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← Canon J Morton All Saints Church Fund

2024-12-31-accounts

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ACTIVITIES REGARDING THE DISTRICT CHURCH COUNCIL OF ROTHBURY HEPPLE AND THROPTON

TREASURER’S REPORT 2024

FINANCIAL REVIEW

We commenced 2024 with an operating balance of £11,658.60 for the General Fund in the Lloyds current bank account and cash in hand which included the December 2023 collection, planned giving and donations and we commence 2025 with a balance of £16,511.53 for the General Fund in the Lloyds current bank account, Barclays RHT DCC bank account, the CBF Deposit Fund account and cash in hand which includes the plate collections, planned giving and donations given during December 2024.

The 2024 figures for the General Fund Receipts and Payments Account show we have a surplus of £4,913.51 which means we have received more income than we have spent on expenditure for the General Fund.

Our offer of Parish Share for 2024 to the Newcastle Diocesan Board of Finance Ltd was £35,000. This was paid in full during the course of the year and was completed in the middle of December 2024 with a final payment of £1,400 all from General Fund income

Planned Giving was slightly higher than anticipated and was £484 above the 2024 budget figure. Non-Regular Gift Aided giving has seen a decrease in comparison with 2023. The generosity of our regular givers is paramount to our main source of income. Plate collections have increased slightly this year and, although welcome, this income is unplanned and cannot be relied upon. Donors are to be encouraged to give regularly through Planned Giving, to enable us to budget effectively. We now offer both our own in-house Planned Giving scheme and the Parish Giving Scheme.

The Parish would not be able to function without donations received throughout the year. These make up a sizable proportion of our income. The Votive Candle Stand and Wall Safe both make significant contributions to income with the Wall Safe showing an increase on the 2023 figure but the Votive Candle Stand is showing a slight decrease on the 2023 figure

Fundraising activity for the General Fund, which is another essential source of income, commenced in January 2024 with the 100 Club renewal followed by a second 100 Club renewal in June 2024. We have raised the total of £1,908.00 during the year from the 100 Club. The Produce Stall run by Carol Milburn started again at the beginning of January and ran each month up to December with the exception of February and October and has raised a total of £917.45. At the end of August members of the three churches ran a stall at the Hexham Car Boot sale in August which raised £291.00 for the General Fund and again in September which raised a total of £100.00 with £50.00 for the General Fund and £50.00 for the Rothbury Fabric Fund. During 2024 Joan Storey ran various “Gladrags” events, notably the late May bank holiday weekend event, which raised a total of £1,317.31 and also ran a Sale of Fabrics event in October which raised a total of £165.00 with £82.50 for the General Fund and £82.50 for the Rothbury Fabric Fund. The monthly Coffee Morning and Stalls events organised by Kathryn Reynalds were held in All Saints Church between January and December and raised a total of £3,424.10. Kathryn also ran a series of Hall Warm Hub Friday morning coffee and chat events during February and March which raised a total of £30.00 from donations.

The Parish Hall has received an income of £2,232.00 against a total expenditure of £3,110.95 meaning that the Parish Hall account has ended 2024 with a deficit of £878.95. Our main regular group, Judali Yoga has increased the number of hours per week that they hire the hall back to pre-pandemic levels of use. The Whitton & Tosson Parish Council also hold the bi-monthly meetings in the hall, Anthea Wilbie-Chalk has a Discussion Group twice a month and Kathryn Reynalds, our Hall Bookings Secretary, has also seen an increase in other groups enquiring about and using the hall on a regular basis. The hall is also used by various church and community groups for which no charge is made and, had the normal charge of £8.00 per hour been applied to all the ‘free’ bookings, this would have given us a further £1,098.00 in income which would have meant that for 2024 the hall was showing a surplus. Messy Church meets on a monthly basis using all the hall rooms but as this is effectively their church premises no charge is made and these sessions have not been included in the £1,098.00.

The Card Stall which Alison Ball is now running also continues to provide an important source of income which enabled the purchase of the Royal British Legion Poppy Wreath and to fund the repair of bell ropes during 2024.

From the Rothbury Book Stall we have received £154.70 in donations in 2024 for the Rothbury Fabric Fund. The Book Stall is run by our churchwarden, Margaret Pope.

1

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ACTIVITIES REGARDING THE DISTRICT CHURCH COUNCIL OF ROTHBURY HEPPLE AND THROPTON

St Andrew’s Church, Thropton has had grass cutting carried out at a cost of £605.00, the fire extinguishers have been tested at a total cost of £51.60 and all the electrical equipment has been PAT tested at a cost of £27.30. These items have been financed from the General Fund. The Thropton Fabric Fund has received a total of £39.82 in quarterly shared interest during 2024 and has a balance at the end of 2024 of £801.04.

