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2024-12-31-accounts

Annual Report & Accounts

Year Ending 31[st] December 2024

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9

Contents

Contents
Section 1 Summary of 2024 3
Section 2 Reports by Church Groups
CONGREGATIONS
8am Congregation 4 4pm Congregation 5
9.15am Congregation 4 6.30pm Congregation 5
11am Congregation 4
ADULT ACTIVITIES
20s -30s Ministry 5 Ministry to Ukrainians 8
ALLSorts 6 Flower Ministry 9
Christian Foundations 6 Music Ministry 9
Evangelism 6 Growth Groups 9
St Mary’s Career Support 7 Men’s Daytime Bible Study 10
Audio Visual and Lighting 7 Pastoral Care 10
Deanery Synod 7 Women’s Ministry 10
Third Thursday Table 8 St Mary’s Blog and Touchline 11
Mission Among Internationals 8
MISSION
Mission Strategy Committee 11 Mission Partner Support Group 12
CHILDREN’S & YOUTH WORK
Children’s Work 12 Youth Work 16
Children’s Sunday Work 12 Sunday Youth Ministry 16
7UP 13 Growth Groups 16
Schools Work 13 X Focus and Shift Focus 17
Explorers Time Away 14 Weekends Away 17
Holiday Club 15 Summer Camps 17
Minor Key 15 Student Time Away 17
Toddler and Baby Ministry 16 Parents Information Session 17
SAFEGUARDING 18
RESOURCES
Library 18 Care Fund 19
Books @ St Mary’s 18
Section 3 Attendance 19 Section 10 Objectives and Activities 26
Section 4 Operations and Fabric Report 19 Section 11 Financial Review 26
Section 5 Church Warden’s Report 20 Section 12 Reserves Policy 26
Section 6 Electoral Roll Report 22 Section 13 Report on Financial Activities for
2024		 27
Section 7 Report on PCC Proceedings 22 Section 14 Financial Report 29
Section 8 Administrative Details 24 Section 15 Auditor’s Report 44
Section 9 Structure, Governance and
Management		 25

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Section 1: Summary of 2024

This Annual Report provides an overview of our church – the people, Sunday services, midweek groups, the PCC, the finances and buildings and much more. We hope that you find it interesting and that you will join us as we thank the Lord for again providing so generously in so many ways for his work here at St Mary’s in 2024.

Our church family, visitors and guests met to hear God’s word and worship him at our five services on Sundays at 8.00am, 9.15am, 11.00am, 4.00pm, 6.30pm. We also had Sunday School, Pathfinders and After Church groups for children and youth.

We are thankful to God for the huge number of volunteers which enabled us to put on many regular midweek activities. These included:

We had another busy year of evangelistic events including an evening with the magician Bertie Pearce, an evening with Rory Steyn, Nelson Mandela’s bodyguard, and professional singers performing Songs from the Musicals.

We also celebrated:

2024 saw a number of changes to our staff team. We welcomed Jonny Hayward who was appointed as our Director of Music, Johan Schoeman as Youth Minister in Training, Phil Richards as Facilities Manager and Sharon Bedford as Pastoral Trainee. We had two staff members leave us; John Blackbeard (Operations Manager) who retired and Jan Strydom (Facilities Manager) who relocated to Wales.

With regards to Parish Share, we continue to reimburse the Diocese of Oxford only for the cost of our Vicar and the safeguarding services we receive. In common with many other evangelical Anglican churches who are committed to gospel work that is in line with God’s word we are making no additional contributions to the diocese. We remain committed to funding faithful ministry beyond St Mary’s and monies that have not been paid to the diocese have been used to help fund other gospel projects including a Children’s and Family’s Worker at St Paul’s church in Slough.

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Section 2: Reports by Church Groups

CONGREGATIONS

8am Congregation

If I describe the 8am as a service with no music which follows a formal liturgy, it might sound to some people rather dry. However, it is a lively, closely knit congregation with a lovely family feel. We have a faithful core of regular attenders but we have enjoyed welcoming visitors from outside the church as well as from other congregations. During 2024 we shared the same sermon series as the 6.30pm but with slightly shorter sermons. Our monthly breakfast at The Bear is very popular and a good time of encouragement and fellowship - we are grateful to The Bear for allowing us to rearrange their furniture and for their patience when we forget what we have ordered. Lindsay Reisser-Weston and David Howse hosted a wonderful summer BBQ and Christmas party which were also very well-attended and much appreciated. We continue to be particularly thankful to Robert Weeks for being such a faithful sidesman and to Bernard Obi for his pastoral care.

Ian Miller

9.15am Congregation

Wow! What a privilege it is to have completed my first full year, from January to December, as the Congregation Leader for the 9.15am. This year we have been enjoying a good balanced biblical diet in our preaching. We started it off in Mark and followed Jesus’ Road to Glory. We then enjoyed together ancient and eternal truths found in Nehemiah as we mediated on what it meant to be Building God’s City. We then had our annual thematic series, this time we thought deeply, theologically and pastorally about the Church and how it is the Body Beautiful. Over the summer we headed back to the gospel and marvelled at the Godman Jesus Christ in the I AM sayings in John. Finally, we wanted to be Transformed by the Gospel, so finished the year in Romans 8-15.

Not only have we enjoyed feeding from God’s word, but we have also done some traditional eating together as well. We enjoyed a 9.15 breakfast in the Church Hall, and another one in The Bear. We have also gone on a congregational walk together.

Finally, I can report that the St Mary’s 9.15am congregation is handsomely supported by many wonderful volunteers. I am very grateful for everyone who helps out in the welcome team, on the coffee rota, flower arranging team, the AV desk, the music group, the kids and youth group leaders, those who lead, read, pray and do Family Focus from the front, our Growth Group Leaders, those who set up Communion, and the 9.15am Congregational Oversight Team.

Adam Curtis

11am Congregation

It is a joy to meet together week by week as an 11am congregation to hear God’s word, to sing his praises and to encourage one another to live for Christ in all our lives. During 2024 we have fed together on God’s word in Mark 11-16, Nehemiah, the “I am” sayings of Jesus in John’s Gospel, Romans 8-16, and in some topical talks ‘Body Beautiful’ on our identity together as God’s church.

I am enormously thankful to God for so many who serve with such grace in our congregation on the Welcome Team, Music & AV, Refreshments, Reading, Leading Prayer, Sunday School, Pathfinders, as Growth Group leaders and in many other roles. Truly we are a body serving Christ together.

It has been encouraging to see a number of new people join the congregation and it was a joy to baptise two children and three adults at the 11am congregation during the course of the year. I am also very pleased that we were able to run a Christianity Explored course alongside the service in the Spring of 2024 which we hope to make an annual event. I am thankful for the ministry amongst children we have in the Creche (0-2s), CATS (3-6s) and Explorers (7-10s) groups and for all who work so hard in leading and helping. It has been wonderful to see how God has sustained the Pathfinders Group for 11-14s which we restarted at 11am in 2023. Please pray for continued growth in all these groups and for God’s work in the hearts of our young people.

I am supported in leading the congregation by the Congregation Team which is made up of Robin Aghovia, Neil McDonald, Louise Drake, Saatvik Sai (from December 2023) and Schona Strange. We are available each Sunday for any who would like pastoral support and prayer.

Jon Drake

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4pm Congregation

In the UK the average-sized Anglican church has only 3 children attending each week. We are immensely blessed to have had an average of 23 children attending the 4pm weekly in 2024. This is the Lord’s doing and we are thankful to him for bringing them as well as providing an extremely dedicated group of leaders and helpers for our children’s groups. I imagine there is joy in heaven over every child who participates on a Sunday and over the time and effort put in by those leaders and helpers.

We are also immensely thankful for all the adults who come and for all those who participate in our music, welcome, AV, communion set-up and refreshment teams contributing so wonderfully to our Sunday gatherings. Our children’s teas are a welcome help to parents with young children who can come to the 4pm knowing that they will be fed straight after the service. During 2024 we also continued to enjoy two snack suppers a term which provided a great opportunity to enjoy one another’s fellowship.

In addition to our weekly gatherings, we had an excellent Men’s Weekend in February, a fun time in Oaken Grove Park in the summer, a lovely social with the Cantonese-speaking Growth Group and a good turn out for a Christmas party in December.

Attendance at the 4pm dropped for a second year in 2024 – in part due to moves to the 6.30 service. We pray that will change in 2025 and that the Lord will grow us in love for him, in love for each other and in number.

Ian Miller

6.30pm Congregation

“His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3.

The 6.30pm congregation has continued to flourish by God’s grace, with newcomers and visitors joining us most weeks. I am struck by how few local churches offer an evening service. While we can always welcome one another more (Romans 15:7), I’m encouraged that post-service conversations are often continuing beyond 8.30pm, and the vulnerable and suffering are being loved to a great extent.

Jesus shepherds us by his Word. This year, we worked our way through Ephesians, Matthew 8-10, the doctrine of the church, some summer psalms, 2 Peter and Genesis 1-11, before rounding off the year with our candlelit carol services, which this year were full to capacity. It was especially encouraging to hold three baptism services, in January, Easter Sunday, and November, as well as celebrating the wedding of Joel and Georgina, and the birth of twins to Abii and Dan. For the first time since before Covid, we also enjoyed a congregational evening meal in the hall, skillfully organised by Wing and Sharon in February.

I’m especially grateful to God for the congregational oversight team (COT) of Thomas, Simon, Wing, Helen, Scott and Gracy who supported me as I continued to study part-time at Wycliffe Hall, for Jonny who has taken responsibility for the music, and for the faithful service of our Growth Group leaders Kathy & Alastair, Nick, Helen, Jess, Kate, Jim, Jo and Jeremy, Penny and Stuart, Andy and Sally. Many others serve regularly in welcome teams, music, audiovisuals, leading services and prayers, readings, refreshments, organising rotas, communion setup, providing hospitality, and most importantly, praying for the congregation! The youth After Church group also continues to engage with the Bible in innovative ways under Johan’s leadership.

Please pray for the Lord to raise up a new COT team for 2025, for wise planning for the congregation as I step down from my role in September 2025, that eyes would be opened to the gospel, and that the Holy Spirit will grow us in our love for Jesus and for each other.

Richard Crane

ADULT ACTIVITIES

20-30s Ministry

While St Mary’s Growth Groups are deliberately inter-generational, our 20s-30s Ministry seeks to support and equip young adults in the unique challenges and opportunities faced by Christians in their generation. Informal social events organised via the WhatsApp group continued throughout the year, including walks, cinema trips, and a Christmas party kindly hosted by Adam Curtis. Sadly, we held no Saturday teaching

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evenings this year due to my reduced capacity for planning, but we did pioneer the first ever 20s-30s weekend away. In September, a group of 21 spent a fun two days at an activity centre in Northamptonshire, building friendships as we thought biblically about certainty, contentment, commitment, and holiness.

Please pray for our 20s-30s for a renewed vision to live for Christ in 2025, and wisdom as we plan the ministry.

Richard Crane

ALLSorts

ALLSorts is a group for any adults who find formal services hard to access or understand, and for their carers. Everyone is welcome. After all, God loves ALL sorts of people.

We try to show God’s love through the mediums of Bible stories, prayer, drama, craft, games, music and fun and we meet on the last Thursday of every month at 7pm – 8.30pm, mostly at St Mary’s but sometimes at All Saints.

After the loss of numbers owing to infirmity and Covid, we are now gaining members and our helpers are an ecumenical team of people from the churches of All Saints, St Mary’s, Church of the Good Shepherd, St Edmund Campion and High Street Methodists.

We ask for prayers that our numbers will continue to grow and that our members will come to know God as their loving father.

Sue Nordberg

Christian Foundations

How blessed we are to have this wonderful course, which has run for many years at St Mary’s, seeking to teach and encourage those who are new to faith, still exploring or simply wishing to be reminded of the firm foundations on which we build our Christian faith. New members joined the group at the beginning of each term, many having recently competed Christianity Explored. We follow a different theme each term; Philippians in the Spring, the doctrine of God in the summer and the doctrine of the church in the autumn. The course runs on Monday evenings through the year, alongside Christianity Explored and iFellowship, and was led by Lindsay Reisser-Weston and David Howse in 2024, and we are very grateful to Alan Williams who has also joined the team as a course leader in 2025.

