Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31st March 2024
Reference and Administrative Details of the Charity, its Trustees and Advisers
Governing Instrument
Trust Deed dated 2 June 1986
Change of Charity name: Bristol Christian Fellowship to Resound Trust Supplemental Deed dated 29 July 2012
Trustees
Mr N Carter Mr J Cannan – Resigned 3 April 2023 Mrs S Bennett Mr M Baker- Resigned 25 June 2023 Mr R Porter – Appointed 10 May 2023 Mrs L Knowles – Resigned 24 August 2023 Mrs K Odi – Appointed 10 May 2023 Mr T Berndes- Appointed 1 November 2023
Bankers
Cooperative Bank Plc Kings Valley Ruddington Yew Street Stockport Cheshire SK4 2JU
Fields Business Park Mere Way Ruddington NG11 6JS
Charity Bank Ltd Fosse House 182 High Street Tonbridge TN9 1BE
Ecology Building Society Silsden Yorkshire
Independent Examiner
Andrew Jordan FCA Haines-Watts Chartered Accountants Bath House 6-8 Bath Street Bristol BS1 6HL
Solicitors
Star Legal Solicitors 40 High Street Thornbury Bristol BS35 2AJ
Office
Resound Blackhorse Road Mangotsfield Bristol BS16 9BP 0117 3050969
Charity Registration Number 294924
Structure, Governance and Management
Governing Document
The Charity is governed by its Trust Deed dated 2 June 1986. A Supplemental Deed dated 29 July 2012 was implemented to change the name of the Trust from Bristol Christian Fellowship to Resound Trust.
Statement of policies & description of organisation
The Resound Trust’s objectives are largely met through the activities of the Resound Church. A team of Leaders take responsibility for the life and health of the Church. Trustees are appointed by the Leadership Team, following recommendations from the existing Trustees and are taken through a standard induction process, which includes Charity Commission guidelines and the current financial position of the charity. The Trustees are responsible for governance of the Trust, particularly its finances, buildings and equipment in accordance with the Trust deed. A staff team conducts the day to day management of the Trust's affairs.
Pioneer Network
Resound Church is part of the Pioneer Network and draw on resources from Pioneer.
Woodlands Church
Resound is part of a local association of churches in order to maintain relationships with others in the area,�as well as to connect with a more local level of resourcing.� Woodlands Group of Churches is a large resourcing church in the centre of Bristol that Resound has had relationship with for many years.
Risk assessment
The Trustees have identified risks that the charity is exposed to and policies and actions to mitigate those are in place. This is captured in a formal risk register. Across all children and youth activities our Safeguarding Policy is actively enforced, including DBS checks on all key workers (voluntary & paid members). We have also implemented a vulnerable adult’s policy. Health & Safety policies are in place at Resound, and are annually reviewed.
Objectives
Our Vision: Belong to a community, Become more like Jesus, Build God’s Kingdom.
The Trust Deed sets out the following objects and purposes of the Trust:
The advancement of the Christian faith:
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the worship of God
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preaching and proclaiming the Christian gospel
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teaching Christian doctrine and principles
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the pastoral care of Christian people
The relief of those in hardship, need or distress, or who are aged or sick
The advancement of education on the basis of Christian principles, for both children and adults
The strategies employed to meet these objects and purposes for the public benefit are described more fully in the achievements and performance section.
Advancement of Religion for Public benefit
The Trustees continue to have regard for the Charity Commission’s guidelines on public
The information set out in the Achievements and Performance section demonstrates how the Trust benefits the wider community by providing support to many: spiritually, practically, and financially. Resound continues working in partnership with other churches, as well as charities and statutory agencies, in order to further enhance the lives of those we seek to serve.
The above represents no material change from the Trust’s previous objectives and policies.
Achievements and Performance
Children and Families
Children’s Church and Creche Space
Every Sunday morning we run Children’s Church for primary school aged children and a creche space for 0-5 year olds. We follow along with the teaching of the main service, looking at the story through activities, Bible readings, videos, prayer and crafts.
There is a creche space in the auditorium with toys and an activity which links with the teaching for the day, and there is also a creche space in the café with toys.
