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2023-12-31-accounts

ST THOMAS NORWICH

Charity Registration No. 1161746

ST THOMAS NORWICH ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

ST THOMAS NORWICH

Trustees

Revd T Eagles Revd D Z Lloyd Revd J Payne Revd D Hendra (resigned Oct 2023) Revd D Rowlandson (resigned May 2023) Revd B Chishanu Mr N Henery Mrs A Griffith Mrs C Johnson Mr T Huggins Ms K Mills Mr D Wormald Dr S Knapp Mrs L Hoffmann Dr M Holmes (appointed May 2023) Mr T Neads (appointed May 2023) Mr N Jarvis (appointed May 2023) Mrs H Harrison (appointed May 2023 Mr T Harrison (appointed May 2023 Mr G Williams (appointed May 2023 Mr R Wilson (appointed May 2023)

Charity Number 1161746

Independent examiner Argents Accountants Limited 15 Palace Street NORWICH Norfolk United Kingdom NR3 1RT

ST THOMAS NORWICH

CONTENTS

Page
Trustees’ Report 1-8
Independent Examiner's Report 9
Statement of Financial Activities 10
Balance Sheet 11
Notes to the Financial Statements 12 - 23

ST THOMAS NORWICH Trustees’ Report For the year ended 31 December 2023

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)".

Objectives and activities

The Mitre Benefice was created in November 2017, bringing together three Churches: St Thomas Heigham, Earlham Road, St Barnabas Heigham, Russell Street, and St Alban Lakenham, Grove Walk.

Although each Church was still required to have its own PCC and prepare its own accounts during the report year, an effective joint PCC was established to have oversight of, and accountability for, the organisations of the combined Benefice. Its aim and purpose is "Go and make disciples of all nations" Matthew 28:19.

It co-operates with the incumbent in promoting, in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.

The acronym STN has been adopted as a common tag for all the activities; it is interchangeable with "The Mitre Benefice". The terms are used across the Benefice to proclaim clearly that each and every person of whatever background coming in to contact with any of the three Churches for any reason will experience:

The PCC is committed to making the Christian faith accessible to as many people as possible by ensuring a variety of events, activities and worship services.

The PCC ensures that the Church fosters the prayer life of the community, teaches the Gospel and provides pastoral care to the community and to church members both within and outside the parish.

There has been no change in these during the year.

The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.

The past twelve months have seen a huge amount of activity taking place across the Mitre Benefice. We have seen a growing number of people attend our Sunday services, particularly young families, students and professionals. While exciting to see, this numerical growth has brought with it the need to continue to review and adjust our governance and pastoral care structures. Part of this work has involved emphasising the 'one church, three locations' vision of the Benefice, which practically seeks to bring us closer together as a family of three churches; we are better and stronger when we each support, encourage and resource one another. In support of this cross-Benefice work, the staff team continues to thrive in supporting the local ministry of each of our three churches, and the reboot of 'The Path' - our internship programme - has given the church a much-valued injection of energy, creativity and capacity. While the departure of Rev Dave Hendra in October 2023 has resulted in a loss of pastoral capacity, at St Alban in particular, the process for appointing his replacement is already underway. Ongoing projects that will also deliver in the new year include the reworking of the communications strategy for the Benefice, our visual identity and website rebuild, and appointing a

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ST THOMAS NORWICH Trustees’ Report For the year ended 31 December 2023

new worship pastor. Overall, the Benefice finds itself in an increasingly healthy position, despite the economic challenges; there is a great deal to look back on and to celebrate.

The Trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to the Charity Commission's public benefit guidance when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidance is relevant. The ways in which we have worked for the public benefit are described in our Report.

Achievements and performance

This section highlights some of the 2023 events, activities and worship services. None of these would be possible without the dedicated and continuing service of a wide range of volunteers, and the PCC thanks everyone across the Benefice who contributed in any way.

The Benefice's staff team of clergy, readers, employees and interns has been full of energy, commitment and innovation throughout the year. The PCC thanks each member of the staff team for their hard work.

Pattern of Worship

Mid-week communion services were also held at St Thomas.

Lifelong learning

Many of our group activities returned to meeting in-person during the year, although a few have remained on-line where appropriate. As we seek to follow Jesus, these groups continue to be the place where church community is strengthened and where encouragement and challenge occurs.