Christ Church Hepple has had its fire extinguishers tested at a cost of £51.60, the lightning conductor testing work has been undertaken at a cost of £120.00, all the electrical equipment PAT tested at a cost of £35.10 and grass cutting has cost £2,173.00 in 2024 which have all been paid for from the General Fund. The Hepple Tree and Grass Fund which is used for the maintenance of the existing Hepple churchyard has received £364.70 in donations, £0.93 in GASDS, £69.14 in shared interest and £292.00 from burial and monument fees during 2024 and has a balance of £1,983.27 at the end of 2024. The Hepple Churchyard Fund which is used for the new churchyard extension has received £119.70 in wedding donations, £195.00 in donations, £66.17 in gift aid and GASDS, £6.00 from the Hepple Honesty Jar, £1,192.00 from banns, wedding, funerals and memorial fees and £71.09 from quarterly shared interest. There has been £359.00 expenditure from the fund for a planning application to change the usage of the donated land from agriculture to burial ground. The Hepple Churchyard Fund has a balance of £2,669.65 at the end of 2024.

The Hepple Restoration Fund has received funeral donations of £300.00, donations of £175.00, planned giving of £250.00, HMRC gift aid and GASDS of £215.46, and monthly interest of £25.22 during 2024 and has a balance of £13,964.77 at the end of the year. During 2024 a new bank account, known as the Christ Church Hepple Savings Account, was opened which is generating the monthly interest and was set up with a transfer of £10,000.00 from the Christ Church Hepple current account.

All Saints’ Rothbury has seen a total sum of £1,436.16 spent on cleaning and maintenance work in 2024 from the General Fund. This includes two garden waste bins (£104.00), grass cutting (£90.00), fire extinguishers tested and advice sought (£181.08), lightning conductors testing (£120.00). all electrical equipment PAT tested (£202.80) and the boiler repaired (£738.28). From the Rothbury Fabric Fund a total of £60,147.00 nett of VAT has been paid to Wensley Roofing Ltd for the repairs to the roofs and gutters, £315.00 has been paid on architect’s fees for the repair work and £22,500 has been reimbursed to the lenders of the five-year interest free loans that were used to fund the repair work. As part of the fund raising for the repair work a Just Giving page was created by David and Toni Smith and a total of £1,535.00 has been raised in 2024 through the website. Of this sum, we have received £1,504.09 with £30.91 being taken by Just Giving in administrative charges.

Church running costs are showing in the accounts as £18,539.10. This figure is an increase from the 2023 figure of £16,004.64 which includes all the maintenance work undertaken at the three churches from the General Fund in 2024. A breakdown of the costs can be found in note 5 on page 8. Our energy use for the three churches and the parish hall, however, still needs to be addressed on an environmental and financial basis.

Parish Administration overall costs of £666.84 in 2024 shows a decrease in comparison to 2023 figure which was £1,232.69.

To ensure our bank charges are not excessive I am continuing to use online banking wherever possible and we have seen a slight increase in the amount of bank charges that we have paid in 2024 in comparison to 2023 due to Lloyds Bank increasing the monthly business banking charge from £7.00 per month to £8.50 per month in August 2024. In order to keep bank charges to a minimum a cash float of £300.00 was withdrawn in 2022 and is kept in a metal cash box in the vestry safe. This means that we will not incur bank charges in future every time a cash float is withdrawn or deposited in the current bank account. The cash float is shown in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities on page 10 in the column headed CASH FLOAT against the General Fund.

Printing and stationery costs of £246.92 for 2024 have decreased on the 2023 figure of £386.92. The Administration Costs of £261.85 for 2024 covers the costs incurred by the treasurer and planned giving officer in managing the DCC’s financial affairs.

The Insurance Premiums total for 2024 for the three churches is shown in note 5 on page 8 as £7,703.90 which is a 5.56% increase on the figure of £7,297.90 shown for 2023 caused by the rate of inflation. The Parish Hall insurance premium was £1,052.01 in 2024 which is a 5.16% increase on the 2023 figure of £1,000.36, again caused by the rate of inflation. In August 2018 the All Saints Church and Parish Hall insurances were merged into one policy, giving us the same insurance conditions for both properties.