Primary School Lunch Club
Since September Barley Close Year 6 Lunch Club has run every week. Each week there is space for 8 children to attend and there is a core group who like to come along. However, these spaces are done on a first come, first served basis. We have had contact with approximately 20 of the Year 6 children over the course of this year. The aim of this is to provide a space for the children to share and discuss what is on their mind, to think about what is going on in their world at the moment, and to have a bit of respite. We are currently exploring opportunities to link up with other primary schools in the area, possibly also collaborating with other local churches in this endeavour.
Toddler Group
Toddler Group runs every Thursday morning during term time and is a space for families to play, relax and engage with others. We have had approximately 30 children between 0-5 years old attending each week, plus their parents or carers. There are three team members who interact and support the families, plus three kitchen and café team members who oversee the snacks and refreshments for the children and their carers.
School Holiday Activities
These sessions have continued over the rest of the school holidays this academic year, with an Under the Sea morning in October half term, a Christmas story morning in the December break and an Interstellar Adventure in February half term. At the Family Fun Morning in February we had approximately 45 children in attendance, plus their parents and carers, and 23 out of the 59 children who signed up to come along were unknown to us and have not previously attended any other Resound events. We will continue to run these activities over the school holidays.
Some weeks after October half term activity we received a card in the post from a family who had attended our summer activities as well as the October one. This card said the following:
‘We wanted to write and say thank you for all your caring, thoughtful and engaging events that provide and open up to the community. We always feel so welcome and blessed and hope to visit you again soon.’
Youth and Young Adults
Mid week Youth Small Group
Flame, our mid-week church youth group, has been attended by young people aged between 17 and 19 years old. This group is a great opportunity to support our young people as they begin to navigate adulthood and moving onto the next stage of life. These young people have also got involved with serving others in the church, particularly through giving their time to help with the Family Fun Afternoons over the summer holidays.
Youth Club
Resound runs Emerson’s Green Youth Club in partnership with Creative Youth Network on Monday evenings. This club has really grown and developed over the past few months, with around 30-35 young people now attending regularly. The club reaches vulnerable and disadvantaged young people who often struggle to engage with other provision, and provides a safer space for their personal and social development.
Secondary School Mentoring
Our Youth Worker has been going into Downend Secondary School, mentoring young people once a week. The young people are referred to us by the school and this is something which is a great support to the students at Downend. This mentoring service supports students who are struggling with their mental health, are experiencing challenging family situations or who are at risk of exclusion.
Sundays, Alpha and Pub Theology
Sunday Services
Every Sunday morning, Resound Church gathers for a morning of worship, prayer and teaching. We tend to work through a particular teaching series, such as a book of the bible or a specific theme, and create spaces for both structured and open prayer.
We also offer specific space for children to engage with learning activities and biblical teaching.
Small Groups
We want everyone to have the opportunity to connect in a place where they can be supported and grow on their journey with God, whatever stage they're at. For this reason we encourage people to be part of a Small Group. Most meet in people's homes, typically�made up of 8-12 people, where there is a chance for catching up, enjoying refreshments or a meal together, a chance to study the Bible and ask�questions, talk, listen and�pray. They allow the church to build lasting friendships and share life together, whilst exploring and deepening their faith.�There are currently 10 small groups meeting fortnightly, made up of approximately 100 people.
Pub Theology
Each month, we run a ‘pub theology’ event, which seeks to engage those in and outside of the church with theological and philosophical questions and topics. These are small group discussions held in a local pub.
Alpha
The Alpha Course is a small group programme, designed to explore the fundamental elements of the Christian faith. These are provided for people who aren’t already part of the church, but can be accessed by Christians too. Over the two courses we’ve run this year, 15 people have participated in the Alpha courses.
Pastoral Care and Discipleship
This year, we employed a ‘Pastoral and discipleship lead’ whose role includes engaging with newcomers, supporting small group leaders, and assisting more vulnerable members of the Resound community.
This role takes many different forms, depending on the needs of the individuals involved, but prioritises looking out for the sick, vulnerable, lonely or isolated. This has included visiting many members of our community in hospital and at home, and gatherings for our small group leaders, who help provide an extension of pastoral care for their groups. This has been a wonderful opportunity to form deeper relationships with the Resound family.
