## **Friends of St Mary's Church, Standon**
## **Financial Statements**
## **for the year ended 31st December 2025**
## **Registered Charity Number 1088516**
The Friends of St Mary's Church, Standon Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December 2025 Legal and Administrative Details
## **Address for correspondance**
74 High Street Standon Hertfordshire SG11 1LB
## **Legal Status**
The charity, whose full name is The Society of The Friends of St Mary's Church, Standon, is a charity registered with the Charity Commission, registration number 1088516. It was formed as an unincorporated association under a constitution adopted on 20 November 2000 and amended on 22 July 2001.
## **Trustees and Committee Members**
Mrs D M Dale Mrs A C Franks Treasurer Ms C F Tarry Secretary Mrs S Beeston Mrs A Brears Ms A Brookbanks Rev J Chitham until 19.10.25 Ms Alison Cooley Mrs S Crook Mr J Edwards Mr D Goldstraw Chairman Mr R Millward
## **Bankers**
National Westminster Bank plc
The CBF Church of England Deposit Fund
## **Independent Examiner**
Jane Fowke
2
The Friends of St Mary's Church, Standon Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31st December 2025
The trustees are pleased to present their report and accounts for the year to 31st December 2024.
## **Objects of the charity**
The objects of the charity are to assist, including by raising funds, in the conservation and development of the church buildings, fixtures, fittings, contents and churchyard of St Mary's church, Standon; to assist in the maintenance of the churchyard and to encourage and support all that is done to add to the beauty and usefulness of the church.
The charity fulfils these objects by raising funds to support works commissioned by the PCC. Details of projects funded during the year can be found in the notes to the accounts.
## **Government**
The policy and operating decisions of the charity rest with the Trustees, who meet regularly to monitor the activities of the Friends.
Six of the trustees are appointed by Standon Parochial Church Council, and six are elected at the annual meeting. The chairman must be a publically elected trustee.
## **Review of Activities**
In 2025, once again, our fundraising activities were succesful.
In January we held our annual, very successful quiz night in the Community Centre, raising £1,145. At Mayday, we offered teas in the Village Hall, and also sold plants, and promoted Open Gardens. Mayday raised £1,616 and Open Gardens in June raised £8,497.
Our Christmas Fair was, once again, very successful, raising £866. The hundred club continues to contribute significantly to our fundraising efforts.
We held a Safari Supper in the summer, and a candlelit supper in church in September, raising £938 and £1,008 respectively. We raised £1,072 from providing interval refreshments at two combined choirs concerts in church.
We are grateful to Pat, who administers the hundred club, and to all who help with our events or support them.
In planning our activities, the trustees have applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission in December 2008.
## **Trustees' Responsibilities**
Charity law requires the 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.
This report was approved by the trustees on 25th March 2026 and signed on their behalf by:
David Goldstraw (Chairman)
3
Friends of St Mary's Church, Standon Receipts and Payments Account for the year ended 31st December 2025
|**Note**
**2025**
**Unrestricted**
**£**
**Receipts**
Donatons including gif aid tax
5
886
Income from fundraising actvites
4
18,531
Bank interest
5,786
25,203
**Payments**
Costs of generatng funds
4
2,259
Management and administraton
627
Grants made
2
85,000
87,886
Net receipts
(62,683)
Funds at 1st January
172,244
Funds at 31st December
109,561|**Note**
**2025**
**Unrestricted**
**£**
**Receipts**
Donatons including gif aid tax
5
886
Income from fundraising actvites
4
18,531
Bank interest
5,786
25,203
**Payments**
Costs of generatng funds
4
2,259
Management and administraton
627
Grants made
2
85,000
87,886
Net receipts
(62,683)
Funds at 1st January
172,244
Funds at 31st December
109,561|**2024**
**£**
3,201
19,020
5,928
28,149
2,279
391
15,637
18,307
9,842
162,402
172,244|
|---|---|---|
|**Friends of St Mary's Church, Standon**
**Statement of Assets and Liabilites**
**as at 31st December 2025**
**Bank and cash balances**
Held at bank
**Other assets and liabilites**
**Assets**
Gif aid tax recovery not yet received|**2025**
109,561
108|**2024**
**£**
172,244
666|
4
Friends of St Mary's Church, Standon Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December 2025
## **1 Accounting Policies**
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis with a statement of assets and liabilities.
