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2025-12-31-accounts

Annual Report of the PCC of The Ascension and St. Thomas, Derringham Bank for 2025 Published May 2026

Electoral Roll Report

We now have 58 members on our Electoral Roll register - 32 are resident in this parish and 26 reside outside the parish boundary. This is a slight decrease on last year when there were 60 people registered. Sadly over the year a few have passed away. Not everyone who is part of our worshipping community (attends services at this least once a month) has signed up to our Electoral Roll. The worshipping community at the end of 2025 was approximately 65 people. At the start of 2024 this was 26 so this is encouraging growth.

Judy Mead PCC Secretary/Electoral Roll Officer.

Minister’s Report

Thank you to everyone who has worshipped, served and supported each other as part of AST in 2025. Visitors often say they feel welcome at our services and I am proud to be part of a church where that is the case. In last year’s report I said that 2024 was a year of great change and I would say that 2025 has been continued change as we walk in our vision to love Jesus and the people of Hull in obedience to him with our 5 aims as a guide. As we do all of this we are putting in foundations so that we can become a resource church for the city of Hull. This is a church which intentionally trains and raises up leaders and teams who will be sent to churches in Hull every 3 or so years to see a church which is small and in danger of being closed down revitalised so that more people may experience the transforming love of Jesus.

In this report I am going to share briefly, highlights of what we did under each of our 5 aims. Some things we do of course come under more than one aim and not everything has been mentioned.

Love Hull (social action): At the moment we are concentrating on playing our part in addressing loneliness in our parish. Our inspiration is Matthew 11:28-30 where Jesus invites everyone into a place of rest away from the pressures of this world. Beth and the team started the weekly café drop in at St Thomas. A fabulous space for all ages to build friendship and community, have some fun, enjoy refreshments and find space to pray and reflect. We are encouraged by the community building up around it. In addition to this we have run the annual Summer and Autumn Fayres which while raising money for our church are also fantastic spaces to welcome our local community in for a fun Saturday afternoon. Thank you to everyone who makes them happen. In 2025 we added in a prayer space to each fayre where people who may not usually go to church could engage in some thoughtful activities and receive prayer. Our annual pantomime happened at the beginning of the year. It is an important space to build friendship & community and grow confidence. We had a fantastic time in the summer at our beach trip. It was wonderful to spend the day together across the ages, enjoy the sun, fish and chips, lots of laughs ending in a short service in a local church.

Make Disciples (sharing the good news of Jesus): 2025 saw the first Alpha course run which is a great introduction to the Christian faith and a good space for those with questions to explore in a nonjudgemental way. We continued to engage with all 3 schools in our parish both in taking assemblies, classes, welcoming children into both of our churches and taking part in fun activities in the school life. In

general we now go into the schools at Easter, Harvest and Christmas. We are encouraged that in one of the schools we now plan the assembly with a team of year 6 children. This has been a real joy. Parade services have continued at Mother’s Day, Easter, Harvest and Remembrance. We continue to encourage everyone to share their story of the difference Jesus has made to their life, to offer prayer and share love through acts of services in everyday life, as well as inviting people to special services/events. Christmas and other special events were key times where we invited people to hear more about Jesus.

Nurture Disciples (Helping people grow in their faith) : our Sunday services are a key space to help one another grow in faith. Teaching themes alongside the lectionary are intentionally planned with that aim. In 2025 as well as following the lectionary we did teaching series on The Psalms, Luke, Acts, Kingdom Culture (Sermon on the Mount) and The Meaning is in the Waiting – looking at the key Advent characters. We also put on some courses such as the Prayer Course 2 during Lent and we hosted the deanery wide Accessible Prophecy Course. We were thrilled that Beth was able to start a bi-weekly Youth group before the evening service to help young people grow in their faith. We hosted 2 prayer spaces at both churches to encourage creative ways to pray. We also hosted the deanery Pentecost service. We are mindful that these things are all good but a lot of discipleship (growing in faith) happens as we share life together.

