# **Wilmslow United Reformed Church Charity** 

Trustees’ report and financial statements 

For the year ended 31 March 2024 



**WILMSLOW UNITED REFORMED CHURCH CHARITY** 

## **Trustees’ report and financial statements** 

## **Contents** 

|Legal and administrative information|3|
|---|---|
|Trustees’ report|4|
|Statement of financial activities|6|
|Balance sheet|7|
|Notes to the financial statements|8|
|Treasurer’s statement|16|
|Independent examiner’s report|17|





**WILMSLOW UNITED REFORMED CHURCH CHARITY** 

## **Legal and administrative information** 

|Charity Name:|Wilmslow United Reformed Church Charity (Wilmslow URC)|
|---|---|
|Registered Charity Number:|1128170|
|Minister/Trustee|Revd Dr KE Thorpe (retired on 31 July 2023)|
|Elders/Trustees|Dr M Arnell (appointed 1 January 2024)|
||Mr P Bradley|
||Mrs A Brander|
||Mrs A Dean|
||Mr M Duguid (appointed 1 January 2024)|
||Dr I Duncan (stood down from office 31 December 2023)|
||Mrs E Gilliland|
||Mrs N Moss|
||Mrs T Shepherd|
||Mrs W Williams|
||Mrs F Wood (appointed 1 January 2024)|
||Mr R Wood|
||Mr S Wood|
|Church Address:|Chapel Lane|
||Wilmslow|
||Cheshire|
||SK9 1PR|
|Independent Examiner:|Teresa Fennell ACMA, CGMA|
||It Doesn't Have to Cost the Earth Ltd|
||47 St Dunstans Close|
||Worcester|
||WR5 2AJ|
|Bankers:|NatWest Bank plc|
||4 Grove Street|
||Wilmslow|
||Cheshire|
||SK9 1EJ|



3 



**WILMSLOW UNITED REFORMED CHURCH CHARITY** 

## **Trustees’ report** 

The elders, acting as trustees, present their report and the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024. 

## **Structure, governance and management** 

The minister and elders are the trustees of the charity as defined under the Charities Act 2011. 

The responsibilities of elders are defined in the Basis of Union which was the founding document of the United Reformed Church. The minister and elders are responsible for leading the church; fostering the spiritual development of the congregation; giving pastoral care to the congregation, ensuring that public worship is held on a regular basis and exercising stewardship over the church’s property and finances.  Elders are church members elected, normally for a three-year term, by the church meeting. The elders normally meet once a month and the meetings are usually chaired by the minister. 

Many of the elders’ responsibilities are delegated to several teams covering Worship, Outreach, Finance, Premises and Property. These teams have members some of whom are elders and they report to the elders’ meeting. 

Church meetings are normally held quarterly and are open to all members of the church; all major decisions affecting the church are made by church meeting. 

The governing document is in line with an approved instrument issued by the United Reformed Church. 

## **Objectives and activities** 

The church is committed to providing public worship open to all; having a programme of Christian education for all ages; providing social and recreational activities for all ages; giving pastoral support to the congregation; providing premises, resources and services to the local community. 

The elders declare that they have complied with the duty imposed by the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission. Worship is open to all and all are welcome. The church premises are used by both church groups and other social, community and commercial organisations. 

## **Achievements and performance** 

A public worship service is conducted every Sunday morning and a monthly mid-week service designed for those who struggle to attend on a Sunday morning has also continued over the past year. Messy Church continues on the first Sunday each month and continues to be highly appreciated. There is also Modern Believers, a faith-based discussion group. 

The year has seen the Community Café held on Monday and Wednesday mornings continue the development of its outreach mission. The support for Wilmslow Youthwork, the charity set up in 2019 has continued through the year and makes a significant difference in the lives of young people and their families in and around Wilmslow and links with Wilmslow High School continue to be developed. 

The social, study and recreational activities include a badminton club, bowling club, quilters group and book club. A fellowship group meet regularly on Mondays with speakers and social events. These groups and the uniformed youth organisations which meet on our premises are open to and attended by people who are not church members. 

