2025-03-31-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 01/04/24 Period start date To 31/03/25 Period end date

Charity name: Round Towers Churches Society

Charity registration number: 267996

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	To raise public awareness through promoting a knowledge and understanding of the architecture and religious symbolism of Round Tower Churches within the United Kingdom.
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.	Para 1.17 and 1.19	Promote an interest in Round Tower Churches with the public. Undertake guided visits to Round Tower Churches. Undertake Study Days and give talks to other Societies and Organisations. Produce and publish information on Round Tower Churches. Give grants to Round Tower Churches to support projects and in need of financial assistance.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	Para 1.18	This statement confirms that the Society Trustees have regard to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance. The Society Rules were reviewed in 2019 and were revised as a constitution. The Society reviewed in 2024 (this report period) and against published CC guidance there was no requirement to amend the constitution. This was reported to the AGM on 10th May 2025. The Society Trustees understood that the revised constitution had to demonstrate clearly both public aspect and benefit aspect in each of its purposes to be of public benefit. To that end the Society confirms that it :  Makes decisions to ensure your charity’s purpose provides benefit

 Makes decisions to manage risks
of detriment or harm to your
charity’s beneficiaries or to the
public in general that might result
from carrying out the purpose
 Makes decisions about who
benefits in ways that are
consistent with the purpose
 Makes decisions to make sure
any personal benefits are no
more than incidental
It is a standing agenda item on the
Trustee Meeting ahead of the AGM to
determine whether review or action is
required.
Policies are reviewed on a polling tow
year programme. A number of policies
(see below) have been updated and
amended accordingly.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

	SORP reference
Policy on grant making	Para 1.38	A main objective of the Round Tower Churches Society is the support of churches through grants for repairs and improvements. Funds for grants come from two main sources; subscriptions (80% of members subscriptions go towards grants to church projects) and Gifts, donations and bequests. A small amount is raised through talks, study day and selling Society books. Grant Applications. The Society has a simple grant application form. Grants are for projects involving the fabric of the church (see below). The simplicity of the form is to give the Committee the widest latitude to support a church in need to apply. Applications are considered on the grounds of the historic and architectural significance of the building and also on a parish’s engagement with the history and interpretation of the site/building. The Committee also look at the essential nature of the work required and the ability of the parish to contribute financially to the project. Although grants are normally awarded before the work has been completed it can and in exceptional circumstances (at the discretion of the Committee) be awarded

		after the work has been completed. Work eligible for funding support include the following; rainwater disposal and drainage, floor repairs, windows, heating and lighting if in support of the safety of the church fabric and professional fees in support of the above. Support is also given in an emergency for works identified between reports; for instance after a weather event or criminal activity such as lead theft from the roofs. A decision will normally be made within six weeks and no later than the next quarterly Committee meeting.
Policy on social investment including program related investment	Para 1.38	The Society does not have any social investments.
Contribution made by volunteers	Para 1.38	There are no paid staff in the Society. All activity is undertaken by volunteers without recompense. The Committee (chairman, vice chairman, secretary, treasurer, membership secretary and grants secretary and 2 officers without portfolio) is supported by a small number of volunteers who help conduct guided tours of the churches, give talks to other Societies and organisations’ and undertake some administrative duties. All volunteers also contribute through the provision of transport for members of the Society to tours, provision of refreshment and other duties as required.
Other		N/A

Achievements and Performance

	SORP reference
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.20	In 2024/25 a total of 10 grants were awarded with a total of £22,500. 2023/24 was a more moderate year and 6 grants totalling £19k was made: Haveringland £4k Mautby £1k Bartlow £2.5k Snailwell £500 Taverham £4k Worthing £2k Fornceltt St Peter £3k Syleham £2k Lound £500 Brome and Oakley £3k There are a number of projects that have yet to commence and promises for future work stand at circa £45,000 which is an down from £54,000 from last year. The cost of church projects is substantial and although the grants are modest they have intrinsic financial benefit as well as providing collateral evidence and leverage when making cases to other larger grant making sources. A full tour season for 2024 was undertaken. Round Tower Churches Society’s Saturday 2024 tours 11th May St Nicholas Bradwell Burgh Castle Belton All Saints AGM was held at Belton 1st June St Andrew Framingham Earl All Saints Poringland St Maty Howe 6th July All Saints Hemblington SS Protase and Gervase Little Plumstead St Margaret Old Catton 3rd August St Peter Bruisyard St Andrew Hasketon

