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2024-12-31-accounts

The Parish of Pangbourne with Tidmarsh and Sulham St James | St Laurence | St Nicholas

2024 ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS

St Laurence, Tidmarsh Photo credit: Mark Littledale

of the Parochial Church Council for the Parish of Pangbourne with Tidmarsh and Sulham

We have undertaken to share the Common Vision of Oxford Diocese

‘To become more Christlike for the sake of God’s world’

2024 Annual Report and Financial Statement

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Patrons

St James the Less, Pangbourne Church Society Trust St Laurence, Tidmarsh Bishop of Reading St Nicholas Sulham Henry Scutt

PCC Membership and Objectives

The PCC is registered with the Charity Commission (No. 1127943), made up of elected and exofficio PCC members of St James the Less, St Laurence and St Nicholas (in accordance with the Church Representation rules).

Banks

Independent Examiner

Insurance

Ecclesiastical Insurance Office plc

Statement of Intent

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of Pangbourne with Tidmarsh and Sulham (PTS) consults and co-operates with the Incumbent ‘in promoting the whole mission of the Church in this parish, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.’

Parochial Church Council

Chair Revd Mark Hopkins Elected Members Emma Barker 2023 – 2026 Secretary Vanessa Saunders 2022 - 2026 Penny Billyeald 2022 – 2025 Treasurer Stephen Billyeald 2023 - 2026 Wilma Grant (PCC Lay Chair and Church Warden Julia Sheppard Deanery Synod Rep) 2023 - 2026 Jill Palfrey (Deanery Synod Rep) Mark Littledale 2023- 2026 2023 – 2026 Dilys Rogers 2023 – 2026

Business of the Parochial Church Council 2024

The PCC met six times.

A Report on Changes in the Electoral Roll

2025 is a six year complete revision of the Electoral Roll In 2024 there were 130 Members on the electoral roll The new roll has 82 Members

60 names came off

12 new names were added

Vanessa Saunders, Electoral Roll Officer

2024 Annual Report and Financial Statement

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PCC Committees

Finance; Buildings

We thank all the committee and group members for all they have contributed, and continue to offer, to the life of the church community in PTS.

PCC Policies in 2024

No change to the above policies

A Review of 2024

Rector Rev Mark writes…

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14.28)

These words of Jesus were at the forefront of my mind in 2024 as we considered some costly projects at both St James the Less Pangbourne and St Nicholas Sulham. At St James, the PCC were forced to slow down focussing on planning for a new disabled-access toilet as we have first had to consider replacing our heating system with something future-proof and environmental, following the irrevocable failure of our old heating system in the autumn. At St Nicholas, persistent ongoing leaks to the roof and unsafe pinnacles meant we need to spend to rectify this before thinking about internal redecoration at the back of church. Thankfully, due to the generous donations of the church and community and dedicated fundraising, we have so far successfully undertaken significant works on these projects and the wheels are in motion to get the rest of our projects back on track in 2025 and 2026. (See fabric report for more detail).

Early in the year, I began a series of seminars entitled “Becoming More Inclusive” which were intended to help us as a church consider the less visible obstacles and boundaries which prevent some people from coming to church. We examined the Inclusive Church Statement, which includes a commitment to be “a church which celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate” and which “will continue to challenge the church where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality.” As a PCC we formally adopted the Inclusive Church statement and I co-led seminars with Rev Rachel Jeremiah our curate on every category in the statement. Our Spring Seminars were on sexuality, disability, and mental health, our Autumn seminars were on neurodiversity, gender, and ethnicity, and we will h old our final seminar on economic power in February 2025.

2024 Annual Report and Financial Statement

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There is much to give thanks for in 2024. I am particularly grateful to Rev Rachel for her tireless commitment to the monthly Oasis bereavement group. She has a compassionate heart for this ministry and it has been important for so many church and community members grieving the loss of loved ones. I am also thankful for her assistance to me as Rector in leading and preaching alongside me and for starting the new Joyful Noise breakfast service for families. We will continue as a church to prioritise ways to bring more families and young people into our church communities and to keep these vital projects going when Rev Rachel moves on to her first post in charge in a couple of years.

