Annual Report & Accounts for 2025
Message from the Pastor
As we look back on 2025, let me ask you: how did you find the last year? Some of you had moments of celebration, some of you encountered challenges, and many of us faced questions.
On the world-stage, old wars rumbled on, and new conflicts were building up.
There has been a lot of focus recently, on how much time young people spend staring at their phones, but in reality, people of all ages are increasingly doom-scrolling. If you don’t know what “doom-scrolling” means, perhaps you can look it up on your phone (or ask someone to do so, on your behalf).
Jesus did not doom-scroll, but he did read the scroll when he went to the synagogue in Nazareth:
Luke 4:16-21
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’
What wonderful words! This is the gospel! It is still relevant in our generation, in the context of wars, rumours of wars, and doom-scrolling!
Thank you to all of you, who have been living and proclaiming this good news, over the last year. Thank you, also, to everyone who has been contributing to our church, with time, energy, and financial gifts.
And finally, thank you to Jesus, for bringing good news, even in our generation.
Sharing the good news
Good news is for sharing! This is what we aim for, as a church. We are often described as a friendly and loving church. Everyone is welcome!
We run a Lunch Club (mentioned below) which is a great opportunity for our church to get out into the community. Please pray that God will give us new initiatives as a church, to share the good news.
Great Hollands Free Church
Page 1 of 8
Report 2025
In addition to our own activities, we also support our local Food Bank and also FIEC which supports churches across the country.
Church Groups
Here is a list of our church groups and a brief description of what they do.
-
Belovèd – Ladies Bible study and prayer group, meeting in various homes.
-
Freedom Café – Meets after church service on Sundays from 12 noon to 12.45pm.
-
House Group – Meets on alternate Wednesday evenings in various homes.
-
Lunch Club – Meets on one Thursday per month at a local pub-restaurant.
-
Mums in Prayer (Wokingham and Bracknell groups) – Global prayer ministry for mums to pray for their children and their schools.
-
One 2 Free – Bible teaching for school age children, meeting on alternate Sundays during the church service. Occasionally meets on Sunday evenings for social activities.
-
Thursday Prayer Meeting (online) – Short online meeting for praying for church, ourselves and families, the community, and the world.
-
Music Group – Meets on Friday afternoons for music practice and fellowship.
Other events
This year we celebrated our 50[th] birthday in Great Hollands by hosting a service of thanksgiving in September, inviting past members and local friends to join us in our celebrations. We had our Harvest celebration, and we also had our usual special services at Easter and Christmas with music, readings and drama.
Great Hollands Free Church
Page 1 of 8
Report 2025
Financial Report: Year ending 30[th] November 2025
| Notes | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | 2025 | 2024 | Budget 2026 | |
| 1 | ||||
| Opening Balance 1/12 | £25,097.33 | £28,692.33 | £23,460.01 | |
| Income | £47,111.06 | £43,922.05 | £48,300.00 | |
| Expenditure | -£48,748.38 | -£47,517.05 | -£53,360.00 | |
| ----------------- | ----------------- | ----------------- | ||
| Closing balance 30/11 | £23,460.01 | £25,097.33 | £18,400.01 | |
| Income | ||||
| Freewill Gifts | £38,236.07 | £39,800.00 | 2 | |
| Refund from Inland Revenue | £8,075.51 | £8,000.00 | 3 | |
| Miscellaneous | £0.00 | £0.00 | 4 | |
| Bank Interest | £799.48 | £500.00 | 5 | |
| ----------------- | ----------------- | |||
| Total | £47,111.06 | £48,300.00 | ||
| Expenditure | ||||
| Employment Costs | £41,499.40 | £44,850.00 | 7 | |
| Gifts | £800.00 | £1,050.00 | 6 | |
| Miscellaneous | £2,199.96 | £3,060.00 | 0 | |
| Hire Fees | £4,249.02 | £4,400.00 | 9 | |
| ----------------- | ----------------- | |||
| Total | £48,748.38 | £53,360.00 | ||
| Reduction in Funds | £1,637.32 | £3,595.00 | £5,060.00 | |
| Notes |
