Charity No. 224571
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
TRUSTEES’ REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
CONTENTS OF THE TRUSTEES’ REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Reference and administrative details | 1 |
| Trustees’ Report | 2 - 18 |
| Report of the Independent Auditors | 19 - 21 |
| Charity Statement of Financial Activities | 22 |
| Consolidated (Group) Statement of Financial Activities | 23 |
| Charity Balance Sheet and Consolidated (Group) Balance sheet | 24 |
| Group Statement of Cash Flow | 25 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 26 - 40 |
Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
Reference and administrative details
| Registered charity name | The Central England Area Quaker Meeting Charities |
|---|---|
| Working charity name | Central England Quakers (CEQ) |
| Charity registration number | 224571 |
| Area meeting office | 40 Bull Street, Birmingham B4 6AF |
| The Trustees | Christine Bagnall (until January 2025) |
| Sandra Berry (from March 2024) | |
| Esther Boyd (from April 2025) | |
| Sharon Karima Brooke (from January 2025) | |
| Huw Davies | |
| James Green | |
| John Kimberley (until May 2024) | |
| Robert Morris (until December 2024) | |
| Carole Pannell | |
| Steven Pullan | |
| Gillian Smith (until January 2025) | |
| Lyndon Thomas (from January – September 2024) | |
| Anne Ullathorne | |
| Peter Ullathorne | |
| Auditors | BSN Chartered Accountants |
| 3B Swallowfield Courtyard | |
| Wolverhampton Road Oldbury, West Midlands | |
| B69 2JG | |
| Nominee for Land | Friends Trusts Limited |
| 173-177 Euston Road, London | |
| NW1 2BJ | |
| Nominee for Investment | Rathbone Greenbank Investments |
| 10 Queens Square | |
| Bristol BS1 4NT | |
| Bankers | CAF Bank Limited, Kings Hill, |
| West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ | |
| Unity Trust Bank, PO Box 7193, Planetary Rd, | |
| Willenhall, WV1 9DG | |
| Solicitors | Veale Wasbrough Vizards |
| 3 Brindley Place, Birmingham B1 2JB |
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
A Introduction
Central England Area Meeting trustees are pleased to report on our work in 2024.
During 2024 trustees recruited and appointed Helen Waters as business support administrator to work alongside Sarah Barker, our principal officer. With these two posts in place trustees are happy to report that all contact with the office in Bull Street is dealt with promptly and professionally.
The main work of trustees this year has been:
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Maintaining the good governance of the charity.
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Rationalising some of our property so that it does not become a liability
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Continuing to support the work of our AM in delivering the vision “What does Love require of us”
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Managing our finances and seeking efficient and effective ways to manage the charity in the future.
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Liaising with the Area Meeting about charitable activities and priorities.
B Structure, management and governance
The principal activity of the Area Meeting is the holding of Meetings for Worship which are open to all who wish to attend in its Local Meetings, together with the other Branches and related projects which support the charity’s objects in an area roughly equivalent to the West Midlands boundaries. There is an office in Bull Street Meeting House in the centre of Birmingham. There is a Principal Officer and a Business Support Administrator who work across the charity business. There are other employees who work within specific branches (projects) or local meetings.
The Charity’s Governing Document defines the way it is organised and managed.
This report and the financial statements incorporate the affairs of the LMs (Local Meetings) and Branches. There are currently 14 active Local Meetings (LMs) which make up the Central England Area Meeting. These being:
Local Meetings
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Barnt Green and Redditch • Kings Heath
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• Bournville • Selly Oak • Bull Street • Solihull • Cotteridge • Stourbridge • Coventry • Sutton Coldfield • Hall Green • Walsall • Hartshill • Warwick
There are 5 ‘Branches’, which are projects or committees set up to further specific pieces of work related to Quaker concerns. These are:
Branches
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West Midlands Quaker Peace Education Project (Peacemakers)
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Quaker Christmas Parcels
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Community Justice Group*
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Peace Committee*
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Peace Hub
*During the year the Peace Committee and Community Justice Group laid themselves down as formal ‘branches’ of the charity. The Community Justice Group continues its activities much as before but now as a committee of the Area Meeting and without its own bank account. The Peace Committee has joined with the Peace Hub in order to continue to support this area of concern.
Membership
The total number of members at the end of 2024 was 409 (2023 was 417). At the end of 2024 there were also 225 recorded adult attenders (2023 was 203 or 245 including children). 39 children were recorded at the end of 2024 (2023 was 42).
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024 (continued)
Trustees
Trustees are appointed by Area Meeting, on the basis of nominations proposed by the CEQ Nominations Committee. (This process is a key part of the Quaker Business Method, and the CEQ Nominations Committee is responsible for considering all vacancies for voluntary roles, and for recommending “names” to area meeting. These “names” are then appointed or declined at the next area business meeting). In line with Quaker practice, trustees are appointed for a three-year term, which can be extended for a second “triennium” by mutual agreement between the trustee and Area Meeting. On occasions trustees serve a third term.
New trustees receive an induction “briefing” and are given the opportunity to attend a training course for trustees facilitated by the Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, as well as events provided by Quakers in Britain.
Trustees are responsible for monitoring the performance of the charity and managing its activities. In 2024 there were 11 Trustees and they met 4 times (February, May, August and November). Meetings took the form of joint face to face and online meetings (blended). There was also an ‘Away Day’ held in May which offered trustees the space and opportunity to consider what is happening nationally within other AM’s – some of whom are joining together, further explore the recommendations from the Special Working group on ‘What Does Love Require of Us’ and review our governing document.
In the Quaker tradition, decisions about policies, charitable activities and priorities are taken by the members of the Area Meeting at regular business meetings, and not by the charity’s trustees who provide advice and guidance and take responsibility for the statutory and legal duties of the charity. Area business meetings are open to all members of the Area Meeting and with agreement to interested attenders. Local Meetings appoint representatives to ensure effective representation. All Local Meetings receive minutes of the business meetings and can comment freely on the work of CEQ.
In 2024 there were 9 Area Meetings for business, plus 2 Devotional Meetings.
Trading Subsidiary
Priory Rooms (Bull Street) Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of CEQ. This Quaker owned and managed conference centre is located at Bull Street Friends Meeting House. Directors are appointed by CEQ Area Meeting; there are at least two CEQ trustee Directors and at least four non-trustee Directors. The strategic vision for Priory Rooms is described in a “Purpose and Principles” document, and the relationship between the company and CEQ trustees is set out in a detailed Management Agreement.
C Objectives and Activities
Quaker faith is rooted in the belief of living our lives according to our spiritual experience. This is the basis of Quaker testimonies to peace, truth, simplicity, equality and sustainability, which guide Quaker behaviour, work and witness.
The object of Central England Area Meeting is the furtherance of the general religious and charitable purposes of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Britain in the area of Central England Area and beyond.
This includes:
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i. Strengthening the life and witness of Quaker meetings both in the area of Central England Area Meeting and beyond;
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ii. Spreading the message of Quakers and interpreting and developing the thought and practice of the Religious Society;
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iii. Undertaking Quaker service for the relief of suffering at home and abroad; iv. Funding the concerns that Quaker meetings in the area of Central England Area Meeting or beyond have adopted or agreed to support;
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v. Providing the pastoral care of individual members and Attenders including assistance to those in need and for education;
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vi. Maintaining and developing Quaker Meeting Houses as places for public worship and from which to carry out our witness to the world;
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vii. Administering and maintaining the organisation of Central England Area Meeting and contributing to the support of Britain Yearly Meeting.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024 (continued)
All 14 LMs and 3 Branches have contributed to the furtherance of the charity’s objectives through:
Worship
All of the Local Meeting’s hold at least one Meeting for Worship each week on Sunday. Some meetings are blended (offering Friends the opportunity to join online as well as in person), others are in person only. There are also additional mid-week meetings and those which take place only online.
Intervisitation Sunday has been encouraged as a way of worshiping together as well as visiting another local meeting occasionally. We are pleased that 4 of our local meetings have children as part of their meeting.
As well as worshiping in our meeting houses we sometimes take our witness outside and worship in local parks or streets.
The reading of Advices and Queries remains an integral part of Meeting for Worship, and passages are read regularly throughout the year. They remain an important framework within which Friends try to live their lives, and continue to inspire as a form of spiritual witness.
Friends have enjoyed area Devotional Meetings in Stourbridge and Hartshill, providing an opportunity to visit Meeting Houses which might be further away, share spiritual companionship and to socialise with those who are perhaps seen less often.
Special meetings have continued this year, such as a wedding in August, a same sex marriage in September and Christmas Day meetings for worship, some involving readings and carols.
Meetings for Learning have explored topics such as ‘What does it mean to be a Quaker?’ and a bible study group have explored women in the Bible and considered the text of 1 Corinthians.
Worship and discussion groups explored Quaker Faith and Practice (with additional material from The Friend), the Book of Discipline - Marriage proposals and explored topics of Diversity and Accessibility.
Spiritual journey groups have met, including The Soup Group and the Quaker Faith and Practice Group, and some have welcomed new participants.
Some Local Meetings, in close proximity to one another, have joined together on occasion and 2 also held a Kindlers event entitled ‘Living Adventurously’. [Kindlers work to rekindle the power of Quaker worship by renewing and deepening Quaker spiritual practices.] Another Kindlers workshop on vocal ministry was organised in June by one LM, who invited 3 other LM’s to join them. This was a positive experience that helped Friends gain a fresh perspectives on ministry.
