Page 1
**Report of the Independent Examiner to the Parochial Church Council of St John the Evangelist, Dormansland**
## **Charity Number 1127745**
I report on the financial statements of the Parochial Church Council of St John the Evangelist, Dormansland, for the year ended 31[st] December 2023 which are set out on pages 2 to 5.
## **Respective responsibilities of the Council members and Examiner**
The Charity’s Council members are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements, and they consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Charities Act’) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
- examine the financial statements under section 145 of the Charities Act,
- to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b)) of the Charities Act, and
- to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **Basis of Independent Examiner’s statement**
My examination was carried out in accordance with general directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Charity and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations from the Charity’s Council members concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an 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 matters set out in the statement below.
## **Independent Examiner’s statement**
In connection with my examination, no material matters have come to my attention which give 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 financial statements did not accord with the accounting records; or
- the financial statements did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of financial statements set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the financial statements 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 matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
R J E Bamford, FCA Chartered Accountant
Dated: 14 March 2024
9 Peter Avenue Oxted Surrey RH8 9LG
Page 2
## **St. John The Evangelist Church, Dormansland Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023**
|**Receipts and Payments Account**
**Receipts**
**_Voluntary Receipts_**
_Regular Giving_
Planned Giving
Collections and other giving
Income tax recovered
_Other voluntary receipts_
Donations (notes 2 & 6)
Legacies
Grant for upkeep of churchyard (notes 2 & 6)
**_Receipts from activities for generating funds_**
Village Voice- donations and adverts (note6)
Letting the Parish Room & Centenary Room
Fundraising and Appeals (notes 3 & 6)
**_Receipts from church activities_**
Fees for weddings and funerals
**_Receipts from investments_**
CBF deposit account interest
**Total Receipts**
**Payments**
**_Church activities_**
Diocesan parish share
Church running expenses
Clergy expenses
Cost of services
Maintenance of buildings and organ
Printing, stationary and computer
Printing the Village Voice
Maintenance of Parish Room
Maintenance of churchyard
Charitable giving (note 4 )
**_Cost of generating funds_**
Cost of fundraising
**Total Payments**
**Excess of payments over receipts (2022 surplus)**
Cash funds at 1 January 2023
**Cash funds at 31 December 2023**|**Unrestricted Funds**
**Restricted**
**Total**
**Total**
**General**
**Designated**
**Funds**
**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
28829
28829
29599
3291
3291
2979
9853
9853
8674
5335
779
3200
9314
31147
6000
6000
2500
1000
1000
4000
3944
1765
5709
3757
10922
10922
11101
3644
301
3945
4960
12215
12215
12890
3140
3140
550|
|---|---|
||77229
11723
5266
94218
112157|
||45000
45000
44000
16978
779
17757
15021
4909
4909
5304
4616
4616
3222
6976
6976
8161
1075
1075
1139
10
3944
2172
6126
5544
5129
7220
1254
13603
4693
5360
1000
6360
6452
3459
301
3760
5138
353
353
152|
||93865
12943
3727
110535
98826|
||-16636
-1220
1539
-16317
13331
16719
91645
1814
110178
96847|
||83
90425
3353
93861
110178|
## **Statement of Assets and Liabilities**
Page 3
**----- Start of picture text -----**
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Unrestricted Funds|Restricted|Total|Total|
|General|Designated|Funds|2023|2022|
|£|£|£|£|£|
|Cash Funds|
|Nat West Bank current account|74|11059|0|11133|37629|
|CBF Deposit Funds|0|79366|3353|82719|72540|
|Petty Cash float|9|0|0|9|9|
|Total cash assets|83|90425|3353|93861|110178|
|Other Monetary Items|
|Income Tax Recoverable for 2023|8400|0|0|8400|9300|
|Other Assets|
|Chalice|1200|0|0|1200|1200|
|Collator|1|0|0|1|1|
|Boiler|543|0|0|543|1086|
|Cooker|14|0|0|14|29|
|Hand dryers|56|0|0|56|111|
|Blinds|120|0|0|120|240|
|AV Equipment|0|0|0|0|0|
|1934|0|0|1934|2667|
|Liabilities|
|Other Liabilities|0|0|0|0|0|
**----- End of picture text -----**
The attached notes on pages 4 and 5 form part of these financial statements
The Financial Statements on pages 2 to 5 were approved by the Parochial Church Council on 14 March 2024 and are signed on their behalf by:
## **The Reverand Nigel Hinton (Chairman)**
## **David Jessup (Honorary Treasurer)**
**Notes to the Financial Statements**
Page 4
## **1 Accounting Policies**
## _**Basis of Accounting**_
The Financial Statements of the PCC have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006, as amended by the provisions of the Charities Act 2006 using the Receipts and Payments basis with items recognised at cost or transaction value and in accordance with applicable accounting standards.
