lohn's Parish Church New Alresford, Hampshlre THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND at thE he4rtpfAIr￿•Fo 2024Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Parochial Church Councilfor the Annual Parochial Church Meeting to be held in St. John's Church at 8pm on Tuesday 29th April 2025 Registered Charity 1127318 The Church of St John the Baptist, New Alresford, serves as a witness to the Glory of God in the community by: Celebrating the life of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit through worship, prayer and service Caring about one another in Christ through welcoming, fellowship andp8Storal visiting, healing and the recognition of personal gifts Cultivating personal growth in Christ through prayer, bible study, preaching and the sacraments Communicating Christ to our community and to the widerworLd through example, teaching, support and cooperation The Annual Meeting TugsdayAprll 29th 2025 In the church at 8pm The report is sent out as early8s possibl8 firstly. to invite you to come to the meeting and secondly, to give you're an opportunityto reBd the articles included before the meeting so thatyou may have time to considerthe questionsyou may wish to ask. At this meetingwe will be electing or re-electingtwo Churchwardens to serveforthe yearto April 2026. We sh811 also be electing or re-electing members to the PCC including De8nerySynod representatives. Anyone retiring and wishing to stand again is subject to eleclion on the same terms as anyone else. The PCC meets up to 6 times a year. normally onthe second Tuesday of alternate months. and is responsible for wide ranging decisions on church life at St Johns. Those who are proposed for election must be on the Church Electoral Roll, be regular omrnunic8nts, and be overthe age of 16 years. It is also desirable thatthey sh8re the vision of the Church of England as an organisation that shares Christ's Concern forthe world and ministers to the whole community. Ifyou nominate someone. please be sure thatth8y are suitable to serv8 and that they are willingto do so. The PCC delegates much of it's work to the Standing Committee and to various teams and groups. whose range of recent activity is described in this report. PCC rnembers are encouraged to seNe on these teams together with members ofthe congregation. Included below are reports from several committees and groups which are broadly connected with the wider work and mission of St John's Church. but whos& financial activities are entirely independent of the accounts ot the PCC. They are included here for the general information and interest of those on the electoral rol8 and the wider community. Joanna Whiteman PCC Seeretary We hope you will be ablelo attend the meoting Report of the Paroch18l Church Councll The Parochial Church Council IPCCI is statutorily requiied by the provisions of the Charities Acts 1993 and 2011, and the Church Accounting Regulations. to Produce an Annual Report. The name ofthe Parish is Stjohn the Baptist in the Benefice ofthe Arle Valley. It is part ofthe Diocese ofWinche8terwithin the Church ol England. The church is situated adjacentto West Street in NewAiresford. Correspondence should be addressed toThe Churchwardens, cloThe Parish Off ice. Stjohn the Baptist Church, West Street, Alresford, S024 9AG. The PCC is B charity registered withthe Charity Commission under No 1127318 Serving PCC m8mbeis are: Rector The Rev'd Heather Brearey Wardens Rosi8 Waring-Green Elected Representatives on the Deanery Synod- {all elected in October 2023) Sue Clarke. Miranda Pinch and Cheriotte Ryton Elected Members: Pearl Page (re-elected April 2022} Rex Corfield (re-elected April 2022) Maureen Skayman (re-elected April 2022) Susan Roberts (elected April 2023} Paulwhiffen {elected April 2023} Lawrence Will lelect8d April 2023) Caroline Wheeler lelected 20221 Jackie Connell {ele¢ted 2022} Jude Cowen (elected 2024) Diann Adam (elected 20241 James Lees (elected 20241 Co-opted Members: Joanna Whiteman {appointed October 20241, Colin Scott-morton iappointedApTiI 2024). Jonathan Whale. Treasurer. (re-appointed May 20221, lan Waring-Green Ire-appointed May 2022). The method ofappointment of PCC m8mbe¥s is set out in th8 Chur¢h Representation Rules. All Church attendees are encoulaged to register on the Electoral Role and stand for ele¢tiontothe PCC. St John's PCC has the responsibility of co-operation with the Rector in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church- Pastoral, Evangelistic, Social and Ecumenical. The Council appoints a number of groups and committees that meet regularly during the course of the year and to which much ollhe detailed work is delegated. These have special responsibilities for issues including: Ministry, Worship, World {Outreachl, Catering, Fabric and Finance, Representatives are also elected to'Chur¢hes Together in Alresford,. The number on the electoral Toll as reported bythe Electoral Roll officer atthe Annual Meeting on the 23rd April 2024was 218. The average number of usu81 Sundayattendees Was 65, plus manyattendees online. In 2024 the PCC metformally sixtimes. Duringthe ye8rthe Council covered a wide lange of topics in addition to attendingtothe normal business pertainingtothe m8nagement of the Parish. Various events. activities and initiatives taken throughout the yeai are covered in the reports below. The Standingcommittee met formallyfive times and in addition dealt with the m8ny day-to-day tasks neces88ryto running st John's Church. The PCC has complied with the duties under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measur8 2016, the UK Data Protection Regulations and the Data Protection Act 2018. Alsothe regulations regarding photography and filming in Church. As in previousye8rs pcc gave 8 significant proportion of its voluntary income to world. national and local charities. St John's isa fully participating member of'churches Together, in Alresford. The PCC would like to thankthe Licenced Lay Ministers for alltheirwork and support during the year. I would like to thank David Cari. Rosie Waring-Green and everyone else who has supported me in mynew role as PCC Secretary. Joanna Whltaman PCC Secretary STJOHN THE BAPTIST. NEWALRESFORD ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING TUESDAY APRIL 23-, 2024 AT 8PM Present 50 Parishloners Prayers and Welcome-The Rector IA) The Vestry Me8tlng- all resident parishioners maytake part Election ofchurch Wardens- Heather Breerey IHBI-We have on8 person standing as Church Ward8n, Rosie Waring Green, proposed by Sue Roberts and seconded by Charlotte Ryton lall in favour and agreed). There was someone else who was goingto stand forthe role of Church Warden but 8ftercareful onsideration and prayer decided that It Is not right for them at this time. Therefore, there is a vacancyfor Church Warden. (Bl Tho Annual M88tlng-only electoral role members maytake part 1. Mlnutes olthe 2023 APCM-The minutes had been circulated prior tothe meeting. The minutes were duly approved and signed with no issuas. Proposed bySus8n Roberts and seconded by Charlotte Ryton. 2. Mattèrs Arlslng- No matters arising 3. Electlon of PCC members-Two people leavingthe PCC committee, Janet Pooley and Nolly Nutman. Three ex-officio Dean8rySynod members- Sue Clarke, Charlotte Ryton and Mir8nda Pinch. The existing members are theloLiowing: Susan Robarts, Rex Corfield, Pearl Page. Lawrence Will, Caroline Wheeler, Jackie Cornell. Paul Whiffen, Maureen Skayman, Colin Scott-morton and Jon Whale ITreasurerl.18n waring Green will be co-opted at the next meeting. Four new members have b8en proposed and seconded: Jenifer Miller, James Lees. Diann Adam and Jude Cowen. Proposed by Miranda Pinch, seconded by Lawrence Will- all in favour. 4. Electoral Rou Report-janet Pooley-the numb8r of entrles on the Electoral Roll of 2023-2024 is currently218. in comparison to the Electoral Roll for 2022-2023 with an overall reduction of 5. 7 people were removed, having passed asway or reloc8ted and 2 people were added. Removing people from the Roll8$ they have Passed away is often a sad moment and a time lor reflection. Mention of St8n Upton who passed away and who was a pillar ofthe community and a textbook example of a Hampshire born and bred countryman. Everyfive years there is renewal ofthe Roll, which must be done this comingyear. Therefore Jan8t will be askingeveryone to indicate their willingness to be added to the new Roll. 5. Annual PCC Report-This is put together by a team ot People and is a positive report. The reportwas circuLated priorto the meeting, 6. Financial Report and AnnualAc¢ountg yle Dec8mb8r 31812023. Jon Wh81e had put together a video which was played to Parishioners in his absence. In terms of our financial situation it is an improving picture and we are moving in the right direction. Last year120221, we had a high overspend with the shortfallfigure being over 37K. At that time we agreed on how we could improvethis and the income of the Ghurch. The plan this tim8 last yeai was to getto a better position and the good news is that we are indeed moving in the right direction. In 2023 ou expenditure gap was down by 9K. while the incom8. excluding legacy, is up by 13K. The income went up to 162K. The gap has fallen from 37K in 2022to 15K in 2023 which is 8m8zing progress. It is thanks to many people in the congregation and their generosity in¢ludinggift aid and donations. Th8re were no questions from parishioners. 7. Terrlerand Inventory Report-janet Pooley-All church property is recorded in terms ofwhat comes into the church and what goes out of the church so the partlcularly, for insurance purposes, we have a good record ofwhat we possess. We dothis everyyear and 8 copy ofthe report goes tothe off ice. Thisyear's Terrier and inventory h85 already been signed off by He8ther and the Churchwardens. 8. Deanery Synod Report- HB-AS a De8n8ry we ar8 now linked to Rwanda, The PCC voted notto have this as we have various lirbks ourselves but the Deanery voted to have this link. We have for a trial period, until after Easter next year, joined the Alton Deanery. The first chapter meeting happened a fewweeks ago. A date is yet to be confirmed for the first meeting of the joint Deanery Synod. If it continues to work well. and after the review at Easter 2025. itwill be legally signed. 9. Rector's Update~ HB-we have had a positive year and are in a better position nowthan when I came includingfin8ncially. The three things we are looking st as a PCC as future vision torthe church: prayer, replacement of the North Door wittt glass doors and breakfasvcafé church. 