In 2024, we had in the order of 15-20 join on the course each term. Consistent attendance has been particularly encouraging. Discussions and engagement are excellent and it is a privilege to see participants growing spiritually. There is a very good sense of community and family as we all grow in our fellowship with each other, sharing our news and prayer requests throughout the year.

We continue to be immensely grateful to Maggi Richards and her marvellous team of volunteers for wonderful food and for their kindness in serving and clearing up every week.

Lindsay Reisser-Weston

Evangelism

In 2024 we sought not only to put on events to which people could invite non-Christian friends but also organised an evangelism conference to help us think about how we do evangelism and initiatives in our town centre.

As to the events, the first in the year was a family-friendly evening with Bertie Pearce who spoke about his Christian faith whilst entertaining us with magic and his wit. Later in the year we had an interview with Rory Steyn (Nelson Mandela’s bodyguard) and Karnie Sharp (a member of our 11am congregation). From opposite sides of the apartheid regime, they spoke powerfully about the impact of their Christian Faith on them. In addition to these events, we ran four Christianity Explored courses and one “Looking at the Life of Jesus” course during the year and we praise God for the way he used them.

In the summer we held a conference at St Mary’s - “Everyday Evangelism.” This was for churches in the area as well as St Mary’s church family. We had excellent speakers who encouraged us with our personal evangelism and helped us to think about how we do evangelism together, as a church.

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In a new initiative, in the autumn, Growth Groups and others adopted roads and blocks of flats in the parish to pray for them and distribute “Here for you” cards. In the run up to Christmas we handed out Christmas publicity in the town centre and had a stall at the switching-on-of-the-lights festival. We give thanks to God that people came along to St Mary’s as a result.

Ian Miller

St Mary’s Careers Support

Work, in all its forms matters to God and so it’s a key part of all of our lives. From time to time, most of us will experience some form of change (planned or unexpected) in our work which can be challenging to handle. At St Mary’s we believe supporting our church family in this area of their lives through prayer and broader pastoral support is important and pretty crucial to our overall well-being and walk as Christians.

Through referrals from the staff team, we have supported a small handful of people with a number of workrelated challenges, ranging from returning to work from illness or moving into a new job or career or being made redundant. We have been able to offer practical up to date advice on how to write a CV, how to use social media more effectively and how to negotiate or tackle challenging discussions with employers. In particular we have also been supporting a number of our young people who need help working out what they’d like to do once they have finished school education as well as supporting our Ukrainian families find work in the UK.

There are practical resources available on the St Mary’s website covering a range of issues from being made redundant, thinking about retirement and how to deal with stress in the workplace, and we hope that this provides a useful resource for the church family to support members and friends whenever they need.

The service relies on active support from those with professional HR experience, so if you have this experience and would like to get more involved, please contact Liz Tolcher.

Liz Tolcher

Audio, Visual and Lighting

An exciting year with Jonny Hayward joining us as Director of Music and bringing the AV and music teams closer together to further enhance our acts of worship each week. A large team of over 40 volunteers have continued to deliver a consistently high-quality audio and visual experience in the church for both in-person and online services. Some of the highlights were ‘Songs from the Musicals’, ‘Taste of all Nations’ and the Christmas carol services.

The current AV equipment continues to function well for the needs within the church and has only required a few replacements due to general wear and tear. Additional improvements were made to the AV equipment in the hall. Particular thanks to Andy Small and Adam Stylo who continue to offer technical support and training.

Jim Beswick

Deanery Synod

St Mary’s is part of the Maidenhead and Windsor Deanery Synod, which met three times during 2024, in February, May and October.

The February meeting heard about chaplaincy in schools. In May the focus was a form of spiritual care for older people called Anna Chaplaincy, which whilst being caring and compassionate, did not seem to be distinctively Christian. In early 2024 the Bishop of Oxford started a big initiative across the diocese to encourage parishes to grow work with children and young people; in October several parishes shared some of their experiences in this area, including Thomas Walton from St Mary’s Maidenhead, and Dave Atallah and Katie Croft from St Mary’s White Waltham. Daniel Matovu and Gracy Crane continued to give feedback from General Synod.

As a response to unfaithful teaching from bishops in the diocese, St Mary’s is limiting the amount of Parish Share we pay to the Diocese. Please pray that this will not create unhelpful tension in our Deanery relationships, and that we will continue to be Christ-centred witnesses amongst our Deanery.

Thomas Walton

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Third Thursday Table

This is our monthly lunch for those who would like company during the day, and includes (as well as a delicious hot meal) a testimony and singing a hymn. Between 50-70 people attend each month and have enjoyed meeting old and new friends, hearing stories from the lives of others in the church family, and singing together. Many thanks to Sara Hewins and the team who prepare and serve the food each month. An increasing number of visitors are now coming along and are being introduced to the Christian faith.

In August we ran a ‘Holiday at Home’ to which about 20 people came and had fun together.

Rachel Meynell

Ministry Among Internationals

As we continue to have many people coming to Maidenhead from all over the world, we have run various events. We see these ministries as ‘many starting points, one goal’ - belief in Jesus alone and fellowship in his church.

Jason and Laura Swain lead many of these groups:

At iFellowship on Monday evenings, we have run both Al Massira (which is essentially Christianity Explored for people from a Muslim or eastern background - a cultural presentation of the gospel and which through the prophets to showcase Jesus in their language with English subtitles) and studies going through Galatians to seek to communicate the glorious simplicity of the gospel.

Before the Al Massira hour we have run a discipleship course for those who want to go deeper in following Jesus. We have looked at things like the reliability of the Bible and how it was written and the role of the law, with about 5-10 people coming along.

On Tuesday mornings Laura ran an international growth group at the start of the year, which has now stopped.

On Wednesday mornings we have run English classes, including both beginner and also more advanced lessons. We take gospel opportunities at Christmas, Easter and the end of the year. Many thanks to Fran Montgomerie, Kathy Lyon and Ian Roxborough for their help.

Our Thursday evening iCaf has continued, using the opportunity to talk about a few topics in small groups with native English speakers and end with an optional 20 minutes talking about what God says on the subject. That last bit is a basic discovery Bible study where we want to let God speak through his word. Numbers have fluctuated depending on weather, we have between 10 to 20 plus helpers. Many thanks to Jo, Chris, Helen, Nick, Richard, Wing, Heather.

A highlight has been seeing some of the internationals reaching out to friends from the community and friends from classes. And we remain very thankful for all the volunteers, without whom these things wouldn’t be possible.

Huge thanks to Jason and Laura for their ministry.

Thank you too to Debra Jonkers who has run occasional meals for asylum seekers - with around 70 attending and having good food and fun together.

Jo Jobson has continued to run the Ukraine+ Welcome Hub on Thursdays (see report below). Many thanks to her and to Katherine, Emma, Alison and Fiona for their help.

On Sundays we have a copy of the sermon at the back of church for those who find it easier to read/use a translation app, and we also have Bibles in various languages.

Jo Jobson

Ministry to Ukrainians

We reach out to the Ukrainian community in Maidenhead and the wider local area. Much of this ministry is one-to-one, and through friendship and trust we aim to help people to see Jesus’ love, compassion, steadfastness and justice in their very challenging situations.

The Ukrainian+ Welcome Hub is the most visible part of our work. It runs every Thursday morning throughout the year. Sporadically – after particularly heavy bombardments or significant anniversaries - we hold short services in the Chapel, and many who are unable to attend send prayer requests. We also pray regularly for and with those who attend the Hub. The Hub is a place where people can relax, play games to practice their English, and ask for advice. It is frequently full of laughter!

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Many have attended events and the 9.15am church services at St Mary’s, with Ukrainian Bibles plus service sheets and sermons translated into Ukrainian. In August we hosted the Maidenhead and Windsor community’s Ukrainian Independence Day celebration. This was a very happy event, attended by Ukrainians, English sponsors and members of the church family. We sang Ukrainian songs, learnt some history, dressed up in national costumes, ate delicious food and prayed for Ukraine and its people.

While many of the mums have been to St Mary’s, it is rarer to see the teenagers. If you are a teenager yourself, or have family of this age who go to one of the weekday clubs, do pray about inviting Ukrainians in your class. Several parents would love their children to attend, but they are unlikely to come without a personal invitation from someone their own age.

If you wish to get involved with this ministry – by praying, helping at the Hub, or getting alongside Ukrainians, do contact me.

Jo Jobson

Flower Ministry

We are still a small team: Kim Boulter, Donna Stimson, Sylvine Andrews, Victoria Parker and myself, and we enjoy working together and using our love of flowers to display them for all the congregations to enjoy and wonder at the beauty of God's creation.

We do use bio floral foam to secure the arrangements, but this takes a long time to degrade, so we are now trying to use the old-fashioned method: chicken wire. This is reusable and cheaper but much more technically challenging. We are still learning how to get the best results.

The funding of this ministry depends on donations. As the years pass, we lose some of our yearly donors and sadly we gain very few new, maybe younger contributors. We have benefitted from some very generous 'oneoff' contributions and so manage to fund the weekly arrangements, but we do use as many garden flowers and greenery as we can.

We very much appreciate the very kind comments about the displays, and it is so encouraging to hear that they are enjoyed by many church members.

Naomi Khoo

Music Ministry

It’s been a great joy for me to join St Mary’s as Director of Music and I’m very grateful to those who have worked hard over many years to bring us to where we are today. Particular thanks are due to the congregation music coordinators who continue to make my job possible by taking on much of the administrative work for each congregation as well as leading music most Sundays. Our biggest challenges remain lack of rehearsal time in the morning (the 11am musicians have twenty minutes if they’re lucky!) and a need for more musicians at most of the services. The former problem will take some time to begin to solve, but if you’re a musician of any variety do get in touch with your congregation’s music coordinator (generally the person playing the piano) if you’d like to be involved. I have recently formed a music leadership team comprised of the congregation music coordinators and a few others in order to discuss how things are going, changes, and repertoire. Please pray that this group would bear fruit for the glory of Jesus as we try to improve music at St Mary’s. Jonny Hayward

Growth Groups

During 2024 there were around 35 Growth Groups which met regularly – most in people’s homes although some on the church site. Growth Groups are for the most part organised within congregations and are overseen by congregation leaders.

In the spring term Growth Groups studied 1 Kings 15 – 2 Kings 2 using studies written by Jon and Ian; in the summer term the groups studied 1 Corinthians 1-7 using published Good Book Company materials; in the autumn term the groups studied Acts 1-6 using studies written by Ian. The Good Book Company Studies provide questions and suggested answers; the studies we have written ourselves also provide questions and suggested answers but seek to provide more materials to help leaders get into the text.

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We are very grateful indeed for the hard work and commitment of Growth Group leaders who not only prepare and lead week-by-week but also care for the members of their groups pastorally and attend three Growth Group leaders’ meetings per year.

Ian Miller

Men’s Daytime Bible Study

The Men’s Daytime Bible Study meets on a Thursday morning in the Old Vic. Some people also join us via Zoom. We are grateful to Jan Strydom who led the group until August before moving to Wales. David Drake has kindly taken over this role.

Pastoral Care

The Pastoral Care ministry aims to look after those in the congregations who are vulnerable or going through hard times. This has been done by:

Sending out fortnightly mailings with sermons and other church news for those who cannot come or access services online.

A team of people visiting the elderly in their homes to encourage them.

The staff team prays through the pastoral list about 5 times a year and follows up those who have not been at church or who are experiencing hard times.

Home communion offered to those who cannot get out at Christmas and Easter.

Our ‘Life Matters’ programme has continued to give teaching on specific topics. We ran Marriage Matters in January (Gareth and Claire Wroe speaking), Parenting Matters in March (Sharon Bedford speaking) and Retirement Matters in April (Jane Leggett speaking). All of them were well received and gave help to those who attended.

Two support groups now meet regularly to offer mutual encouragement and support. One for those who are same sex attracted met about 6 times, and the Bereavement support group with between 5-10 people attending, meets regularly on the first Monday of each month to offer companionship to those who are grieving.

Sharon Bedford continues to support us 1.5 days per week, as our Pastoral Trainee, meeting with church family one to one to help them talk through their struggles in the light of Scripture.

The Pastoral Team (Rachel Meynell, Sharon Bedford and John Driscoll) continues to meet to think and pray about how we can grow our pastoral ministry as we meet with church family members, and through the events we run.

We also ran two welcome teas at church, to welcome newcomers and show them around the site.

