Friends of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Merrow
Trustees’ Annual Report for the period from 4[th] May 2020 to 31[st] March 2021
Registered name and number with the Charity Commission for England and Wales:
The Friends of the Church of St John the Evangelist, Merrow, hereinafter referred to as FoStJ is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), registration number 1189324.
Principal address:
222 Epsom Road,
Merrow,
Guildford
GU4 7AA
Stated objectives and activities
To advance the Christian religion for the public benefit by the restoration, preservation, repair, maintenance, improvement and beautification of the Parish Church of St. John the Evangelist, Merrow in the diocese of Guildford (hereinafter called ‘the Church”) and of the monuments, fittings, fixtures, stained glass, furniture, ornaments and chattels in the church, churchyard and church hall belonging to the Church and the Village War Memorial situated in the churchyard, in particular the CIO will make grants of money and gifts of other property to the Parochial Church Council of the Parish of St. John the Evangelist, Merrow, exclusively for the purpose of the said objects, and generally assist those responsible for the care and maintenance of the church.
Achievements over the year
Spring 2020 turned out to be, perhaps, not the best time to launch a new charity. However, with good foundations put in place prior to the pandemic thanks to the hard work by Peter Tappin, Robert Avis and Gordon Farquharson (thank you Peter, Robert and Gordon) a formal structure was finalised in May to move onwards with the new FoStJ. A management committee was constituted bringing together the three trustees, PCC nominees and a treasurer. We have met monthly since, only by Zoom unfortunately.
In late August 2020 we had hoped that we could have an organ recital with the newly renovated organ to publicly ‘kick off’ FoStJ. The rising Covid numbers and the 2nd Lockdown rather put paid to that as it has other events that we had hoped to put on. Fortunately, a rousing online organ recital to launch our organ refurbishment appeal eventually took take place early in the new reporting year.
Meanwhile the committee have continued to put in place processes and procedures to support the charity as we move on and live with Covid. This has included developing an understanding of our GDPR responsibilities and detailed Charity Commission compliance.
The last eleven months have therefore been somewhat frustrating. Subsequently, albeit we have used our website and social media to promote the aims of FoStJ and to keep the
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interest going. Naturally very few, as yet, have formally signed up for membership. We had 17 by the end of the year 2020, but we have continued to grow our membership since.
Our funds by the end of this first reporting period stood at £524 (prior year £0), perhaps not a bad position to be in under the circumstances.
Financial review
Inevitably, due to the Covid-19 pandemic the charity has been constrained in its ability to generate funds to support the buildings, churchyard and fabric of the church. Aside from limited opportunities to arrange fund raising events, progress was slowed in setting up the financial and administrative infrastructure of the charity due to the suspension of many financial support services and the furloughing of staff. Setting up the charity’s banking arrangements is one example. Most retail banks suspended account applications to new customers from March 2020 onwards. It wasn’t until November 2020 that FoStJ was finally able to open a bank account to facilitate day to day financial business (with Metro Bank, Guildford).
Up to this time St. John’s PCC operated as banker on behalf of the charity, transferring donations and membership fees paid to FoStJ over to the new charity bank account once it was opened. We are grateful to the PCC for their support in assisting FoStJ during this difficult and frustrating period.
FoStJ was formally registered with the Charities Commission on 4[th] May. However, the committee agreed to adjust the charity’s annual reporting period with the Commission to end on 31[st] March each year to simplify ongoing compliance. Therefore, the accounting year end has, likewise, been moved, thus shortening for this first report the results to a period of less than twelve months.
In accordance with Commission regulations and guidelines the financial results for FoStJ for the period from 4[th] May 2020 to 31[st] March 2021 have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis.
A summary of these results is shown below:
| Restricted Funds |
Unrestricted Funds |
Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Receipts | 63.41 | 465.00 | 528.41 |
| Payments | (2.97) | (0.81) | (3.78) |
| Net | 60.44 | 464.19 | 524.63 |
The FoStJ bank account balance as at 31[st] March 2021 was £524.63. There were no uncleared banking receipts on this date. Total receipts of £528.41 includes £295.00 transferred from St. John’s PCC, of which £200.00 related to the Rob Halligan concert held in 2019.
