## **Ackworth Community Church Trust Report of the Trustees Year ended 31 March 2022**
The name of the trust is Ackworth Community Church Trust, the registration number is 1056207.
The principal office of the charity is 15 Beech Street, South Elmsall, Pontefract, WF9 2HG.
The names of the trustees as the time of this report are: Alyn Griffith, Joel Guest, Brenda Mallinson.
Joel Guest was appointed as trustee on 7[th] June 2022.
The objectives of the charity are:
1. To advance the Christian faith, in accordance with the statement of beliefs shown in the constitution, in the county of West Yorkshire and in other such parts of the UK or the world mission field (operating area) as the trustees from time to time think fit. 2. To relieve persons in conditions of need or hardship or who are aged and infirm and to relieve the distress caused thereby in the same operating area as the trustees from time-to-time think fit.
3. To promote and fulfil such other charitable purposes beneficial to the community in the area of operation as the trustees think fit.
The governing document of the charity is a Declaration of Trust which has been in place since 1996, the church was founded in 1991. The charity has 3 trustees selected from the body of the church depending upon their reputation and experience. The power to appoint trustees lies with the trustees. The day to day running of the church is managed by 5 elders, one of whom, Ashley Guest is full time and paid by the church. The elders make financial decisions about the management of the church with reference to the trustees for significant sums. Two of the elders (excluding Ashley Guest) are also Trustees.
Since the end of the financial year, Tony Horsfall has resigned as an elder of the church (a role he has held since its inception) and as a trustee. His resignation as a trustee was received on 7[th] June 2022. The eldership will continue as a team of 4 people for the foreseeable future and Joel Guest has accepted the role as trustee in Tony’s place.
The general reserve held by the charity increased during the financial year, which is remarkable during a period in which the church had not met together. Giving increased by £4,729, which included a one-off gift of £3,600; and expenditure decreased by £803, which was primarily due to room hire costs not being incurred. The designated fund for the Little Oaks Parent and Toddler group increased by £656 as they resumed meeting after the pandemic restrictions were lifted in September 2021; the Needs fund provided gifts of £450 to church members and contacts in need and to a local church supporting Afghan refugees. Our policy is to retain sufficient reserves:
- To ensure that the church and charity has sufficient funds to meet its financial commitments;
-
- To demonstrate that the church and charity is sustainable into the future;
- To ensure that the church and charity is able to manage future unforeseen financial difficulties;
1
- To ensure that excessive funds are not held without any identifiable reason or for any identifiable purpose.
In planning the activities of the church, the Trustees have applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission.
## **Reserves Policy**
The trustees have determined that the charity should aim to hold unrestricted cash of no less than £8,000 (which equates to about 3 months' of unrestricted expenditure) so that the charity could continue to operate should income and / or expenditure vary adversely. At the year end, the charity held unrestricted cash of £33,502 and the charity is complying with its reserves policy, holding excess funds for the purpose of our desire to own or rent our own premises.
## **Impact of Covid-19**
The church and the toddler group followed the lockdown and re-opening guidelines set out by the government during the pandemic.
Following the cessation of meeting together on Sunday 15[th] March 2020, the church established Sunday meetings on Facebook Live, these which were also made available on YouTube, midweek meetings were conducted on Zoom. This continued until July 2021 when we started to meet together again On Sunday mornings, wearing facemasks and observing social distancing. Mid-week meetings continued on line. We followed the government’s advice on wearing face masks for the remainder of the period, but relaxed the observance of social distancing as the rules allowed this. We record Sunday meetings and make them available on YouTube.
When we returned to meeting together, many people in church who had been regular attendees prior to the pandemic and were present on our Facebook meetings didn’t return to regular Sunday worship meetings, as a result our attendance dropped from between 40-45 pre-pandemic to around 25 per week post-pandemic. This is in line with national trends, we have had some new people join us since January 2022.
The reduction in attendance has had minimal impact on the church finances, and our cost base remains lower than pre-pandemic as we have not resumed mid-week faceto-face meetings in the Parish Rooms. People give to church via two main avenues: regular giving via an account with Stewardship, on which Stewardship claim the gift aid and then grant funds to the church; or giving by Standing Order or through the offerings box. The giving through the offerings box has reduced but some people who give regularly in this way have made occasional gifts. We have also established our own Gift Aid scheme with a view to claiming through the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme in the future.
Responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the charity is delegated to the church leaders (which includes two of the trustees) who meet regularly. The trustees are fully involved in the decisions reflecting the impact of the pandemic on the life of the church.
## **Mission**
We have continued to support the work of Salt Malawi, both in prayer and financially, as they continue their missionary work in Malawi. We also continued with our support
2
of Your Mission, a charity who run missions training courses and often facilitate mission trips.