## **2 Donations**
|**_Restricted Donations_**
Grant for the production of the Village Voice
Cutler Memorial Trust for the production of the Village Voice
Other donations for the production of the Village Voice
Grant from Dormansland Carnival re Village Voice and Messy Church
Donations for development of a quiet reflection area in the churchyard
Personal donations for repairs to the Centenary Room roof
**_Donations designated by PCC_**
Funds from Friends of St Johns on their ceasing to be a separate registered charity (note 6)
Dormansland Parish Council Churchyard grant
Lingfield United Trust grant re warm hub (2022 other re warm hub)
Personal donation re energy costs
Grant from Diocese re energy costs
**3 Fundraising and Appeals (gross income)**
Fundraising and social events
Bishop's Lent Appeal (2023 circumstance prevented)
Harvest Appeal
Haig Fund - Remembrance Day
Christmas Appeal to include Christingle collections
Floodlighting Appeal
Ukraine Appeal
Total|**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
3000
250
1000
0
765
0
200
0
0
1000
0
200|
|---|---|
||4965
1450|
||**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
0
21645
1000
4000
779
500
0
500
0
1400|
||1779
28045|
||**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
734
1041
0
125
288
356
301
240
1357
1303
1265
10
0
1885|
||3945
4960|
**4 Charitable Giving**
|**4 Charitable Giving**
Rotary End Polio Now Project
Rotary Shelter Box Project
Ukraine relief projects, local and national
Bishops Lent Appeal
Haig Fund (Remembrance)
Local need project in Dormansland
College of St Barnabas
Tearfund
Education India
The Sheiling Trust
CHOPS Poland
_From Christmas Appeal and Christingle collections:_
Children's Society (2023 and 2022)
Welcare (2022 Sullivans Heroes)
Archbishops Appeal re Gaza (2022 Salvation Army)|**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
300
0
300
0
0
2408
0
125
301
240
195
1000
120
0
288
0
300
0
315
0
250
0
174
175
609
595
608
595|
|---|---|
||3760
5138|
**Notes to the Financial Statements**
Page 5
## **5 Emoluments, Fees and Honoraria paid to members of the PCC, their related parties and others.**
Organists and musicians, including temporary organists
|**2023**|**2022**|
|---|---|
|£2,960|£1,780|
None of the above payments were to members of PCC and all were for services to PCC. There were no other payments to PCC members or their related parties except for reimbursement of Parish expenditure incurred in the course of their normal duties.
## **6 Funds**
## _**Designated Funds**_
These funds are general funds which have been designated by the PCC for the particular purpose shown. These funds remain unrestricted and the PCC will move any surplus to other general funds as deemed appropriate.
|At 1 January 2023
Income--Donations
Income--advertising revenue
Income --legacy
Expenditure in the year
At 31 December 2023|**Church**
**Parish**
**Churchyard**
**Energy**
**Friends of**
**Village**
**Total**
**Building**
**Room**
**related**
**St Johns**
**Voice**
**Improvement**
**Maintenance**
**Donations**
**& grants**
50000
20000
0
0
21645
0
91645
0
0
1000
779
0
0
1779
0
0
0
0
0
3944
3944
0
0
0
0
6000
0
6000
0
3000
1000
779
4220
3944
12943|
|---|---|
||50000
17000
0
0
23425
0
90425|
The Church Building Improvement and Parish Room Funds comprise cash designated for future improvements. The Churchyard fund is specifically for maintaining the churchyard grounds and surrounds
During the year, grants and donations were received to help the church in a time of high energy costs. These were designated by the PCC for use in setting off against energy bills
A legacy of £6000 was received in the year and designated to the Friends of St Johns Fund
The Friends of St Johns Fund is for use in funding projects in the nature of those traditionally funded historically by The Friends of St Johns. These comprise identifiable improvements and essential repairs to the fabric of the church Advertising revenue received for the Village Voice publication is designated for use on publication costs All the reserved amounts above are set by the PCC and are reviewed annually.
