## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period**
**From 1[st] September 2024 Period start date to 31[st] August 2025 Period end date Charity name: Layton Methodist Church**
**Charity registration number: 1194986**
## **Objectives and Activities**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|The purposes of the Methodist Church are
and shall be deemed to have been since the
date of union the advancement of: a) the
Christian Faith in accordance with the
doctrinal standards and the discipline of the
Methodist Church
b) any charitable purpose for the time being
of any Connexional, district, circuit, local or
other organisation of the Methodist Church.
c) any charitable purpose for the time being
of any society or institution of ancillary to the
Methodist Church
d) any purpose for the time being of any
charity being a charity subsidiary or ancillary
to the Methodist Church
* in addition to the above our charity has
formed the Forward Project a constituted
group in the name of the church for its sole
purpose of supporting the community.|
|Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or services
identified in the accounts.|Para 1.17 and
1.19|The church delivers regular worship through
weekly services, Bible study, Sunday Club
and fellowship meetings. Pastoral care
remains central, supporting individuals in
homes, hospitals and hospices, helping
people stay connected and supported. The
church also hosts uniformed organisations,
including the Guiding Association, engaging
younger members of the community.
Through the Forward Project, the charity
operates as a community hub, bringing
together local support and partnerships.
Activities include drop-in coffee mornings, a
parent and toddler group, and use of the|
|||building by organisations delivering health,
wellbeing and skills support.
In response to the cost-of-living crisis,
provision includes a Warm Hub, free
breakfast and lunch, cookery sessions and a
surplus food initiative, helping families
access affordable food and reduce waste. IT
sessions support digital inclusion, and the
Layton Larder will launch next period.
Together, these activities reduce isolation,
address poverty and strengthen community
resilience.|
|---|---|---|
|Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|The objectives of the Trustees are to reflect
both their faith and community aims and that
the church building is open to all and all
areas are easily accessible. These
objectives are regularly reviewed by the
Trustees to ensure that they continue to
reflect these aims. In carrying out these
reviews, the trustees have considered the
Charity Commission’s general guidance on
public benefit, in particular, its
supplementary public guidance on the
advancement of religion for public benefit.|
## **Additional information (optional)**
## You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
SORP reference No grants are made or pursued so no policy is necessary Para 1.38 Policy on grant making No investments are made or pursued so no policy is necessary. Para 1.38 Policy on social investment including program related investment The church follows the Safer Recruitment guidelines issued by the Methodist Church and all volunteers comply with DBS and Para 1.38 Safeguarding regulations and training. Contribution made by volunteers Their support is greatly appreciated to enable the mission work of the church to continue. Other
## **Achievements and Performance**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|Our charity has continued to strengthen its
impact in addressing poverty and improving
the health, wellbeing and social
connectedness of local residents.
Established provision, including our Warm
Hub activity, social groups, and practical
support such as cookery and IT/digital skills
sessions, has helped individuals reduce
isolation, build confidence, and better
manage the cost of living.
A key development has been the creation of
the Oasis community café and coffee
lounge, providing an affordable, welcoming
space where individuals can access support
and feel a sense of belonging.
The charity has also championed
partnership working to tackle poverty,
increasing access to support, training and
opportunities for residents.
Overall, the charity’s work has delivered
clear public benefit by reducing the impact of
poverty and improving access to support and
wellbeing.|
## **Additional information (optional)**
## You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
Our charity has continued to strengthen its role as a community hub, delivering a wide range of activities that reduce isolation, improve wellbeing, and build local resilience. Achievements against objectives set Para 1.41 Our Oasis Community Cafe provides a consistent daytime offer, creating a welcoming space where people can socialise, access informal support, and feel part of the community. This is complemented by activities in the main space, including craft sessions and social groups, encouraging participation and connection. A varied programme of support is delivered, including Warm Hub provision, Knit & Natter, seasonal community events, health and wellbeing sessions, digital inclusion support, and practical learning opportunities. The
|||space operates as an inclusive, community-
focused environment, responsive to local
need.
The Forward Centre operates as a flexible
education and skills hub, supporting training,
digital skills sessions, cookery courses, and
family-based learning, helping to build
confidence, skills and independence.
