each year by the same rate as PSPS discretionary increases granted to pensions in payment. In 2011 the Supervisory Board resolved that this gift can be offered to pensioners in SASPS who retired/ left the Scheme after 30 June 2002 and to M&GGPS pensioners who retired/ left the Scheme after 16 October 2005. In 2012 the Supervisory Board agreed that children of PSPS Defined Contribution Section members who die in service could receive the discretionary Christmas Gift while they are under 18 or 23 if in full time education.
Payments made in 2024 and 2023 were as follows:
| Payments made in 2024 and 2023 were as follows: | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Value of Christmas gifts | 482,750 | 527,250 |
| Number of grants made | 1,931 | 2,109 |
Bereavement grants
With effect from 6 November 2015 the bereavement grant has been set at a maximum of £5,000. The grant is offered to each widow/widower following the death of the PSPS member where the spouse’s pension is less than £7,963 per annum (2023: £7,457 per annum). Since the 14 July 2021, the widow/ widower has to accept the offer and confirm that total household income excluding State Benefits is less than £7,963 per annum and that they have savings of less than £12,000. The offer is extended to common law partners where no spouse’s pension is payable.
In 2011 the Supervisory Board resolved that this gift can be offered to SASPS and M&GGPS members, but with the same service requirements as for the Christmas Gift.
Payments made in 2024 and 2023 were as follows:
| Payments made in 2024 and 2023 were as follows: | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Value of Bereavement grants | 50,000 | 30,000 |
| Number of grants made | 10 | 6 |
Loans to beneficiaries
At the end of 2024 there were 12 (2023:12) loans outstanding, totalling £490,667 (2023: £496,175) including interest capitalised during the year of £721 (2023: £736). Loans advanced to beneficiaries during the year amounted to £Nil (2023: £Nil) and repayments received amounted to £6,229 (2023: £14,058). There were no loans written off in 2024 (2023: Nil). The loans are secured, generally against fixed property, and are repayable at any time at par. Interest is charged at beneficial rates which ranged from 0% to 2.5% during 2024 (2023: 0% to 2.5%).
Governance costs
The only expenses normally borne by the Trust are audit fees of £45,446 (2023: £43,282), legal fees of £1,025 (2023: £1,080) and bank charges. In 2024 bank charges were an income of £4,265 (2023: expense £4,975) due to reimbursement of incorrect overcharges occurring in the prior year.
Fundraising
The Trust has not undertaken any fundraising activity during 2024 or 2023. Included under income in the Statement of Financial Activities, is £45,446 of donations (2023: £43,282). This relates to audit fees for the Charity which have been paid by The Prudential Assurance Company Limited.
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRUSTEE FOR 2024 (continued)
Post balance sheet event
During February 2025, The remaining investment balance in Charibond (£2,001,732.10) was withdrawn and invested into STRCI.
Plans for future periods
The Trust intends to continue to provide on-going support both to its current and prospective beneficiaries.
Going concern
The Trustee has prepared the financial statements on the going concern basis as they do not intend to liquidate the Trust or to cease its operations and they have concluded that the Trust's financial position means that this is realistic. It has also concluded that there are no material uncertainties that could cast significant doubt over its ability to continue as a going concern for at least 12 months from the date of approval of the financial statements (“the going concern period”). The key areas considered in the assessment of going concern are the net assets of the Trust and liquidity. Due to the uncertainty regarding future market performance and future operating costs, prudence has been applied to the Trust’s cash flow forecasts to ensure that the Trust can withstand a sharp economic downturn for a sustained period. In addition to this, all grants are fully at the discretion of the Trust and if the Trust were to become illiquid in the future, there is no liability that the Trust is obligated to other than the administrative expenses which are fully borne by the holding trustee. As such, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Trust has adequate resources to continue its operations for a period of at least 12 months from the date that the financial statements are approved.
Auditors
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), who were appointed by the Trustee in 2022, remained in office during 2024 and will remain in office as auditors of the Trust for 2025.
