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Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Prospect Street, Huddersfield

Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts

For the period 1st May 2023 to 1[st] May 2024

Reference and administrative details:

Charity Name: Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Prospect Street, Huddersfield

Charity Registration Number: 1176712

Correspondence Address: Prospect Street, Huddersfield, England, HD1 2NX

Trustees:

Inderpal Singh Randhawa (President) Balwant Singh Sohal (Senior Vice President) Sital Kaur Johal (Vice President) Lakhvinder Singh Johal (General Secretary) Balraj Singh Randhawa (Assistant General Secretary) Surinder Singh Kooner (Stage Secretary) Paramjit Singh Punia (Assistant Stage Secretary) Harjinder Singh Johal (Treasurer) Bawa Singh Boghar (Senior Assistant Treasurer) Hari Singh Virk (Assistant Treasurer) Balwinder Singh Pawar (Education Secretary) Sarbjit Singh Sanghera (Assistant Education Secretary) Rajdeep Singh Randhawa (Social & Cultural Secretary) Piara Singh Rai (Storekeeper) Kala Singh Chahal (Assistant Storekeeper) Deepuk Singh Chahal (Assistant Education Secretary) Gurpal Singh Randhawa (Trustee) Makhan Singh Sadhra (Trustee) Stephen Singh Matoo (Trustee) Rajinder Kaur Bhullar (Trustee) Rajbir Kaur Basra (Trustee)

Structure, governance and management

Governing document:

CONSTITUTION ADOPTED 10 SEP 2017 AS AMENDED BY RESOLUTION DATED 14 JAN 2018

The Gurdwara is managed by a Gurdwara Management Committee (GMC), who are also the charity trustees. The GMC is assisted by numerous volunteers, without whom it would be impossible to run the Gurdwara. In addition to the 21 Trustees of the charity, there are 3 separate “holding trustees” who hold the properties of the charity.

The “holding trustees” are appointed for a 4 year term by the GMC but must be approved by the Sangat.

The current “holding trustees” who were appointed by the GMC and aproved by the Sangat, on 7th July 2021 are:

Karnal Singh Johal

Ragwinder Singh Bassi Sukhdev Singh Dhanda

The Gurdwara Management Committee (and thereby the charity trustees) is chosen every 2 years in April, usually by selection when only 21 nominations are received and approved by the Sangat. If more than 21 nominations are received then a formal vote is held to choose the GMC and thereby the charity trustees.

All persons over the age of 18 and who: -

i) Accepts Siri Guru Granth Sahib as their true Guru and has full faith in the teachings of the Ten Gurus, resides in Kirklees, Halifax, Elland and Brighouse areas
ii) Visits the Guru Nanak Gurdwara with his family as part of the Sangat iii) Performs all the religious functions in this Gurdwara and serves the Gurdwara with full dedication

may register to vote in any formal election.

The management committee meets at the beginning of each month to discuss any ongoing issues as well as planning for the future. Sub-committees are formed as and when required.

Objectives and activities

The present building housing Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Prospect Street, Huddersfield was built in 1975 in response to the increase in the Sikh population of Huddersfield and surrounding districts. Prior to 1975, the Gurdwara was a small building on Elmwood Avenue, Huddersfield.

The present Gurdwara was built with donations from the congregation and the wider Sikh community throughout the United Kingdom.

The Gurdwara was registered as a charity with the Charity Commission on 17 January, 2018. The Gurdwara serves the Sikh Community of Huddersfield and the surrounding areas.

The charity's objectives are, for the public benefit, to advance the Sikh religion, in particular but not exclusively in Huddersfield by:

➢ managing and running the Gurdwara according to the Sikh rites (Sikh Rehat Maryada);
➢ arranging for the celebration of the Birthdays, Martyrdom days and other anniversaries of the Sikh Gurus with great dignity and reverence;
➢ arranging for marriage ceremonies according to the Sikh rites and the prevailing laws of this country;
➢ the holding of prayer meetings, kirtan, readings from the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh scriptures), lectures, and teachings;
➢ arranging for the teaching of the Punjabi language for anybody who wishes to learn it and to promote sports, youth clubs and social organisations; and
➢ providing public celebrations of all Sikh religious and cultural festivals.