Rachel Meynell

Women’s Ministry

We long to see each woman in the church flourishing in her relationship with Jesus, living a godly life and serving in whatever capacity God has called her to. This happens as we study God’s word together, and as we build encouraging and godly friendships.

To this end we run:

Women’s growth groups (about 60 women in all) meet each week during the daytime to study the Bible and pray together. Four groups meet at church on a Tuesday morning with a creche, and two meet at other times in homes around Maidenhead.

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We had a women’s weekend away for the 6.30 congregation, where 16 women went to The Pines to study some Psalms, grow our friendships and have fun.

In May we hosted the South Central Women’s Day here at St Mary’s where 270 women from the area gathered for excellent Bible teaching from Lizzie Smallwood.

We had two women’s breakfasts, each with about 60 attendees, where Rachel spoke on Heaven (February) and then one on Living with Disappointment (November). We also ran a Gingerbread evening before Christmas as a way of reaching other women with the gospel, to which about 100 women came.

The women’s book group goes from strength to strength, reading a variety of Christian books. We are very grateful to Sara Hewins for her leadership of this. Other gatherings have helped to encourage friendships including walks and informal socials.

Thank you so much to those who have made all these events possible, and to Heidi Cooper and Helen Norton who are on the Women’s Ministry Team.

Rachel Meynell

St Mary’s Blog and Touchline

In 2024, 68 different authors wrote 84 different articles for the blog. As the word cloud shows the most frequent words are God, church, Jesus, St Mary’s and people - an apt synopsis of the blog.

The blog is kept going by church family members contributing articles all year round about issues, events and updates from St Mary’s mission partners and staff. The different writers and articles reflect the variety of people and activities at St Mary’s - thank you for contributing.

All the articles and photos on the blog are collated and published as Touchline, the regular church magazine. Special thanks to both the proof reader and Touchline compiler for their work through the year behind the scenes. If you would like to find out more, or help with the blog, proof reading or compiling Touchline, please do contact me.

John Furley

MISSION

Mission Strategy Committee

The purpose of the Mission Strategy Committee (MSC) is to devise a strategy for our support of missions and to bring to the PCC recommendations of which Christian organisations and individuals we should support. The committee meets around 3 times a year. Current members are: Jon Drake (Chair), David Howes (Mission Treasurer), Damian Eustace, Jo Jobson, Jennie Kemp (Secretary), Rose Matovu, Adam Stylo, Tim Raymond and Anthony Kan (PCC representative). In 2024 St Mary’s gave £94,100 towards the support of mission partners and gospel charities.

During the year, the MSC considered the addition of mission partners to replace those who had retired in the previous year. Whilst the conclusion is to maintain the present numbers in order to be able to support each partner more in depth, the MSC will encourage home-grown mission endeavours to support.

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I would like to take this opportunity to thank Jo Jobson for heading up the Mission Partner Support Group (MPSG) and also the members of the MPSG who are our mission links with our Mission Partners.

Thanks must also go to David Howes for all the research he does in administering the Mission Budget. David Howes acts treasurer for both the MSC and the MPSG.

Anthony Kan

Mission Partner Support Group

The Mission Partner Support Group (MPSG) provides pastoral care for our mission partners and connects them with the church family. Each mission partner has a St Mary’s mission link who keeps in regular contact and passes news and prayer requests to the church family. The MPSG provides mission prayers, arranges monthly mission presentations at the St Mary’s Evening, pairs each Growth Group with a mission partner, plans activities on World Focus Sunday, and organizes the Mission BBQ.

In 2024 we did not have visits from our overseas partners in person, but it was a great pleasure to welcome our local mission partners – Wayne, Neil and Sharon, Jason and Laura, and Angy to church events. Other partners appeared by Zoom or video at St Mary’s Evenings to talk about the joys and challenges of their work.

We thank God for our mission partners, and for the mutual encouragement that is gained from our partnership with them as we work together in the gospel.

If you want to find out more about our partners, please go to the church website or ask me or a mission link.

Jo Jobson

CHILDREN’S & YOUTH WORK

Children’s Work

“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.” (Psalm 78:4b)

What a joy and a pleasure it is to work alongside the children and volunteers we have here at St Mary’s! It’s so encouraging to see how God has been at work in our children, parents, and volunteers, as we seek to work together to disciple these many children that God has blessed us with. It is now my prayer that the Lord will be continuing to be at work in these children, and will bring them to know and trust in the Lord Jesus and to commit their lives to living for him.

In order to do this, we have many weekly and annual events that we pray will bring glory to God as we teach children from God’s word. I would love to express my thanks to everyone who plays a part in this, whether that is praying for the children, chatting to them on Sundays, or leading and teaching in the groups. I am so thankful to God for everyone involved, and for their hard work in teaching the children the good news of Jesus Christ.

I am also so thankful to God for the parents here at St Mary’s who do the bulk of the work in teaching their children about Jesus in the day-to-day of life. I know that it is hard work, and I am often in prayer for all of our parents and children.

Children’s Sunday Work

Every Sunday at 9.15am, 11am, and 4pm, our team of helpers, leaders, and parents teach our children in age appropriate groups. We seek to go through the Bible, seeing how both the Old and New Testaments help us to know and love Jesus more. I am so thankful to God for everyone who has been serving with Creche, Scramblers, Climbers, CATS, Explorers, and Pathfinders. It’s been a real encouragement to see the children learn and grow in their understanding and love for the Lord Jesus. I am also very thankful for the parents, and how they have been bringing their children to church each week, even when it is hard.

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As well as our weekly Sunday School groups, we also have a Family Focus slot during the church service. This gives us an opportunity to think through biblical doctrine altogether as a church family. This past year, we have thought about God’s Character, Prayer, Proverbs, and Old Testament Promises About Jesus. This has been a fantastic time, learning more about God, who he is, and how we can live wisely as his church.

We have had other opportunities to learn together as a whole church family in our various All-Age services. We had these on Good Friday, Remembrance Sunday, and on our Holiday Club Sunday. We also had a Crib Service at Christmas, as well as our usual Christingle All-Age Service. These were energetic, well attended, and helped us to grow in our love for Jesus and for each other as a church family.

7Up

Our weekly kids outreach club has been a great encouragement to me. We run this weekly after-school club to give our church children the opportunity to invite friends to hear the gospel.

In our team, we have 10 leaders (6 adults, 4 teenagers). Together as a team, we have loved growing together in our love for Jesus and in our love for the children who attend each week. It has been such an encouragement to me to see these leaders grow in their roles as leaders and teachers, and in seeing the teenagers getting alongside the children and talking to them about Jesus.

We usually get around 20/25 children each week. They join us for some free time to start with, choosing between the noisy room or the quiet room (sports room or board games room). We then join together for a big game in which everyone gets involved, even the leaders.

After that, we have our talk. This is usually a 7-minute talk, and we use this time to think carefully about God and who he is. Our topics this past year have included:

It is a great joy to see children coming back week by week, asking questions and getting excited about Jesus. We have seen some children bring friends from school, but we have also seen families bring their kids after seeing posters on the driveway or hearing from word of mouth. It is so humbling to see how God has been using 7Up to bring families to hear the gospel.

Please keep praying for us as leaders, that we will continue to grow in our love for the Lord and for these children.

Please keep praying for the church children who come each week, that they would grow in their love for Jesus and in their desire to see their friends understand who Jesus is.

Please keep praying for the non-church children, that the Lord will do a mighty work in them and bring them to love and know Jesus as their saviour.

Schools Work

Each week during term time, I have many opportunities to engage with the local schools around Maidenhead, and to share the gospel with them.

Weekly, I go into Oldfield and Holyport primary schools, where we read a true story from the Bible which the children will act out. I then explain the story afterwards with a short talk, applying the gospel to the children’s

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lives, encouraging them to think about who Jesus is and how he can affect our lives. I have also had opportunities this year to visit Highfield Prep school, to deliver a Harvest talk, and a Remembrance Day talk.

I also go into Woodlands Park in partnership with St Mary’s White Waltham, where we do similar assemblies. I really love seeing different children from different backgrounds all taking part in learning about Jesus, and it continues to be my prayer that the Lord will keep these doors open for us to go into these schools, and that he would use these opportunities to bring families to know Jesus.

Each year, we run 2-hour presentations in the church for Year 6 children in schools around Maidenhead. These are called Easter Cracked and Christmas Unwrapped, and they give us an opportunity to discuss the true meaning of Easter and Christmas.

We give the children an opportunity to read the Bible for themselves on banners around the church. We discuss the facts about Easter and Christmas, and how we know that the Bible is reliable and that Jesus really did rise from the dead. After hearing this, the children always have many questions about Jesus, so we give them an opportunity to ask ‘The Nutty Professor’ any questions that they would like. This is my favourite part of each presentation as we get to hear what the children are thinking, and we can speak more openly about the gospel.

Please keep on praying for these schools. Pray that the Lord would keep these doors open for us to go into the schools, and that he would be at work in the teachers, the children, and their families.

Explorers Time Away

Explorers Time Away is our annual week away for St Mary’s children in Years 5 and 6. This is 5 days away in May to an activity centre in Clanfield called ‘Adventure Plus’, and this year we took 15 children and 8 adults. Our theme for 2024 was ‘Race Around the World’. The children were split into three teams, the Powerful Pilots, the Speedy Sailors, and the Hasty Hikers.

We heard from Acts 16 -17 about Paul’s journey around the world, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. We saw how people respond to the gospel in different ways, and considered how we should respond to it.

As we saw in Acts 17:11, ‘the Berean Jews received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.’ We were challenged to look for ourselves to see what we believe about Jesus. Do we trust in him as the Son of God who can give us eternal life, or do we leave him for idols?

We enjoyed lots of different activities, such as rock climbing, mountain biking, crafts, a trip to the zoo, and even a talent show! We enjoyed seeing many different talents, for example Andre gargling water to our favourite action songs, Sophia’s scary poetry recital, and a big group limbo line.

Here are some things that Layla, one of our Explorers, enjoyed about the week:

“The things I enjoyed on the week away were rock climbing, eating lunch in the 100ft tower and all of the mealtimes! I learned about the earthquake when Paul and Silas were in prison, and Lydia when she didn’t know about Jesus and Paul told her and she got baptised. Overall, I really enjoyed myself and didn’t want to leave, you get to learn so much and have so many fun experiences – I’d really recommend it!”

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I am hugely thankful to all the leaders who came and made the week possible, and very thankful to the kids and parents who attended. It was such a fun week and a huge encouragement to see the kids learning about Jesus and asking great questions!

Holiday Club

From 28th - 30th August, we hosted our annual St Mary’s Holiday Club, which is always a highlight of the year!

This is a summer holiday club for children who are in primary school, which takes place over three days. The aim of Holiday Club is:

Our theme this year was ‘A Bug’s Life’. The church site was transformed into a Bug Hotel, with a giant toadstool at the front of the church building.

Through talks and Bible studies, we thought about how BIG God is, and how small we are compared to him, but how big his love is for us. He loves us so much that he sent the Lord Jesus down to Earth, to become one of us, to live a perfect life and to die for us so that we may have eternal life with him.

Our memory verse of the week was:

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” (Isaiah 40:28)

It was a joy to hear kids and adults alike chanting this verse around the site, joining in together with the fun games and craft, and sitting around God’s word, learning together more about Him.

I am hugely thankful to God for all of the incredible volunteers who made the week happen, for the parents who brought their children along, and for the families who invited their non-church friends along to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

Nick McDonald

Minor Key

Minor Key is our young people’s music group for those in school years 6-13 (aged 10-18) running on a Friday night alongside X and Shift Focus. We currently have 26 young people on our register who sing or play an instrument, and we are grateful for the 4 leaders (Vic Harris, Heidi Cooper, Richard Holland and James Ainscough) that support John and me in running the group. The aim is for all to develop their musical gifts in serving God and the church family, and to have fun as we do it! We are also keen to welcome non-churched youth and love to see Minor Key used as an outreach opportunity to bring young people in.

It is a real blessing to support the partnership between St Mary’s and White Waltham Church – our members and leaders are made up from both churches and we lead music at both churches across the year.

The highlight of our year is always singing an anthem in the evening Christmas Carol Service and our White Waltham young people joined with an adult choir to repeat the anthem at the White Waltham Christmas Eve service, which was a real encouragement to the congregation.

