HORSHAM UNITARIANS CIO 1/4 TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT
For the period 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2025
Objectves and Actvites
- Purposes
The Object of Horsham Unitarians (CIO) is the promotion of religion in accordance with the principles of the General Assembly of Unitarian & Free Christian Churches, namely, to promote a free and inquiring religion through the worship of God and the celebration of life; the service of humanity and respect for all creation; and the upholding of the liberal Christian tradition.
- Main activities in relation to public benefit
The congregation is committed to enabling, without discrimination, as many people as possible in the local community to worship at the church and to feel part of Horsham Unitarians. Working together, the Minister and the Trustees aim to offer a range of services that address contemporary concerns and reach out to people of different spiritual and theological persuasions.
When planning activities for the year, the Minister and Trustees also take heed of the Commission’s specific guidance on the advancement of religion. They try to enable the congregation and people in the community to explore, develop, and live out their faith or belief through:-
-
worship, meditation, and prayer
-
religious education
-
pastoral support
-
outreach
-
social engagement
To facilitate this work, it is important that we have robust processes and procedures in place. It is also important that we maintain our property in good order within the limits of our resources.
Main achievements for 2025
-
Successful continuation of the Unity Café open every Wednesday morning to the general public offering a safe, warm, and welcoming space.
-
Contributions of grocery provisions to Horsham Matters, a local charity that supports residents across the District providing “practical support through its network of foodbanks, and a range of holistic services to have a lasting impact on those most in need”.
-
Charitable donations to Médecins Sans Frontières, The British Red Cross, Turning Tides (providing accommodation and support for the homeless), and the Horsham Refugee Support Group.
-
Supporting a musical concert in February held in the church to raise funds for Ashraya Nepal, a charity whose aim is “to give assistance to lower caste girls in Nepal by supporting their education and providing shelter”.
-
Continuation of the active Community Recycling Hub located on the church’s premises - run by volunteers from Sussex Green Living, a small charity whose work is “creating a wave of change across Sussex by supporting and inspiring people to reduce their environmental impact“. Horsham Unitarians also provided assistance with their “Plant to Plate” Festival held in the church hall in April.
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Horsham Unitarians CIO - Trustees’ Annual Report for 2025
-
Further development of the Wild-Life Haven established in part of the church garden in co-operation with Transition Horsham, part of Transition Network whose mission
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is “community-led responses to climate change and shrinking supplies of cheap energy, building resilience and happiness”.
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The church and integral Community Hall facilities provide a valuable local hiring venue for regular exercise classes, musical events, self-help groups, and general hire.
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The Publicity Sub-Committee, appointed by the Trustees, has continued to undertake a variety of successful projects to make the church and its work more widely known in the local community, including a new website, redesign of publicity material, local press copy, and social media outreach.
-
Installation of a “Peace Pole” in the front garden of the church, located in the town centre, and to which the general public have access.
-
A well attended service to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January.
Financial Review
The audited accounts for the year ending 31 December 2025 are attached to this report.
Horsham Unitarians CIO has produced a total loss of receipts over payments of £17,007. This sum is made up of unrestricted funds which show a surplus of £9,326 and a loss of £26,332 in restricted funds which are for the maintenance of the building and provision of the Minister.
The Trustees have a policy to set aside in an interest-bearing account such funds as are considered prudent for the upkeep of, and any emergency repairs to, the fabric and contents of the church building and the maintenance of the grounds. These funds currently stand at £85,000.
The overall funds of the CIO are decreased from last year at £113,095.
Expenses on the building were high this year as the external woodwork of the church was redecorated at a total cost of £2,650 and the hall was redecorated at a cost of £3,770 including repairs to the plasterwork. There was an unexpected cost resulting from the failure of the lead roofing of the church that resulted in water ingress. The lead was replaced along with refixing of the cap tiles at a total cost of £20,092.
Over the year we have benefitted from a grant from the Gravel Pit Fund of £8,000 and a further £1,000 from the Hibbert Trust. We have also obtained a £3,349 VAT refund on the works carried out to the church roof because of the religious purpose and listed status of the building.
The capital trusts held in a Quilter Cheviot charity fund are producing an annual interest of about 3% with a capital increase of about 7.9% over the year. The resulting income from the funds has increased slightly on last year to £16,892.
