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2021-03-31-accounts

Trinity Church Oxford

Charity number: 1157703

Report and Financial Statements

for the year ended 31st March 2021

Wenn Townsend

Chartered Accountants

Oxford

Trinity Church Oxford

Contents

Page
Legal and Administrative Information 1
Report of the Trustees 2 - 7
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees 8
Statement of Financial Activities 9
Balance Sheet 10
Statement of Cash Flows 11
Notes forming part of the Financial Statements 12 - 17

Trinity Church Oxford

Legal and Administrative Information

Charity name: Trinity Church Oxford
Registered charity number: 1157703
Trustees: Peter Comont (Senior Pastor)
(10th April 2014 – present)
Ken Giles (Elder) (3rd November 2016 – present)
Tom Wyatt (Elder) (2nd November 2017 – present)
Treasurer: Zachary Jackman
Church administrator: Lennox Smith
West Wilden
Brook Street
Sutton Courtenay
OX14 4AH
Registered office: 28 Cowley Road
Littlemore
Oxford
OX4 4LD
Independent examiner: Mr Graham Cole BSc FCA
Wenn Townsend – Chartered Accountants
30 St Giles
Oxford
OX1 3LE
Bankers: Barclays Bank
54 Cornmarket Street
Oxford
OX1 3HB

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Trinity Church Oxford

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31st March 2021

The trustees present their annual report and financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31st March 2021. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the charity’s trust deed, the Charities Act 2011 and the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (FRS 102) published in October 2019.

Structure, governance and management

Governing document

Trinity Church Oxford was formed by a Constitution which was adopted on 10th April 2014 on which date the Rules of the church were also adopted. Trinity Church Oxford was registered as a charity under these documents on 3rd July 2014. These documents have not been amended this year.

Charitable Aims

Trinity Church Oxford is registered with the Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Charity Number: 1157703).

The purposes of the church as registered with the Charity Commission are:

  1. The advancement of the Christian faith in accordance with the Basis of Faith primarily but not exclusively within the city of Oxford and the surrounding neighbourhood; and

  2. Such other charitable purposes as shall, in the opinion of the charity trustees further the work of the church.

Organisational structure, governance and management

The church membership is the church’s decision-making body. Major decisions are made at meetings of the members of the charity, on the recommendation of the Trustees or church members. The Trustees are committed to calling members meetings at least four times a year.

The spiritual leadership and overall management of the church is in the hands of the Elders. Those in the role of Elder or Pastor are automatically appointed Trustees of the church. Their details are held by the Charity Commission. Elders are not paid, although one of the elders during the year as Senior Pastor received payment for this specific role as per the Constitution. The Senior Pastor also receives a housing allowance. The Church has an Expenses Policy which is adhered to in the process of claiming expenses, and these are logged by the Senior Pastor and Student Worker onto a platform, Expensify. Expense reports can then be reviewed by the Treasurer and Church Administrator and paid once approved.

Ministry Team Leaders are appointed by the Trustees, and agreed by a simple majority of the church membership at a Members’ Meeting. Ministry Team Leaders have oversight for children’s and youth work, home groups, refreshments, social and worship activities. These individuals are answerable to the Trustees. The Senior Pastor meets termly with these appointed individuals.

A Church Administrator is employed part-time by the church to perform any duties deemed necessary by the Trustees of the church. They are responsible for the day-to-day management of the church finances and secretarial duties.

The church also meets quarterly for Members Meetings which are business meetings at which the Trustees present financial updates and any proposals put forward by either the Trustees or Church Members.

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Trinity Church Oxford

Report of the Trustees (continued) for the year ended 31st March 2021

Organisational structure, governance and management (continued)

2020-2021 Transitions in Elders, Deacons, & Staff:

Affiliations

The church is affiliated with the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, is part of Acts 29, and has associations with City to City Europe.

Public benefit

The Trustees have kept in mind the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and subsequent obligations. They believe that thus far, our obligation to provide public benefit is clearly demonstrated, as can be seen in the report below.