Alpha

The Alpha course is a key way in which those unfamiliar with the Christian faith can explore it in an informal environment. We ran three courses in 2023: two evening courses in the Spring and Autumn and a daytime course in the Summer. The sessions start with a hot meal together and then a video or live talk on a specific topic. The evening ends with time for discussion and opportunity to ask questions in table groups. We have had over 50 people engage with an Alpha course in 2023 and are still in contact with most of them. These courses have led to a number of individuals making personal commitments of faith and have also been the starting point for a number of new groups.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is an issue we take very seriously and in support of this, we have worked to get our safeguarding procedures on-line. The process of onboarding volunteers includes: taking references; confidential declaration form; Diocesan On-line training and getting the volunteers to agree to our safeguarding policy and volunteer agreement. Our thanks go to the members of the congregation, especially Tim Stone who took over as Safeguarding Officer during 2023, who administer and oversee this important area of church life.

Rising Generations

Kids

The PCC supported a variety of regular events to welcome children, working with their parents to see the next generation love God and filled with faith. Around 60 children aged 0-11 years regularly meet on Sundays at St Alban and St Thomas. We desperately want our children not just to know the stories of God but have their lives radically transformed by knowing him personally. We are particularly excited about the passion within the team to see young people pray and commune with God. In October we held two Light Parties, where we welcomed over 400 people, many not regular church attendees, through the doors of both St Alban and St Thomas.

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ST THOMAS NORWICH Trustees’ Report For the year ended 31 December 2023

Youth

Youth continue to meet on a Friday night and a Sunday at the 10am and 4pm services. They continue to grow in community and depth of faith and have an incredible weekend away planned. We are really excited to see how some of the youth have started a Christian union in their secondary school and seeing friends come to faith in Jesus.

We want to personally say a massive thank you to the amazing church volunteers across the three sites who are committed to ensuring the children and youth grow in faith.

Students and Young Adults

We have continued to see a move of God through students and young adults. Many are committed to serving the church in all areas and this year has marked an increased maturity in their faith and growing hunger for God. We meet on Sundays and continue to meet corporately on Thursdays, alternate weeks corporately at the Mitre and then in their homes for their Table groups. Table groups are hosted in their own homes by the young adult leaders and already we have seen gifts of leadership developed; a deepening of community and relationships and the Spirit continues to move and minister to them. Our weekend away in January was an incredible time of deepened relationships and we felt a sense of learning what it means to dwell with God and abide in him. With a growing heart for evangelism among the young people we are excited to see more young adults brought to faith this year and more lives transformed!

The 6pm Service

In September 2022, the PCC supported the relaunch of the 7pm service as the 6pm service, with a vision to support a growing worshipping community that overflows and blesses the body. We are excited to see this now happening and see fruitfulness for the body, and we look forward to seeing how God continues to work in the community in 2024.

Sports Ministry

The Sports Factory is an evangelistic tool of the church with the aim to reach our local community through sports and to share the Good News of the Gospel. This year we have seen a lot of growth, specifically in our adult fitness and social sports ministry. We have a number of new sessions across our church sites with the opportunity to share. We continue to engage our parish schools on a weekly basis and are looking forward to the opportunities to invite families to join us for our Legacy Holiday Clubs at Easter and in the Summer.

Hospitality

We continue with our Sunday Café’s serving drinks at morning, afternoon and evening services, encouraging everyone to bring their own reusable cup to lessen our carbon footprint and reduce expenditure. The Café are staffed by loyal volunteers each week, offering everyone refreshment with a smile.

Communications / Media / Creativity / IT

During 2023 we continued to hone our methods of communication, seeking to be authentic and minimalist in our approach. Specific focus was given to instilling a consistent culture through our imagery, video and tone of voice and this has seen strong engagement via our Instagram channel. We are exploring new ways of utilising both Instagram Broadcast Channels and investigating how we can better integrate with WhatsApp to extend our ability to communicate with church family but doing so in a way that ensures proper safeguarding and data protection. Our new Media interns have quickly become core members of the team, contributing to our creative work.

