Barley Hlll rthla1 ChuKh Coundl Report and Flnand•l Ststements for the ye¥r ended 31 December 2025 Rellstered tharlty no.. 1127839 barley hill church
Barfey Hill hrothl41 Church C¢wndl L1 and admlnlstr¥tlve Inf0mtIon for the ye•r ended 31 De¢ffiiber 2015 Contents Pa Le8al and admlnistratlve Infomatlon Annual report of the PCC Independent examlner's report Statement of flnancial actimties Balance sheet io Notes to the accourtts 11-15 Page I
Barley Hlll Parothial Church Councll L•gal and administrntlve Inforrnatlon for th• year ended 31 December 2025 Admlnlstratlve Infomiation Slnce the lifting of COVID-19 re5trirtlons Barley Hill Church continue to meet onllne and in person at St Marfs Church Thame, together with the congregations from St Marfs and St Catherine's Church Towersey. The Church forms part of the Thame Beneflce in the Diocese of Oxford. At 31 December 2025 there were 50 parishloners after revision of the electoral roll12024.. 801. During 2CQ9 Badey Hlll Parochial Church Councll IPCCI registered with the Charltycornmission for England and Wales under the name of The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Barley Hlll (registered number 11278391. Unt51 then the PCC was a charlty excepted from registration wlth the Charity Commisslon. The charity'5 correspondence address 5s.' Barley Hlll ChUh, clo Thame Barns Centre, Church Road OX9 3A1 The PCC acknowledges that the operatlon of the Church is heavily dependent on the commttment of the volunteers wlthin the ngregatIon in order to fulfil Its artivities. PCC members who have served between l January 2025 and 31 Dember 2025 are.. Ex•offKio: Andy Mcculloch Sharon Bond Team Vicar (Chairman) Safeguardlne Officer Deanery Synod Repre5entstlves: Bridget Trueman Richard Shearwood (Resigned 9, July 20251 Elected members: Al French Natasha Challoner Rlchard Potts Andrew Newton Judith Harper Carrie Priestnal Andrew Clamp Andrew Sweet Margaret Roblnson (Resigned 21. July 20251 (Resigned 9th July 20251 Election to the PCC follows the Church representstion rules published by the Church of England and a conscious effort is made to ensure It is both balanced and Inclusive of the larger congregatlon. Other relevant orlanlsatlonk Bank Uoyds Bank pl l Market Square. Aylesbury Buckin8hamshire HP20 ITD Pa8e 2
Barfey Hill Parochial Church Council Annual report of the Pccfor the year ended 31 December 2025 Achlevements •nd Performance Since the COVID-19 pandemi4 Barley Hill Church has rShIPed with St Marfs Thame, initially online and then after lockdown at St MaS Church. A trial process, including St Catherine's Towersey from 2022. of working together continues. Whilst the PCC remains the legal goveming body for Barley Hill Church, ministry is now run jointly wth St Ma$ and St Catherine'5. This port therefore combine5 detsils for their combined ministy. although detsils of service5 for St Catherine's are repKTrrted separately. GOVERNANCE & TrUCTURE The new governance structure for St Marrfs. Barley Hill and St Catherine'5 churches, implemented during 2023. continue5 to provide an infomial Joint Church Council IJCQ and a Stsnding Committee to manage the running and finances of the combined churches. whilst retaining the legal structure5 of the eSting PCC5. The combined churches operate under the informal name Thame Church, whilst retaining legal stwttu and reports. We have continued discussions to formally merge the three parishes, with advice and guidance from Oxford Diocese and the agement of the Church Commissioners. We hope to conclLKle this ProS$ during 2026 and reduce the govemance burden and significantly simplifythe financial procedures for the 3 parishes through them becoming the integrated Parish of Thame. WORSHIP & PRAYER Weekly church attendan is typically 155 adults. 16 children and with around 18 watrhing online across the services. During the year there have been 19 baptisms and birth thanksgiMngs12024= 111. 8 wedding512024.' 5). 31 funerals in SL Mary's12024.. 17) and 8 Services at the crematorium12024= 91. There were also 25 committals of ashes services during the year12024.. 251. The funerals held at St Ma5 were attended by 2,336 people during the year. OUT online Morning Prayer continues to be well supported with around 15 people attending mid-week. Prayer ministry was also introduced at the end of our 9am seryices. We joined in with churches from across Thame in a week of 2417 Prayer during September as well as the quartedy uned.19n1tsd prayer, worship and Prayer ministry gatherings. CHILDREN & FAMILIES Our volunteers have continued to deliver weekly kids church, monthly a11-e SeNiS. weekly toddler group Sparklers (with around 80 parents/carers and tcrfldlers) and regular assemblies at Barfey Hill School. The p)sition of Children and Families Ministry Leader was being supported by a grant from Oxford Diocese on a decreasing scale over 3-years while funds were raised from the congregation. After 2 years however, despite new regular giving. due to some regular givers moving away or dying, as well as inflation, our overall income did not increase in real terms. It was therefore necessary to make this position redundant at the end of 2025.
