Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain (Registered charity, number 1134526) Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024
Page Contents 2 - 9 Trustees’ annual report 10 Independent examiner’s report 11 Receipts & payments account 12 Statement of assets & liabilities 13-15 Notes to the accounts
Please note: All the documents referred to are available at: - - suffolkquakers.org.uk/area meeting documents
Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain Trustees’ annual report for the year ended 31 December 2024
Full name Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain
Other names by which the charity is known Ipswich & Diss Area Meeting
Registered charity number 1134526
Principal address
Quaker Meeting House, St Johns Street, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1SJ.
Trustees
Clive Bach, from 01/01/2024 Mary Pennock, Treasurer Martin Hayden Simon Lamb Frances Hopkins Robert Ashton
Independent examiner
John O’Brien, employee of Community Accounting Plus, Units 1 & 2 North West, 41 Talbot Street, Nottingham, NG1 5GL
Solicitor
Kerseys Solicitors, 32 Lloyds Avenue, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 3HD
Holding Trustee of Property
Friends Trusts Limited, Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ
Principal Advisors
Rathbone Greenbank Investments 10 Queen Square Bristol BS1 4NT
Clark & Simpson Estate Agents, Well Close Square, Framlingham, Suffolk IP13 9DU
Governance and management
The charity is operated under the rules of its constitution adopted 17/05/2008, and most recently amended 14/05/2022.
Trustees are appointed for a period of three years by the Area Meeting following nomination by its Nominations Committee. All Trustees receive induction training.
Business meetings within the Society are conducted as ‘meetings for worship for church affairs’ in which there is no voting, the Clerk is a servant of the meeting and
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Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain
the minutes are agreed at each meeting. Membership of the Society of Friends is held within the Area Meeting.
Objectives and activities
The object of Ipswich & Diss 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 Ipswich & Diss Area Meeting and beyond. Its constituent parts include:
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Local Meetings at Bury St Edmunds, Diss, Felixstowe, Ipswich, Leiston and Woodbridge.
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Ipswich and Diss Area Meeting Property Charity, which is a mixture of endowment, restricted and designated funds which support the Area Meeting’s four Meeting Houses in Ipswich, Diss, Bury St. Edmunds and Leiston; Burial Grounds in Bredfield, Needham Market, Woodbridge, Diss, Bury St. Edmunds and Leiston; a private house in Diss which is rented out and a warden’s flat within Ipswich Meeting House.
It carries out the objectives of the Area Meeting or such other charitable purposes as the Area Meeting may direct and the trustees may think suitable: provided that the trustees allow persons who are not members of the Society to use the meeting houses and premises and the remains of persons who were not members of the Society to be buried in the burial grounds.
Agnes Moss Bequest Trust, which is a restricted fund for the use of Diss Local Meeting.
Diss Local Meeting and Area Meeting have directed that the trust is to be used: 1) by Area Meeting for administration of the trust and for property maintenance. 2) by Diss Local Meeting for general purposes and property maintenance and repairs of Diss Meeting House, its burial ground and the private house .
- Richard Waynforth Trust Charity , which is a mixture of endowment and restricted funds for the relief in need of members and attenders of Ipswich & Diss Area Meeting and, from 7 October 2014, members and attenders of Waveney & Norfolk Area Meeting and Southern East Anglia Area Meeting. (See Richard Waynforth Trust Guidelines).
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Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit
Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting performs the following activities in relation to its objectives:
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Holding Area Meetings, using the Quaker business method, at least once a year.
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Taking responsibility for membership of the Area Meeting and hence of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain and maintaining a register of the Area Meeting’s members and attenders.
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Ensuring that all Local Meetings report regularly on their activities and that Local Meeting treasurers and Local Meeting premises committees meet together at least annually.
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Appointing clerks, a treasurer, registering officers, a nominations committee, elders, and pastoral care team co-ordinators.
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Consolidating accounts of its constituent Local Meetings and linked charities.
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Maintaining links with the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain, also known as Britain Yearly Meeting, and Friends Trusts Ltd, which is the trust corporation for the Religious Society of Friends in Great Britain.
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Taking responsibility for the preservation of Area Meeting and Local Meeting records.
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Managing the charity's income and expenditure to meet the proper costs of administering the charity and managing its cash and non-cash assets in keeping with the charity’s ethical investment policy.
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Ensuring ongoing repairs and maintenance are carried out for the Meeting Houses, the wardens’ flat and the private house.