A ‘Fox 400 Pilgrimage’ took place across south Birmingham, commemorating 400 years since the birth of George Fox, the founder of the Religious Society of Friends. It has been particularly poignant for Central England Friends as George Fox was born in Drayton-in-the-clay (now Fenny Drayton) which is part of the Central England Area Meeting. Talks, displays, exhibits, guided walks, creative reflection sessions and film showings also marked the occasion. The children’s group of one LM developed an animated film for the anniversary.
New premises for one of the Local Meetings has brought challenges and opportunities.
Kenilworth Worshipping group was laid down in June due to dwindling numbers.
Visits to Friends who were ill and housebound have provided comfort and companionship, as well as opportunities for shared worship. Meetings are pleased to be able to help those who are struggling due to illness or age to continue to be a part of the whole.
During 2024 we have been pleased to welcome new members and attenders, as well as mourning the deaths of several devoted Friends.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024 (continued)
Children’s Meeting
Three Local Meetings have children’s meetings most weeks. Another has a monthly children’s group. Young people from five Local Meetings attend sessions of the Area Meeting youth group. Stourbridge children’s group chooses two of the four charities which the Meeting supports with special collections over the year and produced an animated film celebrating the 400[th] anniversary of George Fox’s birth. Selly Oak children’s meeting enjoyed stories, craft, cooking, gardening and outdoor play and went on a theatre trip. Cotteridge children’s meeting has a large age range - they hope to create within their Meeting an intergenerational community where all feel welcome.
Community
Film showings once a month, including one on the life of George Fox as part of Quaker week have proved a popular way of engaging with Friends and the local community. Activities during Quaker Week also included shared meals with other churches and regular FaceBook posts sharing information.
The Community Café at Warwick is open 5 mornings a week.
Shared lunches, ‘joy Fridays’, picnics, walks and breakfasts, as well as friends sharing their spiritual journey, provides a good way of building a stronger sense of community.
“Desert Island Discs” events have been held by one LM, each followed by a shared lunch. In addition to sharing Friends’ music choices the real value of these events is being able to listen to the life journeys of the ‘castaways’.
Cards are often sent to Friends in need of support and one meeting comes together each month over coffee to write these.
Quaker history exhibitions, talks about art and nature have proved a welcome way of engaging Friends and the community.
One local meeting had an ‘Away Day’ and had a facilitated exploration of the question ‘What does deep hope look like for Quakers in 2024’. Friends found the experience rewarding and challenging and were touched by the generous approach of Friends in another local meeting that hosted them. It was felt to be a warm expression of Quaker community.
Trips and outings, such as Harvington Hall and the Black Country Living Museum, are both rewarding experiences and a good opportunity for nurturing friendships.
A group of Friends visited the ‘Victorian Radicals’ Exhibition at Birmingham Museum during February, and found this an interesting and enjoyable social occasion.
A study group of 11 Friends was formed to explore “Faith and Climate Justice”, using the resources provided by BYM, and held six sessions (each based on one of six booklets) in 2024.
Approximately 10 young people regularly attend the Area Meeting Youth Group and some are also involved in Summer School or Senior Conference which enables them to develop links with the wider Quaker Community.
A monthly meeting of the “Preparing for Change in Old Age” group continues and the group has invited external speakers, for example from the local hospice.
LM’s have participated in Heritage open days, summer festivals and Christmas festivals. Sometimes opening meeting houses for quiet reflection during these busy times.
Some meetings are small in number and find maintaining the energy of the congregation a struggle, whilst others have increased in number and are benefiting from additional members and attenders joining them. Several Meetings have faced challenges in filling roles with one Meeting mentioning that they place significant responsibility on several key individuals and that most Friends had served more than one triennium in their post. Some meetings have explored ways to reduce the number of formal appointments and reduce the required length of service.
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THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024 (continued)
Community (Cont)
For example, one Local Meeting established a ‘Holding Group’. The elders who had agreed to continue after the Covid cohort, finally and for various reasons stepped back. The LM had already noticed that there seemed to be a gap at the heart of the meeting. They had no Elders nominated by the LM and appointed by Area Meeting. They could find no new Friends for Premises Committee. They could not identify a clerk or clerking team. Coordination and cohesion therefore was maintained by a “Holding Group” (HG) of three Friends and one Attender. At its meetings, the HG was joined by a rolling member of the Pastoral Friends’ Group, and by the Convener of Children’s Committee. They had no nomination’s committee other than a process initiated by the HG. The task as they saw it was to simply hold the community and the spiritual life of the meeting as best as they could. Members of the community have said that they did indeed feel held. An enlarged duty eldership also helped to take the pressure off a small number of people.
Ministry has been enhanced in one LM by a box of snippets from Quaker Faith and Practice as Quaker seeds.
On occasions, Friends have met to tend the gardens in our meeting houses which has enhanced the shared fellowship.
We have welcomed Friends from abroad and from other Area Meetings, as well as young people who are studying at nearby universities.
Some pastoral Friends have been challenged but remained faithful to the community needs of the local meetings and to individual needs relating to age, mobility and mental health challenges that individuals have had. We continue to look more closely, through our accessibility audits, at how we might make our study groups and meetings more inclusive.
We are pleased that our buildings are regularly used by members of the local community from a diverse range of backgrounds and organisations. We also use our grounds for community events, outdoor social activities, BBQ’s, bonfires, yoga sessions and wildlife group meetings, amongst other things.
Concerns
Workshops and speakers, on issues such as refugees, which led to the creation of ‘Quakers Welcome Refugees’ posters, have offered opportunities to take forward concerns.
A quiz night and ‘Meeting of Sanctuary’ collections raised money for, direct support or Quaker-led organisations supporting, asylum seekers.
Food Banks and other charities such as Women with Hope, Hope House, Restore, EcoBirmingham, Women’s Cooperative in Seir, Soothern and Craner Education Foundation and Clothing Coventry continue to receive the support of Friends.
An area meeting group: ‘Responding to Racism’, continues its work with Woodbrooke to explore historical issues and seek ways to consider reparations with one meeting reporting they are ‘probably more diverse in relation to Black Brown People of Colour (BBPoC) than at any time in its 98 year history’.
Friends within some Local Meetings have voiced concerns relating to the Testimonies of Peace and Sustainability and have taken this message outward in support of racial justice, the situation in Gaza, climate justice and opposition to the Arms Trade. Some of this action has resulted in arrests and Friends awaiting trial have been supported and held In The Light.
Several Meetings have made improvements to their Meeting Houses to make them more sustainable. Stourbridge Local Meeting gained a silver Eco-church award. Sutton Coldfield Meeting hold a monthly ‘Making a Difference’ group for small actions on sustainability.
Quaker Christmas Parcels
This annual activity, which has been running for 61 years, took place again on 6th & 7th December 2024 at Selly Oak Meeting House and like last year a little over one thousand food parcels were packed.
Seventy percent of the parcels went via Probation to ex-prisoners or the families of prisoners while the remaining thirty percent were distributed to groups working with refuges and asylum seekers or with the homeless.
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THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024 (continued)
Quaker Christmas Parcels (Cont)
Probation played their part as usual, providing help with the unloading of food deliveries on the Thursday and with collecting parcels on the Saturday. Interestingly, one of the ‘unpaid workers’ on the Thursday was someone known to Friends who had taken part in a ‘Just Stop Oil’ protest and was serving part of her sentence helping us with ‘Christmas Parcels’.
One of the joys of this annual event is the goodwill which it generates among all those taking part, not only with the packing but with the receiving groups, which then deliver the parcels to their clients and also with the ‘unpaid workers’. Feedback from the recipients of the ‘parcels’ from prisoners or their families and from refugee groups continues to confirm the need for the work and to be heartwarming. A probation officer wrote on behalf of a recipient, “A man has been released from prison today. He has been a rough sleeper for years and is very underweight. Against the odds Probation have found him accommodation this time. It was a great help to give him a bag of food as he is very vulnerable.” Another recipient wrote, “It is indescribable how much this food parcel is needed and how grateful and thankful I am to receive this parcel, so thank you.” There have also been many letters of thanks from refugee groups and appreciation was warmly expressed by the group, ‘Women with Hope’ at their Christmas party held at Selly Oak Meeting House.
Over 1000 food parcels were distributed in December 2024.
Peacemakers
In 2024, Peacemakers built awareness of peace education among educators through face-to-face encounters at conferences, social media, newsletters, and Networking. They also produced a new edition of the landmark resource Learning for Peace.
626 more young mediators were trained, setting up 22 more Peer Mediation Programmes; and running a Peace Ambassadors Programme in tandem with the Peace Hub, encouraging children in four schools to take action for peace.
260 mediators aged 7-17 who had been in post for 3-6 months were asked some questions about their experience: 98% said they were more confident now in dealing with others’ problems.
81% said they were better listeners and were able to be assertive when needed. 66% said they were now more confident in other parts of their lives. 45% said they were more confident dealing with their own problems.
In November a paper was shared with trustees and Area Meeting proposing that Peacemakers might launch themselves as an independent charity, separate to CEQ. This is being considered by Friends and will develop further in 2025.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024 (continued)
Peace Hub
At the Area Meeting in September, the Peace Hub Management Committee set out priorities for the project, following a strategic review. These being:
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Working with & supporting other groups committed to peace & social justice, through outreach, inreach & networking;
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Organising peace events & activities that build on this partnership work;
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Taking people on a journey from passive to active in this peace work.
