Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust Charity No: 1056400
Annual Report and Accounts
1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023
Church Office, The Rectory, Church Lane, Arborfield, RG2 9HZ
Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust
Trustees Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023
Reference and Administrative Information
The Trustees present the report and accounts of Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust (“the Trust” or “Charity”) for the year ended 31 December 2023. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS102) [ 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) ].
The Trust is a registered charity (number 1056400) whose principal address is:
c/o The Church Office, The Rectory, Church Lane, Arborfield, Reading, Berkshire, RG2 9HZ.
Structure, Governance and Management
The Trust was originally established so that Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches could jointly employ workers to assist in the mission of the Church. Since then Christ Church Wokingham has been established as an integral part of the group supporting the work of the Trust ( Christ Church Wokingham was formerly known as Church at the White House School ), and in 2017 a new church known as Church at the Green (CTG) was established as a plant from both Arborfield and Barkham churches.
The Charity’s governing document is a Trust Deed dated 5 June 1996. The Trust is constituted as an unincorporated association. The Trust seeks to maintain at least six trustees to be representative of all the churches. New trustees are considered through discussion between the Chairman, the Trustees and the respective churchwardens, prior to the nominees being approached.
During the year the Trustees, representing the congregations of all the churches, were:
| Ms Adedayo Ajibola | Arborfield | resigned 31stMarch 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Rev'd Piers Bickersteth | CTG | |
| Mr Michael Byrne | Barkham | Treasurer |
| Mr Edward Clark | CTG | Chairman |
| Mrs Ellen Sofie Richardson | Christ Church | Acting Secretary |
The Trust Deed requires that the Trustees meet at least once in the calendar year. During 2023, the Trustees met on 7[th] January, 2[nd] March, 19[th] June, 25[th] September, 30[th] October and 27[th] November. Approved Minutes of meetings, redacted as necessary, are made available to the parochial church councils (PCCs) of Arborfield, Barkham and Christ Church, Wokingham. The report and accounts are also available for viewing on the Charity Commission website after lodgement.
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Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust
Trustees Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023
Objectives and Activities
The objects of the charity as set out in the Trust Deed are:
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To advance the Christian faith
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To relieve the distress of people in need, hardship or sickness and
-
Other charitable purposes
During the year, employees of the Trust were as follows:
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Associate Minister at Arborfield Church
-
Minister of Barkham Church
-
Leader of Barkham evening congregation
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Minister of Christ Church Wokingham
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Children's and Youth Worker (until 12[th] November)
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Church Office Administrator
Trust staff employed in ministry look to assist all members of the various congregations in developing their knowledge of and trust in Jesus through biblical teaching and worship, the provision of pastoral care to church members and parish residents and a wide variety of outreach activities.
The Trust is a public benefit entity. The Trustees confirm that they have given due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission. This guidance requires that the charity has identifiable benefits and that these be of benefit to the public or a section of it. The objectives, activities, achievements and performance are required to be summarised in the annual report.
Our normal regular activities are a monthly meeting for older people (CAMEO), weekly groups for pre/younger teens (Friday Club), and assemblies at two local primary schools.
Achievements and Performance
The Trust has continued to advance the Christian faith through the employment of 4 full-time ministers as well as a children's and youth worker (until November 2023) and administrative staff. Ministers are regularly involved in taking assemblies at local primary schools.
Both CAMEO and Friday Club have a good number of members and sufficient leaders to make these groups viable and worthwhile.
The Trust has continued to manage the finances of the CTG church plant through the restricted fund established for this purpose. Through CTG the Trust has contributed to community events at the Arborfield Green Community. It is envisaged that the Trust will continue to manage the finances for CTG for a few more years until the church is sufficiently established to become a separate charity with its own bank account.
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Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust
Trustees Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023
Financial Review
Most of the Trust’s income derives from the individual parochial church councils (PCCs) and the members of CTG. The PCCs in turn are funded by the donations of their church members. Donations from the members of CTG are put into the Trust's CTG restricted fund. Both the Arborfield and Barkham PCCs have underwritten the costs of CTG; in 2023 Barkham PCC has continued to make monthly transfers to the Trust's CTG fund.
The CTG reserves stood at £26,697 at the end of the year (2022 £24,775), i.e. showing a modest increase over the year. These reserves will give a good measure of financial security when CTG is in a position to be established as a separate charity in its own right with its own bank account.
The Trust prepares a budget for the year covering staff costs and Church office costs, and the costs of running CTG as well. Ministerial staff work primarily within a particular parish and the appropriate PCC pays monthly contributions to the Trust to cover their employment costs. Each PCC also makes monthly contributions to the Trust to cover the costs of administrative staff and running the Church office. CTG is included in the apportionment of these central costs, and the CTG apportionment is taken out of the CTG restricted fund.
