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2021-12-31-accounts

HEADLEY DOWN COMMUNITY CHURCH

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

Headley Down Community Church Eddey’s Lane, Headley Down, GU35 8HU www.stfrancisheadleydown.com Registered Charity No. 1095819

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Headley Down Community Church Team HDCC ~ “The Church in HD”

Church Leadership Team

Martin Firman – Chair of Trustees

John Russell - Pastor Pauline Firman - Trustee

Julian Gilbertson - Trustee

Rev Elizabeth Knifton - Trustee

Marc Nuttall - Trustee

Cathie Russell - Trustee

John Ryland - Trustee (Retiring 31 March 2022)

Fiona Ryland – Trustee (Retiring 31 March 2022)

Pastoral Leadership Team

John Russell - Pastor

Martin Firman

Pauline Firman

Julian Gilbertson

Rev Elizabeth Knifton

Marc Nuttall

Cathie Russell

Treasurer

Allan Revers

Pastoral Care and Hall Bookings

Cathie Russell

Eileen Matthews

Buildings Manager

Paul Whitley

Pauline Firman

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ANNUAL REPORT - APRIL 2022

INTRODUCTION

The Annual Report for 2021-2022 has been collated by Paul Whitley.

Contained within each item in this report are the following elements:

A short factual report of an activity.

An appreciation of the contributions so many people make to church life ~ (Should you not see your name in print somewhere it is probably because you are one of the many unsung heroes in the church. Thank you for who you are, as much as for what you do.) Questions and issues that may require consideration.

The report is presented under an Editorial and 6-headings and will be introduced at the AGM, when it takes place, as follows:

Editorial (Page 3) Practical (Page 5) Spiritual (Page 12) Community (Page 16) Children & Youth (Page 21) Administrative & Other Services (Page 23) Finance ( Page 27 onwards and the following Appendix

The world is emerging from two years of the Corona Virus Pandemic. All of us have been touched or affected in some way because of it. Things are slowly getting back to a normal that we can all live with. Sadly, there are other crises at war in the world as I write. We, as a church have responded in support of those affected by this unwarranted aggression.

What’s in a Name?

As you may have noticed in the title of this report, we are undergoing a bit of a change; and you may well ask, ‘why the change?’

100 years ago, last year, a church was planted in Headley Down, known as Stonehill Community Church. It was only a small wooden construction but it had big aspirations. It set down in trust deeds its purpose, to serve God, the people, and the local community. It was a nondenominational church, and welcomed anyone with faith who loved God and wanted to worship Him, regardless of their religious upbringing or denomination. A Community Church in Headley Down; and indeed, this became the name Headley Down Community Church when the hamlet of Headley Down was renamed in 1923 as the result of a Post Office exchange installation.

Headley Down Community Church continued to flourish until 1964, when powers that were then in control made the decision to rename the church ‘St Francis’. The church was, always has been,

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and remains an independent, non-denominational church at the centre of a community in which it is trust-bound to serve. It has been mentioned by some that the name ‘St Francis’ has leanings towards the Roman Catholic or other main stream denomination, which by the original Trust Deed it was not allowed to become. Therefore, to avoid confusion, and to make clear our future, outward-facing remit, we are returning to our roots, so to speak, and will again be known as ‘Headley Down Community Church’ . The church in HD. We do what it says on the tin. We sit at the centre of our community to provide constant support in practical and spiritual ways. Food Bank, Tuesday Chatterbox Club, monthly KraftiKids, Friday Coffee Time, monthly The Hub lunches, Big Breakfasts, now Big Brunches, festival events, and the list goes on. We know the community in which live and serve, and our community knows us as a centre of faith, trust, support, help in time of need and with a sense of belonging.

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Jesus knew his disciples, and they came to know Him. Jesus had many names, Master, Saviour, Messiah, Emmanuel, Lord, I am, Son of God, Son of Man. They were used on different occasions by himself and different people to describe our Lord and Master. It is still the same Jesus no matter what His title.

Although we have moved forward with the times, we are still the same church, with the same remit, albeit with a more modern outlook. To serve God, the people, and the community of Headley Down. Everything is in our name. We do everything in Jesus’ name.

Paul Whitley – Editor

(Front cover: This is a picture looking something like we expect things to be once the ‘St Francis’ signage has been changed.)

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1. Practical

The second year of the Covid pandemic over the last year, 2021 has meant that many of the activities that I would normally initiate and be responsible for were either modified or put on hold for a second year.

It was another year when we sought to remain motivated as a church, building each other up as best we could and continuing to serve the community in which we live. It was telling that on some occasions pretty much every activity needed to be put on hold but the one ministry that has never been interrupted throughout the pandemic is The Food Bank.

We acknowledged last year that in 2020 we had lost some people to other fellowships but in the last year (2021) we have added new folk to our numbers who have enriched us as a community. Every time new people come into the church, the church changes because of the additional diversity and we rejoice in that. It is a joy to see how Christ is building His church in Headley Down.

So, what did we do in 2021?

We were able to hold public showings of Season Two of "The Chosen" at the main church using the A/V facilities during June/July when we showed the first half of the season. We then followed up with the second half during September. All of the episodes were well attended, considering the nervousness in gathering because of the prevailing pandemic, with each event culminating in lively discussion.

The planned Alpha Course was unable to take place also due to uncertainty about gathering during 2021 and is now on course to be held after Easter, 2022, starting Tuesday, April 26th.

During the latter part of the year we were able to return to gathering the church on a regular weekly basis but under quite restrictive covid safeguarding conditions that meant it was not really conducive to the level of freedom that we would have more typically experienced. Government guidance for the safe use of places of worship at the time did not allow for public singing, which all of us found difficult. The winter months also proved challenging in terms of balancing good air flow and heating during the services. In addition, there were also times when local covid outbreaks meant that we decided to implement a so called "Fire Break" in order to minimise transmission of the virus as much as we could.

It was also during this last year that the structure of the church leadership changed inasmuch as the pastoral leaders asked me to take on the role of Pastor and this was acknowledged in a service of "commissioning" when Rev. Marion Warren inducted me into the role during one of our Big Breakfast events.

