2023-12-31-accounts

Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain (Registered charity, number 1180217) Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023

Page	Contents
2 - 5	nnual report
6	Independent e	report
7	Receipts & payments account
8	Statement of assets & liabilities
9 - 11	Notes to the accounts

Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain annual report for the year ended 31 December 2023

Full name Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain

Other names by which the charity is known Northamptonshire Area Meeting

Organisation type Charitable incorporated organisation

Registered charity number 1180217

Principal address

Quaker Meeting House, Wellington Street, Northampton, NN1 3AS

Trustees

Paul Bertin, Acting Clerk Andrew Halliwell, Treasurer Elizabeth Rees Olaseni Alaka Annette Candy Patrick Braithwaite, from 01/01/2024 John Sturge, from 01/01/2024 Angela Atkins, until 31/12/2023

Independent examiner

Units 1 & 2 North West, 41 Talbot Street, Nottingham, NG1 5GL

Governance and management

The charity is operated under the rules of its constitution adopted 05/10/2018. Trustees are appointed for a period of three years by the Area Meeting following nomination by its Nominations Committee.

the minutes are agreed at each meeting. Membership of the Society of Friends is held within the Area Meeting.

Objectives and activities

The object of Northamptonshire Area Meeting is the furtherance of the general religious and charitable purposes of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain in the area of Northamptonshire Area Meeting and beyond.

Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit

The Area Meeting ensures the right holding of public meetings for worship, and regular meetings for church affairs in each of the constituent meetings - Kettering, Northampton and Wellingborough. The Area Meeting supports Quaker witness

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Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain

through its public meetings for worship, and supports social projects for the relief of poverty and suffering as well as witness for peace and reconciliation, both within its own geographical area and more widely through the work of Britain Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends.

Northamptonshire Area Meeting is one of seventy area meetings of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in England, Wales and Scotland. Contributions, donations, legacies, income raised from the use of the property by other charitable and nonprofit making organisations, and interest received are used on deepening and sharing our spiritual experience and acts that arise from our faith. We support work for peace, justice, a sustainable environment, the alleviation of suffering and victims of oppression. Our local meetings for worship are open to all with no tests, and membership of the Society is open to anyone seeking truth.

Public benefit statement

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit, 'Charities and Public Benefit'.

Summary of the main achievements during the period

As we emerge from the pandemic we were able to meet freely for Worship together without restriction. Northampton local meeting has continued to work on making blended meeting work effectively as a permanent feature to extend worship face to face and on line meeting together.

The Meetings have continued to support the work of NDAS, local refugees and have provided a Quaker Kitchen in Wellingborough.

Financial review

The total liquid funds available to the Area Meeting remain stable, at about £360,000 ; held between Area Meeting, and its Local Meetings. The trustees consider this to be sufficient to meet the anticipated demands of the Area Meeting, which includes the upkeep of three Mature Meeting Houses. Each local meeting has its own treasurer; the local meeting accounts being consolidated each year within those of the Area Meeting. The three Meeting Houses are not shown as a fixed asset in the accounts, as they are functional properties and there is no intention to sell them. Buildings are insured for £3,762,000 in total.

Additionally, the Area Meeting owns two investment properties. Both are currently leased to Northampton Domestic Abuse Service as refuge houses. Refuge House 1 is insured for £225,000; Refuge House 2 for £204,000. The income from rents is used for general purposes.

It should be noted that although labelled as investment properties, the provision of these two Refuge Houses is undertaken primarily as a means of providing a socially sustainable use for Capital Assets of the Area Meeting and is not managed on profit maximisation principles.

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Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain

The rent of the investment properties provides some income, but the majority of income within the Area Meeting come from the contributions of members and attenders, and from the hiring of the Meeting Houses to other groups. Matching expenditure and income remained challenging in a time of high inflation and fairly static income streams, but the Area Meeting Cash Flow as a whole was able to grow by about £14,000 in 2023.

Hiring Revenues remain below pre-pandemic levels, but are slowly recovering. Member contributions remain broadly flat. Offset against this is the impact of rising inflation, which puts pressures on costs. Reserves remain comfortable enough for now, with cash flows positive overall in 2023.

