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2020-12-31-accounts

Annual Report and Accounts

Charity No. 1124548

Company No. 6563119

year ending 31st December 2020

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Buxton Church in the Peak

Directors’ Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] December 2020

Contents

  1. Reference and Administrative Details

  2. Structure, Governance and Management

  3. Objectives and Activities

  4. Achievements, Performance and Public Benefit

  5. 4.1 The Source

  6. 4.2 Buxton Partnerships

  7. 4.3 National & International Partnerships

  8. Financial Review

  9. Plans for the Future

  10. Acknowledgements

  11. Accounts for Year ended 31[st] December 2020

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1. Reference and Administrative Details

Charity name: Buxton Church in the Peak Registered Charity Number: 1124548 Company Limited by Guarantee Registered Number: 6563119 Charity's Registered Office: The Source 7, Terrace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6DR Tel: 01298 71975 (church office) Email: info@citp.co.uk Directors (Trustees): Mr Jon Parsons (Church co-leader) Mrs Jo Parsons (Church co-leader) Dr Susan Read Mrs Debbie Lockyer Mr Charles Oakley Mr Simon Graham Mr Clive Gerrard Mr Julian Hayes Company Secretary: Mr Charles Oakley 116, Macclesfield Road, Buxton, SK17 9AD Tel: 01298 23935 Email: chas_oakley@yahoo.co.uk Finance Director: Mr Julian Hayes (to November 2020) Bankers: The Co-Operative Bank

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2. Structure, Governance and Management

Introduction

The Directors of Buxton Church in the Peak are pleased to present their Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] December 2020.

The Directors confirm that the annual report and financial statements of the charitable company comply with current statutory requirements, the requirements of the charity’s governing document, the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” issued in March 2005 and the requirement to report on “Public Benefit.”

Governing Document and Constitution

Buxton Church in the Peak became a registered charitable trust on 5[th] August 2001 governed by a Declaration of Trust, with Dr Susan Read as Chair and Charity Official. We started to operate as a Company Limited by Guarantee from 1[st] January 2009 and are now governed by a Memorandum of Articles and Association with a board of Directors which includes the leaders of the church.

Throughout 2020 Mr Jon Parsons, Mrs Jo Parsons, Mr Charles Oakley, Dr Susan Read, Mr Simon Graham, Mrs Debbie Lockyer, Mr Julian Hayes and Mr Clive Gerrard continued to serve as Trustees & Directors. Mr Charles Oakley continued to serve in the post of Company Secretary throughout the year and Mr Julian Hayes served as Finance Director until November 2020.

Management

When the church was first established, a leadership model typical of churches in the ‘New Frontiers’ group (to which Buxton Church in the Peak is affiliated) was adopted, with Elders overseeing the church. The Lead Elder of the church had principal responsibility for determining the spiritual vision and strategic direction of the church and was responsible for the management and pastoral oversight of the church and its ministries. This model of leadership was followed until the end of 2017.

Jon & Jo Parsons were appointed as joint leaders of the church at the start of 2018, supported by a leadership team which was expanded to 6 people plus Jon & Jo themselves at the start of 2020; no elders were appointed during the year although the long term intention is to appoint elders within the church.

Jon & Jo Parsons were responsible for the strategic direction of the church during 2020 along with overall management and pastoral oversight of the church and its ministries. The leadership team met regularly to ensure the effective management of church affairs and pastoral responsibilities, liaising closely with the other Directors.

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As part of our accountability structure, it is our intention that within the team of Directors, ‘non-leadership’ directors should outnumber those on the leadership team.

Selection and Recruitment of Directors

The “Articles of Association” states that "a new Trustee may be appointed by a resolution of the Trustees passed by a majority of the Trustees". A candidate's suitability for trusteeship is considered on the basis of their character, spiritual maturity and experience, both within the church and within their wider activities. The role of a church Director is explained to the candidate and their willingness and ability to serve the church by handling its financial and legal affairs is discussed with the leadership team and the existing Directors.

All Trustees are Directors and vice versa.

Induction and training of Directors

Induction of new Directors is achieved through discussions and meetings with the existing Directors and by making relevant internal documents and Charity Commission publications available to familiarise new Directors with current organisational issues and relevant charity legislation.

