Tbe Church of Scotland Bowden and Melrose Church of Scotland Congregational Accounts For the year ended 31st December 2024 Congregation Iyo: 040271 Charfty1¥40: SC006480 Py 1 0120 Bowden and Melrose Church of Scotland Trustses, Report Year ended 31 December 2024 Th¢ tn￿t¢¢$ present their annual report and fllwiriai statements of the Ch￿lty for the year ended 31 De¢¢nther 2024. Th¢ fllwicial slatemcnts have becn prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out ID note I to the accounts and comply with the Genernl Assembly Regulations for Congregation Finance, the Charities and Trnstee Investrnent (Scotland) Act 2005. the Clwities Accounts (Scotland) Re8ulations 2006 (as atnended) and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Ststement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financlal Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of treland published on 16 July 2014 and revised in October 2019. Objectlves and ActMtle$ The local congregation seeks to fulfil its responsibilitie5 as a parish church in offering pastoral care within the community and providing a variety of services of worship in our two churches. In addition servic¢5 ar¢ held in other locations and a large number of congr¢8ational and ¢on]munity activities take place in the church F)Temises. It is also fiJndamenta] that members of the congregation are involved in many ways in the life of the community. The congregation 18 also Committed to supporting the wider wotk of the Church. Achievements and Performance - Worshlp We met for worsbip ea¢h Sunday at 9.30am in Bowden Kid( and I I.00am in Melrose Church most ably attompanied by our organist Jolm Wilson and Jim Letham and a small but d¢dicated choir in Mclrose. Mcssy Church, our outreach to familie& meets monthly on the second Sunday of the month, 3.00- 5.00pm, and was well supported throughout the year and much enjoyed by both families and our'messy Team,. Holy Week and Easter Servic￿ were shared with ow friends from Holy Trinity Episcopal Chur¢b and St Cuthbert's RC Church. A memorable pcrfornwice of the St John Passion f￿¢d Melrose Church s)n Holy Saturday. Chrisknas was very busy with many concerts and school services. There was a fiill church in Mejrose for the Cbristingle Service on Christmas Eve. Bowden Kirk was packed with all ages on c￿l$t￿aS morning. The World Day of Prayer, the Kirkin, of the Melrosian and the Reniembran¢e Swiday also saw thc 3 local congregations coming together. Mdrose Service5 are live-stre4med and many join us live or watch the recording later. A weekly podcast bas¢d on the serviLY is Posted on Facebook, Instagram and our chur¢h website and can be ]istened to OD a dedicatcd phone lin¢. The monthly service in St John's Care Home was supported by a number of tnenkn of th¢ cowegation. The minister worked alongside St Matys School to eelebrate R¢membran¢e. St Matys and Melrose imary School held Christmas services in the church. The minister, as one of the chaplains to Earlston High School, was involved with Easter and Christmas s¢rvi¢es in Earlston. Page 2 P4A 2 c12D In the course of the Ye￿ the minister conducted 24 fijnerals, 2 w¢ddings and a Service of thanksgiving for the birtb of a child. - Cburch Ilfe We are gratefi￿ to our church 'staff t¢am' for their contribution to church life and worship t]￿OUgh0llt the year. Yvonne and Alan Youttg take grc* Gare of Melrose Church and Hall. Karen Arnistrong keeps Bowden Kirk clean and tidy. Trncey Glover in the church office does all our bookkeq)ing and thinistration. Hall bookings Continue to increase as more groups and individuals make u8e of our premises. Feedback is always v¢ry po$itiv¢. We provide a much-valued ¢ommuDity resource that brings many people into the orbit of the church. A weekly e-mail to 'Bowden and Melros¢ Cburrh Onlinc, keeps subscribers up to dale with all the we¢k's news and infomiation along with a byTlln shcct attached for those worshipping from home. A cy¢l¢ of seasonal nmgazines keeps the rongr¢gation illforn]ed