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES: REVIEW OF THE YEAR

Trinity Church Oxford was planted with a vision to gather Christians in the city to worship God, equipping them for a lifetime of service, so that together we might reach and bless both the city of Oxford and the world with the life changing message of the Gospel.

A primary aim within all of Trinity’s activities is the furtherance of the Christian faith as outlined in the statement of faith adopted by the church in April 2014. To this end, the church is first committed to the pastoral care and discipleship of its members, attenders and others in need as they come into contact with the church. Despite the challenges of the past year, our calling remains the same and more importantly, the God we serve continues to be faithful and gracious and has once again worked in us and through us in our weakness, sustaining his Church and bringing about the advancement of the Gospel. In 2020-2021, Trinity continued to hold weekly public worship services, run regular homegroups for prayer and fellowship, run prayer meetings and church meals, host public events, and encourage fellowship, evangelism, and mission overall:

Looking back, we have much to be thankful for and can also look ahead to the future with excitement, knowing that all we do is only in His strength.

Worship

Like so many around the world, we have come to see this year how precious it is to be able to gather in person and sing God’s praises. For much of the year this hasn’t been possible, and yet in the mercy of God we have been very blessed to be able to continue to gather as God’s people on zoom Sunday by Sunday.

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Trinity Church Oxford

Report of the Trustees (continued) for the year ended 31st March 2021

Worship (continued)

Despite the challenges, and the inevitable weariness of life online, these services have often been occasions of great joy, as we remember God’s faithfulness to us in the past and anticipate his blessing in the future. We have enjoyed studying Ephesians, the Sermon on the Mount, the early chapters of Isaiah and the Life of David together and have had a sense of the Lord’s hand sustaining and guiding us through these challenging times.

We were thrilled to be able to gather in person in the September and October and because of this were able to welcome a good number of new people into our fellowship. Our physical services were a significant blessing and a reminder of how precious Christian community is. One sadness as a result of this past year is that we haven’t had the same opportunities to welcome non-Christians to our services. As things return to normal, we pray that our services will be a place where those who do not know Christ might have an opportunity to come and meet with him.

Community

Oxford remains a very transient place, with significant numbers of people moving on from Oxford each year. Despite this, we are very thankful that the Lord has seen fit to strengthen our fellowship and bring new people into our community.

Although restrictions due to the pandemic have challenged community life, we have been very thankful for our homegroups. This year we have had five groups meeting regularly on zoom, studying Mark’s Gospel.

Students are an important part of our community and continue to be so. The pandemic has greatly impacted their experience of university life and yet many of our student group have remained faithful to Church life and committed to evangelism. We would appreciate prayer for our students as life slowly returns to normal for them.

Witness

We continue to long to reach our city with the good news of the Gospel. Before the pandemic we were thankful to be able to host a few events that sought to engage sceptics with the claims of Christ. Our prayer is that these events will resume in the autumn. The most immediate challenge will be to re-gather the congregation and continue to support and encourage personal evangelism.

We have been very thankful for the continued efforts of the University Christian Union. Though their events have been dramatically changed, the Christian students at the university are thinking creatively about ways in which they can give every student at the university an opportunity to hear and respond to the good news about Jesus. We are very blessed to be able to play a small part in that work and are thankful for the evidences of gospel unity that result from these efforts.

Training

Partnership with other churches remains very important to Trinity. Our Pastor, Peter Comont, continues to be a mentor for Union School of Theology and as a Church we are involved in the local Gospel Partnership, which provides training for a number of people in the region, including our Church intern, Lennox.

We are keen to develop our internship programme and have just welcomed our first residents, Gino and Steph Espinelli, as they adjust to a different culture and explore gospel ministry in Europe. We are also thankful that one of our members, Rev. Andrew Chard, has joined the staff team and will be working particularly amongst internationals.

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Trinity Church Oxford

Report of the Trustees (continued) for the year ended 31st March 2021

Building

Early last year we heard that the venue for our morning services had been sold. We were very grateful that the Lord provided a new venue, the Curzon Cinema, which proved to be an excellent location for ministry.

