Charity registration number: 271188
**EAST SUSSEX FARMERS BENEVOLENT FUND TRUSTEES' REPORT AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5 APRIL 2026**
Harpers Accountancy LLP PO Box 293 Lewes BN7 9PG
**East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Contents**
||**Page**|
|---|---|
|Reference and Administrative Details|1|
|Trustees' Report|2—3|
|Independent Examiner's Report|4|
|Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account)|5|
|Balance Sheet|6—7|
|Notes to the Financial Statements|8—14|
|The following pages do not form part of the statutory accounts:||
|Detailed Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account)|15—16|
**East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Reference and Administrative Details For The Year Ended 5 April 2026**
|**Trustees**|Mr J Robinson|
|---|---|
||Mr G Fowlie MBE|
||Mr P G Hook|
||Mr E Gribble|
||Mr F Langrish|
||Mr P Appleton|
|**Charity Number**|271188|
|**Principal Address**|24 West Gate|
||Plumpton Green|
||East Sussex|
||BN7 3BQ|
|**Independent Examiner**|Suzanne Craig FCA on behalf of Harpers Accountancy LLP|
||Harpers Accountancy LLP|
||PO Box 293|
||Lewes|
||BN7 9PG|
Page 1
**East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Company No. Trustees' Report For The Year Ended 5 April 2026**
The trustees present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 5 April 2026.
## **Objectives and Activities**
## **Aims and Objectives**
The objects of the charity are to provide financial assistance to farmers, farm staff and those involved in all of the wider land based industries and dependants of these groups. Mainly in the county of Sussex but also in adjoining counties at the Trustees discretion. Support can be short or long term to cover, for example, illness, support in retirement or financial difficulties and can also be for those entering land based education.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
## **Financial Review**
## **Financial Position**
The trustees have reviewed the results for the year and consider them to be satisfactory. The major expenditure for the year was incurred in the provision of services to its beneficiaries.
## **Reserves Policy**
Unrestricted funds amounted to £2,811,019, which are freely available. The trustees have invested the majority of these reserves in Fixed Asset Investment Property and Investments which provide income to the charity. This income is then used to achieve the objects of the charity. The trustees recognise that the Reserve Policy should reflect the ongoing and long-term nature of the charity. Consequently we aim to hold £20,000 of cash at the Barclays bank.
The trustees' policy is to maintain income whilst preserving the real value of investments.
## **Risk management**
The trustees have examined the major strategic, business and operational risks which the charity faces and confirm that systems have been established to enable regular reports to be produced so that the necessary steps can be taken to lessen these risks.
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
## **Governing Document**
The Charity is governed by a trust deed dated 19 August 1935, most recently updated on 25 January 2023.
Page 2
## **East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Trustees' Report (continued) For The Year Ended 5 April 2026**
## **Trustee Selection Methods**
The trustees who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were: J Robinson Esq
G Fowlie MBE E Gribble Esq P Hook Esq F Langrish Esq P Appleton Esq
Trustees are appointed by the board of trustees and meet half-yearly in January and July.
## **Small Company Rules**
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the charity's trust deed, the Charities Act 2011 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019).
The trustees' report was approved by the board of trustees and signed on its behalf by:
Mr J Robinson
Trustee 15/07/2026
Page 3
## **East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund For The Year Ended 5 April 2026**
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 5 April 2026.
## **Responsibilities and Basis of Report**
As the charity trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law), you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (“the 2006 Act”).
Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.
## **Independent Examiner's Statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:
- �. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or
3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair view' which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
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.
