2025-01-31-accounts

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AGM REPORTS 27TH APRIL 2025

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MINISTRY TEAM REPORT

As we reflect on 2024, we are very grateful to all those who play a part in the life of our church; through their service, their prayers and their generous giving. The church can only flourish when we work together to love and serve, as Jesus taught us, and it is so good to be part of a brilliant team here. Thank you in particular to all that lead groups that help our church have a presence in our local community. This year, there have been sorrows such as the deaths of Irene Cockerton and Eileen Hainsworth, and we are grateful to God for their lives. There have also been joys, such as in May when Tom was confirmed and August when Legend was baptised. Other highlights include re-establishing links with White Court school after the pandemic; deepening connections with Notley Green school including supporting in lessons; continuing ministry to the local nursing home Longmead; the fun of Wiggle Church; and a fabulous Christmas Tree Festival. We are grateful to all our visiting ministers for their contribution and would particularly like to extend thanks to Hans Stein and to Ellie Ake for their ministry to us, particularly throughout David’s sabbatical.

There has been a fair amount of work behind the scenes to establish good foundations in our church. We would like to say a thank you to all members of Church Council for their dedicated commitment and, in particular, to Pauline for her hard work in updating and introducing policies and procedures to make sure our church governance is not only in place, but in a good place!

This year we spent time discerning our vision and strategy. We are grateful to those who supported the prayer breakfasts in the summer as we reflected on the past, present and the future of the CiGN. In our services in October we considered how we might grow wholistically as a Church – not just in numbers but also in faith and the good we do in our community. As such, we expanded our vision (how we want to be described in 3 to 5 years’ time) to say: “We are the Church in Great Notley, for Great Notley. We are a growing church that shows the love of Jesus in word and action so that others may come to know him as Lord and Saviour.”

To help us become this church, we have developed five goals to work towards. These are:-

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1. Focus on building up All Age Worship

2. Become a more welcoming church

3. Establish and improve links with the local community and find opportunities to serve, support and to be a blessing to them

4. Develop a discipleship pathway

5. Work towards becoming a Bronze Eco Church in 2025

As ever, we are thankful to God who can do infinitely more than all we can ask or imagine, we ask that we are faithful to the one who is so faithful to us.

Rachel

- on behalf of David, Roman, and Nikki

BENEFICE ADMINISTRATOR

I have continued to carry out administrative work. Life Events: Using the procedures I developed last year I continue to undertake the administrative work in relation to these.

• Baptisms: I continue to deal with initial emails, dealing with forms, Trello updates, calendar details, follow up emails, keeping a record of baptisms. The Baptism Orders of Service for both Adult and Child have been reviewed. These have been produced and laminated for use within Rayne and Black Notley.

• Weddings: I continue dealing with initial enquiries, dealing with forms, updating Trello, updating calendars, linking in with officiate and verger, invoicing, keeping a record of weddings and other elements as needed.

• Funerals and Interments of ashes: This includes initial

• emails/calls from funeral directors, dealing with forms, booking in with officiate, linking in with verger, Trello updates, invoicing, and other elements as needed. Dealing with CR1 forms. Interment process specific to Church (St Peter & St Paul bricks and All Saints plaques). Keeping an overall record of funerals, interments.

Website: I generally update the front page with a range of posters for what’s on at Great Notley, information from Foodbank and other

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information for Black Notley and Rayne as needed. Other regular updates are the ‘What’s Ahead’ and Rayne in Focus for Rayne, Pew Sheets for Black Notley and the Latest Live Streamed Service for Great Notley. There are plans to update some of the photos/pictures on some pages and will diary in to do a wider review during the year. Invoicing: Invoices are done for weddings, funerals and hiring for Florence Slater Room. These are sent out with copies to relevant

Treasurers .

Rota: I do a summary of the services across the Three Churches monthly and send to Linda for the Rayne in Focus Magazine. I update part of the main service rota for Reverend Rachel.

General: Book in requests for bell ringing. Various emails dealt with

day

to-day.

Church specific

• Great Notley : Produce and send out the CiGN notice every week. Print off information for notice boards and leaflets, as needed. Amend and send monthly service slides. Keep the church bookcase tidy and in order (The Great Notley Bookshelf is in place. There is not a big turnover but those that attend the coffee mornings tend to take and donate books).

