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2024-08-31-accounts

Beeston Methodist Church Registered Charity 1129035 in the Nottingham Trent Valley Circuit 22/04

Annual Report and Financial Statement for the year ending 31[st] August 2024

Annual Report and Financial Statements of Beeston Methodist Church (BMC) for the year 01 September 2023 to 31 August 2024

Contents

  1. Background to the report

  2. Administrative details

  3. Our Aims

  4. Our Management

  5. Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities

  6. Our Progress and Achievements

  7. offering spiritual nourishment and growth to all

  8. welcoming and nurturing everyone

  9. serving those in our local community

  10. being a strong voice for justice

  11. Specific projects and achievements in the year

  12. Reserves Policy

  13. Appreciation

1. Background to the report

Registered charities are required to produce an annual report, which is submitted to the Charity Commission. The annual report incorporates the financial statement for the year but also states the aims of the charity and assesses its achievements during the year.

Registered Charity Beeston Methodist Church Charitable number 1129035 Governing document Act of Parliament Area of benefit Undefined, in practice, local Charitable Objects The purposes of the Methodist Church are and shall be deemed to have been since the date of union the advancement of (a) the Christian faith in accordance with the doctrinal standards and the discipline of the Methodist Church; (b) any charitable purpose for the time being of any Connexional, district, circuit, local or other organisation of the Methodist Church; (c) any charitable purpose for the time being of any society or institution subsidiary or ancillary to the Methodist Church; (d) any purpose for the time being of any charity being a charity subsidiary or ancillary to the Methodist Church. Date registered 07 April 2009 Classification Religious activities Who General public / Mankind How Provides buildings, facilities, open space, other charitable activities

2. Administrative Details

Name: Beeston Methodist Church Address: Chilwell Road, Beeston, Nottingham, NG9 1EH Telephone: 0115 9431164 Website: www.beestonmethodist.church Email: ofce@beestonmethodist.church Minister: Rev Andrew Checkley

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Administrator: Mrs Karen Jowett

Managing Trustees (Church Council Members 1.9.2023 to 31.8.2024)

Date Appointed Date of Resignaton(if applicable)
Rev Andrew Checkley (Chair) 01.09.2023
Mrs J Weir 26.10.2022
Mr T Beardsall 01.09.2014
Mr E Davies 01.07.2022
Mrs H Davies 01.09.2014
Dr P Dawson 01.09.2023
Mrs C Foster 01.09.2014
Mrs F Fyfe 21.05.2017
Rev S Holmes 25.01.2023
Mr R Howard 01.09.2014
Ms Serena Lindsay 01.09.2023
Mr D Lowe 01.09.2014
Ms C Milligan 02.08.2020 31/08/2024
Mrs M Orton 01.09.2014
Mrs J Phillips 01.09.2014 31/08/2024
Dr C Pullan 21.05.2017
Mrs S Ramsey 12.05.2021
Mrs A Sanders 01.05.2023
Mr A Taylor 01.09.2014
Mrs G Taylor 14.04.2019
Mr P Tivey 01.09.2014
Mr M Towlson 16.06.2019
Mr M Wilson 01.09.2018
Mr C Wright 01.09.2014

Church Membership at 31.08.2024 was 151

Community Roll Membership at 31.08.2024 was 117 (i.e. those not in formal membership, but who come under the wider influence of the church )

3. Our Aims

BMC has considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit, and in particular the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion, and we offer the following opportunities to all:

4. Our Management

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The management of BMC is constituted under the constitutional practice and discipline of the Methodist Church (CPD). BMC is part of the Nottingham Trent Valley Methodist Circuit. Oversight of the whole circuit is provided by a Superintendent Minister.

The General Church Meeting is open to all members of BMC and is held annually “for fellowship, for mutual counsel respecting the condition of the Local Church, including its financial affairs, for the election of church stewards and representatives and for any other purpose which the [Methodist] Conference may direct.” (The Constitutional Practice and Discipline of the Methodist Church 621). This year 66 persons attended the meeting.