Develop Leaders : we have increased the number of people exercising leadership in our church in a number of ways including training up preachers and service leaders. We had 4 people complete mustard seed and be commissioned as Community Ministers and then a new person start in the 2025/26 cohort. Our Youth and Community Pioneer started the C of E national Youth Worker Training course – Catalyst. Our staff team attended the annual New Wine Leadership Conference to help them grow and find refreshment. The hope is that we build a culture where we are always raising up new people to do things and seeking to do ourselves out of a job.

Plant Churches: We continue the work of building a new worshipping community around our evening service. At the end of 2025 we were very pleased to welcome our new Associate Vicar Jenny Rankin and her family. Jenny will be learning with us how to do mission and discipleship in Hull and in a number of years a team from among us will go with her to another church in the city to revitalise a church about to be closed. This is what the C of E calls a Church Plant Revitalisation.

The numbers in our worshipping community have increased and we now have children and young people who regularly attend our morning and evening services. These are encouraging signs but we are hoping for more growth as people discover the joy of relationship with Jesus and others move to help us in this important work.

At the end of 2025 we began the process of planning for a significant building project at both The Ascension and St Thomas with a view to appoint an architect by Easter 2026. This will be a big undertaking for us as a church but one I hope will help us to grow in prayer and faith as we join God in seeing both of our churches become fit for God’s purposes. There has also be a huge amount of work done on improving the running of our operations and finances. Thank you in particular to Stephen for all he has done in this.

I want to end by saying a massive thank you to our church wardens, PCC, staff team and many volunteers who give themselves so sacrificially to God and his church and our shared mission to see God’s kingdom come in Hull as it is in heaven. I encourage us all to stay close to Jesus, learn to pray and do what God asks in 2026. Ultimately this is summed up in Jesus’ words from Mark 12,

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”[ 31 ] The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.’

Rev Vicky Earll (Priest in Charge)

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St Thomas Fabric Report

The building and fabric of the church are in good condition. The leaking gutter has been repaired . The light in the fire exit leading on to the tenfoot is being attended to. The former Choir Vestry has been converted to an office for staff. The room at the right of the ladies toilet is being redesignated to a meeting room and currently undergoing redecoration. The water heater in the kitchen needs replacing. All silver ware and linen are in good condition.

Bernard Hair (Churchwarden)

The Ascension Fabric Report

The fabric and silver are in good working order, although the safe in which the silver is stored is providing a challenge with locking and unlocking. The wider building issues are taken on more by Gillian Shepherd and Stephen Feasey and reported to us at PCC. Further funds and prayer needed as we seek to improve both buildings.

Sue Feasey (Churchwarden)

AST Buildings Report

Buildings maintenance

THE ASCENSION

Plastering, decoration and refurbishment works were carried out in the Narthex/Foyer, Choir Vestry and the north side of the church. In the Choir vestry, this included removal of the cupboard on the north wall, replacement of doors to the south wall cupboard and replacement of carpet. In the Narthex walls were plastered and painted and in the church walls were plastered. This was completed in Nov 25, in time for the licensing of Revd Jenny Rankin, our Associate Vicar. Since that time, areas of plaster have remained damp and paint has started to flake. Westlinks, who carried out the works, have come back to assess the issues and, liaising with our Operations Manager and Buildings Team, to try to understand and rectify the root cause.

Investigations: Douglas Jaram (building surveyor) has investigated the structural cracks in the arches at either side of the nave (near the chancel) and the areas of damp on the south wall of the chancel. Monitoring cracks started in 2026 and a more detailed drainage survey will be required to understand any remedial works may be required. Assumptions are that trees could be causing movement and their roots affecting drains.

A wonderful team of volunteer gardeners cleared the quad in early autumn removing invasive shrubs and roots to reduce issues that could block drainage from toilets.

North Hall Window: the large window to the north side in the Church Hall will be replaced in 2026. Donations towards the cost of replacement have been sought from the congregation and through funding applications submitted by the Buildings Team.