We continue to send a weekly email to over 600 subscribed members and have sought to keep the website up to date and in-step with what we communicate via the email. Film continues to be a key communication medium for us with the return of the video news each Sunday thanks to the extra capacity gained through the interns. We continue to run a simple livestream of the 10am gathering at St Thomas which is highly valued by the regular viewers.

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ST THOMAS NORWICH Trustees’ Report For the year ended 31 December 2023

IT developments have continued in order to strengthen our wi-fi provision at all locations and a plan of work is in place to install more security cameras where needed.

Daughter, an in-house written and produced play was staged in March 2023. The event was well supported with many members of the congregations being involved both on stage and off-stage. Our thanks go to Mark Albanie and the production team for enabling this to happen.

Our buildings

Quinquennial inspections (the Church of England's five-yearly property inspection) took place at all three church buildings in 2018. The next round of inspections and the issuing of reports will occur in 2024.

Whilst no significant work was undertaken during the year at St Thomas, Earlham Road, or at St Alban, Grove Walk a programme of regular repair and maintenance was undertaken.

Work is ongoing to bring all of our spaces up to a better aesthetic standard to reflect our culture across the organisation. We are seeking to establish greater consistency in this area to allow our visitors to know they are in a space that shares the DNA with our other locations. This area of work proposes a unique set of challenges given the complexities of our spaces.

Local reports

St Barnabas

St Barnabas continues to serve and minister to its local area.

The 11am Eucharist remains the main act of worship on a Sunday, attracting a small but faithful and prayerful congregation. From September 2023, we reduced our offering of services to take into account our much reduced clergy team, running twice-monthly Eucharist services on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month. We continue to recognise the challenges associated with ministering within an area of high deprivation, and continue to discern how we might best serve the people of the parish. As we do, a key part of the vision remains to recognise and to release the gifts that exist within the existing congregation, and attracting others from across The Mitre Benefice to join and serve the St Barnabas community.

Midweek activities at St Barnabas include Cafe Shine and Noah's Boat, and both continue to thrive.

St Alban

The 4pm Service has continued to thrive over the past 12 months, with a committed core welcoming in a notable number of visitors and others who have subsequently joined the church. We consistently gather as a family of 50-60 adults, plus 10-15 children and young people. The teaching series has tracked with that of St Thomas, reflecting our Benefice-wide vision to be one church that meets across three locations. We have also seen the worship team grow in both number and confidence, as they lead us in our times of corporate sung worship. We sadly waved goodbye to the Hendra Family in October, temporarily leaving St Alban without a location pastor. However, the remaining clergy team has continued to minister across all sites, providing support until such time as the appointment process for a new associate is complete.

The cafe has continued to serve the community wonderful coffee as well as being a powerful mission to many local groups and individuals. Mrs C Gibby continued the management of the coffee shop and her band of volunteers have created a welcoming environment enjoyed by a wide variety of young and old, church and unchurched individuals.

As well as the regular Sunday services there have been many events held to welcome the community. Popular events such as jazz on a Saturday morning , Pilates, Zumba and the local dance group using the church for shows all go on in the amazing space that is Saint Albans The fabric of the building continues to be an issue especially the complex heating system. We thank Mr C Hymers for his hard work in maintaining the fabric and overseeing the work of external contractors.

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ST THOMAS NORWICH Trustees’ Report For the year ended 31 December 2023

St Thomas

The largest of our buildings continued to host services on a Sunday and a mid-week communion services.

Garden Church

In 2019/20 STN developed a lay led network of missional communities in partnership with the Diocesan Church Planting and Revitalisation Programme to pilot low cost pathways to making disciples through the mixed ecology of church and in alignment with the national church ambition to plant 10,000 new worshipping communities in work, school and social spaces.

The Garden grew in 2023 to around 250 people with: monthly ‘pop ups’ gatherings; weekly communities; and additional gatherings called ‘Grow’. 2023 saw new Garden communities emerge in: Reepham; Dereham; Strumpshaw; and Raveningham and it has fielded enquiries and expressions of interest from multiple other villages. Growth of communities fall into three categories: seeds, emerging and established and Garden focussed on consolidating and supporting new ‘seeds' and sustaining the ‘established’ .

