TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH Organisational Reports 2024
Contents
| Small Groups | 1 |
|---|---|
| Student Group | 1 |
| Renew Wellbeing | 2 |
| Traf youth | 3 |
| Assemblies | 3 |
| The Welcome Tea | 4 |
| Traf Kids | 5-6 |
| Trafalgar Community Choir | 7 |
| Worship Group | 8 |
Small Groups
At the end of 2024, we have 6 small groups (about 64 people) meeting weekly or fortnightly. In addition, about 18 people meet once a month in two groups and a further 6 people meet weekly in the Worship Group. We are encouraged by the addition of a new group led by Jon & Helen West and by the growth in the numbers attending the Young Adults group.
At present, we need more leaders, especially for two of our groups.
The 6 small groups varied in the content of their meeting: some in their Bible study followed the Sunday sermons using the questions produced by our Pastor, and others studied their personal choice of subject from scripture. Some of those groups included worship as well as regular Bible study and prayer together. The Worship group tended to concentrate on preparing for the Sunday service and the two monthly groups focussed on pastoral needs and prayer.
The Small Group Leaders met three times in 2024 to encourage one another in this ministry.
David McCahon
Student Group
We launched this new small group after church member Ben Fisher requested it on behalf of the Collyers College Christian Union. ‘Tuesdays at TRBC’ is open to all who are doing A Levels and it’s on every Tuesday 4:30-6pm. The aim is to focus on equipping for evangelism in college and going deeper into the Bible.
I ran the group with Ben initially and we were seeing around 9 students every week. After the summer, Ben made a late decision to accept a university place so the group couldn’t run until we had sufficient leaders.
Since November, I have been running the group again with Aaron Yonkoski with Faith Aldridge occasionally stepping in. We now only have 3-4 students each week but it’s a good time to encourage them.
Please continue to pray for this group.
Jon White
1
Renew Wellbeing
Throughout 2024 our Wednesday mornings have been a time of gentle conversation and shared activities. Generally, between 15 and 20 people have come into our Renew Wellbeing space, some for the whole session, some just for a short time. We have enjoyed drinks and cake together as connections have been made over jigsaws, board games, craft projects and colouring. Others have preferred just to enjoy the company with no pressure to do anything or have made use of the quiet space to have some moments to themselves. The morning has ended with the opportunity for a few moments of shared reflection and stillness.
All this has been faithfully facilitated by our team. Some changes occurred in the autumn as Lisa and Rachel moved on to other things. We have been so grateful for Lisa’s vision in setting up this group and for leading us and for Rachel being so supportive from the start. We are also grateful to Gill for offering to join the team during the year.
Recently Robbie has kindly offered to help us when he can with setting up and clearing away. We have enjoyed his cakes too.
As we go into 2025, it was decided at a recent meeting that in future we would go under the name of Renew Café.
Please do mention us to anyone who you think might appreciate what our Renew mornings have to offer. We would love to have others join us.
Jackie, Helen, Kay and Mark
2
Traf Youth
With two young people attending regularly on a Sunday morning, we started up Thrive, as part of Traf Youth.
Thrive is for those in school years 7-10 and meets upstairs in the meeting room at the front of the church. Thrive stays in the service longer than the younger children do, going upstairs just before the message. We have 3 leaders and 3 helpers, which means that Thrive, at the moment, isn’t able to meet every week.
We use the same material as Traf Kids (Energize) but suitable for those aged 1114. We usually have an activity, look at a story in the Bible and then discussion around it. We started in November looking at the topic of generosity, using the story of the Prodigal Son.
As we look forward to the New Year, we pray for more young people to come along and join us, for the young people to open up and for a few more leaders and helpers so we can offer this every week.
We give thanks that we can start this group up, with those who already volunteer their time and for the young people who have been attending.
Faith Aldridge
Assemblies
Last year we continued going into Trafalgar Infant School on a half termly basis. In our assemblies there is a drama, interactive talk, a song and a prayer. The assemblies are always well received.
This relationship led us to donating a buddy bench to the school with an inscription of a Bible verse and its dedication to Joy Turner, whose legacy money was used to purchase this bench.
