The Church of the Twelve Apostles, Eastleigh Trustees' Annual Report 2024
Registered Name of Charity : The Church of the Twelve Apostles Registered Address :10 Milne Street, Whitely, Fareham, PO15 7NZ Charity Registration Number : 1206445 Date of registration : 9 January 2024
Trustees :
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Fr. Alexander Haig (Priest)
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David Watts (Treasurer)
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Tatiana Vystavkina
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Jonathan Austen-Buchanan (Secretary)
The Trustees present their Annual Report for 2024.
Structure, Governance and Management
The charity is governed by a Constitution, last amended 11 August 2023. Members of the charity are accepted in accordance with the Constitution which requires them to be baptised Orthodox Christians in good standing aged 18 years or above.
Members of the charity compose its governing body, namely the Parish Assembly. The Parish Assembly reviews the work of the church, approves and publishes the annual accounts, receives notification of the budget of the Parish and elects Charity Trustees from among its membership. It meets at least once per year in an Annual General Meeting, as well as at Extraordinary General Meetings if required.
Trustees compose the Parish Council, the executive body of the charity, and are responsible for the day-to-day running of the church and the financial and legal aspects of the charity. The Parish Council meets multiple times a year as and when required and makes decisions on a consensus basis. All members of the charity are encouraged to take an appropriate part in the spiritual and practical tasks involved in the furtherance of the charity's objectives.
Objectives and Activities
The principle objective and purpose of the charity is to advance, for the public benefit, the Orthodox Christian faith primarily by:
a) establishing, maintaining, and developing for the public benefit a church or churches to provide liturgical services, sacraments and pastoral teaching and care, according to the
traditions and canons of the Orthodox Church as preserved by the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch in general and the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland (registered charity number 1175538) in particular;
b) enabling parish constituents to express their faith in God through liturgical worship, education in the Faith, community events and philanthropic work; and
c) welcoming all who wish to participate in the life of the parish according to the traditions of the Orthodox Church.
To achieve these principal objectives, the church undertakes a variety of activities to benefit both its membership and the wider community.
Central to the work and witness of the church is the provision of regular public services of Christian worship. These take place each weekend at 6:30 pm on Saturday and 9:00 am on Sunday, in addition to occasional extra services which are held for special occasions such as Holy Week and Christmas. A meal is held after each Sunday service to which all present are invited to join. A weekly Bible study also takes place most Friday evenings via Google Meet.
The church is exploring ways to provide support for others in the local community in adherence to the Christian teaching to love thy neighbour. The church provides a donation box for Eastleigh Basics Food Bank, and also fields a group of carol singers each year in the run-up to Christmas to sing for the residents of a local care home for the elderly. Furthermore, since August 2024, the church has operated a Community Pantry in conjunction with the charity FairShare, by which it receives surplus food and redistributes it for free each Sunday.
The Church operates systems to ensure that all people working with children and vulnerable adults are appropriately vetted by the Disclosure and Barring Service according to the policies of our Archdiocese.
Achievements and Performance
The Church of the Twelve Apostles became an officially registered charity on 9 January 2024. The year began with the church seeking a new meeting place after the hall which had previously been rented was flooded. For six weekends over January and February the church held services in the hall on Desborough Road, Eastleigh next to the Anglican parish church (All Saints) but from 24 February onwards moved to its current site in Chandlers Ford.
The church now meets in the 3[rd] URC Scout HQ, a hall next to the closed United Reformed Church building on Kings Road, Chandlers Ford. On 13 April, the Parish Council decided that the church would continue to meet there instead of moving back to the original site. However, the Scout HQ is hired, and the long-term goal of the church is to eventually purchase its own building.
The church does not measure the success of its objectives only in numbers, whether financial or of membership, but also in less tangible areas like fellowship, community, and spiritual development. The Trustees recognise that these are difficult to measure but believe that 2024 was a positive one in the life of the church. Average attendance at Sunday worship services fell over the start of the year, likely in connection with moving between different sites, but steadily increased from August.
Financial Review
Total income over 2024 was £64,403.95 and total expenditure was £24,175.76. The complete details
of the financial results for the year are set out in the accompanying financial return.
