**Charity Registration Number: 236306**
# **First Church of Christ, Scientist, Southport**
## **Financial Statements**
**for the year ended 31st July, 2022**
Page 1
## **First Church of Christ, Scientist, Southport**
## **Charity Information**
|Charity Name:|First Church of Christ, Scientist, Southport|
|---|---|
|Charity Registration Number:|236306|
|Governing Document:|Declaration of Trust dated 14th April 1958|
||The Trustees are incorporated as a body.|
|Principal Address:|First Church of Christ, Scientist|
||Lord Street West|
||Southport|
||PR8 2BJ|
|Trustees:|Mrs M J Aspinall|
||Mr M C McDonald|
|Independent Examiner:|Paul Collins F.C.A.|
||Collins & Co|
||Chartered Accountants|
||Suite 13 Hattersley House|
||1 Hattersley Court|
||Ormskirk|
||Lancs L39 2AY|
|Bankers:|CAF Bank Ltd|
||25 Kings Hill Avenue|
||Kings Hill|
||West Malling|
||Kent ME19 4JQ|
Page 2
## **First Church of Christ, Scientist, Southport**
## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31st July, 2022**
The trustees present their annual report and the financial statements for the year ended 31st July, 2022.
## **Reference and administrative details**
The details are set out on page 1.
## **Trustees**
The trustees who served during the year are as stated below:
Mrs M J Aspinall Mr M C McDonald
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
## **Governing document**
The charity is an unincorporated charity governed by its Declaration of Trust dated 14th April 1958. It is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission.
## **Appointment of trustees**
The trustees of the charity, under the charity's trust Deed, are known as the trustees. Under the requirements of the Trust Deed, the Trustees are eligible to appoint additional trustees from amongst the Church's membership.
## **Organisation**
The board of trustees, which must have a minimum of 2 members, administers the charity. The board meets regularly through the year to review matters relating to the charity.
## **Objectives and activities**
The objects of the charity are the general purposes of the church and such purposes as will forward the cause of Christian Science.
The activities undertaken by the Church to further its objectives were:
- Church Services.
- Sunday School.
- Meetings for testimony of the saving and healing power of God on our lives.
- Maintaining a room for private study of the Bible and the Christian Science text book "Science and health with key to the scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy and publications of the church.
- All activities are free and open to all.
When planning our activities for the year, the trustees gave consideration to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance to charities concerned with the advancement of religion.
## **Achievements and performance during the year**
During the past 12 months the Trustees have ensured that services have continued as normal following the interruptions caused by the pandemic and all church activities including the annual lecture have resumed. Refurbishment works at the reading room have now been completed and the premises were sold on the 22nd April 2022 for £135,000. This decision was made as the flat was unoccupied following the death of the tenant and the reading room facility can now be effectively operated from the church premises, thereby reducing overheads and running costs.
Church investments have been monitored and a Bond with the Skipton Building Society has been renewed on a 12 month basis. This provides a safe and easily accessible investment.
Page 3
## **First Church of Christ, Scientist, Southport**
## **Trustees' Report for the year ended 31st July, 2022 (continued)**
## **Financial Review**
## **Results for the year**
The results for the year are set out on page 5.
## **Reserves policy**
The trustees have established the level of reserves (that is those funds that are freely available) that the charity ought to have, which is equal to twelve months’ of normal unrestricted expenditure. Reserves are needed to even out any short term funding gaps between spending and the related income. The trustees therefore consider that the ideal level of reserves as at 31st July 2022 would be £28,000 (2021: £20,000).