2

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ACTIVITIES REGARDING THE DISTRICT CHURCH COUNCIL OF ROTHBURY HEPPLE AND THROPTON

In 2021 the Organ Restoration Fund name was changed to the Organ Fund as it was agreed that the restoration of the organ in All Saints Church had been completed. The Organ Fund has received income of £1,462.84 in 2024 through donations, gift aid and GASDS and quarterly shared interest from the CBF Deposit Fund. From this fund we have paid a total of £668.09 in 2024 of which £389.59 was for the All Saints Church organ to be tuned by Harrison & Harrison Ltd of Durham, £194.80 for the Christ Church Hepple organ to be tuned by Harrison & Harrison Ltd of Durham, £23.70 for a Book of Hymn Arrangements and £60.00 on organ lessons. Also, the DCC members decided to transfer £439.42 from the Organ Fund to the General Fund to reimburse the General Fund for the tuning and repair to one of the pipes on the Christ Church Hepple organ expenditure in 2022 that was original paid for from the General Fund. The Organ Fund has ended 2024 with a balance of £8,272.45 which is split between the CBF Deposit Fund (£7,506.72) and the Rothbury PCC-CG bank account (£765.73) which enables us to have a working capital and reducing the need to withdraw money from the CBF Deposit Fund. In October 2024 the DCC took the decision to allocate some of the Organ Fund balance to a new Education Project initiative put forward by Jane Lothian, one of our organists and as at the end of 2024 the balance of £8,272.45 in the Organ Fund was split between the project (£4,560.11) and maintenance of the three organs (£3,712.34).

In October 2024 we received a £5,000.00 bequest from the late Keith Moodie and the family were keen that the funds be held in a separate fund from the Organ Fund and so this new fund is known as the Keith Moodie Bequest. The new fund is to be used only for the maintenance of the All Saints Church organ and we can use both the capital and any shared interest accrued for that purpose.

During 2021 the then Rector, Canon John Sinclair, decided to encourage wedding parties to give more generously in the collection plate by splitting any donations given on a 50:50 basis between the church and a charity of the bride and groom’s choosing and this is shown in Collections – Special Collections in note 3 on page 7. The 50% to the church is recorded under either the Hepple Restoration Fund, the Thropton Fabric Fund, the Rothbury Fabric Fund or the Rothbury Warm Hub Fund depending upon which church the wedding was held in. It was also decided to record any Baptism and Funeral plate collections given for the church under these funds depending upon which church the baptism or funeral was held in.

The CBF Investment Units may be required to fund major work in the future or supplement shortfalls in income streams. There has been an overall increase in the value of the CBF Investment units in 2024 due to the performance on the stock market. It is to be hoped that their value will maintain growth in the longer term. Income from interest on our CBF Deposit Fund and dividends from our CBF Investments has seen a sharp increase in 2024 on the interest rates we received in 2023.

The Hepple Churchyard Fund has received £71.09 in shared interest from the CBF Deposit Fund during 2024 and the Hepple Tree & Grass Fund has received £69.14 in shared interest from the CBF Deposit Fund during 2024.

During 2023 I switched the fees for baptisms, banns, weddings, funeral and burials from being recorded in the General Fund to being allocated according to which church or churchyard the event took place in. What this means is all fees from weddings, banns and funerals held at All Saints’ Church are now allocated to the Rothbury Fabric Fund, all fees from weddings, banns and funerals held at Christ Church Hepple are now allocated to the Hepple Restoration Fund, all burial and monument fees in the Christ Church Hepple churchyard are allocated to the newly named Hepple Tree & Grass Fund and all fees for services held at St Andrews Thropton will be allocated to Thropton Fabric Fund. The General Fund will continue to receive fees for funerals held at crematoria and Rothbury Cemetery and in 2024 this totalled £144.00 for two funerals held at Bockenfield Crematorium Felton (£72.00) and two graveside funerals held at Rothbury Cemetery (£72.00).

The Rothbury Coffee Fund has received a total of £610.64 in 2024 which is represented by £443.45 in coffee donations and £167.19 in shared interest. Total expenditure in 2024 amounts to £149.80 which includes the purchase of a new microwave (£80.00), purchase of a new coffee machine (£30.00) and the purchase of coffee items (£39.08). The fund has a balance of £3,555.85 at the end of 2024.

At the beginning of April 2024 British Gas credited to All Saints’ Church gas account all the Climate Change Levy of £1,147.27 which was backdated to April 2020. This had the effect that, from April to October 2024, the account remained in credit and there was no expenditure. It was only from November that we started paying for the church gas. This is why the Utilities shown in the note 5 on page 8 under Church Running Costs is showing £3,319.55 for 2024 which is a considerable decrease on the 2023 figure of £4,231.29.