We held several fundraising events to the benefit of the church building fund and appointed an architect to conduct a feasibility study as to what we might be able to do and conversely what we might not be able to do on our church site.

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We celebrated the centenary of the founding of the church on Headley Down, which was originally planted in 1921. Called "Stonehill Community Church" at that time and later changed to "Headley Down Community Church" when Headley Down was created in response to the GPO needing a telephone exchange in the area. Still later, its name was changed again to St Francis Community Church. The church has always had a sharp focus on serving the community in which it is planted and so, in part to honour the original founders and avoid confusion as to what kind of church we might be, we recently approached the charity commission to re-instate the earlier name, "Headley Down Community Church" to which they agreed. This reverting to the earlier name really does give the church a focus and is understandable to everyone moving forward into the 21st century.

John Russell – Pastor March 2022

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Trustee Report.

During the last year the church was faced with many challenges, some caused by the pandemic, together with other challenges from the world, but the church on Headley Down remained faithful to its calling to serve our local community in the way Jesus – the creator of the world – would have us perform.

One of these challenges meant that changes had to be made to the way the leadership of the church functions, and so the Pastoral Leadership Team which was formed last year, all agreed to step up to become Trustees of the church in addition to their existing roles.

So we now have two teams working closely together – the Church Leadership Team (The CLT) who meet every two months to attend to the practical matters relating to all church activities, and this of course this includes the attendance of Allan Revers our excellent Treasurer to cover the necessary financial matters.

One major topic of discussion for this last year has been the proposed new building project where a Christian firm of architects have been engaged to provide us with a feasibility study on what we can achieve in securing a brand new building suitable for all we wish to do in the future, as sadly much of the old wooden structure standing since 1921 is no longer fit for purpose. As someone said – “it’s only being held together by the woodworm holding hands!”

The Pastoral Leadership Team (the PLT) however continue to meet at least every month to discuss and encourage one another in the Spiritual matters of the church, such as arranging the services, arranging our twice weekly prayer meetings, establishing outreach events such as the Alpha Course, the building of our Junior and Youth Church and so on.

The Trustees felt the time was right to appoint John Russell as Pastor of the church in recognition of all the time and effort he put in during the pandemic to ensure the church continued engaging with all its people through the online services and prayer times. All members of the PLT were pleased and grateful that John accepted this new position.

One new initiative during 2021 was the start of “You Talk ~ We Listen” – an arrangement where two people trained in listening, are available every Wednesday morning for people to drop in and let go of anything that is troubling them, and this initiative has been particularly important following the isolation many people have felt during lockdown periods and the pandemic in general. Always wanting to be available for local people to come and share their stories we started our “Wednesday Afternoon Tea and Chat” during the Food Bank distribution time on a Wednesday afternoon, and again the new “Coffee Time” on a Friday morning for local people to come together and enjoy one another’s company.

As has been written elsewhere we recently made an application to the Charity Commission to rename the church “Headley Down Community Church” to better reflect exactly who we are and what we stand for in this local community, and the Charity Commission having reviewed all that we

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seek to do were only too happy for this name to be re-established – as someone else has written the name reflects “what’s written on the tin.”

Moving further forward with the Charity Commission we are continuing our discussions to replace the original 1921 Trust Deed, which over time has become impractical in the running of the modern day church, with a newer structure called a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). The original Trust Deed having been written so long ago no longer reflects the way that a church – or come to that any other charitable trust – needs to act in this day and age.

Finally as Chair of Trustees I need to thank both Fiona and John Ryland who are stepping down as Trustees having served the church in this important role for many years. Their dedication and experience has been appreciated especially in building planning matters over a lengthy period. Fortunately both are happy to continue with other various roles both spiritually and practically as the church continues its mission and growth.

Overall this year has been a year of change, and a year of real blessing for this local church as we continue to move forward seeking to be God’s modern day disciples, called to show and share his love for all people.

Martin Firman ~ Chair of Trustees

Health and Safety

Health and Safety continues to be at the forefront of all our professional and practical work done at Headley Down Community Church.

The main aim, as before, is to try to utilise contractors who conform to current Health and Safety requirements especially as regards their documentation. This is more expensive than ‘doing it ourselves’ but with the new legislation such as CDM (Construction Design and Management) regulations and the requirement to be covered by professionals with standards and indemnities means that we have to increasingly consider these issues whenever the committee makes a decision. The church strives to adhere to and conform to H & S guidelines when dealing with contractors and our own volunteers alike. External contractors should have the appropriate insurance and safety measures in place. Any volunteer work in the church, such as work days, is preceded by an element of H&S awareness.

We resumed live services in October 2021, adhering to government guidelines on ventilation and face protection.

We have a Health and Safety policy document, a copy of which is on the main noticeboard. It would be worth looking at this notice before anyone goes ahead to do work in or on the building. Please could anyone who notices something that is unsafe or hazardous bring it to the attention of a committee member or Paul Whitley so that it can be sorted. The policy makes it clear that we are all involved in making sure our church premises are safe.

Pau l Whitley

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Safeguarding

Revd. Elizabeth Knifton is Safeguarding Coordinator with Cathie Russell as deputy.

We are members of thirtyone:eight, the safeguarding body that provides guidelines, policies and support.

Safeguarding is a necessary and important aspect of caring for all in our church community but especially children and vulnerable adults and so to this end, we continue to do all we can to provide a safe and suitable environment for the different activities and meetings that take place at and in the name of Headley Down Community Church.

This year we had 7 Individuals who took up the opportunity of refreshing their safeguarding training, (Basic and Advanced) and our thanks goes to Jean Pannell, The Methodist Circuit Safeguarding Officer who led us through the training. Many of our activities have resumed and care is taken to maintain good practice at all times.

The current Safeguarding Policy remains in place and will be approved and signed by the trustees for this coming year.

Revd. Elizabeth Knifton Cathie Russell Safeguarding Coordinator Deputy Safeguarding Coordinator

DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service)

Disclosures are required for all the Trustees, Leaders and those working in any capacity with children and vulnerable adults. A process of updating and applying for new applications continue throughout the year as required.

