This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

Annual Report

1[st] January to 31[st] December 2020

Theme:

Building hope and confidence:

Registered Charity Number 1067728

PATRON

The Most Revd John Davies Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, Archbishop of Wales

HONORARY LIFE VICE PRESIDENTS

Mrs Ann Jackson Mrs Monica Jones Mrs Ruby Hayden Rev Kay Warrington

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

President

Mrs Sally Freedman

Vice President Brecon Mrs Ella Thomas Vice President Gower Vacant General Trustees Mrs Beryl Evans Mrs Moira Bibby Mrs Ailsa Howells Mrs Helen Jones (resigned 3[rd] February 2020) Mrs Jeanne Hughes Mrs Rachel Wells

Co-opted Trustees

Mrs Alison Lawrence 22[nd] January 2020

CHAPLAIN (not Trustees)

Revd Julie Wagstaff

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS (not Trustees)

Honorary Secretary Mrs Helen Williams Honorary Treasurer Mrs Heather Price

NOT REPRESENTED ON TRUSTEES

Social Policy Diocesan Member Mrs Helen Williams Overseas Links Mrs Gwyneth Phillips AFIA Mrs Ruby Hayden Wave of Prayer Rota Mrs Ella Thomas Website Mrs Helen Williams Indoor Members Mrs Rachel Wells MU News Revd Kay Warrington Retreats South Mrs Helen Jones Retreats North Mrs Ella Thomas Prayer Chain Mrs Moira Bibby MU Enterprises Mrs Helen Williams Registered Office: The Rectory Lamb Road Penderyn Abedare CF44 9JU

Bankers:

Lloyds 38 High Street Brecon LD3 7AR

Independent Examiner:

Mr Martin Nosworthy Nethway Victoria Road Llandrindod Wells LD1 6AP

Trustees' report for the year ended 31 December 2020 GOVERNING DOCUMENT

The Swansea and Brecon Diocesan Mothers’ Union is a registered charity which is governed by a Constitution (revised 2015). The Charity is affiliated to the Mothers Union Worldwide which is incorporated by Royal Charter

OBJECTS

to uphold Christ’s teaching on the nature of marriage and to promote its wider understanding;
to encourage parents to bring up their children in the faith and life of the church;
to maintain a worldwide fellowship of Christians united in prayer, worship and service;
to promote conditions in society favourable to stable family life and the protection of children;
to help those whose family life has met with adversity.

MISSION STATEMENT

The Mothers’ Union is a Christian organisation, which promotes the well-being of families worldwide.

This is achieved by:

Developing prayer and spiritual growth of members
Studying and reflecting on family life, marriage and its place in society
Resourcing our members to take practical action to improve conditions for families, both nationally and in the communities in which they live.

MU Prayer

Loving Lord, we thank you for your love so freely given to us all.

We pray for families around the world. Bless the work of the Mothers’ Union

as we seek to share your love through the encouragement, strengthening and support of marriage and family life. Empowered by your spirit, may we be united in prayer and worship, and in love and service reach out as your hands across the world. In Jesus name. Amen

The Organisation

The Diocese of Swansea and Brecon covers a large and diverse area of some 120 miles in length from North to South. It stretches from Beguildy in the North to the Gower Peninsula in the South. The northern part of the Diocese is predominantly rural with a number of attractive market towns, including Brecon. It includes most of the Brecon Beacons National Park and a rich variety of stunning landscapes. The southern part is a greater mix of urban and rural and includes both the City and County of Swansea and also the Gower Peninsula, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Diocese has a border with all five other Welsh Dioceses, as well as with the English Diocese of Hereford.

The Mothers’ Union in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon is organised into 4 Deaneries, and within those deaneries there are 32 Branches. Branch members meet regularly, and events are also held at deanery and diocesan level. There are three types of membership and in 2020 there were 748 members as follows:

Branch membership: 690 members.