3

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ACTIVITIES REGARDING THE DISTRICT CHURCH COUNCIL OF ROTHBURY HEPPLE AND THROPTON

During a vacancy a Sequestration Fund has to be set up for the financial administration of the Rothbury Rectory and Visiting Clergy expenses which can be claimed back from the diocese on a monthly basis. At their September 2023 meeting the Upper Coquetdale PCC delegated the running of the Sequestration Fund to the RHT DCC. This is run by me, as RHT DCC Treasurer, as all financial matters concerning the rectory and visiting clergy are dealt with by this DCC. At the RHT DCC meeting held in September 2023 members confirmed that the Sequestration Fund could be set up within the RHT DCC accounts and would be funded by a transfer of an initial £500.00 from the General Fund with up to a further £500.00 available to be transferred if required during the vacancy. The initial £500.00 was transferred from the General Fund to the Sequestration in September 2023 and has been used to fund expenditure on the rectory and visiting clergy. Since the end of October 2023, a monthly claim has been submitted to the Newcastle Diocesan Board of Finance Ltd and both the October and November claims have been paid. These payments are recorded in the accounts as negative expenditure offsetting the various payments. During 2024 the extra £500 which had been made available by the RHT DCC was transferred from the General Fund Reserves to the Sequestration Fund. This shows in the “Statement of Assets and Liabilities” on Page 11 in the Transfers column. The Sequestration Fund is therefore not showing any income but is showing an expenditure figure of £375.04 which represents the December 2024 expenditure and a balance of £465.61 in the “Statement of Assets and Liabilities” on Page 11. The December 2024 claim is due to be paid by the diocese in January 2025 and will appear in the 2025 RHT DCC Accounts.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Planned Giving Administrator, Adrienne Thunder, for her tireless work in the banking and recording of all our income, to thank Christine Wilson for recording and banking the Hepple Restoration Fund income and expenditure, to thank Sue Bowmer and Sandy Macaulay for running the 100 Club, to thank Alison Ball for running the Cardstall, to thank John Farndale, the Alwinton & Holystone DCC treasurer, and Meron Marcyniuk, the Alnham DCC treasurer, for their work in reimbursing Rothbury, Hepple & Thropton DCC their respective DCC’s monthly contribution to the parish running costs. I would also like to thank Paul Charlton of Ryecroft Glenton for all his work in inspecting the accounts year on year and for his accountancy advice when needed and to thank the RHT DCC members for their support and advice during the vacancy in what has been a difficult year to manage the finances.

Other thanks should go to Carol Milburn for running the Produce Stall on the first Sunday of each month and for all those who do the baking, to Kathryn Reynalds for organising and running the monthly Coffee Mornings on the second Saturday of the month and for taking all the bookings for the Parish Hall.

To conclude: We must ensure that we run with a surplus year on year in order to meet the DCC’s various commitments. We will not able to withdraw from Reserves indefinitely and the DCC must ensure that, through an effective budgeting process, spending does not exceed income. We need to concentrate on increasing our regular income through the ongoing Stewardship initiative by holding an annual renewal just to be able to balance our books. We have already made a start in making every effort to reduce our fundraising costs as these have been high and detract from the effectiveness of the fundraising events and this needs to continue year on year with careful financial management. If all these steps are taken it is likely we will be able to pay our estimated 2025 Parish Share in full which is £35,000. This equates to £2,916.66 per month that is needed from regular planned giving, donations and fundraising. However, if the steps are not taken it is unlikely that we will be able to pay the 2025 Parish Share in full without selling more shares and using General Fund reserves or we may default in 2025 as we did in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Going forward, maintaining a robust General Fund should be an area of priority and focus for the DCC.

Christopher Pope – Treasurer

eore

19th March 2025

…………………………………… ………………………… ………………………

Vice Chair Treasurer Date Richard Maudslay Christopher Pope

4

THE CHURCHES OF ALL SAINTS ROTHBURY, ST ANDREW THROPTON AND CHRIST CHURCH, HEPPLE STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Preparation

The Financial Statements of the DCC have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 using the Receipts and Payments basis.

The accounts include the monetary transactions, assets and liabilities for which the DCC can be held responsible. They do not include the accounts of other Church groups that owe an affiliation to another body, nor those that are informal gatherings of Church members.

Funds

General funds represent the funds of the DCC that are not subject to any special restrictions regarding their use and are available for application to the general purposes of the DCC. These include funds designated for a particular purpose by the DCC.

Subject to the above, receipts and payments include income as received and expenditure when irrevocably paid.