In addition, last December we did our first assembly at Greenway Junior School! We were delighted to get the opportunity, and it led to the school asking us to come every half term - praise God!
Someone recently asked if we read a script - the answer is no! We learn a script and rehearse together beforehand. Please let me know if you’d like to join the team!
Please pray these assemblies will help the children understand the hope we have in Christ and that they might choose to follow Jesus themselves.
Jon White
3
The Welcome Tea
In its second year, the Welcome Tea has continued to welcome a good number of guests, varying from 16 to 29, generally about 18 in recent months. We have a regular group who often walk together and love coming as this is a place where they can gather to chat and relax together. Most of our guests are seniors, living alone and the majority are not members of TRBC but many do attend other churches. They appreciate the loving, happy atmosphere and the sense of being known and accepted and particularly being able to get out and meet people. We make a special effort to get to know the guests and to build up relationships with them.
We have a team of 10 wonderful people on the team now and each ‘Tea’ requires 8 volunteers all of whom are kept very busy baking, setting up and setting down, catering, serving, welcoming and chatting. It demands a lot of energy!
Going forward it would be wonderful if other members of TRBC would come along and have tea and cake with us simply to be available to chat with guests and be a friendly face. We would love to have more guests from the local community and this would mean being more proactive in inviting people.
4
Traf Kids
We have had a really exciting 2024 and God has certainly been at work!! Our previous name for our kids work (Upstairs Church) was rebranded to Traf Kids and in that we created two groups Roots (reception to year 2) and Climbers (year 3-6) We really felt God giving us the word ‘belonging’ and the sense of growing and nurturing our young people as our reason for Traf Kids so the new names were focused on this.
We also designed and redecorated the ‘yellow room’ upstairs for Traf Kids over the summer holidays; we had a great team of helpers and were so grateful for the generosity of them and the people in the congregation who donated financially towards the revamp. We created two spaces for the children, one focused more on being a reflective, quieter space where they could listen to bible stories and take part in discussions. This room was designed with ‘earthy’ colours such as blues and purples and has a reading corner and bean bag space for the children. The second room is our craft room which is bright and colourful and is a space where the children can express themselves through craft activities. This room also features a tree mural on the wall, kindly painted by Sue Hollywell, where the children will paint their handprints on and will be added to when new children and helpers join us-this is to nurture the sense of ‘belonging’ we felt God was calling us to show. We opened the new rooms in September and have really enjoyed using the new spaces! We hope in the future to add more furniture and more of the kids crafts to the wall spaces.
Our team and children’s numbers also grew dramatically through 2024, we currently have a team of 3 leaders and 11 helpers which is amazing! With the addition of new families coming to the church we now have 4 regular attenders in Roots and 4 in Climbers. We thank God greatly for bringing new helpers and children to Traf Kids and pray that in 2025 we will continue to grow in numbers and nurture the children to grow in faith.
We have continued to use Energize as our teaching material and have looked at a range of topics such as how God made us to be (patient, loving, trusting etc.) the Ten Commandments and stories in the Bible such as Moses and Lazarus. We usually start our sessions together, sharing news from our weeks, a simple prayer, a short game and then listening to a Bible story from a video or read. We then split into Roots and Climbers where the children will participate in age appropriate activities related to the topic, usually a craft or colouring, puzzles and sometimes cooking!
5
The team also took part in a Spiritual Child training course in February with guest speaker Clare Hooper, looking at how we can grow and nurture children’s spirit’s and point them towards Jesus. This has certainly helped us in planning and leading Traf Kids; especially helping us not to feel afraid to take a step back and allow the children freedom to respond to the teaching in their own individual way.
We’re so excited to see the plans that God has for Traf Kids this coming year and want to thank the church for all your prayers!
Hannah Gallard
On behalf of the Traf Kids team
6
Trafalgar Community Choir - Annual Report 2024
Trafalgar Community Choir
The Trafalgar Community Choir is an inclusive community choir for people of all standards of musical ability who love singing and want to share the joy of music with others. We meet on Monday nights at TRBC between 7.15 and 9pm for rehearsals.
