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2024-12-31-accounts

Swarthmoor (South West Cumbria) Area Quaker Meeting

(Registered Charity no. 1190009)

Annual Report

1 January – 31 December 2024

Page 1 of 22 pages

Annual Report 1[st] January to 31[st] December 2024

Introduction

Swarthmoor (South West Cumbria) Area Meeting presents its annual report, including its independently examined financial statements for the year ended 31[st] December 2024. The Trustees confirm that the annual report and financial statements comply with the current statutory requirements.

The strength of the Area Meeting comes from its Members and Attenders who meet for worship at its Meeting Houses. In December 2024 there were 35 Members and 38 Attenders meeting at Cartmel, Colthouse and Swarthmoor Local Meetings on Sundays. Meetings for Worship were also held at Rookhow once a month on a Wednesday evening, Swarthmoor Hall at mid-day on the fourth Thursday and at Glenthorne on the fourth Tuesday morning each month.

Friends Serving Area Meeting

(AM, Area Meeting; LM, Local Meeting)

Trustees during 2024

Neil Jarvis Colthouse LM Sue Jennings Colthouse LM (Clerk) Karen Rouen Cartmel LM (AM Treasurer) Friend in support of Trustees John Cameron Swarthmoor LM

Nominated Trustees

Rookhow Helen Bailey (Colthouse LM) Gatesbield Quaker Housing Elizabeth Jones (Swarthmoor LM) Association

Area Meeting Clerk

Sylvia Sanderson Swarthmoor LM (to May 2024) Helen Bailey Colthouse LM (from June 2024) Claire Entwistle Cartmel LM (from June 2024) Elizabeth Jones Swarthmoor LM (from June 2024)

Elders

Gill Lowden Swarthmoor William Shaw Swarthmoor Robert Strau hton Swarthmoor Hall g

Page 2 of 22 pages

TerryWinterton Glenthorne
Helen Bailey Rookhow
Vacancy Cartmel

Elders and Pastoral Care Team

Barbara Mansell Swarthmoor_(Pastoral Friend)_
Shona Cameron Swarthmoor_(Pastoral Friend)_
Vacancy Cartmel
Sue Tompkins Colthouse_(Elderseer*)_
NeilJarvis Colthouse_(Elderseer)_
Helen Bailey Colthouse_(Elderseer)_

* Elderseer combines the rôle of Elder and Pastoral Friend

Finance & Properties Committee

( which consists of all the Property Managers and Treasurers)

William Shaw Clerk Michael Carter Property Manager – Colthouse Cottages Michael Carter Treasurer / Property Manager - Colthouse LM John Cameron Property Liaison for No 4 Rakehead Sylvia Sanderson Property Manager for No 1 to 3 Rakehead and Petty’s Croft ( Swarthmoor Local Quaker Property Committee ) Elizabeth Dawson Treasurer - Swarthmoor LM Karen Rouen Treasurer - Cartmel LM

Nominations Committee

Barbara Mansell Swarthmoor Sue Tompkins Colthouse Jane McQuillin Swarthmoor

Safeguarding Co-ordinator

Sue Jennings Colthouse Jane McQuillin (Deputy) Swarthmoor

Registering Officer

Suan Marston Kendal and Sedber h Area Meetin g g

Membership Secretary

Vacancy

Page 3 of 22 pages

Archives Liaison

Vacancy

(Swarthmoor AM liaises directly with Susan Benson in Barrow Library, where our archive is held.)

Friends serving on Committees and Councils of the Society and Related Bodies

Meeting for Sufferings

Quaker Life Representative Council

Northern Friends Peace Board

Robert Straughton (Jan to June) William Shaw (June to Dec) Claire Entwistle (Jan to June) Cathy Sullivan (Jan to June) Jenny Carter

Bankers

Cumberland Building Society, Cumberland House, Castle Street, CARLISLE, CA3 8RX

Brewin Dolphin, 1 The Avenue, Spinningfields Square, MANCHESTER, M3 3AP

Nominee Trustee

Friends Trusts Ltd, Friends House, 173 Euston Road, LONDON, NW1 2BJ

Page 4 of 22 pages

Aims

Swarthmoor (South West Cumbria) Area Quaker Meeting is one of the many Area Meetings that constitute the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain. Area Meetings, made up of Local Meetings, are charities as well as worshipping communities. Area Meetings are responsible for: overseeing and supporting Local Meeting; appointing people to positions of responsibility, such as Eldership and Pastoral care; conducting Quaker marriages, recording deaths, employing staff, owning property and managing finances; and communicating on behalf of local Quakers with our Yearly Meeting.