In 2023 the Trust incurred significant and unusual expenditure on legal advice and in providing additional support to fulfil the Trust’s obligations as an employer, which expenditure the PCCs and CTG elders agreed to be shared across the churches. The associated income from PCCs is included in the PCC income figures in these accounts, and the trustees are very grateful for the churches’ willingness to cover this extra expenditure. Whilst the Trust does not expect such expenditure at anything like that level in subsequent years, it seems prudent to budget for a moderate amount of employee support each year.
At the end of the year, the trustees decided to transfer the outstanding balance of £2,875 in the Holiday Bible Club (HBC) designated reserve fund to the General Fund as there seems to be no prospect of resurrecting HBC, or anything of a similar nature requiring that level of reserve funding in the foreseeable future.
The Trust does not seek to accumulate large reserves and uses the resources at its disposal to further its objectives in the medium term. Historically, each PCC has taken prime responsibility for maintaining adequate reserves for continued employment of the staff serving their churches, and the Trust has not sought to duplicate cover with reserves of its own for this purpose. However, the Trust is in on-going discussions with the PCCs over whether it would be better for the Trust to hold reserves to cover the employment of staff rather than these being held by the PCCs. For this reason the Trust has allowed unallocated reserves (i.e. excluding restricted and designated funds) to rise above the range of between £15,000 and £30,000 that was set in previous years. This range was set in order to be able to manage cash flow and to fulfil the Trust’s obligations under leasing and rental agreements. At the end of the year such unallocated reserves stood at £35,099 (2022 £27,269).
There are no funds materially in deficit.
Declaration
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s Trustees by:
Ed Clark, Chairman Ellen Sofie Richardson, Acting Secretary
Date of signature 24/03/2024
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Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust
Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2023
| Restricted | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted | (Barkham | ||||||
| Un- | (Church at | Minister | Restricted | ||||
| restricted | The Green) | Housing) | (Other) | Total 2023 | Total 2022 | ||
| Notes | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Income | |||||||
| Income from PCCs | 271,841 | 11,500 | 27,399 | 0 | 310,741 | 282,656 | |
| Income from personal donors | 360 | 50,449 | 1,059 | 51,868 | 78,354 | ||
| CTG external income | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Tax recovered | 90 | 10,774 | 216 | 11,080 | 16,133 | ||
| PCC Events | 682 | 682 | 708 | ||||
| Other event income | 1,190 | 1,107 | 2,297 | 3,686 | |||
| Sale of goods and services | 0 | 20 | 20 | 0 | |||
| Interest on savings/investments | 765 | 765 | 171 | ||||
| Total income | 274,928 | 73,850 | 27,399 | 1,275 | 377,453 | 381,708 | |
| Expenditure | |||||||
| Charitable donations | 0 | 1,275 | 1,275 | 946 | |||
| Mission and training | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,025 | |||
| Staff salaries etc | 4 | 167,011 | 2,776 | 169,787 | 179,473 | ||
| Staff housing etc | 4 | 67,895 | 67,895 | 75,315 | |||
| Property (5 Somerville Close) | 4 | 7,967 | 7,967 | 6,040 | |||
| Employee support | 185 | 185 | 1,930 | ||||
| Parish Share Contributions | 11,224 | 52,892 | 64,116 | 55,579 | |||
| Staff expenses | 448 | 807 | 1,254 | 1,677 | |||
| CTG Running Costs | 9,933 | 9,933 | 10,936 | ||||
| Other regular activities | 247 | 0 | 247 | 1,014 | |||
| Church events | 682 | 869 | 1,551 | 3,681 | |||
| Joint events | 1,432 | 20 | 1,453 | 974 | |||
| Shared resources | 186 | 119 | 304 | 1,974 | |||
| Office maintenance & equipment | 182 | 46 | 228 | 977 | |||
| IT | 1,522 | 271 | 1,792 | 1,935 | |||
| Electricity | 1,320 | 330 | 1,650 | 1,291 | |||
| Office supplies | 874 | 219 | 1,093 | 683 | |||
| Photocopier/Printer | 853 | 213 | 1,066 | 940 | |||
| Telephone | 336 | 84 | 420 | 414 | |||
| Insurance | 1,546 | 258 | 1,804 | 1,689 | |||
| Purchase of goods for sale | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Bank charges | 51 | 9 | 60 | 81 | |||
| Governance | 13,637 | 3,084 | 16,721 | 4,818 | |||
| Other office costs | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total expenditure | 269,630 | 71,928 | 7,967 | 1,275 | 350,801 | 353,392 | |
| Net income | 5,298 | 1,922 | 19,433 | 0 | 26,652 | 28,316 | |
| Transfer between funds | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total funds brought forward | 33,882 | 24,775 | 305,923 | 0 | 364,581 | 336,264 | |
| Total funds carried forward | 39,180 | 26,697 | 325,356 | 0 | 391,233 | 364,581 |
There are no gains or losses other than those recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities and all activities are classed as continuing.
