Registered Charity Number 291079 St John's Arts and Recreation Association Trustees, Report and Financial Statement For the Year Ended 31st July 2025
St John's Arts and Recreation Association Index to the Trustees. Report and Financial Statement For the Year Ended 31st July 2025 Page No Trustees, Annual Rq Examiner's Rwrt ststement of Financial Activities Balance Sheet io- li Notes to the Accounts
Trustees, Annual Report
St John's Arts and Recreation Association
Registered charity number 291079
For the financial year beginning:
For the fmancial year ending:
1st August 2024
3 1st July 2025
Charity principal addre5S:
St John's Arts and Recreation Centre
St John's Walk, Market StreeL
Old Harlow, Essex.
CM17 OAJ
Charity Trustees (Management Committee)
ce Held
intin
Bod
EIi72beth Cox
range of its own activities, many of whicb are music baseit When not in use by regular wups, the building has been available foT private hire and bas been well used at weekends for parties, family occasions and other events. Significant Events The blue chairs used in the Main Hall are at their end of life and are inspected regularly. Nearly half of the original IIM) chairs have now been discarded due to safety issues. A Chair Fund has been started and grant aid submissions continue tn an effort to raise the money Tequired to buy new Chairs. Kutnon have advised us that they are DOW required to provide an education session on Saturday mornings. The ARC is not available at that time. so Kumon bave had to relocate elsewhere, which will result in a significant loss of income {of the order of £8.000) in futhre years. The number of bookings remains at a high leveL enabling the cost of Tunning the ARC to be spread over a wider ¢ustomer base. The continuing rise in heating costs over the year is still not covered by the rising income from extra bookings, thougb, and future iticreases in hiring rates are to be expected. Finally, our music coordinator. Marlies Heinecke, has suffered ill health recently and has had to relinqutsh her task of organising and promoting the ARCS Friday Lunchtime Concerts. This work h&s been taken over by the Treasurer and Administrator (John and Ernma), whilst a new concert promoter is sougbt. We are extremely grateful to Marlies for her profe8sionaltsm and commitment made over many years and for the enjoyinent the concerts have brought to our many supporters. The committee's intenlion is that the concert series should ¢onttnue, if at all POS8ibl¢. We already have IkIngS from artists well into 2026. Financial Summary Further fllwicial details are pmvided later in this report. As at 31st July 2025. there was a deficit of £561 in total net income Compared to a deficit of £5,966 in 202312024. Financial ear 202312024 2024r2025 Difference between the two ears Total unrestricted income £59.504 £65,047 £5.543 Total unrestrlcted ex enditure £64,379 £65.884 deficit shown in brnckets 4.875 837 £4.038 Income and Music Extra Fees The committee is not planning to raise fees this coming year, so It is proposed to retsin membership at £12.00 per year, music extra at £15.00 per year and group membership at £65.C(I per year. Re lar Hire b affiliat ou The hir¢ rates are reviewed from time to time and are kept in line with bire charge5 for simÉlar facilities in the area. Regular groups can benefit from discounts by becoming ARA group affiliates. The groups affiliated to the ARA (i.e. having voting rights at an AGM) during the Ye were: Essex Society for Family History Harlow Cbon Harlow Singers (via Harlow Chon)
