Staplehurst Free Church
Reports and Financial Statements
For the year ended 31 October 2021
Company number: 06725987
Charity number: 1127205
*ABIBKIPS*
0410412022
COMPANIES HOUSE
#231

REFERENCE AND ADMINSTRATION INFORMATION
Trustees
T Hawgood
R Howse
R Laming
Mrs K Minett
G. Smith
Address of the principal office of the charlty
Staplehur¥t Free Church
Station Road
Staplehurst
Kent
TN12 OQQ
Independent Examiner
Mr L.C. Seal FCCA FAIA
Blain Pritchard
74 Colleg• Road
Maidstone
Kent
ME15 6SL
Treasurer
Mr Roger Ba5hford
Bankers
National Westminster Bank pl
Maidstone Branch
3 High Street
Maid5tone
Kent
ME14 1XU

TRUSTEES REPORT
The trustees are pleased to present their rewt together with the financial statements for the year
ended 31 October 2021. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the
Comparties Act 2006 arKI the Statement of Recommended Practi¢e •.￿oUnt1ng and Reporting by
Charities" (SORP) effective from January 2015.
STRUCTURE. MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE
The charity is a company limited by guarantee. wilh a Memorandum and Articles of Association as
its goveming document. It was incorporated on 16th October 2008. Previously Staplehursl Free
Church. whiGh began in the home of one of the founder members in 1.969, was an unincorporated
charity govemed by a Trust Deed.
The Constitution of Slaplehurst Free Church se&S Out the rules on ho¥v the organisalion will operate
on a day-to-day basis. This documen.t sets out the purpose. statement of faith, vision, mission and
goals. It also contains provisions regarding membership, the governaice of Ihe church through
the leadership team (comprising elders and deacons) and their appoir.Iment and responsibilities,
the option to appoint a remunerated pastor, the conduct of church meetings and reference lo the
role of trustees. In the event of a conlict between the conslitution and tlie Memorandum and
Articles of Association, then the Memorandum and Articles of Association have preference.
After the unexpected and unplanned departure of the previoLiS pastor who had caused significant
unrest amongst the membership. the Interim Leadership Team continLied to successfully lead the
Church. This team is made up of members with significant historic involvement in and experience
of Church life. They also de'Jeloped a plan to formalising their roles fo", a further hyo years using
the processes defined in the organisation's ConstitLrtion. The Leadership Team comprises-.
Terence Hawgood (Elder)
8ob Howse (Deacon)
Mary Howse
Kate Henry
Clive Jones (previous pastor)
The members of the Charity may by ordinary resolution appoint a person who is willing to act as a
Trustee either to fill a vacancsi or as an addrtional Trustee at a General Meeting in accordance with
the Articles of Association.
As at the dale of this report the following are thp charity's trustees an*J directors for the purposes of
the Companies Act.. -
Bob Howse
Terence Hawgood
Roy Laming
Gralam Smith
KBlhryn Minett
The Leadership Team and the Trustees conslantly review the various policies of the church to
ensure it uses best practice across all activities. supported by having appropriate policies in place
including but not limited lo the Equal Opporturirties Policy and Ethos S+alement, Safeguarding
Policy for Chil(iren and Vulnerable Ad'Jlts. Pastoral Care Policy. Acceptable Behaviour Policy,
Mission Funding Policy, Health & Safety Policy including the Food Hyaiene Poliw, Premises
Security Policy and the Fire Safety Pc.licy. Dunng this reporting period iNork continued on

