OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

← Hertford And Hitchin Area Meeting Of The Religious Society Of Friends (Quakers)

2023-12-31-accounts

Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Hertford and Hitchin Area Meeting

Annual Report 2023

Headings: Page:
Structure and objectives of the Area Meeting 2
Public benefit statement 3
Governance 4
Activities 6
Achievement and performance 7
Membership and meetings for worship 7
Children and young people 7
Pastoral and spiritual life of the community 7
Outreach to other communities 8
Use of meeting houses by the community 8
(including Peace Cottage Community Hub)
Sustainability 9
Quaker witness 10
Financial governance 11
Trustees 11
Financial Review 2023 12
Key plans for the future 14

1

Structure and objectives of the Area Meeting

  1. This annual report has been compiled by the trustees of the Hertford and Hitchin Area Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), abbreviated as Hertford and Hitchin Area Meeting . The Area Meeting is also known as Hertford and Hitchin Quakers, and was previously known as Hertford and Hitchin Monthly Meeting.

The Area Meeting is part of the organisation of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain, and the national body is known as Britain Yearly Meeting (BYM). The Area Meeting contains six local meetings (LMs), which hold public meetings for Worship and have day-to-day care of Meeting Houses and other property.

The objective of the Area Meeting is the furtherance of the general religious and charitable purposes of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain in the area of the Area Meeting and beyond. This may be done by work such as:

The following Trustees served in 2023: Clare Cooper David Hindle Nick Needham Phil Rowe

1 “Members” are those who have formally been accepted into membership of the Area Meeting, “Attenders” are those who regularly attend Meeting for Worship but are not Members. The Area Meeting has a general policy of not distinguishing between Members and Attenders.

2

6. Key officers

These roles are rotated between Clerks and Members/Attenders of constituent local meetings. A Continuity Clerk (Kathy Hindle) was appointed to maintain the flow of information to and between constituent local meetings.

Names and addresses of other relevant organisations or persons:

Bank: Triodos Bank, Deanery Road, Bristol, BS1 5AS

Examiner of Accounts: John Presland

Custodian Trustees for the Area Meeting:

Friends Trusts Limited, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ

Serious Incidents .

There were no serious incidents in 2023 which should have been reported.

Public Benefit Statement

  1. The principal public benefit of the Area Meeting is that in normal circumstances, at least weekly each of the 5 Meeting Houses in current use is open to the public for Meeting for Worship. The Meeting Houses are also made available as appropriate, sometimes at a subsidised charge, to suitable local community and interest groups and charities.

  2. The Area Meeting and its constituent local meetings provide financial support to Quaker activities in the UK and abroad, mostly through contributions to national Quaker organisations. Support is also provided to a number of organisations and projects which are in broad agreement with Quaker principles, including peace, justice, and welfare.

3

Governance

  1. The Area Meeting in session adopted a Governing Document on 13 October 2007 (Minute 81/07), amended on 9 November 2008 (Minute 81/08). As a result of meetings for worship being held online due to Covid, a further amendment was made to incorporate this change (Minute 22/23)

  2. The activities of the trustees are defined by the Governing Document, and by the Terms of Reference for trustees adopted by the Area Meeting business meeting on 9 June 2007. The minutes of trustees’ meetings, and supporting documents, are available (currently passworded) on the internet, and the attention of existing and new trustees is drawn to this and other significant information sources on the internet.

  3. Meetings for church affairs, in which the Religious Society conducts its business, are meetings for worship based on silence, carrying the expectation that God’s guidance can be discerned if members are truly listening together and to each other. The unity that is sought depends on the willingness of all to seek the truth in each other’s utterances. There is no voting in any meeting as this would inhibit the process of seeking to know the will of God as expressed in the sense of the meeting.

The Clerk of the meeting bears the final responsibility for preparing the business, conducting the meeting and drafting the minutes of the meeting. Minutes are drafted by the Clerk during the course of the meeting, but the final decision about whether the minute represents the sense of the meeting is the responsibility of the meeting itself, not of the Clerk.

  1. The Area Meeting during 2023 had 6 constituent geographically based local meetings which organise public Meetings for Worship. These local meetings are at:

Guilden Morden Meeting (at Eyeworth) Letchworth Hertford Hitchin Stevenage Welwyn Garden City (WGC).

The Local Meeting at Hoddesdon was laid down at the start of 2012; the Area Meeting continues to oversee the building and plans for its use are progressing. Occasional Meetings for Worship and other events are held there.

  1. All of these local meetings are authorised to hold bank accounts, and each (except Guilden Morden) has the use of a Meeting House, as its place of worship. These are owned by the Area Meeting. Three of the local meetings also accommodate wardens, and WGC also has a small building used as a function room.

Friends Trusts Ltd is the custodian trustee of the Area Meeting's properties.

A number of advisory and executive functions are delegated to subsidiary committees:

4

The Area Meeting is part of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain, of which Britain Yearly Meeting is the body which centrally manages the policy, property, employment and work of the Religious Society.

  1. Risk assessment: the Trustees have considered a number of areas of possible risk, as follows:

Care of property:

The properties are appropriately insured, and Area Meeting Properties Committee has oversight of any significant alterations to property which local meetings propose and provide advice as needed on proposals, and receives annual reports on the condition of the Meeting Houses and other properties.

Health and Safety:

The local meetings are responsible for assessing the safety aspects of the use of the buildings in their care or which they use. The Trustees will incorporate oversight of this into Memoranda of Understanding.

Financial probity:

The Area Meeting and its constituent bodies have no activities which constitute a major financial risk. There is a financial reporting system which includes independent examination of the Area Meeting and its constituent bodies’ annual accounts.

Investments:

The Area Meeting’s funds are all in bank accounts and building societies. The placement of the funds is reviewed periodically.