## **Related Party Transactions**
There were no related party transactions during the year
## **Trustees' responsibilities in relation to the financial statements**
Charity law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of its surplus or deficit for that year. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable Accounting Standards and Statements of Recommended Practice have been followed, subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
This report was approved by the Board of Trustees on 11th February 2023 and signed on its behalf by:
Mr M C McDonald Trustee
Page 4
## **First Church of Christ, Scientist, Southport**
## **Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Southport**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31st July, 2022 which are set out on pages 5 to 8.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
## **Independent Examiner's Statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act: or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
**Paul Collins F.C.A. Collins & Co Chartered Accountants Suite 13 Hattersley House Ormskirk Lancs L39 2AY 12th February 2023**
Page 5
## **First Church of Christ, Scientist, Southport**
## **Receipts and Payments Account for the year ended 31st July, 2022**
|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Note**
**£**
**RECEIPTS**
Voluntary receipts
1
6,203
2
395
Investment receipts
3
5,253
Receipts from charitable activities
4
2,046
Sale of Property
135,000
**TOTAL RECEIPTS**
148,897
**PAYMENTS**
5
2,093
6
650
7
2,886
Maintenance
8
6,952
Utilities
9
2,073
Reading Room/Flat
10
6,450
Miscellaneous
11
7,031
Lecture Costs
12
2,719
**TOTAL PAYMENTS**
30,854
118,043
0
**NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS**
118,043
48,861
166,904
Contributions
Total cash funds brought forward at 1st August,
2021
Total cash funds carried forward at 31st July,
2022
**NET RECEIPTS/(PAYMENTS) BEFORE**
**TRANSFERS**
**TRANSFERS FROM/(TO) INVESTMENT**
**FUNDS**
Salaries and Wages
Reading Room Payments
Activities for generating funds|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**£**
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0|**2022**
**2021**
**£**
**£**
6,203
3,860
395
4,740
5,253
496
2,046
2,098
135,000
0
148,897
11,194
2,093
2,025
650
200
2,886
3,137
6,952
2,392
2,073
1,668
6,450
7,113
7,031
3,922
2,719
0
30,854
20,457
118,043
(9,263)
0
-
118,043
(9,263)
48,861
58,124
166,904
48,861
**TOTAL FUNDS**|**2022**
**2021**
**£**
**£**
6,203
3,860
395
4,740
5,253
496
2,046
2,098
135,000
0
148,897
11,194
2,093
2,025
650
200
2,886
3,137
6,952
2,392
2,073
1,668
6,450
7,113
7,031
3,922
2,719
0
30,854
20,457
118,043
(9,263)
0
-
118,043
(9,263)
48,861
58,124
166,904
48,861
**TOTAL FUNDS**|
|---|---|---|---|
||||11,194|
||||2,025
200
3,137
2,392
1,668
7,113
3,922
0|
||||20,457|
||||(9,263)
-|
||||(9,263)
58,124|
||||48,861|
The notes on pages 7 to 8 form part of these accounts.
Page 6
## **First Church of Christ, Scientist, Southport**
## **Statement of assets and liabilities as at**
## **31st July, 2022**
|**FUND**
**CASH FUNDS**
CAF - Church Bank account
General Fund
Skipton Building Society
General Fund
Reading Room Bank Account
Reading Room Fund
Cash in Hand
Reading Room Fund
**INVESTMENT ASSETS**
Clerical Medical Bond at cost (Value 1/11/22 £12,574)
Investment Fund
Aviva Investment Fund at cost (Value 21/6/22 £41,465)
Investment Fund
Aviva Investment Fund at cost (Value 21/6/22 £6,987)
Investment Fund
**ASSETS RETAINED FOR CHARITY'S OWN USE**
Freehold Church Buildings and Contents at cost
Property Fund
(Insurance valuation 26/12/21 £2,322,512)
Freehold Reading Room Premises & Contents at cost
Property Fund
SOLD 25/4/22
**OTHER ASSETS**
Reading Room Stock
Reading Room Fund
Gift Aid Tax Reclaim
General Fund
Ground Rents Due
General Fund
**TOTAL ASSETS**
**LIABILITIES**
Creditors
General Fund
**ASSETS LESS LIABILITIES**|**2022**
**£**
126,865
38,683
952
404
166,904
3,002
35,000
6,000
0
0
802
1,077
1,080
213,865
588
213,277|**2021**
**£**
1,143
46,176
1,413
129|
|---|---|---|
|||48,861
3,002
35,000
11,000
0
9,264
802
2,018
810|
|||110,757|
|||1,579|
|||109,178|
Approved by the Board of Trustees on 11th February 2023 and signed on its behalf by:
……………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………… Mr M C McDonald Mrs M J Aspinall
The notes on pages 7 to 8 form part of these accounts.