The church continues to raise the funds which it needs to carry on its activities from within its own membership and congregation. No wider public appeal was made for funds during the year.
The first of the most significant regular expenses of the church are payments to hire the hall in which services are conducted. The second is the expense incurred by the employment of Fr Alexander Haig as the church's parish priest, which became a paid position on 1 September 2024 by decision of the Trustees, with a salary of £25,000 per annum and an annual salary increase each September in line with average earnings. This is the only paid position employed by the church. The church is heavily dependent on its membership working as volunteers in all aspects of its activities, many of which run with little or no expenditure, but nevertheless contribute substantially to the achievement of the church's objectives.
The church expressed its role in the life of the wider Church of which it is a part by making contributions of £6,380.04 to the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland.
Charity Registration Number : 1206445
THE CHURCH OF THE 12 APOSTLES
A CHARITABLE INCORPORATED ORGANISATION FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
THE CHURCH OF THE 12 APOSTLES
LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
| Trustees | Rev Alexander Haig |
|---|---|
| David Watts | |
| Tatiana Vystavkina | |
| Charity Number | 1206445 |
| Registered Ofce | 10 MILNE STREET |
| WHITELEY | |
| FAREHAM | |
| PO15 7NZ |
THE CHURCH OF THE 12 APOSTLES
CONTENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
Trustees' Report
Statement of Financial Activities
Balance Sheet
Notes to the Financial Statements
THE CHURCH OF THE 12 APOSTLES
TRUSTEES' REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 .
Trustees' report and financial statements
The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2024. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).
Trustees
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
Rev Alexander Haig
David Watts
Tatiana Vystavkina
Trustees' responsibilities statement
The trustees, who are also the directors of Charity For The Church Of The 12 Apostles for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). Company Law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
This report was approved by the trustee and signed on its behalf by:
---------------------------------------------------David Watts Trustee
Date : 29 August 2025
Page 1 of 7
THE CHURCH OF THE 12 APOSTLES
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
| Recommended categories by activity Notes Income and endowments from: Donations and legacies 2 Investments 3 Total Expenditure on: Raising funds 4 Charitable activities 5 Other 7 Total Net income/(expenditure) Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward |
Unrestricted funds £ 64,093.91 310.04 64,403.95 9,053.04 13,774.04 1,348.68 24,175.76 40,228.19 40,228.19 - 40,228.19 |
Total Funds 2024 £ 64,093.91 310.04 |
|---|---|---|
| 64,403.95 | ||
| 9,053.04 13,774.04 1,348.68 |
||
| 24,175.76 | ||
| 40,228.19 | ||
| 40,228.19 - |
||
| 40,228.19 |
Page 2 of 7
THE CHURCH OF THE 12 APOSTLES
BALANCE SHEET
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
| Recommended categories by activity Notes Fixed assets Tangible assets 8 Total fxed assets Current assets Cash at bank and in hand 9 Total current assets Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 10 Net current assets/(liabilities) Total net assets or liabilities Funds of the Charity Unrestricted funds 11 Restricted income funds 11 Endowment funds 11 Total funds |
Total Funds 2024 £ 223.06 |
|---|---|
| 223.06 | |
| 40,605.13 40,605.13 600.00 40,005.13 |
|
| 40,228.19 | |
| 40,228.19 - - |
|
| 40,228.19 |
For the year ended 31 December 2024 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476.
The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.
These accounts have been prepared and delivered in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.
The financial statements were approved by the trustees on 29 August 2025 and signed on its behalf by:
David Watts Trustee Date : 29 August 2025
Page 3 of 7
THE CHURCH OF THE 12 APOSTLES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
1. Accounting Policies
The principal accounting policies adopted by the Charity, which is a public benefit entity, in the preparation of the accounts are as follows.
1.1 Basis of preparation
These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention, as modified by the inclusion of charitable properties and fixed asset investments and investment properties at valuation.
These accounts have been prepared in accordance with “Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)” (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.
These accounts are presented in pounds sterling and rounded to the nearest pound.
1.2 Going concern
The Trustees have prepared financial projections, taking into consideration the current economic conditions and have, at the time of approving these accounts, a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus they continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the accounts.