Employment:

The Trustees have examined the employment practices in the local meetings with regard to legal requirements.

Safeguarding

Our Safeguarding policy and practice was revised in 2022 in light of new guidance from British Yearly Meeting working with the Christian safeguarding charity Thirtyone:eight. This was reviewed again in September 2023. It is the responsibility of all Friends and Attenders to abide by the Safeguarding policy for everyone who comes to our Meeting Houses or premises. Where needed, Friends or Attenders volunteering with children attended Safeguarding training, usually paid for by the local meeting.

5

Activities

  1. The main activity of the constituent local meetings is the holding of public meetings for worship using Quaker practice, and regular meetings for church affairs. The Area Meeting itself holds business meetings for church affairs and supports its constituent local meetings, including providing grants and practical support to develop the life of meetings, and of individual Quakers (Members) and attenders.

  2. In general, membership continues to age and decline in numbers, although most local meetings regularly receive new visitors and enquirers who have heard about Quakers and want to know more. Some of these enquirers return, and some decide to become Quakers. Overall however, there are fewer people available to take on administrative roles within the local and area meetings due to age or other work/life commitments. At the local meeting level, some of these functions are managed by Business Meetings. At the Area Meeting level, administrative functions have been shared amongst different local meetings.

3. Other activities include:

6

Achievements and Performance

1. Membership and Meetings for Worship

At the end of 2023, for Tabular Statement purposes, there were 111 Members of the Area Meeting, 5 fewer than the previous year, and 137 attenders. The Area Meeting lost 2 Members by death, 3 by transfer out and 2 by resignation. We also welcomed 1 new member by convincement and 1 by transfer in.

Meetings for Worship were held every Sunday in all local meetings, except Guilden Morden which meets twice monthly. Hitchin Meeting held a second half-hour online Meeting for Worship on Wednesday evenings, and Welwyn Garden City Meeting held two meetings for worship on Sunday mornings. Some Meetings continued to make use of digitally ‘blended’ Meetings for Worship with the use of a laptop allowing the participation of those who were unable to attend in person, or who lived or moved further away, or abroad. Average attendance reduced from 2022, varying from three to five at Stevenage and Guilden Morden, and 10-15 at Hitchin, Hertford and Letchworth. Attendance at the earlier Meeting for Worship at Welwyn Garden City attracted between 4 and 10 people, and up to 25 at the later meeting.

Six Area Meetings for Business were held in person. Average attendance was around 9 apart from the Business Meeting at Welwyn Garden City when extra all-age activities were arranged, which encouraged 15 Friends to attend. Reports were received regularly from Meeting for Sufferings (the national standing executive body between Yearly Meetings) and the various committees accountable to Area Meeting. A triennial report was received from Guilden Morden Meeting. Area Meeting dates for 2024 were agreed, and the tabular statement (an indicator of the numerical strength of our local meetings) for 2022 was received, the Area Meeting being the body responsible for membership.

2. Children and Young People

Three of the six local meetings held regular activities for children. At Letchworth two children regularly attended with their parents, and in addition an All-Age Meeting was held around four times a year followed by a shared lunch. Children’s Meetings, play or garden-based, were held monthly in Hitchin Meeting where there were three children under five who attended. These were also followed by a shared lunch for the families to enjoy. In Hitchin there were additional online Zoom meetings with children in Israel and Canada but these ceased. In Welwyn Garden City, between 2 and 10 children joined the monthly Children’s Meetings, for play, stories and circle time. Hertford had no children attending regularly but two All-Age Meetings were held in May and December, which a few young people were able to join.

3. Pastoral and spiritual life of the community

Meetings around six times a year allowed Elders and Pastoral Carers to share information and consider ways to reach out to other Friends and Attenders with vulnerabilities, and plan activities to strengthen their Quaker community. Difficulty filling these roles due to smaller numbers attending regularly, meant that some local meetings continued to share these functions and work collaboratively (for example at Hertford and Hitchin). Elderly Friends and Attenders who had difficulty attending Meeting for Worship were supported through visits and phonecalls, and taxis arranged at times to bring them to the Meeting.

7

Meetings for Worship included ‘Afterthought’ sessions and readings from Advices and Queries. Clerks used email or digital messaging groups to share information and requests with Friends and Attenders in their meetings, and ‘Inspirations’ submitted by Friends such as short readings, photographs or artwork. Hitchin continued to produce their monthly newsletter of 6 articles (Quakerview) which was sent to all other local meetings and to Friends who had moved away from the area.

Hitchin, Welwyn Garden City and Letchworth Meetings held monthly social events to allow Friends to get to know each other better and to provide opportunities for spiritual reflection, such as shared lunches, discussion or book groups, craft mornings, monthly walks and speakers. Some of these events took place at the Meeting House or in Friends’ homes. A Hertford Friend arranged a winter Area Meeting group visit to Bayfordbury Observatory, creating an opportunity to meet together socially and enjoy the night sky.

A Friend from Welwyn Garden City Meeting hosted community afternoon tea parties with slide shows. Welwyn Garden City Meeting also held a games afternoon for young and old Friends to learn new or old games. A small group of Friends at Welwyn Garden City Meeting arranged a series of ‘Wild Prayer’ meetings over the year, inviting Friends and Attenders from other local meetings to explore alternative ways of developing their spiritual life.

Online forums for role holders (trustees, safeguarding representatives, clerks, elders and pastoral carers, treasurers) run by Britain Yearly Meeting were a valuable source of learning and support to many individuals across local meetings. The Woodbrooke centre continued to provide online learning opportunities for Friends and Attenders, many of whom also joined workshops and talks online during the Britain Yearly Meeting annual meeting. Welwyn Garden City Meeting supported two of its members financially to pursue studies in Talking Peace and in Christian Spirituality.