As new individuals join the family of the church and volunteer for roles relating to any of the above, a DBS application is required as stipulated in our Safeguarding Policy alongside the appropriate recruitment procedure (depending on the role). Renewal of each DBS will usually be done every 5 years, or can be checked at any time if an individual has registered on the Government Update Service online. The frequency of DBS applications and checks may be adjusted by the Safeguarding Officers and Trustees depending on changing recommendations at any given time.

Cathie Russell

Buildings

The church reopened for live services in October 2021. It was good to be back, albeit with restrictions.

Vestry Roof.

Following the resurfacing of the roof last year, the internal ceiling plasterboard has now been replaced, replastered and repainted, together with the window and window sill. Unfortunately, the room is still susceptible to a damp and musty feeling. This may be the result of little use and lack of heating in the room.

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Church Internet

The church has had an internet broadband system fitted in the recent past. This means we can finally access internet facilities which will help our communication with the outside world and make our many facilities, including worship, much more versatile.

Card Reading Facility

With the acquisition of the internet, we now have a credit/debit card reader available in church. A much simpler, quicker and contactless way to donate.

Church Heating

Church heating continues to be one of our major expenses in keeping the building fit for purpose. With this in mind, and using our internet facility, a new remote heating control system has been installed which can be operated from a mobile phone! This replaces the complicated system installed a few years ago that no-one understood. After one or two teething troubles, this is now functioning well, heating the church only when and where necessary, from the comfort of home.

Accessible Toilet

Last year, the toilet pan in the hall accessible toilet collapsed into the floor. This was the result of a poor plumbing job done years before, causing clean rinse water to leak from the waste outlet back onto the area surrounding the toilet pan. The floor became saturated.

The toilet was removed, the floor area removed and repaired, and the toilet replaced with a modern, close- coupled flush system. The plumbing fault was also rectified so

that waste water would flow correctly out of the building. Repainting is under way.

Coffee Time

With the reboot of Coffee Time, the hall was redecorated and made a friendly place to be. Thanks go to Cathie and her team who have put a lot of time and effort into making this renewed venture a success.

New Lights

There have been many complaints over the years about service leaders being seen in silhouette because of the light streaming through the arch window behind them. Also, the image displayed on

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the large screen is sometimes ‘washed out’ with light intrusion. New lights have been installed in an attempt to rectify this problem. Our thanks go to John Ryland and his assistant Keith for this valuable work.

Fence Posts

Fence posts to the main car park gates have been replaced with solid oak alternatives. The old post rotted at the base and snapped last Autumn. The new posts will outlast most of us!

Paul Whitley

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2. Spiritual

Pastoral Leadership Team

The Gathering.

The word "church" is derived from the word "ecclesia", which simply means "gathering". So, whenever there is a gathering of those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, it can rightly be considered to be church.

During the first year of the pandemic many of us needed to learn new skills and employ new technology in order to facilitate gathering together. The sheer amount of time dedicated to making online services happen during the seasons of lockdown eventually gave way in 2021 to "live" gatherings when the best of the learned technologies were still put to good. The online service is now designated to the occasional, preferring the dynamic of a live event and the way that the Lord interacts with His people in an ongoing basis. That is not to minimise the effectiveness of online meetings and in an ideal world with enough people, it would be great to cover a "both and" scenario.

The ability to gather people by using the technology afforded to us by using Zoom in the last two years has been invaluable and I can foresee us using this technology going forward into the future for business meetings, prayer meetings and any meeting that can be done at least as effectively online as it can, offline.

We continue to use the church family WhatsApp group to keep in touch and it's exciting to see the way that prayer needs are quickly brought to the fore using this medium. It has truly become an indispensable way of staying in touch.

The twice weekly Church Family Update email sent out to the church family was scaled back to once a week once we were able to meet "live" again and the same material is also posted in the WhatsApp group.

Special Love Offerings

On occasion we have responded to the needs of the wider world by raising funds in our gatherings for the benefit of others. Late last year after extensive flooding in the north of England, we donated a sum of money raised in the service to the community grocery stores administered by the Message Trust, who have a modus operandi not dissimilar to our own food bank.

On other occasions we have responded to disasters in Sierra Leone and other places.

More recently we have sent the largest sum we have ever raised to Samaritan's Purse in support of the people of Ukraine, to help fund a field hospital and work with refugees on the Romanian border.

These love offerings demonstrate the heart of Headley Down Community Church. We are not a wealthy church financially by any stretch but we do have a very big heart.

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Leading the church

The Pastoral Leadership Team have met every month, sometimes live but mostly in online meetings over the year and have overseen the many pastoral areas of the church, whether it be the services, special events, pastoral one on one meetings or whatever it might be. We are all encouraged to see what God is doing among us and watch with delight as He grows His church among us.

To conclude and to repeat what I said about 2020, 2021 was challenging for everyone but we have sensed the Lord's guidance throughout and found our place of security in Him. We have all felt that post pandemic, there will be many and different challenges as the people of Headley Down and the church seek to deal with a new normal. It won't be the same as before and that is a good thing. Isaiah 43:18,19 says, ‘ Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

The Lord is encouraging us to "seize the day". We will need to integrate much of what we have learned in the last year into church life as we move forward. This is as true this year as it was last year.

Music and Worship

We continue to worship God using the skills of the worship team with a combination of old and new songs, always in a contemporary style as best we can but also with a focus fixed on worshipping God, the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit. The style is simply a reflection of who we are and what we are becoming.

Thank you to all those who, as always have gone the extra mile in serving in this ministry, particularly when they had to be at the church for 9:15 to setup and rehearse. Our thanks go to Martin, Pauline, John and Fiona, Paul, Marc and Kieran.

Home Groups

November 2021 saw the return of the home group that Cathie and I host. In an albeit smaller group, we still manage to host up to 10-people if everyone turns up!

As always, the hallmark of this group is food, fun and laughter and to enjoy time with each other and with the Lord. We have focused these meetings looking again at whatever Sunday's subject matter has been and particularly take a deeper look at the readings as they relate to the subjects. We nearly always end in prayer for the needs of ourselves, the community or whatever the Lord leads us to pray into.