The annual report of the Trustee on pages 4 to 8 was approved by the Supervisory Board on behalf of the Trustee, and was signed on its behalf by,
S Moffatt
Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Date: 11 July 2025
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
STATEMENT OF THE TRUSTEE'S RESPONSIBILITIES IN RESPECT OF THE TRUSTEE'S ANNUAL REPORT AND THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The holding trustee is The Prudential Assurance Company Limited. The Supervisory Board has been appointed to administer and manage the Trust for the holding trustee under the terms of the Trust Deed dated 15 June 2010, as amended, and within the framework of Trust Law.
Under the Trust Deed and rules of the charity and charity law, the Trustee is responsible for preparing the Trustee's Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations. The Trustee has elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with UK Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
The financial statements are required by law to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustee is required to:
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selects suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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makes judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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states whether applicable UK accounting standards and the Statement of Recommended Practice have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
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state whether the financial statements comply with the trust deed and rules, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
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assesses the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern; and
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uses the going concern basis of accounting unless they either intend to liquidate the Charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
The Trustee is required to act in accordance with the Trust Deed and the rules of the Charity, within the framework of trust law. It is responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Trustees’ transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable it to ensure that the financial statements comply with the section 132(1) of the Charities Act 2011, those statements of accounts comply with the requirements of regulations under that provision. They are responsible for such internal control as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and have general responsibility for taking such steps as are reasonably open to them to safeguard the assets of the charity and to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities.
Approved and signed on behalf of the Supervisory Board
S Moffatt
Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Date: 11 July 2025
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
Independent auditors’ report to the trustee of Prudential Staff Charitable Trust
Report on the audit of the financial statements
Opinion
In our opinion, Prudential Staff Charitable Trust’s financial statements (the “financial statements”):
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give a true and fair view of the state of the charity’s affairs as at 31 December 2024 and of its incoming resources, application of resources, and cash flows for the year then ended;
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have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland", and applicable law); and
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have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 and Regulation 8 of The Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008).
We have audited the financial statements, included within the Annual Report and Financial Statements (the “Annual Report”), which comprise: the Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2024; the Statement of Financial Activities for the year then ended, Statement of Cash Flows for the year then ended; and the notes to the financial statements, which include a description of the significant accounting policies.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (“ISAs (UK)”) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under ISAs (UK) are further described in the Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Independence
We remained independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, which includes the FRC’s Ethical Standard and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.
Conclusions relating to going concern
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from the date on which the financial statements are authorised for issue.
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustee’s use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
However, because not all future events or conditions can be predicted, this conclusion is not a guarantee as to the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustee with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Reporting on other information
The other information comprises all of the information in the Annual Report other than the financial statements and our auditors’ report thereon. The trustee is responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion or any form of assurance thereon.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify an apparent material inconsistency or material misstatement, we are required to perform procedures to conclude whether there is a material misstatement of the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report based on these responsibilities.
With respect to the Trustee’s report, we also considered whether the disclosures required by the Charities Act 2011 have been included.
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
Trustees’ Report
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit, the information given in the Trustee’s report for the year ended 31 December 2024 is consistent with the financial statements and has been prepared in accordance with applicable requirements.
In light of the knowledge and understanding of the charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we did not identify any material misstatements in the Trustee's report.
Responsibilities for the financial statements and the audit
Responsibilities of the Trustee for the financial statements
As explained more fully in the Statement of the Trustee’s Responsibilities in respect of the Trustees’ Annual Report and the Financial Statements, the trustee is responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the applicable framework and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view. The trustee is also responsible for such internal control as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustee is responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustee either intends to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Auditors’ responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
We are eligible to act and have been appointed as auditors under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditors’ report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
Based on our understanding of the charity and the environment in which it operates, we identified that the principal risks of non-compliance with laws and regulations related to the Charities Act 2011 and relevant regulations made of having an effect thereunder,, and we considered the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We also considered those laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the financial statements. We evaluated the incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls) by the trustee and those responsible for, or involved in, the preparation of the financial statements, and determined that the principal risks were related to posting inappropriate journal entries. Audit procedures performed by the engagement team included:
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Enquire with management, including consideration of known or suspected instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations and fraud;
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Reviewing relevant trustee meeting minutes;
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Testing journal entries where we identified particular fraud risk criteria; and
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Designing audit procedures to incorporate unpredictability around the nature, timing or extent of our testing.
