aes ee eS enter cane OIE) CT eee a iIee se Sie el Qo eee
Ccompany Registrati i on No:s NI055292 Charity Registration Number NIC100520
Helen McVicker secretary@fonictrust.org
FONIC TRUST
ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS
YEAR ENDING 31 MAY 2025
CONTENTS
| Pages | |
|---|---|
| Officers and Advisers | 1 |
| TrusteesAnnual Report | 2-8 |
| Independent Examiner’s Report | 9 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 10 |
| Balance Sheet | 11-12 |
| NotestotheFinancialStatement | 13-16 |
FONIC TRUST OFFICERS AND ADVISERS
Directors
Mr RJ Shannon Ms HL McVicker Mr S Jackson Ms Z Polackova Mr D Bishop Ms J McMillan
Secretary Ms HL McVicker
Registered Office 29 Upritchard Crescent Bangor BT19 7AS
Bankers AIB (NI) 11-15 Donegall Sq North Belfast BT1 5GB
Independent Examiner Mr DN Robinson
Chartered Accountant 17 Grays Hill Bangor BT20 3BB
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TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2025
The Trustees, who are also the Directors for the purposes of company law, present their report and accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 May 2025.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Reference and administrative details are shown in the schedule of the Board and Advisers on p2 of the accounts.
THE TRUSTEES
The Trustees who served the charity during the reporting period are shown in the schedule of the Board and Advisers on p2 of the accounts.
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STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Governing Document
The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee and was incorporated on 24 May 2005. It was also recognised as a charity for tax purposes by HMRC on 23 June 2005 effective from 24 May 2005. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which establishes the objectives and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association.
We made our submission to register with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland in June 2014 and were successfully registered on 14 August 2014 and allocated the charity number NIC100520.
Organisational Structure
The Board comprises 6 Trustees as well as 2 Associate Members. The designated roles of Chairperson and Secretary are held by Trustees. The Trustees are responsible for the general control and management of the charity including setting the strategic direction for the organisation, developing policies and procedures, financial oversight and ensuring compliance with all legal obligations. The Trustees volunteer their time and receive no remuneration or other financial benefits. Each Trustee brings their own particular skills and knowledge from the business, health, social work, finance, legal and voluntary sectors.
The Board met on three occasions during the reporting period including for the purposes of an Annual General Meeting on 13" January 2025.
Our annual schedule of meetings is supplemented by email correspondence in between times and there is provision for uploading of relevant documents to a cloud- based application which all Trustees can access.
We held our annual public meeting for our supporters and interested parties on 17 May 2025 which took the form of a 20" anniversary celebration breakfast event.
Recruitment and Appointment of Directors/Trustees
No new Trustees were appointed during the reporting period. Neither were there any resignations.
Training of Trustees
Details of any relevant training provided by NICVA or other third sector organisations are circulated to all Trustees and encouragement given to avail of all relevant learning and development opportunities. During the reporting period, this include training on data protection and cyber security.
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Risk Assessment
Trustees regularly review the extent to which the Charity may be open to and affected by risks both internal and external and where appropriate, take appropriate steps to mitigate or remove the risks. We receive regular update information from and participate in annual review meetings with our Investment Fund Holders to discuss our mandate, portfolio performance and any risks associated with our current positioning.
All policies and procedures and our financial guidelines and controls are reviewed on an annual basis.
Our Aims and Objectives
FONIC Trust is a recognised, missional organisation, partnering with churches and ministries in Nepal with the primary aim of supporting the Nepali Christian community through the provision of a range of practical and financial supports aimed at relieving the wider effects of poverty. This outreach extends to the wider non-Christian population in response to identified need.
In Northern Ireland, our activities include generating awareness of the work of FONIC in Nepal, attending exhibitions, presenting at schools and local Churches and the publication and distribution of both written and electronic material to promote our work and ministry.
Public Benefit
The work of the Charity encompasses a number of the purpose descriptions outlined by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland in relation to public benefit. Trustees are always cognisant of the relevant statutory guidance when considering any future developments.
Our work is directly focused on the following 4 key areas:
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i. |The prevention or relief of poverty;
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ii, ©The advancement of education;
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iii. ©The advancement of religion;
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iv. | The advancement of health or the saving of lives.
Activities and Achievements
Introduction
Our work in Nepal continues to be supported by three indigenous workers on the ground.
Our UK Representatives visited Nepal during 13" — 26" February 2025. These visits provide opportunities to meet with in-country representatives and partners, to assure ourselves from a governance perspective of the appropriate use of allocated resources and to identify and consider potential new partnerships/projects for FONIC Trust’s ministry in Nepal.
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A comprehensive report on their itinerary and associated work programme was provided to Trustees on their return from each trip.