Statement of Assets and Funds

5

THE CHURCHES OF ALL SAINTS ROTHBURY, ST ANDREW THROPTON AND CHRIST CHURCH HEPPLE GENERAL FUND RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT


RECEIPTS

Income from Operating Activities
Fees
Church Hire
Parish Hall Rent

Fund Raising
Fund Raising General (1)
Fund Raising 100 Club
Incoming Resources from Donors
Planned Giving (2)
HMRC Gift Aid on Planned Giving/GASDS (2)
Gift Aid Giving Non- Regular (2)
Plate Collections (3)
Other Voluntary Incoming Resources
Donations (4)
Income from Investments
CBF Deposit Fund Shared Interest
NSIB Dividends
CBF Investment Funds Dividends
TOTAL RECEIPTS

PAYMENTS
Cost of generating funds
Fund Raising Costs (7)
Charitable Activities
Donations to Missions and Charities
Church Activities and Running Costs
Parish Share
Church Running Costs (5)
Clergy Expenses
Parish Hall Running Costs (8)
Service & Sanctuary Expenses
Visiting, Lay and Retired Clergy Costs
Hire of Hepple Village Hall
Quinquennial Inspection
Parish Administration
Bank Charges
Planned Giving Expenses
Printing and Stationery
Administration Costs
Internet Broadband
Telephone Rothbury Rectory
TOTAL PAYMENTS

OPERATING SURPLUS FOR YEAR (9)
 2024
£
144.00
200.00
2,232.00
2,576.00
6,112.36
1,908.00
8,020.36
35,984.01
10,075.31
652.00
4,665.62
51,376.94
903.17
903.17
180.03
641.31
263.78
1,085.12
63,961.59
990.00
990.00
-
35,000.00
18,539.10
(726.44)
3,110.95
754.69
37.94
25.00
650.00
57,391.24
91.90
-
246.92
261.85
66.17
-
666.84
59,048.08
4,913.51		 2023
£
68.00
250.00
1,897.00
2,215.00
3,319.85
1,880.00
5,199.85
35,059.15
10,294.29
1,758.80
4,240.41
51,352.65
1,737.79
1,737.79
35.88
514.17
259.74
809.79
61,315.08
1,060.00
1,060.00
-
36,000.00
16,004.64
3,137.66
3,075.99
477.28
183.35
-
-
58,878.92
84.00
6.00
386.92
310.85
66.17
378.75
1,232.69
61,171.61
143.47

6

THE CHURCHES OF ALL SAINTS ROTHBURY, ST ANDREW THROPTON AND CHRIST CHURCH HEPPLE NOTES TO THE GENERAL FUND RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT 2024

1. Fundraising

The Produce/Cake Stall commenced on the first Sunday in January 2024 and continued each month up to December 2024 with the exception of February and October. The monthly Coffee Morning event on the second Saturday of the month was held each month from January to December 2024 in All Saints Church Rothbury. Other fundraising events in 2024 have included a Sale of Fabric items, a number of Gladrags sales, two Car Boot sales at Hexham in August and September and on Friday mornings during February and March a Hall Warm Hub event. The breakdown of the proceeds are as follows:

a Hall Warm Hub event. The breakdown of the proceeds are as follows:
£
Produce/Cake Stall 917.45
Sale of Fabric Items 82.50
Gladrags Sales 1,317.31
Hall Warm Hub (February and March 2024) 30.00
Hexham Car Boot Sales (August and September 2024) 341.00
Coffee Morning Events 3,424.10
Total 6,112.36

2. Planned Giving

The total of regular giving in 2024 has seen an increase on the 2023 figure of £924.86. The Planned Giving overall figure of £35,984.01 includes £9,758.01 which has been paid through the Church of England Parish Giving Scheme. From this scheme we have also received £2,439.53 in Gift Aid which forms part of the overall total of £10,075.31 for Gift Aid/GASDS claimed from the HMRC. Non-regular giving via Gift Aid Envelopes in 2024 has also seen a decrease of £1,106.80 on the 2023 figure.

3. Income from Plate Collections is given as the total amount for all three churches. The 2024 figure has seen a slight increase on the 2023 figure. The breakdown between the three churches is as follows: -

Hepple
Rothbury
Thropton
Total		 2024
£
440.00
3,658.62
567.00
4,665.62		 2023
£
436.00
3,333.41
471.00
4,240.41

Collections – Special Collections

The recommendations in the Church of England publication “The Charities Act and the PCC – 2006”, as revised to take into account the revision in 2005 of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) are that collections made for specific charities, either in church or at other events, should not be included in the receipts and payments but noted separately. The totals for 2024 are shown below; these do not appear in the Receipts and Payments account.

£ Alzheimer’s Society - Funeral Donation and HMRC Gift Aid 241.76 Total 241.76

4. Donations Received

The sum of £903.17 includes £523.08 from the Wall Safe, £164.24 from the Votive Candle Stand and £215.85 in general donations.

7

THE CHURCHES OF ALL SAINTS ROTHBURY, ST ANDREW THROPTON AND CHRIST CHURCH HEPPLE NOTES TO THE GENERAL FUND RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT 2024 - CONTINUED

5. Church Running Costs; (Items purchased from Cardstall account not showing in these figures).

6.


