The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 October 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)".
The charity's objects are to engage with young people of faith in their church community and wider society to help them develop emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually by carrying out voluntary work so that they can make a positive contribution to their church community and the wider world.
The Pope John Paul II Award is a faith achievement award for young people between the age of 16 and 18. It is non-competitive, inclusive, flexible and voluntary.
The Award enables participants to take an active part in the life of their Church – in the life of their community and society. It enables young people become more aware of the teaching and role of the Catholic Church in the world and to engage at a deep level with Christ.
The Award was created to commemorate the late Pope John Paul II who was so committed to young people and who had such belief and confidence in them. The Award was launched by the Papal Nuncio to Ireland, His Excellency Most Rev Dr Giuseppe Lazzarotto on 7th November 2006 in the Diocese of Derry, Ireland.
The Award is committed to helping young people enhance their spiritual, physical, emotional and social development through participation in school, parish and community activities. As well as the feeling of personal achievement that a participant will gain from taking part in the Award, participation will help demonstrate the young person’s commitment to a task and goal.
Who is the Award for?
The Pope John Paul II Award is for anyone between the age of 16 and 18. The Award is run by the Diocese and is suitable for:
Students in Year 13 in Northern Ireland
Students in 4th Year in Republic of Ireland
Students in full-time education who have completed GCSEs or Junior Certificate
Students in Transition Year
Anyone between the age of 16 and 18, not in post-primary education
The Award is non-competitive, flexible and voluntary and requires an ongoing commitment. Awards are earned by taking part in parish and social activities – 1 hour per week over 8, 14 or 20 weeks. There are 3 Awards – Gold, Silver & Bronze. Those that have completed the Gold Award have a further option of completing the Papal Cross Award.
The Trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
The financial statements relate to the year ended 31 October 2025. This report was compiled in July 2026 and, where appropriate, information on the Award’s activities, participation and developments reflects the position at that date.
The Pope John Paul II Award continues to be one of the largest youth initiatives in the Catholic Church in Ireland. Since its launch in the Diocese of Derry in November 2006, approximately 53,500 young people have enrolled. The Award is currently offered in 27 dioceses across Ireland and England.
Between September 2025 and June 2026, 20 dioceses submitted figures reporting that 2,123 young people had received an Award. Detailed breakdowns were available for 1,972 recipients. Of these, 66.3% received Gold, 10.2% Silver, 16.4% Bronze and 7% the Papal Cross; 71.2% were female and 28.8% were male. As breakdowns by Award level and by male and female participation were unavailable for the Dioceses of Cork & Ross and Ferns, these percentages should be regarded as indicative.
Within the Diocese of Derry, 7,474 young people have achieved an Award since the first Award ceremony in February 2008. Following the launch of the Award in the Diocese of Kerry in April 2026, it is now offered in all 26 dioceses in Ireland. In England, the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle remains actively involved. The Archdiocese of Birmingham and the Diocese of Portsmouth currently do not have Award Coordinators.
Developments in Participating Dioceses
On Saturday, 18 April 2026, Bishop Ray Browne officially launched the Pope John Paul II Award in the Diocese of Kerry during the ‘Conference of Possibilities’ at the Brehon Hotel, Killarney. We are delighted to welcome Colette O’Doherty as Award Coordinator for the Diocese of Kerry. Colette previously coordinated the Award in the Diocese of Ferns before moving to Kerry.
The Knights of St Columbanus continue to generously support the Award by providing start-up grants to newly participating dioceses.
Christina Banville has returned to the role of Award Coordinator in the Diocese of Ferns, having previously coordinated the Award following its launch there in 2017.
We also welcome the appointment of Fiona Kelly as Award Coordinator for the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly in March 2026.
The Award continues to thrive in the Diocese of Achonry, where 159 young people received an Award in October 2025, compared with 42 in the previous year.