Suzanne Craig FCA on behalf of Harpers Accountancy LLP
16/07/2026 PO Box 293 Lewes BN7 9PG
Page 4
## **East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account) For The Year Ended 5 April 2026**
|**Notes**
**INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM:**
Donations and legacies
**3**
Investments
**4**
**EXPENDITURE ON:**
Raising funds
**5**
Charitable activities:
**5**
Charitable activities
**NET INCOME BEFORE INVESTMENT GAINS**
Net gains/(losses) on investments
**NET INCOME**
**NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS**
**RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS:**
Total funds brought forward
**TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD**
**13**|**2026**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
21,510
84,632|**2025**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
6,237
87,118|
|---|---|---|
||106,142|93,355|
||-
(74,620)|(182)
(51,415)|
||(74,620)|(51,597)|
||31,522
343,153|41,758
(46,007)|
||374,675|(4,249)|
||374,675
2,436,106|(4,249)
2,440,355|
||2,810,781|2,436,106|
The notes on pages 8 to 14 form part of these financial statements.
Page 5
## **East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Balance Sheet As At 5 April 2026**
|**Notes**
**FIXED ASSETS**
Investment Properties
**9**
Investments
**10**
**CURRENT ASSETS**
Debtors
**11**
Cash at bank and in hand
**Creditors: Amounts Falling Due Within One Year**
**12**
**NET CURRENT ASSETS (LIABILITIES)**
**TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES**
**NET ASSETS**
**FUNDS OF THE CHARITY**
Unrestricted Funds
**TOTAL FUNDS**
**13**|**2026**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
287,398
2,488,673|**2025**
**Total**
**funds**
**£**
279,027
2,071,598|
|---|---|---|
||2,776,071
4,968
31,900|2,350,625
6,919
80,952|
||36,868
(2,158)|87,871
(2,390)|
||34,710|85,481|
||2,810,781|2,436,106|
||2,810,781|2,436,106|
||2,810,781|2,436,106|
||2,810,781|2,436,106|
Page 6
## **East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Balance Sheet (continued) As At 5 April 2026**
For the year ending 5 April 2026 the charitable company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.
The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.
These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.
On behalf of the board
Mr J Robinson
Trustee 15/07/2026
The notes on pages 8 to 14 form part of these financial statements.
Page 7
**East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Notes to the Financial Statements For The Year Ended 5 April 2026**
## 1. **General Information**
East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund is an unincorporated charity governed by a trust deed dated 19 August 1935, most recently updated on 25 January 2023.
## 2. **Accounting Policies**
## 2.1. **Basis of Preparation of Financial Statements**
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)", Financial Reporting Standard 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Companies Act 2006.
The charitable company is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a true and fair view. This departure has involved following the Statement of Recommended Practice for charities applying FRS 102 rather than the version of the Statement of Recommended Practice which is referred to in the Regulations but which has since been withdrawn.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, modified to include investment properties and certain financial instruments at fair value. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
## 2.2. **Going Concern Disclosure**
The trustees have not identified any material uncertainties related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt about the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern.
## 2.3. **Fund Accounting**
Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.
## 2.4. **Incoming Resources**
Income is recognised when the charity is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions ha.ie been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Interest on funds held on deposit is included upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the Bank. Dividends are recognised once the dividend has been declared and notification has been received of the dividend due.
Page 8
**East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) For The Year Ended 5 April 2026**
## 2.5. **Resources Expended**
All expenditure is included on an accruals basis and is recognised when there is a legal or constructive obligation to pay for expenditure. All costs have been directly attributed to one of the functional categories of resources expended in the Statement of Financial Activities. The charity is not registered for VAT and accordingly expenditure is shown gross of VAT.
Governance costs comprise all costs involving the public accountability of the charity and its compliance with regulation and good practice. These costs include costs related to the examination of the accounts and all the costs of complying with constitutional and statutory requirements.
## 2.6. **Investment Properties**
Investment property, which is property held to earn rentals and/or for capital appreciation, is initially recognised at cost, which includes the purchase cost and any directly attributable expenditure. Subsequently it is measured at fair value at the reporting end date. The surplus or deficit on revaluation is recognised in profit or loss.