The committee highlighted the intention to lay down the drop-in model (i.e. close ‘the Hub’, shop front, to the public) at the end of the year (December 2024). It was felt this would be freeing and increase opportunities to meet people where they are, and allow the coordinator more flexible use of their work time. This will better help achieve the aim of building an inclusive community, active on matters of peace and justice.
The management committee have been reflecting on current partnership working and drawing out threads of connecting with communities, listening to people’s concerns and ideas for local action, and helping to connect that with the bigger picture of national and global issues. This will inform the work in the coming years – the coordinator will build on these relationships to begin a new model of working in the community and look for where Peace Hub can offer something constructive.
A focus group will help develop the content for Peace Hub work and provide guidance on issues and groups for Peace Hub to work with.
A celebration to mark 10 years of the Peace Hub and the start of the next chapter will be held in early 2025.
Other work which contributes to our objectives
As well as involvement in Central England Area Meeting, some Friends are involved with Yearly Meeting and Friends World Committee for Consultation, the Quaker Committee for Christian and Interfaith Relations as well as ecumenical work such as Churches Together and the Chapel of Unity.
Many local meetings have good links with other religious groups and this year the Warwick Meeting House was a stop on the Warwick Faith Trail, when Friends had the opportunity to share how Quakers worship and an introduce Quaker testimonies.
9 members of a LM visited Oakwood prison in October to take part in their Meeting for Worship, in celebration of World Quaker Day
Friends played a prominent part in the annual Hiroshima Day ceremony in Coventry Cathedral as well as providing representatives on a local initiative called Sacred Spaces and on the multifaith forum.
One LM has provided administrative support for Lynn and Dave Morris who have, as Journeymen Theatre, written and performed powerful and thought-provoking productions on themes reflecting Quaker concerns and testimonies. After over a decade, Lynn and Dave decided to lay the project down in 2023, and they have been working on a “legacy project” to enable their work to be documented for posterity, and to make the material accessible to other performers. Their legacy book was launched in June 2024. The cost of the project was supported by contributions from both Area Meeting (specifically the “Black Country Fund”) and Stourbridge Meeting.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024 (continued)
Friends and activities from across the Central England Area Quaker Meeting
Food and fellowship at an AM tea
Friends from Central England joined Friends from Staffordshire Area Meeting, in Lichfield, for a George Fox street performance.
CEQ marked 400 years since the birth of George Fox with several commemorative events.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 (continued)
Friends and activities from across the Central England Area Quaker Meeting (Cont)
CEQ marked 400 years since the birth of George Fox with several commemorative events.
Children made birthday cards for George Fox
Quaker Faith and Play: the story of Margaret Fell, at all age worship
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THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 (continued)
Friends and activities from across the Central England Area Quaker Meeting (Cont)
Area Meeting Friends produced posters to be used across our Meeting Houses promoting a welcoming space for refugees.
The creativity continued with Quaker banners.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 (continued)
Friends and activities from across the Central England Area Quaker Meeting (Cont)
Youth Group created some amazing t-shirts during a session about the environment.
Bonfire night fun at Selly Oak
Peaceful protests at Telford Arms Fair
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 (continued)
Friends and activities from across the Central England Area Quaker Meeting (Cont)
Children’s meeting built their own bus and ‘drove’ themselves to Meeting for Worship
Servicing
The trustees are responsible for the charity's governance and compliance as set out in the governing document. It requires trustees to use the property and income to further the area meeting’s objects through for example: strengthening the life and witness of Quaker meetings; maintaining and developing Quaker meeting houses as places for public worship and from which to carry out our witness to the world; and administering and maintaining the organisation of Central England Area Quaker Meeting.
The Governing Document sets out the responsibilities delegated to trustees and defines their role and that of the Area and Local Meetings. One of the trustees responsibilities is to report annually to Area Meeting in session so that Friends can question and be reassured that property, finance, employment, and records are all being well managed and that risks are identified and reviewed regularly.
Trustees are aided in this work by the Service committees for finance, property, employment, and records advisory, each comprising members of Area Meeting and at least one or two trustees. The work and discernment done by these Service Committees brings greater depth and accountability to the eventual decisions made by trustees.
During the year the service committees each met quarterly, and their minutes were received at each trustees meeting. Matters for discernment were brought to trustees' quarterly meetings and, when necessary, these decisions were taken to Area Meeting in session for further discernment or for information. Such matters are forwarded by minute or are agreed as agenda items with Area Meeting clerks.
The Local Meetings and Branches (working on Quaker concerns) are all part of the Central England Area Quaker Meeting Charity and have a significant degree of autonomy. One of the challenges for trustees is to ensure compliance with the governing document of the charity. This is done informally by the ‘link trustees’ and formally by the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that is completed by the separate bodies that make up the charity. The MoU is revisited bi-annually. It was last completed in 2023 and it will be reviewed again in 2025.
D Performance and monitoring
As described above, trustees manage the performance of the charity through service committees which oversee finance, property, employment, safeguarding and records management. Liaison with and support for the LMs and Branches is provided by a ‘Link Trustee’ who reports on key issues via a report to the trustees meeting.
A Scheme of Delegation is in place to help clarify roles and responsibilities between the trustees and Principal Officer. The PO role supports the work of the trustees and their committees and seeks to undertake some of the practical work previously carried out by volunteers, releasing those members to focus on the spiritual elements of the charity or to remain involved in charity work but with less onerous responsibilities. The PO also provides a report or collates relevant papers for each of the service committees’ and trustees’ meetings, highlighting key activities, risks and decisions which need to be considered.
The Risk Register was updated regularly during the year and is a standing agenda item at trustee meetings.
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THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 (continued)
Safeguarding
The Area Meeting safeguarding team comprises 1 trustee, 1 experienced Area Meeting member (who also serves as a prison Chaplain) and the Principal Officer. The AM team works with the LM Safeguarding Lead’s, providing support and guidance as required.
During 2024 there was one formal safeguarding referral from CEQ made to adult social care. This was an incident that was not directly related to the charity but became known to members, who took appropriate steps to safeguard an adult at risk.
There were also a number of events or incidents where Friends sought support from the Safeguarding Team and one particular case which led to significant liaison with agencies such as the police and probation.
No issues were escalated to the Charity Commission. The full procedure and toolkit was reviewed and updated in 2024 and approved by Trustees at their August meeting. These are available via the CEQ website.
E Financial Review
Grants Policy
The Area Meeting is not a grant-making charity and the items referred to as ‘grants’ mostly consist of the gifts (from central funds and Local Meetings) to the charity’s parent body, Britain Yearly Meeting, contributions to other Quaker work, donations to non-Quaker charities (mainly by Local Meetings acting under concern) and subscriptions to ecumenical bodies of which CEQ is a member. In 2024 the following donations were made from charitable funds to external beneficiaries (£): -
| Beneficiaries Overseas beneficiaries Non-CEQ Quaker charities Britain Yearly Meeting Non-Quaker charities Non-charities TOTAL |
£ 0 2,840 25,750 19,825 * 1,000 49,415 |
|---|---|
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includes a £2,500 donation to Woodbrooke
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** includes a £15,000 donation to ecobirmingham (formerly a CEQ Branch but from July 2018 an independent CIO).
The funds used for these purposes derive from members’ donations and investment income and not from the general public. All of the donations (as listed above) were approved at a formal business meeting, and recorded by Minute.
Reserves policy and performance
The reserves policy for the Area Meeting’s central funds was first approved by trustees in April 2009. It is regularly reviewed and was further revised in 2022. It will be revised again in 2025. A copy can be found on the CEQ website.
The purpose of the policy is to:
-
a) to ensure that the charity has adequate funds to undertake its charitable activities and protect itself from fluctuations in income or expenditure and
-
b) to reassure CEQ members and the public that it is using its income for charitable work, and not accumulating excessive reserves.
Most LMs and Branches also carry some reserves to cover their day to day needs and guidance has been issued by the finance committee with regards to this.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 (continued)
Investment Properties
In addition to the Meeting Houses which are used by LMs the charity also has a number of other properties and land which are used for regular lettings or leased on a longer term basis to bring in additional revenue to support the charity’s objectives. These are managed centrally by the trustees and Principal Officer.
Priory Rooms Ltd (trading subsidiary)
Priory Rooms had a positive year in 2024, despite the challenges of increasing costs and were able to make a very welcome gift of £70,000 to the charity, for which trustees were very grateful.
The Service Agreement between the Charity and Priory Rooms, previously started in 2020, continued in 2024 and included the provision of services to support 4 centrally managed Meeting Houses.
Overall financial results for the year
2024 has been a good year for Central England Quakers with the majority of our Meetings enjoying regular worship and witness activities, as described elsewhere in this report. We are pleased that we have increased our expenditure on Quaker activities. Our income and expenditure has remained broadly consistent with previous years though we report a deficit for 2024 of £57,593 before gains on investments . We continue to try to simplify our financial and property arrangements and work towards modernizing and future proofing our systems but there are costs involved as we manage these developments.
Our investment properties were valued in the summer of 2025 and the new values have been reflected in the 2024 accounts giving unrealized gains. The sale of three properties before the year end gave us £204,319 of realised gains.
