2024-12-31-accounts - Welwyn Garden City United Reformed Church Charity

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Welwyn Garden City United Reformed Church Year Book 2024

Minister’s 2025 Year Book Report

Another year has gone, and here we are writing yet another book of reports on the life of Welwyn Garden City United Reformed Church.

As ever, the past year has been a busy one and we have kept up our regular pattern of worship and other activities despite the challenges that come our way, for we recognise that our God blesses us in so many ways.

Our monthly mid-week worship which takes place on the second Wednesday morning of every month continues to have a small but faithful congregation. It is a time for fellowship, for listening to God’s word, and to be refreshed at his table. I continue to be deeply indebted to Philip for being willing to come along and set the church up for the service, as well as to Brenda for coming on board to play the piano for us.

Our Friday morning Bible Study continues to meet regularly, and we study the Bible using a variety of different resources, while also enjoying a time of fellowship over tea and coffee.

Following the success of the all-age worship service at harvest time, we decided to make a change on the second Sunday of the month. We went back to holding a single service, which is all-age, after trialling our two-tier approach for a few months. At the time of writing, this appears to be going well.

One change for me has been to take on the reins of leading the Saturday Families’ Church. This has been a challenge, but we regularly welcome a number of children and parents and/or grandparents to our monthly meeting, and we have a good time of fun, worship, and fellowship together.

Of course, the big difference this year has been to have a Minister-in-Training serve with us from September 2024 to May 2025. It has been a real pleasure to have Tina share in the life of the church. When I was approached by Westminster College and asked if I would have a Minister-in-Training work alongside me, I was anxious because I had never had such a responsibility before.

However, I need not have worried, for Tina has fitted into the church so easily, and has played a full part in all that goes on here. She has led worship and preached, both on Sundays and at our mid-week worship. She has led our Friday Bible Studies. She has become involved in both Youth Club and Saturday Families’ Church. And this is just a sample of the things that Tina has become involved with during her time with us. There are still a few more months to go before her time with us comes to an end, and so I am sure that we will continue both to see her grow in her ministry, and be blessed by her as she ministers among us.

Finally, I am sure that you would want to join with me in sharing some thanks:

to Allison – for all her hard work in the office – which often goes well beyond her remit; for all that she does with the Youth Group; and for taking on the role of Safeguarding Officer.
to Philip and Joyce – for all that they do as Church Secretaries, which often involves much that most of us don’t see.
to Helen – for ensuring that our finances have been kept in order;
and to Sarah – for taking on this role now that Helen has stepped down.
to Lee – for all his caretaking work, and for doing all the jobs no-one else wants to.
to all our elders – for all they do in keeping the church in order and making sure that things happen as they should.
and to everyone else who is a part of our fellowship – thank you for being you; thank you for what you do; and thank you for the support you give to each other. Welwyn Garden City United Reformed Church would be a poorer place without your presence.

In His name, Martyn

SECRETARY’S REPORT 2024

Baptsms and Blessings

We had 1 infant Baptism in Morning Worship and 1 Adult Baptism at Praise Café.

Weddings and Blessings

No Weddings in Church in 2024

Deaths

We said goodbye to our following dear friends and Church Members Don Bull, Margaret Brisby, and Irene Simpson.

Membership

No new members joined in 2024 but due to deaths we lost 4 elderly members and 2 for personal reasons which we as a church fully appreciate and understand.

Elders

Joint Secretaries:- Philip Read and Joyce Nicolson

Matthew Read, Cherylle Cooper, Ade Onasile and Derek Groves. John Mortimer sadly resigned in November 2024.

Minister

Rev. Martyn Neads is the minister for our Pastorate of three Churches Harpenden Wheathampstead and Welwyn Garden City and is now the only minister, following Heather’s retirement, with responsibility for the other 5 churches across 7 sites in the Local Area Group.

Pastoral Care

We revised our Pastoral Teams in 2024 and aim to carry out a further revision in 2025 following our elders’ elections in March 25. Worship

Martyn leads Communion on the first Sunday of the month and midweek communion on the second Wednesday of every month. Our 2-tier service was reintroduced in January 2024 on the second Sunday of the month with Wendy leading Family Worship at 10am followed by coffee then traditional worship at 11am led by Martyn. This format was discontinued on Wendy leaving and Martyn now leads Family Worship at 10.30am.on the second Sunday.

We continue to offer Worship on zoom for those unable to attend but able to access the services on zoom or You Tube.

We also hold a Praise Café on the occasional Sunday Afternoon.

The arrangement for 5[th] Sundays when we come together as a Pastorate for worship remains.

Our Worship Team still lead Worship once a month but has become depleted with the loss of Janet and John who are greatly missed.

We are fortunate in having Tina, our Minister in Training, stepping in to fill the gaps by leading Worship and presiding at midweek communion on occasion.