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Ensuring the Meeting Houses, the wardens’ flat and the private house comply with current Health and Safety Regulations, Fire Safety Regulations and other relevant government regulations.
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Ensuring compliance to safeguarding, equal opportunities and data protection legislation.
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Providing adequate Public Liability Insurance for the Local Meetings and Buildings and Contents Insurance coverage for the Meeting Houses and buildings insurance for the wardens’ house and flat.
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Commissioning quinquennial and tree surveys and carrying out the recommended actions for the Meeting Houses and their adjacent burial grounds.
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Inspecting the burial grounds at Bredfield, Needham Market and Woodbridge and taking remedial actions, where required.
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Ensuring compliance to employment regulations and monitoring employment matters, including pensions and the Living Wage, at Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds and Diss Meeting Houses.
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Overseeing all building renovations and new development undertaken at the Meeting Houses and the private house.
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Selling, leasing or disposing of all or any part of the charity's property that is not required to be retained to achieve its objectives.
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Co-operating with other charities, voluntary bodies and statutory authorities as required.
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Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain
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Making relief-in-need grants to provide or pay for goods, services and/or training for members and attenders of Ipswich & Diss Area Meeting, Waveney & Norfolk Area Meeting and Southern East Anglia Area Meeting.
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Arranging and holding of public Meetings for Worship, open to all, in its constituent Local Meetings in Bury St Edmunds, Diss, Felixstowe, Ipswich, Leiston and Woodbridge.
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Maintaining links with other churches and local faith groups to promote inter-faith understanding, peace, social justice and equality.
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Support of other local, national and international charities through special collections and fund-raising events.
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Chaplaincy support is provided locally to two prisons, a hospital and a university.
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● Our four Meeting Houses are available for lettings to community groups, other charities and businesses undertaking charitable activities.
Public benefit statement
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit, 'Charities and Public Benefit'.
Summary of the main achievements during the period
In setting out our charitable achievements for public benefit as a local worshipping community within a national framework, we reflect the aims of Britain Yearly Meeting, the national body and those set out in our current book of discipline, “Quaker Faith & Practice”.
Our six local Meetings have met at least weekly for public worship since the beginning of this year. Felixstowe remain well settled in the Trimley Memorial Hall and Woodbridge in the Shire Hall. Our availability as a worshipping community, where all are welcome is evident from our Suffolk Quaker website https://suffolkquakers.org.uk/ , articles in the local press and on local radio, a social media presence and in the case of Woodbridge a notice board in the Market Square.
All our local Meetings are in good spirits despite struggling to fill roles. While we are heartened to see some new faces, Friends find it difficult to give enough time to the work that is expanding and we recognise that we may need to look at more radical solutions than have been suggested up to now. Some local Meetings, have retained blended/hybrid Meetings for Worship and simultaneous in-person and online Meetings, thereby encouraging inclusivity, links with other Area Quaker Meetings and fostering our worshipping community. Regular shared lunches after Meeting for Worship in Bury, Diss, Felixstowe, Ipswich & Leiston strengthen warm friendships & bring Friends’ families to the Meeting House.
Ipswich and Bury continue to hold mid-week Meetings for Worship in person which attract newcomers. Leiston have reintroduced “afterword” to their Meetings for Worship giving Friends confidence to also give voice to spoken ministry. Leiston friends held a well-attended Meeting for Worship at Folk East.
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Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain
Community being one of the cornerstones of our faith, creative ways of encouraging it abound. Monthly discussion groups are held in Diss. Similar groups in Woodbridge have focused upon our Peace testimony & peace making and led to a vigil for Peace in which many non-Quakers participated. Felixstowe Friends led workshops on Parody in Poetry, Chinese painting, Japanese flower arranging and the history of local Quakers and Meeting Houses. They even had a Beach Hut picnic and dip in the North Sea!
On a gentler note, Woodbridge Friends have a regular walking group. Members from the whole Area Meeting attended an excellent day entitled “The future of Quakerism” at Leiston Meeting House facilitated by “Woodbrooke Where You Are”
In the wider community the celebration of George Fox’s 400 birthday saws displays in our Meeting houses with afternoon tea at Ipswich and it coinciding with “Suffolk Churches Ride & Stride” & Heritage Open Day in Bury. As in previous years Remembrance Sunday was marked by the placing of a white poppy wreath on the War Memorials in Ipswich, Bury and Woodbridge. This year also saw public talks in Bury and Woodbridge by a returned Ecumenical accompanier from Palestine- Israel (EAPPI). A Friend appointed as a prison Chaplain holds Meeting for Worship weekly at Warren Hill and Hollesley Bay.
