Friends of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Merrow
Trustees’ Annual Report for the period from 1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024
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
It is probably inevitable, after the busy and challenging but extremely successful previous year, which saw FostJ take on fund raising to support restoration of the village War Memorial and to help reverse the degraded Church stonework, that a slight hiatus in fund raising would occur. With previous funding projects now concluded our attention now turned to the more general needs of restoration and repair of our Church and churchyard. Our main fund-raising event of the year, the ever-popular Quiz Night, was held on the 17[th] November 2023 with Philip Corning acting as quiz master. This event raised £1,670.59 after costs from ticket sales, related donations and a raffle. Other funds raised in the year came from membership subscriptions totalling £158.24 (£153.77 after transaction charges) and £386.77 (£377.02 after transaction costs) from other donations.
Throughout the year the FoStJ management committee comprised of trustees and co-opted Membership Secretary has met regularly to oversee fund raising activities and compliance with Charity Commission regulations.
Overall, our financial position (see the detail below) demonstrates our continued commitment to raise funds for St. John’s Church. Total gross funds raised amounted to £2,302 over the twelve months (£9,878 in 2022/23). Since FoStJ was formed in May 2020 a total of over £16,300 has been raised from a combination of membership subscriptions, donations and funds raising from charity events. After fundraising costs are deducted a total of over £14,300 has been retained to be passed on to St. John’s. Banked funds by the end of the period stood at £2,739 (prior year £3,038) which takes into account the handing over to St John’s PCC a cheque for the sum of £2,500 to support our chosen causes which collectively seek to maintain and improve upon our church building and churchyard here in Merrow.
Financial review
In accordance with Commission regulations and guidelines the financial results for FoStJ for the period from 1[st] April 2022 to 31[st] March 2023 have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis.
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A summary of these results along with previous year figures is shown below:
| Restricted Funds | Restricted Funds | Unrestricted Funds | Unrestricted Funds | Total | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Receipts | 2,691.06 | 2,302.04 | 7,186.86 | 2,302.04 | 9,877.92 | |
| Payments | 1,219.35 | 1,551.28 | 1,381.31 | 7,889.32 | 2,600.66 | 9,440.60 |
| Net | (1,219.35) | 1,139.78 | 920.73 | (702.46) | (298.62) | 437.32 |
Total receipts comprised charitable donations, payments for events and membership subscriptions. An analysis of receipts for the year and previous year is as follows:
| 2023/24 | 2022/23 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Membership fees (Unrestricted) | 158.24 | 232.31 |
| General donations (Unrestricted) | 2,143.80 | 1,431.75 |
| Church Organ Appeal (Restricted) | 299.04 | |
| Save our Stones (Restricted) | 853.77 | |
| Church Bell Tower Restoration (Restricted) | 30.02 | |
| War Memorial Restoration (Restricted) | 6,004.03 | |
| PCC concert (Unrestricted) | 1,027.00 | |
| Total | 2,302.04 | 9,877.92 |
Membership fees represent the payment of 29 members. The charity received a total of £88.65 in Gift Aid over the financial year. This amount was allocated to the charity’s fund-raising campaigns in accordance with original donor intentions.
Total payments made of £2,660.66 comprised a charitable donation of £2,500.00 paid to St. John’s PCC, transaction charges of £76.16 paid to Stripe, the charity’s online payments platform and the total cost of running fund raising events was £25.50. The charitable donation comprised £825.92 to support the restoration of the War Memorial, £393.43 from our Save our Stones appeal. These payments were transferred from restricted funds. A further £1,280.65 was paid to the PCC from unrestricted funds. Stripe charges amounted to 4.6% of total funds received via their platform over the financial year (4.4% in 2022/23).