Barley Hill P•rochial Church Counal Annual report of the PCC for the year ended 31 Dècember 2025 YOUTH We have continued without a volunteer youth leader this year. with Heather bringing a focu5 to this ministry sin joining in July. We pausej our Sunday moming youth group at the 11 am setvice, which was only attrarting 2-4 young people each week. We instead started an evening youth group, Elevate Youth. which has around 9 young people, 3 of whom are hoping to be baptised early in 2026. A great team of volunteers support the young people and we join Cornerstone youth (another church within Thamel for some of their gUlar social/chill gatherings. We wll also join them for a youth weekend away in 2026 and we hope to organise a mission trip for 2027. SMALL GROUPS & PASTORAL CARE Our many small groups (CurntlY 121 continue to provide valuable discipleship and pastoral support to a significant proportion of ourcongregation. Sermon series, such as the Practicing the Way disciplines of Generosity and Solitude, were supported by small groups using the associated tea¢hing materiallwdeos. Leader5 meet temily for encovragemen( training and to facilitste communication. The more formal organisation of Pastoral Care is ongoing and being headed up by Heather and Graham. This year Graham trialled a Grief Café to support people who have been bereaved. This as well as Grave Talk lan opportunity to consider death. dying and funeral arTangementsl are planned for 2026. Those in local care homes are visited through our Anna Chaplain and we also run regular Services at local care homes and a retirement estste. MISSION & EVANGELISM As well a5 spareT$ being a key outreach to local families, our wular lunch and talk for older people155+1 continl5 to flourish, supporting over 60 people each month. Easter Experience welcomed around 450 children from Barley Hill and John Hampden schoo15 to the church for creative, interactive telling of the Easter Story. The church co-ordinated annual events such a5 Music in the Park's free drop off and craft activitie5, and supported Carols Around the Tree enabling hundreds to gatt)er to sing carols on Christmas Eve. Key community events at Towersey are also 5UPPOrted by the church including the May Festival and Church Fete. We ran a stall at the town's Christmas Tree Light stch-on event giving out chocolates and leaflets for Christmas services. This was an excellent opportunity to ervjage with the local community and successfully promoted seNices. The PCC allocates 10% of its general giving to support mission partners both in the UK arKI overseas. Each month one of these groups gives a short updatelpresentstion to the 9am and 11 am services. ECO CHURCH Having received our Bron Eco Church Award at the end of 2024 our EcoAction Group continues to focus on taking steps to make the culture, buildings. churchyard and purchasing more caring towards creation. Significant work ha5 been put towards moving to an air-source heat pump for heating St ma$. Page 4
Barley Hill Parochlal Churth Coundl Annual report of the PCC forthe year ended 31 De¢ember 2025 COMMUNICAMONS With the help of one of our young adults we launched an Instagram account. This has 5ignrficantly increased our social media presence, helping draw younger Ults to services and increase people's awareness of what the church does and is. Our systems and processes for communicating wth church building hirers. including weddings and funerals, have been improved significantly. Our Operations Manager has overseen these as well a5 developing our printed material. including a new Welcome Leaflet and Marriage Booklet. FACILITIES We engaged our architect and a quantity surveyor to produce a cost plan for a phased approach to the quinquennial work5 in adIneSS for fundraising in 2026. We a150 commissioned a report on replacing the heating system, which has concluded that an air souro heat pump 15 the best approach, coupled ideally with solar panels. Negotiations of the expired lease for The Barns Centre, betsveen the church, the 8arn5 Centre Charity and the Town Council (who co-own the Cent with the church) are orvJoing. ECUMENICAL RELATIONSHIPS Thame Church joined other local thurches to support Impact Thame's Lighten Up Paty and Holiday Club which werè successful. We have combined efft)rts with Cornerstone Church for our yOLrth. The United.Ignited quarter gatherings of all churthes in Thame for worship. prayer and ministy have also tontinued. with all 7 churc$ being represented. All this ministry is only possible with the incredible generosity of many in our community who faithfully serve and give their time and money. We are immensely grateful to all who have helped. We give thanks to God for all he has done and for all his provision throughoLrt the year. Mikè Reading earn Rector), Andy Mcculloch (Team Vicar) and Heather Mcculloch {Associate Minister) Thame Church Pa8e 5