## **2 Grants paid**
During the year, grants were made to Standon PCC totalling £85,000 to fund substantial renovation work on the tower. Further grants will be made for this purpose in 2026.
## **3 Employees**
The charity has no employees.
No amounts were paid or are payable to any trustee or to any person connected to them. Expenses incurred by trustees are reimbursed.
## 4 **Fundraising Activities**
These results reflect cash movements only.
|Fundraising actvites
Hundred club
Lunchtme concerts
Christmas fair
Mayday teas, salads & plants
Quiz night
Open Gardens
Candlelit supper in church
Safari supper
Lordship talk & tea
Sale of cards
Concert refreshments
Other income
2025 Quiz Night
**5 Donatons**
Donatons received
Gif Aid tax received 2025|_Received_
_Costs_
2,100
970
866
1,692
76
1,505
360
8,975
478
1,221
213
938
1,234
162
18,531
2,259
**Unrestricted**
216
670
886|_Net_
1,130
0
866
1,616
1,145
8,497
1,008
938
0
0
1,072
0
0
16,272|_2024_
1,230
523
1,075
1,664
1,544
9,219
0
0
775
35
510
51
115|
|---|---|---|---|
||||16,741|
||||2,110
1,091|
||||3,201|
Gift aid tax for 2025, to be received in 2026, amounts to £108.
5
## **Friends of St Mary's Church, Standon**
## **Financial Statements**
## **for the year ended 31st December 2025**
## **Registered Charity Number 1088516**
The Friends of St Mary's Church, Standon Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December 2025 Legal and Administrative Details
## **Address for correspondance**
74 High Street Standon Hertfordshire SG11 1LB
## **Legal Status**
The charity, whose full name is The Society of The Friends of St Mary's Church, Standon, is a charity registered with the Charity Commission, registration number 1088516. It was formed as an unincorporated association under a constitution adopted on 20 November 2000 and amended on 22 July 2001.
## **Trustees and Committee Members**
Mrs D M Dale Mrs A C Franks Treasurer Ms C F Tarry Secretary Mrs S Beeston Mrs A Brears Ms A Brookbanks Rev J Chitham until 19.10.25 Ms Alison Cooley Mrs S Crook Mr J Edwards Mr D Goldstraw Chairman Mr R Millward
## **Bankers**
National Westminster Bank plc
The CBF Church of England Deposit Fund
## **Independent Examiner**
Jane Fowke
2
The Friends of St Mary's Church, Standon Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31st December 2025
The trustees are pleased to present their report and accounts for the year to 31st December 2024.
## **Objects of the charity**
The objects of the charity are to assist, including by raising funds, in the conservation and development of the church buildings, fixtures, fittings, contents and churchyard of St Mary's church, Standon; to assist in the maintenance of the churchyard and to encourage and support all that is done to add to the beauty and usefulness of the church.
The charity fulfils these objects by raising funds to support works commissioned by the PCC. Details of projects funded during the year can be found in the notes to the accounts.
## **Government**
The policy and operating decisions of the charity rest with the Trustees, who meet regularly to monitor the activities of the Friends.
Six of the trustees are appointed by Standon Parochial Church Council, and six are elected at the annual meeting. The chairman must be a publically elected trustee.
## **Review of Activities**
In 2025, once again, our fundraising activities were succesful.
In January we held our annual, very successful quiz night in the Community Centre, raising £1,145. At Mayday, we offered teas in the Village Hall, and also sold plants, and promoted Open Gardens. Mayday raised £1,616 and Open Gardens in June raised £8,497.
Our Christmas Fair was, once again, very successful, raising £866. The hundred club continues to contribute significantly to our fundraising efforts.