2. Income from Donations and Legacies
| Analysis Donation and gifts Gift Aid Other 3. Income from Investments Analysis Interest income 4. Expenditure on Raising Funds Analysis Advertising, marketing, direct mail and publicity Rent collection, property repairs and maintenance charges Support Costs |
Unrestricted funds £ 55,542.64 8,501.27 50.00 64,093.91 Unrestricted funds £ 310.04 310.04 |
Total funds 2024 £ 55,542.64 8,501.27 50.00 |
|---|---|---|
| 64,093.91 | ||
| Total funds 2024 £ 310.04 |
||
| 310.04 | ||
| Total funds 2024 £ 119.90 5,573.06 3,360.08 |
||
| 9,053.04 |
3. Income from Investments
4. Expenditure on Raising Funds
Page 4 of 7
5. Expenditure on Charitable Activities
| Analysis Bank charges Cost of services Employee costs Printing and stationery Wages and salaries Support Costs |
Total funds 2024 £ 30.00 1,124.81 67.44 8.35 8,583.36 3,960.08 |
|---|---|
| 13,774.04 |
6. Support Costs
| Analysis Insurance Travel Costs Archdiocese Costs Governance Costs Independent examiners fees |
Total funds 2024 £ 283.42 56.70 6,380.04 600.00 |
|---|---|
| 7,320.16 |
7. Other Expenditure
| Analysis Depreciation Charge for the Year - Fixtures & Fittings Donations Other Expenditure |
Unrestricted funds £ 111.33 1,000.00 237.35 1,348.68 |
Total funds 2024 £ 111.33 1,000.00 237.35 |
|---|---|---|
| 1,348.68 |
Page 5 of 7
8. Tangible Fixed Assets
| 8.1 Cost or valuation At 09 January 2024 Additions Disposals Revaluations Transfers At 31 December 2024 8.2 Depreciation and impairments At 09 January 2024 Charge for the year Disposals Revaluations Transfers At 31 December 2024 8.3 Net book value At 09 January 2024 At 31 December 2024 |
Fixtures & Fittings £ - 334.39 - - - |
|---|---|
| 334.39 | |
| - 111.33 - - - |
|
| 111.33 | |
| - | |
| 223.06 |
9. Cash at bank and in hand
| Cash at bank and in hand Other Savings Account |
Total funds 2024 £ 3,855.13 25,750.00 11,000.00 |
|---|---|
| 40,605.13 |
10. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year
| Accruals and deferred income | Total funds 2024 £ 600.00 |
|---|---|
| 600.00 |
Page 6 of 7
11. Charity funds
11.1 Details of material funds held and movements during the CURRENT reporting period
| Fund names Unrestricted funds Total |
Fund balances brought forward Income £ £ |
Fund balances brought forward Income £ £ |
Expenditure Transfers Gains and losses Fund balances carried forward £ £ £ £ |
Expenditure Transfers Gains and losses Fund balances carried forward £ £ £ £ |
Expenditure Transfers Gains and losses Fund balances carried forward £ £ £ £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | 64,403.95 | 24,175.76 - |
- | 40,228.19 | |
| - | 64,403.95 | 24,175.76 - |
- | 40,228.19 |
11.2 Transfers between funds
This Year
| This Year | |
|---|---|
| Amount | |
| £ | |
| Between unrestricted and restricted funds | - |
| Between endowment and restricted funds | - |
| Between endowment and unrestricted funds | - |
Page 7 of 7
87 The Hundred, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 8BZ Co Reg No: 10120710 www.sortyouraccounts.com
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of The Church of the 12 Apostles.
I report to the Charity Trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended [yearend] which consists of the statement of financial activities,balance sheet and the related notes
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity’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 charity'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.
Independent Examiner's Statement
The charity’s gross income did not exceed £250,000 and I am qualified to undertake the examination by being a member of the ICB.
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 gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
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the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
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the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
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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.
Kind regards,
Antoinette Le Peuple
ICB registration number 436358
Sort Your Accounts Hampshire Ltd, Supervised by HMRC Registration number XBML00000189783.