2022-12-31-accounts - Watford Town Centre Chaplaincy

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

Annual Report and Accounts

to 31[st] December 2022

Registered Address

St Mary’s Church Church Street Watford WD18 0EG

Bank

Lloyds Bank Units 32 & 32a atria Watford WD17 2UB

Registered Charity No 1101281

	Contents
List of Trustees during 2022		3
Staff		3
Report of the Chair of Trustees		4
Report on the Chaplains & Street Angels		5
Finance Report 2022		8
Finance Report – Profit & Loss 2022		9
Finance Report Monthly Proof 2022		10
Independent Examiner’s Report	2022	11

List of Trustees

The Revd Tony Rindl Chair of Trustees The Revd Neville Dyckhoff Mrs Judith Rose (died June 2022) Ms Faye Frater attended her first meeting in March 2022

Staff

Mr David Scourfield Lead Chaplain Mrs Pam Rastall Administrator

Report of the Chair of Trustees

I commend to you the AGM report for 2022. The danger in reporting in September on the previous year’s activities is the report can seem woefully out of date, and this year is no exception. Looking back on 2022 I am very grateful to David Scourfield our lead chaplain, Pam Rastall our administrator, fellow trustees and the numerous volunteer chaplains and street angels that make the chaplaincy so special.

David continued to exercise good leadership throughout the year being a very noticeable presence in the town and wherever possible promoting the work of the chaplaincy. This included offering training to volunteers, recruiting more volunteer chaplains and street angels and generally offering support and guidance to all who were involved in the chaplaincy.

As reported in last year’s report but more correctly relates to 2022 was the loss of Judith Rose who died unexpectedly and had been a trustee, street angel and great supporter of the chaplaincy over many years. David spoke warmly about Judith at her funeral and indeed the chaplaincy was well represented on that occasion. Judith continues to be loved and remembered by all.

We were also able to recruit a new trustee Faye Frater who comes with a wealth of experience in the business world and HR in particular. Together with longstanding trustee Neville Dyckhoff exercises due oversight of the chaplaincy offering support to David as lead chaplain. We are a small team of trustees and whilst it relates to 2023 we have recruited two more trustees and this will be reported more fully in next year’s report.

Perhaps it is worth noting that moving into 2023 and the 20[th] year of the chaplaincy the leadership is again looking quite different, with David ordained and now serving as a curate in the Anglican parish of All Saints Leavesden, he has been replaced by Geert Tap who is proving to be a worthy successor to David.

As we approach our 20[th] anniversary celebrations it is perhaps worth noting the success of the chaplaincy is not down to one or two individuals but to everyone who is or has been involved in the chaplaincy over the years. As someone said to me recently, it is hard to pick out one star in a whole galaxy of stars!

I am very grateful to all who support the chaplaincy as a volunteer and those who support the chaplaincy financially and through prayer. Your contribution is invaluable and enables the chaplaincy to remain a visible presence in the centre of Watford bearing witness to the love of Christ and having a positive impact on our community.

The Revd Tony Rindl Chair of Trustees September 2023

Report on the Chaplains and Street Angels

CHAPLAINS

During 2022 we had seven active Chaplains , five working throughout the year with one working up until May when she left due to other commitments and a second starting in August. Six of them were out in the street in person, one sent monthly emails as they didn’t want to visit in person following the Covid lockdowns. The four who were active on the streets all year averaged thirty-five visits during the year with each visit lasting around two hours ; the two who were with us for part of the year averaged two visits a month. David Scourfield, the Lead Chaplain throughout 2022, was also out in the town centre, visiting shops and businesses and chatting to shoppers for at least a few hours most days each week. At least three of the seven Chaplains suffered from Covid during the year.

Those Chaplains who were active on the streets covered the shops and businesses in Watford Market, Lower High Street, Market Street and atria Watford . They popped into an average of twenty shops/businesses per visit , speaking mainly to the staff. A couple were seated in Columbia Press, Starbucks and Moon Under Water at various times during the week, talking with both staff and customers, although sometimes only passing the time of day, either because staff were busy or because customers were on their phones/laptops!