10. AOB- No questions 11. Presentatlons-vision Day - Su88n Roberts-we looked at whatwe thought would be good forthe church. We started with prayers and we prayed forthe Church. We reviewed lookingat getting new doors at the side ofthe church 8nd howwe would raise moneyforthls. We spoke about café church, possibly second Sunday of the month to eng8ge with more ol the town's Community. Lawronce Will-Rev Kate Seagiave headed the vision day, herjob is to help churches develop and grow. We were asked to come up with three questions. what does the church give to the community?What doesthe church do well and what do we nol do well? These questions were discussed in groups. Charlotte Ryion-prayer event-covered ihe follow-up from the vision day and what was the take home message. There were eight stations set up around th8 church that helped us think about the positives taken from the vision day. Jackle Connell- it Was an amazing atmosphere in church with everybody prayingwhich was very powerful attimes. Itwas interegtlng howwe all prayverydlfferently. Rev Heather Brearey- reiter8tÈd the 3 initiatives under discussion: prayer. cafélbreakfast church and glass doors. She added thanks to RLrth and Chris Kiplingwho freely offered food, drink and theirtime 8s well as Kate who led us in prayer. Atlme forth8nks- HB- Hanna has been writing notes for PCC meetings and this eveningfor which we are verygrateful. Howeverwe do need 8 PCC secretary. Two people are leavingthe PCC. Janet and Nolly, a thankyou card w8$ presented. J8ne has been our ChuTchw8rden for six years and has been a huge support to me and everyone. She is now standing back and we are grateful torall of her help and support overthe years. Jane will continue to help Jon Whale with the finances. Rosie Waiing Gieen piesented Jane with a gift, card and flowers from the ¢ongregation. He8ther closed the meeting in prayer. Rector's Report The APCM is a time lo look back and reflect on the year. givingthanks to Godfoi allth8t has happened and also a time to lookto the future and what we would like to see happening in the comingyear. The various reports contained in the APCM report, revealthat it's been a goodyear in Ihe parish. We have grown. New people have joined 8nd are findingfaith. You the people of the Arle Valley Benefice all deserve a massive well done. and a big thankyou. I wantto say a particular thankyou to allthe church wardens and PCC m8mbers who give generouslyof theirtime as your representatives- to meetwith m8 and help to discern God's will for the parish as we go forward. It's not an easy job and they do it diligently and well and they d8S8rve ourthanks. Also due ourthanks is Penny our administrator. As I've reflected on the pastyear or $0 8he8d of the meetingtoday. I'm remind8d that church is whatwe make it. We are the people of God. an outpost of his kingdom in our parish. In Christ, we have ev8rythingw8 need, to be the people God 15 calling us to be and everythingwe need, to do the things that God is calling us to do. You might 8gree that It feels like the Church of England th8t we thoughtwe knew is passingaway. and a new one is being born- but no-one is quite sure whatthat will look like yet. This is a liminal moment. A time of rapid change. I wonder ifthe same might be true of our Gountrytoo. Society seems to be becoming more se¢ular and yetthere's a growing interest in Christianity amongthe young. Al promises much and threatens more. Old certainties are being shaken. We begin this newyear lookingforward to what the future holds. Our PCC'S and l are spending time looking at our future vision. our ministry for the next 5, 10 or 20yrs, w8 need everyoneto help with this. Let us know aboutyour good ideas your thoughts forthe future. And Pray, pray, pray. Let's listen forthewhispers of God beckoning us Out with him into the new. Let's learn together- so if something doesn'twork as well as we hope it wiLlthen let's try again- never giving up, never giving in to despair Our priority must be to build up the worshippingcommunity and reach out beyond it to draw new people to Jesus, by building on the good thingsthat are going on now, and the many seeds that have been planted overthe years. As Rectoi here I stand asthe latest in 8 long line of predecessors with the graves of some of my predecessors in our churches and a couple ot my predecessors still very much alive, I see often to ch8t to or have coffee withl Th8t all reminds me that I'm just a steward here passingthrough. And it reminds me too that it's not about me and it's not all up to me. You are the church of God in Alresford, Old Alresford. Bighton, Ovington and Itchen Stoke. The people around you need you. 8nd they especially need you to pointthem to Jesus. St Paul remlnds us thatwith Jesus the worst thing is never the last thing. There's always hope. My p18yer for us today and for the y8af ahead is that we would grab hold ofthat once again and dare to dream about the brightfuture that God has for us as we walk hand-in-h8nd together with him. God Bless yoij. Reverend Heather Brear8y. Rector. Churchw8rden's Report 2024 Whatan amazingyearwe have had at St John'5 although tinged with sadness at the APCM in April as we said a heartfeltto J8ne Parson5 as she retired 8s churchwarden. Her wonderful dedication to St John's for the tast 6ye8rs ha8 been an inspiration and huge blessing. Nuts and boltsl! l am goingto start this reportwith the'nuts and bolts, ofchurch life- neces88ry but not always exciting! l Having said that, the journey of looking after the fabric and safety of our church has seen some trulywonderful events particularlywith the arrival ofthe new sta¢kable chairs. This wa5 a finely balanced operation with the selling of the old ch8irs to give 8P8ce for a remark8ble transformation of r8vivingthe church floor and th8n the arrival of the fabulous new chairs. We enjoyed 2 SundayseNices in the JPH and wer8 grateful for so many offers of help in removing and repLacing chairs, furniture etc. A Quinquennial inspection of the building took place in July and we await the result of this report with fingers crossed thal there are no major issues requiring attention!! As part of a commitmentto keeping everyone safe in StJohn's, th8re has been extensive fire safetytrainingfor PCC members. sidespeopLe etc aswell as Safeguardingtraining nd we are really grateful to the people delivering this essential training. There has been a team of people looking 8t the way foNard for a new heating system which is a long term but essential project. There are already outside ag8ncies involved giving advice. Let's try and think'outside the box, as we move into a new more energy efficient and reliable source of heating and lighting. Watch this space forthe refurbishment of the West Room. Growing Together We started the year usingthe 2417 Lectio Course together with our CTIAfriends as a Lent Course. "The L8Ctio Course" (How to Hear God by Pr8yingthe Bible) is a five- session vid80 series with Pete Greig and special guests exploring the ancierit praclice of Lectio Divina. This was a great way to dig deeper into 8 beautlful form of prayer and experience it in fr8sh ways. Vision Day- Atthe beginning of M8rch PCC members and group18ad6rs representing many aspects of church lif8 spentthe daytogether at St P8uI's Church Winchester di5cussing- What is the greatest gift God has given th8 church? How have you personally grown in your faith since worshipping here? What h8s your congregation been given by God to sh8re with the wider community. Next steps were listed and pray8d about in a meeting in April. This will all be reviewed in Apri12025 $0 w8t¢h this space?? Alpha- another hugely successful course was held in the Autumn whth all 14 members completely involved and growing in their relationships with each other Ènd in their faÉth. A Home Group has emerged expressing a longingto learn and grow together. Soelal and Outreach There have been some wonderful opportunitles for us aLLto g8t to know ea¢h other better this year and 8180 for us to invite our friends and neighbours into our church community 8¢tivities. We have enjoy8d the Barn Dance. Watercress F8Stival. Songs of 10- Praise. HaNest Supper. Quiz with fish and chips amongst the regularcoffee, Cake and Chat. TableTalk, Solos, Men's Breakfast, Mums. Supper. Widowers, Supperand Looking Fo￿ard group. A Giftfrom St John's attracted a record number of visltors as did the Christingle Service the following day Open Daywas a new initiative to showcase to the town and also to ourselves all the amazing activities- social and worship related. that happen at St John's. The highlight of course was seeing Heather on the bouncycastlel!11 was quite extraordinaryto see the diverse and interesting activities that take pl8¢e within and without of St John's. Worship and Famllles This year has seen a great growih in the numb8r of families and young people becoming engaged with us all. Families@4, Chill Chat and Chomp, Monday M88t and Eat continue to attract newfamilies and young people. The Autumn Light Party, Christingie Service and Crib Service were as lively and meaningful as usual. A Confirmation Service led by Bishop David was a very moving event and quite unique as ittook place duringthe Families@4 service and was a very relaxed event!! So much of whatwe offer at St John's is enabled byvolunteers. who deserve many thanks. More thanks also are due to our MinistryTe8m, who continue to bè very bu8y8nd a great support to Heather, and ai80 to our Pastoral Care Team. We lookforwaid 10 2025 and more opportunities for all at Sl John's to share theirfaith with the people of Airesford. Rosie WaringGreen Alresford Deanery Synod Report There are currently three members from St John's: Miranda Pinch, Sue Clarke, and Charlotte Ryton. Alresford Deanery and Alton Deanery have unofficiallyjoined forces, with Revd. Canon Andrew Micklefield Se￿ing8S Area Dean and Revd. David Chattell as AssistantArea Dean. This arrangement is for a trial period and will be reviewed. Meetings are held partially in plenary sessions, followed by separate discussions for more localized topics. Main Issues Covered L8$t Year Partnership with a Diocese In Rwanda: Our own benelice has voted againstthis partnership. Children's Ministry: Discusslons focused on the current state of children's ministry within our churches and schools, as well as id88s forfuture development. Focal Ministry: The development and progress ol Focal Mlnistrywere also keytopics of discussion. 