Restricted funds shown refers to the sum of £60.44 donated towards the church organ restoration appeal. This appeal had only just kicked off by the end of this reporting period, most of the donations received to date will be reported in the next financial year. Unrestricted funds comprised annual membership fees of £85.00 (17 members) and donations of £380.00. Payments of £3.78 in total refers to transaction charges paid to Stripe, the charity’s online payments platform. Stripe charges amounted to 5.5% of gross contributions. Transaction costs were higher than expected due to costs incurred associated with testing
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the payment platform prior to live use. The mechanism for claiming gift aid on donations was still to be agreed with HMRC at the end of the financial year. There were no transfers between funds during the period to 31[st] March 2021.
No capital expenditure was committed to or incurred during the reporting period. The charity does not own any assets other than cash held in its current account with Metro Bank. The charity gave no guarantees in the year and thus no related potential liabilities are outstanding at the date of the statement of assets and liabilities. There are no debts which are secured by an express charge on the assets of the charity.
Governance and management of the charity
FoStJ is administered in accordance with a written constitution by its trustees, comprising 2 nominated by the PCC and 3 elected by the members. The charity is managed by a committee which meets monthly to plan and oversee day to day activities. The trustees appoint committee members and Officers.
One third of the elected trustees must retire annually, but maybe re-elected. As this is the first FoStJ AGM, it has been decided that members should have the opportunity to re-elect all the elected Trustees.
The charity’s trustees and members of the management committee are shown below:
| Name | Office | Status | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Shorter | Chairman | Trustee & Member |
30thJanuary 2020 |
| Gordon Farquharson |
Secretary | Trustee & Member |
30thJanuary 2020 |
| Mark Butcher | Treasurer | Member | 26thJuly 2020 |
| Robert Avis | PCC nominee | Member | 30thJanuary 2020 |
| Peter Tappin | PCC nominee | Member | 30thJanuary 2020 |
| Mark Stuart-Bourne | Trustee & Member |
30thJanuary 2020 |
The trustees do not hold title to property belonging to the charity and there are no funds held and managed by the trustees as custodian on behalf of other charities.
Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
| Signature: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name: | Christopher Shorter | Gordon Farquharson |
| Position: | Chairman | Secretary |
| Date: | 1stNovember 2021 | 1stNovember 2021 |
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| The Friends of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Merrow | The Friends of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Merrow | The Friends of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Merrow | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1189324 | |||||
| Receipts andpayments accounts | CC16a | ||||
| For | the period from |
4th May 2020 To |
31st March 2021 |
| Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ |
Total funds to the nearest £ |
Last year to the nearest £ |
||||
Members' subscriptions |
85 | - | - | 85 | - | ||||
| Donations | 380 | 63 | - | 443 | - | ||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | 465 | 63 | - | 528 | - | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| Sub total | - | - | |||||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
|||||||||
| - | |||||||||
Transaction charges |
1 | 3 | - | 4 | - | ||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| **Sub total ** | 1 | 3 | - | 4 | - | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
|||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | |||||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end **Cash funds this year end ** |
|||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| 464 | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| 464 | - |
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| CCXX R1 accounts (SS) Categories B1 Cash funds |
1 Details Bank account Total cash funds |
Unrestricted funds to nearest £ 464 - - 464 |
Restricted funds to nearest £ 60 - - 60 |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 464 | 60 | - | ||
| - | - | - | ||
| - | - | - | ||
| 464 | 60 | 27/10/2021 - |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
| Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B2 Other monetary assets B3 Investment assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities |
(agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details Details Details Details Signature |
(agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details Details Details Details Signature |
OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name Gordon Farquharson Christopher Shorter |
OK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| Current value (optional) |
||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| Current value (optional) |
||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| When due (optional) |
||||
| Date of approval | ||||
| 27-Oct-21 | ||||
| 28-Oct-21 | ||||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
27/10/2021
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