2022-12-31-accounts - Headley Down Community Church

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HEADLEY DOWN COMMUNITY CHURCH

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Headley Down Community Church

Eddeys Lane, Headley Down, GU35 8HU

www.hdcc.uk

Registered Charity No. 1095819

Headley Down Community Church Team HDCC ~ �The Church in HD�

Trustees

� Martin Firman Chair of Trustees

Pauline Firman

Rev Elizabeth Knifton

Marc Nuttall

Cathie Russell

Pastoral Leadership Team

� John Russell Lead Pastor

Martin Firman

Pauline Firman

Rev Elizabeth Knifton

Marc Nuttall

Cathie Russell

Treasurer

Allan Revers

Pastoral Care and Hall Bookings - Safeguarding Co ordinator - Junior Church Co ordinator Buildings Manager Health & Safety Officer - Food Bank Co ordinator

Cathie Russell

Rev. Elizabeth Knifton Eileen Matthews Paul Whitley Paul Whitley Pauline Firman

ANNUAL REPORT - APRIL 2023

INTRODUCTION

The Annual Report for 2022-2023 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 4)
Spiritual	(Page 12)
Community	(Page 15)
Children & Youth	(Page 22)
Administrative & Other Services	(Page 24)
Finance	(Pages 26 and Appendix 1)

In a year when life got back to something approaching normal, one event has dominated the news �� . R�� U�� . T�� sign of any ceasefire or an end to the aggr�� P�� P�� . �� U�� , �� U�� and repel the might of Russia. There have been many casualties, both Russian and Ukrainian, and sadly many Ukrainian civilians. The western world has responded with military aid and medical assistance. The UK, together with other leading countries, held out a hand of welcome and friendship to Ukrainian refugees. At this time, we all know someone, who knows someone from U��. O�� Ukrainian refugees, local to us, can come and meet. More about that inside.

In the cost-of-living crisis in which we find ourselves, it gets increasingly difficult for our families, those hosting Ukrainian families, and those in our community to make ends meet. HDCC is always here for them.

Paul Whitley � Editor

1. Practical

This has been a year when things got back to somewhere near normal in the general run of things. Unfortunately, 2022 will always be remembered for the Russian invasion of Ukraine; and the way the UK, with the rest of the western world, responded with aid, both financial and communal. Headley Down Community Church became a big part of drive to include those Ukrainian folk who were displaced from their own, war-torn country. The church raised funds to send for relief work. It was

also instrumental in creating a Ukrainian Hub where some Ukrainian families could meet while settling into a new, but strange environment.

It was a year when we sought to become motivated again as a church, building each other up as best we could and continuing to serve the community in which we live.

The Food Bank continued to thrive, catering for a growing need as a cost-of-living crisis developed across the country.

We continue to add 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 2022?

It was a year when we celebrated Queen Elizabeth II jubilee, reigning for seventy years. She will remain the longest serving monarch to eternity. The Church celebrated with a traditional garden party attended by many in the community.

Sadly, it was also the year when Her Majesty died while at Balmoral, in Scotland. The church remembered her dedication to duty till the very end, to her unwavering faith as head of our Christian Church and as a servant of the people to which she was dedicated. The church obtained and issued small commemorative booklets detailing her dedication.

It was a pleasure to see more of our church community dedicate their lives to Christ by being baptized in the River Wey in R��.M�� garden. We celebrated with tea in the church grounds after the Baptism ceremony.

Martin and Pauline Firman invited us all to celebrate the milestone of their 50[th] Wedding

Anniversary celebration. Again, the church came together as one.

The church went through a major transformation in 2022, with a newly refurbished kitchen with commercial cooking, cleaning and dish washing facilities. With the �� strong food ministry, this is a big step forward in supplying hot food at some of our celebrations and gatherings. It has also made Winter Warmers possible to function as well as it does.

Last year saw the Alpha Course introduce many to a deeper reality and the showing of The Chosen has invited people to "look again" at the Jesus they thought they knew and discover a new insight. This is our DNA and will inform what we do in the coming year.

John Russell � Pastor

March 2023

Trustee Report.

During the last year, as the church came out of the pandemic, we were pleased to be able to start gathering together again, both for our church services, and also for all the other times we are able to meet together in the church buildings. This has enabled us to come collectively into the church or the hall for so many different occasions, and the church buildings seem to have come alive again.

The world during this last twelve months has been faced with many challenges, some caused by R�� U��, �� price rises, and some caused by the anxiety that both adults and children seem to have experienced after coming out of the lock down and lack of socialising caused by the pandemic.