Visiting preachers are booked to fill spaces in Sunday Worship.

Teaching

We have 2 Bible Study Groups:-

One Meets on Zoom on Thursday Evenings still led by Janet and John.

The second meets on Friday Mornings led by Martyn and Tina, has also taken the lead on Friday mornings.

Employees

Mission Developer

We are currently advertising for a part time person for this post.

Children’s Youth and Family Worker

Wendy’s contract was due to expire in January 2024. Wendy successfully secured another position and handed in her resignation leaving us at the end of September 2024.

We have endeavoured to keep the groups Wendy created and led by employing and encouraging new volunteers. So far we have been successful and have succeeded in keeping them alive adding a youth group which meets once a month at present.

Caretaker

Lee Nicholls remains in this post.

Church Administrator

Allison Giles remains in this post. The Office is to be moved downstairs in early 2025 to the Quiet Room.

Outreach Gifs

We support New Zion Food Bank on the 1[st] Sunday of every month and are grateful to Helen K for delivering these gifts of produce. Any gifts of cash are transferred electronically to New Zion. In 2024 we have collected and sent £743 in cash.

Gifts of produce from our Harvest Festival were shared with New Zion Food Bank.

Gifts from our November Gift Service were shared with, Woodhall Lane Family Support, Homestart, Food Bank, Welwyn Hatfield Women’s’ Refuge and the Salvation Army.

This year our Christmas Fayre raised £2,690 and we donated a cheque for £1,350 (50% of the profit) to Isabel Hospice.

Crisis at Christmas was our nominated Charity this year and we were able to provide 19 places a total of £566. with The money raised from our retiring collection at Carols by Candlelight and Christmas Card donations.

All were gratefully received, thank you for your generosity which has helped to bring a little joy and comfort into the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.

Social and Fundraising

Families have enjoyed Games Nights and Film Nights

People are also welcome to join a Fellowship Lunch at our Local Public House on the third Sunday of every month.

We continue to raise money for our Big Build Project by holding a variety of events.

Sadly we lost our DJ so the popular Tea Dances are no longer but raised £430 in 2024 before closing.

Quiz Nights raised £748

Pop up Spring Fair raised £502 50% of Christmas Fayre £1340

Sunday Coffee, Lucky Numbers, donations from church groups plus Soup Lunches, and The Sunday Sales Table.

Together these raised £6,590 bringing the total in the fund at the end of December 2024 £16,763

We would welcome new ideas for 2025

Joyce Nicolson and Philip Read - Joint Church Secretaries WGC URC – Building and Property Group Annual Report for 2024

Much of this team’s work concerns getting repairs done, and if not terribly urgent they are more economically dealt with if combined with other planned maintenance rather than incurring costly call-out charges. This may sometimes account for what might seem like a delay; on the other hand, repairs can’t be actioned if no one knows of them. So do tell someone if you spot something that needs doing, better to hear about it twice than not at all.

Another cause of delay can be the shortage of operatives which is a current problem in the building industry. Anyone who is good is unlikely to be available immediately. The Church had a long-standing relationship with a local firm from Welwyn, but Mark - who took over from his father who founded the company - died suddenly last September at a very

young age. They have ceased trading sadly. If anyone knows of a reputable building firm to replace them, we would be grateful for an introduction.

Long lists of repairs can be tedious, but mention should be made of replacing the hot water boiler in the ground floor kitchen and an upstairs WC suite that had cracked and was leaking; thank you Sean Nicolson.

Many inspections take place periodically in order that we keep on top of our legal obligations; and to name a few - fire extinguishers, emergency lighting and smoke detectors, gas safety certificates and upstairs central heating, and hard wiring electrical tests and portable appliance tests on all our electrical goods .

Hall & Randall inspect our roofs and clean the gutters at the end of each leaf drop season under the Synod maintenance plan, at no cost to us. The 2024 inspection highlighted roof leaks in the main hall that were beginning to damage the fabric of the building. Two trial repairs were unsuccessful and Rapleys, the Synod surveyors who carried out our last quinquennial inspection in 2021, were commissioned during the year to provide us with a report and an indication of recommended remedial works. The initial site visit has been fixed for January 2025.

The main repair at the Manse at 49 Parkway, was the replacement of the dilapidated fence along the complete length of the boundary with the Church. Some window repairs have also been carried out, and in conjunction with Carnegie Lettings, our managing agents, the effectiveness is being monitored.

The old Church signage has been simplified and now includes Martyn’s details as our Joint Pastorate Minister. We have looked into relocating Allison’s office downstairs.