The year end valuation of our financial investments was lower than hoped following a year of turbulent global and political events but our balance sheet remains strong and the overall financial picture is positive, and, given the support of our members and our inherited portfolio, we feel able to cope with the ongoing challenges of increasing labour costs, higher utility charges and expenditure on building repairs and improvements to our governance. Overall, the charity is in a sound position as we go into 2025.
F Going Concern
The trustees are of the view that the charity is a going concern, the evidence for which is as follows:
The key funds held by the charity are overall above target levels, as defined in the Reserves Policy. Principal sources of income are the rents from investment properties, donations from members and the hire of rooms. The rent income is underpinned by the length and stability of the leases, with no known risk of any significant reduction.
The risks faced by the charity are well understood, with extensive mitigation measures in place. Specific financial risks are incorporated in the reserves policy. With the exception of one of its Branches, the charity is not dependent on external funding or fundraising for its income, and the relatively small scale of the activities limits the risks associated with this Branch. Property (repair and maintenance) risks are mitigated by the regular (quinquennial) building surveys undertaken, and by the comprehensive insurance cover that is in place. Major unforeseen expenditure on property is protected by the (c. £500,000) central Building Fund held in reserve.
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THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 (continued)
G Public Benefit Statement
The trustees consider they have complied with the duty in Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission.
The charity makes available and provides the following to further its purposes for the public benefit:
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✓ Regular holding of public Meetings for Worship.
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✓ Provision of information about the Quaker way to “seekers”, through courses, discussion, study groups and literature.
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✓ Meeting Houses which are used by many different groups and are of value to the local community.
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✓ Support for ecobirmingham, an environmental charity based in the midlands.
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✓ Information on energy-saving and lifestyle improvements through CEQ Climate Emergency Action Group.
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✓ Training and resources in mediation skills in schools and anti-bullying strategies, provided by the West Midlands Quaker Peace Education Project (Peacemakers).
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✓ Gifts of food for families in need, through the Quaker Christmas Parcels project and involvement with foodbanks in local areas.
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✓ Housing and care for elderly people, in partnership with other Quaker charities.
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✓ Funding for overseas work and for witness in UK.
-
Trustees consider that the following in particular benefit from the charity’s activities:
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✓ Members of the public
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✓ All who are interested in the Religious Society of Friends, its worship, values, testimonies, business methods, projects and concerns.
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✓ Members of CEQ, who are encouraged to participate actively in the work of the charity and its decision making. Quakers have no paid clergy, and volunteers who are given training as required, and acquire knowledge and skills, carry out much of the work.
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✓ “Attenders” at Meetings for Worship, who are permitted to take an active part in many Quaker roles, and who may benefit as above.
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✓ Local communities, which benefit from the use of Quaker Meeting Houses.
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✓ Local councils, which may benefit from the use of Meeting Houses as polling stations and councillors’ surgeries.
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✓ Prisoners supported by Quaker prison chaplains, and Quakers involved in the criminal justice system.
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✓ Asylum seekers, who are supported by various projects and through the work done on their behalf.
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✓ Mental health patients and students in the Birmingham area, who benefit from the work of Quaker chaplains.
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✓ Older people, through the provision of residential care.
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✓ People interested in developing a more sustainable, low carbon lifestyle, through the Eco Church scheme and the services of ecobirmingham.
H
Future Plans
-
Continue to explore ways of supporting our Local Meeting and branches to enable them to continue, whilst releasing volunteers of some of the more burdensome roles.
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Facilitate opportunities for all age worship and social events across the AM.
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Continue to review our property portfolio and ensure we are utilizing our resources efficiently and effectively.
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Explore ways to continue to grow the membership of the society and witness in our communities.
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Review our new model for delivering our Peace Hub project.
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Continue to promote and increase the uptake of peace education in the UK for 7-11 year olds and consider whether there are opportunities to take this project further.
-
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements
The charity trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees’ annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the charity trustees to prepare financial statements for each 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 group for that period.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
-
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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observe the methods and principles in the applicable 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 that must be disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
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prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper 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 Charities Act 2011, the applicable Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations, and the provisions of the Governing Document. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and the group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charity’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
Statement of information to the auditors
In so far as the trustees are aware at the time of approving our trustees’ annual report:
-
there is no relevant information, being information needed by the auditor in connection with preparing their report, of which the group’s auditor is unaware; and
-
the trustees, having made enquiries of fellow trustees and the group’s auditor that they ought to have individually taken, have taken all steps that they ought to have taken as trustees in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information.
The trustees’ annual report was approved on 12[th] August 2025 and signed on behalf of the trustees by;
……………………………………………… ……………………………………………… Sandra Berry (Trustee) Anne Ullathorne (Trustee)
The financial statements were submitted to the Charity Commission on 8[th] September 2025 and to the BYM Recording Clerk’s Office on 8[th] September 2025
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITORS TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of The Central England Area Quaker Meeting Charities and group for the year ended 31 December 2024 which comprise of the charity and group statement of financial activities, the charity and group statement of financial position, statement of cash flows and the related notes, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
This report is made solely to the charity's trustees, as a body, in accordance with section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and regulations made under section 154 of that Act. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity's trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity's trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
In our opinion the financial statements:
-
give a true and fair view of the state of the group and charity's affairs as at 31 December 2024 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
-
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice;
-
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustee's use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity's or the group’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITORS TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES (continued)
Matters on which we are required to report by exception
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Trustees' report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities Act 2011 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
-
the information given in the Trustees' report is inconsistent in any material respect with the financial statements; or
-
sufficient accounting records have not been kept by the parent charity; or
-
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
-
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
Responsibilities of Trustees
As explained more fully in the Trustees' responsibilities statement, the Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In applying the financial reporting framework, the Trustees have made a number of subjective judgements, for example in respect of significant accounting estimates. In making such estimates, they have made assumptions and considered future events.
In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the charity's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
We have been appointed as auditor under Section 151 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Acts and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:
We have reviewed financial statement disclosures and tested these to supporting documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations. We have audited the risk of management override of controls, including through testing journal entries and other adjustments for appropriateness, and evaluating the business rationale of significant transactions outside the normal course of business. We have also made enquiries of entity staff in tax and compliance functions to identify any instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT AUDITORS TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES (continued)
As part of an audit in accordance with ISAs (UK), we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. We also:
-
Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
-
Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the internal control.
-
Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by the Trustees.
-
Conclude on the appropriateness of the Trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the charity to cease to continue as a going concern.
-
Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.
Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. For example, the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations (irregularities) is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely the inherently limited procedures required by auditing standards would identify it. In addition, as with any audit, there remained a higher risk of non-detection of irregularities, as these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. We are not responsible for preventing noncompliance and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.
We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Philippa Miller-Hawkes BA CA (Senior Statutory Auditor)
For and on behalf of BSN Associates Limited Chartered Accountants & statutory auditor 3B Swallowfield Courtyard Wolverhampton Road Oldbury West Midlands B69 2JG
12[th] August 2025
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
CHARITY STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | 2024 | 2023 | |
| ___ | ___ | _____ | _____ | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Income | ||||
| Donations and legacies | 85,063 | 210,746 | 295,809 | 297,214 |
| Charitable activities | 222,413 | 48,395 | 270,808 | 261,852 |
| Investment Income | 288,213 | 24,158 | 312,371 | 307,192 |
| Gift from Priory Rooms | 70,000 | - | 70,000 | 60,000 |
| Other Income | 48,148 | 2,011 | 50,159 | 49,394 |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | |
| Total income | 713,837 | 285,310 | 999,147 | 975,652 |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | |
| Expenditure | ||||
| Cost of raising funds | (9,844) | (7,587) | (17,431) | (24,425) |
