Chairman’s report to the Friends AGM
I want to start by thanking my fellow committee members for their commitment to this important aspect of church life. Val Houghton will be standing down as Honorary Secretary after this meeting but will remain on the committee. I am very grateful to her for carrying out this role so efficiently for a number of years.
I also want to thank the Rector for his support of our efforts during his time here. We wish him and Wendy well in their retirement.
Because an interregnum will impose an additional burden of responsibility on many volunteers within the church, a number of whom are on the Friends Committee, we will present a slightly reduced programme, but none the less engaging, for the next year with an emphasis on social events. We shall have a Quiz Night in March (building work in St Katherine’s Hall prevents an earlier date), and there will be an Open Gardens event in May. If you have suggestions for an area of Ledbury where there are interesting gardens, we would be pleased to hear it. We shall hold, by popular demand, another Hymns and Pimms event in July. There will be two further opportunities to explore the bell tower and two or three Wednesday afternoon talks as part of the mix.
Thank you for your support of this year’s programme. The Burns Night in January was a colourful and cheering event. A large group of singers provided excellent entertainment, and tartan was in abundance! This and a very well attended Quiz Night in April both provided a healthy surplus for our funds. Talks by David WoodRobinson on the Everlasting Mercy by John Masefield, and by Nick Bury on the Hymns of Isaac Watts were also well attended and much enjoyed. I am grateful to my fellow bellringers in helping me to run two tower tours as part of the
programme. The temperature in the church in the winter months continues to be an issue, but it seems as if the prospect of a good outcome is much closer than when I last reported to you. This may be a good time to let you know that the Friends have been the beneficiaries of some legacies which will enable us to give meaningful support to this project and others too.
If you have not signed up as a member in advance of today, we invite you to consider doing so before you leave after tea.
The Friends oversee the rota of Stewards who welcome visitors to the church from April to October each year. They fulfil a vital role in offering a warm welcome to
visitors and in helping to interpret to them different aspects of the church building, its contents and its use. A full rota of welcomers ensures that we offer a warm greeting to all visitors and also helps to keep the building and its contents more secure. David Houghton will report on this shortly.
Bill and Maggie Mackenzie continue to manage the bookstall which provides a healthy income, and is also a popular and valuable resource for our many visitors as well as for members of our own congregation. We are very grateful for the excellent work they do and for the care they take in researching books and other resources which might best suit the interests of browsers.
I am very grateful to all those who have provided cakes and other delights for our tea that will immediately follow this meeting. The tea is free but you will be able to make a donation if you so wish.
Thank you all for your support – sign up and join us if you are not a member, and tell your friends to come along to our fundraising efforts. Our main mission in the church is to worship God, spread the good news of Jesus and share his love in practical ways in our local community. It is also to be good stewards of these wonderful buildings and to encourage people to make good use of them. Thank you for continuing to trust us to do our best to make sure that we keep these aims always in our minds.
Tim Keyes 15.10.25
| Ledbury : Friends of St Michael & All Angels | |||||||
| Statement of Financial Activities ending | 30/09/2025 | ||||||
| (Income and Expenditure account) | |||||||
| for period ending : | 30/09/2025 | ||||||
| Incom | e and expenditure | I | |||||
| as at | 17/10/2025 | ||||||
| £ | £ | £ | |||||