Over the year the choir has grown to 44 members and with growing numbers and a good range of voices we have been able to tackle some increasingly varied and demanding songs including a medley from the musical “Les Miserables”, the Coldplay song “We pray” and the choral piece “Adiemus” by Carl Jenkins. We have performed at a number of different community groups and events including the Holy Trinity Church music marathon and their firepit carols event, the Phoenix Stroke Club, Roffey Friendship Group, Leggyfield Court, Broadbridge Park Care Home, and Broadbridge Heath Friendship Group.
Over the Christmas period we sang on the Carfax Bandstand, at the Mannings Heath Ladies Golf Christmas celebration and held our annual Christmas Concert at TRBC, raising £1750 to support the wonderful work of St Catherine’s Hospice.
Steve Davies, Musical Director
7
Worship Group Annual Report 2024
The group has continued to meet regularly on a Thursday evening to practise for the Sunday morning service.
We’ve had the addition of Alison Wozniak as a new vocalist but were sad to see Hannah Gallard step back from the Worship Group this year due to her desire to focus on her commitments as a worship leader and our growing young people’s work – thank you Hannah for all the service you have given to the worship group over the years.
Over the year we have looked to work more collaboratively with Jon and the worship leaders and to that end spent several afternoons working through all the songs that we knew both individually and collectively. We were surprised to see that this list extended to almost 400 songs! These songs cover many styles and subject areas and have been shared with the worship leaders so we can add to the richness of our musical worship.
We played for the HCT Good Friday service at the bandstand in the Carfax and it was great to be able to represent all the churches in Horsham to a wider public at that event and lead some of the more modern Easter songs.
We would love to welcome new members with different musical abilities and talents and continue to look forward to what God has for us in the year ahead.
Chris Teager
Worship Group Coordinator
8
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2024
Trafalgar Road Baptist Church
Charity registration number: 1128639
Independent Examiners Ltd 2 Broadbridge Business Centre Delling Lane Bosham Chichester West Sussex PO18 8NF
TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
CONTENTS
| Reference and Administrative Details | 1 |
|---|---|
| Trustees' Report | 2 to 6 |
| Independent Examiner's Report | 7 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 8 |
| Balance Sheet | 9 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 10 to 19 |
TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Trustees
Jasper Harding, Treasurer Clive William Phillips, Secretary June Duplock Jonathan White Kay Chesters (appointed 1 January 2024) Raymond Amey (appointed 1 January 2025)
Charity Registration 1128639 Number
Principal Office Trafalgar Road Horsham West Sussex RH12 2QL Independent Examiner G W Schulz FCMA Independent Examiners Ltd 2 Broadbridge Business Centre Delling Lane Bosham Chichester West Sussex PO18 8NF Bankers CAF Bank 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4TA Santander Bank plc Bootle Merseyside G1R 0AA
Page 1
TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
TRUSTEES' REPORT
The Trustees present the annual report together with the financial statements of the Charity for the year ended 31 December 2024.
Structure, governance and management
Nature of governing document
The Charity is governed by an Approved Governing Document adopted with effect from 1 January 2009 and last amended on 27 June 2021.
Trafalgar Road Baptist Church (the Church) occupies premises which are held by the Baptist Union Corporation Ltd on Trusts which are entirely compatible with the Charity’s policies and objects.
Recruitment and appointment of Trustees
The management of the charity is the responsibility of the Trustees who are elected and co-opted under the terms of the Constitution.
Organisational structure
Members of the Church are accepted in accordance with the Constitution, which, at the discretion of the Members’ Meeting, allows full membership to those who confess their faith publicly. The Church encourages baptism by immersion upon personal profession of faith, in accordance with the Baptist Union’s Declaration of Principle.
In accordance with the Constitution, the members appoint up to eight Trustees (including the Church Secretary and Treasurer), who together with the Minister, and collectively known as the Leaders, are responsible for the day to day running of the Church’s work and witness, and the financial and legal aspects of the charity. All members are encouraged to take an appropriate part in the spiritual and practical tasks involved in the furtherance of the charitable objective. Relevant matters may be submitted to the Church meeting by the Trustees for guidance or may be raised by members in a Church Meeting for further consideration by the Trustees. Although the Constitution permits decisions to be made at Church Meetings by appropriate majorities, the Church seeks to work by consensus wherever possible.