| Current Balance | 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various Floats | -£201.20 | £0.00 | 10 | ||
| Cash in hand | £396.42 | £173.58 | 11 | ||
| Current Account | £293.67 | £580.99 | 12 | ||
| Deposit Account | £761.55 | £273.83 | |||
| 60 Day Account | £22,209.57 | £24,068.93 | |||
| Total | £23,460.01 | £25,097.33 | |||
| Liabilities | -£413.68 | -£571.38 | 13 |
Great Hollands Free Church
Page 2 of 8
Report 2025
Notes on the Accounts
-
The 3 columns of figures represent the following:
-
a) The first column shows the amounts for the year ending 30[th] November 2025
-
b) The second column shows the amounts for the previous year (ending 30[th] November 2024) for comparison
-
c) The third column represents my estimate for the current year (ending 30[th] November 2026) for budgetary purposes
-
This represents all freewill offerings made to the Church. They can be further broken down as follows:
| down as follows: | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | Budget 2026 | ||||
| Designated (External) | £0.00 | £50.00 | £100.00 | a) | ||
| Designated (Internal) | £529.27 | £319.73 | £200.00 | b) | ||
| Regular Gifts | £23,247.00 | £22,660.00 | £23,000.00 | c) | ||
| Collection | £4,207.80 | £4,069.57 | £4,500.00 | d) | ||
| Other Donations | £10,252.00 | £6,792.72 | £12,000.00 | e) | ||
| ----------------- | ----------------- | ----------------- | ||||
| Total | £38,236.07 | £33,892.02 | £39,800.00 |
-
a) ‘Designated (External)’ represents gifts that were received specifically for the support of other Christian organisations (see note 6 for details). This year there were no such gifts.
-
b) ‘Designated (Internal)’ represents gifts that were made for the support of specific activities within the Church. This year these gifts were towards supplying the refreshments for the Christmas Celebration and the 50[th] Anniversary Celebration.
-
c) ‘Regular Gifts’ represent those gifts that are made by regular donations. The majority of these are subject to reclaims from the Inland Revenue. Since April 2000, any gifts made by a taxpayer can be ‘Tax Efficient’ provided that they are not made anonymously.
-
d) ‘Collection’ covers the money in the collecting box each Sunday. Since April 2013, any loose cash in the collection box (which means any amount less than £30) can be assumed to be subject to Gift Aid. However, if the amount is greater than £30 (for example a bundle of notes that have been put in together), then Gift Aid cannot be reclaimed. During this year, £410 has been put in the box for which Gift Aid is not claimable. If this money had been given Tax Efficiently, then a further £100 could have been reclaimed from the Inland Revenue.
-
e) ‘Other Donations’ covers other one-off gifts.
Great Hollands Free Church
Page 3 of 8
Report 2025
-
This represents the money that the Church has been able to reclaim from the Inland Revenue and corresponds to the tax paid on gifts made to the Church using the Gift Aid Scheme. This year we have made a reclaim for Gifts received during the 2023 - 24 Financial Year, and so we are up to date on our Gift Aid reclaims. If anyone would like to know more about how to make their giving ‘Tax Efficient’, then please speak to the Leadership Team about it. Note that higher rate taxpayers should ensure that they declare any Gift Aid donations on their Income Tax returns, since they will receive tax relief on such gifts.
-
This represents other income payments received by the Church for a specific purpose. This year there was no such income.
-
This represents the interest we receive on our bank accounts.
-
This represents gifts made to other individuals or organisations. The following table gives details of all the gifts made and indicates where part of the gift had been given to the Church specifically for that purpose. Note that if money is given specifically for a cause, then at least that amount of money is always passed on. In most cases, Gift Aid is claimable on such gifts, and the anticipated Gift Aid claim is also passed on to the intended organisation. However, during the year no such gifts were made.
The total amount given during the year represents about 1.7% of our income.