But the church on Headley Down has remained faithful to its calling to serve all our local community in the way Jesus � the creator of the world � would have us perform. � So, we have two teams working closely together the Church Leadership Team (The CLT) and the Pastoral Leadership Team (The PLT) who meet regularly to attend to the both the spiritual and practical matters relating to all church activities. The CLT Meeting of course includes the attendance of Allan Revers, our excellent Treasurer, to cover the necessary financial matters. One continuing and major topic of discussion for this last year has been the proposed new building project where a Christian firm of architects were 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. Sadly, much of the old wooden structure which has been standing since 1921 is no longer really fit � for purpose. As someone once said �� !�

Coming out of the pandemic, the price of building materials, and labour charges have increased significantly and after consulting with a new firm of project managers, we sadly do not feel able at the present time to proceed with the building project as quickly as we hoped. We are however holding various fund -raising activities and slowly raising funds for the project to take place as soon as we are in a position to do so.

In light of the above, and as you will read elsewhere, we have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to completely strip out and refurbish the whole kitchen area with stainless steel

surfaces and shelving, a new cooker and commercial dishwasher to make it fresh and clean to cater for all the feeding events we hold in the church and hall.

Feeding of the people both spiritually and physically has always been an important aspect of church life at HDCC, with main meals prepared for the start of the ten weeks of the Alpha Course, and new initiatives such as the Winter Warmers, where people from the community are welcome to come into the hall on a Wednesday lunchtime for a hot lunch and spend time together in warmth and comfort and a time to talk.

The Trustees have been pleased to see that the appointment of John Russell as Pastor of the church has gone very well. Particularly, in recognition of all the time and effort he put in during the pandemic, and since, to ensure the church continued engaging with all its people through the online services and prayer times which have continued. We see growth in both the church numbers and even more so in the Spiritual dynamic. With Rev Elizabeth Knifton and others on the Pastoral Leadership Team we are truly blessed in our leadership.

Finally, as Chair of Trustees I need to thank Julian Gilbertson who owing to his work and family responsibilities has required to step down as a Trustee for the time being. His dedication in serving the church in this important role for some time has been much appreciated. Julian is nevertheless engaged in other church matters, most notably the weekly maintenance of, and keeping fresh our excellent new webpage

Overall, this year has been another year of change, as the church continues its mission and growth both spiritually and practically; a year of real blessing for this local church as we continue to move f�� G�� - day disciples, and called to show and share his love for all people.

Martin Firman - Chair of Trustees

Health and Safety

Within my role as Buildings Manager, I have now also assumed the role of Health and Safety Officer. 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 �� . T�� CDM (C�� D�� M��) 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. In 2022, contractors working in the church included a registered plumber and a small team of qualified electricians to work on elements of the new kitchen project.

Any volunteer work in the church, such as work days, is preceded by an element of H&S awareness.

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

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.

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

There have been several events in building maintenance that have taken place in 2022, all to the benefit and safety of the church in which we worship.

Signage

All church notice boards have been repainted, refurbished and sign-written to reflect the new name

�� . T�� E�� L��.

The new-�� H�� D�� C�� C�� have been fitted to the front and rear of the church building, also on the South facing end of the cabin. Thanks go to Martin Firman for his help in this matter.

New Post in Porch

One of the main posts on the accessible ramp at the rear of the church has been replaced and the supporting wall rebuilt. This has made the whole porch structure stable and the ramp safe to use.

Church Heating

Church heating continues to be one of our major expenses in keeping the building fit for purpose. Last year, we had a remote system installed and, after one or two teething troubles, was functioning well. Recently, however, we have discovered a clash with the radio frequencies used by the system and the radio microphones in church. This meant the heating system sometimes failed to respond to signal. This is being addressed and should be resolved presently. John Ryland has also reported on this.

Storage Heating System

The storage heating system is now defunct and no longer connected to a power supply. One unit has been removed, and the rest will also be removed to create more space. These are extremely heavy and require a physically strong team.

Decluttering

The church is always looking to use the limited space we have more efficiently. To this end, we have disposed of some old furniture and fittings that are no longer in keeping with our modern, forward-thinking church. Among these were the old altar rail and a lectern. Any monies raised went to church funds. The cupboard, �� church, has also been decluttered, making more space for chairs, tables, and sundry equipment.

Our thanks go to Julie Cook who was successful in selling our unused primary school tables and chairs through social media. The money raised went to church funds.