Risk management
The Trustees have assessed the major risks to which the Charity is exposed, in particular those related to the operations and finances of the Charity, and are satisfied that systems and procedures are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
Objectives and activities
Objects and aims
The principal object of the Charity is the advancement of the Christian faith according to the principles of the Baptist denomination to include the advancement of education, community service and such other general charitable purposes in such parts of the United Kingdom and the world as the Church shall determine.
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TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)
Public benefit
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
Strategies for achieving objectives
In order to achieve the principal objective, which is set out above, the Church provides a variety of activities both to its membership and to the community generally. The aim is show the love of Jesus Christ in both word and deed and to bring people into a closer relationship with Him as living Lord.
Central to the work and witness of the Church is the provision of regular public services of Christian worship. These take place each Sunday at 10.30 a.m. There are also occasional services at other times that are advertised on the Church’s website at www.trbc.info. The Church seeks to be a friendly and welcoming community, and anyone is free to attend these services.
The Church runs a series of small groups for the growth of faith and discipleship. Details of these are obtainable from Trustees on request or at Sunday worship services. Fortnightly prayer meetings are held on Sunday evenings.
The Church operates a system that ensures that all people working with children and vulnerable adults are appropriately vetted under the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
Achievements and performance
Membership
During the year, the church membership decreased by one to 75. We welcomed six new members and said farewell to three who resigned their membership. We gave thanks for the many years of faithful service, testimony and fellowship of four dear members who were called home to the Lord during the year.
Ministry
Pastor Jon White spoke at and led many worship services throughout the year. We were also blessed on Sundays with God’s message brought by guests from missions and other churches, and from retired ministers and members of our church. Sunday evening prayers continued fortnightly, with monthly praise.
In June, the President of the Baptist Union held a seminar on ‘Heaven and Hell’ and preached the following day. A ‘Secret Church’ service was held in November, focusing on the persecution of Christians in several countries and the offering was for Open Doors, a Christian charity raising awareness of and supporting the persecuted.
Helped by members, Pastor Jon led Christmas carol services at residential care homes and sheltered accommodation. Over the year, visits were made to several people unable to attend worship or groups due to illness, limited mobility, hospitalisation or care needs.
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TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)
Jon also led spiritual reflection and prayer at church members meetings and trustees/leaders meetings. He encouraged the church in completing a vision statement and defining the church’s values.
We celebrated joyfully a baptism in January.
Children’s ministry training was delivered in February. After decoration of a room, a new Sunday children’s ministry was launched as ‘Traf Kids’ in September. A Nativity film for families, ‘The Star’, was shown before Christmas.
The True Freedom Trust provided a seminar in March. A church family walk at Loxwood was held in the summer.
Leadership
The leadership team continued to focus on discerning together the will of God as they faced challenges over the year.
The security and safety of the church building, staff and users was improved by church entry enhancements. New round tables were purchased to supplement the existing oblong ones’ for use in Alpha, meals, discussions, etc.
One person was elected and one person re-elected to the leadership team, giving a complement of five plus the Pastor. As the previous housekeeper had stepped down in 2023, the church was kept clean by a team of volunteers for nine months. A new housekeeper was appointed in September.
Local Engagement
TRBC continued to engage alongside other churches in Horsham Churches Together, with worship services at churches and at Easter and Christmas in the town centre, the week of prayer for Christian unity, and representation at HCT Forum meetings. The TRBC worship group provided music for the HCT Good Friday Service in the Carfax. We regularly advertised HCT events.
The church has continued to support Horsham Food Bank (governance by Horsham Matters) with donations, especially at harvest time, and a regular volunteer on Mondays. We have also maintained our support of local charities. The church gifted offerings to the Spurgeons Children’s Charity to help to fund counselling to secondary school children.
Regular practices and concerts were organised by the large Trafalgar Community Choir,
including an excellent Christmas concert. Many local residents are members of the choir. Renew Wellbeing ran weekly during term time on Wednesday mornings for people to meet together to enjoy a quiet space, time to reflect and “just to be”. ‘The Welcome’ was held monthly, providing a friendly opportunity for people from the local community to chat and get to know each other over tea and cakes. The plants sale outside the church building in May drew many neighbours. At Easter and Christmas, volunteers once again called at doors nearby to bring a greeting, a card and Easter eggs or mince pies.
