## **The St Joseph’s Mendlesham Charitable Trust First Annual Report of the Trustees for the year ending 29 April 2025** 

## Objectives and Public Benefit 

The objects of the CIO are: 

To apply the income of the charity in the parish of Mendlesham in such ways as the trustees think fit for the benefit of parishioners of Mendlesham in order to advance either education or religion or both, concerning the teachings and practice of the Christian faith. All such charitable purposes to be in accordance with and not contrary to the principles and doctrines of the Church of England as they presently stand. 

For the avoidance of doubt, parishioners of Mendlesham include those whose names are lawfully included on the Electoral Roll of the parish church of St Mary the Virgin Mendlesham and their children under the age of 16 years. 

## Achievement and Performance 

The St Joseph’s Mendlesham Charitable Trust was first registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on  16 April 2024. 

The constitution of the CIO limits voting rights solely to the trustees. There are currently three trustees. Trustees have held five face-to-face meetings and have otherwise relied on electronic communications, as provided for by the constitution, as being cost-effective and  time-efficient. 

The year 2024-25 has been a busy one. The CIO was set up to take the place of an unincorporated trust of the Vicar and Churchwardens of St Mary the Virgin Mendlesham, as reversionary owners of the land conveyed in 1863 by the Vicar at that time to their predecessors in law. Its purpose was _“ ..as a site for a school for poor persons of and in the said Parish of Mendlesham or for other purposes of the said School and for no other purpose whatsoever such School to be always in union with the National Society for Promoting the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church and conducted according to its principles.”_ Within the first 10 years of its existence, the school management ceased to be under the auspices of the Church of England and by the 1930s was administered by the County Education Authorities. The school building closed in 1989 when a replacement was built by Suffolk County Council and the land reverted to the lawful successors of the original trustees. After making the building available to various community groups for several years without making any profit, and in view of the increasingly dilapidated condition of the building, the trustees decided to put it on the open market. They determined this would be the 



most beneficial way of enabling the intentions of original donor to be fulfilled. Consequently, having set up and registered with the Charity Commission, the trustees have spent the remainder of the financial year in communicating with estate agents and other relevant bodies in preparing it for sale as well as setting up a bank account. Trustees are grateful to those who have generously paid for or loaned various expenses in the meantime. At the end of the financial year, although the building had been advertised for sale for some time, there were no firm offers. 

Trustees hope that a buyer will be found imminently. 

Until a sale has taken place, there will be no funds in the account. For that reason no grants have been made this year. 

In carrying out the business of the trust, trustees pay due regard to the advice of The Charity Commission relevant to the administration of the Charity. 

## Financial Review 

Income for 2024-25 was £0 and expenditure was £0 

## Structure, Governance and Management 

The charity is controlled by its governing document and is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. 

## Reference and Administrative Details 

Registered Charity number: 1207872 

## Principal Address 

THE OAKS, HALL ROAD, THORNDON, EYE, IP23 7LU 

## Trustees 

The charity trustees are: 

The Reverend Philip Thomas Gray 

Mr Andrew Richard Fleming 

Mr Christopher Robert Elstone 



## **Bankers** 

CAF BANK (CHARITIES AID FOUNDATION) 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ. Registered in England and Wales under number **1207872** 

Approved by the Trustees:  Andrew Fleming 

Signed (Trustee) 

The St Joseph’s Mendlesham Charitable Trust Annual Accounts 30[th] April 2024 – 29[th] April 2025 

|**St Joseph’s**<br>**Mendlesham**<br>**Charitable**<br>**Trust**|**2024-2025**|**Income (£)**|**Expenditure**<br>**(£)**|**Running**<br>**Balance (£)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**0.00**|**0.00**|**0.00**|