Our aims are led by Our Faith in the Future - a vision for the Society of Friends in Britain covering six themes:

The charitable objective of Swarthmoor (South West Cumbria) Area Quaker Meeting is the furtherance of the general religious and charitable purposes of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain in the area of Swarthmoor (SW Cumbria) Area Meeting and beyond.

Charitable Donations

We are aware of the contribution Britain Yearly Meeting makes to our Area Meeting and to the work of Quakers more generally, and agreed to send a sum of £5,000 to support its work in 2024. We also contributed £380 to the work of the Northern Friends Peace Board and £240 to Discovering Quakers – a Quaker outreach charity serving local Quaker Meetings.

We made two further charitable donations from recurrent resources during 2024. One was a contribution of £2,000 to the “Retreat Away Fund” at Rookhow Quaker Meeting House and Bunkbarn, which enables groups of disadvantaged and vulnerable people to stay at Rookhow for a reduced cost. The other was a donation of £150 to the public library in Barrow-in-Furness, in recognition of the support provided by their archivist to an exhibition at the library prepared by Swarthmoor Friends to celebrate the 400[th] anniversary of George Fox ’s birth.

In addition, we made two capital donations. We donated £20,000 to Gatesbield Quaker Housing Association, for urgent works relating to fire safety and their wardencall system. We also donated £8,080 to Rookhow Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) for remedial works on the bunk-barn at Rookhow that were a legacy of historical maintenance issues.

Page 5 of 22 pages

Report from the Trustees

The Trustees held four Trustee meetings by Zoom in 2024.

Safeguarding

Sue Jennings continues her work as Safeguarding Co-ordinator, working with Jane McQuillin as her Deputy. An updated version of the AM Safeguarding Procedures and Toolkit, incorporating revisions from Britain Yearly Meeting, was adopted by AM on 14[th] May 2024. The AM continues to trial the safer appointment processes that were introduced in 2023. In August 2024, the Safeguarding Co-ordinator and Deputy met with the Elders and Pastoral Care Team to provide a refresher regarding safeguarding in relation to their work.

Management of uncertainty and risk

In 2024 Trustees continued to consider the uncertainties in a number of areas for the Area Meeting including health and safety, financial, employment, data protection and other activities. Trustees continue to review these uncertainties and attendant risks, updating the risk register where necessary. The updated register will be brought to Area Meeting in 2025 and, where necessary, possible further activities to manage these risks will be submitted for consideration and approval.

Review of procedures and policies for development

Each year, all Area Meetings are asked to complete a return to British Yearly Meeting on compliance. Where necessary, policies are updated and new policies drafted and submitted for consideration and approval by Area Meeting. A complaints policy, based on the model document from Britain Yearly Meeting, was adopted by AM on 7[th] September 2024 and we are reviewing other AM policies to identify and address any gaps in compliance in time for next year’s compliance return in May 2025.

Crossing Boundaries

Our clerk of trustees joined Bill Shaw for meetings of "Crossing Boundaries". This is an initiative with other Area Meetings in the North of England, exploring ways of working together to address the challenges of having fewer members and therefore greater difficulty in filling essential rôles. This work is continuing with Neil Jarvis and John Cameron contributing to further meetings.

Public benefit

This report sets out the purposes of the charity and how these have been met in 2024. In summary, the charity meets its duty in Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to public benefit, through:

Trustees have taken due regard of the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit in taking decisions during the year.

Page 6 of 22 pages

Report from the Area Meeting Clerk

The year of 2024 saw the end of our Area Meeting Clerk’s long and dedicated service, and she was replaced in May by a three-person clerking team, one each from Swarthmoor, Cartmel and Colthouse Local Meetings. The team have taken it in turns to hold the rôle of Clerk and Assistant Clerk at our Meetings For Worship For Church Affairs, with the valued support of various Elders and also of the Friends who attended these meetings and were generous in accommodating any teething problems with the new arrangements.

Meetings for Worship for Church Affairs took place in February, May, September and November at Swarthmoor Hall, Swarthmoor Meeting House, Rookhow and Cartmel respectively. There was an additional Extraordinary Meeting in October, held on Zoom, to discuss the Crossing Boundaries project.

Concern about the future viability of our AM has occupied the minds of a good many Friends during 2024, and Crossing Boundaries offers some hope that collaborating more closely with other Quakers will help us find a way through.