| Charitable activities | (733,604) | (305,705) | (1,039,309) | (967,709) |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | |
| Total expenditure | (743,448) | (313,292) | (1,056,740) | (992,134) |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | |
| Net income / (expenditure) | ||||
| before gains on investments | (29,611) | (27,982) | (57,593) | (16,482) |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | |
| Net gains/(losses) on | ||||
| investments | 591,875 | 2,385 | 594,260 | 385,829 |
| ______ | ____ | ______ | ______ | |
| Net income / (expenditure) | ||||
| before transfers | 562,264 | (25,597) | 536,667 | 369,347 |
| Transfers between funds | (3,623) | 3,623 | - | - |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | |
| Net movement in funds | 558,641 | (21,974) | 536,667 | 369,347 |
| Total funds brought forward | 7,956,400 | 1,019,684 | 8,976,084 | 8,606,737 |
| __ | __ | __ | __ | |
| Total funds carried forward | 8,515,041 | 997,710 | 9,512,751 | 8,976,084 |
| __ | __ | __ | __ |
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
CONSOLIDATED (GROUP) STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | 2024 | 2023 | ||
| ___ | ___ | _____ | _____ | ||
| Note | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Income | |||||
| Donations and legacies | 85,063 | 210,746 | 295,809 | 297,214 | |
| Charitable activities | 216,413 | 48,395 | 264,808 | 261,852 | |
| Other trading activities | 700,186 | - | 700,186 | 686,710 | |
| Investment Income | 289,643 | 24,158 | 313,801 | 307,192 | |
| Other Income | 48,148 | 2,011 | 50,159 | 46,394 | |
| _ | _ | __ | __ | ||
| Total income | 4 | 1,339,453 | 285,310 | 1,624,763 | 1,599,362 |
| _ | _ | __ | __ | ||
| Expenditure | |||||
| Cost of raising funds |
5 | (629,567) | (7,587) | (637,154) | (610,515) |
| Charitable activities |
6 | (710,376) | (305,705) | (1,016,081) | (934,695) |
| _ | _ | __ | __ | ||
| Total expenditure | (1,339,943) | (313,292) | (1,653,325) | (1,545,210) | |
| _ | _ | __ | __ | ||
| Net income / (expenditure) | |||||
| before gains on investments | (490) | (27,982) | (28,472) | 54,152 | |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | ||
| Net gains/(losses) on | |||||
| investments | 9 | 591,875 | 2,385 | 594,260 | 385,829 |
| _ | _____ | _ | _ | ||
| Net income/(expenditure) | |||||
| before transfers | 591,385 | (25,597) | 565,788 | 439,981 | |
| Transfers between funds ……7 | 7 | (3,623) | 3,623 | - | - |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | ||
| Net movement in funds | 587,762 | (21,974) | 565,788 | 439,981 | |
| Total funds brought forward | 8,232,309 | 1,019,684 | 9,251,993 | 8,812,012 | |
| __ | __ | ___ | __ | ||
| Total funds carried forward | 8,820,071 | 997,710 | 9,817,781 | 9,251,993 | |
| __ | __ | ___ | __ |
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
CHARITY AND CONSOLIDATED (GROUP) BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 December 2024
| Note | Charity | Charity | Group | Group | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2024 | 2023 | ||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Fixed assets | |||||
| Tangible assets | 11 | 1,254,183 | 1,314,314 | 1,276,084 | 1,328,800 |
| Investments | 12 | 6,918,071 | 6,770,652 | 6,918,071 | 6,770,652 |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ||
| Total fixed assets | 8,172,254 | 8,084,966 | 8,194,155 | 8,099,453 | |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ||
| Current assets | |||||
| Debtors | 13 | 101,764 | 80,003 | 144,850 | 103,953 |
| Cash at bank and in | 1,303,435 | 908,038 | 1,621,963 | 1,209,838 | |
| hand | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | |
| Total current assets | 1,405,199 | 988,041 | 1,766,813 | 1,313,791 | |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ||
| Liabilities | |||||
| Creditors falling due | 14 | (64,702) | (96,923) | (139,556) | (159,071) |
| within 1 year | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | |
| Net current assets | 1,340,497 | 891,118 | 1,627,257 | 1,154,720 | |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ||
| Total assets less | 9,512,751 | 8,976,084 | 9,821,412 | 9,254,172 | |
| current liabilities | |||||
| Creditors falling due | 14 | - | - | - | - |
| after 1 year | |||||
| Provisions | 16 | - | - | (3,631) | (2,179) |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ||
| Net assets | 9,512,751 | 8,976,084 | 9,767,781 | 9,251,993 | |
| ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ||
| Unrestricted | 6,858,753 | 6,376,062 | 7,163,783 | 6,651,971 | |
| Designated | 17 | 1,656,288 | 1,580,338 | 1,656,288 | 1,580,338 |
| Restricted | 18 | 997,710 | 1,019,684 | 997,710 | 1,019,684 |
| _____ | _____ | ___ | ___ | ||
| Total funds | 9,462,751 | 8,976,084 | 9,817,781 | 9,251,993 | |
| __ | __ | ___ | ___ |
The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on 12[th] August 2025 and signed on their behalf by:
……………………………………………… ……………………………………………… Sandra Berry (Trustee) Anne Ullathorne (Trustee)
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
GROUP STATEMENT OF CASH FLOW FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
| Net movement in funds Depreciation Charge Dividends and interest Losses/(gains) on investments (Increase)/decrease in debtors Increase/(decrease) in creditors and provisions Net cash used in operating activities Cash flows from investing activities: Dividends, interest & rents from investments Purchase of fixed assets Net sale/(purchase) of investments Net cash provided by investing activities Cash flows from financing activities: Repayment of borrowing Net cash provided by financing activities Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period Cash and cash equivalents brought forward Cash and cash equivalents carried forward |
2024 Total Funds £ 565,788 81,533 (313,801) (594,260) (40,897) (18,063) __ (319,700) _ 313,801 (28,817) 446,841 _ 731,825 _ - _ - _ 412,125 1,209,838 ______ 1,621,963 |
2023 Total Funds £ 439,981 96,529 (307,192) (385,829) 39,597 62,346 __ (54,568) _ 307,192 (10,528) 83,386 _ 380,050 _ - _ - _ 325,482 884,35 _____ 1,209,838 |
|---|---|---|
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
1. General information
The charity is a registered charity in England and Wales and is unincorporated. The address of the area meeting office is: 40 Bull Street, Birmingham B4 6AF.
2.
Statement of compliance
These financial statements have been prepared in compliance with FRS 102, ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland’, the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to the charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS 102 (Charities SORP (FRS 102)) and the Charities Act 2011.
3. Accounting policies
Basis of preparation and assessment of going concern
The financial statements incorporate the affairs of Central England Area Quaker Meeting and the Local Meetings and other Branches set out in note 20 to the financial statements. Transfers between the Local Meetings, the Branches and the Area Meeting are eliminated from income and expenditure. The financial statements also exclude those donations received by the Area Meeting and Local Meetings, which are paid over to various charities at the donors’ requests.
The financial statements also incorporate, where applicable and where amounts are described as ‘group’, the affairs of Priory Rooms (Bull Street) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary.
The subsidiary, which is a limited company and not a charity has been consolidated on a line by line basis. Intergroup balances have been eliminated on consolidation.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the entity.
Central England Quakers (CEQ) constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy notes.
The Trustees consider there are no material uncertainties about the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, as set out in their report.
Fund accounting
In order to differentiate the availability of funds they are categorised according to the following definitions:
-
Unrestricted general funds are available for any purpose of the Charity.
-
Designated funds represent amounts set aside for specific purposes but which remain at the discretion of the Area Meeting; and
-
Restricted funds represent contributions, legacies and donations received earmarked by the testator or donor for specific purposes.
Income
All income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.
Voluntary income is recognised as above except where the income is subject to conditions that require a level of performance before the charity is entitled to the funds, when the income is deferred and not recognised until either those conditions are fully met, or the fulfilment of those conditions is wholly within the control of the charity and it is probable those conditions will be fulfilled in the reporting period.
Legacy gifts are recognised on a case by case basis following the grant of probate and when the charity has been notified of the amount and settlement date.
Investment income is recognised when receivable and is shown gross to include income tax recovered and recoverable. Other income is accounted for on the basis of amounts receivable for the year.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
3. Accounting policies (continued)
Donated services and facilities
Donated professional services or facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the item is probably and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. The charity benefits greatly from the involvement and enthusiastic support of its many members, in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), the general volunteer time of members is not recognised.
On receipt, donated professional services or facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.
Expenditure
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
All expenditure is accounted for on using the accruals basis, inclusive of any value added tax that cannot be recovered.
Taxation
Priory Rooms (Bull Street) Limited is chargeable to corporation tax on its income and capital gains. Otherwise Central England Area Quaker Meeting is a charity and is exempt from taxation on income derived from its charitable activities. Priory Rooms (Bull Street) Limited provides for taxation deferred as a result of timing differences that have originated but not reversed at the balance sheet date. Unrelieved tax losses and other deferred tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable that they will be recovered against the reversal of deferred tax liabilities or other future taxable profits. Deferred tax is measured using the tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the reporting date that are expected to apply to the reversal of the timing difference.
Tangible fixed assets
The charity owns a number of functional properties comprising Meeting Houses and their contents, and other buildings used by CEQ Branches. These buildings are held in perpetuity for Meetings for Worship or other charitable activities, and contribute to the furtherance of the Central England Quaker’s charitable objectives and are considered to be heritage assets under FRS 102. The heritage assets have been grouped together in the following categories:
Meeting Houses, Wardens’ Accommodation and other buildings
There is no cost or accumulated depreciation recognised for these heritage assets, as allowable under Section 18 of FRS 102. Whilst it is believed that the market value, both at the time of acquisition and at the balance sheet date, was significantly in excess of £nil deemed cost and net book value, it is not possible to obtain a reliable estimate of the market value at either date. Conventional valuation techniques are not appropriate for the unique and historical nature of the assets. In addition, the Trustees consider it an inefficient use of the charity’s funds to obtain valuations for all of these properties and not befitting of the objectives of the charity.
Major expenditure on improvements to property at 40 Bull Street incurred during 1999 were capitalised and are being depreciated at 5% per annum on cost from 1 January 2004. Expenditure on the conference centre in Bull Street is being depreciated at 2% per annum on cost from 1 January 2004. A replacement heating system for 40 Bull Street was installed during 2020 and is being depreciated at 10% per annum on cost from 1 November 2020. This has been included within the Refurbishment of Meeting House asset category in note 11.
Any developments or improvements to the building greater than £10,000 are capitalised at cost and depreciated over the improvement’s useful economic life. Maintenance costs are charged to the SOFA in the period they are incurred.
Contents of Meeting Houses
A number of the Meeting Houses contents have also been recognised at £nil cost and £nil accumulated depreciation as it is impracticable and an inefficient use of the charity’s resources to value the specific items in the following categories: organs, pianos, Quaker artwork, library books and other contents.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
3. Accounting policies (continued)
The Trustees capitalise individual items of equipment costing £10,000 or more where there is a continuing economic value and a reliable measurement of cost or fair value is available. These assets are depreciated annually so as to write off the cost over their economic useful lives. In the subsidiary company equipment is capitalised where the asset has a continuing economic value.
