The Trustees present their report and financial statements for Childs Charitable Trust ("the Trust") 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 Trust's memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "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)".
The Trust is a Christian grant-making Trust and since 2013, a Company Limited by Guarantee. Since its inception in 1962 the principal object of the Trust remains the furtherance of the Christian gospel and the Trustees are actively involved in supporting and encouraging many Christian charities to achieve this goal.
We continually monitor the economic and social situation both within the UK and overseas and whilst we are unable to predict the impact on the charity’s future, we take appropriate advice to ensure the grant-making work of the charity continues.
Public Benefit
The Trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the Trust’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities and setting the grant making policy for the year.
The Trust has established its grant making policy to achieve its objects for the public benefit.
All applicants are informed of the outcome at the end of the process whether their application has been successful or not.
Grants Awarded
As required by the Trust’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, all activities have as their core purpose the Trust’s own main objective “the furtherance of the Christian Gospel.”
All applications are sent on the Trust’s application form.
Full details of the current process can be found on the Trust’s website. All applications receive are considered but, unfortunately, not all can be supported.
The total charitable distributions in the year amounted to £450,000 (£831,000 in 2024).
The Trust received 88 applications and awarded grants to 54 different organisations.
The organisations funded are all based in the UK although many work overseas as well as the UK.
Many of the organisations we support are working in sensitive areas of the world and have requested that we do not publicise their details.
Some of the comments that we are able to share are joy and encouragement to the trustees:
Schools Work:
We’re so excited to see how God will use this gift over the coming year as the regional teams grow and begin to serve more churches and communities.
Our programme teaches Year 6 children about Christianity, Jesus and the heroes of the Bible, in a relevant and contemporary way. This programme is delivered on a weekly basis to nearly 25 schools covering close to 850 children.
Youth Work:
This support has enabled us to invest in staff, resources and community partnerships, helping young people across London to access safe spaces, trusted relationships, and opportunities to grow in confidence and faith.
We had many wonderful interactions with young people - from young people shedding tears over our dyslexia-friendly Bible books, because they can finally read a Bible that’s accessible to young people telling us their non-Christian friends had given their life to Jesus. We’re very proud to work in partnership with and thankful for funders like yourselves who help to bring young people closer to Jesus.
Bible/Leadership Training:
This grant is a great encouragement and will allow us to supply the full quantities of Christian material that we had hoped to print.
We hoped to raise enough money to buy 10,000 Sena Bibles. The Bibles were printed in Dec 2025 and then arrived in Malawi in Feb 2026. They were distributed to churches, pastors and individuals in the Sena areas.
Your faithfulness to the ongoing work is making a big difference. Because of your continued support a record number of tuition grants were given and, therefore, students and their congregations invested in.
Pastoral care:
The grant enabled us to provide Christian chaplaincy and spiritual care to older people experiencing loneliness, ill health, bereavement and the challenges of later life. This included one to one chaplaincy befriending, monthly fellowship gatherings, pastoral support at the end of life, bereavement support, and training for professionals through our Preparing to Say Goodbye course. The funding also enabled us to provide resources for housebound people that support spiritual wellbeing, including our holding crosses and Christian materials.
Humanitarian Needs:
Your generosity has enabled us to be on the ground from the onset of the disaster, standing shoulder to shoulder with our partners.
This is a very generous gift for the Myanmar Earthquake Relief Fund. We are so grateful to you and your Trustees, and I know that it will be a great encouragement to the dear ones out there.
Monitoring
In accordance with their monitoring policy, the Trustees monitor the activities and performance of the Trust’s beneficiaries to ensure the gifts are used for their charitable purpose. Impact reports are provided to the Trustees for subsequent review and discussion. These reports enable the Trustees to understand more fully the activities and needs of the recipient charities. The charities themselves express their appreciation for such monitoring as it helps them understand the ethos of the Trust and often enables a closer partnership to develop.
Melanie (CEO and Trustee) or another Trustee visits all grant recipients who have received a significant donation from the Trust in the year and reports back to the Trustees.
Missions Day
Every year the Trustees arrange a "Missions Day" to which various Christian charities are invited to join the Trustees, staff and other invited guests, to give presentations of their work and to spend time in prayer. In 2025 we were joined by 5 Mission organisations. The Trustees have expressed how beneficial they feel these days to be in gaining a deeper insight into the work and needs of the Missions.
Income
The income of the Trust is mainly received from two asset portfolios, commercial properties and investments.