• All Saints : Rayne in Focus and What’s Ahead updated on the website as needed. Printing as requested.

• St Peter & St Paul : Pew sheets printed weekly. Link in with and book in the Payback Team. Printing as needed. Memorial wall record updating.

Printing : As needed throughout the year. This has included new Baptism Orders of Service, Service Booklets as requested, Christmas Service information, Easter Service information, Remembrance, Welcome Leaflets, Information for Courses (e.g. Lent Courses). All these are generally recorded in the photocopier book to aid the Treasurer for Great Notley to ensure fairness in terms of paying for paper etc. Foodbank: Print off any leaflets, update website and update Great Notley and St Peter & St Paul Facebook.

Little Notleys Nursery	£12,540.55	57%
Rascals Theatre School	£2,619.00	12%
Great Notley Photography Club	£617.00	3%
Moving On	£546.00	2%
Rainbows/Brownies	£1,233.75	5%
Pantoloons	£444.38	2%
Wellness/Yoga session	£575.25	3%
Pilates	£1,521.00	7%
Alphabake	£648.00	3%
Casual hires	£1,262.00	6%

Calendar: Keep Google calendars for St Peter & St Paul, FSR (Black Notley Church Hall), All Saints and the Old School Room (Rayne) up to

Lisa Scott Cath Jarvis Hiring Team

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DBS is carried out in line with the job roles held by the volunteers. There were two volunteers who completed the Basic DBS and one volunteer who completed the Enhanced DBS during 2024.

Judy Spearman Safeguarding Officer

HIRING

Cath and I continue to monitor the hiring email between us. This can be quite onerous at times but we work closely together, ensuring that hiring enquiries are not left too long before getting a response.

We have welcomed some new regular hirers, although one did not workout. Our casual hirings have seen a bit of a dip recently but with the lovely expansion of our outreach activities, our regular hirings mean the church is almost at full capacity.

The new caretaker has taken over meeting casual hirers and opening/ closing the doors for our regular hirers. This is still a relatively new role for Peter, so please if you have any issues, reach out to the hiring team. Our regular hirings include;

Little Notleys Nursery

Rascals Theatre School

Great Notley Photography Club

Moving on

Pilates

Rainbows & Brownies

Pantoloons Alphabakes

Wellness & yoga sessions

Our hiring income in the financial year 2022-2023 was £19,223.90 Our hiring income in the financial year 2023-2024 was £20,906.98 Our hiring income in this financial year was £22,006.93 This is broken down as…

date. The issue of allowing others to edit has not been resolved so I continue to manage the calendar.

Other:

Wedding Information morning which was held on 22[nd] February 2025

• helped develop paperwork, booklet, programme, invites and attended on day.

In addition to continuing with this work as it comes up. Upcoming work will include the following:

• There are still a number of old books in the loft at Great Notley. The donation station at Poplar Nursery for the annual NSPCC bookfair is open again so I will finish emptying out the books.

• It would be good to do another overall review of the Three Churches website and information on the website, e.g. FAQs, other information sheets, forms for use. Reverend Rachel has sent some updated pictures and I will set aside time to use these and look more widely at the pages. Develop Control Sheets as needed. This will be for such things as Easter, Christmas, Remembrance etc (what needs to be done when, by whom, what leaflets are used, what needs to be ordered etc)

• Explore developing a Benefice notice/newsletter in addition to the Church specific notice sheets already in place.

I continue to enjoy the role and working with such friendly and kind people across the Three Churches.

Lisa Gregson, Benefice Administrator

CAFÉ & CHAT

We continue to meet every first Thursday of the month, with hot soup and homemade cakes in the winter months (October-March/April) and just homemade cakes in the summer months. We didn’t meet in August 2024 or January 2025.

In accordance with new Church Council requirements in 2024, we have now been formally embraced as a Church Group. We have happily reinforced this status with a return to the Thought for the Day slot at each session, presented by one of our Ministry team.

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We now have 14 members and helpers: Daphne, Jan, Sandra, Jacquie & Stephane Fanchette, who still come and help us every month, as well as Martin & Sam helping out when we are short. I can’t thank them enough, always bringing lovely homemade cakes, helping with the setting up, washing up and putting all the chairs and tables back. Jacquie Fanchette works out our monthly quizzes, Wordsearch and Dingbats, which gets everyone talking. She had a successful double heart bypass in January 2025, so it was good to see her as a guest in March. We continue to wish Jacquie all the best and a good recovery. We had another successful year with shoeboxes, a total of 36 and lots of lovely blankets. Our many supporters in the CiGN congregation and our friends were skillful and generous as ever. It was great getting a few of the Church hirers involved this year, which we’re hoping we can do again in 2025.

