Annual Report: New Chapel Farm
Registered charity number: 1179251
January to December 2023
Registered office address: New Chapel Farm, Mells, Halesworth, Suffolk, IP19 9DE
Email: info@newchapelfarm.org.uk Website: www.newchapelfarm.org.uk
Trustees
Richard Tinkler (Chair), Claire Tinkler, Jenny Bollans, Ryan Lynch, Esther Bissessar, Adrian Saggers (became the Chair on 23/10/23).
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. As the charity’s income increases, it is becoming more self-sufficient and less dependent on Richard and Claire.
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.
In February 2023 Richard and Claire moved into the farmhouse on a temporary basis until the new barn conversion (called Hafan) was completed in November; Hafan is now their main residence. As Richard and Claire now live onsite this will enable the ministry to expand and develop.
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 following 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 the 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:
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who comes with a team of fellow leaders for a working weekend once or twice a year
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who brings their family in the summer for a holiday
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who spends a couple of nights in solitude at the farm on retreat.
During 2023, guests have included the following organisations:
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InnerChange (London)
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The Good Shepherd Mission (London)
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Christian Youth Ministries, Ipswich
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Baptist Union
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Tower Hamlets Community Church (London)
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Ambassadors in Sport (London)
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Highway Vineyard Church
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East End Church (London)
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St Peter’s Church, Bethnal Green (London)
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Novo UK (Various)
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And various other churches
From August 2023 a new weekly worship evening has started. This has developed into a new expression of church, with the focus of restoring worship on the land.
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To formalise the arrangement the farmhouse and Bethel buildings are now rented via a tenancy agreement between Richard and Claire (as Landlords) and the NCF Charity (as Tenants).
Hosted (catered) events:
These events are led by the NCF Trustees and have historically included restoration weekends, men’s weekends, and women’s weekends. During 2023 these were not hosted due to the building work and the transition of Richard and Claire.
Occupancy data
Occupancy data has been collected since January 2019. The buildings are owned by Richard and Claire and the farmhouse was used by them in 2023 from Feb-Nov as their main residence; guest occupancy was lower than normal due to this transitionary time. Bethel was still used by guests, along with the farmhouse for some groups. Occupancy data will be gathered again from 2024 onwards.
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 costs.
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Subsidising guests on low incomes
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Improvement of facilities – in 2022 a Prayer Pod was created in the grounds to provide additional solitude.
The NCF summary accounts are presented below.
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New Chapel Farm, Registered Charity 1179251
Accounts for period 1Jan23 to 31Dec23
All income was unrestricted.
| 2023 | Codes | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | **August ** | September | October | **November ** | December | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance B/Fwd | 5,179.74 | 3,682.25 | 3,492.49 | 3,824.64 | 4,217.99 | 4,374.08 | 4,701.90 | 3,435.65 | 3,722.44 | 4,259.74 | 3,959.89 | 4,155.61 | ||
| Income | ||||||||||||||
| Donations Received | 101 | 460.00 | 100.00 | 175.00 | 1,020.00 | 175.00 | 200.00 | 100.00 | 150.00 | 600.00 | 690.00 | 225.00 | 400.00 | 4,295.00 |
| Stewardship | 101 | 169.74 | 567.80 | 571.30 | 169.74 | 254.18 | 310.05 | 888.09 | 254.18 | 169.74 | 169.74 | 435.11 | 857.31 | 4,816.98 |
| Refunds | 110 | (100.00) | (100.00) | |||||||||||
| Total | 5,709.48 | 4,350.05 | 4,238.79 | 5,014.38 | 4,647.17 | 4,884.13 | 5,689.99 | 3,839.83 | 4,492.18 | 5,119.48 | 4,620.00 | 5,412.92 | 9,011.98 | |
| Expenditure | ||||||||||||||
| Cleaning/Materials/Laundry | 201 | 376.00 | 509.25 | 391.25 | 212.40 | 249.10 | 44.00 | 270.95 | 93.40 | 208.45 | 180.10 | 178.65 | 518.45 | 3,232.00 |
| Management Fee/Rent | 202 | 1,620.00 | 560.00 | 700.00 | 940.00 | 200.00 | 400.00 | 4,420.00 | ||||||
| Venues | 203 | - | ||||||||||||
| Events-Food | 206 | 102.24 | 61.75 | 163.99 | ||||||||||
| Events-Materials | 207 | - | ||||||||||||
| Events- Expenses | 208 | - | ||||||||||||
| Admin/Printing | 301 | 15.50 | 15.50 | |||||||||||
| Publicity | 302 | - | ||||||||||||
| IT Costs | 303 | 31.23 | 31.23 | 22.90 | 23.99 | 23.99 | 35.99 | 23.99 | 23.99 | 23.99 | 23.99 | 23.99 | 27.59 | 316.87 |
| Insurance | 303 | 317.08 | 317.08 | |||||||||||
| Property Maintenance | 304 | 203.50 | 203.50 | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous-Materials & Supplies | 305 |
101.93 | 101.93 | |||||||||||
| Capital Expenditure-Stove2 | 1,259.40 | 1,259.40 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 2,027.23 | 857.56 | 414.15 | 796.39 | 273.09 | 182.23 | 2,254.34 | 117.39 | 232.44 | 1,159.59 | 464.39 | 1,251.47 | 10,030.27 | |
| Ongoing Inc over Exp | 3,682.25 | 3,492.49 | 3,824.64 | 4,217.99 | 4,374.08 | 4,701.90 | 3,435.65 | 3,722.44 | 4,259.74 | 3,959.89 | 4,155.61 | 4,161.45 | 4,161.45 |
Assets as at 31Dec23:
Bank balance £4,161.45
No liabilities
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