Cabin Lights

Bright, new lights have been fitted in the Food Bank side of the Cabin. These are the same as those in the new kitchen, making it easier for Food Bank volunteers to work. My thanks go to John Ryland who did the job.

Projector Bulb

A new bulb was fitted to the church projector to give a clearer picture on screen. Thank you John Ryland who climbed the tall ladder to replace it.

Security inside the Church

Eileen Matthews �� C�� the Food Bank Christmas hampers and Christmas party. These donations were stored in the cupboard space in the back room of the church with access through a curtain. This proved to be insecure as some items were going missing.

To this end, I have re-organised the wall structure and fitted a door, obtained free through social media, to the end of the cupboard. T�� E�� Christmas donations.

Church Donations Box

It has been noted that the church donations box is often forgotten and is not prominent or secure enough. To this end, the old, defunct St Francis letterbox has been refurbished and installed on �� . I� �� HDCC D�� T�� , �� .

Mains Upgrade

The church mains power supply has been upgraded with a new two phase installation. This was to handle the power generated by the new cooking and dish washing equipment in the kitchen. It was also a chance to check and renew old connections to an up-to-date standard.

New Kitchen

By far, the major project, and focus of last year was to completely refurbish the church kitchen facilities to a modern, commercial and efficient place to work.

The vision and project manager for this major project was Cathie

Russell with professional advice from Steve Cooper.

The work began by completely gutting the old kitchen to leave four

bare walls and a floor.

All plumbing and services were removed to make way for complete refurbishment. The

broken tiles were removed where necessary and replaced with new tiles around the four walls, leaving a clean and tidy surface.

Walls were repaired and made weatherproof as was the ceiling.

The wooden walls were given at least two coats of white paint to leave a bright working area.

Professional trades people came in to complete the plumbing and completely re- wire the kitchen on its own circuit. This also involved

upgrading the power supply to the church. New lights were also professionally installed. The floor was made level and covered with new, hard-wearing vinyl.

Good quality wall cupboards were donated and installed.

Stainless steel units were constructed and installed, and professionally plumbed in where

necessary, together with a commercial grade oven catering unit, and later, a commercial dish washer and a microwave. All three appliances were generous donations for which the church gives thanks.

The whole project took about a month from demolition to being in use as a kitchen again, with cosmetic additions taking a while longer.

My thanks go to the Peter Knifton and his team of tradesmen, without whom, the project would not have been possible. They put themselves out to fit in with my schedule to complete the work on time. The new kitchen is truly an asset to our church. Paul Whitley

Paul Whitley

New Kitchen

Over this past year, the kitchen area has been replaced with a fully functioning kitchen. Following an incredibly generous gift of a cooker and dishwasher from one of our own people, we took the decision to provide a suitable kitchen area in order to make use of this wonderful gift to the fellowship. Thanks to Paul's renovations and installations we now have a complete kitchen

which enables us to cook on the premises and cater more easily for the various activities that take place throughout the week.

My thanks go to all who helped in different ways and for the funds raised to cover most of the cost to install.

Cathie Russell

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.

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 weekly Church Family Update email continues to bring continuity with the same material also being posted to 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.

Recently we have sent the largest sum we have ever raised to Samaritan's Purse in support of the people of Ukraine. As the war continues, it will help their work with those who were facing a very cold winter by supplying wood burners, fuel and roof- repair materials.

More recently another "love offering" was taken up to raise funds for the effort in Turkey/Syria after a major earthquake.

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.

Leading the church

The Pastoral Leadership Team have met every month, 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. Julian Gilbertson stepped down from PLT duties for a season post pandemic but continues to be a part of the church family, with particular oversight of the church website https://www.hdcc.uk.

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. As the Lord continues to presence himself in the praises of His people, we can expect new things and new approaches to our worship to be among the "new thing" that he is doing.

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 9:30 to setup and rehearse. Our thanks go to Martin, Pauline, John and Fiona, Paul, Marc, Maggie and Kieran.

Home Groups

An important part of church life are the home groups and we encourage anyone who is a part of the fellowship to be a part of one of these groups. Rev. Elizabeth started a third home group after last year's Alpha Course. They meet on Tuesday evenings. Martin and Pauline Firman have moved their home group to meet in the afternoon on Monday's and John and Cathie continue their group on a Monday evening, unless there are other outreach activities to resource that take this time.

Prayer

Personal and corporate prayer is the lifeblood of the church, and the oxygen that gives and sustains church 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. In these modern times, it usually 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. 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 some in the wider church family.