Re lar Hire non-affiliated s and other us As with the rates for atyiliated groups, the general hire rates are reviewed from time to time and are kept in line with hire charges for similar facilities in the area. Smaller 8roups are encouraged to use the privacy of the Vesty Room, so that the entire Refectory can be used as a communal ar Some artsl¢rafts groups prefer to hire the rear section of the Refectory because its additional top lighting and nOllarpeted floor are felt to be more suited to their activities. Non-atTiliated groups that met regularly were: Art.A-Peel Ballet First with Theresa CTumb Damiy's Guitar Group cae1 Church U3A Art & Design Kutnon Maths & English after school study Harlow Concert Band Hartbeeps (mother & baby) Barbard's Yoga New Arts Harlow Harlow Quaker8 Occasional users w¢r¢: New Edition Singers Essex Music Services Old Harloviatss National Childbirth Trust Razed Roof de Merc Chamber Choir Cotnmittee TSM Harlow Sjinphony Orchestra Harlow Rock School Coro94 Oddfellows Riverside Court Management Private Hire and Occasional Grou A regular annual booking of the ARC was received from the Old Harlovians (our building used to be their College Chapel). Other regular users nornmlly hold additional events, such as quiz nights. during the year - often for their own fillld raising efforts. Many private hire events (parties and oneaoff bookings) took place and the use of the ARC as both a rehearsal and oncert venue has been demonstrated by ARA-promoted events, Coro94 and Harlow Concert Band concerts. Events mounted at the ARA'S risk The Lunchtime Concerts on Fridays continue to be a major draw and remain the most popular events that we have, as well as covering their costs (just). We held the nonnal. three concert series in the year. Two young musicians who appeared at these recitals (either individually or in a group) have received support from the Tollinton fund (see later). The ARA also prornotes other public concerts and events (e.g. Harmony ID Harlem) which have been held at the ARC. with administrative SUPPOTL box office, refreshments and advertising provided by ARA volunteers. Classes There are now no classes for which the ARA pays the tutor. Recordin No audio recording sessions took place in the year, but the Main Hall was booked for a couple of video recording sessions.
osits As well as our day-to-day current account banking with Barclays, we have an interest bearing 90aY deposit account and a no-notice dey)sit account with Saffron Building Society. These are required to cover future ARC maintenance. as well as any revenue losses caused by increased heating bills. Fund Raisin A huge thank-you is in order for our volunteers, who have supported the ARC in so n]Y ways. Fund raising events, such as Quiz Nigbts and donations for e of books. have raised in excess of £466 for the ARC. Grants and Donations Received We are very grateful io those who have gtven donations to the ARC. In¢ludtng Lunchtime Concert donations, members have added £7.303 to ARC fimds by their generosity. Many have helped fitrther by Gift-Aiding their subscriptions. The GASDS scheme, whereby we can reclaim small donations (e.g. those nude at Lwichtime Concerts), is a fiffther benefit The total HMRC reclaim was £1208. Applications to various grant-aidin8 bodies were made during the year and we are pleased to record support of £2.500 from Stansted Airport Community Fund towards boiler repairs. We have also applied to grant-aiders for help with the chair fimd. but no applications have been successful, so far. Expenditure This year has seen a MinimOn of expenditure, to recover previous years, additional heating costs. Caterin dItse Catering income and expenditure were ne81igible for the year. Stsff costs The ABA employs Enuna Dilwortb &8 the AdMIntratOr, John Steer as a Caretaker and Dave Hewitt as a Cleaner. all rnles are part-time. Gardening, repair and maintenance work is done by volunteers, local Contractors and handYrne All other work 18 done by volunteers, at present. Rates usiness As a Gharity we are liable for a lower Business Rate to Harlow Council. t and Heat We continue to monitor gas. electricity and water usage closely and meters are read monthly. Despite any benefits of long-tenn contracts, the ARA is well aware of the higb cost of heating a large Victorian building and tries to minimise the consumption of both gas and electricity. Insurance Our insurers are Ansvar (vta Norris & Fisher), who are specialists iti community centre insurance. There were no Insue claims made during the year.