There have been multiple creative collaborations between the local church and local Gardens. Bishop Graham drafted a Bishop’s Mission Order for the movement to become an independent charity in 2024. Garden contributed to CCX (Centre For Church Multiplication) learning materials, Try Tank in the US, the Durham Diocese Church Planting learning and learning for the West Country Pioneers.

The Mitre

The Mitre has continued to rebuild and has established the pattern of being open Tuesday to Saturday. Our thanks go to Ms S Watson, who, together with her team of volunteers operated the Mitre during the first half of the year, building the business and the customer base. Following Sarah’s departure, a new Head Barista was appointed in the Summer. This appointment has allowed our coffee offerings to expand and coupled with new and innovative food offerings and a warm and welcoming space, the business is looking much more healthy as we enter 2024.

We continue to offer ‘pop-up’ events, such as the Beer and Carols event in Dec 2023 and the space was used more effectively by St Thomas for group meetings.

Volunteers were essential to our operations. Thank you to each of them.

Cafe Shine

The vision of the cafe is to show God’s love to women, through communicating their intrinsic value and worth. The sessions, involving: crafts; hand massage; nail painting; and a thought for the day have run fortnightly during term time. Sessions were held at St Barnabas, and St Thomas.

The Halls (ER, GW and RS)

Commercial hirers provided dance, ballet, music and Pilates. We continue to look at how we can best utilise our spaces for community and church events.

Each of the Halls is used for church children's work on Sundays.

No major work was done on any of the Halls.

STN Trust

The Trust continued its support of the Benefice, providing funding for the accommodation of our intern programme. The Trust publishes its own annual report.

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ST THOMAS NORWICH Trustees’ Report For the year ended 31 December 2023

Partner Organisations

The Benefice continued to be connected with Street Child, Hope Into Action, Community Chaplaincy Norwich, and English+ and Ormiston Families. The Benefice-wide Christmas social action campaign focused around supporting both English+ and Ormiston Families. The Benefice seeks to further develop its links with existing partners, while also reaching out to other charities with a view to partnering in the future.

Church membership did not change substantially during the year. Giving was up £46k (15%) and grants £50k (a four fold increase on 2022) and with expenditure being contained, an overall a surplus of £72k was achieved.

It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to at least two month’s expenditure. The trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year.

The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.

Structure, governance and management

The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust and constitutes an unincorporated charity.

Organisational structure

STN is the overall St Thomas Church. This is registered charity 1161746.

Although a joint PCC began operating across the benefice in 2017, only the PCC members elected by the St Thomas Parish, the incumbents and the St Thomas wardens are the Trustees of this charity.

St Barnabas' PCC focused on the issues facing that church, whilst also being part of the STN PCC. St Barnabas's PCC publishes its own report.

There continued to be no electoral roll or PCC for St Albans, with the STN wardens, vicars and STN PCC Secretary acting as a governance body for St Albans.

During the year, Mr N Henery, one of the Church Wardens agreed to take on the role of Treasurer until a more permanent solution can be found. We are grateful for the commitment of all volunteers past and present in this challenging time of transition for the Church. The Church in this period also began to think of itself more as a network of churches or a ‘family’ of churches that is diverse and unified, gathered and scattered.

STN Church is the body that delivers all worship, evangelism and mission work.

The Sports Factory is an operation of STN with a sporting focus. It is a cost centre within STN, and it is a responsibility of the Sports Factory team to seek their funding through grant aid and by selling services to schools. The activities are led by Mr T Henery.

STN Trading Ltd (STNT) is a registered company, number 09928322, with STN being the sole shareholder. STNT exists to develop Christian community through hospitality and owns and operates The Mitre.

STN Trust is a charity, (registered charity 1100236), focused on community and social action. It has its own Trustees, which include Mr Neil Henery, and three other members of STN Church. The trust funded outward looking missional initiatives at St Thomas.

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ST THOMAS NORWICH Trustees’ Report For the year ended 31 December 2023

PCC Membership

Members of the PCC are either ex-officio or elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting in accordance with the Church Representation Rules.

The PCC met five times during 2023, with an average attendance of 16 persons.