Prayer
Prayer Events
In September we had a 24 hour prayer event, including an hour of worship on the Saturday morning, which 18 people attended. In October we spent time praying for the church at the Church Forum, where the church gathered to hear updates on various areas of Resound life and to pray for our activities. For November, we held a Prayer Breakfast for the persecuted church which was attended by 14 people. We had a Candlelit Christmas Meditation reflecting on Mary’s story which 22 people came along to and in January we held another 24 hours of prayer and fasting, culminating in a Prayer Breakfast to break the fast which 22 people joined us for. Finally, in February we had a Lent Lunch and Prayer and 16 people attended this.
Prayer during Sunday Services
On Sunday mornings, there is plenty of opportunity to engage with prayer. There is an open invite to join in with a ‘pre-service’ prayer time. An ‘intercessory prayer’ slot is led by a different small group each week and is a chance to pray for situations in our local area and across the world. We also create space for people to receive prayer for a wide variety of things, facilitated by our prayer team.
Community Events
At Resound, we want to foster a sense of belonging for everyone who walks through our doors; to offer a place where everyone feels valued, supported, and part of a community.
Dewdrop Inn Café
Every month, we have our Dewdrop Inn Café. This is an event where members of the community can come for tea and cake! Its aim is to provide a place for those experiencing loneliness or isolation to come and meet new people and receive support.
Later
Later is a monthly live music event. It’s an opportunity to bring people together and create a safe place for relationships to grow.
Art Wings
Art Wings runs monthly and is a place to be bold, bright and brave with arts and crafts, exploring new ways of creating and making, plus a natter over a coffee and some chocolate biscuits!
Foodbank
We partner with North Bristol and South Glos Foodbank, seeded by The Trussell Trust, to run a foodbank outlet. Between April 2023-2024, 14,951.05kg was given out in 642 food parcels from the food bank outlet based at Resound. This supported 1,776 people, 803 of which were children. Our vision is to see those who initially come to us for emergency food access other activities that offer long-term support. We are therefore working towards our food bank outlet becoming a community hub, a place not only where food is distributed, but where people can come to an inclusive space with activities and services to help foster well-being and a sense of local community.
Global and Local Projects
Mutende
Resound has been supporting Mutende Children’s Village in Zambia for over 20 years, since its inception in 2001. At Mutende there are currently three children’s houses, an admin block and next door there is a school for the pupils which goes from nursery to grade 7. There are currently approximately 230 children in attendance at the school. There is a second site at Mutende which houses young men and young women who are over 18.
Whilst the project has previously been supported by BCF and then Resound, as well as Linden Church in Swansea, the responsibility has passed over to The Bridge Trust, a Bristol based Christian charity. Whilst Resound is no longer responsible for running Mutende, this is a positive as the project is becoming more self-governing and self-supporting in Zambia, however it is still a pleasure to continue those relationships, prayers and financial support. A
number of the Resound congregation sponsor children who live in the village or give monthly donations, and 50% of our 2023 Christmas offering went to Mutende.
Hope into Action
We have partnered with Hope into Action to provide supported accommodation for those threatened with homelessness in our community.
A number of individuals from Resound as well as the Resound Trust have invested in the house which is being bought for the project.
Maintenance and furnishing will take place whilst the potential tenants are referred and assessed for their suitability. The home will house three residents who can live there for up to two years and will be supported by an Empowerment Worker from Hope into Action and volunteers from New Life Church and Resound. The aim is that the residents will be young people who have been through the care system and therefore have little or no family to support them. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to provide support and care for them.
Hire
Due to having a wonderful resource of a building, we spent time this year developing a strategy to steward this resource. Our aim was twofold: firstly, to ensure that the use of this space aligns with and furthers the vision and charitable objectives of Resound; and secondly, to explore opportunities for income generation, thereby contributing to the financial stability necessary to maintain the building and to sustain and grow our activities.
We put together a Lettings Working Group, the purpose of which was to consider how we can most beneficially use our building and resources for Resound’s work and to bless the community, and to create a streamlined and efficient process for this. The group consisted of representatives from Resound staff, leadership, trustees, and key volunteers.