The payment to FIEC, is lower than that recommended by them, based on our Church Membership. It was agreed to pay them a smaller amount as we are short of funds.
| Gifts For / To | Totals | Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Received | Given | ||
| Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches | £350.00 | ||
| Visiting Speakers | £450.00 | ||
| ------------ | ----------- | ||
| Totals | £0.00 | £800.00 |
- This represents the Employment costs of the Church, namely the Salary and Pension contributions we pay including Tax and National Insurance. There is a special dispensation for most organisations such that the first £10,500 of Employers’ National Insurance Contribution each year doesn’t need to be paid. In our case, that covers all our Employers’ National Insurance, and this saving should apply in future years.
Great Hollands Free Church
Page 4 of 8
Report 2025
- This covers all the other expenditure. The following provides a more detailed breakdown:
| reakdown: | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | Budget 2026 | ||||
| Annual | £587.39 | £561.54 | £600.00 | a) | ||
| Banking | £60.00 | £60.00 | £60.00 | b) | ||
| Printing | £5.00 | £0.00 | £100.00 | c) | ||
| Magazines, Books etc. | £38.50 | £40.00 | £50.00 | d) | ||
| Allowances | £455.13 | £455.90 | £860.00 | e) | ||
| Publicity | £135.00 | £133.00 | £150.00 | f) | ||
| Youth Work | £0.00 | £0.00 | £50.00 | g) | ||
| DBS Checks | £159.00 | £193.70 | £200.00 | h) | ||
| Capital Fund | £0.00 | £171.65 | £300.00 | i) | ||
| Internal Gifts | £65.05 | £30.00 | £100.00 | j) | ||
| Refreshments | £492.53 | £328.73 | £350.00 | k) | ||
| Stationery and Stamps | £19.17 | £23.49 | £40.00 | l) | ||
| Other | £183.19 | £146.74 | £200.00 | m) | ||
| --------------- | ---------------- | ----------------- | ||||
| Total | £2,199.96 | £2,144.75 | £3,060.00 |
-
a) ‘Annual’ represents one-off annual charges such as Insurance, and our Copyright Licence.
-
b) ‘Banking’ represents our monthly bank charges.
-
c) ‘Printing’ represents the costs for Bulk Printing and consumables for the Church Printer. There were no such costs in 2024.
-
d) ‘Magazines, Books etc.’ represents the costs of purchasing Evangelicals Now.
-
e) ‘Allowances’ represents mileage payments made to the Pastor plus costs of books and an allowance for his phone.
-
f) ‘Publicity’ covers the cost of publicity for the Church. The main cost now is for our ongoing advert in Great Hollands Matters.
-
g) ‘Youth Work’ represents the cost of materials for the children's and youth work on Sundays. (There were no such costs this year. However, there is a budget for such costs in the future.)
-
h) ‘DBS Checks’ represents the cost carrying out DBS checks on youth workers.
-
i) ‘Capital Fund’ represents one-off capital expenditure. There were no such costs in 2025.
-
j) ‘Internal Gifts’ represents gifts to members of the fellowship to mark special occasions.
-
k) ‘Refreshments’ represents the cost of refreshments on Sundays and for special events. In many cases, the costs have been donated to the Church. It was
Great Hollands Free Church
Page 5 of 8
Report 2025
- higher this year due to the 50[th] Anniversary Celebration, but the excess cost was more than covered by specific cash donations towards the event.
-
l) ‘Stationery and Stamps’ also includes payments made to people for printing on their own printers.
-
m) ‘Other’ covers anything that doesn’t fall into any other category. The main costs were for iSing songs and website hosting costs.
-
This represents the costs of hiring the school, and the Community Centre each Sunday and on other occasions. The hire cost for the school went up again this year.
-
Some people who regularly spend small amounts of money accumulate their expenses and are re-imbursed later. This represents the amount owed at the end of the Financial Year. All these amounts were reimbursed in early December.
-
This represents cash that has been received but not banked yet.
-
This represents the amount nominally in the bank.
-
This represents payments that are due, but which have not yet been made. The outstanding payments were: the Tax and NI deducted in October and November but not yet paid to IR; Hire fees for the School and Community Centre in November 2024 and a payment to Evangelicals Now.
