Scottish Charity No SCO22683
Lochgilphead Free Church of Scotland
Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2025
Lochgilphead Free Church of Scotland
Contents of the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2025
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Church information | 2 |
| Report ofthe Trustees | 3~~-~~4 |
| Report ofthe Independent Examiner | 5 |
| Receipts and Payments Account | 6 |
| Statement of Balances | 7 |
| NotestotheFinancialStatements | 8 |
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Lochgilphead Free Church of Scotland
Report of the Trustees For the year ended 31“ December 2025
The Trustees are pleased to present their report together with the financial statements of the church for the year ended 31% December 2025.
Status of Charity and Governing Document
Lochgilphead Free Church of Scotland is established by Constitution. It is a registered Scottish Charity (No SCO22683).
Aims and Affiliation
Lochgilphead Free Church is a congregation of the national Free Church of Scotland working towards the common aims set out in her constitution. It is a Presbyterian church adhering in its worship to the position of the Church of Scotland at the Reformation. The Free Church of Scotland has an explanatory document which explains the origins of the Church and which gives the historical background to the Church coming into being in 1843 and lists documents in which is embodied the constitution of the Church. This document is available on request from the Free Church of Scotland, 15 North Bank St, The Mound, Edinburgh.
The Free Church of Scotland currently has around 100 congregations in Scotland, as well as one in London and four in North America and sister churches founded by mission work in India, Peru and South Africa. The church also has a seminary in Edinburgh for the training of ministers and other Christian workers and sustains an extensive missionary programme relative to the size of the Church. The principal activity of the Church is the conduct of public worship and associated matters in the context of local congregations.
Dating from 1843 but with its roots in the Reformation, it owes its distinctive title to its historical struggle to remain “free” from state interference in its internal affairs. It has close and active relations with many other Reformed churches of Jesus Christ throughout the world and stands firmly in the tradition which accepts the Bible in its entirety as the Word of God and therefore derives its forms of teaching, worship, ministry and government form it. The main emphasis of our worship is the preaching of the gospel ~~-~~ the good news of a free and sovereign salvation through Jesus Christ alone.
The congregation is within the Free Presbytery of Glasgow and Argyll, and, from Ist October 2024, is linked with Tarbert Free Church. The linked charge is authorised by the church to share a minister under a Fiv ~~e-~~ Year Reviewable Tenure agreement
The church buildings are the property of the congregation and are held under the Church’s model trust deed.
Trustees and Office Bearers
Since the Church is Presbyterian in government, its day ~~-t~~ o ~~-~~ day running is undertaken by the elders (the Kirk Session) and the Finance Committee. The elders are members of the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee’s specific function relates to the material and financial business of the congregation, whereas the elders are charged with the general and spiritual oversight of the congregation. Under Charity Law, the members of the Finance Committee are deemed to be the Trustees of the congregation as those with responsibility for day ~~-t~~ o ~~-~~ day management and control. This is distinct from the role of Property Trustees who are responsible only for holding property in trust.
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Lochgilphead Free Church of Scotland
Report of the Trustees For the year ended 31** December 2025
Finance Committee
The members of the Finance Committee (the Trustees) who served during the year were as follows:
| Mr C Brailsford | MrD Merriman (appointed 28 January 2025) |
|---|---|
| MrsK Buchanan | MrsRMillar (resigned 4 June 2025) |
| MrA Craig | Dr I Sanderson (resigned 28 January 2025) |
| DrRCrooks (resigned 30 September2025) | MrK Taggart |
| MrC Ferguson (resigned 31 May 2025) | Rev IWatson (resigned 28 January 2025) |
| MrC McPhail | Rev B Wilkes (resigned 28 January 2025) |
| Property Trustees | |
| MrsKBuchanan | MrsRMillar |
Appointment of Charity Trustees
The Finance Committee is elected by the communicant members of the congregation on the recommendation of the Kirk Session in terms of the congregation’s constitution and hold office for a year but are eligible for re-election. Prior to their appointment, new Trustees will have served the Church for some time in various roles and are familiar with the Church’s values and it aims and objectives as well as its day-to-day operations.