The FoStJ bank account balance at 31[st] March 2024 was £2,739.92 (£3,038.54 at 31[st] March 2023). There we no uncleared banking receipts on this date. A transfer of £14.00 during the year from unrestricted funds to restricted funds enabled a final donation to be made to the Save our Stones appeal. This transfer was authorized by the Trustees in line with guidance from the Charity Commission. The charity continues to use the banking services of Metro Bank, Guildford for its day-to-day financial business throughout the year.
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, to comprise: Not less than 3 (three) nor more than 10 (ten) elected trustees; and not less than 3 (three) nominated trustees by the Parochial Church Council of the Church. The charity is managed by a committee which meets monthly to plan and oversee day-to-day activities. The trustees may appoint committee members and Officers. One third of the elected trustees must retire annually, but maybe re-elected.
The charity’s trustees and members of the management committee during the year are shown below:
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| Name | Office | Status | Date of appointment |
Date of resignation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Shorter | Chairman | Trustee & Member |
30thJanuary 2020 | |
| Gordon Farquharson |
Secretary | Trustee & Member |
30thJanuary 2020 | |
| Mark Butcher | Treasurer | Trustee & Member |
26thJuly 2020 | |
| Robert Avis | PCC nominee | Trustee & Member |
30thJanuary 2020 | |
| Peter Tappin | PCC nominee | Trustee & Member |
30thJanuary 2020 | |
| Michael Eagle | PCC nominee | Trustee & Member |
4thOctober 2023 | |
| Annabel Stuart- Bourne |
PCC nominee | Trustee & Member |
18thJuly 2022 | 5thJuly 2023 |
| Lynn Boniface | Membership Secretary |
Member | 5thJuly 2023 | |
| Linda Elliott | Membership Secretary |
Member | 6thJuly 2021 | 5thJuly 2023 |
The trustees do not hold title to property belonging to the charity and there are no funds held and managed by the trustees as custodians 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: | End of document |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name: | Christopher Shorter | Gordon Farquharson | |
| Position: | Chairman | Secretary | |
| Date: | 7thOctober 2024 | 20thOctober 2024 |
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| The Friends of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Merrow | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1189324 | ||
| Receipts and payments accounts | CC16a | |
| For the period from 1st April 2023 To 31st March 2024 |
| Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 158 440 1,704 - - - - - 2,302 - - - 2,302 17 84 1,281 - - - - - - 1,382 - - - 1,382 920 - 14 1,833 2,739 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1,219 - - - - - - 1,219 - - - 1,219 - 1,219 14 1,206 - |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total funds to the nearest £ 158 440 1,704 - - - - - 2,302 - - - 2,302 17 84 2,500 - - - - - - 2,601 - - - 2,601 - 299 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
|
| Members' subscriptions | 158 | 232 | ||||
| Donations | 440 | 6,671 | ||||
| Events | 1,704 | 1,948 | ||||
| PCC event | - | 1,027 | ||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
2,302 | 9,878 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | - | |||||
| Sub total | - | - | ||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
||||||
| 9,878 | ||||||
Transaction charges |
17 | 240 | ||||
| Cost of fund raising events | 84 | 1,129 | ||||
| Donations | 1,281 | 7,094 | ||||
| Printing, postage, stationery and computer supplies |
- | - | ||||
PCC event |
- | 979 | ||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| **Sub total ** | 1,382 | 9,441 | ||||
| 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 |
||||||
| 9,441 | ||||||
| 920 | - 1,219 | - | - 299 | 437 | ||
| - 14 | 14 | - | - | - | ||
| 1,833 | 1,206 | - | 3,038 | 2,601 | ||
| 2,739 | - | - | 2,739 | 3,038 |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
09/09/2024
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| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B5 Liabilities B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B3 Investment assets B2 Other monetary assets B1 Cash funds |
Signature Details Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details Details |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 2,739 - - - - - 2,739 - 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 Mr C Shorter Mr G Farquharson |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| When due (optional) |
|||
| Date of approval |
|||
| Mr C Shorter | 23 Oct 24 | ||
| Mr G Farquharson | 20 Oct 24 |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
09/09/2024
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