Pastoral care is provided through a network led by two support coordinators to offer the best possible and most relevant support to those members of the congregation with pastoral needs. The network is organised to coordinate the many members who volunteer to offer services such as home visiting to the sick or lonely and transport for those with limited mobility. There is also a much-valued Prayer chain. 

4 



**WILMSLOW UNITED REFORMED CHURCH CHARITY** 

## **Trustees’ report** _(continued)_ 

## **Review of the year** 

The past twelve months has seen two significant events in the life of the church. 

After 15 years of ministry with us our Minister, Revd Dr Kirsty Thorpe retired and finished her time with us at the end of July 2023. The accounts include donations towards a leaving gift for Kirsty under special offerings and donations and the cost of the gifts under secretarial expenses. 

The church also discussed and asked for a move between Synods in the URC. The process to come to this decision and request came after a lot of prayer and discussion. Synod resolutions were approved in October 2023 and the URC Assembly Executive approved the move in February 2024. Wilmslow United Reformed Church moved to the Mersey Synod on 31 March 2024. 

## **Financial review** 

The church's principal funding comes from freewill giving which was down on the previous year but lettings income from the use of the church buildings increased as we continued to promote the use of the premises to the community. 

Expenditure in the year was ahead of budgeted figure, £163,885, as in some areas additional expenditure was approved and with some increased costs linked to inflationary pressures. Significant work in the year work on the roofs and a new coffee machine for the Undercroft. 

With the departure of our minister through retirement in the year there was a significant collection for a farewell gift which was passed on at the farewell events. 

## **Reserve policy** 

The General Fund, from the regular freewill giving, contributes to the day to day running costs of the church and there are designated funds set aside for repairs and improvements. Monies are set aside each year from the general fund, net of any costs incurred in the year, to maintain sufficient balances in this fund for future expenditure without recourse to special appeals. The General Fund balance, excluding the manse fund, equates to three months’ expenditure in line with the Charity Commission recommendations. This means that key contracted expenditure is properly covered in the event of a fall off of income. 

The year-end balance for the designated fund is shown in note 17. 

Approved by the elders on 7 October 2024 and signed on their behalf by: 


Steve Wood, Church Treasurer 

5 



**WILMSLOW UNITED REFORMED CHURCH CHARITY** 

## **Statement of financial activities for the year ended 31 March 2024** 

|||Unrestricted|funds|Restricted|**Total**|Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||_Note_|General|Designated|Funds|**2023-24**|2022-23|
|||£|£|£|**£**|£|
|**Income from:**|||||||
|Donations and legacies|_2_|133,926|-|10,189|<br>**144,115**|189,791|
|Charitable activities|_3_|39,649|-|-|**39,649**|27,787|
|Other trading activities|_4_|10,507|-|-|**10,507**|10,225|
|Investment income|_5_|5,965|-|124|<br>**6,089**|2,976|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|**Total income**||190,047|-|10,313|<br>**200,360**|230,779|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|**Expenditure on:**|||||||
|Raising funds|6|1,873|-|290|<br>**2,163**|2,544|
|Charitable activities|_7_|185,299|351|13,194|**198,844**|228,308|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|**Total expenditure**||187,172|351|13,484|<br>**201,007**|230,852|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|**Net income / (expenditure)**||2,875|(351)|<br>(3,171)|**(647)**|(73)|
|Transfers between funds||6|-|<br>(6)|**-**|-|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|||**2,881**|**(351)**|<br>**(3,177)**|<br>**(647)**|(73)|
|Total funds brought forward 1 April 2023||272,826|23,535|<br>12,788|<br>309,149|309,222|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|**Total funds carried forward 31 March 2024**||**275,707**|**23,184**|<br>**9,611**|**308,502**|309,149|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
||||(Note 16)|(Note 17)|||



The notes on pages 8 to 15 form part of these financial statements. 

