The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and "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 2019)".
To advance the Christian Faith in accordance with the statement of beliefs appearing in the schedule hereto in Bournemouth and in such other parts of the United Kingdom or the World as the Trustees may from time to time think fit and to fulfil such other purposes which are exclusively charitable according to the Law of England and Wales and are connected with the charitable work of the Charity.
To advance the education in accordance with Christian principals in the said locality and elsewhere as the Trustees may from time to time think fit.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
Notable activities and affiliations
Bournemouth Community Church is affiliated to The Evangelical Alliance, a nationwide family of individuals, organisations and churches. There are no related parties under the terms of the Statement of Recommended Practice that inhibits this registered Charity from pursuing its own separate interests. The church continues to effectively pursue its objects by conducting special initiatives for church members to share their faith and invite contacts to appropriate meetings.
Community Involvement
Bournemouth Community Church (BCC) continued to navigate significant increases to national inflation and the economic recession. BCC continued to operate to fulfil its objectives and aims, and 'make disciples who make disciples'. Throughout the year our in-person Sunday services have been steadily growing, as have our weekday ministries and activities. Live streaming of Sunday services continued for those participating online. Life groups grew in number and continue to provide important fellowship and support in a personal setting. We have seen a steady increase in people becoming members.
The Lifecentre building once again has facilitated essential NHS work and BCC's community support, and provided space for the ongoing work of:
Lifehouse as a signposting agency
Foodbank, Munch Club, Time for Tea, Debt & Budget Management Support
NHS Bloodbank and Diabetic Eye Screening
Accommodation for other Charitable organisations serving the local community
Recovery Group
5 children's and youth clubs covering 5 to 18 years
Senior citizens group
Dementia care group
Family counselling
Open days
Community groups such as choirs
Community conferences
Holiday clubs for children
Holiday activities for senior citizens
Lecture facilities & graduation ceremonies for universities and local schools
BCC's approach to community engagement continues to be a mixture of practical help, prayer help and conversations about faith. As such our faith in Christ is embedded in all that we do. Central to all this is our warm welcome hub and foodbank called Lifehouse. Lifehouse is a place where anyone can come to chat and receive prayer and be signposted to other partnership working services such as Community Money Advice in partnership with Faithworks Wessex, addictions help through 'Star' Recovery courses and our weekly drop-in Recovery group, 'Kintsugi Hope' mental health and wellbeing courses, and Alpha which is a 12 week introductory course to the Christian faith. In addition to this we also run 'Munch' which is our own family food programme, and Time for Tea which is our weekly community meal for those in need.
Further to this, we have continued to partner with Christians from a number of different churches throughout the year to reach out with Christian gospel initiatives in the town more broadly, and we have seen a good response to this from all kinds of people.
Development of the Facilities
Further investment was made to the infrastructure of the building to improve the facilities for the community and in-line with current health and safety requirements. This included creating two new counselling/meeting rooms and further needed storage.
We continued to meet our financial obligations and ended the year with a surplus.
Total amount of reserves held at 31 December 2024 was £1,732,633 (2023: £1,696,059) of which £1,609,853 was unrestricted funds and £122,780 was restricted. The majority of the restricted funds balance is made up of amounts received for the solar panels installation.
The Charity's policy on reserves is that we will make a suitable provision for contractual liabilities. In this regard, it was resolved by the Trustees that when possible, a reserve be created for the payments of salaries. The Trustees do not intend to keep substantial reserves as the objects of the charity determine distribution of funds to fulfil these objects and would only be agreed where there is a known future commitment that demands creating such a reserve.
The major risk that the charity faces is a significant drop in numbers of committed members from whom the Charity receives the bulk of its income. Fulfilling our commitment to our staff and regular expenditure to achieve our objects in a declining income scenario would be our main concern but which we do not anticipate being an ongoing problem. We have a history of seeing needs met and we flag-up shortfalls in income or uncovered increased expenditure to the congregation who have always responded well. There is an appropriate balance between caution and faith and the elders and Trustees are committed to seeing this maintained.
We intend to maintain our existing range of ministry and community-engagement activities working with local community partners (with over 250,000 people using the facilities annually), as well as look to further develop community engagement activities to assist the ever-growing needs.
There continues to be a small amount of space in the Lifecentre building which has the potential for development and use for either ministry and community activities or commercial letting, or a combination of both. Opportunities to development these spaces are actively being considered.
The Charity is a company limited by guarantee and is governed by its memorandum and articles of association.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
The Trustees are appointed by the Board of Trustees and can serve for an unlimited amount of time and are not suject to retirement by rotation. The governing document provides for a minimum of 3 Trustees at any one time,but shall not be subject to any maximum.
The Charity is managed by the Board of Trustees, who meet at regular intervals during the year to discuss the major issues affecting the Charity.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Bournemouth Community Church (the charity) for the year ended 31 December 2024.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011.
Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000, the independent examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of ICAEW, which is one of the listed bodies.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the Companies Act 2006.