Wendy Potter

CATERING

It's been busy as usual in the kitchen.

We held a Bring and Share lunch for Harvest in September ‘24 which was well attended.

The Christmas Tree Festival weekend was great fun and we had many folks stopping for refreshments. On the Saturday evening a cheese and wine event was held with music etc.

Our twice weekly coffee mornings are still going strong. Tuesday

morning is the busiest as we now offer a cuppa to the people waiting at the Foodbank.

Fridays are mainly attended by the walking group but they all become friends of the Church which is great.

My thanks to my trusted friend Betty, I would be lost without her help. Also thanks to Marie who jumps in at a minutes’ notice.

Sandra Higby

DATA PROTECTION/POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

The past twelve months have been busy looking at policies and procedures across a range of topics. The purpose of this has been to ensure that we meet both statutory and legal requirements, in a way

Prayer Chain is an important part of the prayer life of our church and is a way we can really support each other. If anyone is interested in joining the Prayer Chain do speak to Rosemary.

Rosemary Freeman

SAFEGUARDING

The CIN Great Notley is committed to the Diocesan Safeguarding Policy. During 2024 work has continued to ensure that our Parish is compliant with the Safeguarding Live E-manual. The Model Parish Safeguarding Policy for Promoting a Safer Church and the Policy for responding to Domestic Violence are due to be agreed by the Church Council and signed at their meeting on 13[th] May 2025. These will replace the current policies currently displayed on the notice board.

Work continues to ensure the Benefice is compliant with the Church of England Practice Guidance for Safer Recruitment; this applies to all paid and volunteer posts. We continue to use the most up to date paperwork as required. We are using the new Confidential Declaration Forms and Basic DBS Confidential Declaration Forms where appropriate. We have introduced Model Volunteer Job Roles available for:

Volunteers Working with Children and/or Adults Church Wardens

Safeguarding Officers and other roles as they arise

Work has been carried out to ensure that overall training continues to be up to date. We were able to obtain the Safeguarding Training pack, from the Diocese, to enable us to carry out the Basic Awareness and Foundation Training for the Benefice. This was a successful way to ensure that all those requiring the training or updating their training plus those who did not have access to carry out the on-line training: Thank you to Rev. Nikki Horsley who organised the event.

Seven volunteers from Great Notley were able to attend the training session and completed both Basic Awareness and Foundation training. They received certificates on completion.

During 2024 there were Five Volunteers who completed Safeguarding training online for Basic Awareness and Foundation training.

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make a personal visit. I have taken to sending appropriate cards to people, to ensure them of our continued prayers and support, when they have been unable to attend services in person. Whilst other forms of communication are invaluable I think it is still nice to receive a

personal message through the letter box.

The Pastoral Team continue to look out for those in the congregation we have concerns about and there is always an opportunity for prayer after Sunday services. We have also had occasion to support those who have sought out the church in times of great need. It was good to welcome back new faces after a period of absence but we were very sad to hear of the deaths of Irene Cockerton and Eileen Hainsworth, who were both in their 90’s. Irene was a valued member of the Church in Great Notley from its formative days. Our Church Family photo album continues to grow with new faces becoming familiar faces. Our newest addition was born in November 2024 with two more babies due in the first half of this year. It is always a great privilege to welcome new lives into our church. In addition there is a new Memorial Album with photos of those who we wish to remember.

I would like to thank Ron Paternoster for the new leaflet box which he made and installed outside the church. It is more substantial than the previous one. Updated Welcome leaflets will be available once a new format has been agreed. One or two members of the congregation have recently had to give up driving and we are grateful to all those who are able to offer lifts both on Sundays and to other church events.

Our monthly visits to Longmead Nursing Home continue. It is a blessing to be able to build up relationships with both residents and staff. We would like to thank members of the congregation who take the time and trouble to stay in contact with others also keeping the Team informed and up to date with ongoing matters.

