CARMEL CHURCH
Charity no. 1195649 Registered 27.08.21
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING
31.12.24
The Trustees are pleased to present their report and unaudited financial statements for the year ending 31.12.24
The Trustees
The trustees who held office during the relevant year and to date are:
A Porch (resigned 16.4.25), C J Lewis, C Skraburski, S Cook (appointed 16.4.25)
Governance and History
The charity is constituted under a trust document which was adopted on the 13th July 2021 and which was amended on 1st November 2022. The organisation occupies a modest sized church building on Commercial Street in the small village of Blaenllechau, Rhondda.
There has been a church in existence on this site since the 1850’s. The charity as such has been set up by the members and deacons of the church formerly known as Carmel Forward Movement Church and later as Carmel Church, Blaenllechau.
Objectives and Activities
The object of the Church is the advancement of the Christian religion in accordance with the principles and practices of independent Baptist churches. The Church may also carry out other charitable purposes in the UK and/or other parts of the world, which are exclusively charitable according to the laws of England and Wales and as the trustees from time to time determine.
To further this objective, the charity has organised:
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weekly church services on Sundays and Wednesdays;
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regular meetings of trustees and members;
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a clothes ministry under the name of Carmel Community Clothing.
Achievements and Performance
Over the 2024 12 month period, the membership of the church has unfortunately reduced as has the number of persons attending Sunday services.
Our Sunday morning service continues to be held in Treforest Community Centre and we can facilitate attendees to worship with us online via Zoom should they prefer to do so.
In the absence of a full or part time minister, the Trustees have been assisted by having Sunday services led by visiting ministers recommended by the South Wales Baptist Association and by the Association of Evangelical Churches in Wales.
Guidance upon practical and legal issues has been received from the South Wales and National Baptist Associations.
Bible Studies and prayer meetings have been held on Wednesday evenings both online and at members’ homes.
Carmel Community Clothing is an outreach of the church aimed at providing good quality clothes to individuals and families who are in need. We receive regular donations of second hand clothes from the public and this stock is supplemented by us purchasing brand new clothes, particularly items of underwear, as and when needed. During this year, our clothing outreach, Carmel Community Clothing saw a significant number of clients needing clothes. In particular, this year we delivered a total of 7801 items of clothing to 611 clients throughout Rhondda Cynon Taf and beyond. This equates to a saving of over 9.5 metric tons of clothes that may have otherwise gone into landfill. We have been pleased during the year to work alongside Women’s Aid RCT, Pobl, Resilient Families, Trivallis, the Royal Glamorgan Hospital and many more organisations in order to help to ease the suffering caused by clothing poverty. The Carmel Church building continues to be the Carmel Community Clothing workplace. The preparation of the bundles of clothes and their delivery to clients is carried out by a small number of unpaid volunteers.
During 2024, the volunteers were able to raise funds for the clothes work by recycling clothes (£655), via grants (£10958) and through gifts (£620). The work was also assisted by the gift of thousands of clothes hangers by a shop that had closed down. The balance of the cost of providing the clothes work was met out of church funds.
In September 2024 we were asked to explain the nature of our clothes charity work at a meeting organized by the Local Authority Interlink for community and volunteer groups held at Tylorstown Sports Centre.
During the year, the trustees have monitored the performance of the church with respect to health and safety, safeguarding and other legal obligations.
Financial Review
The accounts for the year to 31st December 2024 show a small £636 surplus as opposed to a surplus of £11103 in 2022. This reduction was expected because of the reduction in members and attendees and the corresponding reduction in monetary donations. The view of the Trustees continues to be that the Church is unable on present income to employ a minister, official or any employees on a remunerated basis.
Risks
The trustees continue to regularly monitor the finances of the church and recognise the need to ensure that overall spending should be minimized so that reserve funds need not be utilized unless absolutely necessary. In terms of the trustees policy on reserves, it is felt that it is reasonable and necessary to retain the balance in the deposit account, circa £32000 because of the significant potential costs of repairs and to maintain statutory compliance in respect of the building which houses the clothes work.
Signed C Lewis (on behalf of the Trustees)
Dated 20th August 2025
Registered number CE026549 Carmel Church Accounts 31 December 2024
Carmel Church Profit ai)d Loss Account for the year ended 31 Decomber 2024 Total Unrèstricted Total Unr06tricted 2024 2023 Turnover 20.281 25,821 Cost of raw materials and consumables 12.0901 13,7301 Gross prol(t 18.191 22.091 Staff costs Depreci31ion and other amounts written off assets Other charges 13.9121 1901 19.7701 113.5621 Profit before taxation 636 11.103 Surplus 636 11,103
Carmel Church Registered number.. Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2024 CE026549 2024 2023 Fix8d assets 40,427 40,507 Current assets 45.443 44,795 Prepayments and accrued income 403 45.846 44.79S Creditors." amounts falling due within one yesr Net ¢urrenl assets 30S 45.846 86.273 45,100 8S,607 13681 85.241 Totsi assets less current liabilities Accru31s and deferred income 13961 85.877 Net assets Funds of the charlty 85,877 85.241 The company is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and incorporated in England & Vvales. Ils registered office is 31 Lan Park Road. Ponlypridd. CF37 2DH. Mr. C. Lewis Member Approved by the board on I S May 2025
Carmel Church Detailed profit and loss account items for the year &nded 31 December 2024 2024 2023 Salès Oon81ions from members and friends Clothes bank Grant received HMRC charities lax refund Interest receivable 5.320 1,276 10.958 2,240 487 10.860 7,905 1.640 305 20,281 25,821 Cost of raw materia15 and consumables Cloihing 2.090 3.730 Staff ¢osts Visiting tninisters fee Travel and subsistence C8rfflel Clolhing Volunteers Expenses 2,545 1.367 80 363 685 3.912 1,128 Depreciation and other amount$ written off a$$et$ Depiecialion 81 90 Other charges Premises Costs.. Rates light and heat 357 1921 265 356 1.187 1,543 General adminislratlve expensès.. Telephone 8nd iniernel Slaiionery and printing Subscriptions Insurance Equiptnent expensed Software Website Repairs and m8inlenanc8 Sundry expense5 138 325 393 811 635 60 276 8.690 340 11,668 145 1.434 746 24 375 735 431 3,890 Legal and prof8ssional costs.. Account8ncy fees Other legal and professional 426 323 749 372 372 Other Other direci costs Venue Hire Foodbank donations 2,640 480 880 880 3,965 13.562 9.770