When planning our activities for the year, the trustees have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. In particular, we try to enable Sikhs living in Huddersfield and the surrounding areas to practise their Sikh faith by providing a venue and resources so the following activities can take place:

Daily paath, prayers and kirtan in the morning and evening
Provision of Langar on a daily basis
Sikh wedding ceremonies, blessings and funeral services
Celebration of Birthdays, Martyrdoms of the Sikh Gurus and other key events of the Sikh religion and culture
Specific religious services (e.g. Akhand Paath, Sukhmani Sahib etc.) as requested by individual families

Due to the high cost of living and the number of South Asian students studying in the local further education establishments, the number of meals served in the Langar has increased substantially to up to 400 per day.

The Gurdwara runs a Punjabi School at weekends, attended by up to 150 children. The school teaches the children the Punjabi language (from foundation up to “A” level standard), Sikh religion and culture.

The school is housed in its own building adjacent to the Gurdwara building and is staffed by 10 teachers and 2 of the Gurdwara trustees.

A library containing books and literature on the Sikh Religion and culture, is housed within the Gurdwara for use by the Punjabi school children and the congregation.

The number of students who took and passed the statutory examinations are as follows:

A Level Punjabi 2 (both A*s) GCSE Punjabi 10

On 16[th] July 2023, a sports and activities day was held on Leeds Road Playing fields, where sports events and activities were provided for children and adults.

All of the services and activities provided by the Gurdwara are available to the public in general but the majority of the users are from the local Sikh Community. In line with the teachings of the Sikh Gurus, everyone is welcome in the Gurdwara.

As well as the provision of religious services, the Gurdwara provides a place for people, especially the elderly, to meet and socialise after the religious services while sharing Langar.

A ladies group meets every Monday for prayers and Kirtan (devotional singing).

Everything (except Sikh Leisure Centre use) is provided without charge to the congregation and the running of all Gurdwara functions is funded by donations from the congregation, income from the car park, Gift Aid and The Sikh Leisure Centre.

Visits to the Gurdwara from local primary schools, scouts and other groups are organised throughout the year, where they are given a brief insight to the Sikh religion and culture.

Each year, the Gurdwara is represented at the Remembrance Day ceremony in Kirklees.

The Gurdwara is an active member of the Huddersfield Interfaith Council.

Achievements and performance

Major capital expenditure during the reporting period:

i) The building housing the Sikh Leisure Centre was purchased for £100,000. This is a purpose built building and is located directly across the road from the Gurdwara. It was built in 1991, funded by the local Sikh community along with grants from Kirklees Council, Urban Aid and Sports Council.

ii) The boilers in the Leisure were replaced at a cost of £13,000

Langar is prepared and served from a dedicated kitchen staffed by volunteers from the congregation. We are extremely fortunate that we have a dedicated group of volunteers, majority of them ladies, who cook and clean daily.

The Sikh Leisure Centre is staffed by Volunteers.

3 Granthis (priests) are employed who read the prayers, perform kirtan and all other religious functions.

In partnership with NHS others, the Gurdwara held various lectures, workshops and health screening sessions throughout the year; focusing on the health issues affecting the South Asian community (e.g. mental health, Hepatitis C, diabetes, liver issues etc.)

In July, the local police Superintendent visited the Gurdwara to promote community relations.

Financial Review

The Gurdwara currently does not have a reserves policy.

Members of the congregation have loaned the Gurdwara monies interest free. The total amount of these loans at the end of the financial year was £365200 and if required, the congregation will provide further funds.

The Gurdwara had savings of £347612 after allowing for the loans from the congregation.

The charity expenditure has been spent solely on the upkeep of the Gurdwara, staff wages and charitable activities listed above.

The Gurdwara owns outright 3 buildings and these can be used as security against bank loans if needed. Currently, the Gurdwara income is sufficient to cover all expenditure.

The Gurdwara is registered as a charity, and in this financial period, it received £22,627.84 from HMRC as Gift Aid.

The donations from the congregation and income from other sources stated above are such that the overdraft facility granted by the bank is very rarely used.

Gurdwara Accounts are examined by 3 independent examiners every 6 months and a summary of the accounts is announced to sangat as well as being posted on a notice board in the Gurdwara.