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Please praise God for our young people as they serve the church and for the leaders who give up their time to help John and me. Please pray that we would see some non-Christian friends coming along this year.

Katie and John Croft

Toddler and Baby Ministry

St Mary’s runs toddler groups on two mornings a week as a way of reaching out to the community with the gospel, and also providing support for young families. The mornings consist of time to play, refreshments for adults and toddlers, a time of singing with a Bible story, and a craft themed to go with the Bible story.

We also run a weekly New Parent support group on Thursday mornings for new mums to find friends and help for the early days.

About 60 families now come on site each week for the various groups-with many different nationalities represented. Our aim is to build relationships with the families (nannies, parents and grandparents), so that through our actions we can demonstrate the love of Christ and through our words to share the good news of Jesus.

We have run some other events, where we have been able to explain the gospel. Some of the mums came to a Colour and Style evening we held in June, as well as running Christmas and Easter services on the toddler mornings and giving them all Christmas and Easter books to read at home.

We praise God for these opportunities, and continue to pray that he would raise up more workers for this harvest field.

Huge thanks to Debra Jonkers, Nicola Winson and Heidi Cooper and the teams of volunteers who make this ministry possible and who run these groups so faithfully.

Rachel Meynell

Youth Work

We are very grateful to God for all the work he has been doing in the lives of our young people throughout 2024.

Sunday Youth Ministry

In Pathfinders, we started the year by studying Mark chapters 11 to 15 focusing on Jesus’ final days, from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem to his crucifixion and burial. These chapters highlight his authority through powerful teachings and confrontations, the Last Supper, his suffering and betrayal, and ultimately his sacrificial death on the cross, paving the way for salvation.

In the autumn term, we covered Romans 8-16, which inspired deep conversations about grace and salvation. Please pray that the youth will be encouraged to come to church and Pathfinders, and that they continue to grow in their faith.

After Church has been a significant source of encouragement, providing an opportunity to spend time with older teenagers as they engage with the 6.30pm sermon and reflect on their daily devotions. We introduced Slido, allowing them to ask questions anonymously about the sermons and how they apply to our lives. It has been wonderful to see preachers and other adults get involved in discipling the young people in this way.

Growth Groups

Studying the life of Elijah at the beginning of the year was a joy. The series magnified God's supreme power and faithfulness as he worked through his prophet to confront idolatry, display his mighty miracles, and ultimately pass the divine mantle to Elisha—showing that his sovereign plan always prevails.

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In the autumn term, we explored the book of Acts, which reveals God’s unstoppable power in building his Church through the Holy Spirit. We saw how the Gospel spread from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth, transforming lives and advancing his Kingdom.

X Focus and Shift Focus

Our two Friday night youth groups - X Focus (for years 6-9) and Shift Focus (for years 9-13) - offer times of fun, fellowship, and opportunities for deeper questions about faith. Young people transition from X Focus to Shift Focus during year 9.

In the spring term, we completed a Bible overview before diving into Essentials of Christianity . After the summer, we studied Jesus Tells Stories , focusing on parables from Luke’s Gospel.

In the autumn, we completed the 321 Course – Speak Life by Glen Scrivener, which invites participants to see life through Jesus' perspective. This course uses immersive videos and illustrations to explore God, the world, and ourselves in light of the gospel.

Weekends Away

In March, we had our Senior Youth Weekend Away at a new venue, Oakwood Activity Centre in Wokingham, and invited young people from St James’ Gerrards Cross to join us. The teaching theme was Heaven and the New Creation , led by Harry Thrift. He helped us reflect on what the Bible says about life after this life, asking, "Are you excited?"

In October, we returned to Oakwood for our Junior Youth Weekend Away, with St James’ joining us again. This time, Nick McDonald led us through the book of Acts with the theme BE BOLD. The message of Acts reminds us to live out our faith courageously, rely on the Holy Spirit for strength, and share the hope we have in Christ, no matter the challenges.

Summer Camps

Summer camps were a highlight of 2024 and proved very popular. We sent leaders and members to different camps during the holidays. These camps are always a time of significant growth and renewed commitment to Christ. They are also a source of great encouragement for leaders as they witness the young people’s love for Jesus deepen.

Student Time Away

In September, those preparing for university spent a day together at Adam Curtis’s home. We explored the Bible for guidance on issues that affect new students. The atmosphere was relaxed, with plenty of laughter, games, and some outstanding cooking!

Parent Information Session on Kaleidoscope: Faith, Sexuality, and Gender

Adam Curtis and I hosted a Parent Information Session on Kaleidoscope: Faith, Sexuality, and Gender for parents of youth in our Growth Groups as we plan for 2025. This course will use resources from Living Out , an organization co-founded by Sam Allberry that provides thoughtful guidance rooted in Christian values. Specifically, our youth will engage with Kaleidoscope , a new series designed for youth groups. This series offers age-appropriate content and meaningful discussions on these important topics.

Johan Schoeman

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Safeguarding

Protecting vulnerable people from harm and speaking up for their rights is an integral part of our scriptural mandate as Christians. “Speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves” (Proverbs 31:8). Here at St Mary’s, we take safeguarding seriously. I am what’s known as the PSO – the Parish Safeguarding Officer and it is my role to ensure that we are compliant with the Diocese of Oxford requirements for safeguarding and that we are not complacent or ignorant about the dangers of ignoring safeguarding.

For that reason, we “safely recruit” all the staff and those who lead or help with the work here. They go through a process of obtaining 2 references, an interview, a DBS Criminal record check and online safeguarding training courses.

Church should be one of the safest places that anyone could go to. We want St Mary’s to be a welcoming and safe place - for all ages and stages of life, for all people and we all have a part to play in that because the care and protection of children, young people and adults involved in church activities is the responsibility of everyone who participates in the life of the church.

I am grateful to everyone for their compliance with the required training courses and especially to Janet Wood for helping with the task of administering the Safeguarding at St Mary’s. This is a huge job with over 250 people on our lists helping in some capacity.

Kate Wheatley

RESOURCES

Library

The St Mary’s Library is run on a voluntary basis. As books are donated, they are added to the shelves. We have had many book donations this past year and thank all those who have donated books, we appreciate you thinking to donate them to our library.

If you have not used the library yet, do pop in and have a look at the wide range of books we have, I’m sure you will find something you will enjoy.

There is a simple ‘signing out’ procedure which is explained on the notice in the library. If you borrowed books and have not yet returned them, but have finished using them, please return them so others may borrow them too.

Thank you to all of you who have used the church library.

Janet Huisman

Books @ St Mary’s 2024

The aim of our book work at St Mary’s is to recommend and make accessible books that will inspire, encourage and challenge us in our Christian walk.

In 2024 we held two book sales, each across all five services. One in June which was St Mary’s led, with a selection of around 15 books chosen by St Mary’s staff. Around 130 books were purchased. The autumn book sale was run by Christian bookseller ‘10 of Those’ who brought along a large selection of books.

In addition, devotionals for Lent and Advent were recommended and available for purchase at the appropriate times, and a book stall was run for the Everyday Evangelism Conference held in June.

Sara Hewins

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Care Fund

What is the Care Fund?

The Care Fund is available to demonstrate practical Christian care for members of the St Mary’s church family facing unusual and primarily finance-related difficulties. The fund was established in March 1988 for financial support to be considered by an independent team and kept separate from pastoral needs referred to the clergy if this is considered appropriate.

What assistance is provided by the Care Fund?

Assistance is usually provided by one or more of the following means:

• Provision of appropriate funds through a grant or interest-free loan.

Who administers the Care Fund?

Four trustees—Neil McDonald, Jenny Taylor, Janet Wood and David Robinson—administer the fund. The fund is operated through a dedicated bank account administered by the trustees. The PCC maintains the funds' availability, and the church auditors review the operation of the Care Fund.

The trustees meet at least quarterly and maintain a confidential record listing the names of beneficiaries and grants made.

Neil McDonald

Section 3: Attendance

Jane Thrift

Section 4: Operations and Fabric Report

Our operational responsibilities are fulfilled in a range of ways to ensure that we meet the needs of all St Mary’s ministries: this includes ensuring there are good HR processes in place so staff are managed and supported well and that we have effective recruitment and succession planning procedures; ensuring correct compliance with health and safety, data management and charitable trust legislation; ensuring our properties are well maintained and fit for purpose; and managing administrative systems, AV, IT, communication, security and events effectively.

To achieve these responsibilities Dick West (Operations Manager) is very well supported by Jane Thrift (Admin Manager) and our two part time Facilities Managers, Scott Bedford and Phil Richards. There is also a host of volunteers who offer invaluable support to us in our welcome teams, in areas of admin, AV, IT, helping with setting up and down for groups meeting on site, and in so many more ways.

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John Blackbeard who shared the operations manager role with Dick West for six years retired at Easter. Dick West has increased his hours to take over the areas that John oversaw. Jan Strydom was our facilities manager for two years and he left us in August. We are hugely grateful to both of them for their service and hard work.

We continue to look for the best ways to communicate information to the church family. The blog, Touchline and the weekly church family update have done this effectively and we are very grateful to all those involved in putting them together. Our new website has allowed us to more effectively inform those looking for a new church about what goes on at St Mary’s, and the process for booking events is much simpler.

We have made improvements to the kitchen facilities in the Hall, recognizing its increased use. We have replaced the oven and dishwasher, installed new shelving and converted the Clissold room cleaning cupboard to a secondary kitchen. We will continue to make improvements to the site in the coming year.

We completed the annual update of our terrier and detailed asset register and reports were submitted to the diocese and charities commission. We have reviewed and updated our risk assessments and IT and HR policies.

We have ensured that St Mary’s remains up to date and compliant with legislation (health and safety, fire, data privacy) and with all safeguarding practices recommended by the diocese.

Dick West

Section 5: Church Wardens’ Report 2024

We have much to be thankful to the Lord for in 2024. We kicked off the new year with our verse of the year; Psalm 95:6-7 “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care”. And indeed, God has cared for us very well in 2024.

At our Annual Parochial Church Meeting, our vicar Jon Drake spoke of “working together to make Jesus known” within Maidenhead and surrounding districts, with particular focus on the residents of the new tower blocks in the town centre, families with children and those with UK minority ethnic backgrounds. And across 2024, we have been blessed to see our church family grow both in numbers and in diversity, with new people coming to participate in our Sunday services, as well as a raft of international activities including iFellowship, iCaf, Ukrainian+ welcome hub and English speaking classes, a multitude of children’s and youth activities and through many outreach events including the Everyday Evangelism Conference, and an evening of magic and witness. We are hugely grateful to all those on the staff team, so ably led by Jon Drake, and the many volunteers who have worked tirelessly to host these events for God’s glory, and we pray for continued blessing on our family as we continue to step out in faith to build his kingdom.

2024 also saw significant progress on the projects we have sponsored through our International Mission Fund, managed by Rhys Mitchell and his team, and funded from a generous legacy that the PCC dedicated to supporting global ministry and leadership development overseas. The fund is currently being used to support five different initiatives; Build Partners who train gospel leaders in Rwanda, Word of Life who develop content for Muslim background believers, funding education for clergy members of the Anglican church in Peru, supporting unreached people groups in North Africa through AIM (Africa Inland Mission) and funding ministry apprentices at Latimer Church Trust in New Zealand.

All of this took place against the continuing challenging and disappointing direction of travel of the bishops and the Church of England in the matter of Living in Love and Faith, who have adopted the Prayers of Love and Faith for the blessing of same sex relationships. We have responded, upholding our decision to be in impaired communion with the Bishop of Oxford and the other bishops in the diocese whilst they continue to deviate from scripture on this matter of primary importance and diverting a portion of our Parish Share to supporting gospel ministry within faithful churches in the Diocese; St Pauls, Slough and Holy Trinity, Theale. We continue to pray for a change of heart from the bishops and we ask God to watch over us and protect us from any distraction from our primary task of ensuring the gospel is heard at St Mary’s and the community around us.

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Finally, we give huge thanks for God’s blessing of a faithful church family, who continue to give so generously of their time, money and resources to St Mary’s. This is something we do not take for granted and we are very grateful to be in such a position going into the new year of 2025.

Below are a few key areas of focus as we review 2024 and consider the challenges that lie ahead:

Buildings and Property

As church wardens we are responsible for the maintenance of the buildings on our church site. We are very grateful to the Operations Team, led by Dick West, and John Blackbeard before he stepped down in April, who oversee all repairs, maintenance and improvements on our behalf.

