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2023-08-31-annual-report

Salt Factory Sports

Annual Report of the Trustees

for the Period 1 September 2022 - 31 August 2023

The Trustees, who are also the directors of Salt Factory Sports for the purposes of company law, present their report and the financial statements for the period 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023.

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Name: Salt Factory Sports

Registered Company Number: NI611652

Charity Commission for Northern Ireland Registration Number: NIC104876

HMRC Registration Number: NI00123

Principal Address and Registered Office: c/o Trinity Methodist Church

Ballymacoss Avenue Lisburn Co. Antrim BT28 2GX

Trustees

Mr Christopher McVittie (Chair) Mr Martin Pitt (Treasurer) Mr Mervyn Shannon Mr Glenn Emerson Mr Thomas Greenaway

Company Secretary

Mr Chris Grant

Independent Financial Examiners

Miscampbell & Co Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors 6 Annadale Avenue Belfast Co. Antrim BT7 3JH

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE, AND MANAGEMENT

Salt Factory Sports is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated with Companies House on 9 March 2012 (NI611652) and registered as a charity with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland on 9 June 2016 (NIC104876). The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. The Directors of the company are also charity trustees for the purposes of charity law. All give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charity.

As stated in the Articles of Association, no person shall become a member of the Trust unless they have completed an application for membership in a form approved by the Board, testifying in writing their unqualified adherence to the purposes of the Trust, and the Board has approved such application.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

Mission Statement

Using sport to bring people together, build relationships and see people of all ages become enthusiastic followers of Christ who are living contagious Christian lives.

Overview

Salt Factory Sports has Christian evangelism and discipleship at the core of all its activities. We engage with individuals, groups, communities, Churches, schools, uniformed organisations and sports clubs through a varied programme of sporting activities and events. We provide opportunities for people of all ages, abilities, ethnicities, backgrounds and beliefs to come together to help them lead a healthier and more active lifestyle, develop their physical fitness, become more involved in their local communities and improve their spiritual well-being. Sharing and showing the life-changing message of God’s love and salvation with those we build relationships with is of utmost importance.

Purposes

As set out in the Articles of Association, Salt Factory Sports was established for charitable purposes only, specifically to advance the Christian religion using amateur sport as an effective means of bringing people together, building relationships and creating opportunities for evangelism and discipleship, both in Northern Ireland and overseas.

The key charitable objectives of Salt Factory Sports are:

i. The establishment and development of Church-based sports ministry training programmes;

ii. The provision of sports activities, games, events and competitions in Churches, schools, sports clubs and youth organisations;

iii. Preparation and training of people serving in local and overseas missions;

iv. The provision of coach education services;

v. The promotion of Christian values; and

vi. The promotion of healthy living.

Public Benefit

In both planning for and reporting on our activities for the year, the Trustees confirm they have had due regard to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland’s guidance on public benefit. Direct benefits that flow from our purpose include: improved spiritual well-being, a healthier lifestyle, a growing love of sport, the adoption of a moral framework that encourages people to be good citizens, increased involvement of Churches in their local communities, community coaches being better trained and equipped, and an increased number of people of all ages leading more active lifestyles. The Trustees are

confident that any private benefit received from our activities is purely incidental to the purposes of our work.

ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN TO ACHIEVE OUR OBJECTIVES

The year to 31 August 2023 has been an exciting time for us with new staff appointed, new activities begun, new partnerships formed, and an expanded range of summer clubs, camps, and missions. There seemed to be a renewed enthusiasm for our programmes, particularly in schools and Churches as we came out of the pandemic, and throughout the year we were kept busy leading a wide range of activities with children, youth, and young adults. Our summer clubs and missions were also well attended as we partnered with Churches and schools to run Play Believe Live clubs and worked alongside other Christian organisations, such as Summer Madness and New Horizon to lead a wide range of sports, games, and activities.

The year started with a flourish of activity as we began leading PE lessons and after-school sports in local Primary and Secondary schools, including coaching hockey, basketball, handball, volleyball, and football, and leading our Play Believe Live and SuperHeroes clubs. Close to 400 pupils were involved in these weekly activities and it was great seeing them participate eagerly and continue to develop physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Several young pupils asked good questions about God during a SuperHeroes session on self-esteem and declared, without any prompting, that following and loving God was the best way to be a superhero! Three teenagers who gave their lives to Christ during a summer camp were eager to spend time with our staff at lunchtime hangouts learning more about living as a Christian. As schools began to run larger events again, we were invited to lead a big fun induction day for all Year 8 and Year 10 pupils in a large school in Dungannon. It was great seeing the pupils have fun, interact, and problem-solve with each other, learn new skills, and begin to feel more comfortable with new classmates and teachers.