Other fixed assets, which have been capitalised, are being depreciated at the following annual rates on cost:
| Furniture and fittings | - | at varying rates on cost |
|---|---|---|
| Computer equipment | - | 25% on cost |
| Heating and hot water system | - | 10 years |
| Refurbishment of Meeting house | - | 20 years |
| Conference Centre etc. | - | 50 years |
Investments
All investments are carried at their fair value. Investments in equities and fixed interest securities are all traded in quoted public markets, primarily the London Stock Exchange and fair value is equivalent to the market value. Holdings in common investment funds, unit trusts and open-ended investment companies are at bid price. The charity does not acquire put options, derivatives or other complex financial interests.
Investment properties are re-valued periodically or when changes in rental income necessitate revaluation. Fair value is generally open market value.
All gains and losses are taken to the Statement of Financial Activities as they arise.
Short term deposits comprise funds held in savings or deposit (rather than current) accounts which are surplus to immediate cash flow requirements and are classified as cash and cash equivalents.
Pension costs
The charity and its subsidiary contribute to defined contribution schemes for some of their employees. The pension cost represents the total amount payable to the schemes in the \year. The pension cost is directly charged to funds with contributory employees.
Financial Instruments
The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
4. Income
The comparative amounts for 2023 between consolidated funds are:
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | 2023 | ||
| Note | £ | £ | £ | |
| Donations and legacies | 122,875 | 174,339 | 297,214 | |
| Charitable activities | 218,705 | 43,147 | 261,852 | |
| Other trading activities | 686,710 | - | 686,710 | |
| Investment Income | 292,859 | 14,333 | 307,192 | |
| Other Income | 42,099 | 4,295 | 46,394 | |
| _ | _ | __ | ||
| Total income | 1,363,248 | 236,114 | 1,599,362 | |
| _ | _ | __ |
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
5. Costs of raising funds (Group)
| Costs of raising funds (Group) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | 2024 | 2023 | |
| Funds | Funds | Total | Total | |
| ___ | __ | ____ | ____ | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Priory Rooms (Bull St) Limited: | ||||
| Meeting & conference facilities | 612,861 | - | 612,861 | 569,714 |
| Taxation | 6,862 | - | 6,862 | 16,376 |
| Commercial lettings: | ||||
| Letting fees | 2,095 | - | 2,095 | 2,714 |
| Other | 7,749 | 7,587 | 15,336 | 21,711 |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | |
| 629,567 | 7,587 | 637,154 | 610,515 | |
| _ | _ | _ | ______ | |
| 2023 | 595,091 | 15,424 | 610,515 | |
| ______ | _____ | _ |
6. Expenditure on charitable activities (Group)
Support, governance and other costs are directly incurred by the various funds, there is no apportionment required centrally and there are no central function costs.
| Unrestricted | Restricted | 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | Total | Total | |
| ___ | ___ | ______ | _____ | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Payroll costs | 111,216 | 146,942 | 258,158 | 238,981 |
| Repairs and maintenance | 174,837 | 14,065 | 188,902 | 171,432 |
| Costs of Quaker activities | 108,325 | 71,110 | 179,435 | 153,174 |
| Depreciation | 81,533 | - | 81,533 | 96,529 |
| Other employee costs | 73,378 | 54,981 | 128,359 | 110,167 |
| Utilities | 60,465 | 9,557 | 70,022 | 88,556 |
| Insurance | 27,151 | 2,005 | 29,156 | 32,668 |
| Costs of governance | 66,416 | - | 66,416 | 25,074 |
| Other costs | 7,055 | 7,045 | 14,100 | 18,114 |
| _ | _ | _ | ______ | |
| 710,376 | 305,705 | 1,016,081 | 934,695 | |
| _ | _ | _ | ______ | |
| 2023 | 667,012 | 267,683 | 934,695 | |
| ______ | _____ | _ |
Included within the expenditure on activities are amounts paid to defined contribution pension plans for employees of £14,153 (2023: £12,439).
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
6. Expenditure on charitable activities (continued)
Costs of governance includes the auditors’ remuneration of £12,719 (2023: £10,362) for auditing and accounting fees which is incurred by the central funds and is not apportioned to individual Branches. The amount also includes irrecoverable value added tax.
7. Restricted Transfers
The transfers into the restricted fund were grants from the Trustees General fund into the Peacemakers for £30,000 and the Peace Hub £5,000 as well as donations raised from local meetings to support the ongoing work of these branches.
8. Staff details and analysis of staff costs, trustee remuneration and expenses
The Trustees consider the Principal Officer to be key management who undertakes much of the day to day management on their behalf.
The Trustees were not paid or received any other benefits from employment with the charity or its subsidiary in the year (2023: £Nil). No Trustees received reimbursement of travelling expenses in 2024 (2023: £Nil). No trustee received payment for professional or other services supplied to the charity (2023: £Nil).
No employee earned £60,000 per annum or more (2023: £Nil). Pension costs are incurred directly by the cost centre where staff are employed and allocated to the various funds accordingly.
There are 8 statutory directors of the subsidiary (2023: 7) who receive no remuneration or benefits.
The average number of employees during the year analysed by function was:
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Conference facilities | 13 | 13 |
| Other Branches and projects | 5 | 5 |
| Wardens, caretakers and gardeners | 4 | 4 |
| Administration | 2 | 2 |
| ___ | ___ | |
| 24 | 24 | |
| ___ | ___ | |
| The total staff costs for the year were: | ||
| 2024 | 2023 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Wages and salaries – conference facilities | 283,199 | 260,680 |
| Wages and salaries – other | 229,010 | 214,512 |
| National insurance | 32,384 | 28,936 |
| Pension costs | 26,892 | 24,817 |
| _ | _ | |
| 571,485 | 528,945 | |
| _ | _ |
All conference facilities staff are employed by the subsidiary company, Priory Rooms (Bull Street) Limited. These costs are included in costs of raising funds.
9. Net gains/(losses) on investments
| Net gains/(losses) on investments | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Unrestricted | 556,234 | 237,286 |
| Designated | 35,641 | 97,285 |
| Restricted | 2,385 | 51,258 |
| _ | _ | |
| Total net gains / (losses) | 594,260 | 385,829 |
| _ | _ |
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
10. Related party transactions
Included within donations to the charity is an aggregate amount of £7,552 (2023: £7,445) received from the Trustees.
11. Tangible fixed assets
Group
| Group | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refurbishment | Conference | Furniture | Computer | ||
| of Meeting House | centre etc. | & fittings | equipment | Total | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Cost | |||||
| At 1 January 2024 | 854,667 | 2,015,647 | 260,902 | 38,923 | 3,170,139 |
| Additions | - | - | 26,323 | 2,494 | 28,817 |
| Disposals | - | - | (115,190) | (14,665) | (129,855) |
| _ | __ | _ | ______ | __ | |
| At 31 December 2023 | 854,667 | 2,015,647 | 172,035 | 26,752 | 3,069,101 |
| _ | __ | _ | ______ | __ | |
| Depreciation | |||||
| At 1 January 2024 | 755,906 | 800,094 | 249,912 | 35,427 | 1,841,339 |
| Charge for year | 34,532 | 40,313 | 4,976 | 1,712 | 81,533 |
| Disposals | - | - | (115,190) | (14,665) | (129,855) |
| _ | __ | _ | ______ | ______ | |
| At 31 December 2024 | 790,438 | 840,407 | 139,698 | 22,474 | 1,793,017 |
| _ | __ | _ | ______ | ______ | |
| Net book amounts | |||||
| At 31 December 2024 | 64,229 | 1,175,240 | 32,337 | 4,278 | 1,276,084 |
| _ | __ | _ | ______ | __ | |
| At 31 December 2023 | 98,761 | 1,215,553 | 10,990 | 3,496 | 1,328,800 |
| _ | _ | ______ | __ | __ | |
| Charity | |||||
| Refurbishment | Conference | Furniture | Computer | ||
| of Meeting House | centre etc. | & fittings | equipment | Total | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Cost | |||||
| At 1 January 2024 | 854,667 | 2,015,647 | 10,262 | - | 2,880,576 |
| Additions | - | - | 14,714 | - | 14,714 |
| _ | __ | _ | ______ | __ | |
| At 31 December 2024 | 854,667 | 2,015,647 | 24,976 | - | 2,895,290 |
| _ | __ | _ | ______ | __ | |
| Depreciation | |||||
| At 1 January 2024 | 755,906 | 800,094 | 10,262 | - | 1,566,262 |
| Charge for year | 34,532 | 40,313 | - | - | 74,845 |
| _ | __ | _ | ______ | ______ | |
| At 31 December 2024 | 790,438 | 840,407 | 10,262 | - | 1,641,107 |
| _ | __ | _ | ______ | ______ | |
| Net book amounts | |||||
| At 31 December 2024 | 64,229 | 1,175,240 | 14,714 | - | 1,254,183 |
| _ | __ | _ | ______ | __ | |
| At 31 December 2023 | 98,761 | 1,215,553 | - | - | 1,314,314 |
| _ | __ | _ | ______ | __ |
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
11. Tangible fixed assets (continued)
All Group tangible assets are classified as unrestricted funds as they are held as part of the Trustees Fund where all assets are used for whatever is deemed appropriate to further the charity’s objectives.
