Buddhist Society of Manchester CIO 1188791 Expenditure and Income Account for the Financial Year Ended 20[th] January 2026
| Expenditure | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 2024/25 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Electricity | 940.19 | 399.07 |
| Gas | 857.83 | 730.99 |
| Telephone | 144.68 | 145.13 |
| Water Rates | 315.20 | 233.03 |
| ------------ | ------------ | |
| Utility sub-total | 2,257.90 | 1,508.22 |
| Insurance | 763.73 | 741.52 |
| Donation BMP | 5,000 | |
| Retreat costs | 1,279.00 | 1,225.00 |
| Books | 275.69 | |
| Booklets | 718.00 | |
| Decoration | 1,991.48 | |
| Rad valves | 740.00 | |
| Monks | 861.00 | |
| Misc. | 626.08 | 318.18 |
| ------------ | ------------ | -------------- |
| Total exp: | 8,519.19 | 9,786.61 |
| Income | ||
| 2025/26 | 2024/25 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Donations | 8,460.14 | 6,427.78 |
| Subscriptions | 680.00 | 760.00 |
| ------------ | ------------ | |
| Total income | 9,140.14 | 7,187.78 |
Society current account balance at 5[th] July 2026 = £11,866.66
Utilities
Energy cost is considerably up on the previous year, as the fixed contract secured at pre-increase prices commencing June 2022 ended in October 2024, and we have now had our first full year on the kind of tariffs endured by all.
The picture has been complicated for this first year, as the monks residency in November 2025 probably increased the electricity usage for that month, and the gas bill has been lower than it should be due to unexpected repayment to our gas account of overcharges made by the supplier in previous years. The overcharging was picked up by Utility Aid, who check our invoices in addition to advising on and securing fixed contracts. It was difficult to work out exactly how much the overcharge repayment was, but it was likely to be around £200. This indicates future total annual costs for electricity and gas might be approaching the £2,000 mark, a considerable increase to running costs.
It is worth noting that Utility companies are loading infrastructure improvement costs onto water bills, reflected in this year’s increase, and this is likely to continue as a trend in future years.
Support for the Wat Buddha Metta UK Charity
The Society has close ties with the above charity, which was aiming to purchase a suitable property for the establishment of a monastic community in the UK.. In order to assist with the accumulation of funds for the project, the Society donated £5,000 to the Wat Buddha Metta UK Charity in November 2024.
Recently the charity received the news that match funding requested from the Thai Monastic Sangha, directed by the Sangharaja, would not be forthcoming, due to doubts about the current political stability of western governments. Unfortunately this meant the project would be unable to go ahead due to a shortfall in funding. The trustees have therefore decided that the Wat Buddha Metta UK Charity be dissolved, and donated funds be offered back to supporters.
The committee decided that the £5K donation could be redirected to two of Luangpor Sudhiro’s projects in North East Thailand which support young women to ordain as Mae Chees and receive an education, and living accommodation in a safe community.
Monks Residency
In November and part of December 2025 the society hosted four Thai monks, all lecturers in English at Mahamakut Buddhist University, to enable them to attend a month long teacher’s course for delivering English Language studies.
The financial aspect was a total cost of approximately £841, much of which improved kitchen equipment and the capacity of the house to cater for future multiple visitor usage. At the end of their stay the monks presented the society with a donation of funds from the Mahamakut Buddhist University in the sum of £2,780.00.
Retreat
A retreat was held in June at Brinscall Hall, Clitheroe, and the hire cost was £1,279. This cost was covered by participants’ donations to the society.
General note on income:
To get a clearer idea of income solely from donations and subscriptions, a number of items which contributed to the overall income need to be identified and subtracted from the total. These items are the monks’ donation (£2,780), the retreat hire charge for Brinscall covered by donations (£1,279), and some book royalties received from the publisher of Russel’s book (£223). These items total £4,858, and when subtracted from the total income of £9,140 result in a figure for donations from standing orders, subscriptions and from the donations bowl of £4,858.
This is somewhat down on last year’s income from standing orders, the donations bowl and subscriptions, which was £5,784.
The donations from standing orders alone still more than cover basic running costs, and overall income continues to allow a decent level of funding for looking after the house and garden.
General note on expenditure
Under “Miscellaneous” above are included items such as the monthly charge for the Zoom contract, and the purchase of a Dyson vacuum cleaner.
Trustees Annual Report
CIO 1188791 - January 2025 to January 2026
Buddhist Society of Manchester
January 2025 to January 2026 has been another positive year for the society. Numbers attending meetings have continued to be good. There are now 51 members, and an additional 46 “Friends” contacts on the database who are circulated with information about meetings, retreats etc.
The annual Vesak celebration (known more generally as “Buddha Day”) was held on Sunday the 11[th] of May, and the event was made accessible on-line so that members who have moved away from Manchester could join remotely.
A retreat was held on the weekend of 6th June 2025 at Brinscall Hall, Chorley, with over 20 participants, and was a great success. The venue worked very well and is closer to Manchester than other retreat centres used in the past, making it more accessible for members and friends.
In addition to the three open public meetings held each week, there are meditation meetings held on two Fridays each month. In recent years a link with the North West representative of the World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM) has resulted in a Christian meditation group meeting at the society premises on the evening of the first Tuesday of each month. There are about 10 members in this group.
In June 2025 a morning chanting and meditation group was set up, meeting on-line at 7am each morning on Zoom. The group has links with the Buddha Metta Society charity, which has members in Thailand, the UK and other countries. The group has been successful, having between 6 and 15 attendees each morning, and sometimes having Thai Buddhist monks in attendance.
In association with the Buddha Metta charity, the society hosted four Thai monks, all lecturers in English Language at Mahamakut Buddhist University (Thailand), at the society premises from November to mid December 2025. The monks were attending a CELTA English Language teaching course in Manchester. During their stay the monks were able to participate in some meetings, and society members and friends were able to make the daily food offering (“Dana”) and benefit from their presence and teachings.
The society remains financially sound, and income from donations more than covers the costs associated with the upkeep of the society premises.
To conclude, this last year has seen the society maintaining a healthy attendance at meetings, and enjoying a sustainable income from donations all of which bodes well for the future.
Luke Tennant, Society Chair