6 



**WILMSLOW UNITED REFORMED CHURCH CHARITY** 

## **Balance sheet as at 31 March 2024** 

|||Unrestricted|funds|Restricted|**Total**|Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||_Note_|General|Designated|Funds|**2024**|2023|
|||£|£|£|**£**|£|
|**Fixed assets**|||||||
|Tangible assets|_12_|3,317|6,660|-|<br>**9,977**|-|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|||3,317|6,660|-|<br>**9,977**|-|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|**Current assets**|||||||
|Debtors|_13_|29,526|-|<br>1,598|**31,124**|30,461|
|Investments|_14_|223,530|-|<br>-|**223,530**<br>|218,690|
|Bank and cash balances||23,133|16,524|<br>8,583|<br>**48,240**|79,951|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|||276,189|16,524|<br>10,181|<br>**302,894**<br>|329,102|
|**Current liabilities**|||||||
|Creditors payable within one year|_15_|(3,799)|-|(570)|<br>**(4,369)**|(19,953)|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|**Net current assets**||272,390|16,524|<br>9,611|<br>**298,525**<br>|309,149|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|**Total net assets**||**275,707**|**23,184**|<br>**9,611**|**308,502**<br>|309,149|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|**The funds of the charity**|||||||
|Unrestricted income funds|||||||
|General||275,707|-|-|<br>**275,707**<br>|272,826|
|Designated|_16_|-|23,184|-|<br>**23,184**|23,535|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|Total||275,707|23,184|-|<br>**298,891**<br>|296,361|
|Restricted funds|_17_|-|-|9,611|<br>**9,611**|12,788|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|||**275,707**|**23,184**|<br>**9,611**|**308,502**<br>|309,149|
|||———|———|———|———|———|



The notes on pages 8 to 15 form part of these financial statements. 

Approved by the elders on 7 October 2024 and signed on their behalf by: 


Steve Wood, Church Treasurer 

7 



**WILMSLOW UNITED REFORMED CHURCH CHARITY** 

## **Notes to the financial statements** 

## **1 Accounting policies** 

## _**Basis of accounting**_ 

The financial statements have been prepared under the Charities Act 2011 and in accordance with the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice: (FRS 102) issued by the Charity Commission on the basis that the charity is a Public Benefit Entity. The accruals basis of accounting has been adopted, and the principal accounting policies set out below are applied consistently. 

There are no estimates or assumptions made creating estimation uncertainty as at the year-end that put the carrying values of assets and liabilities at risk of material adjustment in next year’s financial statements. 

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis. 

## _**Fund accounting**_ 

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the church in furtherance of its charitable objectives. Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donors. 

## _**Tangible fixed assets**_ 

**Freehold property** : The trustees of the church buildings are the URC (Mersey Province) Trust Limited who hold them for purposes connected with Wilmslow URC. Expenditure incurred on the church is written off in the year it is incurred. 

**Equipment** : Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost of fixed assets, less their estimated residual value, over their expected useful lives on the following bases: 

- **E** quipment and fixtures – 20% per annum, straight line 

## _**Incoming resources**_ 

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when the charity is legally entitled to the income after any performance conditions have been met, the amount can be measured reliably and it is probable that the income will be received. 

## _**Resources expended**_ 

The URC Ministry and Mission contribution is paid regularly and is included in the financial statements for the year to which it relates. Resources expended are recognised in the period in which they are incurred and include VAT which cannot be recovered. They are allocated to the particular activity to which they relate. As most of the management and activity of the church is carried out by volunteers, this intangible asset is not included in the financial statements as this voluntary contribution to the life of the church is incalculable. 

## _**Financial instruments**_ 

The charity’s basic financial instruments as defined by FRS 102 are all recognised at their settlement value and the charity has no “other” financial instruments. 

## _**Taxation**_ 

As part of the United Reformed Church, the church is an excepted and registered charity within the meaning of the Taxes Acts. Accordingly, it is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income and capital gains received to the extent that such income or gains are applied to exclusively charitable purposes. No provision for taxation has been made in these financial statements. 