John Russell

Samaritans Purse (Shoe Box Appeal)

In a year of recovery, and things getting back to normal after the pandemic years, the shoe box appeal has thrived this year. It is a testament to the dedication of Linda and her team that the Shoe Box appeal has flourished as well as ever. Items, gifts of cash, and an army of knitters supplied �� L�� . M�� , �� any extra items to complete boxes. Many ladies used their time knitting and crocheting hats, scarves and gloves so 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 212 boxes which was truly amazing. S� L�� C��, who also joined forces with us, supplied some boxes. The focus of the world, and of this church this year has been the war in the Ukraine, and this is where our shoe boxes were sent this year.

L�� , �� he church for the boxes she used to store at home. For Linda it is a year- round dedication. Keep knitting and we look forward to sending as many, if not more boxes to children in 2023.

Linda Wickenden & Pauline Firman

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 J�� call to �G� make �� in Matthew 28:18-20

The place where relationships are built is the place where �� can take root over time. It is important to understand that seed takes time to grow. Relationships are built slowly and do not 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 a responsibility in this.

We are now well and truly moving on from the season of the pandemic, learning to live with occasional flare ups and new variants but the world of social distancing appears to be in the rear - view mirror. A world of interaction with others, social, spiritual, building friendships, is where Headley Down Community Church is at its most comfortable.

But personal comfort is not something that we are called to as a Christian community.

Instead, we are called to lives that are at a slight dis-ease with the norms of this world. We choose to live for the benefit of others, that they might discover the comfort of knowing that God cares for them so much that He sent Jesus to die for them. He, of course, lives! And so do we, living His life on the earth by following Him and the leading of His Spirit.

This dis-ease with the norms of this world finds its expression in the work of the Food Bank, which over the pandemic and now the energy crisis has seen the numbers of local people needing help increase enormously.

The "Winter Warmers" initiative has provided a warm space and food for those struggling to heat their homes throughout the cold winter of 22/23. It has also become a place where local folk have found new friendships and a gateway to a wider possibility of spiritual engagement.

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.

Various groups and regular activities at the church have given the opportunity for both the church and village community to join in and enjoy socialising together. This has been appreciated and enjoyed by many, particularly those who may feel lonely or isolated at times.

'You Talk, We Listen' is also available for individuals to talk confidentially at a deeper level and to receive prayer.

It is good to be mindful of all those around us who would benefit from being welcomed into the friendship and social groups of the church each week.

For any pastoral concerns, please feel free to contact me on 07964764494.

Cathie Russell

You talk we Listen

This ministry has been running for a year now and many people have come to �talk while we ��. The quiet, spiritual environment provides the perfect place to off-load worries and concerns in a private and confidential interaction.

We recently moved the Wednesday morning session to the afternoon in line with those having lunch at Winter Warmers. We are available on Wednesday afternoons from 1.30- 3 pm if required. Mental wellbeing is so important and talking through problems and concerns is found to be very helpful.

T�� V�� , �� . �� listen.

Revd. Elizabeth Knifton (Pastoral Leadership Team)

Food Bank

The Food Bank has continued throughout 2022, providing bags of food for families every week. Times have become tougher throughout the year with the increase in inflation and the increasing cost of food, gas and electricity.

Our numbers have also increased and every week, we now pack 80+ bags for families on Headley Down, Lindford, Headley and Grayshott.

Donations of food have decreased and are not keeping up with demand. We buy in fresh fruit and �� C�� M�� L�� for tins etc. We have continued to provide help with gas/electricity, and Tesco vouchers for some families who are struggling during the school holidays. We have been very fortunate that we have had some generous donations both from the public and EHDC and Hampshire County Council.

During the year we introduced the Bankthefood app. After downloading this app on the phone, people can see our current needs, and also drop-off places like Sainsburys, Co-op and many other places, where you can buy and drop off food. This has proved very successful and to date we have 140 people who are regularly donating to the Food Bank through this app.

As well as operating the Food Bank on Wednesday afternoons, we are also providing Winter Warmers (see separate report). Many thanks to Julie Standing, Linda Wickenden and Paul Whitley for their help.

At Christmas time we gave out 80 hampers and the children came to visit Father Christmas in his grotto. Each child took a present home with them.

Thanks go to Eileen Matthews, Sarah Palmer, Kyran Hicks, Pam and Richard Fortescue, Julie Standing, Martin Firman, Cathy Thomas, Tony Magnus and Francis Morgan for their help with packing, shopping, and delivering to various homes throughout the year.