Heating System: The column mounted electric heaters have started to fail. The major building project will include the installation of a new heating system but in the short term; the Buildings Team is assessing what to fix, continuing to use portable heaters lent to AST by St John’s Bransholme, and purchased heated chair seats for the coldest months of the year.

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ST THOMAS

An office has been created to the rear of the church building, location of former men’s toilet, for the staff team with particular help from members of the congregation volunteering their time. The hall floor has been repaired near the stage and a service of the fire alarm.

Both churches have undergone PAT testing, with the replacement of the organ power cable at St Thomas; and a service of the fire extinguishers. A new safer, robust ladder has been purchased to replace the existing ladders.

Building Project

The aim of the building project is to make our buildings fit for purpose to help support our Vision and Mission for AST: ‘Learn how to effectively share the good news of Jesus with the people of Hull, nurturing curiosity and faith’. This includes making the buildings more welcoming and accessible, to help expand our Worship, Ministries and opportunities to engage with our Community. This process has been led by our Vicar - Revd Vicky Earll - and discussed with the congregations since autumn 2024.

In autumn 2025, the first steps were taken to identify an Architect who could work with AST to provide a solution. Architects considered were those who had relevant experience, skills and an enthusiasm for our church buildings and vision. Led by our Vicar and Church Wardens, supported by the Ops Manager and G Shepherd (PCC and buildings committee member), initial meetings were held in December 2025 with a shortlist of 3 architects going forward to present concept level ideas in March 2026 to the Vicar, Associate Vicar and Church Wardens. The ideas shared were exciting and the enthusiasm, skills and care shown by the architects inspiring. The Architect selected is Clare Humphrey, Purcell who showed a particular understanding of our Vision through the creativity of her design. Clare also has a local connection having been baptised in the parish.

Measured survey: an up to date 3D measured survey of both church buildings and church hall was produced in early 2026 by Premier Design Surveys and will be essential in helping our Architect (and in time Builder) to develop technically accurate design solutions to meet our requirements.

Fundraising

Funding towards building maintenance, heated chair seats, the measured survey and the building project have been generously provided from a range of sources including the congregation and grants from the Archdeacon of the East Riding and Diocese. The Buildings Team continue to identify and apply for funding opportunities including a recent application to HERCT (Hull & East Riding Community Trust).

Gillian Shepherd – PCC member and volunteer buildings adviser for AST

Safeguarding Report

The PCC takes the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults seriously and has complied with section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 which requires it to fulfil its duty to have regard to House of Bishops' guidance on safeguarding. We are continuing to work through Level 2 on the Safeguarding Dashboard that is provided by York Diocese which guides us through best practice and proper record keeping in these matters. The Associate Vicar (Jenny Rankin) has recently taken on the responsibility of being the Safeguarding Clergy Lead. On completion of his induction Gary Everett is able to start the duties of Parish Safeguarding Officer for AST. He has further training on 10th June and 22 July which will further support the role. Vicky, Jenny and Gary met on 28th April 2026 to review and plan how to ensure that AST is the safe place that God expects us to be. There is still a lot to do, however AST has made huge progress in its safeguarding journey and we look forward to building on this in the coming

months. Thank you for the hard work and time that has been put into this vital area over the last couple of years. The PCC would especially like to thank Sue Feasey for her continued work as DBS administrator alongside her other commitments. Safeguarding is not just about making sure the right systems and policies are in place, but also creating an atmosphere of love, support and care for one another. Just like Jesus really!

Gary Everett (Parish Safeguarding Officer Designate) & Rev Jenny Rankin (Clergy Safeguarding Lead)

Deanery Synod Report

Deanery Synod meetings were held at the following locations: St Martins, St Andrews Sutton Park, St Barnabas Swanland and St Johns Newland

A presentation was given on the role of Heart for Hull Enabler. Amongst other points emphasised this involves acting as a catalyst, supporter and communicator. A working group is to take forward discussions on 5 areas identified. These are: Missional Discipleship, Children, Young People & Families, Poverty & Wholeness, Grassroots & Parish Ministry, Church Planting & Revitalisation. The importance of Hull Minster having a significant role among local government, businesses, health and education was also noted.