June Frisbee Pastoral Co-ordinator

PRAYER CHAIN

We continue to have 25 people on the Prayer Chain who have committed to pray. Prayer requests are given to Rosemary by 'phone, email or in person and any issues of confidentiality are respected. The

that enables the church to function effectively in a safe and appropriate can-do attitude. This helps to provide the framework to underpin the church mission statement and to be welcoming and inclusive. Areas that have been reviewed and policies developed include the following: -

Lone Worker Good Practice; Complaints Procedure; Consent for Photography; Emergency Contact forms (for children); Data Protection and Safeguarding.

In the aftermath of the Grenfell review we have recently focused on Fire Safety and Prevention. We are very grateful to Trevor Rayner, a retired Firefighter, who has been very helpful in providing advice and support as we developed the policies and procedures. He has helped to ensure that we comply with legislation and adopt good practice. Our aim is to provide a workable safe environment both to protect the building and also the personal safety for all those who use the building.

We developed a Fire Safety Policy and Emergency Plan and from this introduced the following: Fire Safety Maintenance Procedure; Fire and Emergency Evacuation Procedure and a Fire Alarm Testing Procedure. We have put in place a program of regular testing of the fire alarm system which normally takes place at 8.15am on a Tuesday morning. On Saturday 15 March 2025 we held a Fire Safety Awareness Training session, this was led by Trevor Rayner. We invited representatives from Church Council, leaders of groups and other volunteers, including from our regular hirers Little Notley’s Nursery. The session was well attended and included discussion relating to things we can do to help prevent fire and ways we can ensure that we provide a safe welcoming environment. The session included setting off the fire alarm system and an emergency evacuation.

I am very grateful for all the suggestions that were made. As a result of this we will be introducing Fire Warden roles for our Sunday services from those who attended the training. The person in charge of the sound desk will act as the Incident Lead and will identify 3 suitable people to act as Fire Wardens on the day. We are hoping this will be like an insurance policy, that it is in place but we won’t need to use it.

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I am very grateful for all the help, support, advice and sharing of knowledge that has been given to enable me to achieve this. Copies of all these policies and procedures are available in the Church Office.

Pauline Banks

FAITH AND FELLOWSHIP GROUP

We are a small group exploring some of the main characters in the Old Testament. We think we know the stories, but are constantly surprised and delighted at new revelations. We meet on Mondays at 2pm in the worship area. Please join us if you feel you would enjoy this experience. Contact Maggie [e-mail]

Maggie Ouwehand

FINANCIAL REPORT

I am pleased to report that we have had a much better year financially. Our overall income was £85,588.25 and our overall expenditure was £79,999.40. This is an overall net income of £5,588 split between restricted and unrestricted funds as follows:

	General £	Restricted £	2025 Total £	2024 Total £
Income and endowments	55,613.50	29,974.75	85,588.25	70,881.20
Expenditure	(59,786.96)	(20,212.44)	(79,999.40)	(49,672.17)
Net income/ (expense)	(4,173.46)	9,762.31	5,588.85	21,209.03

The restricted activities had surplus income due to increased donations and grants, while general activities resulted in a small deficit of expenses over income of £4,173. The income also includes restricted grants. Our room hiring bought in just over of £22,000. Catering income remains similar to last year, at £2,116.

Our gas and electricity costs have surprisingly reduced from last year. In 2023/24 we paid £11,856 but in 2024/25 we paid £8,072.93.

worshipping with us for more than six months please speak to me about becoming a full member.

My thanks to Sam Prior who has again completed the statistical returns to all the denominations. An updated annual Directory of Members was circulated to those on the membership list in January, prior to the Covenant Service.

June Frisbee Membership Secretary

MEN’S BREAKFAST

The monthly Men’s Breakfasts, which had been very successful pre-Covid as a vehicle for men’s fellowship, were restarted in September ’24.

We prepare a traditional English breakfast of bacon, egg, sausages, tomatoes, mushrooms and beans on the fourth Saturday of each month, for which the cost is £5.00 a head. People who can’t eat this kind of food for health or dietary reasons are welcome to bring their own breakfast and share fellowship with us (and of course they are not charged the £5.00!)

The number of breakfasters to date has varied between 12 and 16. We have at times been joined by men from Black Notley and Rayne, and in January a chap who had seen it advertised on the church website brought his wife with him, not realising it was “men only”. (She was made very welcome!)

