## **The Friends of St Bartholomew’s Church, Orford** ## **Annual General Meeting 2023 and** ## **Financial Statements 2021-2022** The 1st Annual General Meeting of the Friends of St. Bartholomew’s Church, Orford will be held on Thursday 13[th] April 2023 at 6.00pm at St. Bartholomew’s Church, Orford The Friends of St. Bartholomew’s Church, Orford. Charity Registration Number: 1194884. Registered address: 3 Quay Street, Orford, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 2NU Email: stbartholomewsfriends@gmail.com Website: stbartholomewsfriends.org **Foreword by the Chair of Trustees** 1 I am pleased to introduce the first Annual Report and Financial Statements of The Friends of St. Bartholomew’s Church, Orford. Following recognition that the ever-growing need to raise funds to maintain churches applies as much to St. Bartholomew’s as to churches nation-wide, a group of local people conceived the idea of forming a charity to help meet this need for Orford’s beautiful church. After defining the purposes that the charity would serve and determining the best structural and constitutional options for its operation, the group applied to the Charity Commission for status as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. This was granted, and the CIO was registered by the Charity Commission on 22[nd] June 2021. The formal Objects of the Charity are: _“… the maintenance, repair, restoration, and preservation of the church of St. Bartholomew’s Orford, its monuments, fixtures, fittings, ornaments, organs, other chattels and its churchyard for the benefit of the public.”_ In fulfilling this remit, the Trustees of the Charity place emphasis on public benefit, i.e., on projects to enhance St Bartholomew’s use as an asset for the whole community. This is because the church has an active role in the Orford community, for instance hosting concerts, drama and dance performances, lectures, bazaars and country markets. It also hosts public events for other organisations including charities, attracts visitors from far and wide and is open to anyone for tranquil reflection. In the time since June 2021, we have worked to publicise and promote the Charity, establish a growing list of Friends, and hold a variety of activities and events to raise charitable funds. We raised sufficient funds in our first twelve months to make our first grant for St. Bartholomew’s to part fund a new heating system. I would like to thank my fellow Trustees for all their help and hard work since the Charity was established. I would also like to thank those who have become Friends, those who have made generous gifts to the Charity and those who have supported our events. We are grateful to everyone who has helped us ‘get off the ground’ through giving their time and expertise to make our activities possible. ## Richard Murley 2 **Notice of Annual General Meeting** ## **Notice is hereby given that the 1[st] Annual General Meeting (AGM) of The Friends of St. Bartholomew’s Church, Orford will be held on** ## **Thursday 13[th] April 2023** ## **at 6.00pm in St Bartholomew’s Church, Orford** ## **Agenda** 1. Welcome address by the Chair of Trustees 2. Apologies for absence 3. Trustees’ Report for the period June 2021 to September 2022 4. Financial Statements of the charity for the period June 2021 to September 2022 5. Election of Trustees* Under the Constitution of the Charity, the founding Trustees are required to retire at the first AGM and are eligible for re-election, if they are willing to continue to serve. At every subsequent AGM, one third of the elected Trustees retire from office. Five out of five of the elected Trustees have confirmed that they are willing to continue to serve and therefore stand for election at this 1[st] AGM: Frances Barnwell Fiona Gerard Laura Gillespie Richard Murley Elizabeth Pritchett 6. Any other business *We welcome applications from people who would be interested in becoming Trustees of the Charity. In particular, we seek a Trustee who would act as 3 Treasurer and also be willing to help, as all Trustees do, in the practical organisation and laying on events. Those interested should contact the Secretary, Sally Walton, in the first instance please. ## **Report of the Trustees and Unaudited Financial Statements for the period 22[nd] June 2021 to 30[th] September 2022** ## **1. Reference and administration details** The Friends of St. Bartholomew’s Church, Orford 3 Quay Street, Orford, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 2NU Charity Registration No. 1194884 ## **2. Charity Trustees** The Charity Trustees during the period of this Report were: Frances Barnwell, Fiona Gerard, Laura Gillespie, Richard Murley (Chair of Trustees), Elizabeth Pritchett _Ex officio_ : The Vicar for the time being of St Bartholomew’s Church, being The Revd. Giles Tulk. _Ex officio_ : The Secretary for the time being of St Bartholomew’s Church, being Caroline Gill. One Trustee nominated by the Parochial Church Council, being Sally Walton. ## **3. Structure, governance and management** The Friends of St. Bartholomew’s Church, Orford (“the Charity”) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation founded on 22[nd] June 2021, the date of its registration by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The Charity is governed by its Constitution. A committee formed of the Trustees exercises the powers of, and manages the affairs of, the Charity. They meet at least four times a year. There are an agenda and minutes for all meetings. The Constitution provides for three to seven elected Trustees, the Vicar for the time being of St. Bartholomew’s Church ex officio, the Secretary for the time being of St. Bartholomew’s Church ex officio, and one Trustee nominated by the Parochial Church Council (“PCC”). Trustees are elected at the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) of the Members of the Charity in accordance with Clause 13 of the Constitution. At the first such AGM, the elected Trustees shall retire from office and are eligible to stand for re-election. At every subsequent AGM, one third of the 4 elected Trustees shall retire from office, those to retire being those who have been longest in office since their last appointment or reappointment. Elected Trustees are recruited through advertisements in local free-ofcharge community magazines delivered by their publishers to every household in Orford and five other local villages. ## **4. Objects** The Objects of the Charity are to maintain, repair, restore, and preserve the church of St. Bartholomew’s Church, Orford, its monuments, fixtures, fittings, ornaments, organs, other chattels and its churchyard for the benefit of the public. 5 ## **5. Activities and Performance** Under the Constitution, the Charity has the power to undertake any activities which are calculated to further the Objects or would be conducive or incidental to doing so. In the Charity’s formative period, June 2021 to September 2022, the Trustees’ priorities have been to make the charity known in Orford and beyond, recruit Members, organise events to raise funds, and, given sufficient income, to begin providing funding support for St. Bartholomew’s Church within the Objects. To these ends, the activities below have been carried out. ## a. Publicity and promotion A promotional leaflet that served the dual purpose of raising awareness of the Charity and acting as a membership application form was produced and made available in print and online. The leaflet was widely distributed to local households, and made available in church and at events that the Charity held. In addition, the Trustees had a promotional stall to raise awareness of the Charity at the Orford, Gedgrave and Sudbourne Flower Show and Fête in August 2021. A dedicated website for the Charity was designed and launched in 2022. It was regularly updated, and linked to the church’s entry in the A Church Near You website. b. Membership Membership of the Charity is open to anyone who is interested in furthering its purposes. Members may be individuals or corporate bodies. The Trustees established that the application form in the promotional leaflet would be the mechanism for applying for Membership. Those who become Members are known as Friends. The leaflet and website make clear that people are welcome to become Friends wherever they live, and regardless of religious belief if any and whatever aspect of St Bartholomew’s they are interested in. Friends are asked to give an annual subscription of any amount they wish. By 30[th] September 2022, 40 individuals or couples had joined as Friends. ## c. Raising funds The Trustees considered that, in its formative period, fundraising was a high priority in order to generate income that would enable the Charity to begin to fulfil the Objects. The Trustees judged that membership subscriptions and holding events were the main ways in which the Charity was most likely to be able to raise funds initially. Additional funds were received through generous donations from individuals and a legacy. Events were open to anyone as a way of raising awareness of the Charity and recruiting new Friends, and were well-supported by Friends and other 6 guests. The Trustees are grateful to the volunteers who helped with the events, which are listed below. _August 2021,_ Summer evening garden at the Great House, Orford, with supper and music. _August 2021_ , Refreshment stall at the Teddy Bear Parachute Jump organised by the Rev. Giles Tulk in the churchyard. _November 2021_ , Crocus planting – local people purchased crocus bulbs in aid of the Charity and planted them in the churchyard. _November 2021_ , Stalls selling second hand kitchen equipment and refreshments at Orford’s annual Bazaar in the church. _February 2022,_ Quiz Evening with a hot supper and raffle in the Town Hall. _June 2022,_ Orford Open Gardens d. Projects and grants The Trustees recognised that, because the PCC is responsible for the church and its assets, it is the most likely recipient of funds from the Charity for projects within the Objects. The Trustees place emphasis on public benefit, i.e., on projects to enhance St Bartholomew’s use as an asset for the whole community. This is because the church regularly hosts events for local and wider communities, attracts visitors from near and far, and