Results for the year
The total surplus for the year was £ 42,469 (2024: £24,260). After accounting for movements in investments held, at the year end the church held funds amounting to £492,535 (2024: £442,359) consisting of the following funds:
| 2025 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | £ | |
| Unrestricted funds | 182,309 | 159,713 |
| Restrictedfunds | 310,226 | 282,646 |
Approved on behalf of the Trustees
Trustee
valll, 6 leweln "PSB
Date
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20 March 2026
Lochgilphead Free Church of Scotland
Receipts and Payments Accounts
For the year ended 31 December 2025
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Unrestricted|Restricted|2025|Unrestricted|Restricted|2024|
|funds|funds|funds|funds|
|Notes|£|£|£|£|£|£|
|Receipts|
|Offerings|29,134|0|29,134|25,423|0|25,423|
|Donations|946|15,475|16,421|1,334|6,635|7,969|
|Taxrecovered|on|GiftAid|6,097|3,115|9,212|5,898|500|6,398|
|Hall|hire|5,003|0|5,003|0|0|0|
|Other income|0|0|0|0|0|0|
|Interest|received|701|8,990|9,691|0|9,880|9,880|
|Dividends|received|2,949|0|2,949|0|0|0|
|Total|Receipts|44,830|27,580|72,410|32,655|17,015|49,670|
|Payments|
|Paymentsfor charitable|activities:|
|Minister's|expenses|1,539|0|1,539|1,545|0|1,545|
|Pulpit|supply|costs|610|0|610|510|0|510|
|Presbytery|Fees|368|0|368|385|0|385|
|Ministry|levy|18,559|0|18,559|16,263|0|16,263|
|Admin. &|training|levy|3,529|0|3,529|0|0|0|
|Property|repairs|&|maintenan|214|0|214|263|200|463|
|Grounds|maintenance|0|0|0|0|0|0|
|Electricity|1,183|0|1,183|1,035|0|1,035|
|Insurance|2,305|0|2,305|1,597|0|1,597|
|Communications|226|0|226|610|0|610|
|Council|tax|-|manse|0|0|0|745|0|745|
|Professional|fees|555|0|555|300|1,200|1,500|
|GiftAid|fee|180|0|180|138|0|138|
|Publications|0|0|0|91|0|91|
|Teaching|materials|0|0|0|53|0|53|
|Licence|fees|100|0|100|475|0|475|
|Bank charges|73|0|73|0|0|0|
|Fund|raising|costs|0|0|0|0|0|0|
|General|expenses|0|0|0|0|0|0|
|Charitable|donations|made|500|0|500|0|0|0|
|Total|Payments|29,941|0|29,941|24,010|1,400|25,410|
|Surplus|for|the|year|14,889|27,580|42,469|8,645|15,615|24,260|
|Trans fers|0|0|0|0|0|0|
|Net movement|in|funds|14,889|27,580|42,469|8,645|15,615|24,260|
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Lochgilphead Free Church of Scotland
Statement of Balances
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|As|at|31|December 2025|
|Unrestricted|Restricted|Unrestricted|Restricted|
|Funds|funds|Total|Funds|funds|Total|
|2025|2025|2025|2024|2024|2024|
|Notes|£|£|£|£|£|£|
|Bank|&|Cash|in|hand|
|Opening balance|38,504|282,646|321,150|170,502|126,388|296,890|
|Surplus|for the year|14,889|27,580|42,469|8,645|15,615|24,260|
|Trans|fers|30,000|0|30,000|(140,643)|140,643|0|
|Closing|balance|___ 83.393|310226|393,619|38,504|282.646|321,150|
|Represented|by:|
|Bank accounts|53,393|44,362|97,755|38,504|25,773|64,277|
|Cash|held by|Free Church of Scotland|30,000|265,864|—|295,864|0|256,873|256,873|
|83.393|310,226|393,619|38.504|282.646|321,150|
|Investments|held by Free|Church|of Scotland|
|Opening balance|121,209|0|121,209|106,798|0|106,798|
|Investments|sold|(30,000)|0|=(30,000)|0|0|0|
|Gain|in|investments|7,707|0|7,707|14.411|0|14,411|
|Closing balance|3|98,916|0|98,916|121,209|Q|121,209|
|Total|of monetary assets|held|182,309|310,226|492,535|159,713|282,646|442,359|
|Statement|of Assets|held for|charitable|purposes|
|Church|buildings|2|250,000|250,000|
|Statement|of liabilities|at 31|December|2025|
|Invoices|due|for payment|0|0|
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Approved by the Trustees on AS | >), .tb sss... and signed on their behalfby the undemoted:
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a |
Trustee
The notes form part of these financial statements.
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Trustee
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i)
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Lochgilphead Free Church of Scotland
Notes to the Accounts
For the year ended 31 December 2025
1. Accounting policies
Accounting Convention
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008), the Statement of Recommended Practice ~~—~~ Accounting & Reporting by Charities (SORP 2005) issued in March 2015 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).
Basis offinancial statements
The financial statements have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis.
Investments
As the accounts are prepared on a receipts and payments basis, the investments are included at cost. Market Value of the investments is disclosed within the notes to the accounts.
Fixed assets
A statement of the assets held is shown in the notes to the accounts. No depreciation has been applied as depreciation is anon ~~-c~~ ash item and therefore should not be included in the receipts and payments account.
Statement ofFinancial Activities
For the purpose of the Receipts and Payments account as shown on page 7, funds are defined as follows:
Unrestricted funds comprise grants and other income received for the objects ofthe church without further specified purpose and are available as general funds.
Designated funds represent unrestricted funds which have been earmarked by the Trustees for particular purposes.
Restricted funds comprise income which has been received for the objects of the church and specified for a restricted purpose within these objects by the donor.
The Building fund was established to raise finance for the renovation ofthe church building in Lochgilphead. The Manse fund was established to raise finance for the purchase ofa manse.
2. Tangible fixed assets
The estimated value of the church and adjacent hall are £150,000 and £100,000, respectively.
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|3. Investments|Total|Total|
|2025|2024|
|Share|pool|units|held|with|Free|Church|of Scotland:|£|£|
|Value|at|beginning|of year|121,209|106,798|
|Sold|(30,000)|0|
|Movement|in year|7,707|14,411|
|Value|at end|ofthe year|98,916|121,209|
|Number of|[units]|[held:]|16,162.76|21,064.76|
|4.|Transactions|with|Trustees|
|During|the year Trustees|received|payments|for reimbursement|of expenses|as|follows:|
|2025|2024|
|£|£|
|Dr R|Crooks|was|reimbursed|expenses|including|
|travel|costs,|council tax and|church|maintenance|totalling|1,538|2,805|
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