South West Cumbria is not alone in experiencing low numbers at meetings and an ageing pool of active Friends. Crossing Boundaries brings together a number of AMs across Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire who have an interest in collaborating, or even merging, in order to share tasks and rôles.

Our Extraordinary Meeting in October discerned that as an AM we need to focus on our main goal of living as a worshipping and loving community, and be open to making some big changes in order to remain viable. This includes the possibility of selling some or all of our properties including Meeting Houses. Local Meetings were asked to meet to discuss how this might affect the spiritual life of their Meetings, and to report back to the AM to be held in February 2025.

Despite the shortage of active Friends, the Area Meeting Nominations Committee have managed to fill the essential rôles as terms come to an end, and a new member of Nominations was found by a search group. We look forward to continuing to work and worship together in the coming year.

Report from the Elders and Pastoral Care Team

Swarthmoor Elders and Pastoral Care Team met three times during the year. At the first meeting we welcomed two new members who will serve the Area Meeting and Swarthmoor Local Meeting as Elder and Pastoral Friend respectively.

The focus throughout the year was on supporting the viability of Area Meeting especially ensuring that any way forward supports and maintains the spiritual life of our Meetings. We were saddened to hear that Colthouse had taken the difficult decision to reduce the frequency of Meeting for Worship to fortnightly but understand the pressure our smaller Meetings are under. Support continued however to the Private Meeting for Worship at Gatesbield, and a meeting with Tenants confirmed that they are content with this arrangement.

Two events stand out from the year.

The first, a Meeting for Worship to solemnise the Marriage of Bex Gerrard and Jon Martin was held at Rookhow on 20[th] October. We were grateful for the offices of

Page 7 of 22 pages

our Registering Officer, Suan Marston and to Rookhow’s Elder, Helen Bailey, and Kathy Chandler, Elder from neighbouring Bailrigg Meeting, who shared the responsibility for upholding the Meeting. It was a joyful day attended by many people for whom this was their first Meeting for Worship.

The second was a workshop led by Rupert Read from the Climate Majority Project held at Swarthmoor Hall. This was well attended by Friends and local climate activists and was a challenging and stimulating event which empowered attendees to think in what ways they can adapt to the pending Climate Crisis. Especial thanks go to Shona Cameron and Gill Lowden who organised this event.

Elders and Pastoral Care Team Report for Swarthmoor Local Meeting

At Swarthmoor Local Meeting, we adopted the following aims for the year and now record how we addressed each one.

1 To encourage spiritual growth and right ordering of Meeting for Worship:

Every 2[nd] Sunday of the month, after Meeting for Worship, we held a discussion group on a variety of relevant topics. This was effective in getting to know each other, though we would appreciate more Friends attending.

We have trialled and eventually established the practice of having “shared ministry” every 3[rd] Sunday. A text is read at 11am. At 11.30 we finish the more “formal” part of Meeting and, having reiterated the “protocol” of giving ministry, we invite Friends to speak about the text they have heard. We have been delighted at the response. Friends who rarely speak normally, seem happy to stand and share their thoughts. We hope that this will give Friends confidence to speak in Meeting more often in future.

We continued to provide Elders for Area Meeting to be an upholding presence during business meetings.

2 To promote a sense of community and welcome enquirers:

We held a shared lunch on the last Sunday of the month after Meeting for Worship.

We made closer links with Swarthmoor Hall, who invited us to have a stall to promote our Local Meeting at their Christmas Craft Fair. We appreciated the opportunity to raise our profile locally and anticipate being able to participate in other events there in the future.

We opened our Burial Grounds and gardens again as part of the Ulverston in Bloom initiative. This proved to be a successful way of getting to know local people through the common interest of gardening. Many had never been to the Meeting House before. We also worked with a local herbalist who is helping us to establish a herb garden which she and local Friends will be able to use. The herbalist ran a course of classes for children at the Meeting House which was well attended.

In June 2024 we held a collection for Barrow and Lancaster refugee groups. We were very pleased that AM Friends and local people contributed. We collected over 600 items in the 400[th] anniversary year of George Fox’s birth. These were underwear and stationery items as requested by the groups who care for the refugees (Furness Refugee Group and Lancaster Friends).

Page 8 of 22 pages

We held a Summer Gathering and invited all AM Friends to join us. We enjoyed games, songs and afternoon tea together.

We held our 6 Readings and 6 Carols event in December 2024 (open to all AM Friends), where we remembered all our AM Friends through the carols or readings they had requested, as well as Friends who can no longer be with us due to health or other problems.