We are also grateful to A&M Trust, who allow us to use their buildings free of charge on condition we maintain them and pay for the running costs, including the four-bedroom house in Grafton Close which is being occupied by the Miller Family, and 1 Hemsdale which is being occupied by Adam Curtis.

We continue to maintain the site which has involved some redecoration and refurbishment in 2024 to ensure it is fit for purpose and maintained to a good standard. This included the refitting of the Clissold room to be an adjunct kitchen to the main kitchen in the church hall, as well as replacement of both the main church oven and dishwasher. This has enabled catering for big events to run more smoothly, and is greatly appreciated by our many volunteers who give us their time to welcome and host others with meals and refreshments in many forms, including Third Thursday table, catering for Christianity Explored, Christian Foundations and ifellowship on Monday evenings, our many church family and outreach events, and of course refreshments between services on Sundays.

Church Terrier and Inventory

The Terrier and Record of Inventory have been duly updated.

Finances

We thank God for His continued provision and generosity to us through the last year. Our planned giving, donations and collections income went up from £534,189 in 2023 to £584,747 in 2024. We are very grateful that the Lord’s people at St Mary’s give faithfully and sacrificially and do so mainly via our Regular Giving Scheme. This enabled us to end 2024 with a surplus of General Funds of £138,180.

We are grateful to the finance team for all their work, and for the provision of the Care Fund and Vicar’s Discretionary Fund to support church members in times of need across this challenging year.

Staffing

Jon leads a very mature and capable staff team who are a group of godly and humble people who love the Lord and their calling at St Mary’s to minister to the church family and to make Jesus known in our parish. We thank the Lord for their unity in supporting one other during a busy year with much to keep on top of. The Ministry team comprises; Ian Miller and Adam Curtis, our two Associate Vicars. Adam leads the 9.15am congregation and Ian leads the 8am and 4pm congregations, with Richard Crane our part-time Minister leading the 6.30pm whilst continuing his training for ordination, and Jon himself leading the 11am; Rachel Meynell leads all of our women’s ministry, international ministry and pastoral care; Nick McDonald leads our children’s ministry; Johan Schoeman has joined the team as our new Trainee Youth Minister and Jonny Hayward, our new part-time Director of Music. Sharon Bedford has moved into the role of Pastoral Trainee, doing much to develop this important area of our pastoral ministry. All have settled into their new roles very well and are already making significant impact in their respective areas.

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On the operations side, we are hugely thankful to John Blackbeard and Dick West, our two part-time Operations Managers, who have worked together over several years to make a very significant impact on the smooth running of our church. John stepped down from his role in March and Dick has taken on the full Operations Manager role with two extra days a week. John is continuing to head up finance, an invaluable role working with the finance team. 2024 also saw staff changes in the role of Facilities Manager. We said goodbye to Jan Strydom, who stepped down, moving to Wales to be with his family and we thank him for the huge contribution he made in his role. Jan was replaced by our two part-time Facilities Managers; Scott Bedford and Phil Richards who join Jane Thrift in managing the office and church administration.

Special mention should also go to Kate Wheatley for her continued dedication and commitment on leading Safeguarding at St Mary’s. This is a huge responsibility with a very significant workload, for which we are immensely thankful. Finally, we give great thanks for our dear brother Anthony Kan, who stepped down from the role of church warden for health reasons at the end of November. We wish him the very best in his health, as he continues as a very active and beloved member of our church family. We will look to replace Anthony in his warden’s role in early 2025, according to God’s will.

Challenges, Opportunities and Looking Forward

Looking forward to 2025, a key challenge remains to continue to stand firm in the gospel, in the face of opposition and false teaching from the bishops on the matter of Prayers of Love and Faith. We will work together with likeminded people within the Church of England to ensure we stand firm and do not let this serious matter detract from our primary mission to know Jesus and make Jesus known.

2025 will also see us re-visit the resolution that the Parochial Church Council (PCC) of St Mary’s passed in 2016, and re-affirmed in 2022, known as The House of Bishops’ Pastoral Provision. This provision enabled the PCC to request, on the grounds of theological conviction and in light of our understanding of the Bible, that we have a male vicar and that we receive oversight from a male bishop. The provision stipulates that the PCC should revisit and review this decision from time to time. The first half of 2025 seems the right time for the PCC to do this.

Alongside this, we will continue our work to ensure both men and women can flourish in ministry at St Mary’s, following on from the workshop in January 2025 which was attended by over a hundred of our church family. Jon and Rachel will develop proposals to ensure we can all flourish in our diversity, with input from the PCC and church family.

We know that we can do none of this without depending on our Lord Jesus Christ for all things, and so it is with this in mind that we remind ourselves of and commit to memory, our verse of the year for 2025: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Lindsay Reisser-Weston and Anthony Kan

Section 6: Electoral Roll Report

The Electoral Roll was updated in April 2024. At this time there were 30 people resident in the parish, and 476 non-resident. The total was 506. The following members of the church family died between 1st January and 31st December 2024: Nick Singeisen, Judy Percy, Eileen Crosbie, Janet Whitlock, Keith Whiteside, Barbara Jackson, Derek Jones.

Section 7: Report on PCC Proceedings 2024

The PCC has met on the second Tuesday of each month over the past year (except August). All five congregations are represented in the PCC which consists of a mix of clergy, wardens, lay and elected members who have been voted in by the parish or as part of the deanery and General synods (refer to Section 8.2). There has been an average attendance of 17 over this year, including those who have joined virtually on

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occasion. Two new members were elected at the APCM in April as one stood down to give a total of 25 members in May. We have discussed and debated a range of topics this year including the response to the Church of England’s Prayer of Love and Faith, updates on Finances, Parish Share and the use the Payments in Lieu of Parish Share (PILOPS) and how to engage with the deanery and diocesan synods. In January the PCC approved the resolution not to use the Prayers of Love and Faith. There was discussion following the open consultation held in church in February on our response to the Church of England. We have had guest speakers including Tim Hiorns from Grace Church, Windsor and Martin Davy from Holy Trinity, Theale. We have had presentations on Trusts and Properties, the work of the MPSG, an update on the International Mission Fund and the Mission Budget. An update on Safeguarding is given at every meeting.

Twenty members joined the PCC Away Day at The Tree House, St Mary’s White Waltham on 15th June. Jon Drake introduced the topic of Men and Women Flourishing in Ministry at St Mary’s with the prospect of the PCC re-voting on the resolution on The House of Bishops’ Declaration in early 2025. We had small group discussion on various passages from the Old and New Testaments asking what we could learn from them about men and women in God’s purposes. Further small group discussion focused on the current strengths and weaknesses of women and men flourishing at St Mary’s, followed by feedback and general discussion, and time of prayer. This topic was discussed further in the October PCC meeting.

In December Jon informed the PCC that Anthony Kan was stepping down as church warden. He has been an exceptional church warden and we give great thanks to the Lord for Anthony’s ongoing faithful work for the PCC. We thank the Lord too for the input and willingness to serve of other members of the PCC who have stood down over this year.

Prayer is an integral part of PCC meetings as we commit our discussions to the Lord. Please do continue to pray for the PCC that we would serve with faithfulness, love, truth and unity, for wisdom in our decision making and that what we do is pleasing to the Lord.

For those in the church family who are interested in keeping abreast of the topics discussed, minutes of the meetings are available on the website. If there are any topics which you think the PCC should consider, please do get in touch with me.

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PCC Attendance 2024
25
20
15
10
5
0
Jan Feb March April May June July Sept Oct Nov Dec
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Fran Montgomerie – PCC Secretary

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Section 8: Administrative Details

8.1 Church Details

Parochial Name St Andrew and St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead, in the Deanery of Maidenhead, Diocese of Oxford

Location Borough Church of St Mary’s 14 High Street, MAIDENHEAD, Berkshire

Postal Address St Mary’s Church Office St Mary’s Close, 14 High Street, MAIDENHEAD, Berkshire SL6 1YY Tel. No. 01628 638866

8.2 Membership of the PCC

8.3 Staff Receiving Remuneration

Vicar Rev Jon Drake Associate Minister i/c of women’s work and pastoral care Rachel Meynell Associate Vicar Rev Ian Miller Associate Vicar Rev Adam Curtis Minister i/c of 6:30 congregation Richard Crane Children’s Minister Nick McDonald Youth Minister in training Johan Schoeman Director of Music Jonny Hayward Operations manager Dick West Administration manager Jane Thrift Facilities managers Scott Bedford and Jan Strydom Phil Richards replaced Jan Strydom in August

24

Section 9: Structure, Governance and Management

9.1 Legal Status:

The PCC is a corporate body established by the Church of England governed by two pieces of legislation: the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 (as amended) and the Church Representation Rules (contained in Schedule 3 to the Synodical Government Measure 1969). It became a registered charity in January 2009 (No. 1127589) and the PCC members are trustees.

9.2 Appointment

Appointment of PCC members is governed by and set out in the Church Representation Rules.

9.3 Recruitment, Training, Induction

Regular church members are encouraged to join the electoral roll, which makes them eligible for PCC membership. People are encouraged to stand for the PCC via the display of a nomination board for two weeks prior to the annual meeting. New PCC members are given a handbook outlining the roles and responsibilities of a PCC member within St Mary’s church, and explaining the conduct of business, and trustee responsibilities.

9.4 Monthly Meetings

The PCC meets monthly except during August, with additional meetings as required, including an annual Away Day. It has established committees and project teams to help it with its work, and receives regular reports including minutes of meetings from these groups. The committees that helped the PCC discharge its various duties and responsibilities during 2024 were:

9.4.1 Standing Committee is required by law, and has power to transact the business of the PCC between meetings. It also deals on behalf of PCC with detailed matters relating to church assets and confidential matters. Membership in 2024 was the Vicar, chair of the Finance Committee, the Wardens and the PCC Secretary. The Minister in charge of Women’s Ministry and Pastoral Care, and the Operations Manager also attend.

9.4.2 The Finance Committee provides support for the treasurer, helping formulate financial policy and practices, and assisting in budget preparation and monitoring. This committee was chaired by John Blackbeard.

9.4.3 The Mission Strategy Committee has developed a strategy for St Mary’s involvement in world mission. Its role is to review that strategy, consider new requests for support and termination of existing support, encourage greater involvement in mission, and present an annual budget to the PCC. This committee was chaired by Anthony Kan until he stepped down in September 2024. From October 2024 Jon Drake has stepped in to cover the position.

9.4.4 The Mission Partner Support Group implements the approved strategy and budget through contact with mission partners. It provides financial and other support to them according to agreed plans, and acts as the point of contact between them and the rest of the church, encouraging greater involvement and support. This group was chaired by Jo Jobson.

9.4.5 The Overseas Mission Fund Committee . Newly established in 2023 to seek out and recommend overseas mission opportunities to be funded from St Mary’s discretionary fund. This committee was chaired by Rhys Mitchell. All funding initiatives are approved by the PCC.

9.5 Risk Management

9.5.1 Safe Use of the Church Site : Legislative requirements are closely followed in relation to Health and Safety, Fire Safety and Food Hygiene. Any defects are reported to the Operations Manager and are remedied quickly according to the level of risk. Appropriate training is given and one-off events are assessed for risk before being run. External organisations using the church site have their attention drawn to the need to follow appropriate practices.

25

9.5.2 Welfare : At St Mary’s we are committed to protect and safeguard all our members and work hard to ensure we are in line with current safeguarding practices recommended by the diocese. These recommendations include creating a safe environment, safe recruitment of staff and volunteers, training and DBS clearance. Assessments are made before events to ensure safeguarding, safety, insurance needs and financial implications have been taken into account.

9.5.3 Financial : Prudent policies for the handling of money are in place. Major expenditure has to be approved by the PCC, which also approves an annual budget and receives quarterly monitoring reports. Cash flow is carefully managed, bills are paid promptly, and investment of any short-term funds carefully placed to ensure maximum return compatible with appropriate access.

9.5.4 Data : GDPR regulations which became law in 2018 are adhered to.

Lindsay Reisser–Weston and Anthony Kan

Section 10: Objectives and Activities

The mission of the church is to know Jesus and to make Jesus known by:

Engaging Maidenhead with the gospel. It is our responsibility to proclaim the good news about the Lord Jesus in such a way that people have the chance to really engage with him.

