## **IMMANUEL WITH HIGHWORTH UNITED REFORMED CHURCH SWINDON CHARITY REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] DECEMBER 2024** 

This report includes information required by the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the Statement of Recommended Practice for Accounting by Charities 2005 as applicable to charities entitled to prepare accounts on the receipts and payments basis. 

## **ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION** 

Immanuel United Reformed Church Swindon Charity was throughout the year ending 31[st] December 2024 a local church of the United Reformed Church in Great Britain and of the South West Synod of the Church. It was registered on 28[th] July 2009 as Charity Number 1130794. This Charity was renamed as Immanuel with Highworth United Reformed Church Swindon Charity on 1[st] January 2024, following agreement that from that date this charity will be a single church worshipping in two locations. The amalgamation, including the transfer of all Highworth assets, was confirmed with the necessary legal documentation,  and  was  approved  by  the  South  West  Synod  and  by  the  Charity Commission. (Highworth United Reformed Church was previously an excepted charity.) Worship and other activities continued in both locations throughout the year as planned, under the aegis of the elders and church meeting of the united church. 

Immanuel Church is situated in Upham Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN3 1DH, its website is at immanuelurc.org, and its email address is immchurchsec@gmail.com. The Church is normally open for worship on Sundays at 10.30 am, and for other activities at various times during the week. 

Highworth United Reformed Church is situated at 26 High Street, Highworth, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN6 7AG, and has a website at www.highworthurc.org.uk  The Church is normally open for worship on two Sundays a month at 10.45 am, and for occasional midweek activities. 

The members of the Elders’ Meeting for the time being are recognised as the charity trustees. Those serving from 1[st] January 2024 until the date this report was approved are: Anne Kathryn Farrow, Elizabeth Louise Gibney, Michael Dennis Gordon, Maria Kawonga, Donald Edwin Macarthur, Helen Elizabeth Marson and June Dorothy Margaret Harvey-Smyth. Michael John Denton and Patricia Mary Hayes served from 1[st ] January 2024 until 21[st] April 2024. Ceri Bevan, Elizabeth Ann Gleed and Sarah Ann Hopkins served from 21[st] April 2024 until the date that this report was approved. The minister throughout the year was Rev Robert Hugh Jordan. 

The Church buildings and the manse at 152 Drove Road, Swindon, SN1 3AG are vested in The South Western Synod Trust as trustees and held for the benefit of Immanuel URC Swindon in accordance with the trusts applicable to URC properties. 

## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT** 

The activities of Immanuel United Reformed Church Swindon are overseen by the Elders’ Meeting of the Church in accordance with the provisions of The Structure of the United Reformed Church determined by the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church, and supplemented by the rules of Immanuel Church Swindon. The governing document of the registered charity is a statement adopted by the Church Meeting on 9[th ] March 2014. 



The Elders’ Meeting is responsible for the financial administration of the Church, and the care and maintenance of Church premises and the manse. The Church Meeting (of all members wishing to attend) gives general guidance on the life and work of the Church. 

The members of the Elders’ Meeting are the minister in pastoral charge (if any) and up to sixteen members of Immanuel Church Swindon nominated and elected by the members of Immanuel Church Swindon in Church Meeting. Elders serve for three years, retire by rotation and are eligible for re-election. There is a limit of two (or three in certain circumstances in the case of the Church Secretary) on the number of consecutive periods of service. The members of the Elders’ Meeting are the trustees of the registered charity during their period of service as Elders. 

The Elders’ Meeting met ten times during the year. The Eldership is assisted in the administration of the Church and its property by committees established for World Concerns, Finance, Buildings and Grounds, and Worship and Outreach. There were five Church Meetings during 2024. 

## **OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES** 

As a local congregation of the United Reformed Church, Immanuel with Highworth United Reformed Church Swindon seeks to advance the Christian religion through its activities and the facilities offered to the community by its building, and described more specifically in its mission statement as “Sharing the Love of Jesus, Serving the Community”. 

The Elders’ Meeting is aware of the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit in "The  Advancement  of  Religion  for  the  Public  Benefit"  and  has  regard  to  it  in  the administration of the Church. 

