St John’s Church Preservation Group Annual Report 2022 to 2023 Charity Registration 1164822 The Old School House, St John’s Road, Kates Hill, Dudley, DY2 7JT
CHARITY FORM
St John’s Church Preservation Group is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. The governing document is the constitution.
Trustees are selected by invitation.
PATRON
Professor Carl Chinn, MBE, broadcaster, author, professor, Chair Birmingham University Community History
“I am proud to serve as patron”
PURPOSES OF THE CHARITY
St John’s Church Preservation Group was formed in 2007 to save St John’s Church which had been closed to the public in 2002. It was empty for 14 years until the group, after a lengthy campaign and process, was granted a lease to take on the restoration and re-opening in 2016.
The object[s] of St John’s Church Preservation Group are:
(a) to support the restoration and preservation of St John’s Church, Kates Hill, Dudley, a place of historic and architectural importance with a view to supporting Christian worship and providing a facility for greater community use; (b) To advance the education of the public in the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment;
(c) to advance the education of the public particularly but not exclusively by (i) educating the public in different religious beliefs including an awareness of their distinctive features and their common ground to promote good relations between persons of different faiths and (ii) by promoting knowledge and mutual understanding and respect of the beliefs and practices of different religious faiths;
(d) to further benefit the residents of Dudley and its surrounding areas particularly but not exclusively those who are unemployed or unwaged and those who are without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, race or of political, religious or other opinions by associating together the said residents and the local authorities, voluntary and other organisations in a common effort to advance education and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare, recreation and other leisure time activities with the objective of improving the conditions of life for the residents;
(e) to advance in life and help young people through providing support and activities which develop their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as mature and responsible individuals.
St John’s Church, 1840. Grade 11 listed in May 2009 following application by St John’s Church Preservation Group
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SUMMARY OF MAIN ACTIVITIES
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Maintenance and restoration of the church building
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Fundraising including the St John’s Sale Room in the adjacent former St John’s School accepting donations of goods which are then sold at very low prices to support the local community and raise funds for the restoration of the historic church. (Closed June 2023)
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Church Open Day every Friday
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Assistance with family history research
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Six Anglican services per year.
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Graveyard and adjoining Nature reserve maintenance
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Event programme engaging with local and wider community
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Volunteering opportunities from age 16 years and in family or affinity groups
TRUSTEE STATEMENT PUBLIC BENEFIT
The trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit
TRUSTEES IN THIS PERIOD
Deborah Brownlee (Chair) Maria Bottley (Secretary) John Poole (Treasurer) Martin Horwood David Kerr Ann Kerr Paul Smith
Note during this period three trustees have suffered from significant health issues.
CONTRIBUTION MADE BY VOLUNTEERS
During this period 1750 hours of volunteering were carried out by just 12 volunteers – volunteer recruitment and retention continues to be a problem and volunteers remained static during this period.
SUMMARY OF THE MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE CHARITY DURING THIS PERIOD
We continued to hold six services per year including the key events of Remembrance and Christmas, and organise and attend community events albeit at a lower level due to the lack of helpers and also the dire situation caused by the enforced move. We found that attendance was low, as during Covid people had become accustomed to watching online from home. Trustees are currently discussing the future shape of events and services.
Volunteers who had worked almost around the clock on occasions to get the new sale room and community room ready, to be used as a community drop in, groups and classes, but also for fundraising events, now found themselves again working (literally on some occasions) around the clock, to get out of the School House following being put under notice by our landlord.
Numerous appeals for the loan of storage space came to nothing, and finally we had to face throwing away or giving away all our donated items – our main means of raising funds, or moving them into the church building itself.
All the hard work and cost of creating the community room and new sale room was for nothing
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A perfect storm of the worst possible timing came into play: excess stock due to not being able to trade for over two years (Covid lockdowns) and a shortage of volunteers due to the extended closure period. Also customer flow less than before Covid – people very wary about coming out, and it was taking time to build up.
With very heavy hearts we made the decision to move everything into the church, creating an almighty mess in what had been our pride and joy. It took over three months, having been in the large sale and community room premises for thirteen years, to move everything and we were finally out on 30[th] June 2023.
We gave a large vanload of items to Provision House (homeless charity), and an extensive drama costume collection to Sutton School (special needs) who provided a donation. We ruthlessly threw away anything we did not think would sell or was borderline.