There was a presentation on Church planting. A Chaplaincy Network proposal was put forward. This talked about building relationships, listening and "being present". A presentation was also given on "The Quiet Revival" which is being seen with an increased interest by younger adults in spiritual matters locally and across the world. This is demonstrated by regular (monthly) attendance". Is this God quietly drawing people?

John Deacon (Deanery Synod Rep)

Mother’s Union Report

We have 11 members who attend meetings regularly and 4 indoor members. We meet on the first Wednesday of every month, except in August. There are quarterly Deanery Meetings at Cottingham and bi-annual meetings at various venues.

We meet yearly for a deanery lunch and fellowship. We participate in deanery celebrations e.g. National Marriage Week, Lady Day and 11 days of activism and raising awareness of domestic abuse. There are also Advent and Epiphany services. Yearly we join St. Martins for a communion service and then go out for a meal. As a branch we normally go out for a Christmas lunch, then afterwards go to Isabel’s house for a carol concert.

We have been fortunate this year to welcome a variety of speakers. We support a number of charities, Missions to Seamen, Women’s Aid and the Home Start programme, and provided Christmas presents for 2 families this last year. Yearly we hold a Strawberry Tea event to raise money for the Church and AFIA -a charity providing holidays for families in need, in the Mothers’ Union caravan. We are supported for this event by the Springhead Dance Academy.

Thank you to members of the congregation who generously support our charities. Internationally Mothers’ Union supports Literacy and Financial programmes, challenging abuse GBV and FGM which empower women to improve their lives and the lives of their children, especially girls. We welcome anyone wishing to join our branch, or, just come along as a guest, because there is much to do locally, nationally and internationally.

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Alice Tienes (Branch Leader)

Youth and Community Pioneer Report

I’ve really enjoyed another year of working as the Youth and Community Pioneer at AST. It’s been exciting to see how God has been moving in some really powerful big and small ways!

In September we started a Youth group happening every other Sunday with 3 YP. It has been a real Joy to do this, build relationship with them and start to disciple them! We have been having lots of fun together playing games such as flip 7 and ninja, and learning about how to read the bible, what Prayer is and what it means and looks like to be a follower of Jesus in the everyday. (we have since had 2 new YP join us just before Easter.) I’m excited to see this grow more, hoping to do a social with them before the summer and hopefully run youth Alpha after the summer!

The Café drop in has also been growing, over the summer we saw high numbers and lots of children and families engage with the space. Even though the winter months were quitter it’s been awesome to serve alongside such a great team who really care deeply about the people in our community and helping them to feel welcome and seen at the Café drop in. Since leafletting before Easter we have seen lots of different people come in the doors and it’s been lovely to hear different people’s reasons, and the need for coming to the café drop in, finding it a friendly and good space to be listened too.

We also got lots of opportunities to engage with the schools over Christmas and Easter. A highlight from Christmas was planning the Priory primary school assembly with the Year 6s who were full of enthusiasm and eagerness to be involved and help us lead.

I’m excited to see how all of these seeds continue to grow and flourish in the next year.

Beth Larkey – Youth and Community Pioneer

Operations Report

It hardly seems two minutes since I was writing last year’s report - the past twelve months have certainly flown by!

During that time, we have made significant progress across a wide range of operational areas. We have established and developed a dedicated Staff Office, created and approved several HR policies, and continued to expand our use of Churchsuite for rotas, gift aid, and bookings. Our hall hire agreements have been updated, the Cash Handling Policy has been implemented, and we have introduced contactless payment options. We have also adopted Google Suite to support more efficient collaboration, relocated the tech desks at both churches, held a successful Summer Day Out, and expanded the Churchwardens’ role to include operational oversight of services. Amongst many other things! All of these things have developed what we are doing and enhanced it in some way. A real highlight for me was having a staff office fit for purpose for us to work in at St Thomas.

