BARLEY TENNIS CLUB
(CHARITABLE INCORPORATED ORGANISATION) CHARITY NUMBER 1203937
ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT
FOR THE YEAR ENDING
31 MARCH 2024
Barley Tennis Club’s 2023 Chair’s Report - AGM April 23rd 2024
The Trustees have pleasure in presenting their report together with financial statements for the year ending 31st March 2024 and items of interest up to end of 31st April 2024.
Reference and administrative information:
Charity Commission Number: 1203937
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Correspondence Address: ℅ Rebecca Simms, The Tythe Barns, Shaftenhoe End, Barley Royston, SG8 8LE
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Address : Barley Tennis Club, The Plaistow, Church End, Barley, N Herts, SG8 8JP
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● Phone : 07974458286
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Email : Membership.barleytennisclub@gmail.com
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● Website : https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/BarleyTennisClub ● Bankers : Lloyds Bank
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Financial Period : 01/04/23 - 31/03/24
Trustees
The club is administered by a committee, all of whom are now Trustees. The following have served as trustees during the period and since the year end.
Trustees (Appointed 26 April 23)
Trustees Committee Roles
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Rebecca Sims* Chair
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● Dr. Claire Tancell Treasurer ● Elizabeth Orrock Membership Sec. ● Janet Pledger Welfare Officer ● Robin Saklatvala Secretary
*(main contact for Charity Commission)
Charitable Purposes
The objects of the CIO are for the public benefit of residents of Barley and the surrounding areas to promote community participation in healthy recreation, by the provision of sustainable facilities for playing the game of tennis. The CIO encourages player development and the enjoyment of tennis by providing affordable membership and access for players of all abilities in a safe and friendly environment.
Structure and Management and Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees
The club is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) Foundation; an incorporated body having charitable status under the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The Club was established in 2002 and successfully became a CIO on 11[th] July 2023. The transfer of assets completed on 18[th] April 2024 at the AGM.
It is a foundation model CIO, currently made up of five Trustees who make all the key decisions. The minimum number of Trustees is three.
At the AGM on 26[th] April 2023, the current Trustees were appointed from the committee and now manage the Charity in accordance with the constitution dated 11[th] July 2023. The tenure for the first set of Trustees is not a fixed term however further Trustees are asked to serve a term of three years in line with the Commission’s guidance and best practice. Trustees can be re-appointed for consecutive terms but we note the Charity Governance Code recommends that a trustee is limited to serving three consecutive terms of three years i.e. so that trustees are only appointed for 9 years. This is to balance the need for continuity with the need to refresh the board. In selecting individuals for appointment as appointed charity Trustees, the charity’s Trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experienced needed for the effective administration of the CIO.
A Trustee can be recruited by current Trustees and put forward by the Committee.
Risk Management
The Trustees have reviewed the major risks to which the Charity is exposed, in particular those relating to the operations and finances of the Charity, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate the Charity’s exposure to major risks.
Review of Activities and Achievements
It has been another positive year and the following report highlights all that has happened.
Governance and Structure
The Committee consisted of the Trustees and committee meetings were attended by the club coach, Chrissie Fothergill.
A key achievement in 2023 - 2024 was the change of the club’s governance structure from an unincorporated club (where Committee members and members were unwittingly exposed to the liabilities because the club was not a legal entity) to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation which offers far greater protection to the club’s Members and is better aligned with our objectives. This was agreed at the AGM on 26[th] April 2023.
It was hoped that doing so would enable us to better access grants and funding and being a CIO would improve our ability to attract Committee members and volunteers (because they are better protected). We were delighted that The Charities Commission accepted our application.
Another achievement was changing our Bank account to Lloyds Treasures Account enabling online banking and better governance (with a digital two signature authentication process) and visibility of membership payments (especially between the Membership Secretary and the Treasurer which had been difficult in the past). There are currently four signatories to the Club’s bank account.