| Income: | Opening bank balances | ||||||
| Membershipsubscriptions | 200.00 | Cashbook 1: Cash | 20.00 | ||||
| other supporter donations | 2,654.00 | Cashbook 2: Bank | 19,265.94 | ||||
| eventproceeds | 2,459.97 | Cashbook 3: Deposit | 30,402.74 | ||||
| other sales/trading (& bank int.) | 1,297.86 | ||||||
| Legacies | 125,000.00 | ||||||
| Gift Aid received(forprioryr) | 515.44 | Total | 49,688.68 | ||||
| 132,127.27 | |||||||
| Other income: | Closing bank balances | ||||||
| Bookstallgross income | 3,223.48 | Cashbook 1: Cash | 20.00 | ||||
| stock at start ofyear | 1,123.10 | Cashbook 2: Bank | 133,252.23 | ||||
| add stockpurchased | 1,287.96 | Cashbook 3: Deposit | 50,000.00 | ||||
| less endyear stock@* | -985.26 | ||||||
| reduce byvalue of stock sold | -1,425.80 | Total | 183,272.23 | ||||
| net bookstallprofits | 1,797.68 | ||||||
| Total income | 133,924.95 | Reconciliation of funds: | |||||
| Openingcash total b/f | 49,688.68 | ||||||
| Expenses: | (minus) | Surplus/ (deficit) | 133,445.71 | ||||
| Administration &postage | -89.60 | ||||||
| Publicity&printing | 0.00 | 183,134.39 | |||||
| Membershipetc events | -389.64 | adjust for | |||||
| Other Event expenses(Mtwara) | 0.00 | non-cash items | |||||
| & Lent lunches | Movement in stock * | 137.84 | |||||
| Projects | 0.00 | Closingcash c/f | 183,272.23 | ||||
| Total expenses | -479.24 | Check | 0.00 | ||||
| excl. inter a/c transfers | |||||||
| Surplus/Deficit | 133,445.71 | ||||||
| Donationsfor churchprojects | 0.00 | ||||||
| Extra-ordinary items - legacies | -125,000.00 | ||||||
| Suplusprior to legacies | 8,445.71 | ||||||
| (* refer to Balance Sheetpage re stocktake figures) | |||||||
| C:\Users\James\Documents\Friends of St Michaels Church\Friends accounts\20 | 24-10-01 to 2025-09-30 Fr | iends a.c[2024-25 Friend | s acc Q4 final to 30-09-2025.xlsb]I&E |
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Ledbury
Charity : Friends of StMichael& AllAngels a
number: 504823 Po | ||
Balance Sheet | _ \ fC
Year commencing: _|_01 October 2024 | |
ending: | 30 September 2025)
This year Last year end ||
to 30-09-2025 to 30-09-2024
Current assets re ||
| |Cash 20.00) 20.00 |
| [][ [Bank] 133,252.23) 19,26594f
Deposit __ 50,000.00 30,402.74,
Gift Aid repayment due | ee ee ee ||
Total cash assets 183,272.23 49,688.68
[Stock 985.26 1,123.10 |
| MovementTotal assetsin total assets | 184,257.49133,445.71] 50,811.787,559.99a eee |
[Reconciliation of cash: _ Po
Funds at start of period _49,688.68 ayoa7voof|
Suplus/deficitin period (1&E) | 133,445.71 msso99f |
183,134.39 49,507.98
(non-cash) movement in stock # | 137.84 | 180.70 | sd
fF
| [|#seebelowforcalculation] Tealiceh aan [327.23| ages? SSCC“‘“‘CSOW#”d#COC#~##d’
Bookstall stock movement analysis to year end | 30/09/2025) | | Ts
Cards & Misc sub-total_[netprofit/loss | [|]
Bookstail gross income — SE 3,223.48 P|
stock at start of period # 506.69 616.41 0.00 1,123.10)
30 Sept 2024 | | |
less |add stock purchased 393.85] 894.11]0.00 | 1,287.96 |
jto_|30|stockheldatend September 2025of period |Gs42.24] sen02| | 985.26 | |
Stock sold in period 476.30 949.50 1,425.80 |
Net bookstall profits a ee ee 1797.68] |
Bookstall stock movement - compare SS
|[totaltotal stock atstartofperiod | 1,123.10 |
stock held at end of period ee 985.26
Where a charity's annual income is over £25,000 but not exceeding £1 Million, the trustees must arrange for an | _ -
independent person to carry out an examination of their accounts. ;
| have therefore asked William Hopkinsonifhe would kindly undertake an examination of the records,asbelow. |;
i
po jlanJames | V7 re ee
| confirm that no material issuesf have come to my attention inHee connectionTreasurerTreeswrer| with the exat{nation which4_4_| would give fo—
me cause to believe that, in any material respect:
© accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act 2011 or
@ the accounts do not accord with the accounting records |
accord with te gecounting records fff
t ee a | re Se
also 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. |
dated:| Sa Be f} AL - | | __
i Z_ ao We NIT SY Non Examiner | |
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