4. Outreach to other communities

Local meetings continued to connect with local faith groups, including Churches Together and Interfaith Fora. In Welwyn Garden City Meeting, a Friend gave talks at their Interfaith group meeting and read from Quaker Faith and Practice at a public Peace gathering. Hitchin Meeting focussed on completing their Peace Garden, organising a peace walking meditation in readiness for the UN International Day of Peace, which attracted 20 people from the local community. They took part in a preaching exchange to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Friends from Hertford attended the World Day of Prayer service at the Catholic Church and took part in the Churches Together Walk of Witness at Easter. Hitchin, Hertford and Letchworth opened their Meeting Houses to the public for the Bedfordshire Bike ‘n Hike day and/or UK Heritage Day in September, attracting many local visitors from their communities. Hertford also held monthly open mornings during the summer months for local people to be able to visit the Grade 1 listed building and ask about Quaker life and activity. Guilden Morden Meeting has, with the support of other local churches, organised occasional sessions entitled “Exploring Silence”.

5. Use of meeting houses by the community

All the local meetings except Guilden Morden have Meeting Houses and other facilities which are well used by groups in the wider community. The availability of these premises is regarded as a form of service to the community, particularly when they are used by groups providing a social, health, faith or educational support function. Hiring rates were adjusted following the rise in energy prices in 2022, but these are maintained at an

8

affordable level for groups that may struggle financially. The hiring of these premises was a significant source of revenue for local meetings.

Hirers across the Area Meeting include:

Friends and Attenders at local meetings continued to work to maintain their premises in good condition and improve them for the communities they serve, carrying out annual premises checks, repairs, servicing of equipment and annual ‘deep’ spring cleaning. Letchworth Meeting undertook asbestos removal from the Meeting House making this a safer environment for users. At Hitchin Meeting House, challenging work continued to install a lift to increase accessibility, despite ongoing technical difficulties. Hertford Meeting was able to employ a team from the prison service Community Payback scheme to carry out external woodwork decoration.

Peace Cottage Community Hub (formerly Hoddesdon Quaker Meeting House)

While no longer an active Quaker Meeting, Peace Cottage continued to develop as a community hub, with the support of a steering group of members from Welwyn Garden City, Hertford, and Guilden Morden Meetings, and a dedicated team of garden volunteers from the Hoddesdon area. A prison service Community Payback team carryied out garden weed clearance and grass cutting in the burial ground, and local volunteers continue to develop the garden. A number of events intended to draw in the local community have been organised, including community forums to discus the future of the Hub, a local history talk, explorations of sustainability and wellbeing, “coffee and craft” sessions during the school summer holidays, and performances by a drama group. A grant of £15,000 from a Britain Yearly Meeting fund was used to improve roofing and electrical installations.

6. Sustainability

Local meetings continued to seek ways to fulfil our commitment to the policy of sustainability being pursued by Britain Yearly Meeting. We were mindful in limiting or reducing our energy consumption (such as using watersaving taps and lights in Stevenage and Welwyn Garden City) and bought this from renewable sources. All local meetings continued to encourage wildlife through the maintenance of ponds and/or wild life areas in their

9

gardens. Hertford Meeting regularly hosted the Climate Café and was a venue for Hertford Town Council showing films to the public on environmental issues.

7. Quaker witness

Hertford and Hitchin Area Meeting has sought in various and imaginative ways to uphold the testimonies of British Quakers of truth, simplicity, peace, sustainability and equality in their witness to the community. Hitchin Meeting organised a peace walking meditation in readiness for the UN International Day of Peace, which attracted many local visitors to their Peace Garden. They took part in a preaching exchange to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Friends from Hertford attended the World Day of Prayer service at the Catholic Church and took part in the Churches Together Walk of Witness at Easter. Welwyn Garden City Friends invited other faith communities and the public to join them in a day of Prayer for the Earth in the town centre, gathering in prayerful stillness for a Meeting for Worship, and afterwards with prayers, song and dance. In Hertford, a 30 minute vigil was held each Friday at the Meeting House for peace in the Middle East conflict.

Letchworth, Hertford and Hitchin Meetings ran educational sessions to school groups or local history groups, on Quaker history, and artwork and posters were displayed on the building exteriors to demonstrate Quaker values and invite interest to passers-by.

Financial support for Quaker organisations in 2023 amounted to about £18,200, for non-Quaker organisations about £6,000.

Individual meetings raised money through events such as a clothes exchange (Welwyn Garden City), cake sales (Hitchin and Letchworth), and an acapella concert (Hertford), and made donations from their meeting’s resources, to a wide range of Quaker organisations and other associations sharing our values in promoting peace and justice. Welwyn Garden City Meeting donated a large amount to the Palestine Trauma Centre after their offices were bombed. Meetings subscribed to organisations such as Campaign Against the Arms Trade and Individuals from other meetings actively supported Israeli conscientious objectors and groups protesting against the London arms trade fair (DSEI). Other charities supported, local and national, included:

A number of health and disability support groups hire our premises regularly and as part of our witness, our hire rates are set at an affordable or discounted rate to enable them to make use of our facilities.

10

8. Financial governance

During 2023 the Area Meeting continued to pursue policies of good governance and furtherance of our charitable objectives in compliance with its governing document.

Fiscal oversight was achieved at all levels by the receipt and acceptance of both the examined Area Meeting business accounts, and also the receipt of the examined Area Meeting amalgamated accounts, for 2022 for the local meetings over which it had oversight. The proposed budget, financial timetable, and Area Meeting Quotas for 2024 were received and accepted.