A wide range of topics for discussion were covered throughout the year:

Covid was still a big topic at the beginning of the year with some businesses struggling with staff shortages ;
there were also quite a few staff who hadn’t been able to see relatives because of lockdowns who were now able to travel which was pleasing to them.
Then the war in Ukraine started to worry both customers and staff,
followed later in the year by the cost-of-living crisis .
The Queen’s jubilee celebrations were a positive during the year
but her death then became another topic of conversation.
Health and anxiety issues were often referred to but invariably Chaplains were thanked and appreciated for their genuine concern.
High rents in Watford and immigration issues were also topics of conversation;
family issues ,
the weather ,
politics ,
holidays ,
religion ,
young people’s bad behaviour and
financial pressures all kept our Chaplains in conversation.

If appropriate, prayer is offered, either there and then or later – and this is most often readily accepted and appreciated. One Chaplain brings Christianity into just about every conversation they have; others only mention their faith if asked. When new shops or businesses open in their area, the Chaplains pop in to introduce themselves and tell them about WTCC. Shoplifting is a

problem for some shops but there is very little Chaplains can do, other than sympathise with the shop owners. Where possible or appropriate Chaplains do signpost staff in the direction of the CAB , Watford Council or the Community Police , or to New Hope or the Watford & Three Rivers Refugee Partnership . Business, which hadn’t been good for the first half of the year, did pick up for many shops/businesses before Christmas . One of our Chaplains took it upon themselves to give Christmas cards to their shops/businesses. It is noticeable that there are different issues for businesses in different areas of the town centre but many of our Chaplains are now experienced in how to respond to these issues.

All Chaplains complete an Offload Form at the end of each shift, a copy of which is emailed into the Office.

STREET ANGELS

Although we had twelve Street Angels , including David Scourfield, Lead Chaplain, available to varying degrees during the year there were only seventeen Saturday night shifts (which included New Year’s Eve), with an added shift on a Thursday evening in August for A-level results day , during the whole of 2022. One of the problems we had is that we only had a couple of Team

Leaders so more were needed to be trained up. Each shift had an average of three Street Angels , a Leader plus two others. In February 2022, David suggested a shift pattern of just two outings a month with an early shift (8.00 to 11.00pm) on the second Saturday of the month and a late shift (10.00pm to around 3.00am) on the last Saturday of each month . Many Street Angels are also involved in their individual churches and so being out until the early hours of a Sunday morning is not conducive to preaching or leading worship later in the morning. Hence the trial of an early shift once a month – although that does give a different feeling to the shift, as much of the assistance is usually needed after midnight when the pubs and clubs close. Although the early shifts did give more time to talk to door staff in bars and clubs, before they got too busy.

We tried for a time to re-establish an interactive rota, but volunteers were often reluctant or unable to commit themselves too far in advance, so we usually ended up sending WhatsApps messages to the group early in the week of a proposed shift to see who was available.

Street Angels carry:

slippers,
bottles of water,
sick bags,
tissues,
wet wipes,
rain ponchos,
foil blankets,
hand sanitisers
and radios to contact each other as well as those operating CCTV in the town.

We are very grateful to one of our volunteers whose job it is to make sure the bags are re-stocked, and radios re-charged, after each outing.

The Team Leader after the New Year’s Eve shift reported:

‘ Very peaceful, believe it or not. Huge amounts of people just enjoying themselves and a good vibe. Large police presence and all calm. A few people throwing up and lots of slippers given out but that was about the extent of it. No fight. No arrests. The paramedics at Steinbeck were kept fairly busy but nothing serious enough to warrant an ambulance. Got to bed at four after the obligatory mug of tea and cheese on toast! ’

In fact, Team Leaders usually reported shifts as being fairly peaceful, but it is good for the Street Angels to be out as a presence, helping when necessary, and we know they are appreciated by the local police and businesses .

Emergency contact details of team members are held by Team Leaders for all shifts.

A small group from Wycliffe College, Oxford were visiting St Luke’s Watford in March and asked to join a Street Angels team for one shift and also accompanied one of our Chaplains on their weekly visit into town. The experience was enjoyed and appreciated by all.

Street Angel Team Leaders are not always very good at reporting back on their shifts – writing up what has happened during a shift at 3.00am is not an easy thing to do, but some manage it the following day. This needs encouraging!

ALL VOLUNTEERS

A volunteers’ meeting was held via Zoom in January and again in May to catch up with those who could attend. All volunteers were invited to a fish and chip supper prior to the AGM in September as a thank you for their continued work for the Chaplaincy . David Scourfield also met on a one-to-one basis for a catch-up with all volunteers at least once during the course of the year.

