The Fern Street Settlement
Report and Accounts Year ended 30 September 2025
1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk
THE FERN STREET SETTLEMENT
LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2025
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE Fern Street Bromley by Bow London E3 3PS GOVERNING DOCUMENT Constitution dated 19th October 1961 as amended 19th December 1991 and scheme of the 15th January 1973 CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 250500 TRUSTEES RESPONSIBLE FOR Rupert De Klee (Chair) MANAGING THE CHARITY John Hudson Marina Johnson (resigned October 2024) Joanna Read Luke Johnson (appointed October 2024) Rev Cris Rogers BANKERS Barclays Bank UK PLC CCLA Investment Management Limited ACCOUNTANTS Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
INDEX
Page 1 Legal and Administrative Details Pages 2-4 Trustees' Report Page 5 Accountant's Report Page 6 Receipts and Payments Account Page 7 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Page 8 Notes to the Accounts
Page 1
THE FERN STREET SEThLEMENT REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2025 The trustees have pleasure in submitbng the Report and Accounts for the year ended 30 September 2025. Objects of the charity The charity is governed by a constitution and is constituted as a trust. The Settlement was founded in 1907 by Clara Grant (awarded the OBE in 19491, a local head teacher and renowned for handling out'Farthing Bundles, as part of her mission to tackle local povety. The charity s revised 1961 constitution las amended 1973 and 19911 confirms its objective to relieve and help families and others living in the area immediately surrounding the Settlement. Since 2014, the trustees have, through a partnership arrangement with Al Hallows Bow Church, agreed a vision that seeks to be 'lhe most inspirational family life centre in Bow,. To do this, the Settlement exists to create opportunities for families lo flourish and children lo thrive, thus laying the foundations for a vibrant community. The community focus is on parents, carers, and their children up to 16 years in the local wards of Bromley north and south plus Bow Common. Review of the charitys main activities and achievements To further the above objects and vision, the charity's main activities and achievements were as follows.. The main aim of the Settlement continues lo be the relief of hardship within families and individuals who live locally. Accordingly the Settlement has continued to host in its premises and financially support the Fern Street Family Cenlre, initiated by All Hallows Bow Church, our parish church, and sel up in collaboration with the Settlement. Our work at the Settlement is focused on enabling children and families to overcome disadvantage and reach their full potential through our vision of 'life lo the full, In the last year the team have been committed lo strengthening our community by providing essential support, education, and opportunities for families across diverse needs and backgrounds. The Fem Street Family Centre has continued to serve as a vital community hub, delivering our project through a diverse range of programs as follows to SUPFX)rt families across our locality. Early Years and Parenting Support has been provided through our various programs- Bright Start and Little Explorers stay and play sessions for young children. Triple P parenting course and Baby Massage sessions for new parents. Children and Young People Support After-school clubs-Helicopler Stories, Craft11, and Thursday Club Summer school holiday clubs - -Global Explorers and Cosmic Adventurers Family day trips have proven incredibly popular Page 2
Community Support
Food Club has remained a lifeline for families facing food insecurity Weekly coffee morning sessions have provided a welcoming space Active Women fitness and Art and Soul programme offering wellbeing activities
Family Support
Our Family Support worker has offered home visits, offering advice, practical support, and a listening ear during challenging circumstances.
ESOL and Skills Development
ESOL programme continues to offer four sessions at varying ability levels. This programme has celebrated remarkable achievements as several women have progressed to college courses and successfully gained their Life in the UK certificates—milestones that represent transformative steps toward independence and integration.
Community Fundraising
Through The Big Give campaign, our community rallied together with pamper days, craft sales, fancy dress activities, and face painting to raise vital funds for the centre.
Volunteering Programme
We have continued to provide meaningful volunteering opportunities to local residents. This autumn, we launched an exciting new volunteer development programme, designed to train and build skills and confidence for the future.
The Trustees have been delighted how Abigail Chambers and the team at the Family Centre have worked over the last 12 months. Aimee Muir is not returning to her post following maternity leave but Abigail has now taken on the permanent position of centre manager.
