2020-12-31-accounts

Baybutt, Mark

To: Jane Morwood Subject: RE: Annual Report and letter to members

From: [e-mail] [e-mail] Sent: 01 February 2021 11:21

To: [e-mail] [e-mail] Subject: Annual Report and letter to members

Please find attached the Chairman’s Report for 2020, a financial statement of the end year position provided by our Treasurer, Mark Baybutt and approved by James Laidler and a covering letter to all FPSL members.

MW

1

Watercrook 181 Town Lane Whittle-le-Woods

Chorley, Lancashire PR6 8AG

01257 276992 Email:[e-mail]

1 February 2021

Dear FOSL Member

I have emailed you my report on the year’s activities and the Treasurer’s end of year financial statement for 2020 which are being circulated on behalf of your committee. It will come as no surprise that the Covid pandemic and its consequences have brought our activities to a virtual standstill and this has been a deeply frustrating experience for all concerned.

However, as you will see from the financial statement, we ended the year with a balance of £7,428 the bulk of which came from your subscriptions. Our 2021 financial year commenced on January 1 and subscriptions are due by January 31[st] and at the time of writing 10 single members and 11 couples have renewed their subscriptions or indicated their intention to do so, this is slightly more than half our 2020 membership. Our current balance, excluding money being held for the Standish Stitchers, is £8,697 so if renewals continue, we can expect to increase our resources to something close to £10,000 which in all the circumstances would be a very creditable performance.

I have had a preliminary discussion with Fr Neil about the possibility of financing a project from one of our appeals, the obvious candidate is the repair of the roof above the organ loft which is a prerequisite for upgrading the organ itself. The original estimate for carrying out this work was £6,600 but this may have altered over time so we would need a revised figure. There are other possibilities, and a final decision would have to be agreed between your committee and the PCC. In the meantime, I would welcome your views and particularly whether you would be in favour of allocating a substantial sum to a project of this nature leaving sufficient funds in our balances to finance Cathedral Classics and other fund-raising projects once this becomes feasible. Since the bulk of this money has come from FOSL members it is only right that you should be involved in deciding how it should be spent.

Looking to the future, as soon as restrictions are lifted and we are able to resume our activities, we will call a general meeting of FOSL members and the committee will submit a program of activities and objectives for the balance of the year. This is likely to include:

• Revival of the Cathedral Classics Recitals and associated events,

• Approaches to selected charities for assistance with our two appeal objectives,

• Promotion of the book Chorley St Laurence to the wider community through bookshops and other outlets,

• Review of the web site and social media platforms with a view to updating and extending their reach,

and no doubt much more!

Many thanks to those of you who have already renewed your subscriptions – your continued support is very much appreciated. To those who have yet to do so the due date is January 31[st,] , your contributions will be as welcome as they are necessary to keep us in business; our ability to finance a project like the organ roof in spite of the difficulties is compelling evidence of the importance of your support in enabling our Church to continue its historic role in our local community.

With kind regards and good wishes

Michael Welsh

Chairman Friends of St Laurence’s Church

Note

Subscription payments to FOSL can be made by bank transfer or standing order:

Account Name The Friends of St Laurence Church Account No 90936820 Sort Code 20 51 08

or by cheque made out to the Friends of St Laurence Church and mailed to me at this address

FRIENDS OF ST LAURENCE’S CHURCH, CHORLEY

CHAIRMAN’S ANNUAL REPORT 2020

The Covid 19 pandemic has overshadowed everything during the past twelve months and in common with other volunteer fund raising organisations our activities have been brought to a standstill. Since March 2019 we have been unable to organise any events and your committee has been unable to meet though we have kept in touch by email. For much of the year the Church itself which is normally the fulcrum for FOSL’s activities has been closed for most of the and with the country in various stages of lock down we have not been able to pursue external fund-raising opportunities or exploit our newly won charitable status. It has been a very frustrating not to say depressing experience for all of us.