## 2.7. **Investments**
Fixed asset investments are initially measured at transaction price excluding transaction costs, and are subsequently measured at fair value at each reporting date. Changes in fair value are recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year. Transaction costs are expensed as incurred.
## 2.8. **Cash and Cash Equivalents**
Cash and cash equivalents are basic financial assets and include cash in hand and deposits held at call with banks, other short-term highly liquid investments that mature in no more than three months from the date of acquisition and are readily convertible to a known amount of cash with insignificant risk of change in value, and bank overdrafts.
## 2.9. **Financial Instruments**
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 'Basic Financial Instruments' and Section 12 'Other Financial Instruments Issues' of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
## **Basic financial assets**
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
...CONTINUED
Page 9
**East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) For The Year Ended 5 April 2026**
## 2.9. **Financial Instruments - continued**
## **Basic financial liabilities**
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
## **Derecognition of financial liabilities**
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity's contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
## 2.10. **Taxation**
The charity is exempt from tax as all its income is charitable and applied for charitable purposes.
## 3. **Income from Donations and Legacies**
|Donations and gifts
4.
**Investment Income**
Dividends from investments
Rents received from investment properties
Other interest receivable|**2026**
**Unrestricted **
**funds**
**£**
21,510|**2025**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
6,237|
|---|---|---|
||**2026**
**Unrestricted **
**funds**
**£**
68,673
15,465
494|**2025**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**£**
64,637
21,530
951|
||84,632|87,118|
Page 10
## **East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) For The Year Ended 5 April 2026**
## 5. **Analysis of Expenditure**
|5.
**Analysis of Expenditure**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Charitable activities
Raising funds
Charitable activities
6.
**Support Costs**
Governance costs
Governance costs
7.
**Independent Examiner's Remuneration**
Independent examination of the financial statements|**Activities**
**undertaken**
**directly**
**£**
11,218|**Grant**
**funding of**
**activities**
**£**
31,435|**Support**
**costs**
(see note 6)
**£**
31,967|**2026**
**Total**
**£**
74,620|
||**Activities**
**undertaken**
**directly**
**£**
182
2,617|**Grant**
**funding of**
**activities**
**£**
-
18,672|**Support**
**costs**
(see note 6)
**£**
-
30,126|**2025**
**Total**
**£**
182
51,415|
||2,799|18,672|30,126|51,597|
||||**2026**
**£**
2,100|**2026**
**Charitable**
**activities**
**£**
31,967|
|||||**2025**
**Charitable**
**activities**
**£**
30,126|
|||||**2025**
**£**
2,187|
## 8. **Average Number of Employees**
Average number of employees during the year was: NIL (2025: NIL)
Page 11
**East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) For The Year Ended 5 April 2026**
## 9. **Investment Property**
|.
**Investment Property**||
|---|---|
|**Fair Value**
As at 6 April 2025
Fair value adjustments
As at 5 April 2026|**2026**
**£**
279,027
8,371|
||287,398|
Investment property comprises freehold land and property. The fair value of the investment property has been arrived at by the trustees at the balance sheet date on an open market value basis by reference to market evidence of transaction prices for similar properties.
The trustee's who held the title to the property belonging to the charity, and who served as trustee's in holding title to the property during the year were Mr G J Fowlie MBE and Mr J H Robinson Esq.
## 10. **Investments**
|**Cost or Valuation**
As at 6 April 2025
Additions
Disposals
Revaluations
Fair value adjustments
As at 5 April 2026
**Provision**
As at 6 April 2025
As at 5 April 2026
**Net Book Value**
As at 5 April 2026
As at 6 April 2025|**Listed**
**£**
2,071,598
270,161
(187,868)
305,559
29,223|
|---|---|
||2,488,673|
||-|
||-|
||2,488,673|
||2,071,598|
All investments are carried at their market value. Investment in equities and fixed interest securities are all traded in quoted public markets, primarily the London Stock Exchange. Asset sales and purchases are recognised at the date of trade at cost (that is their transaction value).