Insurance on the three church buildings
Music, Bells, Organ and Piano Tuning and Organist Expenses
Cleaning and maintenance
Utilities
Social Expenses (Rector’s Retirement Party)
Miscellaneous Sundries
Total
From the Card Stall Fund the following has been paid
The Royal British Legion – Wreath for 2024
Repair of Bell Ropes
Greetings Cards etc
Total		 2024
£
7,703.90
2,830.40
4,499.76
3,319.55
-
185.49
18,539.10
£
24.49
339.18
219.19
582.86		 2023
£
7,297.90
2,352.16
1,892.61
4,231.29
45.89
184.79
16,004.64




The total of £582.86 for items purchased is not showing in Church Running costs (5) but is shown in the Fund Movement Summary on page 12.

7. Fund Raising Cost

A limited number of fundraising events took place throughout the year which incurred the following costs:

£
NCC Small Lotteries Licence 2024 20.00
100 Club Prizes 970.00
Total 990.00
Parish Hall Running Costs
2024 2023
£ £
Insurance 1,052.01 1,000.36
Cleaning and Maintenance 385.71 646.67
Utilities 1,511.23 1,428.96
Music Licenses 162.00 -
Total 3,110.95 3,075.99

8. Parish Hall Running Costs

The Cleaning and Maintenance figure of £385.71 includes £135.00 for the boiler to be tested, £39.60 for the fire extinguishers to be tested, £62.40 for the electrical equipment to be PAT tested, £122.26 for hand towels, and £26.45 for a new mop and cleaning materials.

It was decided by the Churchwardens and Treasurer to renew the Music Licenses for the Parish Hall for 2024 so that lets are able to use music which may be under copyright. This decision will be kept under review.

9.

The 2024 figure for the “Operating Surplus for Year” shows we have a surplus of £4,913.51 on the income and expenditure for the General Fund for the year. This has been achieved due the fact that the overall payments for 2024 have decreased by £2,123.53 on the 2023 figure whilst the receipts for 2024 have increased by £2,646.51 over the 2023 figure.

8

THE CHURCHES OF ALL SAINTS ROTHBURY, ST ANDREW THROPTON AND CHRIST CHURCH HEPPLE STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND FUNDS AT 31 DECEMBER 2024

2024 2023
Fixed assets £ £
CBF Investment Fund (1) 8,825.01 8,663.11
CBF Investment Fund (WS) (1) 894.85 878.43
National Savings & Investment Bond - Canon Morton Bequest (3) 17,000.00 17,000.00
26,719.86 26,541.54
Current assets
Debtors - -
CBF Deposit Account (3) 91,194.36 75,222.38
Cash Float 300.00 300.00
Sum Total of other Bank Accounts 20,257.86 25,815.72
111,752.22 101,338.10
Liabilities
Creditors: Amounts falling due in one year - -
Net current assets less current liabilities 111,752.22 101,338.10
Total assets less current liabilities 138,472.08 127,879.64
Total net assets less liabilities 138,472.08 127,879.64
Represented by (2)
Unrestricted
Unrestricted - General fund (4) 26,231.39 21,200.14
Endowment
Endowment - Canon Morton Bequest (3) 17,943.00 17,943.00
Designated
Designated - Hardship Fund 1,289.35 1,225.28
Designated - Cardstall Fund (5) 3,666.54 3,739.64
Restricted
Restricted - Donkin Bequest 2,222.14 2,111.69
Restricted - Parish Hall Fund 17,539.22 16,816.57
Restricted - Hepple Restoration Fund 13,964.77 12,999.09
Restricted - Organ Fund 8,272.45 7,917.12
Restricted – Thropton Fabric Fund 801.04 761.22
Restricted - Topping Memorial Fund 645.06 613.00
Restricted - Wright Memorial Fund 2,734.27 2,598.38
Restricted - Hepple Churchyard Fund 2,669.65 1,378.69
Restricted - Hepple Tree & Grass Fund 1,983.27 1,255.50
Restricted - Rothbury Churchyard Fund 76.73 72.91
Restricted - Rothbury Coffee Fund 3,555.85 3,094.29
Restricted - Rothbury Fabric Fund 17,797.35 21,846.38
Restricted - Rothbury Emergency Fund 189.24 552.89
Restricted - Rothbury Refurbishment Fund 10,549.35 10,580.93
Restricted - Sequestration Fund 465.61 340.65
Restricted - Young People Fund 875.80 832.27
Restricted – Keith Moodie Bequest 5,000.00 -
Funds of the churches 138,472.08 127,879.64
-

9

THE CHURCHES OF ALL SAINTS ROTHBURY, ST ANDREW THROPTON AND CHRIST CHURCH HEPPLE STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AT 31 DECEMBER 2024