There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above. We are less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations that are not closely related to events and transactions reflected in the financial statements. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the FRC’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditors’ report.
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
Use of this report
This report, including the opinions, has been prepared for and only for the charity’s trustee as a body in accordance with section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and regulations made under section 154 of that Act (Part 4 of The Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008) and for no other purpose. We do not, in giving these opinions, accept or assume responsibility for any other purpose or to any other person to whom this report is shown or into whose hands it may come save where expressly agreed by our prior consent in writing.
Other required reporting
Charities Act 2011 exception reporting
Under the Charities Act 2011 we are required to report to you if, in our opinion:
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we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
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sufficient accounting records have not been kept by the charity; or
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the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records.
We have no exceptions to report arising from this responsibility.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors Edinburgh
11 July 2025
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
| Unrestricted Fund 2024 £ Income from: Donations 45,446 Investments 1,211,579 Total 1,257,025 Expenditure on: Charitable activities 604,842 Total 604,842 Net Income / (Expense) 652,183 Other recognised gains/ (losses): (Losses) / gains on investments (154,351) Net movement in funds 497,832 Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward 7,258,209 Total funds carried forward 7,756,041 |
Unrestricted Fund 2024 £ 45,446 1,211,579 |
Permanent Endowment Fund 2024 £ — — |
Total Funds 2024 £ 45,446 1,211,579 |
Unrestricted Fund 2023 £ 43,282 1,038,971 |
Permanent Endowment Total Note Fund Funds 2023 2023 £ £ — 43,282 — 1,038,971 3 — 1,082,253 — 624,845 5 — 624,845 — 457,408 (171,914) (226,463) 4 (171,914) 230,945 7 11,741,369 18,596,719 8 11,569,455 18,827,664 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,257,025 | — |
1,257,025 | 1,082,253 |
||
| on: 604,842 |
— |
604,842 |
624,845 |
||
| 604,842 | — |
604,842 |
624,845 |
||
| 652,183 (154,351) |
— 175,545 |
652,183 21,194 |
457,408 (54,549) |
||
| 497,832 | 175,545 |
673,377 |
402,859 |
||
| 11,569,455 | 18,827,664 | 6,855,350 | |||
| 7,756,041 | 11,745,000 | 19,501,041 | 7,258,209 |
The Statement of Financial Activities relates to continuing operations.
The Trust has no recognised gains or losses other than the net movement in funds for the year.
The accounting policies on page 16 along with the accompanying notes on pages 16 to 20 form an integral part of these financial statements.
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2024
| Fixed assets: Investments Current assets: Loans to beneficiaries Cash at bank Total current assets Liabilities: Creditors amounts falling due within one year Net current assets Total net assets The funds of the Charitable Trust |
Unrestricted Fund 2024 £ 6,240,239 490,667 1,025,135 1,515,802 — 1,515,802 7,756,041 7,756,041 |
Permanent Endowment Fund 2024 £ 11,745,000 — — |
Total Funds 2024 £ 17,985,239 490,667 1,025,135 |
Unrestricted Fund 2023 £ 4,394,590 496,175 2,367,444 2,863,619 — 2,863,619 7,258,209 7,258,209 |
Permanent Endowment Total Note Fund Funds 2023 2023 £ £ 11,569,455 15,964,045 4 — 496,175 6 — 2,367,444 — 2,863,619 — — — 2,863,619 11,569,455 18,827,664 11,569,455 18,827,664 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — — |
1,515,802 — |
||||
| — 11,745,000 |
1,515,802 19,501,041 |
||||
| 11,745,000 | 19,501,041 |
The accounting policies on page 16 along with the accompanying notes on pages 16 to 20 form an integral part of these financial statements.
These financial statements on pages 13 to 20 were approved by the Supervisory Board on 11 July 2025, on behalf of the Trustee.