Vertical hanging blinds on the two big windows in the main hall on the grounds side have been fitted which will help cut down glare when the sun is low without shutting it out altogether. In connection with the installation, the Church purchased a cantilever step ladder for high level access. This is because previously we had to replace wooden ladders and the long metal ladder because its storage on the staircase landing contravened health & safety rules.

Our caretaker continues to make an excellent job of sealing all three hall floors during the summer holidays, well done and thank you Lee. Progress on our redevelopment plans has been slow in 2024. The Annual Church Meeting in March couldn’t agree on the way forward, and a reconvened meeting in April gave instructions to proceed to the detailed design phase with a view to obtaining tenders in order to test the market and establish the likely shortfall on our funds held on our behalf with the URC Trust.

This would have gone well but for the fact that our mechanical and electrical services consultant had to withdraw from the scheme for reasons unrelated to our project. It took a while to get a new firm on board and even then, progress was slow as they got to grips with the design, especially the sustainable features that were a requirement.

However, towards the end of 2024 the designs were being finalised and will be ‘frozen’ enabling the tender documents to be drawn up. We hope for faster progress in 2025, and some advance drainage works may be undertaken in order to protect our planning permission before it expires.

Our small group, which also supports the Treasurer, would welcome new members with fresh ideas for our buildings.

Philip Read - telephone 01707 329484 – 15 February 2025

FINANCE

We are thankful in 2024 for the continuing commitment people make to supporting the church with their time and energy and resources.

Our General fund, which has no restrictions on how it is spent, holds £5,623.

Most of the church money is held in Restricted funds and can only be spent on specific expenditure e.g. grants to support our employees, building development work, our Big Build fundraising and is unavailable for general expenditure to support the church work.

In summary our total funds at the end of December 2024 were £599,233 – which includes the charitable grant from Stewardship in 2023 of £443,665 towards our Building redevelopment.

Our total Income in 2024 was £206,501 and Expenditure was £205,624 with an unrealised gain in investment value of £2,515.

Income of £39,336 was derived from Tithes and Offerings – a reduction of £5,431 from 2023. Gift aid was £9,629 highlighting the benefits of using Gift Aid for our Giving and Donations to the Church. Premises hire was £37,831, an increase of £3,532. It is good to see our Halls being used by our community supporting a wide variety of groups.

For our Big Build redevelopment work, we raised money via our Talents table, Tea Dance, Quiz night, Lucky Numbers, Spring and Christmas Fayres. Groups that meet in church have also generously donated funds

including the toddler groups alongside donations from individuals to support this work. The Big Build fund at the end of 2024 was £16,763.

We received a grant of £30,000 from Garfield Weston Foundation towards our building work. Thames North Synod provided a grant for an Energy audit as well as £1,000 as a contribution towards our increased electricity costs. Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council gave a grant of £600 for hospitality at the Community Cafe and the Thursday Club. Synod provided a grant to support our Children and Family work.

We have donated money to several organisations this year including Crisis at Christmas (£566), Isabel Hospice (£1350) and Christian Aid (£800). New Zion Foodbank received a total of £743 in cash as well as many bags of groceries from our collection at the Harvest Festival and the monthly Sunday gifts.

We thank Philip for his work and support on Finance and Linda for doing our financial control checks. Sarah has now taken on the role of Treasurer for the church.

As always, our hope for the future is that our Giving and other income stays in line with our spending, so we do not have to use our Reserves. A key concern is that our expenditure is increasing with inflation each year. Ministry and Mission payments were £34,536 in 2024 and our Utility payments doubled to £12,162 after our current contracts expired at the end of 2023.

Our new Big Build project will call on our resources so we can successfully get a new kitchen, toilets and better access through the building and into the garden space. We are blessed with a total of £943,616 including our fundraising, Stewardship grant and the Woodhall Lane trust fund (£466,962). We will be applying for an Eco-grant from Thames North

Synod to support the changes to the building to optimise energy usage. We are also working on other grant applications to enable us to fund this work.

With costs increasing each year, please review your Giving and Standing Orders and if possible, increase them to minimise the impact of inflation on the work of the Church.

Helen

Coffee Rota

Sadly, we have lost three members this year from the rota but it was very heartening to have an offer from Joanne Austin to join us and she is very welcome.

There are more people staying afterwards for coffee so that is very encouraging and it would be good to have one or two more volunteers on the Rota so that one's turn doesn't come round so often. We would all certainly welcome more people to join us as it is a good way to get to people better and to welcome all newcomers. Kathleen Muir

Bibe Study Group

In 2024 we met most Friday morning at church for coffee and discussions on the Bible. These were led by our Minister, Martyn. We have followed courses on for example, Grace and explored Revelations assisted by video presentations. Recently Tina has led us exploring Women in the Bible.

Some of this was very challenging but our discussions are open and allow us more understanding of the Bible.

Come along on Friday at 10:00am for coffee and chat with the Bible Study starting at 10:30.

