The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025.
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)".
During the year, the trustees reviewed these objects and received permission from the Charity Commission to amend them as below:
The relief of poverty by provision of accommodation and other connected services for persons who are deemed refugees, homeless or in need of such assistance.
To provide, maintain and, if necessary, improve a mission room or parish room and connected services in connection with the ecclesiastical parish of St Peter, Norbiton for the purposes of divine service and the promotion of religion according to the Christian faith and also for other religious, social, scientific, literary or charitable purposes including meetings all calculated to be for the benefit of the inhabitants of the said parish.
Activities
Providing residential accommodation, community space, and other services to those in need.
Providing working accommodation for a local housing charity.
The board has taken due regard of the guidance on public benefit published by the charity commission in exercising its powers and duties. It is confident that the aims of the organisation and allocation of resources fully satisfy the public benefit requirements.
Throughout 2025 we continued to provide premises and accommodation in St Peter’s Church Hall for Kingston Churches Action on Homelessness (KCAH; a local charity for the homeless). This enabled the many needs of homeless people in the Kingston upon Thames area continued to be met by the professional services offered by KCAH.
Also, in another section of the Church Hall known as The Joel Centre, we have been able to provide accommodation to four refugees who would otherwise have struggled to find local housing. These refugees were part of the community that attend St Peter’s Church, and by having them next to the church we were able to provide pastoral and practical support through St Peter’s church staff, volunteers, and KCAH staff. As part of that, we provided regular funding and opportunities for these and other Iranian refugees to cook together and show hospitality to others in the local community.
To provide a home for refugees, who themselves have a heart for hospitality, has felt like a fulfilment of the Scripture we have been praying over the Joel Centre: “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing” (Psalm 68: 5-6).
We also provided grant for the refurbishment of a community space in the Archway Parish Rooms owned by St Peter’s Church. This enables St Peter's volunteers to address various needs on the Cambridge Road Estate through the provision of a community café, advocacy support and benefits advice, a toddler group, and other services.
Income was £73,846 as we continued to receive rent for the office space provided to KCAH and the sub-market rent charged to the residential tenants in the Joel Centre (which tends to be funded by universal credit). We also received a number of donations from individual donors, most of them ongoing, and some investment income.
Costs exceeded income at £77,705, slightly higher than the previous year’s £76,314. This included grant to replace old chairs and enhance the community space in the Archway Parish Rooms owned by St Peter’s Church, reflecting our second charitable object. This has enabled various needs on the Cambridge Road Estate to be more effectively adddressed through the provision of a community café, food bank, and other services.
Utility costs (mainly electricity) were £9,078, down from £11,888 the previous year following a change in service provider.
Interest costs (on mortgage loan) were £14,499, down from £16,673 the previous year, following a change in our mortgage provider so as to secure a lower interest rate.
Our actual holdings of cash and short-term investment were slightly lower, at £73,153, mostly reflecting expenditures exceeding income in 2025. Seeking higher investment returns, we moved £30,000 from the CCLA Deposit Fund to WS Epworth Global Equity Fund for Charities. We selected this based on Epworth’s positive reputation, a history of solid investment returns, and its ethical criteria. There was £620 gain on that investment as at 31 December 2025.
Our policy is to hold sufficient funds to cover six months of operating costs. This is designed to ensure that, in the event of a financial crisis, we can continue to meet our financial obligations.
Risk Review
The board assesses and reviews key risks periodically. During 2026 we will reassess our risks but the key risks are as follows:
Funding
We have a dependency on income from our main tenant (KCAH). On the other hand, we are also exposed to the rising mortgage rate on our loan.
Damage to reputation
We are associated with KCAH as the principal user of St Peter's Church Hall. We meet with them from time to time to discuss matters of mutual interest.
Risk of fire, flood or other environmental risks
We maintain appropriate levels of insurance and have reviewed the full requirements with our insurers.
Joel Community Services was incorporated as a charitable company limited by guarantee on 21 July 2014 and is governed by its Articles of Association. It is registered with the Charity Commission in England and Wales with its registered office at St Peter's Church, London Road, Kingston Surrey.
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:
Governance
Our Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the strategy and performance of Joel Community Services. The Board meets regularly throughout the year to consider, set and review strategies, policies, budgets, plans and performance.
The Board has not delegated any powers to formal committees, although specific task groups are formed as necessary with specific responsibilities.
Recruitment
Prospective directors are nominated by at least one current member of the Board in line with our Articles and with knowledge of the ways in which their experience might serve the interests of Joel Community Services. They are then interviewed by a panel of current directors to ensure that their motivations, skills and interests are consistent with the aims of the charity and, if so, to confirm the appointment.
Trustees new to the Board meet with the Chairman and other directors as appropriate and are provided with information and training to enable them to fully understand the mission and values of Joel Community Services.
All of the trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up.
Management
The board manages the needs of the organisation directly, with some support from St Peter's Church staff.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Joel Community Services (the charity) for the year ended 31 December 2025.
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.
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.
Joel Community Services is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is St Peter's Church, London Road, Kingston Upon Thames, KT2 6QL.
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 charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
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 accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
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.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the accounts.
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.
Grants are recognised once the charity has been notified of the grant unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
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:
Assets in the course of construction are not depreciated.
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.
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.
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
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 are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price and subsequently measured at their settlement value.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Redundancy costs
Redundancy costs are recognised when the Charity is committed to terminate employment.
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.
Governance costs includes payments to the independent examiner of £1,434 (2024: £1,392) for accounts preparation and independent examination.
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
The long-term loans are secured by fixed charges over the property known as St Peter's Church Hall, London Road, Kingston-upon-Thames.
In January 2024, the charity refinanced the CAF bank mortgage with a loan of £240,000 from Kingdom Bank over a repayment period of 15 years at an interest rate of 6.55%. During the year, repayments averaged £2,080 pcm (2024: £2,136).
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.
Joel Community Trust: Building fund
Phase 2 redevelopment: Building fund
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.
During the year the charity entered into the following transactions with related parties:
Joel Community Trust (JCT), an associated charity, made a general donation of £5,000 to Joel Community Services.
Joel Community Services paid £18,465 to St Peter's Norbiton for contributions to staff costs and other support in line with the charity's objectives.