Jill Palfrey, one of our churchwardens, stepped down at the AGM in April 2024. I have been enormously grateful for the pastoral support she has offered me in my capacity as Rector and practical support for so many matters in our churches and churchyards. She has continued to offer valuable advice and support and has remained on as a duty warden, deanery synod rep, and safeguarding co-ordinator. I am also continually grateful to our churchwarden, Julia Sheppard, and to our clergy with permission to officiate, Rev Barry Ashdown and Rev Tony Naden, who support me in the week-in, week-out leading of worship and preaching. I am thankful too for our organist Wilma Grant for leading our musicians, and our administrator Vanessa Saunders for her practical support. I am grateful for our treasurer Stephen Billyeald for helping us balance the books, whilst also helping us prioritise essential spending to keep our buildings safe and open, and geared towards future mission. My appreciation goes also to Julia Bion who has been invaluable helping with bookkeeping for many years and who stepped down from this role at the end of 2024.

Although there are many, many, people to name who volunteer day in and day out for church, particular thanks go to duty wardens Jill Palfrey, Brian and Christine Tims, Heather and Cliff Thorne, and Stephen and Penny Billyeald for their assistance at Pangbourne; Mark Littledale for assistance with building matters across the churches, and Jennifer Nutt, Gillian Alderton and Gill Haggarty for their aid at Tidmarsh and Sulham churches. Sarah Rasmussen and her team have my thanks for beautiful flower arranging, Len Palfrey and the bellringers for their commitment to services and weddings, and I am also grateful to those who help with cleaning, green gym, welcoming, and in numerous other ways. Thanks too to the PCC for helping guide me through a complex year.

There were several community and church events in 2024 which were well attended and although most of our regular activities are listed below a few can be highlighted here. In February we had Spring flowers at Sulham and the annual church quiz at Pangbourne. We held Lent Lunches and a service in May to raise money for Christian Aid. In June, we had a stall at Pangbourne fete, D-Day commemorations on Tidmarsh green, concerts as part of the Berkshire Chamber Music Festival and Rachel’s ordination as priest and celebrations. Autumn brought harvest festivals at Pangbourne and Sulham and Remembrance services in both these churches, and in Advent in addition to our regular services we hosted Pangbourne village carol singing when inclement weather meant it couldn’t be held outside.

Here's hoping for a strong 2025, with a warmer (heated) church at Pangbourne by next Christmas. Let us also pray that across the parishes there will be a growing response to the hope Jesus Christ has to offer the world in the midst of these turbulent and unsettling times.

Rev Mark Hopkins

2024 Annual Report and Financial Statement

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A Report on the Activities of the Parish in 2024

Parish Vision

A united parish with three churches reaching out to all in our community and beyond as a Christian witness.

Parish Mission

To offer a warm welcome, fellowship and a caring environment to families and worshippers of all ages. To actively grow our church family by encouraging people to learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ and to continue to serve those in our local and wider community through discipleship and love.

Parish Action Plan

Church Administrator

Vanessa Saunders is employed as the parish administrator.

Safeguarding

Parish Safeguarding Officer - Jill Palfrey; Verifier - Vanessa Saunders Safeguarding in the Church of England was much in the national news in 2024 but within our parish it is good to report that no safeguarding concerns were raised.

Safeguarding is a standing item at every PCC meeting. The Safeguarding Policy is reviewed and approved annually by the PCC. A ‘Promoting a Safer Church’ poster is displayed, together with the Parish Safeguarding Policy, at each of our three churches. The poster gives contact details for our safeguarding officer and a contact at the diocese. Safeguarding arrangements are also clearly visible on the parish website.

Every three years all clergy and PCC members renew their training to the appropriate level and DBS checks also where required. The Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) is responsible for ensuring this is monitored for any lay members involved in parish activities, in particular those that may include children or vulnerable adults.