A number of Friends gave witness to our Peace Testimony by joining others at RAF Lakenheath protesting against the return of nuclear warheads.
Collaborative work with other faith communities has continued. Leiston hosting Churches Together meetings twice a year and Bury Meeting House being home to local Buddhist groups, Spiritualists and used weekly for Friday prayer to the Muslim community.
Although the number of groups using our Meeting Houses is slightly reduced, due to lower numbers attending groups post pandemic, they continue to be well used and reflect our Quaker ethos of equality and inclusivity.
As the effect of climate change becomes more evident in the world our efforts to raise awareness continue. Bury St Edmunds Friends are now in their third year of organising a monthly public “Silent Witness to Social Justice in the face of the Climate Emergency” with an increasing number of members of the general public and local ecological groups joining them. This has now spawned a lively Climate Café in the town. Following a very generous legacy they were also able to make substantial donations to “The Hive” a local outdoor family Eco Centre and to Suffolk County Council for the restoration of the “Gateway” to the Lark Valley Path – a wonderful countryside walk for local residents.
Throughout the year Quakers in Ipswich & Diss Area Meeting have made donations to 32 other charities. (See below section 4 “Acting as Agent collections”).
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Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain
Sustainability and Environmental achievements during the period
Friends remain committed to seeking change, though this is a very complex process, particularly in historic Meeting Houses as they balance the usage of the building with efficiency and cost and the fitting of solar panels with planning restrictions.
Diss and Leiston Friends in particular have been monitoring & minimizing their use of energy and exploring infra-red space heating.
Encouraged by Britain Yearly Meeting we have begun to use the Ecochurch criteria to encourage progress in this area.
Financial review
Financial position at the end of the reporting period
Despite another fall in the membership this year, Ipswich & Diss Area Meeting remains overall in a fair financial position.
Reflecting the uncertainty in the global economic situation endowed investments held with Rathbone Greenbank have not performed well this year. The value of the Property Charity, encompassing the Bury and AM Meeting House Maintenance funds, fell by £3,393. Despite increasing the risk level to allow us to invest in social enterprises the loss on the Richard Waynforth Trust was limited to £311. Dividends from these investments also fell. A total of £4,863 in investment management costs were incurred.
A complete review of where our cash funds are held was carried out during 2024. The Bury Meeting House Maintenance Fund, AM Meeting House Fund and the Richard Waynforth Trust Fund were moved to new Epworth Cash Plus Accounts which attract a significantly higher rate of interest with easy access. The proceeds of the sale of 21 St Nicolas Steet (£248,991) were added to the Agnes Moss Fund which was then deposited in a new CCLA COIF deposit account attracting a good rate of interest with easy access. The Property Charity fund remains in a Triodos Bank account.
Ipswich and Bury Meeting Houses are well used by a range of organisations. Leiston has also seen an increase in the hiring of the Meeting House. To remain competitive and to enable smaller community groups to use Meeting House facilities, rates of hire have not been increased. Diss continues to receive rental income from the old Warden’s house. Hire of rooms and rental totalled £66,271. An increase of £2,000 on 2023.
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Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain
Quinquennial inspections of the Bury and Ipswich Meeting Houses were carried out. Repairs and maintenance in Ipswich were funded, in part, from the Area Meeting Meeting House Maintenance Fund. The programme of replacement and repair at Ipswich is ongoing with the installation of additional double glazing planned. The annual insurance premium for the four meeting houses and the quinquennial fees were paid from the AM Meeting House Fund.
Once again Local Meetings were asked to contribute £50 per member to Area Meeting Funds. Four meetings met this in full from their own funds whilst the others topped up Friends’ contributions made under scheduled giving. A total of £4,719 was refunded by HMRC under the Gift Aid scheme. This was then apportioned to each Local Meeting.
Website costs, the Trustees’ Zoom account and the Quickbooks accounting software licence were all paid for from AM funds. As were £1,800 accountancy fees. A total of £900 was spent on courses and conferences which included Clerks’ training and attendance at the Quakers in Criminal Justice and The Future of Quakerism conferences. The ‘Woodbrooke Where You Are’ day was paid for from the Spiritual Fund leaving a balance of £3,700.
