**Charity number: 1096617**
**The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel**
**Trustees' report and financial statements**
**for the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel**
## **Contents**
||**Page**|
|---|---|
|Legal and administrative information|**1**|
|Trustees report|**2 - 3**|
|Independent examiners' report|**4**|
|Statement of financial activities|**5**|
|Balance sheet|**6**|
|Notes to the financial statements|**7 - 12**|
## **The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel**
## **Legal and administrative information**
|**Charity number**|1096617|
|---|---|
|**Registered office**|15 Maple Grove|
||London|
||NW9 8RD|
|**Trustees**|Mrs Clare McCullough (Chairman)|
||Alan Ashfield|
||Mrs Sarah Bignell|
||Mrs. Marguerita Carroll (Treasurer)|
||Fr Stephen Boyle|
|**Accountants**|Andrew Passer FIFA|
||20 Sunningdale Close|
||Stanmore|
||Middlesex|
||HA7 3QL|
|**Bankers**|HSBC|
||59- 61 The Mall Stratford Centre|
||Stratford|
||London|
||E15 1XF|
|**Solicitors**|Pothecary, Witham Weld Solicitors|
||70 St George's Square|
||London|
||SW1V 3RD|
**Page 1**
## **The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel**
## **Report of the trustees for the year ended 31 March 2025**
The trustees present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025. The trustees who served during the year and up to the date of this report are set out on page 1.
## **Structure, governance and management**
The charity is governed by five Trustees. The trustees are appointed every four years at the Charity’s AGM and the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer constitute the Officers. The trustees meet four times a year to consider strategic issues and policies affecting the Charity. Further meetings of the Trustees can be called as required. The Trustees ensure that they have taken the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance into account when making any decision it is relevant to.
## **Objectives and activities**
## _The charity's principal objectives are as follows:_
The provision of education, instruction and information on the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church particularly in relation to sexual morality and life issues.
The relief in cases of need, hardship or distress of women who are pregnant or are mothers, and of their families and dependants.
The provision of financial support to organisations which assist women who are pregnant or are mothers by providing them with services such as financial assistance, counselling, support, information, safe-houses, accommodation, education, employment, baby-sitting, and services which assist women in continuing their pregnancies, provided that all such services are in accordance with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.
## **Achievements and performance**
The Guild this year has been able to provide grants of £257,450 (2024 £224,790) to organisations which provide appropriate ongoing support and advice and information to expectant and new Mothers. We have also provided £133,377 (2024 £99,363) worth of grants to individual Mothers in the most difficult of circumstances. Finally, we have provided thousands of pounds worth of baby clothes, milk, nappies and new and used baby equipment. We continue to increase the amount of financial support and vouchers we provide because of the struggles Mothers face due to the increased cost of living.
## **Financial review**
Total income decreased from £542,985 last year to £492,955 this year, whilst our charitable expenditure increased by £37,295 from £502,375 to £539,670. The Trustees are happy to report that we still have a healthy cumulative surplus of £1,220,152 to be carried forward for future years.
We assist other charities, councils and social services departments by keeping expectant and new Mothers in accommodation through helping with their rent, while we assist them in improving their circumstances and we also provide financial support, maternity goods and assistance in the home or with temporary childcare solutions for Mothers with little or no access to public funds.
Our Internship (Voluntary Worker) Programme has been particularly busy this year. It continues to provide training which we hope will give volunteers the ability and incentive to spread this work more widely.
## **Plans for future periods**
Our baby bank continues to expand and we also have broadened out our services to make regular referrals to other baby banks, something many of our beneficiaries find hard to obtain. We are also increasing the support and representation of Mothers we assist, to enable them to get the appropriate help and support from councils and other state bodies, since we have found this is often missed or incorrectly assessed.
We also plan to increase the intake on our Internship Programme.
**Page 2**
## **The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel**
## **Report of the trustees for the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **Statement of trustees' responsibilities**
The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that year. In preparing these financial statements the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The trustees confirm that they have complied with their duty in section 17(5) of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission.
On behalf of the board
Mrs Clare McCullough (Chairman)
## **Trustee**
**Page 3**
## **The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel**
## **Independent examiner's report to the trustees on the unaudited financial statements of The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel.**
I report on the accounts of The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel for the year ended 31 March 2025 set out on pages 2 to 12.
## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and independent examiner**
As the charity's trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts, you consider that the audit requirement of section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act), does not apply and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts under section 145 of the Act, as amended; to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act, as amended; 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 the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as 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:
- (i) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
- to keep proper accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Act; and
- to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of the Act
have not been met; or
- (ii) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
## **Andrew Passer FIFA**
## **Independent examiner**
**Page 4**
## **The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel**
## **Statement of financial activities**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
|||**Unrestricted**|**2025**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**funds**|**Total**|**Total**|
||**Notes**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Incoming resources**|||||
|Incoming resources from generating funds:|||||
|Voluntary income|2|492,324|492,324|497,744|
|Activities for generating funds|3|-|-|45,170|
|Investment income|4|631|631|71|
|**Total incoming resources**||492,955|492,955|542,985|
|**Resources expended**|||||
|Costs of generating funds:|||||
|Fundraising trading:|||||
|cost of goods sold and other costs|5|6,346|6,346|30,150|
|Charitable activities|6|523,830|523,830|468,872|
|Governance costs|8|9,494|9,494|3,353|
|**Total resources expended**||539,670|539,670|502,375|
|Total funds brought forward||1,266,867|1,266,867|1,226,257|
|**Total funds carried forward**||1,220,152|1,220,152|1,266,867|
**The notes on pages 7 to 12 form an integral part of these financial statements.**
**Page 5**
## **The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel**
## **Balance sheet as at 31 March 2025**
|**Notes**
**Fixed assets**
Tangible assets
12
**Current assets**
Debtors
13
Cash at bank and in hand
**Creditors: amounts falling**
**due within one year**
14
**Net current assets**
**Total assets less current**
**liabilities**
**Creditors: amounts falling due**
**after more than one year**
15
**Net assets**
**Funds**
16
Unrestricted income funds
**Total funds**|**2025**
**£**
**£**
1,148,714
51,752
44,326
96,078
)
(6,640
89,438
1,238,152
)
(18,000
1,220,152
1,220,152
1,220,152|**2024**
**£**
**£**
1,175,172
27,022
84,544
111,566
)
(1,871
109,695
1,284,867
)
(18,000
1,266,867
1,266,867
1,266,867|
|---|---|---|
The financial statements were approved by the trustees on and signed on its behalf by
## **Mrs Clare McCullough (Chairman) Trustee**
**The notes on pages 7 to 12 form an integral part of these financial statements.**
**Page 6**
## **The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel**
## **Notes to financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **1. Accounting policies**
The principal accounting policies are summarised below. The accounting policies have been applied consistently throughout the year and the preceding year.
## **1.1. Basis of accounting**
The financial statements are prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (FRSSE)
## **1.2. Incoming resources**
All incoming resources are included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:
Voluntary income is received by way of grants, donations and gifts and is included in full in the statement of financial activities when receivable. Grants where entitlement is not conditional on the delivery of a specific performance by the charity, are recognised when the charity becomes unconditionally entitled to the grant.
Donated services and facilities are included at the value to the charity where this can be quantified. The value of services provided by volunteers has not been included.
Gifts donated for resale are included as incoming resources within activities for generating funds when they are sold.
Income from investments is included in the year in which it is receivable.
Legacies are included when the charity is advised by the personal representative of an estate that payment will be made or property transferred and the amount involved can be quantified.
## **1.3. Resources expended**
Expenditure is recognised on an accrual basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates.
Costs of generating funds comprise the costs associated with attracting voluntary income including events.
Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.
Fund raising costs are those incurred in seeking voluntary contributions and do not include the costs of disseminating information in support of the charitable activities.
Support costs are those costs incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the charity and include project management.
**Page 7**
## **The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel**
## **Notes to financial statements**
## **for the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **1.4. Tangible fixed assets and depreciation**
Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost less residual value of each asset over its expected useful life, as follows:
- Land and buildings Straight line over 50 years - Fixtures, fittings and equipment 20% straight line
## **2. Voluntary income**
|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