11 Bees Kne9$ Janu8ry 2025: A report on the p8stye8r One scientist remarked that he thought Climat8 change and globalwarming wa8 a scientrfic problem. butthe more he explored the more he realised it was all about human attitudes. It is human greed. competition and selfishness that drNes climate change. The result is graphic81ly exposed in the current fires burning up Los Angeles. Sothe Bees Knees is a small group ol local people who wantto regi8terthe urgency of tackling clim8te ch8nge and to change attitudes, not leastthe attitude that S8ys we can do nothing about it. Our concerns overlap wf(h the Creation care group and we have had two breakfast meetinESWith them. We have particularly appreciated some oftheif articles inthe Parish Mag82ine. Because we are a Christian groupwe look at Climate change and we look atwhat the Bible h8S to sayto us aboutthe Creation. So ouryear opened with a study of Stjohn's Gospel.. the opening words of which"In the beginningwas the word" tell us that this is the slory ofthe new creation brought about by the birth, lifting up Ipassionl. death and resurrection of Jesu&. We then followed up with a sludy of Richard Rohr's book"The universal Christ" which challenges us to see God's world in a more completewayso thatwe engage ourfeelings 88 well as ourthoughts and think beyond binaryterms We enjoyed our Christmas partyforwhich everything, by and large, was home produce and which included our traditional Christmas crackers made from newspaper. As well as meetingwith the Creation care group we have also metwith the Diocesan advisor on ecology, the Revd.Sam. He kindly spent a morningwith us and helped us tothink throLrgh some of the issues thatwe raised- not least. what are the areas where we can makethe most impact. Our other meetingwas by kind invitation of Roger Harrison to meet at Itchen Stoke Mill where we heard how his traditional watei meadows allowthe grass for Erazingto grow duringthe winter months- and how human waste is having an effect on local rivers. especially on invertebrate1rf8. AS 2025 opens we are planning some kind of musical or review on climate change in an attemptto persuade people to 'take on" the issue. We are likely to read Ruth Valerio's book "saying yes to life" which got derailed by Covid. and we shall be choosing 8 specific topic on which to ref lect and take a¢tion- water seems to be a major current concern for people the wortd over. We hope to Ghange attitudes. the waywe think and do things, and so th8 course of climate change. Well, we have to start somewhere and the only place we can change for certain is ouiselves. DET Sue Clarke Childron's. Youth and Famllywork 2024 What a delightto be able to look back overthe last 12 months since thè lastyouth Work Teportl! There has been much fun and laughter as well diff8rent times when we have come together to learn more aboutfaith and the world around us. Chill, Chat, Chomp- a mid-week weekly group for year 7 upwards- continues to have fun and enjoy 50rn9 challengingdiscussions. We are aboLrtto start a 10-week Youth Alpha course which will give rise to many questions and hopefully some answers forthe young people growing up in today's challengingworld. 3 of our young people were confirmed by Bishop David in the summer which was a veryjoylul occasion. The young people h8ve Slso done some gre8tvolunteering in helping to prepare Light Party boxes and sort Christmas gifts for the children ofthe Sun Hill schools as wellas helping out 12- with Stjohn's Open day and Gift from Stjohn's. We ar8 all looking forward lothe refurbishment of the West Room which will 8ive us more space to'chill. Chat and Autumn Fun Light P8rtywent ahead this year continuingthe new Dutreach of parents comingwith their children. We had a great turn oul of over 35 children and their parents and also 20 helpers who all had a wonderful time creating'jam jar18nterns'. lighthouses and stained-giass windows 8longwith doughnuts on a string and rnany more activities. Afterfood- always essential- there was a word treasure hunt trail in the beautifully illuminated church and endingwith a fantastic danceversion ofthe song'shine, plus a new song My Lighthousel There was a great buzz of conversation and enjoyment between all ages. Services-christingie Service this year was very well attended and in fact we needeij to double the space needed lorthe lighting ofthe Christingles!! The Crib S8IViC8was also incredibly busy this yea r with about 300 children and adults attending and all being involved in the 'Advent Countdown, in the Follow the Star story. Mothering Sundayand Remembran¢8 services also had many uniformed youngsters joining us. The Second SundayAII Age seTvice has now become Breakfast Church with a relaxed start and more involvement from the families. Famllles@4-has been running for a year bythe families themselves and includes an interactive story, craft, a song and of course a drink and 8 biscuit! l First Sunday of the month. Great to see newfamilies coming along 8nd feelingcomtortable in church. Chatterbox-the Parents I Car8rs Toddler Group is thriving and althoughthis is run by 8 te8m from the families. there 8re several of us who go along to help; we really enjoy this connection with the youngest members of our community. Monday Meet and Eat- CTIA volunteers have been very active in providing a place for families wilh primary school children to come and have time to play somewhere warm, and to share in a hot me81 together. We have a group of regularfarnilieswhojoin us and in fact have now grown to 10 families 81togetherwho all enjoythe adult conversations while the children are playing.- Linkswith Sehools-we enjoy regular visitsfrom the children and families ofsun Hill Junior Schoolfortheir Harvest. Christmas and Easter services. The children present storytelling and songs to the rest of the school and parents. P8rins also hold their annual Christmas concert at St John's for pupils and parents. We are always happy to h8ve any offers ot help and we would really appreciate prayers forthe waYf0￿ard forthe children, young people and families of St John's and the local community. Thank you all foryour support. Rosie W8rlng Green Caterlng Team Report January 2025 We have had anothergre8tyear as 8 CateringTeam. As usual the Lent Lunch was 8 sell out... and delicious homemade soup, fresh bread and cheese was enjoyed by lots. We mBnaged a successful Hatvest Supper in October 2024, and itwas so lovely to see Ihe church community together, sitting down and enjoyingeach other's company and entertainment!! 13- As a teBm we continue to serve the Church and its community and 8re alsoverygrateful to those who are always willingto roll up their sleeves and help in anywaythey are able and even with the washing up atthe end of the event. We are also enormously grateful for those who generously piovide raffle prizes and delicious puddings for us all to enjoy. We would not b8 able to cater in the same way if this generostywas not forthcoming. We would 8Iw8ys welcome newfaces to our CateringTeam so please contact me if you would like to joln us. Ouryearly commitments include the Frugal lent lunch, The HaNest Supper and Mulled wine & mince pies atthe Carol Service. alongwth any other ad hoc church catering requirements. We lookforward to 2025 and lookingafter your c8tering needs. I cannot thank everyone in the team enough fortheir support and commitment to the Catering events. especially Hefin Tudorwho steps in totake the lead when myother commitments prevail and the honorary member of the team PeterTudorwho is alway8 ready at the doorto take your money and sellyou raffle tickets! . we really are a great team! Pippa Sherry Church Cleaning Once again, It is time to acknowledge ourthanks forthe cornmitment, quality ofwork and the example set bythe dozen or so volunt88r Church cleaners who, week in, week out, keep the Chur¢h spick and spen. Our lovelychurch would be allthe poorer without them. Each cleaner has hislher allocated 8re8 to clean, andthey 8re free to choose theiT own time ofworking duringtheweek, fitting in around seNices and other events being carried out in Church. We are always glad ofvolunteers, so ifyou have 8 Spare hour per Week, tortnight or monthly, I shall be glad to talk to you. My number is 733666.This year the Annual Spring Clean will be on SaturdayApril 12" Diann Adam has kindly had her arm ￿lSted to take charge ol this event. If you are willingiable to help in 8nyway, please notify her on 734896. Bringyour own mops. dusters and polish. HefinTudor. Churches Together in Alresford We began the yearwith a meal together duringthe week of prayerfor Christian unity, which was h05ted by members of St Gregory's. During Lent there were ecumenical Lent groups studying Ignation prayei and on Good Fridaywe organised the Walk of Witness followed by Hot Cross buns in the Community centre. In Octoberwe held the annu81 Shoe Box packing party and organised the Community Christmas Carol setvice at St Gregory's. The CTIA Christmas Carol $lnging around the homes forth8 elderly and in town on Decembei 21st raised moneyfor Firefly International. which was our chosen chartyforthe year. At the annual meeting. h81d in July. J8mes Pinniger stepped down as sn Anglican representative on the CTIA committee. Hè has been involved for many years, serving twice as Chaiiperson and also as secretary. We thankjames foi his loyalty and commitment. He is very much mi5s8d. Our current representatives are Sarah Wilding, Jackle Connell and Diann Adam 14- Coffee Cakg & Chat On the 2r￿ Tuesday of every month the JPH becomes our cafe for'coffee Ceke and Chat.. 20-30 people Come and have a very enjoyable morning enjoyingte81coffee and homemade cake. tThe early birds get to enjoy Margarel Stewart's delicious cheese scones!] Overthe years strongfriendships have been formed, and new members tell me it is the best place to get to knowfolk in Alresford. ￿he'PauSe forThought' often results in me being asked for a copy ofwhatever I have said.1 We have been supportingwinchester Hospice from the beginning and in 2024 donated £500 The wonderful ¢akes 8re provided by Pearl Page and Elizabeth Johnson and Erica Cook makes a wonderful Gluten Free Victoria Sponge. Jean Clark is whiz at makingthe drinks Everyone is welcome. so please come and join us on the 2 Tuesdayofthe month JO- 11.30am. Angela Peel Creatlon Care 'Right, a Creation Care report forthe APCM! What do we write about? What have we done to encourage everyone to think more about the damage we do to God's World? What a wonderful and beautifulworld it is. What have we done to encourage Stjohn's congregation to thinktwice aboul driving that short distance. to reducewaste- notto run their car engine to defrost the windscreen...,. lo Reduce. Reuse and Recycle. 