Alongside the role of PSO the remit of being responsible for health and safety has also been included. Our Health and Safety policies and Risk Assessments are reviewed as necessary and taken into account for any activity for which the parish is responsible Jill Palfrey

.

Health and Safety

The PCC is mindful of the risks associated with its various activities. The PCC has particular regard to the child protection and vulnerable adult’s requirements at all times.

2024 Annual Report and Financial Statement

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Insurance

Our insurance provider is Ecclesiastical Insurance and all three churches are covered by one policy.

Mission Partners and Charities Supported in 2024

The Charities we supported in 2024 were:

For our Tithe

We also donated to:

Christian Aid

Lent lunches were held in aid of Christian Aid and raised £602

Services and Worship in PTS

Our heartfelt thanks go to the lay members of the Ministry Team:

Julia Sheppard, Wilma Grant, Jill Palfrey and Heather Thorne, Mark Littledale, Vanessa Saunders and to our retired priests with Permission to Officiate:

Rev Barry Ashdown and Rev Tony Naden.

Permission to administer the chalice in Communion in 2024 was held by:

Len Palfrey, Hugh Richardson, Julia Sheppard, Heather Thorne, Jill Palfrey, Brian Tims, Christine Tims. Thank you to those who have taken part in staffing our parish worship.

Occasional Offices

Our thanks go to Penny and Stephen Billyeald for Baptism service ministry.

A special service for those recently bereaved was held at All Souls Tide in St James.

Deanery Synod

Area Dean: Revd Grant Fensome

Lay Chair: Terry Webster

Parish Deanery Representatives: Wilma Grant and Jill Palfrey, one vacancy

Meetings were held on 14/3/24 at St Stephen’s Upper Basildon 27/6/24 at St Mary’s Burghfield and 17/10/24 at St James Pangbourne.

Discussions took place on the parish share, children and young people services and events across the Deanery and what was successful and working well. At every meeting there was a “ 5 minute in the life of” someone in the deanery, which has been very interesting.

2024 Annual Report and Financial Statement

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Wilma Grant, Deanery Synod Representative

Music and Singing

There is currently no singing group practice at the moment but thank you to all the singers who continue to support services weekly and help to lead the hymns and music. This is very much appreciated. A special thank you to Ellie Thorne who helped cover most Sunday services at St James, playing the piano, while Wilma Grant was recovering from a broken wrist during April and May.

Wilma Grant, Music Co-ordinator

Noah’s Ark

Our Pre-School service ‘Noah’s Ark’ has continued throughout 2024-25 in a familiar format: we start with some craft, refreshments, toys, welcome and fellowship before entering the more structured part of the service. This part consists of a story, a prayer and two worship songs with shakers, before we celebrate the birthdays of those in attendance and finish with nursery rhymes. Themes we have covered this year include: Trees, Colours, Feelings, Creation and Love. During the October half-term, we had another joyous visit from Word Puppets during the half-term holidays.

It has proved a wonderful way to nurture links with our community, share the gospel message and support new mothers, in particular, at what can be a difficult time of life. The children seem to engage really very well with the entire session, and enjoy the routine and structure of the group. We often see new people join the group who have seen it advertised locally (online, in the magazine, or on notice boards) or who hear about it through word-of-mouth.

Despite the group growing during the spring and summer months, we saw a significant drop in numbers over the winter months when the heating in the church was broken. We are very grateful for the kind offer from St Bernadette’s Roman Catholic Rooms for the free use of the Dorman Rooms until the heating situation has been resolved. Since moving to the Dorman Rooms, numbers have been restored and others have joined us seeing growth in the group once more. We have been donating the small collection we gather from this group to St Bernadette’s to cover the heating bill for the rooms.

Rev’d Mark, Rev’d Rachel and Jill Palfrey lead this service each week, and we continue to be extremely grateful to the small yet reliable team of volunteers that serve this group. We are always looking for volunteers to join in, so please do let us know if you’d like to be involved in this fantastic way to serve the local community and build relationships with those who attend this service.