Financial Outlook for 2026: As can be seen from the summary on page 2 the projected income for 2026 is expected to be about £5,000 less than the expenditure. This is mainly due to the fact that we were required to pay the Pastor an additional £3,200 due to a misunderstanding of the complex rules regarding Salary Sacrifice and National Minimum Wage. However apart from that one off loss we are still spending around £30 more than we are receiving each month. We need to close this gap moving forward, as our reserves are continuing to be used up. Therefore, we all need to consider increasing our giving towards the work of the Church (tax efficiently wherever possible!).
Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank Peter Goodson and Karen Rogers for carrying out an independent examination of the accounts. We would also like to thank those who have helped in checking the collection each Sunday.
Church Membership on 30[th] November 2025
Total: 17 (including 3 new members); No resignations
Church Officers as at 30[th] November 2025
Elders
Mark Wigston (Pastor) Emmanuel Hayfron Acquah
Deacons
Fiona Marston (Church Secretary) Rob Mead
Church Contact Details:
Great Hollands Free Church
Page 6 of 8
Report 2025
Meeting Place:
Great Hollands Primary School Wordsworth Great Hollands BRACKNELL RG12 8YR
Tel: 01344 286359 E-mail: Info@ghfc.org.uk Website: www.ghfc.org.uk Charity Number: 1053868
Editor: Fiona Marston
Published March 2026
Great Hollands Free Church
Page 7 of 8
Report 2025
Annual Report & Accounts for 2025
Message from the Pastor
As we look back on 2025, let me ask you: how did you find the last year? Some of you had moments of celebration, some of you encountered challenges, and many of us faced questions.
On the world-stage, old wars rumbled on, and new conflicts were building up.
There has been a lot of focus recently, on how much time young people spend staring at their phones, but in reality, people of all ages are increasingly doom-scrolling. If you don’t know what “doom-scrolling” means, perhaps you can look it up on your phone (or ask someone to do so, on your behalf).
Jesus did not doom-scroll, but he did read the scroll when he went to the synagogue in Nazareth:
Luke 4:16-21
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’
What wonderful words! This is the gospel! It is still relevant in our generation, in the context of wars, rumours of wars, and doom-scrolling!
Thank you to all of you, who have been living and proclaiming this good news, over the last year. Thank you, also, to everyone who has been contributing to our church, with time, energy, and financial gifts.
And finally, thank you to Jesus, for bringing good news, even in our generation.
Sharing the good news
Good news is for sharing! This is what we aim for, as a church. We are often described as a friendly and loving church. Everyone is welcome!
We run a Lunch Club (mentioned below) which is a great opportunity for our church to get out into the community. Please pray that God will give us new initiatives as a church, to share the good news.
Great Hollands Free Church
Page 1 of 8
Report 2025
In addition to our own activities, we also support our local Food Bank and also FIEC which supports churches across the country.
Church Groups
Here is a list of our church groups and a brief description of what they do.
-
Belovèd – Ladies Bible study and prayer group, meeting in various homes.
-
Freedom Café – Meets after church service on Sundays from 12 noon to 12.45pm.
-
House Group – Meets on alternate Wednesday evenings in various homes.
-
Lunch Club – Meets on one Thursday per month at a local pub-restaurant.
-
Mums in Prayer (Wokingham and Bracknell groups) – Global prayer ministry for mums to pray for their children and their schools.
-
One 2 Free – Bible teaching for school age children, meeting on alternate Sundays during the church service. Occasionally meets on Sunday evenings for social activities.
-
Thursday Prayer Meeting (online) – Short online meeting for praying for church, ourselves and families, the community, and the world.
-
Music Group – Meets on Friday afternoons for music practice and fellowship.
Other events
This year we celebrated our 50[th] birthday in Great Hollands by hosting a service of thanksgiving in September, inviting past members and local friends to join us in our celebrations. We had our Harvest celebration, and we also had our usual special services at Easter and Christmas with music, readings and drama.
