Conservation Trust for St Laurences Ludlow Annual Meeting 2025
TREASURER’S REPORT FOR FINANCIAL YEAR 20242025
I am very pleased to report a continuing improvement in our finances after the lean years of Covid. During that time, thanks to our regular supporters, our income held up fairly well but we missed the contribution to our funds, and our profile, made by the many activities organised during more normal years – monthly teas and talks, outings, celebrations, and more. Thanks to the sterling efforts of our trustees and other key volunteers that situation is now turning round and we are starting to see more income from the events which are so key to our place in the community. Against that of course there is more expenditure on those events but still they bring in a valuable additional revenue stream and our thanks must go to everyone to attends and assists at those events.
With the passing of Covid the purpose for which we exist has also come more to the fore and after a fallow period we have started making grants once more to the church. In the past 12 months we have supported work to repair the roof and stonework in various locations and replacement of the hood moulds which are so vital to protecting the windows from the weather. We continue to hold considerable reserves against the prospect of supporting the Church’s big project to restore and protect perhaps our greatest asset – the stained-glass windows - and we continue to work with the PCC to find a way forward on this.
Statement of Annual Account
A summary of the income and expenditure of the Trust in 2024-25 and our financial position at the start and the end of the financial year is provided in Attachment 1.
We have received income this year totalling £32,608. This is about £3,000 more than last year and over £9,000 more than 2022-23. Admin costs (secretarial services, printing, insurance, etc) increased to just over £2,300 (7% of our income), while events and sales of Christmas cards made a profit of nearly £3,000 over the year, leaving us an operating balance of £27,711.
We made grants to the church of £15,381, so overall our asset position improved by £12,329 to a total of £241,134. This is held in one current account and several deposit accounts. These last continue to provide a healthy injection of interest - over £9,750.
As noted in my introduction, the bulk of our funds continues to be held pending decisions on funding of the major works to the Church windows which we have agreed in principle to support.
Supporters’ Donations
Our regular supporters have sadly declined in number to just over 50, most of whom donate regularly (monthly, quarterly or annually). The vast majority of
these are able to gift aid their donations and we reclaim gift aid retrospectively every year making a significant contribution to our funds.
The Trust expresses great thanks for the generous support of all these donors plus those who give willingly of their time and effort to support our work.
A focus this year will be on trying to return the number of regular supporters to prior levels, through a improved communications and more events
This year we have continued to receive a small but steady flow of contributions from the EasyFundraising platform. When supporters who have signed up to the scheme buy online from many different online retailers, the retailer gives a percentage of the value of each purchase to the purchasers nominated charity. This does not affect the sale price to the purchaser. All our supporters are encouraged to join this scheme and to nominate the Palmers as their chosen charity as an easy way to help the Trust (see www.easyfundraising.org.uk or please do contact me for advice on how to sign up).
We also receive a small flow of donations through the text giving QR code displayed in the church and in our literature.
Looking Forward
Assets and Liabilities
We had no assets and no outstanding liabilities at the start of the new financial year.
Planned Grants to the Church
In January 2025 the trustees approved a grant of £38,000 to the Church for work on the external stonework and buttresses around the East end of the church. This work will take place during 2025. It forms part of a larger programme of exterior repairs identified in the last quinquennial review which we expect to contribute further to in future.