Our fundraising continues to be mainly generated through individual and organisational supporters in the UK. We have a stable, although ageing donor base and continue to receive donations from a number of organisational sources. Despite the current challenging economic climate, we are grateful that our financial position remains healthy.
Due to new in-country banking regulations, we continue to face challenges with our quarterly bank transfers to personal accounts in Nepal. This issue has not been fully resolved and we continue to explore alternative compliant and cost effective means of facilitating both regular and ad-hoc transfers.
The Prevention of Relief or Poverty
Throughout the year, we continued to support 3 Nepali families on a regular basis with direct financial support to enable them to have adequate shelter, clothes, food and medication.
We also provided financial support to two children’s homes in Kathmandu — Grace Rescue Home which looks after girls and Mercy Home which currently has 11 boys in its care, mainly from the far west of Nepal. The support provided helps cover school fees, clothes and food.
Our partners on the ground provided blankets and rice to 400 needy families across 10 different villages in remote regions in the far west of the country. Several partners also provided first generation rice seed to several extremely poor villages who had lost all of their crops as a result of localised flooding.
FONIC, as the primary partner, has also continued to support the work of the wheelchair repair centre in Kathmandu under the auspices of the Sundar Dhoka Saati Sewa (SDSS) Project. There is a general lack of wheelchair provision within Nepal with no in-country wheelchair manufacturer or no Kathmandu based wheelchair repair and maintenance facility. The Project has recently partnered with the Joni Eareckson Foundation and St Saviour’s Social Ministry to enhance capacity of the workshop and explore how the service can be extended beyond Kathmandu During their recent visit, our UK representatives were also able to take a number of pairs of disused crutches for distribution.
During the year, FONIC supported the development and translation of ‘Faith in Farming’ materials, a discipleship programme with practical application for farmers in Nepal. A local agriculturalist was able to assist with contextualizing the materials. Given the complexity of Nepali ecosystem contextualising the translated material has taken longer than anticipated which will delay the publication and distribution of Faith and Farming to the next financial year.
Our approach as a charity continues to be underpinned by a commitment to long-term sustainability and local income generation, enabling the people we support to become financially self-supporting in the longer term.
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The Advancement of Education
One of FONIC’s key aims is to alleviate the long-term effects of poverty. Supporting children with their education offers the best hope of them being able to secure gainful employment going forward to support themselves and their families.
During the year, as part of our ongoing work, we paid the school fees for 5 children at various stages of their primary and secondary education amounting to a total of (insert figure) One of our indigenous workers oversees the administration of this support as well as providing mentoring support to the students. Regular progress reports on individual students are provided.
The Advancement of Religion
We also continued to offer financial support to 15 rural Christian pastors most of whom work in the far west of Nepal which is known for its extreme poverty, poor education and healthcare. These pastors often have no other source of income.
We continued to support the Bal Bachaan Mala Sunday School Materials Project which translates, prints and distributes learning resources to local churches. It has been encouraging to see the demand for these resources both among churches in Kathmandu and beyond. Further print runs are underway.
The Advancement of Health
We continue to provide part funding to support medical training of 11 young people undertaking both medical and nursing training. We also support 4 additional students undertaking a Diploma in Pharmacy Programme.
We have a contractual arrangement with an in-country organisation, Prabhav, to manage the financial support of these healthcare professionals on our behalf which we anticipate will continue over the next year however we are unlikely to take on any new students at this juncture.
The majority of these healthcare students come from disadvantaged rural areas where they would not have been able to finance any level of medical training through their own resources. It is encouraging to note that in the main, they have returned to serve within their native communities.
All of the above training is supported by a legacy given to us a number of years ago and other additional donations we have subsequently received for the training of healthcare professionals in Nepal for the ultimate benefit of the people of Nepal. Over the past number of years we have supported the training of not only doctors but also health assistants, optometrists, medical technicians and pharmacists. To date, over 35 Christian young people have benefited from this scheme.
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We are keen to target remaining funds towards the training of specific groups to meet identified healthcare gaps, e.g. nutritionists.
One of our indigenous workers continues to run eye and dental camps across several regions of Nepal using his contacts in local hospitals and schools.
Work in Northern Ireland
Activities
Our activities in NI are aimed at raising the profile of FONIC’s work in Nepal. During the reporting period, our UK representatives had the opportunity to share highlights from their trips to Nepal at a number of local church services and missionary events.
We continued to issue our electronic newsletters on a bi-monthly basis to the 176 supporters on our Mailchimp mailing list to keep them up to date with the various strands of FONIC’s ministry, outreach and projects on the ground in Nepal as well as to make specific donations requests to enable us to respond to emerging crises and disasters.