Food support remains a key priority. The
weekly Surplus Food provision and the Big
Food Truck provide access to affordable
food while reducing waste, alongside
volunteering opportunities that strengthen
community capacity. The Layton Larder has
been introduced as part of this offer, in
August 2024 providing low-cost, practical
food solutions for local families.
Overall, activity has been aligned to this
framework, with a clear focus on early
intervention, partnership delivery, and
improving outcomes for residents.|
|---|---|---|
|Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41|The church’s charity status enables further
grants to be applied for to enable the work
on the vision of the Forward Project to
continue alongside the church’s mission in
the community.|
|Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41|**N/A**|
|Other||**N/A**|
## **Financial Review**
|**Financial Review**|||
|---|---|---|
|Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|Our charity remains in a sound financial
position. Income has increased during the
period, driven by continued giving and
donations from Church members, alongside
contributions from external organisations.
Our charity relies on a combination of grants,
fundraising activity and external income to
sustain and develop its services. Grant
applications are therefore actively pursued to
support the ongoing vision and delivery of
both the church and its Forward Project.|
|Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|The church reserves policy is to hold enough
funds to meet three months expenses. This
sum is held in a separate account, to be
accessed only in the instance of existing
funds failing to meet the outgoings.|
|Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|£10566|
|Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|N/A|
|Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|N/A|
|Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|The charity is reliant on continued giving
from Church members, donations from
individuals and businesses within the
community, and the successful securing of
grant funding. While this creates some
uncertainty, the charity actively manages this
through ongoing fundraising activity, strong
community support, and a proactive
approach to identifying and applying for
funding opportunities.|
## **Additional information (optional)**
## You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|Para 1.47|The church’s principal sources of income for
the church are regular giving from members,
primarily through standing orders, together
with weekly donations. Gift Aid is claimed
where applicable to increase the value of
these contributions and support the ongoing
ministry and operations of the church.
The Forward Project is supported primarily
through grant funding from external bodies,
alongside fundraising activities and
donations from the wider community. These
funds are used to deliver and develop its
community programmes and services of our
whole charity.|
|---|---|---|
|Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|N/A|
|A description of the principal
risks facing the charity.|Para 1.46|The charity’s principal risk is that income
from member donations and available
financial reserves may not be sufficient to
meet and sustain its ongoing financial
commitments.
Additional risks include reliance on
successful grant funding and fundraising
activity, particularly in supporting the delivery
of community initiatives such as the Forward
Project, where demand for services
continues to grow alongside wider economic
pressures.|
|Other|||
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
|Description of charity’s
trusts:||Charitable Trust|
|---|---|---|
|Type of governing document|Para 1.25|Trust Deed|
|How is the charity
constituted?|Para 1.25|Unincorporated|
||Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|Appointed by proposals made and agreed at
Church Council Meetings.|
|---|---|---|---|
|**Additional information (optional)**|**Additional information (optional)**||
|---|---|---|
|You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:|||
|||To ensure that new trustees are made aware|
|||of their responsibilities under the Charities|
|||Act they are made familiar with the charity’s|
|Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction and
training of trustees|Para 1.51|Deed of Trust and the Charity’s aims and
Charity Commission publications/
notifications are issued to each trustee as
received.|
|||The church works under the organisational|
|||structure of the Methodist Church.|
|The charity’s organisational|||
|structure and any wider||Under our Forward Project the church also|
|network with which the|Para 1.51|works with other partnerships, local and|
|charity works||national.|
|**Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:|**Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:|**Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:|
|---|---|---|
|Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction and
training of trustees|Para 1.51|To ensure that new trustees are made aware
of their responsibilities under the Charities
Act they are made familiar with the charity’s
Deed of Trust and the Charity’s aims and
Charity Commission publications/
notifications are issued to each trustee as
received.|
|The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51|The church works under the organisational
structure of the Methodist Church.
Under our Forward Project the church also
works with other partnerships, local and
national.|
|Relationship with any related
parties|Para 1.51|The church has good relationships at Circuit,
District and Connexion levels and local
churches of different denominations within
the community.|
|Other||The trustees are responsible for the general
control and management of the charity.