General Donations
273,530
Donations via gift aid
159,305
Gift aid tax recovered
38,640
Other donations
9,000
Legacies
11,849
492,324
**3.**
**Activities for generating funds**
Fundraising events
**4.**
**Investment income**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
Other interest receivable
631
631
**5.**
**Fundraising trading**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
Fundraising events
6,346
6,346|**2025**
**Total**
**£**
273,530
159,305
38,640
9,000
11,849
492,324
**2025**
**Total**
**£**
-
-
**2025**
**Total**
**£**
631
631
**2025**
**Total**
**£**
6,346
6,346|**2024**
**Total**
**£**
188,991
175,375
43,781
4,227
85,370|
|---|---|---|
|||497,744|
|||**2024**
**Total**
**£**
45,170|
|||45,170|
|||**2024**
**Total**
**£**
71|
|||71|
|||**2024**
**Total**
**£**
30,150|
|||30,150|
**Page 8**
## **The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel**
## **Notes to financial statements**
## **for the year ended 31 March 2025**
|**6.**
**Costs of charitable activities - by fund type**
Grants to GCN London
Interns
Grants to mothers
Building expenses
Support costs
**7.**
**Costs of charitable activities - by activity**
**Activities**
**undertaken**
**directly**
**£**
Grants to GCN London
-
Interns
9,343
Grants to mothers
-
Building expenses
49,659
Support costs
1,727
60,729
**8.**
**Governance costs**
Professional - Accountancy fees
Professional - Legal fees
Interest - Bank loans & overdraft|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
257,450
9,343
133,377
49,659
74,001
523,830
**Grant**
**funding**
**Support**
**activities**
**costs**
**£**
**£**
257,450
-
-
-
133,377
-
-
-
-
72,274
390,827
72,274
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
2,700
6,794
-
9,494|**2025**
**Total**
**£**
257,450
9,343
133,377
49,659
74,001
523,830
**2025**
**Total**
**£**
257,450
9,343
133,377
49,659
74,001
523,830
**2025**
**Total**
**£**
2,700
6,794
-
9,494|**2024**
**Total**
**£**
224,790
8,392
99,363
50,354
85,973|
|---|---|---|---|
||||468,872|
||||**2024**
**Total**
**£**
224,790
8,392
99,363
50,354
85,973|
||||468,872|
||||**2024**
**Total**
**£**
2,102
1,200
51|
||||3,353|
**Page 9**
## **The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel**
## **Notes to financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **9. Analysis of support costs**
|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**£**
Staff costs
33,949
Telephone
3,035
Printing, postage and stationery
29,537
Depreciation and impairment
2,098
Bank charges
1,393
Other costs
2,262
72,274
**10.**
**Employees**
**Employment costs**
Wages and salaries
No employee received emoluments of more than £60,000 (2024 : None).||**2025**
**Total**
**£**
33,949
3,035
29,537
2,098
1,393
2,262
72,274
**2025**
**£**
33,949||**2024**
**Total**
**£**
31,968
3,164
27,059
2,142
1,419
19,938|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||85,690|
|||||**2024**
**£**
31,968|
||||||
## **Number of employees**
The average monthly numbers of employees (including the trustees) during the year, calculated on the basis of full time equivalents, was as follows:
|full time equivalents, was as follows:|||
|---|---|---|
||**2025**|**2024**|
||**Number**|**Number**|
|Administration|2|2|
## **11. Trustees' emoluments**
None of the trustees were paid any remuneration or expenses during the year (2018 - £nil)
**Page 10**
## **The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel**
## **Notes to financial statements**
## **for the year ended 31 March 2025**
|||**Land and**|**Land and**|**Fixtures,**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**12.**|**Tangible fixed assets**|**buildings **||**fittings and**||
|||**freehold**||**equipment**|**Total**|
||||**£**|**£**|**£**|
||**Cost**|||||
||At 1 April 2024|1,369,797||41,216|1,411,013|
||Additions||-|3,036|3,036|
||At 31 March 2025|1,369,797||44,252|1,414,049|
||**Depreciation**|||||
||At 1 April 2024|196,988||38,853|235,841|
||Charge for the year||27,396|2,098|29,494|
||At 31 March 2025|224,384||40,951|265,335|
||**Net book values**|||||
||At 31 March 2025|1,145,413||3,301|1,148,714|
||At 31 March 2024|1,172,809||2,363|1,175,172|
|**13.**|**Debtors**|||||
|||||**2025**|**2024**|
|||||**£**|**£**|
||Other debtors|||51,752|27,022|
|**14.**|**Creditors: amounts falling due**|||||
||**within one year**|||**2025**|**2024**|
|||||**£**|**£**|
||Trade creditors|||5,801|955|
||Other creditors|||839|916|
|||||6,640|1,871|
|**15.**|**Creditors: amounts falling due**|||||
||**after more than one year**|||**2025**|**2024**|
|||||**£**|**£**|
||Other loan|||18,000|18,000|
**Page 11**
## **The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel**
## **Notes to financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025**
|**16.**|**Analysis of net assets between funds**||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||**Unrestricted**|||**Total**||
|||||**funds**|||**funds**||
|||||**£**|||**£**||
||Fund balances at 31 March 2025 as represented by:||||||||
||Tangible fixed assets|||1,148,714|||1,148,714||
||Current assets|||96,078|||96,078||
||Current liabilities|||(6,640||)|(6,640|)|
||Long-term liabilities|||(18,000|)||(18,000|)|
|||||1,220,152|||1,220,152||
|**17.**|**Unrestricted funds**||||||||
||||**Incoming**|**Outgoing**|||||
|||**2024**|**resources**|**resources**|||**2025**||
|||**£**|**£**|**£**|||**£**||
||Unrestricted Funds|1,266,867|492,955|)
(539,670|||1,220,152||
## **Purposes of unrestricted funds**
Unrestricted funds may be used for any purpose deemed by the trustees to comply with the objects of the charity
**Page 12**