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Prayer

Personal and corporate prayer is the lifeblood of the church, and the oxygen that gives and sustains life. We continue to seek to encourage one another in our relationship with God through a variety of means and ask folk to avail themselves of opportunities to pray whenever they present themselves both privately and corporately. These days it means using video conferencing.

Prayer Meetings

The church prayer meetings have continued to benefit from the ability to gather folk online in the last year and although we did have a "live" half night of prayer in November, this is definitely one area that a "both and" approach is beneficial. The prayer meetings online continue to be the engine room of the church every Thursday and Saturday morning with occasional other times of special prayer implemented.

It is now a good six years since we started the church prayer meetings in such an intentional way and we still hold 2 Chronicles 7:14 as our call to pray for ourselves, our nation and the world.

John Russell – Pastor Pastoral Leadership Team

The Weekly Bulletin

The weekly bulletin lists those who have indicated a desire to be remembered in prayer and is refreshed largely on a monthly basis in order to keep the list meaningful. It also contains the weekly prayer diary and a list of upcoming events. Included are other items of interest to the members and friends of Headley Down Community Church. The weekly bulletin is posted on the Headley Down Community Church website and is currently also emailed to the wider church family.

John Russell

Samaritans Purse (Shoe Box Appeal)

During a very difficult time throughout the world, it might seem that our Samaritans Purse appeal would falter due to lack of regular services in the church. It is a testament to the dedication of Linda and her team that the Shoe box Appeal flourished as well as ever. Items, gifts of cash and an army of knitters supplied material to fill the boxes via Linda’s home. Many people donated money, which enabled us to buy any extra items to complete boxes. Many ladies used their time in lock down knitting and crocheting hats, scarves and gloves and we had enough for every box that was sent out. We also sent out crocheted hearts which went in every box. A symbol of love, in any language!

This year, we sent out 201 boxes which was truly amazing bearing in mind the circumstances. St Luke’s Church joined forces with us and supplied 28 boxes. This year, the boxes from our area

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were sent to Liberia

Despite all odds, the numbers of boxes exceeded all expectation and was better than last year! So, thank you to everyone who donated and helped pack the boxes ready for delivery. Keep knitting and we look forward to sending more boxes to children again in 2022.

Linda Wickenden & Pauline Firman

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3. Community

Outreach

Reaching out to neighbours and friends is an important part of the life of a church and for us, it is demonstrated with many of the activities described elsewhere in this report. To share our faith and the Good News of Jesus Christ is one of the highest callings of a Christian Community and a response to Jesus’ call to “Go make disciples” in Matthew 28:18-20

The place where relationships are built is the place where “good news” can take root over time. It is important to understand that seed takes time to grow. Relationships are built slowly and don’t happen instantly. What we seek to do is seize the moment when that moment comes and not back off sharing our faith with others. Those of us who have discovered the amazing truth about Jesus must all recognise that we have responsibility in this.

Moving forward from a season of "social distancing" into one of social interaction, means that we have new opportunities to seize, so even if it is inviting your friends and neighbours to one of the many social events that come up in the church calendar and particularly, The Alpha Course, due to start in April 2022 or even, when it comes, season three of The Chosen. Seize those opportunities. It should be the most natural thing in the world.

We have described ourselves as a "Come and See!" Church after the way that Philip introduced Nathaniel to Jesus in John chapter one. It's as simple as that. All we ask people to do is come and see what this Jesus means to us and how he can change the lives of others too.

John Russell - Pastor

Pastoral Co-Ordinator

As Pastoral Co-Ordinator I oversee any pastoral needs of the church. There is an informal structure of pastoral care in place within the home groups and various interest and friendship groups, and generally this works extremely well with people looking out and caring for one another. However, with the church continuing to develop and grow, it is important to have a point of contact, to ensure that no-one is missed.

The aim of pastoral care is to offer friendship and support to everyone within the fellowship and give assistance, where appropriate, to anyone who is struggling whether due to illness or isolation.

As the year progressed, we were able to hold face to face services and restart some of the social groups of the church once more. This has been helpful to some who have felt lonely or isolated. You Talk, We Listen is also an opportunity for those needing a chance to sit and talk at a deeper level.

Thank you to all those who have kept in regular contact with individuals by phone and have drawn those who are lonely into the social circle of the church.

Cathie Russell Mobile: 07964 764494.

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You Talk. We Listen

This is a new ministry the Church started following the

last traumatic two years. It takes place at the Church giving individuals the opportunity to talk and be heard in a confidential setting. At the moment we are available on Wednesday mornings

from 10.30-13.00.

Mental wellbeing is so important and talking is found to be very helpful.

The Volunteers are listeners with extensive training, so why not come along and talk. We’ll listen.

Revd Elizabeth Knifton (Pastoral Leadership Team)

Food Bank

The Food Bank has continued throughout the trials and tribulations of Covid, providing bags of food for families every week.

Our team of volunteers has changed throughout the year and we thank Helen and Steve Ford for their help over the last few years, especially during lockdown. We now operate on Wednesdays only. Our

team arrives at 8.30 am ready to receive a delivery from Fareshare and spends the rest of the

morning packing bags ready for collection between 1-3pm.

We have reinstated our tea/coffee afternoon and our thanks go to Linda Wickenden for providing this facility which is proving very popular. Not just with Food Bank people but anyone who likes to come along for a chat.

At the time of writing, we are helping 59 families which consists of 88 adults and 88 children, so numbers are still high.

Financial donations have been very supportive. Actual food donations have dropped and so we are buying in more food. We buy in fresh fruit and vegetables from Country Market each week and shop at Lidl’s for tins etc. We have continued to provide help with gas/electricity and also Tesco vouchers for some families who are struggling.

At Christmas time we gave out hampers and the children came to visit Father Christmas in his grotto. Each child took a present home with them.

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Thanks go to everyone who has helped and supported the Food Bank in any way, enabling us to continue helping families throughout 2021.

Pauline Firman - Food Bank Co-ordinator

Coffee Time

This year, once lockdown was over, Coffee Plus was revamped and renamed as Coffee Time and started afresh on Friday mornings at 10.30am.

The notice boards were repainted and filled with colourful and warm content, along with the Prayer Board, to give the hall a brighter feel.