'Here are the hlghllghts.... In April 8 Clim8te Service was held entitled'OneWorld'. A posterwas created displaying our Eco Church a¢tlvltles, howwe achieved our Bronze Award and howwe will achieve the SilverAw8rd. Stjohn's intercessors have been brilliant in including God's World and Cllmate ehange in ourprayers each week. Several articles have been publi$hed in the Voice Magazine. A series on'Keepingthe Arle Valley beautif ul. and a series of 'Thoughts'. In October, Sarn Scott's (Diocesan Environment Officer) organised a diocesan 'Creation Care and Sustainable Buildings Day.. An interesting day learningwhat other churches are doing toward the Church of England 2030 Net Zero de8dlln6. Hearingabout:_ wtldflower projects, the Parish Buying Scheme. watching electricity usage In church buildings. solar panel installation and available grants. Soft plastic. foil and pens have been collected for recycling. 'As always we work closely with Bees Knees.. 'Lookingto the future... A Climate Sunday SeNice in 2025 Plants to be introduced in the church. Fed and watered by members of the congregation. Achieving 2n Eco Church SiLveT Award. Arocha have changed theform8t 8nd questions since we achieved our Bronze Eco Church award so there is some workto be done, Avisit and talkfrom Sam Scott. Winchester Diocese Environmenl Officer. The most economical and environmentallyfriendly efficient church heating system. 15- 'Notethat you may have atready seen some of these changes bythe time you read this report.. 'Novvtofinish off with a lew thoughts. We must continue to encour8ge everyone to think more about the damage we do to God's World? To thinktwice about drivingth8t short distance. to reducewaste; to not run their carengine to defrostthe windscieen.. ?$ 'Rememberthat even the smallest change is worth mor8 than the grandest intention. Creatlorb Care Team Fabflc and malntenance report-2024 During2024 James L88S agreed to take on the task of co oTdinating all matters fabric and mainten8nce. Thanks to Paulwiffen and the churchwardens fortheir efforts forthe first half of the year. As always fabric and maintenance is a mixture of major events and ongoing matters- both internally in the church buildings and externally in the chuich yard Internallythe major 8nd most significantworks undertaken were the s8ndingand se81ing of the f loor (which was last undertaken in 20031, the high18vel cleaning and the arrival of th8 wondertul new chairs. As with so much of our church lrfe none Dfthis would have been achieved withoutthe significant efforts of a lot of volunteers and tradesman. It is also true to saythatthis has all been afforded as a result of8 very generous bequest. Alongside the'caplt81' works a full range of smallertasks 8nd regular mattels were attended to including PATtegting, lifttesting, clock maintenance, and so many other items. There 1$ 8 full spreadsheet ot these annu81 tasks that are required to keep the buildings safe and se¢ure. Externally-we have h8d 8 full roster of'mowingvolunteers, organised by Ben Howlett who undertakethe regular maintaining ofthe Northern h81f ofthe churchyard. The southern half ofthe churchyard is maintained bya contractoi-Top Trees. These efforts have been supplemented bythe two churchy8fd clear up days- on clock change weekends. Volunte8rs efforts were rewarded with a bacon sandwich and ¢offge....88 well as a good chance to meet and chat. Every5 years a dio¢es8n inspection takes pl8ce-thls Quinquennial in8pection took place in the summerot 2024. We are still awaitingthe report ofthis inspection. we do however expe¢tthat reportto highlight some m8tters that need attendingto. As reg8ids 2025-at the beginnlngofthe ye8rwe will be refurbishingthe west room of the hall complex with new storage. We will 81so continue our church heatingdiscussions looking at updatingirefurbishing our cuTrent systems will be a signif icant capital item. Fabric and mainten8nce matters always relies on manyvolunteers...th8nks to them all. It is however everyone's responsibilityto keep their eyes and ears open for matters that need addressing- pleaseleel free to contactjames Lees with any itemsthat need attendingto. James Lees 16- Flower Arrangers A bigthank you goes outto the Church Flower ArrangingTeam for all theirtime 8nd effort during 2024. In particularthanks go to Sue Dix, Pearl Court and Diana Robbins who stood in for me when I was not able to be around to do church flowers at times during the first part of last year. 2024was a busy yearforthe Fl0werArran￿-ngTe8M with flowers beingsponsored every weekthroughout the yearwhichwas really amazing. Thankyou to 31lthose people who sponsored flowers. Unfortunately, atthe point of writing, there are plentyof slots fr8e for this year so please select your preferred date if you wish to sponsor a pedestal to remember 8 special birthday, anniversary or 8 loved one. The list for sponsoringflowers in Sl John's is available atthe back of Church and sponsorship is £30. The cost of flowers continues to increase and is still a challenge for the arrangers who are always tryingto source the best flowers and deals on offer atthe time. There are thirteen flower arrangers on the rota at the momentfor the Nave 8nd ten forthe Lady Chapel. The task of completinga flower arrangement, whilst rewarding. is time consuming. Duties include PUTchasingthe flowers. takingthe previous arrangement apart and then constructing a new arrangement. Duringthe yearthe FlowerTeam made up Bunches of daffodi18 for Motheringsunday, decorated the church for Easter, Church Festivals, Harvest and Christmas alongwith the weekly flower arrangements both in the Nave and Lady Chapel. The Flower Team looks foDNard lo a yearofflower arranging and friendship. Maureen Skayman Health & Safety Report Health & Safety (H&SI within St John's continues to develop in orderto become more visible. joined up and strategic. Paulwhiffen had no prior experience in leading H&S before beginning Imay 20231. but has built on the excellentwork done bythe previous incumbent and applied some of his own transferable consulting experience, Key Points in the development of H&S in the yearto end Jan 2025 follow. 11. Flve safety, prevention and response. Afocus has Gontinued on this area which needed some aspectsto be rejuvenated. Over 30 people have now attended Fire Training in one ofthe two courses. al. Fire Awareness and bl. Evacuation. The foimer is more fire-fighting with an element of evacuation, the latter is more 8vacuation with an element Dffire-fighting. The cholce of who to attend which course has been based on the individuals, age, fitness and role. The style oftraining is participatory so th8t sugg8Stions made by the atlendees are adopted-this helps to increase awar8ness and supportfor the topic. The training course5 have been designed and delivered by Paul Whiflen to $8ve costs ofbringing in Ihe Fire Brigade. 17- Two evacuation drillswere undertaken in the past 12 months, both at the end ofthe main 0930 Sunday morning service and therefore involving many ofthe people who attend the church most trequently. Regulartests ofthe Alarm System have continued, as have annual Inspections ofthe Alarm System. extinguishers and emergency lighting. 21. RiskAssessments Risk Assessments are caf ried out before all key events and activities, and signed off. In many cases, this 18 done by feviewingand updatingthose from previous years. The process is thorough and has helped bring a H&S culture to Stjohn's. 31. H&S Document Management. Haidcopy document filing has required some focus and tidying up. Progress has been slowerthan intended due to Paulwhiffen's illness l injury & recoveryduring Spring & Summer 2024 but is movingforward. Electionic documentation is stored on the church Drop Box and also on Paulwhiffen's 18Ptop. Both are backed up regularly as a matter of routine. 41. H&S Actlon Tracking. Actlons for H&S come from a variety of sour¢8s including near misses. risk assessments, suggestions from trainingcourses and other 8d-hoc sources. An 8Ctive I living"Action list. is managed on spreadsheet to track progress for actions using RAG (Red, Amber. Green) codes. Progress is reported to PCC meetings every second month and typically actions are completed atthe rate of 4 per month. The Action list is regularly uploaded to the Church Drop Box sothatwhoever replaces Paulwhiffen on H&S can do the same. perhaps looking back years if needs be...ie. we maintain a form of corpofate memory. 51. Flrst Ald First Aid is the responsibility of Charlotte Ryton. Sh8 is planning First Aid courses in th8 coming months and also a review of the contents of the FirstAid boxe$ within StJohn'5. 61. StepladderTralnlng Stepladder trainingwas provided to PCC meeting attende8s in January 2025. 71. Le8rnlngfrom Chrls James atAII Saints Church Unlike Paul Whiffen. Chris Jam85 has some professionalexperience in H&S and thefe has been Mo meetings between us in a nascent"communty of practi¢e' approach to share knowledge. The main outcome from P8uIWhiffen's {ie St Johns) perspective is more awareness of H&S as an overall system. including a distinction between strategic and tactical. Paul Whiffen created the following diagram in Dec 2024 to help show how this comes together-it's not a perfect summary but it provides some 5twcture understandingfor H&Sthatwas previously missing. 18- Strategic Health & Safety ", stratéot: ' Additionally, Paulwhiffen is benefitingirom Chris James, experience in keydocument creation I management. 81. Relationship with Fabric H&S at St Johns depends on good relationships with the Fabric area, currenlly led by James Lees. In a couple of instances. activities that have been held I led by H&S have been handed overto Fabric- Tower Clock sgrvicing Hearing aid loop maintenance Paul Whiffen also spent a lot of time in 2024 in supportingthe work on the Heating system during a period of problems in getting it working properly. 91. Next St8p$ in H&S The following areas of focus will Continue in 2025- these are in add ition to routine / business as usual H&S activities. 