Growing mature disciples of Jesus of all ages and backgrounds. It is our ambition to encourage everyone associated with St Mary’s to be a wholehearted disciple of Jesus.

Partnering with other churches to make Jesus better known. We recognise our responsibility to work with other churches for the growth of the gospel in our region, the UK and other parts of the world.

The primary objective of the PCC is to work collaboratively with the vicar to direct the church’s mission to know Jesus and to make Jesus known by:

Lindsay Reisser–Weston and Anthony Kan

Section 11: Financial Review

The work at St Mary’s is funded mainly by voluntary donations (88%) plus income from interest, lettings, fees and rent.

Total unrestricted income in 2024 was £806,192 (2023: £764,871) with regular expenditure on the work and ministry of the parish at £696,121 (2023: £802,877) to give a surplus of £110,071 (2023: deficit of £38,006).

John Blackbeard

Section 12: Reserves Policy

PCC policy is to maintain a minimum bank balance equivalent to 3 months of running expenses (about £168,000) plus 12 months of regular giving to missions (about £92,000) giving a total of £260,000 to cover emergency situations that may arise from time to time.

John Blackbeard

26

Section 13: Report on PCC Financial Activities for 2024

St Mary’s is funded mainly by voluntary donations, including tax recovered on gift aid donations. This made up 88% of the unrestricted income. Other income including interest, lettings and rents make up the balance. Giving to our unrestricted general fund via the Regular Giving Scheme (RGS) in 2024 at £564,970 was higher than RGS in 2023 of £509,276 and £80,549 higher than the budget. RGS continues to be central to St Mary’s financial income and is very important as our financial needs grow. We are very grateful to all who give faithfully to the Lord’s work. We also thank the Lord for other one-off donations of £13,750.

The budget for 2024 had forecast a deficit of £16,058 on unrestricted general funds but God blessed us richly and we ended the year with a surplus of £138,180 for unrestricted general funds (both amounts after fund transfers) due to income being higher than budget and expenditure being lower. Collections at services of £6,026 was slightly over budget and exceeded the amount from last year. Income from ministry events was higher than planned as more events took place. Costs of ministry events at £18,531 were also significantly higher than budget but overall there was a small surplus on ministry events. Hire charges for halls and rooms was £7,647 and rental income from our properties was £31,228.

As a result of the changes taking place in the Church of England, the PCC decided in March 2023 that we could no longer remain in communion with the bishops in our diocese and we would no longer be net financial contributors to the finances of the diocese. We decided to pay a grant to the diocese in lieu of parish share to cover the cost of our vicar and curate, when we have one, plus a contribution to the costs of safeguarding services that we receive from the diocese. That amounted to £61,104 in 2024. The money that we would have paid to the diocese is now being paid via the Oxford Good Stewards Trust to pay for a Children’s and Family’s Worker at St Paul’s Church in Slough. That was £30,000 in 2024 and further payments are planned in 2025 and 2026. We do this to ensure that all money given to us at St Mary’s is used to fund bible-based gospel work.

We completed the required maintenance and decoration of our buildings and facilities in 2024 and upgraded the church kitchen with a new dishwasher and oven and also converted the Clissold room into a secondary kitchen. We again saved a considerable amount by having Jan Strydom, Scott Bedford and volunteers doing most of the work. We thank them. Property costs totalled £58,844.

In the year, we continued to use ‘discretionary funds’ that were set aside in previous years to pay for part of the ministry staff costs (Ian Miller and Adam Curtis). We paid a total of £24,597 to several overseas missions over and above our normal giving to missions.

Restricted fund income this year included amounts received for the Care Fund, associate vicar, various church groups, missionaries and our regular Harvest and Christmas appeals. Overall expenditure on restricted funds was £56,874. There was a surplus (after fund transfers) for the church groups, excluding the Care Fund, of £1,135 and an overall surplus for unrestricted and restricted funds of £111,611 for 2024 compared to a deficit of £38,620 in 2023.

Looking ahead, the budget for 2025 follows on page 42. We were blessed to have 20 new people join RGS and 23 increase their giving during 2024. 7 people stopped giving and 2 people reduced their giving. RGS income for 2025 is budgeted to be lower than it was in 2024 (£535,211 compared to £564,970).

The PCC has decided to retain the position of only paying a grant to the diocese in lieu of parish share to cover the cost of our vicar and a contribution to safeguarding services that we receive. That will total £66,800 in 2025. The balance of what we would have paid to the diocese, £53,150, will be used as follows: £21,050 to pay for part of Ian Miller’s costs as we no longer have a curate and the ministry leaders funds that were being used to pay for Ian will have been used up by the end of June 2025 and the other £32,100 to be paid to other bible-based churches in our diocese including St Paul’s in Slough and Holy Trinity Theale.

Ministry staff salary costs are forecast at £241,394 versus actual in 2024 of £206,979. They are higher as Jonny Hayward and Johan Schoeman will be with us for a full 12 months in 2025. Administration costs at £48,440 will be higher than the £38,247 in 2024 as we need to replace some of the church computers and some software costs have increased. Planned giving to missions from unrestricted general funds at £97,160 is 4% up on 2024 which was £93,425. Other costs should increase with inflation. The total costs for 2025 for

27

unrestricted funds are budgeted at £813,274. Expenses are forecast to exceed income by £59,315 in 2025, but some costs will be covered by other funds including £24,597 for overseas missions and £21,050 for developing ministry leaders to be paid from discretionary funds and £2,000 for AV from the designated AV fund. That leaves a budgeted deficit of general funds of £4,243. We have budgeted to fund that deficit from church reserves. It would be wonderful if RGS giving plus Gift Aid was higher by this amount as we would not have to use any of the reserves.

Please note that the official audited accounts are shown on pages 29 to 41. Additional information such as the budget for 2025 and a summary of church based organisations on pages 42 and 43 do not form part of the audited accounts.

John Blackbeard Chairman of the Finance Committee

28

Section 14: Financial Report

Parochial Church Council of St Andrew & St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2024

Note
Income and endowments from:
Donations and legacies
2a
Investments
2b
Church activities
2c
Other income
2d
Total
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
3a
Charitable Activities
Church activities
3b
Mission grants and donations
3c
Total
Net Income / (expenditure)
Transfers between funds
Other recognised gains / (losses)
Gain / (Loss) revaluation of investment assets
6
Actuarial profit on defined benefit pension
scheme
16
Net movement in funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds		 Endowment
Funds
Total
2024		 Total
2023
£
£
708,421
44,484
56,878
-
40,893
13,794
-
-		 £
£
-
752,905
136
57,014
-
54,687
-
-		 £
705,475
82,358
46,805
734
806,192
58,278		 136
864,606		 835,372
5,325
-
572,774
35,818
118,022
21,056		 -
5,325
-
608,592
-
139,078		 14,731
647,064
212,197
696,121
56,874		 -
752,995		 873,992
110,071
1,404
991
(855)		 136
111,611
(136)
-		 (38,620)
-
111,062
549		 -
111,611		 (38,620)
-
-
-
-		 112
112
-
-		 422
-
111,062
549
783,144
1,945,645		 112
111,723
4,906 2,733,695		 (38,198)
2,771,893
894,206
1,946,194		 5,018 2,845,418 2,733,695

29

Parochial Church Council of St Andrew & St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead

Balance sheet as at 31 December 2024

Note 2024 2023
£ £ £ £
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible assets 5 1,772,577 1,764,147
Investments 6 139,009 138,897
Total fixed assets 1,911,586 1,903,044
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors 7 74,053 58,145
Cash at bank and in hand 8 892,835 831,410
Total current assets 966,888 889,555
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year 9 (33,056) (58,904)
NET CURRENT ASSETS 933,832 _830,651 _
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 2,845,418 2,733,695
Defined Benefit Pension Scheme liability 16 - -
TOTAL NET ASSETS 2,845,418 2,733,695
THE FUNDS OF THE CHURCH: 10, 11
Endowment funds 5,018 4,906
Restricted funds 1,946,194 1,945,645
Unrestricted funds 894,206 783,144
2,845,418 2,733,695

The notes on pages 32 to 41 form part of these accounts. Approved by the PCC on 27/03/2025 and signed on its behalf by:

Lindsay Reisser-Weston (Church Warden)

30

Parochial Church Council of St Andrew & St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead Cashflow Statement for the year ended 31 December 2024

Net Cash generated from operating activities (see below)
Cash flows from investing activities
Dividends and interest from investments
Rent received from investments
Proceeds from the sale of:
Tangible fixed assets for the use of the PCC
Purchase of:
Tangible fixed assets for the use of the PCC (equipment)
Cash received from endowment capital
Net Cash provided by investing activities
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the reporting period
Cash and cash equivalents at 1 January 2024
Cash and cash equivalents at 31 December 2024
Reconciliation of net movements in funds to net cash flow
from operating activities
Net income/(expenditure) before investment (losses)/gains
for the year to 31 December 2024
Adjustments for:
Depreciation
Loss/(profit) on sale of fixed asset - equipment
Dividends, interest and rent receivable from investments
(Increase)/decrease in debtors
Increase/(decrease) in creditors
Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities
Analysis of cash and cash equivalents
Cash at bank and in hand (note 8)
Term and Notice deposits (note 8)		 £
23,513
25,362
-
(14,494)
136		 2024
£
26,908
34,517		 £
14,608
69,346
-
(2,243)
134		 2023
£
(101,613)
81,845
6,005
59
(57,014)
(10,798)
(22,955)
11,234
209
(82,358)
(5,518)
13,440
61,425
831,410		 (19,768)
851,178
892,835 831,410
111,611
(84,703)		 (38,620)
(62,993)
26,908 (101,613)
432,713
460,122		 382,462
448,948
892,835 831,410

31

Parochial Church Council of St Andrew and St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024

1 Accounting policies

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations together with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention except for investments, which are shown at market value where practical to separately value (see note 1h).

The Church constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.

There are no material uncertainties about the Church's ability to continue as a going concern.

1a Funds

Funds "designated by" the PCC for a purpose are unrestricted funds. Restricted funds are those funds that must be expended on a particular purpose specified by the donor. Endowment funds, where the capital must be retained intact, are explained below. All funds which are neither restricted or endowment funds are unrestricted.

The financial statements include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible by law.

Income and endowments

Collections are recognised when received by or on behalf of the PCC. Planned giving receivable under covenant or pledge is recognised only when received. Tax recoverable on Gift Aid donations is recognised in the period in which the donations are received. Grants and legacies to the PCC are accounted for as soon as the PCC is notified of its legal entitlement, it is probable that income will be received and the amount of income can be measured reliably.

For legacies, entitlement is taken as the earlier of the date the money is received or the date the Church is aware probate has been granted and notification has been received from the executor(s) that a distribution will be made. Furthermore, legacy income is only regarded as probable once any conditions attached to it have been met or are within the control of the Church.

Other income:

Rental income from the letting of church premises is recognised evenly over the term of the lease. Although the PCC treats most church buildings as restricted fund assets, rental income is considered to be unrestricted. Funds raised by church social events and other similar activities and from the sale of books and magazines is accounted for gross and recognised on the date of the event or on date of sale of the goods.

Income from investments:

Dividends and interest are accounted for when received except for interest arising on fixed rate deposits which is included on an accruals basis.

Gains and losses in investments:

Realised gains or losses are recognised when investments are sold. Unrealised gains or losses are accounted for on each revaluation.

1c Expenditure recognition

Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over, or when awarded, if that award creates a binding obligation on the PCC. The diocesan parish share is accounted for when paid.

Governance costs include expenditure on compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligations committing the Church to that expenditure, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis. All expenses including support costs and governance costs are allocated or apportioned to the applicable expenditure heading. For the information on this attribution refer to note 1d.

32

Parochial Church Council of St Andrew and St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 (continued)

1d Allocation of support and governance costs

Support and governance costs have been allocated in their entirety to church activities, as it is the opinion of the trustees', that the majority of the support and governance costs relate to the furtherance of the Church’s activities. Governance costs comprise all costs involving the public accountability of the Church and its compliance with regulation and good practice. These costs include costs related to statutory audit and legal fees.

1e Cost of raising funds

The costs of generating funds consists of investment management costs and costs of generating book sales.

1f Charitable activities

Costs of charitable activities include grants made, governance costs, support costs and other costs relating to delivery of various church activities. These activities are further described in the Trustees' report.