9. Trustees

During 2023 four trustees served. The trustees see one of their functions as providing advice and counsel to local meetings. Trustees occasionally flag up matters of concern to Area Meeting for Business by minute and may bring proposals. Trustees appoint representatives to all Area Meeting Business Meetings. New trustees are appointed by the Area Meeting following expressions of interest from local meetings and nominations by local meetings. The trustees compiled the Annual Report for 2022 on the activities of the Area Meeting, which was presented to the Area Meeting Business Meeting and submitted to the Charity Commission. The trustees also produced a report to Area Meeting Business Meeting on trustees' activities. During 2023 all trustee meetings were quorate and minutes were kept of matters discussed.

11

Financial Review 2023

1. Reserves Policy The reserves policy for Area Meeting central funds is based on holding money in various nominal funds at Area Meeting level. We are in the process of running down some central Area Meeting funds as agreed by the Treasurer in consultation with Finance Committee. The target levels are as follows:

Funds held for the following purposes Amount £
Properties Emergency Fund 15,000
General Purposes 11,000
Designated funds:
Peace Group 500
Quaker Work 1,000
Camp Committee 5,000
Total 32,500

The actual total value of the central funds at 31 December 2023 was £36,812.

For the operation of local meetings, it is expected that each of these should hold enough reserves to operate for 1 year and meet future building requirements. The target level of funds for 2023 were:

Local Meeting Amount £
Guilden Morden 100
Hertford 10,000
Hitchin 10,000
Letchworth 14,000
Stevenage 11,000
Welwyn Garden City 46,000
Total 91,100

The criteria and levels of reserves for local meetings are currently under review.

2. Income and Expenditure None of the Area Meeting’s funds were in deficit during 2023. At 31[st] December 2023, the Area Meeting had a total cash value of £372,348 (2022: £324,394).

3. Income: Following the significant insurance repayments in 2022, we received a further payment for lost income during the Covid shutdowns, but the major component of our income in 2023 was from lettings. Total income in 2023 was £214,765 (2022: £300,882). Income in the previous year has been unusually increased by a large legacy, so the fall in income in 2023 is not of concern.

Funds from Friends, including Gift Aid refunds, were £37,060 (2022: £38,702).

Income from letting our Meeting Houses etc was £109,379 (2022: £94,217), 2.5% below pre-pandemic income but somewhat recovered compared to 2022. Much of the letting business has now returned, but there are some previous hirers who no longer operate.

Grants or donations from outside bodies were £16,000 (2022: £35,850). This includes a grant of £15,000 for various aspects of the work at Peace Cottage at Hoddesdon. At the end of 2023, £20,518 remained held as

12

restricted funds for the purpose of developing Peace Cottage; this includes some donations by individual Friends for this purpose. Grants to local meetings amounted to £1,000, mostly for work on the Hertford Meeting House which is a Grade 1 Listed Building; this work was completed within 2023.

Interest received on cash balances was £10,701 (2022: £2,581).

4. Expenditure : Our largest expenditure remains the insurance, maintenance, and improvement of our properties, at £124,705 (2022: £159,176) in support of our role as a religious organisation at a local level. This includes planned expenditure at the Peace Cottage, Hoddesdon, of £4,761 to repair and improve the property, of which £3,442 was funded by external grants and donations. Further substantial work was completed at Peace Cottage late in 2023, to be paid for in 2024 from the accumulated funds mentioned above.

In 2023, £24,252 (2022: £21,415) was expended on grants and other support to outside bodies, of which about 72% went to Britain Yearly Meeting in furtherance of the centrally organised work of the Religious Society of Friends.

The amount spent on administration within the Area Meeting in 2023 was £17,621 (2022: £15,264).

13

Key plans for the future

14

Hertford and Hitchin Area Meeting of the
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)		 Hertford and Hitchin Area Meeting of the
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)		 Hertford and Hitchin Area Meeting of the
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)		 Charity No
(if any)		 1131894
Annualaccountsforthe period
Period start date 01/01/2023 To Period end
date		 31/12/2023

Section A Statement of financial activities

Recommended categories by
activity
Guidance Notes
Incoming resources (Note 3)
Income and endowments from:
Donations and legacies
S01
Charitable activities
S02
Other trading activities
S03
Investments
S04
Separate material item of income
S05
Other
S06
S07
Resources expended (Note 6)
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
S08
Charitable activities
S09
Separate material item of expense
S10
Other
S11
S12
S13
Net gains/(losses) on investments
S14
S15
Extraordinary items
S16
S17
S18
Other gains/(losses)
S19
S20
Reconciliation of funds:
S21
S22
1
Total
Net movement in funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
Total
Net income/(expenditure) before investment
gains/(losses)
Net income/(expenditure)
Transfers between funds
Other recognised gains/(losses):
Gains and losses on revaluation of fixed assets for the charity’s own use		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income
funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
Prior year
funds
£
£
£
£
£
F01
F02
F03
F04
F05		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income
funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
Prior year
funds
£
£
£
£
£
F01
F02
F03
F04
F05		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income
funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
Prior year
funds
£
£
£
£
£
F01
F02
F03
F04
F05		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income
funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
Prior year
funds
£
£
£
£
£
F01
F02
F03
F04
F05		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income
funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
Prior year
funds
£
£
£
£
£
F01
F02
F03
F04
F05
36,390 17,672 - 54,062 171,366
3,211 - - 3,211 2,997
109,379 - - 109,379 94,227
10,701 - 10,701 2,581
34,500 - - 34,500 29,657
2,901 - - 2,901 54
197,082 17,672 - 214,754 300,882
- - - - -
24,252 - - 24,252 21,415
- - - - -
131,778 10,548 - 142,326 174,440
156,030 10,548 - 166,578 195,855
41,052 7,124 - 48,176 105,027
- - - - -
41,052 7,124 - 48,176 105,027
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
41,052 7,124 - 48,176 105,027
316,146 8,027 - 324,173 219,146
357,198 15,151 - 372,349 324,173