Fresh coffee and cakes, often homemade, are served each time. We are open to the community and continue to encourage neighbours and contacts to use the facilities and pop in for a cuppa and company. However, this is not a business venture and donations only are accepted for the refreshments.

We were delighted and thankful to have received funding from Councillor Anthony Williams, from his Councillor Community Grant Scheme for £400 to purchase 6 round Bistro tables to add to the cafe style of the morning and these are now available for use. The new tables will also be light and easy to store in a smaller space.

Cathie Russell

The Hub

The Hub started again in September, after Covid, and we have been offering various light lunches ranging from Jacket Potatoes with various fillings, Quiche, home- made soup and a choice of home- made cakes, all at a cost of £1.50, including tea and coffee.

Pauline Firman

Chatterboxes

I’m Julie, a local mum that loves crafts and all things homemade. I approached the church leadership teams to see if I could run a craft group for the community.

Chatterboxes then became the new group. I wasn’t sure if this would take off but to my surprise on the first session, I had 7 new friends to meet. Now 2 months on we get together between 10-12 on a Tuesday morning in term time. There is plenty of refreshment to enjoy. I ask for £1 per person per week and all of that goes straight back to the church. I have also created a Facebook page for anyone to join. This works well for the group as it provides information on craft events, and lets others know what is going on. I appreciate that some members of the community can’t always get to groups due to the location or relying on public transport etc., so having a family member of one of our members approach me and say how wonderful it is for her mum, how much enjoyment mum

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gets out of it was such a positive vibe to be sent to us.

We have different crafts or hobby’s going on from dress making to beaded sewing, crochet to drawing. I will welcome anyone who wants to join in to craft or just come along to chat. It really does mean the world to me to see us all come together and being able to enjoy each other’s company. Julie Cook

Christmas Craft Fayre

On 4[th] December we held a Christmas Craft Fayre in the church. The hall and church were decorated throughout with Christmas decorations which blended well with the life- sized nativity stable. There were 13 stalls plus a Santa’s Grotto and raffle. Each child who visited Santa left with an appropriately aged gift. Raffle prizes were varied and included a toy carousel and a wonderfully decorated cake. There was a variety of home- made crafts, woodcraft and Christmas gift themed

stalls. We raised £372.70 for the Building Fund on the day and an anonymous donor kindly

gave us a further £400 to match our efforts bringing the total to £772.70. My thanks go to Eileen Matthews, my co co-ordinator who helped tremendously with the organisation. We all enjoyed the day and look forward to arranging another Christmas Fayre in 2022.

Sarah Palmer

Farm/Allotment News

Throughout 2021 videos were taken of what was happening at Sarah’s allotment and smallholding and shown on our streamed Sunday services. We began with work on the allotment including planting, and after expanding, preparing areas for planting of vegetables and flowers. I was also involved in looking after a small number of sheep and it transpired that I was eventually put in sole charge

of these, including some Alpacas. The sheep and alpacas kept everyone entertained during the lockdown months. The sheep continue to keep everyone entertained, especially as we are now into lambing season.

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During the year I sold home grown plants and fruit and vegetable produce from the farm and was able to raise £365 for the Building Fund.

Sarah Palmer

Headley Down Nature Reserve

We were invited by Headley Down Nature Reserve to have a tree dedicated to the church. A small group of church members gathered with the curator, Angela Jackson to have an Acer dedicated in our name. We took along some spring bulbs to plant round the base of the tree. They have probably blossomed by now.

Paul Whitley

One Wedding and a Funeral

Martin and Alisha Taylor

The church was finally able to welcome Martin and Alisha Taylor to the church for their marriage ceremony. They had been waiting a while due to Covid lockdowns and cancellations. It was a very joyous ceremony with the reception in the hall afterwards. Hopefully the first of many weddings in the church to come.

John Wickenden

Sadly, Linda Wickenden lost her husband, John, after a long illness. He had been resident in a care home for a long time. The funeral was held in church with Martin Firman as the celebrant. The service was attended by close family and church members in support of Linda and her family.

Paul Whitley

Community Communication

Website:

www.stfrancisheadleydown.com is shortly to be replaced by www.headleydown.com to reflect the church’s name change. Julian Gilbertson, who joined the Communications Team is writing the new site in Wix, which is easier to work with and keep secure than is WordPress.

John Ryland

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4 Children & Youth

Youth Church - Girls Together

Over this past year, with Lockdown in place, we saw our group of young people grow up and move on with no opportunity to meet together regularly. However, it has been wonderful to hear how they are progressing and becoming young adults exploring future possibilities for themselves.

We now have a new generation of young people attending Junior Church. The age range is large and those more senior members over the age of 10 were needing a separate group of their own. So, as all the children are girls, we have now formed 'Girls Together' and meet monthly, every third Sunday, in the Cabin. I am joined by Caroline Berwick and Fiona Ryland to help run the group, where together we spend time chatting, playing games and discussing our faith and everything inbetween!

It is early days yet with 4 girls participating, so we look forward to seeing how the group grows and evolves during this coming year.

Cathie Russell

KraftiKids & KraftiTots

KraftiKids and KraftiTots started meeting again in October after a long break because of Covid and this meant that we didn’t have our usual seaside trip to Southsea during 2021. Our numbers have fallen – this is due to the fact that a lot of older

children have left and we have not replaced them with KraftiTots. We did, however, hold our usual Christmas morning, followed by our Nativity and completed the morning’s activities with a Covid safe lunch.

We are

continuing to offer varied activities with both Christian themes and other activities and judging by recent

attendances we will go from strength to strength as the year moves forward.

Pauline Firman

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Junior Church

Junior church has continued to thrive of late with a regular group of about six children each session. Themes have been topical and based on popular bible stories. Teaching has been enhanced in some sessions with the use of technology, showing videos and pictures to keep young minds motivated. Thanks go to the Junior Church team, coordinated by Eileen Matthews, which include Louise, Valentina, Fiona and Julie C. Thank you for their hard work and dedication in this valuable vocation.