Indoor membership: 28 members. These are those who no longer attend meetings because they are house bound through age, illness or because they are carers. These Members received Christmas and Easter Greetings, and Newsletters. They provide prayerful support for the ongoing work of the MU in the diocese.

Diocesan membership: 30 members. These are either recruited following branch closure and / or who do not wish to attend branch meetings but are keen to support the ethos of Mothers’ Union.

Elections of new officers are held triennially and the elections for 2019-2021 were held at the end of 2018, when the President, Trustee Board, Deanery Leaders and Branch Officers were elected.

Responsibilities

The Mothers’ Union in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon is governed by a Trustee Board, which meets at least 4 times a year. The Board of Trustees reports to the Diocesan Council meetings which we haven’t been able to hold this due year due to COVID, and information has been distributed by post. one of the meetings being the Annual General Meeting at which the Annual Report and Accounts are presented.

Induction and Training is given to new trustees at the beginning of each triennial, all are provided with and made aware of the contents of Charity Commission publication CC3. Ongoing training is provided as required.

The Trustees have identified the major risks which the charity faces and these are addressed and reviewed on a regular basis. Charity Law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of

the financial activities of the Swansea and Brecon Diocesan Mothers’ Union during the year and the financial position at the end of the year.

TRUSTEES’ REVIEW OF 2020

The last year has been such a peculiar one that I hardly know where to begin! In January we started the year full of expectation for a year of joining together and celebrating the centenary of the Church in Wales and doing our bit to promote ourselves as Mothers’ Union within the Diocese of Swansea & Brecon and also within Wales. Instead, after a quiet January and February, with our monthly Archidiaconal Eucharists in St Mary’s Swansea and our three days for the Wave of Prayer in February then just after Mothering Sunday we were all locked down!

People responded in all sorts of ways – we learned how to Zoom, how to attend church online, how to hold meetings and all sorts of new methods of keeping in touch with our families and friends and reaching out to those who were more constrained. Some branches were more enterprising and were able to meet online, and we all welcomed the introduction of MU Midday Prayers on Facebook and Youtube on weekdays. It is amazingly comforting and inspiring to be sitting in one’s own home and praying with members from around the world – Australia, Solomon Islands, USA, Canada, African and Caribbean to name just a few! We have been so grateful to the members who have agreed to lead these daily prayers.

One of our first cries for help came from Mary Sumner House, who had discovered that the lockdown would drastically affect their ability to stay in action. There was an appeal to all Diocese and all members to help raise funds to keep the Worldwide charity going and we, as a Diocese, were glad to donate to them. I know that many members also contributed personally as well. Thank you all. Since then, MSH has had to lose about one third of it’s staff and is manging to keep going

As we have all been constrained and unable to meet, the Trustees, at one of their Zoom meetings, agreed that we must continue the work of AFIA as best we could. Obviously actual holidays were no more, but we asked Faith in Families whether they could help us out. We donated the money put aside to pay for the holidays to Faith in Families and it has helped them to increase the Activity packs sent to local families and other things of this sort. They were so glad to join with us in this way.

We have also succeeded in supporting the four Safe Houses in our Diocese – two in Swansea, one in Brecon and one in Llandrindod. They have been very busy during these lockdown periods, and we have been glad to help them cope with the pressures. We were able to fulfil our Wave of Prayer days during February but sadly all gatherings were cancelled for the year so we could not meet for our customary Diocesan Festival, nor for the Deanery Festivals nor meet in our local groups. Sadly this has carried on into 2021 but we pray that there might be an easing by autumn.

We have not been able to fulfil our Outreach commitments such as attending the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show, Wedding Fayres etc, and we have had to carry out our

support for MU Projects such as 16 Days of Activism against Domestic Violence in a very limited way. We hope to return to our usual support as life eases. Our Diocesan magazine, MU News, which has been produced and distributed twice a year has gone online this year and we have to thank Kay Warrington for her skill and hard work in doing this. We have been able to produce a copy almost every month, which is emailed to Branch Leaders, who are, hopefully, emailing it to their members. The Trustees have met regularly on either Zoom or Teams, and Provincial meetings, too, have been held this way. It has made life interesting and we have all learnt new skills!

