THE FRIENDS OF ST JAMES THE GREAT, THORLEY
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 6th MARCH 2026
TREASURER'S REPORT - YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2025
The formal annual accounts for 2025 show how income was received and expenditure incurred in the year ended 31st December 2025, with comparative figures for 2024.
The Friends’ income in 2025 was as follows:
• £750.00 in membership subscriptions,
• £459.09 from ticket sales for the March Quiz Night and £160.00 from the associated raffle,
• £32.00 in donations,
• £1,341,94 in interest on reserves held in the Church of England Deposit Fund,
• £1,166.40 from the sale of plants and £135.00 from donations for refreshments during the Plant Sale in May,
• £1,362.00 in donations for Sunday Afternoon Teas,
• £715.07 in the form of a tax refund from HMRC in respect of Gift Aided donations and other cash donations individually no greater than £30,
• £1,463.49 from the Autumn Craft Fair in November and
• £65.28 in Gifts in Kind.The Friends’ total income in 2025 was £7,650.27.
Our expenditure in 2025 was as follows:
• Fund-raising costs of £1,245.89 consisting of:
o £899.50 to Matthews Plants for the Plant Sale
o £276.90 to Matthews Plants and £69.49 for refreshments for the Craft Fair.• Other expenditure amounting to £3,629.13 consisting of:
o £368.66 for the service & repair of Churchyard Equipment and £65.28 for the purchase of fuel,
o £28.25 for AGM expenses,
o £295.94 for insurance and
o £2,871.00 grant to PCC for work on Churchyard Trees.The Friends’ total expenditure in 2025 was £4,875.02.
The Friends started 2025 with total reserves of £35,322.16, which by the end of the year had increased by £2,775.25 to £38,097.41. Of the latter, £2,500.00 was in the Friends’ current account with Barclays Bank on 31 December 2025 and £35,597.41 with the Church of England Deposit Fund.
At the end of 2025 the following spending commitments were in place:
• Up to £5,000 for the installation of permanent equipment to enable the flexible streaming of services in the Church, together with display screens for the presentation of video material,
• £7,237 for work in the Bell Tower by Lodge & Sons Ltd (a grant of £7,784.40 was made to the PCC in Q1 2026 to cover the final VAT inclusive cost),
• Up to £1,650 for the Restoration of a West Window Label Stop and
• Up to £15,000 as a contribution towards the enlargement of the Churchyard.The Friends’ total spending commitment a the end of 2025 was therefore up to £28,887.