Eileen Matthews

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5 Administrative & Other Services

Hall Bookings

Throughout the year, the hall can be booked out to members of the church and the wider community for both one-off functions or as a regular booking. For most of this past year, it has not been possible to hire out the hall, either because it has been unavailable due to church use or because of lockdown restrictions and advisory guidelines.

However, one regular outside booking has now re-commenced alongside the different activities hosted by the church. Bookings are fitted in between the different church activities which utilise the hall regularly throughout the week.

A simple Conditions of Hire and Booking Form is completed for each booking and payment is usually taken in cash.

Bookings can be made via me, the hall bookings manager on 07964764494 or email: hallbookings@stfrancisheadleydown.com

Cathie Russell

Church Cleaning

The church has been cleaned regularly each week and in March 2022, we held a Work Day when extra cleaning and tidying up was completed. The church has been thoroughly cleaned for any live services during the government guidelines that took place between lockdowns. I am pleased to say that normal cleaning duties have now resumed.

Eileen Matthews

Lighting and Audio-Visual Infrastructure

We have fitted two powerful lights behind the projector screen to provide better illumination for the musicians and to help prevent them looking like silhouettes when there is strong light coming through the semi-circular window.

Projector operation has been simplified by routing the sound through the HDMI outputs of the computers, rather than by using a separate audio jack.

John Ryland

Wi-Fi:

The extender is providing good coverage in the hall, but we will need to add an extender to the existing extender to reach the new cabin.

John Ryland

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Signage

Changing the wording on the Beech Hill/Eddey’s Lane sign is not overly complicated, but changing the lettering on the front of the building from “St Francis Church” to “Headley Down Community Church” will need more thought because of the shape of the space.

John Ryland

Echo Dot Smart Speaker in Church Hall

We now have an Echo Dot with Amazon Alexa Smart Assistant in the Church Hall. Its primary function is to provide background music, but it can provide information from the Internet on a simple Q and A basis. It is signed into an account that is registered in the name of Francis Headley Down and at the time of writing, this account has no capability to spend money, which means it cannot provide certain premium services, such as playing songs by song or artist title.

It is also important to remember that Alexa lacks the ability to provide in-depth answers. For example, it can tell you how many days there are until Christmas, which it supplements with a Cracker Joke and a Santa laugh. However, if it is asked about the difference between Calvinism and Arminianism, it answers, “According to thescienceforum.com: Calvinism, as well as Arminianism, is a very complex systemisation of Christianity.” and then falls silent at the point where the answer is starting to become interesting.

John Ryland

NEW CHURCH BUILDING – What’s the vision?

Forty years (1982-2022) is a long gestation period to design and build a new church on Headley Down. During that time, a large number of people have come and gone as church members, including those who still count themselves as members after 30-40-50 years. They are no longer part of our regular Sunday congregation but are members of our church. We still honour them.

During those 40 years there have been some four or five attempts to rebuild the church. All have sadly floundered. Over the years various people have sought to lead the project. In February 2021, Julian Gilbertson and Paul Grant were commissioned by church leadership to undertake a radical new reappraisal of the opportunities and difficulties. Julian & Paul undertook a comprehensive site study with several local companies. This included the possibility of relocating the church, selling land, campus development and more. In the end the TPO (tree preservation order) restrictions meant that we could only build on the present footprint. In reality, because of Julian’s work commitments, it fell to Paul to do most of the many hours work on this and subsequent matters.

The next stage was to invite 4 architects and 5 design and build contractors to quote for a feasibility study. An experienced specialist church architect, Jeremy Bell (JKBS Architects) was appointed in August 2021 to work with us.

Over the years the vision for the project has changed. For example, there has grown a greater willingness to use the main church for social events as well as worship. The 2010 plans did not include a Food Bank which are now front and central to plans currently under development. The 2014 plans approved by EHDC planning dept were not activated because of the challenges of fundraising.

24

In the first three months of this year, work with Jeremy has resulted in a fresh approach with version 4 plans currently in development. Julian and Paul are due to receive the completion of the architect’s feasibility study before Easter. Jeremy (the architect) has forewarned us that he is not the cheapest firm in the marketplace and that construction costs have increased significantly since the beginning of the New Year. In view of this Julian and Paul have felt it prudent to research two cheaper design and build versions. Should it prove that JKBS architects are too expensive, there are alternative approaches being considered in the background.

Fundraising

Various in-house initiatives have taken place in the last 6-8 months to raise funds, which has been greatly appreciated. We now need to address the projected, significant shortfall before contractors can start on site. Church leadership has recognised the need to investigate the potential possibilities of professional fundraising assistance beyond the conclusion of the feasibility study, when we will have a clear financial picture.

We await with excitement as we draw this feasibility study to a close and look forward to embarking on a sustained period of fundraising as we wait on the Lord’s guidance for our new church building in Headley Down.

Paul M. Grant March 2022

Fundraising for The Building - Update

As Fundraising Co-Ordinator, my job is to work on a fundraising strategy to enable the church to raise funds for the planned building initiative. This involves organising and helping with fundraising activities which includes fundraising events, grant applications, recruiting volunteers and coordinating their work, planning donation campaigns and working towards targets.

Until we have an agreed building plan, we are unable to work on any grant applications. This is where most of our finance is likely to come from. In the meantime, live events and initiatives can bring in smaller amounts of money, raise awareness and interest and will all help to increase the fund.

As soon as the church began to open up for meetings, fundraising opportunities were finalised and our first event was an outside Table Top Sale and BBQ in August. The weather was fine and dry and it was a lovely day and raised £667.

The second fundraiser was the Christmas Fayre in early December, organised by Sarah Palmer and Eileen Matthews. This was a delightful, seasonal event and along with a matching donation, raised £773.

The most recent event was a Dinner and Music Evening in March. A three- course dinner was served, thanks to cooks Steve & Jan Cooper and Sheila Harding. The music was provided by

25

acoustic band, Baby Face Nelson and

included John Russell. The evening had a real party atmosphere, with opportunity to sing along and for some, to dance the night away. This event raised £1050.

Due to Covid restrictions, the Centenary Service and Carols- By -Candlelight were smaller events than initially intended and so the planned fundraising collections did not take place.

