## **Friends of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Merrow**
## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period from 1[st] April 2024 to 31[st] March 2025**
## **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**
The total sum of £5,044 was raised during the last financial year. Total outgoings was £4,421 which included a donation of £2,881 to St John’s PCC to support our chosen causes which collectively seek to maintain and improve upon our church building and churchyard here in Merrow. FoStJs bank account at the end of the period stood at £3,362, overall, there was a net increase of funds of £622, compared to a reduction of £299 in the previous year (2023-24). The retained funds are recorded as unrestricted funds except for £386 designated as restricted for the ‘Let there be Light’ church lighting project. 25 annual membership subscriptions were paid in the year.
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.
Our financial position (see the detail below) demonstrates our continued commitment to raise funds for St. John’s Church. Total net funds raised in year included amounts generated from our ‘Mozart in Merrow’ classical music event (£1,106) along with £1,299 from our now regular quiz and pizza night and £565 from our wine tasting events.
Taking the long view, since FoStJ was formed in May 2020 a total of over £21,300 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 £17,800 has been passed on to St. John’s PCC.
## **Financial review**
In accordance with Commission regulations and guidelines the financial results for FoStJ for the period from 1[st] April 2024 to 31[st] March 2025 have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis.
A summary of these results along with figures for the previous year is shown below:
Restricted Funds Unrestricted Funds Total
1
||2024/25|2023/24|2024/25|2023/24|2024/25|
2023/24|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||£|£|£|£|£|
£|
|Receipts|400.00||4,643.56|2,302.04|5,043.56|
2,302.04|
|Payments|14.20|1,219.35|4,407.12|1,381.31|4,421.32|
2,600.66|
|Net|385.80|(1,219.35)|236.44|920.73|622.24|
(298.62)|
Total receipts comprised charitable donations, payments for events and membership subscriptions. An analysis of receipts for the year and previous year is as follows:
||2024/25|2023/24|
|---|---|---|
||£|£|
|Membership fees (Unrestricted)|142.69|158.24|
|General donations (Unrestricted)|4,500.87|2,143.80|
|‘Let there be light’(Restricted)|400.00||
|Total|5,043.56|2,302.04|
Membership fees represent the payment of 25 members.
Payments in year totalled £4,421.32. This amount included a charitable donation of £2,881.00 paid to St. John’s PCC, this was a made from unrestricted funds, Other payments included costs for insurance of £150.80 paid to Ansvar Insurance to cover public and trustee liability risk and transaction charges of £140.33 paid to Stripe, the charity’s online payments platform. Stripe charges amounted to 3.9% of total funds received via their platform over the financial year (4.6% in 2023/24). The overall cost of running events in the year amounted to £1,249.19.
The FoStJ bank account balance at 31[st] March 2025 was £3,362.16 (£2,739.92 at 31[st] March 2024). There we no uncleared banking receipts on this date. 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:
|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||
2
|Michael Eagle|PCC nominee|Trustee &
Member|4thOctober 2023||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Lynn Boniface|Membership
Secretary|Member|5thJuly 2023||
This report complies with the original constitution of FoStJ registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales on 4[th] May 2020. Steps have been taken since the end of this financial year to review, revise and consult with the membership on a revised constitution. Approval of any changes requires approval of the Charity Commission. This approval process remains ongoing.
Since the end of the financial year Mark Butcher has announced that he will be standing down as Trustee, Treasurer and committee member with effect from the end of summer 2025 because he will be leaving Merrow.
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**
|||**End of**
**document**
Gordon Farquharson
Secretary
24th November2025|
|---|---|---|
|Signature:|||
|Full name:|Christopher Shorter|Gordon Farquharson|
|Position:|Chairman|Secretary|
|Date:|24th November2025|24th November2025|
3
|**The Friends of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Merrow**|||
|---|---|---|
|**1189324**|||
|**Receipts and payments accounts**||**CC16a**|
|**For the period**
**from**
**1st April 2024**
**To**
**31st March 2025**|||
|**Section A Receipts and payments**|**Section A Receipts and payments**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**A1 Receipts**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**143**
**1,289**
**3,212**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**4,644**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**4,644**
**126**
**1,249**
**2,881**
**151**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**4,407**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**4,407**
**236**
**-**
**2,739**
**2,976**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**400**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**400**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**400**
**14**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**14**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**14**
**386**
**-**
**386**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**143**
**1,689**
**3,212**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**5,044**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**5,044**
**140**
**1,249**
**2,881**
**151**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**4,421**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**4,421**
**622**||**Last year**
**to the nearest £**|
|**Members' subscriptions**|**143**|||||**158**|
|**Donations**|**1,289**|||||**440**|
|**Events**|**3,212**|||||**1,704**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for_
_AR)_|**4,644**|||||**2,302**|
||||||||
|**A2 Asset and investment sales,**
**(see table).**|||||||
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**|**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Total receipts_**
**A3 Payments**|||||||
|||||||**2,302**|
||||||||
|
**Transaction charges**|**126**|||||**76**|
|**Cost of fund raising events**|**1,249**|||||**25**|
|**Donations**|**2,881**|||||**2,500**|
|**Insurance**|**151**|||||**-**|
|||||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
||**-**|||||**-**|
|**_Sub total_ **|**4,407**|||||**2,601**|
||||||||
|**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_**|||||||
|||||||**2,601**|
||||||||
||**236**|**386**|**-**|
**622**||**- 299**|
||**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**||**-**|
||**2,739**||**-**|**2,739**||**3,038**|
||**2,976**|**386**|**-**|**3,362**||**2,739**|
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
16/07/2025
1
|**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**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
OK
**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Current value**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Current value**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**When due**
**(optional)**
Date of
approval|
|---|---|---|---|
|**Categories**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B3 Investment assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
**B5 Liabilities**|**Details**
Cash at bank
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
Signature|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**2,976**
**386**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**2,976**
**386**
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||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
16/07/2025
2