and encouraged. Our Treasurer st¢pped down once tbc 202] accounts were completell No successor has been fortbcoming $0 the Fitwice Committe¢, and particularly the Session Clerk, have covered the duties in the meantime. The annual accounts for 2022 were prepared by David Campbell of Dean's Accountants in Hawick and again 2023 and 2024. - Actlvftles Bowden Kirk was open to Visitors throughout the year and was popular with walkers and tourists alike- an oasis of calm. Work began on a mini kitchen ID the veslry which will be a valuable resource. The weekty 'Open Door. in Melrose Church Hall on Thursday mornings saw steady growth and was appreciated by congregation, community and visitors. It has become an important 'safe space, for many, The monthly Bowden Café ran throughout Ihe year and was well supported and much appre¢lat￿. The support of Rev Sara Embleton to cover holidays and Family Services w&8 much appreciat¢d by minister and congregation alikc. Presbytery Carried out a LoG41 Church Review in the courde of the year. A d￿UMent outlining goals for the next 5 years was approved by the Kirk Session and th¢ Presbytery. The St Cuthbert's Way church￿ Together Group continued to meet to dis¢uss ways of making th¢ walk more of a pilgrimage and enhancing the experience for walkers. The leafiet encouraging wa]kets to visit the chur¢bes Continues to be popular a]ODg with the website and podcasts, Ixaflets about all the tomw, vftllages and churches on the route were published. The minister ali)ng with Rev Pip Blackledge of Holy Trinity, as Chaplains to Earlston High School, supported the weekly Cosy Café for pupils who find lunchtimes hard. They Worked alongside the Religious and Moral Sti￿1¢5 staff on a number of pmjects. In October it was aunounced that our minister had been non]inated Moderator-de5ignate of the General Assembly of 2025. This means she will take a 15-month sabbatical from the paTish. A locum minister has been lined up to begin WO￿ in March 2025. Page 3 Pffj•3f120 - Fund-raisingl support for others Both the annual Bowden fund-raising Goffee morning in February and the Summer Fa￿e in August were great successes. We've rnovcd away from a door-to4loor collection for Christian Aid and encourage onlinc giving with retiring collections during Christian Aid Week. Further donations were made as part of our Harvest Thanksgiving. Many supported the Blythswood Care Shoebox Appeal. The work of the LePr￿Y Mission is highlight¢d and financial support encourdge(L Giving to thc local Foodbank is prOll￿ted each week. Financi￿ Review This yetrs accounts have been drawn up under the Offic¢ of the Scottish Cbarity RegU￿0￿S (OSCR) guidelines, as instnLCted by the Church of Scotland. Th¢ PTincipal source of income is offerings of £61,175 (2023: £65280) with our overall unrestrictcd income being £103,030 (2023.. £110,262). Our expenditure totalled £138,316 (2023.. £130,991). The underlying income and expenditure levels of tbe ¢on8ffsation ren￿InS utth rcvi¢w by the Session. Investment Policy and Perforxnan¢e Th¢ investment objcctives are managed by a professional sto¢kbrok¢r. Harl¢y of Charles Stanley on a discretionary basis, with a view to securing a balance of growth and income but with a medium risk. It is the trustees view that these objectives I￿e been achieved. Th¢ portfolio valuation, at the year refiects the current global economi¢ position, The portfolio's capital return in 2024 was positive 2.34Yts which was 4 /0 behind the avcrag¢ b¢nchnMt* comparators. In the previous year the return was negative 0.01 /0 which was 50/• behind the av¢rag¢ benchmark Comparators. The income yield this year was 3.02Yo cornpa￿d to 3.75 /• in 2023. R19k Management The age of tbe membership of the ¢ongr¢gation is in¢r¢asiDg, mcaDing thal it may prove difficult to replace trnste¢s in du¢ wurse. Efforts will continue to be made to interact with the community to address this concern. Maintaining in¢om¢ levels 18 a clwllenge and trustees engage directly with the community to set up regular