The Elders’ Meeting believes that the Church provides benefit to the public by: 

• providing resources and facilities for public worship, pastoral care and spiritual, moral and intellectual development, both for the congregation and for anyone else who wishes to benefit from what the Church offers; 

• promoting Christian values and service by members of the congregation to the community, for the benefit of individuals and society as a whole. 

## **REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS** 

Attendance at morning worship slightly increased during 2024 in both Immanuel and Highworth, although in common with other churches this remains lower than prepandemic levels. Our worship continues to benefit from choir singing each week. Many members of the congregation now take advantage of the provision of tea and coffee on some Sundays to continue sharing fellowship after worship, as well as a popular monthly Tuesday “tea and chat” time. 

We have continued our close connection with the other churches in the Swindon Old Town Partnership of Churches, and at the time of this report the three principal offices of the Partnership – Chair, Secretary and Treasurer - are all held by members of the Immanuel fellowship. The continuance and expansion of Partnership activities form a major part of the Eldership's proactive thinking. 



## **FINANCIAL REVIEW** 

General summary: Congregational offerings and other voluntary giving remained broadly the same as in 2023. At the same time income from room bookings showed a further increase. There was again no major maintenance expenditure and no associated grants. 

In common with most organisations Immanuel with Highworth suffered a very sizeable rise in fuel costs in 2024, but there are no other significant changes in Receipts and Payments from the previous year to report. The overall general fund outcome for 2023 was a small surplus of £5,886. 

No significant changes are anticipated for 2025, and the financial prospects for the year are reasonably good. 

Unrestricted funds: Ideally, the Elders' Meeting would wish to have in hand an amount equal to at least six months' regular expenditure as "free" reserves, to meet future shortfalls in income or unexpected expense. 

The General Fund is used for the normal running costs of the church, excluding exceptional items such as significant building maintenance projects which are funded from the Memorial Fund which is also an unrestricted fund. 

The General Fund balance at 31st December 2024 represents thirteen months of the budgeted 2025 expenditure, and additional funds are available in the Memorial Fund, subject to Church Meeting approval, to meet any major unexpected costs. 

The increase in these reserves from eight to thirteen months in the year is largely attributable to a policy of retaining about £120,000 to manage the substantial repair expenditure needed from time to time to maintain the Highworth building to the appropriate standard for this Grade 2 listed building. This money emanates from a permanent endowment fund. 

Designated Funds: There are a total of four restricted or endowment funds jointly totalling £3,648 at the year end available for various defined purposes. 

This report was approved by the Elders' Meeting on 8th May 2025 and is signed on its behalf by the minister **Rev Robert Jordan.** 


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Receipts and payments
3•3
74.011
74$
7ffj
7.1
21
310
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43J41
78.167
3.742

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I report on the aCc￿nts of ts Tnjst for tr* 31 Ckncanb8r 2024. wNch arn sel
Lxrt on pages 1 to 3.
The c*aflty's tr￿￿te8$ are respons*)￿ for the prepaTatson crf the acaxmts. charws
trustees u>nsitJer that an audit is ￿t wu¥ed for this year under secbon 144(2) 01 tr
Chanhes Act 2011 {tr* 2011 A(a) and that An exannaik)n is needed.
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' exanjrÉ ￿ acc￿nts under sethi 145 of Ihe 2011 kt
under secb'on 1451SKb) 01 ts 2011 Act
Basis of indeperKlwrt examlnerfs re
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charlty a Ccryrison of the ac￿nts pr8sente(J with those record& It also
indudes cornider8tion of any unusual items or disdo￿reS in the acc(KJnls and seekv
explanations from y￿j as tr￿￿tee5 concwn¥YJ any suth matters. The procxdures
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lfrw rep¢xt is ltrnrted to those matkrs set out in ts r)exl statemenL
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I whith gNés Trn rea•onabk k> bth that kn any material res￿
requirwnenl&
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. to prepare acc￿￿5 which accord aco)untirs rectrds arKI compty tr
accOunti￿j requirwnents ol the 2011 Act ha¥t rK>t twi mot c
l) to ￿1th. In my opini￿, attenbm strKMJhJ be drawn in (rder a Fyoper
urKlerst8rKJiFy of ts a¢xounts to be r￿e
Name.. DavKI Bevan
Address.. 96 Okus Roaj. S￿r￿JOn