The aim of the project remains to be self-sufficient and to be able to contribute to the overhead and running of the premises. This year Chell Perkins have been employed to assist the team with funding applications and support grants and we are now starting to see the benefits from this investment. The trustees remain delighted with the progress being made in reaching out into the community and extended reach of the project in ways that fit to the ethos of The Settlement.
In planning the activities the trustees have applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission.
Financial review
Income increased over the year by £25,317 to £40,976, and expenditure increased by £21,115, to £43,972. Income included £25,000 received from sale of investments. As a result the cash held by the charity decreased by £2,996, to £12,353, of which all is unrestricted and can be used for any charitable purpose.
Reserves policy
In governing the charity, the non-discretionary expenditure incurred by the trustees is budgeted to be about £15,000 per annum. These routine costs include general repairs, maintenance, equipment, rates, insurance, utilities, governance, professional fees and administration. In addition, the charity has made a discretionary commitment of £8,750 per quarter to assist in the funding of staff employed by the Fern Street Family Centre, which is managed by All Hallows Bow Church. In order to fund all this expenditure, the charity uses the quarterly distributions paid out by CCLA from our holding in COIF Charities Ethical Investment Fund Income Units. CCLA has given us a projected income distribution forecast for 2026 of £14,499. To the extent that our projected income does not cover our nondiscretionary expenses in 2026, the trustees will sell sufficient CCLA units to cover any shortfall. Our CCLA units are readily realisable as soon as the trustees give a sell instruction to CCLA.
Page 3
Governance
Responsibility for setting policy and for making operating decisions rest with the trustees. The charity's board of trustees governs the charity and trustees are appointed or reappointed at the annual general meeting. Additional trustees may be co-opted by the board of trustees as and when necessary at other times during the year. The trustees delegate certain specific functions to volunteers, but the charity does not employ any staff.
Relationships with other charities and related parties
The charity is independent of any other charities or organisations, but works closely with other local organisations, notably the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and All Hallows Bow Church. These two relationships enable a wide range of community focused activities to be provided in the premises leased by the charity.
Risk management
The trustees undertake regularly a review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed and establish procedures to mitigate those risks.
Investment policy
The trustees adopted an Investment Policy on 9 May 2022. The trustees have continued to invest all surplus funds into investment units managed by CCLA Investment Management Limited, a leading investment specialist for UK charities. Since the 2025 year end, our CCLA COIF Charities Deposit Fund has been closed by us. Consequently, all investment by the charity continues to be allocated to a long-term portfolio, CCLA’s COIF Charities Ethical Investment Fund Income Units. These units have a bias towards readily realisable assets, predominantly global equities, but also including less than 15% invested in harder to sell assets such as property and infrastructure. Through positive screening, CCLA selects ethical investments with four themes: climate change, biodiversity and the environment; good work and human rights; public health; and corporate governance. In a year when global investment markets have continued to be volatile, our charity’s CCLA units have not performed as well as we would have liked. The total return performance in the 12 months of 2024/25 for our COIF Charities Ethical Investment Fund Income Units was -1.52%, significantly less than the +12.95% achieved by the Fund comparator. We have received strong assurances from CCLA that they will be making some changes that should lead to better performance in 2026.
Responsibilities of trustees
Charity law requires us as trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year.
We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.
We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.
Approval
This report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:
RM de Klee
~~____~~ RM de Klee (Apr 9, 2026 13:30:22 GMT+1) ____ Rupert De Klee (Chair
Date: Apr 9, 2026
Page 4
THE FERN STREET SETTLEMENT
Accountant’s Report to the Trustees on the preparation of the unaudited statutory accounts of The Fern Street Settlement for the year ended 30 September 2025.
In order to assist you to fulfil your duties under the Charities Act 2011, we have prepared for your approval the accounts of The Fern Street Settlement for the year ended 30 September 2025 as set out on pages 6 to 8 from the accounting records and from information and explanations you have given us.
This report is made solely to the Trustees of the charity, as a body, in accordance with the terms of our engagement letter. Our work has been undertaken solely to prepare for your approval the accounts of the charity and state those matters that we have agreed to state to the Trustees of the charity. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and its Trustees as a body for our work or for this report.