The independent examiners are:

Mr Ranjit Singh Sohal

Dr Jasbinder Singh

Mukhtiar Singh Hans

This report was approved by the Trustees at their meeting on 23/02/2025 and signed on their behalf by Ranjit Singh Sohal.

----- Start of picture text -----
Charity Name No (if any)
Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Prospect Street, Huddersfield 1176712
Receipts and payments accounts CC16a
For the period Period start date Period end date
To
from 01/05/2023 01/05/2024
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds Last year
funds funds funds
to the nearest
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
£
A1 Receipts
Donations 246,604 - - 246,604 255,391
Refund from utilities - - - -
Car park income 18,168 - - 18,168 12,100
HMRC Gift Aid 22,628 - - 22,628 15,551
21,500 - - 21,500 33,000
Loans from congregation members
Recinciliation of income 13,862 - - 13,862 -
Miscelaneus income 129 - - 129 30
Sikh Leisure Center income 16,989 - - 16,989
Sub total (Gross income
339,880 - - 339,880 316,072
for AR)
A2 Asset and investment
sales, (see table).
- - - -
- - - - -
Sub total - - - - -
Total receipts 339,880 - - 339,880 316,072
A3 Payments
Expenditure, inc priest wages 208752 - - 208,752 205,499
Bank interest and charges 620 - - 620 588
Loans repaid to congregation
members 37000 - - 37,000 21,500
Teachers wages 14040 - - 14,040 10,650
Soliciter fees 2306 - - 2,306
- - -
- - -
- - -
- - -
Sub total
262,718 - - 262,718 238,237
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
Sikh Liesure Centre 100,000 - - 100,000
- - - -
Sub total 100,000 - - 100,000 -
Total payments 362,718 - - 362,718 238,237
Net of receipts/(payments) - 22,838 - - - 22,838 77,835
A5 Transfers between funds - - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 377,626 - - 377,626 299,791
Cash funds this year end 354,788 - - 354,788 377,626
----- End of picture text -----

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Categories	Details	Unrestricted funds	Restricted funds	Endowment funds
		to nearest £	to nearest £	to nearest £
B1 Cash funds	Barclays a/c 00828203 (01/05/2024)	302,996	-	-
	Barclays a/c 30934070 (01/05/2024)	27,396	-	-
	Barclays a/c 40829013 (30/04/24)	14,420
	Barclays a/c 33349292 (30/04/24)	2,800
	Cash in hand	7,176	-	-
	*Total cash funds*	354,788	-	-
	(agree balances w ith receipts and payments account(s))	OK		OK
		Unrestricted funds	Restricted funds	Endowment funds
	Details	to nearest £	to nearest £	to nearest £
B2 Other monetary assets		-	-	-
		-	-	-
		-	-	-
		-	-	-
		-	-	-
		-	-	-

	Details	Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional)	Current value (optional)
B3 Investment assets			-	-
			-	-
			-	-
			-	-
			-	-

	Details	Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional)	Current value (optional)
B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use			-	-
			-	-
			-	-
			-	-
			-	-
			-	-
			-	-
			-	-
			-	-

	Details	Fund to which liability relates	Amount due (optional)	When due (optional)
B5 Liabilities	Security held	Unrestricted	-
	Loans from congregation members	135200	-
			-
			-
			-

Signed on behalf of all the trustees	Signature	Print Name		Date of approval
		Ranjit SinghSohal		23/02/2025

Independent Examiners Report to the trustees of Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Prospect Street, Huddersfield.

We report on the accounts for the year ended 1st May, 2024.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiners

The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the Act)) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is our responsibility to:

I) Examine the accounts (under section 43 of the Act), to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 43(7)(b) of the Act), and

II) To state whether particular matters have come to our attention.

Basis of independent examiners report

Our examination was carried out in accordance with General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent examiners statement

In the course of our examination, no matter has come to our attention:

which gives us reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements:
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act; and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 1993 Act; have not been met; or
to which, in our opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding the accounts to be reached.

However, after the purchase of the Sikh Leisure Centre, a reconciliation of income was made due to transfer of funds from the Sikh Leisure Centre accounts.

We find that there is no reasonable cause for concern and we are satisfied that there is no impropriety.

Ranjit Singh Sohal