Over the course of the year our charitable collections have raised £1,634 for Médecins Sans Frontières. We have also raised £125 for the Red Cross and £132 for Turning Tides and Horsham Refugee Support
The Unity Café is covering its costs with donations.
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Horsham Unitarians CIO - Trustees’ Annual Report for 2025
Structure, Governance and Management
Horsham Unitarians, an Association CIO, is governed by a Constitution which sets out its objects, powers, responsibilities, and operation.
No-one is entitled to act as a trustee, whether on election or on any re-election by the Members in General Meeting, until he or she has expressly acknowledged to the Trustees their acceptance of the office of trustee.
At every Annual General Meeting of the Members of the CIO, one third of the elected Trustees shall retire from office, according to the length of time served since their last election or re-election. Trustees may not stand for re-election for a fourth consecutive three-year term.
The number of Trustees, as defined by the Constitution, is a minimum of three and a maximum of twelve. Members of the CIO in General Meeting or the Trustees may, at any time appoint a new Trustee, whether in place of a Trustee who has retired or who has been ben removed in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
Reference and Administratve details
The charity’s name is Horsham Unitarians, registration number 1180813.
The principal address is: Horsham Unitarian Church Worthing Road HORSHAM West Sussex RH12 1SL
Trustees:
| Trustees: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Ofce | Date Appointed |
| Patrick Wynne-Jones | Chairman | 1/1/2019 |
| Andrew Ramsden | Treasurer | 1/1/2019 |
| Catherine Andrews | 1/1/2019 | |
| Carol Chambers-Byrne | 1/1/2019 | |
| Teresa Ramsden | 1/1/2019 | |
| Andrew Wickens | 1/1/2019 | |
| Ann Malloch | 23/1/2020 |
Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others
None
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Horsham Unitarians CIO - Trustees’ Annual Report for 2025
Declaratons
Signed on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees
| Signature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Patrick Wynne-Jones | Andrew Ramsden |
| Positon | Chairman | Treasurer |
| Date |
| UnrestrictedRestricted | UnrestrictedRestricted | Total | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | 2025 | 2024 | |
| €€ | f | € | ||
| RECEIPTS | ||||
| Trust lncomefortheyear | 16,894 | 16,894 | 16,749 | |
| Offertory& Donations | 9,7678,000 | L7,767 | 16,880 | |
| RentsReceived | 5,600 | 5,6(X, | 5,974 | |
| CharityFundRaisingActivities | 1347 | \347 | 970 | |
| GifrAid | 1,31,8588 | 1,906 | 1,540 | |
| Weddings andRitesofPassage | 0 | 0 | ||
| lnvestment(bank)lncome | 3,852 | 3,852 | 4,333 | |
| Fublicationsales | 40 | 40 | 56 | |
| UnityCaf6donationsinet) | 259 | 259 | 101 | |
| TotalReceipts | 20,83526,788 | 47,624 | 46,604 | |
| PAYMENTS | ||||
| Minister'sStipend | 23,174 | ?.1,174 | 23,092 | |
| MinisterialExpenses | 548 | 548 | 199 | |
| VisitingMinisters | 1,499 | 1,499 | 837 | |
| VisitingMusicians | 374 | ?74 | 210 | |
| Organ&PianoMaintenance | 58 | 58 | 7 | |
| Chn:rchMusicLicence | 203 | 203 | 196 | |
| WeddingsandRitesofPassage Expenses | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Publications, Printing,Postage& Stationery | 178 | !78 | 68 | |