Funds
Unrestricted fund
General Reserve (4)
Endowment fund
Canon Morton Bequest Fund
Designated funds
Hardship Fund
Cardstall Fund
Restricted funds
Parish Hall Fund (1)
Wright Memorial Fund
Topping Memorial Fund
Hepple Restoration Fund (5)
Hepple Churchyard Fund
Hepple Tree & Grass Fund
Rothbury Churchyard Fund
Rothbury Coffee Fund (2)
Rothbury Fabric Fund
Rothbury Emergency Fund
Rothbury Refurbishment Fund (1)
Donkin Bequest
Thropton Fabric Fund
Sequestration Fund
Young People Fund
Keith Moodie Bequest (3)
Organ Fund
Total funds		 Bank
Accounts
£
CBF
deposit
account
£
NSIB
£
CBF
investment
units
£
Cash
Float
£
Total
£
4,913.51
11,298.02
-
9,719.86
300.00
26,231.39
-
943.00
17,000.00
-
-
17,943.00
-
1,289.35
-
-
-
1,289.35
148.24
3,518.30
-
-
-
3,666.54
-
17,539.22
-
-
-
17,539.22
-
2,734.27
-
-
-
2,734.27
-
645.06
-
-
-
645.06
13.964.77
-
-
-
-
13.964.77
-
2,669.65
-
-
-
2,669.65
-
1,983.27
-
-
-
1,983.27
-
76.73
-
-
-
76.73
-
3,555.85
-
-
-
3,555.85
-
17,797.35
-
-
-
17,797.35
-
189.24
-
-
-
189.24
-
10,549.35
-
-
-
10,549.35
-
2,222.14
-
-
-
2,222.14
-
801.04
-
-
-
801.04
465.61
-
-
-
-
465.61
-
875.80
-
-
-
875.80
-
5,000.00
-
-
-
5,000.00
765.73
7,506.72
-
-
-
8,272.45
20,257.86
91,194.36
17,000.00
9,719.86
300.00
138,472.08

Notes

1. In 2022 the Community Hall Fund was split between the Parish Hall Fund and the Rothbury Warm Hub Fund. In 2024 the Rothbury Warm Hub Fund was renamed as the Rothbury Refurbishment Fund.

2. In 2022 the Rothbury Coffee Fund was created as a restricted fund and is funded from coffee donations made after the Sunday morning service at All Saints Church Rothbury and can be used to purchase new equipment for the purpose of producing tea and coffee.

3. In 2024 the Keith Moodie Bequest Fund was created as a restricted fund from a bequest from the late Keth Moodie and is be used for the maintenance of the organ at All Saints Church Rothbury. Both the capital and interest can be used for this purpose.

4. The General Reserve is now split between the Lloyds Bank – Rothbury DCC bank account, the Barclays Bank – RHT DCC bank account, the CBF Deposit Fund account, the CBF Investment Fund accounts and petty cash for floats at fundraising events.

5. In 2024 the Hepple Restoration Fund was split between the Lloyds Bank – Christ Church Hepple current bank account and the new Lloyds Bank – Christ Church Hepple savings bank account when £10,000.00 was transferred from the current bank account to the savings bank account which attracts monthly interest.

10

THE CHURCHES OF ALL SAINTS ROTHBURY, ST ANDREW THROPTON AND CHRIST CHURCH HEPPLE STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AT 31 DECEMBER 2024

Fund movement summary

Funds
Unrestricted fund
General Reserve
Endowment fund
Canon Morton Bequest Fund
Designated funds
Hardship Fund
Cardstall Fund
Restricted funds
Parish Hall Fund
Wright Memorial Fund
Topping Memorial Fund
Hepple Restoration Fund
Hepple Churchyard Fund
Hepple Tree & Grass Fund
Rothbury Churchyard Fund
Rothbury Coffee Fund
Rothbury Fabric Fund
Rothbury Emergency Fund
Rothbury Refurbishment Fund
Donkin Bequest
Thropton Fabric Fund
Sequestration Fund
Young People Fund
Organ Fund
Keith Moodie Bequest
Total funds		 Fund
balances
b/fwd
£
Incoming
Resources
£
Outgoing
Resources
£
Transfers
£
Investment
Gains and
(Losses)
£
Fund
balances
c/fwd
£
21,200.14
63,961.59
(59,048.08)
(60.58)
178.32
26,231.39
17,943.00
-
-
-
-
17,943.00
1,225.28
64.07
-
-
-
1,289.35
3,739.64
509.76
(582.86)
-
-
3,666.54
16,816.57
877.64
(154.99)
-
-
17,539.22
2,598.38
135.89
-
-
-
2,734.27
613.00
32.06
-
-
-
645.06
12,999.09
965.68
-
-
-
13,964.77
1,378.69
1,649.96
(359.00)
-
-
2,669.65
1,255.50
727.77
-
-
-
1,983.27
72.91
3.82
-
-
-
76.73
3,094.29
610.64
(149.08)
-
-
3,555.85
21,846.38
78,912.97
(82,962.00)
-
-
17,797.35
552.89
14.35
(378.00)
-
-
189.24
10,580.93
1,899.58
(1,931.16)
-
-
10,549.35
2,111.69
110.45
-
-
-
2,222.14
761.22
39.82
-
-
-
801.04
340.65
-
(375.04)
500.00
-
465.61
832.27
43.53
-
-
-
875.80
7,917.12
1,462.84
(668.09)
(439.42)
-
8,272.45
-
5,000.00
-
-
-
5,000.00
127,879.64
157,022.42
(146,608.30)
-
178.32
138,472.08

