# **The Parochial Church Council of St Margaret’s Church, Ilkley**
**Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2025**
**Registered charity number 1131220**
## **The Parochial Church Council of St Margaret’s Church, Ilkley**
## **Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2025**
|**Contents**
**Pages**|**Contents**
**Pages**|
|---|---|
|Trustees’ report
3 to 11||
|Independent Examiner’s report
12||
|Receipts and Payments Account
13 to 14||
|Statement of Assets and Liabilities
15 to 16||
|Notes to the accounts
18 to 22||
|Appendix: description of endowment
23 to 25||
|and restricted funds||
2
## **The Parochial Church Council of St Margaret’s Church, Ilkley**
## **Trustees’ report for the year ended 31 December 2025**
## **Administrative information**
## **Trustees**
The Trustee of the charity is the Parochial Church Council (PCC). The PCC members during the financial year and up to and including the date on which this report was approved were:
**Name Position Dates** Fr Alexander Crawford Chair, ex officio Helen Pilling Vice-Chair and PCC Secretary Anne Eaton Churchwarden Philip Tooke Churchwarden and Treasurer Catherine Beaumont Ros Beeson Catherine Cheater Resigned 11 May 2025 Catherine Gibson Gwyneth Hartley Paul Middleton Judith Smith Michelle Still Appointed 11 May 2025 Alison Stretton Fr Marc Voase Ex officio Appointed 29 June 2025 Tina Warnes Resigned 11 May 2025 Ben Whittaker Sarah Williams Adam Wilson
## **Address**
St Margaret’s Church Queens Road Ilkley West Yorkshire LS29 9QL
## **Independent Examiner**
John McGhee
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## **Bankers**
Barclays Bank UK PLC Leicester LE87 2BB
## **Investment Managers**
CCLA Investment Management Limited One Angel Lane London EC4R 3AB
## **Structure**
The Parochial Church Council of St Margaret’s Church, Ilkley is a registered charity (number 1131220). It is governed by the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956, as amended, and the Church Representation Rules.
The Trustee of the charity is the PCC, which is a body corporate. The PCC members are referred to as Trustees in this report. The Trustees are appointed by church members at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting.
## **Aims and purposes**
The general functions of the PCC are stated in section 2 of the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956.
The primary object of the PCC of St Margaret’s Church, Ilkley, is the promotion of the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England. The PCC has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church: pastoral, evangelistic, social, and ecumenical.
The PCC is also responsible for the maintenance of the fabric of the church building of St Margaret’s and the adjoining Parish Hall. The church building is Grade II* listed and recognised as being of architectural and historical significance.
## **Objectives**
The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community.
Since its foundation, St Margaret’s has been part of the catholic tradition of the Church of England, with liturgy celebrated with ritual, vestments, and all the splendour of the ancient worship of the Church. Public worship is held through the week as well as on Sundays, with regular celebrations of the Mass and public recitation of Morning Prayer.
The incumbent is responsible for administering the Discretionary Fund (see page 23 for details), which makes grants to members of the congregation, and residents of the parish and the town of Ilkley, who are in need.
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Members of the PCC comply with their duty to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant. They have also considered the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. The following sections of the report highlight the various activities undertaken throughout the year by the church for the benefit of the local public within the parish and beyond.
## **Mission and Ministry**
## **Vicar’s report**
We have celebrated another liturgical year in all the fullness of our catholic tradition, and a particular encouragement has been the growth of attendance at festivals and principal feasts held on weekday evenings (for example, Ascension Day). A highlight of the year was the Easter Liturgy on Holy Saturday, with an attendance of 89 (up from 53 in 2024).
We were glad to welcome Fr Marc Voase to join us as assistant curate in the parish. He was ordained to the diaconate in Wakefield Cathedral by Bishop Nick Baines.
A special service for the 80th anniversary of VJ Day in August was held in church and organised with Ilkley Town Council. St Margaret’s clergy led the Churches Together Good Friday Walk of Witness, and the Remembrance Sunday Act of Commemoration.
Four adults from our church community were confirmed by Bishop Toby Howarth at a special service in June, and we have been surprised and delighted by the number of couples coming to us for weddings, seven of which were held in church during the year, along with one blessing.
During Lent we held a variety of study evenings looking at topics such as Passiontide hymnody, the poetry of George Herbert, the spirituality of the psalms during the Reformation, and Anglo-Saxon spirituality. A Service of Readings and Music for Passiontide explored the poetry of John Donne, the prayers of John Cosin, and 17th Century music. Our Lenten Evensong sermon series reflected on “poems of the Passion”.