81. Development of the relationship with Chris James {All Saints) and enhancing i updating key H&S documents where necessary. bl. Continued improvement of hardcopy document storage. cl. Review of Fire training ¢ourses includingthe question as to whether Fire Brigade sourced training should be provided Ithough this costs morel. dl. First Aid traini ng to be provided by Charlotte Ryton. el. Contractors to be asked to provide copy of professional indemnity and risk assessments for jobs at St Johns. This is a new development for 2025. PaulWhiff8n Looklng FoNard This is a group for widows, a title we all shar8 though not by choice, a social and self help group. Some are newlywidowed. oth8rs have been alone for some years, all are welcome. We meet mairblyto eat, breakfast, lunch and dinner Once a month and a new addition. a Sunday lunch also onGe a month. It's a good way to m8et others who 'get it,. no two occasions have the sam8 s8t ot P80ple , on average eightto t8n of us Ifrom a list of forty plus) get together each time. Some come frequently, others occasionally, whatever work5 for th8m. We share laughter. helpful hints. sometimes tears and we look out forone anothei. Further details from Sue, Beryl orAngela or pick up 8 card from the prayer table by the candle stand. SC, BM and AP 19 Lay Pastoral Assistants, Report The Lay Pastor81 Assistants ILPA's} continue to support Heather with visiting and pastoral care within the parish. At the beginnlng ofthe year wewelcomed some newly trained members to the team and Heather commissioned them for their new role as hur¢h representatives in March. Some members ofthe team specialise in working with the bereaved. supportingthrough the funeral and afterwards by offering a listening ear where it is needed. This group also 8rrange the SeNice of Comfort and Hope 8nd the Prayers Roundth8 Tree of Remembrance. A smaiigroup of LPA'S visit those from the p8Tish who are in hospital but they are called on less often because these days people are generally hospit81ised for a very brief time. They always like to be told of anyone who is in hospital and. if requested, will add the nameto the weekly prayer list. Throughoutthe year we meettogether for prayer. mèetings ond training sessions. The LPA'S are trained to list8n bul do not counsel. If you know of anyone who would appreciate a visitor please let us know or contact Penny in the parish Off ice. J8ckle Connell 2nd Sue Clarke Magazlne Anotherye8r has gone byand the magazine is going wellthanks to all the people who help - Pelham Allan. Caroline Hawkins. Jackie Connell. Jennrfer Miller, Ruth Page, Liz Petheram, Alison Starr, Margaret Stewart. P8uIWhiffen- not to mention the troop that march around delivering. We have had to put the price up to cover costs but we think it is still a good buy. Quite a few more people are subscribing rather than buying per issue and we hope more will do so. As usual we did a Christm88 specialwith more colour and more articles which wentwell. One sadness is that Rose Brlar who did the gardening article has retired butwe hope to find some other people who might write about gardening. Thanks tothose who also contribute articles and thanks to the website Parish Pump that write articles lor parish m8E8zines for freel On the subject of articles we are always happy to receive anything our readers would like to conlribute - it doesn't haveto be religious as this is a church and community m8gazine. Events- we h8d several good events iastyear- table top sale, fish and chip quiz night, harvest suppei and of course the Angel Festival among others, but the committee has notyet metforthis year. However we are considering slightly r8ducingwhat we do 80 thatwe can ¢oncentrate on a few really good events. Charlotte Ryton St. John's PraygrT6am We have been very encouraged this year bythe rnanytimes we have been able to thank God for answered prayer and would encourage you to email or phone and share request or a thankyou. -20- We regularly check the'say One For Me. prayer box in church and it has been a huge honour to be able to share these concerns and anxieties in prayer with th8 Loid. We also have the PrayerTree in the porch and we would encourage everyone to take time to pray through the manyvery meaningful thoughts and prayers shared on thisTree. It is a real privilege for us all to engage with these prayers. Some ofthe Prayer Team joined with others atthe end of November at thetop of West Street and outslde the Church to offerthe lighting of 8 ¢8ndle and tot8ke a prayer 88 we thought of all the conf licts in the world. This enabled people to encounter prayer in safe interactive waythatthey may not have experienced before. It was also very specialto be part of the Giftfrom St John's event in De¢ernbeT. chatting to the publi¢ as theyenjoyed the craft activities, the Cafe, and writing their Hopes and Dreams foi 2024. All these activities gave us opportunities to become engaged in many deep and important conversations in the church as people stopped to read the mess8gès and prayers. We have left these on a bo8rd inside the ¢hu¥¢h for everyone to praythrough. The introduction of the Prayer Space in th8 north corner of the church has been much appreciated by many visitors and members of the congregation as a quiet reflective space to pray and take time to be still. The theme in this area is regularly changed to give us a different focal point for our prayers. The Votive Candle area of the church in the south corner ofthe church is also much valued as a place to be still and to light a candle, eitherto remember a loved one or as a prayer offering. There is a definite sense of Stjohn's being a real'house of prayer, with so many opportunities andvariety of approaches to engage everyone who enters. We also have a Pr8yerTeam'prayer chain, and are happyfor you to phone- 01962 733237107891120662- or email Rosie Waring Green- rosie@.22rwg.co.uk-lor any concerns needing immediate prayerwhich will only be passed round the PrayerTeam. Pr8yei is atthe heart of our relationship with God and the Team always prayfor you using the utmost confidentiality offering your requests into the healing arvns ol God. If you feel called to join this team, please contact Rosie to talk this through. Rosle Waring Green Safeguardlng Report I was fortunate to bejoined byAlison Mayne as an additional safeguarding officer forthe Benefice this year. Theworkload for safeguarding has increased and it IS 8 huge help to have this shared between the two of us. l am responsible for St John's 8nd Alison will look after the three village churches. The Church of Eng18nd decided that anyone whoworks with children oryoung people or vulnerable adults needs to have a DBS every 3 years. This is a change from every 5 years that it has bèen previously. This means thatwe have a number of people who are out of date and require 8 new DBS check or a check on their continuous update. This ye8rwe have decided to run drop-in sessions in the JPH for anyone who needs a DBS check. This will hopefullyfocus the application process and allow us to make sure everyone who needs io be IS UP to date. 21 Anyone who undertakes a DBS check also must undertake s8feguardingtraining. This year we have declded to lun regular sessions in the JPH forthose who have difficulty doing this online. The parish dashboard continues to be updated as required. Safeguarding remain5 everyone's responsibility and any concerns relatingto Safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults should be escalated to myself. Alison or Heather. Sarah Wilding Table Talk Table talk is a'discussionleating, group who meet on the third Friday of every month. We have a bring and share lunch lalwaystoo much delicious food} then sit around a table ortwo and discuss any relevant topic. Sometimes this is chosen in advance. sometimes decided bythe group when we meet. For Lentwe often base ourtherne around a film,( in 2024 it was Chocolate,) and we tryto meet at least fourtimes during Ihis period. We cover politl¢S, 8cology, church matters. health issues. anything that needs discussion. In 2024 this included the Post Off ice, the resignation of Justin Welby, the USA president181 election. climate change etc. New participants are always welcome, we meet in the JPH at 12,00 for lunch. Please come along. Sue. Mirand8 and Jackle. Tower Report 2024 St John's and St Mary's now have a combined band of ring8rs goingfrom strength to strength. Ringingfor the weekly9.30 service at St John and at Sl Mary's fortheir 11am services on the 1" and 3￿ Sunday of the month. Practice night at St John's is on a Friday 7-9pm and at St Mary's from 7.30-9pm on a Monday. Ringingalso tak8s place at other times for teaching session or Quarter Peals. There were two groups of visiting ringers. lone for B full peal on Boxing Dayl, plus two commissloned quarter peals which all raised moneyforthe church from their donations. Three weddings took place this year requesting bells. The Freshers Fair and the Angle Festivalwere well supported ringingwise. The Annualtower me81 was held atThe Flower Pots welcomlng guests Revd Heather and Mick Brearey who joined ringers and their families and ftiends. Outreach help was given throughout the yearto neighbouring churches- Cheriton. Tichborne and the Candovervalley ¢hurches. supplying rlngers forweddlng services. funeT8I plus bell and belfry maintenance. Assistance w85 given to teachlng ringers from Ropley in preparation for the return of their bells. Ellzabeth Johnson Tower Secretary World Team These are the overseas projects we support.. Ashray UK: the organisation that supports the Mar Elias Edu¢atlon81 Institutions. Ibillln, 15rael, sends regular newsletters trom Abuna Elias Chacour. Sadly the news has been grim Since the contiTbuing conflict in the Middle East. The students are now back at -22- school after several months at home last year. There is hope for a better future by educating the children to be ambassadors for reconciliation- Church Mlsslon Soclety: our partners are Sarah and Simon Cawdell who are in Gulu, uganda. Sarah is head of a theological college and Simon leading 8 Rooted in Jesus course. We have frequent updates via their Facebook page and CMS newsletters. The Michael Project. Zimbabwe: this is a mlnistry of River of Life Church in H8rare Zimbabwe, and has been established as a result ofthe growing needs of children at risk. David and Helen Hobbs visited St Johns in May 2024 and were able to give us an up to date report on thework that they do, which includes Shalom Residential Home, and the three pr8- schools at Greystone Park. Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison. and at Wingate. In Novemb8rwe held a very successful Coffee Morningwhich raised £1200 to help them in theirwork. Pannai Family Farrn, Tamil Nadu. Indla: we receive regular updates from Anita the sponsorship 5ecrgt8ry. St John's has continued supporting several children until their higher education for which they are very grateful. Shanthlgram8m,T8mll Nadu: the leprosyvillage at Karigiri in South India. Shanthigrama m - literally vi118ge of peace" is a haven for elderly and destitute people who have been d8mag8d by 18PTO8y. In the 18St year they h8ve constructed new buildings including individual cottage8 for the residents Information on all our links can be found on the Arle Valley Benefice website under Community and Outre8chlSt John's World Team, and there are regular articles in the Arle Valley Voice magazine. Hllary Carr -23- St John the Baptist Church, New Alresford Financlal Statements of the Parochial Church Council Year Ended 31 Decembèr 2024 Treasurer Jon Whale 12 Buttermere Gardens Alresf ord HampshireS024 9NN Assistant Treasurer Jane Parsons 54 Jacklyns Lane Alresford Hampshire S024 9LG Bank- Current Accounts: Natwest Bank Winchester, Old Bank IA) Branch 105 Highsireet Winchesler Hampshire S023 9AW Bank- Deposit Account: CCLA Investment Management Ltd The CBF Church of England Funds 80 Cheapside London EC2V 6DZ Independent Examiner.. Behegan Lynes Bank Chambers Brook Street Bishops Waltham HampshireS032 LAX Registered Charity Nijmber 1127318 -24- lohn's Parish Church Lyew Alresford Hampshlre THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND Trcasurer. Jon Ilthale. 12 Buttern￿ Gath4 Illre5for¢ S024 9NN Standing Committee Approval Certificate We hereby confirm that we have made available to Behegan Lynas, all requested knks, records, inf0m￿tIOn and ¢xplanati(•ns rel￿]llg to the PCC of New A]resford for the year ending 31 Dec¢mb￿ 2024 and that thc financial statem￿ts bave our appmvd. (L125 Rosie Waring Gree￿ Chutch Watden St John thp Baptlst Church. Now Alr•sfor(l. Hampshlre S024 9AG vrnbsite: wwwArf•valleychurchw.ory.uk R•gi5tor•d Charity Number 1127318 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGIAND ANO WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees Chariiy Ndnic ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH NEW ALRESFORD On accounts for the year ended 31 DECEMBER 2024 Charity no (If any) 1127318 Set out on pages 1T043 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ("the Trusf) for the year ended 3111212024. Rosponsibllities and basls 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 I"Ihe Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 ofthe 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Direclions giv8n by the Charty Commission undèr sectlon 145(5Nb) of the Act. Independent I have com￿eted my examination. I confirm that no material fnatters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in. any material respec1= the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charitles Act., or the accounts did not accord with the accounting rewrds; or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requiremenls conceming the form and wntent of accounls set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Re9ul8tions 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and f8ir' view whith is not 8 matter onsid8r8d as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other m8tters in connection wilh the examin8tion to which attenlion should be drawn in this report in order to 8nable 8 proper underslanding of Ihe accounts lo be reached. Signed: ri- 03-1015 . Name: HEATHER ELLIS R•l•vant professlonal qualificatlon{s) or body {rfany): MAAT Address: BEHEGAN LYNES, BANK CHAMBERS. BROOK STREET, BISHOPS WALTHAM. HAMPSHIRE. S032 1AX 25 TREASURER'S REPORT 2024 After two difficult years in 2022 and 2023, we saw considerable progress in 2024 towards achieving a balanced budget. We once again felt Si8nifitant financlal pressure due to rising costs, but the generosity of our con8re8ation, and a sharper focus on tontrollln expenditure, has resulted in this pro8ress. In summary, our unrestricted expenditure in 2024 was £180k (this is an increase of £2k compared to 20231 and our unrestricted income was £170k lan increase of £8kl. As a result our expenditure has once a8aln exceeded our regular income . this year by approximately £IOk. However, in 2023. this shortfall was £15k, so although we continue to spend more that we bring in through regular giving and fundraisln& the gap has narrowed. During the year we invested in the purchase of new chaSrs Ifor a total of £38kl using funds from the very generou5 legacy previousty given by the Diverall family. In accordance with our accounting policy the cost of this acquisition is written off over four years, with £9.6k included in the unrestricted expenditure of £180k for 2024 referred to above. The remalning net book value of the chairs of £28k will be wrltten off In equal instalments over the perlod 2025.27. At our last APCM, we a8reed to seek to balance our income v expenditure over the next 3 years, and we are now well on target to achieve this. There are a number of reasons for our current position.. Your regular giving ihls year has been £76k, wf(h a further £22k coming throu8h Gift Aid. Although a reductlon of £13k on 2023, these figures are still amazing. We continue to make good use of the Parlsh Giving Scheme, and a further £4.5k was donated via the new card reader In another posltive sign, we have also received specific donations of £7k, generated £8k through our social and fundraisin8 actlvbtles and increased our income from ma8azine advertising by £2k. We have also received over £8.2k in interest on our savings deposlted with CCLA. In terms of reducin8 our expenditure, our gas costs were down by £2.5k,' our magazlne prlntlng c05t5 were down by £3k,' and our routine maintenance ¢osts remained stable The Diocese has also helped in that our CMF contributlon in 2024 was £8k lower than in 2023 This year we have also received a number of generous legacies, totalling £3k As a PCC we have consciously taken a strlcter approach to expenditure, and wherever possible, found cheaper ways of doing thin8S. So, ai 31 December 2024 our fljnds were £193k1£95k unrestrlcted, £63k designated, £35k restricted). Of this we have £30K set aside for repairs and hold 3n additional £32K in general reserves in accordance with our stated accounting policy. We retain £35k in funds restricted -26- for specific purposes and the balance is in our main unrestricted general fund, and small funds set aside to support our mlnistry wlth childreni young people and familles. The table below shows the trend of our unrestrirted funds overthe past 6 years: Date Unre5trlrted 31112119 31112/20 31112121 31/12122 31112123 31112124 97 187 155 182 159 Designated Funds l£kl So in effert, we remain in a viable financial p051tion for the foreseeable future, but our operatlons in 2024 have been underwritten by the continued receipt of generous legacles and donations. It wlll be our prlority over the next 12 months to further reduce this Bap between income and expenditure. In 2025 we will also carry out a valuation of the pension scheme. Despite the financial challenges of the past 3 years we continued, as a demonstration of our Christian wkness. to donate a significant amount of our discretionary income in support of various local, natlonal and InternatSonal charitles. We contributed £82k to the Diocese's Common Mission Fund. We also donated £6k to causes including the Winchester Youth Counsellin8, the Michael Project. CMS, Ashray, Shanthigramam, the Royal British Legion, and the con8regation hove continued to give generou51y to the Pannai Orphanage. Administerin8 a charity with £193k of assets is above all a team effort and I would like to thank all those who contribute so much to the day to day mana8ement of our finances.. Penny Forbes who looks after all the PCC fee income and disbursements and administers the JPH booking5,' David Griffiths and Nolly Nutman who maintain our Gift Aid records and claims the tax back from HMRC.. Margaret Stewart and Caroline Hawkin5 who handle our banking; Colin Scott-morton who ha5 kindly taken on the work of reclairning the VAT on our building works; to Charlotte, Liz and the team who produce the magazine, to the large team of people who count and record our collections each week, and to our Independent Examiner, Steven Lynes of Behegan Lynes and his colleague Heather Ellis. for revlewlng these financial statements. Finally, a massive thank you goes to Jane Parsons in her invaluable role as Assistant Treasurer. Jonathan Whale Hon. Treasurer. PCC of New Alresford -27- statement of Financial Activities UnTostrlcted Restrl¢t•d Endowmont fund¥ funds funds Totol funds Prioryear tot•1 funds Incorn• and endovfflwrts from: Donatwjns and l•gaaes 118.502.43 11,208.87 127.711.30 137,897.55 Other lrnrfing acltwties 8,728.74 8.728.74 8,347.01 Church A¢tknb*s 29,247.83 29,247.63 27.C(J1.96 Oihar incom9 15,895.22 15,895.22 lo,2￿.63 Total Incomè 170J74.02 11,208.87 181.582.89 113.543.J8 Exp•ndltuv• on.. Costs of Generating Funds 1,726.27 1,726.27 1,888.C All Mlsslon Glvlng & Charilable DOn&t￿nS 3.328.92 1,311.65 4,640.57 5,548.82 Church A¢Xivthe6 176286.61 2,822.44 177.909.05 178,337.14 Major Capltal Exp•nditure Tolal •xp•ndliur• 180.341.eo 3,9X09 184.275.89 188.774.02 Net in¢ome I lexpenditiwel r¢¥oureès b•for• transf•r 19,967.781 7,274.78 12.693.001 12,230.671 Tw¥n•ferx Gros$ Ir8n$f$rs bglwgen funds- in 600.00 1,409.32 2.009.32 3,722.00 Gr05S transfers be￿eeTr frmds- out {1.409.32) (6￿.col p.rm.321 13.722.001 othor recognl8ed galnts I l¢w$ Gainsn05$¢9 on invéstm•nt assets Gains on ￿Valuat￿. fixed 488ets, ch8rity'8 own use Net fflovement in ￿nd# (10,776.101 8,084.10 12,692.OCII 12,230.67 Total funds brought lorward 169.527.82 26,745.30 196,273.12 198,503.79 Totsl funds carried forfftrd 158.751.72 34.829,40 193,581.12 196.273.12 Repre8¢nt•d by Unrestricted Genef81 fvnd 95.485.85 95,485.85 1Cfj,583.69 -28- Deslgnated Chufth Rep8ir Fund 25.0￿.29 25.OC().29 25.000.29 Growing Young¢r 426.89 426.89 150.80 JPH Repair Fund 4,999.85 4,g99.85 4,999.85 R8s•N• Fund 31,793.19 31,793.19 31,793.19 Sheridan Fund Youlh Work 1,045.65 1,045.65 1,000.00 Ratrl¢ted Agency o)Ileclion Bel Fund 6,696.48 6,896.48 6,998.10 C Bril Fund 3,725.79 3,725.79 3,725.79 Chalk Fund Chattertjox 605.(K) 605.CKJ 450. Constance V*re Tru61 Legacy D8vkl Hasted Legaw For ChLffchyard Upkeep 9.800.CKJ 9,800.00 10,CQO.00 Gift From St John's 161.28 161.28 Monday MÈtlAnd Eat 728.14 728.14 Pann41 0￿har￿7ge DonatSons 8,840.CQ 8.840.(K) 5,491.25 Raise Ihe Roof Restri¢t¢d Donations 4.272.71 4.272.71 80.16 Totsl fund8 158,751.72 34,829.40 193,581.12 I￿,273.12 Balance Sheet detailed A$at 3111212024 Asat 3111212023 Class and code Do$¢riptlon Fixed *¥sets 2701 Audio Systsm 2702 New Chwr8 28,841.12 2703 Old Chairs Total Flxgd assets 28.841.12 -29- Curr•nt th￿ets 3001 Natwest cU￿•ntAcCounI 19,849.38 29.651.68 3002 NatW•st GrfIAhl AC￿)unt 2.43 2.43 3003 N8tWest FknYerAc￿Urtl 467.58 305.13 3CQ4 Ltyds Fees Account 10.00 10.00 CCLA ICBF) Account 140.125.18 161,876.77 Natlonwide Accounl 3020 Legacy Investrnent Portfolio Z05 A¢counls Receivable 11.403.87 11.108.52 Totsl Currènt a$6•ts 171,85&22 203.154.53 Llabllllles Agenw collp¢tions Z04 Accounts Payable 7.11822 6,849.41 Totsl LIab111￿94 7,11822 6.881.41 N•tAs¥th $urplu9 Id•ficltl 193,681.12 196.273.12 Reserves ExcesBlldtsfi¢W trj date P,693.001 128,954.56 Z01 Starting balances 168,642.20 41,687.64 Z03 Gains on invèstrnent assets 27,631.92 27,630.92 Tot•1 Resorv•s 193,$81.12 196,273.12 Represented by FuTKI# Genernl (Unrestricte 95,485.85 106.583.69 DesignatgJ 63,26S.87 62,944.13 R&strfcted 34,829.40 26,745.30 Totsl 193.581.12 196,273.12 Statement of Assets and Liabilltl•s (by code> Class and nomlnal code General De$lgnated ReJtrlctèd EndoNTh•nt Totol Last year FixedAswt-Tanglble Assets 2701.. AudKI Syslem po.