All Directors are encouraged to check updates on the Charity Commission website and attend training seminars on an on-going basis where these are relevant.

Risk management

The Directors meet on a regular basis to consider the financial, legal and organisational business of the church and are responsible for managing all risks relating to church activities and The Source premises (see Section 4.1). Ongoing activities of the church which may present a risk are regularly reviewed and measures are put in place to manage the risk: staff training, internal policies, public liability insurance, employer's liability insurance, indemnity policies, etc.

The church has a Child Protection Policy with written guidelines for those working with under 18's. DBS checks and child protection training sessions are arranged for those working with under 18's. The church also has a Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Policy, accompanied by practice guidelines.

There have been no “Serious Incidents” to report in 2020, but comments related to the Covid-19 pandemic are made in Section 4.

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3. Objectives and Activities

Charitable Objects and Aims

The “Memorandum of Association” states the Objects of the Charitable Company as:

As a Christian charity we aim to clearly proclaim the gospel message in a relevant and lively way and show the love of Jesus by bringing love, hope, peace and encouragement to people, especially where there has been despair, grief, loneliness, poverty and other negative life experiences.

Vision and Strategy

We aim to be a church that sees lives changed, by Jesus, one at a time by being:

We want to serve our town and beyond by working alongside other churches, charities and organisations, that we might provide caring support for those in need in Buxton, the surrounding area and beyond.

BUXTON church in the peak

a community where people can belong, believe and become…

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4. Achievements, Performance and Public Benefit

The Directors confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 4 of the Charities Act 2006 to have due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission. At Buxton Church in the Peak, we believe that we provide a range of significant public benefits through our activities:

As a charity the impact we want to make is difficult to measure in qualitative or quantitative terms but can be observed over time by seeing individual lives improved and circumstances transformed. Regular attendance and growth in numbers is a helpful indicator that an activity is working well, but would not be our sole measure of effectiveness as our objectives relate mainly to having a beneficial effect on people's lives, which often involves small changes over time.

The amount of charitable giving and the willingness of church members to give their time, skills and money to help others can also be seen as a measure of success, for without their commitment and faithful service, we could accomplish very little.

At the start of 2020 Buxton Church in the Peak was meeting in 2 congregations, both at the Source: Sunday morning and midweek. In total the church was regularly gathering about 60-80 adults and children across both of its meetings. Each congregation provided a different context and environment for people to meet and worship God. Sunday morning gatherings were a more conventional modern church meeting with lively worship and a sermon and the mid-week meeting in the Source was led by Mr Jon Parsons based around a committed and diverse group of people meeting each week to share a meal together before having a time of worship and bible study.

When the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, church gatherings ceased in accordance with Government guidance, and in their place a regular Sunday morning virtual meeting was held using the ‘Zoom’ platform, with live worship, a sermon and an opportunity for church members to interact with each other. The leadership regularly reviewed the situation to enhance the experience for church members through this medium, and to see whether physical gatherings could resume. While some socially distanced outdoor gatherings did take place during

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the Summer, indoor church meetings had not recommenced by the end of the year.

In addition to the 2 church meetings, a number of Life Groups regularly met throughout the year (in person at first, and then virtually) to share together, pray and study the Bible. Occasional midweek evening meetings also took place to draw the whole membership together and to discuss church activities, finance, vision and strategy.

During the pandemic, additional effort was made to support those affected by the pandemic, in particular those who were not able to access the internet to join with the church’s ‘virtual’ meetings so that they continued to feel part of the church community.

4.1 The Source

The Source building is wholly owned by Buxton Church in the Peak. It houses The Source Coffee Shop and the Church offices; it is also a base for Choices Counselling. It is equipped with a small counselling room, a larger training room, lift access and toilet facilities for the disabled.

The Source Coffee Shop provides excellent café facilities, offering quality service, generous hospitality, good value for money and a range of ethically sourced products. The Source Café is a separate Community Interest Company (CIC) from the Church and its accounts are therefore reported independently. The Source Café remains wholly owned by Buxton Church in the Peak, with any profits being used to support a range of charitable projects in Africa.