We ran sale after sale at very low prices, and at the end of this period the amount of stock in the church has been reduced by about half. Regrettably the church still looks ‘a mess’ but fortunately most people understand the predicament and have been very complimentary about our huge efforts to get the church back to normal.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
At the end of this period the charity had managed to retain but not increase a small reserve of £2347.
Our events income was reduced, from £1570 to £958, as we were unable, due to circumstances, to run or attend events as we usually would.
Sales income, due to the sell offs, was up, from £3,298 to £5,594.
The Friends of St John’s and others continued to provide donations, which were increased from £9,145 to £10,247. A major aim of the trustees as we can pull clear of the current situation is to build the number of Friends, which currently stands at 65.
Our insurance cost increased from £5857 to £6533 and remains our largest expense. With this in mind although catastrophic in the short term, and means we do not now have toilets, we are not sorry to lose the annual rental and utility costs of the School House.
FUTURE
Despite the current difficulties, the vision for the project remains intact. The trustees are considering making an application to purchase the freehold of the building, and redirect the project more strongly into heritage and history, with the faith element contained within the sanctuary area. The local and wider community show great interest in the history aspects of the project, and we intend over time to move much further away from selling donated goods, into events, history experiences, shows and other fundraising. Having been forcibly redirected we are now quite content that we will move on better and stronger, but keen to have freehold, not tenancy.
We are also seeking new active trustees to strengthen our board.
Prepared and approved by the trustees of St John’s Church Preservation Group
26[th] September 2024
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REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: CE005853 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1164822
Report of the Trustees and
Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 30 November 2023
for St John's Church Preservation Group
Altus Business Consulting Chartered Accountants 88-89 High Street Wordsley Stourbridge West Midlands DY8 5SB
St John's Church Preservation Group
Contents of the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 30 November 2023
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Report of the Trustees | 1 |
| Independent Examiner's Report | 2 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 3 |
| Balance Sheet | 4 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 5 to 8 |
| Detailed Statement of Financial Activities | 9 |
St John's Church Preservation Group
Report of the Trustees
for the Year Ended 30 November 2023
The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 30 November 2023. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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).
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Governing document
The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Registered Company number
CE005853 (England and Wales)
Registered Charity number 1164822
Registered office
The Old School House St John's Road Kates Hill Dudley West Midlands DY2 7JT
Trustees
D Brownlee D Kerr A Kerr P Smith M Bottley J Poole M Horwood
Independent Examiner Richard Ashmore BA, BFP, FCA Altus Business Consulting Chartered Accountants 88-89 High Street Wordsley Stourbridge West Midlands DY8 5SB
Approved by order of the board of trustees on 28[th] August 2024 and signed on its behalf by:
D Brownlee - Trustee
Page 1
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of St John's Church Preservation Group
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of St John's Church Preservation Group ('the Company')
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 30 November 2023.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity's trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act').
Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity's accounts as carried out under Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act'). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by Section 386 of the 2006 Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of Section 396 of the 2006 Act 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; or
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the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities (applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)).
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.
Richard Ashmore BA, BFP, FCA
Altus Business Consulting Chartered Accountants 88-89 High Street Wordsley Stourbridge West Midlands DY8 5SB
28[th] August 2024
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St John's Church Preservation Group
Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 30 November 2023
| 30.11.23 | 30.11.22 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Total | ||
| fund | funds | ||
| Notes | £ | £ | |
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM | |||
| Donations and legacies | 10,247 | 9,145 | |
| Charitable activities | |||
| Events Income | 958 | 1,570 | |
| Sales Income | 5,594 | 3,298 | |
| Commonwealth War Graves Comm | 220 | 220 | |
| Recycling | 111 | 228 | |
| Total | 17,130 | 14,461 | |
| EXPENDITURE ON | |||
| Raising funds | 273 | 592 | |
| Charitable activities | |||
| Administration | 18,573 | 19,028 | |
| Total | 18,846 | 19,620 | |
| NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) | (1,716) | (5,159) | |
| RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS | |||
| Total funds brought forward | 15,813 | 20,972 | |
| TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD | 14,097 | 15,813 | |
The notes form part of these financial statements
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St John's Church Preservation Group
----- Start of picture text -----
||||
|---|---|---|
|Balance Sheet|
|30 November 2023|
|30.11.22|30.11.21|
|Unrestricted|Total|
|fund|funds|
|Notes|£|£|
|CURRENT ASSETS|
|Prepayments and accrued income|3,859|3,997|
|Cash at bank and in hand|10,238|11,816|
|14,097|15,813|
|NET CURRENT ASSETS|14,097|15,813|
|TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT|
|LIABILITIES|14,097|15,813|
|NET ASSETS|14,097|15,813|
|FUNDS|4|
|Unrestricted funds|14,097|15,813|
|TOTAL FUNDS|14,097|15,813|
----- End of picture text -----
The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 30 November 2023.