Some Friends continue to support the work done by Rookhow to promote Quakerism, to manage a rare and biodiverse woodland and to provide a retreat programme for underprivileged groups.

Two of our members continue to nurture the spiritual outreach of Swarthmoor Hall by providing a supportive presence and Eldership there.

We are grateful to have Friends who have continued to liaise with the residents of 4 Rakehead Cottages, which is currently managed by the Fairoak Housing Trust.

3 To care for absent Friends or Friends with problems who might be at risk:

As a group we regularly discussed the needs of local Friends and sent cards or visited Friends when appropriate.

We have been aware of the demands of safeguarding and hope that we have been vigilant on that score.

4 To provide opportunities for education:

On 6[th] July 2024 a talk on the life of George Fox was given by Geoffrey Durham of Cambridge, Jesus Lane Meeting. This was held at Barrow Library and organised with the support of Susan Benson, Head of Barrow Archives. All 60 places were taken, two thirds by non-Quakers. We were pleased with the Outreach opportunity. We found that people were very interested from an historical point of view but we didn’t notice any increase in attendance at Meeting.

From July to September, Barrow Library also hosted a display of 6 A4 panels. Again, we were supported by the archivist there and we were pleased that at least our profile and those of our AM sites and buildings, (including Gatesbield, Glenthorne, Swarthmoor Hall and The Quaker Tapestry at Kendal) have been raised locally.

On 19[th] October 2024 A Talk on Climate Change was hosted for Friends and the general public at Swarthmoor Hall. This was given by Rupert Read and was well attended. Again, it was a good way of raising our profile and it is encouraging that some Friends continue to engage with other local groups to pursue this important concern.

5 To aim for effective communication and transparency:

We have tried to be mindful of the challenges of ensuring inclusivity and clear lines of communication both within our various Local Meeting committees and through our dealings with our Area Meeting.

Page 9 of 22 pages

Reports from Local Meetings

Cartmel Local Meeting

The situation at Cartmel saw few changes during 2024. We continued to manage with two Friends covering most of the rôles (co-clerks, treasurer, and attending the Elders and Pastoral Care Team meetings when possible). Meeting for Worship continued to take place twice monthly on the first and third Sundays, which was a measure introduced in early 2023 when the numbers attending our weekly Meeting for Worship went down to one or two. Numbers in 2024 were usually between three and eight, this being a little higher than the previous year. Those attending included visitors during summer and also some new regular attenders.

Cartmel’s half-hour Time for Peace, which took place monthly on Friday mornings, was always well attended, with around 10-20 participants each week. Some of these were Friends from our Area, but many were from local churches or were individuals in Grange-over-Sands, so these Meetings had an element of outreach.

The other regular users of the Meeting House were Foodshare projects who distribute unsold supermarket goods to local people every Monday and during school holidays. These continued to be well used and the arrangement worked smoothly.

We continue to keep a photographic record of cracks in the Meeting House to determine whether there has been any movement since the remedial work that was conducted several years ago following problems with waterlogged ground outside. The temperature and humidity in each room of the building is also continuously recorded and two Friends have contributed a dehumidifier, which should help control humidity in future. Maintenance of the Meeting House has also been helped by having a weekly cleaner.

Colthouse Local Meeting

Colthouse Local Meeting is a small community of Friends and out of necessity we share the tasks to look after each other and the Meeting House. This brings both joys and challenges. We hold Meeting for Worship on the 2[nd] and 4[th] Sundays in every month - the move to fortnightly from weekly Meetings began in 2024 and it is working well for us. It has enabled us to join worship at Swarthmoor and Cartmel Local Meetings from time to time and has strengthened bonds of friendship between Friends in our Area Meeting as together we seek the truth.

Towards the end of the year, the community considered our future and whether it might be time to sell some of the property we own to lighten our burden, and perhaps even close our Meeting House. We take seriously the responsibility for stewardship of our Meeting House and property which has been cared for by previous generations of Friends. We also know our meeting has a particular ministry of outreach through welcoming visitors - local, national and international - which includes connections with local schools, Glenthorne, pilgrims and Friends visiting the area. However, we acknowledged that the collective time we can currently give is not sufficient to meet these demands on us and is adversely affecting the spiritual health of our Meeting.

Some of us came to the heavy-hearted conclusion that it may be time to lay down the Meeting. Others felt we should try further attempts at outreach so that others

Page 10 of 22 pages

might know we are here. We understand this is a challenge and will require some of us to do more. We decided to renew efforts to build our community over the next one to two years.

