YORK UNITARIANS
Charitable Incorporated Organisation
No. 1181531
Trustees, Report and Financial Statements of
York Unitarians CIO
for the year ended 31"December 2022

YORK UNITARIANS CIO
Chartty re8lstration number
1181531
Trustees, 2021-2022
Chalrperson:
5e¢reta
Treasurer:
Members..
Davld Zucker
Jenny Jacobs
Rlchard Brown
Barbara 8arne5
l)ee Boyle
Ellzabeth Faiers
Andrew Hlll
Joan Slnanan
John Issltt
Laura Cox
lan Nykarn
to 11912022
Constitutlon and Objects
York Unitarlans Cio is a Charitable incorporated Organisation governed by tts Constitution
passed on 18" March 2018.
The Object of York Unitarians CIO I'the Congregation" } is the advancement of religion In
accordance with the usages and practices of Unitarian and Free Christian Churche5, and for
other charitable purposes that the Trustees may from time to time determine.
Address
York Unitarians
St Saviourgate Unitarian Chapel
31 St Saviourgate
York
YOI 8NQ
Bankers
CAF Bank
Independent Examlner
Madeleine Klrk

## **Chair's Report** 

**In my report last year I noted the abatement of Covid but also the then new concern over the war that had just erupted in Ukraine. I suggested that by the time you read the report in March 2022, the war in Ukraine might have moved on, yet here we are another year on with no sign of peace. Another year of misery, needless loss of life, pain, suffering and displacement, yet now compounded by the misery inflicted by nature on the people of Syria and Turkey, with the people of Syria hardly needing any more challenges than those they were already facing. These are not the only people who deserve our thoughts and prayers. Let us not forget the Uyghurs, the peoples of the Holy Land, Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen all of whom have faced conflict one way or another in the past year. Nor should we forget the Russians whose youth are being sent needlessly into battle. I am sure there must be others. With climate change and failing harvests conflict will become more and more manifest. Peoples will continue to migrate. Yet somehow we must continue to do our bit to make the world a better place.** 

**Prayers make us feel better but action is what is required. I am pleased in this report to acknowledge the work done by so many in our congregation in the areas of social action, refugees, interfaith, climate change and more. Before moving on to more pleasant matters, whether you are a monarchist or republican, I am sure you would want me to acknowledge the death of her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth. For many of us, even of mature years she was the only British monarch we have known. Whilst many in her family may be cause for pause, I am sure that you will agree that she was an exemplar of dignity, even if not infallible.** 

**Lastly whilst dealing with sad events, this year marked the passing of our much loved Anneliese Emmans Dean who was taken from us far too soon. Her poems brightened our days especially with all that buzzing! She is missed.** 

**So, onto brighter and more cheerful things. Though Covid is still about, life is pretty much back to normal. I am pleased to note the small but steady increase in attenders at our services whilst at the same time acknowledging that we have now, I think, just about got the balance right between our offering to those in chapel and those at home via Zoom during our services.** 

**On the subject of services, I would like to thank not only Stephanie but all those wonderful (I shall exclude myself at this point) people who have stepped forward to lead services on the more or less alternative Sundays when Stephanie is elsewhere. I also want to thank those who provide flowers, cakes, biscuits and all the other goodies which make our gatherings after our services so enjoyable, not to mention those who boil water, make tea and coffee and those who wash up!!** 

**This year we have enjoyed a number of meals out together, giving members the opportunity to meet outside the usual forum. Thank you to those who organised the various evenings. Thank you also to Dee, in particular, for organising regular meditation groups on Thursdays. It is pleasing to note that as a community we have become so much more active lately with** 

