Registered Charity SC023265
Scottish Episcopal Church Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness Church of St John the Baptist, Rothiemurchus Accounts for year ended 30 September 2024
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Scottish Episcopal Church of St John the Baptist, Rothiemurchus
Reference and Administrative Information:
Registered Charity: No SC023265
Principal Address: St Johns Church, Rothiemurchus, Aviemore, PH22 1QH Website: www.stjohns-rothiemurchus.co.uk Clergy: Vestry Members: Vestry Member (stepped down within the financial year):
Bankers: Royal Bank of Scotland Inverness Chief Office 29 Harbour Road Inverness IV1 1NU
Independent Examiner: Health & Safety Officer:
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Scottish Episcopal Church of St John the Baptist, Rothiemurchus
Annual Report of the Members of the Vestry:
We are a small friendly congregation who meet for traditional Anglican worship and we extend a welcome to residents throughout Badenoch and Strathspey as well as to many visitors who come to this area on holiday.
Our clergy minister not only at St Johns but also at our sister Church, St Columba’s, at Grantown, about 12 miles away. Our congregation comes from a wide area in the Highlands of Scotland, and both the (in Newtonmore) and the
in Carrbridge) hold meetings and services in their homes. In addition, ministry to the wider community has now commenced with the taking the lead for us at St John’s, St Columba and for other parishes in our Diocese. Beneficial consequences of this outreach are already being felt.
The trend in the finances of the Church continues as in previous years with the regular cash expenses being greater than our regular income. Overall, this deficit has been offset by a legacy and an improvement in the value of our investments.
During the year, quarterly accounts were circulated to the Vestry and discussed at their regular meetings. The savings account with Virgin Money was closed and the funds transferred to our RBS Business Reserve account. Further, a transfer of £50,000 was made on the 8[th] January 2024 from the RBS Business Reserve account to a new RBS Higher Interest Liquidity Manager 35 Day Account. This account has raised our interest rate from 1.45% to 3.00% (Annual Equivalent Rate) adding approximately £1200 to our annual income.
Accounts for the Hall are kept separately. Income from the Hall has continued to recover, but costs have risen due to weekly cleaning by contractors, in contrast to the Church which is cleaned once a month.
Sincere thanks to and for all the hard work they have put in to make the Friday concerts so successful resulting in a cash surplus. Thanks also to members of the congregation and others who have helped with catering and other duties. Audiences have attracted more people, however, there is still much to do to increase numbers attending St John’s.
The accounts for our electricity, now supplied by Scottish Power, are still distorted by a dispute which has resulted in a large credit which may need to be adjusted later.
Internet (Wi-fi) has been installed for the Church and Hall. As a result, automation will be enabled in the next financial year so the heating and lighting can be controlled remotely, providing more efficient use of energy. Thanks to Stuart Palmer for all the research, planning, purchase and installation of equipment that will make this possible. A competitive contract with internet service provider Zen is now in place.
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Governance:
St Johns is an unincorporated association, governed by a constitution brought up to date in 2014. It is governed by Canon Law of the Scottish Episcopal Church. The management team is known as the Vestry and members of the Vestry are the Charity Trustees of the church.
Apart from the clergy, Vestry members are elected by the Congregation at the annual meeting.
The Vestry is responsible for managing and safeguarding the assets of the church and are also responsible for keeping proper accounting records. From time to time the Vestry considers the risks faced by St Johns and ensures that appropriate risk management procedures are in place to mitigate those risks.
St Johns is supported by the Diocese of Moray, Ross, and Caithness in the Scottish Episcopal Church through the pastoral oversight of the Bishop, and the central support functions at Diocesan level. St Johns has an obligation to contribute to the costs of the Diocese through payment of an annual quota.
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Scottish Episcopal Church of St John the Baptist, Rothiemurchus
Independent Examiners Report to the Trustees of St John the Baptist, Rothiemurchus
I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 30th September 2024 which are set out on pages 6 to 9.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. The charity trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1) (d) of the 2006 Accounts Regulations does not apply.