I am most grateful for the support I have received, which has been very encouraging. I am particularly obliged to Mike Higby, Paul Freeman and Peter Thomas, without whose unfailing help I just couldn’t do it. Also not forgetting Bruce Wilkinson, from the Salvation Army, who cannot eat with us but comes every month and does all the washing up!

Paul Winstanley

PASTORAL

It has been a busy year for the Pastoral Team. Several members of the congregation have had to deal with ongoing medical conditions and one or two with emergency situations. We have made good use of Chaplaincy Teams at various hospitals where it has not been possible to

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eleven lapsed members. I mention this because, as I have expressed at several meetings during the year, we need to be concerned about the future. There are certain roles within the church which can only be filled by full members and I believe that we need to think seriously about succession planning. The church can only function fully if we have enough members who are able and willing to be involved and contribute to the life of the church.

To quote from our Membership Leaflet

What is membership?

Membership is an opportunity to publicly declare your faith in Christ, to declare this church to be ‘your church’ and to commit yourself to share in the church’s work.

Our members come from many different church backgrounds and none. Whatever your background, you are welcome to become a member here if you have been baptised (or are willing to be baptised) and confess faith in Jesus in accordance with the creeds accepted by the universal church, usually through confirmation.

Membership of our Partner Denominations

When you become a member of The Church in Great Notley, you also become a member of the wider church. The usual form of membership is Ecumenical Joint Membership. This means you choose to become a member of all four of our partner denominations.

There is also Single Denomination Membership, where you can opt to become a member of one of our partner denominations only.

I have also expressed my concerns about our membership numbers and demographic to our Local Advisory Group (LAG). This group is made up of the senior leaders of our denominations together with our clergy and treasurer. Churches Together in Essex and East London (CTEEL) also have input to this group. The LAG will be meeting in June and after serving eight years as Membership Secretary I will be standing down after that meeting.

Whilst everyone is welcome to attend all Congregational and Annual General church meetings only those who are full members are able to vote and have a greater say in how the church operates day to day. This also includes having a say on future appointments. If you have been

This last financial year we have spent £10,167.48 on essential building maintenance and upgrading of various systems. Although in the accounts it is shown under goods purchased at £9,863.21. This was due to some donors meeting the costs of the new overhead projector and the new fascias.

The overall cash position for year ending 2024/25

The year end bank balances are Of this, the amount set aside for salaries is And set aside for the fabric of the church is Leaving However, this includes the following restricted funds; Flower fund Philip Howard bequest Worship flooring fund Totalling	£ 57,926 10,354 14,418 33,154 126 319 1,062 1,507	£ 57,926 10,354 14,418 33,154 126 319 1,062 1,507
		1,507

This leaves cash for general purposes of approximately £31,647

Our previous years accounts 2023/2024 showed a deficit against the Youth Worker salary, due to a shortfall in funding. When I transferred to the new accounting system for this year, the deficit was discounted as the church had already covered these costs and I wanted to start the new system with a clean record. This has been noted and commented on by the IE.

Next financial year (2025/26)

Salary costs

The URC have committed to funding 6 months of salary but we have also obtained a grant from the Diocese. Following the last ministers letter, I have received some specific personal donations towards the salary cost. Building maintenance

In the next financial year, I am hopeful that the new flooring fund will be utilised to replace the tired carpet in the worship area.

Ron Paternoster has also undertaken a project with regards to Solar

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Panels. The quotes are coming in between £30,000 and £40,000. There are specific funds where we can apply for grants and these options will be fully explored before we commit to anything.

Finally

The cleaning team continue to provide a weekly cleaning service of the worship area. A big thank you to all involved.

I remain forever grateful to each and every single person who can make a financial contribution to the church. Without your continued and unwavering support I would not be able to balance the books.

Lisa Scott Treasurer

of bags full of extras per voucher. All our volunteers had a meeting late last year to discuss the viability of having a Foodbank distribution centre here at The Church in Great Notley. It was decided to continue the service until at least Easter, when the service will be reviewed.

As a result of the above we have had a few people leave and a few people come. The new rota continues to function on a decreased number of volunteers, with support from the Area Manager, Henry Hopkins. Thank you, Henry.

Maggie Ouwehand has stepped down as manager after 5 years but will continue volunteering. Our thanks go to her for setting up and running this service. Thank you also to Roman Kukiewicz, who has now taken on the role of manager.