1g Fixed assets

Consecrated and beneficed property of any kind is excluded from the financial statements in accordance with s.10 of the Charities Act 2011. Equipment used within the church premises is depreciated on a straight line basis over four years. No depreciation is provided on buildings as the Trustees currently estimate the residual value of the properties (discounted for monetary inflation since their capitalisation) is not less than their carrying value and the remaining useful life of these assets currently exceeds 50 years, so that any depreciation charges would be immaterial. If the carrying value of the buildings looks greater than their current value on this basis, an impairment review would be carried out and any resultant loss included in expenditure for the year.

1h Assets held for investment

Investments are a form of basic financial instrument and are initially recognised at their transaction value. COIF shares are shown at market value. By virtue of church property being owned in various ways and the property having mixed uses it is not practical to revalue property held as an investment. On the basis that it is not practical and the property cannot be valued without undue cost, the property has been valued at cost.

The Church does not acquire put options, derivatives or other complex financial instruments.

All gains and losses are taken to the Statement of Financial Activities as they arise. Realised gains and losses on investments are calculated as the difference between sales proceeds and their carrying value. Unrealised gains and losses are calculated as the difference between the fair value at the year end and their carrying value. Realised and unrealised gains and losses are shown separately in the Statement of Financial Activities.

1i Taxation

The Church is a registered charity, and therefore is not liable for income tax or corporation tax on income derived from its charitable activities, as it falls within the various exemptions available to registered charities.

1j Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits

The PCC contributes to defined contribution and defined benefit pension schemes. Contributions to the defined contribution scheme are charged to the SOFA as incurred. The Church of England Funded Pension Scheme is a multi-employer pension scheme and it is not possible to identify the PCC's share of the underlying assets and liabilities so contributions are accounted for as if they were contributions to a defined contribution plan. The latest valuation of the Scheme has revealed a surplus, as explained in Note 16.

1k Financial assets

Trade and other receivables are measured at transaction price.

1l Financial liabilities

Trade creditors and other payables are measured at transaction price. Liabilities are recognised when there is an obligation to transfer economic benefits.

33

Parochial Church Council of St Andrew and St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 (continued)

2
Income and endowments from:
2a
Donations and legacies
Planned giving:
Gift Aid donations
Tax recoverable
Other planned giving
Collections
Donations
Grants
Gift days
2b
Investments
Rent
Dividends and interest
2c
Church activities
Outreach events
Fees
Hire charges
Church groups
Book sales
2d
Other income
Insurance claim/compensation
Total		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Endowment
funds
Total
2024
Total
2023
£
£
£
£
£
488,661
-
-
488,661
443,942
123,674
3,281
-
126,955
118,066
76,309
-
-
76,309
65,334
6,027
702
-
6,729
6,390
13,750
25,721
-
39,471
48,297
-
-
-
-
2,500
-
14,780
-
14,780
20,946
708,421
44,484
-
752,905
705,475
31,228
-
-
31,228
65,115
25,650
-
136
25,786
17,243
56,878
-
136
57,014
82,358
19,074
-
-
19,074
15,186
6,373
-
-
6,373
3,531
7,647
-
-
7,647
7,003
3,925
13,794
-
17,719
18,397
3,874
-
-
3,874
2,688
40,893
13,794
-
54,687
46,805
-
-
-
-
734
-
-
-
-
734
806,192
58,278
136
864,606
835,372

34

Parochial Church Council of St Andrew and St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 (continued)

3
Expenditure
3a
Raising funds
Cost of generating voluntary income
Bookstall costs
Investment management costs:
Rental property (flat 1) expenses
3b
Church activities
Diocesan share
Stipend, NI and pension
Other staff salary, NI and pension
Vicar’s expenses
Staff expenses
Staff accommodation costs
Upkeep of services
Church running expenses
Church maintenance
Equipment maintenance
Garden maintenance
Catering
Depreciation
Loss on disposal of equipment
Admin salaries, NI and pension
Office costs
Printing, postage and stationery
Bank charges
Advertising and recruitment expenses
Legal and accountancy costs
Hall running costs
Church House running costs
Old Vic running costs
Outreach event costs
Church groups costs
Other ministry costs (Women, Men, Care, Youth)
Statutory audit fee (excluding VAT)
3c
Mission grants and donations
Home mission & church societies
Overseas mission
Total resources expended		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Endowment
funds
Total
2024
Total
2023
£
£
£
£
£
-
-
-
-
-
3,902
-
-
3,902
3,849
1,423
-
-
1,423
_10,882 _
5,325
-
-
5,325
14,731
61,104
-
-
61,104
85,638
68,736
12,480
-
81,216
39,843
140,894
-
-
140,894
184,621
1,385
-
-
1,385
991
7,434
2,500
-
9,934
7,042
13,804
-
-
13,804
26,733
8,665
-
-
8,665
7,178
9,635
-
-
9,635
9,581
13,974
-
-
13,974
8,960
805
-
-
805
163
609
-
-
609
609
3,925
-
-
3,925
3,716
6,005
-
-
6,005
11,234
59
-
-
59
209
123,982
-
-
123,982
118,238
5,849
-
-
5,849
8,330
5,540
-
-
5,540
6,848
508
-
-
508
565
2,046
-
-
2,046
3,892
24,305
-
-
24,305
35,775
20,659
-
-
20,659
18,540
16,241
-
-
16,241
15,613
8,595
-
-
8,595
7,987
17,271
115
-
17,386
16,846
3,833
15,421
-
19,254
18,973
1,261
5,302
-
6,563
3,714
5,650
-
-
5,650
5,225
572,774
35,818
-
608,592
647,064
53,235
9,936
-
63,171
101,072
64,787
11,120
-
75,907
111,125
118,022
21,056
-
139,078
212,197
696,121
56,874
-
752,995
873,992

35

Parochial Church Council of St Andrew and St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 (continued)

4
Staff costs
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs
Average headcount of staff employed by the PCC (including those paid indirectly)
Average number of full-time equivalent staff paid directly or indirectly by the PCC
No employees received emoluments (excluding employer pension costs) of more than £60,000.		 2024
2023
£
£
299,660
301,093
23,076
24,181
23,356
17,429
346,092
342,703
10.1
9.5
7.6
7.6
5
Tangible assets
(All held for Church charitable objectives)
Cost or valuation
At beginning of the year
Additions
Disposals
At end of the year
Depreciation and impairments
At beginning of the year
Charge for year
Eliminated on disposal
At end of the year
Net book value at beginning of the year
Net book value at end of the year
6
Investments
Cost or valuation
At beginning of the year
Additions
Disposals
Revaluation
At end of the year
Depreciation and impairments
At beginning of the year
Charge for year
At end of the year
Net book value at beginning of the year
Net book value at end of the year
Other investments comprise:
217 CBF C of E Investment Fund Income Shares
7
Debtors
Income tax recoverable
Prepayments
Accrued income		 Freehold land &
buildings		 Long
Leasehold
Properties		 Plant and
Equipment
Total
£
1,759,462
-
-		 £
-
-
-		 £
£
187,179
1,946,641
14,494
14,494
(2,942)
(2,942)
1,759,462 - 198,731
1,958,193
-
-
-		 -
-
-		 182,494
182,494
6,004
6,004
(2,882)
(2,882)
- - 185,616
185,616
1,759,462 - 4,685
1,764,147
1,759,462 - 13,115
1,772,577
Long
Leasehold
Property		 Other
Investments
Total
£
133,991
-
-
-		 £
£
4,906
138,897
-
-
-
-
112
112
133,991 5,018
139,009
-
-		 -
-
-
-
- -
-
133,991 4,906
138,897
133,991 5,018
139,009
£
5,018
2024
2023
£
£
34,825
32,635
20,699
7,703
18,529
_17,807 _
74,053
58,145

36

Parochial Church Council of St Andrew and St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 (continued)

8
Cash at bank and in hand
Immediate access – general funds
Immediate access – designated funds
Immediate access – restricted funds
Cash in hand – general funds
Term deposits
Maturing within one year – general funds
Maturing within one year – designated funds
Maturing within one to two years – general funds
Maturing within one to two years – designated funds
9
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Creditors and Accruals
Tax and social security
Other creditors
10
The funds of the Church
Details of particular funds maintained are:
Endowed Funds
The Crump Bequest
A permanent endowment, the interest from which is to help meet the costs of maintaining church services.
Restricted funds
Groups
Restricted fund balance for groups within the church who administer their own funds. Total church group
income and expenditure is included in these accounts.
Sunday School
Gifts donated for use by the Sunday School groups in the church
The Mark Wheatley Fund
Funds given in memory of Mark Wheatley for young people to take non-Christian friends to Summer camps.
Restricted and Designated funds
The Care Fund
Designated and restricted funds to meet need in difficult economic times.
In addition to the above, Gift Days and Special Collections are considered "restricted funds".		 2024
2023
£
£
224,818
219,470
158,925
101,466
48,929
61,483
41
43
247,122
103,127
213,000
255,000
-
47,821
-
43,000
892,835
831,410
2024
2023
£
£
22,548
33,306
6,770
6,789
3,738
_18,809 _
33,056
58,904
2024
2023
£
£
5,018
4,906
11,684
12,748
452
464
4,064
4,554
2,718
5,220

37

Parochial Church Council of St Andrew and St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 (continued)

11
Summary of assets and liabilities for church funds
Fixed assets for Church use
Fixed assets investments
Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year
Defined Benefit Pension Scheme liability		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Endowment
funds
Total
2024
Total
2023
£
£
£
£
£
16,345
1,756,232
-
1,772,577
1,764,147
-
133,991
5,018
139,009
138,897
66,495
7,558
-
74,053
58,145
843,906
48,929
-
892,835
831,410
(32,540)
(516)
-
(33,056)
(58,904)
-
-
-
-
-
894,206
1,946,194
5,018
2,845,418
2,733,695

12 Council members

These council members received payments for their services during the year: Rev Jon Drake, John Blackbeard, Rev Ian Miller, Rev Adam Curtis and Scott Bedford received remuneration for their duties as employees. Scott Bedford also received a fee of £120 for services as a Verger.

'The aggregate remuneration, including employer pension contributions, paid to and on behalf of the above council members was £101,759 (2023, £79,805) (excluding Rev Jon Drake who is remunerated by the Diocese).

Certain members of the Parochial Church Council are reimbursed expenses they incur in their work for the Church. £10,540 was reimbursed to or paid for eight council members during the year (2023, £8,362 for five members)

The council member Rev Neil Watkinson received funding via Crosslinks for his missionary work in Asia as part of our mission funding of £7,370 (2023 £7.405).

13 Related party transactions and key management personnel

Related party transactions

One council member is also a Trustee/Director of the A&M Trust. Donations and grants received for Project Connect from the A&M Trust were £nil (2023, £nil). A donation of £500 was made to the A&M Trust during the year to assist with the cost of audit examination fees (2023, £nil). The properties The Old Vic, 1 Hemsdale and 15 Grafton Close which are owned by the A & M Trust have been made available to the Parochial Church Council for use by the church.

A child of a council member was employed by the charity and received remuneration including employer pension contributions, of £46,346 (2023, £40,527).

A spouse of a council member was employed by the charity and received remuneration, including employer pension contributions of £23,174 (2023, £37,066).

A child of a council member received funding for missionary work in Africa as part of our mission funding of £5,805 (2023 £7.405).

Key management personnel

Other than those disclosed in note 12 above, no other key management personnel are remunerated by the Church. One member of staff who is considered to be key management personnel is remunerated by the Diocese (2023, one).

14 Grants made

Of the total grants made from general and designated funds to further the Church's mission work, £46,097 (2023, £101,107) was to various institutions and £71,925 (2023, £66,000) to individuals.

15 Capital commitments

The Parochial Church Council had no capital commitments at 31 December 2024 or 31 December 2023.

38

Parochial Church Council of St Andrew and St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 (continued)

16 Church of England Funded Pension Scheme (CEFPS)

St Andrews & St Mary Magdalene PCC participates in the Church of England Funded Pensions Scheme for stipendiary clergy, a defined benefit pension scheme. This scheme is administered by the Church of England Pensions Board, which holds the assets of the scheme separately from those of the Responsible Bodies.

Each participating Responsible Body in the Church of England Funded Pensions Scheme pays contributions at a common contribution rate applied to pensionable stipends.