'Have faith in God' Jesus answered. 'Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, "Be taken up and thrown into the sea", and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you.' (Mark 11: 22-23)

Swarthmoor Local Meeting

Meeting for Worship Our Meeting for Worship continued throughout the year on Wednesday and Sunday mornings. Numbers attending Meeting for Worship remained steady with from 3 to 8 on Wednesday and 10 to 30, including visitors, on Sunday. There was a short Meeting for Worship on Christmas Day attended by two Friends.

Discussion Groups after Meeting for Worship were held on the second Sunday of each month the year and were well attended and enjoyed by those present. It was felt that the discussions helped us “get to know each other” in the things that are eternal.

On the third Sunday of the month we finished our silent worship 15 minutes early and had shared worship on a pre-planned text for the remaining 15 minutes. This has produced a better knowledge of each other’s spiritual understanding from oral contributions. It was also hoped that the different voices would encourage Friends to consider ministering in future.

A Shared Lunch after Meeting for Worship was held on the fourth Sunday of each month. We continue to find them enjoyable and, like the discussions on second Sundays, the lunches help us all with ‘getting to know each other’ and strengthening our sense of community.

Meetings for Church Affairs These were called in preparation for Area Meetings, but also in addition to help us keep up with our Local Business as and when we felt them necessary.

Elders and Pastoral Care Team The Elders and Pastoral Care Team continues to support the spiritual growth, as well as upholding the social care, within the Meeting.

A summer gathering, held indoors, was well supported and enjoyed by all. On the 15[th] December 24, as a Christmas celebration, carols were sung and readings were read after a shortened Meeting for Worship.

Property Committee The Property Committee was active during the year, continuing the work on the Quinquennial Report, and other works to make the buildings fit for purpose.

Several minor works were carried out on the three Rakehead Cottages, improving them for the comfort of the tenants.

Oversight of the maintenance and continued improvement of the Friendship Gardens continues. The wildlife gardening is supported by volunteers and paid contractors, and contributes to our sustainability.

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A new area in the back field was prepared for spring herb planting in 2025. It will support the work of the Medicinal Herbalist who uses the Barn for her twice monthly sessions with two groups of young people. The Friendship Gardens were opened for Ulverston Open Garden weekend in June, with 124 people visiting them over the two days.

The Friendship Gardens were awarded “Level 4 Thriving” and Bronze for the Herb Garden in the 2024 “In Your Neighbourhood”, as part of Cumbria in Bloom.

The maintenance of Sunbrick Burial Ground continued, with two mowings in

spring and summer.

Lettings of the rooms continued throughout the year and brought in valuable income as well as helping the Meeting give service to, and stay connected to, our local community. Outreach Quotes from Quaker Faith and Practice are placed on the roadside notice board, and changed about every few weeks.

There were 8 groups given history tours of the Meeting House as well as an explanation of Quaker Spirituality, during the year:

As a celebration of George Fox’s 400[th] birthday Friends arranged a collection of small items to be donated to Asylum Seeker and Refugee Support Groups. Over 400 items were collected from Area Meeting and non-Friends.

Three Friends worked with Barrow Library to create a display about George Fox as another 400[th] birthday celebration. Fifty people attended the opening of the display and Geoffrey Durham spoke at this event. Over half the audience were non-Friends.

This began as a Local Meeting initiative but was adopted by AM.

The Barrow Library display was put in the Great Hall at Swarthmoor Hall for an Art and Craft Fair, over the weekend of 29[th] November 2024. Forty people visited it.

Our membership to Churches Together in Ulverston continued but the group

never met this year.

Windermere – Gatesbield Private Meeting

Friends at Gatesbield who wish to worship there on a Sunday or at any other time make their own arrangements to do so as a Private Worship Group.

The Area Meeting continues to support Friends at Gatesbield informally.

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Report on Sustainability

The Area Meeting’s photo voltaic array behind Swarthmoor Meeting House has continued to generate a substantial amount of electricity, which has been fed directly into the grid. During this year the solar panels completed their thirteenth year of electricity generation. The total electricity generated since 2012 is 113,849 kW hours. This equates to 48,955 kg CO2 saved.

As part of our achieving our aims Area Meeting subscribes to Ethical Consumer Research Association Ltd, a British not-for-profit publisher, research, political, and campaign organisation which publishes information on the social, ethical and environmental behaviour of companies and governments and issues around trade justice and ethical consumption. Members can use their website/magazine etc to make useful choices on purchases and also on campaigning for justice and equality and boycotting certain companies for their unethical practices.