----- Start of picture text -----
A great team!!
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Pauline Firman - Food Bank Co-ordinator

Coffee Time

Coffee Time continues to take place on Friday mornings at 10.30am till 12.

Fresh coffee, tea, and cakes, usually homemade, are on offer each week. We are open to the community and continue to encourage neighbours and friends to use the facilities and pop in for a cuppa and company. We request donations only for the refreshments. Numbers increased steadily over the year and remains around 1720 most weeks, with new faces and visitors coming through at different times. A lovely opportunity to meet with friends for a chat.

On a couple of occasions during the summer, we took advantage of

vacating the hall due to the work required for a new kitchen and enjoyed Coffee-Time outside amongst the trees.

For the winter months, following on from Coffee Time, we offer Winter Warmers from 12-2pm. This consists of soup and a roll. This has been welcomed by some who stay on after the morning has finished.

My grateful thanks go to my Coffee Time team of volunteers who commit to helping in this very enjoyable and worthwhile venture.

Cathie Russell

Winter Warmers

Winter warmers started in November 2022 as an accompaniment for regular Food Bank customers. What started as a place for a warm cup of tea and a biscuit has developed into so �� . �� F�� B�� supplies staff lunch from 12pm till 1pm, and is open to all from 1pm till 3pm. What started as a few biscuits and sandwiches, with cake has developed into a full- blown community gathering, offering full lunches of Jacket Potatoes or cheese toasties, served with salad garnish. Also on offer are sausage rolls, Cuppa Soup with freshly baked rolls followed by

biscuits and/or cake with tea or coffee. What is more important is that it has developed into a centre where, every Wednesday, local people can come and chat over a hot meal, in a warm and friendly environment. It is something so

worthwhile and enjoyable to do, seeing and

hearing so many happy people talking and laughing together. It has become a regular weekly event and is here to stay!

Julie Standing

Chatterboxes

Chatterboxes is a craft and hobby group that runs every Tuesday morning from 10am till 12pm. Members of the community come along to the church hall and enjoy the company of others while doing their particular craft. We have dress makers, crochet and knitting ladies, jewellery making, drawing and doodlers.

On average, there is between 6 and 10 people each week, each person paying £1 per visit with refreshments provided. As the group has grown, more people are also supplying cakes to add to the friendly atmosphere. The group has been running for a year now and has been a great success. All monies raised are donated to Headley Down Community Church.

Julie Cook

Ukrainian Hub

D�� 2022, �� R�� U��. S�� 1000�� families fled Ukraine and many came to this country to stay with host families.

The Woolmer Forest Lions and Headley Down Community Church felt we wanted to help these families in any way we could and so the Ukrainian Hub was formed.

We started in August and arranged to meet for 2 hours, once a month, in the church hall, providing a space where Ukrainian families could come, accompanied by their host family, to meet and chat with fellow Ukrainian families. We provided tea/coffee and cake and a place for children to play with toys. We also arranged for a Ukrainian speaking interpreter to come along.

At first, we had 3 families coming, but over the months, numbers dwindled and so in January 2023, �� , �� area.

Pauline Firman

The Q�een�s J�bilee Garden Par��

The church came together �� Q�� Platinum Jubilee in her 70[th] year of reign. The community event included music, side stalls, games, and entertainment for all who attended the event. There were prizes for

�� J�� categories. All were winners! Jubilee sponges, as well as other cakes and pastries were baked for the occasion. These complimented the excellent BBQ that fed us all.

To enhance the occasion, there was also a petting farm at the front of the church with a varied array of animals.

All in all, it was a full day that entertained and brought our community together.

Sadly, none of us knew at this at this time that our dear Queen would leave us in November, when she went to be with the Lord.

Paul Whitley

Anniversary Party

In June, Martin and Pauline invited us all to their magnificent 50[th] Wedding Anniversary celebration, held in the church. It was an occasion where the church folk demonstrated what could be done in this venue.

The church was decked out like a wedding venue with fine, white linen- covered tables. Gold accessories adorned ea�� 50[th] A�� .

Gold balloons and a magnificent cake completed the surprise and a full afternoon was thoroughly enjoyed by family and friends alike.

Paul Whitley

Community Communication

The main church communication platform is our HDCC Community Chat on Whatsapp. If you wish to join the group, contact Pauline Firman.

Website:

The new website for Headley Down Community Church is www.hdcc.com

Paul Whitley

4 Children & Youth

Youth Church - Girls Together

'Girls Together' meet every third Sunday of the month in the Cabin. Caroline Berwick and Fiona Ryland help run the group. Together we spend time chatting, playing games, looking at characters and themes in the Bible and discussing our faith and life.