We held a Safari Supper in the summer, and a candlelit supper in church in September, raising £938 and £1,008 respectively. We raised £1,072 from providing interval refreshments at two combined choirs concerts in church.
We are grateful to Pat, who administers the hundred club, and to all who help with our events or support them.
In planning our activities, the trustees have applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission in December 2008.
## **Trustees' Responsibilities**
Charity law requires the 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.
This report was approved by the trustees on 25th March 2026 and signed on their behalf by:
David Goldstraw (Chairman)
3
Friends of St Mary's Church, Standon Receipts and Payments Account for the year ended 31st December 2025
|**Note**
**2025**
**Unrestricted**
**£**
**Receipts**
Donatons including gif aid tax
5
886
Income from fundraising actvites
4
18,531
Bank interest
5,786
25,203
**Payments**
Costs of generatng funds
4
2,259
Management and administraton
627
Grants made
2
85,000
87,886
Net receipts
(62,683)
Funds at 1st January
172,244
Funds at 31st December
109,561|**Note**
**2025**
**Unrestricted**
**£**
**Receipts**
Donatons including gif aid tax
5
886
Income from fundraising actvites
4
18,531
Bank interest
5,786
25,203
**Payments**
Costs of generatng funds
4
2,259
Management and administraton
627
Grants made
2
85,000
87,886
Net receipts
(62,683)
Funds at 1st January
172,244
Funds at 31st December
109,561|**2024**
**£**
3,201
19,020
5,928
28,149
2,279
391
15,637
18,307
9,842
162,402
172,244|
|---|---|---|
|**Friends of St Mary's Church, Standon**
**Statement of Assets and Liabilites**
**as at 31st December 2025**
**Bank and cash balances**
Held at bank
**Other assets and liabilites**
**Assets**
Gif aid tax recovery not yet received|**2025**
109,561
108|**2024**
**£**
172,244
666|
4
Friends of St Mary's Church, Standon Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December 2025
## **1 Accounting Policies**
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis with a statement of assets and liabilities.
## **2 Grants paid**
During the year, grants were made to Standon PCC totalling £85,000 to fund substantial renovation work on the tower. Further grants will be made for this purpose in 2026.
## **3 Employees**
The charity has no employees.
No amounts were paid or are payable to any trustee or to any person connected to them. Expenses incurred by trustees are reimbursed.
## 4 **Fundraising Activities**
These results reflect cash movements only.
|Fundraising actvites
Hundred club
Lunchtme concerts
Christmas fair
Mayday teas, salads & plants
Quiz night
Open Gardens
Candlelit supper in church
Safari supper
Lordship talk & tea
Sale of cards
Concert refreshments
Other income
2025 Quiz Night
**5 Donatons**
Donatons received
Gif Aid tax received 2025|_Received_
_Costs_
2,100
970
866
1,692
76
1,505
360
8,975
478
1,221
213
938
1,234
162
18,531
2,259
**Unrestricted**
216
670
886|_Net_
1,130
0
866
1,616
1,145
8,497
1,008
938
0
0
1,072
0
0
16,272|_2024_
1,230
523
1,075
1,664
1,544
9,219
0
0
775
35
510
51
115|
|---|---|---|---|
||||16,741|
||||2,110
1,091|
||||3,201|
Gift aid tax for 2025, to be received in 2026, amounts to £108.
5
## **Independent Examiner’s report to the trustees and members of the Friends of St Mary’s Church, Standon.**
I have examined the accounts for the year ended 31[st] December 2025 as set out on pages 3 to 5, which have been prepared under the accounting policies set out on page 5.
## **Respective responsibilities of the charity trustees and the independent examiner**
The charity trustees, who are the committee members, are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this period under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility:
- to examine the accounts under section 145 of the Act;
- to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act; and
-
- to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **Basis of independent examiner’s statement**
My examination was carried out in accordance with General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the 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 statement below.
## **Independent examiner’s statement**
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
- (1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the requirements:
- to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Act; and
- - to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Act
have not been met; or
- (2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
16[th] April 2026 Jane Fowke Cleveland 36 High Street
standon, Herts SGII ILA