It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under section 44(1) (c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent examiner’s statement
My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeks explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
Independent examiner’s statement
In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention,
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which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
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to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 9 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations
have not been met, or
- to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
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Scottish Episcopal Church of St John the Baptist, Rothiemurchus
Receipts and Payments Account for the Year Ended 30 September 2024
| Notes Receipts Donations 2 Receipts from investment other than land & buildings 3 Receipts from Hall Rental 4 Concert Income Legacies Total Receipts Payments Payments relating to charitable activities 5 Payments related to Hall Rental 3 Grants and donations relating directly to charitable activites 6 Concert expenses Total Payments Surplus / (deficit) for the year |
2024 2023 £ £ 14,932.44 16,982.76 5,850.44 3,429.67 1,449.00 1,114.00 2,720.80 2,000.00 5,387.32 26,952.68 26,913.75 15,020.06 47,765.36 3,415.30 902.04 516.50 316.00 1,748.22 20,700.08 48,983.40 6,252.60 (22,069.65) |
|---|---|
ALL FUNDS ARE UNRESTRICTED
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Scottish Episcopal Church of St John the Baptist, Rothiemurchus
Statement of Balances as at 30 September 2024
| 2024 £ | 2023 £ | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash at bank | ||
| Balance at beginning of year | 92,879.59 | 114,949.24 |
| Surplus (deficit) for the year | 6,252.60 | (22,069.65) |
| Total cash funds at end of year | 99,132.19 | 92,879.59 |
| Investments (SEC Unit Trust Pool) | ||
| Market value at beginning of year | 114,677.57 | 83,474.46 |
| Additions at cost | 25,000.00 | |
| Disposal proceeds | ||
| Unrealised gain/ (loss) in year | 17,473.12 | 6,203.11 |
| Market value at end of year | 132,150.69 | 114,677.57 |
| Fund Balances (Cash and Investments) | ||
| At beginning of year | 207,557.16 | 198,423.70 |
| Cash surplus / (deficit) for year | 6,252.60 | (22,069.65) |
| Movements in investments | 17,473.12 | 31,203.11 |
| At end of year | 231,282.88 | 207,557.16 |
ALL FUNDS ARE UNRESTRICTED
Liabilities : Following a dispute between St John’s Church and the electricity supplier, Scottish Power, the church now has a credit of approximately £3,200.00 on its electricity account. However, a liability may arise if the supplier presents a recalculated invoice for electricity usage.
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Scottish Episcopal Church of St John the Baptist, Rothiemurchus
Notes to Accounts for Year Ended 30 September 2024
1 Accounting policies:
Basis of preparation
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis. They consist of a summary of all monies received and paid via the bank and in cash by the church during the financial year, along with a statement of balances. No adjustments have been made for any income due but not received. Except for investments, fixed assets are not capitalised.
Church Buildings
The church and the hall are not shown in the statement of balances. The trustees believe that it is not possible to place a market value on them. The valuation of the buildings for insurance purposes is £931,000.
| 2 Donations: Congregational cash giving Gift Aid donations including tax refund Other donations |
2024 £ 1,227.81 13,379.43 325.20 14,932.44 |
2023 £ 1,064.02 13,992.61 1,926.13 16,982.76 |
|---|---|---|
3 Receipts from investments other than land & buildings:
These amounts represent bank interest of £2,081.60 and investment income from the Unit Pool Trust. St Johns owns 4,332 Units which were valued at £132,150.69 (£30.5057 per unit) on 30th September 2024.
| 4 Hall Trading Records: | 2024 £ | 2023 £ |
|---|---|---|
| Hall Rental | 1,449.00 | 1,114.00 |
| Hall Costs | 3,415.30 | 902.04 |
| (1,966.30) | 211.96 |
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| 5 Payments related to charitable activities: Diocese and Provincial quota Travel and other reimbursed expenses Church building running costs Worship related costs Purchase of Investment Administrative costs |
2024 £ 8,757.00 46.80 4,228.48 1,987.78 15,020.06 |
2023 £ 7,280.00 274.59 12,598.99 67.21 25,000.00 2,544.57 47,765.36 |
|---|---|---|
6 Donations:
The church made donations of £516.50
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