We are currently holding the group for girls between the ages of 10 -13 years and we have 4 girls participating. As the children's needs within Junior Church evolve, so will this older group develop as necessary.

Cathie Russell

KraftiKids & KraftiTots

lovely day out, as did members of the

community, who had no transport of their own and were invited to join us.

Sadly, September was to be our last meeting. We had noticed during the year that numbers were very low. Since the

Kraftikids and KraftiTots continued during 2022, celebrating our 16[th] birthday in May.

In August, we had our usual day out at the seaside and went to Southsea. KraftiKids families had a

pandemic, we had lost a lot of our older children and not gained any new ones. KraftiKids (511yrs) had always had lots of KraftiTots (0-5yrs) who moved up to KraftiKids.

Despite copious amounts of advertising on social media, numbers did not increase and so it was

felt that perhaps KraftiKids needed to close and �� . Thanks go to all staff who served so faithfully over the years, some of them from the very beginning! It was a pleasure working with you all.

Pauline Firman

Headley Down Chatterbox Children

I presently run the Chatterbox craft group. I have experience working with children and young people and with the unfortunate demise of Kraftikids, which ran for 16 years, thought I could relaunch a �� craft group to fill the gap.

Headley Down Chatterbox Children (HDCC) runs on the first Saturday of each month and is open to school age children. Each child is charged £1 per session and parents are requested to stay with their children to help with adult/child ratios.

Refreshments are available and each session brings at least 4 different crafts. These include scratch boards, badge making, colouring, card making at Mother�s Day, Easter etc., painting and glitter crafts. Wood craft, in making bug hotels and bird feeders, also takes place on occasion. Each month has a different theme depending on the month ahead. Special festivals are celebrated including Easter, Christmas, M�� Day, Spring and New Beginnings.

The children are allowed to explore each craft table as and when they choose. There is no set limit to their creations, the main purpose being that they have fun and enjoy what they do.

Julie Cook

Junior Church

Junior church has continued to thrive of late with a regular group of between six and ten children attending each session. Themes have been topical and based on popular bible stories. Teaching has been enhanced occasionally, 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 Eileen, Julie Cook, Claire Hicks and Fritzi Jones. Thank you for your hard work and dedication in this valuable ministry. Eileen Matthews

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.

We continue to have one regular outside booking 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 myself, the hall bookings manager on 07964764494 or

email: cathierussell@headleydown.com

Cathie Russell

Church Cleaning

The church has been cleaned regularly each week and in November 2022, we held a Work Day when extra cleaning and tidying up was completed. I am pleased to say that normal cleaning duties have now resumed on a weekly basis.

Eileen Matthews

Lighting and Audio-Visual Infrastructure

We have fitted two powerful LED powered lights in the Food Bank side of the cabin. These are identical to those fitted in the new kitchen and provide a bright and functional working environment.

Projector

On the work day in November 2022, we fitted a new projector bulb in the projector.

John Ryland

Radio Interference Issues

Some of the equipment operating in 2.4GHz radio band, (The Wi-F�, ��, �� heating system) appear to occasionally interfere with each other. For example, the sound recording - �� F� �� RM3. A��, �� radio link sometimes fails, resulting in a cold church in the morning.

In the short term, we turn off the �� -Fi adapter to ensure that the microphones work properly. In the longer term, some of the Wi-F� �� link will need to be replaced with cabling.

John Ryland

� 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 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.

Due to world issues, such as the war in Ukraine and the state of the economy, the church leadership have been unable to secure any further plans and so the building project is currently on hold. We hope in the future to pursue this once more, but in the meantime, we will continue to raise funds at church events, and most recently a New Year Table Top Sale raised over £500 for the building fund.

My thanks go to all those who have organised, participated, helped and attended these initiatives. If you have a fundraising idea, please contact me and I will give you any help and support required.

The final total of our fundraising endeavours this year is confirmed by our Treasurer in his report.

Fundraising for the Kitchen

In 2022 I have concentrated on raising funds for the new kitchen which will enable us to continue to develop ministries and activities in our current building. We are most grateful to Councillors Anthony Williams and Richard Millard of EHDC for a grant of £1,132 for the kitchen worktops, and to Woolmer Lions for a grant of £350. Their generosity towards us is much appreciated. A Coffee Time fundraiser also resulted in £329.55.

The kitchen is now complete, although upgrades and further equipment will be added over time.

