The Churches, Trust Limited Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. Annual Report (Incorporating the Directors. Report) Year ended 31 March 2023 The trustees, who are also the directors for the purposes of company law, present their report and the unaudited Iinancial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023. Reference and administrative details Registered charity name The Churches, Trust Limited Charity registration number NIC105253 Company registration number N1027217 Principal office and registered 121 Spencer Road office Waterside DerrylLondondery BT47 6AE The trustees Mrs D Rudd- Chair Mr M Agnew- Treasurer Mr B Bell Rev Canon S R Boyd Rev Fr M Canny Ms J Hetherington Rev P Linkens Mrs J Miller Mr D McGowan Mr A Rowan Mr J O'Kane Deacon M Skuce Rev C Jones (Retired 21 September 2023) (Retired 20 October 2022) (Appointed 20 October 2022) Member Trustees Bishop Andrew Forster Bishop Donal McKeown Rev Stephen Skuce Rev Gordon Mccracken Chief Executive Fiona Fagan Independent examiner Donaldson & Thompson Chartered Accountants 3 Limavady Road Londonderry BT47 6JU The Churches. Trust Limited Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. Annual Report (Incorporating the Directors, Report) (continued) Year ended 31 March 2023 Structureg governance and management The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee. incorporated on 9th February 1993 and accepted as a charity by HM Revenue & Customs under reference N101212 and registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland on 24th May 2016 under charity number NIC105253. The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objeds and powers ofthe charitable company and is govemed under its Articles of Association. In the event of the company being woundup members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £5. The Directors are appointed by the Member Trustees. the leaders of the Church of Ireland. Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church. and Catholic Church in the North West area. Each Member Trustee appoints one clergy and two lay people to seNe as Directors on Ihe Board. The Directors are responsible for the strategic direction, and the overall management and accounlability of the organisation. The Board meet every six to eight weeks. Board membership is diverse in its representstion across communities and has a broad skills and expertise base, including financial management, PR, Health & Safety and various community & voluntary sector roles. The Director5 delegate responsibility for day-to￿aY operations to the Chief Executive and staff team. The Chief Executive provides direct line management for staff employed. The organisation has developed robust systems and procedures for monitoring and evaluating its work, primarily shaped by the reporting and accountsbility obligations defined by funding bodie5. regulatory organisations and various stakeholders. These systems include mechanisms for ongoing review and evaluation and feed directly into reports to the Board of Directors, which include the following- Financial management (including monthly management accounts) Performance results against targets Stakeholder relationship development Regulatory, audit and compliance matters Policy and procedure development and approval New inttiatives Human Resource and other organisational matters Project I service evaluation and review Prior to the commencement of the financial year, the board approves a budget that defines the financial parameters and the performance targets for the year. This document is a critical part of the management. monitoring and evaluation of the organisation's perfomiance. The organisation has extensive expertise in managing and claiming grants both of a capital nature and a revenue nature. Objectives and activities The principal activities and objects of the charity as per the company's Memorandum is ' to promote the benefit of the inhabitants of the North West of Ireland withoLrt distinction of sex or political, religious or other opinions by associating the local authorities, churches, voluntary organisations and inhabitants in a common effort to relieve poverty, sickness and distress and to advance education so as to improve the conditions of life for the said inhabitants... The Churches. Trust Limited Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees, Annual Report (Incorporating the Directors, Report) (cofttlnuéd) Year ended 31 March 2023 Objectives and activities (continued) Our Vision is- A cohesive community without discrimination, disadvantage. or division where people from all communities and backgrounds can equally contribute. Our Mission is.. Utilise the strength and determination of local communities to identity, challenge and tackje the causes and impact of discrimination, disadvantage and division reflecting an ethos of peace, trust. humility and hope which are central to our Christian values. Specifically. The Churches. Trust Limited aims are". To promote a more united, shared and cohesive society working in collaboration wtth churches, schools, and community and voluntary sector organisations in the area. To develop and provide quality services that tackle deprivation and disadvantage focusing on social inclusion, equality of opportunity, and improving community relations. To pro-aGtively enhance and support the economic. social and cultural development of all our communities within the North Wesl region. Church leaders acknowledge that deprivation and disadvantage are key barriers to building a united community, equality of opportunity and good relations. They recognise their