**3** 



not just the gatherings to which I have just referred but also p￿ry groups and other
ltterary adventures not too far from Stephanie's heart.
As wlth every year that passes the Annual General Meetln8 brln8s new members to the
committee, but others move on. I want to thank everyone who has served on the
committee over the last year, especially Jennyjacobs and Rlchard Brown for thelr help,
support and commitment. There will be those who for constitutional reasons have to stand
down for at least one year, notably Dee Boyle, Barbara Barnes and Elizabeth Faiers. Their
contributsons to the 7 thapel are incalculable. I have no doubt that even thou8h not on the
commlttee they will continue to make significant contrlbution5 to what we do. I hope sol
Finally, I want to thank our brllllant musicians. We are so very lucky to have such wonderful
muslc to accompany our services. Here you wlll forglve me If I sln8le out David Hammond
for organizing his concert for Ukraine.
To anyone I have left out or who does not appear between the lines. l apologlse.
Davld Zucker
Chalrperson
Mlnlsterfs Report
Once again it has been an eventful year, both In the world and withln our own communlty. I
was disappolnted to mlss one of the hi8hli8hts of 2022-23, the celebration of the
ngregation's 350th anniversary. due to illness. but by all account5 it was a joyful festlvlty-
We have welcomed vlsitors for a number of other occasions including the closing service of
Interfaith Week, a special service for refugee week, and the first ever York Unlocked
weekend. One significant event this year which was both a privilege and a 8reat sadne55 for
me was conductin8 the funeral for one of the newer members of the Chapel communty,
Anneliese Emmans Dean. at York Cemetery. Anneliese's wamith and brllliance continue to
be much mlssed.
We have settled into a pattem of Sunday seThlces wlth me leadlng worshlp for York
Unitarians twlce a month, usually on the flrst and thlrd Sundays, and I now also arran8e
worshlp leaders for the other Sundays. I was particularly pleased to secure a vlsit from the
GA President in February, and have had especially positive feedback about her service. I
have a150 re￿IVed positive comments about the occasions when we've done somethin8 a
little out of the ordlnary (the cafe Style servlce for the Week of Prayer for World Peace, the
new year ritual and in particular the recent v¢sit of the aerkes of All Saints Choir). Please do
continue to feed back any thoughts about future tnvitations, and let me or a committee
member know if you would like to take a service, or be involved in other ways. In particular
we are keen for support with social media and the newsletter.
Thanks to everyone who has led and been involved in Sunday servlces, to our hugely
efflclent committee. and to all who contrlbute to the life of the Chapel In so many ways. We
have been fortunate to benefit from two excellent technical support people, wbth Asad now

managing the Zoom every Sunday, and I know many people are grateful that the optlon to
Zoom into services still exists for those occasions when physical attendance isn't practical.
Our monthly new51etter also receives positive feedback.
The meditation and poetry groups continue to thrive, alon8 With the quarterly book group,
and there have been some enjoyable'cuppa and Chat. afternoons at the Hungate Readin8
Cafe. The pastoral care team continue to provide support to our chapel community. ably led
by Janet Eldred, who also arts as volunteer chaplain to Coltons. Almshouses. Chapel
members also continue to be active in York Interfaith, a connection which has brought us
some excellent opportunities for outreach and publicity, including recently offering
houghts for the Dal on Radio Jorvik as part ofthe'Love in the mornin￿ show.
Moving further afield, this year l am acting as Sec￿tary for the Yorkshire Vnitarian Union,
Laura Cox is Vice-President and Davld Zucker is on the executive committee, 50 York is well
represented In our area despite Elizabeth Faiers stepplng down as treasurer after 30 years.
Nationally, a number of York members are attending the upcoming General Assembly
annual meetings. both as Chapel delegates and In varlous other capacities, and l am lookln8
forward to being involved with both worship and workshops at the meetings. Despite the
last few years being extremely challenging ones for many people. York Unitarians continues
to be a lively and positive community which l am proud to serve.
Rev. Stephanle Blsby
Secretarfs Report
The past year has been an especially busy one at the chapel, 35 we have come out from
under the shadow of COVID19, learning to live with it, rather than letting It dictate our lives
with stringent lockdowns and the curtailing of most of our activities. Of course, we are still
very con5CiOU5 that it hasn't 8one away and some of our community have now suffered it
not once, not twice but even three timesl
For the first time, the chapel took a stall at York Pride in June, as well as marching in the
parade. It was a gloriously sunny day and very enjoyable. but we've decided not to have a
stall in 2024. Instead we're going to invest in a new York Unltarians banner. The YUU banner
we have been usin8 is very heavy and we thought tt was high time we invested in a banner
of our own.
The main event of 2022 was the 350th annNersary of our chapel communlty, and we had a
wonderful weekend in early July with talks from Andrew Hill and Stephanie Blsby (although
Stephanie was not able to deliver her talk in per50n} about the past and the ftjture of the
chapel, and a particularly exciting and varied programme of free concerts, including a
ukulele band, a wind quartet and a recorder quartet. There was a wonderful cake and we
welcomed many visitors.
During the yearwe sald farewell to Rich McGeary, who'd been invaluable helpin8 US to
Zoom our services but who got a much better job offer from a firm in London, and we said