During the year the following served as members of the PCC

The Revd Tom Eagles, Vicar

The Revd Dave Lloyd, Associate Priest The Revd Joanna Payne, Associate Priest The Revd Dave Hendra, Priest in charge (St Alban) (resigned Oct 2023) The Revd Blessing Chishanu The Revd Di Rowlandson, Associate Priest (resigned May 2023) Diana Timms, Licensed Lay Minister Mark Jones (Treasurer - interim) (stepped down Sep 2023)

Church Wardens

Kim Mills Neil Henery

Elected Members

Terry Huggins Louise Hoffmann Alex Griffith Mark Holmes Tim Neads (appointed May 2023) Nathan Jarvis (appointed May 2023)

Deanery Synod Representatives

Caroline Johnson (appointed May 2023) Sarah Knapp

Members from St Alban

Churchwarden: David Wormald; Rob Wilson (appointed May 2023)

Elected members: Adrian Munn (resigned Sep 2023), Tom Fosten Thomas Harrison (appointed May 2023), Hilary Harrison (appointed May 2023), Gary Williams (appointed May 2023)

Members from St Barnabas

Churchwarden: Terry Burkill Elected members: Norma Broadest

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ST THOMAS NORMCH Trustees, Report For the year ended 31 December 2023 Standlng Committee The Standing Committee was made up of: Revs. Tom Eagles. Dave Hendra (resigned Oct 2023)., David Womiald. Neil Henery (Acting seGretary). Kim Mills and Rob Wilson (appointed May 2023) (Wardens)., Caroline Johnson (Secretary resign￿ May 2023); and Mark Jones (Finance Team Representative). Clergy changes Having been with us for nearly 3 113 y8ars. in Ihe ALrtumn of 2023. Rev'd Dave Hendra decided in the to move onto a new challenge. Celebrations were held across the BenefiGe to thank Dave and the family for all they had given to the church family and the local community and to send them out with our prayers and blessings. Electoral Roll Only those listed on the electoral roll may vote in the elections to the PCC. Under the Church Representation Ruth. a rEw Electoral Roil has to be completèd eV￿Y 6 years, the last one being completed in 2019. At St Barnabas. Russell Street, the roll comprises a total of 23 members. At St Thomas, Earlham Road. the roll comprises a total of 233 members and St Alban 41 members. The trustees, report vms approved by the Board of Trustees. Revd T Eagles Trustee Dated.. 16 Awil 2024

ST THOMAS NORWICH

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT

TO THE TRUSTEES OF ST THOMAS NORWICH

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of St Thomas Norwich (the charity) for the year ended 31 December 2023.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act).

I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of ICAEW, which is one of the listed bodies.

Your attention is drawn to the fact that the charity has prepared financial statements in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) in preference to the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice issued on 1 April 2005 which is referred to in the extant regulations but has now been withdrawn.

I understand that this has been done in order for financial statements to provide a true and fair view in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Practice effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2015.

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 2011 Act; or

  3. 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 financial statements to be reached.

Mark Johnstone FCA Argents Accountants Limited 15 Palace Street NORWICH Norfolk NR3 1RT United Kingdom

Dated: 9th May 2024

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ST THOMAS NORWICH STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT For the year ended 31 December 2023

Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
2023
2023
£
£
from:
394,195
58,635
5,351
-
35,697
150
466
-
712
-		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
2023
2023
£
£
from:
394,195
58,635
5,351
-
35,697
150
466
-
712
-		 Total
Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
2023
2022
2022
£
£
£		 Total
Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
2023
2022
2022
£
£
£		 Total
Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
2023
2022
2022
£
£
£		 Total
2022
£
Notes
Income and endowments
Donations and
legacies
3
Charitable activities
4
Other trading
activities
5
Investments
6
Other income
7
Total income
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities
8
Net incoming /
(outgoing)
resources
before transfers
Gross transfers
between funds
18
Net income/
(expenditure) for the
year / Net
movement in funds
Fund balances at
1 January
Fund balances at
31 December
452,830
314,602
32,563
5,351
4,800
-
35,847
36,671
-
466
24
-
712
68
-		 347,165
4,800
36,671
24
712 68
436,421
58,785		 495,206
356,165
32,563		 388,728
8 398,975 23,747 422,722 352,138 41,298 393,436
37,446
35,038		 72,484
4,027
(8,735)		 (4,708)
18 -
-		 - 3,690
(3,690)		 -
37,446 35,038 72,484 7,717 (12,425) (4,708)
743,104 4,457 747,561
735,387
16,882		 752,269
780,550
39,495		 820,045
743,104
4,457		 747,561

