THE FRIENDS OF ST JAMES THE GREAT, THORLEY

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 7th MARCH 2008

TREASURER'S REPORT - YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2007

This year was again, financially, very successful and due to that and our stewarding of our reserves, we have been able to contribute a considerable sum towards the repairs to the Church. Setting aside the £30,000 spent on those repairs, there was an excess of receipts over expenditure of £9756 in the year ended 31st December 2007, £664 more than in 2006. All our excess funds are invested with the Church's Central Board of Finance until they are required, as they have been this past year and the results of our expenditure are now visible. The Accounts I am presenting tonight, show how the income was received and the expenditure incurred in the year ended 31st December 2007 with comparative figures for 2006.

I will now comment on some of the detail.

1. Subscriptions are up this year as are donations from weddings. These are not major amounts but it is encouraging that the membership of the Friends has increased and the Committee would like to thank Edward Miller, in particular, for all his help in this regard.

2. It is encouraging that so many members and donors are now gift-aiding their contributions, it is very easy to do, only one form to complete and I have the forms with me tonight for anyone who may be interested.

3. Donations include a most generous gift in memory of Eileen Jacobs.

4. The Flower Festival was again a huge success and our thanks are to all of you for your tremendous support. The details and comparative figures for 2006 have been provided alongside the Accounts.

5. October saw our ever-popular Quiz Evening, which produced a surplus of £240 compared with £350 in 2006 and includes Raffle proceeds of £89. We were competing with the Rugby World Cup Final that evening.

6. Sunday Teas are generating much the same income as in the past. These Sunday afternoons in the summer are a vital outreach opportunity for the Church and we do all need to support the work.

7. Proceeds of the Whist Drives held at the Christian Centre have been donated to the Friends for the past two years, thanks to the generosity of Bob and Brenda Williams, to whom the Committee are most grateful. Bob and Brenda were also responsible for the delightful Evening of Entertainment.

8. Since last Autumn, Maureen Hargrave has been organising the provision of soup on Sunday afternoons, raising funds for the new organ. Our thanks go to Maureen for the quiet way in which she goes about her substantial efforts for the Friends.

9. Thanks, too, to Bill Hardy for his fascinating talk about the Barn, which raised £103.

10. Repairs and Maintenance expenditure is high this year and looks set to continue to be so. Our grass cutting equipment is ageing and in need of frequent service. We also spent £26 for vases for the Churchyard.

11. Finally, may I express my thanks to Geoff Pickering for being our Independent Examiner of the Accounts, the size of our organisation means that we do not require a full scale audit but we do have to have the Accounts vetted and Geoff very kindly fulfils that role for us.

Rosemary Jones
March 2008

Notes

1. Cost of flowers met by sponsors £622 (2006 £660) and sales of cut flowers £17.

2. Other expenses include donation to Organist, advertising and printing.

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