On behalf of the Bible Study group

Helen

The Welcome Team Report for 2004

Our URCWGC Welcome Team continue to greet our family of worshipers and visitors every Sunday…hail, wind and shine. We are a shrinking (but tenacious and very friendly) group and would welcome any new recruits!

We know that a warm welcome is appreciated because you tell us so! But this is not a one way transaction: we, the folks on duty feel really privileged to be able to carry out this small link in the sharing of Christian fellowship.

Helen Cunningham

Helen@ianandhelen.co.uk

Flower and Décor Report 2024

The blessings from the floral displays we enjoy every Sunday are twofold as we send these flowers out to members of our church family to let them know we are thinking of them. They may be unable to attend due to frailty or illness be recently bereaved or celebrating a special event.

The joy these flowers bring to the recipients cannot be underestimated and we are fortunate to have people who donate annually to the Flower Fund to make this possible. Sadly, some who have donated generously in the past are no longer with us making it more difficult for us to provide flowers in church on a Sunday morning and create displays for special occasions ie Easter, Harvest and Christmas. So please consider making a donation to the Flower Fund to enable us to continue in 2025. I will try to offer you a date of your choice on the Flower Rota.

I would also love to see more people joining us to display the flowers for Sunday Worship and come along to help with the bigger church celebrations. Currently we are a team of three. We would happily support anyone who enjoys flowers and would like to give it a try. I was that person many years ago and I have learned on the job as they say. If you think you might be that person, come and have a chat, please don’t be shy.

Joyce Nicolson, Margaret Richardson and Mary Sartin.

Thursday Club

Thursday Club continues to meet on the 1[st] and 3[rd] Thursday from 2-4pm of every month except August. We charge £2 which covers refreshments, and fees for visiting speakers and entertainers. I am extremely grateful to Allison and Mary for keeping the club afloat while I was out of the frame for health reasons from April- September. Mary has now agreed to help me run the club on a permanent basis for which I am very thankful as she is a great asset bringing new life and ideas for us to try.

Sadly Norma is no longer able to look after refreshments or attend for health reasons. Thank you, Norma for all the years you devoted to the club. We all miss you and everyone asks how you are when we meet on club afternoons.

Joyce D has stepped into Norma’s shoes with the same dedication and we really appreciate her and the other club members who offer their help on club afternoons.

Chloe was helping but has now Charity Shop work on a Thursday. We wish you all the best and will be happy to see you again so do pop in when you can.

We make an effort to offer a variety of activities and speakers for our members to enjoy so if you know of any groups or individuals who would be interested to come along please give me their details.

We have lost a few members sadly Irene passed away and Margaret , Rosie and Roger are now in Care Homes but we were delighted to welcome several new members and anyone thinking of joining please get in touch or just come along.

Joyce Mob 07886392602 Email joycen2@hotmail.com

Community Café

Our church runs a Community Coffee Morning each Tuesday from 10.30 to 12.00. As well as providing what is needed to make your own tea or coffee, we provide sandwiches, quiche slices and biscuits. Usually between 15 and 20 attend and a special moment is when we celebrate someone’s birthday with a card signed (secretly if possible) by everyone else and a cake with candles. We sing “Happy Birthday” when this is brought out for the birthday person to blow out the candles.

Robert

CHATTER & TOTS

I took over the Chatter & Tots group at the beginning of October last year, and since then, attendance has remained steady. We also welcome new parents at some sessions over the last few months, which helps the group continue to grow and thrive. Each week, parents and carers set up and choose the equipment together, fostering a strong sense of community.

Janet and Ann have been a fantastic support, helping to manage the group every week. Given the group’s size, their assistance is invaluable. They also lead the singing sessions at the end, which the children absolutely love.

The group promotes mutual support, and it’s wonderful to see friendships forming among attendees. At our final session before Christmas, carers took the lead in brainstorming and planning the event. Together, we organised a delightful Christmas party, complete with Secret Santa gifts, a special visit from Santa, and festive singing. Everyone contributed food to create a shared buffet, making it a truly memorable celebration.

BABY GROUP

Since taking over the group at the beginning of October, attendance has grown from just one person in my first week to as many as nine adults, plus their babies, on some weeks. While we mostly welcome mums, we’ve also had the occasional grandparent and two dads join us. This group is a valuable and welcoming space where parents can simply turn up, enjoy a hot cuppa (which I make for them), and have some biscuits. It’s a relaxed and informal environment where parents can share about their week, talk through the challenges of new parenthood, or just enjoy a friendly chat with each other.

Each session, I set out playmats and equipment for the babies, giving parents the chance to unwind and connect with one another. I’ve received some lovely feedback from parents who say the group makes a real difference in their week. It’s also been wonderful to see some mums transition from this group to the Thursday Toddler Group as their little ones grow.

