THE GREEK ORTHODOX COMMUNITY OF ST. CHARALAMBOS
ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025
Charity Number 802532
THE GREEK ORTHODOX COMMUNITY OF ST. CHARALAMBOS
Charity Information
Trustees for the year to 30 June 2025 were His Eminence Archbishop Nikitas Mr C Izamis Mr P Toumazou (resigned) Ms A Karyki Mr X Papanikolaou Ms L Papacharalampous (resigned) Charity Number 802532 Community Address Lower Harpenden Road East Hyde Luton Bedfordshire LU2 9QS Independent Examiner Keith A. Heywood SPA Calle Noruega 22, PBJ 15 Gran Alacant 03130 Santa Pola Alicante, Spain
Contents
Trustees' Report
Independent Examiner's Report
Receipts and Payments Account Statement of Assets and Liabilities Notes to the Accounts
1
THE GREEK ORTHODOX COMMUNITY OF ST. CHARALAMBOS
TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025
The Greek Orthodox Community of St. Charalambos is registered with the Charity Commissioners (802532) and is governed by its constitution adopted 3rd November 1989.
Principal activity and Aims of the Organisation
The main objective of the church is to promote the faith of the Greek Orthodox Church in Luton and its environs by all or any of the following means:
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Providing and maintaining places of public worship and the due performance of the rites of marriage, christening and burial according to the principles of the Greek Orthodox Church.
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Teaching and educating members of the Greek Orthodox Community the doctrine and practices of the Greek Orthodox Church, to include customs, traditions and the Greek language.
Achievements and Performance
The following achievements have taken place during the year:
The continued running of weekly church services in Greek, English, Romanian and Slavonic. The running of visits to hospitals, old people's homes and prisons by community members.
Financial Review, Reserves and Investment Policy
This year the organisation received £13,535 less gross income compared with the previous accounting year. £19,275 of this decrease related to Gift Aid income tax repayments, with Collections, Donations, Church activities and Grants increasing by £5,740. Expenditure increased by £15,949 in the year. £4,095 related to Church expenses including Salaries, and Establishement and Administration costs increased by £12,244 mainly due to Repair and Maintenance costs.
Overall, the net value of the Church's assets were increased by £9,586 to £591,912.
At the date of the Balance Sheet the Trustees had received from HM Revenue and Customs the Gift Aid claims submitted to 2022/23. The claims for 2023/24 and 2024/25 are due for repayment.
The Trustees have a reserve policy of holding at least six month's running costs in hand at the end of the accounting year. The Trustees will only invest in low risk investments, which results in all liquid funds being held in High Street Bank or Building Society accounts.
Future Planes
The future plans of the organisation are to maintain its current achievements, namely the running of weekly church services in Greek and English and other languages used by Orthodox believers and to attend to the well being of the members of the Church and of the local Greek community and all Orthodox people in the area.
The accounts were approved by the trustees on 21 December 2025 and signed by:
__ ____ Ms A Karyki Mr C Izamis
2
THE GREEK ORTHODOX COMMUNITY OF ST. CHARALAMBOS
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE GREEK ORTHODOX COMMUNITY OF ST. CHARALAMBOS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025
I report on the accounts for the year ended 30 June 2025 which are set out on pages 3 to 5.
Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner.
The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the Act)) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to:
examine the accounts (under section 43 of the Act), to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 43(7)(b) of the Act), and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of Independent Examiner's report
My examination was carried out in accordance with General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as 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 statement below.
Independent Examiner's statement
In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
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which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect, the requirements: to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act, and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 1993 Act, have not been met, or
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to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Keith Heywood.
Keith A Heywood SPA
Date: 21-Dec-25
Calle Noruega 22, PBJ 15 Gran Alacant 03130 Santa Pola Alicante, Spain
3
THE GREEK ORTHODOX COMMUNITY OF ST. CHARALAMBOS
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT (ALL FUNDS ARE UNRESTRICTED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025
| RECEIPTS Church collections and donations Baptisms, weddings and funerals Hall hire Gift Aid income tax repayments Other income - Bedford BHHCT WIXAM Grant Miscellaneous receipts TOTAL RECEIPTS Donations and fund raising costs Donation - Archdiocese of Thyatheira Charitable gifts Religious books and publications Fund raising Church expenses Staff salaries Priest's service expenses Travel and subsistence Baptism, wedding and funeral costs Church expenses Establishment expenses Storage rent and rates Light, heat and power Insurances Printing, postage & stationery Repairs and maintenance New Building costs Administration costs Accountancy Telephone and Internet Internet and security Pension fund General expenses TOTAL PAYMENTS NET RECEIPTS/-PAYMENTS |
81,036 6,100 150 0 6,000 0 250 0 0 0 250 26,034 844 1,718 200 1,944 30,739 437 1,005 3,351 94 45,198 1,836 51,922 300 0 0 442 47 789 83,700 |
2025 93,286 93,286 83,700 £9,586 |
79,565 7,980 0 19,275 0 0 0 160 480 0 640 19,799 1,726 1,155 1,200 2,765 26,644 1,316 3,792 3,394 0 25,734 4,978 39,214 300 406 90 0 457 1,253 67,751 |
2024 106,821 106,821 67,751 £39,070 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The attached Notes form part of these financial statements.
4
THE GREEK ORTHODOX COMMUNITY OF ST. CHARALAMBOS
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES (ALL FUNDS ARE UNRESTRICTED) AS AT 30TH JUNE 2025
| CASH FUNDS Bank current account - NatWest 114,936 Bank account 0 Cash in hand 0 114,936 OTHER MONETARY ASSETS Gift Aid tax repayment claimed 0 ASSETS RETAINED FOR CHARITY'S OWN USE FREEHOLD PROPERTY Freehold property 225,000 Improvements 27,627 Church Hall 73,841 FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT Furniture and equipment 102,500 Icons 37,122 Holy sacraments 11,186 LIABILITIES Sundry creditors and accruals 300 Loan account 0 TOTAL ASSETS LESS LIABILITIES REPRESENTED BY ACCUMULATED FUNDS Reserves brought forward Net Receipts/Payments for the year |
2025 114,936 326,468 150,808 592,212 300 £591,912 582,326 9,586 £591,912 |
105,350 0 0 105,350 0 225,000 27,627 73,841 102,500 37,122 11,186 300 0 |
2024 105,350 326,468 150,808 582,626 300 £582,326 543,256 39,070 £582,326 |
|---|---|---|---|
The attached Notes form part of these financial statements.
The accounts were approved by the trustees on 21 December 2025 and signed by:
__ ____ Ms A Karyki Mr C Izamis
Trustees
5
THE GREEK ORTHODOX COMMUNITY OF ST. CHARALAMBOS
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2025
1 Basis of preparation of accounts
The financial statements of the church community have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2008 using the Receipts & Payments basis.
- 2 Fixed assets retained for Church use are the freehold property at Lower Harpenden Road, East Hyde, Luton, Bedfordshire LU2 9QS, purchased in June 2010, at a cost of £225,000.
Improvements to the Church premises costing £27,627 were carried from June 2010 onwards and in 2019 the Church Hall was constucted for £73,841. Additional work on extending the Hall was undertaken in 2022 and the costs set against income.
Furniture and equipment retained for Church use has cost £102,500 to the date of these accounts, with £37,122 being spent on Icons, and £11,186 on Holy Sacraments.
No depreciation has been provided for because the trustees are of the opinion that all fixed assets have more than maintained their historic value.
3 Reimbursed expenditure
Any payments made in the year to any of the trustees represents the reimbursement of expenses wholly and necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties as trustees.