8 



**WILMSLOW UNITED REFORMED CHURCH CHARITY** 

## **Notes to the financial statements** _(continued)_ 

|**2**|<br>**Donations and legacies**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||Unrestricted|funds|Restricted|**Total**|Total|
|||General|Designated|Funds|**2023-24**|2022-23|
|||£|£|£|**£**|£|
||Offertory and standing orders(£1,743 per week;||||||
||_2023: £1,820_)|90,658|-|<br>-|**90,658**|94,635|
||Income tax refunds under Gift Aid|21,635|-|-|<br>**21,635**|60,430|
||Special offerings and donations|18,633|-|10,189|<br>**28,822**|26,148|
||Legacies|1,000|-|-|**1,000**|5,328|
||Grants|2,000|-|-|**2,000**|3,250|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|||**133,926**|**-**|<br>**10,189**|<br>**144,115**|189,791|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|**3**|<br>**Charitable activities**||||||
|||Unrestricted|funds|Restricted|**Total**|Total|
|||General|Designated|Funds|**2023-24**|2022-23|
|||£|£|£|**£**|£|
||Use of church rooms|39,649|-|<br>-|<br>**39,649**|27,787|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|||**39,649**|**-**|<br>**-**|<br>**39,649**|27,787|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|**4**|<br>**Other trading activities**||||||
|||Unrestricted|funds|Restricted|**Total**|Total|
|||General|Designated|Funds|**2023-24**|2022-23|
|||£|£|£|**£**|£|
||Fund raising|5,081|-|-|**5,081**|6,826|
||Café income|4,416|-|-|<br>**4,416**|2,560|
||Manse energy feed in tariff|819|-|-|<br>**819**|839|
||Royalties|191|-|-|<br>**191**|-|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|||**10,507**|**-**|<br>**-**|<br>**10,507**|10,225|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|**5**|<br>**Investment income**||||||
|||Unrestricted|funds|Restricted|**Total**|Total|
|||General|Designated|Funds|**2023-24**|2022-23|
|||£|£|£|**£**|£|
||Bank interest|1,125|-|124|<br>**1,249**|464|
||Investment income|4,840|-|-|**4,840**|2,512|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|||**5,965**|**-**|<br>**124**|<br>**6,089**|2,976|
|||———|———|———|———|———|



9 



**WILMSLOW UNITED REFORMED CHURCH CHARITY** 

## **Notes to the financial statements** _(continued)_ 

## **6 Raising funds** 

|**6**|<br>**Raising funds**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||Unrestricted|funds|Restricted|**Total**|Total|
|||General|Designated|Funds|**2023-24**|2022-23|
|||£|£|£|**£**|£|
||Fundraising expenses|714|-|290|<br>**1,004**|2,507|
||Running expenses|1,159|-|-|<br>**1,159**|37|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|||**1,873**|**-**|<br>**290**|**2,163**|2,544|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|**7**|<br>**Charitable activities**||||||
|||Unrestricted|funds|Restricted|**Total**|Total|
|||General|Designated|Funds|**2023-24**|2022-23|
|||£|£|£|**£**|£|
|**Ministry costs**|||||||
||URC Ministry and Mission Fund|63,012|-|-|<br>**63,012**|68,085|
||Youth Work|20,000|-|-|<br>**20,000**|20,000|
||Synod levy|3,261|-|-|<br>**3,261**|3,408|
||Missional Partnership|-|-|-|<br>-|1,946|
||Pulpit supply|500|-|-|<br>**500**|550|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|||86,773|-|<br>-|**86,773**|93,989|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|**Ministerial costs**|||||||
||Travel and subsistence|1,127|-|-|<br>**1,127**|2,533|
||Synod expenses|3,983|-|-|<br>**3,983**|-|
||Pastoral support|190|-|3,295|<br>**3,485**|4,504|
||Worship resources|172|-|-|<br>**172**|528|
||Wedding and funeral expenses|-|-|-|<br>**-**|200|
||Flowers|662|-|-|<br>**662**|735|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|||6,134|-|<br>3,295|**9,429**|8,500|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
||**Church costs**||||||
||Cleaning|15,680|-|<br>-|<br>**15,680**|12,993|
||Supplies|4,616|-|<br>-|<br>**4,616**|3,609|
||Heat, light and water|24,255|-|<br>-|<br>**24,255**|17,089|
||Repairs and maintenance|9,975|-|-|<br>**9,975**|55,945|
||Insurance|5,658|-|<br>-|<br>**5,658**|4,453|