Anna Sofat

Christian Aid

This year Christian Aid focussed its appeal on Aline in Burundi who was married while still a child. When her violent husband forced her to run away, she was plunged into extreme poverty. She was without her children and without a home and had no food. She had to ask for help but few showed her any kindness. Fortunately, she was able to join a small business training course funded by Christian Aid. From this, she joined others in setting up a Village Savings and Loan Association which enabled her to establish her own business selling avocados and peanuts. She now has her own home for herself and her children.

This year we raised £50 from church members and £800 from a fine concert by the Welwyn Garden City Male Voice Choir so £850 went off to Christian Aid.

Robert

Christian Meditation

Our Christian Meditation group is led each week by Helen Cunningham. There are 8 of us, from different churches. We meditate together for 25 minutes, following the meditative practice of early Christians which was

rediscovered by a Benedictine monk, John Main, in the 1970s. We take a prayer phrase, “maranatha” (which means “Come, Lord”) and repeat it slowly and silently inside ourselves for 25 minutes. In this way, we open ourselves up to the endless love of God.

Robert

Bereavement and Loss

0ur main event under this heading, is the Time to Remember Tea, attended this year by 18 people. It is an opportunity to invite back to the church those who have recently lost loved ones as well as an occasion for all of us to remember those we have lost. An informal tea at tables in a semi-circle is followed by a short, prayerful act of remembrance which this year was led thoughtfully by our new Minister, Martyn. Those present take away at the end of the service a rose to inspire our memories.

The other is our Longest Night Service on 21 December - for those for whom Christmas is a difficult time, perhaps because they are far away from close family members or perhaps because they are on their own. This year’s service was led very sensitively by Tina, our trainee minister, and, as usual, included a time for tea, coffee and mince pies.

Young People’s Church

Over the past year, we have really enjoyed our Young People’s church sessions with Wendy, and upon her taking up her new role, I agreed (with a little trepidation) to facilitate the two sessions a month that I am at WGC URC. We are blessed by seeing our regular families and young people, and we usually have between 3 and 7 young people attending our sessions, ranging in age between less than a year, and 11.

The first Sunday a month involves us starting out the session in the main service, and then moving to the hall for a story, games, craft activity, biscuit and a good chat. We have also been looking at how we can share our Christian faith in a practical way, and during a session on The Good Samaritan, the young people excelled in completing a food bank challenge where they worked together to spend £10 in the supermarket to get as much food as possible to donate to the Foodbank – they were awesome! Our young people also rose to the challenge of making Christmas cards for people connected to our church, and you may have noticed some of their amazing art on the display boards within the church – they are so creative.

The second Sunday of the month has moved to an All-Age Worship style of service, with the children having a dedicated space at the front of the church, usually with themed puzzles and crafts available to enjoy. We are gently encouraging our young people to participate within the service when they feel they want to, even if it is simply choosing a worship song for the service.

As we want to provide resources for families to use on the weeks I am at a different church, Chloe has kindly agreed to put out a prepared box of activities that are updated each month and she is doing a marvelous job. As we don’t ever know what families may come into church for a Sunday service, we are trying to ensure that there is provision made for them and as such, Allison and I are beginning to set up some stand-alone resource packs that could be used with all material ready to go. It would be amazing to gather together a team of people who could work with our young people on a Sunday, especially on the weeks I am at a different church, it really is fun and the young people are always keen to share their fantastic ideas on a whole range of subjects. If you feel this is something you could help with, please have a chat with me.

Lynn Neads

Family Games Night

As some of you are aware, the Family games night came about after I came across some bored children in the garden and organised a game of ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf?’. It amazed me how the children enjoyed the old fashioned games. So, with Wendy, Janet, John and Claire’s help, we decided to run a once a month evening in the garden, to play games and have some fun. During the dry and warmer evenings we are usually to be found outside, which does allow for a lot of energy to be run off.

When the weather changes, we use the upper hall, which does make for a more chaotic evening, as the energy levels are still high, but we still have a great time and I am starting to introduce some more sitting down types of games. Generally we have 8 -10 children in the winter (ranging from 4-14 years), but more in the summer.

Allison

Youth Club

Before Wendy left for her new job, we decided to trial a youth club as some of the young people who came to Games night were beginning to look for something more their own age group. The first two evenings were such a success, that it seemed to me a shame to not continue when Wendy left. So, the group of helpers Claire, Lee, Wale, Tina and myself decided to carry on. The age range is from 11 – 18 and we are regularly seeing 8-10 youngsters. What has been great to see is them bringing their friends.

Tina and Wale lead a ‘God slot’ for around 10-15 mins and so far the young people have engaged with the discussions.