We continued developing good relationships with both pupils and teachers as we worked with local Churches to deliver Youth Alpha sessions, led SU sessions and RE classes in five local secondary schools, and led assemblies in numerous Primary schools where over 800 children heard a sports analogy and Bible story. Some of our staff were also involved in 1-on-1 mentoring with pupils who needed additional support in coping with all that life was throwing at them. The children and youth talked openly as they played small table games with our staff and then completed activity sheets on a range of mental and emotional health topics. We saw an increase in the mental, emotional, and social well-being of these pupils across the year, with one particular pupil saying she had been helped so much by now being able to deal with her anxiety attacks. In the longer term, we hope to see these young people living healthier lives and being actively engaged in their local communities. In March we had a group visit us from SCORE International, one of our partners in the USA, and they got to see our work in multiple primary and secondary schools. Their visit prompted a good debate in the staffroom of a local primary school which greatly encouraged the Christian teachers. We led a girls' retreat for secondary-aged pupils over Easter and the feedback from this was very positive. Some really deep conversations around faith, Jesus, and the Bible were had, alongside a fun programme of activities including paddleboarding, hill walking, and beach sports.

We also ran sports sessions and Team Times (Bible talks) with numerous GB and BB companies and Church youth groups across Northern Ireland in places such as Belfast, Bangor, Comber, Warringstown, Randalstown, Portadown, and Banbridge. These sessions helped participants develop a love of sport, live a more active lifestyle, and increase their spiritual well-being. Some of our staff also engaged with

the Lisburn Youth Workers group where we supported Churches to be more involved in their local communities, and the inter-Church youth events where we led games for hundreds of young people from different churches across the greater Lisburn area. We also led mission services in several Churches including in Glenarm, Belfast, and Lisburn, and partnered with the Church of Ireland and the Presbyterian Youth Departments by leading a wide range of sports, games, and competitions during their youth weekends.

Our Play Believe Club resumed each Thursday evening in partnership with a local Church. We were excited to see the number of participants growing each week, the result of good connections and relationships with the local community, developed through a fun club we ran during the summer. The 25+ children attending weekly had great fun playing different sports, games, and activities each week before hearing a Bible story and completing an activity sheet. It was clear to see the children developing well both physically and spiritually.

Our staff team met each week to worship, pray, and study the Bible and it served as a good time to remember why we do what we do and to celebrate the One who has provided so much and opened so many doors for us. Along with praying for our partners/hosts, participants and volunteers, it was great being able to pray for each other personally too, and to support the many things going on in each of our own lives. It was wonderful to welcome two new staff to our team, a Church and Community Worker in May and a Church and Community Coordinator in August. They quickly fitted into our team and have been busy developing new sports outreach activities in communities we had little connection with, such as the homeless, cross-community, refugees and asylum seekers.

Our Head of Performance Sport had a busy year engaging with, training, evangelising and discipling coaches both in N.I. and around the world. He traveled to Moldova, Estonia (x 3), Poland (x 3), Belgium, Kenya and Zambia to partner with clubs, sports universities, Federations, Academies, and other Christian sports ministries to educate coaches and help connect sports ministries with their local sporting communities. His work developing coaches helped to grow their knowledge and skills and the time spent building relationships with and sharing the Good News with the coaches really helped their spiritual well-being. Coaches interested in learning more about faith, or who were new Christians, were linked with local sports ministries and/or local missionaries who were able to take on longer-term discipleship. Throughout the year several coaches in Zambia, Kenya, and Poland dedicated their lives to Christ. In Northern Ireland, he met with local coaches each week and supported their development as coaches but also mentally/emotionally, and spiritually. It was exciting to hear of several who gave their lives to Christ and were connected with local Churches. In partnership with Sports Chaplaincy, we supported the first Alpha for Sportspeople hosted in Northern Ireland and helped several participants discover faith for the first time or reconnect with God after some time away.

We also made good use of online technology to train and disciple coaches and coach educators in Romania, Poland, Belgium, Albania, Pakistan, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe, all of whom became better coaches and better equipped to share the Gospel with their players and fellow coaches. The ELEVATE Programme, our year-long online coach education and leadership classes, continued with a large group of Kenyan coaches, supported by staff and volunteers at SFS Kenya. This helped them become better coaches, better leaders, and healthier spiritually and emotionally. We began our Multipliers Programme with a select few coaches who had already been through ELEVATE and were trained to deliver it themselves in their local communities. It was great seeing new knowledge and skills, a love of sport, and a desire to improve people's spiritual health being passed on by people we had trained. As a result of all of our work in Africa, we began an African Ministries Collective where we

gathered all our African ministry partners online once a month and prayed and learned from each other. We also helped enthuse them for their work and helped them look into beginning partnerships both with us and with each other.

Our programme with the Estonian FA and their Academy Directors began in January 2023 and as a result, over 350 coaches were better equipped to coach well, developed their love of sport, and many heard the Gospel message. Our partnering with a local sports university in Poland to train the next generation of coaches went very well and 60 coaches in Warsaw took New Testaments and were very interested in learning more about spiritual well-being and growth. We connected them with a local sports ministry to aid in their longer-term spiritual development.