The next step in improving the Governance Structure is to agree a formal agreement with Barley Parish Council who are responsible for managing the Playfield Charity (2 acres of land for the use and recreation of inhabitants) on which the Tennis Club is situated. The Committee will need to take legal advice to ensure what type of agreement is in best interests of the Club while at the same time meeting the requirements of the Playfield Charity and Parish Council. Once this is in place, it could enable the club to access grants and loans for example, to improve accessibility to the courts.
Objectives and Activities
We are committed to provide an affordable, sustainable first-class local tennis amenity for people in Barley and the surrounding area to promote healthy recreation and community participation in a safe and friendly environment.
2023 – 2024 Membership Fees
Membership benefits include free use of the courts, free weekly socials with tennis balls provided, online court booking system, social events, access to LTA and Wimbledon ballot.
We offer three types of membership:
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Family (£35 renewal / £40 new)
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Junior (£15 renewal / £20 new)
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Corporate (up to 5 members - £100)
We continued to keep membership fees extremely low in line with our values of providing affordable access to the people in Barley and the surrounding areas as compared with other local club membership fees listed below. However, the following Clubs also have assets such as floodlights which Barley Tennis Clubs does not currently offer.
| Barley tennis Club (CIO) | Family Membership | £ 35 renewal / £40 New members |
|---|---|---|
| Royston Tennis Club | Family Membership | £119 |
| Braughing Tennis Club | Family Membership | £121 |
| Harston Tennis Club | FamilyMembership | £110 |
Membership Numbers
| MEMBERSHIP | 2020/21* | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current/ Lapsed | Current/ Lapsed | Current/ Lapsed | Current/ Lapsed | |
| Family | 128/ 21 | 135/ 6 | 131/ 9 | 138/ 10 |
| Junior | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Corporate | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| *Figure nearest available before end of financial year |
*Figure nearest available before end of financial year
Non-Member Access
As part of our remit, we are committed to offering the clubs facilities to non-members. As part of this we offer the Club’s facility to the local children at Barley Barkway VA Church of England First school.
Pay ‘pay and play’ is also available to non-members at £5 per court/ per hour (not per player per court). Take up is very small because, for the cost, most people prefer to join the Club for the convenience of having a key.
Teams, club social tennis, tournaments and coaching
Matchplay and Competitions
In Summer 2023, a mixed doubles team was entered into the Essex Small Clubs League. We started at the bottom and had some good results and fulfilled all our fixtures (which is better than some clubs achieve). The ladies’ section of the squad was significantly strengthened but we failed to gain any new male members of the squad even though we have some keen new members as recent arrivals in the village.
Having taken soundings amongst the squad, the captain decided not to enter a team for the Winter League. The ladies were not enthusiastic about the idea, and who can blame them after the winter we have just had.
Sadly, the captain, Jack Shepherd decided to step down for this coming season but the Club was delighted that Andy Clarke volunteered to take on the role for a year. He took some persuading but he has been an excellent member of the team and was the obvious choice.
Social Tennis
Social sessions are run twice a week on Sunday mornings (10:30 – 12:30) all year round and Thursday evenings during the summer when the clocks change and the evenings become lighter. Social sessions continue to be the beating heart of the club and there is a stoic group that turn-out whatever the weather if the courts are playable. Our thanks to Jan Pledger for co-ordinating the pairings and ensuring that players are partnered well to ensure competitive but fun games.
A ladies-only session is held on Friday mornings where Jan Pledger encourages players who tend not to play at the mixed Club sessions or need encouragement to do so. This group has been known to end up in the local pub for lunch!
Tennis balls are currently provided free of charge for social tennis sessions but there has been some discussion as to whether the Club can continue to afford to provide these. However, it is seen by some Committee members that it is important to foster open and accessible atmosphere and reduce barriers to play. However, this will be a topic that the Trustees will discuss in order that the Club aligns with its aims and objectives.
Session specific WhatsApp groups enable members to know who is playing and what time they will arrive on court.
Tournaments
17[th] September 23: Mixed Doubles Handicap Tournament (members only) with BBQ organised by Jan Pledger.