Karen Raymond-Blake Treasurer 27[th] May 2025
treasurer@ludlowpalmers.uk
CTSLL Annual Account 2024-25
Receipts and Payments Account for Year Ending 31 March 2025
| 2023-24 | 2024-25 | Notes | 31-Mar-24 | 31-Mar-25 | Not es |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts | Assets | ||||||
| Donations | £12,323.67 | CurrentAccountBalance | £14,900.08 | a. b. | |||
| £8,577.00 | -gift aided | £9,499.76 | £110,369.54 | CCLADepositAccountBalance | £90,461.70 | ||
| £3,225.00 | - not gift aided | £3,285.00 | £106,112.04 | Flagstone Platform Account Balance |
£135,772.46 | ||
| £61.00 | -collections | £226.28 | £0.00 | PettyCash | £0.00 | ||
| £1,796.11 | Event takings | £4,765.82 | £228,805.25 | TOTAL | £241,134.2 4 |
||
| £263.50 | Sale ofGoods | £1,123.00 | Signed Date: Karen Raymond-Blake (Treasurer) |
||||
| £401.00 | EasyFundraising & QR NFS DONATE |
£64.36 | |||||
| £5,000.00 | Legacies | £0.00 | b. | ||||
| £2,343.86 | Gift Aid Recovery for Previous Year |
£2,128.68 | |||||
| £7,896.45 | DepositAccountInterest | £9,752.58 | |||||
| £0.00 | VAT RefundfromChurch | £2,079.00 | |||||
| £19.65 | Miscellaneous | £0.00 | |||||
| £29,583.5 7 |
TOTAL RECEIPTS | £32,924.4 8 |
|||||
| Sebastian Bowen (Chair) Date: |
|||||||
| 2023-24 | Payments | 2024-25 | |||||
| £1,845.77 | Cost of Events | £2,200.19 | |||||
| £0.00 | Cost ofgoods sold | £386.00 | |||||
| £0.00 | Publications/publicity | £13.46 | |||||
| £0.00 | Secretarial services | £1,090.27 | |||||
| £22.80 | IT,Stationery,Printing,Post | £447.42 | |||||
| £694.29 | Insurance | £699.65 | |||||
| £0.00 | Miscellaneous | £61.10 | |||||
| £2,562.86 | OPERATING COSTS | £4,898.09 | |||||
| £27,020.7 1 |
OPERATING BALANCE | £28,026.3 9 |
| £8,130.00 | Grants to SLL | £15,381.90 |
| £10,692.8 6 |
TOTAL PAYMENTS | £20,279.9 9 |
Notes
a. £2000 reserved for use in restoration of the East Window at request of donor.
| £18,890.7 1 |
NET | £12,644.4 9 |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
b. £5000 reserved for repairs to the St Catherine's Chapel hood mounls (agreed re legacy)
CTSLL Annual Account 2024-25
Receipts and Payments Account for Year Ending 31 March 2025
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2023-24 2024-25 Notes 31-Mar-24 31-Mar-25 Notes
Receipts Assets
Donations £12,323.67 Current Account Balance £14,900.08 a. b.
£8,577.00 - gift aided £9,499.76 £110,369.54 CCLADeposit Account Balance £90,461.70
£3,225.00 - not gift aided £3,285.00 £106,112.04 Flagstone Platform Account Balance £135,772.46
£61.00 -collections £226.28 £0.00 Petty Cash £0.00
£1,796.11 Event takings £4,765.82 £228,805.25 TOTAL £241,134.24
£263.50 Sale of Goods £421.50
£401.00 EasyFundraising & NFS DONATE £64.36
£5,000.00 Legacies £0.00 b.
£2,343.86 Gift Aid Recovery for Previous Year £2,128.68
£7,896.45 Deposit Account Interest £9,752.58
£0.00 VAT Refund from Church £2,079.00 Signed Date:
£19.65 Miscellaneous £0.00
£29,583.57 TOTAL RECEIPTS £32,222.98 Karen Raymond-Blake (Treasurer)
2023-24 Payments 2024-25
£1,845.77 Cost of Events £2,200.19
£0.00 Cost of goods sold £0.00 Sebastian Bowen (Chair) Date:
£0.00 Publications/publicity £13.46
£0.00 Secretarial services £1,090.27
£22.80 IT, Stationery,Printing, Post £447.42
£694.29 Insurance £699.65
£0.00 Miscellaneous £61.10
£2,562.86 OPERATING COSTS £4,512.09
£27,020.71 OPERATING BALANCE £27,710.89
£8,130.00 Grants to SLL £15,381.90
£10,692.86 TOTAL PAYMENTS £19,893.99 Notes
a. £2000 reserved for use in restoration of the East Window at request of donor.
£18,890.71 NET £12,328.99 b. £5000 reserved for repairs to the St Catherine's Chapel hood moulds (agreed re legacy)
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a. £2000 reserved for use in restoration of the East Window at request of donor. b. £5000 reserved for repairs to the St Catherine's Chapel hood moulds (agreed re legacy)
(HARITY (OMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the , accounts Sopuon A | | Independent Exalnlner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of The Conservation Trust For St Laurence Ludlow On accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 Charity no (if any) 1114678 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of th charity {"the Trust") for the year ended .) I accou ts of the above 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 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145{5)(bl of the Act. Independent [The charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 and l am qualified to examiner's ststement undertake the examination by being a qualified member of linsert name of applicable listed bodyjl Delete [ l if not applicable. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination {other than that disclosed below ') which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act, or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records., or the accounts did 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. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: 9 January 2026 Name: Ralph Tingle IER Oct 2018
Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Chartered Institute for Public Finance and Accountancy Address: Weavers Barn. Watling Street. Leintwardine, Craven Arms SY7 OLL Section Disclosure Only compSete if the examiner needs to higlilight material mattel's of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts.. directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose IER Oct 2018