We added Mayfield View to our list of regular care home visits, with a number of our congregation resident there. Monthly visits to Abbeydale and Straven House continue, along with regular visits to Abbeyfield and River View. Special Easter and Christmas Communions with hymns and the story in a Godly Play style were celebrated in our care homes.
Christmas services were held joyfully, and we were pleased to welcome many visitors, though numbers were ever so slightly down overall on last year. Another wonderful Christmas Tree Festival brought the whole community together, and contributed greatly to our Christmas Appeal.
The regular and devout celebration of the sacraments remains absolutely central to our life together. We are now able to celebrate High Mass with three sacred ministers nearly every Sunday, and continue to be supported by a dedicated team of servers. It is now very rare that we do not have enough people to fulfil all the requisite roles. Our welcome of visitors has been improved by the introduction of a bespoke order of service for the High Mass, also allowing us to be more creative with elements of the liturgy for different occasions.
During the year we introduced a monthly Holy Communion according to the Book of Common Prayer. This is still the normative prayer book for the Church of England, and it is good to celebrate our Anglican patrimony in this way.
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## **Our worshipping community**
During 2025 the Electoral Roll has been completely revised, leading to changes from the numbers previously recorded on the roll. Following the 2025 revision the electoral roll contained 157 names (2024: 201), of whom 77 (2024: 103) were resident in the parish. There are around 2,300 occupied dwellings in the parish, and the population is just over 5,000 people.
In 2025, usual Sunday attendance remained about the same, varying from week to week. On Easter Eve and Easter Day together total attendance was 281 (2024: 235) with 187 communicants (2024: 169). In Advent until 23 December total attendance at special services was 373 (2024: 375). On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day together total attendance was 483 (2024: 495) with 124 communicants (2024: 130). (These figures reflect the number of individual worshippers, and do not count repeated attendance at more than one service in each period.)
There were five baptisms (2024: 4), seven marriages (2024: 2) and one marriage blessing, and 11 funerals (2024: 13). During the year roughly 20 people joined the worshipping community (2024: 15) and roughly eight left (2024: 3) (this number includes six funerals of long-standing members of the congregation).
## **Music**
Music is central to our worship at St Margaret’s, whether it be simple plainchant at Morning Prayer, or full choir and organ at the Sunday Sung Mass. Our musical tradition attracts worshippers from the parish and beyond, and enhances not only our regular services but also weddings and funerals, as well as civic services and carol services.
We continue to field a well-balanced four-part choir - usually about 15 singers - which rehearses on Friday evenings and sings for two services each Sunday. In addition our junior choir, led by Alison Williams, Su Lord-Cloke, Geoff Cloke and Kim Crawford, sings hymns and an anthem at the Family Service.
The adult choir celebrates with social events: in July 2025 the choir met at Barden Tower for a dinner preceded by Evensong, both in the chapel. The choir has joined forces with St Michael’s Headingley on two occasions during the year for Evensong.
Members of both the adult and junior choirs also sang carols at Ilkley Station in the lead-up to Christmas, and sang at our own Christmas Tree Festival.
In November 2025 our Director of Music, Christopher Rathbone, played the 150th of his popular series of monthly organ recitals, as part of Ilkley Arts Festival, with works by Kenneth Leighton, Johann Sebastian Bach and himself.
## **Children and families**
Our regular Playtime sessions for pre-school children and their families have continued on Friday mornings. A strong “home team” from St Margaret’s ensures that the sessions run well.
Our Family Service has continued at 9.15 each Sunday morning, including Godly Play once each month, and also a Family Mass on a monthly basis. Young people are prepared for admission to first communion and confirmation by the Vicar. During the year plans have been made for changes to the Family Service schedule to take effect in 2026, including Breakfast Praise to be held on the first Sunday of each month.
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Our Open the Book team has visited Ashlands Primary School in Ilkley six times a term, to share stories from the Bible with Key Stage 1 classes: Fr Marc joined the team in September. We value the opportunity to share the Bible with the children, who enjoy the team’s visits and are eager to participate. We are grateful to the Head Teacher Mrs Donna Russell and the staff for making us so welcome and for engaging with the stories. We are also grateful to the Otley Christian Resources Hub for providing the props that bring our stories to life.
## **Fellowship**
St Margaret’s offers many opportunities for Christian fellowship. These include our well-attended coffee sessions on Sundays and after the Thursday morning Mass; buffets or wine after special services; our monthly Lunch Club events with typical attendance of around 25 people, and our young adults’ group.
## **Pastoral care**
Our pastoral care team maintains contact with members of the congregation who are no longer able to come to church. Regular visits take place, and our eucharistic ministers make Holy Communion available for people who are not able to receive the Eucharist at church.