We have plans to apply for a grant to buy some new equipment such as a football table and air hockey table, and to help pay for crafts, cooking supplies and refreshments.

We have also been very pleased to have Allen K volunteer to come and do some coding and ‘computerish’ stuff (I’m so not technically minded), and also to do some wood work. Matt has volunteered to do some boxing training and perhaps some chess, as there was some very competitive chess playing at one session!

So, if anyone has something they think our youth would enjoy, please let me know!

Pizza and Film Night

This evening was open to all the families, from Youth group, Saturday families’ and Family Games night and was a lovely way to bring all the young people together. Given it was just before Christmas, I picked the film ‘Elf’, which seemed to suit all ages, even the parents!! Large amounts of pizza and snacks were eaten and enjoyed and we hope to repeat it 3 times a year. The only difficulty is finding a film that can be enjoyed by 5-15 year olds!! I am open to suggestions. Allison

WELWYN GARDEN CITY UNITED REFORMED CHURCH Charity Number 1167010 Page 1 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 Unrestricted Funds General Designated Restricted TOTAL Funds 2024 TOTAL 2023 Note INCOMING RESOURCES Voluntary income Activities for generating funds Investment income Incoming resources Stewardship Grant (one offj Total incoming resources 38,328 40.324 260 16,161 86.476 20.956 123.593. 54,749 126.800 24.975 206,524 62.194 151,838 3,361 217,393 443,665 661,058 4,019 4,279 78,653 78.653 4,279 123.593 206,524 RESOURCES EXPENDED Charitable activities URC Minislry and Mission Fund Ministefial costs Employee costs Cost of church activities Donations passed on Projects Build Planning Governan costs- independenl examiner Resources expended 34,356 16.560 14.662 23.619 257 34,356 16,560 43,626 51,486 3,969 2,118 53,359 150 205,624 25,248 4,984 77,615 44,869 5,645 14,978 20,052 50 193,439 28.964 23.823 3,540 2,118 53,359 172 10 150 89.604 4,217 111,803 Net incomingl l outgoing) resource before investment gainsl{lossesl and transfers -10,951 62 11,790 900 467,619 Net gainsllossesl on investments 2.515 2.515 5,780 Net incoming l(outgoing) resources before transfers -10.951 2,577 11.790 3,415 473,399 Gross Transfers between funds 4,034 4,034 Net movement in funds -10.951 6,612 7,755 3,415 473,399 Total funds b1fv4d. 1 January 2024 16,574 43,732 535,511 595,818 Total funds c1fv4d. 31 December 2024 5,623 50.343 543,267 599,233

WELWYN GARDEN CITY UNITED REFORMED CHURCH Charity Number 1167010 Page 2 BALANCE SHEET AS AT 310ECEMBER 2024 Unrestricted Funds General Designated Restricted Funds TOTAL 2024 TOTAL 2023 Note CURRENT ASSETS Debtors Bank and Cash Balances WGC Deposit Account Investments 11 12 13 14 5,209 4.160 2,268 68.892 435,956 38.100 545,216 7,477 80,376 435,956 81,119 604,928 32.057 84,800 415.000 78,604 610,461 7,324 43.019 50,343 9,369 CURRENT LIABILITIES Creditors payable within one year TOTAL NET ASSETS 15 3,746 5.623 1,949 543,267 5,695 599.233 14.64,3 595,818 50,343 THE FUNDS OF THE CHARITY Unrestricted income funds Restricted Income funds TOTAL FUNDS 5.623 50.343 55.966 543.267 599.233 60.306 535,511 595,818 543,267 543.267 5,623 50,343 APPROVED BY CHURCH MEETING AND SIGNED ON BEHALF BY ON

WELWfN GARDEN CITY UNITED REFORIAED CHURCH Charlty Number 1167010 Page 3 1. Ac¢ounting Polici la Basis of Accounting The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP 2005) issued by the Charity Commission. and the United Refomied Church guidance. The accruals basis of accounting has been adopted, and the principa accounting policies set out below are applied consistenty. 1 b Fund Accounting Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the church in furtherance of its charitable objectives. Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor. or contsined in the terms of a grant. 1 c Assets Freehold property: The Trustees of the church and manse buildings are the Thames North Synod Trust who hold them upon trust for purposes connected with Welwyn Garden Cty URC. Expenditure incurred on the church and manse is written off in the year it is incurred. Fixed assets this year are wrrtten off in the year of purchase . 1d Incoming Resources All voluntary giving is included in the financial statements for the period in which it is received. Donations under Gift Aid plus the associated tsx recovery are recognised as income when the donation is received. Legacies are accounted for when their receipl is certain and can be properly quantified. All other income is generally recognised when it is receivable. le Resources Expended The URC Ministry & Mission Fund contribution is paid regularly and is included in the financial statements for the year to which it relates. Resources expended are recognised in the period to which they are incurred and include attributsble VAT which cannot be recovered. They are allocat8d to the particular activty to which they relate. Governance costs represent direct expendtture on the govemance of the church. including the production and independenl scrutiny of Ihese financial ststements. 1f Taxation As part of the United Reformed Church. the church is an expted charity within the meaning of the Taxes Acts. Accordingly it is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income and capttal gains received to the exlent that such income or gains are applied to exclusively charitable purposes. No provision for taxation has been made in these financial ststements. lg Volunteers The church is a beneficiary of many volunteers who give their time and skills for the benefit of the church. This benefrt is greatly appreciated but is nol quantifiable in monetary tem7S