The Church Council consists of 24 members who take on the role and responsibilities of Managing Trustees. It is chaired by the BMC Minister and met three times in 2023/2024. Trustees are recruited from the membership of the Church. Vacancies are made known to all members of the church, as is the process by which nominations can be made. Some trustees are appointed as a result of the role they fill within the Church (Treasurer, Safeguarding Officer etc.) and others are elected from the membership at the Annual Church Meeting.

A Leadership Team meets bi-monthly with the Minister to provide leadership and take operational decisions relating to the church’s daily activity. Pastoral Links are appointed by Church Council and share with the minister in the pastoral care of those on the community roll of the church. The Church Treasurer is appointed annually by the Church Council. Sub-Committees of the Church Council address issues relating to staff employment, finance, property, safeguarding, mission and outreach, care and nurture and pastoral care and report to the Church Council on a regular basis.

There are no serious incidents or other matters that trustees should have reported to the Charity Commission but have not done so. Work continues to ensure that BMC is fully GDPR compliant following further guidance from the national Methodist Church published during the year.

5. Statement of Trustees 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:

• state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

• 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 applicable Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations, 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.

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6. Our Progress and Achievements during the Year

Although the Church has returned to the usual activities following Covid, we are still mindful of the impact on our members and the users of the building. Our regular services of worship have fully resumed with no restrictions on attendance and other church activities have also resumed. The morning services still continue to be available on Zoom and on a Youtube Channel. Most external groups who use the church for a wide variety of activities have resumed their own activities.

We continue to reach out to the local community and build relationships with groups and individuals in the area.

All our work is under our vision established in 2016:

Here For You: God is calling us to

A three-year Mission Plan was agreed in December 2020 setting out the key areas of activity during the coming three years, as well as measures for monitoring and evaluation the success of the various activities undertaken. The terms of reference for the leadership team, worship group, care and nurture group and mission and outreach group were reviewed and revised during the year.

Offering spiritual nourishment and growth to all

Our regular services of worship and our Junior Church programme continue to meet the spiritual needs of the congregation. We continue to offer recordings of services on our Facebook page as well as CDs to those who prefer to join with us in those ways. There are also mid-week opportunities for prayer and reflection with the Open Space service of Holy Communion. A ‘Welcome to Church’ service was also held.

Prayer requests have been met, either in the services of worship or through the online Prayer Group. Requests for prayer from members of the congregation and the wider community are welcomed via a prayer tree which is used in services of worship.

Our premises and facilities are available for baptisms, weddings and funerals and for use by outside groups. Our premises are also used weekly by a Korean Christian Church. A joint service was held with the members of the Korean Church.

As a church we offer chaplaincy support to the local Girls’ Brigade Company and host Church Parades for the Boys’ and Girls’ Brigades. One member of the Church is continuing his lay-preacher training programme.

Welcoming and nurturing everyone

In order to strengthen the spiritual and social life of our congregation we have a number of groups, which meet regularly in homes or on church premises, catering for approximately 250 people. These include the Bible Study Group, House groups, Open Space, Knit, Natter & Crafts, a seasonal Warm Space, Table Top Time, and the Wholly Ground café.

Two walking groups meets monthly, one longer walk and a second shorter one.

Regular Saturday coffee mornings are held, which are attended by church members and other members of the local community.

Flowers are taken to those on the Community Roll who are in need of cheering, or by way of congratulation.

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At Christmas, pots of hyacinths are also distributed to the housebound and those who have been bereaved during the year.

BMC became a member of the Inclusive Church Network during the year and is deeply committed to living up to its ideals. This has included considerations of our responsibilities with regard to those with autism, learning disabilities and dementia as well as those with physical disabilities.

Serving those in our local community

The Little Acorns Toddler Group meets twice a week throughout term time which provide a meeting place for parents and carers and their pre-school children with a good stock of toys for the children to play with as well as craft activities and singing. (These are very well attended.)

The church participated in the Beeston light night in November where the church was open to all members of the community who wished to attend.

The Wholly Ground facility for coffee, cake, soup and sandwiches operates on a Wednesday. This provides not only a place to buy food and drink, but also a safe and welcoming place for use by the local community where people can come and chat. Since its opening in late 2017, this is continuing to be a highly supported and much-valued weekly event. The monthly Open Space lunch is also very popular, with the 50 available places often being oversubscribed. This is attended by members of the local community, as well as church members.

