Rutland Historic Churches Preservation Trust
Trustees’ Report and Financial Statement for the year ended March 31[st] 2024
Registered charity number 211068
23 South Street Oakham Rutland LE15 6BG
Phone: 01572 492690 Email: rhcptrust@gmail.com Website: www.rhcpt.co.uk
Trustees
| Trustees | |
|---|---|
| Laurence Howard | President |
| Sarah Furness | Vice President |
| Peter Lawson | Chair |
| John Clement Saunders | Hon. Treasurer |
| Beverley Hancock | Hon. Secretary |
| Catherine Coulson | Trustee |
| Stephen Harris | Trustee |
| Peter Hitchcox | Trustee |
| Patricia Morley | Trustee |
| Stephen Taylor | Trustee |
| Susan Thomas | Trustee |
| Vyvyan Wainwright | Trustee |
| Martin Wilson | Trustee |
| Roger David Wood | Trustee |
The Trust has no employed staff and its activities are conducted by a Board of Trustees. Each trustee has responsibility for liaising with a group of churches. Potential new trustees are considered first by a Nominations Sub Committee then by the Board of Trustees. Officers and trustees are appointed/reappointed at the Annual Meeting.
There were a number of retirements during the year.
-
Mr. Howard Philips and Mr Richard Adams both retired after 25 years as Trustees.
-
At the end of the year, Sir Laurence Howard KCVO retired as President after 20 years. He will continue as a Trustee in the role of Vice President and be succeeded as President by The Lord Lieutenant of Rutland, Dr Sarah Furness.
-
At the end of the year, Mr John Saunders retired as Treasurer after 15 years of service: Beverley Hancock will serve as Acting Treasurer.
-
Rt. Rev. Debbie Sellin, Bishop of Peterborough accepted the role of Patron.
Objective and Achievements
Rutland Historic Churches Preservation Trust exists to provide financial assistance to all churches and chapels within the County of Rutland, whenever they may need help for conservation and maintenance. The Trust’s philosophy is that Rutland’s places of worship - many of them fine buildings of architectural and historic interest - have been inherited by our generation and it is our responsibility to use them, diligently care for and preserve them, and pass them on to the next generation.
The Trust’s income is derived from investments, donations, legacies and a biennial fundraising event, Ride and Stride. This year income from these sources totalled £46,311, approximately half of which was raised through Ride and Stride. This enables the Trust to provide grants to churches to help with repairs and restoration. Around 50% of the funds raised through Ride and Stride, £11,060 was given to participants’ nominated churches. The efforts of participants and church organisers were celebrated at an event in March when gifts and certificates were presented to participants who had cycled to the greatest number of churches, who had used
the quirkiest mode of transport (a unicycle) and to the youngest (6 years and 4 years) and oldest (95 years) participants.
Grants
In addition to payments to churches raised by Ride and Stride, the Trust awarded grants of between £3,000 and £10,000 to the following churches:
-
Great Casterton St Peter & St Paul towards installation of a new heating system
-
Stretton St Nicholas towards roof repairs
-
Whitwell St Michael & All Angels for wall repairs
-
Braunston All Saints towards repair of the west tower
-
Barrowden St Peters towards repairs to the bell tower and bell frame
-
Market Overton St Peter & St Paul towards repairs to the lychgate, churchyard wall and tree work.
These six grants totalled £40,000. We extend our sincere thanks to all our supporters for making this possible. Grants are paid on completion of work so there is a difference between the number of grants awarded and the number of grants paid in any year. This year the Trust paid £63,353 to nine places of worship.
Finance
The Trust’s finances are managed by a Finance Sub-Committee which reports to the twiceyearly Trustees Meetings. The Trust retains healthy reserves which are invested in ways that will enable support of the county’s places of worship for many years to come. The Finance SubCommittee keeps the Trust Reserves and Investment Policy under close review and proposes an annual budget for grants which is approved at the AGM. Equity investments are under expert management for charitable purposes by CCLA. The Finance Sub-Committee will continue to monitor these funds prudently and afford opportunities to harvest a proportion of the growth in these funds annually in order to increase our grant giving capacity whilst, at the same time, inflation proofing our investments over the long term. In this context, Trustees gratefully acknowledge the most valuable investment advice we receive from our specialist Trustees in this field, and the sterling work of the Treasurer for his very capable management of our range of investment options.