WELWYN GARDEN CITY UNITED REFORMED CHURCH Charity Number 1167010 Page 4 NOTES TO THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 Unrestricted Funds General Designated Restricted Funds TOTAL 2024 TOTAL 2023 2. Voluntary income Tithes and Offerings Gift Aid refunds Gifts Special collections ( sent onwards) 30.339 7,829 9.Crf)7 1.800 3,239 2,115 16.161 39,346 9,629 3,659 2.115 54,749 44,735 12.023 3.694 1.741 62,194 260 38,328 260 3. Activities for generating funds Synod grants for Children and Mission employees. Welwyn Haffield Borough Council grant Synod grant payments Garfield Weston Grant Premises hire WGC Manse rentsl Fundraising Drawdown from Woodhall Lane Synod Trust Flowers donations Sundry incomelcafé. Chatter and Tots) 29,800 600 3,268 30.CQO 15,793 29.8CK) 600 3,268 30,000 37,832 18,285 5.819 51,204 1,560 7.494 22.039 18.285 34,300 18.825 7,296 28.777 1,347 1,036 151,838 5,819 501 695 86,476 501 695 126,800 40.324 4. Charitable grant - Stewardship This purpose of this grant is the church building redevelopment. An amount of £435,955 is on deposit in a WGC URC Deposit account held at Thames North Synod Trust and will be used to pay the building invoices . 5. MINISTRY & MISSION FUND The church conlribules to the central URC costs of training and providing minislers (includin9 the ntralIsed payment of slipend5, pension contributions and other benefits for ministers). running the denomination, and the wider mission of the national church. 6. Ministsrial Costs WGC Manse rental contribution to Harpenden URC and contribution to Harpenden Manse expenses l MinisteVs expenses 7. Cost of Church Activities Church costs Ulililies Icouncil Tax Insurance Maintenance of buildings Cleaning Grounds Licenses Caleringlevenls Worship expenses inc Indu¢tion servi¢e Equipment Flowers Communications printing Offi support Ismall office equip telephone, broadband 2,586 4,340 340 6.864 2,163 783 472 3.317 134 151 9,576 12,162 4,340 12,105 11,400 2,163 783 762 3,615 1,481 206 5,940 3,917 6,718 10,834 3.082 7,771 4.536 290 1,461 1.347 55 1,289 1,360 1.095 1,095 1,046 327 51,486 1,179 2.091 357 44,869 327 23.619 23,823

WELWYN GARDEN CITY UNITED REFORMED CHURCH Charity Number 1167010 Page 5 8. Donations passed on Special collections which are passed to organisations e.g. Isabel Hospice, Crisis . Christian Aid 9. Projects Projecls include new blinds ,secondary glazing, sound system 10. Build Planning Payments to archilects and consultants Unrestricted Funds General Designated Restricted Funds TOTAL 2024 TOTAL 2023 11. Debtors Gift Aid recoverable Prepaid licenses and Insurances Premises Hire Outstanding grant from Thames North Synod 3.000 320 1,889 2,268 7,477 3,000 1,091 560 27,406 32,057 320 1,889 2,268 2,268 5,209 12. Cash at Bank lex WGC Deposit Account ) Bank current account Savings Account Flower Account -8,649 12.809 23,963 -16,639 -8,709 77,601 6,605 73,771 7,021 77,780 4.160 7,324 68,892 80,376 84.800 13. WGC Deposit account This sum is held in a Welvryn Garden City URC Depjsit account at Thames North Sync4J Trust 14. Investments Jupiter Inveslments COIF Inveslmenls 3,623 39,397 43.019 12,560 25,540 38,100 16.183 64,936 81,119 15,103 63.502 78,604 15. Current Liabilities Creditors payable within one year Utilities and Supplies HMRC Crisis Donation Isabel Hospice Electric Heaters Expenses Grounds Harpenden Ministerial expenses Cleaning 1,346 481 126 1,300 7,741 1.350 1,350 599 599 1,700 1,315 731 5,695 1.7¢)J 1,315 731 3,746 1,696 1,288 666 14,643 1,949