role in presenting a united voice to help change attitudes and ultimately contribute to moving our community on from conflict to peace. The commitment to addressing issues of social injustice and inequality shapes the main activities of The Churches, Trust Limited. The Churches, Trust Limited through years of experience and through established ne￿orkS of churches and schools. understsnd the Challenges facing the communities we support. We are committed to addressing issues ofjustice and inequality. Our work transcends all communities. In the interests of a shared and better future for all we undertake various projects and activities that bring communities together. and that encourage healing, understanding and respect. The charity's trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland's guidance on public benefit. Achievements and performance The organisation's activities are shaped by: Identifying, challenging and tackling sectarianism and racism through the delivery of good relations and cohesion programmes. Recognising the ongoing impact of poverty and disadvantage, supporting people and families in need, tackling social determinants of health inequalities and empowering communities. The Churches. Trust Limited Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees, Annual Report (Incorporating the Directors. Report) (continued) Year ended 31 March 2023 Achievements and performance (eontlnuédj Our performance and achievements are summarised as follows: Youth training and development programme5 focusing on personal and skills development, improving mental health and wellbeing and enhancing life chances. This includes working with marginalised young people who struggle in formal education structures by providing altemative opportunities through creative pathways, outdoor leaming, and personal development programmes. Developing Women training and support piogrammes which focus on building self-esteem and confidence, strengthening family supports, and empowering women to tske on leadership roles in the community. Interfaith, inter-Ghurch community education projects which focus on the theme of Celebrating Commonality.. These projects aim to build a sense of shared communty recognising what we have in common as opposed to focusing on what divides us. Low level intervention care services for older people across the city and rural areas of the Derry City & Strabane District Council. The service is designed to address isolation and promote independence in the home. On average we provided 620 support hours per month. Services provided include befriending, chaperoning, reminiscing, shopping, domestic duties, dealing with correspondence and appointrnents. Care & Repair-MaintenancelHandyperson service provided at low cost, affordable rates targeting Older People, low-income families and individuals in areas of deprivation. The Se￿iCe includes cleaning, decluttering, gardening, power washing, fencing decorating, guttering, grave maintenance - in summary those tasks that are dtfficult to source from mainstream maintenance services but that signifi'cantly enhance the mental health and well-being of those in receipt of the service. Addressing food poverty The Pantry Project and Social Supermarket. The Pantry Project foodbank provides a crisis response to people experiencing food poverty. We work with an established network of over 30 churches and 12 schools generating food donations through community giving. We work in collaboration with community hubs who work intensively to address the underlying root cause of the crises and signpost people to appropriate services. During this financial year we provided food for over 7,500 people. We have developed our approach to addressing food poverty through our Social Supermarket, working with people on transfomiative solutions that move people from food insecurity on to addressing the determinants of food poverty. The Churches. Trust Limited Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees, Annual Report (Incorporating the Directors. Report) (conllnued) Year ended 31 March 2023 Financial review The results contained wthin the Statement of Financial Activities disclose Net Income of £1,336. The Churches, Trust Limited continues to broaden its income portfolio by strengthening collaborative working arrangements with partner organisations and other funding agencies. Public funds and grants received through the financial year included The Executive Office, Deparlment for Communities, Community Relations Council, Dery City Strabane Council. Northem Ireland Office, Department of Foreign Affairs Ilreland), Education Authority. and Public Health Agency. We are seeking to extend our income portfolio by building relationships with charitable trusts and now include Charities Aid Foundation. Inner City Trust, SSE Airtricity, Julia and Hans Rausing Trust, Garfield Weston FoundatlDn. and Enkalon Foundation as supporters of our work. In December 2021, The Churches Tnjst Limited was awarded a substantial grant from Charities Aid Foundation as part of a programme to enable organisations to adapt and thrive,. to continue to deliver the services that support the needs of beneficiaries whilst also building organisational resilience. The grant supported the development of our organisational infrastructure through to March 2023. Small company provisions This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the small companies exemption. The trustees, annual report (incorporating the director5, repori) was approved on 8 November 2023 and signed on behalf of the board of tnjstees by: Mrs D Rudd- Chair Trustee rMA rustee Treasurer