The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP_ "Accounting and Reporting by Charities" (FRS102) in preparing the annual report and financial statements of the charity.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in notes to the financial statements and applicable accounting standards, 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 issued in October 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the charity's governing document, the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008, Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2013, The Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015, Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Practice.
The objects of the Association is to relieve poverty, sickness and the aged and to promote the benefits of the inhabitants of Willowfield, Woodstock, Lagan Village, the Mount and the surrounding area in East Belfast without distinction of age, gender, sexual orientation, disability/ability, race, political, religious or other opinion, by association with the statutory authorities, voluntary organisations and the inhabitants in a common effort to advance education, and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation or other leisure-time occupation, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants, and in particular:
a) Children (Pre-school and Primary School Ages).
b) Teenagers
c) Unemployed Adults
d) Single Parents Families
e) Families struggling with poverty and deprivation
f) The elderly and vulnerable.
Total income for the year was £354,967 (2024: £480,753). Transfers out from unrestricted funds was £16,000 in respect of Grafton Mission Trust and restricted funds £6,000 in respect of DFC Grant. Donations and legacies income amounted to £352,997 (2024: £395,860), Investment income amounted to £1,990 (2024: £2,258) and other income amounted to £Nil (2024: £82,635).
The costs of charitable activities amounted to £398,701 (2024: £346,251) and total expenditure for the year amounted to £398,701 (2024: £346,251).
The total net expenditure after transfers out was (£65,714), represented by unrestricted funds (£49,578) and restricted funds (£16,136), (2024: net income of £134,502).
2025 has seen us grow and develop our work at WPCA. We welcomed four placement students from Taylor University in Illinois, USA who joined us as part of their term at Stranmillis University College. They helped out with our youth and children’s programmes and led a programme as part of their assessment for Stranmillis.
We ran our usual clubs across the year – for children, we had Kids Kitchen, a 4 week course of learning how to cook nutritious meals which was repeated once a term. We also ran our SEAG tutoring group, Brains and Banter, to support local children prepare for their transfer test. Squad Goals, a group for girls, ran weekly and raised £950 for Willowfield Parish Church roof project. They also took part in the Lip Sync Battle, winning for the fourth year in a row! Lads Club saw local boys involved in football and other team games each week. We helped facilitate the It’s Your Move Programme, going into local primary schools to help P7 pupils prepare for the transition to post-primary school. We also ran our Summer scheme in July which saw 150 primary aged children take part in activities like swimming, ice-skating, visit to the zoo and other activities over the course of the week.
Our Friday nights saw Kids Klub for two hours and then Active Youth for teenagers. Also for teenagers, we had Football Club, Girls Group as well as a GCSE Maths revision class in the run up to Easter with young people from Ashfield Boys and Girls Schools, Dundonald High School, Breda Academy and Wellington College. We were able to link with East Belfast Alternatives and Eastside Learning to deliver this. We also ran our Youth Residential, the Great Escape in August, which saw 30 young people head off to Enniskillen for a week of fun, including surfing, go-karting and team games, as well as personal development sessions, team building and learning from one another.
As part of our youth work this year, we ran a programme with Ashfield Boys School and Rutledge Recruitment and Training as part of the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls campaign. This was very successful with a six week course looking at relationships, both plutonic and romantic, consent and attitudes towards women and girls. We had 140 young people, mostly young men, complete the course with interesting discussions generated.
Our Family Support team have continued to provide much needed help to local families dealing with significant issues, including help with children with special educational needs, support with housing issues, medical issues, and mental health issues. Our Talk About Drugs (TAD) group has been a great support to local families who are struggling to cope with a loved one with an addiction. Unfortunately this is an issue we are coming across more and more frequently in our area. Through TAD, we have been able to provide information and education on the effects of drugs, both illegal and prescription, how to recognize an overdose, the police response, community support, self-defense, self-care and other areas in line with what service users have requested. One lady said, “I learned a lot about myself, how I deal with difficult situations. It helped me to see how I can reduce the stress I feel and the stress I give out. I learned that I can change how I react to things and that has really helped me.”