elctronic banking donations as opposed to i￿¢gUlar cash donations. Th¢ hall is a source of rentsl inwme and is a popular venue for a variety of events. The share portfolio is a source of income and capital growth but it is at risk from the vagaries of global financial market events and that 18 why the fund is managed on a discretionary basis by professional stockbrokers The fu￿]c1a1 risk 1$ mitigated by regular meetings of the finance committ¢¢ to Consider n￿Mgemellt accounts and other flnancial issues. Page 4 P4•4Af20 Reserve8 Policy It is the Trustees, policy to hold rese￿e8 apprO￿ate to the maintenance of the Churches of Bowden (A Listed) and Melrose (B Listed) and the manse {C Listed and situated in a wDservation area). At the year end the Church held unrestrickd fimd8 of £403,480 of which £21.177 had been desisnated for Fabric Fund and £79.979 for the Reserye Fund. The GeDeTal Fund 8tands at £199,148 with the designat¢d Investment Fund showing a SU￿lUS of £103,176. The charity trustees have conSide￿d the reserves required and have taken into account their cU￿t and fi]ture liabilities. It is the TTUStees' policy* based on recent experience, to hold reserves with a view to being in a position to maintsin their obligations to the above properties and the unexpected contingencies that may and have ariscn in rec¢nt years. The Church also held £19,294 of restricted fimds which have been provided ftir th¢ purw>ses specified in Note 15. Structur4 Govern*Dce aDd Management The e4)ngregAtion is a registercd tharity, number SC006480 and is administer¢d in accordance with the t￿mS of the Decd of Constithtion (or Deed of Constitution (Unitsry Forni)) and is subject to the Acts and Regulations of the General Assembly of the Cburch of Scotland. Members of the Kirk Session are the charity twstees. The Kirk Session members are the el(krs of the church and are chosen from those members of the church who are considered to have the appropriats gifts and skil]s. The minister, who is a member of the Kirk Session, 15 elected by congregation and inducted by Presbytery. The Kirk Session meets four times during the year to manage the activities of the charity. At eaoh meetin8 the agenda always include finance and fabric as main items. The Kirk Session is supported by a consitituted fitWi¢e Committee which met four times in the year. independently of the Kirk sessio￿ and reports to the Kirk Sessi(￿. The fmance conjnlltiee routinely me¢ts to consider nmtters relating to the financial management of the Charity's resources, reports from the in(kpendcnt stc¢kbroker dealing with the portfolio perfornwi¢e and expendits￿e commitments and decision D]aking in line with the Charitys objectives. Page 5 Pow5oTYJ BoivdeD and Me1rn￿ Church DfSMtknd Trusteu? Report {¢•tt¢) 31 D¢cember2024 Trnototi Dr Gillian A￿￿kId Mr C Armstrffl8' MJS l All￿., h4ts E Bakn. DrLyn Mr G Bwry*tt.' MrB H Cknisho]m' MIMB R Collin,. rk J Crichw. E Fnw. Mr D Gorth￿. fvfr81 Gotdon. rk M Gordon,. Mrl For8yib,. MrR Fyas¢r, Rev R Frew.. DrJ Gaddi MrRI Hill,. MrJ G A L&kn' Mrs E Mclvor, Mrl Mlllar,. Ms E Mh¢heU; MrA S (YNell: MrJ Pollitt. MrB M Robbie.. Lord CRSaTthrw' L8dy E SaDdctsoo' hlr R Sloan. Mr J Th(wn' Mis8 H Thomson. DrR WarthDaL: Mrw W Ch•rityNo." SC006480 Dgvid C4mpbelL CA D¢￿ 27NortkBrid8¢ Str¢¢i H4wi* 11)9 9BD Royal Batth of gthiand Baok Stteet Gaiashie15 Page 6 Py8d20 Bowden Mtlro% Ckn¥rle for1wy￿ atW¢$' 8nnu81 report And fitiattAai ID J¢¢othce with an)11￿J1t laF and Uuit£d The law appliubleto cbarities in S¢otlaLd requires the clmriry trustees toNepErt fi]Jattxai 4atern￿ fry yw which show a view of the arate of affairs of the ¢1￿ity8lld ofthe ille0ttti￿ re¥outw and 4yh¢aliffj ofT¢¥ourcM, of th¢ cbarity forth&t period. IllpTcpaTi￿ th¢ - aelect 8uitabl¢ accouDtiDgpoli¢tes aDd thell apply them con8isW,' - obscTr¢ thc m¢thod aod prmuple$ ill the applicabje Charities SORP.. . judwllents aDd e5timattJ are reasollable 8DdpnJdetsL . Bt8t¢ wb¢th¢r &ppJi¢able acGouDiillg8taDdarth and Katgments 0rrttommendedt￿aCIi¢gbaVeI)eofoll0wts1 