In addition to these events our Carpenter and Handy Man Extraordinaire, Paul Whitley, used his skills for a number of repairs, raising money for the building fund in the process. This, along with individual donations and Amazon Smile has raised our Fundraising Thermometer up a few more notches. The final total of our fundraising endeavours this year is confirmed by our Treasurer in his report.

Thank you to everyone who has organised, participated, helped and attended these initiatives. If you would like to organise a fundraising idea, please contact me and I would be delighted to give you any help and support required.

Cathie Russell

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6. FINANCE

General Fund Income and Expenditure

Thank you to all donors for your generous giving during 2021. Although church activity was again curtailed for some periods of the year, income from standing orders and gift aid continued. It was enhanced by some additional donations.

The chart below shows how the incoming resources were used. Expenditure on utilities and cleaning was lower than usual due to periods when the church was closed. Costs included a £2,200 provision towards the legal fees that will be incurred for a planned transition to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation subject to approval.

Food Bank Fund

The Food Bank was superbly supported by the community through personal and corporate donations and by the teams of unpaid volunteers who run the operation. Our thanks go to all donors for their kind and generous contributions and to our volunteers for their commitment to the cause.

Total income was a record £34,232 including £5,506 granted by the Hampshire and Isle of White Community Foundation and £1,500 granted by East Hampshire District Council.

Local families were supported with food, food vouchers and utility payments, a total cost of £14,763. Other expenditure included FareShare distribution fees of £2,119, a new Fridge and some minor Covid-precaution and administration costs.

The Cabin

The Cabin was completed with a gross asset value of £17,508 and will be depreciated over 20 years starting in 2021. It was used exclusively for the Food Bank operation in 2021 but it will also accommodate Youth Activity in future.

Building Fund

The Building Project was re-booted in 2021 and received donations of £38,725 including gift aid. Two fundraising events yielded £1,440. Interest received from bank deposits was £1,183 and sundry income was £63. The net addition to the fund after planning and design expenditure of £4,178 was £37,232.

Gift Aid

Gift Aid of £7,417 was recovered from HMRC for the tax year 2020-21. This was allocated to general, food bank and building funds in proportion to the underlying donations received. We are very grateful to all who gift-aid their donations to the church. The figure quoted includes the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme which applies to anonymous individual cash donations up to £30 each.

Reserves

The General Fund is unrestricted and represents the financial reserves of the church. It is available for all general expenses incurred by the Church. The total on 31[st] December 2021 was £41,370.

The Food Bank and Building Funds are restricted. The closing values carried forward were £27,669 and £191,076 respectively.

Statement of Financial Activities and Balance Sheet

Accounts for the year ended 31[st] Dec 2021 are in the appendix to this report. The accounts include the name change to Headley Down Community Church that was registered with the Charities Commission in 2022.

Allan Revers, Treasurer

Headley Down Community Church Registered Charity No.1095819

Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2021

Page 2 Statement of Financial Activities
Page 3 Balance Sheet
Pages 4-6 Notes to the Accounts
Page 7 Examiner’s Report

Page 1 of 7

HEADLEY DOWN COMMUNITY CHURCH – Registered Charity No.1095819

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES for the year ended 31[st] December 2021

Incoming Resources
Collections at Church
Collections Direct to Bank
Sub Total
Donations
Grants (Note 2)
Legacies
Fundraising and Events
San Fran Clubs
Gift Aid (Note 7)
Hall Lettings
Sundry Income
Interest received
Total Incoming Resources
Resources Used
Pastor and Expenses
Food Purchases
Food Distribution Costs
Administration Costs
Design and Planning Costs
Legal Fees
IT and Website
Electricity and Water
Insurance
Cleaning
Property Repairs & Mtce
Grounds Maintenance
Fixed Asset Depreciation
Fundraising / Events
Expenses
Krafti Kids and Youth Activities
Outward Giving (Note 3)
Total Resources Used
Net Movement In Funds		 General
Funds		 Food Bank
Funds		 Building
Funds		 Total 2021 Total 2020
£ £ £ £ £
641.97
22,536.00		 1,744.71 2,386.68
22,536.00		 2,993.42
17,925.00
23,177.97
465.00
283.84
190.93
3,551.27
168.00
86.10
30.16		 1,744.71
24,436.50
7,006.00
1,044.64		 35,903.81
1,439.90
2,821.02
62.70
1,183.13		 24,922.68
60,805.31
7,289.84
0.00
1,630.83
0.00
7,416.93
168.00
148.80
1,213.29		 20,918.42
14,694.07
1,000.00
2,250.00
474.26
417.25
5,007.72
190.00
310.21
2,072.75
27,953.27 34,231.85 41,410.56 103,595.68 47,334.68
14,945.35
346.25
489.83
2,794.00
851.63
1,397.45
886.19
1,052.69
461.78
615.00
875.39
268.14
208.84
2,700.00		 4,121.32
2,119.00
68.90
256.00
436.43
10,605.50		 46.50
4,131.80		 14,945.35
4,467.57
2,119.00
605.23
4,131.80
2,794.00
851.63
1,397.45
886.19
1,308.69
898.21
615.00
875.39
268.14
208.84
13,305.50		 15,081.86
1,206.49
1,183.12
1031.55
501.48
1,510.42
868.94
713.30
6,766.73
595.43
176.05
20.80
8,220.77
27,892.54 17,607.15 4,178.30 49,677.99 37,876.94
60.73 16,624.70 37,232.26 53,917.69 9,457.74