Rev Rachel Jeremiah, Curate

Joyful Noise

In September 2024 we launched the Joyful Noise 30-minute Breakfast Service at St James, aimed to be a missional, inclusive Sunday morning service that strives to remove some of the barriers to traditional church-attendance that some families with younger children (children under 10 years old in particular) might encounter.

At PTS Churches we are blessed with a thriving group of families on the fringes of our church community. Joyful Noise – a reference to Psalm 98 – aims to provide a place of belonging and nurture to these families as we ‘sing to the Lord a new song’ (also a reference to Psalm 98!) and branch into unfamiliar territory with this service. Psalm 98 reminds us of the joy of worship our living God, and encourages us to keep on praising his name in all sorts of new ways and new forms. Joyful Noise builds on this idea of prioritising and valuing a style of church that might meet in other ways, even if it might be slightly more chaotic than a traditional setting! Its purpose has been to support the faith journeys of young families in the parish, build on already existing relationships found elsewhere in church life, build on connections with baptism families, and create a place where parents and grandparents can worship easily alongside their children. A

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light ‘no frills’ breakfast is offered afterwards during which the 10am congregation are invited to join in, in order to draw connections between different groups in the church community.

During the services so far, we have been following the theme of Christ’s ‘I Am’ statements from John’s gospel. The service includes games, videos, talks, music, crafts and activities, which are tailored to the modern ways that children are taught. Attendance has been variable: some sessions have been rather full but the service after Christmas was more sparsely attended (possibly due to heating problems). Looking ahead, we have a Pentecost picnic arranged for June, and we have agreed to evaluate the success of the year and make any necessary changes over the summer.

There has been great support from our usual congregation, and it has been wonderfully refreshing to think about new ways of worshipping in our community. We are very grateful for the team of volunteers who have been hugely helpful and enthusiastic about this project and very supportive of its activities. If you feel you would like to be a part of this team – do please get in touch.

Rev Rachel Jeremiah, Curate

Bell Ringing

We continue to maintain a faithful band of eight Sunday services ringers and hope that one of our improvers will soon have the confidence to join us on Sunday. Currently we are teaching three learners who are making steady progress. Our youngest learner is just about to embark on the Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award and has chosen bell ringing as his specialist skill.

Having installed a peal board to commemorate the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, last year, we looked at notable ringing achievements of the past and decided to commission and instal two more peal boards.

As in previous years we took part in the annual schools open day, where pupils from Pangbourne and Englefield Primary schools come to church to learn about church life. We demonstrated how bells are rung and all of the children, under close supervision, had a go at ringing a bell at backstroke. We frequently welcome visiting ringers on practice night and with their help all of the band is making progress, learning new things and improving what they already know. We are always on the lookout for new recruits, if you want to have a go, or just find out a bit more about bell ringing, our door is always open, just come in when the bells are not ringing. Len Palfrey, Tower Captain

St James Café

In 2024, St James Café continued to meet in St James the Less on the 1[st] and 3[rd] Wednesday of the month. At the start of the year, new tablecloths were purchased to give the café a fresh feel. In terms of numbers, we have around 10-15 attend each café, and in addition, the Wednesday morning church congregation is consistently slightly larger on the weeks when the café meets.

Towards the end of the year the decision was made to review the hours of the café, which in 2025 will meet from 11am-12noon, rather than 11am-12.30. This was due to the feeling that very few people were attending after 12 noon and it placed an extra challenge upon volunteers running the café to keep it open for the extra half an hour.

The café has not been without its challenges. The loss of heating meant the café struggled to meet in December and has been suspended for January and February 2025, to resume in March. We are working hard to redress the heating situation at the back of church in time for the end of 2025 when the Winter months resume. We are also struggling to find enough volunteers to assist with leading the café on the rota.