In February we hosted a group of coaches from across Eastern Europe, EDGE Sports, a partner of ours, in Dublin for a week to aid in their development as coaches, share the Gospel with them, and ensure they were enthused and equipped for helping others lead a healthier lifestyle. In July we led coach education in Belgium and partnered with a top-tier club to explore the possibility of taking our best Kenya coaches there short-term to further aid their development. In June, on completion of the ELEVATE Programme in Zambia, we began the first Multipliers course with specially selected coaches in partnership with Athletes in Action. While our Head of Performance Sport was in Zambia, five elite-level coaches gave their lives to Christ, and our work was highlighted on National TV.

As spring and summer approached, our schools' work came to an end and we focused on preparing for a full summer of clubs, camps, and missions. Between May and August, we led outreach activities with visiting basketball, volleyball, and golf teams, playing matches against local teams, leading coaching sessions and sharing Team Times (Bible stories) in schools. Around 100 children who had never experienced any of these sports before were excited to learn new skills and compete in new sports. It was evident to see their growing love of a healthier lifestyle and a love of a wider range of sports.

We were key partners in two large summer camps - Summer Madness and New Horizon, where we led a wide range of sports activities, games and competitions for children and young people. We also partnered with numerous Churches including Bethlehem Baptist, Forest Park, Lagan Valley Vineyard, CrossRoads Church, First Moss Bluff Church, Portglenone Parish, St Matthias’ Lot Church, A Simple Faith Church, and St. Columba’s Church, to lead sports clubs and Holiday Bible Clubs and partnered on mission teams with other Christian organisations such as Servant Life, International Sports Federation, and TEAM. In all of our summer activities, the participants developed a growing love of sport, were very active each day, and were mentally, emotionally, and spiritually encouraged and improved. God did some powerful things over the summer and it was great seeing several children and young people dedicate their lives to God during our clubs.

HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

During the year our highlights include:

Having reviewed these main achievements, it is clear to see how they positively impacted and were very beneficial to those involved. We supported Churches in getting more involved in their local communities, many children, young people and adults led more active lifestyles and began developing a love of sport, coaches were educated and better prepared to safely and effectively lead their coaching sessions and the spiritual well-being of all involved improved as they begin to realise both who God is, and who they are in Him.

FUTURE PLANS

We plan to continue to increase the number and geographic range of schools, Churches, and sports clubs we work with across Northern Ireland, as well as the number of holiday clubs and camps we lead. As our first Easter residential went so well, we plan to continue this and plan for a larger summer residential camp in 2025.

Our new Church and Community worker plans to expand the number of sports activities he has already begun with refugees and asylum seekers in partnership with local Churches in Belfast and Antrim. He will also explore opportunities we have to work in cross-community spaces and with the homeless. We would love to get people in these demographics more active, support them in living a healthier lifestyle, help them be better connected to their local communities, and to become more aware of and develop their mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.

The number of online coach education classes we lead continues to increase both in number and geographic location and we anticipate this will grow further in the coming year. We plan to lead classes in new 2 sports - volleyball and basketball, which will increase the number of coaches we come into contact with. With such a large number of coaches now having been through the Elevate programme, we will put more of an emphasis on our Multipliers programme where we will support local coaches to run short coach education classes across their country. This will undoubtedly improve the standard of coaching and improve the spiritual well-being of the coaches.

We will continue to plan for the opening of a Sports Ministry Training College (aiming for June 2025) and will partner with local Churches, Universities, and other sports ministries to continue to move this forward.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

End-of-Year Financial Statement

The Trustees are content with the financial results for the year in reporting a profit of £47,192 (2022: £7,318 deficit) which reflected an increase in activities and programmes on the previous year. The charity continued to maintain a positive cash position. The total income for the year was £282,126 (2022: £177,337), and operational costs for the year also increased to £234,934 (2022: £184,655), due to new and an expanded range of activities and programmes being run throughout the year.

No fund held by the charity is in deficit.

No funds are held as custodian on behalf of others.

Reserves Policy

Considering the variable income and fixed commitments, the Trustees have established a reserves policy to allow the charity to be managed effectively and to ensure uninterrupted delivery of the charity’s activities. A general reserve equating to six months of operational costs should be maintained. At 31 August 2023, the Unrestricted Reserves were £144,083 which represents 7.5 months of operational costs. Some of this reserve will likely be used to finance an increase in staff in the forthcoming year.

We are very grateful for the individual donors, anonymous financial gifts, Churches, and Trusts who have generously supported our work throughout the year.

APPROVAL

The Trustees’ Annual Report was approved on 14 March 2024 and signed on behalf of the Board by:

Mr C McVittie Chair of the Board