Cathie Russell

6. Finance

6.1 General Fund

Thank you to all donors for your generous giving during 2022.

In addition to income from standing orders, ad hoc donations and gift aid, there were grants from:

Hants & IOW Community Foundation for Krafti Kids
East Hants District Council and Woolmer Lions Club towards the kitchen refurbishment
East Hants District Council for Coffee Time Bistro Tables

Funds were also raised from events to support the kitchen refurbishment and from Coffee Time and Chatterbox.

Total income and donations of equipment, skills and labour was sufficient to fund the entire refurbishment of the kitchen facilities.

The chart below shows the breakdown of income received in the year.

Income £34,380

Expenditure £34,206

The next chart shows how the incoming resources were used and a small surplus of funds for the year.

Property Maintenance included expenditure of £4,594 to refurbish the kitchen. This cost would have been significantly higher were it not for the generous donations of equipment, skills and labour provided by a number of church members and a big thank you goes out to all concerned.

Administration Costs included a £1,300 top up to the provision for the anticipated legal fees that will be incurred to support a planned transition to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, subject to approval. The provision total stands at £3,500 at the end of 2022.

The Outward Giving schedule for 2022 comprised donations from the Church to 20 different registered charities, approved by the Trustees. The individual donation amounts ranged from £100 to £300 and the total was £2,800.

The Trustees welcome any suggestions to be considered for inclusion in the outward giving schedule each year.

In addition to the outward giving from church funds, there were two special collections made to support Ukraine. The total amount collected was £3,573 and this was paid over �� S�� P�� U�� A��. M�� generously.

6.2 Food Bank Fund

Another record year for the Food Bank. 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 £61,600 as shown in the chart below.

Grants were received from Hampshire County Council, The Hampshire and Isle of White Community Foundation, East Hampshire District Council, Woolmer Lions Club, CALEB Trust, Local Giving Ltd and Headley Voluntary Care.

Corporate donations included amounts from Roger Steare Consulting Ltd and The Counter at Grayshott.

Income

Expenditure

Throughout the year local families were supported with food, food vouchers and utility payments. The total cost of this provision was £35,405.

Other expenditure was for FareShare and local distribution fees of £3,226 and minor administration costs of £209. The remaining funds were carried forward to 2023 for continuing support to those in need.

6.3 Building Fund

The Building Fund advanced by £1,305 in 2022 to a total of £192,381.

There were donations of £812, net proceeds of £1,136 from fundraising events, gift aid of £1,122 and bank interest of £1,963.

Final stage payments of £3,720 in total were paid to JBKS Architects for planning and design work and there was a sundry administration cost of £8.

6.4 Gift Aid

Gift Aid of £9,171 was recovered from HMRC for the tax year 2021-22. 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.

6.5 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 2022 was £41,544.

The Food Bank and Building Funds are restricted. The closing values carried forward were £50,428 and £192,381 respectively.

6.6 Statement of Financial Activities and Balance Sheet

Accounts for the year ended 31[st] Dec 2022 are in the appendix to this report.

Allan Revers, Treasurer

Headle�Down Communit�Church

Registered Charit�No.1095819

Accounts for the �ear ended 31 December 2022

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HEADLE�DOWN COMMUNIT�CHURCH �R��C��N�.1095819

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES ��31[��] D��2022

G�� F��	F�� B�� F��	B�� F��	T�� 2022	T�� 2021
�	�	�	�	�
833.07 22,341.00	2,083.21		2,916.28 22,341.00	2,386.68 22,536.00
23,174.07 1,966.00 2,602.63 1,638.94 4,011.47 370.00 301.77 315.05	2,083.21 26,330.09 28,850.00 4,037.88 298.69	811.80 1,438.02 1,121.99 1,963.13	25,257.28 29,107.89 31,452.63 3,076.96 9,171.34 370.00 301.77 2,576.87	24,922.68 61,205.31 7,289.84 1,230.83 7,416.93 168.00 148.80 1,213.29
34,379.93	61,599.87	5,334.94	101,314.74	103,595.68
14,940.65 444.04 531.60 1,300.00 359.09 973.43 2,160.30 921.19 1,643.29 5,656.41 160.00 875.39 744.49 695.63 2,800.00	12,390.18 3,226.40 209.19 23,015.00	8.00 3,720.00 302.08	14,940.65 12,834.22 3,226.40 748.79 3,720.00 1,300.00 359.09 973.43 2,160.30 921.19 1,643.29 5,656.41 160.00 875.39 1,046.57 695.63 25,815.00	14,945.35 4,467.57 2,119.00 605.23 4,131.80 2,794.00 0.00 851.63 1,397.45 886.19 1,308.69 898.21 615.00 875.39 268.14 208.84 13,305.50
34,205.51	38,840.77	4,030.08	77,076.36	49,677.99