The three Meeting Houses are all of some age, and inevitably require regular substantial renovation to maintain them.

The combination of substantial cash and investment assets and regular contribution income provide strong risk protection against variable hiring income and ongoing upkeep costs of maintaining its 3 Meeting Houses. The long-term viability of The Area Meeting ultimately rests on maintaining its membership at a viable level in the decades and centuries to come, as existing local meetings grow or decline, and new local meetings arise.

The Funds of the Area Meeting and its constituent Local Meetings are not cumulatively at current risk of running into deficit. The option and facility exists to transfer funds from one fund to another within the Area Meeting where required. Ultimately the contributions of members have always remained the core means of maintaining the liquidity of the Area Meeting and have remained responsive to the needs of the Area Meeting.

Local Meetings have their own Reserves Policy. Northampton Local Meeting implemented a reserves policy in 2015; Kettering Local Meeting implemented theirs in 2017; Wellingborough Local Meeting adopted theirs in July 2020.

Area Meeting does not currently have a separate formal reserves policy, but in expenditure as well as to respond to unforeseen needs, both for property restoration and ongoing support for the concerns supported by members of the Meeting. To this end a rolling budget is maintained and five yearly surveys of the properties are carried out. Whilst Local Meetings pay the costs for everyday repairs and maintenance the Area Meeting itself assumes the responsibility for the renovation works on the Meeting Houses; accordingly, a core and ongoing priority of Area Meeting is to ensure there are sufficient reserves at all times to cover such costs within the Building Fund. Annual Contributions from Local Meetings to the Building Fund are to ensure the Building Fund remains healthy.

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Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain

The next quinquennial survey is due in 2024 and can be expected to call on some of these reserves.

Signed _____ Date ______30/5/24

Paul Bertin, Acting Clerk to the Trustees

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Independent e report to the trustees of Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain for the year ended 31 December 2023

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain (the charity) for the year ended 31 December 2023.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or

2. the accounts do not accord with those records.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed ____ Date __30/5/24

Jo Employee of Community Accounting Plus

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Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain Receipts & payments account for the year ended 31 December 2023

2022 Total Funds £ Receipts 782 Bank interest 378 Collections 19965 Contributions 11448 Donations received 2289 Gift aid 15342 Hire of meeting rooms 15960 Rents received 1658 Solar panels (WMH) - Sundry receipts 67822 Total receipts Payments 264 Gov: bank charges 1270 Gov: Bookkeeping - Gov: Legal & professional 9612 Life: Conferences & courses 27867 Life: Donations paid out 417 Life: Dues and subscriptions 40 Life: Elders & overseers - Life: other payments 13 Life: Postage & stationery 129 Life: Safeguarding 367 Life: Website & wifi 5581 Property:Cleaning 5602 Property:Garden Equip & Mntce 5171 Property:Insurances - Property:Kitchen & catering 1133 Property: Refuse collection 54892 Property:Repairs & maintenance 1439 Property:Tests & inspections 876 Property:Broadband 7162 Property: Utilities 260 Refuge House: Improvements & rates 1042 Sundry payments 123137 Total payments (55315) Net receipts/(payments) 413391 Cash funds at start of this period 358076 Cash funds at end of this period	Unrestricted Funds £ 3976 290 20698 4900 6083 23231 19065 839 514 79596 260 1056 234 1743 25962 410 40 350 18 145 531 7733 3612 3020 74 1164 15566 426 892 13061 984 - 77281 2315 357301 359616	Restricted Funds £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 775 775	2023 Total Funds £ 3976 290 20698 4900 6083 23231 19065 839 514 79596 260 1056 234 1743 25962 410 40 350 18 145 531 7733 3612 3020 74 1164 15566 426 892 13061 984 - 77281 2315 358076 360391

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Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain Statement of assets and liabilities at 31 December 2023

2022 £ Cash assets 358076 Bank accounts 358076 Investment properties (at cost) Kettering House Endowment funds (see funds note) 56164 Unrestricted funds 118836 175000 200000 Wellingborough House (unrestricted funds) 375000 Other current assets 2933 Insurance prepayment General equipment. Liabilities (840) Legal & professional fees (840) Functional property In addtion the charity holds functional property comprising three local meeting houses, with insured values as follows: Kettering Wellingborough Northampton Type text here