We went out for a lovely meal at The Prince Louis in January. It was well attended and gave us the opportunity to say farewell those volunteers who had decided to move on. Our thanks go to them for their years of selfless giving. It was an honour to have shared a common goal. We still have a close group and I want to take the opportunity to honour them for their dedication, compassion and generosity. It is a privilege to be a part of such a great team.

We don’t know what the future holds for the Foodbank at Great Notley. It has always been the goal of Foodbanks to no longer be necessary and to lobby government to support those who are most in need. However we don’t seem to be any nearer in achieving those goals due to the political climate in our country or indeed the world. We therefore need your help more than ever to support the most vulnerable in our community. Thank you to all those who support us in prayer and donations and, if anyone is inclined to volunteer, we would love to hear from you.

Maggie Ouwehand Roman Kukiewicz, Manager

MEMBERSHIP

We currently have 51 full members at the church. This is made up of 25 who are over 70years of age, 18 under that age and 8 who are inactive (that is not currently attending services). This compares to 64 members in 2019 and a significant drop to 48 in 2022, which included removing

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FLOWER MINISTRY

I was delighted to be able to get the Flower Ministry up and running this year, as part of the work of the Pastoral Team, something I had been considering for some time.

Firstly my thanks must go to Sandy Morris who has kindly used her gifts and skills to enable this to happen. Sandy buys, arranges and delivers flower on behalf of the church. Flowers are usually sent, at the discretion of the Pastoral Co-ordinator, either when someone has been in hospital or unwell for a period of time. They are also sent if there is a very special occasion which needs acknowledging. When necessary an alternative gift is substituted for flowers - i.e. special chocolates or biscuits.

The Flower Ministry is self funded both through fund raising and donations. If this is something that you would like to support financially please speak to our treasurer, Lisa Scott.

June Frisbee Pastoral Co-ordinator

CiGN FOODBANK DISTRIBUTION CENTRE

01 March 2024—29 February 2025

	01.03.23-29.02.24	01.03.24-28.02.25
Braintree Area
Total Vouchers Issued	4901	5472
- Adults	7476	6522
- Children	5089	4670
Great Notley Distribution Centre
Total Vouchers Issued	248	271
- Adults	359	373
- Children	371	311

We continue to be the quietest Distribution Centre in the Braintree Area, having provided 3 meals per day for 3 days for 684 people, plus a couple

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The Church in Great Notley

Analysis of income and expenditure Selected period: 01 February 2024 to 31 January 2025

	Total General Designated Restricted Endowment This year Last year
Income and endowments from: Donations and legacies 4009 - Bequest and Legacies 4010 - Donations recieved Donations and legacies Totals Income from charitable activities Income from charitable activities Totals Other trading activities Other trading activities Totals Investments Investments Totals Other income 4000 - Grants received 4001 - Offering 4002 - Fund raising 4003 - Hall hire 4004 - Gift Aid 4005 - Miscellaneous income 4006 - Snackanory and Messy 4007 - Catering 4008 - Interest 4011 - Organist fund 4100 - Funeral services 4101 - Wedding services 4150 - Salary admin worker 4151 - Childrens and Youth worker salary 4200 - Cafe Chat Other income Totals Income and endowments Grand totals	- - - - - - 3,695.63 - 704.29 - 4,399.92 4,502.54
	3,695.63 - 704.29 - 4,399.92 4,502.54
	- - - - - -
	- - - - - -
	- - - - - - - - 1,130.83 - 1,130.83 7,749.46 16,090.42 - - - 16,090.42 15,552.70 1,269.83 - 522.93 - 1,792.76 1,824.62 22,006.93 - - - 22,006.93 20,906.98 4,753.88 - - - 4,753.88 4,024.76 3,025.60 - 120.00 - 3,145.60 425.00 - - - - - 32.02 2,116.69 - - - 2,116.69 2,217.80 1,370.52 - - - 1,370.52 956.91 - - 540.00 - 540.00 130.00 1,284.00 - - - 1,284.00 - - - - - - - - - 4,516.54 - 4,516.54 - - - 22,440.16 - 22,440.16 12,521.93 - - - - - 36.48
	51,917.87 - 29,270.46 - 81,188.33 66,378.66
	55,613.50 - 29,974.75 - 85,588.25 70,881.20
Expenditure on: Raising funds Raising funds Totals Expenditure on charitable activities Expenditure on charitable activities Totals
	- - - - - -
	- - - - - -