We also provide services and Holy Communion at a number of local care homes in the parish.
## **Flowers**
We are grateful to our dedicated team who produce wonderful displays of flowers in the church. During 2025 an additional acrylic stand has been purchased to facilitate displays at both the front and back of the church.
## **Christmas Tree Festival**
St Margaret’s organised Ilkley’s Christmas Tree Festival for the fourth time in December 2025. The festival followed the format of previous years: for two full days 30 Christmas trees were on display in the church, expertly decorated by local charities and organisations. The festival was well attended over the two days, with visitors enjoying the Christmas trees and listening to the musical entertainment provided by local schools, choirs and musicians.
As in previous years, the festival featured our marvellous refreshment stall, led by Judith Smith. We had a wonderful array of home-made cakes, supported by supermarket contributions particularly from Booths and Tesco. Refreshments continued to be served despite the challenge of a power cut that lasted over an hour.
The festival raised funds for our Christmas Appeal for Staying Put: please see the details in the outward giving section below.
Organising the festival was led by Joanne Tomlinson, Vickie Kemp, Anne Eaton, Judith Smith, Alison Stretton and Fr Alex. Many thanks to everyone who contributed in every way towards such a successful event.
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## **Parish Hall hirers**
The Parish Hall is used by around 15 local community organisations as well as St Margaret’s groups. Many of our hirers (charities, community and well-being groups) have been with us for a long time - a testament to the high-quality space and facilities on offer.
In 2025 we welcomed Active Together (part of Yorkshire Cancer Research) which offers fitness support for people following a cancer diagnosis and is delivered by a team of specialists on Wednesday mornings. Purple Patch meets the needs of a greater number of young adults with learning disabilities following an open day held at St Margaret’s to increase the number of referrals: Purple Patch will celebrate ten years with us after originally booking for a temporary three months.
Other popular activities include Positive Health (an exercise group for older people), Articulate Drama and Casting Agency, Rock Choir and Cantores Olicanae, as well as activities such as pilates, yoga, Scottish dancing, ballroom dancing, circle dancing and early history.
In 2025 the hall generated income of £35,123, plus £2,180 for hire of the church for concerts. We are very grateful to our Parish Administrator Vickie Kemp for all her work in liaising with our hirers.
## **Outward giving**
We have continued our commitment to outward giving from St Margaret’s. Donations to external charities in 2025 included:
£4,442.75 to Martin House Children’s Hospice, derived from the Christmas Tree Festival and Christmas Appeal in 2024
£600 to WaterAid
£200 to JJ Community Transformation in Uganda
£100 to the Children’s Society
£14.50 to each of the Royal British Legion and SSAFA
Funds raised at the Christmas Tree Festival and the Christmas Appeal in 2025 enabled us to donate £4,200 to Staying Put (Keighley Women’s Refuge) in early 2026.
We are very grateful to everyone who has supported the various appeals and collections and to Linda Whittaker who continues to run her popular cake stalls.
Our Discretionary Fund makes grants to members of the congregation, and residents of the parish and the town of Ilkley, who are in need. In 2025 payments totalling £1,550 were made to needy residents of Ilkley. We are able to respond quickly to applications for assistance, and usually make grants of up to £250 per claimant.
## **Governance**
## **Churchwardens**
Anne Eaton and Philip Tooke have remained in office as churchwardens throughout 2025.
A team of Deputy Wardens comprising Helen Pilling, Jane Sheldon and Helen Buswell has continued to help with Sunday and occasional services, and we are very grateful for their help.
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## **Safeguarding**
Safeguarding policies are reviewed annually by the PCC. There have been no safeguarding incidents or concerns reported during 2025.
The PCC is aware of the focus on safeguarding within the Church of England. Safeguarding is considered at every PCC meeting, and attention has been paid to developments in safeguarding both in the national Church and in the wider environment. We are grateful to our Parish Safeguarding Officer Catherine Beaumont for her support in this essential area.
## **Deanery Synod**
We are grateful to Gwyneth Hartley and Judith Smith for representing St Margaret’s on the Deanery Synod for South Craven and Wharfedale.
## **The Church and Parish Hall buildings**
St Margaret’s is fortunate to have a magnificent church building and a modern Parish Hall available for use. Care of the buildings is handled by a fabric committee chaired by Don MacRae. We also continue to be grateful to our caretaker Alan Raw for his care and knowledge of the buildings.
During 2025 a number of different projects which had been in the planning stage for some time have come to fruition.
Most notably, a new lighting scheme in the church has been installed at a cost of approximately £50,000. We are grateful to Overton Architects who designed the new scheme, and our electrical contractors Malcolm Baines Electrical Limited who installed the fittings and system. The new lighting provides more flexibility to vary the lighting depending on requirements, and we hope to benefit from it for many years.