The 19th Annual Pope John Paul II Award Ceremony for the Diocese of Derry took place in St Eugene’s Cathedral, Derry, on Wednesday, 28 January 2026. Bishop Donal McKeown, Patron of the Award and guest speaker at the ceremony, presented Awards to 419 young people from across the Diocese and beyond.
Pope John Paul II Award incorporated as a company on 21 October 2016 and at this date held £20,931 in cash balances which were transferred to the company. Of this amount, £18,423 continues to be held as deferred income at the year end.
Total income generated for the year ended 31st October 2025 was £37,494 of which £7,205 relates to registration fees charged to individuals participating in the Pope John Paul II Award programme and administering the programme for all dioceses, £289 relates to sales of Papal Cross medals to parishes, and £25,000 relates to donations in respect of funding for the Pope John Paul II Award national coordinator. £3,500 was released from deferred income in the year.
Total expenditure was £29,776, all of which related to the coordinating and delivery of the Pope John Paul II Award programme and the hosting of the Pope John Paul II Award ceremony.
The charity held an amount of £15,065 in relation to stocks of medals at the year end.
At the year end, the charity held general reserves in the amount of £42,355.
Reserves policy
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 considers 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.
The charity is a company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 21st October 2016 and is established under a Memorandum of Association which sets out the objects and powers of the company, and is governed by its Articles of Association. None of the Trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the Trustees are members of the company. The liability of members is limited in that every member of the company undertakes to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 in the event of the company being wound up.
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:
Recruitment and appointment of the Trustees
The first Trustees are those persons notified to Companies House as the first directors of the charity.
Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, a Trustee (director for the purposes of company law) must be a natural person aged 16 years or older. No one may be appointed a director if he or she would be disqualified from acting under the provisions of article 36 of the company's Articles of Association.
The number of directors shall be not less than one and unless otherwise determined by ordinary resolution, is not subject to any maximum.
At the first annual general meeting all the directors must retire from office unless by the close of the meeting the members have failed to elect sufficient directors to hold a quorate. At each subsequent AGM one third of the directors must retire from office. All directors retiring at the AGM may be re-elected.
The Trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
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; 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.
We report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 October 2025, which are set out on pages 8 to 14.
The trustees, who are also the directors of The Pope John Paul II Award for the purposes of company law, are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
Having satisfied ourselves that the charity is not subject to audit under company law, and is eligible for independent examination, it is our responsibility to:
examine the accounts under section 65 of the Charities Act
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
state whether particular matters have come to our attention.
We have examined your charity accounts as required under section 65 of the Charities Act and our 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 accounts presented with those records. It also included consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as charity trustees concerning any such matters.
Our role is to state whether any material matters have come to our attention giving us cause to believe:
1. That accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006
2. That the accounts do not accord with those accounting records
3. That the accounts 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 accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland
4. That there is further information needed for a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
We have completed my examination and 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, we have found no matters that require drawing to your attention.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
The Pope John Paul II Award is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in Northern Ireland. The registered office is The Gate Lodge, 2 Francis Street, Derry, BT48 7DS.
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 financial statements 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 or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure is recognised 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. Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.
Expenditure on charitable activities includes the costs of services undertaken to further the purposes of the charity and their associated support costs .
Stocks are stated at the lower of cost and estimated selling price less costs to complete and sell. Cost comprises direct materials and, where applicable, direct labour costs and those overheads that have been incurred in bringing the stocks to their present location and condition. Items held for distribution at no or nominal consideration are measured the lower of replacement cost and cost.
Net realisable value is the estimated selling price less all estimated costs of completion and costs to be incurred in marketing, selling and distribution.
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, 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.
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.
The company is a charity and is recognised as such by HM Revenue & Customs under the charity tax reference NI00792. As a result there is no liability to taxation on any of its income.
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.
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.
Pope John Paul II Award enrolment fees
Papal Cross sales
Commission from medal orders
Pope John Paul II Award programme costs
Consultancy fees
Accountancy fees
General expenses
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.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year.