| Subscriptions | 151 | 151 | 286 | |
| ConferenceFees&Expenses | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Travel | 0 | o | 16 | |
| LegalFees | 0 | (, | 0 | |
| GAQuota | 0 | o | 1,785 | |
| WaterRates | 6L2 | 6L2 | 388 | |
| Light&Heat | 2,223 | 2,223 | 2,713 | |
| lnsurance | 2,179 | 2,179 | 2,O44 | |
| Repairs&Renewals | 25,606 | 25,605 | 5,055 | |
| Fremises Cleaning | 2,650 | 2,650 | 2,172 | |
| GardenExpenses | 1,281 | 1,281 | 943 | |
| Telephone & Websitecharges | 367 | 367 | 328 | |
| Administrationcosts | 439 | 439 | 1,208 | |
| Payroll Bureau | 180 | 180 | 240 | |
| Publicity | 283 | 283 | 3s6 | |
| Catering | 45 | 45 | 96 |
| CharityDonations | 2,2942,294 | 'J,,587 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank Charges | 50 | 60 | 60 |
| Gifts&Appeals | 227 | 227 |
211 |
| Unaccounted2A22expense | 00 | 0 | |
| TotalPayments | l{,5{0 | 53,121 | tt4,096 |
| EXCESS OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS | 9,326 | -26,332-17,007 | 2,508 |
| Balancebroughtforuyard at31stDecember2024 | 22,166107,936130,102 | {27,594 | |
| Balance carriedforwardatlstJanuary2025 | 31,492 | 81,604113,095 | 130,102 |
|STATEilENTOF ASSE|TS AHDLTABTLIT|ESFOR THE YEARE|ilD|Ep 3tSTDECEIUBqR 2025|Ep 3tSTDECEIUBqR 2025||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Details||Unrestricted Restricted||rorAl|
||||Funds|Funds||
|CashSunds|CAF&NatWestCurreniandCashA/C||3L,49?|-?5,81?|5,679|
||CAF&NatWest Deposit AIC|||22,41-6|22,416|
||Redwood95day account|||85,000|8s,000|
||||€31,49?|f81,604|f113,096|
|Other Monetary||g!_|||NIL|
|Assets||||||
||Notes|||||
|Assetsretainedfor|Churchbuildingand|2||||
|Charity'sownuse|freeholdland|4|f81,604|Restricted||
||Fixtures andfittings|||||
||ChurchOrgan||Unrestricted|||
||Office Equipment|||||
|Liabilities|FundsduetoCharities|3|
f1,634|Restricted||
|lnvestmentAssets|Value at 31stDec2024|1|QuilterCheviotlnc& Growth||fl5sa7s3|
||||Capitaigrowthovertheyear||€43,901|
||Valueat31stDec 2025||QullterCheviotlnc& Growth||€600,634|
||NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS:|||||
| 2 | RESTRICTED FUNDS carri | edforwardaredesig | nated | asfollows: | asfollows: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reserve Funds | f85,000 | Heidin:Redwood 95day A/C, | |||
| ContingencyReserve | Natwest | 95 day,CAF&NatWest | |||
| BuildingTrustFunds | €16,894 | Current A/C's &CAFDeposit Account | |||
| Balanceduetocharities* f1,634 |
Heldin: | ||||
| CAF&NatWest Current Accounts | |||||
| _ | |||||
| f81,604 | |||||
| 3 | CharityFunds | ||||
| *Charity fundsraised: | MedicineSansFrontiers | f1,307 | |||
| RedCross FoodforAfrica | f100 | ||||
| StCatherine'sHospice | f106 | ||||
| Giftaidforabove | f378 | ||||
| f1,991 | |||||
| 4 | GASubscriptions | 2O24l25year | |||
| Subscriptionswere | paidin | ||||
| 2024 calendar year | so subsdonotappearinthese accounts |
| UnrestrictedRestricted | UnrestrictedRestricted | Total | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | 2025 | 2024 | |
| €€ | f | € | ||
| RECEIPTS | ||||
| Trust lncomefortheyear | 16,894 | 16,894 | 16,749 | |
| Offertory& Donations | 9,7678,000 | L7,767 | 16,880 | |
| RentsReceived | 5,600 | 5,6(X, | 5,974 | |
| CharityFundRaisingActivities | 1347 | \347 | 970 | |
| GifrAid | 1,31,8588 | 1,906 | 1,540 | |
| Weddings andRitesofPassage | 0 | 0 | ||
| lnvestment(bank)lncome | 3,852 | 3,852 | 4,333 | |
| Fublicationsales | 40 | 40 | 56 | |