Our Peaced Together courses have been well attended, with women having the opportunity to look at trauma within their own lives through ten weekly craft sessions. Looking at things like beauty from brokenness, how to heal from past hurts, how to see the light in the darkness and how to move forward positively. One service user said, “When I started I felt a bit numb and had felt like giving up on a few things in this season. I feel like there is hope relighting in my heart again.” Another lady said, “I have loved every week of Peaced Together! Thank you to the leaders for their encouragement and support and for enabling me to “find my voice”. I have loved getting to know all the ladies in the group and it has felt like such a safe space to open up and talk about the things that are closest to our hearts. The craft activities helped me to unleash my creativity in ways I never imagined. I have laughed, cried and shared my darkest moments with these special people and I will always be grateful for that!”
The Family Support Summer Scheme for parents and toddlers was our busiest year yet with parents coming for four days of fun crafts, activities, a water fight, messy play and healthy lunch, as well as a trip to the farm. We ran two Schemes, back to back, enabling us to increase our numbers, with 84 attending (including adults and children), and provide much needed activities for parents with young children during the summer months. One parent said, “Great to have somewhere to take both children not at school age to attend Summer Schemes. Only scheme for under 3's I've seen.” Funding enabled us to provide meals for 10 families during August to support families who find the summer months more difficult due to having the children off all summer, not receiving the free school meals and then also having the pressure of purchasing school uniforms for the start of term.
Women’s drop in has continued on Monday nights with the ladies enjoying craft, chat, line dancing and pilates in 2025.
Thursday Club has had a busy year, with between 30-40 people each week, enjoying a hot meal as well as a range of activities including table games, table quizzes, crafts, and informative talks. It's a welcoming space to enjoy time together and take part in different activities each week.
Our CAP Debt Centre continued to support local people struggling with unmanageable debt, including supporting people through bankruptcy, debt relief orders and also through budgeting. We were able to give talks in many local churches and to community groups, including a stall at the May Day Festival in Holywood and the Community Festival on the Woodstock Road. Open House continues each Tuesday morning, with regular numbers of between 50-60 people each week. They welcome visitors from RNID, Jobs and Benefits Office, EBCDA for talks on well-being and fitness, as well as cookery demonstrations, and the usual pool, bocca, rest and reflect sessions. They also had two teams in the Belfast City Marathon relay and raise £5000 for our debt centre!
Outreach was busy, with various men’s events, such as men’s walks (one round the north coast where they got totally drenched!), curry nights, golf competitions, go karting and Men’s Youth Club. There were also prayer walks each month around local areas and 4 Alpha Courses in 2025, as well as leaflet drops, support for the local Ravenhill Young Men’s Football Club, work in the local pubs and supporting individual men with mental health issues, addiction issues and grief. At one of the pub outreach sessions, we were informed of a man who had moved into a local flat and had no furniture. Within a couple of days, we were able to get him a bed and some other much needed furniture.
We were invited to the City Hall by the Irish Youth Foundation to celebrate the grant awards in the Lord Mayor’s Parlour. We held our annual Lip Sync Battle, raising £1800 for Marie Curie as we have been in contact with a lot of local people who needed their services in the last year. A team of staff were able to attend the Alpha Leadership Conference in London which was a great time of learning and networking, as well as being able to take time out from work to recharge the batteries.
At Christmas, we held our now annual Christmas Tree Festival, this year with a Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe theme. Guests were able to walk around the festival, starting by going through the wardrobe, into the land of the Snow Queen, meeting Mr Tumnus, the Beavers, Father Christmas and the most important character, Aslan! We were delighted to have the support of 15 local businesses, 3 local schools, 12 local community groups, 8 groups from Willowfield Church, 5 groups from WPCA and 3 others, including our local Roman Catholic Church, all support the Festival by decorating a tree! It was an incredibly busy week with many local elected representatives calling in to support us as well as people from as far away as Donegal coming to visit. We raised £5000 from the week which will go towards our work in the local community.
This year we were able to support 82 families with Christmas hampers as well as giving out 14 gift hampers to families that we wanted to connect with after having supported them through the death of a loved one earlier in the year.