hello to IT support from Ayo Olawuyi and A5ad Qureshi, who took over Sharing the Sundays
between them. We've since said goodbye to Ayo, who is now ti)0 busy with his own church,
and Asad has taken over the Zoom setvice every week.
Other comings and 80ings,' we bade farewell to Oylan Nykamp, who has moved to Leeds,
and a final farewell to longtlme friend and more recently, member, of the chapel, Annellese
Emmans Dean, who dled far too young last May. We are very grateful that Annellese left us
legacy In her will.
The new Soclal Actlon Group has been busy or8anising events and the past year has
generally seen an increase In 9 activities. with meals out, a book group and the tea and chat
8atherings at the Hun8ate Reading Café. We haven't been $0 successful on actual social
action, with fundraislng for the chapel charities down this year. However, we were proud to
host David Hammond's Concert for Ukralne, which was very successful and raised over
£IOCM) for the DEC Red Cross emergency appeal. And we are now collecting weekly for our
local food bank (please keep bringing In those contributionsll.
The new Building Group Is looking at how we can provide a prSvate, pleasant , SUStalnable
space for Stephanle to discuss weddings and similar events wlth clients, as well as ways in
which we can make our chapel more energy efflclent overall.
The Commlttee would Ilke to put on the record our thank5 to the very many people who are
5ervln8 the Chapel, whether as Committee members, worshlp leaders, member5 of the
Pastoral Care team, Social Action Group, Ministerial Support Group, 8ullding Group,
muslcians, flower-arrangers, welcomers and all who offer financial support.
I would Ilke to offer a partlcular vote of thanks to the three very lon8-servin8 members of
the Committee who, by virtue of the requlrements of our Constltutlon, are standing down
this year: Barbara Barnes, Dee Boyle and Elizabeth Falers. All three have made tremendous
contributions to our chapel over very many years.
But In many different ways we all contribute to the continuing health and well-beln8 of our
Chapel communlty-and long may we continue to do so.
Jenny Jacobs Secretary
Treasurer's Report for Flnanclal Year to 31 December 2022
Income
Total income on the cash account was only £1,0￿ short of the fi8ure for 2021. Llve 8ivln8
decreased year on year. Offertory Income was around the same as the previous year,
although in real terms it was less as there were fewer collections than normal In 2021 due to
the Covid pandemic. Collectlons were suspended as a trial from the end of August but were
relnstated after offertorles in chapel dropped by around 70% during thls perlod.
Regular standlng order contributions from members decreased, partly due to a fall in
membership but also people decldln8 to glve less. Other than a le8acrf of £1,000, donatlons

of all kinds were down on the previous year. It seems fair to assume that cost of living
concerns are at least partly responsible for the decrease in live giving.
Receipts from lettings showed a big increase. mainly due to the number of musical groups
hirin8 the chapel and greater frequency of usage. Receipts from weddings, etc, were
minimal compared with 2021.
Fundraising income was up by around 20%. This was largely due to a big fundraising drive
for the Red Cross Ukraine appeal early in the year. Income from concerts/performances was
almost exactly the same as in 2021 (around £1,700). Takings from the St Crux fundraising
day were well down on previous years- only about £150 net after costs for hire and
caterin8were deducted.
Receipts
Expenditure was over £2,700 more than in 2021. A decrease of £5,000 in expenditure on the
chapel premises was more than cancelled out by increases in every other category.
Costs associated with worship increased by 15%. This was mainly due to there being almost
twice the number of services as in 2021, the first half of which was imparted by the Covid
pandemic. We also spent much more on IT and technical support as our live streaming of
services became established.
We spent only £1,600 on chapel premises in 2022, compared with £7,800 in 2021 when we
purchased a lot of new technical equipment and had various maintenance work done.
Charitable donations and grants increased considerably due to fundraising for the Red Cross
Ukraine appeal. Other charitable giving was somewhat less than the previous year. We
spent £1,692 on publicity around the 350th anniversary, and the creation of our new
website. Miscellaneous costs were over £500 mainly because of pastoral and gift expenses.
Assets Despite a £5,000 surplus on the cash account, our total assets decreased over the
year by £ll.000 to £172,000 as a consequence of a f311 in the value of our investments, This
was due to a significant global decline in the financial markets in 2022, a situation which
should improve in 2023.
Richard Brown
Treasurer
Declaratlon
The Trustee5 declare that the above Tru5tees' Report was approved by them on 26" March
2023
Signed on behalf of the Trustees
Davld Zucker
{Chairper50n)

