Holy Trinity Parish Church Aghalee
TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT
for the year ended 31 December 2025
The trustees present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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).
Reference and administrative details
| Address: | C/o Miss Elizabeth Reid | C/o Miss Elizabeth Reid |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Broadwater Park | ||
| Aghalee | ||
| Craigavon | ||
| Co. Armagh | ||
| BT67 OEW | ||
| Registered Charity Number | 101581 | |
| CharityTrustees | ||
| Rev Paul McAdam | Mr John Watson | |
| Mrs Irene Culbert | Mr Norman McAlister | |
| Mr Larry Donaghey | Mrs SylviaThompson | |
| Mr Donald Frazer | MrTom Bradley (Resigned 2025) | |
| MrsJennifer Martin | MrsJoy Frazer | |
| Mrs Jaqueline Montgomery | Miss Elizabeth Reid | |
| MrStephen Montgomery | Mrs. Hilary Wilson | |
| Mr Gavin Murray | MrsWendyMalcomson (Appointed 2025) | |
| Mr Noel Murray | MrsJennifer Orr (Appointed 2025) | |
| Mr David Twigg (Resigned 2025) | Mr Roy Hanna (Appointed 2025) | |
| Principal Office Bearers | ||
| Rector | Rev Paul McAdam | |
| Churchwardens | Mrs HilaryWilson | |
| Mr Roy Hanna | (Appointed 2025) | |
| Glebe-wardens | Mr Noel Murray | |
| Mr Donald Frazer | ||
| Secretary | MrNormanMcAlister |
Treasurer Miss Elizabeth Reid
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Holy Trinity Parish Church Aghalee
TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2025
Independent Examiner
John McCleary FCA
McCleary & Company Ltd Chartered Accountants Garvey Studios 14 Longstone Street Lisburn Co. Antrim BT28 1TP
Bankers
Danske Bank P.O Box 183 Donegal Square West Belfast BT1 6JS
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Holy Trinity Parish Church Aghalee
TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2025
The trustees present the annual report and statements of Receipts and Payments and Assets and Liabilities for Holy Trinity (Soldierstown), Parish of Aghalee, for the year ended 31st December 2025.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Objectives and Activities The charitable purpose of the Church of Ireland is the advancement of religion. The principal function of Holy Trinity, Aghalee is to support the advancement of the Christian religion. Being open to and engaging with society as a whole and offering pastoral care and support to those needing help are fundamental to the practical delivery of the benefits of Christianity. As a result of activity in the pursuit of the advancement of the Christian religion, Holy Trinity, Aghalee has custody of certain property, records, materials and artefacts which are of significance to the cultural and religious heritage of the whole community. The maintenance of these is undertaken by the select vestry of Holy Trinity, Aghalee.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
Charitable Activities Under the leadership and pastoral care of the Rector, and with the active participation of a good number of volunteers, the parish continues to carry forward the Christian outreach and pastoral ministry required to sustain a rural parish.
Sunday worship services (57) continue weekly; and occasional special services were held to mark the major Christian festivals etc. Easter Sunday (80); Harvest Thanksgiving (168); Remembrance Sunday (110); Christmas Carol Service (85) and Christmas Eve/Day (50). Throughout the year. the parish maintained an online presence through use of the parish Facebook page (@AghaleeParish) and Youtube channel. Sunday services were streamed on the parish Youtube channel (40-70 weekly viewers).
The parish maintains artefacts, materials and historic buildings for the benefit of the public and in particular for those appreciative of longstanding Christian heritage. Access to Church buildings is restricted for public safety reasons — however, visitors can access the church by arrangement, when they will be accompanied by a member of the parish. Access to historical church records can be provided to any member of the public requiring information for research and genealogical purposes.
Aghalee Parish Heritage Project: During the year, the parish concluded the work of the Aghalee Parish Heritage Project. This project was developed from 2018 and delivered between May 2020 and December 2025. It involved major restoration work to Holy Trinity Church and the promotion of the heritage of the parish, along with its links to the Lagan Navigation and nearby hamlet of Soldierstown.
The three main aims of the project were to: Conserve the C1i7th built heritage of Holy Trinity Church, Aghalee eDocument and disseminate built, social and industrial heritage of the parish area Create a parish website to host a digital heritage archive of the parish area. These aims were achieved through — The restoration of Holy Trinity Church *Delivering a program of heritage talks, concerts, open days and other events Publication of leaflets and a heritage book. eInstallation of heritage information panels * Development of a website, social media, and a digital archive of parish records, photos and other heritage material. Training of volunteers
The final public event of the project was a concert by the choir Kings Chorale, with soloist Clover Watts; held on Friday 14th March.
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Holy Trinity Parish Church Aghalee
TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2025
On Thursday Sth June, at the request of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we hosted an engagement event for eight other faith groups who were considering undertaking their own heritage projects; we shared our experiences of developing and delivering our project. During the autumn season, we worked with Diane Ruddock MBE to carry out an evaluation of the whole project; Diane then produced an evaluation report. This, along with our Completion Report, and final Management & Maintenance Report, was submitted to and approved by the Heritage Fund in December 2025.
Aghalee Parish Heritage Project (2018 — 2025) was supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund - with a grant of £185,400 to part-fund this project. The Trustees would like to acknowledge the funding received from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which has made possible the Aghalee Parish Heritage Project. Further information, including the evaluation report, is available on the parish website.