We have benefitted throughout the year from collaborating with other local organisations. We continue to sit on various networks in the area, including the Drugs and Alcohol network, East Belfast Anti-Poverty Alliance, the Churches Network, the Food Provision Network, Inner East Forum, the Youth Practitioners Network, as well as the Coalition for Christian Voices. This involvement is a real strength, keeping us up to date with developments in the area, providing useful contacts to share ideas and resources and enabling us to offer complementary services which support and enhance existing provision.
Due to a significant increase in funding from Belfast City Council for our building, we have been able to do some much needed maintenance and refreshing of the building, including painting large parts of the building, replacing damaged fixtures and repairing an area suffering from water ingress.
We have taken time this year to look at our strategic plan for the next 5 years and it will be published soon. We have taken feedback from the Board, staff, volunteers, service users, local residents and other stakeholders and look forward to presenting this plan in 2026.
Staffing
Our staff team is always one of our biggest strengths at WPCA! We have a wonderful team who go above and beyond every day, providing support, a listening ear and a helping hand to everyone we come into contact with. One lady recently said that she feels like she can be herself around us and that we don’t expect her to have everything together. This is a huge compliment to our team as we want to show everyone that they are accepted as they are. Our team deal with complicated social and mental health issues with grace and compassion and have a real heart to see the difficult issues in our community improve. Our volunteers are also wonderful and we would not be able to function as an organisation without them giving of their time so generously.
Our team has had a few changes this year. Our Administrator Alice McCallum was off on maternity leave until June but we were joined in January by Rory O’Halloran as a Youth Worker and in September by Emma Trimble as a new Children’s Worker. Reuben Johnston, a Youth Worker with us for 8 years, moved on to a position as Curate in Willowfield Parish Church. We wish him all the best as he moves on to his new role.
The WPCA Board of Trustees has again been a great help and support. We said goodbye to Wayne Mulholland who had been a Trustee for a year and welcomed Andy Coulter, who brings years of experience in youth work and community work. We are hugely thankful to Wayne for his time as a Trustee and wish him all the best as he moves on.
At the end of 2025, there is a £171,398 of a surplus in unrestricted funds, of which the Board has set aside £155,954 as a salary reserve representing 6 months salary costs; and there is a surplus on restricted funds of £520,071.
The restricted funds represent a capital sum for fixed assets (the building) of £484,923 and revenue sum (cash) of £35,148. (see notes 12 & 17 for full breakdown)
The Board is so grateful for the donations and grants we received during 2025 from many charities, grant making bodies, churches and individuals including: Apex Housing, Belfast City Council, Beltrim Charitable Trust, Benefact Trust, Church of Ireland Board of Education, Church of Ireland Orphans & Children Society, Church of Ireland Priorities Fund, Community Foundation Northern Ireland, Co-op Local Community Fund, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Reconciliation Fund, Department for Communities, Education Authority, Esme Mitchell Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, Hedley Foundation, Hinchley Charitable Trust, Irish Temperance League, Maurice & Hilda Laing Charitable Trust, Phoenix Community Fund, Souter Charitable Trust, TBF & KL Thompson Trust,Tesco Stronger Starts and other trust who wish to remain anonymous.
It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six month’s expenditure.
The trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year.
The policy of the Management Committee is to maintain reserves at such level as limits the risk from a future downturn in income or from increased expenditure in the longer term, including expenditure on fixed assets.
The charity plans to continue the activities outlined above in the forthcoming year subject to satisfactory funding arrangements.
Willowfield Parish Community Association is a charitable private company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital, whose registered office is situated in Northern Ireland. The Company was incorporated on 24th January 2007, commenced operations on 1st January 2008 and is recognised as a charity by The charity Commission for Northern Ireland (charity reference number NIC 103336).
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 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:
Unless otherwise determined by the Association in General Meeting, the number of Trustees shall not exceed fifteen and shall not be less than five. The Board shall comprise of The Chairperson (and Trustee) who at all times will be the Rector of Willowfield Parish Church or other person appointed by him/her to act in that capacity and the number of trustees appointed as follows, half of who shall be appointed annually by the Select Vestry of Willowfield Parish Church, to be known as "nominated trustees" and half of whom shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), to be known as "elected trustees".
All trustees shall be members of the Association. Elected trustees shall hold office for a period of up to two years and shall retire by rotation, with the longest serving half to retire at each AGM. Retiring (elected) trustees shall be eligible for re-election. The number of nominated and elected trustees shall remain equal at all times.