The scheme is considered to be a multi-employer scheme as described in Section 28 of FRS 102. It is not possible to attribute the Scheme’s assets and liabilities to each specific Responsible Body, and this means contributions are accounted for as if the Scheme were a defined contribution scheme. The pensions costs charged to the SoFA in the year are contributions payable towards benefits and expenses accrued in that year which were £13,513 in 2024 (2023: £6,512), plus any figures arising from contributions in respect of the Scheme’s deficit (see below). The 2021 valuation showed the Scheme to be fully funded and as such in 2024, following the valuation results being agreed, the deficit contributions paid were £0 (2023: £0).

A valuation of the Scheme is carried out once every three years. The most recent Scheme valuation completed was carried out as at 31 December 2021. The 2021 valuation revealed a surplus of £560m, based on assets of £2,720m and a funding target of £2,160m, assessed using the following assumptions:

Following finalisation of the 31 December 2021 valuation, deficit contributions ceased with effect from 1 January 2023, since the Scheme was fully funded.

The deficit recovery contributions under the recovery plan in force at each 31 December were as follows:

% of pensionable stipends
31 December 2021 7.1% payable from January 2021 to December 2022
31 December 2022 Nil
31 December 2023 Nil
31 December 2024 Nil

An interim reduction to deficit contributions to 3.2% of pensionable stipends was made with effect from April 2022, and remained in place until December 2022.

For senior office holders, pensionable stipends are adjusted in the calculations by a multiple, as set out in the Scheme’s rules.

39

Parochial Church Council of St Andrew and St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 (continued)

16 Church of England Funded Pension Scheme (CEFPS) cont…

Section 28.11A of FRS 102 requires agreed deficit recovery payments to be recognised as a liability. However, as there were no deficit recovery payments from 1 January 2023 onwards, the balance sheet liability as at 31 December 2023 and 31 December 2024 is nil. The movement in the balance sheet liability over 2023 and over 2024 is set out in the table below.

Balance sheet liability at 1 January
Deficit contribution paid
Interest cost (recognised in SoFA)
Remaining change to Balance sheet liability*
(recognised in SoFA)
Balance sheet liability at 31 December		 2024
£
-
-
-
-
-		 2023
£
-
-
-
-
-

The legal structure of the scheme is such that if another Responsible Body fails, St Andrews & St Mary Magdalene PCC could become responsible for paying a share of that failed Responsible Body’s pension liabilities. However the PCC will not have to pay more in any year than the contribution rate set for that year.

In addition, the PCC is classed as a minor body under this scheme and when a minor body ceases to have active members it is not required to pay a debt. Instead its liabilities are apportioned to the major bodies, being in this case the Oxford Diocesan Board of Finance.

40

Parochial Church Council of St Andrew and St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 (continued)

17 Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2023 – comparative figures

Note
Income and endowments from:
Donations and legacies
2a
Investments
2b
Church activities
2c
Other income
2d
Total
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
3a
Charitable Activities
Church activities
3b
Mission grants and donations
3c
Total
Net income/(expenditure)
Transfer between funds
Other recognised gains/(losses)
Gain/(Loss) revaluation of investment assets
6
Actuarial profit on defined benefit pension scheme
16
Net movement in funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Endowment
funds
Total 2023
£
£
£
£
649,430
56,045
-
705,475
82,224
-
134
82,358
32,483
14,322
-
46,805
734
-
-
734
764,871
70,367
134
835,372
14,731
-
-
14,731
621,039
26,025
-
647,064
167,107
45,090
-
212,197
802,877
71,115
-
873,992
(38,006)
(748)
134
(38,620)
(149)
283
(134)
-
(38,155)
(465)
-
(38,620)
-
-
422
422
-
-
-
-
(38,155)
(465)
422
(38,198)
821,299
1,946,110
4,484
2,771,893
783,144
1,945,645
4,906
2,733,695

41

Parochial Church Council of St Andrew & St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead Budget for the year ended 31 December 2025

Unrestricted funds
Incoming Resources
Planned giving gift aid donations
Tax recoverable
Other planned giving
Collections at services
Donations
Grants/Legacies
Ministry events
Fees
Hire charges
Church groups
Bookstall sales
Rental income
Dividends and interest
Total Incoming Resources
Resources Used
Cost of Generating funds
Bookstall costs
Fundraising activities
Church Activities
Diocesan share
Pilops Payments
Ministry staff salary costs
Other staff costs
Church running costs
Administration staff salary costs
Other administration costs
Property costs
Mission grants and donations
Ministry events
Church groups costs
Governance costs (net of VAT)
Investment costs
Rental property expenses
Property repairs general budget
Total Resources used
NET INCOMING/(OUTGOING) RESOURCES
BUDGETED DEFICIT COVERED BY:
Discretionary Funds
Ministry Leaders Fund
Flats Ground Lease Reserve
Parish Share Reserve
AV Fund
General Fund		 Total Budget
2025
459,016
115,254
76,195
5,686
7,355
-
22,770
6,633
6,808
4,500
4,093
22,149
23,500
753,959
4,140
403
66,800
37,500
241,394
15,056
43,108
128,301
48,440
65,250
122,277
28,380
4,500
5,375
350
2,000
813,274
(59,315)
(24,597)
(21,050)
(575)
(6,850)
(2,000)
(4,243)
(59,315)		 Total Budget
2024
% increase in 2025
budget figures
compared to 2024
budget
417,911
9.8%
104,978
9.8%
66,510
14.6%
5,391
5.5%
5,636
30.5%
-
12,545
81.5%
2,831
134.3%
6,782
0.4%
5,500
-18.2%
4,000
2.3%
24,707
-10.4%
17,595
33.6%
674,386
11.8%
4,000
3.5%
522
-22.8%
93,326
-28.4%
30,000
25.0%
239,122
1.0%
14,522
3.7%
38,946
10.7%
123,176
4.2%
39,782
21.8%
61,994
5.3%
124,820
-2.0%
18,040
57.3%
4,460
0.9%
5,295
1.5%
350
0.0%
2,000
800,355
1.6%
(125,969)
(42,920)
(57,556)
(564)
(30,000)
(2,000)
37,071
(95,969)
Net income/
(expenditure) per
SOFA		 Actual 2024
488,661
123,674
76,309
6,027
13,750
-
19,074
6,373
7,647
3,925
3,874
31,228
25,650
806,192
3,902
-
61,104
-
206,979
9,275
46,328
123,982
38,247
58,844
118,022
18,532
3,833
5,650
1,423
-
696,121
110,071
(24,597)
(57,202)
(558)
-
(646
193,074
110,071
110,071

42

Parochial Church Council of St Andrew & St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead

Summary of accounts of Church Based Organisations

For the year ended 31 December 2024

This sheet is not intended as a comparison of the organisation represented. It provides a summary of their financial activity during the year. The summary is drawn from the detailed accounts submitted by the treasurers and checked by independent examiners. If any reader would like to see any of the detailed accounts, please ask the treasurer of the relevant organisation.

Balance of funds b/fwd Mother &
Toddlers
1,525
2,899
-
-
-
2,899
2,835
-
240
-
3,075

(176)
-
1,349
58
1,155
-
136
1,349		 Mother &
Toddlers
1,525
2,899
-
-
-
2,899
2,835
-
240
-
3,075

(176)
-
1,349
58
1,155
-
136
1,349		 7-Up
1,189
752
-
1
-
753
837
-
-
-
837
(84)
-
1,105
981
124
-
-
1,105		 7-Up
1,189
752
-
1
-
753
837
-
-
-
837
(84)
-
1,105
981
124
-
-
1,105		 Allsorts
3,510
-
-
-
-
0
730
-
-
-
730
(730)
-
2,780
2,780
-
-
-
2,780		 Allsorts
3,510
-
-
-
-
0
730
-
-
-
730
(730)
-
2,780
2,780
-
-
-
2,780		 Focus Groups
5,334
1,923
6,990
150
-
9,063
996
9,017
-
-
10,013
(950)
650
5,034
1,441
326
-
3,267
5,034		 Focus Groups
5,334
1,923
6,990
150
-
9,063
996
9,017
-
-
10,013
(950)
650
5,034
1,441
326
-
3,267
5,034		 Flower
Ministry
1,190
-
-
1,230
-
1,230
1,004
-
-
-
1,004
226
-
1,416
-
1,416
-
-
1,416		 Flower
Ministry
1,190
-
-
1,230
-
1,230
1,004
-
-
-
1,004
226
-
1,416
-
1,416
-
-
1,416		 Care Fund
5,220
-
-
600
-
600
-
-
-
6,256
6,256
(5,656)
3,154
2,718
-
2,518
200
2,718		 Care Fund
5,220
-
-
600
-
600
-
-
-
6,256
6,256
(5,656)
3,154
2,718
-
2,518
200
2,718
Income
Fees, subs, charges, sales
Weekend Away
Donations
Gift Aid on donations
Total income
2,899 753 0 9,063 1,230 600
2,835
-
240
-		 837
-
-
-		 730
-
-
-		 996
9,017
-
-		 1,004
-
-
-		 -
-
-
6,256
Expenses
Running expenses
Weekend Away costs
Donations/gifts
Care Fund payments
Total expenditure
Excess of incoming resources
over expenditure
Transfer (to)/from other funds
3,075 837 730 10,013 1,004 6,256
Balance of funds c/fwd 1,349 1,105 2,780 **5,034 ** 1,416 2,718
Comprising:
PCC Bank account
Organisation accounts/cash
Loans made
Prepayment/(accrual/creditor)
At 31 December 2024		 58
1,155
-
136		 981
124
-
-		 2,780
-
-
-		 1,441
326
-
3,267		 -
1,416
-
-		 -
2,518
200
1,349 1,105 2,780 5,034 1,416 2,718

43

Independent auditor’s report to the Parochial Church Council and members of the Church of St Andrew and St Mary Magdalene, Maidenhead.

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of the Church of St Andrew and St Mary Magdalene (PCC), Maidenhead (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 December 2024 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and the notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Charities SORP Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

44

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Trustees’ report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 require us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Responsibilities of Trustees

As explained more fully in the statement of Trustees responsibilities, the trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the Parish’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.

Fraud and breaches of laws and regulations - ability to detect

Identifying and responding to risks of material misstatement due to fraud

To identify risks of material misstatement due to fraud ("fraud risks") we assessed events or conditions that could indicate an incentive or pressure to commit fraud or provide an opportunity to commit fraud or provide an opportunity to commit fraud. Our risk assessment procedures included:

We communicated identified fraud risks throughout the audit team and remained alert to any indications of fraud throughout the audit.

As required by auditing standards, and taking into account our overall knowledge of the control environment, we perform procedures to address the risk of management override of controls, in particular the risk that management may be in a position to make in appropriate accounting entries.

We did not identify any additional fraud risks.

We performed procedures including identifying journal entries to test based on risk criteria and comparing identified entries to supporting documentation. These included those posted to unrelated accounts, those posted containing key words, and those posted to an account linked to a fraud risk.

45

Identifying and responding to risks of material misstatement due to non-compliance with laws and regulations

We identified areas of laws and regulations that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the financial statements from our sector experience, and through discussions with the trustees and other management (as required by auditing standards), and from inspection of the Charity's regulatory and legal correspondence and discussed with the trustees and other management the policies and procedures regarding compliance with laws and regulations.

We communicated identified laws and regulations throughout our team and remained alert to any indications of noncompliance throughout the audit.

The Charity is subject to laws and regulations that directly affect the financial statements including financial reporting legislation (including related charities legislation) and tax legislation, and we assessed the extent of compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our procedures on the related financial statement items.

We did not identify any others where the consequences of non-compliance alone could have a material effect on amounts or disclosures in the financial statements.

Context of the ability of the audit to detect fraud or breaches of law or regulation

Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. For example, the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely the inherently limited procedures required by auditing standards would identify it.

In addition, as with any audit, there remained a higher risk of non-detection of fraud, as these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. Our audit procedures are designed to detect material misstatement. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance or fraud and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: http://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charity’s Trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity's Trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors' report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s Trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Paul Fagan FCCA (Senior Statutory Auditor) for and on behalf of Craufurd Hale Audit Services Limited

.........................

Chartered Accountants Statutory Auditor

C/O Ground Floor, Arena Court Crown Lane MAIDENHEAD SL6 8QZ

46