Despite continued difficulties our Local Meetings see sustainability in both a spiritual sense (our work to sustain our Quaker community) and an environmental sense (our work with respect to our commitment to reduce the carbon footprint of our Meeting Houses and rented properties as much as we can). Friends also shared good practice about what we can do as individuals and changes we can make in our homes.

Rookhow

Rookhow CIO continues to play an active part of the Spiritual Life of Swarthmoor Area (SW Cumbria) Quaker Meeting, who appoint the Elder. Meetings for Worship are held on the 1[st] Wednesday of the month at 7.30 pm, and on the 1[st] and 3[rd] Fridays of the month at 12.30pm.

All three Meetings provide an opportunity for those who haven’t experienced a Meeting for Worship to do so. The spiritual highlight of the year was the solemnisation of a Quaker Marriage held in the Meeting House on the 20[th] October. We were grateful to Swarthmoor Area Meeting who agreed the Wedding could take place, Suan Marston our Registering Officer and Kathy Chandler, Elder from neighbouring Bailrigg Meeting who shared the responsibility for upholding the Meeting with Rookhow’s Elder Helen Bailey.

2024 was a busy year, seeing the culmination of a year-long project to upgrade the Bunkbarn, and the continuing success of the Retreat Away Fund and Rookhow-led activities in bringing new people to Rookhow. Thanks are due to our dedicated staff team, volunteers and supporters, our conservation building team, generous individuals and a wide range of funders, without whom none of this would have been possible.

Key successes in 2024 include:

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Report from the Area Meeting Treasurer

Accounts for 2024

The accounts for 2024 are presented in Annex 1, with the associated report from the Independent Examiner in Annex 2.

Our overall income fell slightly from £83,204 in 2023 to £81,878 in 2024, but this is within the bounds of year-to-year variations. Income derived from rental properties and from interest and investments increased, but income from voluntary donations and solar panels decreased. No Gift Aid claim was made, as the Area Meeting’s practice has usually been to claim this in alternate years.

Recurrent expenditure was lower than in the previous year, decreasing from £44,981 in 2023 to £38,670 in 2024. However, this was largely due to a refund from the electricity supplier for Swarthmoor Meeting House, which was received in 2024 but related to over-charging in 2023. Legal, accounting and investment fees increased in 2024, partly as a result of the updated terms of engagement of our self-employed Finance Manager but also due to one 2023 fee being paid in 2024.

The reduction in recurrent expenditure mitigated the reduction in income, resulting in a higher recurrent surplus: £43,208 in 2024 compared to £38,223 in 2023. The recurrent surplus adequately covered the combined allocation to the NonRecurrent Maintenance Fund (£31,200) and the Emergency Fund (£1,800). The expenditure on non-recurrent maintenance during 2024 was £17,030.

By the end of 2024, our Free Reserve was £235,432, compared to £236,022 at the end of 2023; our Non-Recurrent Maintenance Fund was £192,885, which is £68,645 short of the target level (see below); and our Emergency Reserve was £21,200, which meets our target level (see below).

Measured by our recurrent surplus and our reserve position, the Area Meeting’s finances remain sound.

Reserves and investment policies and practice

Non-Recurrent Maintenance Fund – This is a designated fund for the nonrecurrent maintenance of Area Meeting properties (excluding Rookhow, as this is maintained by Rookhow CIO). It is replenished each year by a reasonably steady

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allocation from the current budget, adjusted for inflation. When Area Meeting agreed to establish the fund, in November 2017, a suggested target level for the fund was around 5% of the capital value of the properties (i.e. £261,530 based on current estimates of replacement costs).

Emergency Fund – This is a designated fund to cover unlikely but high impact contingencies, such as litigation or loss of income in the event of fire. Our custom-andpractice is to replenish the fund each year to keep it at half of the previous year’s recurrent expenditure (net of any allocation to the Non-Recurrent Maintenance Fund and Emergency Fund).

Investment policy – Investments are managed according to an Investment Policy Statement, which includes ethical investment guidelines agreed by the Area Meeting and the level of risk to which the investments should be exposed. The statement is reviewed annually by Trustees. The investment objectives are, firstly, the production of income to supplement the Area Meeting’s incoming resources and, secondly, capital growth, with the capital within the investment portfolio ideally keeping pace with inflation over the long term. The Investment Policy Statement was last updated by Trustees in February 2024 and adopted with one amendment by the Area Meeting in September 2024.