Signed on behalf of the Supervisory Board
S Moffatt
Chairman of the Supervisory Board
Dated:11 July 2025
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
| Net cash used in operating activities Cash flows from investing activities: Purchase of investments (STRCI) Dividends Distributions from property fund Interest Net cash provided by investing activities Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year Cash and equivalents brought forward Cash and equivalents carried forward |
2024 2023 £ £ Note (553,888) (568,239) 7 (2,000,000) — 955,799 833,690 181,343 118,831 7 74,437 86,450 (788,421) 1,038,971 (1,342,309) 470,732 2,367,444 1,896,712 1,025,135 2,367,444 |
|---|---|
The accounting policies on page 16 along with the accompanying notes on pages 16 to 20 form an integral part of these financial statements.
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
1 Accounting policies
a. Basis of preparation
The Prudential Staff Charitable Trust (the Trust”) is a registered charity (incorporated in the UK and registered in England and Wales, number 232467). The objects of the Trust are set out on page 4 of the Annual Report.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued in October 2019 and the Charities Act 2022 and UK Generally Accepted Practice.
The Trust is confident that it will be able to continue to meet planned expenditure based on the current level of free reserves for the foreseeable future and thus has continued to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements. The key areas considered in the assessment of going concern are the net assets of the Trust and liquidity. Due to the uncertainty regarding future market performance and future operating costs, prudence has been applied to the Trust’s cash flow forecasts to ensure that the Trust can withstand a sharp economic downturn for a sustained period. In addition to this, all grants are fully at the discretion of the Trust and if the Trust were to become illiquid in the future, there is no liability that the Trust is obligated to other than the administrative expenses which are fully borne by the holding trustee. As such, the Trustee has a reasonable expectation that the Trust has adequate resources to continue its operations for a period of at least 12 months from the date that the financial statements are approved.
b. Funds structure
The Trust has a single permanent endowment fund - the capital account. The capital account contains the original investments and any investments bought out of the sale of the original investments. Any realised / unrealised gains / (losses) on the investments in the capital account are kept within the capital account. The Trust has an unrestricted fund – the income account. The income from the capital account is available to use for the charitable purposes of the Trust and is wholly unrestricted. The unrestricted fund comprises those funds which the Supervisory Board of the Trustee of the Trust is free to use for any purpose in furtherance of the Trust’s objectives.
c. Income recognition
Investment income is included on an accruals basis. Dividends on ordinary shares are included by reference to ex-dividend dates. UK dividends are grossed up by the recoverable tax credits.
d. Expenditure recognition
Grants are accounted for when committed. The Trust has no employees and any administration support costs are borne by the holding Trustee without recharge to the Trust. It is not possible to quantify the amount of this donation.
e. Investments
Investments are stated at fair value. Realised gains and losses are calculated as the difference between net proceeds on disposal and original costs. Movements in unrealised gains comprise the change in the value of investments held at the balance sheet date and the reversal of unrealised investment gains and losses recognised in earlier accounting periods in respect of investment disposals.
f. Financial instruments - recognition and measurement
The Trust classifies and measures all its financial assets and liabilities at either amortised cost or fair value through the statement of financial activities (SoFA) in accordance with FRS 102.11 & 102.12. Net gains and losses, including any interest or dividend income, are recognised in the SoFA. This includes assets that are held-for-trading or are part of a portfolio that is managed on a fair value basis.
g. Loans to beneficiaries
Loans issued by the Trust to its beneficiaries are accounted for as concessionary loans in accordance with the charity SORP 11.21. Concessionary loans are those loans made or received by a charity to further its purposes and any interest charged is below the prevailing market rates.
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
2 Related party transactions and trustees' expenses and remuneration
The holding trustee received no remuneration or expenses for the year (2023: £Nil) and bore all of the Trust’s administrative expenses, including the costs of the Supervisory Board, without recharge to the Trust. The Trust has no employees (2023: Nil) and no payments were made to Trustees. The audit fees of £45,446 (2023: £43,282) are paid for by The Prudential Assurance Company Limited and are shown as a donation in the Statement of Financial Activities.