The Warm Space Initiative continued to provide a place of warmth and safety, providing visitors with a hot drink and a friendly welcome. This is enabled by a group of BMC members.

The BMC premises are used regularly for a wide variety of musical concerts, which are well attended by the local community as well as members of the church. The Church Garden was included in the Open Gardens Weekend.

Our church members, strengthened and supported by the church, are involved in many outside activities serving our local community, including the Age UK Nottingham, Beeston Memory Café, Hope Nottingham, Broxtowe Women’s Project, Framework Housing Association, Beeston Benevolent Society, The Leprosy Mission, Beeston and District Civic Society, Beeston & District Local History Society, Embrace the Middle East and Amnesty International amongst others.

Our church premises are used by a wide variety of community groups throughout the week, providing a serviced space for a wide range of leisure and educational activities, as well as support for young parents, vulnerable persons and other groups with particular needs.

Being a strong voice for justice

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7. Specific Projects in the year 1 September 2023 to 31 August

2024

The work on the redevelopment of the Church is ongoing. The congregation has achieved its target of £200.000 for the local funding requirement. Grants are being sought to contribute to the costs. Issues with the roof and the presence of a bat has demanded further investigations and slightly delayed progress. Planning application approval was received in June 2023. A group has been set up to manage how the Church operates during the building work.

8. BMC Reserves Policy

It is BMC’s policy to aim to hold at least six months general expenditure plus a buffer amount to cover unexpected fluctuations in income. Restricted Funds held total £108,023. The sums held in the Restricted Funds are held for specific purposes, the main ones being the Church Charities, the Church Support Worker Fund, the Redevelopment Fund and Internal Organisations.

9. Appreciation

We would like to thank our small team of paid staff and all the volunteers who work so tirelessly to make our church the vibrant community that it is. Their enthusiasm and commitment is testament to the vibrant community that Beeston Methodist Church is.

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Beeston Methodist Church Registered Charity 1129035 in the Nottingham Trent Valley Circuit 22/04

ACCOUNTS (ACCRUALS BASIS)

For the year ended 31[st] August 2024

Minister

Rev’d Andrew Checkley

Church Leadership Team

Mrs G Taylor Mrs S Ramsey Miss C Milligan Dr Paula Dawson Mr Eric Davies Rev’d Susan Holmes Ms S Lindsay Church Safeguarding Officer (ex-officio) Church Treasurer (ex-officio)

Church Treasurer

Mr Ray Howard

Beeston Methodist Church

Notes to the accounts for year ending 31[st] August 2024

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Beeston Methodist Church

Notes to the accounts for year ending 31[st] August 2024

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Beeston Methodist Church

Notes to the accounts for year ending 31[st] August 2024

Comparative SOFA for previous year

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Beeston Methodist Church

Notes to the accounts for year ending 31[st] August 2024

Basis of accounting and accounting policies

i. Accounting standard

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective from 1 January 2015) – (Charities SORP (FRS 102)).

ii. Public benefit entity

Beeston Methodist Church meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note below.

iii. Basis

These accounts have been prepared on the basis of historical cost except that investments are shown at their market value at the end of the year. The accruals basis has been used and trustees present accounts that show a true and fair view of the Church’s financial position and activities.

iv. Content

The financial information presented is relevant, reliable, comparable and complete. Where estimates are used, these are based on experience, research and judgement. The accounts are expressed in £Sterling,

v. FRS102 SORP 2015

These accounts are compliant with FRS102 and with the FRS102 SORP 2015. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with applicable charity law in England, this being the Charities Act 2011 and SI2008/629 (Charities Accounting and Reporting Regulations) and, pending the making of replacement Regulations specific to SORP 2015 in accordance with Reg.8(4)(d) of SI 2008/629, the charity trustees have departed from the requirement of Reg.8(5) by following SORP (FRS102) instead of SORP 2005 to the extent necessary to give a true and fair view in the circumstances.

vi. Going concern

Based on the monetary assets and human resources available at 31 August 2024, the trustees believe that the church is a going concern.

vii. Income recognition

Income is brought into the accounts when there is entitlement and the amount is reliably measurable once it is more likely than not that the economic benefit of the income will be forthcoming. In accordance with the Charities SORP (102), the time of volunteers is not recognised.