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Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust
Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2023
| 2023 | 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Notes | £ | £ | |
| Fixed Assets | |||
| Tangible Assets | 5 | 422,911 | 422,911 |
| Current Assets | |||
| Debtors | 6 | 31,267 | 12,897 |
| Cash at bank | 54,857 | 73,804 | |
| 86,124 | 86,701 | ||
| Creditors: due within 1 year | 7 | 40,838 | 47,483 |
| Net Current (Liabilities)/Assets | 45,286 | 39,218 | |
| Total Assets less current liabilities | 468,197 | 462,129 | |
| Creditors: due after more than 1 year | 8 | 76,964 | 97,548 |
| Provisions for liabilities | 0 | 0 | |
| Net assets | 391,233 | 364,581 | |
| Represented by: | |||
| Restricted Funds | 9,10 | 352,053 | 330,699 |
| Unrestricted Funds | 10 | 39,180 | 33,882 |
| (designated and general) | |||
| 391,233 | 364,581 |
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Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust
Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 31 December 2023
| Total | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted Restricted | Unrestricted Restricted | 2023 | 2022 | ||
| Notes | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Cash flows from operating activities: | |||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | 11 | (20,869) | 21,354 | 485 | 25,910 |
| Cash flows from financing activities: | |||||
| Repayments of borrowing | 0 | (19,433) | (19,433) | (18,547) | |
| Cash inflows from new borrowing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | 0 | (19,433) | (19,433) | (18,547) | |
| Cash and cash equivalents brought forward | 49,029 | 24,775 | 73,804 | 66,441 | |
| Cash and cash equivalents carried forward | 28,160 | 26,697 | 54,857 | 73,804 |
The notes numbered 1 to 12 form part of these accounts.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s Trustees by
Michael Byrne, Treasurer Ellen Sofie Richardson, Acting Secretary
Date accounts approved by Trustees 24/03/2024
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Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust
Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023
1. Basis of preparation
Basis of accounting
These accounts have been prepared on an accruals basis in accordance with:
-
the 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)
-
the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102)
-
• and applicable charity law.
Change in basis of accounting
There has been no change to the basis of accounting since last year.
Changes to previous accounts
No changes have been made to accounts for previous years.
2. Accounting Policies
The following policies have been used in the preparation of these accounts:
Incoming Resources
All incoming resources are included in the accounts when the Trust is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. Income is recognised in the period to which it relates.
Expenditure
All expenditure is accounted for inclusive of VAT, which cannot be recovered, on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category.
Tangible Fixed Assets
The fixed asset (5 Somerville Close) shown on the Balance Sheet is shown at cost. The property is depreciated over 50 years only to the extent that the cost of the building materially exceeds residual value. Interest payments in respect of the mortgage on this property are included as an expense in the Statement of Financial Activities as they are incurred. An analysis reconciling the opening and closing carrying amounts of this fixed asset is provided at Note 5 below.
Operating Leases
Rentals payable under operating leases are included as an expense in the Statement of Financial Activities as they are incurred.
Debtors
Debtors are measured at their recoverable amounts.
Liabilities
Liabilities are measured at their settlement amount.
Concessionary Loans
Concessionary Loans are recognised and measured at the amount received or paid, with the carrying amount adjusted in subsequent years to reflect repayments and any accrued interest and adjusted if necessary for any impairment.
Staff Costs paid directly by PCCs
Some staff housing costs are paid directly by one or other of the PCCs. Such amounts are included in these accounts as both income (“Income from PCCs”) and expenditure (“Staff housing etc”).
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Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust
Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023
3. Disclosures
There are no material uncertainties about the Trust’s ability to continue.
The Trust is a public benefit entity.
Disclosure of Trustees’ remuneration and benefits
In the reporting period none of the Trustees have been paid any remuneration or received any other benefits from an employment with the Trust or a related entity.
Disclosure of Trustees’ expenses
In the reporting period no expenses have been incurred by Trustees in fulfilling their duties.
Disclosure of related party transactions
There are no related party transactions in the reporting period requiring disclosure.
Disclosure of audit, independent examination and other financial service fees
An independent examination fee of £1,050 has been included in these accounts.
Disclosure of staff costs and employee benefits
See Note 4 below.