enhancing govemance aiTangement¢ in¢luding drafting amendrnents.*? the Constilution, th￿.
development of a Members and VolL'Yteers Handbook, updating the I'iCC-Ptable Behai'iour Policy
and the apppintment of an independent moderator should difficuliies ?rise betsveen tho pastgr,
trustees, and o.her l•adership. Risk assessmenls were also compiled ior activities as required.by
Government guidelines for Covid and are now being implemented for ')11 activrties on a routinq
basis.
CHARITABLE OBJECTIVES & ACTIVITIES
The objects and goals of Staplehurst Free Church are set out in the Momorandum of Association
and expanded in the Constitution, these being a vision being for a Spiiit-filled churGh released into
corporate praise and worship and to be an effertive witness to the community, to seNe some of
the many and diverse needs of the communty of Staplehurst and to be involved in the wider
mission of the church overseas. The mission statement is summed up in the key statement-
°Enabling everyone to know Jesus and grow in a personal relationship wrth Him" We strive to
monitor the needs of the communrty matching them to our resources and identifying opportunities
for offering God's love to those in need.
PUBLIC BENEFIT
All Truste.es gille their time voluntarily and receive no benefit from the charity. The trustees nave
complied 'Nith ;he duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to hav& ue regard to FJblic Be.nefit
guidance published bs the Charities C."ommissicn.
We aim lo .qerve some of the many nEeds of ou-, community through a diverse range of activities.
As for many charities and rhurches. the Covid pandemic p￿sented bo'.h signifi-2nt operatlgnal
challenges but also some new opportunities. Nearly all in-building sen-ices and activities were
suspendpd for periods ￿c8￿,$e of thE national lockdowns and restrid_ions introduced by the
Government. In-building Sunday Services did resume for a short timp* at Ihe end of 2020 and tlien
regularly from April 2021. In the intervening period. online and outdooi. broadcasts. meetings and
events Ivere developed including vepi successful Christmas and Easter Trails and festive
broadcasls. In the Summar of 2021 a senes of family friendly 'Summe:.- Specials. were held. in the
Churcl witli very good attendalice ar,d on other Sundays the Kids C￿lI]rch was also re-instigaled
alongside the main worshio and leaching services. Online streaming cf services has continued
even though in-person rp.eetings are being held: these been successti'.l in enabling those feeling
)iulnerab5e or unwell to ￿rna1n Gonnecled as part of the Church communlty. The online streaming
is also enqaging with a much broader communty locally, regionally an.J na.ionally beyond ¥vhal is
possible with just in-building meetings and we see this activity continii."4g for the fO￿Seeable
fvture. Two Alp*a Courses were also run online for people interested li exploring the Christian
faith.
The ChJrch has for over 20 years hei4 a successful iveekly Mothers aid Toddlers group vihich
had lo be suspended because of Coiiid ',estrictions. During this period I was recognised that
parents with a newly bom child We￿ becoming oarti¢ula¢iy isolated ￿-￿. h limited or no suppo,1 from
slate Servi￿$. The 'FreeBees' group therefore changed approach lo tecome 8 SUPPOrt grr.u? for
these Pdrents and this has become Piighly valued wrt* around 40 partsits on tha registe.r ai any one
time,. the r7ajoritJ of whom attend every week and a warting list is the:-,:fore needing lo be
operated. More meaningful supportive relationships can develop, bot',1 parents with each other and
paren+s with staff enabling coaching,.guIdan￿ and signposting to add ional support being able to
be offered when identified. 11 has therefore been decided'to focus the i¥ork of the Fre.eBees activity
solely oi Ihe demographic of new parents in Staplehurst with one or M.0￿ children under tsvo
years old.
The other concem for people in our Iccal ¢ommunity that arose during the pandemic was financial
hardship and food insecurily. Througl? observation of a temporary parish-council led community