I am grateful for everyone who has assisted with serving in the café this year. It is vitally important that we continue to resource the café in terms of volunteer help and providing the warmth for it to continue. Without it, the ongoing mission of the church and outreach into the community would suffer, as it is one of very few regular mid-week events for our churches. Rev Mark Hopkins, Rector

Oasis Bereavement Group

In April 2024, the self-help, meet-up Oasis Bereavement Group was formed to support those in the congregation and beyond who were bereaved and, as such, may be going through a lonely and isolating

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time. The group has been open to anyone in our local community who has suffered any sort of bereavement at any time and finds themselves still coming to terms with the impact this is having on their life. The group is small, unstructured, and consists of free-flowing conversation and fellowship, underpinned by a shared experience of loss and the knowledge everyone in attendance is going through a similar experience. Although our Christian faith and desire to help others underpins the purpose of the group, there is no explicit religious content so the group has been designed to be suitable and accessible for people of all faiths, or none. As such, some individuals from the wider community beyond the church congregation have joined the group, referrals have been made from the social prescriber at The Boat House Surgery, and it has become part of the funeral after-care pastoral support we offer families after holding a funeral for a loved-one at the church.

Oasis meets on the fourth Thursday of each month from 2-3.30pm in the Trunk Room at The Elephant Hotel in Pangbourne. The Elephant is extremely supportive of this endeavour and have offered the room for free, as well as providing hot drinks to everyone in the group free of charge. We are very grateful for this support. The group is led and facilitated by Rev’d Rachel Jeremiah, with additional support and expertise offered by Gillian Alderton. Rev Rachel Jeremiah, Curate

Flower Arranging

Flower arranging team - Pauline Jones, Beverly Hughes, Dilys Rogers, Jayne Davidson, Pam Killender, Lorraine Ashdown, Pat Coyle, Jill Palfrey, Margaret Rhodes, Fiona Hope, Alyson Ebbrell, Sarah Rasmussen. We are still majoring on using faux flowers (in rotation) for the large altar pedestal. This makes the table a simple display to do every 2 weeks. However, the loss of heating in church has increased the longevity of the displays through Christmas and Spring.

Throughout the year and at special services and festivals- Mothering Sunday, Easter, Rev Rachel’s ordination, Harvest, All Souls, Remembrance, Advent and Christmas the flower team prepared wonderful and season appropriate floral arrangements for St James. Particular highlights were Rev Rachel’s ordination when we celebrated her special day with orange and purple - her favourite colours and themed arrangements around her hobbies of music, reading; baking. For Remembrance Sunday we reengineered the crochet poppies into pillar collars and used the large bumper plastic poppies for pew ends. The Faux poppies were used for a striking altar pedestal. With some athletics and coordination, a dramatic three panel canvas of a poppy head was placed above the altar.

Sulham church continues to create beautiful displays and continued their wreath course this Christmas. All arrangements continue to be pared back due to manpower.

Our thanks to Mark Littledale for his frequent Facebook posts highlighting seasonal floral arrangements.

Sarah Rasmussen

Fabrics Goods and Ornaments

This year has been an eventful one for our three churches, with urgent roofing works required at St Nicholas’ Sulham and our heating system failing at St James’ Pangbourne. I am grateful for the fundraising efforts of the whole church and community, the PCC, and the dedicated time of Stephen Billyeald, Mark Littledale, Len and Jill Palfrey and Julia Sheppard in helping us manage these large fabric challenges and helping us keep our churches safe and beautiful.

Routine maintenance in 2024 continued across all the churches, including organ tuning, electrical checks, and service of fire extinguishers. Matters specific to the churches are detailed below with fuller reports on the heating system at St James the Less and the roofing works at St Nicholas Sulham.

St James the Less, Pangbourne

General matters

Early in 2024 Penny Billyeald donated the first three of a set of 6 cushions which she is cross-stitching to depict the days of creation – these are currently at the front of church near the high altar.

Persistent electrical issues in January and February 2024 required Bracknell Electrix to attend and update systems. These were partially caused by the problems with the boiler which was later removed (see below).