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

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STTHOMAS NORWICH Balance Sheet As at 31 December 2023 2022 Notes Flxed Assets Tangible assets 13 29.983 39.978 Investments 14 29,984 39,979 Dabtors falling due after one year Debtors falling due within one year 15 641.OCMJ 611,000 15 40,626 45.707 Cash at bank and in hand 132.692 75,435 814.318 732,142 Creditors: amounts falllng due within one year 17 (24.257) (24,560) Net Current Assets 790,061 707,582 Total assets lass current liabilities 820,045 747,561 Income F￿dS Restricted Funds 18 39.495 4.457 Unrèstricted F￿dS Designated Funds General Unrestricted Funds 19 35.792 7.874 744.758 735.230 780,550 743,104 820,045 747,561 The financial statements were approved by the Trustees ￿ 16 April 2024 Aevd T Eagles

ST THOMAS NORWICH Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023

1.1 Accounting convention

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.

The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.

The financial statements have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a true and fair view. This departure has involved following the Statement of Recommended Practice for charities applying FRS 102 rather than the version of the Statement of Recommended Practice which is referred to in the Regulations but which has since been withdrawn.

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

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, modified to include the revaluation of freehold properties and to include investment properties and certain financial instruments at fair value. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.

1.2 Going concern

At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

1.3 Charitable funds

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.

Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Endowment funds are subject to specific conditions by donors that the capital must be maintained by the charity.

Explanation of some of the funds are included within the trustees report, some of them do not require further explanation, the details of the others are listed below:

1.4 Income

Income is recognised when the charity is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.

Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.

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ST THOMAS NORWICH Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023

Legacies are recognised on receipt or otherwise if the charity has been notified of an impending distribution, the amount is known, and receipt is expected. If the amount is not known, the legacy is treated as a contingent asset.

1.5 Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Grants offered subject to conditions which have not been met at the year end date are noted as a commitment but not accrued as expenditure.

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

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:

Plant and equipment 25% on reducing balance Fixtures and fittings 25% on reducing balance Computers 33% on cost

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.

1.7 Fixed asset investments

Fixed asset investments are initially measured at transaction price excluding transaction costs, and are subsequently measured at fair value at each reporting date. Changes in fair value are recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year. Transaction costs are expensed as incurred.

At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible 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).

1.9 Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.

1.10 Financial instruments

The charity 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 in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, 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.

13

ST THOMAS NORWICH Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023

Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.

Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.

Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations f rom suppliers. Amounts 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 creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

Financial liabilities are de-recognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.

Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.

2 Critical accounting estimates and judgements

In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.

14

ST THOMAS NORWICH Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023

3 Donations and Legacies

Unrestricted
Funds
General
Restricted
Funds
Total
2023
2023
2023
£
£
£
327,577
4,655 332,232
8,850
53,980
62,830
57,768
-
57,768
394,195
58,635 452,830		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total
2022
2022
2022
£
£
£
266,551
20,063
286,614
-
12,500
12,500
48,051
-
48,051
Donations and gifts
Grants Received
Gift Aid Claimed
314,602
32,563
347,165
Grants Received
The Willats Trust
STN Trust
Other
-
12,500
12,500
-
41,480
41,480
8,850
-
8,850
8,850
53,980
62,830		 -
12,500
12,500
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
12,500
12,500

During the year STN Trust made a grant of £41,480 to fund the rent and council tax relating to the Intern Programme. This money is held as a restricted fund and is released as income to match the expenses incurred

4 Charitable Activities

4
Charitable Activities
Church
Activities
2023
£
5,351		 Church
Activities
2022
£
4,800
Fees & similar income

5 Other trading activities

Unrestricted
Funds
general
Restricted
Funds
Total
2023
2023
2023
£
£
£
26,062
150
26,212
-
-
6,734
-
6,734
2,901
-
2,901
35,697
150
35,847		 Unrestricted
Funds
general
2022
£
30,510
-
2,552
3,609
Fundraising events
Church cafe
Hall income
Other trading income
Other trading activities
36,671