hub, it was clear that some sort of pennanent food and compassionate support seNice was
required but not necessarily in the form of a food bank model. In Marci) 2a21 the new 'Shepherd's
Pantry, inilialive was lauii ched which ivould have four activities.. (al Htsg-in-a-Box wh ch is a gift of
Ireats for people in difficJJlt circumstan￿$ lo help them feel better supported and create a dialogue
for signposting into other services- Ib) Pantry P¢ircels which is the provision of a box of food as
meals for a week for a household in crisis (c) the Community Fridge ￿1,,￿1ch enable5 people Short of
food or money lo access provisions ir a dignified wai through provid r..9 access to food that is
good to eat but would otheTwise go to waste- (d) a Coffee Shop whicl! will help tackle social
isolation. By the end of this finanrjal year some 35 Hug-in-a-Box parcels and several Pantry
Parcels liad been distributed and planning work on the Fridge and Co7ee Shop projects was very
well advanced and getting ready for tleir launch.
Other spiritual and social support activities resumed in the autumn of ry021 ircluding the v￿eklY
Prayer Meeting, Men's Walking Group, the Community Choir and Badminton sessions. A local
'Inlerest Group, typically attended by senior crtizens. also decided to base their weekly meetings in
our Chijrch building as their existing v?nue was no longer suitable in relation to Covid mitigation
especially as numerous medically vulnerable people typically attended.
Onè of tne cornerstone aclivtlies of the Church is providing financial support for a variety of t￿.1rd-
party charitable organisation and we gre pleased to be able lo report ¥.'e have sustaip.ed this
aclivity through the continuous gener.ius donations of our members Lind regular attendees. These
financial gift*
are channelled through our Missionary Fund- for detailq see the Note 2 under the
heading "Projects" in the Notes to the financial statements. Speaking 11!)portunities were also
provided to representatives of some cf these organisations which stirp.ulated additiorial donation5.
In addition. Ilp Church once again supported and acled as a "droppin.J off point" for shoeboxes
filled with toys as part of Samaritan Pijrse's Operatioi Christmas Chilc, Appeal and 267 boxos
w•re collevled and passed on to the proieGI organisers. Rent-free offif.0 50ace and fi Inding support
WAS a'.so ￿￿rovIded to Staolehurst's DeSt Advi￿ Ceni?i .
FUTURE PLANS
The ChLvrch has remained very active, sustainaole and vibrant throug:" the unprecedented
challenges our srriety has faced. The focus for the coming year is on :'e-instatement and
development of activities for communily support and benefit, whether 'ry person or online, and
wilhin the c?nstraints of any Covid related regulaLions that may come into for￿. Tho Church
leadership is also lookiilg ahead lo towards future developments and anhancements to the iyork of
the Church as and when they becorne possible. Plans inclvdp.=
Appointing the Leadership Team for a further yea%*
ontinuing succession planniri3 incluoing meeting regularly wri activity leaders, rnee+ing
regularly one-lo-one adults in the church. and continuing to eYi)lora opportup.ities for
employing a pastor if and when funds pemirt.
Enhancing work supporting Children and Families
Continuation and enhancernent of online broadcasting activities
Launching the Shepherds Pantry community fridge and coffee tshop
P%emaining finaiicially sustain4Jble.
Continuing to servico the moryjage and interest free loan. the13tter of whictr, is targeted to
be p￿icI oft within three years.
ConlinLiing to maximise use Oi the church premises for our ow.'- avtiiiities and functions and
for the benefit of the wider community
Enhancing governance documents including adjuslmenls to liie Constitution and further
development of the members & volunteers, Cperat￿n3 and sta".:
handbooks

FINANCIAL REVIEW
Cash at hand in the bank account at a"1# October 2021 was £26.117. An amount within this ol
£10,oao is ringfenced as reseTres whpvth covers 6 months of fixed exy. nditure which the trustees
consider to be adefjuate. Ttrie remainder is available for projects and activities as needed.
The Buildin
ect
All income to the building fund was prioritised toviards the monthly mortgage payments and
repayrnenl of interest free loans resulting from the complele redevelopment of the Church site
culminating with the opening of the new building in De￿mber 2013. The target is to repay all
interest free loans by the end of October 2024 and an action plan is in hand to achieve this. (See
Notes 3 and 4 of the Notes to the financial statements).
Trustees, res
onsibilities
Company law requires the trustees to prepare fi_nan￿aI statemenls for each financial year which
give a true and fair view of the state cf affairs of Ihe charity at the year end and of its incorne and
expenditure during the year. In preparing these financtal statements. he trustees are required to..
select suitable accounting pclicies ancl apply them consistently.
make judgments and estimales that are reasonable and pnJdant'.
• state whether applicable accounting standards and statemer.ls of recommended practice
have been followed
subject to any material departures disclosed and explained iri the financial statements.,
and
.prepare th• fi.nancial statempnts on a going con￿rn basis un'.ess rt is inappropriate to
presume that the
charity will continue in business.
The trustees are required to keep proper accounting records which di¢close with reasonabie
accuracy at any time the financial po¢ition of the charity and enable thAm to ensure that the
financial statements comply with the Companies Acl 2006. They are klso responsible for
safeguarding the assets of the charity and for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and
detection of fraud and olhAr irregularities.
Approved b
e managing tnjstees ond signed on their behalf by
R Laming