However, we are conscious of how insecure our position in the centre of the city is whilst we remain in rented accommodation and therefore we are actively pursuing the possibility of purchasing our own building. This is not a straightforward matter and therefore we crave your prayers as we continue to seek to honour the Lord here in Oxford.

Testimonial

Nadia Ford: ‘When choosing a church, I was looking for somewhere that takes the Bible as the foundation of all they do. At Trinity there are many opportunities to come together as a community reading God’s word and hearing top notch sermons, leading to a commitment to prayer, service, worship, obedience, and evangelism within the church. The gospel-centred preaching means that, not only are the Christians challenged, but unbelievers can hear what they need to be saved – making it easier to invite friends to church.

I have had a real sense of pastoral-ship from the leadership team, that individuals do not get lost in the crowd at Trinity, and that the leaders act as fellow members of Christ’s family whom you can chat to just as you would anyone else. I have also really appreciated not being a student bubble, as I believe that in order to grow in spiritual maturity, we must learn from and serve all members of the family of God. (Prov. 27:17).’

Financial Review

The main source of income continues to be the generous support of regular individual givers, including members, alumni, and external givers. Church members, alumni, and external givers also support Trinity through additional one-off gifts, including support from the United Kingdom, the US, and other countries.

The majority expenditure of the church is the salaries for staff, necessary for the day-to-day management and running of the church and organisation of regular activities. As Trinity does not own property, venue hire for weekly services also remains a significant cost over the course of the year. Trinity also maintains a policy to support external ministries through regularly giving 10% of internal funds raised.

As a part of implementing the three-year financial and ministry development plan, particularly including a new grant in support of the new Pastor-in-Training role, Trinity anticipated a small financial surplus for the year. However, because of Covid-19, a significant portion of normal church activities, including pastoral care, student groups, and many regular services, moved online. This occurred at the same time that Trinity's normal morning venue (the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Centre, DHHC) was placed under contract to be sold and we were no longer able to use it as a meeting space. Initially, Trinity moved to a new hired morning venue (the Curzon cinema in the Westgate Shopping Centre) while also exploring possibilities for the purchase of the DHHC. It eventually proved impossible to purchase the DHHC and it remains significantly more expensive to rent the Curzon, which is now regularly budgeted. Nevertheless, as most meetings moved online through several phases of lockdowns, Trinity saved significantly during Covid-19 through not renting physical meeting space and generous internal giving increases during the pandemic. While external giving was slightly lower than expected for the normal year, it did not decrease as much as was anticipated in light of Covid-19. Overall, Trinity is in a healthy financial position and ahead of our three-year financial and ministry development plan, particularly in our focus on becoming more financially self-sustaining and less dependent on external giving.

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Trinity Church Oxford

Report of the Trustees (continued) for the year ended 31st March 2021

Concluding Remarks

Almost all of the church’s activities are open to all, including young people and those with children, except insofar as there are some requirements relating to membership and Christian commitment. Services and home groups in particular are open to the public to come in at any time. Members Meetings are also open to all, but it is only church Members (18 years old and above) who are able to vote on church business.

In undertaking all of these activities, the charity also aims to equip all Christians who participate in the life of the church to proclaim and live out their commitment to Christ in their own daily life and spheres of influence. The charity’s advancement of Christianity for the public benefit therefore extends beyond these specific activities to encompass the transformed lives and Christian witness of all those in whom God has been at work through the church’s ministries.

In overseeing the activities of the charity during the period described in this report, the charity’s trustees have had regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission as it relates to the charity’s objects as described above.

By God’s grace, we are continuing to see him accomplish his purposes through our fellowship, as he has graciously brought unbelievers to a saving knowledge of himself, given us the opportunity to work in the lives of Oxford University students, and sent members of our congregation out across the city of Oxford and to the ends of the earth seeking to serve our great God and King.

Looking ahead

We are looking forward to seeing what the next year holds for Trinity Church, with a particular focus on:

Trustees’ responsibilities statement

Charity law requires the Trustees to prepare accounts for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the surplus or deficit of the charity for that year.