Trustees meet twice or three times per year
and are responsible for decisions related to
the charity’s day by day activities and are
appointed at the Church Annual General
Meeting. The church religious activities are
delegated to the Church Stewards.
During the year, one trustee was paid
£2,700 (DH) for delivering craft sessions to
our service users. She was selected due to
her relevant skills and experience, and to
meet a need at the time. This was payment
for services, not for acting as a trustee, and
the conflict of interest was declared and
managed appropriately.|
## **Reference and Administrative details**
|Charity name|Layton Methodist Church|
|---|---|
|Other name the charity uses|Laton Methodist Forward Project
Was previously known as Salem Methodist Church|
|Registered charity number|1194986|
|Charity’s principal address|Westcliffe Drive, Layton, FY3 7DZ
**But**contact person is Sandie Waddington
59 Patterdale Avenue, Blackpool FY3 9QR|
|||
## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
|1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year**|**Name of person (or**
**body) entitled to**
**appoint trustee (if any)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Marjorie Helen
Jepson|Trustee||Layton Methodist
Church Council|
||David Roger Leach|Trustee - Secretary||As above|
||Margaret Ruth
Sellers|Trustee||As above|
||Elizabeth Margaret
Crook|Trustee||As above|
||James Peter Crook|Trustee||As above|
||Amelia Lesley
Walmsley|Trustee||As above
As above|
||Kathryn Ellen
Pritchard|Trustee - Treasurer|||
||Sandra Macaulay
Waddington|Trustee – Finance
and Property
Secretary||As above|
||Joanne Alice
Walmsley|Trustee||As above|
||Susan Leach|Trustee||As above|
||Mark John
Walmsley|Trustee - Finance
and PropertyChair||As above|
||Rev Andrew
Halstead|Trustee - Church
Council Chair||As above|
||Diane Halstead|Trustee||As above|
||HilaryHolden|Trustee||As above|
Corporate trustees – names of the directors at the date the report was approved
**Director name N/A**
Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity
|**Trustee name**|**Dates acted if not for whole year**||
|---|---|---|
|**N/A**|||
||||
|**Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of**||**others**|
|Description of the assets
held in this capacity|N/A||
|Name and objects of the
charity on whose behalf the
assets are held and how this
falls within the custodian
charity’s objects|N/A||
|Details of arrangements for
safe custody and
segregation of such assets
from the charity’s own assets|N/A||
## **Additional information (optional)**
## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**
|**Type of**
**adviser**
**Name**
**Address**
**N/A**
**Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)**
N/A|**Name**
**Address**|**Name**
**Address**|
|---|---|---|
||||
||||
||||
||||
## **Exemptions from disclosure**
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
**N/A**
## **Other optional information**
## **Declarations**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
|**Signature(s)**
**Full name(s)**
**Position (eg Secretary,**
**Chair, etc)**
**Date**|_A Halstead_|_D R Leach_|
|---|---|---|
||Rev Andy Halstead|David Leach|
||
Chair of Layton Methodist
ChurchCouncil|Secretary of Layton Methodist
ChurchCouncil|
||17 February 2026||
||17 February 2026||
|**Signature(s)**
**Full name(s)**
**Position (eg Secretary,**
**Chair, etc)**
**Date**|_Mark Walmsley_|_S Waddington_|
|---|---|---|
||Mark Walmsley|Sandra Waddington|
||
Chair of Forward Project
reporting to ChurchCouncil|Secretary of Forward Project
reporting to ChurchCouncil|
||17 February 2026||
||17 February 2026||
# **CHURCH (Short Form) RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS**
# **THE METHODIST CHURCH**
# **STANDARD FORM OF ACCOUNTS**
# **(SHORT FORM)**
# **LAYTON METHODIST CHURCH**
FOR THE YEAR ENDED
31 August 2025
## **District / Circuit #**
1 / 2
## **Registered Charity - Charity Registration number**
1194986
## If not a registered charity **His Majesty's Revenue and Customs Gift Aid number**
(The HMRC number is equivalent to a registered charity number in terms of evidence of charitable status and may be used to give to donors or grant funders wishing to see evidence of the organisation's charitable status. Methodist charities in England and Wales that are not registered charities are excepted from registration under Statutory Instrument 2014 No.242)