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Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust
Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023
4. Paid employees
| Notes Staff costs consist of: Gross wages, salaries and benefits in kind Employer's National Insurance costs Pension: Pension contributions paid in the year |
2023 2022 £ £ 142,430 148,058 6,385 8,178 20,973 23,238 |
|---|---|
| 169,787 179,473 |
The Trust also provides housing and pays council tax for staff employed as “ministers of religion” for whom this is recognised by HMRC as a non-taxable benefit.
| Notes Housing costs consist of: Rental and water rates on rented property Council tax Mortgage interest, water rates and insurance on owned property |
2023 2022 £ £ 57,679 66,975 10,216 8,340 7,967 6,040 |
|---|---|
| 75,862 81,355 |
The average number of employees in the year was 7.2 (2022: 6.7).
The average number of full-time equivalent employees in the year was 6.2 (2022: 6.2). No member of staff was paid in excess of £60,000 during the year (2022: none).
5. Tangible Assets
| angible Assets | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cost or Valuation At 01 January2023 Additions At 31 December2023 Net Book Value 31 December2023 |
Freehold Land & Buildings £ 422,911 - 422,911 422,911 |
Total £ 422,911 - |
| 422,911 422,911 |
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Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust
Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023
6. Debtors
| . Debtors |
|
|---|---|
| Notes Trade debtors Amounts owed by associated undertakings Prepayments and accrued income Other debtors . Creditors: due within one year Notes Taxation and social security Trade creditors Amounts owed to associated undertakings Accruals and deferred income Other creditors (excluding loans/mortgage) Mortgage 5 |
2023 2022 £ £ 0 0 20,132 431 7,478 8,809 3,657 3,657 |
| 31,267 12,897 2023 2022 £ £ 2,401 2,008 8,441 1,288 0 0 0 0 9,405 24,748 20,591 19,440 |
|
| 40,838 47,483 |
7. Creditors: due within one year
8. Creditors: due after more than one year
| Notes Mortgage repayable from 1 to 5 years 5 Mortgage repayable after 5 years 5 |
2023 2022 £ £ 76,964 89,342 0 8,206 |
|---|---|
| 76,964 97,548 |
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Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust
Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023
9. Fund Movements
| Fund Type Notes Barkham Minister Housing Restricted Church at the Green (CTG) Restricted Specific Collections Restricted Holiday Bible Club Designated Friday Club Designated General Unrestricted Total Restricted Total Unrestricted Total |
Balance 1st Jan 2023 Transfers Income Expenditure Balance 31st Dec 2023 £ £ £ £ £ 305,923 0 27,399 7,967 325,356 24,775 0 73,850 71,928 26,697 0 0 1,275 1,275 0 2,875 (2,875) 0 0 0 81 0 590 247 424 30,926 2,875 274,338 269,383 38,756 |
|---|---|
| 330,699 0 102,525 81,171 352,053 33,882 0 274,928 269,630 39,180 |
|
| 364,581 0 377,453 350,801 391,233 |
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Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust
Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023
10. Analysis of Net Assets between Funds
| Note s Restricted Funds Barkham Minister Housing Church at the Green (CTG) Special Collections General Funds |
Tangible Fixed Assets Current Assets Current Liabilities Loans Due after 1 year Total £ £ £ £ £ 422,911 (20,591) (76,964) 325,356 26,697 26,697 0 0 59,427 (20,247) 0 39,180 |
|---|---|
| 422,911 86,124 (40,838) (76,964) 391,233 |
11. Reconciliation of net income/(expenditure) to net cash flow from operating activities
| Notes Net income/(expenditure) for the reporting period (as per the Statement of Financial Activities) Adjustments for: (Increase)/decrease in debtors Increase/(decrease) in creditors Transfers between funds Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities |
Unrestricted Restricted Total 2023 Total 2022 £ £ £ £ 5,298 21,354 26,652 28,316 (18,370) (18,370) (1,668) (7,796) (7,796) (739) 0 0 0 0 |
|---|---|
| (20,869) 21,354 485 25,910 |
12. Transfers between Funds
No transfers were made between restricted funds, or between unrestricted and restricted funds, in 2023.
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Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust
Independent examiner’s report on the accounts to the Trustees of Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust (charity number 1056400) for the year ending 31 December 2023
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity’s Trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
Since the Trust’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of both the ACCA and ACIE, both of which are listed bodies.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:
-
accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed Date: 28 March 2024
Name Jason Foxwell FCCA FCIE
Relevant professional qualification(s) or body
Chartered Certified Accountant
Fellow of the Association of Charity Independent Examiners
Address 39 Enfield Road Poole BH15 3LJ
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