M&G Investment Management Limited provide strategic investment advisory services. The sum of £1 is due as good and valuable consideration for the provision of services under the Agreement, as no payment is made for this amount, it is treated as a donation in the Statement of Financial Activities. Investment management fees are levied against the assets of the fund vehicles by M&G Securities Ltd via the daily unit prices; individual investors are not invoiced for monetary amounts and no further fees are payable.
| 3. Investment income Unit trusts - dividends Distributions from property fund Loan interest: Interest receivable in the year Interest capitalised Bank interest |
2024 £ 2023 £ 955,799 833,690 181,343 118,831 275 275 446 736 73,716 85,439 1,211,579 1,038,971 |
|---|---|
Of total income, £689,426 (2023: £643,744) was earned on the capital account and immediately applied to the income account. The income account represents the accumulation of income from previous years which was not spent on benefits (Note 1(b) Funds structure).
| 4. Investments Opening carrying value Movements during the year: Additions Disposals Realised (losses)/gains Unrealised gains/(losses) Closing carrying value Analysis of market value at end of the year Permanent endowment fund Charibond Charifund Unrestricted fund ** Charibond Charifund Charity Multi Asset Fund STRCI Property Fund Total investments at market value |
2024 £ 2023 £ 15,964,045 16,190,509 3,800,000 — (1,800,000) — (286,912) — 308,106 (226,464) 17,985,239 15,964,045 1,838,074 1,914,240 9,906,926 9,655,215 11,745,000 11,569,455 159,937 2,041,851 2,013,471 1,962,314 1,820,791 — 2,054,801 — 191,239 390,425 6,240,239 4,394,590 17,985,239 15,964,045 |
|---|---|
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
- The Trust Deed requires that memorandum Financial Statements are kept in the form of a capital account and an income account (Note 1(b) Funds structure).
The investments of the Trust are held in the above noted funds. These funds in turn invest in underlying assets. The Equities Investment Fund for Charities (Charifund) primarily invests in a diversified portfolio of UK equities. The Charibond Fixed Interest Fund (Charibond) fund primarily invests in deposits, UK government bonds and other sterling denominated fixed interest securities. The Charifund and the Charibond fund are both managed by M&G Securities Limited.The M&G UK Property Fund invests in property.
The M&G Charity Multi Asset Fund is a globally diversified strategy which can invest in domestic and overseas equities alongside government/corporate bonds, property, infrastructure, cash and other assets deemed suitable by the team to harness value and/or to help manage volatility; it is deliberately tilted towards longerterm assets to assist in delivering competitive total returns and a good degree of income. The STRCI Fund is a sustainable multi-asset credit fund, applying a positive ESG selection to focus on investments that meet environmental and social sustainability criteria.
The Trust’s reserves are £7,756,041 (2023: £7,258,209) which is the balance of the unrestricted fund. It is the view of the Supervisory Board that the Trust has sufficient reserves available to meet the future needs, opportunities, contingencies and risks of the Trust.
| 5. Analysis of charitable expenditure General grants Christmas grants Bereavement grants Governance costs |
2024 £ 2023 £ 29,886 18,192 482,750 527,250 50,000 30,000 42,206 49,403 604,842 624,845 |
|---|---|
All grants are provided to individuals, as such, there is no requirement to disclose recipients of the grants.
| 6. Loans to beneficiaries 2024 2023 No. of loans No. of loans Loans at beginning of year 12 13 Repayments — (1) Interest capitalised Loans at end of year 12 12 Analysis of Loans to beneficiaries Loans: amounts falling due within one year Loans: amounts falling due after one year Loans at end of year 7. Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash used in operating activities Net movement in funds Deduct dividend income shown in investing activities Deduct distributions from property funds Deduct interest income shown in investing activities Deduct/ add back (losses)/gains on investments Movement in loans to beneficiaries Net cash used in operating activities |
2024 2023 £ £ 496,175 509,497 (6,229) (14,058) 721 736 490,667 496,175 2024 2023 £ £ 6,000 6,000 484,667 490,175 490,667 496,175 2024 £ 2023 £ 673,377 230,945 (955,799) (833,690) (181,343) (118,831) (74,437) (86,450) (21,194) 226,464 5,508 13,322 (553,888) (568,240) |
|---|---|
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
8. Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net funds in the Statement of Financial Activities
| Reconciliation of Activities |
net movement in funds to net funds in the Statement of Financial |
|---|---|
| 2024 Fund name Permanent Endowment Fund Unrestricted Fund Total funds |
Balances brought forward Income* Expenditure Gains and losses Balances carried forward £ £ £ £ £ 11,569,455 — — 175,545 11,745,000 7,258,209 1,257,025 (604,842) (154,351) 7,756,041 |
| 18,827,664 1,257,025 (604,842) 21,194 19,501,041 |
*It is the policy to include all income earned from the permanent endowment fund in the unrestricted fund (Note 1(b) Funds structure). The amount of income earned from the permanent endowment fund in 2024 was £689,426.