Great Hollands Free Church
Page 1 of 8
Report 2025
Financial Report: Year ending 30[th] November 2025
| Notes | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | 2025 | 2024 | Budget 2026 | |
| 1 | ||||
| Opening Balance 1/12 | £25,097.33 | £28,692.33 | £23,460.01 | |
| Income | £47,111.06 | £43,922.05 | £48,300.00 | |
| Expenditure | -£48,748.38 | -£47,517.05 | -£53,360.00 | |
| ----------------- | ----------------- | ----------------- | ||
| Closing balance 30/11 | £23,460.01 | £25,097.33 | £18,400.01 | |
| Income | ||||
| Freewill Gifts | £38,236.07 | £39,800.00 | 2 | |
| Refund from Inland Revenue | £8,075.51 | £8,000.00 | 3 | |
| Miscellaneous | £0.00 | £0.00 | 4 | |
| Bank Interest | £799.48 | £500.00 | 5 | |
| ----------------- | ----------------- | |||
| Total | £47,111.06 | £48,300.00 | ||
| Expenditure | ||||
| Employment Costs | £41,499.40 | £44,850.00 | 7 | |
| Gifts | £800.00 | £1,050.00 | 6 | |
| Miscellaneous | £2,199.96 | £3,060.00 | 0 | |
| Hire Fees | £4,249.02 | £4,400.00 | 9 | |
| ----------------- | ----------------- | |||
| Total | £48,748.38 | £53,360.00 | ||
| Reduction in Funds | £1,637.32 | £3,595.00 | £5,060.00 | |
| Notes |
| Current Balance | 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various Floats | -£201.20 | £0.00 | 10 | ||
| Cash in hand | £396.42 | £173.58 | 11 | ||
| Current Account | £293.67 | £580.99 | 12 | ||
| Deposit Account | £761.55 | £273.83 | |||
| 60 Day Account | £22,209.57 | £24,068.93 | |||
| Total | £23,460.01 | £25,097.33 | |||
| Liabilities | -£413.68 | -£571.38 | 13 |
Great Hollands Free Church
Page 2 of 8
Report 2025
Notes on the Accounts
-
The 3 columns of figures represent the following:
-
a) The first column shows the amounts for the year ending 30[th] November 2025
-
b) The second column shows the amounts for the previous year (ending 30[th] November 2024) for comparison
-
c) The third column represents my estimate for the current year (ending 30[th] November 2026) for budgetary purposes
-
This represents all freewill offerings made to the Church. They can be further broken down as follows:
| down as follows: | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | Budget 2026 | ||||
| Designated (External) | £0.00 | £50.00 | £100.00 | a) | ||
| Designated (Internal) | £529.27 | £319.73 | £200.00 | b) | ||
| Regular Gifts | £23,247.00 | £22,660.00 | £23,000.00 | c) | ||
| Collection | £4,207.80 | £4,069.57 | £4,500.00 | d) | ||
| Other Donations | £10,252.00 | £6,792.72 | £12,000.00 | e) | ||
| ----------------- | ----------------- | ----------------- | ||||
| Total | £38,236.07 | £33,892.02 | £39,800.00 |
-
a) ‘Designated (External)’ represents gifts that were received specifically for the support of other Christian organisations (see note 6 for details). This year there were no such gifts.
-
b) ‘Designated (Internal)’ represents gifts that were made for the support of specific activities within the Church. This year these gifts were towards supplying the refreshments for the Christmas Celebration and the 50[th] Anniversary Celebration.
-
c) ‘Regular Gifts’ represent those gifts that are made by regular donations. The majority of these are subject to reclaims from the Inland Revenue. Since April 2000, any gifts made by a taxpayer can be ‘Tax Efficient’ provided that they are not made anonymously.
-
d) ‘Collection’ covers the money in the collecting box each Sunday. Since April 2013, any loose cash in the collection box (which means any amount less than £30) can be assumed to be subject to Gift Aid. However, if the amount is greater than £30 (for example a bundle of notes that have been put in together), then Gift Aid cannot be reclaimed. During this year, £410 has been put in the box for which Gift Aid is not claimable. If this money had been given Tax Efficiently, then a further £100 could have been reclaimed from the Inland Revenue.
-
e) ‘Other Donations’ covers other one-off gifts.