11

THE CHURCHES OF ALL SAINTS ROTHBURY, ST ANDREW THROPTON AND CHRIST CHURCH HEPPLE NOTES TO THE STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND FUNDS AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2024

As at 31 December 2023 the CBF Investment Fund was valued at £8,663.11 as shown on page 9 under the 2023 figure and was the figure shown in the 2023 RHT DCC Accounts. However, this valuation was incorrectly given by CCLA and FNZ Management as it was based on the valuation as at 30 December 2023 and not as at 31 December 2023. This meant that the fund had to be revalued on 01 January 2024 to the actual valuation as at 31 December 2023 and decreased in value by £35.57 to £8,627.54. This fund was revalued on 30 June 2024 and increased in value by £250.75 to £8,878.29. The fund was again revalued on 31 December 2024 and decreased in value by £53.28 and was valued at £8,825.01. This means that over the full 2024 year this investment fund has increased by £161.90.

As at 31 December 2023 the CBF Investment Fund (WS) was valued at £878.43 as shown on page 9 under the 2023 figure. However, this valuation was incorrectly given by CCLA and FNZ Management as it was based on the valuation as at 30 December 2023 and not as at 31 December 2023. This meant that the fund had to be revalued on 01 January 2024 to the actual valuation as at 31 December 2023 and decreased in value by £3.60 to £874.83. This fund was revalued on 30 June 2024 and increased in value by £25.42 to £900.25. The fund was again revalued on 31 December 2024 and decreased in value by £5.40 and was valued at £894.85. This means that over the full 2024 year this investment fund has increased by £16.42.

Overall, the two CBF Investment Funds have increased in total value by £178.32 during 2024 and as at 31 December 2024 were valued at a combined total of £9,719.86.

£4,106.72.
£
Lloyds – Christ Church Hepple (Savings) 25.22
CBF Deposit Fund Account 4,106.72
CBF Investment Fund Account (WS) 24.27
CBF Investment Fund Account 239.51
NS&I Bond 641.31
Total 5,037.03 (2023: £3,258.16)

12

THE CHURCHES OF ALL SAINTS ROTHBURY, ST ANDREW THROPTON AND CHRIST CHURCH HEPPLE

NOTES TO THE STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND FUNDS AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2024 (CONT)

CBF Investment Fund Account
CBF Investment Fund Account (WS)
CBF Deposit Fund Account
Cash in Hand (Float)
Barclays Bank – RHT DCC bank account
Lloyds Bank – Rothbury DCC bank account
Total
 £
8,825.01
894.85
11,298.02
300.00
50.00
4,863.51
26,231.39
5) Cardstall Fund: This money is held in two separate accounts (one in the Rothbury DCC current account
and the other in the CBF Deposit Fund account). The Cardstall Fund has received £185.74 interest in 2024
and is included in the Statement of Assets and Funds on pages 9 - 11. As at 31 December 2024 there is
a total of £3,666.54 in the Cardstall Fund which is held in the following bank accounts:
£
CBF Deposit Fund Account
3,518.30
Lloyds Bank– Rothbury DCC bank account
148.24
Total
3,666.54

13

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE DISTRICT CHURCH COUNCIL OF ROTHBURY HEPPLE AND THROPTON

I report on the accounts of the DCC for the year ended 31 December 2024, which are set out on pages 6 - 13.

Respective responsibilities of members and examiner

As members (trustees) of the DCC with responsibility for the preparation of the accounts, you consider that an audit is not required this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of Independent Examiner’s Report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the DCC and a comparison of the accounts with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as members (trustees) concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a “true and fair view” and the report is limited to those matters set out in the next statement.

Independent Examiner’s Statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

  1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

  2. to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and

  3. to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the Church accounting regulations and also those contained within the 2011 Act.

have not been met; or

  1. to which, in my opinion attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

J Routledge FCA Ryecroft Glenton 32 Portland Terrace Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 1QP

6 March 2025

14