10 



**WILMSLOW UNITED REFORMED CHURCH CHARITY** 

## **Notes to the financial statements** _(continued)_ 

## **7 Charitable activities (continued)** 

|<br>**Charitable activities (continued)**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Unrestricted|funds|Restricted|**Total**|Total|
||General|Designated|Funds|**2023-24**|2022-23|
||£|£|£|**£**|£|
|**Church costs (continued)**||||||
|Waste disposal|1,353<br>|-|<br>-|<br>**1,353**|1,585|
|Kitchen supplies and equipment|1,486<br>|-|<br>-|<br>**1,486**|-|
|Gardening|1,503|-|<br>-|<br>**1,503**|306|
||———|———|———|———|———|
||64,526|-|<br>-|**64,526**|95,980|
||———|———|———|———|———|
|**Manse costs**||||||
|Council tax|3,454|-|-|**3,454**|3,286|
|Telephone|1,032|-|-|**1,032**|876|
|Water|310|-|-|**310**|490|
|Repairs and maintenance|-|-|-|**-**|13|
||———|———|———|**———**|———|
||4,796|-|-|**4,796**|4,665|
||———|———|———|———|———|
|**Office costs**||||||
|Telephone|1,622<br>|-|<br>-|**1,622**|1,573|
|Stationery and furniture|711<br>|-|<br>-|**711**|145|
|Printing|501<br>|-|<br>-|**501**|412|
|Photocopying|585<br>|-|<br>-|**585**|493|
|Postage|-<br>|-|<br>-|**-**|23|
|Newsletter|805<br>|-|<br>-|**805**|849|
|Website|200<br>|-|<br>-|**200**|88|
|Sundries|209|-|<br>-|**209**|652|
||———|———|———|**———**|———|
||4,633|-|<br>-|**4,633**|4,235|
||———|———|———|———|———|
|**Team and activity costs**||||||
|Fellowship|890||-|**890**|1,085|
|||-||||
|Messy Church|103||-|**103**|-|
|||-||||
|Music|948||-|**948**|455|
|||-||||
|Outreach|-||-|**-**|234|
|||-||||
|Uniformed organisations|-|-|-|**-**|14|
|Worship|249||-|**249**|800|
|||-||||
||———|———|———|**———**|———|
||2,190|-|-|**2,190**|2,588|
||———|———|———|———|———|



11 



**WILMSLOW UNITED REFORMED CHURCH CHARITY** 

## **Notes to the financial statements** _(continued)_ 

|**7   Charitable activities**_(continued)_||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Unrestricted|funds|Restricted|**Total**|Total|
||General|Designated|Funds|**2023-24**|2022-23|
||£|£|£|**£**|£|
|**Finance and admin costs**||||||
|Secretarial expenses|5,448|-|-|**5,448**|994|
|Finance expenses|2,471|-|-|**2,471**|662|
|Premises expenses|1,660|-|-|**1,660**|296|
|Bad debts|627|-|-|**627**|112|
|Bank charges|854|-|-|**854**|<br>557|
|Depreciation|114|351|-|**465**|-|
||———|———|———|———|———|
||11,174|351|-|**11,525**|2,621|
||———|———|———|———|———|
|**Donations**||||||
|Northern College|250|-|-|**250**|250|
|East Cheshire Eye Society|1,591|-|-|**1,591**|-|
|East Cheshire Hospice|-|-|-|**-**|1,590|
|NSPCC|1,591|-|-|**1,591**|1,590|
|Samaritans|1,591|-|-|**1,591**|1,590|
|Disaster Emergency Committee appeals|-|-|-|**-**|500|
|Church Action on Poverty|50|-|-|**50**|50|
|East Manchester Community Assoc’n|-|-|-|**-**|250|
|Commitment for Life|-|-|2,807|**2,807**|2,513|
|Disaster appeals|-|-|-|**-**|2,302|
|Harvest appeal|-|-|3,238|**3,238**|2,729|
|Christian Aid|-|-|3,854|**3,854**|1,856|
|Other donations|-|-|-|**-**|<br>510|
||———|———|———|———|———|
||5,073|-|9,899|**14,972**|<br>15,730|
||———|———|———|———|———|
|**Charitable activities**|**185,299**|**351**|<br>**13,194**|<br>**198,844**|228,308|
||———|———|———|———|———|



12 



**WILMSLOW UNITED REFORMED CHURCH CHARITY** 

## **Notes to the financial statements** _(continued)_ 

## **8 Trustee remuneration and expenses** 

None of the trustees ( _2022-23: £Nil_ ) were paid any remuneration or received any other benefits from their employment with the church. The Minister was remunerated by the United Reformed Church and her settlement agreement includes the manse, which is owned by the Synod, but whose costs of £4,796 ( _2022-23: £4,651_ ) are paid by the church. 