Barley Hill P4ro¢hial Churth Council Annual report of the Pccfor the yearended 31 December 2025 Flnanclal Re¥lew Income on the unrestricted fund totalled £58,32612024.. £60,586). There is a 51ight reduction in Regular 8IMng. There was no restrlcted income in 2025.12024.. £01. The PCC recelved no goods or servlces (other than the time of volunteers) free of charge or at a dSscounted level. There was no restrlcted expenditure In 202512024.. £01. There was net expendlture in the year of £7.03212024 net expenditure.. £3.8291. Overall c05ts were contained, and our Parish share yS increased slightly as thls Is now shared across the three parishes comprising Thame Church. Church running costs are also shared. The cash balance on the unrestricted fund at 31 December 2025 Is £63,01512024.. £69.6091. The PCC is aware of Its obligation to operate for the public benefit, and the Trustees have had re8ard to the Charlty Commission public benefit guidance IPB31. The PCC conslders it fulflls th15 requirement by contrlbuting to the spiritual life of the parish it serves as well as offering tan8ible sUPPOrt to activitles designed to ald hardship and provide help to those in need In the local and global community. Reserves The pces policy Is to maintain reserves at a minimum of three month's operating expen5es1£16,3391. The charlty's a55ets are both available and adequate to meet Its obligations. with unrestricted reserves of £63,069. Page 6
Barley Hill Parochial Church Council Annual report ofthe PCC forthe year ended 31 Defflber 2025 Structurei governance and marbagement The PCC is a corporate boéy establlshed by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure 1956. Appointment of PCC members Is set out in the Church Representstion Rules 2C¥)6. The charity is adMinisted by its trustees, the PCC members. Statement of Trustees, Responslbllltles forthe year ended 310ecember 2025 Charlty law requlres the Trustees to prepare accounts for each financial yearwhich give a true and fair vlew of the state of affairs of the Trust and of the surplus or deficit of the Trustfor that perfod. In preparin8 those accounts, the Trustees are required to.. select Suitable accounting policies and apply them con5i5tently; make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; state whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed. subject to any departures dlsclosed and explained in the financial statements,. and prepare the accounts on the goin8<oncern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Trust will continue In operatlonal exlstence. The Trustee5 are responsible for keeping proper accountlng records whlch disclose with reasonable accuracv at any tlme the financlal position of the Trust and to enable them to ensure that the Accounts comply with the Charitie5 Act 2011 Ithe 2011 Act). They are also responsible forsafeguarding the assets of the Trust and hence for taking reasonable steps for the preventlon and detertion of fraud and other irregularities. This report was approved by the PCC on IS nd slgned on thelr behalf by.. Natasha Challoner (Treasurer) Pa8e 7
Barley Hill Parochial Church Councll Independent examinerfs report to the trustees of Barley Hill Parochial Church Councll I report to the trustees on my examinatlon of the accounts of Barley Hlll Parochlal Church Councll (the Charltyl for the year ended 31 December 2025. Responsibllltles undbosls oAreport As the trustees of the charltyi you are responsible forthe preparatlon of the financial sLltements in accordance with the requirements of the Charltles Att 20111.the ACVI. I report in respect of my examination of the charl$ flnanclal statements carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carryin8 Out my examination I have followed all the appllcable Dlrettions glven by the Charlty Commission under section 14515llbl of the Act. Independent ex0mlnerfsstotenn¢ I have completed my Èxamination. I conflrm that no material matters have come to my attentlon In connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that In any material respect". 