BELFAST STREET PASTORS Director / Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31st May 2025
The directors/trustees present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 31st May 2025.
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Aims and Objectives Belfast Street Pastors is a Christian organisation with a clear mission to provide care, support, and a calming presence to those in need during the night ~~-~~ time hours in Belfast. Our core aims are:
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¢ To contribute to a safer city environment during night ~~-~~ time hours.
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¢ To provide practical and emotional support to vulnerable individuals, particularly the homeless and those engaged in the night ~~-~~ time economy.
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¢ To demonstrate God’s love through action, service, and compassion, without judgement or discrimination. Our volunteers operate primarily on the streets of Belfast during weekends and peak celebration nights, offering assistance, listening ears, and practical aid to anyone in need.
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Successes in the Past Year
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This year has seen continued growth and impact for Belfast Street Pastors. Highlights include:
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¢ Consistent Saturday Night Patrols: Our core activity continued unabated, with dedicated teams patrolling the city centre every Saturday night, offering fli ~~p-~~ flops, water, first aid, directions, and emotional support.
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¢ St Patrick’s Day Patrols: We had a visible and supportive presence during St Patrick’s Day celebrations, ensuring that vulnerable individuals were cared for and helping defuse potentially volatile situations.
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¢ Halloween Patrols: Our teams provided assistance on one of the busiest and often most chaotic nights of the year, helping ensure a safe and supportive environment for partygoers.
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¢ Christmas Eve Outreach: Volunteers distributed selection boxes, spreading joy and connection to those on the streets and in most need of comfort during the festive season.
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e Extreme Weather Support: Additional patrols were organised during particularly cold nights or nights of extreme weather activities such as snow or harsh rain, providing warm clothing, blankets, and sleeping bags to those experiencing homelessness or exposure. Similarly to this, Street Pastors were able to distribute water during heatwaves and particularly warm summer nights.
These activities have not only met immediate physical needs but have also created opportunities for meaningful engagement and long ~~-~~ term relational support.
3. Key Strategies for the Coming Year
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To build on our work, our strategies for the upcoming year include:
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¢ Volunteer Recruitment and Training: Expanding our team to meet increasing need and ensure sustainability of weekly patrols.
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¢ Enhanced Partnerships: Strengthening collaboration with the PSNI, Belfast City Council, local businesses, and other charities to better coordinate support for vulnerable individuals.
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¢ Special Event Coverage: Increasing our presence during key city events such as St Patricks Day, Halloween, and New Year’s Eve to maximise impact.
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¢ Resource Development: Sourcing additional funding and supplies to maintain the provision of essential items such as warm clothing, Water and First aid supplies
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¢ Public Awareness Campaigns: Raising our profile within the city to attract new volunteers, donors, and supporters.
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Focus of Our Work
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Our work is centred on three key principles:
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¢ Safer Streets: Supporting the work of emergency services and creating a calming, stabilising presence in the night ~~-~~ time economy.
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¢ Protecting the Vulnerable: Engaging with those at risk due to intoxication, homelessness, mental health challenges, or exploitation.
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¢ Showing God’s Love: Embodying the Christian ethos of compassion and service through practical, non ~~-~~ judgmental support and genuine care.
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Public Benefit
The activities of Belfast Street Pastors clearly deliver public benefit by:
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¢ Reducing the burden on emergency services by preventing escalation of minor incidents. e¢ Enhancing community safety and wellbeing through a calming and reassuring presence.
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¢ Supporting social cohesion by fostering trust and connection between diverse individuals in Belfast’s night ~~-~~ time economy.
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¢ Offering crisis support and intervention, which can prevent long ~~-~~ term harm to individuals and the wider community,
cont’d.../
Diamond Charred aonants and Registered Auditor S&S Skillen Sinclair House, 89/101 Royal Avenue Belfast BT1 1FE
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Who Uses Our Services
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The individuals we support are diverse, but most commonly include:
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¢ Homeless individuals ~~-~~ Those sleeping rough or without safe accommodation, who rely on us for warm clothing, food, and compassionate conversation.
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¢ Night ~~-~~ time economy customers ~~-~~ People out for social reasons who may become vulnerable due to alcohol, drug use, separation from friends, or other factors.
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¢ Vulnerable adults and young people ~~-~~ These account for those who are experiencing mental health issues or find themselves despondent in the City Centre during the evenings.
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Our services are open and available to anyone in need, regardless of background or circumstance.
Conclusion
Belfast Street Pastors remains a vital presence in the heart of the city. Through faithful volunteering, community support, and God’s guidance, we continue to bring hope, safety, and love to those most in need on our streets. We are deeply grateful for the ongoing support of our volunteers, funders, partners, and the wider community.
Statement of director/trustees’s responsibilities and corporate governance
The Directors/Trustees are responsible for their annual report and for the preparation of financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Organisation and of the net movement in funds of the Organisation for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the Directors/Trustees are required to: ~~-~~
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¢ Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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¢ Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP; ¢ Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; e¢ State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
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¢ Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Organisation will continue in business.
The Directors/Trustees are responsible for ensuring that the Organisation keeps proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Organisation and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006 (insofar as this legislation applies to the organisation). They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Organisation and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities and to provide reasonable assurance that:
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¢ The Organisation is operating efficiently and effectively;
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e Allassets are safeguarded against unauthorised use or disposition and are properly applied;
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¢ Proper records are maintained and financial information used within the Organisation, or for publication, is reliable; and
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¢ The Organisation complies with relevant laws and regulations.
Statement as disclosure to our independent examiners
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In so far as the directors/trustees are aware at the time of approving our trustees’ annual report:
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e there is no relevant information, being information needed by the independent examiner in connection with preparing their report, of which the Organisation’s independent examiner is unaware; and
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e the directors/trustees, having made enquiries of fellow directors/trustees and the Organisation’s independent examiner that they ought to have individually taken, have each taken all steps that he/she is obliged to take as a director/trustee in order to make themselves aware of any relevant information and to establish that the independent examiner is aware of that information.
Internal Control
The director/trustees have overall responsibility for ensuring that Belfast Street Pastors has a system of internal control. Such a system of control can provide only reasonable and not absolute assurance against errors or fraud. Controls are concerned with safeguarding the organisation’s assets and maintaining the integrity of accounting controls.
Independent Examiners
Diamond & Skillen were appointed as the organisation’s independent examiners during the year and are deemed to be r ~~e-~~ appointed in accordance with Section 487(2) of the Companies Act 2006.
These financial statements and this report have been prepared in accordance with the 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 Ireland (FRS102) (effective from 1st January 2015) and in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime (insofar as these provisions apply to the organisation).
This report was approved by the board of director / trustees on 29th August 2025 and signed on its behalf by:
Liefoxend on behalfof theBoard
Diamond Charred aonants and Registered Auditor S&S Skillen Sinclair House, 89/101 Royal Avenue Belfast BT1 1FE
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