Independent Examinerfs Report to the Trustees of Stsplehurst Fr,*e Church
I report on the financial statements o! Staplehurst Free Churth for the year ended 31 October
2021.'which are set out on pages 8 te 13.
Resp.ective responsibilities of truslees and examiner
The trustees (who are also the diredors of the company for the purposes of company.lawl are
responsible for the preparation of the financial 5tatement5 in accordanpe wilh the requirements of
the Companies Act 2006 {'the 2006 Act.).
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are Ilot required lo be audited
under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of
my oxamination of the charity's financial statements as carried out unoer section 145 of the
Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act)- In carying out my examination I have followed the Directions
given by the Charity Commission under section 145(bl of the 2011 Att..
This report, including my slatement. has been prepared for and only for the charity's trustees as a
body. My work has been undertaken so that I might state to the charity's twstees those matters I
am required to state to them in an independent examinerfs report and for no other purpose. To the
fullest extent pemitted by law. I do not accept or assume responsibiliti to anyone other than the
charity and the. charitji 's trustees as a body for my examination work. f.)r this roport, or for the
statements I have made.
8asis of independent examinerfs report
M Ji examination was carried oul in ac:=ordance wrth the general Dirert'"ons given by the Chariti
Commission. An examination includes a review of ihe accounting reccrds kept by the charitv and
comparison of the financial slaternents presenled with those records. It also includes consideration
of any ijnusual items or d sclosures ip the financial s•atements and sepkiig explanations from you
as trustees Con￿mIng any such maV.J?rs. The procedures undertaker.. do not provide 211 the
evideiice t*at would be required in ar.. audit. and consequently no opinion is given as to whether
the financial statements present a 'true and fair view. and the report is limited to those matter5 set
out in Ihe statement below.
Independent exarTriner's statement
In connec+.ion wrth my examination, which is corn￿ete. no matters havA come to my attention
whictri give me ￿ asonable cause to believe that in any material respec.t'.'
accounting records were not kept in respect of Staplehurst Free Church in accordance with
ecTion 386 of the 2006 Act., or
the financial statemenls do no,. accord with those records.. or
the financial statemenls do not comply Vylth the accounting requirements of section 396 of
the ?006 Act other than any requirement thal the financial statements give a Irue and fair,
view whicki is not a matter considered as part of an independer.t examination", or
the financial stalements have iol been wepared in accordance will the Methods and
principals of the Statement of ?ecommended Practice for accnjnting and reporting by
charities lappii=able to charities preparing their accounts in accordanc￿ with the Financial
Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Irelar.d IFRS 102>].
I have no noncerns and have come a-ross no o+her matters in conned.ion wtlh the examination to
which, in wy opinion, atten.ion shoulcl bp drawn ill order to enable a F"'oper understanding -
financia,. s"iatements to be reached.
Signed..
Mr L. C. Seal FCCA FAIA
Blain Pritchard, Chartered Certrfied Accountants
74 College Road, Maidstone, Kent ME1 6SL
Date..
Trls