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Due to flints and mortar falling out of the east boundary wall and the wall bordering The Elephant becoming unsafe, the east wall was repaired and the wall bordering the elephant was rebuilt in Spring 2024. Unfortunately, in May the tower was broken into via the main door, and the locks were forced on the connecting doors between the tower and main church. A small amount of cash was stolen from the wall safe which was broken into. Repairs were made to locks and doors, with a new lock on the wall safe. All light bulbs were changed in the nave and chance to LED lights in June for a ‘warm’ white.

In August new microphones were installed and tested to enable us to have two working radio microphones and a third roving microphone in church for public worship.

A memorial bench was installed in memory of Cherry East in September 2024.

There is growing concern that unauthorised artificial flowers, ornaments, and even stone flower holders have been introduced to graves in the churchyard without permission, and in breach of the Diocese of Oxford regulations. It will be necessary to remove objects and return them to families if they have been introduced without permission. Please note that churchyard regulations prohibit the addition of pictures and artificial flowers to graves or ledger stones, and prohibit the planting of any kind of flower or shrub around them. Additional stonework requires permission from the Rector and may be removed, especially if it is not of an approved type of stone or colour lettering.

We are grateful for the Green Gym team for their ongoing and regular work in the churchyard to keep things orderly and tidy.

Initial plans have been drawn up to redevelop the toilet at the rear of St James’ church and replace it with a larger, accessible toilet with a baby changing facility. The work of consultation and raising funds for this will continue in 2025.

Heating system

It had become apparent during the course of the past few years that the heating system in St James was unlikely to last much longer, as the aging boilers were likely to fail beyond repair. A replacement system of heating the church would be needed which would be reliable, cost-effective, future-proof and in keeping with our church and diocesan commitments to the environment.

Matters came to a head when the 30+ year old gas-fired heating system failed in November 2024 and was beyond economical repair. In 2023 in anticipation of this failure we had taken advice from a specialist in modern methods of heating churches who recommended a combination of under-pew heating with overhead infrared heaters for the open spaces. We carried out a successful trial of under-pew heaters in February 2024.

We launched an appeal to fund the installation of under-pew heaters for the main body of the church in November 2024 and raised £11,000 from members of the congregation, visitors to the church and the local community. The necessary electrical work is due to be completed and the pew heaters fitted to the nave and chancel pews in February 2025. We aim to install heaters under the north aisle pews and infrared heaters in the open space at the west end of the nave during 2025, subject to raising the necessary funds.

St Laurence, Tidmarsh

Things have been quieter with regards to necessary fabric works at St Laurence this year. The new oak gateposts were reinstalled and plaques reaffixed following on from works to repair the walls of the churchyard at the end of 2023.

We continue to be grateful to the Friends of St Laurence who help maintain the churchyard at St Laurence.

St Nicholas, Sulham

Tower Roof Works

There has been a history of leaks at the east and west ends of St Nicholas church. Repairs were carried out in January / February at a cost of £2,910 which cured the leaks at the east end but failed to completely cure those at the west end. It was then discovered that earlier repairs to the tower roof had failed.

Repairs to the tower roof were completed in July at a cost of £7,140 which was very generously covered by a donation from a parishioner. We shall apply for a grant of £1,675 to recover the VAT from these costs. The Quinquennial Inspection reported a piece of broken stonework on the St Nicholas tower which had destabilised one of the pinnacles. The roofing contractor tried to carry out a repair or remove the pinnacle but was unable to carry out this work from the tower roof; the contractor made the pinnacle safe with securing straps pending the installation of scaffolding. A stonemasonry contractor is due to carry out the repair to the stonework, and to secure the pinnacle, in January 2025.