On March 4 we held a launch concert for our Cathedral Classics series of organ recitals which was expected to be a major fund-raising exercise involving monthly recitals by leading cathedral organists. We were fortunate to secure the patronage of Amanda Roocroft who undertook to appear for us at a special concert in November. The launch which was a pilot for the series proper went well, and some tickets were sold. On March 22 the first national lock down was declared and with great reluctance we were compelled to put the whole program into cold storage. We hope to revive it when restrictions permit but this will mean starting again from scratch.

On the plus side we were able to produce our book, Chorley Saint Laurence, the Story of a Parish Church, which went on sale in December and can be purchased on-line at the Church Shop for £5.00 per copy, FOSL members have been offered a free copy with their first purchase – 2 for the price of 1. At the time of writing, we have distributed 67 copies, including 12 free copies for contributors and out of area subscribers and 10 under the members offer scheme. The contribution to FOSL is approximately £3.00 per copy; the initial print order was 500 copies so there is some way to go.

The book provides a history of the Church since earliest times showing how it has evolved architecturally and functionally over the centuries. The underlying theme is that St Laurence’s has been at the centre of local life since the days when Chorley was a tiny hamlet on top of a hill overlooking the River Chor and as such is a fundamental element in the identity of the Town. The services, both religious and secular, which are offered today have a pedigree that runs directly back to the Middle Ages. The Church belongs to the whole community and we all have a responsibility to preserve these historic buildings and continue to adapt them to meet the needs of today. There are sections dealing with the stained glass, the organ, bells and other artefacts so that visitors as well as the regular congregation can have a better idea of what they are seeing and what might otherwise have been overlooked.

Producing and publishing the book during n period of lock down required a major effort and I am grateful to all our contributors who are listed on the title page; a special thank you to Tom Wray who undertook the herculean task of design and layout and produced a brilliant result.

Anne Wray and her team have been operating the website and social media platforms on a care and maintenance basis reflecting the lack of activity during the lock down. The infrastructure remains in place ready to be exploited when circumstances permit, and we shall need more volunteers to help with content.

Mark Baybutt’s financial report is being circulated with this report. As you will see, in spite of the lockdowns we have managed to increase our balances by £3,300 in the course of the year a result

that speaks volumes for the loyalty and commitment of FOSL members. As a result, we should be able to embark on at least one substantial maintenance project in 2021.

It remains for me to thank my fellow officers, Mark and Jane and all committee members for their support and encouragement during what has been an exceptionally difficult year; we all look forward to better times in the year to come.

Michael Welsh

January 28th 2021

Friends of St Laurence - Summary Accounts to 18th December 2020

In Income £ Family Subscription 1,670.00 Individual Subscription 1,200.00 Goodbox 561.84 Cathedral Classics 407.11 Cathedral Classics Sponsorship 300.00 Book Sale 129.00 Individual Subscription by Installment 72.00 Donations 32.60 Total 4,372.55 Expenditure Credits - Advertising Insurances VAT for Credits Cathedral Classics Printing Cathedral Classics Catering St Laurences Book Printing JustGiving Fees Total Opening Balance Brought Forward Total Income Sub total Expenditure Closing Balance Carried Forward	In £ 1,670.00 1,200.00 561.84 407.11 300.00 129.00 72.00 32.60	Ex £ (150.00) (105.00) (30.00) (186.99) (237.90) (299.00) (44.37)
	4,372.55
		(1,053.26)
		4,372.55 4,109.64
		8,482.19 (1,053.26)
		7,428.93

Represented by Bank Balance Total	Barclays Bank Account Balances (Friends and Stitchers) 7,937.81 7,937.81	Standish Stitchers Adjustment (508.88) (508.88)	FOSL Account Balance 7,428.93
			7,428.93
Standish Stitchers Reserv Total	e	508.88 £	508.88
			7,937.81

Notes:

JustGiving Online Balances from previous statement have been transferred to the Barclays Account less fees.

Mark Baybutt Treasurer, Friends of St Laurence's Church 20th January 2021