For Christmas 2023, we produced a charity gift catalogue to enable supporters to ‘purchase’ a number of gift items ranging from £5 to £150 in support of FONIC’s wheelchair project in Kathmandu in lieu of Christmas presents. This included items such as wheelchair blankets and cushions as well as contributions towards wheelchair refurbishment costs and technician’s wages. This proved to be very successful and continued to be a source of income. We continue to promote the catalogue through provision of links on our Pmails and electronic signatures.
Our UK representatives also held a number of Christmas Nepali craft fairs in local churches with the profits from the sales going to support the wheelchair project.
To better profile our work and explore potential new funding and project opportunities, we continued to engage one of our UK representatives on a remunerated consultancy basis one day per week reviewable on a six monthly basis. Key deliverables were identified with progress towards stated objectives reviewed by Trustees at each Board meeting.
Financial Review
During the financial year, FONIC Trust received a total income of £69,488. Unrestricted income amounted to £23,003 and restricted donations to £46,455. Restricted donations were dispersed at intervals throughout the year to the individual and organisational recipients we support.
A total of £57,241 in charitable donations was dispersed throughout the year to the individuals and organisations we support in Nepal.
The full details of accounts are included in this report along with the independent examiner's report.
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Plans for Future Period
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The plans outlined in last year’s report were all fully achieved. Our plans for next year are to: # Continue to support all the activities already in place as well as ta explore potential new projects and opportunities.
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® Financially support families in extreme poverty, and national churches and faith based Organisations inveived in impacting their communities,
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Explore potential new sources of funding including legacies;
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Facilitate an annual visit by our UK Representatives to our workers and prajects in Nepal:
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® Hold an annual event for our supporters; * Plan for our 20" anniversary celebration in 2025 to potentially include a sponsored ‘pilgrimage’.
\S 2 John Shanno: | Director and Chaitman of FONI Trust
C¥~~) ‘olan™ 3 i [Am. clef4 Helen MeVicker Director and Secretary of FONIC Trust
Signed on behalfof al! Dirvectors/Trustees Date:
Website: www. fonictrust.org Email: info@fonictrust.org
pf.
Independent examiner’s report to the charity trustees of Fonic Trust
I report on the accounts of the company for the year ended 31 May 2025 on pages 10 to 16.
Respective responsibilities of charity trustees and examiner
As the charity’s trustccs (and also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006. Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit under company law, and is eligible for independent examination, it is my responsibility to:
Examine the accounts under section 65 of the Charities Act Follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Commission under section 65(9)(b) of the Charities Act State whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent examiner’s report
I have examined your charity accounts as required under section 65 of the Charities Act and my examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland under section 65(9)(b) of the Charities Act.
My examination included a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also included consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as charity trustees conceming any such matters.
My role is to state whether any material matters have come to my attention giving me cause to believe:
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That accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 386 ofthe Companies Act 2006
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That the accounts do not accord with those accounting records
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That the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland
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That there is further information needed for a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination and have no concerns in respect of the matters (1) to (4) listed above and, in connection with following the Directions of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, I have found no matters that require drawing to your attention.
D Neil Robinson
Retired Chartered Accountant 17 Grays Hill, Bangor, Co Down
19 January 2026
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FONIC TRUST
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2025
| 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notes | Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Total funds |
Total funds |
|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Income | |||||
| Donations and legacies | 2 | 23,033 | 46,455 | 69,488 | 52,308 |
| Investment income | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total income | 23,033 | 46,455 | 69,488 | 52,308 | |
| Expenditure | |||||
| Expenditure on charitable activities | 4 | 62,413 | 16,735 | 79,148 | 67,690 |
| Total expenditure | 62,413 | 16,735 | 79,148 | 67,690 | |
| Net income/(expenditure) and net | (39,380) | 29,720 | (9,660) | (15,382) | |
| movement in funds for theyear | |||||
| Transfers | 4,315 | (4,315) | 0 | 0 | |
| Other recognised gains | |||||
| Gains in investment assets | 8 | 26,407 | 0 | 26,407 | 0 |
| (8,658) | 25,405 | 16,747 | = (15,382) | ||
| Reconciliation offunds | |||||
| Total funds brought forward | 55,288 | 63,802 | 119,090 | 134,472 | |
| Totalfundscarriedforward | 46,630 | 89,207 | 135,837 | 119,090 |
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses in the year.
All of the above amounts relate to continuing activities
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FONIC TRUST
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MAY 2025
| Notes | 2025 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | ||
| Current assets | |||
| Prepayments Investments |
8 | 0 111,563 |
2,988 105,156 |
| Cash atbankand in hand | 24,274 | 10,946 | |
| 135,837 | = 119,090 | ||
| Creditors: amounts falling duewithin | 0 | 0 | |
| one year | |||
| Netcurrent assets | 135,837 | 119,090 | |
| Total assets | 135,837 | 119,090 | |
| Funds | |||
| Unrestricted | 46,630 | 55,288 | |
| Restricted | 10 | 89,207 | 63,802 |
| 135,837 | 119,090 |
The directors’ statements required by Sections 475(2) and (3) are shown on the following page which forms part of this balance sheet.