15

ST THOMAS NORWICH Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023

6
Investments		 Unrestricted
Funds
General
2023
£
712
Church
Activities
2023
£
140,749
102,970
617
1,994
4,072
55,031
1,320
-
1,241
Unrestricted
Funds
General
2023
£
466		 Unrestricted
Funds
General
2022
£
24		 Unrestricted
Funds
General
2022
£
24
7
Other income
Other Income
8
Charitable activities
Interest receivable
Unrestricted
Funds
General
2022
£
68
Church
Activities
2022
£
160,360
98,592
151
4,422
3,358
54,000
1,281
431
914
Staff costs
Parish share
Service costs
Fees
Clergy Expenses
Outreach and projects
Promotions
Legal and professional fees
Bank charges
307,994
32,000		 323,509
6,188
Grant funding of activities (see note 9)
Share of support costs (see note 10)
Share of governance costs (see note 10)		 79,469
3,259		 60,721
3,018
422,722 393,436
Analysis by fund
Unrestricted funds - general
Restricted funds
398,975
23,747		 352,138
41,298
422,722 393,436

16

ST THOMAS NORWICH Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023

Church
Activities
2023
£
32,000		 Church
Activities
2022
£
6,188
9
Grants payable
Grants payable
10
Support costs
Support
costs
Governance
costs
Total
2023
2023
2023
£
£
£
9,994
-
9,994
9,996
-
9,996
857
-
857
3,921
-
3,921
26,018
-
26,018
11,226
-
11,226
278
-
278
3,447
-
3,447
3,792
-
3,792
9,940
9,940
-
3,259
3,259
79,469
3,259
82,728
79,469
3,259
82,728		 Support
costs
Governance
costs
2022
2022
£
£
13,480
-
10,000
-
1,377
-
3,878
-
11,905
-
11,795
-
453
-
4,560
-
3,273
-
-
-
-
3,018		 Total
2022
£
13,480
10,000
1,377
3,878
11,905
11,795
453
4,560
3,273
-
3,018
63,739
63,739
Depreciation
Rent contribution
Rates and water
Insurance
Light and heat
Church and hall
maintenance
Office and admin
IT and software
IT and audio
Operational Support
Accountancy
60,721
3,018
Analysed between
charitable activities		 60,721
3,018

17

ST THOMAS NORWICH Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023

11 Trustees

One of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received remuneration from the charity during the year. As an employee of the charity Revd J Payne (trustee) received remuneration for her role within the church of £16,150 with associated pension contributions of £484.

No further remuneration, other benefits or expenses, apart from the reimbursement of expenses wholly and necessarily incurred in support of the aims of the charity, were paid to trustees (or any persons connected with them) during the year.

12 Employees

12
Employees
Number
2023
No
12
2023
£		 Number
2022
No
13
Employees
2022
£
Employment costs
Wages and salaries
140,749 160,360

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

18

ST THOMAS NORWICH Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023

13
Tangible Fixed Assets		 Plant &
Equipment
£		 Fixtures and
fttings
£		 Computers
£		 Total
£
Cost
At 1 January 2023
Additions
Disposals
At 31 December 2023
Depreciation and impairment
At 1 January 2023
Depreciation
At 31 December 2023
Carrying amount
At 31 December 2023
At 31 December 2022
68,411
-
-
68,411		 110,855
-
-
110,855		 460
-
-
460		 179,726
-
-
179,726
51,898
4,128
56,026
87,391
5,866
93,257		 460
-
460		 139,749
9,994
149,743
12,385
16,513		 17,598
23,465		 -
-		 29,983
39,978

14 Fixed asset investments

14 Fixed asset investments
Other
investments
£
Cost or valuation
At 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023
Carrying amount
At 31 December 2023
At 31 December 2022
1
1
1

This investment represents the cost of 100% of the share capital of STN Trading Ltd. See note 21 for further information

19

ST THOMAS NORWICH Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023

15
Debtors		 2023
£
4,260
3,647
32,719
40,626		 2022
£
3,395
441
41,871
Trade debtors
Prepayments
Other debtors
45,707
Amounts falling due more than one year
STN Trading Ltd
641,000 611,000
Total debtors
16
Loans and overdrafts		 681,626
2023
£
7,203		 656,707
2022
£
6,875
Loans from STN Trust
Payable within one year
17 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year		 7,203
2023
£
7,203
3,796
5,568
-
7,690
24,257		 6,875
2022
£
6,875
3,938
2,266
-
11,481
Loans and overdrafts
Other taxation and social security
Trade creditors
Other creditors
Accruals and deferred income
24,560