Conference Centre
The centre consists of a conference suite and ground level refreshment area for the use of the charity and other Quaker and charitable bodies together with significant commercial use. The operation of the centre is managed by the charity’s subsidiary company, Priory Rooms (Bull Street) Limited. The conference centre is being depreciated at 2% per annum from 1 January 2004.
Heritage assets
As described in the accounting policies note, there is a cost and accumulated depreciation of £nil for the Meeting Houses owned and used by the charity and group for Worship and charity activities. The buildings are maintained by the charity for their contribution to knowledge and culture of the Quaker faith. It would be impracticable and an inefficient use of the charity’s funds to obtain market valuations for such unique assets and their contents. A description is given of each of the assets below and the year in which the Meeting Houses were constructed. On the basis of the age of the properties, had the original cost been capitalised, the Trustees are of the view that the assets would be fully depreciated at the balance sheet date. No reliable information exists to include original cost and accumulated depreciation amounts. Wardens accommodation was previously included within the heritage assets but as of late 2024 there were no wardens working for CEQ and all previous bungalows and flats became investment properties.
The charity is the beneficial owner of the following heritage asset properties:
| Type of property | Year | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | ||
| Meeting House | 1969 | 6 Sandhills Road, Barnt Green, B45 8NR |
| Meeting House | 1964 | 23 Watford Road, Cotteridge, Birmingham, B30 1JB |
| Meeting House | 1930 | Church Road, Northfield, Birmingham, B31 2LB |
| Meeting House and Conference Centre | 1931 | 40 Bull Street, Birmingham, B4 6AF |
| CEQ Peace Hub | 1931 | 41 Bull Street, Birmingham B4 6AF |
| Meeting House | 1953 | Hill Street, Coventry, CV1 4AN |
| Meeting House | 1892 | George Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 1JP |
| Meeting House | 1927 | Hamlet Road, Hall Green, Birmingham, B28 9BG |
| Meeting House | 1972 | 112 Castle Road, Hartshill, CV10 0SG |
| Meeting House | 1983 | 17 Colmore Row, Kings Heath, Birmingham, B14 7PE |
| Meeting House | 1695 | 39 High Street, Warwick, CV34 4AX |
| Meeting House | 1939 | Kenelm Road, Sutton Coldfield, B73 6HD |
| Woodlands Quaker Home | 1945 | 434 Penn Road, Penn, Wolverhampton, WV4 4DH |
| Long leasehold | ||
| Meeting House | 1689 | Scotts Road, Stourbridge, DY8 1UR |
| Meeting House | 1905 | 65 Linden Road, Bournville, Birmingham, B30 1JT |
| Short leasehold | ||
| Meeting House | 1926 | 930 Bristol Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham, B29 6NP |
The heritage asset contents of the above properties for which there is no recorded cost are classified into the following categories: organs, pianos, Quaker artwork, library books and other contents. The Trustees preserve these assets by keeping a register of assets held at each Branch and insuring the assets appropriately to protect them from damage or loss.
The titles to all of the properties owned by the charity and group are held by Friends Trusts Ltd as Nominee with strict restrictions on disposition of the freehold which requires authorisation by an order of the court.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
12. Fixed asset investments
Group investments:
| Group investments: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||
| Freehold | Listed | Freehold | Listed |
|
| properties | securities | properties | securities |
|
| £ | £ | £ | £ |
|
| Market value brought forward | 4,682,150 | 2,088,502 | 4,465,650 | 2,002,559 |
| Net additions/(sales) | (480,000) | 33,159 | - | (83,386) |
| Revaluation | 537,850 | 56,410 | 216,500 | 169,329 |
| __ | __ | __ | __ |
|
| Total Group investments | 4,740,000 | 2,178,071 | 4,682,150 | 2,088,502 |
| __ | __ | __ | __ |
|
| Group fixed asset investments are held between funds as follows: | ||||
| 2024 | 2023 |
|||
| £ | £ |
|||
| Unrestricted | 4,986,202 | 4,919,968 |
||
| Designated | 1,122,594 | 1,050,198 |
||
| Restricted | 809,275 | 800,486 |
||
| __ | __ |
|||
| Total Group investments | 6,918,071 | 6,770,652 | ||
| __ | __ |
|||
| Charity investments: | ||||
| 2024 | 2023 |
|||
| £ | £ |
|||
| Market value | ||||
| Freehold properties | 4,740,000 | 4,682,150 |
||
| Listed securities | 2,178,071 | 2,088,502 |
||
| __ | __ |
|||
| Total Charity investments | 6,918,071 | 6,770,652 | ||
| __ | __ |
Freehold Properties
The charity and group own the following freehold investment properties held by Friends Trusts Ltd as Nominee:
Two bungalows adjacent to Barnt Green Meeting House at 6a & 6b Sandhills Road, Barnt Green. The 6a property was valued on an open market basis at £230,000 by KBW, Chartered Surveyors In June 2025. This is an increase from 2020 when it was valued at £180,000. The 6b property, formerly a warden’s bungalow, was converted to private rented accommodation and reclassified as an investment property in May 2021, and both properties are subject to shorthold tenancies. The 6b property was valued on an open market basis at £220,000 by by KWB in June 2025. This is an increase from 2022 when it was valued at £195,000
The property known as Redditch Meeting House, Matchborough, Redditch, B98 0ER was sold in December 2024 for £190,000 Office accommodation at 51 and 53 Church Road was also sold in the autumn for £300,000. The following table shows the net proceeds to the charity of these sales.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
12. Fixed asset investments (continued)
| Fixed asset investments (continued) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Church Road | Redditch | Total | |
| £ | £ | £ | |
| Sale proceeds | 300,000 | 190,000 | 490,000 |
| Less cost of sale | (11,366) | (10,815) | (22,181) |
| ____ | ____ | ____ | |
| Net proceeds | 288,634 | 179,185 | 467,819 |
| Less book cost (22 valuation) | (196,500) | (67,000) | (263,500) |
| ____ | ____ | ____ | |
| **Profit on sale *** | 92,134 | 112,185 | 204,319 |
| ____ | ____ | ____ |
*Note that unrealised gains were recognised in the 2023 audited accounts.
Private flats at 39A and 39B High Street Warwick CV34 4AX. The properties were valued on an open market basis at £150,000 and £155,000 respectively by KWB, Chartered Surveyors in July 2025.
A bungalow adjacent to the Meeting House in Selly Oak was reclassified as an investment property in 2014. The property was valued on an open market basis at £125,000 by KWB, Chartered Surveyors in July 2025. This is an increase following a previous valuation of £27,150 in 2020.
A flat within the Hartshill Meeting House has been converted into private rented accommodation and was reclassified as an investment property for 2019. The flat was valued at £85,000 on an open market basis by KWB in July 2025. This is an increase from the previous valuation of £65,000 in 2020.
An office development on land owned by the Area Meeting at 1 Colmore Square, Birmingham. The land is let on a 250 years lease from 29 September 1999 and was valued on an open market basis at £3,615,000 by KWB, Chartered Surveyors on in July 2025. This is unchanged from the previous valuation.
The types of investment held at 31 December 2024 and their market values were:
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Listed investments (incl. loan stocks) | 240,793 | 232,409 |
| Investment properties | 4,740,000 | 4,682,150 |
| Social investments | 5,409 | 5,409 |
| Other investments (Unit Trusts, Branch & Trustee Reserves) | 1.931.869 | 1,850,684 |
| ____ | ____ | |
| Total Group investments | 6,918,071 | 6,770,652 |
| ____ | ____ |
Unlisted investments
The charity owns 100% of the Ordinary share capital of Priory Rooms (Bull Street) Limited (company number: 05129631). There is no investment cost included for the subsidiary in the charity’s balance sheet, with all profit is donated back to the parent entity to support with the charitable objectives of Central England Quakers.
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Aggregate capital and reserves | 305,031 | 275,910 |
| Profit for the year after taxation | 99,121 | 130,634 |
At the year end, Priory Rooms (Bull Street) Limited made a pledge to £70,000 (2023: £60,000) to the parent charity.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
12. Fixed asset investments (continued)
The following is a summary of the profit for the year after taxation in Priory Rooms (Bull Street) Limited.
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Sales of conference facilities | 733,084 | 727,702 |
| Cost of sales | (123,579) | (127,077) |
| Administrative expenses | (498,952) | (450,615) |
| Other operating income | - | - |
| Management charge to parent charity | (6,000) | (3,000) |
| ______ | _ | |
| Operating profit/(loss) | 104,553 | 147,010 |
| Other interest receivable | 1,430 | - |
| Gain on financial assets at fair value | - | - |
| ______ | _ | |
| Profit before taxation | 105,983 | 147,010 |
| Taxation (note 16) | (6,862) | (16,376) |
| _ | ______ | |
| Profit after taxation | 99,121 | 130,634 |
| _ | ______ |
The company declared a dividend of £70,000 to the parent charity during the year (2023: £60,000).