The trustees have the power at any time to appoint any person to be a trustee to fill a casual vacancy. Any trustee so appointed shall hold office only until the next following AGM and then shall be eligible for re-election/nomination.
Appropriate training and induction is available to all trustees.
The Board meets on a regular basis throughout the year, and by careful analysis of management accounts considers if there are any major risks to the future and to ensure that the company is a going concern and able to continue its work to benefit local residents in the Willowfield area of inner east Belfast.
Risk Management
The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, in particular those related to the operations and finances of the Charity, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate an exposure to major risks. Where appropriate, systems or procedures have been established to mitigate the risks the charity faces. Internal control risks are minimised by the implementation of procedures for authorisation of all transactions and projects. Procedures are in place to ensure compliance with health and safety of staff, volunteers, clients and visitors. These procedures are periodically reviewed at least annually to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of the charity.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.
Registered Office:
The Micah Centre
149a My Lady's Road
Belfast
BT6 8FE
Company registration No: NI062808
Charity Registration No: 103336
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
The trustees (who are also the directors of Willowfield Parish Community Association for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which 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 the 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 then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that 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 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.
In so far as the trustees are aware:
- there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company's independent examiner is unaware; and
- the trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant information and to establish that the independent examiner is aware of that information.
The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity 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 charity 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 charity and financial information included on the charity's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
I report on the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2025, which are set out on pages 10 to 27.
Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit under company law and is eligible for independent examination, it is my responsibility to:
examine the accounts under section 65 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008;
follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland under section 65(9)(b) of the Charities Act; and
state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
I have examined your charity financial statements as required under section 65 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 and my examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland under section 65(9)(b) of the Charities Act. The examination included a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also included consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements, and seeking explanations from you as charity trustees concerning any such matters.
My role is to state whether any material matters have come to my attention giving me cause to believe that:
1. Accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006; or
2. The financial statements do not accord with those accounting records; or
3. The financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the methods and principles of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their financial statements in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102); or
4. There is further information needed for a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
Since your charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a listed body. I can confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a registered member of Chartered Accountants Ireland which is one of the listed bodies.
I have completed my examination and I have no concerns in respect of the matters (1) to (4) listed above and, in connection with following the Directions of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, I have found no matters that require drawing to your attention.
Michael McCarter FCA
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Willowfield Parish Community Association is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in Northern Ireland. The registered office is The Micah Centre, 149a My Lady's Road, Belfast, BT6 8FE.
Summary of significant accounting policies
General information and basis of preparation
Willowfield Parish Community Association is a charitable private company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital and is registered in Northern Ireland. The address of the registered office is given in the charity information on page 1 of these financial statements. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity. The Company was incorporated on 24th January 2007, commenced operations on 1st January 2008 and is recognised as a charity by The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (charity reference number NIC 103336).
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 nature of the charitable company’s operations and principal activities are to relieve poverty, sickness and the aged and to promote the benefit of the inhabitants of Willowfield, Woodstock, Lagan Village, the Mount and the surrounding area in East Belfast without distinction of age, gender, sexual orientation, disability/ability, race, political, religious or other opinion, by associating with the statutory authorities, voluntary organisations and the inhabitants in a common effort to advance education, and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation or other leisure-time occupation, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants, and in particular: children (pre-school and primary school ages), teenagers, unemployed adults, single parent families, families struggling with poverty and deprivation and the elderly and vulnerable.
The charitable company constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in notes to the financial statements and applicable accounting standard, 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 issued in October 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the charity’s governing document, the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008, Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2013, The Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015, Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.
The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis under the historical cost convention, modified to include certain items at fair value. The charity is entirely dependent on continuing grant aid and as a consequence the going concern basis is also dependent on the continuing grant aid. The financial statements are prepared in sterling which is the functional currency of the charity.
The significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all years presented unless otherwise stated.
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 on a going concern basis as the trustees believe that no material uncertainties exist. The trustees have considered the level of funds held and the expected level of income and expenditure for 12 months from authorising these financial statements. The budgeted income and expenditure is sufficient with the level of reserves for the charity to be able to continue as a going concern
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity which have not been designated for other purposes.
Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have neem raised by the charity for particular purposes. The cost of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Transfers between funds include transfers from unrestricted funds to cover deficits in restricted funds.
All income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when the charity is legally entitled to the income after any performance conditions have been met, the amount can be measured reliably, and it is probable that the income will be received.
For donations to be recognised the charity will have been notified of the amounts and the settlement date in writing. If there are conditions attached to the donation and this requires a level of performance before entitlement can be obtained, then income is deferred until those conditions are fully met or the fulfilment of those conditions is within the control of the charity and it is probable that they will be fulfilled.
Donated facilities and donated professional services are recognised in income at their fair value when their economic benefit is probable, it can be measured reliably and the charity has control over the item. Fair value is determined on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity. For example the amount the charity would be willing to pay in the open market for such facilities and services. A corresponding amount is recognised in expenditure.
No amount is included in the financial statements for volunteer time in line with the SORP (FRS 102). Further detail is given in the Trustees’ Annual Report.
Where practicable, gifts in kind donated for distribution to the beneficiaries of the charity are included in stock and donations in the financial statements upon receipt. If it is impracticable to assess the fair value at receipt or if the costs to undertake such a valuation outweigh any benefits, then the fair value is recognised as a component of donations when it is distributed and an equivalent amount recognised as charitable expenditure.
Voluntary income received by way of donations and gift are included in the SoFA when received.
Gifts in kind donated for resale are included at fair value, being the expected proceeds from sale less the expected costs of sale. Where estimating the fair value is practicable upon receipt it is recognised in stock and ‘Income from other trading activities’. Upon sale, the value of the stock is charged against ‘Income from other trading activities’ and the proceeds are recognised as ‘Income from other trading activities’. Where it is impracticable to fair value the items due to the volume of low value items, they are not recognised in the financial statements until they are sold. This income is recognised within ‘Income from other trading activities’.
Fixed asset gifts in kind are recognised when receivable and are included at fair value. They are not deferred over the life of the asset.
For legacies, entitlement is the earlier of the charity being notified of an impending distribution or the legacy being received. At this point income is recognised. On occasion legacies will be notified to the charity however it is not possible to measure the amount expected to be distributed. On these occasions, the legacy is treated as a contingent asset and disclosed.
Investment income is interest earned through holding cash at bank. Interest income is recognised when receivable.
Other income represents income that cannot be reported under the other analysis headings provided within the SoFA.
For donations to be recognised the charity will have been notified of the amounts and the settlement date in writing. If there are conditions attached to the donation and this requires a level of performance before entitlement can be obtained then income is deferred until those conditions are fully met or the fulfilment of those conditions is within the control of the charity and it is probable that they will be fulfilled.
Donated facilities and donated professional services are recognised in income at their fair value when their economic benefit is probable, it can be measured reliably and the charity has control over the item. Fair value is determined on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity has control over the item. Fair value is determined on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity. For example the amount the charity would be willing to pay in the open market for such facilities and services. A corresponding amount is recognised in expenditure.
No amount is included in the financial statements for volunteer time in line with the SORP (FRS 102). Further detail is given in the Trustees' Annual Report.
Where practicable, gifts in kind donated for distribution to the beneficiaries of the charity are included in stock and donations in the financial statements upon receipt. If it is impracticable to assess the fair value at receipt or if the costs to undertake such a valuation outweigh any benefits, then the fair value is recognised as a component of donations when it is distributed and an equivalent amount recognised as charitable expenditure.
Voluntary income received by way of donations and gift are included in the SoFA when received.
All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Expenditure is recognised where there is a legal or constructive obligation to make payments to third parties, it is probable that the settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. It is categorised under the following headings:
Costs of project management includes salary costs, insurance and depreciation.
Expenditure on charitable activities includes direct costs (for example salary costs, programme expenses, running costs, telephone costs).
Irrecoverable VAT is charged as an expense against the activity for which expenditure arose.
Support costs are those that assist the work of the charity but do not directly represent charitable activities and include office costs, governance costs and administrative payroll costs.