----- Start of picture text -----
Sue Jennings ______ Date __
Karen Rouen ____ Date _____
----- End of picture text -----

Signed by the Trustees of Swarthmoor (SW Cumbria) Area Quaker Meeting

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Annex 1

Swarthmoor (South West Cumbria) Area Quaker Meeting Accounts

Year End December 2024

Page 16 of 22 pages

Swarthmoor Area Meeting- 1st Jan to 31st Dec 2024 Area Meeting Colthouse Colthouse Swarthmoor Swarthmoor Cartmel Cartmel TOTAL
All Meetings		 TOTAL
All Meetings		 Let Properties
Colthouse		 Let Properties
Colthouse		 Let Properties
Colthouse		 Let Properties
Swarthmoor		 Let Properties
Swarthmoor		 Let Properties
Swarthmoor		 TOTAL
2024		 TOTAL
2023
RECURRENT RECEIPTS
Voluntary unrestricted income
Activities for generating resources
Meeting House hirings
Sales for profit
Investment income
Interest & investment income
Let properties rental income
Income from Quaker activities
Other incoming resources (Gift Aid/Grant income)
Total recurrent receipts
RECURRENT PAYMENTS
Costs of generating income
Apportioned insurance (let properties)
Other recurrent costs (let properties)
Quaker activities
Refunds of expenses for Trustees (acting as Trustees)
Expenses on behalf of Area Meeting
Courses & conferences
Grants & rebates to individuals
Donations to BYM
Donations from recurrent income to other Quaker bodies
Donations from recurrent income to non-Quaker bodies
Apportioned insurance
Other recurrent costs
Governance costs
Legal, accounting & investment fees
Total recurrent payments
Recurrent surplus
Non recurrent maintenance
Net surplus
Rookhow Insurance - to be reimbursed		 £7,940
£9,369
£17,309
£193
£503
£1,740
£5,000
£2,620
£150
£418
£8,290
£18,915
£0		 £0
£842
£2,681
£3,523		 £3,433
£5,463
£8,896
£1,249
£4,517
£5,766
£6,528		 £825
£825
£735
£2,678
£3,412
£1,620
£7,940
£4,258
£5,463
£9,369
£0
£0
£0
£27,030
£27,030
£0
£0
£0
£193
£503
£1,740
£5,000
£2,620
£150
£2,825
£10,293
£8,290
£31,615
£31,615
-£4,586
£9,315
-£13,901		 £27,695
£27,695
£1,221
£4,609
£5,831
£21,864
£5,440
£16,424		 £27,153
£27,153
£939
£284
£1,223
£25,930
£2,275
£23,655		 £7,940
£4,258
£5,463
£9,369
£54,848
£0
£0
£81,878
£81,878
£2,161
£4,894
£0
£193
£503
£1,740
£5,000
£2,620
£150
£2,825
£10,293
£8,290
£38,670
£38,670
£43,208
£43,208
£17,030
£26,178
£26,178		 £9,854
£4,407
£7,430
£6,575
£51,712
£0
£3,227
£83,204
£2,181
£5,387
£0
£111
£211
£2,275
£4,200
£2,420
£2,500
£2,777
£16,334
£6,584
£44,981
£38,223
£19,684
£18,539
£1,168

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Free Reserve
Opening balance
Recurrent surplus
Capital receipts - non-Quaker
Capital receipts - Quaker
Capital payments - Quaker
Capital payments -Non Quaker
Purchases of investments
Sales of investments
Change in value in investments (before fee)
Transfer to NRM fund
Transfer to Emergency reserve
Closing balance
NRM Fund
Opening Balance
Transfer from Free Reserve
Capital receipts - Quaker
NRM expenditure
Closing balance
Emergency Reserve
Opening Balance
Transfer from Free Reserve
Emergency Reserve expenditures
Closing balance
TOTAL OPENING BALANCES
TOTAL CLOSING BALANCES
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
Cash funds (Cumberland current account & e-savings)
Investments (Brewin Dolphin)
Total cash assets
Meeting houses and burial grounds(all are freehold interests)
Colthouse Meeting House and burial ground
Swarthmoor Meeting House and Sunbrick burial ground
Cartmel Meeting House and burial ground
Other properties and interest in land(all are freehold interests)
George Knipe's Charity (Windy How, Windy How Cottage and Linden Cottage, Colthouse)
Rakehead Estate (Nos 1-4 Rakehead and two allotments, Swarthmoor)
Rookhow Estate
Gatesbield Estate, Windermere
Liabilities
Rent arrears owed to AM
Other recurrent costs, owed by AM		 £236,022
£43,208
£0
£0
-£28,928
£0
£0
£0
£18,129
-£31,200
-£1,800
£235,432
£178,715
£31,200
£0
-£17,030
£192,885
£19,400
£1,800
£0
£21,200
£434,137
£449,516
2024
£106,372
£343,146
£449,517
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
£0
£0
£749		 -£1
2023
£105,969
£328,169
£434,138
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
£288
£288
£0
Approved by the Trustees at their meeting on
15thApril 2025 and signed on their behalf by:
Sue Jennings ____
Date __
Karen Rouen ____
Date ______