The church has also benefited from the installation of equipment to enable our services to be livestreamed, and available for later viewing, via YouTube. We are grateful to Paul Middleton for leading on this new streaming of services. Additional speakers have also been fitted in the church to improve the sound quality within the church.
The churchyard has been improved with the cleaning of the War Memorial, the extension of the paved area around the memorial, the resetting of the paved path from the church porch to the memorial together with the installation of a new handrail, and the creation of a new path from the Parish Hall to the memorial.
Maintenance projects have included the sanding and re-sealing of the wooden floor in the church, the painting of the wooden window and door frames of the hall, and the servicing of the moveable partition wall in the hall. New shutters have been installed for the kitchen and the bar in the hall.
Specialist cleaning has continued in the church, including the pulpit, the Stations of the Cross, and parts of the baptistery and screen. Further specialist cleaning of parts of the church will continue in 2026.
The majority of the quinquennial inspection was carried out by Overton Architects; the inspection report will be completed in 2026.
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In the latter part of 2025 an application was submitted to the Consistory Court of the Diocese of Leeds for permission to replace the wooden gates outside the main door of the church and to extend the handrail adjacent to the gates, to install handrails to assist movement on the steps between the nave and the chancel, and for a new altar frontal. It is hoped that the faculty will be granted to enable these projects to take place in 2026.
## **Many thanks**
We are thankful for everyone who contributes to the community of St Margaret’s - everyone who volunteers in a large or small way, and everyone who participates in the spiritual life of St Margaret’s through participation in public worship.
We continue to be grateful to our Parish Administrator Vickie Kemp and our caretaker Alan Raw for everything that they do at St Margaret’s. We are grateful to clergy who preached and celebrated the Eucharist during the year: Fr Kenneth Crawford, Fr David Hope, Rev Isobel Rathbone and our curate Fr Marc Voase who joined us during the year; also our Readers Catherine Gibson and Catherine Beaumont. We are very fortunate to have Fr Alex as our Vicar, for his leadership and for setting the tone of inspirational worship.
## **Financial Review**
During the year £75,000 was paid to the Diocese of Leeds in respect of Parish Share (2024: £72,000): the full amount requested by the Diocese for 2025 was £104,918 (2024: £95,380).
The principal financial feature of 2025 has been the reduction in the balance of the Fire Damage Fund, as the fund has been used through the year to finance projects on the church, hall and churchyard. The balance of the Fire Damage Fund’s separate account with CCLA reduced from £97,766 at 31 December 2024 to £11,873 at 31 December 2025, as the cost of various works detailed in the buildings section on page 9 above has been met.
The net cost of projects affecting the church has been reduced by the refund of £10,298 of VAT through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme
Three legacies were received during the year in respect of people who worshipped at St Margaret’s. We are deeply grateful for these legacies.
We are grateful to our book-keeper for all her hard work throughout the year, and to our Independent Examiner John McGhee.
## **Reserves policy**
The target is to have a reserve available in the General Unrestricted fund of approximately three months’ regular expenditure (excluding Parish Share expenditure). This translates to approximately £30,000. The cash balance of the General Unrestricted fund at 31 December 2025 was £38,202.
## **Stewardship**
We currently have 106 regular donors. Over the course of the year, seven new or returning donors became regular givers although we had 12 leavers (deaths, moves etc).
10
Unfortunately, the loss of some much-loved members of the congregation and changes in the financial circumstances of others have meant that, despite the continued generosity of our donors, overall regular giving declined by an annual equivalent of almost £8,000. This decline has been tempered somewhat by some generous one-off donations.
We continue to offer a broad spectrum of giving methods to our congregation and visitors. Standing orders are our mainstay but the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS) has increased in popularity. PGS allows people to donate by direct debit and administers any associated Gift Aid claim. It also provides the option for an annual increase linked to the inflation rate. Indeed, all increases from regular givers in 2025 came via the PGS.
We have taken measures to improve opportunities to donate to St Margaret’s. A new card reader has been installed in the hall lobby, and signage improved both there and at the main entrance to the church. In addition, two new leaflets are now available regarding regular giving and legacies. Card and online donations have increased, particularly over the Advent and Christmas period, contributing over £5,000 to our income plus an extra £250 in Gift Aid.
There was no stewardship renewal campaign in 2025 as the PCC agreed to move this forward to Lent in 2026.
As always, we are particularly grateful to all donors for their financial commitment to St Margaret’s, and to Alison Stretton for her constant efforts to foster and administer our stewardship arrangements.