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 other than any requirement that the financial statements give a true and fair view, which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their financial statements in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Bournemouth Community Church is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Life Centre, 711 - 715 Wimborne Road, Bournemouth, BH9 2AU.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and "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 2019)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
The company has taken advantage of the exemption under section 399 of the Companies Act 2006 not to prepare consolidated accounts, on the basis that the group of which this is the parent qualifies as a small group. The financial statements present information about the company as an individual entity and not about its group.
At the time of approving the financial statements, 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 the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular future project or commitment.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is classified under headings of the statement of financial activities to which it relates:
expenditure on raising funds includes the costs of all fundraising activities, events, non-charitable trading activities, and the sale of donated goods.
expenditure on charitable activities includes all costs incurred by a charity in undertaking activities that further its charitable aims for the benefit of its beneficiaries, including those support costs and costs relating to the governance of the charity apportioned to charitable activities.
other expenditure includes all expenditure that is neither related to raising funds for the charity nor part of its expenditure on charitable activities.
All costs are allocated to expenditure categories reflecting the use of the resource. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs are apportioned between the activities they contribute to on a reasonable, justifiable and consistent basis.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
Investment property, which is property held to earn rentals and/or for capital appreciation, is initially recognised at cost, which includes the purchase cost and any directly attributable expenditure. Subsequently it is measured at fair value at the reporting end date. The surplus or deficit on revaluation is recognised in profit or loss.
Fixed asset investments are initially measured at transaction price excluding transaction costs, and are subsequently measured at fair value at each reporting date. Changes in fair value are recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year. Transaction costs are expensed as incurred.
A subsidiary is an entity controlled by the charity. Control is the power to govern the financial and operating policies of the entity so as to obtain benefits from its activities.
A review for indicators of impairment is carried out at each reporting date, with the recoverable amount being estimated where such indicators exist. Where the carrying value exceeds the recoverable amount, the asset is impaired accordingly. Prior impairments are also reviewed for possible reversal at each reporting date.
Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the entity after deducting all of its financial liabilities.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
Grant income
Gift aid tax refund
The charity benefits greatly from the involvement of its many volunteers. In accordance with FRS 102 and the Charities SORP (FRS 102), the economic contribution of general volunteers is not recognised in the accounts.
Church activities
Church activities
Rev R Constantine, a Trustee, was paid a gross salary (including employers NI and employers pension) of £54,747 (2023: £52,036).
Mr A Driscoll, a Trustee, was paid a gross salary (including employers NI and employers pension) of £41,179 (2023: £38,968).
Mrs N M Wilkinson, a Trustee, was paid a gross salary (including employers NI and employers pension) of £8,447 (2023: £9,036).
As permitted according to clause 6 of the charity's governing document, Rev R Constantine, Mr A Driscoll and Mrs N M Wilkinson are remunerated for their services as religious pastors. No remuneration is paid for their services as Trustees.
During the year 3 trustees were reimbursed expenses totalling £2,669 (2023: £1,557) in respect of travel, phone and other general church activity expenses.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.
During the year the trustees have decided to transfer funds from restricted to unrestricted funds as designated to be used for loan payments.
Investment property comprises of properties acquired as part of a legacy from the estate of a former member of the congregation. The trustees have revalued the investment properties on an open market basis at 31 December 2024.
Bank loans totalling £1,149,274 are secured by a fixed charge over the charity's freehold property.
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
Room to Grow: A restricted fund to provide the opportunity to give toward a larger facility, one with 'room to grow'. Once the facility is identified, these funds will go directly toward any mortgage required.
Solar Panels: A restricted fund made up of council grants and other donations to install solar panels on the building.
Staffing: A restricted fund made up of donations received specifically to assist with staff salaries.
Community Lunch Clubs: a restricted fund used for the provision of several community lunch clubs.
Winton Community Shed: a restricted fund for the purpose of working as a community to put together a Shed where people can come together.
Loan contributions: a restricted fund where monies have been donated to contribute towards capital repayments of the Charity's bounce back loan.
Ministry musical equipment fund: a restricted fund for the purchase of music equipment.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
Gains and losses
Gains and losses
During the year the charity entered into the following transactions with related parties:
The Charity holds 100% of the shares of Bournemouth Lifecentre Limited. Included in creditors is a balance of £43,287 (2023: debtor of £40,201) owed to Bournemouth Lifecentre Limited.
During the year aggregate donations received from trustees without conditions was £38,221 (2023: £35,833).
During the year £74,840 was received from Bournemouth Lifecentre Limited in respect of profits gift-aided.
Mr J Constantine, son of trustee Rev R Constantine, was paid £nil (2023: £175) during the year for advertising and publicity.
The charity owns 100% of the issued share capital of Bournemouth Lifecentre Limited, company number 07701837.
The profit for the year ended 31 December 2024 was £69,227 (2023: £73,537). The profit and loss reserves were £85,193 (2023: £90,806).
Every member promises, if the Company is dissolved while he, she or it remains a member or within twelve months afterwards, to pay up to £10 towards the cost of dissolution and the liabilities incurred by the Company while the contributor was a member.