METHODIST CHURCH SOUTHEND AND LEIGH CIRCUIT

Registered charity 1134248 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The Circuit is the administrative body for the fourteen Methodist Churches and two Mission Centres in the Southend and Leigh Circuit.

Objects

THE PURPOSES OF THE METHODIST CHURCH ARE AND SHALL BE DEEMED TO HAVE BEEN SINCE THE DATE OF UNION THE ADVANCEMENT OF -(A) THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DOCTRINAL STANDARDS AND THE DISCIPLINE OF THE METHODIST CHURCH;(B) ANY CHARITABLE PURPOSE FOR THE TIME BEING OF ANY CONNEXIONAL, DISTRICT, CIRCUIT, LOCAL OR OTHER ORGANISATION OF THE METHODIST CHURCH;(C) ANY CHARITABLE PURPOSE FOR THE TIME BEING OF ANY SOCIETY OR INSTITUTION SUBSIDIARY OR ANCILLARY TO THE METHODIST CHURCH;(D) ANY PURPOSE FOR THE TIME BEING OF ANY CHARITY BEING A CHARITY SUBSIDIARY OR ANCILLARY TO THE METHODIST CHURCH.

Area of benefit: UNDEFINED. IN PRACTICE, LOCAL.

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Religious Activities · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£524k

Latest spending

£538k

Registered

2010

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the Circuit held unrestricted reserves of £171,636, excluding property values, against a policy target of six months' average expenditure. The filing notes that excluding property revaluations, the general fund result was a modest surplus of £17,650, while designated funds showed a deficit from grants awarded. The Circuit remains reliant on church assessments for income and notes that the Experience Project is totally reliant on grant funding.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: unclear

“Our current team includes four full-time Presbyters, one full-time Deacon, one part-time Presbyter, and two part-time administrators, providing administrative cover five days a week.” — page 5

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Largest income source: Assessments on Churches (66% of income)

“Circuit income is predominantly from the assessments paid by the circuit churches which we gratefully receive in support of Circuit work.” — page 6

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: six months average expenditure (held: £172k)

“The Reserves Policy for the Circuit is to hold a minimum of six months average expenditure.” — page 6

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 6 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Social media policy and procedures

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/08/2025)

Total income

£524k

Total spending

£538k

Reserves (reported)

£269k

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~6.0 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Other (92% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 0.0% of total income — below the median for charities its size (4.9%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Rev Peter Moorhousechair
ALAN SAMBRIDGE
ANNE BRIANT
Angela Merenda
Anne Sains
Claire Gunn
Deacon Sarah McDowall
GABRIELLE GREENWAY · trustee of 1 other charity
Heather Sims
IAN LOWE BSC HONS · trustee of 1 other charity
JUDITH TAYLOR
Jane Fulford
KEITH WILLIAM NORMAN · trustee of 2 other charities
LAWRENCE WARD
MARGARET JOAN POULTER · trustee of 1 other charity
MICHAEL SPAULL
MURIEL PREGNALL
Paul Wornell
ROBERT BRIANT
Rev Agnes Sam
Rev Heather Simmons
Rev Stephen Mayo
Roger Smith · trustee of 1 other charity
SUSAN ALLUM
Sheila Smith
Stuart Mann
TINA GOWERS
VALERIE SHEILA DOBBIN
Valerie Ryall · trustee of 1 other charity
Wendy Coombes
William Frank Edmonds

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Southend-on-sea

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/08/2025	£524k	£538k
31/08/2024	£591k	£542k
31/08/2023	£507k	£514k
31/08/2022	£393k	£534k
31/08/2021	£405k	£422k

Common questions

Is METHODIST CHURCH SOUTHEND AND LEIGH CIRCUIT financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the Circuit held unrestricted reserves of £171,636, excluding property values, against a policy target of six months' average expenditure. The filing notes that excluding property revaluations, the general fund result was a modest surplus of £17,650, while designated funds showed a deficit from grants awarded. The Circuit remains reliant on church assessments for income and notes that the Experience Project is totally reliant on grant funding. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

What does the highest-paid employee of METHODIST CHURCH SOUTHEND AND LEIGH CIRCUIT earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the unclear band.

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Community Fund	19/03/2026	£18k	Healthy Hearts and Creative Plates
The National Lottery Community Fund	27/06/2024	£18k	The Experience Project
The National Lottery Community Fund	16/07/2021	£10k	The Experience Project

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with LEICESTER TRINITY METHODIST CIRCUIT.

LEICESTER TRINITY METHODIST CIRCUIT income £478k
THE SOUTH BEDFORDSHIRE METHODIST CIRCUIT income £473k
WEST HERTFORDSHIRE AND BORDERS METHODIST CIRCUIT income £574k
THE METHODIST CHURCH - BIRMINGHAM (SUTTON PARK) CIRCUIT income £400k
CAMELFORD & WEEK ST MARY METHODIST CIRCUIT income £351k
THAMES VALLEY METHODIST CIRCUIT income £285k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
METHODIST CHURCH SOUTHEND AND LEIGH CIRCUIT	£524k	unclear	0	unclear	—	no doubt
LEICESTER TRINITY METHODIST CIRCUIT FY2025	£478k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
THE SOUTH BEDFORDSHIRE METHODIST CIRCUIT FY2025	£473k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
WEST HERTFORDSHIRE AND BORDERS METHODIST CIRCUIT FY2025	£574k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE METHODIST CHURCH - BIRMINGHAM (SUTTON PARK) CIRCUIT FY2025	£400k	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
CAMELFORD & WEEK ST MARY METHODIST CIRCUIT FY2025	£351k	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.