## **Annual Report** ## **and** ## **Financial Statements** ## **of the** ## **Parochial Church Council** ## **St Lawrence Church, Biddulph** **for the year ended 31 December 2024** ## **Registered Charity: St. Lawrence Church charity no: 1127353** ## **Incumbent:** Will Drain ## **Bank:** National Westminster ## **Independent Examiner:** Mr. K.R. Salt BK Plus Limited 2-6 Adventure Place Hanley Stoke on Trent ST1 3AF ## **Contents** |Page 1|Index| |---|---| |Pages 2-3|PCC Treasurers Report| |Page 4|Independent Examiners Report| |Pages 5-6|Receipts and Payments Account| |Page 7|Statement of Assets and Liabilities| |Page 8|Notes to the Accounts| 1 ## **Finance Report for 2024 Accounts** ## **General Comment on the Accounts** The method used to prepare the accounts is on the Payment and Receipt system. The software used for keeping the accounts is called “MyFundAccounting.Online” which is produced by a company called Data Developments. The Lichfield Diocese decided they would encourage churches in the Diocese to use this software and pay the monthly fee for its use. Lichfield Diocese are also encouraging churches to use “MyGiving.Online” (also produced by Data Developments) to maintain Gift Aid records and make claims directly with HMRC rather than through the Diocese. These claims are made monthly and during the year the church has received £18,913. There is an outstanding amount owed by HMRC of £1,371 for the month of December which will arrive in the church account mid-January. An overview of the accounts shows that our cash balances across all funds has decreased by £13,527 and the value of investments decreased by £1,099. All invoices have been paid, with none outstanding. ## **Individual Fund comments for 2024:** There have been no major costs throughout the year with regard to the buildings. Maintenance of the buildings has been kept to a minimum to keep down costs as much as possible. The cost of living rises that we have all experienced have definitely hit St. Lawrence during 2024. Energy contracts came to an end and had to be renewed with prices greatly increased. The costs of Gas and Electric combined have risen by £6,450 over this year. Energy costs have now started to decrease and my hope is that this will be reflected when we come to renew contracts in 2025. The National Minimum Wage has been increased by a considerable amount which has meant that the church salary bill has increased too. We have maintained our giving to charities; people have been very generous at various times throughout the year and combined with the money agreed by the PCC from the general fund the total given to a variety of charities was £12,244. 2 ## **Outlook for 2025** The budget agreed by the PCC for 2025 shows a deficit of approximately £18,000. This budget does not include any major work to be carried out on the Church or Church Hall as there are currently not sufficient funds available for such work. Such a large budget deficit cannot continue year on year. Please consider this as you review your giving to the work of God at St. Lawrence’s during this coming year. Please pray that God would provide for the work of His Church at St. Lawrence always remembering that we as individuals may be part of His answer. Finally, please may I say thank you to the many people who are involved in the various different aspects of the Church finances: Funeral and Wedding Fees, Gift Aid, Collection Counters, members of the Finance Committee, those who bank the cash offerings and donations, Church Hall Fees; all jobs that are so important to the smooth running of the Church finances. Paul Roebuck January 2025 3 ## **Independent Examiner's report to the trustee of St Lawrence Church, Biddulph** I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of St Lawrence Church (Biddulph) for the year ended 31 December 2024, which are set out on pages 5 to 8. ## **Responsibilities and basis of report** As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements at the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”) I report in respect of my examination of the Trustees accounts carried out under s.145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under s145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act. ## **Independent examiner's statement** I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: - (1) accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by s.130 of the Act; or - (2) the accounts do not accord with those records 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 ## **K.R. Salt** BK Plus Limited Chartered Certified Accountants 2-6 Adventure Place Hanley Stoke on Trent ST1 3AF 4 ## **St. Lawrence Church, Biddulph** ## **Financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2024** ## **Receipts and Payments Account** |**Receipts**
**Donations and legacies**
0101 - Gift Aid - Bank
0110 - Gift Aid - Envelopes
0201 - Other planned giving
0301 - Loose plate collections
0401 - Mission/Charities
0550 - Donations appeals etc
0601 - Tax recoverable on Gift Aid
0701 - Legacies
0801 - Recurring grants
**Donations and legacies Totals**
**Income from charitable activities**
0902 - Youth Work Income from Subscriptions
1101 - Fees for weddings and funerals
1210 - Church Events
1230 - Church and Hall lettings
**Income from charitable activities Totals**
**Other trading activities**
1240 - Church hall Renewable Energy
1260 - Magazine Sales and Photocopy use
**Other trading activities Totals**
**Investments**
1001 - Dividends
1020 - Bank and building society interest
1030 - Rent from lands or buildings
**Investments Totals**
**Other income**
1310 - Insurance claims
1330 - Refunds
