LIVERPOOL INTERNATIONAL NORDIC COMMUNITY COMPANY

Company Number 8351592

Charity Number       1152041

TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Introduction

As I welcome you to this year's annual report I would first like to say a very big thank you to the former chairman Roger Metcalf who has undertaken a considerable amount of work over many years to ensure that LiNC and the church is in a sound financial position and is a hub for the Nordic communities across Liverpool and the northwest. Without Rogers considerable expertise and dedication we would not find ourselves in the position that we are today, therefore on behalf of the board and myself I wish to thank Roger for his considerable service and send him and Helen our best wishes as they move to be closer to their daughter.

The board not only provides oversight for the operations of the company but is also the driving force behind many of the activities and work that is undertaken within and on behalf of the church. Board members not only provide their time to support the committee but also volunteer for most of the regular and special activities that take place during the year ensuring that the wider Nordic community has a thriving hub where their culture and language can be celebrated. Without the board’s continued support and dedication to the work of the charity we would not be as successful as we are today. I therefore thank them for all their hard work and dedication. 

Whilst the board is the driving force behind the charities activities our regular activities would not take place without the support of a dedicated group of volunteers who freely give of their time to ensure that all of our activities are well run. We have recently held our first volunteers get together where more than 20 of our supporters came together to discuss the activities and plan for the future and get some mutual support. On behalf of the board I would therefore like to offer very sincere thanks to all of our volunteers and supporters without whom our activities simply would not happen and hope that they will continue to provide the invaluable support that they do. I would also wish to encourage any new volunteers to help take our activities forward, you would be very welcome.

Regular Activities

Our regular activities continue to be well supported and welcomed by the Nordic communities we serve. In particular our coffee morning on Wednesday is a hub for social and cultural exchange for the Nordic community that we serve together with those who have a strong connection to the Scandinavian nations. With regular attendances of over 50 plus this remains a hub and welcome social event for LiNC members. Anyone who attends feels the buzz that this event brings.

The craft group on a Saturday continues to go from strength to strength and contributes regular income to the church through the sales of the craft products that they make. The Scandinavian knitwear is particularly well received at our Christmas bazaar and continues the craft traditions and skills learned across many Nordic countries.

LiNC’s management of the building ensures that we are able to support GANC to deliver it's church services on Sundays. These Lutheran services continue our Scandinavian tradition and ensure that the church is used for one of its principal purposes that of worship. Unfortunately in line with many churches the congregation for regular Sunday services is small however this is boosted considerably for special services at Christmas and Easter.

The Finnish language school meets weekly and welcomes all levels of Finnish speakers from beginners to advanced. It is a great opportunity to not only practice your Finnish but to socialise together over Finnish coffee and buns.

With members living so far afield it is understandable the many are not able to commit to weekly activities within the church however when special events are organised many will travel from far afield to attend the events set out below.

Special Events

Midsummer continues to be a major focus across Scandinavia and also within the church. The Midsummer service is always well attended with members coming from far and wide to celebrate together. Traditional songs and dancing around the maypole together with  a smorgasbord  to kick the summer off in style.

Our Christmas bazaar is one of the busiest events in our calendar and is not just open to link members but also the wider community. Hundreds attend the day and sample Scandinavian cuisine together with many stalls selling Scandinavian products and Christmas items. The event is one of our major fundraisers during the year Where we can raise up to 10% of our annual expenditure. We therefore look forward to our 2025 Christmas bazaar and welcoming all who attend.

Last year’s Lucia service was one of the best attended ever with every seat taken. In response to this success the board has decided that the 2025 Lucia celebrations will consist of two services one in the late afternoon on the other in the early evening. These events will be ticketed so we can manage numbers more efficiently. Lucia is a major cultural event in Nordic countries and it's wonderful to see so many of our younger members participating in the choir.

Christmas eve celebrations provide a traditional service together with Julgröt to welcome in the festive season.

In early summer LiNC participated in the Liverpool European Festival which enabled us to showcase the work of LiNC with a wide range another European communities across the Merseyside area. We showcased our work at Liverpool town hall for a number of dignitaries and consular representatives enabling us to make links with them. There was also a community event at the bombed out church where we promoted our work to the wider community. We hope that this puts LiNC at the forefront of local cultural activities.

Anyone wishing to attend regular or special events is encouraged to look at our website or sign up to our social media feeds for updated information and timings for the various activities.

Other Usage

Over the years we have hosted number of concerts and performances by various artists from across the region. All that used the church for performances are thrilled by the acoustics of the building and this is led to regular concerts during weekends. We are keen to see these grow over future years as they not only bring the building to life and to the attention of many more people but also provide a regular stream of income in support of our activities.