There are three WhatsApp groups : one for Chaplains, one for Street Angels and one for all volunteers, as this appears to be the easiest and best way to keep in contact with them all nowadays.

All in all, a pretty good year for our Chaplains, maybe slightly disappointing for some of our Street Angels with fewer shifts than some would have liked, but as we say every year, we need more volunteers to continue to bring comfort, compassion and Christ to the heart of our town !

We are very keen to welcome anyone who feels they may be called to this ministry – they can walk round with a Chaplain or out with the Street Angels, to see first-hand what we do. Please make contact for yourself or tell others you think might like to find out more.

Financial Report 1[st] January to 31[st] December 2022

This short report includes the financial position of the Watford Town Centre Chaplaincy to the end of 2022.

The Chaplaincy is obviously very grateful for the continued regular support of local churches (regular monthly/quarterly church supporters include Wellspring, St Peter’s Watford, West Watford Church, St James Road Baptist, St Luke’s Watford and St Mary’s Watford; with annual donations from Beechen Grove Baptist, Mill End Baptist, St Mary’s Rickmansworth and St Michael’s Watford) and individuals – there were twenty ‘Friends’ who give between £10 and £100 per month) but this is not enough to cover Chaplaincy expenses and is nowhere near what it was a number of years ago. So, as you will see, although the financial situation is currently healthy, this is mainly due to unexpected large contributions from outside sources every two or three years - £30,000 was received in 2022 from the sale of the Manse by Leavesden Road Baptist after the Church closed at the end of 2021.

Employment of a Lead Chaplain and part-time Administrator continue to be the biggest call on Chaplaincy expenses. A Lead Chaplain was employed throughout the year; 25% of the salary was paid by St Mary’s in return for work for St Mary’s until September when the Lead Chaplain dropped his working week to just over half-time to cope with his ministry training; he therefore ceased working for St Mary’s and the Chaplaincy paid his 0.6fte salary. An Administrator was employed for ten hours per week throughout the year.

The Chaplaincy is very grateful to the expertise of volunteers in St Mary’s Church for operating the salary payments and invoicing the Chaplaincy each month; the salary payments of the Lead Chaplain were outsourced from July 2022. The Chaplaincy is also very grateful to be able to rent a room in St Mary’s Church; although due to St Mary’s financial position, the Chaplaincy did not receive the rent rebate they had received in previous years. As stated above, St Mary’s also paid for one quarter of the Lead Chaplain’s time which enabled the role to be full-time, until he chose to reduce his hours. Members of St Mary’s congregation are also very supportive of the Chaplaincy in their mission giving. While the current Vicar is in position St Mary’s continues to be a very good supporter of the Chaplaincy but that may not always be the case and with church finances changing all the time, the Chaplaincy should not be so dependent on one church.

To save money, the Chaplaincy gave up a BT landline at the end of 2022 as the phone was rarely used either for incoming or outgoing calls; the Lead Chaplain has a Chaplaincy mobile phone. Likewise, in May 2022 the minibus was given to a local church in return for a donation of £250; insurance and maintenance costs did not make it a feasible use of limited resources. Expenses during the year included the purchase of new Chaplains’ gilets in a variety of sizes. There was a very good stock of items Street Angels carry in their bags purchased prior to lock down and with Street Angels not out as often as in the past, no more items were needed to purchase in 2022.

There is still an urgent need to increase regular giving by churches and individuals in order for the Chaplaincy to stay sustainable into the future.

tt$ 0 o ooofvjim 00 O 0bO¢0 00 r) pty pty o o rn o h) h) o o o () o oo W WW Orn

iijiiii g fj¥l I I J hJ ¥¥88 8 8ts888 a8È8 88g io

Audit of Wafford Town Cha 1Jl Janu 2022- 3151 Decemtser 2022 Administrator- Pam Rastsll 01923 2277 lain have examined the accounts produced by Pam Rastall. They are well structsjred, clear and fvll and I have no recommendations for change. I confirm that all income and expenditure has been recorded in a positive and professional manner and I recommend that Accounts are accepted. Signed •/ Tony Kleiser- Honorary auditor 2P July 2023 7 Devereux Drive, Wattord. IND17 3DD- 07545 905327 li