is open to anyone for tranquil reflection. The Trustees adopted a Grants Policy. This established that the Charity would make grants for projects at up to 50% of the total project cost where the cost is over £500, and up to 100% for projects less than this amount. Dialogue was initiated with the PCC on potential projects and priorities. Given income in the first 12 months, the Trustees were able to approve the Charity’s first grant to the PCC, a contribution of £12,000 towards the cost of a new chandelier-style combined electrical heating and lighting system in the church. The project was commissioned by the PCC, which supplied the balance of funding alongside an individual gift. The new system updates the previous dependency on oil and offers a more efficient means of heating the church that will be of benefit for community and public events, especially in winter. The work is largely completed with final certification from the Diocese awaited. In collaboration with the PCC, the Trustees initiated a project to improve information about the church for the education and enjoyment of the steady stream of visitors it receives as it is open daily. By the end of 2022, new laminated explanatory guides were made available in church to help people understand and appreciate St. Bartholomew’s history, features and artefacts. The project, which had no cost to September 2022, will continue in the year from 1[st] October 2022. ## **6. Financial review** 7 The Charity’s financial year was established as 1st October to 30[th] September. In this Report, the Trustees set out financial statements combined for the Charity’s initial part-year, 21st June to 30th September 2021, and the first full year, 1st October 2021 to 30th September 2022. A bank account was opened in 2021 at the Unity Trust Bank (online only) with the Secretary named as the account holder on behalf of the Charity. . The Charity’s main sources of income were membership subscriptions, individual donations, a legacy and income from events. All income was unrestricted. There were no income or contracts from central Government, local authorities or sources outside the UK. No debts were incurred. The Charity has no trading subsidiaries or staff. All activities were carried out by the Trustees and volunteers. The Trustees receive no remuneration or other payment from the Charity. A reserves policy was adopted that enables the Charity to hold reserves from unrestricted funds for the following purposes: - i. To be able to provide funding to the PCC for unexpected purposes within the Objects. - ii. To be able to provide funding for pilot projects, or as “seed funding” to enable an activity to commence. - iii. By exception, to cover planned commitments that unexpectedly cannot be met by annual income, e.g., where the Trustees have committed to support a project but insufficient funds are raised to meet the commitment. - iv. By exception, to fund short-term deficits in the cash budget, e.g., money may need to be spent before a funding grant is received. A target reserve amount was not established given that financial performance and activities were difficult to predict in the formative period of this Report. However, the Trustees anticipated growing a reserve yearon-year. An independent examination of the accounts is not required because the Charity’s income falls below the statutory financial threshold for examination. ## **7. Declaration** The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ Report above. Signed on behalf of the Trustees: Signature: 8 Full name: Richard Andrew Murley Position: Chair of Trustees Signature: Full name: Sally Walton Position: Secretary Date: 24[th] March 2023 9 **The Friends of St. Bartholomew’s Church, Orford** **Receipts & payments account for the period 21[st] June 2021 to 30[th] September 2022** ||**to 30th September 2022**|**to 30th September 2022**|**to 30th September 2022**|| |---|---|---|---|---| |**Receipts**|**Unrestricted, £ Restricted, £**|||**Total, £**| |Events||7,699|0|| |7,699||||| |Donations & Subscriptions||11,398|0|| |11,398||||| |Legacies|5,000||0|5,000| |**Total receipts**||**24,097**|**0**|| |**24,097**||||| |**Payments**||||| |Events||2,056|0|| |2,056||||| |Bank charges||85|0|| |85||||| |Website|101||0|101| |Grants||12,000|0|| |12,000||||| |Other payments|248||0|248| |**Total payments**|**14,507**||**0**|**14,507**| |**Net receipts/(payments)**||**9,589**|**0**|| |**9,589**||||| **Bank and cash at the start of the period 21[st] June 2021 £0 Bank and cash at the end of the period 30[th] September 2022 £9,589** **Statement of assets and liabilities at 30[th] September 2022** ||**£ unrestricted**| |---|---| |**Cash assets**|| |Current bank account|9,589| |Petty cash|0| |**Total cash assets**|**9,589**| |**Other assets**|| |Sum-up machine|118| |**Total other assets**|**118**| |**Liabilities**|**0**| These financial statements are accepted on behalf of the Charity on 24[th] March 2023 by: 10 |Signature:||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Full name:|Richard Andrew Murley|Position:|Chair|of| |Trustees||||| |Signature:||||| |Full name:|Sally Walton|Position:||| |Secretary||||| 11