Page 12
**East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) For The Year Ended 5 April 2026**
## 11. **Debtors**
|1.
**Debtors**|1.
**Debtors**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Due within one year**
Prepayments and accrued income
Other debtors
**Due after more than one year**
Other debtors
2.
**Creditors: Amounts Falling Due Within One Year**
Trade creditors
Accruals
3.
**Movement in Funds**
**As at 6 April**
**2025**
**£**
**Unrestricted funds**
General:
General unrestricted fund
2,436,106
**Total funds**
2,436,106
**As at 6 April**
**2024**
**£**
**Unrestricted funds**
General:
General unrestricted fund
2,440,355
**Total funds**
2,440,355||**Income**
**£**
106,142||**2026**
**£**
995
1,473
2,468
2,500
4,968
**2026**
**£**
1
2,157
2,158
**Expenditure**
**£**
268,533|**2025**
**£**
892
2,027|
||||||2,919
4,000|
||||||6,919|
||||||**2025**
**£**
165
2,225|
||||||2,390|
||||||**As at 5 April**
**2026**
**£**
2,810,781|
||2,436,106|106,142||268,533|2,810,781|
||**As at 6 April**
**2024**
**£**
2,440,355|**Income**
**£**
93,355||**Expenditure**
**£**
(97,604)|**As at 5 April**
**2025**
**£**
2,436,106|
||2,440,355|93,355||(97,604)|2,436,106|
## 12. **Creditors: Amounts Falling Due Within One Year**
## 13. **Movement in Funds**
Expenditure includes both Resources expended of £74,620 (2025: £51,597) and Gains of £343,153 (2025: Losses £46,007)
Page 13
## **East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Notes to the Financial Statements (continued) For The Year Ended 5 April 2026**
## 14. **Transactions with Trustees**
None of the trustees received any remuneration or any other benefits from an employment with the charity or a related entity during the current or previous year.
No trustee expenses have been incurred.
## 15. **Related Party Disclosures**
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2025 - none).
Page 14
**East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Detailed Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account) For The Year Ended 5 April 2026**
|**INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM:**
**Donations and legacies**
Donations and gifts
**Investments**
Rental income from investment property
Dividends from other current asset investments - listed
Other interest receivable
**EXPENDITURE ON:**
**Raising funds**
Advertising, marketing, direct mail and publicity
Independent examiner's fees
Legal fees
Share of governance costs
Governance apportioned to activities etc
**Charitable Activities:**
**Charitable activities**
Repairs, renewals and maintenance
Insurance
Hampers
Grants to individuals
Share of governance costs
**NET INCOME BEFORE INVESTMENT GAINS**
**Net gains/(losses) on investments**|**2026**
**Total**
**funds**
**£**
21,510|**2025**
**Total**
**funds**
**£**
6,237|
|---|---|---|
||21,510
15,465
68,673
494|6,237
21,530
64,637
951|
||84,632|87,118|
||106,142
-
(2,100)
(24,631)
(5,236)
31,967|93,355
(182)
(2,187)
(22,553)
(5,386)
30,126|
||-
(9,152)
(2,066)
(6,817)
(24,618)
(31,967)|(182)
(811)
(1,806)
(6,323)
(12,349)
(30,126)|
||(74,620)|(51,415)|
||(74,620)|(51,597)|
||31,522|41,758|
...CONTINUED
Page 15
## **East Sussex Farmers Benevolent Fund Detailed Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account) (continued) For The Year Ended 5 April 2026**
|Surplus/(deficit) on disposal of listed current asset investments
Surplus/(deficit) on revaluation of investments
Fair value surplus on revaluation of investment property
**NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)**|29,223
305,559
8,371|(9,301)
(44,833)
8,127|
|---|---|---|
||343,153|(46,007)|
||374,675|(4,249)|
Page 16