Page 2 of 7

HEADLEY DOWN COMMUNITY CHURCH – Registered Charity No.1095819

BALANCE SHEET at 31[st] December 2021

Fixed Assets (Note 4)
Current Assets (Note 7)
Bank Current Accounts
Cambridge & Counties Bank
Redwood Bank
Saffron Building Society
Nationwide Business Savings
Ecology Building Society
Cash in Hand
Total Current Assets
Current Liabilities (Note 5)
Deferred Income (Note 6)
Total Assets
Reserves
Surplus for year
Brought forward
Total Reserves
Represented by(Note 8)
Unrestricted Funds
Restricted Funds
Total Funds		 General
Funds		 Food Bank
Funds		 Building
Funds		 Total
2021		 Total
2020
£ £ £ £ £
16,632.34
22,683.74
14,629.05
217.97		 27,401.11
267.64		 67.25
83,500.00
75,026.85
32,481.66		 16,632.34
22,750.99
83,500.00
75,026.85
32,481.66
42,030.16
485.61		 17,362.77
2,974.14
83,500.00
42,000.00
70,307.35
389.50
37,530.76
(10927.00)
(1866.16)		 27,668.75 191,075.76 256,275.27
(10927.00)
(1866.16)		 199,170.99
(8837.00)
(1500.00)
41,369.94 27,668.75 191,075.76 260,114.45 206,196.76
60.73
41,309.21		 16,624.70
11,044.05		 37,232.26
153,843.50		 53,917.69
206,196.76		 9,457.74
196,739.02
41,369.94 27,668.75 191,075.76 260,114.45 206,196.76
41,369.94 27,668.75 191,075.76 41,369.94
218,744.51		 41,309.21
164,887.55
41,369.94 27,668.75 191,075.76 260,114.45 206,196.76

Page 3 of 7

HEADLEY DOWN COMMUNITY CHURCH – Registered Charity No.1095819

Notes to the Accounts

1) Accounting Policies

The financial statement has been prepared in accordance with UK Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice

2) Grants

A Grant of £650 to General Funds was received from the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation (HIWCF) for Krafti-Kids expenditure. A total of £208.84 was used in 2021 and a balance of £441.16 was carried forward in deferred income. The Food Bank received grants of £5,506 from the HIWCF and £1,500 from East Hampshire District Council. Income also included deferred grants of £75 from 2020 (see note 6).

3) Outward Giving

Charity
Action For Children
Acorn Healing
R British Legion Poppy Appeal
Connect
Crisis
Christians Against Poverty
Church Mission Society
DEC Coronavirus Appeal
Home-Start Hampshire
Hope For Justice
Kings World Trust for Children
Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice
Samaritan's Purse
Sightsavers
Step By Step Aldershot
Street Angels Guildford
Support EFSL (Sierra Leone)
Tear Fund
The Matrix Trust Guildford
Together for Short Lives
World Vision UK
Others
Food Bank Recipients:
Food Vouchers
Utility Cards
Other Support
School Uniforms
Total Outward Giving		 General
Funds		 Food Bank
Funds		 Total 2021 Total 2020
£ £ £
100.00
100.00
100.00
300.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
150.00
100.00
150.00
100.00
200.00
100.00
150.00
150.00
200.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00		 7,745.00
2,600.00
240.00
20.50		 100.00
100.00
100.00
300.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
150.00
100.00
150.00
100.00
200.00
100.00
150.00
150.00
200.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
7,745.00
2,600.00
240.00
20.50		 100.00
300.00
150.00
100.00
100.00
150.00
100.00
150.00
150.00
200.00
100.00
150.00
150.00
100.00
100.00
300.00
3,725.00
1,880.00
215.77
2,700.00 10,605.50 13,305.50 8,220.77

Page 4 of 7

HEADLEY DOWN COMMUNITY CHURCH – Registered Charity No.1095819

Notes to the Accounts - continued

4) Fixed Assets

Fixed Assets represents the expenditure on a wooden cabin erected in the church grounds for use by the Food Bank and for Youth Activities. It has an estimated useful life of 20 years and is depreciated on a straight line basis with zero residual value.

Fixed
Assets		 Gross Asset
Value		 Accumulated
Depreciation		 Depreciation
Charge in 2021		 Net Asset
Value
£ £ £ £
Cabin 17,507.73 0.00 875.39 16,632.34

5) Current Liabilities

Property Repairs &
Maintenance Provision
Legal Fees Provision
Accruals
Total		 General
Funds		 Food Bank
Funds		 Building
Funds		 Total
2021		 Total
2020
£ £ £ £ £
(7000.00) (7000.00) (7000.00)
(2200.00) (2200.00)
(1727.00) (1727.00) (1837.00)
(10927.00) 0.00 0.00 (10927.00) (8837.00)

Property Repairs and Maintenance Provision

The church and hall buildings are old and require a significant level of ongoing repairs and maintenance. Until they are rebuilt a general provision of £7,000 is held to help mitigate the financial impact of any substantial repairs and maintenance in any one year.

Legal Fees Provision

It is planned to restructure the church entity from an Unincorporated Charity to a new Charitable Incorporated Organisation subject to Charity Commission approval. An initial provision of £2,200 has been made in 2021 towards the anticipated legal costs.

Accruals

Page 5 of 7

HEADLEY DOWN COMMUNITY CHURCH – Registered Charity No.1095819

Notes to the Accounts - continued

6) Deferred Income

Deferred
Income		 B/fwd
at 01/01/21		 Additions To Income
in 2021		 C/fwd at
31/12/21
£ £ £ £
Cabin Grants (1,500.00) (0.00) 75.00 (1,425.00)
Krafti Kids Grant (0.00) (650.00) 208.84 (441.16)
Total (1,500.00) (650.00) 283.84 (1,866.16)

Grants received from East Hampshire District Council and the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation for the Cabin in 2020 are accounted for as deferred income and amortised to income over 20 years in line with the estimated life of the Cabin.

A Grant of £650 received from the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Community Foundation in 2021 for the Krafti Kids activity was partly deferred and the used portion included in income in line with expenditure incurred.

7) Gift Aid

Income includes gift aid received for the tax year ended 5[th] April 2021. Current Assets do not include a debtor amount for the gift aid recoverable on eligible donations from 6[th] April to 31[st] December 2021. This amount will be claimed for the tax year ended 5[th] April 2022 and included within income in the 2022 accounts.

8) Funds

9) Change of Name

The name of the registered charity was changed by a trustee resolution dated 13[th] January 2022 and the Charities Commission in England & Wales has updated the public register accordingly. The previous name was St Francis Community Church.

Page 6 of 7

HEADLEY DOWN COMMUNITY CHURCH – Registered Charity No.1095819

Independent examiner’s report on the accounts

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Headley Down Community Church (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 December 2021

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Chartered Certified Accountant Coppice Wood 30 Fairview Road Headley Down Hants GU35 8HG

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