| UnityCaf6donationsinet) | 259 | 259 | 101 | |
| TotalReceipts | 20,83526,788 | 47,624 | 46,604 | |
| PAYMENTS | ||||
| Minister'sStipend | 23,174 | ?.1,174 | 23,092 | |
| MinisterialExpenses | 548 | 548 | 199 | |
| VisitingMinisters | 1,499 | 1,499 | 837 | |
| VisitingMusicians | 374 | ?74 | 210 | |
| Organ&PianoMaintenance | 58 | 58 | 7 | |
| Chn:rchMusicLicence | 203 | 203 | 196 | |
| WeddingsandRitesofPassage Expenses | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Publications, Printing,Postage& Stationery | 178 | !78 | 68 | |
| Subscriptions | 151 | 151 | 286 | |
| ConferenceFees&Expenses | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Travel | 0 | o | 16 | |
| LegalFees | 0 | (, | 0 | |
| GAQuota | 0 | o | 1,785 | |
| WaterRates | 6L2 | 6L2 | 388 | |
| Light&Heat | 2,223 | 2,223 | 2,713 | |
| lnsurance | 2,179 | 2,179 | 2,O44 | |
| Repairs&Renewals | 25,606 | 25,605 | 5,055 | |
| Fremises Cleaning | 2,650 | 2,650 | 2,172 | |
| GardenExpenses | 1,281 | 1,281 | 943 | |
| Telephone & Websitecharges | 367 | 367 | 328 | |
| Administrationcosts | 439 | 439 | 1,208 | |
| Payroll Bureau | 180 | 180 | 240 | |
| Publicity | 283 | 283 | 3s6 | |
| Catering | 45 | 45 | 96 |
| CharityDonations | 2,2942,294 | 'J,,587 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank Charges | 50 | 60 | 60 |
| Gifts&Appeals | 227 | 227 |
211 |
| Unaccounted2A22expense | 00 | 0 | |
| TotalPayments | l{,5{0 | 53,121 | tt4,096 |
| EXCESS OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS | 9,326 | -26,332-17,007 | 2,508 |
| Balancebroughtforuyard at31stDecember2024 | 22,166107,936130,102 | {27,594 | |
| Balance carriedforwardatlstJanuary2025 | 31,492 | 81,604113,095 | 130,102 |
|STATEilENTOF ASSE|TS AHDLTABTLIT|ESFOR THE YEARE|ilD|Ep 3tSTDECEIUBqR 2025|Ep 3tSTDECEIUBqR 2025||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Details||Unrestricted Restricted||rorAl|
||||Funds|Funds||
|CashSunds|CAF&NatWestCurreniandCashA/C||3L,49?|-?5,81?|5,679|
||CAF&NatWest Deposit AIC|||22,41-6|22,416|
||Redwood95day account|||85,000|8s,000|
||||€31,49?|f81,604|f113,096|
|Other Monetary||g!_|||NIL|
|Assets||||||
||Notes|||||
|Assetsretainedfor|Churchbuildingand|2||||
|Charity'sownuse|freeholdland|4|f81,604|Restricted||
||Fixtures andfittings|||||
||ChurchOrgan||Unrestricted|||
||Office Equipment|||||
|Liabilities|FundsduetoCharities|3|
f1,634|Restricted||
|lnvestmentAssets|Value at 31stDec2024|1|QuilterCheviotlnc& Growth||fl5sa7s3|
||||Capitaigrowthovertheyear||€43,901|
||Valueat31stDec 2025||QullterCheviotlnc& Growth||€600,634|
||NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS:|||||
| 2 | RESTRICTED FUNDS carri | edforwardaredesig | nated | asfollows: | asfollows: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reserve Funds | f85,000 | Heidin:Redwood 95day A/C, | |||
| ContingencyReserve | Natwest | 95 day,CAF&NatWest | |||
| BuildingTrustFunds | €16,894 | Current A/C's &CAFDeposit Account | |||
| Balanceduetocharities* f1,634 |
Heldin: | ||||
| CAF&NatWest Current Accounts | |||||
| _ | |||||
| f81,604 | |||||
| 3 | CharityFunds | ||||
| *Charity fundsraised: | MedicineSansFrontiers | f1,307 | |||
| RedCross FoodforAfrica | f100 | ||||
| StCatherine'sHospice | f106 | ||||
| Giftaidforabove | f378 | ||||
| f1,991 | |||||
| 4 | GASubscriptions | 2O24l25year | |||
| Subscriptionswere | paidin | ||||
| 2024 calendar year | so subsdonotappearinthese accounts |