WELWYN GARDEN CITh UNITED REFORMED CHURCH Charfty Number 1167010 Page 6 GENERAL FUND This fund has no restrictions on ts use DESIGNATED FUNDS Benevolent Fund - this holds money for utse to SUPKK)rt individuals emergency frjnds. The Elders adminisler this fLtnd Malntenan¢e Fund - this Is established to fijnd the maintenance of the church and manse premises". it has regular budgeled transfers from the General Fund. The maintenance is supeThised by the Building Team A sum of £4034 was transferred from Fabnc fund in Dec 2024 for use in 2025 Car Fund - this is held to provide a rnini5terfs car if required Reserv• Fund - holds the reserves of the thurch RESTRICTED FUNDS Back to Work - fund lo support expenses for those see.ng hrk (managed by the Elders) Big Build fUndra1- money raised in 2023 onwards for the building redevelopment Building fund - fund used lo capture grants and gifts for building redevelopment Chrlstmas Fayre- 50% given to Isabel Hospio, 50 % transferred to Build fundraising Legacy Fund - was used to replace heaters and blinds in the church Equipment Fund - fund for equiment for recording worship l ¢)verhead display etc. General Eamiarked - fiJnd for specific short tem spends eg new bench, hall cnsts Fabric - for use in general church fabric upjates Flower Fund - providing veklY church flowers from donations Inthv held in church bank account) Mission Dov fund - Thames North Syn¢4J grant and church pledges for employing a Missi¢M w)rker New keys liablllty- held for fulure key deposit returns Chatter and Tots Fund - donation5 received at Weekly Toddler group Surplus transferred to Big Build fijndraising Communlty Cafè - donations received at weekly café . Surplus transferred to Big Build ftjndraising Special Collections - collecb'ons sent onwards lo e.g. Crisis. chrisb.an Aid. Isabel Hospi Support for Mission fund - holds donation given to support outreach Mission work Synod outstanding grants - backdated general grant money from Thames North Synod Welwyn Haffield BC Communlty Grant- grants used to provide new sound equipment and support hospitality Children, Youth, Family Fund - grant from Thames North Synod and pledges to support the Children and Family worker Income Expendlture Transfer Gains{Loss) General fund DESIGNATED Benevolent Fund Car Fund Maintenance Reserve Fund RESTRICTED Back To Wofk Big Build fundraising Building Fund {inc Garfield Weston Grant I Christmas Fayre Legacy Equipment Fund Fabric Flower Fund General Earmarked inc Hall hire costs Mission Development New keys liability Organisation Chatter and Tots Organisation Community Special Collections Support fund for Mission outreath Synod outstanding grant reiVed WHBC Community Grant Children . Youth , Family Totals 16,574 78,653 -89,eA)4 5,823 37 10,C(IO 9.824 23,871 260 -222 75 10,000 4,034 4,019 2,515 30,405 1,000 16,763 459,892 10.172 457.5CE 4,830 53,224 -100 -50,838 -1,513 -2,702 1,861 -1,355 2,702 1,214 11.479 486 657 17,017 235 723 200 22,653 2,798 -9,939 4,034 20 507 14,450 235 610 145 14,389 5,540 -14.239 -2,973 613 82 2,130 -5CKJ -27 -2,130 2.475 7.494 565 14.997 595.818 2,475 7,494 493 23,138 599,233 6(XJ 34.153 206,524 -672 -26.012 -205.624 2,515 In addition the Thames North Synod Trust holds money from sale of Wcodhall Lane from 4thich the church can request drawdown

WELWfN GARDEN cl UNITED REFORMED CHURCH Chartty Number 1167010 Page 7 TREASURER'S STATEMENT I have prepared the financial statements on pages 1 to 6 the year ended 31 L)ecember 2024 from the accounting records of the church. Helen Kaye Date INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT I report on the financial statements of Wewn Garden City URC for the year ended 31 December 2024, bthich are set out on pages 1 to 6 Respective responsibilitie8 The church is responsible for the preparation of the financtal statements, and considers that the audit requirement of Section 43121 of the Charibes Act 1993 (the Art) does not apply It is my responsibility to state, on the basis of pr¢xedures speafied in the General DIrec"onS gNen by the Chanty Commissioners under Section 4317llbl of the Act, vknether pathtlar matters have me to my attents'on. Basls of Independent Examinerfs report My examin81ion was carried out in accordance Nmth General Directions of the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a remew of the aOuntsng records kept by the church and a comparison of the accounts presented wth those records. It incudes considerab.on of any unusual rlems or disdosures in the financial statements, and seeking expianats'ons Conrning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do nol Provide all the eviden that would be required in an audit. and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the finanual statements_ Independent ExamSnefs ststement Name and Address of the Independent Examiner