Church House Trust, Harrogate, AGM 2008
Treasurer's Report Paul Tennyson writes:
This is the third year of operation for Church House Trust. In that time five disbursements of the Interest from the sale of Church House have been made by the Trustees on a six-monthly basis. Their aim is to continue to award approximately £15,000 per year to churches and organisations within Harrogate.
The Trustees now have other than Anglicans in their number: the Rev. Tim Hurren resigned and was replaced by Mrs. Colleen Scruton, of Bilton Grange U.R.C., Janet Crystal has been replaced by David Collett of Mayfield Community Church; and at this meeting Humphrey Baker will resign and we await his replacement. I personally wish to thank Humph for his secretarial work and for financial expertise. Thanks are also due to the Council for Voluntary Services, and especially to John Dracup, our official financial adviser. I would remind existing Trustees that, under the Scheme drawn up with the agreement of the Charity Commissioners, they are appointed for four years, which expires on 20 September 2009. Trustees appointed since 2005 also need to retire or be re-appointed before that date.
The Summary of Accounts before you is for the calendar year 2007. This is different from Churches Together , whose annual financial year closes on 31 March. The 2007 accounts are, regrettably, not yet audited; one donation awarded in 2006 has not yet been used for the purposes requested, and we still await confirmation that the money will eventually be used in this way. At their latest meeting, the Trustees agreed that in future the application brochure will contain the words: "I undertake to return the funds to Church House Trust if the project does not go ahead within 12 months.".
Grants were awarded in 2007 for Christmas street-lighting, for a Labyrinth subsequently featured on B.B.C. T.V. "Songs of Praise;" and as part-salaries for the Rev. Tim Hurren as ecumenical pioneer minister, and the Director of Harrogate Youth for Christ. The latter donation will not recur until a new Director is appointed. The Summary of Accounts shows each item together with the amount the Church or Organisation has received in the past. The Trustees hope that, in the spirit of Churches Together, the items purchased will be used for ecumenical purposes. If a church has, for example, successfully purchased a multi-media projector, it is assumed that this can be loaned by other churches in the Area.
In the 2008 accounts some churches applied for money towards ecumenical Christmas cards, and the Trustees agreed that, for this year only, a donation would be awarded to the Area Treasurer according to the number its churches. A sum of money has also been reserved for expenses incurred at the forthcoming Wydale II Conference.
Meeting note: Paul Tennyson, treasurer, presented the accounts for approval; proposed Ron Evans and seconded by Rev Brian Hunt.