Donations without conditions totalling £15,009 ( _2022-23: £15,279_ ) were received from trustees. 

Expenses totalling £5,999 ( _2022-23: £11,440_ ) were paid to nine ( _2022-23: seven_ ) trustees including the Minister. These were for travel, subsistence and the reimbursement of out of pocket expenses. 

## **9 Related party transactions** 

Donations without conditions totalling £9,115 ( _2022-23: £12,080_ ) were received from related parties. 

Expenses totalling £1,137 ( _2022-23: £909_ ) were paid to four ( _2022-23: three_ ) partners of trustees. These were for travel, subsistence and the reimbursement of out of pocket expenses. 

One of the trustees was also a trustee of Wilmslow Youth for part of the year. Amounts paid to Wilmslow Youth in the year were £19,771 ( _2022-23: £18,977_ ). Donations amounting to £6,500 ( _2022-23: £6,000_ ) were received from Wilmslow Youth in the year as contributions towards use of the Undercroft. 

## **10 Staff costs** 

Staff costs in the year totalled £2,224 ( _2022-23: £60_ ) in relation to two employees ( _2022-23: one_ ). There were no social security or pension costs payable. 

## **11 Independent examination** 

The fee in the year for independent examination of the financial statements was £750 ( _2022-23: £720_ 

## **12 Fixed assets** 

||General|Designated|**Total**|
|---|---|---|---|
||equipment|equipment||
|General funds|and fixtures|and fixtures||
||£|£|**£**|
|**Cost**||||
|At 1 April 2023|-|<br>-|<br>-|
|Additions|3,431|<br>7,011|<br>10,442|
||———|———|———|
|At 31 March 2024|3,431|<br>7,011|**10,442**|
||———|———|———|
|**Depreciation**||||
|At 1 April 2023|-|<br>-|<br>-|
|Charge for the year|114|<br>351|<br>465|
||———|———|———|
|At 31 March 2024|114|<br>351|**465**|
||———|———|———|
|**Net book value**||||
|At 31 March 2024|**3,317**|<br>**6,660**|<br>**9,977**|
||———|———|———|
|At 31 March 2023|**-**|<br>**-**|**-**|
||———|———|———|



13 



**WILMSLOW UNITED REFORMED CHURCH CHARITY** 

## **12 Fixed assets (continued)** 

For the reasons stated in the Accounting Policy (Note 1), the church buildings are not tangible fixed assets of the church. For insurance purposes the church buildings are insured by the church for £7,343,000 and the contents of the church buildings are insured for £354,000. 

## **13 Debtors** 

||Unrestricted|funds|Restricted|**Total**|Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||General|Designated|Funds|**2024**|2023|
||£|£|£|**£**|£|
|Accounts receivable|6,371|-|-|<br>**6,371**|4,001|
|Bad debt provision|(1,142)|-|-|<br>**(1,142)**|(514)|
|Income tax recoverable|20,931|-|<br>1,598|<br>**22,529**|24,189|
|Prepayments|3,366|-|<br>-|<br>**3,366**|2,785|
||———|———|———|———|———|
||**29,526**|**-**|<br>**1,598**|**31,124**|30,461|
||———|———|———|———|———|
|**4 Investments**||||||
||Unrestricted|funds|Restricted|**Total**|Total|
||General|Designated|Funds|**2024**|2023|
||£|£|£|**£**|£|
|At 1 April 2023|218,690|-|-|<br>**218,690**<br>|216,178|
|Interest applied in the year|4,840|-|<br>-|<br>**4,840**|2,512|
||———|———|———|———|———|
|**At 31 March 2024**|**223,530**|**-**|<br>**-**|<br>**223,530**|218,690|
||———|———|———|———|———|



## **14 Investments** 

The investments represent the amount held on behalf of the Church by the Synod following a review which resulted in responsibility for the manse passing to the URC (North Western Province) Trust Limited. 