All Saints Ramsholt 7[th] September St Lawrence Ingworth SS Peter and Paul Tuttington St Peter Brampton Each church received a donation of £100. At the AGM it was decided to increase this to £200 for the 2025 season. The Society’s AGM was held at Belton on 11[th] May and was strongly supported. A successful study Day was held at Gissing Committee members continued to give talks on Round Tower Churches and the work of the Society. For 2024/25 they gave 9 x talks to other Societies and organisations. 4 x Society Magazines were produced. The full colour design and the change in approach and content has made this a very popular magazine. It is available digitally. The Round Tower Guide, revised and expanded by Michael Pollitt, to mark the Golden Jubilee of the Society has been continues to be very popular with members and the on general sale through number outlets including City Bookshop. The website development continues and is now a site of destination for many seeking an understanding or information about round towers churches. And many other Societies link to the website as it is seen as a professional and academically sound repository of information. The Society continues to actively support wider campaigns and projects.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Achievements against objectives set	Para 1.41	See above
		Fundraising is passive. Funds are raised

Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set	Para 1.41	through subscriptions and donations. Over recent years we have benefited from a couple of sizeable legacies which allows us to be more generous with our grants (normally matched between legacies and general funds). For the period 24/25 the Society received two legacies (£15,000 and £9289.10) making a total of £24389.10. No active fund raising is undertaken. As there are no paid staff then the administrative overheads are low (printing, postage, design, insurance). It was £4628.24 which is up from 23/24 (£3965) but this included costs of the Study Day. Funds are raised through subscription of £20 and through donations, bequests and legacies. Where talks are given there is normally a small donation made to the Society. Income for the period was £48920.39 which is greater than £25,000 threshold and requires a TAR and accounts to be submitted to CC.
Investment performance against objectives	Para 1.41	There was no investment made to raise additional returns. The Society has £70873.56 with CCLA. No withdrawals were made.
Other		N/A

Financial Review

Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.21	The Society started the period with a positive balance of £130407.60 lLast year £106625.15) Income for the year as £48920.39 (last year £28915.94). This included two legacies totalling £24389.10 (last year £5000); Subscriptions £9818.01 (last year £8455) ; Gift Aid £2607.89 (last year £2405.15); Donations £6187 (last year £8993.78); sale of Society items £238 (last year £503); Study Day £670 and interest from CCLA £4202.60 (this was a five period set of interest - last year £2999.18 was a three interest period and Bank interest £557.7 (last year £559.83). Expenditure was £28578.24 (last year £25525.64). This included Grants £22500 (last year £19000); printing £3190 (last year £3470), postage £775 (last year

£390) and insurance £90 (last year £90). Income over expenditure was £20342.15. There was a full tour programme and thus donations of £1450 were made to the churches that were visited. We have a healthy financial position for a small Society wish to reduce the overall sums we hold. The mechanism would be through the award of grants and we have £45,000 in promises which would do that. We had anticipated that we would have awarded more grants. The principal reason for confidence that the overspend is controlled is that the committee determine and control the level of grants that are issued. Through the generosity of members, donations and legacies the Society has built up a sizeable pot from which to draw down on. Indeed the Society does not wish to hold monies for the sake of holding monies and thus this should be seen positively and demonstrates the public benefit being realised. The committee view was that the Society should replicate 22/23 position with an overspend for 24/25. We did not do so but are striving to do so for 25/26. Income Narrative. Subscriptions show an increase from £8455 to £9818.01. We now show donations paid with annual subscriptions separately under donations. Donations dipped from £8993.78 to £6187. Thus taking the two together income dropped £17448.78 to £16005.01. This is still healthy. Many existing members paid above the minimum subscription and we had a number of new members. We remain at over 500 for the second year in a row – a high of a decade. Gift Aid was £2607.89 which is slightly up from £2405.15 last year and up from £1798.59 from the previous year. More new members are signing gift aid forms. Sale of Society items was £238 as we continue to run down the stock. Finally we received two generous legacies of £24389.10 which is up from £5000 last year. Expenditure Narrative. We made 10 grants in total amounting to £22500. This compares to the 6 grants for the previous period (£19000). We made £1450 in donations to churches involved in the tour season. Thus the other

