Trustees’ Annual Report for the period
From: 20[th] October 2023 To: 19[th] October 2024
Charity name: Romanian Orthodox Church on Merseyside
Charity registration number: 1170197
Objectives and Activities
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document |
Para 1.17 | The Advancement of the Christian religion by the provision of a place of worship on Merseyside. Activities in furtherance of this will include: a) Provision of financial support and governance to maintain a Romanian Orthodox church parish on Merseyside for use by the public of the region and elsewhere. This will include: b) Raising awareness and understanding of the Orthodox Christian church in the local community. c) Enabling Orthodox Christian religious devotional acts in the church. |
| Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts. |
Para 1.17 and 1.19 |
Provision of a functioning church which itself provides regular services of the orthodox Christian faith in its own church building. Wirral Council have provided the church building (it was previously derelict) and the charity was established (under a legal framework) to raise and manage funds for the repair, improvement and maintenance of the church. The charity considers that it been successful so far and that the church is continually improving as a Christian and cultural support facility for Romanians living in the NW of England and North Wales. All church services are free and open to the general public. |
| Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public |
Para 1.18 | The trustees have regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit and are complicit with its requirements. |
benefit
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
SORP reference |
||
|---|---|---|
| Policy on grant making | Para 1.38 | We do not provide grants for other organisatons |
| Policy on social investment including program related investment |
Para 1.38 | We are not involved in any social investment programmes |
| Contribution made by volunteers |
Para 1.38 | Volunteers make a huge diference to the charity’s actvites and this takes many forms. These include provision of free professional building skills eg plastering and electrical work. Also included are maintenance, cleaning and transport roles and provision of a Sunday school. They also assist the priest in his many dutes. |
| Other | ||
| Achievements and Performance | ||
| SORP reference | ||
| Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole. |
Para 1.20 | At Bebington, the charity has made many contributions to our church (St Paisie) fabric, facilities and activities over the last 8 years. Indeed, there are very few improvements which need to be made. Post pandemic, the numbers attending services have steadily risen back to what they were previously. Indeed, this small church is often overwhelmed on Sundays. Consequently, following advanced discussions with the Liverpool Catholic Diocese ROCOM has been granted a 25 year lease on a vacant church building in Liverpool, in Bootle and we took over this building in early 2024 and refurbished it to make it suitable for orthodox church services. This church (St Ephraim) accommodates 150-200 worshippers. We use both churches regularly. This has enabled greater church attendance and made travel easier for worshippers as we now have churches in 2 distinct sites on Merseyside. |
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
Achievements against objectives set |
Para 1.41 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set |
Para 1.41 | |
| Investment performance against objectives |
Para 1.41 | |
| Other |
Financial Review
| Financial Review | ||
|---|---|---|
| Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period |
Para 1.21 | As the Bebbington church fabric is now more or less settled, we have relatively little expenditure beyond running costs. At Bootle, we have considerable utilities costs but we are still financially very stable |
| Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held |
Para 1.22 | We have a reserve to replace some poor roof timbers at St Paisie and to cover any emergency. At St Ephraim, we do not have a separate hall, making Sunday school a very difficult activity and we are campaigning for funds to either buy or build a hall locally. We may need to relocate St Ephraim to satisfy this need. |
| Amount of reserves held | Para 1.22 | £100,000 |
| Reasons for holding zero reserves |
Para 1.22 | N/A |
| Details of fund materially in deficit |
Para 1.24 | N/A |
| Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern |
Para 1.23 | N/A |
Additional information (optional)
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising) |
Para 1.47 |
Principal income is from the parishioners and their donatons |
|---|---|---|
| Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted |
Para 1.46 | None |
| A description of the principal risks facing the charity |
Para 1.46 | Very few issues; our income and planning strategy works very well. The major risk would be loss of priest as we only have one. There is the possibility we will be granted another priest in the future. Any government restrictions on immigration from EU countries could affect numbers of church goers. |
| Other |
Structure, Governance and Management
| Description of charity’s trusts: |
||
|---|---|---|
| Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter) |
Para 1.25 | Constitution |
| How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO) |
Para 1.25 | Foundaton Model CIO |
| Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees |
Para 1.25 | Selected from the Church Council and appointed as agreed by chair and secretary. We maintain a 50:50 gender balance. |
Additional information (optional)
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees |
Para 1.51 |
|
|---|---|---|
| The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works |