￿.88) 20,$08.B8 2702.. New Chairs 28,841.12 28.841.12 Totsl 8,332.26 20.508.86 28.841.12 30- CurrentAsset- C￿h At Bank And In Hand 3￿)1.. Malwesl Currtnt Account 32,996.82 16,894.74 {30.042.18} 19,849.38 29,851.68 3thJ2.' Natwesl GM AW Account (19,656.571 19.659.00 2.43 2.43 3003.. Natwest Fl(werAccount 367.58 1C¥).00 467.58 305.13 3004: Lloyds F8as Account 10.00 10.00 10.00 3CK)5' CCLA {CBFI A¢count 87,481.09 4e,371.13 26,292.94 140,125.16 161,876.77 Total 81.178.92 63,265.87 16.009.76 160￿￿.68 192.046.01 Cuffent Asset- Debtors 3010.. DebloT6 101.52 {101.52) Z05.. A￿nts Receivable 11.213.67 190. 11.403.67 11.108.52 Total 11,316.19 88.48 11,403.67 11,108.62 Llablllty -Ayency A¢¢ounts 8699.. Agency colledions 32.00 Totsl 32.00 Uablllty - Credltors: Am<>unts Falling Dug In One Year Z04'. Accounts P8yab 5,340.52 1,777.70 7,118.22 6.849.41 Totsl 5,340.52 1.777.70 7,118.22 6.649AI M•t total a$sets 95,485.85 63.265.87 34.829.40 193,$81.12 196,273.12 Reprtsented by General Iunrestiicted 95,485.85 95.485.85 106.5B3.69 O¢signaled - ChurchRep 25,000.29 25.COJ.29 25,1)00.29 Oe8ign•led - Glowing 426.89 428.89 150.80 Desiwaled - jPHRe￿lr 4,999.85 4.999.85 4.999.85 Dèslgnaled - Reserve 31,793.19 31.793.19 31,793 19 Designaled - Youth 1,045.65 1,045.65 1.DOQ.CK> Restricted- 88115 8,896.48 6.896.48 6.998.10 Restricted- CBrill 3,725.79 3,725.79 3,725.79 Restricted- Chatterbox 605.1)0 45Q. Restricted- Grfi from St J 161.28 16128 Restrkt8d- Hasted Churchyard 9.800.00 9.6CI].00 10.000.00 ReStr￿t#￿- Meet and Eat 728.14 728.14 RestrKled- Pannal 8,840.00 8,840.00 5,491.25 ReslTkted - ResDons 4,272.71 4,272.71 80.16 Total 95A85,15 63,26S.87 J4,629.40 193,881.12 196,273.12 -31 Fund movement summary Fund Openin8 Incombng Outiolng Tr￿n￿er9 GainslLos868 Journ4ts Clo¥ing Bel Re8lricted 6.998.10 140.00 241.62 6,896.48 Su&totth18 6.998.10 140.00 241.62 6,B96A8 CBrlll Reslricted 3,725.79 3,725.79 Sub40ts1¥ 3.725.79 3,725,79 Chattérbox Reslricted 450.ljo 290.00 135.1)0 605.00 sUl￿ta￿li 290.00 135.00 606.1)0 ChwehR•p Des1&￿ated 25,000.29 25,0(X) 29 Sub40ts1$ 25,000.29 25,000.29 Glft from St J Re8trided 943.07 781.79 161.28 Sub4otal8 94107 781.79 161.28 Growlng De8vJn)led 150.80 78.14 102.05 31)0.(Kl 426.89 SulAotsl• 150.80 78.14 102.06 300.00 426.89 H•8ted ChuT¢hyard ReslrLled 10,000.00 400.00 9.600.00 Sub40ts1¥ lQ,000.00 400.00 9,600.00 JPHRepalr D•svJn8ted 4,999.85 4,999.85 Sub4otals 4,999.85 4.999.8S 32- Meet and Eat Reslrkted 1,256.00 529.86 728.14 Sub4olal6 1,258.00 529.86 728.14 Pannal Restricted 5.491.25 3,348.75 8,840.00 Sutstotsl$ 6,491.25 3,348.75 8.840.00 R•$Dons Restricted 80.16 6,229.05 1.845.82 809.32 4,272.71 Sub40ts10 80.16 5,229.05 1.84S.82 809.32 4.2Y2.71 R•￿r¥8 Designated 31,793.19 31.793.19 sU￿to￿ls 31,793.19 31.793.19 Youth Designated 1.000.00 254.35 3W.C 1,045.65 Sub40ts18 1.1)00.00 254.35 3110.00 1,045.65 Ge￿ra1 Unreslrided 1Ch8,583.89 170,29S.88 179.985.40 (1,409.321 1.00 95,485.85 Sub4otals 106.583.69 170,296.88 179.915.40 11.409.32} 1.00 9S,485.85 TotAl¥ 196.273.12 181.582.89 184,275.89 1.00 193,581.12 Analysi¥ of income and expenditur• Total Unrosirlctgd De$ign•ted Restricted Endovrtn¢nt Th18 year L•ity6èr INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM.. Don8titxJs and leg4¢108 0101 . Reg￿ar GNing SO GA 3,350.00 3,350.￿ 4,340.00 33- 0102- Re9thai Glvlng by envek>F¢ GA 605.00 605.00 510.00 0104- CAF Vouchers 1.511.99 1.511.99 1.311.99 0105- Règular Glvlng by PGS DiT¢Ct GA 62.580.40 82,580.40 67,850.53 0201- Regular Giving Stsndlng Ord8r NGA 1,390.00 1,390.00 1,260.00 0202- Regthar Giving by nvekjpe NGA 143.30 143.30 30.00 0204- RegLd8r Giving by PGS Direct N(3A 3.268.00 3.268.00 3.016.00 0301A- Sunday Collections GASDS 3,703.56 3.703.56 3.039.12 0301 B- Sunday Collections GASDS 5.00 S.OD 0302- Wedding Collectw)ns 0303- Funeral Coledions 85.00 65.00 155.00 0304- Baptlsm Collections 47.90 47.90 295.90 0306- One off GfftAid envelope$ 7226.00 7.226.00 2,476.76 0307- Donation8 by cord reader NGA 2.844.46 2,644.46 1,450.70 0307A- Donations by card readei GA 1.943.12 197.80 2.140.92 1.394.85 0308 - Mith4eek Collections 0402 - Church Donalions Box 1,044.85 1,044.65 1.606.57 0404 - Fknver Donats"on$ NGA 875.00 875.00 910. 0500- Olh¢r $pecthc (kJnation$ 315.00 315.00 7.367.IJO 0501 - One off donations Outsi￿ $grvitys 1,511.94 1,511.94 2,783.63 OS02. Donati¢)ns by Ringers and Others 140.00 140.00 219.K2 0503 - Lango Donations 0504- Pannai DonatKJns 3,210.L 3.210.00 2,2W.00 0506- Lent Project 0509- Bell Fund NGA 0513- Bèll Fund GA 0517. Churchyard Dongtions 2.1(K).c 0518- Monday Meel end donations 1.258. 1,258.00 34- 0519- GrA frorn Sl John's donations 943.07 943.07 s75.￿1 0601- Gift Aid on unrestrthd income 21,132.81 21.132.81 20.501.89 0602- GIftAld on rethcted Inccffie 500.00 123.75 07LX)- L•gac￿$ received 3.034.60 3.034.80 10.000.c 0801- Grants Re¢uthng- UnreslvKled 35.00 35.00 0802- Gionts N(￿ Recurrin9" unrestr￿led 384.70 384.70 2,384.64 0803- VAT ReC￿￿d 1.114.60 0804- Grants Non Reeurring- Restricted 2.545.00 2.545.00 81K).110 0805- Governmenl Granl- COVID-19 Donatlon¥ l•g•cles Totalrs 116.602.43 11,208.87 127,711.30 137,897.86 Oth•r tradlng actfvltS9s OW1 . s￿l•rc￿SS Festiv￿ Fund Raising 3.097.26 3.097.26 3.122.98 OSV2- Oth•1 Fund rnisin9 actiwti"e$ 377.38 377.38 1.544.84 0￿3. SorApI Evants 3,288.04 3.288.04 3.311.19 0￿13A- Youth Gro Contributions 78.14 78.14 0£1)4. Magazine Chrithias Card 387.00 387.00 0￿5. Con￿rtS 1,500.92 1,500.92 Othèrtradlno &¢t1vl￿•S Totals 8.650.60 78.14 8.728.74 8.347.01 Church Activltl•s 11(K)- Fe•s r8talne<¢ by the pcc 10,759.00 10,759.00 12,667.co 1201- sa￿ of B￿ks, ch￿trna$ Card$ elc. 1202- Income from use of Chufth 4.237.00 4,237.00 2,562.00 1203- Income from use of JPH 3.559.00 3,559.00 2,440.11 1204- Magazin? Sale8- C¥B￿l 25.40 25.40 37.80 1205- Magazine Sale8- Subscriplions 4.427.23 4,427.23 4,812.05 -35- 1206- M89azineAdverli3ing 6,2CQ.00 6.2CK).WJ 4.443.00 1207- Prlntlng 40.00 40. 40.00 Chureh ACtlvltl￿ Totsl¥ 29,247.63 29.247.63 27.001.96 Other Incom* 1001- Int&rfjst fecelved 8.248.39 8,248.39 5.563.76 1302- Insurance CIBim6 2.303.35 2.303.35 1303- chi￿0￿ Payments 983.&5 983.55 1.123.84 1304- Ah8fr￿d Payments 1,977.38 1,977.38 1.789.24 1305- Bighton P8yments 983.55 983.55 1.819.99 1307- Sale ol Fixed Assels 1.399. 1.399.(K) Othgr In¢om• TotslB 15,B95.22 15.895.22 10.296.83 In¢ome and endowments Grand t*Xal$ 170,295.88 78.14 11,208.87 181,582.89 183.543.3S EXPENDITURE ON.. Costs of Generthting Fund• 1701 . Cost of Waleruess Festival 17.99 17.99 20.49 1702- Cost of fundrnising. in¢ LL. HS, CR etc 308.10 325.34 325.34 1703- Cost of Soaal Events 1,300.10 1,300.10 1,490.57 1705. Cost ol svprthing regular glviro 2320. Cr8dit and debit card ¢horge6 2.B4 82.84 68.90 Costs ofG•n•rdtlng Fun Totals 1,726.27 1,726.27 1.888.06 All Ml•slon Giving & Charllabh DonJtions 1709- Monday Meet and Eat xpenditure 60.52 529.86 590.38 1,194.53 1710- Gfft from St John's exp8Traiture 781.79 781.79 767.75 1801-AnnuAI Charllable Giving 2,B95.00 2,895.00 2,750.LXI 1802- Olher Chavilable Glvlng 373.40 373.40 836.54 All Ml8¥lon Glvlno & Charitabl• Donatlons Total8 3,328.92 1.311.65 4.640.57 5,548.82 Chur¢h Activltles 1W)D- ParKsh Share 81,723.59 81,723.59 90,185.28 2001-Assist stsff 19,535.80 19.535.80 17,029.32 salary¢enSio￿hon0raria IB 2002- OrganisVchoirlsalgrieshonorariA 3.495.00 3.495.00 3.365.Ix) 2101 . Wothinp expenses of Incumbent {B) 146.79 2102- Working Expens￿ of ASSIS￿1 Clergy IB) 2103- Working èxpèn￿8 of as6iStanl 61aff IB) 133.04 133.04 2104- Rectoryl Slaff housino {B) 1,740.17 1,740.17 1,154.77 2105- BeneffictAdminislration expenses 378.84 378.84 372.21 22W- Mission & E¥angellsm costs 1,973.C6 1,248.02 3,221.08 2.845.48 2301 . Church Insurance 3,498.23 3,498.23 3,348.16 23￿2- ch.urch Cle#nlng 288.97 268.97 IrJ).C 2303- Churth mlncrf repairs 980.10 241.82 1,221.72 3,519.62 2303A- Church Cl(th Repairs 2021Q2 720.￿) 2304- Churth Rou￿ne Mainlenance 535.00 8.793.77 9,328.77 5.459.31 2305- Teleph)ne 1.740.19 1,740.19 1.168.25 2306- Organ J p$8rKs luning 423.81 423.81 673.92 2307- Provision of Sgrvices 1,919.92 1.919.92 1.270.67 2308- Musklchoirlrobes 2309- Church Grounds 2,779.Y4 597.80 3.377.74 4.557.48 2310- FINer8 891.55 691.55 861.20 2311- Sunday Sthwl. 2nd Sundoy & Ywth Group 89.95 356.40 448.35 732.35 2312- TrainI￿D￿r$8 F••s BRILL 2313- Subscriplio 575.00 575.QO 325.￿1 2314- Oth•r suppc*t C08ts 4.728.57 4.728.57 2,854.60 2315- Adrninistration 1.635.49 1,635.49 2,612.23 2316- Bank Charg•s 87.50 67.$0 67.50 2401- Chur¢h Gg9- L038224 5,681.45 5,681.45 7,690.88 2402- Churth E￿￿rIcity TGP 1,039.12 1,039.12 1.179.63 2403- Church Runnin9- 9.613.C 9,613.00 -37- Dep￿￿lion 2￿2- MagazSne Printir 9,482.60 9,482.80 12,747.os 2503- magazi￿ Olhet Cost$ 91.70 91.70 86.95 2504- JPH - In$uran¢g 1,166.17 1,186.17 1.115.99 2505- JPH - Electridty 2,07820 2,078.20 2.359.28 2506- JPH - Gas- L038225 1,217.57 1.217.57 1.795.83 2507- JPH . Water 326.94 326.94 213.45 2508- JPH - M4int¢n8n¢e 3.410.41 3.410.41 4.486.56 2509. JPH . Cleanir4J 2,180.02 2,180.02 2,139.64 2510- JPH . Consumgblei 618.54 618.54 614.60 2801 .Audit Fo8S 832.00 832.00 556.IM) Church Actfvltlos TotalB 174,930.21 3S6AO 2,622.44 177,909.05 178.337.14 Maiorcapitsl Expenditur• 2700. Major rep04rslr8decoration to church 2800. Major repairs to JPH Major Capital Exp•ndlthr• Tots Exp•ndltur• Grnnd tol•ls 179,985.40 356AO 3.934.09 184,275.89 185,77&02 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Accounllng Policies al Accounting eonventlon The financi81 statements have been prepared in accordance wlth the Church Accounting Re9ulations 2006 together with Financial Reporting Standard FRS102 Section 1A. The financial slatemenls have been prepared under the historical cost convention as modified by the inclusion of investments at market value and the revaluation of fixed assets. The financial 5taternents include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the aG¢ounts ef chur¢h groups that owe their affiliation to another body. nor those which are informal gatherings of church members. b) Funds •¢counting Funds which may be held by the PCC are.. 38- Unrestricted funds- general fund5 Ythich can be used for PCC ordinary purposes Designated