SUNDERLAND METHODIST CIRCUIT

Registered charity 1134964 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

Religious Activities

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 SUBSIDUARY 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

Registered contact address: Sunderland, North East, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£265k

Latest spending

£433k

Registered

2010

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the Sunderland Circuit holds unrestricted general funds and has completed restructuring following the pandemic, with surplus buildings sold to fund administrative roles. The trustees confirm the charity is a going concern with no material uncertainties regarding its ability to continue operations for the next 12 months.

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

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: Circuit Churches

“The majority of the Circuit Finance is derived from Circuit Churches.” — page 5

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: six months average expenditure plus £350,000 for lay workers, £75,000 for property maintenance, and £10,000 bequest

“The Reserves Policy for the Sunderland Circuit is to hold a sum equivalent to 6 months average expenditure plus funds designated to cover the costs of the three lay workers posts for the next 5 years (£350,000), an amount for exceptional property maintenance (£75,000) and includes a bequest (£10,000) which is designated for lay training or work with young people.” — page 5

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Newcastle Methodist District identified as a related party.

“Related Parties Newcastle Methodist District.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 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.

Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Investment
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Volunteer management

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2025

Volunteers: 70

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2024

Volunteers: 70

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2023

Volunteers: 70

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/08/2023)

Total income

£795k

Total spending

£497k

Reserves (reported)

£634k

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~15.3 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 7.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Other (66% 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 (3.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

BEVERLEY ANN HERN
Barbara Elizabeth Anne Russell
Christopher Wright · trustee of 1 other charity
DAVID ARMSTRONG TAIT
Deborah Burnicle
Dr Christopher Edward Chappell May
Elaine Pattison
Frederick Eastaugh
George William Blyth
IRENE LANGLANDS
JOAN WILSON BA CERT ED
JOHN CHRISTOPHER DANIELS
JOSEPH BELL
JUDITH HOWARTH · trustee of 1 other charity
James Colin Burnicle
Jennifer Whitfield
Karen Brewis
MARGARET WOOD BA
MARGARET WRIGHT SRN
Malcolm Stuart Muir BSc, CEng · trustee of 1 other charity
Maria Wyness
Maryan Ball
Miriam Connor
Norma Roberts CSC,NEBSS
Rev John William Purdy
Rev Paula Hunt
SARAH ELLEN HARGREAVES
SUSAN MOUNTFORD
Stephen Bowerbank
Steven Mapstone
Stewart Elder Langlands
Susan Hay
Valerie Bowerbank

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

Operates in: Sunderland

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/08/2025	£265k	£433k
31/08/2024	£294k	£430k
31/08/2023	£795k	£497k
31/08/2022	£261k	£314k
31/08/2021	£260k	£313k

Common questions

Is SUNDERLAND METHODIST CIRCUIT financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the Sunderland Circuit holds unrestricted general funds and has completed restructuring following the pandemic, with surplus buildings sold to fund administrative roles. The trustees confirm the charity is a going concern with no material uncertainties regarding its ability to continue operations for the next 12 months. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
ELM HALL DRIVE METHODIST CHURCH	1	£42k

Charities like this

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

SUTTON METHODIST CIRCUIT income £389k
SOUTH KENT METHODIST CIRCUIT income £304k
SOUTH EAST NORTHUMBERLAND METHODIST CIRCUIT income £290k
THE METHODIST CHURCH - LIVERPOOL (SOUTH) CIRCUIT income £292k
CAMBRIDGE METHODIST CIRCUIT income £291k
STOKESLEY METHODIST CIRCUIT income £174k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
SUNDERLAND METHODIST CIRCUIT	£265k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
SUTTON METHODIST CIRCUIT FY2025	£389k	—	above	—	no doubt
SOUTH KENT METHODIST CIRCUIT FY2025	£304k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
SOUTH EAST NORTHUMBERLAND METHODIST CIRCUIT FY2025	£290k	—	below	—	no doubt
THE METHODIST CHURCH - LIVERPOOL (SOUTH) CIRCUIT FY2025	£292k	—	above	—	no doubt
CAMBRIDGE METHODIST CIRCUIT FY2025	£291k	—	above	—	no doubt

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