In preparing those accounts, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time, the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the accounts and financial accounts comply with charity law (in particular the Charities Act 2011) and the charity’s constitution.

They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

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Trinity Church Oxford

Report of the Trustees (continued) for the year ended 31st March 2021

This report was approved by the Trustees on _____ and signed on their behalf.

_____ Peter Comont - Senior Pastor and Chair of Trustees

_______ Zachary Jackman – Treasurer

________ Lennox Smith – Church Administrator

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Trinity Church Oxford

Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Trinity Church Oxford

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31st March 2021 which are set out on pages 9 to 17.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees 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 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 charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or

  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.

Graham Cole BSc FCA Wenn Townsend Chartered Accountants 30 St Giles Oxford OX1 3LE

……………………………….. 2021

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Trinity Church Oxford

Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31st March 2021

Notes 2021 2020
£ £
Income
Donations 152,107 107,821
Grants 32,000 20,000
───── ─────
Total income 184,107 127,821
───── ─────
Expenditure
Charitable activities 3 136,606 131,285
───── ─────
Total expenditure 136,606 131,285
───── ─────
Net movement in funds 47,501 (3,464)
Fund balances brought forward at 1st April 2020 52,661 56,125
───── ─────
Fund balances carried forward at 31st March 2021 100,162 52,661
═════ ═════

All of the above funds are unrestricted.

The notes on pages 12 to 17 form an integral part of these financial statements

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Trinity Church Oxford

Balance Sheet as at 31st March 2021

Notes 2021 2020
£ £ £ £
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 7 3,436 923
Current assets
Debtors 8 5,904 27,365
Cash at bank and in hand 94,107 29,199
───── ─────
100,011 56,564
Creditors: amounts falling due
within one year 9 (3,285) (4,826)
───── ─────
Net current assets 96,726 51,738
───── ─────
Net assets 100,162 52,661
═════ ═════
Unrestricted funds 100,162 52,661
═════ ═════

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees on ……………….. 2021 and signed on their behalf by:

…………………………… P Comont Trustee

………………………….

K Giles Trustee

The notes on pages 12 to 17 form an integral part of these financial statements

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Trinity Church Oxford

Statement of Cash Flows for the year ended 31st March 2021

Notes
Cash flows from operating activities
Cash generated/(used) by operations
10
Cash flows from investing activities
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year
2021
£
69,711
(4,803)
_
64,908
29,199
_
94,107
═════
2020
£
(28,847)
(1,536)
_
(30,383)
59,582
_
29,199
═════

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Trinity Church Oxford

Notes to the Accounts

for the year ended 31st March 2021

1 Accounting policies

Company information

Trinity Church Oxford is a charitable incorporated organisation, Charity registration number 1157703, and is governed by a constitution which establishes the objects and powers of the charitable organisation. The charity was registered on 3rd July 2014.

(a) Basis of preparation

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”), “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” the Statement of Recommended Practice for charities applying FRS 102, the Charities Act 2011 and UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice as it applies from 1st January 2019. The charitable incorporated organisation is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.

The accounts are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

The accounts have been prepared on the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.

(b) Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity and have not been designated for other purposes.

(c) Income

All income is included in the SOFA when the charity is legally entitled to the income, the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy, and it is probable that income will be received.

(d) Expenditure

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis. All expenses, including support costs and governance coats are allocated or apportioned to the applicable expenditure headings in the statement of financial activities.

Expenditure is recognised where there is a legal or constructive obligation to make payments to third parties, it is probable that the settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. It is categorised under the following headings:

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as an expense against the activity for which expenditure arose.

(e) Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.

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Trinity Church Oxford

Notes to the Accounts (continued) for the year ended 31st March 2021

1 Accounting policies (continued)

(e)

Tangible fixed assets (continued)

Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:

Fixtures, fitting and equipment

15% and 40% reducing balance

The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year.

(f)

Impairment of fixed assets

At each reporting end date, the charitable incorporated organisation reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible and intangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).