2023 £ 360391 360391 175000 200000 375000 3020 (930) (930) 814049 1198220 1248207

These financial statements are accepted on behalf of the charity by:

Signed _____ Dated _______30/5/24

Andrew Halliwell, Treasurer

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Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023

1. Receipts & payments accounts

Receipts and payments accounts contain a summary of money received and money spent during the period and a list of assets and liabilities at the end of the period. Usually, cash received and cash spent will include transactions through bank accounts and cash in hand.

2. Cash Funds summary

Restricted funds Gravely Legacy Unrestricted funds Area General Fund Area Building Fund Kettering Local Meeting Northampton Local Meeting Wellingborough Local Meeting Acting as Agent (BYM)	Opening balance £ 775 775 101428 27090 40380 174607 13796 - 357301	Receipts £ - - 22093 - 8700 28599 17262 2942 79596	(Payments) £ - - (14627) (14828) (5064) (28180) (11640) (2942) (77281)	Transfers £ - - - 7340 (1920) (3720) (1700) - -	Closing balance £ 775 775 108894 19602 42096 171306 17718 - 359616

The Gravely Legacy is a restricted fund to finance work in the annexe (Community Room), garden and meeting house in Wellingborough. The transfers from the Local Meeting funds to the Area Building fund reflect the quotas charged to the Local Meetings.

In addition, Acting as Agent, the charity collected and paid out donations totalling £2,119 to third parties.

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Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain

3. Cash funds Local Meetings detail

Receipts Bank interest Collections Contributions Donations received Gift aid Hire of meeting rooms Total receipts Payments Gov: Bank charges Gov: Legal & Professional fees Life: Donations paid out Life: Dues and subscriptions Life: Postage & stationery Life: Other Life: Website & wifi Property: Cleaning Property: Garden Equip & Mntce Property: Kitchen & catering Property: Refuse collection Property: Repairs & maintenance Property: Tests & inspections Property: Broadband Property: Utilities Total payments Net receipts/(payments) Cash funds at start of this period Transfers between funds Cash funds at end of this period	Kettering Northampton Funds Funds £ £ 595 1706 - 226 332 12147 1880 - 499 2770 5394 11750 8700 28599 10 - - - 890 9980 - 410 - 18 - 330 - - 859 5612 735 2376 74 - - 1164 421 1351 120 186 - 367 1955 6386 5064 28180 3636 419 40380 174607 (1920) (3720) 42096 171306	Wellingborough Funds £ - - 7719 1920 1536 6087 17262 - 234 2150 - - - 144 1262 501 - - 1985 120 641 4603 11640 5622 13796 (1700) 17718

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Northamptonshire Area Quaker Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain

4. Endowment funds analysis

The following Endowment funds are held as part of the Kettering Investment property

Betty Desborough fund Kingsthorpe Land Accumulated Income Kingsthorpe Land Capital Land at Old Accumulated Income Land at Old Capital William Dry Accumulated Income William Dry Capital Woodford Close Accumulated Income Woodford Close Capital	£ 50000 890 500 545 500 1338 500 1391 500 56164

The Area Meeting holds within its assets The Betty Desborough Fund, a legacy given specifically for the purposes of Outreach Work and is thus held and used by the Area Meeting as a restricted fund for this purpose. Its current size is £50,000 or 25% of any future sale proceeds of the Kettering investment property, whichever is the greater. Note, the Betty Desborough Fund is currently invested within the Kettering property that is rented out; and that in the event of that property's sale the receipts would be returned to the fund proportionately to its original stake.

Trustees have utilised an accounting convention of dividing its (unrestricted) funds between the General Fund, and a Building Fund. The Building fund is designed to provide a sufficient pot of monies to be used over a 5 year cycle for the preservation in good condition of the 3 Meeting Houses that it owns, topped up each year through contributions from the local meetings. Note that every day maintenance and repairs are paid for by the local meetings directly.

5.

Trustees received no expenses, remuneration or benefits in this period.

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