Receipts and payments
3•3
74.011
74$
7ffj
7.1
21
310
X1fj
43J41
78.167
3.742

Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
CBBh
iknraBtrlc*od Re8trlcW Endov•rne
ni fvndg
1118
lJnrowlc*ed Pe¥trlo¢0
Furtd I
hltth
J43
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CFnJTEh taF. Puith•51Jd
LI￿rnO&r YJ18
6,937
Cookar Sats 2Dig
hurch tru1￿1n￿ *1snBe- not
[￿Vr￿a ty thB thary
FuTh110
Li&bllld•s

Plotes to the recetpts and payments a¢counts
Iymatlon of t￿rItI#￿
31* CrErrrtrr 2(￿ In1rr￿￿￿El U[1￿ R8knM Ctwrt* Ivkt) rile￿ *¥lh iIRC lty form ¥
f￿. rrwlirg in l¥•0 b￿￿J￿45 Jld 9 5wwlg w1b1w￿J (S￿￿ty, Hirnrth
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Hu5bllKI of ITU5toB È GIBad
Qrgir45t* hprw¥ri4Yn t2.ts40 12023 £2.647)
ReklKTrnshiP Ip thorr
C49h Fwidsat 31 DK•mb•i 2024
1323
786
12.131
256,5
Merr4wkl fwtrd
Car ltsnd
*r￿h
709
R#blGtèd
ID*p Csp
263.168
sig￿ £>n I)*￿ pf tr￿￿e¥
Ptirt kne
Dal? of
} £ rtl rtÉk
81$

Ind•p•nknt examln•e8 r•port ts th• tru•t•w ol knmanuel & HlghM>rth Unltsd
I report on the aCc￿nts of ts Tnjst for tr* 31 Ckncanb8r 2024. wNch arn sel
Lxrt on pages 1 to 3.
The c*aflty's tr￿￿te8$ are respons*)￿ for the prepaTatson crf the acaxmts. charws
trustees u>nsitJer that an audit is ￿t wu¥ed for this year under secbon 144(2) 01 tr
Chanhes Act 2011 {tr* 2011 A(a) and that An exannaik)n is needed.
11 is my resp￿￿1￿ *):
' exanjrÉ ￿ acc￿nts under sethi 145 of Ihe 2011 kt
under secb'on 1451SKb) 01 ts 2011 Act
Basis of indeperKlwrt examlnerfs re
P¥fy examinatKJn w8s (xrried out in a(￿ordanCe with the ger*ral f*B¢th￿S ty
CtArity CommLssKML An examina11c￿ 1ftd￿ a revknv of ts acc(xmliry records kept ty
charlty a Ccryrison of the ac￿nts pr8sente(J with those record& It also
indudes cornider8tion of any unusual items or disdo￿reS in the acc(KJnls and seekv
explanations from y￿j as tr￿￿tee5 concwn¥YJ any suth matters. The procxdures
urMJertaken do not provide all the eVKIen￿ that W￿ld be required In an audit and
cmwuently no Opini<￿ is given as to ￿ther the accounts prosent 8 ts ar￿ far
lfrw rep¢xt is ltrnrted to those matkrs set out in ts r)exl statemenL
In cl￿r￿a10n wrth my examlnatsc￿. matter has corr* k> rny atknn#on."
I whith gNés Trn rea•onabk k> bth that kn any material res￿
requirwnenl&
. to keep 8coxmtsng reoyds In accofrlarb* sec*kn1130 of 2011 Act aTrJ
. to prepare acc￿￿5 which accord aco)untirs rectrds arKI compty tr
accOunti￿j requirwnents ol the 2011 Act ha¥t rK>t twi mot c
l) to ￿1th. In my opini￿, attenbm strKMJhJ be drawn in (rder a Fyoper
urKlerst8rKJiFy of ts a¢xounts to be r￿e
Name.. DavKI Bevan
Address.. 96 Okus Roaj. S￿r￿JOn