If the recoverable amount of an asset is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying amount of the asset is reduced to its recoverable amount. An impairment loss is recognised immediately in income/(expenditure) for the year, unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation decrease.

(g) Financial instruments

The company has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.

Financial instruments are recognised when the charitable incorporated organisation becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial assets are offset, with the net amounts presented in the accounts when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

Basic financial assets

Basic financial assets, which include trade and other receivables and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs.

Basic financial liabilities

Basic financial liabilities, including trade and other payables, are initially recognised at transaction price.

Trade payables are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Accounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade payables are recognised initially at transaction price.

(h)

Going concern

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis as the trustees believe no material uncertainties exist. The trustees have considered the level of funds held and the expected level of income and expenditure for 12 months from authorising these financial statements.

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Trinity Church Oxford

Notes to the Accounts (continued) for the year ended 31st March 2021

2
Donations and legacies
Donations (including gift aid)

3
Charitable expenditure
Staff costs
Depreciation
Church events
Rent & rates
Sundry
Travel and subsistence
Office running costs
Away giving
Support costs (see note 4)
4
Support costs
Staff costs
Telephone
Printing, postage and stationery
Insurance
Bank fees
Governance costs (see note 4a)
4(a)
Governance costs
Independent examiner’s fees
Legal and professional
2021
£
152,107
══════

2021
£
91,183
2,290
1,620
7,996
1,540
1,006
3,939
8,819
18,213
_
136,606
═════
2021
£
10,255
757
869
260
60
6,012
_
18,213
═════
2021
£
820
5,192
_
6,012
═════
2020
£
107,821
══════
2020
£
70,116
614
3,988
10,608
1,475
1,767
4,151
21,622
16,944
_
131,285
═════
2020
£
8,160
671
916
240
93
6,864
_
16,944
═════
2020
£
795
6,069
_
6,864
═════

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Trinity Church Oxford

Notes to the Accounts (continued) for the year ended 31st March 2021

5 Related party transactions

The trustees may receive reasonable and proper remuneration for goods and services provided to the church, as stated in the charity’s constitution.

One of the trustees received remuneration during the year: P Comont £44,409 (2020: £43,740) for acting as Pastor for the church.

One of the trustees was reimbursed expenses totalling £21 for travel and meals, £757 for telephone, £394 for office costs, and £615 for sundry items.

6 Employees

Number of employees

The average monthly number of employees during the year was:

Direct charitable work
Charitable support
Employment costs
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs
Other costs
2021
Number
2
1
_
3
═════
£
84,664
3,828
9,741
3,205
_
101,438
═════
2020
Number
2
1
_
3
═════
£
69,665
(791)
6,102
3,300
_
78,276
═════

There were no employees whose annual remuneration was £60,000 or more.

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Trinity Church Oxford

Notes to the Accounts (continued) for the year ended 31st March 2021

7 Tangible fixed assets

Fixtures, fittings and equipment Fixtures, fittings and equipment
£
Cost
At 1st April 2020 5,321
Additions 4,803
_
At 31st March 2021 10,124
_
Depreciation
At 1st April 2020 4,398
Depreciation charged in the year 2,290
_
At 31st March 2021 6,688
_
Carrying amount
At 31st March 2020 923
═════
At 31st March 2021 3,436
═════
8 Debtors
2021 2020
£ £
Other debtors 5,904 7,365
Prepayments and accrued income - 20,000
───── ─────
5,904 27,365
═════ ═════
9 Creditors
2021 2020
£ £
Social security 2 1,576
Accruals 2,834 3,235
Other creditors 449 15
───── ─────
3,285 4,826
═════ ═════

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Trinity Church Oxford

Notes to the Accounts (continued) for the year ended 31st March 2021

10 Cash generated from operations

2021 2020
£ £
Surplus/(Deficit) for the year 47,501 (3,464)
Adjustments for:
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets 2,290 614
Movements in working capital:
(Increase)/decrease in debtors 21,461 (11,700)
(Decrease) in creditors (1,541) (14,297)
───── ─────
Cash generated/(used) by from operations 69,711 (28,847)
═════ ═════

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