		expenditure was magazine costs (£3190) which is slightly down from the previous year as we switched printers. We did have increased graphics costs. Postage has remains low at £775 but this up on the £390 for last year – as we hand out some magazines to members on the tours and some choose to go digital. This will increase unless more members switch to email copies of the Society magazine. Balance at the end of the year. This was split between Nat West current/reserve accounts (£59534.04) and CCLA (£70873.56). There is no petty cash.
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22	There are no reserves held as a policy.
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	Nil
Reasons for holding zero reserves	Para 1.22	Although the Society has a healthy balance at present (which is explained by the legacies, low operating costs and stable subscription income) the Society exists to promote Round Tower Churches through knowledge and understanding. The financial footprint is light. Monies that are raised or donated are given through grants to churches in need of financial assistance or as donations to churches that are visited as part of the annual tour programme.
Details of fund materially in deficit	Para 1.24	N/A
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern	Para 1.23	There are no uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)	Para 1.47	Fundraising is passive. Funds are raised through subscriptions and donations. No active fund raising is undertaken. As there are no paid staff then the administrative and operational running costs are low (printing, postage, insurance and website). Funds were raised through subscription, talks and sale of society items. The Society also benefitted from legacies.

Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted	Para 1.46	The Society does not invest to make additional financial gain. The Society’s Banking and Investment policy is: Open and operate such bank and other accounts as the Trustees consider necessary. To invest funds and to delegate the management in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as the Trustees of a Trust are permitted to do by the Trustee Act 2000. Investments shall likewise be made in the names of the Trustees but with the authority if the Committee. Cheques and other withdrawals shall be signed by any two of the Trustees. Electronic banking is necessary and authorised under the Bank’s charity guidelines to allow the Treasurer to operate without signature.
A description of the principal risks facing the charity	Para 1.46	The risk register is reviewed annually. The principal risks are: Governance: ineffective trustees or board to discharge responsibilities. Financial: Financial activities outside the terms of the funds raised. Financial: Fraud Operational: Falling income through reduced membership. Operational: Adverse publicity. Operational: Health and Safety Operational: GDPR Operational: Compliance with legislation and regulation. Operational: Social Media All risks are low and have mitigation through controls. This is the fifth year that the Society has had a live risk register to manage the risks. Policies reviewed and updated: Financial Controls Safeguarding Financial Reserves Serious Incident reporting Risk Management Conflicts of Interest Social Media Health and Safety All risk assessments were updated. Key Risk. The key risk for the Society is Health and Safety and in particular: - a trip or fall by a Society member during a tour of a church. - an injury from an accident either in the parking around the church or crossing

busy roads near the church. The average attendee is more senior in age and the nature of churchyards and churches are that the ground can be uneven. Guidance and advice is given to attendees. Additional guidance and advice may be given during tours if it is deemed necessary; such as a sudden change in weather conditions. The Society has specific insurance with appropriate public liability. N/A Other