20

ST THOMAS NORWICH Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023

18 Restricted funds

Balance at 1
January
2023
£
-
4,457
-
4,457		 Incoming
Resources
2023
£
12,950
2,000
43,835
58,785		 Resources
Expended
2023
£
(12,950)
(892)
(9,905)
(23,747)		 Transfers
2023
£
-
-
-
-		 Balance at 31
December
2023
£
-
5,565
33,930
Children and
Youth
LYN
Benefice Interns
39,495

Restricted funds for the preceding year

Balance at 1
January		 Incoming
Resources		 Resources
Expended		 Transfers Balance at 31
December
2022
£
-
-
4,457
-
2022
£
4,196
-
12,350
336
16,882		 2022
£
3,562
12,500
3,733
12,768
32,563		 2022
£
(4,068)
(12,500)
(11,626)
(13,104)		 2022
£
(3,690)
-
-
Missional
Community House
Children and
Youth
LYN
Diocesan Interns
(41,298) (3,690) 4,457

21

ST THOMAS NORWICH Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023

19 Designated funds

The income funds of the charity include the following designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes

Organ and
classical
music fund
£
7,874
Balance at 1 January 2023
Balance at 31 December 2023
There was no movement in this fund during the preceding year
7,874
Garden Fund
£
35,595
(7,677)
Incoming resources
Outgoing resources
Balance as at 31 December 2023
This was a new Designated Fund set up in 2023, therefore there was no balance from 2022
27,918
£
35,792
Total Designated fund at 31 December 2023

20 Analysis of net assets between funds

Funds balances at 31 December are represented by

Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total
2023
2023
2023
£
£
£
29,983
-
29,983
1
-
1
750,566
39,495
790,061		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Total
2022
2022
2022
£
£
£
39,978
-
39,978
1
-
1
703,125
4,457
707,582
Tangible assets
Investments
Current assets /
(liabilities)
780,550
39,495
820,045		 743,104
4,457
747,561

22

ST THOMAS NORWICH Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2023

21 Related party transactions

Transactions with related parties

During the year the charity entered into the following transactions with related parties:

Trustees donated amounts to the charity in 2023.

St Thomas Norwich Trust Limited, charity 1100236, loaned £7,000 to St Thomas Norwich in 2020. During 2023 interest was charged in the sum of £328, increasing the outstanding balance at the year end to £7,203. No repayments were made during the year and the loan remains repayable on demand. In addition, during 2023 St Thomas Norwich Trust Limited made grants of £41,480 in support of the work of the Benefice interns. The remaining balance of which is treated as a restricted fund and is being released to match expenditure incurred.

St Thomas Norwich and STN Trust Limited have the following trustee in common Mr N Henery.

The Trustees of St Thomas Norwich are responsible for St Alban, a church planted from St Thomas and some of the charity's assets are located at St Alban. Giving to both churches comes to St Thomas. The accounts of St Thomas cover many of the costs of St Alban including the salary of a missioner and church cleaning, and the Parish Share for both churches. Separate accounts for St Alban are maintained and the income from the church hall in Grove Walk is used to cover utility bills and some service costs. However, as the income was not sufficient to cover costs, St Thomas made a grant of £32,000 during the financial year and also covered other costs leaving a balance owing from St Alban of £9,675 at the year end. This arrangement will continue in 2024.

St Thomas Norwich wholly owns a trading subsidiary called STN Trading Ltd company number 09928322. STN Trading Ltd also owns and is responsible for the development of The Mitre. The surplus of STN Trading Ltd is covenanted to STN Trust Limited. During the year, St Thomas paid £9,996 to STN Trading relating to the rent of office space in The Mitre and paid staff costs amounting to £34,584, the staff having joint employment contracts with St Thomas and STN Trading. At the year end, STN Trading Ltd owed St Thomas Norwich £658,743 (2022 - £634,362). There are no repayment terms and no interest is charged on £641,000 (2022 - £611,000) and the balance, £17,743 is repayable within one year. There is no charge registered against The Mitre.

23