2023
| 2023 | |
|---|---|
| Fund name Permanent Endowment Fund Unrestricted Fund Total funds |
Balances brought forward Income Expenditure Gains and losses Balances carried forward £ £ £ £ £* 11,741,369 — — (171,914) 11,569,455 6,855,350 1,082,253 (624,845) (54,549) 7,258,209 |
| 18,596,719 1,082,253 (624,845) (226,463) 18,827,664 |
*It is the policy to include all income earned from the permanent endowment fund in the unrestricted fund (Note 1(b) Funds structure). The amount of income earned from the permanent endowment fund in 2024 was £643,743.
9 Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities
A. Financial assets and financial liabilities – classification and measurement
Under FRS 102, the financial assets and financial liabilities of the Trust are valued at either Fair Value through income and expenditure (FVTIE) or amortised cost.
| 2024 Financial Assets Charibond Charifund Charity Multi Asset Fund STRCI Property fund Loans to beneficiaries Cash at bank and in hand Total |
Fair value through income and expenditure £ 1,998,011 11,920,397 1,820,791 2,054,801 191,239 — — 17,985,239 |
Amortised Cost £ — — — — — 490,667 1,025,135 1,515,802 |
Total carrying value Fair value where applicable £ £ 1,998,011 1,998,011 11,920,397 11,920,397 1,820,791 1,820,791 2,054,801 2,054,801 191,239 191,239 490,667 490,667 1,025,135 1,025,135 19,501,041 19,501,041 |
|---|---|---|---|
*The Charity Multi Asset Fund and STRCI are both new for 2024 so do not appear on the comparative table.
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PRUDENTIAL STAFF CHARITABLE TRUST
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
| 2023 Financial Assets Charibond Charifund Property fund Loans to beneficiaries Cash at bank and in hand Total |
Fair value through income and expenditure £ 3,956,091 11,617,529 390,425 — — 15,964,045 |
Amortised Cost £ — — — 496,175 2,367,444 2,863,619 |
Total carrying value Fair value where applicable £ £ 3,956,091 3,956,091 11,617,529 11,617,529 390,425 390,425 496,175 496,175 2,367,444 2,367,444 18,827,664 18,827,664 |
|---|---|---|---|
B. Financial assets and financial liabilities - determination of fair value
The fair values of the financial assets and liabilities as included in the table above have been determined on the following bases.
The fair values of the financial instruments are determined by the use of current market bid prices for quoted investments, or by using quotations from independent third-parties, such as brokers and pricing services or by using appropriate valuation techniques. Investments valued using valuation techniques include financial investments which by their nature do not have an externally quoted price based on regular trades and financial investments for which markets are no longer active as a result of market conditions e.g. market illiquidity. The property fund is valued using a Net Asset Value (NAV) provided by the investment manager which is assessed as to whether it is an appropriate basis for fair value and if not adjusted as necessary. When determining the inputs into the valuation techniques used, priority is given to publicly available prices from independent sources when available but overall, the source of pricing is chosen with the objective of arriving at a fair value measurement which reflects the price at which an orderly transaction would take place between market participants on the measurement date.
The fair value estimates are made at a specific point in time, based upon available market information and judgements about the financial instruments, including estimates of the timing and amount of expected future cash flows and the credit standing of counterparties. Such estimates do not reflect any premium or discount that could result from offering for sale at one time the Company’s entire holdings of a particular financial instrument, nor do they consider the tax impact of the realisation of unrealised gains or losses from selling the financial instrument being fair valued. In some cases the fair value estimates cannot be substantiated by comparison to independent markets, nor can the disclosed value be realised in immediate settlement of the financial instrument.
10 Post Balance Sheet Events
During February 2025, The remaining investment balance in Charibond (£2,001,732.10) was withdrawn and invested into STRCI.
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