Friends of All Saints’ Brixworth TRUSTEE ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31[ST] December 2021
Friends of All Saints’ Brixworth is registered with the Charity Commissioners (number 1168452) and is constituted by a Trust Deed dated 28[th] January 1986, amended 7th October 2008. The Charities Act 2006 requires specific identification of ‘public benefit’. The Trustees confirm that the objectives and aims, as described below, fall within the following charitable purposes - The ‘advancement of culture and heritage’ and the ‘advancement of religion’.
The objectives of the charity are currently to maintain, improve, supplement and keep in repair the fabric, fittings, furniture and furnishings of the Parish Church of All Saints’ Brixworth and its churchyard and Heritage Centre. The Friends of All Saints’ Brixworth also aim to foster interest in the Parish Church from near and far, not only as a place of worship but also for its significance to the area’s local heritage.
Review of the year and future developments:
Despite another year of disruption imposed by COVID restrictions the Trustees consider that the charity adequately fulfilled their 2021 objectives with respect to church projects and Heritage Centre maintenance. The Board of Trustees continued to meet (mostly on Zoom) throughout the year. As the pandemic restrictions eased, we held two very successful fundraising events; the Annual Brixworth Lecture in November and a Christmas Concert featuring a local choir in December.
Hire of the Heritage Centre opened again in July with a strict cleaning regime in place. Visitors to the church started to return and the number increased as the year progressed, resulting in higher sales of publications. Income from the hire of the Heritage Centre and sale of publications remain two of our most stable and profitable forms of income.
Our new website went live in March and is proving to be successful resulting in a slight increase in membership, both in number and participation, though the need to reinvigorate the membership is still an ongoing objective. However, support for the Friends’ activities during the year was pleasingly high. We continued to communication with members through circulation of an annual newsletter and provide notifications of events via email and our website.
As a result of an accessibility safety issue in church the Friends agreed to fund a pair of fixed handrails to be installed either side of the steps to the Apse. Work to obtain designs and quotes from local firms commenced and it is hoped these will be fitted early in 2022.
Over the next twelve to eighteen months the Trustees aim to focus on financial support to the PCC in order to achieve the successful completion of repairs to the Church as identified by the architect in the Quinquennial Report. Further consideration is being given to support where upgrades could be made to make efficiency savings in the Church.
Finance Report:
The Cash, Bank, and Investment balance at 31st December 2021 is approximately £42k. Total assets including buildings amount to approximately £370K. The Charities’ income during 2021 was slightly down compared with that of 2020. The major factors were the reduction in visitor numbers and sale of publications. The Charity has held a small capital reserve in COIF Charities Investment Fund for several years, and acknowledges that, owing to the current financial situation, the growth that has been achieved over this period has not been very strong.
Trustees:
Rev. David Reith, the new incumbent for Brixworth, joined as a Trustee at the beginning of the year. There were no further Trustee appointments or resignations during the year.
Due to the COVID 19 restrictions the Annual Friends’ Day Meeting scheduled to take place in June 2021 was cancelled therefore the Trustee’s report, together with the Treasurer’s report and accounts have been published on our website. Treasurer’s report and accounts for 2021 were accepted and approved at a Board of Trustees meeting on 22[nd] March 2022.
FRIENDS OF ALL SAINTS BRIXWORTH - 2021 vs 2020 CASH REPORT
| 2021 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | Cash | |
| Movement £ | Movement £ | |
| Receipts | ||
| Membership Subscriptions | 649 | 397 |
| Donations | 1,663 | 1,789 |
| Visiting Parties | 279 | 0 |
| Events | 2,276 | 2,146 |
| Catering | 111 | 85 |
| Souvenirs & Publications | 1,552 | 233 |
| Heritage Centre Income | 1,093 | 876 |
| Charities Account Interest | 190 | 255 |
| Miscellaneous Income | 3 | 0 |
| Total Receipts | 7,816 | 5,781 |
| Payments | ||
| Events | (299) | (1,191) |
| Visiting Parties | 0 | 0 |
| Catering | (252) | (16) |
| Souvenirs & Publications | (227) | 0 |
| Heritage Centre | (1,208) | (3,706) |
| Church Maintenance | (1,500) | (474) |
| Insurance | (709) | (709) |
| Website | (400) | (400) |
| Miscellaneous Expenditure | (32) | 0 |
| Capital Expenditure | 0 | 0 |
| Total Payments | (4,626) | (6,496) |
| Surplus / (Deficit) of Receipts over Payment | 3,190 | (716) |
| Cash and Bank Balance b/f | 39,488 | 40,204 |
| Surplus / (Deficit) of receipts over payments | 3,190 | (716) |
| Cash and Bank Balance c/f | 42,678 | 39,488 |
| Charities Deposit Account | 20,221 | 20,219 |
| Bank Account | 21,682 | 19,147 |
| Heritage Centre Cash & Cheques | 333 | 0 |
| Paypal | 211 | 0 |
| Cash in Hand | 181 | 93 |
| Uncleared Cheques | 50 | 30 |
| Total Cash and Bank | 42,678 | 39,488 |
The value of the COIF account is £7,278.24, consisting of 353.89 units each worth 2,056.64 pence The value of the Heritage Centre for insurance purposes is £370,000