Looking ahead, one of my priorities for the coming year is to convert the former Tom’s Tots Room into a dedicated Meeting Room at St Thomas’. This would be a valuable resource for the staff team and the wider congregation. At present, meetings often require us to relocate elsewhere, as holding them in the office disrupts those working there. A designated meeting space would also support pastoral conversations, whether during the Café Drop-In or as part of our services. Funding to this is a barrier currently.

As our church continues to grow, so does the need for more people to join our service rotas. We particularly need additional volunteers for the evening service, though both services would benefit from more hands. If you are able to help with welcoming, refreshments, tech, Bible readings, or any of the other roles, we would be very glad to hear from you. Training is provided, and you can serve alongside someone

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else. We are also looking for able-bodied volunteers to help set out chairs for services at St Thomas, and would appreciate anyone who is able to assist.

Thank you for your continued support throughout the year. If there is anything you would like to discuss, or if you think we can help in any way, please do come and chat.

Stephen Feasey – Operations Manager

Treasurer’s Report

Firstly I would like to thank Melissa for auditing our accounts for us which is a great help and saves us a lot of money.

This year has been a challenging year but we have seen a lot of improvements to our buildings which has been thanks to incredible work done by several people in securing grants and making sure that we had the right people to do the work. We have also been lucky to have volunteers helping us with the work which has also saved us a lot of money and I would like to thank everyone who has put in time and effort in making sure that work is done to help us bring our buildings up to date and fit for purpose to serve God and the community around us. (If you know of anyone who is not usually at church that has helped us please pass on our thanks and gratitude.)

We have also seen an increase in our weekly/monthly giving which is helping us to move forward. We do still have to make sure we are careful with our spending as although from the money shown in our bank accounts we appear to be in a good position but we also need to remember that a lot of that money is in restricted funds for salaries, etc.

We have also had an increase in our hall hirers which is very encouraging but we need to pray for more new hirers who fit with our vision and purpose.

The finance team have also been getting used to working within a budget which has been challenging but also rewarding.

Thank you all for your continued support to both me and our Church which is very much appreciated.

Sandy Laing - Treasurer

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Balance Sheet

AST- The Church of The Ascension and St Thomas

As of 31 Dec, 2025

TOTAL
Cash at bank and in hand
67388147 Co-operative Bank Savings 85,977.17
6738814 Co-operative Bank current 9,111.19
PC100 PettyCash - St Thomas refreshments -40.93
Total for Cash at bank and in hand £95,047.43
Debtors
Debtors 420.00
Total for Debtors £420.00
NET CURRENT ASSETS £95,467.43
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Trade Creditors
Creditors 0.00
Total for Trade Creditors £0.00
Current Liabilities
YDBF YDBF HoldingAccount 210.00
Total for Current Liabilities £210.00
Total for Creditors: amounts falling due within one year £210.00
NET CURRENT ASSETS (LIABILITIES) £95,257.43
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES £95,257.43
TOTAL NET ASSETS (LIABILITIES) £95,257.43
Charity Funds
Opening Balance Equity 135,894.08
Retained Earnings
Profit for theyear -40,636.65
Total for Charity Funds £95,257.43

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Accrual Basis Friday, 24 April 2026 11:41 AM GMTZ

The Church of the Ascension and St Thomas

Calvert Road

Hull

31[st] December 2025

Financial Statements

The Church of the Ascension and St Thomas Notes to the Financial Statements As at 31[st] December 2025

1. Accounting Policies

The financial statements of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 using the receipts and payments basis.

Funds

General funds represent the funds of the PCC that are not subject to any special restrictions regarding their use and are available for application to the general purposes of the PCC. These include funds designated for a particular purpose by the PCC.

Restricted funds are those that a charity receives with specific instructions from a donor or through a fundraising campaign on how they should be used, or that are designated for a specific project or purpose by the charity itself. This means they cannot be used for general charitable purposes, only for the designated purpose outlined by the restriction.