AM continues to subscribe to the Customer Union of Ethical Banking, the safeguarding organisation 31.8 and Churches Together. The printing costs of the list of members and attenders were also met from AM funds. The new HR and Payroll services cost £1,757. Area Meeting employee salaries, pension and training totalled £3,916.
Despite increases in staffing and energy costs Local Meeting finances are in a healthy state and all were able to meet commitments as they arose. 3 LMs pay a levy for bookkeeping services which are subsidised by Area Meeting.
In total Friends gave £30,698 to Britain Yearly Meeting. This is an average of £210 per member and only just falls short of the £240 suggested by BYM.
Two online meetings brought LM treasurers and the Treasurer’s Team together to share information and best practice. Local Meetings are asked to produce a budget for the year and reserves are monitored by the Treasurer’s Team.
Reserves Policy
We ask each of our constituent Local Meetings and funds to hold reserves of 6 months expenditure without income. Their positions are checked annually and the policy is reviewed triennially.
The Trustees holding responsibility for Area Meeting properties, three of which are listed places of worship, are hoping to build up the Meeting Houses Reserves Fund This policy is also reviewed triennially
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Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain
Financial Risks
We are aware that towards the end of the year some of our investments did not perform as well as previously, due to the global situation. This is being monitored.
We have a comprehensive set of policies and practice documents which are regularly reviewed and adherence to them monitored.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
(Signed )
Clive Bach, Clerk to the Trustees Date -17[th] May 2025
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Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain for the year ended 31 December 2024
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain (the charity) for the year ended 31 December 2024.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’). I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
(signed)
John O’Brien MSc, FAIA, FCIE Employee of Community Accounting Plus Date – 27[th] May 2025
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Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain Receipts & payments account for the year ended 31 December 2024
| 2023 Total Funds £ Receipts Note 818 Events, fundraising & sales 64274 Hire of rooms and rent received 1392 Other donations 25138 Contributions 6450 Gift aid - Sale of investment property 1 2 Sundry receipts 23814 Dividends 29906 Other investment income 16218 Acting as agent receipts 4 168012 Total receipts Payments 2448 Administrative and other costs 1200 Independent Examination 100 Legal costs 4204 Investment costs 324 Catering 819 Conference costs 6971 Grants to individuals 192 Inreach , learning & library 2007 Outreach 25260 Payments to non Quaker bodies 40165 Payments to other Quaker bodies 1432 Publications & subscriptions 2190 Room hire costs 4377 Care-taking & cleaning 17557 Utilities 12886 Property repairs & maintenance 19604 Building improvements 833 Equipment 4704 Insurance - Other property costs 37621 Staff costs 15999 Acting as agent payments 4 200893 Total payments (32881) Net receipts/(payments) 461692 Cash funds at start of this period - Transfers between funds 428811 Cash funds at end of this period |
Unrestricted Funds £ 943 65412 - 33539 4719 - 30 6789 7413 - 118845 3038 1800 2340 927 353 900 95 975 578 30577 22966 1159 3230 2223 18673 13356 11399 341 4604 234 35931 - 155699 (36854) 322745 (224) 285667 |
Restricted Funds £ - 859 - - - 248991 - 12518 10192 12822 285382 30 - - 3936 - - 7282 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13264 24512 260870 106066 224 367160 |
2024 Total Funds £ 943 66271 - 33539 4719 248991 30 19307 17605 12822 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 404227 | |||
| 3068 1800 2340 4863 353 900 7377 975 578 30577 22966 1159 3230 2223 18673 13356 11399 341 4604 234 35931 13264 |
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| 180211 | |||
| 224016 428811 - |
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| 652827 |
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Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain Statement of assets and liabilities at 31 December 2024
| 2023 | 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | Cash assets | £ | |
| 428811 | Bank accounts | 652827 | |
| 428811 | 652827 | ||
| Investments (Note 3) | |||
| CCLA Unit funds | |||
| 51374 | T Merriman 10121 units | 54577 | |
| 90633 | Recoupment 13/11/87 17856 units | 96322 | |
| 32273 | Recoupment 11/08/86 6358 units | 34258 | |
| - | Agnes Moss Bequest | 260673 | |
| 174280 | 445830 | ||
| 1036978 | Rathbones portfolio | 1023746 | |
| 1211258 | 1469576 | ||
| Investment property | |||
| Shop premises at 21 St Nicholas Street, Diss, | - | ||
| 235000 | held within the Agnes Moss Bequest | - | |
| Debtors and prepayments | |||
| - | HMRC overpayment | 488 | |
| - | 488 | ||
| Liabilities | |||
| (443) | Acting as agent (collected but not paid at year | end) | - |
| (1800) | Accountancy | (1992) | |
| (2243) | (1992) | ||
| Property | |||
| In addition the charity holds six burial grounds and functional property | |||
| with insured values as follows: | |||
| Bury St Edmunds meeting house | 1710000 | ||
| Diss meeting house and warden's house | 1219256 | ||
| Ipswich meeting house and warden's flat | 1472000 | ||
| Leiston meeting house | 738464 |
These financial statements are accepted on behalf of the charity by:
(Signed )
Mary Pennock, Treasurer Date -19[th] May 2025
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Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024
1. Receipts & payments accounts
Receipts and payments accounts contain a summary of money received and money spent during the period and a list of assets and liabilities at the end of the period. Usually, cash received and cash spent will include transactions through bank accounts and cash in hand.