Staplehurst Free Chur¢h
Statement of financial activities
for the year ended 31 Oetober
2021
Genernl
Misssonary
Fund
Youth
Boilding
Fund
Total
Total
2020
Note
Fund
Fund
2021
Income
t)onation5
Y..114
10,213
2.126
12
"24,228 64,481
272
. 10,485
65,038
4.454
Sundry incc
B8Yk interest
Inland RevenL
13,289
13,289
11.484
Total Inct)me
57,616
2.126
12
28.504 88,258
81.￿7
Expendlture
Projècls
Sundry èy.pense$
PIDfessional and legal fees
Salaries 8nd wages
Inland Rev¢nu
Depreciw.ion
.222
. 13.307
100
13.529
18.1CQ
12,082
9.679
89
7.604
17,192
12.957
16.037
3.611
25.2C* 25.208 25.208
18,IXKI
6.217
9.679
89
49
5.81$
Total expendllure
34,20B
13.407
49
31.024
78.688 82,720
Net incomellexpenditurèl
before transfers
-11.2S1
47
-2.520
9.571
-1.713
Translers bèts¥een funds
-15.914
8.476
-1.248
Net I￿orne1(expendi￿reI
after transfers
7,495
-2.8Q5
-1.285
6.166
9.571
-1,713
Balane• brouglt forward
at 1 Novèmber
3.484
1.285
822,881 861.496 863.209
Balance carried forw•rd
at 31 October
31.341
679
839.047 871.C67 861.496

taplèhurst Free Church
Balance sheet at 31 October
2021
neral IAis$lonory
Fund
Fund
Youth 8u:-liJing
Fund
Fund
Totsl
Totsl
2020
2021
Not•
Fixed assets
Building Cost
1,2eo,400 1.260,400 1,260.400
Depreciation for the year
Accumulated depreciation
-25.208
.25.208
-25.208
-202402 -202.402
-177.195
Nel building value
1,032,79) 1,032.7￿ 1.057,997
Current assets
Cash al bank and in hand
25.438
679
26,117
2A,3S7
Debtors
Grft Aid recoverable
Holiday pay
Liabilities: amounts
falling due within one
year
Accruals
Holiday pay accruals
Loans
Mortgage
7.329
7.329
5.938
1.160
1,160
266
1.159
521
1C6.667
4,707
eo.000
4,948
80.C
4.948
Net current
assetsllliabilities)
21.341
679
-84.948
.52.928
2,759
Long-terni Liabilities
Mortgage
1CE8.795
108,795
113,743
.11.341
679
Net assets
871.¢X7
861,495
Funds..
Genaral.Fund .
"Missiona*i i Fund
Youtb. Fund
Building Fund
House party Fund
1.341
31,341
679
23.846
3.484
1,285
832,881
679
?9,047
839,047
Total funds
31,341
679
871,C67
861.496

The TnJslee$ consider that Ib.e ¢harity 1$ entitled to exemption from the requirement to have an audrt Lpnder
the provisions Gf section 477 of the Companies Act 20061"The Act") and mer,ibers hale nol required the
charity to obtsin an audit for the year in quests.on in accordance wilh section é:76 of the A.ct. The Trustees
a¢knowledge their responsibilrties for ensiJring that the chartty keeps account."hg records whi¢h ¢omply with
seclibn 096 of the Ac4 and for preparing financial stalemenls which give a two and fair v.'ew of the stale of
affairs cf ttr,e charity as al 31 October 20£1 and of its 5uTplus for the year ther. enyed in accoj-dance with the
requirements of section 396 of th* Act anéj which othenmise eompty with the r:quiremenls of tfr.e Companies
Act 2006 ￿lating to the f nancial statemeits so far as appltcable to the charitr:,.
Approved by.he
naging T"nJstees on sKJned on their behalf by
Da'ts........
Roy Latr?ing
10