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	Constitution
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	CIO
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	a. Trustees: Five Officers from the committee shall be appointed to be Trustees of the Society. Their appointments and names are to be lodged with the Charity Commission. The four are the Chairman, Treasurer, Grants Officer, Vice Chairman and Officer with portfolio. They are to elected annually at the AGM. b. Trustee Purpose. Trustees accept ultimate responsibility for everything the Society/charity does. The Trustees are responsible for the vision, mission and management of the Society. They are accountable if things go wrong. They can delegate some tasks to the Committee. c. Committee Composition. The Society shall be managed by a Committee consisting of the four Trustees and not more than eight other Officers all elected annually at the AGM for a period of one year. All Officers shall be legible for re- election. Nomination for election to the Committee should be received in writing before the date of the AGM. Four Officers of the Committee, of which two must be Trustees, shall constitute a quorum.
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees	Para 1.51	Nil
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works	Para 1.51	Nil
		Nil

Para 1.51 Relationship with any related parties Nil Other

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	The Round Tower Churches Society
Other name the charity uses	N/A
Registered charity number	267996
Charity’s principal address	Crabbe Hall Burnham Market KINGS LYNN PE31 8EN All Society correspondence through Treasurer: 18 Tantallon Drive ATTLEBOROUGH NR17 2SN

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any)
Mr Nicholas Chapman	Treasurer		AGM or Special GM
Mr Michael Pollitt	Vice Chairman		AGM or Special GM
Mr Nicholas Wiggin	Grants Officer		AGM or Special GM
Mr Stuart Bowell	Chairman		AGM or Special GM
Ms Kate Davey	Without Portfolio		AGM or Special GM
Ms Helen Lunnon	Without Portfolio		AGM or Special GM

– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved Director name Nil

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name	Dates acted if not for whole year
Nil

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets N/A held in this capacity Name and objects of the N/A charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for N/A safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets

Additional information (optional)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of adviser	Name Address	Name Address
Nil
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Nil

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

N/A

Other optional information

Summary of Accounts. Attached is the summary of accounts verified by an Independent Examiner. Income is below the audit threshold.

AGM. The AGM was conducted in person for 24/25 in May 25. Minutes from the AGM are attached as pdf.

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) E-Signed Full name(s) Nicholas Chapman

Position (eg Secretary, Treasurer Chair, etc)

Date

7th August 2025

StabMn•rrt of Ac£(wJntsforthe Ywendpd 31¥ March Incom• 202S 2025 1(W515'0 Balance Annual SuLwri GWIA Donat￿n5 and Lectur Bank Inlere Szme therttsements Sa of Soc Lwk¥ and ler 1IW15 45 9618 01 70 390 azineneallEI atMe Po Pur(a5e ol so￿1 rfetlls for58 ra 3190 2405.15 8993 78 $57 79 Hre ol RrK 14)). 10424 503 5000 Insufgn Internional bknk 24389.10 434 35 CCLA InietEst Grarrtsio thurches 225(K) 1450 130407 60 1IIXIIS.4S Lgn 135541.09 151985.14 13M41.09 151985.14 Ba￿￿4 Sheeiajat 31 mO￿h 310 1804 7(￿73 56 11￿15.1$ Atiy)￿tt 130407.6fy 43343.49 e0670.96 Nal VVe ReseTrr Airourrt ¢CLA ¢ha[d￿5 Oe FurKJ Pett Cash in harwj 11001fj.45 1100t5AS 1304a7.É0 NVKCharffian-Trt•5U 081¥ AwIX125 Irwme." ItKom& foff*.' £447¢7.70￿u$ £4202W- £48W 39 EVnortu￿". &O578.24

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Ifldependent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of On accounts for the year ended ," /W 2oJ Chaiyty no (If any) 7??6 Set out on pages (DhJ& . I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Ihe Trusf) for the year ended 31103/ao Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust. you are responsible for the preparation basls of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (Ihe Acr). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under sedion 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions g5ven by the Charity Commission under sethon 145{5){b) of the Act. I have completed my examinatron. I confirni that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me caus8 to believe that in, any material re8ped." accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Acl or the accounts do not accord with Ihe accounting records Independent èxaminerfs 8tatomgnt I have no concerns and have Come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. . Plea￿ delete the ¥MYds in the brackets rfthey do not apply. Slgnod: Relevant professlonal quallficatlon(s) or body (If any): Address: IER October 2018