Annual Report: New Chapel Farm
Registered charity number: 1179251
January to December 2020
Registered office address: 2 Stanfield Road, London, E3 5QH
Email: info@newchapelfarm.org.uk Website: www.newchapelfarm.org.uk
Trustees
Richard Tinkler (Chair), Claire Tinkler, Jenny Bollans, Ryan Lynch.
Meetings are held approx. quarterly.
Introduction
The New Chapel Farm (NCF) charity was formed in 2018 to support the work at New Chapel Farm, Halesworth, Suffolk.
The trustees of NCF steward New Chapel Farm as a place of restoration for Christian key workers in need of restoration. The beauty, peace, and comfort of New Chapel Farm creates an ideal setting for this to happen.
Since purchase, Richard and Claire have privately funded development of the property including converting the chicken shed into a new chapel space and two ensuite bedrooms, the installation of a borehole to provide water to the property, internal renovation of the farmhouse and conservatory, and landscaping of the outside space, including the planting of more than 50 trees. Richard has also supervised the renovation of the chapel ruins with a grant from Historic England.
The property is offered on a self-catering basis and can accommodate up to 14 people in two buildings. There is additional space for camping if needed.
The Mission Statement of New Chapel Farm charity
The primary aim of NCF is to bless Christian key workers, along with Christians in positions of leadership, and teams involved in Gospel mission and ministry. NCF also supports restoration by providing a space for teams or groups to get away together and do work that aligns with the restorative purposes of the kingdom of God. The vision is that, through the Holy Spirit’s empowering, NCF will be used to bring restoration locally, nationally, and globally.
Based on Isaiah 61: 1-6, the vision for NCF is to provide a place that enables:
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The good news of the gospel to reach the poor
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The broken-hearted to be healed
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The enslaved to be set free
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Those in darkness to find the light
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Those who mourn to be comforted
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Beauty to replace ashes
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Joy to replace mourning
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Praise to replace despair
We use the term Christian key worker to mean Christians employed by churches, charities, or other organisations in the UK or abroad. Our focus is on Christians working in areas of social deprivation where need is great and resources are few, usually in an urban context. Within this definition, we include anyone living by faith in a missionary context in the UK or abroad. We are also interested in engaging with individuals or groups doing restorative work (where the work aligns with part of the Isaiah 61 definition) but who may not be faith based in their approach.
In practical terms, NCF facilities are available to the aforementioned groups to provide:
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a place of privacy and peace for individual or small group retreat / rest
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a place for relaxation with friends or family
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a place for kingdom related teamwork
The vision of NCF also includes seeing those who do not know God restored into a right relationship with him through saving faith in his son Jesus Christ. To this end, there are different opportunities throughout the year for visitors to come to events hosted by the NCF team. These times are about hospitality and blessing and provide an opportunity to find out more about the Christian faith. All are welcome to attend these events.
What has been happening?
Since its inception, NCF has built up a network of Christian key workers who regularly use the facilities. These contacts tend to visit NCF at different times throughout the year for different purposes. A typical example would be a Church leader who comes with a team of fellow leaders for a working weekend once or twice a year, brings their family in the summer for a holiday, and spends a couple of nights in solitude at the farm another time on retreat.
During 2020, guests have included the following organisations:
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NHS Christian key workers
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InnerChange (London and Global Leaders)
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Ambassadors in Sport (London)
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The Good Shepherd Mission (London)
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Tower Hamlets Community Church (London)
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East End Church (London)
Hosted (catered) events:
These events are led by the NCF Trustees and have included a restoration weekend in Feb. The number of events was lower than usual due to pandemic restrictions and social distancing.
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Occupancy data
Occupancy data has been collected since January 2019. Occupancy in 2020 was restricted due to government lockdowns. The property is owned by Richard and Claire and was used by them in 2020 for approximately 25% of the year outside of lockdown periods; guest occupancy was 43%, and the property was empty 22% of the time.
Money matters and how charitable funds are spent
Guests are not charged for staying at NCF but invited to donate to the charity according to their means. Most guests donate, and since inception, the charity has seen a steady growth in income in proportion to the increased use of NCF. Charitable funds are used to pay for:
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Cleaning the property after guests’ use
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Paying rent to Richard and Claire Tinkler for the use of the property (as per the charity’s governance document).
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Materials (printing booklets and posters, buying books) for hosted weekends or day events
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Food and catering service for hosted weekends
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Website costs (set up and maintenance)
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Zoom account
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Subsidising guests on low income
The NCF summary accounts are presented below.
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New Chapel Farm, Registered Charity 1179251
Accounts for period 1Jan20 to 31Dec20
Unrestricted funds
101 - Donations received £10,707.83 Total £10,707.83
Expenditure
| Expenditure | |
|---|---|
| 110 - Refunds | -£920.00 |
| 201 - Cleaning costs | -£1,154.50 |
| 202 - Rent | -£2,910.00 |
| 203 - Venue hire | £0.00 |
| 206 - Activities - food | -£498.09 |
| 207 - Activities - materials | -£631.86 |
| 208 - Activities - expenses | -£220.89 |
| 301 - Admin | -£39.95 |
| 302 - Publicity | -£38.89 |
| 303 - IT costs | -£770.92 |
| 304 - Insurance | -£271.20 |
| Total | -£6,536.30 |
| Surplus / deficit | £4,171.53 |
| Assets as at 31Dec20: | |
| Bank balance | £9,376.44 |
| No liabilities |
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