## **Lavendon Baptist Church** ## **Trustees’ Annual Report** **For the year ended: 31[st] March, 2025** High Street Lavendon OLNEY Buckinghamshire MK46 4HA Charity registration number: 1148092 Independent examiner: Catherine Manning Flat 6, Hazelwood Road Northampton NN1 1LN ## **1. Structure, Governance and Management** The charity is governed by its trust deed dated 18 September 1930. The management of the charity is overseen by 5 trustees who meet throughout the year to manage the charity’s activities. The trustees are: Caroline Biddle (Treasurer) Byron Davies Carole Ann Kelcey (Church Secretary) Rev. Richard Lake (Minister/Chair) Jonathan David Woodward (Safeguarding) ## **2. Objectives and Activities** **Charitable purposes** : The charity’s purpose is to provide a place of worship in the village of Lavendon, Buckinghamshire for ‘Protestant dissenters’ and to promote the Christian faith. **Public benefit** : The trustees have had due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. Activities in furtherance of the objects: - Providing a place of public worship for the village of Lavendon, open to all the village and surrounding areas. This includes regular Sunday Morning services, alongside special seasonal events, including village carol services, Harvest Festivals, Easter services and Remembrance Services. The church is also open to the local area to provide funeral and marriage services. - Providing a ‘craft and chat’ group, open to anyone in the village and surrounding area, demonstrating and developing skills and hobbies for anyone who attends. This is, in part, to help support anyone in the village who feels isolated and in need of a warm and supportive environment. - Providing a baby and toddler group, open to the village and surrounding areas, and linking with the NHS to provide regular health visitor/nurse. - Promoting religious values that benefit society by fostering good citizenship, compassion, and community cohesion. - Working in liaison with MK Foodbank and providing a collection point for donations of food. ## **3. Achievements and Performance** The trustees consider that the charity has met its objectives for the year, despite facing the significant challenge of the building being flooded in September 2024 and delays in the insurance settlement. Highlights of the year include the first baptism in the church for a number of years, our summer picnic and BBQ events, our Pre Christmas ‘cafe and shop’ event, along with our Christmas Family Crafts morning. Each of these events were well attended by a mix of church members along with family, friends and others in the village. Both of our carol services; ‘Carols by candlelight’ and ‘Carols around the tree’ were very well attended. In particular, the carols around the tree has developed into a regular event for a large number in the village with over 100 people joining together for this community carol event on Christmas Eve. This informal event is coordinated with Lavendon Parish Council. ## **4. Financial Review** **Total income** £38,791.13 ## **Total expenditure** £33,652.24 ## **Resulting in a surplus** of £5,138.89 **Income sources** : The church income is derived from a mixture of regular giving by church members along with one off gifts and donations. This years income was also supplemented by approx. £9k from an insurance claim following the flooding incident. It should also be noted that this years income figure included gift aid from donations made in the previous year. **Expenditure** : Mainly spent on the stipend for a part time Minister, along with the running costs of the building including utilities and insurance. ## **Reserves policy** The trustees aim to hold reserves of approx. 4 months of running costs for the church, which translates to an amount of £8,500. Alongside this, there is a building fund being developed for anticipated expenditure on the upkeep and development of the charity’s building. Current free reserves stand at £8,700. ## **5. Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities** The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and UK GAAP. They are responsible for safeguarding the charity’s assets and maintaining proper accounting records. ## **6. Approval** Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf: Name: _Caroline Biddle__________________________ Position: _Treasurer trustee_______________________ Signature: _ ______________________ Date: _26/1/26__________________________ ## **Lavendon Baptist Church** ## **Funds available for the period ending 31 March 2025** ||2024-2025| |---|---| |**Bank balances**|| |Barclays community|6060.68| |Baptists Together 3mths notice|22641.49| |Baptists Together 7days notice|8701.29| ## **Cash** ## **Unrestricted funds** 37403.46 2023-2024 1915.98 21760.28 8530.31 58.00 32264.57 ## Summary of income and expenditure |Income|| |---|---| |Cash oferings|1342.01| |Standing orders|16640.93| |Leprosy mission|68.5| |Donations|1895.7| |Gift Aid|8668.1| |Funeral|150| |Insurance claim|8973.7| |Interest|1052.19| |**TOTAL INCOME**|38791.13| |Expenditure|| |Electricity|-696.74| |Gas|-344.31| |Water|-348| |Insurance|-1034.18| |Broadband|-500.37| |Upkeep and renovations|-10341.03| |CCLI|-366| |Baptists Together subs|-132.25| |Expenses|-85.93| |Poppy Appeal Wreath|-20| |Ministerial|-17951.93| |Payroll accounting fees|-930| |Mission|| |M K Bridgebuilder|-500| |Toybox|-288| |Leprosy Mission|-68.5| |Tearfund|-45| |**TOTAL EXPENDITURE**|-33652.24| |INCOME|38791.13| |EXPENDITURE|-33652.24| |**TOTAL GAIN/LOSS**|5138.89| Catherine Manning Flat 6, Hazelwood Road Northampton NN1 1LN Catherine.manning@fcdo.gov.uk 07557094562 Caroline Biddle Lavendon Baptist Church High Street Lavendon, Bucks MK46 4HA Dear Caroline I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Lavendon Baptist Church (‘the Trust’) for the year ended 31 March 2025. As the charity trustee of the Trust 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 Trust’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. 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 Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. 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: CManning Name: Catherine Manning Address: As Above.