Events for our neighbourhood during the year included showings of ‘The Chosen’ (about the life of Jesus), a Light Party for young families on 1st November, and a ‘Bible & Violence’ seminar.
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TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)
In cooperation with the Trafalgar Neighbourhood Council which meets monthly at our church, we installed in May three nesting boxes for swifts, an endangered bird species, on the side of the church building. During the season, recorded swift calls are played in daytime to attract nesting.
The year ended with several services focussing on the Christmas message.
We are able to look back and rejoice that God has guided and taught us, and enabled us to reach out to our neighbourhood.
Financial review
Policy on reserves
The Trustees have reviewed the Church’s need for reserves in line with the guidance issued by the Charity Commission and have established the level of reserves (that is, those funds that are freely available) that they believe the church should hold.
The trustees consider it prudent to hold in reserve an amount equivalent to the running costs of the Church for three months and also cover three months of mission grants where annual commitments have been entered into. The trustees decided to set the required level of reserves for these costs in 2025 at £34,500.
Principal funding sources
The Church Members and regular attenders continue to provide the main source of income through regular giving. Church hire income has recovered during the year but remains well below pre-pandemic levels.
The Church expressed its part in the life of the wider church by making donations to national and international Christian organisations and societies with Christian aims and objectives compatible with the Church’s own charitable purpose.
The Church is heavily dependent on its membership working as volunteers in all aspects of the church’s activities, many of which are run with little or no impact on the Church’s expenditure, but nevertheless contribute substantially to the achievement of the church’s objectives.
The financial results for the year, together with a summary of the accounting policies adopted are set out in the accompanying financial statements.
Going concern
After making appropriate enquiries, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.
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TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)
Statement of Responsibilities
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with the United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) and applicable law and regulations.
The law applicable to charities requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the Charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
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prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in business.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008, and the provisions of the constitution. The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The annual report was approved by the Trustees of the Charity on 4 March 2025 and signed on its behalf by:
----- Start of picture text -----
......................................... arty
Jasper Harding
Trustee
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TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of Trafalgar Road Baptist Church for the year ended 31 December 2024.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the Charity Trustees of Trafalgar Road Baptist 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 Trafalgar Road Baptist Church's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out 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:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of Trafalgar Road Baptist Church as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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the accounts do not comply with the accounting 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.
...................................... G W Schulz FCMA Independent Examiners Ltd 2 Broadbridge Business Centre Delling Lane Bosham Chichester West Sussex PO18 8NF
4 March 2025
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TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
| Note Unrestricted funds £ Income and Endowments from: Donations and legacies 2 113,227 Other trading activities 3 10,926 Investment income 4 1,140 Total income 125,293 Expenditure on: Charitable activities 5 100,663 Total expenditure 100,663 Net income/(expenditure) 24,630 Gross transfers between funds (5,827) Net movement in funds 18,803 Reconciliation of funds Total funds brought forward 1,526,210 Total funds carried forward 13 1,545,013 |
Restricted funds £ 2,483 - - 2,483 8,245 8,245 (5,762) 5,827 65 680 745 |
Total 2024 £ 115,710 10,926 1,140 127,776 108,908 108,908 18,868 - 18,868 1,526,890 1,545,758 |
Total 2023 £ 199,238 12,720 929 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 212,887 | |||
| 129,443 | |||
| 129,443 | |||
| 83,444 - |
|||
| 83,444 1,443,446 |
|||
| 1,526,890 |
The notes on pages 10 to 19 form an integral part of these financial statements. Page 8
TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Note | £ | £ | |
| Fixed assets | |||
| Tangible assets | 8 | 1,549,500 | 1,545,421 |
| 1,549,500 | 1,545,421 | ||
| Current assets | |||
| Debtors | 9 | 5,607 | 6,611 |
| Cash at bank and in hand | 57,409 | 45,947 | |
| 63,016 | 52,558 | ||
| Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year | 10 | (6,531) | (7,814) |
| Net current assets | 56,485 | 44,744 | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | 1,605,985 | 1,590,165 | |
| Creditors: Amounts falling due after more than | |||
| one year | 11 | (60,227) | (63,275) |
| Net assets | 1,545,758 | 1,526,890 | |
| Funds of the Charity: | |||
| Restricted income funds | |||
| Restricted funds | 745 | 680 | |
| Unrestricted income funds | |||
| Unrestricted funds | 1,545,013 | 1,526,210 | |
| Total funds | 13 | 1,545,758 | 1,526,890 |
The financial statements on pages 8 to 19 were approved by the Trustees, and authorised for issue on 4 March 2025 and signed on their behalf by: ......................................... arte Jasper Harding Trustee
The notes on pages 10 to 19 form an integral part of these financial statements. Page 9
TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
1 Accounting policies
Statement of compliance
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the second edition of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice issued in October 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.