Section B Balance sheet

Fixed assets
Intangible assets (Note 15)
Tangible assets (Note 14)
Heritage assets (Note 16)
Investments (Note 17)
Total fixed assets
Current assets
Stocks (Note 18)
Debtors (Note 19)
Investments (Note 17.4)
Cash at bank and in hand (Note 24)
Total current assets
Creditors: amounts falling due within
one year (Note 20)
Net current assets/(liabilities)
Total assets less current liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling due after
one year (Note 20)
Provisions for liabilities
Total net assets or liabilities
Funds of the Charity
Endowment funds (Note 27)
Restricted income funds (Note 27)
Unrestricted funds
Revaluation reserve
Total funds
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all
the trustees		 Guidance Notes
B01
B02
B03
B04
B05
B06
B07
B08
B09
B10

B11
B12
B13
B14
B15
B16
B17
B18
B19
B20
B21		 Unrestricted
funds
£
F01		 Restricted
income
funds
£
F02		 Endowment
funds
Total this
year
£
£
F03
F04		 Endowment
funds
Total this
year
£
£
F03
F04		 Total last
year
£
F05
- - - - -
80,000 - - 80,000 80,000
- - - - -
- - - - -
80,000 - - 80,000 80,000
- - - - -
13,765 - - 13,765 16,412
- - - - -
353,616 20,518 - 374,134 332,272
367,381 20,518 - 387,899 348,684
15,551 - 15,551 24,288
351,830 20,518 - 372,348 324,396
431,830 20,518 - 452,348 404,396
- - - - -
- - - - -
431,830 20,518 - 452,348 404,396
- - -
20,518 20,518 8,027
351,830 - 351,830 316,369
-
351,830 20,518 - 372,348 324,396
Signature Print Name Date of
approval
dd/mm/yyyy
David Hindle 25/10/2024

CC17a (Excel)

29/10/2024

2

Section C Notes to the accounts (cont)

Note 3 Analysis of income

Note 3 Analysis of income Analysis of income Analysis of income Analysis of income Analysis of income Analysis of income Analysis of income
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income
funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
Prior year
£
£
Donations and gifts
32,343 1,672-34,015 34,351
Gift Aid
3,047- -3,047 4,352
Legacies
1,000- -1,000 96,815
General grants provided by government/other
charities
-16,000-16,000 35,850
Membership subscriptions and sponsorships
which are in substance donations
- - - -
Donatedgoods,facilities and services
- - - - -
Other
- - - -
Total 36,390 17,672 - 54,062 171,368
Area Meeting Camp
2,137- -2,137 2,997
Hitchin Meeting event
1,074- -1,074-
- - - - -
Other
- - - - -
Total 3,211 - -3,211 2,997
- - - -
Hirings and Lettings of Meeting Houses
109,379- -109,379 94,217
- - - - -
Other
- - - -64
Total 109,379 - -109,379 94,281
Interest income
10,701- -10,701 2,581
Dividend income
- - - - -
Rental and leasing income
- - - - -
Other
- - - - -
Total 10,701 - -10,701 2,581
Insurance payment for loss of business (covid19)
34,500- -34,500 29,657
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
Total 34,500 - -34,500 29,657
Conversion of endowment funds into income
- - - - -
Gain on disposal of a tangible fixed asset held
forcharity's ownuse
- - - - -
Gain on disposal of a programme related
investment
- - - - -
Royalties from the exploitation of intellectual
propertyrights
- - - - -
Other
2,901- -2,901-
Total 2,901 - -2,901-
197,082 17,672-214,754 300,884
Other information:
Charitable
activities:
Analysis
Donations
and legacies:
TOTAL INCOME
Other:
Other trading
activities:
Income from
investments:
Separate
material item
of income:		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income
funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
Prior year
£
£
Analysis
Donations and gifts 32,343 1,672 - 34,015 34,351
Gift Aid 3,047 - - 3,047 4,352
Legacies 1,000 - - 1,000 96,815
General grants provided by government/other
charities		 - 16,000 - 16,000 35,850
Membership subscriptions and sponsorships
which are in substance donations		 - - - -
Donatedgoods,facilities and services - - - - -
Other - - - -
Total 36,390 17,672 - 54,062 171,368
Area Meeting Camp 2,137 - - 2,137 2,997
Hitchin Meeting event 1,074 - - 1,074 -
- - - - -
Other - - - - -
Total 3,211 - - 3,211 2,997
- - - -
Hirings and Lettings of Meeting Houses 109,379 - - 109,379 94,217
- - - - -
Other - - - - 64
Total 109,379 - - 109,379 94,281
Interest income 10,701 - - 10,701 2,581
Dividend income - - - - -
Rental and leasing income - - - - -
Other - - - - -
Total 10,701 - - 10,701 2,581
Insurance payment for loss of business (covid19) 34,500 - - 34,500 29,657
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
Total 34,500 - - 34,500 29,657
Conversion of endowment funds into income - - - - -
Gain on disposal of a tangible fixed asset held
forcharity's ownuse
-		 - - - -
Gain on disposal of a programme related
investment		 - - - - -
Royalties from the exploitation of intellectual
propertyrights		 - - - - -
Other 2,901 - - 2,901 -
Total 2,901 - - 2,901 -
197,082 17,672 - 214,754 300,884
All income in the prior year was unrestricted except for:
(please provide description and amounts)
Where any endowment fund is converted into income in the
prior period, please give the reason for the conversion.
Where any endowment fund is converted into income in the
reporting period, please give the reason for the conversion.
Within the income items above the following items are
material: (please disclose the nature, amount and any prior
year amounts)

CC17a (Excel)

29/10/2024

3

Section C Notes to the accounts (cont)