Receipts and Payments Account
for th• yaar •nded 31•t December 2022
2022
2021
RECEIPTS
Llve gfvln8
Offertories
Donatlons
12,516
1.715
12,110
4.677
14231
16,n7
Grants
Chapel charlty
Yorkshlre Unltarfan Unlon
19,349
19,066
62
19,349
19,128
Inqulrer subscrlptlo
165
165
165
165
Use of Premlses
Lettings
Weddings & blesslngs
6,475
250
3,638
1,025
6,725
4,663
Fundralsln8
St Crux
Sales
Charlties/8lfts
Concerts
362
295
1.845
1,699
794
272
720
1,702
4201
Dlvldends &
interest
Gift ald reclaimed
1,728
1,640
1,671
1.728
3,311
TOTAL RECEIPTS
46399.
47542.1)0

2022
20ZI
PAYMENTS
Wor5hlp
Mlnister's Stipend
Minister'5
Expenses
Minister's Pensron
Incorne Tax & Nl
IT sUPPOrt
Pulpit supply Inc expenses
Piznists
13,179
12,985
4.014
3.274
1.104
1.730
949
2.140
3.752
2.057
1.051
496
IS￿90
Preml
Electricity & Water
Internet
Insurance
Cleanin8
Maintenance & Harth*4a
2.511
355
1.572
1.278
1.629
2,087
402
1.588
551
12A76
Don•tlons. 8rnnts. ftts
Chosen charity
Charitsble donatioTrs Inc GA
GA
quots
Other grants Inc YUU
503
3.391
1.246
AdmlTrlstratlon & Publklty
AdminiStrat￿n
Publicity
Fundraising expenses
Inquirer
1.692
220
165
165
1.150
Miscellaneous expenses
Refunds
514
53
TOTAL PAYMENTS
42M3
39071
EXCESS RECEIPT5 OVER PAYMEKfs FOR YEAR
5,015
7,671
unreali5ed galn on value of investrnents
{7,3591
7,942
Add: transferred from Chapel Charlty account
{8.7771
8.413

General Fund Balano brought forward
General Fund Balance carrled forward
183,121
In,0
159.095
183,121
Congregational Balance Sh•at
for tho year ended 311t December 2022
2022
2021
Investments at market valuation
(see note)
Bank and cash
118,238
54,274
134,424
49,640
Plus: debtors
Less.. creditors
74
-586
192
-1.135
172,rxM)
183,121
Represented by:
Genernl Fund
Note
Investmerrts at market valuatlon
at 1st January
Purchased duringyear
Increase in market value during year
at 31st December
134.424
118.018
50
16.356
134,424
116,1861
118,238
io

Chapel Charlty Fund•
Statement of Flnanclal ActlvltO•4
for the y•ar ended 31•t Docembor 2022
Income and Expendlture Account
2022
2021
Recelpts from Investments
Donatlons recelved
19.349
19,(166
51Kl
SC
Grants to chapel
Transferred to York Un￿arIanS CIO
CAF Bank charges
Transfer to Investment Fund
27.980
500
19,349
-8,913
2022
2021
COIF Ethkal Investment Fund units
Purchased durln8 year
Market value at 31 December
558.245
636,877
Fund balance brought forward
Plus: net income I lexpenditurel for the
year
Plus: unrealSsed gains on investments In
year
Plus: cost of new unlts
637,377
561,076
19,349
-8,913
198,4811
84.714
558245
637377
li

CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND AND WALES |
Independent examinerfs
report on the accounts
Section A
Independent Examinef s Report
Report to the trusts•sl
members of
On accounts for tha year
ended
Sil- DLCÉrKQi411011
Charity no
(if any)
Sot out on pago•
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above
charity {Ihe Trust") for tpt year ended
Responslbllltles and As the charity trustees of the Trusl, you are responsible for the preparation
basi$ of report of the accounts in accordance wrth the requirements of the Charities Act
2011 ("the Act").
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out
under sedion 145 of the 2011 Act arKI in carrying OLrt my examination. I
have followed the applicab￿ Direcb'ons given by the Charty Commission
under section 145(5)Ib) of the Act.
I have completed my examination. I confimi that no material matters have
come to my attention (other than that disclosed b81ow ") in connection wth
the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material
respect..
accountsng records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of
the Act or
the a￿Unts do not accord with the accounting records
Independent
examinerfs statement
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection
wrth the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a
proper understarKJing of the accounts to be reached.
' Please delele the words in Ihe br￿ketS rf they do not apply.
Slgned:
Dats:
lo
Name:
D&L
Relevant professlonal
qualification(s) or b¢xly
{If any):
Address..
LL
Axj
D3a s6Pr
IER
Octob•r 2018

## **Section B** 

## **Disclosure** 

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). 


**Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose.** 

**IER** 

2 

**October 2018**