## **Trustees' Responsibilities**
Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year.
We are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.
We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.
## **Approval**
This report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:
Brenda Mallinson
_____________________
Date:___ 11/09/22
Trustee
3
## **Ackworth Community Church**
## **Financial Statement for the year ended 31st March 2022**
## **Receipts and Payments Account**
|**Notes**
**Receipts**
**Donations, Legacies and Other Similar Receipts**
Weekly Offering
Charitable Donations
Gifts for Missions
**Operating Activities to Further Charitable Objectives:**
4
**Investment Income Receipts:**
Bank Interest
**Other Income**
Miscellaneous Income
**Payments**
**Payments for Generating Funds:**
**Charitable Payments:**
Designated and undesignated donation to Missions
2
Gifts
**Charitable Activities:**
Staff Salary and Pension
3
Pension
Churches Together
Outreach
**Support Costs:**
Children's work
Books, Conferences and Training
Premises Hire
Insurance
Equipment
Sundry Expenses
**Management and Administration Costs:**
Accounts Examination
Payroll Fee
Stationery, Postage and Equipment
Copyright
**(Deficit)/Surplus for the year**
Balance brought forward from previous year
Transferred between funds
Balance carried forward at the end of the year|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Designated**
**Funds**
**General**
**Funds**
**Total for**
**year**
13029
13029
22709
22709
0
0
0
1408
1408
2
2
75
75
0
1408
35814
37222
0
2400
2400
450
0
450
20270
20270
1622
1622
70
70
0
0
129
129
143
0
143
426
490
916
182
354
536
0
0
0
476
476
660
660
526
526
292
292
366
366
0
1201
27655
28856
0
207
8159
8366
0
1812
23324
25135
0
300
-300
0
0
2318
31183
33502
**2022**|**2021**
**Total for**
**year**
5856
25153
0
114
7
0|
|---|---|---|
|||31130|
|||2400
700
20378
1622
70
0
230
0
2158
328
0
240
660
382
206
284|
|||29659|
|||1471
23664
0|
|||25135|
## **Ackworth Community Church**
## **Financial Statement for the year ended 31st March 2022**
|**ASSETS**
**2022**
**Monetary Assets**
Petty Cash (Little Oaks)
1
Barclays Community Account
16113
Barclays Business Premium Account
15069
Barclays Little Oaks Account
914
Barclays Needs Account
1405
33501
**Representing Balances on the following accounts**
General Fund
31183
Designated Funds
2318
Restricted Funds
0
33501
**Non-Monetary Assets**
0
There was a small amount of Fixtures, furniture and equipment at the church premises
**LIABILITIES**
Accrual for Accounts Examination by Stewardship
660
Pension
162
Rent creditor (Jan to Mar 22)
326
1148|**2021**
1
8255
15067
257
1555|
|---|---|
||25135|
||23324
1812
0|
||25135|
||660
162|
||822|
**These accounts were approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:**
## **Benda Mallinson**
**Position: Trustee Date 11/09/22**
## **Ackworth Community Church Trust**
## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS**
## **31st March 2022**
## **1. Accounting Policies**
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis with a statement of assets and liabilities.
|**2. Donations Paid**
Salt Malawi
Your Mission
Missionary support
Gifts|General
Designated
Restricted
Total
Total
Funds
Funds
Funds
2022
2021
£
£
£
£
1,800
-
-
1,800
2,300
600
-
-
600
600
300
450
450|
|---|---|
||2,400
450
-
2,850
3,200|
## **3. Employees**
The charity has 1 employee, to whom the employment costs refer. No amounts were paid or are payable to any trustee or to any person connected to them.
## **4. Movement of Funds**
|RESTRICTED
Missionary support
DESIGNATED
Little Oaks Toddler Group
Needs Fund
GENERAL FUNDS|Balance at
01Apr2021
Receipts
Payments
Transfers
Balance at
31Mar2022
£
£
£
£
£
-
-
0
-
-|
|---|---|
||-
-
0
-
-|
||257
1,408
(751)
-
914
1,555
-
(450)
300
1,405|
||1,812
1,408
(1,201)
300
2,319|
|||
||23,324
35,814
(27,655)
300
-
31,183|
The Missionary Support Fund relates to donations given for the support of missionaries. The Little Oaks Toddler Group is a Parents and Toddler Group run by members of the church The Needs Fund relates to a fund set aside to meet urgent financial needs of church members or their friends and family.
## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT**
## **TO THE TRUSTEES OF**
## **ACCWORTH COMMUNITY CHURCH TRUST**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Ackworth Community Church Trust ('the charity') for the year ended 31 March 2022.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
## **Independent examiner’s statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 1. accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
2. the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Jaimée Young
Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB
Date: 16 September 2022