2024-12-31-accounts - The Living Well

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

THE LIVING WELL ANNUAL REPORT 2024 Reference and Administrative Details

Patron: Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin Board of Trustees: Mr George White (Chair) Revd Canon Lorraine Apps-Huggins (Chaplain) Mr David Harries (resigned December 2024) Revd Peter Ingrams Mr Paul Willett Rev Canon Estella Last Mrs Sally Lees (appointed April 2024) Charity Registration No: 1123792 Principal Officers: Revd Canon Lorraine Apps-Huggins – Chaplain Assistant Chaplains: Mrs Hilary Hills, Mr Ray Horton, Rev Rex Morton Administrator: Dr Annelise Matharu Registered Office: The Living Well, The Vicarage, Vicarage Lane, Nonington, Kent CT15 4JT Hon Treasurer: Mr Julian Hills Independent Examiner: Mr Kevin Funnell Bankers: Lloyds, 49 High Street, Canterbury Kent CT1 2SE

Structure, governance and management

The Living Well was formed as a charitable trust in 2008 as a resource for the ministry of healing and wholeness within the Diocese of Canterbury. It is based at Nonington, near Canterbury, in a large, detached house, a former Vicarage, within peaceful grounds.

There is an elected Board of Trustees which is the executive body with responsibility for setting the strategic direction and policies required to achieve The Living Well’s founding aims and objectives. The day-to-day operations are carried out under the oversight of the Trustees by the Chaplain who has complete responsibility for the spiritual programmes and ministry as well as managing the administrative function.

In terms of its Board of Trustees, The Living Well is independent of the diocese in its management and is principally funded by individual donations through the wonderful

support and generosity of our members friends and clients. It has also received grant support from a number of trusts and local authorities. The former vicarage however is owned by the diocese with The Living Well holding an agreed equity share in the property. The external upkeep of the property is the diocesan responsibility whilst the interior is the responsibility of The Living Well.

The Living Well works closely with the Bishop of Dover and the Local Church Development Framework of the Diocese so as to be a fresh expression of the ministry of healing and wholeness and the chaplain serves as the Bishop’s Adviser on Healing and Wholeness and this includes being a member of the Diocesan Deliverance Ministry Team. As a result, the Chaplain holds a Bishop’s licence to act as a priest throughout the Canterbury Diocese whilst our assistant chaplains work under a Bishop's License to The Living Well.

Objectives and activities

The Living Well provides a safe, welcoming and inclusive place for personal retreat, for receiving the healing ministry of Christ, for themed quiet days and offers teaching within the diocese for local parishes in Healing and Wholeness Ministry.

The Living Well is a resource for prayer and development for both laity and clergy, both from within the Diocese and outside it. It offers a range of one-off sessions including ‘Deeper Healing Days’ and short courses for personal spiritual growth and development as well as more specific teaching for involvement with the healing ministry. Guests value and enjoy the peaceful surroundings at Nonington to draw closer to God and to seek His refreshment. This is particularly valuable for those who have busy and stressful ministries or jobs to fulfil, and those who have suffered from abuse, trauma or loss of any kind.

Activities and performance

In January 2024 Helen Jones joined us as a Voluntary Lay Assistant Chaplain, she was commissioned in a special service by our patron & Bishop, Rose Hudson – Wilkin in the November after a trial period. Helen has brought great gifts to the team, and added strength and capacity to what we can offer. Our Warden, Martin Hall, initially called to join us for one year willingly remained in post and has improved the appearance of the gardens (with the help of local volunteer Janet Holness) and kept the house routinely tidy and ready for guests. Martin as resident has managed the tradespersons who have visited at inopportune times including as the year came to a close the workmen related to the new PVC sash windows (and newly refurbished roof in 2025) that the diocese have replaced. This work has made a huge difference already to the warmth of the property in the winter months and improved the appearance of the building overall.