Note 6 Analysis of expenditure

Analysis
Expenditure on raising funds:		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income
funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
£
£
This year
Last year		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income
funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
£
£
This year
Last year		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income
funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
£
£
This year
Last year		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income
funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
£
£
This year
Last year		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income
funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
£
£
This year
Last year		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income
funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
£
£
This year
Last year		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income
funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
£
£
This year
Last year		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
income
funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
£
£
This year
Last year
Incurred seeking donations - - - - - - - -
Incurred seeking legacies - - - - - - - -
Incurred seeking grants - - - - -
Operating membership schemes and
social lotteries		 - - - - -
Staging fundraising events - - - - -
Fudraising agents - - - - -
Operating charity shops - - - - -
Operating a trading company
undertaking non-charitable trading
activity		 - - - - -
Advertising, marketing, direct mail and
publicity		 - - - - - - - -
Start up costs incurred in generating
new source of future income		 - - - - - - - -
Database development costs - - - - - - - -
Other trading activities - - - - -
Investment management costs: - - - - -
Portfolio management costs - - - - - - - -
Cost of obtaining investment advice - - - - - - - -
Investment administration costs - - - - - - - -
Intellectual property licencing costs - - - - - - - -
Rent collection, property repairs and
maintenance charges		 - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
Total expenditure on raising funds - - - - - - - -
Expenditure on charitable activities:
Area MeetingCamp 4,882 - - 4,882 3,613 - - 3,613
Grant Making (see note 13) 24,252 - - 24,252 21,415 - - 21,415
Hitchin Peace Garden 834 1,000 - 1,834 - 6,651 - 6,651
- - - - - - - -
Total expenditure on charitable
activities		 29,968 1,000 - 30,968 25,028 6,651 - 31,679
Separate material item of expense
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
Total - - - - - - - -
Other
Area and Local Meeting Expenses 12,739 - - 12,739 11,651 - - 11,651
Premises Costs 118,724 4,147 - 122,871 110,984 41,541 - 152,525
- - - - - - -
- - - - - - - -
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
Total other expenditure		 131,463 4,147 - 135,610 122,635 41,541 - 164,176
161,431 5,147 - 166,578 147,663 48,192 - 195,855

Other information:

Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities

CC17a (Excel)

29/10/2024

4

Thisyear Thisyear Thisyear Thisyear Lastyear Lastyear Lastyear Lastyear
Activity or programme Activities
undertaken
directly		 Grant
funding of
activities		 Support
Costs		 Total this
year		 Activities
undertaken
directly		 Grant
funding of
activities		 Support
Costs		 Total last
year
£ £ £ £ £ £ £ £
Activity1 - - - - - - - -
Activity2 - - - - - - - -
Other - - - - - - - -
Total - - - - - - - -

CC17a (Excel)

29/10/2024

5

Section C Notes to the accounts (cont)

Note 11 Paid employees Please complete this note if the charity has any employees.

11.1 Staff Costs

This year:
Salaries and wages
Social security costs
Other employee benefits
Total staff costs
Pension costs (defined contribution scheme)		 This year
£		 Last year
£
15,854 13,504
- -
712 1,875
- -
16,566 15,379

Please provide details of expenditure on staff working for the charity whose contracts are with and are paid by a related party Last year:

Please provide details of expenditure on staff working for the charity whose contracts are with and are paid by a related party

Please give details of the number of employees whose total employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) fell within each band of £10,000 from £60,000 upwards. If there are no such transactions, please enter 'true' in the box provided.

No employees received employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) for the reporting period of more than £60,000

Band Number of employees Number of employees
This year
-		 Last year
-
£60,000 to £69,999
£70,000 to £79,999 - -
£80,000 to £89,999 - -
£90,000 to £99,999 - -
£100,000 to £109,999 - -
Please provide the total amount paid to key management
personnel (includes trustees and senior management) for their
services to the charity. For specific amounts paid to trustees,
see Note 28.
Thisyear Lastyear
£ £
- -

CC17a (Excel)

29/10/2024

6

11.2 Average head count in the year
The parts of the charity in which the
employees work		 This year
Number		 Last year
Number
Fundraising - -
Charitable Activities 2 2
Governance - -
Other - -
Total 2 2

11.3 Ex-gratia payments to employees and others (excluding trustees) Please complete if an ex-gratia payment is made.

Please explain the nature of the
payment
Please state the legal authority or
reason for making the payment		 This year
Last year
This year
Last year
Please state the amount of the payment (or value of any waiver of
a right to an asset)		 Thisyear Lastyear
£
-		 £
-

CC17a (Excel)

29/10/2024

7

11.4 Redundancy payments

Please complete if any redundancy or termination payment is made in the period.

Please state the accounting policy for any redundancy or
termination payments
The extent of redundancy funding at the balance sheet date
The nature of the payment (cash, asset
etc.)
Total amount of payment		 Thisyear Lastyear
£
-		 £
-
Thisyear Lastyear
£
-		 £
-

CC17a (Excel)

29/10/2024

8

Section C Notes to the accounts (cont)

Note 13 Grantmaking

Please complete this note if the charity made any grants or donations which in aggregate form a material part of the charitable activities undertaken.

This year:

13.1 Analysis of grants paid (included in cost of charitable activities)

Analysis Grants to
institutions		 Grants to individuals Support costs Total
£ £
Britain YearlyMeeting 17,532.00 - - 17,532.00
Grants of £1000 and over - - - -
Miscellaneousgrants of under$1000 6,720.00 - - 6,720.00
- - - -
Total 24,252 - - 24,252

Please enter “Nil” if the charity does not identify and/or allocate support costs.