Athi¢ct ￿sLY digt]ostA ¢£5 8r¢ryDnsibl¢ forkwuig propEr ar¥Ountillg￿d3W￿ith di5closc with ttasor&le accutacy atony tith¢ thc fmanciat posAtiOll of the ¢ltsrity to oabl¢ th¢m Io ¢Jksur¢ th4tthe fJDaD¢ial statements comply with the Chariiies and Th15tee bLvertm¢ryt (Swtlalld) Act 2005 ￿ the ChaTitieB A¢couttts (Scot]attd) RcguJatiotL4 2006 (zs amended). Thtty a]Jo resp)l￿ib]e forsafeguardiu8 the assets of the C￿lty andbett¢e for taknn8 ￿lso￿able steps for theprtvetitiott *nd dowion of fraud and iTr¢gulaTiti¥& The Inwte¢s h•ve co￿￿de￿4 the impartof FRSJ02 ID the pr¢sentstion ofthe ac¢iMttws The trustees areYesp)nSL￿le forthe rrtaiTLknance and intcBrity ofthe cbarity and fmancioj iDforn)itionrfm the con8re8alion'B webBik t*wsJation' the United Kingdom governiDgthepwarntioll attd dissen)illatiott of fitt8tteid Stat¢Met￿ my dsff¢rfrom l¢giBlation in other jwisdictiow. W J windr4￿ St￿10￿ P4v 7rf3] Bowdell Melrose Church of Scodand Independent ExAmlner's Report to the Trnstees of Bowden and Melr05e Church of Scotland Year ended 31 D¢¢ember 2024 I Teport on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 st December 2024 which are set out on pages 9 to 20. Respective responsibilltles of trustres and examlner The charity's tr￿stee& are responsible for the prepar￿lOn of the accounts in accordance with thc temis of the Charities and T￿￿te¢ tnves1m¢nt (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 21K)6 (as Hmensjed). The charity trustees coDsider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1) (a) to (c) of the Accounts Regulation5 does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the aceounts &s required under section 44(1) (c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attcntion. Bas15 of IDdepeDdeDt exvdmkner's statement My examination is cArried out in accordance with Regulation I l of the Charitie5 Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). ikn exatnination includ¢s a review of the accounting records kept by tbe ch￿lty and a comparison of th¢ acwunts presented with those record8. It also includes consideration of any unusual ituns or di8¢losures in the accounts, and seeks ¢xplanatioJs from the trustees concerning any such Tnatters. The procedures undertoken do not provid¢ all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not exprus an audit opinion ijn the view given by the accounts. Independent exanthier's statsment tn the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention which gives me Teasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements: to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Ad and Rcgulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations (as amended), and to prq)are accounts which accord with the acCO￿)ting record8 and comply with RegUl￿10n 8 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations (as amended) bave not been meL or to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understsndmg of the accounts to Name.. David Campbell Professional Qualification/Professional Body: Chartered Accountant- ICAS Address.. 27 Nortb Bridge Street, HawicK TD9 9BD Date.. Page 8 Pap 6rf20 4mC*OO 'll n'i'in n I coooo 'M n i°IN n I * • ao li Ill, 1]) Iijli. Bowden and Melrose Church of ScodaDd Year eDded 31 December 2024 Accounting Policies The principal accounting policies, which have been applied consistently in the current and pre¢cding y¢ar in dealing with items which are considered material to tbe a￿Ounts, are set out below. Basis of preparation Th¢ fllthncial statements have b¢¢n prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Stateni¢Dt of Recommended Prddice applicable to clwities preparAng their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standards applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS102) issued on 16 July 2014 and revised in October 2019 and the Financial Reporting Standard appjicable in the UK and Republic of Treland (FRS102), the Charities and Tn￿te¢ Investnmt (S￿tialld) Act 2005 and th¢ Charities accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). Fund a¢¢ounthg Funds are classified ￿ either restricted fimds or unrestricted fiulds, defined as follows. Restiicted fijnds are fvnds sUbJ￿t to specific requirements as to their use which may be declared by the donor ()r with their authority or created through leg81 processes, but still within the wider objects of the charity. Endowment fund8 are fimd8 wbich have been given on the ¢onditi¢)n that the original capital sum is not reduce but the income there from is vsed for the pury)ose defined iti ae¢ordance with tbe obj'ects of the clwity. Unrestricted fillmls are expendable at the discretion of the trust¢¢s in fiuth¢ran¢e of the objects of the Ch￿ity. paTts of the unrcstiicted fi￿dS are earn]arked at the discretion of the trLtstee8 for a particular purpose, they are designated as a separate fund. This designation has an adMI￿atiVe PUTpose only and does not legally restrict the tn￿tees. discretion to aDDlv the fim Ineoming resourees Income is recogll￿ed wbeu the Charity has entitlement to the fLmd4 any perfomiance conditions attached to the it¢m(s) of in¢ome have been met, it 15 probable that the income will be received and the amount call be measured reliably. Donated services and facilities Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item, any conditioDs associated with the donatd item have been met. the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. tn accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS102) the general volunteer time of congregation members is not recogDis¢d. On receipL donatcd profession￿ Services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the cbaTity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open rnarket. a cotTesponding amount is then recognised &$ expenditure in the P¢Tiod of receipt. Interest recelvable Int￿¢st on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charAty' this is nonnally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the Bank Page 10 P40 10ot>) Boiyden and Melrose Chrueh of Scotland Year ended 31 December 2024 Fixed Assets The charity has the right to o¢wy and usc for its tharitable objects certain tangible fixed assets, including the Church, I￿118 and mans¢. v¢sted in th¢ Church of Scotland General Tn￿s. No ¢4)nsideration is payable for the use of th¢se w¢ts. Expenditure InCu￿¢d on the repair and maintenance of these ass¢ts is cbarged as rcsourres expended in th¢ Statement of Finan¢ial Artivities in the period in which the liabi]ity arise8, All tangible fixed assets costing in ¢xc¢ss of £5,000 having a Vah￿ to the charity greater than one year, other than those acquired for sp¢¢ifi¢ putposes, are capitalised. Ther¢ ar¢ no ton￿￿1¢ fjxed assets Inveslments Fixed &qs¢t investments are 5tsted at market value at the b￿ance sheet date. UDrealised gains and li)3￿5 represent the diff¢Tence between the market value at the beginning aud end of the financial year or. if purchas¢d in the year, the difference between cost and market value at the end of the year. Realised gains and losses represent the difference between the proceeds on disposal and the market value at the start of the year or cost if purchased in the year. Taxation Bowden and Melr06e Church of Scotland is recognised as a charity for the purposes of aN>li¢able taxation legislation and is therefore not subject to taxation on its clwitsble activities. The charity is not r¢8iSt¢red for VAT and resources expended therefore include i￿eCOVerable input VAT. Page 11 11 d20 111.'Ii n TMN f riN 'n 11£ ]li ll r N11 ll 11 111211, lil 121 ll n n Ilji li '11 ¥4gi" nn Illi Iii ]Iii OC¥ts C* C) c>0 21¥8218 ggg Iii. li l ia I li l Eljil i ill; °II'::HH Ill fl Ill Ill n 'in li I Iilèilaili lilli Ii$Jliili CERTIFICATE of SIGNATURE REF 14UMBER LK)QJMENT COklPLETED 8Y ALLPARTIESON 19 SXP 2025 12.35=09 wc SIGNER TIMESTAMP 8IGNaTUaE WILLIAMWINDRAM SENr 19 BEP 2025 12:22:42 19 SEP 2025 12:JI..11 SIGMEO 19 SEP 2025 12..33-09 18J.69.145.121 IIECIHEIITVERFICATION 19 81Tr 2035 12:31'.18 PAGEIOFI