Advertisin W¢ continue to produce the usual brochures. newsletter4 posters and flyers. We endeavour to keep the ARC website currenL Please note that you may need to Use the full website address in order to visit our website. The full address is: httpJlwww.stJohnsarc.org*uk (don't use https protocol). enditure None, during the rqrted fu1¢la1 year. Maintenan air Ex diture AIthou8h much maintenance work has been completed this year. there is continuing tnaintenance expenditure in roof repairs, gardening and hedge trimming, as well as indooT cleaning & repair cos Miscellaneous Ex Our annual PRS levy is based on turnover and represents the cheapest way of covering PRS costs. Accountanc DJP (previously known as Douglas Jones) Accountants are our a¢countaThts. In addition to the fee for the annual independent examination of our accounts. we pay them to carry out payroll and pension responsibilities for us. Restricled income There are tILree types of restricted income:_ l. Grnlts awarded for specific types of expenditure only. See the .rants" paraaph in the "Income Received" section of the fmancial statement for details of any new income received in the year. This includes general donations tnade in support of ARC music-making, not a8 part of the Tollinton Fun 2. Tollinton Fund The ARC receives donations in memory of the late Dr Tollintory to promote music making by young prof¢ssional musicians and recently fornied groups of musicians. providing their perforn]ances are at the ARC. This fund continues to be actively supported, althougb a larger number of contributors would be helpfiLI to secure the future of the fun4 which has reached its 22nd Amiiversary this year. The ARC has now opened a chair fun(L to raise money for replacing the Main Hall Blue Chairs.
In Conclusion The Association owes much to the current ARC staff for their ongoing cate of SL JOI.8 ARC and its users: Emma DIlwort Ad[nitratOr Jolm Steer, Caretaker Dave Hewitt, Cleaner Voluntary Help The Asso¢iatiott 18 very aware that running costs would be much higher if not for the many hours of voluntary work Contributed by members of the A&sociation. In addition to the ongoing work catried out by all the TThteCs, special thanks are due to John Bilton for all the research and negotiating he carries out as Treasurer and to Elizabeth Cox for her role in co-ordinating the Conm)ittee. It would be invidious to ty and identify all of the voluntary help which the ARC receives, but we wish to mention Elaine and Tim Matthews for the gardening, Jean Wright and Jeannie Humphrey for catering and serving refreshments at Friday Lunchtime Concerts and Mary Wiltshire for helping with occasional catering work. We are also fortunate to have the active support of Councillor Sue Livings: helping with fimd raising and with her numerous contacts, interest in the arts and help at events. her efforts are much appreciated. Finally. very many thanks must go to Marlies Heinecke for organising and publicising the many Music Extra l Friday Lunchtime Concerts, for booking the musicians and for her tireless work in connection with the Tollinton FuniL We 8hall miss her expertise and pleasant manner. We also wish to thank our Custodian Trustees: Elizabeth Cox, Jo Ver118 and Shenagb Waddoup - who join the Management Committee in offering our thanks for the efforts of all of our volunteers. Approved by the Management Committee as the Trustees on". John Bilton Elizabeth Cox
Independent examiner's report Independent examiner's report to the Trustees of St John's Arts and Recreation Association. I report on the accounts of the tnt for the year ended 31" July 2024 which are set out on page8 8toll. Respecllve re1ponsibiliti oftnutees and a¥amu As the charity's trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. you consider that the audit requirement of $43 (2) of the Charity's Act 1993 (the Act) does not apply. It is my responsibility to state, on the b&sis of procedures specified in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under s43 {7)(b) of the ACL whether particular matters have come to my attentio Basis of independent d¥aminer'$ report My examination was carried out in aordanCe with the General Direction5 given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a Comparison of the accounts presented with those TOrds. It also includes consideration of any umU2] items or disclosures in the accounts, and the seeking of explanations from you a8 trustees concerning any such matters. The procedur&8 undertaken do not Provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit an consequently, I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. Independent examiner s statepnenl In connection with my examination, no matter bas coll to my attention: (l) whicb gives me reasonabl¢ cae to believe thaL in any material respecL the requirements: to keep accounting records in &crdance with $41 of the Act. to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accountin8 reqUirents of the Act have not been met" or (2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Douglas Jones Phillips Ltd 33 High Street Old Harlow Essex CM17 ODN Date".