They are incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the charity. Where support costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities on a basis consistent with use of the resources. Premises overheads have been allocated on a basis consistent with the use of the resources. Staff costs and other overheads have been allocated on the basis of time spent on raising certain funds or activity.
Fund-raising costs are those incurred in seeking voluntary contributions and do not include the costs of disseminating information in support of the charitable activities.
The analysis of these costs is included in note 7.
Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment losses. Cost includes costs directly attributable to making the asset capable of operating as intended.
All tangible fixed assets costing more than £1,000 are capitalised.
Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assets, at rates calculated to write off the cost, less estimated residual value, of each asset on a systematic basis over its expected useful life as follows
Assets not measured at fair value are reviewed for any indication that the asset may be impaired at each balance sheet date. If such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset, or the asset’s cash generating unit, is estimated and compared to the carrying amount. Where the carrying amount exceeds its recoverable amount, an impairment loss is recognised in profit or loss.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Debtors and creditors with no stated interest rate and receivable or payable within one year are recorded at transaction price. Any losses arising from impairment are recognised in expenditure
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
As a charity, the company benefits from various exemptions afforded by tax legislation. It is therefore not liable to corporation tax on income or gains falling due within those exemptions. Recovery is made of tax deducted from receipts under gift aid
When employees have rendered service to the charity, short-term employee benefits to which the employees are entitled are recognised at the undiscounted amount expected to be paid in exchange for that service.
When employees have rendered service to the charity. short-term employee benefits to which the employees are entitled are recognised at eh undiscounted amount expected to be paid in exchange for that service.
Rentals payable and receivable under operating leases are charged to the SoFA on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.
Judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty
The following judgements including those involving estimates have been made in the process of applying the above accounting policies that have had the most significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements and that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year:
- depreciation method and asset useful lives
The estimates and assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis considering the current and future market conditions.
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.
Judgements are made in relation to the allocation of income and expenditure to restricted and unrestricted funds. The trustees consider it appropriate to allocate these funds based on interpretation of income received.
Costs not attributable to a single activity are allocated or apportioned to activities on a basis consistent with identified cost drivers for that costs category. Cost drivers utilised relate to the proportion of time spent across different activities and judgement is exercised in applying cost drivers to cost categories.
The annual depreciation charge on fixed assets depends primarily on the estimated lives of each type of asset and estimates of residual values. The trustees regularly review these asset lives and change them as necessary to reflect current thinking on remaining lives in light of prospective economic utilisation and physical condition of the assets concerned. Changes in asset lives can have a significant impact on depreciation charges for the period. Detail of the useful lives is included in the accounting policies.
The trustees neither received nor waived any remuneration during the year (2024: £Nil).
The trustees did not have any expenses reimbursed during the year (2024: £Nil).
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The trustees consider its key management personnel to be Heather Purdy.
Key management personnel remuneration for the year was £22,408 (2024: £21,256).
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes. Recovery is made of tax deducted from receipts under gift aid.
Buildings comprise The Micah Centre 149a My Lady's Road Belfast BT6 8FE.
Willowfield Parish Community Association lease the land on which the Micah Centre is built on from the the Representative Church Body in Dublin. The lease is over 25 years from1st January 2006.
Deferred income is included in the financial statements as follows:
There was deferred income in this financial year for £22,000 in relation to Grafton Mission Charitable Trust £16,000 and DFC £6,000, in the previous year deferred income relating to Grafton Mission Charitable Trust of £23,000 was released to the Statement of Financial Activities.
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.
Restricted Funds
Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors, or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. The cost of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.
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.
Unrestricted Funds
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity which have not been designated for other purposes
When conditions on projects have been met, it is deemed the restriction ceases and any surpluses are transferred from restricted funds to unrestricted funds.
Depreciation for the year was transferred from revenue funds to capital funds.
The charitable company has a contingent liability to repay grants received if certain conditions are not met or if they are breached.
Rev Clive Atkinson is a trustee of the charitable company and of Willowfield Parish Church.
Willowfield Parish Church made donations to the charitable company during the year of £27,903 (2024: £28,024)
No other related party transactions have occurred in the year.
The company is limited by guarantee and has no share capital.
On winding up members may be required to contribute a maximum of £1.