13. Debtors
| Debtors | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Group | ||
| Trade debtors | 93,164 | 56,917 |
| Other debtors | 51,686 | 47,036 |
| _ | ______ | |
| 144,850 | 103,953 | |
| _ | ______ | |
| 2024 | 2023 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Charity | ||
| Trade Debtors | - | …….- |
| Other debtors | 31,764 | 20,003 |
| Amounts owed by trading subsidiary | 70,000 | 60,000 |
| _ | ______ | |
| 101,764 | 80,003 | |
| _ | ______ |
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
14. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year
| Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Group | ||
| Trade creditors | 8,366 | 4,242 |
| Social security and other taxes | 43,981 | 41,207 |
| Corporation tax | 5,410 | 7,404 |
| Accruals | 67,792 | 91,333 |
| Other creditors | 14,007 | 14,885 |
| ______ | ______ | |
| 139,556 | 159,071 | |
| ______ | ______ | |
| 2024 | 2023 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Charity | ||
| Social security and other taxes | 12,181 | 13,057 |
| Accruals and deferred income | 52,521 | 83,866 |
| ______ | ______ | |
| 64,702 | 96,923 | |
| ______ | ______ | |
| Creditors: Amounts falling due after one year | ||
| 2024 | 2023 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Group | - | - |
| ______ | ______ | |
| - | - | |
| ______ | ______ |
15. Secured assets
Freehold land and buildings at Penn Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV4 4DH, have been given as security for loan finance x 2 obtained in the Charity’s name from, Quaker Housing Trust and Orchard Brook Ltd and in turn made available to Woodlands Quaker Home in respect of expenditure on new buildings. The loan’s are not included in these financial statements as the charity does not expect to have to meet any part of the debt. The loans will be repaid in 2025. The last relevant market valuation for the secured property was £1,450,000 in May 2019 (inc. the business).
Friends Trusts Ltd, as nominee for land, is a party to the leases (excluding tenancy agreements) pertaining to CEQ investment properties, which are 1 Colmore Square, and the Woodlands.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
16. Provision for liabilities
| 2024 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Deferred tax | ||
| Accelerated capital allowances | 3,857 | 2,381 |
| Unpaid remuneration | (226) | (202) |
| _____ | _____ | |
| 3,631 | 2,179 | |
| _____ | _____ | |
| Deferred tax | ||
| £ | ||
| Balance at 1 January 2024 | 2,179 | |
| Provided during year | 1,452 | |
| _____ | ||
| At 31 December 2024 | 3,631 | |
| _____ |
The provision for deferred taxation arises in the charity’s subsidiary company. The provision relates to unrestricted funds in 2024 and 2023.
17. Designated funds (Charity and Group)
| Opening | Income | Expenditure | Investment | Transfers | Closing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance | gains/(losses) | Balance | ||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| ___ | _ | _____ | ______ | ____ | ____ | |
| Local Meetings | 1,057,839 | 414,519 | (357,204) | 23,561 | (10,861) | 1,127,854 |
| Building Fund | 67,355 | 112 | (74) | - | 8,838 | 76,231 |
| Black Country | 15,021 | - | - | - | (15,021) | - |
| Trustees Reserves | 440,123 | 3,997 | - | 12,080 | (3,997) | 452,203 |
| ___ | _ | ___ | ___ | __ | ___ | |
| Designated funds | 1,580,338 | 418,628 | (357,278) | 35,641 | (21,041) | 1,656,288 |
| ___ | ______ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
Local Meetings funds
Local meeting funds are for the purpose of the respective meetings and are raised from their members or from letting their premises to third parties. These funds are used for Quaker activities, repair and maintenance of premises, to meet various administrative costs and to support Quaker work.
The Building Fund
The building fund receives income from Building Fund Investments (see Restricted Funds) and provides loans or grants to assist Local Meetings to maintain their properties if a major repair is beyond their means and to carry out agreed improvements to premises.
The Black Country Fund
The Black Country Fund was established in 2015 to support the development of Quakerism in the Black Country but has now been fully utilized.
Trustee Reserves
Trustee reserves have been designated by trustees following various historic events several decades ago – Trustees plan to review the appropriate allocation to these designated funds as a larger amount of inherited assets might properly be defined as programme-related funds. Central England Quakers use income from these assets to support their organization and their ongoing Quaker work.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024
18. Restricted funds (Charity and Group)
| Opening | Income | Expenditure | Investment | Transfers | Closing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance | gains/(losses) | Balance | ||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| ___ | _ | _____ | ______ | ___ | ____ | |
| Local Meetings | 168,117 | 64,563 | (69,439) | 2,447 | (28,549) | 137,139 |
| Other Branches | 157,363 | 211,516 | (237,456) | 873 | 41,010 | 173,306 |
| CJG | 3,302 | 531 | (2,305) | - | - | 1,528 |
| Building Fund | 452,688 | 8,700 | (4,092) | (7,471) | (8,838) | 440,987 |
| Trustees Reserves | 238,214 | - | - | 6,536 | - | 244,750 |
| ___ | ______ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ | |
| Restricted funds | 1,019,684 | 285,310 | (313,292) | 2,385 | 3,623 | 997,710 |
| ___ | _ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___ |
Local Meetings funds
Seven local meetings hold restricted funds for specific projects such as building work, peace work or work with children.
Other Branches
Other branches of the charity include Christmas Parcels, Peacemakers and Peace Hub and all funds raised for these projects are restricted for the purposes for which they were raised.
CJG (Community Justice Group)
Community Justice Group was a branch with its own bank account until the end of 2023, when it closed its account and transferred the balance to the General Fund, but the funds donated by Friends are given specifically for CJG activity and are therefore restricted and reported separately.
Building Fund Investments
The Area Meeting’s Building Fund is restricted for the support (including maintenance, repair and improvement) of the charity’s Quaker Meeting Houses. Loans and grants are provided to assist Local Meetings to maintain and improve their properties.
Trustees' Reserve Funds
Trustees also hold two restricted funds which are the proceeds of the sale of Atherstone Meeting House, with the income applied to Hartshill Local Meeting, and the proceeds of Cotteridge Land Sale with income applied to Cotteridge Local Meeting.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024 19. Analysis of Group assets between funds
| Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | Designated | Restricted | 2024 | |
| ____ | _ | __ | ____ | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Fixed assets | 6,262,286 | 1,122,594 | 809,275 | 8,194,155 |
| Current assets | 1,032,604 | 542,057 | 192,152 | 1,766,813 |
| Creditors < 1 year | (127,476) | (8,363) | (3,717) | (139,556) |
| Provisions for liabilities | (3,631) | - | - | (3,631) |
| _ | _ | _ | __ | |
| 7,163,783 | 1,656,288 | 997,710 | 9,817,781 | |
| _ | _ | _ | __ | |
| Total | ||||
| General | Designated | Restricted | 2023 | |
| ____ | _ | __ | ____ | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Fixed assets | 6,248,768 | 1,050,198 | 800,486 | 8,099,452 |
| Current assets | 494,015 | 546,515 | 273,261 | 1,313,79 |
| Creditors < 1 year | (88,633) | (16,375) | (54,063) | (159,071) |
| Provisions for liabilities | (2,179) | - | - | (2,179) |
| _ | _ | _ | __ | |
| 6,651,971 | 1,580,338 | 1,019,684 | 9,251,993 | |
| _ | _ | _ | __ |
20.
Capital commitments
There was no future capital expenditure contracted for but not provided in the financial statements at 31 December 2024.
21.
Events after the reporting period
The trustees commissioned a revaluation of their investment properties in 2025. This reflects a number of changes from previous functional properties e.g. wardens accommodation and the addition of a new flat at Warwick Meeting House. The updated values are included in the 2024 accounts.
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb
THE CENTRAL ENGLAND AREA QUAKER MEETING CHARITIES
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2024 22. Consolidated (Group) Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2023
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | 2023 | 2022 | ||
| ___ | ___ | _____ | _____ | ||
| Note | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Income | |||||
| Donations and legacies | 122,875 | 174,339 | 297,214 | 240,565 | |
| Charitable activities | 218,705 | 43,147 | 261,852 | 224,784 | |
| Other trading activities | 686,710 | - | 686,710 | 515,915 | |
| Investment Income | 292,859 | 14,333 | 307,192 | 291,806 | |
| Other Income | 42,099 | 4,295 | 46,394 | 13,406 | |
| _ | _ | __ | __ | ||
| Total income | 1,363,248 | 236,114 | 1,599,362 | 1,286,476 | |
| _ | _ | __ | __ | ||
| Expenditure | |||||
| Cost of raising funds | (595,091) | (15,424) | (610,515) | (497,046) | |
| Charitable activities | (667,012) | (267,683) | (934,695) | (931,155) | |
| _ | _ | __ | __ | ||
| Total expenditure | (1,262,103) | (283,107) | (1,545,210) | (1,428,201) | |
| _ | _ | __ | __ | ||
| Net income / (expenditure) | |||||
| before gains on investments | 101,145 | (46,993) | 54,152 | (141,725) | |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | ||
| Net gains/(losses) on | |||||
| investments | 334,571 | 51,258 | 385,829 | (310,197) | |
| _ | _____ | _ | _ | ||
| Net income/(expenditure) | |||||
| before transfers | 435,716 | 4,265 | 439,981 | (451,922) | |
| Transfers between funds ……7 | (43,350) | 43,350 | - | - | |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | ||
| Net movement in funds | 392,366 | 47,615 | 439,981 | (451,922) | |
| Total funds brought forward | 7,839,943 | 972,069 | 8,812,012 | 9,263,934 | |
| __ | __ | ___ | __ | ||
| Total funds carried forward | 8,232,309 | 1,019,684 | 9,251,993 | 8,812,012 | |
| __ | __ | ___ | __ |
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Doc ID: 32a317ecc2bd9834337d8415e0984d0794d93bbb