Organisations & Activities
Our parish organisations are open to all-comers. In particular, the Mums & Tots, GFS, CLB and Bowling Club usually have many members who are not parishioners; and we are delighted to welcome everyone. Parish organizations are: - °‘Jigsaw’ Sunday School — welcomes all children and usually meets during service-time each Sunday. Sunday School runs from September - June under the leadership of a team of volunteers. The Parish Choir contributes to the worship of the church and offers members a chance to build friendship and enjoy singing together. Practice evenings are held frequently on Thursday evenings; and as needed for special occasions such as Easter, Harvest, Remembrance and Christmas services. Soldierstown Tots Group: usually meets on a Monday morning in the parish youth-hall. It welcomes children of pre-school age along with their mums (also dads, grannies, grandads, carers — are all welcome!). Some members, who had no previous connection to the church, have found this a very welcoming and engaging group. By nature of the group, attendance fluctuates - but it welcomes approx. 6-12 children each week. Girls’ Friendly Society— usually meet on Monday evenings between September and April. The current enrolment is ~25 drawn from both parishioners and non-members. There are 7 volunteer leaders who are enthusiastic and encouraging for the girls. The GFS girls also participate in various activities and competitions at Diocesan level. Church Lads’ Brigade — also meets on Monday evenings between September and April. CLB has a membership of ~15 - both parishioners and non-members. The boys enjoy a great variety of activities and outings. ¢Mothers’ Union - is a long-standing organisation within the parish and has ~9 regular members. M.U. meets occasionally on the 2nd Tuesday of the months - members enjoy regular outings, Diocesan events, and the chance to meet with other M.U. branches. M.U. actively supports of the Women’s Refuge Centre by organizing a collection of toiletries etc. eLadies Fellowship usually meets on the 3rd Tuesday evening of each month. The program of activities is progressive and imaginative and engages regularly with around 15-20 attendees. Ladies Fellowship is open to all, including those from beyond the church family.
*Men’s Group aims to build friendship and fellowship amongst the men of the parish — meeting on the third Wednesday morning of each month, with a program of visiting speakers. eSoldierstown Bowling Club: competes in the Lisburn & District Indoor Bowling League. Home matches and friendly/ practice evenings are held on Wednesday evenings in the church hall. The club welcomes all bowlers.
- Midweek Fellowship / Bible Study Group: Usually meets on Wednesday evenings in the Parochial Hall, Aghalee. It is for those who wish to explore and share the Christian faith with others, in a friendly, welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. *Also - Sunday Morning “Cup of Tea” usually allows service-goers to meet up before the services to chat in an informal setting.
Youth Hall Restoration
During the course of the year restoration work was carried out in the youth hall. This included laying a new floor, some repairs to plaster-work and complete re-decoration. The hall was closed for six months (July — December) during which time all activities transferred to the main church hall.
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Holy Trinity Parish Church Aghalee
TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2025
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Governing Document and Constitution of the Charity
Aghalee Parish is governed and managed in accordance with the Constitution of the Church of Ireland and the Diocesan Regulations of the Diocese of Down & Dromore.
Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees
The Trustees of Aghalee Parish are the members of the Select Vestry.
Chapter III of the Constitution of the Church of Ireland governs Parishes and Parochial Organisations. All members of the Church of Ireland who are over the age of 18 and are either resident within the parish or live elsewhere but have been accustomed members of the congregation for at least three months, may register as members of the General Vestry of the parish, allowing them to attend and vote at meetings of the General Vestry and to stand for election to the Select Vestry. Meetings of the General Vestry are held (at least) annually within three weeks of Easter.
Members of the Select Vestry are elected at the Annual General Vestry meeting and hold their positions for a period of one year. Select Vestry members may be re-elected annually and there is no limit on the number of terms which may be served.
The Trustees / Select Vestry so elected are listed at the start of this report.
Organisational Structure
The Select Vestry has been responsible for the day-to-day management of the parish. The Select Vestry consisted of the Rector, the churchwardens, the glebe-wardens and twelve other members of the general vestry elected at the Annual General Vestry meeting.
The Select Vestry is chaired by the Rector. The Select Vestry has been responsible in the period for making decisions on matters of general concern and importance to the parish including deciding how the parish funds have been allocated.
The Select Vestry met 9 times in the period and the average attendance was 12.
Financial Review
The income for the parish was £183,656 with payments of £198,245 giving a deficit of (£14,590). The Bank and Cash Balance as at 31 December 2025 was £104,294 (of this balance £71,615 were unrestricted funds, £32,679 restricted funds and £Nil endowment funds) It is the Trustees’ policy to hold sufficient reserves to cover unexpected emergencies and have adequate funds for maintenance of church property and to further the objectives and activities of the parish.
Going Concern
The Trustees have reviewed the budgets for the year ahead and are satisfied that there are adequate funds in place to ensure the parish can continue its activities and the financial statements for the year ended 31st December 2025 can be signed off as a going concern.
Compliance with Public Benefit
The Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland’s guidance on public benefit to ensure that the activities entered into during the year have helped to achieve the parish’s objectives and activities, as well as providing public benefit.
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Holy Trinity Parish Church Aghalee
TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2025
STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES
The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and the statement of receipts and payments and assets and liabilities in accordance with applicable law and regulations.
The law applicable to charities in Northern Ireland with Income of less than £250,000 requires the trustees to prepare a statement of receipts and payments and a statement of assets and liabilities for each financial year.
The trustees are responsible for keeping accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the parish’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the assets and liabilities of the parish. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the parish and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Approved by order of the board of trustees on 10 February 2026 and signed on its behalf by:
Rev Paul McAdam Rector/Chair
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