The Trustees take advice on their properties from an Eastbourne based commercial property agent.
The investment portfolio continues to be managed by Rathbone Investment Management.
Asset cover for funds
The Trust's assets are adequate and available to fulfil its obligations.
Reserves policy
As all reserves are unrestricted and “free” reserves, it is the policy of the Trust that unrestricted funds should be designated to match the market value of fixed assets investments. This ensures that these funds are considered “permanent” in nature as they are necessary to generate income for the Trust to enable it to carry out its activities and continue in the future. At 31 December 2025, such “permanent” reserves total £8,910,522 equal to the Trust’s fixed asset investments.
Investment policy
The investment portfolio managed by Rathbone Investment Management, seeks to achieve a balance between capital growth and income growth through a portfolio investing primarily in equities and fixed interest stocks with medium risk, and to ensure a reasonable income. The Trustees have set certain ethical restrictions on its investments with those being avoided that relate directly to armaments, tobacco, alcohol and media concerns that conflict with the Trust’s Christian ethos. The Trustees are satisfied with the current return on capital.
The Trustees meet with the Investment Manager once a year to discuss the requirements for the forthcoming year and to review past performance.
Loans
The charity also holds one investment in the form of a loan to a charity with similar objects. The loan receives interest at a market rate and has a period of 11 years remaining on the term. The loan is secured on the assets of the charity. The loan is provided to further the charitable objects of the charity and specifically in furtherance of the Christian Gospel. The Trustees annually review the activities and finances of the charity loaned to, to ensure that these aims are being met.
Plans for future periods
It is the intention of the Trustees for the Trust to continue its activities in the long term, using its annual income and maintaining its capital base.
Strategy Day
Each year the Trustees hold a Strategy Day to discuss the requirements of the Trust over the next 5/10/15 years and the procedures that might be needed to be put in place to achieve the Trust’s vision.
The Trust’s Vision and Mission statements are:
Vision – To see a world where every person has the potential to hear and respond to the gospel message.
Mission – To strategically fund Christian organisations which promote the Christian gospel.
The Trustees also discussed the requirements of the board and their strategy for Trustee recruitment. Prior to the meeting, each of the Trustees had completed a skills audit. Based on the findings the Trustees will seek to appoint 2 or 3 new trustees to the board in 2026.
A funding strategy is discussed and agreed for the forthcoming year. Details of the agreed strategy is published on the Trust’s website.
At the 2025 Strategy Day the Trustees decided that they should continue throughout 2026 to keep aligned with their vision and mission statements. Ensuring organisations applying for funding in 2026 focus primarily on the sharing of the Christian gospel.
The Trustees are mindful of their overspend and have agreed a reduced spend for 2026. The Trustees will accept requests for funding from those organisations that have been supported by the Trust in the previous 3 years and also agreed a smaller fund to be allocated on requests from organisations who have not been funded in the past 3 years.
The Trustees also discussed their property portfolio. During 2025 we added another commercial property to our portfolio. The Trustees continue to consider future opportunities for investment.
Structure
The Trust’s Memorandum and Articles of Association state: The Charity’s Objects are for the public benefit to advance the Christian faith in accordance with the Statement of Beliefs … in Eastbourne, East Sussex 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.
Governance
Whilst the day to day matters and general running of the Trust are delegated to Melanie Churchyard (CEO and Trustee), this is done in reference to the other Trustees who ultimately take responsibility for all decisions.
The Trustees met every three months to review financial and investment matters, consider grant applications and deal with other issues as necessary. Communications by email and telephone in between formal Trustees’ meetings enable any urgent matters to be dealt with.
The CEO and Chair of Trustees meet in between meetings to prepare the agenda for meetings and discuss any other relevant matters.
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:
All Trustees must be active members of their local church, subscribe to the Trust’s Statement of Beliefs and share the Christian ethos and aims of the Trust. It is imperative that all Trustees have general charity experience and are able to devote their time and energies to the affairs of the Trust. None of the Trustees are remunerated for their services as Trustees, but are reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as Trustees.
Management
Mrs Melanie Churchyard, CEO, deals with all of the day-to-day affairs of the Trust. Melanie was employed throughout the year. The Trust has use of an office in Pawlett, Somerset. Melanie keeps all Trustees fully informed of the matters of the Trust.
The remuneration of staff is discussed and decided by the Trustees (excluding Melanie) and is based on relevant skills and responsibilities and in line with the rates prevailing in the charitable sector.