We enter 2021 still under lockdown, but with the hope, from the vaccine, that we may be able to meet in a small way before too long. We can but pray that the Lord will give us strength to cope with our strange life and that He will bring us through to meet the challenges united in prayer and worship.

Financial Review

The Financial Statements are a consolidation of the Branches, Deaneries and Diocesan Accounts, which demonstrates what has been achieved as the Mothers’ Union movement in the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon. The Coronavirus pandemic has had a marked effect on the operation of the charity due to the nationwide lockdown resulting in branches having to close in March 2020, and are yet to reopen.

The total receipts for the year were £31,927, a decrease of £16,845 on the previous year. Total payments were £38,148, a decrease of £13,975 on the previous year. The majority of members are elderly and do not use technology as the younger generating might do, and this has had a severe effect on the ability for members to fundraise and make personal contributions. Receipts from fundraising and donations has decreased by £14,288. In 2020 a total of £6,867 was spent on Action and Outreach, a decrease of £7,258 on the previous year. This equated to each member contributing an average of nearly £10. The Mothers Union Worldwide, known to members as Mary Sumner House (MSH), found its income severely curtailed due to the pandemic, and so in April 2020 launched an emergency appeal to help fund the ongoing support for projects worldwide and administration costs. Branches quickly responded by contributing £1,325 and together with £10,000 drawn from diocesan reserves, a donation of £11,325 was contributed to the appeal.

Where the Money Went

----- Start of picture text -----
Cost of Fundraising 0% Subscriptions to MSH 28%
Donations & Grants 32% Worldwide Projects 4%
Diocesan Projects 15% Marketing 2%
Faith & Policy 3% Adminstration & Meeting Expenses 16%
0%
16%
3%
28%
3%
14%
32%
4%
----- End of picture text -----

The financial outcome for the year showed a deficit of £6,220 (Branch deficit 1,701; Deanery surplus £600; Diocesan deficit £5,119) compared to a deficit of £3,350 in the previous year. The 2020 deficit has been met from reserves. The balance on reserves at 31 December was £20,806 which equated to 6 months running costs. The Trustees considered that the current level of reserves was reasonable.

The Annual Report was approved by the Trustees on and signed on their behalf by:

S Freedman - President

SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION	SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION	SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION	SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION	SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION	SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION
CONSOLIDATED RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020

			2020	2020	2020	2019

		Notes	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Total
Incoming resources			£	£	£	£

Incoming resources fromgenerated funds:
	Subscriptions	1	18,496.00	-	18,496.00	14,520.00
	Donations		5,141.50	2,177.17	7,318.67	14,791.03
	Legacy		-	-	-	-
	Gift Aid Tax Claim		1,430.41	178.19	1,608.60	1,791.96
	Outings/dinners/presentations		517.00	-	517.00	4,614.45

Activities forgenerating funds:
	Fundraising		-	1,697.15	1,697.15	8,512.50

Income from activities in furtherance of
charitable objectives:
	Marketing (Mue)		1,222.84	-	1,222.84	2,534.67
	Faith & Policy		1,050.00	-	1,050.00	2,005.00

Investment Income			0.29	-	0.29	2.87

Other incoming resources			17.00		17.00	(0.00)

Total Incoming Resources			27,875.04	4,052.51	31,927.55	48,772.48

Resources Expended

Cost ofgenerating funds
	Fundraising		-	-	-	233.64

Charitable Activities
	Subscriptions to The Mother's Union		10,846.00	-	10,846.00	11,424.00
	Donations		12,095.00	-	12,095.00	821.00
	Action & Outreach	2	-	6,867.40	6,867.40	14,124.81
	Marketing (Mue)		939.72	-	939.72	4,525.10
	Faith & Policy		1,181.06	-	1,181.06	1,896.24
	Officers' & Trustees' Expenses	3	2,700.85	-	2,700.85	5,608.28
	Administration and MeetingExpenses	4	2,776.31	-	2,776.31	8,596.81
	Outings/dinners/presentations		691.20	-	691.20	4,893.08