111 accounting records were not kept In respect of the charlty as required by sectlon 130 of the Act: or 121 the financlal statements do not accord wlth those records,. or 131 the financial statements do not comply with the applicable requirements concernlng the form and content of accounts set out in the CharitSes (Accounts and Reports) Reeulatlons 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair which is not a matter considered as part of an Independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connectlon with the examination to which attention should be drawn In this report in order to enable a proper understsnding of the accounts to be reached. •.LJ•4L4 Date- A Churchill Stone FCA DChA Mercer Lewln Ltd 6-7 Cltlba5e New Barclay House 234 Botley Rd Oxford OX20HP Palè 8
Barley Hill Parochial Church Coundl statement of Financial Activlties for the yearended 31 December 2025 2025 Unrestricted 2024 Unrestricted Notes Income trom: Donatlons and Le8acles Investments income 57.918 59,936 650 Tptal Incomè 58.326 60,586 Expenditure on: Church Artivitie5 65.358 64.415 Rai51ng funds Totsl Expendlture 65,358 64,415 Net expendlture 17.IYa2) 13.8291 Fund balances at l January 70.101 73.930 Fund balances at 31 December 63,069 70,101 All the above re5uIt5 are derived from continuing activitie5. All gain5 and losses recognlsed In the year are Included above. All resources throughout the year related to unre5trirted funds. Pale 9
Barley Hlll Parothial Church Council Bal•nce sheet at 31 December 2025 Notos 2025 2024 Current aKets Debtors Cash at bank and in hand 799 2.327 69,609 63,015 63M14 71,936 Credltor&' amountsfalling due wlthln one year 1745) 11.8351 Net current assets 63J)69 70,101 Total assets 63,069 70,101 Fund5 Unrestricted funds IGenerall 63069 70,101 Totslfunds 63.069 70.101 The flnancial statements were approved by the trustees on 2026 and slgned on their behalf by: Natasha Challoner Treasurer ndrew Newton PCC Secretary The notss on leS 11 to form an Integral part ofthese flnandal statements. Page 10
Barley Hill Parochial Church Coundl Note5 to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025 l. Accountin8 polides 1.1 Statsment of Cofflpllance The financial statements have been prepared In accordance wlth the Church Accountln8 Regulations 2(M)6 tO8ether wlth appllcable accountlng standards and Charity Law In England. The PCC has adopted the requirements of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice SORP {FRS 1021 in preparing these accounts. The date of transltlon was l January 2015. The Charlty Is a Publlc Benefit Entity incorporated in the UK. The charitvs Corresponden address Is- Barley Hill Church. c/0 Thame Barns Centre, Church Road, OX9 3AJ. 1.2 Going Concem There are no material uncertainties regardlng the ablllty of the charfty to contlnue as a golng concern. 1.3 A¢¢ountlng convention The fSnanclal statements are prepared under the historical cost convention. IA Fund accounting General funds are unrestrirted funds whlch are avallable for use at the discretion of the trustee5 in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity and which have not been designated for any other purposes. Deslgnated fund5 comprise unstrICted fundsthat have been set aside bythe trustees for speclflc purposes. The aim and use of each designated fund is set out In the notes to the financial statements. All designated funds were utilised during the year. Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with speciflc restrfctions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for Specific purposes. There were no restrirted fund5 during the year or at the year end. L5 Income Incorne Is Included in the Statement of Financlal Activitles ISOFAI when the charlty Is legally entltled to the income, and the amount can be measured reliably. For legacies, entitlement is recognised on the charity being notified by the executors that a payment will be made. Gifts in kind donated fordistribution are included at valuation and recognised as income when they are received. Glfts donated for resale are Included as income when they are sold. No amounts are included in the financial statement5 for seThices donated by volunteers. 1.6 Resources expended All expenditure Is accounted for on an accruals basis. Expenditure is recognlsed when a present legal or constructive obligation exists at the reporting date as a result of a past event,. and it is more likely than not that a transferof economic benefits will be required in settlement- and the amountof the obll8ation can be measured or estimated rellably. Expenditure has been classified under headln85 that aggregate all costs related to the category. Where costs cannot be dlre¢tly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activltles on a ba515 consistent wlth use of the resources. Page 11
