THE ROMANIAN ORTHODOX PARISH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST AND ST. ALBAN
CHARITY NUMBER: 1198253
TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND UNAUDITIED ACCOUNTS 31/03/2025
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THE ROMANIAN ORTHODOX PARISH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST AND ST. ALBAN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Trustees’ Annual Report Page 3 Statement of Financial Activities Page 4 Balance Sheet Page 5 Independent Examiner’s Report Page 6 Notes to the Accounts Page 8
THE ROMANIAN ORTHODOX PARISH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST AND ST. ALBAN
Trustees’ Annual Report
The Trustees present their reports of unaudited financial statements for the year end 31[st] of March 2025.
Charity Number 1198253
Charity Address
St. Matthews Church Wenlock Street Luton LU2 0NN
Trustees
Rev Adrian (Ioan) Nazarcu Vasile Radasanu Michael Nobes
Accountant
Oana Radeanu London, UK
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TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR YEAR ENDED ON THE 31/03/2025
CHARITY’S AIMS AND PURPOSES
THE ROMANIAN ORTHODOX PARISH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST AND ST. ALBAN (the Charity, the Church) aims to build a Christian Orthodox community in Luton, Bedfordshire by promoting Orthodox teachings and providing a place of worship under the leadership of Father Ioan Nazarcu.
The Charity is also responsible for the maintenance of the St Mathew’s Church in Luton, Bedfordshire.
OBJECTIVES
The Charity is committed to enabling people to become part of our parish community through the religious services and events its organises where everyone is welcome to take part and to worship and pray, learn about Jesus and the Christian Orthodox faith and develop their knowledge and faith.
ACHIEVEMENTS
The Charity has now become well established in the local community. In the last year we have successfully welcomed more people into our church and our weekly service, which is held every Sunday from 9AM.
We organise religious services during the week, in accordance with the Christian Orthodox festivals.
The Church is generally open throughout the day and everyone is welcome to come in and pray.
The Charity also helps the members of our community that are in need. We have a number of members who are registered disabled and they benefit from the input of other members within the community in their daily activities. Also, we have people who come to us to ask for food and we run various projects in order to support them as well. Our community contributes consistently towards the needs of the Bedford Food Bank.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The leader of our Church is Rev Father Ioan (Adrian) Nazarcu.
Father Ioan is assisted by the trustees of the Church, who are Michael Nobes and Vasile Radasanu, in managing the day-to-day activities and to decide on important matters. The management team meets throughout the year, depending on the festivals of the church or other needs.
A number of volunteers are assisting the management team in running the day-to-day activities and the help during the religious services and other events organised by the Church.
There is buildings insurance in place at the premises. A Safeguarding Policy is also in place for the Charity premises. The Church is registered with the Thirtyoneeight
(www.thirtyoneeighet.org) for extra safeguarding support. A Health & Safety policy is in place as well as a Fire Safety Policy making sure that everyone stepping our doorstep are safe. DBS checks are in place. The charity is also registered with the Information Comissioner’s Office (ICO).
SIGN
Signed on: Rev Fr Ioan (Adrian) Nazarcu
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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
| Income and Expenditure Statement 24-25 £ £ Income from Donations 91,064 Expenditure Goods for Offerings 5002 Central Mission Fund 510 Parking 4,310 Telephone and Software 1,126 Legal and Professional Fees 35 Insurance 382 Subscriptions 96 Flood Relief Expenditure 2,500 Marketing Communications 513 Rent 27,755 Repairs and Maintenance 1,420 Utilities 11,053 Sundries 563 Total Expenditure 55,265 Net Income Restricted Funds £7,320 Signed on: Rev Father Ioan (Adrian) Nazarcu: 35,799 SIGN |
23-24 £ £ 74,747 12,338 2,460 35 240 1,328 22,693 191 16,249 609 |
23-24 £ £ 74,747 12,338 2,460 35 240 1,328 22,693 191 16,249 609 |
|---|---|---|
| 56,143 18,604 |
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BALANCE SHEET as of 31 March 2025
| 24 -25 |
23-24 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Current Assets | |||
| £ | £ | ||
| Cash at Bank | 137,084 | 97,417 | |
| Cash in Hand Total Assets |
0 137,084 |
3,869 101,286 |
|
| Liabilities | |||
| Creditors: Amount falling due within one year |
7,296 | 0 | |
| Total Assets Less Total liabilities |
129,788 | 101,286 | |
| Total Net Assets |
129,788 | 101,286 |
| Reserves | £ | £ |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Balance | 101,286 |
82,682 |
| Income for the Year | 35, 799 | 18,604 |
| Total Funds Carried | 129,788 | 101,286 |
| Forward |
The funds of the Charity
Total funds of £129,788
SIGN
Signed on: Rev Father Ioan (Adrian) Nazarcu
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE ROMANIAN ORTHODOX PARISH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST AND ST. ALBAN
Charity Registration Number : 1198253
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of The Romanian Orthodox Parish of St. John the Baptist and St. Alban For the Year Ended 31 March 2025
I have reviewed the financial statements of The Romanian Orthodox Parish of St. John the Baptist and St. Alban for the financial year ending 31 March 2025, which are presented below. This report is prepared exclusively for the charity’s trustees in accordance with section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 and the related regulations issued under section 154. The work undertaken was carried out solely to comply with these statutory obligations and to report to the trustees on the matters set out herein. To the fullest extent permitted by law, no responsibility is accepted or assumed toward any party other than the charity and its trustees collectively.
Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner
The charity’s trustees are responsible for preparing the accounts in compliance with the Charities Act 2011. The trustees have determined that an audit is not required under section 144(2) of the Act and that an independent examination is appropriate.
As an independent examiner, my role is to:
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Review the accounts in accordance with section 145 of the Act.
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Follow the General Directions issued by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b).
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Report on any significant matters arising from my examination.
Scope and Basis of the Examination
I carried out my independent examination in line with the General Directions issued by the Charity Commission. This involved inspecting the charity’s accounting records, reconciling them with the financial statements, and considering any material or unusual disclosures. Where appropriate, I requested explanations from the trustees.
An independent examination is narrower in scope than an audit and does not provide assurance that the accounts present a true and fair view. Accordingly, no audit opinion is given on the financial statements.
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Independent Examiner’s Statement
Based on my examination, no matters have come to my attention that indicate:
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The charity has not kept adequate accounting records as required by section 130 of the Charities Act 2011;
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The accounts do not agree with the accounting records; or
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The accounts fail to meet the form and content requirements specified in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008, except for the requirement to present a ‘true and fair’ view, which falls outside the scope of this examination.
Additionally, I have not identified any other matters that need to be disclosed to provide a proper understanding of the accounts.
Signed: Oana Radeanu
Name: Oana Radeanu
Date: 30/1/2026
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NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS OF THE ROMANIAN ORTHODOX PARISH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST AND ST. ALBAN Accounting Policies
Basis of Preparation
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP) in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued on 16 July 2014, and the Charities Act 2011.
Changes in Accounting Policies or Previous Accounts
There have been no changes to the accounting policies (valuation rules and accounting methods) since last year as the charity has been incorporated on the 15/03/2022.
Fund Accounting
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Unrestricted Funds : These funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.
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Restricted Funds : These funds are subject to specific conditions imposed by donors or through the terms of an appeal.
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Designated Funds : These are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular purposes.
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Revaluation Funds : These are unrestricted funds that include a revaluation reserve representing the restatement of investment assets at their market value.
Income
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Recognition of Income : Income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received, and the amount can be measured reliably.
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Income with Related Expenditure : Where income has related expenditure, the income and related expenditure are reported gross in the SoFA.
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Donations & Legacies : Voluntary income received by way of grants, donations, and gifts is included in the SoFA when receivable and the charity have an unconditional entitlement to the income.
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Tax Reclaims on Donations and Gifts : Income from tax reclaims is included in the SoFA at the same time as the gift/donation to which it relates. None of these apply to the charity.
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Donated Services and Facilities : These are only included in income (with an equivalent amount in expenditure) where the benefit to the charity is reasonably quantifiable, measurable, and material.
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Volunteer Help : The value of any volunteer help is not recorded in the accounts.
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Investment Income : This is included in the accounts when receivable.
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Gains/Losses on Revaluation of Fixed Assets : This includes any gain or loss resulting from revaluing investments to market value at the end of the year.
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Gains/Losses on Investment Assets : This includes any gain or loss on the sale of investments.
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Expenditure
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Recognition of Expenditure : Expenditure is recognized on an accrual basis. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates.
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Expenditure on Raising Funds : These comprise the costs associated with attracting voluntary income, fundraising trading costs, and investment management costs.
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Expenditure on Charitable Activities : These comprise the costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services in furtherance of its objectives, including the making of grants and governance costs.
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Grants Payable : All grant expenditure is accounted for on an actual paid basis plus an accrual for grants that have been approved by the trustees at the end of the year but not yet paid.
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Governance Costs : These include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity, including any audit/independent examination fees, costs linked to the strategic management of the charity, together with a share of other administration costs.
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Other Expenditure : These are support costs not allocated to a particular activity.
Taxation
The charity is exempt from tax on its charitable activities.
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