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FON IC TRUST
IIA LANCE SHEET (CONTINUEU)
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FONIC TRUST
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MAY 2025
1. Accounting policies
Basis of accounting
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable to the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.
Fund accounting
The company has various types of funds for which it is responsible and which require separate disclosure. A definition of the various types of funds is as follows:
Restricted funds
Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. expenditure which meet these criteria is identified to the fund, together with a fair allocation of overheads and support costs.
Unrestricted funds
Unrestricted funds are amounts received or generated and which are expendable at the discretion of the company in furtherance of its objectives.
2. Donations and legacies
| 2. Donations and legacies | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2024 | |
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | |
| Funds | Funds | funds | funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Personal donations | 16,734 | 40,000 | 56,734 | 19,921 |
| Legacy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17,105 |
| Other income (Note 3) | 6,299 | 6,455 | 12,754 | 15,282 |
| 23,033 | 46,455 | 69,488 | 52,308 |
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3. Other income
| 3. Other income | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2024 | |
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | |
| Funds | Funds | funds | funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Company donation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,000 |
| Stewardship | 4,203 | 0 | 4,203 | 5,942 |
| Kings Church | 1,931 | 0 | 1,931 | 2,704 |
| The Barn Fellowship | 0 | 5,701 | 5,701 | 5,516 |
| BES | 0 | 754 | 754 | 0 |
| Bangor Worldwide | 165 | 0 | 165 | 120 |
| 6,299 | 6,455 | 12,754 | 15,282 | |
| 4, Expenditureon charitable activities | ||||
| 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2024 | |
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | |
| Funds | Funds | funds | funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Payments toNepal (Note 5) | 40,506 | 16,735 | 57,241 | 46,057 |
| NonNepal payments (Note 6) | 6,575 | 0 | 6,575 | 5,195 |
| Management and administration (Note 7) | 15,332 | 0 | 15,332 | 16,438 |
| 62,413 | 16,735 | 79,148 | 67,690 |
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5. Payments to Nepal
| 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | |
| Funds | Funds | funds | funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Flood relief | 12,900 | 0 | 12,900 | 0 |
| Education Support | 2,924 | 5,666 | 8,590 | 8,528 |
| Ministry Support | 10,052 | 0 | 10,052 | 12,773 |
| Church Support | 0 | 5,701 | 5,701 | 5,516 |
| Personal Support | 4,600 | 0 | 4,600 | 4,805 |
| Health Support | 0 | 0 | 0 | 132 |
| Livelihood Support | 2,758 | 0 | 2,758 | 3,436 |
| Wheelchair Project | 7,272 | 0 | 7,272 | 5,685 |
| Printing | 0 | 5,368 | 5,368 | 3,690 |
| Translation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 952 |
| Training | 0 | 0 | 0 | 540 |
| 40,506 | 16,735 | 57,241 | 46,057 |
6. Non Nepal payments
| 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | |||
| Funds | Funds | funds | funds | |||
| Travel | and | subsistence | 6,575 | 0 | 6,575 | 5,195 |
| 6,575 | 0 | 6,575 | 5,195 |
7, Management and administration expenditure
| 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | |
| Funds | Funds | funds | funds | |
| Consultancy -UK representative | 12,000 | 0 | 12,000 | 13,000 |
| Administration | 1,000 | 0 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Bankcharges | 1,053 | 0 | 1,053 | 1,207 |
| Memberships | 250 | 0 | 250 | 250 |
| Printing | 167 | 0 | 167 | 524 |
| General expenses | 862 | 0 | 862 | 457 |
| 15,332 | 0 | 15,332 | 16,438 |
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8. Investments
| 8. Investments | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| NICIFC | Davy | Total | |
| Valuation as at 1 June 24 | 38,154 | 67,002 | 105,156 |
| Transfer out | 0 | (20,000) | (20,000) |
| Growth | 11,397 | 15,010 | 26,407 |
| Valuationasat31May25 | 49,551 | 62,012 | 111,563 |
9. Taxation
The charitable company is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.
10. Restricted funds
| Balance at | Balance at | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 June 24 | Income | Expenditure | Transfer | 31 May 25 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Healthcare Training Fund | 60,042 | 0 | (5,666) | 0 | 54,376 |
| BES project | 3,760 | 40,754 | (5,368) | (4,315) | 34,831 |
| AvishekChurch | 0 | 5,701 | (5,701) | 0 | 0 |
| 63,802 | 46,455 | (16,735) | (4,315) | 89,207 |
11. Liability of members
Fonic Trust is a company limited by guarantee, and does not have a share capital. The liability of each member is limited to an amount not exceeding £10.
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