Over the past year we have signed an agreement with Abacus pre school who hire a space in our building, and have also continued to hire our building to other churches and Christian groups. We are pleased to be able to hire to organisations whose activities support our charitable objectives and it is our aim to continue building relationship with these regular hirers.
Conclusion
The trustees would like to express their thanks to all staff, volunteers and supporters for their invaluable contributions to the work of Resound Trust over the past year.
Financial Review at 31st March 2024
Accounts Basis
The accounts have been prepared under the receipts and payments basis. The accounts comply with the legal requirements, being that the gross recorded income from all sources did not exceed £250,000 and that the charity is not a company incorporated under the Companies Act.
Ongoing Operations
The operational performance of the Trust shows income for the year of £139,988 (2023 £145,221) whilst expenditure was £122,202 (2023 £152,376). These figures include our Social Care Fund which is a restricted fund.
Considering the Unrestricted Funds, which are a reflection of the Trust’s ordinary operations, income was £138,286 (2023 £141,921) and the associated costs were £116,392 (2023 £147,392). Following a deficit last year, we are pleased to have an operational surplus at the end of this financial year.
Our primary source of income is giving by members of Resound. We are grateful for God’s provision through those who support the Trust financially and by generously volunteering their time and skills which enables the trust to continue.
We have seen an increase in income from building hire, mainly from the rent from the preschool, and from churches who hire the building on a Sunday afternoon and evening, as well as throughout the week for midweek events. We are grateful to have several groups who hire us on a regular basis, providing secure income, as well as those who hire us for one off events.
Our staffing costs for the year were 40% of our total income, meeting the aims set out last year. The staff costs were also lower than anticipated due to a vacancy within the finance role, a delayed start for the caretaker role, and the decision not to currently rehire into the youth worker role.
Utility bills increased significantly in the year due to increasing energy costs seen across the UK. We reviewed our gas and electricity contracts in December 2023 which should help improve this situation.
Our building is now 12 years old and we are seeing some increases in associated repair and maintenance. During the year there was a significant repair to part of the roof.
The financial position of the year ahead continues to be positive and our budget shows a surplus.
Fixed Assets
The Trust’s principal fixed asset is its building which includes an auditorium, offices, conference space, a café area and a preschool space.
Reserves reserves p)licy Is to holo a reme to cover six months njnning (x)sts, whth cu:rently amunts to £60,CXJ). The Trustees are continuing to work wth Leadexship Team to agree the use of any surplus to fund acti)rity lo further the charilable ObltS of Resound whilst holding sufficient reseNes. Investment and Ethical Policy Apart from bank acccxjnts the Trust has rKs financia investments or investment proFErty. It holds countS wilh banks that are judged lo more ethically based and has spread its capit8J in order that no more than £75.COJ is hdd with any one financial institution. Policies are in place for the ethicai and suSlainae (J)eraiion of the Trust. ThrcgOLrt the Resound build programme close scruliny was given to the sourang of matenals and energy usage in the new building. and this continues as part of its m&ntenan. Related Party Disclosures During the financial year. Tnjstee. T(N)y BerTrJes' wife Pauline Berndes was part of the Leadership Team. Declaration The trustees dlare that tlw have ar¥)roved the trustees. rewrt atx)ve. Signed on behalf of the charity& injstees: Nigel Carter Chair of Trustees 14th January 2025
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CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
1
Sectlon B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period CategJwIè Details Vnre$tri¢tedtunds Restricted lund5 En¢ovm)ent funds h•StesÉ tvwwes1£ B1 Cash lund$ 156 Totalcash fd$ 238.156 t•Theare#E B2 Othermonetsry ass•ts B3 Investmenta$$èts Urnered 847.061 B4Assets retsinedforthe Charity's own use VNerKted ionai Wb•n•JlopthTrDII BS Liabiiilie$ Dzt•ot•pproval st¢n•dtyNCwittoRb&l•trvl•llth* Tw5teoJ Nigel Caner 14 nE 25
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Resound Trust: Year ended 31 March 2024
I report to the Charity Trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the Charity’s Trustees 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 Charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 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 charity 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.
Andrew Jordan FCA Haines Watts Chartered Accountants Bath House 6-8 Bath Street Bristol BS1 6HL
Date: January 202515