Bankers

The Co-operative Bank 22 Alfred Gelder St, Hull HU1 2BS

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Independent Examiner’s Report To the Trustees of The Church of the Ascension and St Thomas

Responsibilities and basis of report

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/12/2025.

As the charity trustees of the Trust, 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 Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed

Date 24th April 2026

Melissa Bryan FACCA 34 Neville Street York YO31 8NP

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The Church of the Ascension and St Thomas

Receipts and Payments Account For the Year Ended 31st December 2025

Notes
Receipts
Donations and Legacies
Gift Aid Claimed
Grants Received
Fundraising
Hire Income
Investment Income
Fee Income
Other
Total receipts
Payments
Charitable Activities
2
Total resources used
Excess of receipts over payments/(payments
over receipts)
Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
2025 Total
Funds
2024 Total
Funds
£
£
£
£
28,817
5,068
33,885
23,793
10,434
88
10,522
4,628
-
11,996
11,996
140,705
6,672
-
6,672
5,454
23,272
-
23,272
18,541
977
-
977
130
452
-
452
819
355
844
1,199
562
70,979
17,996
88,974
194,631
57,343
72,268
129,611
98,784
57,343
72,268
129,611
98,784
13,636
(54,272)
(40,637)
95,847

Statement of Assets and Liabilities For the Year Ended 31st December 2025

Cash Funds
Bank account
Total cash funds
3
Other Monetary Assets
Debtors
Liabilities
Creditors
Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
2025 Total
Funds
2024 Total
Funds
£
£
£
£
34,581
60,467
95,047
135,894
34,581
60,467
95,047
135,894
420
-
420
4,690
(210)
-
(210)
3,132

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The Church of the Ascension and St Thomas Notes to the Financial Statements As at 31[st] December 2025

Note 2 Expenditure

Charitable Activities Unrestricted Unrestricted Restricted Restricted Total 2025 Total 2024
Salary Costs £ 1,774
£ 53,638
£ 55,412
£ 17,341
Clergy Expenses £ 511
£ -
£ 511
£ 2,567
Upkeep of church £ 26,823
£ 1,060
£ 27,883
£ 18,848
Upkeep of Services £ 9,657
£ 3,603
£ 13,260
£ 11,768
Major Building Works £ -
£ 13,967
£ 13,967
£ 25,592
Diocesan Free Will Offering £ 18,000
£ -
£ 18,000
£ 18,000
Grants and Charitable expenditure £ 577
£ -
£ 577
£ -
Fees £ -
£ -
£ -
£ 321
Other £ - £ - £ - £ 4,348
£ 57,343
£ 72,268
£ 129,611
£ 98,784

Note 3 Restricted Funds

Fund Name 2024 2024 b/f Income Income Expenditure Expenditure 2025 c/f
Operations Manager Salary £ 59,104
£ -
£ 27,506
£ 31,598
Operations Set up £ 2,000
£ -
£ 2,000
£ -
Youth & Community Pioneer Salary £ 41,555
£ 10,000
£ 26,133
£ 25,423
Café drop-in Set up £ 2,000
£ 1,996
£ 2,043
£ 1,953
Minor Building Repairs £ 10,080
£ 5,036
£ 13,967
£ 1,148
Variations £ -
£ 100
£ -
£ 100
Church Day Out £ - £ 864 £ 620 £ 244
114,739 £ 17,996
£ 72,268
£ 60,467
Comparative Year
Fund Name 2023 b/f Income Expenditure 2024 c/f
Operations Manager Salary - £ 68,000
£ 8,896
£ 59,104
Operations Set up - £ 10,000
£ 8,000
£ 2,000
Youth & Community Pioneer Salary - £ 50,000
£ 8,445
£ 41,555
Café drop-in Set up - £ 2,000
£ -
£ 2,000
Minor Building Repairs - £ 10,080
£ -
£ 10,080
Roof Repairs - £ 1,000 £ 1,000 £ -
- £ 141,080
£ 26,341
£ 114,739

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