The Source Café regularly provides work experience for unemployed people referred by the Job Centre and other agencies, and has become a place where vulnerable or lonely people from the town can come and know that they will be welcomed and able to stay for as long as they wish in a caring environment. The Source Café staff have come to know several such individuals within the town who now see the Source Café as a ‘safe’ place to come and supportive personal relationships have been built. As such, the Source Café is an important means of fulfilling the church’s charitable objectives.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Source had to close on 20[th] March 2020 after 14 years of continuous opening. At the end of the Summer when hospitality venues were allowed to reopen, the necessary restrictions to comply with social distancing and other health and safety requirements meant that the café could not operate profitably and the difficult decision was taken to close the café permanently. The CIC was formally dissolved in November 2020 with 4 staff being made redundant.

Up until the Covid-19 restrictions came into force in March 2020, the rooms at the Source have been used as a venue for a range of church and community projects:

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The Training Room and Counselling Room were used by a number of local agencies and groups.

From the start of 2020 a programme of repair and refurbishment was commenced to address some urgent issues with the fabric of the building. Some of the costs were covered by the church’s insurance policy which also allowed for redecoration of the café.

In prior years, the church has supported a Christmas meal held at the Source Café on Christmas Day for approximately 50 local people (not just church members) who would otherwise be alone, using food and gifts donated by local businesses. This was not possible in 2020 due to the pandemic, but instead the ingredients for 130 Christmas meals were packaged and distributed to families and individuals around Buxton known to be in difficult financial circumstances or who were going to be alone on Christmas Day. In addition, 53 fuller Christmas hampers were prepared and provided to families in greater need and a number of fully cooked meals were also delivered. This was all undertaken in collaboration with the Residents of Fairfield Association who support people living under challenging conditions. Across these 2 projects, it is estimated that we helped 388 individuals.

The church also made the café space available to a collaboration of local organisations to open a ‘pop-up’ shop selling donated items. In this way local people with little available to buy gifts, could shop with dignity from wide range of affordable items. Those using the shop were either recommended by social services and other community organisations, or were screened to ensure that only those in deprived circumstances were using the service. The project was called ‘Helping Hands’ and was a great success.

4.2 Buxton Partnerships

We have been privileged to support and work in partnership with several other local groups with which we have much in common:

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4.3 National and International Partnerships

Buxton Church in the Peak is a member of the Catalyst network, part of the New Frontiers family of churches. As such, throughout 2020 we were involved with a range of activities in conjunction with ‘Catalyst’ and benefitted from events and support provided by them.

In 2020 we continued our support for the Turning Point Trust (TPT ). TPT is a Christian charity working in the Nairobi slums. Their mission is to demonstrate God's heart for the poor through programmes that relieve poverty, restore hope and transform lives amongst vulnerable children and their families. We see this partnership as very significant in the future of Buxton Church in the Peak.

5. Financial Review

Financial Position

Our income for 2020 was £52,678 (£86,208 in 2019) and our expenditure was £65,046 (£83,584 in 2019), of this expenditure on Church staff costs were £34,595 (£36,040 in 2019).

During the year we gave £10,628 to support the work of other churches and charities in Buxton, the UK and in Africa.

At the end of 2020 the Church’s assets, including the Source building and its contents, totalled £474,836.

The worsening financial position noted in the 2019 annual report continued into 2020 and while not made significantly worse by the Covid-19 pandemic, the opportunities to rectify the situation were much more limited.

The church successfully applied for a Government grant of £25,000 as part of the business support package during the pandemic, but as the main impact of the situation was on the café and its staff, the Trustees agreed that this money should all be used for the café’s purposes and was transferred to the Café CIC (Community Interest Company). As these funds passed through the church’s hands directly to the Coffee Shop, with no impact on the church’s activities, on our accountant’s advice they have been excluded from the formal accounts provided at the end of this report in order to provide a clearer year-to-year

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comparison of the church’s financial position. In addition, the church received a £2,000 Covid Business Support Grant from High Peak Borough Council which was retained and is shown in the accounts.

One of the major costs to the church is the Source building itself (utilities, maintenance, insurance, related salaries, etc.), and with the café closing and the leadership developing a new church vision, the viability of retaining the Source building has been a subject of discussion throughout the year. A decision was reached in November 2020 to sell the building and repurpose the funds raised. The monthly savings of associated costs will resolve the ongoing church financial position. At the end of the year an agent had been instructed to market the building at the highest of the various valuations received: £500,000.

