ANNUAL REPORT TO THE FRIENDS OF HOLY INNOCENTS CHURCH, LAMARSH FOR THE YEAR 2007
Registered Charity No 1088711The bell restoration was signed off in January and The Bishop of Colchester came and rededicated the bell on the 15th July. All the promised funding from Charities was received and some Charities very generously paid in full without reducing the amount by which we were over funded. Others said that we could keep the refunds. One or two commended us on our offering refunds and said it had never happened before! This has helped to make the Friends look rather well off at present.
Last year was a bit of a disappointment as we had hoped to get the Church lime-washed once there had been some fairly major plaster repairs on the tower. English Heritage approved the proposals. Quotes were obtained and the Faculty was granted. Everything was approved by the Church Architect and the builder was appointed. Unfortunately the builder then got delayed and he was unable to commence before the winter weather set in. The work can only be carried out when there is no chance of a frost and when the weather is fine. We are hoping that work will commence in the next few months. Because of the nature of the work it was not possible to obtain a fixed quote but we believe the works will cost about £10,000. The present patchwork of different coloured plasters will then be hidden.
We did manage to get many of the graves repaired as some of the headstones were dangerous and could have fallen onto a child. Some graves had sunk badly leaving everything at odd angles whilst on others the stone or marble edging had come loose. This very necessary work does highlight the need for people wishing to be buried in the churchyard to leave money for the future maintenance of their graves.
The Friends started in 2001 and since then we have raised just over £36,000, although almost all the funds for the bell restoration came from Charities. This is quite an achievement for a village of our size, although there are several donors from afar. This is very encouraging and shows that the church has been a part of their lives and remains in their thoughts.
The website saw a large drop in the number of visits down from 11,000 to 4,000. This is in part due to the bell restoration having been completed and no longer of such interest, but beyond that it is not possible to tell why this has happened.
John Wadsworth retired as Treasurer of the PCC and there is therefore a vacancy for a new Trustee. In accordance with the rules two Trustees must resign and this year they are David Anderson and myself. We both seek re-election. (see opposite for list of Trustees)
The Trustees are proposing to amend the Constitution to make our charitable status more in keeping with the current requirements of the Charity Commission. A separate notice is enclosed detailing these changes which will be voted on at the AGM.Once again I am grateful to John Sparkes for certifying these accounts.
Mark Dawson
Treasurer
March 2007
SUMMARY OF THE ANNUAL ACCOUNTS TO 31.12.2007
THE FRIENDS OF HOLY INNOCENTS CHURCH, LAMARSH
2007 2006
Income received £10,784.80 £5,556.21 Returns not cashed £250.81 £11,035.61 Less: Expenditure
Professional Fees
£293.75
£293.75 Grave restoration etc £3,236.47 £9,094.63 Cleaning £220.00 £220.00 Mower repairs £128.97 Sign writing £260.00 Repayment to PCC £349.80 Sundry £343.74 £150.00 ££4,832.73 £10,041.55 (Deficit)/Surplus for the year (£6,202.88) (£4,485.34)
Balance Sheet at 31.12.2007 Current Asset
Balance at Bank £13,738.93 £7,536.05
Net Assets £13,738.93 £7,536.05
General Reserves Balance b/f £7,536.05 Add Surplus for year £6,202.88 £13,738.93 £7,536.05
Independent examiners report to the members of The Friends of Holy Innocents
Church, LamarshI have examined the Income and Expenditure Account of the Friends with the books
and vouchers and certify that they are in accordance therewith.John Sparkes. Chartered Accountant
15th February 2008
The stated objectives of The Friends are "by contribution, to maintain, repair, restore, improve and reconstruct the fabric of Holy Innocents Church, Lamarsh, including its monuments, fixtures, fittings, furniture, stained glass, ornaments, other chattels and its churchyard, for the benefit of the public. To contribute to the family purse."
The Trustees are:
David Anderson*
Mark Dawson - Treasurer*
Robert Erith - Churchwarden Trustee
Patrick Cooper
www.LamarshChurch.org.uk
email: info@lamarshchurch.org.uk
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