## **Approval of the Trustees’ report**
The Trustees’ report was approved by the PCC on 26 March 2026.
Signed on behalf of the Parochial Church Council:
## _[signed by Helen Pilling]_
Helen Pilling Trustee/PCC Member
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## **Independent examiner’s report to the Trustees of St Margaret’s Church, Ilkley**
I report on the accounts of the Church for the year ended 31 December 2025 which are set out on pages 13 to 22.
## **Respective responsibilities of PCC members and Examiner**
The Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the “2011 Act”) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
- Examine the accounts (under section 145 of the 2011 Act);
- Follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act); and
- State whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **Basis of Independent Examiner’s report**
My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a “true and fair view” and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
## **Independent Examiner’s statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination:
1. which give me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements
- to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and
- ● to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act
- have not been met; or
2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
_[signed by John McGhee]_
John McGhee
- 1 April 2026
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## **The Parochial Church Council of St Margaret’s Church, Ilkley**
## **Receipts and Payments Account for the year ended 31 December 2025**
||Notes|2025
Unrestricted
funds|2025
Restricted
funds|2025
Endowment
funds|2025
Total
funds|2024
Total
funds|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||£|£|£|£|£|
|**Receipts**|(1)||||||
|Regular giving||60,200|28,963|-|89,165|93,017|
|Irregular giving||6,942|345|-|7,287|6,518|
|Gift aid recovered||20,419|7,135|-|27,555|23,335|
|Donations||19,182|8,372|-|27,555|15,481|
|Legacies|(4)|14,000|-|-|14,000|12,324|
|Grants|(5)|10,298|-|-|10,298|-|
|Fees for services||11,890|-|-|11,890|5,659|
|Church lettings||2,180|-|-|2,180|2,955|
|Hall lettings||35,123|-|-|35,123|31,915|
|Investment income||7,119|5,033|856|13,009|13,409|
|Fundraising events||-|3,308|-|3,308|4,313|
|**Total income**||**187,359**|**53,158**|**856**|**241,375**|**208,930**|
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||Notes|2025
Unrestricted
funds|2025
Restricted
funds|2025
Endowment
funds|2025
Total
funds|2024
Total
funds|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||£|£|£|£|£|
|**Payments**|(1)||||||
|Parish Share||37,400|
37,600|-|75,000|72,000|
|Salaries and related
costs|(10)|47,996|-|-|47,996|43,834|
|Gas/electricity/water||16,877|631|-|17,508|18,589|
|Insurance||7,134|-|-|7,134|6,916|
|Church maintenance|(6)|124,786|264|-|125,050|23,365|
|Hall maintenance||11,582|-|-|11,582|9,990|
|Church/hall supplies||3,774|-|-|3,774|3,813|
|Office expenses,
printing and copying||4,312|-|-|4,312|4,713|
|Flowers|(2)|-|1,455|-|1,455|1,508|
|Choir and music|(7)|690|900|-|1,590|3,093|
|Donations to charities||132|5,239|-|5,371|6,065|
|Support payments|(8)|-|-|2,250|2,250|1,550|
|Fundraising event
costs||-|1,943|-|1,943|1,755|
|Clergy expenses||517|-|-|517|515|
|Other payments|(9)|5,723|209|-|5,932|4,259|
|**Total payments**||**260,932**|**48,244**|**2,250**|**311,427**|**201,975**|
||||||||
|Excess of receipts
over payments||(73,573)|4,914|(1,394)|(70,052)||
|Transfers between
funds|(2)|(1,537)|1,537|-|-||
|Net movements in
funds after transfers||(75,110)|6,451|(1,394)|(70,052)||
|**Cash at 31**
**December 2024**|Exc
cash in
hand|163,730|98,326|4,405|266,461||
|**Cash at 31**
**December 2025**|Exc
cash in
hand|**88,619**|**104,778**|**3,011**|**196,408**||
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## **The Parochial Church Council of St Margaret’s Church, Ilkley**
## **Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at 31 December 2025**
## **Fixed Assets**
St Margaret’s Parish Hall, which adjoins the church building, was constructed in 2005 at a cost which has been shown in previous accounts as £593,517.
## **CBF Church of England Investment Fund**
The PCC holds shares in the CBF Church of England Investment Fund (Income Shares) in respect of the Discretionary Fund (Endowment) and the Demaine Fund. The purposes of these funds are set out in the Appendix.