Box League (New)
Our thanks to a new member Duncan Finlayson, who requested to introduce a box league. The committee supported his initiative which members are enjoying and it is resulting in more tennis being played. There are 3 boxes (2 mixed and 1 ladies). Box A is very competitive, B is semi competitive, and C is a competitive ladies’ league. A second box for ladies would be good if there was enough support. Under 18’s are encouraged to play but for safeguarding reasons, their parents must be the contact and must be in attendance when the young person is playing.
Coaching / Junior Coaching
The Club owes an enormous debt of gratitude to our Coach, Chrissie Fothergill, for encouraging her attendees of both coaching and exercise programmes to join the Club, and for coaching members and non-members and supporting our Open Days. Her professionalism and enthusiasm have converted many tentative players into active players and volunteers to help run the club. Chrissie runs Cardio tennis and adult improver sessions on a Wednesday throughout the year. Junior Easter holiday group sessions and Summer Term after school coaching for three different age groups.
Since the last AGM we had the Open Day run by Chrissie and supported by volunteers and Steve Smith, an experienced level 3 LTA coach, Dunlop rep and racquet stringer. The Open Day was attended by lots of children who then booked onto summer clubs, some of whom signed up for Family membership. Easter courses ran for Juniors and Summer courses were full. There was an Autumn after school course which did well but Winter courses were very quiet due to bad weather.
The Club is associated with 2 LTA accredited Level 3 Licenced self-employed coaches who members can hire for lessons and who run courses on the courts. Membership is not required to join a coaching programme.
Maintenance
The courts were first laid in 2002 and after very careful maintenance by Jan Pledger lasted until 2018 when they were resurfaced. The new courts have had issues with the paint colour showing speckled discolouration after 18 months, so Cambridge Courts had them repainted under the two-year guarantee. The same problem is occurring and will need careful monitoring. It has also been reported that the courts are breaking up in a few places and we may not get 16 years of play out of them as we did the first courts. With careful maintenance, they should last until 2028 - 2030 however Jan Pledger has stepped down from this role and a replacement, with such a keen eye, will be difficult to find.
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The last quote for resurfacing the two courts in 2024 was £34,000.
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The courts will need repainting in April 2026 – March 2027 - quoted £3,500.
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The fencing is showing signs of deterioration although it is still serviceable but it is noted that a couple of uprights are failing. Cambridge Courts quoted £4000 for the renewal of the fencing in 2022 so this quote will require updating in 2025.
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General court maintenance fees including moss and algae spraying £1,200.
The main on-going expenditure is the requirement for new nets in Spring 2024. The Club also agreed to buy the children’s nets from Chrissie, as the Club would benefit from them and want to make them widely available. The Ball machine needed a new set of balls and it was agreed that the ball machine housing would need replacing in Spring 2025.
Events & Fundraising
The following events took place and were very successful however it was agreed that in the Summer of 2024 they should be combined to make a bigger splash with perhaps an Open Evening when the summer sessions start on a Thursday.
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25 June 2023: Open Day, BBQ & Wimbledon Sweepstake
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8 July: Tennis at the Barley Show showcasing the Club
It was agreed to combine the main fundraising event “Call my Wine Bluff” with a Christmas get-together in the Town House but unfortunately, due to personal circumstances of the Committee
and main organisers this event was cancelled. It highlighted the need for more people to be involved in organising Club events.
There was no fundraising by the club this year except for the sweepstake.
Safeguarding
Jan agreed to continue as safeguarding officer until a replacement could be found. No safeguarding issues were raised except for some petty vandalism which has since stopped.
No external coaches other than those licensed by the LTA and with Barley Tennis Committee approval are permitted to coach at the Club. DBS checks were carried out via the LTA’s coach register.
Financial review
The year ended 1 April 2023 - 31 March 2024 resulted in a surplus of £17,079 with total income of £5,388 and total expenditure £3,357 but we held liability of £756 for pre-paid coaching fees.
Policy on reserves: Reserves are held to ensure the ongoing maintenance of the Club’s facilities. Currently all income sits in two accounts but all monies will be transferred to the Lloyds Account. The Trustees are investigating setting up a separate Lloyds account to hold a sinking fund for large costs such as resurfacing the courts and replacing the fence and club hut.