Other Resources Expended			50.00	-	50.00	-

Total Resources Expended			31,280.14	6,867.40	38,147.54	52,122.96

Net incoming/(outgoing resources)			(3,405.10)	(2,814.89)	(6,219.99)	(3,350.48)

Balance at Bank & Cash in Hand at 1 January			23,506.64	3,519.16	27,025.80	30,376.28

Balance at Bank & Cash in Hand at 31 December			20,101.54	704.27	20,805.81	27,025.80

SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION	SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION	SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION	SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION	SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION	SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2020


			2020	2020	2019

			£	£	£
Monetary Assets

	Branch Bank Accounts			9,108.87	10,894.46
	DeaneryBank Accounts			1,269.78	669.78
	Diocesan Bank Accounts			10,342.10	15,461.56
	Branch Cash in Hand			85.06	-

	Total Monetary Assets			20,805.81	27,025.80

Accumulated Funds

	Unresticted(General) Fund
	Balance at 1st January		23,506.64
	Net Movement in funds		(3,405.10)	20,101.54	23,506.64

	Restricted Funds
	Balance at 1st January		3,519.16
	Net Movement in funds		(2,814.89)	704.27	3,519.16

	Total Accumulated Funds			20,805.81	27,025.80


Fixed Assets

	For the use of the Charityand belongingto the Unrestricted(General)Fund:
		Displayboards(cost £213 in 2006)
		Powerpoint and accessories(cost £791 in 2008)
		Secretary's laptopComputer(cost £535 in 2013)
		President's laptopcomputer(cost £534 in 2013)
		Digital Copier(cost of half share £2,100 in 2013)
		Digital Copier(cost of half share £1,470 in 2015)

The Financial Statements were approved by the Trustees and were signed on its behalf by:
S Freedman - President

Date:

SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION	SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION	SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION	SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION	SWANSEA AND BRECON DIOCESAN MOTHERS' UNION
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2020

				2020	2019

				£
Note 1	Subscriptions
		Branch members		17,721.00	13,865.00
		Diocesan Members		775.00	655.00

				18,496.00	14,520.00

Note 2	Action and Outreach
		Mothers'Union (MSH) Projects:
			Christmas Appeal	-	71.50
			MSH EmergencyAppeal	-
			Relief Fund	-	2,300.00
			Make a Mother's Day	131.50	410.80
			Worldwide Projects	1,040.00	1,275.05
			BigSummer Appeal/Harvest Appeal	-	784.35
			Sponsored Walk	190.58	931.82
		Diocesan Projects:
			Branch/DeaneryProjects	679.32	783.22
			AwayFrom It All Holidays	-	1,580.00
			Safe Houses	2,326.00	2,016.07
			Faith in Families	2,500.00	3,800.00
			Foodbanks	-	41.00
			Hospital ChaplaincyCrosses	-	149.00

				6,867.40	14,142.81

Note 3	Officers' and Trustees' Expenses
		Branches		156.85	319.89
		Deaneries		-	38.50
		Diocesan		2,544.00	5,249.89
				2,700.85	5,608.28

Note 4	Administration and Meeting Expenses
		Branches		2,034.51	6,549.20
		Deaneries		-	222.50
		Diocesan		741.80	1,825.11
				2,776.31	8,596.81

Swansea and Brecon

Mothers’ Union

Gofal Cristnogol i Deuluoedd

Accounts for the year ending 31[st] December 2020

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees

Responsibilities and Basis of Report

As the charity trustees of the Trust 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 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 Act.

Statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which give me cause to believe that in any material respect

accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act, or
the accounts do not accord with those records.

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: Martin Nosworthy

Martin Nosworthy, Nethway, Victoria Road, Llandrindod Wells LD1 6AP

Dated: 15 June 2021

2020-12-31-accounts