We also thank Gill Brand, for independently examining, the Trust’s finances and annual report.
Receipts and Payments: Year Ending March 31[st] 2024
| 2023 – 2024 | 2023 – 2024 | 2023 – 2024 | 2023 – 2024 | 2022 – 2023 | 2022 – 2023 | 2022 – 2023 | 2022 – 2023 | 2022 – 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||||
| Opening Cash Balance | 95,849 | 160,787 | |||||||
| Receipts | |||||||||
| Ride & Stride Sponsors | 21,120 | 464 | |||||||
| + Gift Aid | 2,582 | 0 | |||||||
| lesspayments to churches | -11,065 | 0 | |||||||
| less administration | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Ride & Stride Surplus | 12,637 | 464 | |||||||
| Donations(inc. Gift Aid) | 10,453 | 1,145 | |||||||
| Interest & Dividends | 11,656 | 10,326 | |||||||
| Calendar Sales Donation | 500 | 35,246 | 600 | 12,535 | |||||
| Payments | |||||||||
| Grants | 63,353 | 69,547 | |||||||
| Administration | 460 | 63,813 | 497 | 70,044 | |||||
| Surplus / Deficit | -28,567 | -57,509 | |||||||
| Movement of Investments | |||||||||
| Deposits opened | -27,000 | 50,000 | |||||||
| Deposits withdrawn | 50,680 | 23,680 | -42,571 | -7,429 | |||||
| Closing Cash balance | 90,962 | 95,849 |
Statement of Assets and Liabilities at March 31[st] 2024
| Assets | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank Balances | ||||||||||||||
| Barclays current account | 50,110 | 56,833 | ||||||||||||
| COIF deposit account | 40,852 | 90,962 | 39,016 | 95,849 | ||||||||||
| Investments | ||||||||||||||
| Equitybased(market value) | 763,271 | 672,136 | ||||||||||||
| Short term deposit | 52,449 | 51,214 | ||||||||||||
| Fixed term deposits | 158,378 | 974,098 | 178,652 | 902,002 | ||||||||||
| Total Assets | 1,065,060 | 997,851 | ||||||||||||
| Liabilities | ||||||||||||||
| Grants committed | 41,500 | 64,853 | ||||||||||||
| Total Net Funds | 1,023,560 | 932,998 |
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinefs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinetrs Report Report to the trusieesl members of fL&NfJ k On accounts forthg year ended Charity no liff any) Sgt out ort p•qe8 l pOrt to thè trStee$ on rny examThlion of Ihe ac¢tyffits of the abo% ¢harily Ilha Trust? fN Ihe year end R88pon$ilxlib"•s and As the ch8rity tru$tee5 01 Ihe Tru# are r¢sw$trJl8 forthe pryration bas18 of report ofthe accounts in accordan ¥th the requirryfflts olthe Ch&8S A 2011 (Yhe Ad l. I report li respect of examination of th6 TNst's accounts ¢¥rtad out nder section 145 of th8 2011 Ad and In carrying out rny exarThnation. I have fdlowed applicab tir&ciions givon by Ihe Charity COrrurriOn under section 14515llbl of Ihe Acl. I have cempleted my ex&min8Ien. I connrrn Ihal no rnalerial matter¥ havB ¢ome lo attentson lolherthan that disd05ed below'l in rA>nne¢kn ilh Ihe examination wknich gves me cause lo believe Ihal in. any lerial respe61'. 8ccounling record5 re not kepl in 4cwdarKe vth Sect 130of the Act or Ihe accounts do nol accord with the accDwtmg r•¢ords Independent 8xamlneVs 8tat•m•nt I have no concem8 and ha come acrnss no olher matters w¢ c•nneciT wih the examinalion lowhich attention should bè dra in uderto enatrAe a proper unthrsland9 orth6 act(niS lo rexhed ' Please delete Ihe worf5 in the brnckets if Ihey do n?y. Signed.. D•t•: 3-&-J41 N*m•: R¢l?vant prof4s8lonal qU81ifi¢atlonlsl or body (Sf Any): AAT Addr•ss'. LEIS 6 o IER October 2018