## **15 Creditors payable within one year** 

|||Unrestricted|funds|Restricted|**Total**|Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||General|Designated|Funds|**2024**|2023|
|||£|£|£|**£**|£|
|Accounts|payable|2,799|-|-|<br>**2,799**|15,461|
|Accruals|and deferred income|1,000|-|570|<br>**1,570**|4,492|
|||———|———|———|———|———|
|||**3,799**|**-**|<br>**570**|<br>**4,369**|19,953|
|||———|———|———|———|———|



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**WILMSLOW UNITED REFORMED CHURCH CHARITY** 

## **Notes to the financial statements** _(continued)_ 

## **16 Designated funds** 

The church operates one designated fund with the encouragement of the church meeting. 

_**Repairs fund** -_ this is established to fund the maintenance of the church and manse premises; it receives regular budgeted transfers from the general fund when funds are available. The maintenance is supervised by the Property Team. 

The movements on the designated fund were as follows: 

||Repairs|**Total**|Total|
|---|---|---|---|
||fund|**2023-24**|2022-23|
||£|**£**|£|
|Brought forward at 1 April 2023|23,535|**23,535**|42,192|
|Expenditure on charitable activities|(351)|**(351)**|(27,657)|
|Transfers from other funds|<br>-|**-**|9,000|
||———|———|———|
|Carried forward at 31 March 2024|**23,184**|<br>**23,184**|23,535|
||———|———|———|



## **17 Restricted funds** 

The church accounts include four restricted funds where the monies can only be used for the specific purposes for which they were entrusted to the church. These monies are not at the disposal of the church meeting for any other purpose and represent: 

_**Specific gifts** –_ at different times of the year monies are raised in the church to support specific projects. _**Additional ministry fund** –_ this represents the balance of a legacy and although it is totally expendable, it may only be used to provide additional ministry. 

- _**Ministerial hardship fund –**_ this represents funds donated for use by the minister as she determines to provide gifts or support. The use of these funds is kept confidentially. 

- _**Missional partnership fund**_ – this represented the funds held by the church on behalf of the Greater Manchester South and Cheshire Missional Partnership of which the church is part. At the end of the year with the Synod move the Church left the Missional Partnership and closed the fund. 

|The movements in the restricted funds during the|The movements in the restricted funds during the|year were:|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Specific|Additional|Missional|Hardship|**Total**|Total|
||gifts|ministry|partnership|fund|**2023-24**|2022-23|
||£|£|£|£|**£**|£|
|Brought forward at 1 April 2023|-|2,749|6|10,033|**12,788**|16,786|
|Donations and legacies|10,189|-|-|-|**10,189**|16,385|
|Activities for generating funds|-|-|-|-|**-**|757|
|Investment income|-|124|-|-|**124**|57|
|Expenditure on raising funds|(290)|-|-|-|**(290)**|(691)|
|Expenditure on charitable activities|(9,899)|-|-|(3,295)|**(13,194)**|(15,506)|
|Transfers to other funds|-|-|(6)|-|**(6)**|(5,000)|
||———|———|———|———|———|———|
|**Carried forward at 31 March 2024**|**-**|**2,873**|**-**|**6,738**|**9,611**|12,788|
||———|———|———|———|———|———|



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**WILMSLOW UNITED REFORMED CHURCH CHARITY** 

## **Treasurer’s statement** 

I have prepared the financial statements on pages 6 to 15 for the year ended 31 March 2024. 


Stephen David Wood, FCA 

16 May 2024 

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**WILMSLOW UNITED REFORMED CHURCH CHARITY** 

## **Independent examiner’s report** 

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Wilmslow United Reformed Church Charity (“the Church”) for the year ended 31 March 2024 which are set out on pages 6 to 15. 

## **Responsibilities and basis of report** 

As the charity trustees of the Church, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’). 

I report in respect of my examination of the Church’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 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 Church as required by section 130 of the Act; or 

- 2) the accounts do not accord with those records; or 

- 3) the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts 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 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. 


Signed: 

> Date: 8th October 2024 

Teresa Fennell, ACMA CGMA 

It Doesn’t Have to Cost the Earth Ltd 47 St Dunstans Close Worcester, WR5 2AJ 

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