**Other income Totals**
**Total Receipts**|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Designated**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total 2024**
**Total 2023**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**| |---|---| ||52,315
-
9,461
61,776
78,391
6,927
-
-
6,927
5,566
6,620
-
1,440
8,060
8,187
7,289
-
-
7,289
7,740
120
-
3,342
3,462
2,345
5,066
-
-
5,066
6,512
16,238
-
2,675
18,913
22,819
1,000
-
-
1,000
19,229
-
-
-
-
54| ||95,575
-
16,918
112,492
150,843
2,192
-
-
2,192
1,818
15,229
-
-
15,229
16,850
270
-
-
270
655
8,104
-
-
8,104
11,110| ||25,796
-
-
25,796
30,433
653
-
-
653
697
92
-
-
92
156| ||744
-
-
744
853
1,834
-
-
1,834
1,538
964
-
-
964
999
8,500
-
-
8,500
7,500| ||11,298
-
-
11,298
10,037
-
-
-
-
2,886
1,000
-
-
1,000
4,741| ||1,000
-
-
1,000
7,627| ||134,412
-
16,918
151,330
199,792| 5 ## **St. Lawrence Church, Biddulph** ## **Financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2024** ## **Receipts and Payments Account** |**Payments**
**Expenditure on charitable activities**
1720 - Outreach Costs
1801 - Giving to missionary societies
1830 - Giving - Christian Organisations
1850 - Home mission
1870 - General charities
1910 - Ministry Common Fund
2002 - Youthwork Salary Costs
2003 - Youthwork Pension Costs
2004 - Youthwork Training Costs
2005 - Youthwork Expenses
2050 - Salary of parish administrator
2060 - Salary of cleaner
2101 - Working expenses of incumbent
2160 - Bank Charges
2201 - Parish training and mission
2301 - Church running - insurance
2310 - Church office/Administration
2330 - Church maintenance
2340 - Upkeep of services
2401 - Church running - electric
2410 - Church running - gas
2420 - Church Yard - water
2501 - Photocopy and Printing
2510 - School House running - gas
2511 - School House running - electricity
2512 - School House running - water
2513 - School House running - Council tax
2520 - Hall and Church - cleaning
2530 - Hall running - electricity
2540 - Hall running - gas
2550 - Hall running - insurance
2560 - Hall running - maintenance
2580 - Hall running -Water
2590 - Hall running - WiFi Network
2601 - Governance costs examination/audit fee
2701 - Church Major Work/Repairs
2801 - Hall Major Work/Repairs
**Total Payments**
**Excess of Receipts over Payments**|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Designated**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total 2024**
**Total 2023**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**| |---|---| ||2,395
-
-
2,395
2,129
3,708
-
207
3,914
4,182
2,492
-
2,045
4,537
4,222
1,512
-
-
1,512
1,661
900
-
1,381
2,281
1,828
53,875
-
-
53,875
60,586
-
-
26,771
26,771
22,742
-
-
2,000
2,000
1,721
-
-
-
-
330
4,201
-
-
4,201
3,644
12,033
-
-
12,033
10,830
6,266
-
-
6,266
3,737
169
-
-
169
946
536
-
-
536
482
1,140
-
-
1,140
395
4,604
-
-
4,604
4,272
3,937
-
-
3,937
6,775
1,339
-
-
1,339
2,094
2,688
-
-
2,688
2,761
2,449
-
-
2,449
1,710
8,601
-
-
8,601
5,917
462
-
-
462
416
3,489
-
-
3,489
2,833
1,263
-
-
1,263
660
576
-
-
576
380
254
-
-
254
277
439
-
-
439
451
1,328
-
-
1,328
2,964
1,421
-
-
1,421
1,024
4,746
-
-
4,746
2,915
2,615
-
-
2,615
2,830
1,051
-
-
1,051
1,541
638
-
-
638
203
577
-
-
577
547
750
-
-
750
720
-
-
-
-
8,113
-
-
-
-
37,481| ||132,454
-
32,403
164,857
206,321| ||1,958
-
(15,485)
(13,527)
(6,529)| 6 ## **St. Lawrence Church, Biddulph** ## **Financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2024** ## **Statement of Assets and Liabilities** ||**Unrestricted**
**Funds**|**Designated**
**Funds**|**Restricted**
**Funds**|**Total 2024**|**Total 2023**| |---|---|---|---|---|---| ||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**| |**Current Asset - Investments**|||||| |6511: M and G Investments|31,008|-|7,629|38,637|39,736| |**Current Asset - Cash At Bank And In Hand**|||||| |6501: General Bank current account|2,433|-|-|2,433|7,844| |6502: Youth Worker Bank account|20|-|-|20|-| |6505: Reserve Bank deposit account|13,887|-|12,871|26,757|35,420| |6510: CCLA (CBF) deposit account|13,989|-|-|13,989|13,462| |**Total**|30,329|-|12,871|43,200|56,727| |**Amount owing to the church**|||||| |Income Tax Recoverable|1,181|-|190|1,371|1,562| |**Liabilities - Amounts owed by the church**|||||| |Payments to Charities not yet presented|-|-|-|-|-| |**The balances of restricted funds at the year end are as follows:**|||||| |||||**Total 2024**|**Total 2023**| |**Restricted Funds**||||**£**|**£**| |Restricted - CharityFunds||||-|-| |Restricted - YouthWorker||||20,500|35,986| |||||20,500|35,986| |**Approved by the PCC on 20th January 2025 and signed on their behalf**|||**by:**||| |Will Drain|Andrew Shufflebotham||||| |(Vicar)|(Churchwarden)||||| ............................................................ ............................................................ 7 ## **St. Lawrence Church, Biddulph** ## **Financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2024** ## **Statement of Assets and Liabilities** ## **Notes to the accounts** 1. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP guidance using the Receipt and Payments basis. 2. **South View Property** . The property at South View is vested in the Lichfield Diocesan Trust (LDT) lodged under trust number 81 on behalf of the Vicar and Churchwardens of Biddulph St Lawrence. The church receives income from this property. 3. **St Lawrence School House** . The School House is held in trust by the Churchwarden's for use by the church. 4. For use by the charity and belonging to the General Purposes Fund: Movable church fittings held by the Vicar and Churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal are inalienable property, listed in the Church's inventory, which can be inspected (at any reasonable time). 8