Saplehurst Free Church
. Notes to the financial statements
for the year ended 31 October 2021
Accounting policies
Basis of accounting
The financial statements have been prepared under the histori￿al cost convention and in
accordance with applicable United Kingdom accounting stand2rds and the Companies Act
2006. In preparing the financial statements the trusl follows be.st practice as laid down in
the Statement of Recommended Practice "Accounting and Reporting by Charities" issued
by l*e Charity Commission effective from January 2015.
Income
E'ona•ions and intorest receiva are a¢cgrJnted for in t44 yea.- :-" which the trL'St is ep.t¢.led to
E.Yppndlture
-411 ey.ppnditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and. in occordance wilh the
reqLtirtsament of th¢J SORP, and has been dassified under headiogs that aggregate all rosts
ri>l?&ed to that category.
In acco.-dance with the requirements of the Statement of Recommended Practice
"A-CgLlil:ing and Reporting by Charities" all expenditure has beS￿n classif5ed under standard
headings- Ithe c*arity has taken advan':age of concessions prt)vided by SORP and
prepared headings to suit the charily as opposed to by activity ￿tegOr[e$ which would
appli to larger charities subjected to an auditl.
Dep￿CiatIon on the building is depreaated on a straight-line basis over 50 years.
Funds
The general fund is gvailable lor use at the discretion of the tni.-tees in furtheran￿ of the
gen4ral obje¢iives ofthe charty.
D.esignated funds are unrestriK•tÈd funds earmarked by the Tni-xees fGr particiilar purposes.
Details of designated funds are as follows-
P¥IlSSionary ￿nd- used for i*e support of missionaries over.•eas and in the UK and
charilie
Pl￿.1$S1on organisat.:?ns as approved by the Leadero.'ip Team.
You¥h fund - pre'iious used to subsidise youth activities_ Gi%eii that there are no
teenager-specific activities 3t present it was decided that th.i ) fund should be closed and
tlie small residue transferred into the general fund to supporl other artivities.
Res*ricted lunds are funds whi=h are to be used in accordance viith sperifiG restrictions .
iniposed by the donor. Details of restrittied funds are as follow?.
Building fund - specifically for the repayment of the loans taken out to complete the
on4trurtion of the church building.

Projects
To'al
2020
2021
Bamabus Fund
Children's Trust
Community Centre for Debt Advice - Staplehurst
Emmanuel Press UK
Falconer Trust
Family Trusl
GideonslGood New5 for Everyone
Maidslone Street Pastors
Open Doors
Orphaids UK
Project Ecuador
Release International
Samaritan's Purse
Smelhurs• Ministries
Tecirfiund
Tor-h Trust
Others
100
225
300
352
815
1,200
300
500
1,300
500
200
1,182
1.195
500
1.000
200
1,100
432
800
1,085
620
600
1,175
600
472
Loans
ioan.s totalling £311.000 have been made by Church members since March 2012. Over
thty past vear £26,667 has been repaid using funds from the bLiilding fund. The balance of
£eo,oDo has been reouested by the lender to be ￿paid within 3 years and an action plan is
in hand to fulfil this.
Mortgage
A loan of £150.000 was completed on 3 April 2012 from the Childs Charitable Trust at the
rate of 5.5CA Ivanable) repayable over 25 years payable by mcnthly instalments of capital
and interest of £876.89 the first payment having been made cn 1 Jurie 2012. The loan is
secured on the land and build-:ng at Station Road. Staplehurst.
Analysis of staff costs. trustee remuneration and expenses
2021
2020
Salaries and wa
es
Social securit
costs
Pension COSIS
9.679.49
87.72
822.74
16.037
3.611
1,592
No employees had employee benefits in exce.ss of £60.000 {2920'. £nili The adrninistrator
role continued to be filled on a part time basis throughout the v,'hole year.
The charity trustees were not paid or received any other benefits in the year ,or undertaking
12

this Voluntary role (2020." £nil). Any expenses incurred were reimbursed in the same Miay as
with other church members. No charity trustee received payment for professional or other
SerK'i￿S supplied to the charity (2020: £nil).
Related Party Transactions
Tlere hale been no related party transactions in the year {202.?.: £nil).
13