Great Hollands Free Church
Page 3 of 8
Report 2025
-
This represents the money that the Church has been able to reclaim from the Inland Revenue and corresponds to the tax paid on gifts made to the Church using the Gift Aid Scheme. This year we have made a reclaim for Gifts received during the 2023 - 24 Financial Year, and so we are up to date on our Gift Aid reclaims. If anyone would like to know more about how to make their giving ‘Tax Efficient’, then please speak to the Leadership Team about it. Note that higher rate taxpayers should ensure that they declare any Gift Aid donations on their Income Tax returns, since they will receive tax relief on such gifts.
-
This represents other income payments received by the Church for a specific purpose. This year there was no such income.
-
This represents the interest we receive on our bank accounts.
-
This represents gifts made to other individuals or organisations. The following table gives details of all the gifts made and indicates where part of the gift had been given to the Church specifically for that purpose. Note that if money is given specifically for a cause, then at least that amount of money is always passed on. In most cases, Gift Aid is claimable on such gifts, and the anticipated Gift Aid claim is also passed on to the intended organisation. However, during the year no such gifts were made.
The total amount given during the year represents about 1.7% of our income.
The payment to FIEC, is lower than that recommended by them, based on our Church Membership. It was agreed to pay them a smaller amount as we are short of funds.
| Gifts For / To | Totals | Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Received | Given | ||
| Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches | £350.00 | ||
| Visiting Speakers | £450.00 | ||
| ------------ | ----------- | ||
| Totals | £0.00 | £800.00 |
- This represents the Employment costs of the Church, namely the Salary and Pension contributions we pay including Tax and National Insurance. There is a special dispensation for most organisations such that the first £10,500 of Employers’ National Insurance Contribution each year doesn’t need to be paid. In our case, that covers all our Employers’ National Insurance, and this saving should apply in future years.
Great Hollands Free Church
Page 4 of 8
Report 2025
- This covers all the other expenditure. The following provides a more detailed breakdown:
| reakdown: | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | Budget 2026 | ||||
| Annual | £587.39 | £561.54 | £600.00 | a) | ||
| Banking | £60.00 | £60.00 | £60.00 | b) | ||
| Printing | £5.00 | £0.00 | £100.00 | c) | ||
| Magazines, Books etc. | £38.50 | £40.00 | £50.00 | d) | ||
| Allowances | £455.13 | £455.90 | £860.00 | e) | ||
| Publicity | £135.00 | £133.00 | £150.00 | f) | ||
| Youth Work | £0.00 | £0.00 | £50.00 | g) | ||
| DBS Checks | £159.00 | £193.70 | £200.00 | h) | ||
| Capital Fund | £0.00 | £171.65 | £300.00 | i) | ||
| Internal Gifts | £65.05 | £30.00 | £100.00 | j) | ||
| Refreshments | £492.53 | £328.73 | £350.00 | k) | ||
| Stationery and Stamps | £19.17 | £23.49 | £40.00 | l) | ||
| Other | £183.19 | £146.74 | £200.00 | m) | ||
| --------------- | ---------------- | ----------------- | ||||
| Total | £2,199.96 | £2,144.75 | £3,060.00 |
-
a) ‘Annual’ represents one-off annual charges such as Insurance, and our Copyright Licence.
-
b) ‘Banking’ represents our monthly bank charges.
-
c) ‘Printing’ represents the costs for Bulk Printing and consumables for the Church Printer. There were no such costs in 2024.
-
d) ‘Magazines, Books etc.’ represents the costs of purchasing Evangelicals Now.
-
e) ‘Allowances’ represents mileage payments made to the Pastor plus costs of books and an allowance for his phone.
-
f) ‘Publicity’ covers the cost of publicity for the Church. The main cost now is for our ongoing advert in Great Hollands Matters.
-
g) ‘Youth Work’ represents the cost of materials for the children's and youth work on Sundays. (There were no such costs this year. However, there is a budget for such costs in the future.)
-
h) ‘DBS Checks’ represents the cost carrying out DBS checks on youth workers.
-
i) ‘Capital Fund’ represents one-off capital expenditure. There were no such costs in 2025.