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 30 November 2023 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.
The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for
(a) ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and
(b) preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company.
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 28[th] August 2024 and were signed on its behalf by:
D Brownlee - Trustee
The notes form part of these financial statements
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St John's Church Preservation Group
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 30 November 2023
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of preparing the financial statements
The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) '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)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.
Income
All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
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.
Taxation
The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.
Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.
2. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS
There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 30 November 2023 nor for the year ended 30 November 2022.
Trustees' expenses
There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 30 November 2023 nor for the year ended 30 November 2022.
continued...
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St John's Church Preservation Group
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 30 November 2023
3. COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
| Unrestricted | |
|---|---|
| fund | |
| £ | |
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM | |
| Donations and legacies | 9,145 |
| Charitable activities | |
| Events Income | 1,570 |
| Sales Income | 3,298 |
| Commonwealth War Graves Comm | 220 |
| Recycling | 228 |
| Total | 14,461 |
| EXPENDITURE ON Raising funds Charitable activities Administration |
592 19,028 |
| Total | 19,620 |
| NET INCOME RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward |
(5,159) 20,972 |
| TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD | 15,813 |
4. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
| Unrestricted funds General fund TOTAL FUNDS |
Net At movement At 1.12.22 in funds 30.11.23 £ £ £ 15,813 (1,716) 14,097 15,813 (1,716) 14,097 |
|---|---|
continued...
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St John's Church Preservation Group
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 30 November 2023
4. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
| Incoming | Incoming | Resources | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|
| resources | expended | in funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Unrestricted funds | |||
| General fund | 17,130 | (18,846) | (1,716) |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 17,130 | (18,846) | (1,716) |
| Comparatives for movement in funds | |||
| Net | |||
| At | movement | At | |
| 1.12.21 | in funds | 30.11.22 | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Unrestricted funds | |||
| General fund | 20,972 | (5,159) | 15,813 |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 20,972 | (5,159) | 15,813 |
| Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: | |||
| Incoming | Resources | Movement | |
| resources | expended | in funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Unrestricted funds | |||
| General fund | 14,461 | (19,620) | (5,159) |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 14,461 | (19,620) | (5,159) |
A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined position is as follows:
| Unrestricted funds General fund TOTAL FUNDS |
At Net movement At 1.12.21 in funds 30.11.23 £ £ £ 20,972 (6,875) 14,097 20,972 (6,875) 14,097 |
|---|---|
continued...
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St John's Church Preservation Group
Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 30 November 2023
4. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued
A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
| I ncoming |
I ncoming |
Resources | Movement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| r esources |
expended | in funds | ||
| £ | £ | £ | ||
| Unrestricted funds | ||||
| General fund | 31,591 | (38,466) | (6,875) | |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 31,591 | (38,466) | (6,875) |
5. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES
There were no related party transactions for the year ended 30 November 2023.
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St John's Church Preservation Group Detailed Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 30 November 2023
| Detailed Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 30 November 2023 |
||
|---|---|---|
| 30.11.23 | 30.11.22 | |
| £ | £ | |
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS | ||
| Donations and legacies | ||
| Donations | 10,247 | 9,145 |
| Charitable activities | ||
| Events Income | 958 | 1,570 |
| Sales Income | 5,594 | 3,298 |
| Recycling | 111 | 228 |
| Commonwealth War Graves Comm | 220 | 220 |
| 6,883 | 5,316 | |
| Total incoming resources | 17,130 | 14,461 |
| EXPENDITURE | ||
| Raising donations and legacies | ||
| Volunteer's Expenses | 273 | 592 |
| Charitable activities | ||
| Insurance | 6,533 | 5,857 |
| Grounds & Property Expenses | 1,210 | 2,974 |
| Rent & Utilities | 7,308 | 7,761 |
| Events, Meetings & Promotions | 1,889 | 1,291 |
| General Administration | 1,561 | 1,055 |
| Telephone & Internet | 72 | 72 |
| Miscellaneous Expenses | - | 18 |
| 18,573 | 19,028 | |
| Total resources expended | 18,846 | 19,620 |
| Net (expenditure)/income | (1,716) | (5,159) |
This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements
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