Basis of preparation
Trafalgar Road Baptist Church meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts.
Going concern
The Trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the Charity's ability to continue as a going concern.
Income and endowments
Voluntary income including donations, gifts, legacies and grants that provide core funding or are of a general nature is recognised when the Charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured with sufficient reliability.
Donations and legacies
Donations and legacies are recognised on a receivable basis when receipt is probable and the amount can be reliably measured.
Gift aid
Income tax recoverable in relation to investment income is recognised at the time the investment income is receivable.
Interest receivable
Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the institution with whom the funds are deposited.
Expenditure
All expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to that expenditure, it is probable settlement is required and the amount can be measured reliably. All costs are allocated to the applicable expenditure heading that aggregate similar costs to that category.
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TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 (CONTINUED)
Charitable activities
Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the Charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.
Taxation
The Charity is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 of the Finance Act 2010 and therefore it meets the definition of a charitable company for UK corporation tax purposes. Accordingly, the Charity is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains received within categories covered by Chapter 3 Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively to charitable purposes.
Tangible fixed assets
Freehold property owned by the charity is included in the financial statements at its historical deemed cost and depreciated by writing off the difference between the cost and the estimated residual value over the useful economic life. The useful economic life of these assets is so long and residual value so high that any depreciation would not be material. These assets are subject to annual impairment reviews. Provision will be made if there has been any permanent diminution in value.
Tangible fixed assets are initially recognised at cost. After recognition, under the cost model, tangible fixed assets are measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and any accumulated impairment losses. All costs incurred to bring a tangible fixed asset into its intended working condition should be included in the measurement of cost.
Depreciation and amortisation
Depreciation is provided on tangible fixed assets so as to write off the cost or valuation, less any estimated residual value, over their expected useful economic life as follows:
| Asset class | Depreciation method and rate |
|---|---|
| Freehold property | Not material |
| Manse improvements | 33% on cost |
| Equipment | 25% on cost |
| Furniture and fittings | 10% on cost |
Debtors
Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.
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TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 (CONTINUED)
Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand and call deposits, and other short-term highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to a known amount of cash and are subject to an insignificant risk of change in value.
Liabilities
Liabilities are recognised when there is an obligation at the Balance Sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably.
Liabilities are recognised at the amount that the charity anticipates it will pay to settle the debt or the amount it has received as advanced payments for the goods or services it must provide.
Pensions and other post retirement obligations
The Charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme which is a pension plan under which fixed contributions are paid into a pension fund and the charity has no legal or constructive obligation to pay further contributions even if the fund does not hold sufficient assets to pay all employees the benefits relating to employee service in the current and prior periods.
Contributions to defined contribution plans are recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities when they are due. If contribution payments exceed the contribution due for service, the excess is recognised as a prepayment.
The Charity operates a defined benefits pension scheme and the pension charge is based on a full actuarial valuation dated 2 December 2018.
Fund structure
Unrestricted income funds are general funds that are available for use at the Trustees discretion in furtherance of the objectives of the Charity.
Designated funds are unrestricted funds set aside for specific purposes at the discretion of the trustees.
Restricted income funds are those donated for use in a particular area or for specific purposes, the use of which is restricted to that area or purpose.