Barlèy Hlll Parochial Church Council Notes to the financlal statements for the year ended 31 December 2025 L7 Level of roundlnz The flnancial statements are prepared in Sterli which is the functional currency of the Trust. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £. 1.8 Cash and cash equfvalents Cash and cash equivalents include cash In hand, deposits held at call with banks. other short-term liquid investments wSth maturities of three months oi le55. and bank overdraft5. Bank overdrafts are Shown within borrowlngs in current liabilltles. 1.9 Basrc financlal assets Basic financial assets, whlch include cash and bank balance5, are initially measured at transaction price includlng transaction costs and are subsequendy carried at amortised interest method unless the arrangement constltutes financing transaction. where the transaction is measured atthe present value of thefuture receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial 3S5ets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised. 1.10 Basic flnanclal Ilabllltles B?5ic financial Ilabilities, including creditors are Inltially recognised at transattion prlce unless the arrangement constitutes a financlng transaction, where the debt instnjment is measured at the present value of future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liablllties dassified as payable within one year are not amortised. 1.11 Judyments and estlmatlons The estimates and underlying assumptlons are revlewed on an ongoing basis. Rev(sions to accountlng e5tlmates are recognlsed in the period In which the estlmate is revised where the revlslon affects only that period, or In the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods. Page 12
Barley Hill Parochial Church Council Notes tothe flnancial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025 Z. Donatlons and Legacles All Funds 2025 Total 2024 Total UNRESTRICTED FUNDS Planned 8ivin8 Covenanted, Gift Aid Tax recoverable 45,156 9,297 46,103 10,039 3.010 59.152 Other planned givin& tax not recoverable 56,915 unplann Giving One-off gifts TOTAL 1.005 57.918 59,936 Church Actbvltles 2025 2024 Grants (Nots 41 9.707 8.880 Dlrect Costs Parish share Ministy expenses OUta(h Expenses Church running expenses 30,909 Z52 30.160 1,134 gS8 527 54,355 s3,[ Support and Govemance Support Costs (Plote 51 1.196 2.526 Total Costs 65,358 64,415 Page 13
Barfey Hill Parnchial Churth Council Notes to the flnancial statements forthe year ended 31 December 2025 4. Grnnts- Mlsslonary & tharity glving The above totsls indude the following grants totslling £500 or more.. 2025 2024 Grants to organisatlons Shikh3r Hostel- Nepali orphanage Wycliffe Bible Translators 3,0 3,107 2.280 Grant5 to persons steven & Dr Catherine McGoldrick Totsl 5. Support and Govemance Costs 2025 2024 Support Governance Total Totsl Office and Sundry expenditure Independent examination fee 20 906 1,620 450 450 Total 470 1,296 2.526 Related partytransartlons The trustees neither received nor waived any emoluments from the charity durin8 the period. Ordained members of the clergy receive their stipends dirertly from the Church of England. Related party transactions are as follows: 2025 2024 Out of pocket expenses reimbursed to trustees Donation5 made by trustee5 12024 has been restated, prevlously £13,995. Gift aid and one donator was mlssedl 288 15.299 20,331 Number Number Number of trustees relmbursed expenses Number of trustees makin8 donation5 Page 14
Barley Hlll Paro¢hlal Churth Council Note5 to the financial statements forthe year ended 31 Decemb•r 2025 Debtors 2025 Total All Funds 2024 Total l Funds Tax recoverable Prepayments 524 1,803 2,327 195 8. Creditor5". amounts fallln8 due wlthln one year 2025 Total All Fund$ 2024 Total All Funds Trade Credltors Accruals 215 450 1.620 1.835 745 Pa8e 15