2025-12-31-annual-return - Benedictine Monks

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT to the Members of Benedictine Monks

Report on the audit of the financial statements

Opinion

| have audited the charity financial statements of Benedictine Monks (‘the charity’) for the financial year ended 31 December 2025 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities (incorporating an Income and Expenditure Account), the Balance Sheet and notes to the financial statements, including the summary of significant accounting policies set out in note 2. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS 102.

In my opinion, when reporting in accordance with a fair presentation framework the financial statements: - give a true and fair view of the state of the charity's affairs as at 31 December 2025 and of its surplus for the financial year then ended;
- have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and - have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.

Basis for opinion

| conducted my audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. My responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of my report. | am independent of the charity in accordance with ethical requirements that are relevant to my audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC's Ethical Standard, and | have fulfilled my other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. | believe that the audit evidence | have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, | have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work | have performed, | have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from the date when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

My responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other Information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and my Auditor's Report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. My opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in my report, | do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

My responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or my knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If | identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, | am required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work | have performed, | conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, | am required to report that fact. | have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinion on other matter prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In my opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
the information given in the Trustees’ Annual Report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
the Trustees' Annual Report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which I am required to report by exception

In the light of my knowledge and understanding of the charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, | have not identified material misstatements in the Trustees’ Annual Report.

| have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires me to report to you if, in my opinion:

adequate accounting records have not been kept; or
- the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or - certain disclosures of trustees' remuneration specified by law are not made; or - the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies' exemption in preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report.

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT to the Members of Benedictine Monks

Responsibilities of trustees for the financial statements

As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities set out on page 8, the trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as they determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless management either intends to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

My objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an Auditor's Report that includes my opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. | design procedures in line with my responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which my procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

Further information regarding the scope of my responsibilities as auditor

As part of an audit in accordance with ISAs (UK), | exercise professional judgement and maintain professional

scepticism throughout the audit. | also:
Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the charity's internal control.
Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by trustees.
Conclude on the appropriateness of the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. If | conclude that a material uncertainty exists, | am required to draw attention in my Auditor's Report to the related disclosures in the financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify my opinion. My conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of my Auditor's Report. However, future events or conditions may cause the the charity to cease to continue as a going concern.
Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial statements, including the disclosures, and whether the financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT to the Members of Benedictine Monks

| communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that | identify during my audit.

The purpose of my audit work and to whom I owe my responsibilities

This report is made solely to the charity's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. My audit work has been undertaken so that | might state to the charity's members those matters | am required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, t do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity's members as a body, for my audit work, for this report, or for the opinions | have formed.

Darragh xer (Senior Statutory Auditor)

for and on behalf of DALY PARK & COMPANY LTD Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors 6 Trevor Hill Newry Co. Down BT34 1DN Northern Ireland

1 April 2026