Page 7
## **First Church of Christ, Scientist, Southport**
## **Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31st July, 2022**
|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**£**
**1**
**Voluntary receipts**
Planned Giving:
Gift Aid donations
2,455
Income Tax recovered
1,747
Collections at all services
1,148
Grant - Westminster Fund
0
Donations and legacies
853
6,203
**2**
**Activities for generating funds**
Ground Rent
0
Reading Room Flat Rental
395
395
**3**
**Investment receipts**
Interest Received
253
Investments Redeemed
5,000
5,253
**4**
**Receipts from charitable activities**
Reading Room
Books and Periodicals
2,046
Assets Sold
0
2,046
**5**
**Reading Room Payments**
Publishing Society
1,517
Literature
480
Sundries
96
2,093|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**£**
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0|**TOTAL**
**Unrestricted**
**2022**
**Funds**
**£**
**£**
2,455
2,610
1,747
0
1,148
1,250
0
0
853
0
6,203
3,860
0
0
395
4,740
395
4,740
253
496
5,000
0
5,253
496
2,046
2,098
0
0
2,046
2,098
1,517
1,934
480
0
96
91
2,093
2,025|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**£**
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0|**TOTAL**
**2021**
**£**
2,610
0
1,250
0
0|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||3,860|
|||||0
4,740|
|||||4,740|
|||||496
0|
|||||496|
|||||2,098
0|
|||||2,098|
|||||1,934
0
91|
|||||2,025|
Page 8
## **First Church of Christ, Scientist, Southport**
## **Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31st July, 2022**
|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**£**
**Charitable activities**
**6** Contributions
British Legion
150
Ukraine Appeal
500
Aid Fund
0
650
**7** Salaries and Wages
Officers
2,801
Organists
85
2,886
**8** Maintenance
Grounds
1,190
Church repairs
5,762
6,952
**9** Utilities
Electricity
313
Gas
1,500
Water
260
2,073
**10** Reading Room/Flat
Maintenance/Repairs
5,310
Water
221
Telephone
224
Electricity
208
Utility Costs
487
6,450
**11** Miscellaneous
Insurance
2,038
Quarterlies
140
COP Donation
325
Journal Listing
425
Sundries
429
804
2,450
Key Holding
420
7,031
**12** Lecture Costs
Lecturer Fees & Expenses
2,243
Lecture expenses
78
Advertising
398
2,719
Accountancy & Independent
Examination
Legal Fees on Property Disposal|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**£**
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0|**TOTAL**
**Unrestricted**
**2022**
**Funds**
**£**
**£**
150
100
500
0
0
100
650
200
2,801
2,576
85
561
2,886
3,137
1,190
1,193
5,762
1,199
6,952
2,392
313
369
1,500
1,060
260
239
2,073
1,668
0
5,310
6,485
221
197
224
250
208
181
487
0
6,450
7,113
2,038
1,924
140
336
325
325
425
432
429
365
804
540
2,450
0
420
0
7,031
3,922
2,243
0
78
0
398
0
2,719
0|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**£**
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0|**TOTAL**
**2021**
**£**
100
0
100|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||200|
|||||2,576
561|
|||||3,137|
|||||1,193
1,199|
|||||2,392|
|||||369
1,060
239|
|||||1,668|
|||||6,485
197
250
181
0|
|||||7,113|
|||||1,924
336
325
432
365
540
0
0|
|||||3,922|
|||||0
0
0|
|||||0|