* this figure includes National Insurance and PAYE tax

Remuneration of Trustees

The governing document for Buxton Church in the Peak allows for the renumeration of trustees where those in receipt are either church leaders, or providing specialist skills.

The following Trustees were remunerated for the stated amounts during 2019 for services to the church, excluding their Trustee activities for which they were not renumerated: Jon Parsons (church leader): £ 5,040 Jo Parsons (church leader): £16,400 Julian Hayes (specialist skills): £ 3,339

The justification for payment of Julian Hayes was reviewed and confirmed by the Trustees at a Trustees’ meeting on 13[th] January 2020.

Reserves Policy

The Directors have considered the level of reserves they wish to retain, appropriate to the charity's needs, based on the charity's size and the level of financial commitments held. Our current policy, and practice, is to maintain the reserve at £9,000.

6. Plans for the future

For 2021 our plans include the following:

Church vision : to develop a vision for the future of the church that will engage and enthuse church members and guide strategy and decision making over the coming years.

Church unity : to continue to look for opportunities to work more closely with other local churches and regional churches (including Church in the Peak Matlock and Chesterfield).

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To seek ways to build church ‘community’ amongst the membership and provide pastoral support where there are needs amongst our membership.

Local support : to continue to look for ways to support local charitable works with a Christian ethos.

Leadership team : to expand the leadership team and look to appoint elders at the appropriate time.

To involve more church members in the running of the church by serving in various capacities and taking responsibility for ministries.

Overseas links : to explore the possibility of developing closer links with the Turning Point Trust, working with the poor in Kenya.

Longer Term Plans : to pray for, and follow leads, for a new church building out of which we can run a range of ministries and also meet on Sundays.

Finance: to sell the Source building and bring ongoing costs in line with forecast income.

7. Acknowledgements

The Church relies on the generous hearts of individuals and God’s provision to fund its activities. So much of the work done by the church is done voluntarily by an incredibly committed church membership. The Directors are very grateful to all those who have contributed with finance, prayer, gifting and time throughout the year to enable us to have achieved so much.

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8. Accountant’s Report for Year ended 31[st] December 2020

The following report was prepared and independently examined by Layton-Lee Accountants.

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BiIXTON CHURCH IN THE PEOX )i.iZ2 31_121• NCI CLW(R84T ASSETS 450.1 450,(IJJ CURREHf ASSETS 3.170 34.767 37,9J7 10 25.93 CREDrroRS Ajr￿rts fah'r4 11 1.422 Net Cwrent A88ets 36,515 TOT￿ ASSET5 LESS CURRENT LLABILITIES 4COME FiWIDS Re8mCted f¢Jnd8 12 4SI, 22.873 452,075 13

BU￿oN CHURCH IM THE PEAX 1. OIJIATI(*IS GPMUS Tqlal 3019 407 10.432 4Z271 n5 .051 •2,TJ• 2. 14VE$niEIU$ Tftsl Tdal 2015 16 16 3. OTTrER ACTivf¥E$ T•W 19 4 CPKJRCH COST$ TOW X19 35.4•) 874 Payrc41 ts•s 492 14

BUXtON CHURCH IN THE PEPX & ThE SOURCE BuifANG COSTS 0.842 t.74S 1.745 1.143 Q71 4.108 3.U78 2.478 2.4n 17 Ctri•StITABLE ACII¥ITE$ T*al 3019 5.881 3.lYJ •.027 47 32 FIF fvjn day 9.939 7. TRUSTEES 3.339 2{779 15

BUXT014 CHURCH IN THE PE TMIGIBLE FIXED ASSETS 450.C 9. DEBTORS xi• 10. CASH AT BAK IID • TrL4ND 01 Cwr•rtA¢<•thi 1Urrn•kt￿ 2).419 2.075 •227 h•pJ 31,707 11. CREtMTOR$ Xllp 1.422 1.422 16

Bu￿oN CHURCH IN THE PEAK IZ INCOIIE FifvIDS 451.903 452.07 23.415 92Z7 92x1 11.422 3,170 17