The mid market values of the shares as at 31 December 2025 (compared with 31 December 2024) are set out in the following table:
|**CBF Church of England**
**Investment Fund**|Market value as at
31 December 2025|Market value as at
31 December 2024|
|---|---|---|
|Fund|£|£|
|Discretionary Fund (Endowment)|29,590|30,822|
|Demaine Fund|58,744|61,190|
|Total|88,334|92,012|
## **CBF Church of England Deposit Fund**
The PCC holds cash deposits in the CBF Church of England Deposit Fund in four separate accounts, as follows:
- composite account, which is a general account containing both restricted and unrestricted monies
- account containing the assets of the General Legacies Fund (a designated fund)
- account containing the assets of the Fire Damage Fund (a designated fund)
- account containing the assets of the Rathbone Organ Restoration Fund (a restricted fund: the purpose of this fund is included in the Appendix)
The values of the accounts as at 31 December 2025 (compared with 31 December 2024) are set out in the following table:
15
|**CBF Church of England**
**Deposit Fund**|Value as at
31 December 2025|Value as at
31 December 2024|
|---|---|---|
|Account|£|£|
|Composite account|49,108|49,108|
|General Legacies Fund|37,019|33,344|
|Fire Damage Fund|11,873|97,766|
|Rathbone Organ Restoration Fund|78,957|73,482|
|Total|176,957|253,700|
## **Cash at bank and in hand**
The PCC held the following cash balances at 31 December 2025 (compared with 31 December 2024):
||Value as at
31 December 2025|Value as at
31 December 2024|
|---|---|---|
||£|£|
|Barclays current account|19,451|12,761|
|Cash in hand|-|163|
|Total|19,451|12,924|
## **Money owed to the PCC**
The following amounts were owed to the PCC as at 31 December 2025:
||£|
|---|---|
|Church/hall hire|546|
## **Liabilities**
The following liabilities were owed by the PCC as at 31 December 2025:
||£|
|---|---|
|Unpaid invoices|573|
Some of the monies held in the Christmas Tree Festivals, Christmas Appeals, Children’s Society and JJ Nshumi College restricted funds were to be paid over to relevant charities but the figures for payment were to be calculated in 2026 once all January transactions had been accounted for.
16
## **Approval of the accounts**
The accounts were approved by the PCC on 26 March 2026.
_[signed by Philip Tooke]_
Philip Tooke Treasurer
17
## **The Parochial Church Council of St Margaret’s Church, Ilkley**
## **Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2025**
These notes form part of the Receipts and Payments Account and the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **1.1 Basis of accounting**
The PCC has taken advantage of section 133 of the Charities Act 2011 and has prepared the accounts on a receipts and payments basis.
## **1.2 Consecrated property**
Consecrated and benefice property of any kind is excluded in accordance with section 10(2) of the Charities Act 2011.
## **1.3 Taxation**
As a charity the PCC benefits from rates relief and is generally exempt from income tax and capital gains tax, but not from VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is included in the cost of the expenditure to which it relates.
## **1.4 Fund accounting**
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the PCC in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.
Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donors or through the terms of an appeal. There is one endowment fund, the capital of which has to be retained but the income may be spent in accordance with the terms of the fund.
An explanation of the nature and purpose of each endowment and restricted fund is shown in the Appendix to these accounts.
## **1.5 Rounding**
All figures are shown to the nearest whole number of pounds. This may result in small discrepancies in totals, where total figures reflect the sum of unrounded figures.
## **2 Restricted and endowment funds**
The following table shows the values of the restricted funds and the endowment fund at the start and end of the year. This table deals only with the assets and income of the restricted funds and endowment fund that are held within the PCC’s general cash assets. In addition the Discretionary Fund (endowment) and the Demaine Fund hold shares in the CBF Church of England Investment
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Fund, and the Rathbone Organ Restoration Fund has a separate account within the CBF Church of England Deposit Fund, the values of which are shown in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
|**Name of fund**|1 Jan 2025|Incoming|Outgoing|Transfers|31 Dec 2025|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||£|£|£|£|£|
|Discretionary
(Endowment)|4,405|856|2,250|-|3,011|
|Demaine|1,128|1,700|-|-|2,829|
|Development|122|-|-|-|122|
|Diocesan Share|3,907|36,127|37,600|-|2,434|
|Gas/Electricity|125|506|631|-|-|
|Choir|9,414|60|101|1,000|10,372|
|Junior Choir|5,300|-|900|500|4,900|
|Organ (maintenance)|-|1,250|264|-|986|
|Rathbone Organ
Restoration|135|2,178|2,142|-|172|
|Flower|692|1,366|1,563|-|495|
|Harvest Appeal|-|577|577|-|-|
|Christmas Appeal|836|1,425|1,380|-|881|
|Christmas Tree Festivals|2,987|4,381|5,006|37|2,399|
|Children’s Society|38|64|58|-|44|
|J J Nshumi|160|187|160|-|187|
|**Total**|29,249|50,677|52,632|1,537|28,832|
* The payments from the Rathbone Organ Restoration Fund were made to that fund’s separate account within the CBF Church of England Deposit Fund, the value of which is shown in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
In recent years, for simplicity, the values of the restricted funds and the endowment fund have not been credited with interest received by the PCC’s composite account in the CBF Church of England Deposit Fund: neither have they been debited for administrative costs. However, as a one-off measure for 2025, the Choir Fund and the Junior Choir Fund (as the two largest restricted funds which do not have separate investment accounts) have been credited with transfers from the general unrestricted fund, to reflect (on a broad brush basis) the interest that has been earned on their balances since interest rates began to increase in 2022.