13.2 Grants made to institutions

My charity has made grants to particular institutions that are material in the
context of its grantmaking. Details of the institution supported, purpose of the
grant and total paid to each institution is available on the charity's web site.		 Yes Please provide
details of charity's
URL.
No Provide details
below
Names of institution Purpose Total amount of
grantspaid £
Britain Yearly Meeting Central Funding of Quaker activities 17,532
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
TOTAL GRANTS PAID
Other unanalysed grants
Total grants to institutions in reporting period		 17,532
-
17,532

CC17a (Excel)

29/10/2024

9

Last year:

13.3 Analysis of grants paid (included in cost of charitable activities)

Analysis Grants to
institutions		 Grants to individuals Support costs
£		 Total
£
Britain YearlyMeeting 12,438.00 - nil 12,438.00
Grants of £1000 and over - - nil -
Miscellaneousgrants of under $1000 8,977.00 - nil 8,977.00
- - - -
Total 21,415 - - 21,415

Please enter “Nil” if the charity does not identify and/or allocate support costs.

13.4 Grants made to institutions

My charity has made grants to particular institutions that are material in the
context of its grantmaking. Details of the institution supported, purpose of the
grant and total paid to each institution is available on the charity's web site.		 Yes Please provide
details of charity's
URL.
No Provide details
below
Names of institution Purpose Total amount of
grantspaid £
Britain Yearly Meeting Central Funding of Quaker activities 12,438
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
TOTAL GRANTS PAID
Total grants to institutions in reporting period
Other unanalysed grants		 12,438
-
12,438

CC17a (Excel)

29/10/2024

10

Section C Notes to the accounts (cont)

Note 14 Tangible fixed assets Please complete this note if the charity has any tangible fixed assets 14.1 Cost or valuation

At the beginning of the year
Additions
Revaluations
Disposals
Transfers
At end of the year
Basis*
Rate
At beginning of the year
Disposals
Depreciation
Impairment
Transfers
At end of the year
Net book value at the beginning of the year
Net book value at the end of the year
14.3 Net book value
14.2 Depreciation and impairments*		 Freehold land &
buildings
£		 Other land &
buildings
£		 Plant,
machinery
and motor
vehicles
£		 Fixtures, fittings
and equipment
£		 Total
£
80,000 - - - 80,000
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
80,000 - - - 80,000
SL or RB (Straight
Line or Reducing
Balance)		 SL or RB SL or RB SL or RB SL or RB
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
80,000 - - - 80,000
80,000 - - - 80,000

CC17a (Excel)

29/10/2024

11

14.4 Impairment

This year: Please provide a description of the events and circumstances that led to the recognition or reversal of an impairment loss.

Last year: Please provide a description of the events and circumstances that led to the recognition or reversal of an impairment loss.

14.5 Revaluation
the name of independent valuer, if applicable
the carrying amount that would have been recognised had the assets been
carried under the cost model.
the methods applied and significant assumptions
the effective date of the revaluation
If an accounting policy of revaluation is adopted, please provide:		 This year
Last year		 This year
Last year
- -

14.6 Other disclosures

(iii) Details of the existence and carrying amounts of property, plant and
equipment to which the charity has restricted title or that are pledged as
security for liabilities.
(i) Please state the amount of borrowing costs, if any, capitalised in the construction of
tangible fixed assets and the capitalisation rate used.
(ii) Please provide the amount of contractual commitments for the acquisition of tangible
fixed assets.		 Thisyear Lastyear
£ £
- -
- -

* The "transfers" row is for movements between fixed asset categories.

** Please indicate the method of depreciation by deleting the method not applicable (SL = straight line; RB = reducing balance). Also please indicate the rate of depreciation: for straight line, what is the anticipated life of the asset (in years); for reducing balance, what is the percentage annual deduction.

CC17a (Excel)

29/10/2024

12

Section C Notes to the accounts (cont)

Note 19 Debtors and prepayments

Please complete this note if the charity has any debtors or prepayments.

Please complete this note if the charity has any
debtors or prepayments.
Note 19 Debtors and prepayments
19.1 Analysis of debtors
Trade debtors
Prepayments and accrued income
Other debtors		 This year
£		 Last year
£
- -
13,765.0 16,412.0
- -
13,765.0 16,412.0

Total

Please complete 19.2 where a material debtor is recoverable more than a year after the reporting date.

19.2 Analysis of debtors recoverable in more than 1 year (included in debtors above)

Trade debtors
Prepayments and accrued income
Other debtors
Total		 This year
£		 Last year
£
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -

CC17a (Excel)

29/10/2024

13

Section C Notes to the accounts (cont)

Note 20 Creditors and accruals

Please complete this note if the charity has any creditors or accruals.

20.1 Analysis of creditors

Accruals for grants payable
Bank loans and overdrafts
Trade creditors
Payments received on account for contracts or
performance-related grants
Accruals and deferred income
Taxation and social security
Other creditors
Total		 Amounts falling due within
oneyear		 Amounts falling due within
oneyear
Amounts falling due after
more than oneyear
Amounts falling due after
more than oneyear
This year
£		 Last year
£		 This year
£		 Last year
£
- - - -
- - - -
35,669 24,288 - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
- - - -
35,669 24,288 - -

20.2 Deferred income

Please complete this note if the charity has deferred income.

Please explain the reasons why income is deferred.
Movement in deferred income account
Balance at the start of the reporting period
Amounts added in current period
Amounts released to income from previous periods
Balance at the end of the reporting period		 Thisyear Lastyear Lastyear
This year
£		 Last year
£
- -
- -
- -
- -

CC17a (Excel)

29/10/2024

14

Section C Notes to the accounts (cont)

Note 24 Cash at bank and in hand

Note 24 Cash at bank and in hand
Other
Cash at bank and on hand
Total
Short term cash investments (less than 3 months maturity date)
Short term deposits		 This year
£		 Last year
£
- -
282,180 268,900
91,954 63,371
- -
374,134 332,271

CC17a (Excel)

29/10/2024

15

Section C Notes to the accounts (cont)

Note 27 Charity funds

27.1 Details of material funds held and movements during the CURRENT reporting period

Please give details of the movements of material individual funds in the reporting period together with a balancing figure for 'Other funds'. The 'Total funds' figure below should reconcile to 'Total funds' in the blanace sheet.