Para 1.51 | The charity is a key part of the church organisaton and reports to the church council whose main purpose is ecclesiastcal maters in the parish. The charity maintains governance of church fnances. |
| Relationship with any related parties |
Para 1.51 | |
| Other |
Reference and Administrative details
| Charity name | Romanian Orthodox Church On Merseyside (ROCOM) |
|---|---|
| Other name the charity uses | |
| Registered charity number | 1170197 |
| Charity’s principal address | 4 Victoria Drive, West Kirby, Wirral, CH48 0QT |
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole year |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fr Florin Voinea | Chair | Church Council appoints all | ||
| Prof Stuart Carter | Secretary/Treasurer | |||
| Ms Cristana Andrada Pintrijel |
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| Dr Dorina Carter- Timofe |
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| Ms Ana Oltean | ||||
| Mr Daniel Cobel | ||||
– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved Director name
Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity
Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year
Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others
Description of the assets held in this capacity
Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects
Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets
Additional information (optional)
Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of Name Address adviser
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)
Exemptions from disclosure
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
Other optional information
Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s)
Full name(s) Dr Stuart David Carter ~~ee~~ Position (eg Secretary, Secretary & Treasurer Chair, etc) ~~ee~~ Date 18[th] July 2025 ~~pF~~
| Charity Name | No (if any) | No (if any) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romanian Orthodox Church on Merseyside | 1170197 | |||||||||||
| Receipts andpayments accounts | CC16a | |||||||||||
| For the period from ~~ee ~~ |
Period start date 10/20/2023 ~~ee~~ |
To | Period end date 10/19/2024 ~~ee~~ |
|||||||||
| Section A Receipts and payments | ||||||||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Endowment funds |
Endowment | Total funds | Last year | |||||||
| to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | ||||||||
| A1 Receipts | ||||||||||||
| Startingcash balance | 119,060 | - | - | - | 119,060 | 79,868 | ||||||
| Church Collections | 18,652 | - | - | - | 18,652 | 18,480 | ||||||
| Candle/icon sales and donations | Candle/icon sales and donations | 119,013 | - | - | - | 119,013 | 68,936 | |||||
| Gift Aid refund | 11,047 | - | - | - | 11,047 | 15,014 | ||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | (Gross income for AR) | 267,772 (Gross income for AR) |
- | - | - | 267,772 | 182,298 | |||||
| 55437 - - - - - - - - - Sub total - - - - - Total receipts 267,772 - - 267,772 182,298 A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). ~~———=—~~ |
||||||||||||
| A3 Payments | ||||||||||||
| Insurance | 793 | - | - | - | 793 | 748 | ||||||
| Religiousgoods | 47,110 | - | - | - | 47,110 | 22,008 | ||||||
| Funerals | 22,461 | - | - | - | 22,461 | 5,025 | ||||||
| Hall/church hire | 790 | - | - | - | 790 | 1,159 | ||||||
| Electricalgoods | 810 | |||||||||||
| Runningcosts | 60,437 | - | - | - | 60,437 | 33,488 | ||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
Sub total 131,591 - - 131,591 63,238 A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) - - - - - - - - Sub total - ~~—~~ Total payments ~~——=—~~ 131,591 - - 131,591 63,238 Net of receipts/(payments) 136,181 - - 136,181 119,060 A5 Transfers between funds - - - - - A6 Cash funds last year end - - - - - Cash funds this year end ~~SSS~~ 136,181 - - 136,181 ~~=~~ 119,060
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Unrestricted Restricted |
Endowment | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Categories | Details | funds funds |
funds | |||
| to nearest £ to nearest £ |
to nearest £ | |||||
| B1 Cash funds | - - - - - - - - - 136,181 - - Total cash funds ~~—====~~ |
|||||
| (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
(agree balances with receipts and payments | OK OK |
OK | |||
| Unrestricted Restricted |
Endowment | |||||
| funds funds |
funds | |||||
| Details | to nearest £ to nearest £ |
to nearest £ | ||||
| B2 Other monetary assets | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~~===~~ |
|||||
| Details | Cost (optional) Fund to which asset belongs |
Current value (optional) |
||||
| B3 Investment assets | - - - - - - - - - - ~~ee~~ |
|||||
| Details | Cost (optional) Fund to which asset belongs |
Current value (optional) |
||||
| B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~~ue~~ |
|||||
| Fund to which Amount due |
When due | |||||
| Details | liability relates (optional) |
(optional) | ||||
| B5 Liabilities Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
- - - - - Signature Print Name Dr Stuart Carter 7/18/2025 Date of approval ~~———~~ |
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ members of
Charity Name Romanian Orthodox Church on Merseyside (ROCOM)
On accounts for the year ended
19 October 2024
Charity no (if any)
1170197
Set out on pages
(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
Responsibilities and basis of report
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 19 / 10 /2024 .
As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
-
accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
-
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. * Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Signed:
Date:
24/07/2025
Name:
October 2018
1
IER
Ana Oltean
Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any):
Master of Science in Management and Finance
Address:
17 Ascot Drive
Ellesmere Port
CH66 2NB
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
October 2018
2
IER