Throughout 2025 the Trust was a member of the Civil Society and the Christian Funders Forum.
Risks
The Trustees regularly review and assess the major risks to which the charity is exposed. Advice and guidance is sought from our auditors and other professionals. The main financial risk to the charity is the level of return on investments since this affects the grants it can pay out.
The Trustees are aware that there are likely to continue to be challenges due to the aftereffects of the Coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing war in the Ukraine. The Trustees are continually monitoring the situation and keep in regular communication with their advisors and investment manager.
It is impossible to eliminate all risks, but the Trustees are satisfied that the systems they have in place mitigate exposure to the major risks as far as they are able.
All policies are reviewed in accordance with the agreed review schedule.
The Trustees are kept informed by the auditors and solicitors of the Trust of their obligations as charity Trustees, together with their legal and statutory duties. Whenever possible, Trustees and staff attend relevant training and seminars to help understand further their responsibilities and duties.
Feedback from the grant recipients is essential and it is such reports and testimonies, that help the Trustees evaluate the impact of the support the Trust has provided and to plan for the future. However, as the Trust’s main objective and many of the results reported are of a spiritual nature, tangible evidence is often lacking. The Trustees recognise that it can be difficult to quantify final results and impact; however, they seek to encourage the grant recipients to be as detailed as possible in their reporting.
The Trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
The Trustees, who are also the directors of Childs Charitable Trust for the purpose 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).
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 Trust 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 Trust 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 Trust 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 Trust and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Childs Charitable Trust (the ‘Trust’) for the year ended 31 December 2025 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the statement of financial position, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the Trust in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and the provisions available for small entities, in the circumstances set out in note 31 to the financial statements, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the Trust’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:
the information given in the Trustees' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared, which includes the directors' report prepared for the purposes of company law, is consistent with the financial statements; and
the directors' report included within the Trustees' report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the Trust and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors' report included within the Trustees' report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
certain disclosures of trustees' remuneration specified by law are not made; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
the Trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies' exemptions in preparing the Trustees' report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.
As explained more fully in the statement of Trustees' responsibilities, the Trustees, who are also the directors of the Trust for the purpose of company law, are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the Trust’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
Our approach to identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, was as follows:
the engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
we identified the laws and regulations applicable to the charity through discussions with trustees, and from our commercial knowledge and experience of the charity sector;
we focused on specific laws and regulations which we considered may have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the company, including the Companies Act 2006, Charities Act 2011 and employment legislation;
we assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management and inspecting legal correspondence; and
identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non-compliance throughout the audit.
We assessed the susceptibility of the trust’s financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by:
making enquiries of management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud; and
considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations.
To address the risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we:
performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships;
tested journal entries to identify unusual transactions;
assessed whether judgements and assumptions made in determining the accounting estimates were indicative of potential bias; and
investigated the rationale behind significant or unusual transactions.
In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were not limited to:
agreeing financial statement disclosures to underlying supporting documentation;
reading the minutes of meetings of those charged with governance;
enquiring of management as to actual and potential litigation and claims; and
reviewing correspondence with HMRC and relevant regulators
There are inherent limitations in our audit procedures described above. The more removed that laws and regulations are from financial transactions, the less likely it is that we would become aware of non-compliance. Auditing standards also limit the audit procedures required to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations to enquiry of the trustees and other management and the inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.
Material misstatements that arise due to fraud can be harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Childs Charitable Trust is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 40 Chapel Road, Pawlett, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 4SH.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Trust's Memorandum and Articles of Association, 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 Trust is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the Trust. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, modified to include investment properties and certain financial instruments at fair value. 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 Trust 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 comprise funds which have been set aside at the discretion of the Trustees for specific purposes. The purposes and uses of the designated funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Income is recognised when the Trust is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received. The Charity's income consists of voluntary income and that from investments, including property.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the Trust 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.
Rental income from investment properties is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight‑line basis over the term of the lease, even where the contractual payments are not made on such a basis. Lease incentives granted to tenants, including rent‑free periods and other inducements, are recognised as a reduction of rental income and are spread on a straight‑line basis over the lease term (or to the first rent review date if earlier). Amounts recognised in excess of amounts invoiced are included in debtors as accrued income or unamortised lease incentives; amounts invoiced in excess of income recognised are included in creditors as deferred income.
Other investment income includes income from listed investments and loan interest receivable and is recognised in the accounts when receivable.