-
j) ‘Internal Gifts’ represents gifts to members of the fellowship to mark special occasions.
-
k) ‘Refreshments’ represents the cost of refreshments on Sundays and for special events. In many cases, the costs have been donated to the Church. It was
Great Hollands Free Church
Page 5 of 8
Report 2025
- higher this year due to the 50[th] Anniversary Celebration, but the excess cost was more than covered by specific cash donations towards the event.
-
l) ‘Stationery and Stamps’ also includes payments made to people for printing on their own printers.
-
m) ‘Other’ covers anything that doesn’t fall into any other category. The main costs were for iSing songs and website hosting costs.
-
This represents the costs of hiring the school, and the Community Centre each Sunday and on other occasions. The hire cost for the school went up again this year.
-
Some people who regularly spend small amounts of money accumulate their expenses and are re-imbursed later. This represents the amount owed at the end of the Financial Year. All these amounts were reimbursed in early December.
-
This represents cash that has been received but not banked yet.
-
This represents the amount nominally in the bank.
-
This represents payments that are due, but which have not yet been made. The outstanding payments were: the Tax and NI deducted in October and November but not yet paid to IR; Hire fees for the School and Community Centre in November 2024 and a payment to Evangelicals Now.
Financial Outlook for 2026: As can be seen from the summary on page 2 the projected income for 2026 is expected to be about £5,000 less than the expenditure. This is mainly due to the fact that we were required to pay the Pastor an additional £3,200 due to a misunderstanding of the complex rules regarding Salary Sacrifice and National Minimum Wage. However apart from that one off loss we are still spending around £30 more than we are receiving each month. We need to close this gap moving forward, as our reserves are continuing to be used up. Therefore, we all need to consider increasing our giving towards the work of the Church (tax efficiently wherever possible!).
Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank Peter Goodson and Karen Rogers for carrying out an independent examination of the accounts. We would also like to thank those who have helped in checking the collection each Sunday.
Church Membership on 30[th] November 2025
Total: 17 (including 3 new members); No resignations
Church Officers as at 30[th] November 2025
Elders
Mark Wigston (Pastor) Emmanuel Hayfron Acquah
Deacons
Fiona Marston (Church Secretary) Rob Mead
Church Contact Details:
Great Hollands Free Church
Page 6 of 8
Report 2025
Meeting Place:
Great Hollands Primary School Wordsworth Great Hollands BRACKNELL RG12 8YR
Tel: 01344 286359 E-mail: Info@ghfc.org.uk Website: www.ghfc.org.uk Charity Number: 1053868
Editor: Fiona Marston
Published March 2026
Great Hollands Free Church
Page 7 of 8
Report 2025
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinerfs Report Report to the trusteesl members ol Great Hollands Free Church On aGcounts for the year ended 30th November 2025 Charity no lif any) 1053868 Sot out on pages 2to6 I report to the trustees on my examination of th8 accounts of the above chantyllhe TNsf) for year ended 3011112025. Responsibilities and basis of report As the tharitys tNstees. you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordan wth the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 {"the AGt") I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under secaion 145 of the 2011 Ad and in carrying out my examination, I have foll0v1 all the applicable Directions given by th8 Chanty Commission under seciion 145(5){b) of the Act Ind8p8ndont I have compl8t8d my examination. I nfirni that no material matters have oxamlnerfs Statement come to my attention in conneth'on wtth the examination (other than that disclosed below ") which gives me cau88 to lve that in, any mat8rial respect.. the accounting records vftre not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charrties Act., or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records., or the accounts did not comply with thè applicable requirements conceming the fomi and content of accounts set out in the Charities {A¢¢ounts and Reports} Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fairf view which is not a matter conspjered as part of an indeperKlent examination. I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection with the eXaMinatn to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. . Pl88se delete Ihe words in the bCkelS rfthey do not 8ppty. Signed: Date: Name: Karen RcM3ers Relevant professional quallfi¢ation(s> or body 2 Poneys Close Broad Lane Bracknell RG12 9SJ Address: IER Oct 2018