St John's Art and Recreation Assoelatlon Statement of Financi81 Adfvlties Unrestrieted Funds Restrlcted Funds Totsl Total 2024 Incoming resources Membership fees Affiliated hire Non-affiliated hire Private hire Classes Catering 1,439 Events 4,272 Donations & fidra]sing 10,619 Grants Miscellaneous Totsl In¢oming resourees 65.047 734 4,936 32,947 4,687 7,058 30,053 3,508 7,058 30,053 3,508 1.439 4,272 12,170 1,232 3,263 6,565 1,551 IJSI 66J98 59,728 Resources expended Catering Costs 140 Admin ernployee costs 13.076 Gardening costs 1.472 Staff Pension costs 205 Rates 227 Water Rates 993 Telephone 1,076 POSL stationery & publicity 1.153 Repairs and renewals 10,467 Caretsking 4,001 Light & heat 11,957 Insurance 3,531 Legal & professional fees Cleaning Miscellaneow expenses Accountancy 2,817 Event Costs 1.170 Depreciation 316 Total resources eipended 65W4 601 13,207 1,300 209 133 817 1,034 1,622 3.913 4,454 16,030 3,439 13,076 1,472 205 227 993 1,076 1,153 10,467 4,001 11,957 3,531 13,199 13,199 11,566 85 3.401 2.942 941 65,694 2.817 1,820 41 67.159 650 625 1275 Net incoming resourtes for the year Funds brought forward Funds carried fonvard (837) 276 {561) (5,966) 40 The notes on page 8-9 fornj part of these accounts *£6.140 ha8 been moveA fiom Gathing costs to Cleanitig in the 2024 eottwarative year to amispostiD8
St Jobn's Arts and Recreation Associatlon Balance Sheet Notes Unrestricted Funds Re8trlcted Totsl Funds Total 2024 Tydnglble Flxed Assets 5,976 1,777 7.753 8,694 Cllrrent Assets Debtors and Prepayments Bank Deposit Account Investtnent Bond Casb at Bank and in Hand 3,613 69,272 3,613 75,482 3,021 73,977 6,210 Current Liabilities Sundry CaitorS and Accruals Piano Fund Accounts 2,159 2,159 2.482 Net Current Assets Net Assets Rewesented by; General Fund Balance as at I. August 2024 Net Incoming/(Outgoing} For the year 89.902 9,129 99,03 I 104,997 (837) 276 (561) (5,966) Balance as at 31° Juty 2025 Approved by the management Conurrittee as the Tn on: John Bilton EIi72beth Cox.
St John's Arts and Reereatlon Assoclatlon Notes to the Financlal Statements l.Aecounting Policie8 1.1 Accounthig Convention and Standards These financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention in accordance with Statement of Recommended Practice No 2- Arxounting for Charities. 2.1 Depreclallon Depreciation is calculated to write down the cosL less estimated residual value, of all tsngible fixed assets over their expected lives. The rates generally applicable 30 years 2/0 Straight Line Otber Equipment 2. Tanglble Flxed A88ets Other Equipment Sculpture & Artwork Total Piano Cost As at I. August 2024 Additions Disposals As at 31° July 2025 10.675 47.350 6,282 64,307 47 Depreciation As at I" August 2024 Eliminated on Disposal Charg¢d for the year As at 31. July 2025 10.675 44.938 55,613 941 941 Iyet Book Value As at 31° July 2025 282 As at 31° July 2024 41 io
St John's Arts and Recreation AssotiatloD Notes to the Financlal Ststements 3. General Fund There is a restricted reserve in the general fund of £9A05 This balance can be sumnsed as follows:_ £2,139 is made up from the balance of charitable donations in rnemory of the late Dr Tollinton and is used to promote music by and for young people at the ARC. £5,289 is made up from the balance of charitable donations to support lunchtime Concerts, not &s part of the Tollington Fund £21)0 is made up from the chair fund £1,250 is the net book value of flooring and a sound systsm purchased in earlier year8 for which the grants were received specifi¢ally for. £527 is the net book value of an Angela Godfrey Sculpture that DnI¢S were specifically donated for in earlier years. The rest of the fijnd is to be used in accordance with the association's constitutio