CHARITY REGISTRATION NOS 1050435
RIVER OF LIFE CHURCH (ROL), T IPTOE, THE NEW FOREST.
ANNUAL TRUSTEES’ REPORT
1 APRIL 2024-31 MARCH 2025
Office address The Life Centre, Wootton Road, Tiptoe Hampshire SO41 6FT
The trustees present their annual report and financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. The financial statements comply with the Assemblies of God Trust Deed, the Charities Act 2006 and the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities published in 2013.
Structure, governance and management
The Trust Deed approved by the Charity Commission provides for a minimum of 3 management trustees, and three holding trustees. Throughout the year the following people fulfilled this requirement. All the management trustees were DBS checked.
Trustees
J White in part Chair of Trustees and Church Leader
A D Bingley Trustee and Treasurer
S Kemp in part Trustee
M Crofts Trustee
M Hutton in part Trustee
J Drodge Holding Trustee
J Ingle Holding Trustee
P Finn Holding Trustee
Auditor Andrew J Clarke cpfa
At periodic leaders’ meetings, the trustees agree the broad strategy and areas of activity for the church within the definition of the Charity Commission’s aims and guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. ROL aims to encourage and enable local people to come to faith and live out their faith as part of our church community through:
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Worship, Bible teaching and prayer; learning about the Gospel; and developing knowledge and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
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Provision of pastoral support.
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Mission and outreach.
This includes consideration of grant making, expenditure on maintenance and development of the Life Centre, reserves and risk management, functions of the church hall, day to day administration, policies, protocols, reviewing values and assessing outcomes.
The church does not actively fundraise from the public. Finances are voluntarily donated by members and friends who regularly attend the church.
AN AGM is held in July each year when reports are received, reviews are undertaken and future developments agreed with church members.
Risk management
The trustees have considered any risks to which the church is exposed and have reviewed the risks and established systems and procedures to manage them.
General leadership
The River of Life church was led in part this year by Joshua White with the support of a leadership team comprising voluntary team members (two trustees), covering finance, safeguarding, outreach, administration and worship. Encouragement was given throughout the year to all of its members to engage in service within the church and to the local community (whole life discipleship). The Life Centre comprises a church, a detached large hall, car park, barbecue patio and grounds. Arrangements are in place for servicing of utilities and equipment, and public liability insurance is established.
Premises
The maintenance and development of the Life Centre this year incurred some minor expenditure to the electrics.
The Local New Forest District Council agreed with ROL to offer:
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The Life Centre as a Safe Place in the event of a local/national emergency, caused by such as floods, terrorism, plane crash etc. This is still in place.
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The positioning of a community defibrillator, usable in an emergency by the public, on an external wall. This is also in place. Training was organised for the use of it.
Reserves policy
The trustees aim to maintain £5,000 reserve in unrestricted funds to meet any emergency arising from the maintenance of the premises.
General
The church activities had been impacted by the COVID pandemic, which limited the engagement of the local community and to some extent this has not fully recovered.
There has been a variety of teaching ministry throughout this year.
Monthly meals together have been enjoyed.
ROL members have participated in a team assisting with school assemblies at Tiptoe Primary school; assisting in the delivery programme of the Basics Food Bank, which is located in Lymington, Christians Against Poverty (CAP) support and car driving for the Carers’ medical service.
During the week the hall has been intermittently used by the local community, including children’s parties, a local youth group for special needs teenagers, Social Services family supervision sessions an educational programme for home schooling.
Missionary giving is evidenced from the annual accounts. Every donation abroad is accounted for. Mission giving has included:
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Monthly support of £170 to an accredited AOG church in northern Spain involved in church planting and a prison and radio ministry. This year the decision was taken to curtail these payments as the churches are now established and are self-funding.
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Monthly support of £300 linked to a purpose-built school for children who live on the dumpsite and in the cemetery in Tondo, Manila. It aims to take children off the dumpsite during the day, provide them with education, a nutritious meal each day and basic health care for them and their families. A church (Kalaayan) has been established in the same location, which has grown out of the school work. This has previously been visited on two occasions by ROL’s leadership, privately financed. Regular monthly support is provided to sustain mature leadership and contribute to the physical needs of the members.
Volunteers
Grateful acknowledgement is made of the contribution by individual volunteers who engaged to make ROL the welcoming and life giving family church it is. This has involved practically cleaning, painting, gardening, minor maintenance and handyman jobbing. Where we were able to legally avoid using professional services (and their fees) we have done so and this has involved a number of people contributing their spare time and energy.
A Baker
07 01 2026
RIVER OF LIFE CHURCH, LYMINGTON Receipts and Payments Accounts for 2024/25 Reviewed
| Opening Balances: Receipts General Offerings and Gifts Hall Income Interest Received Excess income (imbalance) Income Tax Refund |
2024/25 £ £ |
2024/25 £ £ |
2023/24 £ £ |
2023/24 £ £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30164 | 34377 | |||
| 22278 2580 241 2719 |
26448 1070 209 1183 3189 |
|||
| Subtotal: Expenses: Staff Costs Guest Speaker Comms + Admin + Subs Missions Buildings Maintenance Equipment Conferences and Courses Gifts Safeguarding Audit Fee 2024 Miscellaneous Energy & Water |
27818 | 32099 | ||
| 57982 | 66476 | |||
| 17798 80 1779 4200 9 0 0 0 174 0 384 3264 |
15366 1851 2139 7892 2689 70 1741 0 346 200 812 3207 |
|||
| Balances carried forward: | 27688 | 36313 | ||
| 30294 | 30164 | |||
| Current Account | 6407 | 6306 | ||
| Savings Accounts | 21482 | 21241 | ||
| Tax Refund-Audit Fees | 2405 | 2526 | ||
| Sum | 30294 | 30164 |
Asset retained for Church use Life Centre (Church & Hall) 88309
Revision 1, 17/07/25 by A.D.Bingley
River of Life Church, Lymington (Registered with the Charity Commission Number 1050435)
Report of the Independent Examiner to the Trustees on the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 31 March 2025
I report on the financial statements of the Charity for the year ended 31 March 2025, which are set out in this Financial Report.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner:
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
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examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act
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to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act
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to state whether particular matters have come to my attention
Basis of independent examiner’s report:
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the next statement.
Independent examiner’s statement:
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
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(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
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to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act and
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act
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have not been met or
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(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Andrew J Clarke cpfa
The date upon which my opinion is expressed is 17 July 2025.
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