Minister: Rev Andrew Halstead Church Stewards: MRS J WALMSLEY MRS S LEACH & MR D LEACH MRS M R SELLERS MRS M JEPSON MRS J BROOKS MRS S HIND Treasurer: MRS. KATHRYN PRITCHARD
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**LAYTON METHODIST CHURCH**
**Short Form**
## **ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
This year's amount Last year's amount to the
SECTION A to the nearest £ nearest £
a1 RECEIPTS Note £ £
a2 Offerings and Tax recovered 26,800 22,120
a3 Bank and CFB interest & investment income 413 222
a4 Lettings 12,682 27,393
a5 Other receipts (includes grants of £96586 141,521 78,671
a6 [TOTAL RECEIPTS] 181,416 128,406
SECTION B
b1 PAYMENTS
b2 Circuit Assessment or Share 24,780 30,975
b3 Donations 1,196 210
b4 Repairs and Maintenance 58,657 5,713
b5 Utilities (Insurances, water charges, heating & lighting) 10,783 6,813
b6 Other payments 78,781 66,254
b7 [TOTAL PAYMENTS ] 174,197 109,965
SECTION C
c1 [ NET RECEIPTS/PAYMENTS FOR THE YEAR ] (a6 - b7) 7,219 18,441
c2 Total funds brought forward from last year 48,100 (c7) 29,659
c3 TOTAL FUNDS AT END OF YEAR 55408-89=55319 (c1 + c2) 55,319 48,100 (c7)
c4 State here the total of any other assets of the Church
c5 State here the total of any liabilities of the Church
c6 State here the insured value of the Church premises and contents
SECTION D ANALYSIS OF FUNDS
d1 Balances held at TMCP at 31 August
d2 Balances held at CFB at 31 August 10,567 6,157
d3 Bank and cash balances at 31 August 44,840 41,943
d4 TOTAL (= Box c3) 55,407 48,100
SECTION E
FOR INFORMATION ONLY: MONEY RECEIVED AND PASSED ON TO EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS
(these amounts are not to be included in total receipts/payments figures above)
Balance brought forward from last year
e1
e2 Offerings/Gifts - received for external organisations 1,541 1,465
e3 Offerings/Gifts - passed to external organisations 1,453 1,465
BALANCE STILL TO BE PAID
e4 89
**----- End of picture text -----**
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## **Name of Church**
## **LAYTON METHODIST**
## **Declarations and Scrutiny**
I confirm that these Receipt and Payment based accounts for the year to 31 August 2025 have been prepared from the records of the Church and that they include all funds under the control of the Church trustees.
**Signature of treasurer**
**Name and address of treasurer**
**MRS KATHRYN PRITCHARD** 3 ALDER GROVE POULTON-LE-FYLDE FY6 8EJ
**29th January 2026**
## **Presentation to the Church trustees**
I confirm that the annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 August 2025 were/will be* presented to the meeting of the Church trustees held on **17 February 2026**
Signature of the Chair of the meeting
Name of the Chair of the meeting: **Rev Andrew Halstead** on **17 Feberuary 2026**
## **Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of**
## **LAYTON METHODIST CHURCH**
**Charity Number …** 1194986
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the **LAYTON METHODIST CHURCH** for the year ended 31 August 2025 set out on pages **1 to 2.** As the Church’s trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the Church’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and, in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
* delete or circle as appropriate
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## **Name of Church: Layton Methodist**
## **Independent Examiner’s Statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below*) which give me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act; or
- the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
I have/have not* obtained independent verification of all investments with the Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes or held in other trusts, bank balances and funds at the Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church which are individually in excess of £10,000 (ten thousand pounds) at the balance sheet date.
Signature of independent examiner
Name of independent examiner
Mrs Katharine Davies
Relevant professional qualification of independent examiner: **Bookkeeper B.Sc in Statistics**
Name of firm (where appropriate) Not Applicable
**Address:** 8 Royal Troon Court Kirkham **Post Code:** PR4 2TF **Date :** 27th January 2026
* delete or circle as appropriate
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