Financial instruments
The Charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Page 12
TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 (CONTINUED)
2 Income from donations and legacies
| Unrestricted funds Designated £ General £ Donations and legacies; Donations 4,740 89,474 Gift aid reclaimed - 19,013 4,740 108,487 |
Restricted funds £ 2,483 - 2,483 |
Total 2024 £ 96,697 19,013 115,710 |
Total 2023 £ 183,845 15,393 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 199,238 |
3 Income from other trading activities
| Church hire 4 Investment income Interest receivable and similar income; Interest receivable on bank deposits |
Unrestricted funds General £ 10,926 10,926 Unrestricted funds General £ 1,140 |
Total funds £ 10,926 10,926 Total 2024 £ 1,140 |
Total 2023 £ 12,720 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12,720 | |||
| Total 2023 £ 929 |
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TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 (CONTINUED)
5 Expenditure on charitable activities
| Unrestricted funds Note Designated £ General £ Ministry costs - 8,133 Mission (overseas) - - Mission (home) - - Children & youth ministry - 1,330 Training & conferences - 1,177 Publicity - 494 Utilities - 9,613 Maintenance of premises - 9,185 Administration - 4,544 Building project 5,790 - Sundry - 291 Independent examination - 1,080 Depreciation 4,093 - Staff costs 7 - 54,933 9,883 90,780 |
Restricted funds £ - 7,231 1,014 - - - - - - - - - - - 8,245 |
Total 2024 £ 8,133 7,231 1,014 1,330 1,177 494 9,613 9,185 4,544 5,790 291 1,080 4,093 54,933 108,908 |
Total 2023 £ 7,352 7,169 4,766 637 545 620 10,636 21,108 4,493 13,842 309 1,020 3,436 53,510 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 129,443 |
6 Trustees remuneration and expenses
One Trustee received remuneration amounting to £29,780 in the current year (2023: £26,500).
One Trustee received received benefits in kind in the form of pension contributions amounting to £3,775 in the current year (2023: £3,519).
Four Trustees received reimbursement of expenses for travel and other items purchased on on behalf of the charity amounting to £1,699 (2023: Four Trustees £1,244).
Page 14
TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 (CONTINUED)
7 Staff costs
The aggregate payroll costs were as follows:
| Staff costs during the year were: Wages and salaries Pension costs |
2024 £ 50,240 4,693 54,933 |
2023 £ 49,140 4,370 |
|---|---|---|
| 53,510 |
The monthly average number of persons (including senior management / leadership team) employed by the Charity during the year expressed as full time equivalents was as follows:
| follows: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ministry Support |
2024 No 1 2 3 |
2023 No 1 2 |
| 3 |
No employee received emoluments of more than £60,000 during the year
8 Tangible fixed assets
| Cost At 1 January 2024 Additions At 31 December 2024 Depreciation At 1 January 2024 Charge for the year At 31 December 2024 Net book value At 31 December 2024 At 31 December 2023 |
Freehold property £ 1,567,791 - 1,567,791 27,437 130 27,567 1,540,224 1,540,354 |
Furniture and fittings £ 28,886 8,172 37,058 26,960 1,171 28,131 8,927 1,926 |
Equipment £ 48,124 - 48,124 44,983 2,792 47,775 349 3,141 |
Total £ 1,644,801 8,172 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,652,973 | ||||
| 99,380 4,093 |
||||
| 103,473 | ||||
| 1,549,500 | ||||
| 1,545,421 |
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TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 (CONTINUED)
9 Debtors
| Trade debtors Prepayments Accrued income |
2024 £ 46 948 4,613 5,607 |
2023 £ 54 3,252 3,305 |
|---|---|---|
| 6,611 |
10 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
| 10 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bank loans Trade creditors Accruals |
2024 £ 3,029 1,100 2,402 6,531 |
2023 £ 3,029 1,100 3,685 |
| 7,814 |
11 Creditors: amounts falling due after one year
Bank loans
| 2024 £ 60,227 |
2023 £ 63,275 |
|---|---|
A mortgage was obtained for the development of the new building and is secured on the church building in Trafalgar Road, Horsham. The total outstanding on this mortgage is £63,256 (2023: £66,304), and is included in Bank loans.
12 Pension and other schemes
Defined contribution pension scheme
The Charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The pension cost charge for the year represents contributions payable by the Charity to the scheme and amounted to - £4,693 (2023 £4,370).