174.42	22,759.10	1,304.86	24,238.38	53,917.69

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BALANCE SHEET ��31[��] D��2022

G�� F��	F��B�� F��	B�� F��	T�� 2022	T�� 2021
�	�	�	�	�
15,756.95 2,640.63 14,548.35 23,105.63 56.47 128.97	50,887.94 739.91	97.75 83,500.00 82,566.27 26,019.98 60.60 136.02	15,756.95 2,738.38 83,500.00 82,566.27 26,019.98 60.60 65,436.29 23,105.63 56.47 1,004.90	16,632.34 22,750.99 83,500.00 75,026.85 32,481.66 42,030.16 485.61
40,480.05 (12,897.11) (1,795.53)	51,627.85 (1,200.00)	192,380.62	284,488.52 (14,097.11) (1,795.53)	256,275.27 (10,927.00) (1,866.16)
41,544.36	50,427.85	192,380.62	284,352.83	260,114.45

174.42 41,369.94	22,759.10 27,668.75	1,304.86 191,075.76	24,238.38 260,114.45	53,917.69 206,196.76
41,544.36	50,427.85	192,380.62	284,352.83	260,114.45

41,544.36	50,427.85	192,380.62	41,544.36 242,808.47	41,369.94 218,744.51
41,544.36	50,427.85	192,380.62	284,352.83	260,114.45

M L F��, C��T��

21��M��2023

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1) A��P��

��K G��A��A�� P��C��S��R��P��

2) G��

G��R�� H��CC C��G�� H��IO�C��F�� H��IO�C��F�� EHDC D��G�� CALEB �� ��L��C�� ��L��C�� EHDC C��G�� EHDC C��G�� L��G��L�� H��C�� T�� D��G��- ��(N��6) G��2022 T��G��SOFA 2022**	G�� F�� F��B�� F�� P�� � � 15,000.00 6,800.00 650.00 F��K��K�� 4,000.00 1,000.00 1,250.00 350.00 F��K��R�� 1,132.00 F��K��R�� 400.00 F��C��B�� 500.00 300.00 2,532.00 28,850.00 179.63 -109.00 2,602.63 28,850.00

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3) O��G��

G�� F��	F�� B�� F��	T�� 2022	T�� 2021
�	�	�	�
100.00 100.00 100.00 300.00 100.00 100.00 200.00 100.00 150.00 100.00 200.00 250.00 100.00 200.00 200.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00	18,335.00 4,680.00	100.00 100.00 100.00 300.00 100.00 100.00 200.00 100.00 150.00 100.00 200.00 250.00 100.00 200.00 200.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 18,335.00 4,680.00	100.00 100.00 300.00 100.00 100.00 150.00 100.00 150.00 100.00 200.00 100.00 150.00 150.00 200.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 300.00 7,745.00 2,600.00 260.50
2,800.00	23,015.00	25,815.00	13,305.50

T��. T�� .

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	�
S��P��A��	1,201.00
S��P��A��	2,371.60
T��	3,572.60

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4) F��A��

F��A�� F��B��Y��A��. I��20 �� .

F��A��	C��	A�� D��	D�� C��	N��V��
	�	�	�	�
C��	17,507.73	(875.39)	(875.39)	15,756.95

5) C��L��

G�� F��	F�� B�� F��	B�� F��	T�� 2022	T�� 2021
�	�	�	�	�
(7,000.00)			(7,000.00)	(7,000.00)
(3,500.00)			(3,500.00)	(2,200.00)
	(1,200.00)		(1,200.00)
(2,397.11)			(2,397.11)	(1,727.00)
(12,897.11)	(1,200.00)	0.00	(14,097.11)	(10,927.00)

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�700.00 ��
�384.90 ��Y��A��
�482.21 ��

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6) D��I��
D��I��	C��G�� �	K-K��G�� �	�� �
B��/��01/01/22	(1,425.00)	(441.16)	(1,866.16)
A��		(650.00)	(650.00)
��G��	(1,425.00)	(1,091.16)	(2,516.16)
A��2022:
F��	75.00	104.63	179.63
F��		541.00	541.00
B��/��31/12/22	(1,350.00)	(445.53)	(1,795.53)

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