The cash receipts in the period included the sale (disposal) of the investment property. Had the financial statements been prepared on the accruals basis, income would have been below the £250K threshold, thus allowing the option to continue with the Cash Basis for the presentation of these accounts.
2. Cash Funds summary
| Unrestricted funds Area General fund Bury St Edmunds LM Diss LM Felixtowe LM Ipswich LM Leiston LM Woodbridge LM Bury SE Maintenance fund Area MH Maintenance fund Property charity Restricted funds Agnes Moss Bequest Richard Waynforth fund Acting as Agent (BYM) Acting as Agent (Other) Total cash funds |
Opening balance £ 22881 30250 14999 5029 51580 49881 2796 73730 58162 13437 322745 25913 79934 - 219 106066 428811 |
Receipts £ 2445 40677 14255 3823 32982 10634 3355 3908 1803 4963 118845 254970 17590 8080 4742 285382 404227 |
(Payments) £ (10387) (70041) (24460) (3449) (27676) (8469) (2351) - (5599) (3267) (155699) (3964) (7283) (8080) (5185) (24512) (180211) |
Transfers £ (1318) 7204 (2000) (850) (1500) (1150) - (7428) 6818 - (224) - - - 224 224 - |
Closing balance £ 13621 8090 2794 4553 55386 50896 3800 70210 61184 15133 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 285667 | |||||
| 276919 90241 - - |
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| 367160 | |||||
| 652827 |
The transfers from the Local Meeting funds to the Area fund are primarily in respect of contributions to the Area Meeting that have been collected locally.
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Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain
3. Investment funds summary
| CCLA Property Charity (TM) The Agnes Moss Bequest Rathbones investments BSE Meeting House fund Area Meeting House fund Property Charity Endowment Richard Waynforth Endowmnent Total investments |
Opening value £ 174280 - 174280 50590 30590 151768 804030 1036978 1211258 |
Additions, disposals & charges £ 927 248222 249149 (436) (436) (1308) (7348) (9528) 239621 |
Gain/Loss £ 9950 12451 22401 (814) (368) (2211) (311) (3704) 18697 |
Closing value £ 185157 260673 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 445830 | ||||
| 49340 29786 148249 796371 |
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| 1023746 | ||||
| 1469576 |
The Property Charity (TM) is the Thomas Merriman Endowment and Recoupment Fund
4. Acting as Agent collections paid out
| £ BYM 7972 Find Smile Train 335 Glebe House Water Aid 225 Olive HT QCEA 70 Care4Calais GAZA Sunbirds 158 Peace Museum Peace Pledge Union 140 MAP Lakenheath Peace Alliance 70 Homestart FWCC 147 Suffolk Refugee Support Medicin sans Frontieres 762 EAPPI Medical Aid for Palestinians 510 Freedom from Torture Waveney Food Bank 335 CPAG Samaritans 432 ICENI Refugee Council 300 Ipswich Lighthouse Resisters International 125 Greenpeace ORBIS 250 UK Prison Fellowship Red cross 32 Suffolk Community Foundation |
£ 51 238 103 71 67 178 33 48 82 60 105 105 80 55 55 70 |
|---|---|
| 13264 |
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Ipswich & Diss Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain
5. Trustees’ remuneration
Trustees received no expenses, remuneration or benefits in this period.
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