It is your duty to ensure that the charity has kept adequate records and to prepare statutory accounts that meet the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 for the charity. You consider that the charity is exempt from the statutory audit requirement for the year and is eligible to prepare ‘Receipts and Payments’ accounts.
We have not been instructed to carry out an audit or review of the accounts of the charity. For this reason, we have not verified the accuracy or completeness of the accounting records or information and explanations you have given to us and we do not, therefore, express any opinion on the statutory accounts.
Gill Partridge
Gill Partridge (Apr 9, 2026 13:34:54 GMT+1)
Stewardship 1 Lamb’s Passage London EC1Y 8AB
Dated: Apr 9, 2026
Page 5
THE FERN STREET SETTLEMENT
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2025
| Notes Income receipts Donations Investment income Capital and similar receipts Total receipts Payments 2 3 Total payments Net movement in funds Cash funds as at last year end Cash funds at this year end A Net of receipts / (payments) before transfers Grants paid in relation to charitable activities undertaken by others Payments in relation to charitable activities undertaken directly Sale of investments |
General Designated Funds Funds £ £ 925 - 15,051 - 15,976 - 25,000 - 25,000 - 40,976 - 38,972 - 5,000 - 43,972 - (2,996) - (2,996) - 15,348 - 12,353 - Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total 2025 £ 925 15,051 15,976 25,000 25,000 40,976 38,972 5,000 43,972 (2,996) (2,996) 15,348 12,353 |
Total 2024 £ |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Funds £ 925 15,051 15,976 25,000 25,000 40,976 38,972 5,000 43,972 (2,996) (2,996) 15,348 12,353 |
|||||
| - 15,659 |
|||||
| 15,659 | |||||
| - | |||||
| - | |||||
| 15,659 | |||||
| 22,857 - |
|||||
| 22,857 | |||||
| (7,198) | |||||
| (7,198) 22,546 |
|||||
| 15,348 |
The notes on page 8 form part of these accounts.
Page 6
THE FERN STREET SETTLEMENT
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
AS AT THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2025
| A Cash funds Cash at bank with immediate access Notice deposits B Liabilities Falling due within one year: Fee for accounts preparation C Assets retained for charity's own use Contents and equipment |
General Designated funds funds £ £ 10,148 - 2,204 - 12,352 - 600 - 600 - Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted funds £ - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs General |
Total 2025 £ 10,148 2,204 12,352 600 600 Value 2025 £ 10,000 10,000 |
Total 2024 £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,292 10,056 |
||||
| 15,348 | ||||
| 576 | ||||
| 576 | ||||
| Value 2024 £ |
||||
| 10,000 | ||||
| 10,000 |
The trustees have used insurance values as the trustees are unable to reliably estimate current values; insurance values may differ materially from current values.
| D Investment assets COIF Investment Fund as at 31 October 2025 |
Fund to which asset belongs General |
Market value 2025 £ 497,668 497,668 |
Market value 2024 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 533,196 | |||
| 533,196 |
The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf
| by | _____ date ____ Rupert De Klee (Chair) RM de Klee (Apr 9, 2026 13:30:22 GMT+1) RM de Klee Apr 9, 2026 |
|---|---|
The notes on page 8 form part of these accounts.
Page 7
THE FERN STREET SETTLEMENT
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2025
1 Accounting policies
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity's receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity's assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a 'true and fair' view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to present) a 'true and fair' view of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs.
General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects.
| 2 Payments in relation to charitable activities undertaken directly Staffing Costs Repairs, maintenance and equipment Rates and Insurance Utilities including telephone Professional fees Administration and support 3 Grants and gifts paid to others Organisations: Cross Teach Trust |
Unrestrict | Designated funds £ - - - - - - - - ed Funds |
Restricted Funds £ - - - - - - - - |
Total 2025 £ 17,500 814 3,669 2,386 576 14,028 38,972 5,000 5,000 |
Total 2024 £ |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General funds £ 17,500 814 3,669 2,386 576 14,028 21,472 5,000 5,000 |
||||||
| - 2,277 3,518 329 5,352 11,381 |
||||||
| 22,857 | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - |
Transactions with related parties
No payments were made to trustees or persons related to them, except for reimbursement of expenses paid out on behalf of the charity.
Page 8