(3 April 2025 9:11 pm) Page 1 of 2

Total General Designated Restricted Endowment This year Last year

Other expenditure 5000 - Goods purchased (General inc building) 5001 - Water rates 5002 - Gas 5003 - Electricity 5004 - Council Tax (Manse) 5005 - Premise Insurance 5006 - Repairs and Servicing 5007 - Cleaning (including supplies) 5008 - Window Cleaning 5009 - Licenses and software 5010 - Equipment Hire 5011 - Gardening 5100 - Printing 5101 - Office stationary 5102 - Telephone and Internet 5103 - Postage 7000 - Wages - Admin 7001 - Wages - Children's worker 7100 - Ministers discretionary fund 7101 - Travelling (Mileage) 7102 - Hospitality 7103 - Worship resources 7104 - Organist costs 7200 - Donations 8000 - Denomination cost - Church of England 8001 - Denomination cost - URC 8002 - Denomination cost - Methodist 8003 - Denomination cost - Baptist 8004 - Denomination cost - Visiting ministers 8005 - Funeral fees Other expenditure Totals Expenditure Grand totals	9,516.21 - 347.00 - 9,863.21 574.86 1,282.73 - - - 1,282.73 1,560.79 3,232.85 - - - 3,232.85 6,130.30 4,840.08 - - - 4,840.08 5,725.70 - - - - - 575.85 891.59 - - - 891.59 862.26 3,723.66 - - - 3,723.66 1,732.54 5,703.55 - - - 5,703.55 5,305.40 400.00 - - - 400.00 450.00 1,006.39 - - - 1,006.39 860.76 536.54 - - - 536.54 536.54 420.00 - 435.00 - 855.00 1,164.99 832.24 - - - 832.24 1,136.25 263.78 - - - 263.78 355.73 951.66 - - - 951.66 648.58 - - - - - 6.00 - - 5,863.14 - 5,863.14 452.05 - - 13,447.30 - 13,447.30 - - - - - - - 357.21 - - - 357.21 795.80 62.98 - - - 62.98 - 1,056.44 - - - 1,056.44 555.64 80.00 - 120.00 - 200.00 - 384.83 - - - 384.83 404.59 14,816.62 - - - 14,816.62 13,851.54 6,389.00 - - - 6,389.00 4,340.00 1,783.85 - - - 1,783.85 1,646.00 74.75 - - - 74.75 - 40.00 - - - 40.00 - 1,140.00 - - - 1,140.00 -
	59,786.96 - 20,212.44 - 79,999.40 49,672.17
	59,786.96 - 20,212.44 - 79,999.40 49,672.17

Income less expenditure (4,173.46) 9,762.31 5,588.85 21,209.03

(3 April 2025 9:11 pm) Page 2 of 2

DRAFT

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of the Church in Great Notley

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Church in Great Notley (the Church) for the year ended 31 January 2025. The accounts are those presented in the Annual Report dated 27 April 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As members of the Church Council 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 Church’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 material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Church as required by section 130 of the Act.

2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed:

Name: Sarah Prior ACA Address: Pearcroft Aldecar Lane Saxmundham IP17 1HN Date: 4 September 2025

Comments on my review

The underlying accounting records are comprehensive and easy to follow. All payments and receipts are fully recorded and properly authorised. The treasurer keeps the church well and regularly updated on all key financial matters.

The Church has ceased to keep its account on the SAGE platform which was problematic. The new system works far better and is easier to understand. However, on transfer to the new system the deficit balance on the youth worker restricted reserve of £1,399.62 was amalgamated into the unrestricted reserves. This means that ‘fund balances brought forward” in the accounts do not agree to the funds carried forward at the end of the prior year’s accounts in terms of the split between restricted and unrestricted. Maintaining integrity and transparency in respect of restricted reserves is important from a Charities Act perspective so, whilst there is no reason to expect this to happen again, care should be taken when rolling forward from one year to the next.

Whilst the church had made an overall surplus of £5,588 this reflects a surplus of £9,762 in restricted funds and a net deficit £4,173 in the unrestricted activities, thereby eating into the unrestricted reserves. This highlights the importance of fundraising being focussed on the general needs of the Church as well as specific endeavours.

I note that work is ongoing to ensure that all church groups, existing and new, that are run under the auspices and control of the church council are identified and included in the accounts where appropriate.