Liabilities are recognised as soon as a legal or constructive obligation arises committing the Trust to the expenditure. All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Costs of activities in furtherance of the Trust's objects are grants made by the Trust to support Christian charitable projects, and the support costs relating to this activity.
Costs of raising funds comprise those costs relating to the management and maintenance of the investment properties, as well as the investment manager's fees for managing the investments and securities.
Support costs comprise administration costs in relation to grant making, together with governance costs. Governance costs include the costs of auditing the statutory accounts, the cost of Trustees' meetings and the cost of any legal advice to Trustees' on governance or constitutional matters. The support costs have been allocated wholly to the grant making activities, with the exception of the support wages. These wages have been allocated 10% to the costs of raising funds and 90% to the grant making activities, on a time basis.
Property, plant and equipment 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 basis:
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.
Tangible fixed assets are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year and cost at least £500.
Neither land nor the investment properties are depreciated.
Investment properties are those held to earn rentals and/or for capital appreciation. The investment properties are measured using the fair value model and stated at its fair value (open market value) at the reporting end date. The surplus or deficit on revaluation is recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year.
Listed investments are measured using the fair value model and stated at its fair value (open market value) at the reporting end date. The surplus or deficit on revaluation is recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year.
The Trust also has a mixed motive investment in the form of a loan to a charity with similar objects and this has been dealt with as a basic financial instrument in accordance with the requirement of FRS102 SORP (see financial instruments below). The loan receives interest at a rate of 5% and is secured on the assets of the receiving charity. The loan is provided to further the charitable objects of the charity and specifically in furtherance of the Christian Gospel. The Trustees regularly review the activities of the charity loaned to to ensure that these aims are being met.
At each reporting end date, the Trust 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).
Recoverable amount is the higher of fair value less costs to sell and value in use. In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset for which the estimates of future cash flows have not been adjusted.
If the recoverable amount of an asset is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying amount of the asset is reduced to its recoverable amount. An impairment loss is recognised immediately in income/(expenditure for the year, unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation decrease.
Recognised impairment losses are reversed if, and only if, the reasons for the impairment loss have ceased to apply. Where an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the carrying amount of the asset is increased to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount, but so that the increased carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined had no impairment loss been recognised for the asset in prior years. A reversal of an impairment loss is recognised immediately, unless the relevant asset is carried in at a revalued amount, in which case the reversal of the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation increase.
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 Trust has a mixed motive investment in the form of a loan to a charity with similar objects. The loan is a basic financial instrument and the Trust has applied the treatment required by FRS102 SORP, initially recognising and measuring the loan at the amount paid, with the carrying amount adjusted in subsequent years to reflect repayments and any accrued interest and adjusted if necessary for any impairment
The Trust other financial assets and financial liabilities that all qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value. Basic financial assets include trade and other receivables and cash and bank balances. Basic financial liabilities include trade and other payables where trade payables are obligations to pay for goods and services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers.
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 Trust is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
Grant Making Policy
The Trust supports by the provision of financial grants some of those Christian organisations whose own activities mirror further the Trust's own aims and objectives. Numerous and varied applications are received by the Trust every month. In addition the Trustees are also aware of other Christian organisations and encourage them to submit applications to the Trust. All applications are prayerfully considered by the Trustees but, due to the Trust's own limited means, not all applications can be supported.
Grants for which there is a legal obligation, or a valid expectation of receipt by the beneficiary at the year end, and for which conditions attaching to their payment have been fulfilled, are accounted for in the year. The Trust discloses multi-year funding commitments as contingent liabilities if the grant agreement includes specific conditions that remain unmet at year end, leaving future payments at the Trust's discretion.
In the application of the Trust’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.
Investment property expenses
Investment management fees
Grants to institutions represent payments made in the year to 54 organisations (2024: 72 organisations).
Trustee (CEO and key management) Melanie Churchyard received a salary of £63,153 (2024: £64,378) and employer pension contributions of £3,158 (2024: £3,066) during the year. The legal authority for these payments is found in a provision in the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Trust. Non‑conflicted trustees set and review remuneration.
The Trustees had total expenditure of £2,595 (2024: £4,040) reimbursed or met by the charity for meeting, travel and other expenditure.
None of the other Trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the Trust during the year.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
17 Maple Road, Eastbourne, BN23 6NY, is held within Investment properties at fair value £925,000. The last professional valuation was in March 2023 carried out by Mr Anton G K Bree FRICS of Bree Prenton Property Consultants, Eastbourne. The Trustees are of the opinion the fair value has not materially changed at 31 December 2025.