## _**Restricted Funds**_
These funds comprise revenue donations or grants for a specific use or activity intended by the donors
|At 1 Jan 2023
Income**
Expenditure
At 31 Dec 2023|**Mrs J Rever**
**Messy**
**Covid**
**Village**
**Bishops**
**Ukraine**
**Haig**
**Total**
**Parish Room**
**Fund**
**Church**
**Relief**
**Voice**
**Lent**
**Appeal**
**Appeal**
**Appeal**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
1254
0
483
0
0
77
0
1814
0
100
0
4865
0
0
301
5266
1254
0
0
2172
0
0
301
3727|
|---|---|
||0
100
483
2693
0
77
0
3353|
_**Arising from donations plus Fundraising and Appeals_
The Mrs J Rever fund is for improvements and major maintenance work at the Parish Room The Messy Church Fund is to support the revival of Messy Church post Covid
The Covid Relief fund remains available for use, re local needs, notably in respect now of long term Covid impacts
The residual Ukraine Appeal fund remains available to support initiatives re Ukrainian people seeking refuge locally
Page 6
## **St John the Evangelist, Dormansland Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council**
**For the year ended 31 December 2023**
## **Reference and Administrative Details**
The Parochial Church Council of St John the Evangelist, Dormansland (“the PCC”) has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, the Reverend Ian Whitley and with the Associate Vicar, the Reverend Nigel Hinton, in promoting the ecclesiastical Parish of Dormansland in the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social, and ecumenical. The Parish is joined with that of Lingfield to comprise a United Benefice. It is a charity registered with the Charity Commission in England and Wales, registration number 1127745. The address for correspondence is St John’s Vicarage, The Platt, Dormansland, Surrey, RH7 6QU.
The attached financial statements are prepared under the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 using the Receipts and Payments basis with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated and in accordance with applicable accounting standards.
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
Members of the PCC are the managing Trustees of St John’s and therefore have the responsibility of Charity Trustees. They are either ex officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (“APCM”) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules and a list of those can be found in the minutes of the APCM held on 23 April 2023. These minutes are attached to the report accompanying these financial statements. The PCC members who served during the year were:
|_Ex officio_
The Reverend Ian Whitley_(Incumbent)_
The Reverend Nigel Hinton_(Associate Vicar)_
_Members elected for specific roles_
Clive Cobby_(Church Warden)_
Raymond Daines_(Church Warden)_
Jackie Harrison_(Deanery Synod)_
Helen Lee_(Deanery Synod, elected 23 April 2023)_
David Jessup_(Treasurer)_|_Other elected Members_
Peter Bedingfield
Susan Calamassi (_resigned 23 April 2023_)
Katherine Cobby
William Davies
Vanessa Gemmel
Jack Goldsmith_(elected 23 April 2023)_
Ann Mackie_(resigned 23 April 2023_)
John Pordum
Tracy Roberts (_appointed 1 June 2023_)
Rosemary Williams|
|---|---|
The full PCC meets at least six times during the year. The process for appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules and they are elected by those members of the congregation of St John’s who are on the electoral roll of the Church. They are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the Parish including decisions on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent.
## **Objectives and Activities (including Public Benefit)**
The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as is possible to worship at the Church and to become part of the community at St John’s. The PCC maintains an overview of Anglican worship throughout the Parish and makes suggestions on how it services the many groups that live within it. Services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music, and sacrament.
When planning activities for the year, consideration is given to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and in particular, the supplementary guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. This is enabled through worship and prayer, provision of pastoral care as well as missionary and outreach work.