Page 18 of 22 pages

Notes To The 2024 Accounts

  1. These accounts have been prepared on the basis of receipts to/payments from the bank and investment accounts.

  2. All support costs for the Meeting Houses have been entered under Quaker activities (insurance, and other recurrent costs (meetings)). All support costs for rented properties have similarly been entered under the costs of generating income. Formally, some of the support costs, particularly for Swarthmoor and Cartmel Local Meetings, should be apportioned as costs of generating income since Swarthmoor and Cartmel Meeting Houses generated some rental (room hire) income. However, absent any sensible basis for apportionment, this has not been done.

  3. Insurance costs have been apportioned between properties on the basis of the last valuation of buildings and contents (estimated replacement costs, updated in September 2024).

  4. Governance costs include investment fees of £3,153.

  6. Lease arrangements for properties owned by Area Meeting are as follows:

  7. Windy How, Windy How Cottage and Linden Cottage Colthouse – assured shorthold tenancies

  8. Nos 1 & 3 Rakehead – assured shorthold tenancies

  9. No. 2 Rakehead – assured periodic tenancy

  10. No. 4 Rakehead – leased to Fairoak Housing Association (Registered Society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, registration no. 28173R) for a term of 21 years expiring on 19[th] April 2041

  11. Rookhow Estate – leased to Rookhow CIO (Charity No. 1188409) for a term of 7 years, expiring on 10[th] April 2027

  12. Gatesbield Estate, Windermere – leased to Gatesbield Quaker Housing Association (Registered Society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, registration no. 22990R) for a term of 99 years, expiring on 31[st] July 2080.

  13. The Area Meeting holds no restricted funds or endowment funds that require separate administration.

Page 19 of 22 pages

Annex 2 Swarthmoor (South West Cumbria) Area Meeting Accounts Independent Examiner's Report

Page 20 of 22 pages

Charities Aet 2011. Independeni ExamTrneVs ReporL Independent Examiner's Report to the TTUStees of SwarthTll(M)r (South West Cumbria) Area Quaker Meeting for the year ending 31 . December 2024. C.C. Charity Nurn￿r 1190009. I rq)ort on the ac¢ounts of the charity which are set out on pages 17 to l 8 of this R¢FM)rt. Respective responsibilities of the trnstees and eumiDer. The charity's trustees arc resw)nsible for the preparation of the a¢counts. The charity's trnstees consider that an audit is not required for thi5 year uTrler section 144(2) of the Charitie5 Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is ne¢d¢d. It is my r¢5pon5ibility to . examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 A¢ follow the pr<Kedures laid down ID the general Dlrections givffl by the Charity Commi&sioner under section 145 (5) (b) of the 2011 ACL and to state whether particular matters have wme to my aiiention. Basis of the indepeFddeMt examIne￿S report. My examination was Carried out in accordance with the general Direction5 given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a compaTison of the accounts presented with those records. li also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounls and seeking explanations from you &s trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evtdence that would k required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts P￿sent a 'true and falr vi¢w'. and the report is limital to those matters as set out in the slatemcnt below. Independent examiner's $tatemeDL In connection with my examinatio￿ no other matters have come to my attention: which gives me reasonable causeto belicvcthat in any material respectthe requirementto keep accounting r¢¢ords in accordanc¢ with section 130 of the 2011 ACL and to prepare acci)unts which accord with the accounting records and comply with th¢ accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met. 2. to which, in my Opinio￿ attention should ￿ drawn orderto Cnable a properundetstanding ofthe accounts to be reached. Signed. Print R¢v'd. Alan A. Clements. Fellow of the Ass4Kiation of Charity Independent ExamineTS Dth. 2￿. April 2025. Rev'd. A. A. Clements ￿ ACIB. FCIF.. 15 Carleton Roa Great Knowley, Chorley PR6 Page 2 10122 pages

Page 22 of 22 pages