* Key: PE - permanent endowment funds; EE - expendible endowment funds; R - restricted income funds, including special trusts, of the charity; and U - unrestricted funds

funds
Fund names Type PE, EE
**R or UR ***
Purpose and Restrictions		 Fund
balances
brought
forward
£		 Income
£		 Expenditure
£		 Transfers
£		 Gains and
losses
£		 Fund
balances
carried
forward
£
AreaMeeting General Fund UR General Purposes of AreaMeeting 15,018 1,464 - 16,213 15,081 - 15,350
Area Meeting Quaker Work
Fund		 UR Supporting Quakerprojects 1,000 - - - - 1,000
AreaMeetingBuildingFund UR Emergencyrepairofourbuildings 15,000 - - - - 15,000
AreaMeeting CampFund UR AreaMeeting Camp 6,773 3,570 - 4,882 - - 5,462
Local Meetings General Funds UR General Purposes of Local Meetings 278,354 192,049 - 139,015 - 16,401 - 314,987
- - - - -
Hitchin Peace Garden R to be usedfoHitchin PeaceGarden - 1,000 - 1,000 - - -
350th AnniversaryFund R to be usedfor HertfordMeetingHouse 705 - 705 - - -
- - - - -
Herts CC R Peace Cottageraised gardenbeds 105 - - 172 67 - -
Places CalledHome R Peace Cottage garden workshops etc 4,180 - - 2,211 144 - 2,113
Peace CottageDementia Café R Peace CottageDementia Caféfacilities 2,664 - - - 2,664
Peace Cottage General Fund R Peace Cottage general 371 402 - - 773
MeetingHousesFund R Peace Cottage building 15,000 - - 15,000
Peace CottageRefurb R Peace Cottagerefurbishment 1,270 - 2,379 1,109 -
Other funds N/a N/a - - - - - -
Total Funds 324,170 214,755 - 166,577 - - 372,349

CC17a (Excel)

29/10/2024

16

Section C Notes to the accounts (cont)

Note 27 Charity funds (cont)

27.2 Details of material funds held and movements during the PREVIOUS reporting period

Please give details of the movements of material individual funds in the reporting period together with a balancing figure for 'Other funds'. The 'Total funds' figure below should reconcile to 'Total funds' in the blanace sheet.

* Key: PE - permanent endowment funds; EE - expendible endowment funds; R - restricted income funds, including special trusts, of the charity; and U - unrestricted funds

funds
Fund names Type PE, EE
**R or UR ***
Purpose and Restrictions		 Fund
balances
brought
forward
£		 Income
£		 Expenditure
£		 Transfers
£		 Gains and
losses
£		 Fund
balances
carried
forward
£
AreaMeeting General Fund UR General Purposes of AreaMeeting 13,315 821 - 15,514 16,399 - 15,021
Area Meeting Quaker Work
Fund		 UR Supporting Quakerprojects 1,000 - - - - 1,000
AreaMeetingBuildingFund UR Emergencyrepairofourbuildings 15,000 - - - - 15,000
AreaMeeting CampFund UR AreaMeeting Camp 7,212 3,174 -3,613 - - 6,773
Local Meetings General Funds UR General Purposes of Local Meetings 165,505 257,783 -128,535 -16,399 - 278,354
-
Hitchin Peace Garden R to be used for Hitchin Peace Garden 6,401 250 -6,651 - - -
350th AnniversaryFund R to be usedfor HertfordMeetingHouse 705 24,700 - 24,700 - - 705
-
Herts CC R Peace Cottage raised garden beds 105 - - - - 105
Peace Cottage cleaning R Peace Cottage cleaning 30 - -30 - - -
BroxbourneBC R Peace Cottagerefurbishment 4,950 - 4,950 -
Places Called Home R Peace Cottage garden workshops etc 4,920 - -740 - - 4,180
Peace CottageDementia Café R Peace CottageDementia Caféfacilities -336 3,000 2,664
Peace Cottage General Fund R Peace Cottage general 3,256 -10,785 7,900 371
-
Captain Tom Dementia Café R (Peace Cottage Dementia Café facilities) 1,500 -1,500 -
Herts CC Dementia Café R (Peace Cottage Dementia Café facilities) 1,500 -1,500 -
-
Community Wealth Building
Fund		 R (Peace Cottage general) 5,000 -5,000 -
Rosedale Community R (Peace Cottage general) 500 -500 -
Broxbourne BC R (Peace Cottage general) 1,400 -1,400 -
Herts CC R (Peace Cottage general) 1,000 -1,000 -
-
Other funds N/a N/a - - - - - -
Total Funds 219,143 300,884 - 195,854 - - 324,173

CC17a (Excel)

29/10/2024

17

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independont •xaminorf$ r•port on the a¢¢ounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustaos of Hertford and Hitchin Area Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends lQuaker51 On a¢counts for the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no 1131894 Sot out on page I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity I'th8 Trust") for the year ended Responsibillties and basis of rnport As the charty's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charitiès Act 2011 ('the Act.). I report in respect of my examination of the TNst's accounts Carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. Independent I have completed my examination. I confimi that no material matters have examinerfs Statemont come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to b81ieve that in, any material respect: the aGGounting records were not kepl in accordance with section 130 of the Charitles Act., or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records.. or the accounts did not comply wrf(h the applicable requirernents concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts gNe a true and fair, view whi¢h is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concems and have come across no other matters in Gonnection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this ￿port in order to enable a proper understanding of the a¢¢ount$ to be reached. Signed: Date: Name: JOH￿ P26SLAIXL Relevant profe$$ional qualificationls) or body {if any): Address: ve