funds- monies set aside by the PCC out of restricted or unrestricted funds for spectfic fLrture purposes or projects. Also monies required lo settle contracts that have been let but not yet completed or invoiced. Restrioted funds- a) income from Irusls or endowments which may be expended only on those restricted objects provided in the terms of the trust or bequesl., b) donations or grants received for a specific object or invrted by the PCC for a specific object. The funds may only be expended on the specific object for which they were given. Any balance remaining unsFent at the end of the year is Garried forward as balance on that fund. Endowment funds- funds the capital of which must be maintained,. only income arising from the investment of the endowment may be used, either as restricted or unrestricted funds, depending on the purpose Set out in the terms of the Ofiginal endowment. c) Ineomlng r•sources All incoming resources are accounted for gross. dl Voluntsry Income ColleGtions are recognised when received. Planned giving receivable is rewgnised only when received. Income tax recoverable on Gfft Aid donations is recognised in the period it relates to. VAT reclaim grants are recognised when received. other G￿nIS and legaC￿S are recognised when received. Income from Investments Dividends and inlerfrst entitlements are accounted for when received. All otherincome All other income is recognisèd when it is received. el Rosources used Resources expended are accounted for on an accruals basis and are aGcounled for gross. Grants Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over, or when awarded when the award create5 a legal obligation on th& PCC. Church actlvitles The diocesan Common Mission Fund is accounted for when pahy. -39- Flxod Assets Tangible fixed assots Consecrated and beneficed propety of any kind is excluded from the accounts by s. 96(2) of the Charities Act 1993. Movable church fumishing held by the Priest-in-charge and Churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faCu￿Y foT disposal are considered as inalienable property unless ¢onsecrat8d. They are listed in the church's inventory which can be inspecled. All expenditure on consecrated or beneficed buildings and individual rt8ms costin9 under £5,000 are VoTitt8n off in the year incurred. Depreclablon Depreciation is calculated to write down Ihe c08t of tangiblè fixed assets. exduding freehold properties, over their expectèd useful lives. The rate5 generally applicable are.. Fixtures and fittings Computer and other equipmenl 25% strsight line 10 _ 330h straight line No depreciation is provided on freehold property as it is the PCC'S Oicy lo maintain these assets in a continual state of sound repair. The useful economic life of these assets is so long and residual values so high thal any depreciation would nol be material. These asset$ will be subject to annual irnpairment reviews. Provision will be made rf there has been any permanent diminution in valuè. The new chairs are b8ing depreciated at 250￿ per annum stsrting in 2024. Their current residual value is £28,841.12 Investments Investments would be stated at rnarket valug at the balance sheet date. gl CurrgntAs80ts Amounts owing to the PCC at 31 December in respect of fees, rents or other income are shown as debtor$18s5 provision for amounts that may prove uneollectible. h} Ca$h and Doposits Short term deposits include cash held on deposit either with the CBF Churth of England Funds, or at the bank. 2. Di$elosur•s Employées.. The average number of gmployées during the year 2024 was 1. (Unchanged since 20231 -40- Pension Prov181on. The PCC participates in the Pension Builder 2014 Scheme section of the Church Workers Pension Fund (CWPF) for lay staff, adminislered by the Church of England Pensions Board. This is a Defined Benefits Scheme that provides a cash balance lump sum at reliremenl, with assets held separately from participating employers. Pension contributions are recorded in an account for e8oh memtEr to which discretionary bonuses May be added by the Board before retirement, dependent on investment experience and other factors. The accrued account balan￿ is payable from members, Normal Pension Age. There is no sub-division of assets be￿een employers and therefore the scheme is considered lo be a multi*mployer scheme as described in Section 28 of FRS 102. It is not possible lo attribute assets and liabilities to specific employers and thts means that contributions are accounted for as rf the Scheme were a defined contribution scheme. The pensions costs charged in the year are the employerfs contributions payable A valuation of the Pension Builder Scheme is carried out once every three years. The most recent was carried out as al 31 Dècember 2019. For the Pension Builder 2014 section, the valuation revealed a surplus of £2.5m (notificalion on 1 March that this figure should be £5.5ml on the ongoing assumptions used. There is no requirement for deficit paymènts at the current time. The legal structure of the scheme is such that if another employer fails, the PCC could become responsible for paying a share of that employer's pension liabilities. Independent Examinerfs Fee.. The amount due to Behegan Lynes for their independent examination of these accounts is approximately £585 +VAT. PCC Funds The PCC'S poliey Is to hold In designatèd reserves the equivalent ot two months of general running costs and an addftlonal one month'$ salary costs. In addition the PCC seeks to hold around £30,000 In deslgnated fund5 for tho futur• repalr of the Church and John Pear8on Hall. Flnat)cial Pollcles and Protocols In April 2021 the Standing Commlttee (SC) reviewed intemal financial praGtiGes and approved.. a) Paymènts Ch•ques issued are signed by two signatoriès from a panel Gonsisting of the Churchwardens, Treasurer and Assistant Trèasurer. Cheques are seldom used now. Online BACS payments are made by the Treasurer and monitored by the Assistanl Treasurer. Payments are scheduled and countérsigned by a ChurGhwarden and the 41 Trèasurer at regular Intervals. Direct debit payments are approved when the supply or service start5. An Ex￿ndItUre Approval Reglster is maintained in bvhich all non-pay or charitable giving payments over £1000 are recorded and presented to the SC annually for approval. The register gives details of the supplier, amount, purpose and what prior approval ha$ been given. Expensè reimbursoment claims should be submitted lo the Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer viith wrrtten re￿IP1s, and confiming that any 8ppropriate aulhorisation has been obtained. Clergy should complete and submit an expense claim form along with receipts and mileage details. b) Delegated Authority for Spending Gonerally - up to £250. Church Officers can spend on routine items wtthin their area of responsibility up lo £250, without the need to seek prior approval. The Treasurer will monitor these payment5 and spending pattems for reasonableness, raising concerns rf necessary. If possible more than one quotation should be sought for non- routine expenditure. From £250 to £500. Items expected to exceed £250, up lo £500, should be approved in advance by the Clergy (Mission) or Churchwardens (other matters), with the Treasurer advised when approval given. Unusual items should be approved in consultation with the Treasurer. Over £500. Items exceeding £SOO should ahvays be approved in advance by the SC. In an omergency. SC members should be consulted, rf possible, before action taken and expenditure incurred. Substantial exper)dilure of an unusual nature, such as extensive Tepairs cr improvements, should be approved in advance by the PCC on recommendation from the SC wrth eslimaled cost5. el Sp•elflc Approvals The Fees Bank Account is managed by the Be￿fICe Administrator and monitored by Ihe Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer. The monthly return of statutory fees to the diocese and the corresponding payment is approved before submission by thè Treasurer and a Churchwarden. FI0￿r Fund Bank Account for Churth flowers is managed by the Treasurer. Fabrlc Malntenance Work is oversèèn by the Fabric Manager, who is authorised to obtain quotations for projects up to £500 for approval by the SC. Projects over £500 nèed a report outlining the proposed work for prior approval. dl Management of Income Cash recelved should always be counted by ￿ people together as a matter of best practi￿ in order lo protect them from challenge. The Independent Examiner regularly stresses the importance of this in his report on the Annual Accounts. This should apply to Church collections, donations box, fund4aising, social events and all other activities wthere the money accrues to the Church. -42- Incomo rocelved must be accotjnted for gross (without deduction of any expenses incurred raisirg the income) and expenses claimed for subsequ8nt reimbursement by the Treasurer. Investment of Surplus Funds. The SC and PCC should adopl a policy for the investment of funds judged surplus to current requirement5. This should have regard to the length of time the money is unlikely lo be required and the risk of IDSS on the chosen investments. el Annual Char5table Gfvlng The amount and allocation of annual charitable giving is considered and approved by the PCC each year, usually in November, ft)Ilowing the receipt of appropriate infoThation and recommendations from the Treasurer. In addition lo this. decisions may be made by the clergy and churGhwardens throughout the year, consulting with SC where it is consideTed appropriate. to allocate collections for particular servi￿S to spectfic charities or other appropriate causes. -43- ## **Index** ||**Index**| |---|---| |Page 1|Cover Sheet| |Page 2|Statement of Witness| |Page 3|Annual Meeting| |Pages 4-5|Report of Church Council| |Pages 6-8|Minutes of the APCM held on the 23.04.24| |Page 9|Rector’s Report| |Pages 10-11|Church Warden’s Report| |Page 11|Alresford Deanery Synod| |Page 12|Bees Knees| |Pages 12-13|Children, Youth and Family| |Pages 13-14|Catering| |Page 14|Cleaning| |Page 14|Churches Together in Alresford| |Page 15|Co�ee, Cake and Chat| |Pages 15-16|Creation Care| |Page 16|Fabric and Maintenance| |Page 17|Flower Arrangers| |Pages 17-19|Health and Safety| |Page 19|Looking Forward| |Page 20|Lay Pastoral Assistants| |Page 20|Magazine| |Pages 20-21|St John’s Prayer Team| |Pages 21-22|Safeguarding| |Page 22|Table Talk| |Page 22|Tower Report| |Pages 22-23|World Team| |Page 24|Finance Cover Sheet and Standing Committee Approval Certifcate| |Page 25|Independent Examiner’s Report| |Pages 26-27|Treasurer’s Report| |Pages 28-43|Statement of Financial Activities|