2025-05-31-annual-report

Shining Lights Trustees' Report

The trustees, who are directors for the purposes of company law, present the annual report together with the financial statements of the charitable company for the year ended 31 May 2025.

Objectives and activities

Objects and aims

Shining Lights run soccer training sessions in schools during school hours and after school hours. Shining Lights run soccer training sessions in the evenings and outdoor soccer matches on Saturdays from September to May in Ballyclare for children aged seven and above.

We train and encourage men and women (mainly young men and women) in all areas of soccer coaching, building of character and leadership skills.

During the summer months we also ran soccer camps in Ireland and Spain.

In the Shining Lights Centre, we ran a Breakfast Club on a weekly basis, a Community Coffee morning monthly and a monthly Bible Study for thirteen- to sixteen-year-olds. We have started a reconnect programme for the 16 plus age group once a month.

During the summer months we mun soccer, hockey and mixed sports summer camps. The content of our programme involves Bible teaching, building of character, encouragement, wellbeing, fitness training and teamwork.

We provide free Gospel literature available at the Shining Lights Centre and give out Gospel literature to those who attend Shining Lights events.

Our primary objectives are to share the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to children and young people in the local community, provide consistent Bible teaching and sports coaching.

The Trustees are greatly appreciative of all the organisation’s financial supporters and the continued support of their members, without whose help the charity could not fulfil its charitable aims and objectives.

Public benefit

Shining Lights meets the public benefit requirement as follows: The direct benefits which flow from the purposes include the development of sports based skills and improved health and fitness; development of improved social skills and the ability to engage in teamwork and ability to show leadership; developing an awareness to and an understanding of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible; development of character ~ spiritually, morally, emotionally and relationally, helping to live a more stable and fulfilled life.

Shining Lights provides training to volunteers thereby increasing their ability to provide voluntary service and leadership. The benefits resulting from the work of Shining Lights are improved health of participants; improvement in social emotional and physical wellbeing of participants; improved behaviour in terms of their ability to live a life that can positively contribute to society.

There is no harm arising from the purposes. Open to all members of the public, but mainly children aged seven and above. No one gains a private benefit.

The trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 4 of the Charities Act 2008 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.

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Shining Lights

Trustees’ Report

Financial review

Policy ov reserves

The Trustees of the charity have established a policy whereby the unrestricted funds not committed or invested in tangible fixed assets (‘the free reserves’) held by the charity should amount to between 2 and 6 months worth of the resources expended which equates to between £1,591 and £4,773 in general funds. At this level, the Trustees feel that they would be able to continue the current activities of the charity in the event of a significant drop in funding; however it would obviously be necessary to consider how the funding would be replaced or activities changed. At present the free reserves (which exclude designated funds), amount to £23,243 and are above the Trustees’ target range. The Trustees continue to work towards maintaining their free reserves target.

Going concern The trustees assess whether the use of going concern is appropriate ie. whether there are any material uncertainties related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the ability of the charity to continue as a going concern. The trustees make this assessment in respect of a period of one year from the date of approval of the financial statements.

The nature of funding is such that Trustees cannot be certain that projected future funding will materialise.

At the time of approving the accounts, despite financial challenges and following assessment the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the Trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing these financial statements.

Trustees and officers

The trustees and officers serving during the year and since the year end were as follows:

Trustees: Miss Carol Weatherall Stephen Blair (appointed 1 November 2024) Mr Ian Turk Mr David McCurrie (resigned 1 November 2024)

Structure, governance and management

Nature ofgoverning document

The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.

Organisational structure

The organisation is primarily managed by the board of Trustees.

There are no employees.

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Shining Lights Trustees’ Report

Financial instruments

Objectives andpolicies

The group's activities expose it to a number of financial risks including credit risk, cash flow risk and liquidity risk. The use of financial derivatives is governed by the group’s policies approved by the board of trustees, which provide written principles on the use of financial derivatives to manage these risks. The group does not use derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes.

Cash flow risk

The group’s activities expose it primarily to the financial risks of changes in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates. The group uses foreign exchange forward contracts and interest rate swap contracts to hedge these exposures.

Interest bearing assets and liabilities are held at fixed rate to ensure certainty of cash flows.

Credit risk

The group’s principal financial assets are bank balances and cash, trade and other receivables, and investments. The group’s credit risk is primarily attributable to its trade receivables. The amounts presented in the balance sheet are net of allowances for doubtful receivables. An allowance for impairment is made where there is an identified loss event which, based on previous experience, is evidence of a reduction in the recoverability of the cash flows.

The credit risk on liquid funds and derivative financial instruments is limited because the counterparties are banks with high credit-ratings assigned by international credit-rating agencies. The group has no significant concentration of credit risk, with exposure spread over a large number of counterparties and customers.

Liquidity risk

In order to maintain liquidity to ensure that sufficient funds are available for ongoing operations and future developments, the group uses a mixture of long-term and short-term debt finance. Further details regarding liquidity risk can be found in the Statement of accounting policies in the financial statements.

Statement of trustees’ responsibilities

The trustees (who are also the directors of Shining Lights for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees’ report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland". The report and accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions in the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under company law the trustees must not approve the financial statemenis unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

• ° select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;

• ¢ observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP,;

• make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• state whether applicable accounting standards, comprising FRS 102 have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

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Shining Lights

Trustees’ Report

• ° prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that can disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Small companies prevision statement This report has been prepared in accordance with the small companies regime under the Companies Act 2006.

The annual report was approved by the trustees of the charity on 13 February 2026 and signed on its behalf by:

Miss Carol Weatherall Trustee

SteStephenphen.[Blair] Glave

‘Trustee

Mr Ian Turk Trustee

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