The Rathbone Organ Restoration Fund accrues interest under its separate account in the CBF Church of England Deposit Fund.
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## **3 Unrestricted funds (including designated funds)**
The main fund used for day to day receipts and payments is the general unrestricted fund. There are also four designated funds in existence in 2025, namely the Mission Fund, the General Legacies Fund, the Fire Damage Fund and the Playtime Fund:
- The Mission Fund provides donations to other charities and good causes.
- The PCC resolved at a meeting on 22 November 2022 that unrestricted legacies received after that date would be placed in the General Legacies Fund, which would be used to fund specific projects at St Margaret’s, rather than being placed in general funds for day to day expenditure.
- The Fire Damage Fund derives from the settlement payment received from Ecclesiastical Insurance following the fire in the church on 9 January 2023. The PCC resolved at a meeting on 28 September 2023 that the Fire Damage Fund is to be used to fund specific projects at St Margaret’s, rather than being placed in general funds for day to day expenditure.
- The PCC resolved at a meeting on 21 March 2024 to establish a designated fund in respect of Playtime.
The following table shows the values of the designated funds at the start and end of the year. This table deals only with the assets and transactions that are within the PCC’s general cash accounts. In addition the General Legacies Fund and the Fire Damage Fund have separate accounts within the CBF Church of England Deposit Fund, the values of which are shown in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
|**Name of fund**|1 Jan 2025|Incoming|Outgoing|Transfers|31 Dec 2025|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||£|£|£|£|£|
|Mission|624|1,129|132|-|1,621|
|General Legacies|-|*23,057|*24,411|-|(1,353)|
|Fire Damage|-|*104,231|*104,231|-|-|
|Playtime|540|838|83|**(37)|1,257|
|**Total**|1,164|129,255|128,857|(37)|1,525|
* In the above table the incoming and outgoing figures for the General Legacies Fund and the Fire Damage Fund include monies paid to and received from those funds’ separate accounts within the CBF Church of England Deposit Fund. Those payments to and from the CBF Church of England Deposit Fund are internal transfers within the charity and are therefore not reflected in the Receipts and Payments Account shown on pages 13 and 14.
** The transfer of £37 was made from the Playtime Fund in connection with the Christmas Tree Festival.
The following table shows the value of the general unrestricted fund as at 31 December 2025 (compared with 31 December 2024):
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||Value as at
31 December 2025|Value as at
31 December 2024|
|---|---|---|
||£|£|
|CBF Church of England Deposit
Fund: Composite account|49,108|49,108|
|Barclays current account|19,451|12,761|
|Cash in hand|-|163|
|Total cash|68,559|62,032|
|Less: restricted and endowment
funds|(28,832)|(29,249)|
|Less: designated funds|(1,525)|(1,164)|
|Value of general unrestricted fund|38,202|31,619|
## **4 Legacies**
Legacies include donations made by family members in memory of a member of the congregation shortly after their death.
## **5 Grants**
The grants were received from the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme and represent the reimbursement of VAT on eligible expenditure paid from the Fire Damage Fund. In line with the original expenditure, the grants received have been credited to the Fire Damage Fund.
## **6 Church maintenance**
The cost of church maintenance in 2025 includes the implementation of a new lighting scheme in the church, and work in the churchyard around the War Memorial: both of these projects have been funded from the Fire Damage Fund. The installation of livestreaming equipment and additional speakers in the church has been funded from the General Legacies Fund. Details of the projects carried out during 2025 are set out on page 9.
Church maintenance includes the costs of maintaining the churchyard as well as the church building.
## **7 Choir and music**
The payments relating to the choir and music include the junior choir and the fees paid to relief organists.
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## **8 Support payments**
Support payments are payments made to individuals in need, from the Discretionary Fund.
## **9 Other payments**
Other payments include fees paid to the Diocese of Leeds in respect of weddings; fellowship refreshments; copyright and other licences; bank charges and software costs.
## **10 Employees**
The charity had four employees throughout the year. No employee was paid more than £60,000.