## **Financial Review**
The results for the year reflect broadly a similar level of activity to 2022.
Page 7
At the start of the year, the PCC anticipated a deficit in the order of £10,000. The actual outturn for the year produced a deficit of close to £17,000 on general funds.
That was down to several factors, rather than any one event. The cost of two heaters and roof repairs at the Parish Room amounted to c. £6,000. Overall, less was received in grant funding than in previous years, reflecting difficult times financially for all. However very generous gifts have been received towards printing costs of publication of the Village Voice, including an individual sponsorship donation of £3,000, from a donor requesting anonymity. There was also generous support for the Floodlighting Appeal and we were grateful to receive a legacy of £6,000.
The underlying year-to-year deficit situation remains. A substantial proportion of the recurring income is still vested in regular giving from disproportionately few people. Sadly, as people pass on, the regular planned giving, which is our main source of income, needs to be replenished. Ultimately that must come from less senior members of the church. One focus for 2024 must continue to be to encourage additional new younger members to join St Johns and contribute regularly to the costs of running the church. PCC are grateful to all parishioners who join one of our regular giving schemes.
A new Mission Action Plan is being formulated and will be rolled out in 2024.
The PCC is grateful to a number of loyal and generous supporters. In addition to the generosity of individual church members, we acknowledge the long-term commitment and work in supporting us to date and in the future from
- Dormansland Parish Council
- Tandridge District Council
- Surrey County Council
- Dormansland Carnival Committee
- Diocese of Southwark
- Lingfield United Trust
- The Cutler Memorial Trust
Income from the Parish Room was steady in 2023. Notably Little Chums run a pre-school successfully. We are grateful to Anne van Vliet for managing the bookings and collection of hiring dues.
The income generated by Village Voice is also steady. Thanks are due to Roz Daly for co-ordinating advertising income. We are also grateful to Annie Robinson for excellent editorial support, as well as Annie’s work in managing our website. We also thank En-Route for printing and the distribution team for their work. We have a steady income from hiring out the Centenary Room and our thanks go to Ellie Lester for managing bookings there.
Our thanks also go to individuals who in recent years have funded our new quiet reflection area in the churchyard, with its wonderful views over the Surrey Downs. Many have enjoyed this facility in 2023.
## **Capital Commitments and Future Developments**
At 31 December 2023, the PCC had no major commitments, contracted or otherwise for improvements or maintenance. That said, 2024 will bring its normal challenges for repairs’ including any expenditure arising from our normal 5 yearly electrical inspection.
## **Reserves Policy**
The PCC is committed to a policy of retaining sufficient free reserves in order to be able to sustain continued activities in the event of any unforeseen temporary reduction in income or unexpected major expense. At 31 December 202 this requirement for free reserves was approximately £20,000 (2022 £20,000). It is estimated as 3 months normal expenditure which is in accordance with PCC intent and adopted policy. Free reserves at 31 December 2023, together with designated reserves which can be redeployed if needs be, exceeded £90,000 (2022 £108,000).
## **Continued Operations**
The cash results for the last two years are not entirely satisfactory with respect to normal day-to-day activities. In recent years exceptional items have limited the impact on the overall results of recurring deficits. PCC are taking actions to minimise future deficits. There are significant reserves to absorb deficits, but it is important to return to recurring surpluses and hence secure a long-term sustainable situation.
The PCC will continue to focus on further integration with community activities in the village of Dormansland, in order to attract additional church attenders and also those interested in engaging with its wider activities, with the objective of continually striving to become more relevant.
The PCC encourage any attenders at church who are not already members of one of the planned giving schemes to consider joining one and, where possible, to do that under Gift Aid provisions. These provisions enable recovery of 25% of amounts donated from HMRC at no cost to the donor. During 2024, we shall continue to encourage regular donors to migrate their existing standing orders to the Parish Giving Scheme. The PGS eases administration and facilitates keeping regular contributions up to date.
The PCC is not aware of any concerns that might impact the Charity’s ability to continue operating in normal fashion for the foreseeable future.
David Jessup FCA Honorary Treasurer to the PCC 14 March 2024