The Woodpeckers property was acquired by the Trust on 4 April 2025 for £550,000. Associated purchase completion costs and £125,000 of renovation works (as discussed within note 25) have been included within the addition cost. The Trustees have carried out a year end internal valuation and, taking into account the purchase date and the ongoing nature of the refurbishment, are of the opinion that the accumulated cost of £677,752 reflects the fair value of the partly renovated property at the balance sheet date. Following the practical completion of the renovation works, the Trustees intend to commission an independent professional valuation to determine the property's updated fair value.
In addition to the freehold property held, there are 3 parcels of bare land and a block of garages linked to one of the freehold interests with a total disclosed value £103,500. These were transferred to the Charity when it was incorporated in 2015 with the acting solicitor placing nominal valuations on them. The Trustees believe there has been no material change to the fair value as at the balance sheet date.
The historical cost of the properties as at 31 December 2025 was £1,419,752 (2024: £742,000).
Mixed motive investments represents a loan made to another charity with similar objects, specifically in furtherance of the Christian Gospel. The loan entered into during 2012 is repayable over 25 years with an annual interest rate of 5%. The loan is a basic financial instrument and the trust has applied the treatment required by FRS102 SORP, initially recognising and measuring the loan at the amount paid, with the carrying amount adjusted in subsequent years to reflect repayments and any accrued interest and adjusted if necessary for any impairment.
In order to secure the loan the charity has a charge over property owned by the loan holders.
Childs Charitable Trust has a registered charge of £70,000 over a parcel of land located to the west side of Southdown Road, Seaford, East Sussex. The land is registered in the name of Simmons Contractors Limited (Reg. No. 1695245), a company which went into liquidation in 1989 and has been removed from the Companies House Register.
Recoverability of this debt is uncertain. The charity has taken legal advice and Counsel’s opinion on this matter to establish the legal position. It is understood that in the future, ownership of the land plus the property located on the land will revert to the crown but that the original loan sum of £70,000, which is secured by the charge over the land, will be repayable to the charity.
Due to the circumstances surrounding this loan which is subject to uncertain future events, the Charity’s interest in this land has not been recognised in these financial statements.
The Trust operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the Trust in an independently administered fund.
These are unrestricted funds which are material to the Trust's activities.
The fixed asset investment fund represents monies invested for the long term to generate income for the charity to enable it to carry out its activities.
The Trust has made commitments to fund the following organisations for up to a further two years. These have not been charged in the accounts since they are subject to the grant recipients satisfactorily meeting their reporting requirements for future funding to be released. These grants will be paid from current reserves and future income.
Amounts contracted for but not provided in the financial statements:
In connection with the acquisition and subsequent lease of the Woodpeckers property during the period, the Trust entered into a funding agreement with the lessee, Imago Dei, to finance essential renovation and refurbishment works. The Trust initially committed to a maximum budget of £150,000, which was increased to £170,000 before the year end due to unforeseen costs, and was subsequently increased again to a total project cost of £200,000 following a post year end agreement as detailed in note 27.
During the financial year, works to the value of £125,000 were completed and disbursed to Imago Dei. The remaining commitment of £75,000 was fully drawn down upon completion of the final construction phases in 2026.
The operating leases represent leases to third parties in investment properties. The leases are negotiated over terms of 10 years and rentals are fixed for 5 years. All leases include a provision for upward rent reviews according to prevailing market conditions. There are options in place for either party to extend the lease terms.
At the reporting end date the Trust had contracted with tenants for the following minimum lease payments:
During the financial year, the Trust entered into a lease agreement with the registered charity Imago Dei for the tenancy of the Woodpeckers property, which was acquired during the current period. Under the terms of the lease, the tenant was responsible for arranging major renovations required to bring the property up to habitable standards and comply with regulatory requirements, with the Trust contractually committing to fund these works up to a maximum budget of £150,000. Before the year end, it was agreed to fund an additional £20,000 of renovation works due to unforeseen costs.
Subsequent to the balance sheet date, the Trust approved a further capital commitment of £30,000 to cover additional renovation costs. This brings the total and final approved funding commitment for the project to £200,000, as further detailed in the Capital Commitments note 25.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2024 - none), other than the trustee remuneration and expense disclosures set out in note 10.
The Trust had no material debt during the year.
In common with many businesses of our size and nature we use our auditor to assist with the preparation of the financial statements.