## **11 Transactions with related parties**
No PCC members received any remuneration or benefit from the charity during the year.
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**APPENDIX**
## **Terms of endowment and restricted funds**
This description of the endowment and restricted funds was approved by the PCC on 29 September 2022. It has been edited since then to include the Rathbone Organ Restoration Fund which was established in 2023.
## **Endowment fund**
## **Discretionary Fund**
The Discretionary Fund is operated as a merged version of the Poor Fund and the Schofield Fund. Mr H W Schofield died in 1933 and left part of his estate for the benefit of St Margaret’s Poor Fund. No documents are available in relation to the Poor Fund, which was presumably in existence before 1933.
It has been generally accepted that, in line with the terms of Mr Schofield’s will, only the income from the Discretionary Fund may be spent, and the capital must be preserved. It is understood that the income is to be applied for the benefit of needy members of the congregation or parish of St Margaret’s or in the town of Ilkley: the recipients are selected by the Vicar and Churchwardens.
The assets of the Discretionary Fund are invested in the CBF Church of England Investment Fund, held by the Leeds Diocesan Board of Finance as custodian trustee. Income produced from the CBF Church of England Investment Fund is held as part of the Discretionary Fund within St Margaret’s cash resources.
## **Restricted funds**
## **Demaine Fund**
The Demaine Fund derives from the estate of Mrs D M Demaine, who died in 1997 and under her will left part of her estate to St Margaret’s “to be applied for the maintenance and repair of the said Church”. We interpret this wording as meaning the Church including its fittings, but excluding the Parish Hall and the churchyard. There are no restrictions on the spending of capital.
The assets of the Demaine Fund are invested in the CBF Church of England Investment Fund. Income produced from the CBF Church of England Investment Fund is held as part of the Demaine Fund within St Margaret’s cash resources.
## _Other funds_
_Note: when they have assets, all of the restricted funds described below are held in cash as part of St Margaret’s cash resources. St Margaret’s cash is held in the CBF Church of England Deposit Fund and with Barclays._
## **Development Fund**
The Development Fund is applied only to repair, maintain, renew and add to the fabric and furniture of the Church, churchyard and Parish Hall.
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## **Diocesan Share Fund**
The Diocesan Share Fund is applied only in the payment to the Diocese of Leeds of St Margaret’s Parish Share.
## **Gas/Electricity Fund**
The Gas/Electricity Fund is applied only to pay for gas and electricity used for the Church and the Parish Hall.
## **Choir Fund**
The Choir Fund is applied only for music and equipment for the choir and related expenses, and to meet costs relating to choir events.
## **Junior Choir Fund**
The Junior Choir Fund is applied only for music and equipment for any junior choir and related expenses, to meet costs relating to choir/junior choir events, and in the payment of scholarships to choral scholars.
## **Organ Fund (maintenance)**
The Organ Fund is applied only to maintain, repair or renovate the organ at St Margaret’s.
## **Rathbone Organ Restoration Fund**
The Rathbone Organ Restoration Fund was established by Christopher and Rev Isobel Rathbone in 2023. The Fund can only be used to pay some or all of the costs of renovation (not routine tuning or maintenance) of the organ situated in St Margaret's Church, at a time when such renovation is required.
## **Flower Fund**
The Flower Fund is applied only to provide flowers and other decorations for the Church and Parish Hall.
## **Harvest Appeal Fund**
The Harvest Appeal Fund is applied only to benefit the charities or causes selected by the PCC in connection with our annual Harvest Appeal.
## **Christmas Appeal Fund**
The Christmas Appeal Fund is applied only to benefit the charities or causes selected by the PCC in connection with our annual Christmas Appeal.
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## **Christmas Tree Festivals Fund**
The Christmas Tree Festivals Fund is applied only to meet the costs of operating Christmas Tree festivals in Ilkley which are open to the public, and to benefit the charities or causes selected by the PCC in connection with such festivals.
## **Children’s Society Fund**
The Children’s Society Fund is applied only to benefit the Children’s Society.
## **JJ Nshumi College Fund**
The JJ Nshumi College Fund is applied only to benefit JJ Community Transformation in Uganda.
## **Appeals - DEC Appeals Fund**
The Appeals - DEC Appeals Fund is applied only to benefit appeal funds launched by the Disasters Emergency Committee.
## **Christian Aid Fund**
The Christian Aid Fund is applied only to benefit Christian Aid.
## **Diocesan Link Fund**
The Diocesan Link Fund is applied only to benefit any diocese linked with the Diocese of Leeds.
## **Mirfield Fund**
The Mirfield Fund is applied only to benefit the Community of the Resurrection at Mirfield.
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