Throughout the year Trustees have served in a variety of ways, applying for grants (David Harries & Julain Hills – Treasurer), working on a new MOU (George White), actively undertaking practical tasks and electrical PAT Testing (Paul Willis). Rev

Estella Last and Sally Lees worked with Rev Lorraine Apps -Huggins & George White to prepare for succession planning, advertising & interviews that would take place in January 2025. Rev Peter Ingrams worked with the vision setting group to define and discern the current and future needs of the ministry & the Core Team. We said goodbye to David Harries as Trustee in November, David had faithfully served for 7 years and had successfully applied for grants from the Dorothy Kerin Trust over the past 3 years. Sally Lees, new to the board became a swiftly keen addition and a willing help. Julian Hills as Treasurer during the year developed a new communication called ‘Can you help The Living Well go on Living Well?’ It explains the way the charity is funded and shows the ways in which guests can assist us to continue generously and faithfully and with longevity. It has produced financial fruit already and makes it easy for us to give concise information to others around the diocese. We thank Kevin Funnel for continuing to be our auditor.

The Core Team which consists of our warden Martin Hall, our administrator Annelise Matharu and chaplaincy Rev Lorraine Apps - Huggins, Hilary Hills, Ray Horton and Helen Jones have continued to work well together forming a team of great strength and talent. Monthly Supervision, weekly prayer time, and monthly Core Lunches give opportunity for relationship building, ministry development & problem solving. Each chaplain also receives individual Supervision at a level appropriate to the voluntary hours that they serve.

Over the year various Outreach events took place. Parish invitations to lead a ‘quiet day’ offering healing prayer, invitations to equip and train pastoral prayer teams, to preach on a Sunday and to lead the St Lukestide Service at the Cathedral – all of these are led by the chaplaincy and members of The Wider Team of volunteers according to their location and suitability. These Outreach events help to get the ministry of The Living Well known in the diocese and reach those who are unable to travel to Nonington. They also encourage the ministry of healing & wholeness in the parishes to grow and flourish – our background support is valued by numerous ministers & churches.

At Nonington the number of people attending for individual day retreat has escalated significantly – clergy and lay. The monthly Deeper Healing Days take a very small number of people each month but continue to be an important aspect of what we offer. Themed Days led by outside facilitators have a life of their own, bringing spirituality, art, music, saints and more to our programme. Our weekly worship continues to be well attended. The guests support each other and the hospitality on those days and value the space, inspiring worship (music supported by Stella Banks monthly and Ray Horton regularly. Ray also applied successfully for a grant that among other things enabled redecoration of the chapel and library) and healing prayer offered weekly. Our hospitality team who serve on the days when groups of guests are in the house are paramount to what we offer – eternally grateful for their culinary skills they also find themselves welcoming guests and bringing the presence of Christ in the kitchen.

Our Wider Team and Hospitality Team have some newcomers but have also said goodbye to some of our longer serving team members in the past year. We miss

their input and pray for more newcomers for these teams, who are vital to what we can offer. Newly retired Rev Jane Weeks began her application for PTO with The Living Well to serve in the future.

Hilary Hills Assistant Chaplain has worked faithfully and weekly distributing the confidential prayer chain – this carries sometimes 15-20 prayer requests per week. They are distributed by email to about 20 pray-ers. Again, this aspect of our ministry though hidden is vital. Hilary holds a pastoral link with the Diocesan Board of Education and the church schools in the diocese. Senior staff in schools being able to access listening and support when trauma or safeguarding matters arise in the school communities. This is an area where more ‘advanced listeners’ would be very helpful to the diocese.

The two courses on offer Navigating Trauma and Christ’s Healing Ministry ran successfully. Lorraine supported as chaplain the Canterbury Leadership Programme and continued to offer Spiritual Accompaniment and Clergy Supervision alongside her chaplaincy role. Her honorary Canon role led her to be in the cathedral on a few occasions and encouraged that link.

Each Core Team member undertook training and /or events that suited their development. From Fire Emergency to First Aid to Safeguarding and Spirituality opportunities were available. Some Trustees took a short online course on ‘Being a Trustee’.

As Lead Chaplain I can honestly say that the work, ministry, fellowship and generosity of those involved in The Living Well is outstanding, and a joy to behold – a ministry to give thanks for.