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Beeston Methodist Church

Notes to the accounts for year ending 31[st] August 2024

viii. Expenditure

This is recognised when a liability is incurred, or a constructive obligation arises, where the amount is reliably measurable, and it is considered more likely than not that there will be an outflow of economic benefit.

ix. Grants

Grants made by the Church from its own funds are recognised in full at the time of the agreement to make a grant without performance conditions, or as and when the Church accepts that there is a legal or operational obligation to make the payment if it is subject to performance conditions. When the grant to be accrued is recurrent over more than one year, the balance payable in future years is treated as a provision for future commitments in the balance sheet against the appropriate fund, the provision being released in future years in accordance with the originally agreed terms.

x.

VAT

Since the Church is not VAT registered, all input VAT is charged with the expenses to which it refers.

xi. Tangible fixed assets

These are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year, and individually cost at least £5,000.

xii. Funds

The funds held constitute: General Funds held for any purpose of the Church which are unrestricted. Restricted funds are held for narrower purpose. Details of each material fund are disclosed in the notes to these accounts. Any funds may be represented by more than just cash.

xiii. Exemption from preparing a cash flow statement

The charity opted to adopt Bulletin 1 published on 2 February 2016 and have therefore not included a cash flow statement in these financial statements .

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Beeston Methodist Church

Notes to the accounts for year ending 31[st] August 2024

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Beeston Methodist Church

Notes to the accounts for year ending 31[st] August 2024

We employed a part time Administrator and a part time Cleaner. All staff are paid at or above the Living Wage (as published by the Living Wage Foundation). All eligible staff have had the option of being enrolled into the NEST Pension Scheme.

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Beeston Methodist Church

Notes to the accounts for year ending 31[st] August 2024

Note 14.

There are no fixed assets or property investments to record in this year’s accounts.

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Beeston Methodist Church

Notes to the accounts for year ending 31[st] August 2024

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Beeston Methodist Church

Notes to the accounts for year ending 31[st] August 2024

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Beeston Methodist Church

Notes to the accounts for year ending 31[st] August 2024

Note 18 Internal Organisations

Internal Organisations report to Church Council which has ultimate responsibility for them but they conduct their own financial affairs including an examination of their accounts.

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Beeston Methodist Church

Notes to the accounts for year ending 31[st] August 2024

Note 19. Movement in Funds

Unrestricted Funds are for the use of the trustees in the furtherance of the general objectives of the Church.

Restricted Funds are those to which contributions have been made for a specific purpose.

All transfers between funds are approved by Church Council (the Trustees) and made in response to changes in internal requirements or to reflect changes in Circuit Policy.

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Beeston Methodist Church

Notes to the accounts for year ending 31[st] August 2024

Note 20. Donations to Others

Our policy is to give 10% of our General Fund income from offertories, envelopes and gifts (plus associated Gift Aid) to other causes both Methodist and others and is shown in the General fund column below. In addition we also support other causes through specific fundraising, special collections and appeals and these are also shown on the following table. The table does not show donations made for specific causes made at funerals or thanksgiving services.

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Beeston Methodist Church

Notes to the accounts for year ending 31[st] August 2024

Note 21. Related Parties

There were no related party transactions in this period.

Note 22. Trustees’ Remuneration/Expenses

Trustees received no expenses, remuneration or benefits in this period.

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Beeston Methodist Church

Notes to the accounts for year ending 31[st] August 2024

Beeston Methodist Church

Independent Examiner's Report to the trustees of Beeston Methodist Church

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Beeston Methodist Church

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Beeston Methodist Church (the Charity) for the year ended 31 August 2024.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the charity 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 Charity’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

Since the Charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member and Fellow of the Association of Charity Independent Examiners, which is one of the listed bodies.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no 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 Charity 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 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.

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John O’Brien MSc, FAIA, FCIE, employee of Community Accounting Plus Fellow of the Association of Charity Independent Examiners

Units 1 & 2 North West 41 Talbot Street Nottingham NG1 5GL

Date:.............................

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