A financial model, created by the Treasurer, has enabled the Committee to better estimate the impact of Membership numbers and fees and the club’s ability to plan the resurfacing of the courts and respond accordingly in terms of fundraising and membership fees.
Please also see the submitted accounts for the requested period 11 July 2023 (Club Incorporation) until 31 March 2024.
Future Plans
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Add a second bank account to ringfence resurfacing and fencing fees
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Formalise relationship with Parish Council
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Requirement for more committee members to assist with Fundraising / Events
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Replace retiring committee members for the following roles:
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Maintenance officer
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Safe Guarding
Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:
Rebecca Sims
Chair Barfey Tennis Club ICIO} 1203937
| Barley Tennis Club | 523164 | 523164 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts and payments accounts | CC16a | ||||||||||
| For the period from |
Period start date 7/11/2023 |
To | Period end date 3/31/2024 |
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| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Endowment funds |
Total funds | Last year | |||||||
| to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | |||||||
| A1 Receipts | |||||||||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||||
| Membership | £2,603.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £2,603.00 | £0.00 | ||||||
| Court Fees | £283.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £283.00 | £0.00 | ||||||
| Coaching | £114.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £114.00 | £0.00 | ||||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Barley Tennis Club | Barley Tennis Club | Barley Tennis Club | Barley Tennis Club | Barley Tennis Club | 523164 | 523164 | 523164 | CC16a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For the period from |
Period start date 7/11/2023 |
To | Period end date 3/31/2024 |
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| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||||
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ |
Total funds to the nearest £ |
Last year to the nearest £ |
||||
| £0.00 £2,603.00 £283.00 £114.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 |
£0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| Membership | £2,603.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £2,603.00 | £0.00 | ||||
| Court Fees | £283.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £283.00 | £0.00 | ||||
| Coaching | £114.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £114.00 | £0.00 | ||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) £3,000.00 A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
£3,000.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £3,000.00 | £0.00 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||||||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| Sub total £0.00 Total receipts £3,000.00 A3 Payments |
£0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||||
| £3,000.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £3,000.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| Maintenance | £807.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £807.00 | £0.00 | ||||
| LTA and League Fees | £280.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £280.00 | £0.00 | ||||
| Social | £223.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £223.00 | £0.00 | ||||
| Balls | £315.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £315.00 | £0.00 | ||||
| Insurance | £148.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £148.00 | £0.00 | ||||
| Legal Fees | £1,518.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £1,518.00 | £0.00 | ||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| Sub total £3,291.00 A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
£3,291.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £3,291.00 | £0.00 | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
|||||||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||||||
| Sub total £0.00 Total payments £3,291.00 Net of receipts/(payments) -£291.00 A5 Transfers between funds £0.00 A6 Cash funds last year end £17,370.00 Cash funds this year end £17,079.00 |
£0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| £3,291.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £3,291.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| -£291.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | -£291.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| £17,370.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £17,370.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| £17,079.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £17,079.00 | £0.00 | |||||
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
1/30/2025
1
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories B1 Cash funds |
Details | Details | Unrestricted funds to nearest £ |
Restricted funds to nearest £ |
Restricted funds to nearest £ |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lloyds Bank 30-99-50 76801660 | - 16,428- |
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- -- |
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| Barclays 20-17-35 70173436 | - -- |
- -- |
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| - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
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| B2 Other monetary assets B3 Investment assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account (s)) Details Details Details Tennis hut Nets Courts Ball machine Details Coaching course payments recieved held for payout to coach Signature |
- 17,079- |
- -- |
- -- |
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| OK | ||||||
| Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) Unrestricted Unrestricted - -- Unrestricted - -- Unrestricted - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) Unrestricted - 114- - -- - -- - -- - -- Print Name |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| Current value (optional) |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| Current value (optional) |
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| - 800- |
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| - 100- |
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| - 2,000- |
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| - 100- |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| When due (optional) |
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| Date of approval | ||||||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
1/30/2025
2