Trustees, Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 The trustees present the annual report and statements of Receipts and Payments and Assets and Liabilities for St Aidan's Parish Church for the year ended 31 December 2023. Ob'ectives and Activities The charitable purpose of the Church of Ireland is the advancement of religion. The principal function of St Aidan's Parish Church is to support the advancement of the Christian religion. Being open to and engaging with society as a whole and offering support for those needing help are fundamental to the practical delivery of the benefits of Christianity. As a result of activity in the pursuit of the advanment of the Christian religion, St Aidan's Parish Church has custody of property and of records, materials and artefacts of significance to the cultural and religious heritage and maintenance of which is undertaken by the select vestry of St Aidan's Parish Church. Achievements Performance & Public Benefit Throughout 2023, regular Sunday morning services were held in St Aidan's Parish Church for the advancement and expression of Christian religion. There were special services during the seasons of Holy Week, Harvest and Christmas, Regular collections took place for the food bank which was important due to the extreme demand on their services. Donations of food items used for the decoration of the church at the Harvest Services were distributed and gratefully received by the local Simon Community Hostel in Armagh. Men's hygiene items and towels were also donated by parishioners to the local Simon Community Hostel. Grange Parish continues to engage constructively with children and young people through the Sunday school integrating those involved into the life of the Parish through the reinforcement of Christian values. The Youth Fellowship has continued to meet with various activities organised to provide a safe environment and a Christian outreach for the young members of the Parish. A Bible Study Group met on a regular basis on Wednesday evenings. The Church was used by the National Churches Trust for an information session on the 22 November 2023 with approximately 25 people in attendance. Mr Malcolm Dawson gave a brief history of the Church and the Molyneux family, who were responsible for the building of the church.
Trustees, Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 Grange Parish adheres to the Church of Ireland's "Safeguarding Trust" policy for the protection of children and vulnerable adults. Church members attend regular training sessions to ensure awareness to best practice. The trustees have taken action to safeguard individuals, personal data that is collected, used and stored as a consequence of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into effect in May 2018. The parish maintains artefacts, materials and historic buildings for the benefit of the public and in particular for those appreciative of longstanding Christian heritage. The Parish restricts access to Church buildings for public safety reasons any visitors who wish to access same for viewing purposes are accompanied by a member of the Church. Financial Review The receipts for the Parish from various sources came to £81,775 with payments of £47,493 resulting in a surplus £34,282. The Bank and Cash Balance as at 31 December 2023 was £172,017 (of this balance £33,097 were unrestricted funds, £134,806 restricted funds and £4,114 endowment funds). It is the Trustee's Policy to hold sufficient reserves to cover the on-going running costs of the Parish and any major Church Propety maintenance issues that may arise. Goin Concern The trustees have reviewed the budgets for the year ahead and are satisfied that there are adequate funds in place to ensure that the Parish can continue its activities and the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023 can be signed off as a going concern.
Trustees, Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 Structure Governance and Mana ement Governing Document and Constitution of the Charity Chapter 111 of the Constitution of the Church of Ireland governs Parishes and Parochial Organisation. The Select Vestry members are the Charity Trustees. Recruitment and Appointment of Select Vestry (Trustees) 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 once a year. The Select Vestry is elected as part of this General Vestry meeting. The Select Vestry will 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 that may be served. Organisational Structure The Select Vestry is responsible for the day to day management of the parish. The Select Vestry consists of the member of the clergy serving in the parish, the churchwardens, the glebe wardens and generally not more than twelve other members of the general vestry elected at the General Vestry. The Select Vestry is chaired by the incumbent or other member of the clergy officiating in the parish. Select Vestry members are responsible for making decisions on matters of general concern and importance to the parish including deciding how parish funds are to be applied. The Select Vestry meets at times agreed by the members. Special meetings may be convened at any time by the chairperson or the churchwardens. In 2023 the Select Vestry met 4 times with an average attendance of 12 members. Compliance with Public Benefit The Parish has 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.
Trustees, Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023 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. The trustees 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. Signed on Behalf of the Trustees Trustee: 1 Trustee.. 2 Date Iq. 3. 2