In addition to the above concerts we provide regular room hire the range of groups from for band and choir practise art classes and self-help groups. These help us to promote our use as a community hub and support our income streams. We will continue to support and explore usage with any suitably aligned groups.

Building up keep

The buildings upkeep remains a priority for the board with all regular maintenance such as gas safety checks electrical checks fire safety etc being conducted to ensure the building is safe and secure. Unfortunately during the changing of our electricity metre a fault was found with the incoming power supply. This required the emergency replacement of cabling that left the church without power for some 12 hours. Whilst this was clearly inconvenient and luckily did not happen on a day when many activities were taking place we do feel fortunate that this fault was found as had the supply failed this could have had a more catastrophic effect on the building.

Whilst the board continues its policy of only spending what is required on the building we have undertaken external painting and varnishing of doors and windows to ensure they are protected from the elements and that these components do not fail. Many members will know we have a lift fund which has some monies available for the provision of a lift to make accessibility in the building easier. However, the board his holding off on this expenditure as we have some significant investment requirements for the building the goes beyond the current funds that we have available. Future investments requirements are estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands of pounds for significant replacements of plant, windows and structural repairs. We will therefore need to identify and document these in more detail to seek external funding to support this investment. As the owners of the building are the 1883 trust will have a pivotal role in taking this forward and we must work with them to turn the aspiration of this investment into a reality.

As previously reported we are in continued negotiations with the developer of the building next to the church for the loss of light that this will cause to our facility. This has been a long and tortuous process extending over several years and at the time of writing these negotiations are still ongoing. However we do hope that this will be concluded in the foreseeable future and result in a payment to the charity which we will put towards our future refurbishment plans.

….and Finally

As a charity we currently remain in a stable financial position. However, as outlined above we have some significant challenges ahead. Without considerable fund raising we are unlikely to be able to undertake all of the works on the building that will be required and if not undertakenthe building could be at risk. The board will continue to monitor this situation closely.

As I draw this report to a close I thank you, our members for your continued support of the charity and encourage all of you to come forward and offer whatever additional voluntary help and support you can to enable us to go from strength to strength, As I am sure there is expertise within our membership that is currently untapped.

Eric Hughes

LiNC Chair

GUSTAF ADOLF NORDIC CONGREGTION CHARITY

Charity Number  7034654

 

TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

GANC - GUSTAF ADOLF NORDIC CONGREGATION IN LIVERPOOL 

The Nordic Church in Liverpool has been fortunate in having a reliable and committed pastor for several years. Reverend Maris Sants, originally from Latvia, has led our worship twice a month with remarkable dedication, but all good things come to an end and Maris will be moving to pastures new before too long. For the time being he will continue to travel to Liverpool for the first Sunday in the month, while his successor settles in. We are indeed fortunate in having a "local lad" waiting in the wings: Simon Macaulay will be ordained and become a pastor in the Lutheran Church. This will take place in the spring, probably in April. Many of you will have met him, as he has taken part in several services here already. He is enthusiastic and will undoubtedly want to make changes - watch this space! 

Another change in personnel: our long-serving secretary, Helen Metcalf, will be leaving us as she and husband Roger head south to be nearer their daughter. We will miss them both and hope they will be happy in their new home. Elli Wright has appeared as if by magic to fill the gap; someone is looking after us.... 

Our official service rota is liable to change (see above), but at present it is: 

First Sunday - holy communion 

Second Sunday - no service 

Third Sunday - holy communion 

Fourth Sunday - morning prayer 

Fifth Sunday - no service 

However, the next service will be on Christmas Eve at 12 noon, after which the church will be closed until Sunday 11th January : "julgransplundring" when the Christmas tree is thrown out. 

It's been a busy year and we would not have managed without a few dedicated souls. 

It would be grossly remiss not to mention a few in particular: our organist Phil, who has yet to miss a service, the Norddahls, Susan and Ulfar, for providing flowers for the altar, even in the depths of winter, Ole and Vernissa for keeping the church clean, and Harriet who, in addition to being an excellent treasurer, has taken on the role of chief cook and bottle-washer when duty called. 

I write this a couple of days after the visitation of our Bishop, Paulina, accompanied by Dean Laura and Pastor Joseph. We had a splendid service followed by refreshments (see above) and then a meeting with the church council, when several topics were discussed, ranging from access, through signage and on to prayer meetings. 

My thanks, as always, to the members of the church council for their constant support and encouragement. 

Happy and blessed Christmas from GANC - the Nordic Church.

STAN ROYDEN 

Please check the website to make sure there is a service before you set off!