Reserves policy & Investment Policy

The Trust has adopted a policy of keeping around 6 weeks expenditure in immediately available funds and investing surplus funds in short term investments. These are currently held in CCLA Investment and Deposit Funds.

Financial performance

In 2024 general unrestricted income fell by £1.7k against an increase of £10.2k in 2023. However, in 2023 The Living Well was in receipt of a one-off donation of £10k which with Gift Aid yielded an additional but unrepeatable £12.5k. Leaving aside this donation the comparative changes would be as follows:

Donations Ministries Unrestricted Grants Sales Investments Total	2023 £+6.6k £+2.5k £ NIL £+0.2k £-0.8k £+8.5k	2023 £+0.3k £+0.6k £-2.0k £-0.2k £-0.6k £-1.9k

It is encouraging to see the increased level of donations as well as the voluntary receipts from the different ministries that The Living Well offers. It underlines the fact that the ministry is increasing, and it also appreciated. The decline in investment Income continues to be caused by the sales of investments which became necessary for cash flow purposes.

We were greatly blessed to receive significant grants from the Dorothy Kerin (Burrswood) Trust. These amounted to £27.8k and relate to the 2 financial years of that trust – 2023/24 and 2024/25. With this money we have been able to finance particular aspects of our ministry and in 2025 will be able to replace one of the garden Pods. During 2024 an Impact Statement was prepared for submission to the Dorthy Kerin Trust and this revealed certain expenditure which had not been charged against their grant. Accordingly the expenditure analysis for 2023 has been restated to show a position commensurate with the figures supplied.

Normal expenditure reduced as we were without an ordained paid assistant chaplain and the Lead Chaplain reduced her working week by 1 day.

Operational results can be summarised as follows:

Operational income (exc Inv Income) Operational costs Gross Operational Loss	2024 £ 35.3k £ 61.4k £(26.1k)	2023 £ 36.2k £ 69.0k (restated) £(32.8k) £ 7.9k *£(24.9k)* *£10.7k* £ 5.0k £18.4k *£-2.7k*
Investment Income *Net Operational Loss*	£ 7.1k *£(19.0k)*
*Restricted Funds B/F*	*£-2.7k*
Restricted Funds: Trust Income Restricted Funds: Costs *Restricted Funds In Hand*	£29.3k £10.1k *£16.5k*

Assets of The Living Well have increased by £2.1k in 2023 (decrease of £28.7k in 2023) and this can be attributed to the following:

Net Operational Loss Net (decrease)/increase in Restricted Funds Realised gain/(loss) on investments sold during year Unrealised gain/(loss) on investments Total Reduction in Assets	2024 £(19.0k) £ 19.2k £ (1.2k) £ 3.1k £ 2.1k	2023 £(24.9k) £(13.4k) £ 1.0k £ 8.6k £(28.7k)

The gains on investments reflect the continued strength of financial markets up until the more recent volatility because of the imposition of import tariffs in the USA.

As always, the trustees never cease to be amazed by God’s wonderful provision for this wonderfully valued ministry over many years. The Living Well is now in its 17[th] year and our reach continues to grow throughout Canterbury Diocese and beyond. We pray that we can continue to be a blessing to all who seek us out.

Political and Charitable donations: No such donations were made in the financial year.