Defined benefit pension schemes
The Church is an employer participating in a pension scheme known as the Baptist Pension Scheme ("the Scheme"), The Scheme is a separate legal entity which is administered by the Pension Trustee (Baptist Pension Trust Limited).
Page 16
TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 (CONTINUED)
Prior to 1 January 2012 the scheme was known as the Baptist Ministers' Pension Fund with all benefits in respect of service prior to that date provided through the defined benefits plan. A valuation of the defined benefit plan was performed at 31 December 2019 by the Scheme actuary using the Projected Unit Method. The market value as of that date was £254 million. The valuation revealed a deficit of assets compared to the valuation of liabilities amounting to £76 million.
The scheme has notified the church that following the signing of the contract with the insurance company Just Group (‘Just’) that the scheme is now in surplus for the first time in around 20 years. The Deficit Repair Contributions will be reduced to a minimal level of £1 per employer per month from August 2022 onwards.
The Church makes contributions to the scheme which are charged to the statement of financial activities in the amount of £10 (2023: £12).
13 Funds
| Unrestricted funds General General Funds Designated Church building 108 Trafalgar Road Total unrestricted funds Restricted funds Fellowship Fund Mission Fund (overseas) Mission Fund (home) Total funds |
Balance at 1 January 2024 £ 427,951 787,854 310,405 1,098,259 1,526,210 680 - - 680 1,526,890 |
Incoming resources £ 120,553 4,740 - 4,740 125,293 65 1,890 528 2,483 127,776 |
Resources expended £ (90,780) (9,883) - (9,883) (100,663) - (7,231) (1,014) (8,245) (108,908) |
Transfers £ (5,827) - - - (5,827) - 5,341 486 5,827 - |
Balance at 31 December 2024 £ 451,897 782,711 310,405 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,093,116 | |||||
| 1,545,013 | |||||
| 745 - - |
|||||
| 745 | |||||
| 1,545,758 |
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TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 (CONTINUED)
Designated funds
Buildings - The two designated funds relate to the purchase of the two properties owned by the Church, including the land purchased during 2009 between the two properties and to the rear of the manse for £20,000 which is included in the value of the Church building. The balance on the fund represents the building cost less the mortgage and interest free loans.
Restricted funds
Fellowship fund - The fellowship fund allows members to donate funds that are then passed on to other members of the Church in need.
Mission funds - Members are encouraged to give direct into these restricted funds for the benefit of missionaries and missionary organisations at home and abroad with which the Church partners.
| Unrestricted funds General General Funds Designated Church building 108 Trafalgar Road Total unrestricted funds Restricted funds Fellowship Fund Mission Fund (overseas) Mission Fund (home) Total funds |
Balance at 1 January 2023 £ 333,369 798,997 310,405 1,109,402 1,442,771 675 - - 675 1,443,446 |
Incoming resources £ 204,159 6,135 - 6,135 210,294 125 2,210 258 2,593 212,887 |
Resources expended £ (100,110) (17,278) - (17,278) (117,388) (120) (7,169) (4,766) (12,055) (129,443) |
Transfers £ (9,467) - - - (9,467) - 4,959 4,508 9,467 - |
Balance at 31 December 2023 £ 427,951 787,854 310,405 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,098,259 | |||||
| 1,526,210 | |||||
| 680 - - |
|||||
| 680 | |||||
| 1,526,890 |
Page 18
TRAFALGAR ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 (CONTINUED)
14 Analysis of net assets between funds
| Tangible fixed assets Current assets Current liabilities Creditors over 1 year Total net assets Tangible fixed assets Current assets Current liabilities Creditors over 1 year Total net assets |
Unrestricted funds General £ Other £ 393,128 1,156,372 62,271 - (3,502) (3,029) - (60,227) 451,897 1,093,116 Unrestricted funds General £ Other £ 380,859 1,164,562 51,878 - (4,785) (3,029) - (63,275) 427,952 1,098,258 |
Restricted funds £ - 745 - - 745 Restricted funds £ - 680 - - 680 |
Total funds at 31 December 2024 £ 1,549,500 63,016 (6,531) (60,227) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,545,758 | |||
| Total funds at 31 December 2023 £ 1,545,421 52,558 (7,814) (63,275) |
|||
| 1,526,890 |
Page 19