The Living Well

Receipts and Payments for the period 1st January to 31st December 2024

					Restated
Unrestricted 2024	R	estricted 2024	Total 2024	*Unrestricted* *2023*	*Restricted* *2023*	*Total* *2023*
8,803.71 1,104.40 5,804.53 4,212.08 3,184.38 23,109.10 275.00 299.16 - 1,739.53 985.00 690.00 6,171.85 1,220.52 11,381.06 787.20 7,089.91 - - -		- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1,500.00 27,822.36 29,322.36	8,803.71 1,104.40 5,804.53 4,212.08 3,184.38 23,109.10 275.00 299.16 - 1,739.53 985.00 690.00 6,171.85 1,220.52 11,381.06 787.20 7,089.91 1,500.00 27,822.36 29,322.36	2,574 1,167 14,938 2,918 5,159 *26,756*	- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5,000 *5,000*	2,574 1,167 14,938 2,918 5,159 *26,756* 65 - 55 1,408 824 839 5,001 665 *8,857* *551* 7,897 - 5,000 *5,000*
				65 - 55 1,408 824 839 5,001 665 *8,857*
				*551*
				7,897
				- - 0
42,367.27		29,322.36	71,689.63	*44,061*	*5,000.00*	*49,061*
4,222.36 58.00 1,069.97 5,350.33 136.35 952.59 716.28 2,183.85 3,674.26 962.59 8,625.92 24,934.46 - 2,764.95 15,585.50 3,118.40 - - 992.88 50.00 47,446.19		- 2,598.25 - 2,598.25 800.98 - - - - - 800.98 1,663.98 359.86 - 2,158.44 - 695.90 955.95 - 900.00 6,734.13	4,222.36 2,656.25 1,069.97 7,948.58 937.33 952.59 716.28 2,183.85 3,674.26 962.59 9,426.90 26,598.44 359.86 2,764.95 17,743.94 3,118.40 695.90 955.95 992.88 950.00 54,180.32	3,605 1,370 1,239 6,213 205 1,216 1,225 2,202 1,613 849 7,311 24,766 6,789 4,643 14,623 - 1,292 1,430 1,001 900 55,445	0.00 3,207.79 0.00 3,207.79 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 7,177.50 4,879.89 0.00 2,245.44 0.00 0.00 939.45 0.00 0.00 15,242.28	3,605 4,578 1,239 9,421 205 1,216 1,225 2,202 1,613 849 7,311 31,943 11,669 4,643 16,869 - 1,292 2,369 1,001 900 70,687
61,422.44		10,133.36	71,555.80	68,969	*18,450.07*	*87,419*
(19,055.17)		19,189.00	133.83	*(24,907)*	*(13,450.07)*	*(38,357)*

225,814.59		(2,735.39)	223,079.20	241,100	10,714.68	251,815
(19,055.17) (1,181.26) 3,141.51		19,189.00	133.83 (1,181.26) 3,141.51	(24,907) 1,032 8,590	(13,450.07)	(38,357) 1,032 8,590
208,719.67		16,453.61	225,173.28	225,815	(2,735.39)	223,079
2024 9,861.94 74,916.78 140,394.56 - Dec-24 Value/Share 2312.27	84,778.72 140,394.56 225,173.28 Value 140,394.56 *140,394.56*	84,778.72		2023 17,871.52 330.03 137,253.05 67,624.60 2023 Number 6071.72 55199.25	18,201.55 204,877.65 223,079.20 Dec-23 Value/Share 2260.53 122.51	Value £137,253 £67,625 *£204,878*

Summary of Cash Movements Lloyds BankCurrent Account brought forward CBF Deposit Fund brought forward Total Cash Funds brought forward PlusReceipts General Fund Sale of investments Grants Received LessPayments General Fund Grants Expended TOTAL CASH FUNDS AT PERIOD END Made up of: Lloyds Bank Current Account CBF Deposit Fund		Actual 2024	*Actual* 2023
		£17,871.52 £330.03 £18,201.55 42,367.27 66,443.34 29,322.36 61,422.44 10,133.36	21,229 330 21,559 44,061 35,000 5,000 75,573 11,846
		84,778.72	18,202
		9,861.94 74,916.78	17,872 330
		84,778.72	18,202

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ Charity Name members of THE LIVING WELL On accounts for the 31[ST] DECEMBER 2024 Charity no 1123792 year ended (if any) Set out on pages (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)

Report to the trustees/ members of

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 December 2023.

Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report 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 the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Date: Signed: 29 April 2025 ~~—~~ Name: KEVIN FUNNELL ~~Ce~~ Relevant professional qualification(s) or body F.M.A.A.T. (if any): Address: 10 Nutberry Close Teynham Sittingbourne Kent ME9 9SP

October 2018

Kevin Funnell F.M.A.A.T.

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters 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 .

NONE

October 2018

Kevin Funnell F.M.A.A.T.