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Quinquennial Inspection and other matters

In March, it was necessary to repair the organ blower at a cost of £3777 inc. VAT which could be reclaimed. The cost of this was met through the St Nicholas Organ fund and the restricted St Nicholas fund. These funds are formed through dedicated fundraising and organ maintenance charges levied when the organ is used for occasional offices. The August Quinquennial Inspection also identified other areas of concern including investigating the decay to the organ chamber floor, repairing the covering to the North porch roof, inspecting the electrics and clearing out the guttering. We have been able to undertake much of the work on St Nicholas church through the generosity of the villagers of Sulham and their fundraising endeavours. Looking forwards to 2025, we are seeking to obtain quotes for internal redecoration and repair, primarily focussed around the rear of the church where water ingress has damaged the wallpaper and plastering. We have already received donations and pledges towards this work.

Revd Mark Hopkins, with assistance in compiling this report from Stephen Billyeald, Mark Littledale, Jill Palfrey and Julia Sheppard.

Green Gym

Our regular group of volunteers continued to cut the grass and maintain the churchyard throughout 2024. Not all of our volunteers are church goers but are only too willing to help, frequently coming between Green Gym sessions to work on their own. They were also instrumental in the setting up of the Christmas trees and lights, both inside and out, and in their removal.

The wet weather last year made grass cutting very difficult and we struggled to keep up with the rate of growth and did not manage to cut some areas.

We were very pleased to welcome a couple of new Green Gym members, especially as they have reduced the average age to nearer 60 rather than 70!! As always, we are on the lookout for anyone who is willing to give of their time and help maintain our church yard.

We are grateful to those in the Green Gym team who dedicate their time to weeding and maintaining the borders of the churchyard and the flowering areas, much enhancing the beauty of this quiet, peaceful place.

As is now usual, a team of students from Pangbourne College came in the summer and worked very hard in the churchyard as part of their community service.

A list of Green Gym dates for 2025 can be found on the church porch notice board.

Len Palfrey

Treasurer’s Report on 2024 Statement of Financial Activities

Headline Figures

Unrestricted funds representing day-to-day operations of the parish showed an operating deficit of £20k. This was only partly off-set by a gain of £3.5k on funds held in investments.

Income was £5k higher than in 2023 as a result of a generous donation to the roof repairs at St Nicholas (£7k) and a return of funds from Bradfield Deanery (£5k); these were off-set by a reduction in regular giving (-£7k).

Expenditure was £21k higher than 2023. The main increases were on the organ repair and roof repairs St Nicholas (£13k) and parish share (7k).

Unrestricted Funds in the bank and invested at the end of the year are £26.5k (down by £18k on last year). This is the minimum which we should hold under Charity Commission guidelines.

Restricted Funds which are funds donated for specific purposes, showed a surplus of £7.5k which was mainly donations to the St James Heating Appeal which will be spent in 2025.

We have a total of £54k in Restricted Funds, an increase of £8k on last year.

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Investments

Reserves of Unrestricted and Restricted Funds are invested in Church of England investment funds; the value of our investments rose during the year by £3.5k. These funds have shown investment gains of more than £52k over the past seven years.

Endowment Funds are capital funds donated for specific purposes from which we can only use the income; these showed an operating deficit of £20k. The prime purpose of these funds is to maintain the Sainsbury grave in Pangbourne cemetery and the Gunter, Donaldson and Graham-Hodgson graves in St Laurence churchyard; any additional income can be used for maintenance of St James’s church and churchyard and St Laurence’s church and churchyard. Some £23k of the Sainsbury Trust Fund was used to pay for churchyard wall repairs and electrical upgrade at St James.

The investment gain on Endowment funds during the year was £2.5k.

The PCC adopted total return accounting on two of our endowment funds in 2023. This allows the capital gain, over and above inflation, to be allocated to income, thereby making better use of the funds for the care and maintenance of St James and St Laurence churches and churchyards, without affecting the underlying value of the original endowment.

Unrestricted Income and Expenditure

Income and expenditure breakdown as follows:

Regular income includes bank standing orders, parish giving scheme and envelopes, all of which attract gift-aid; we also claim gift-aid on most plate collections. Regular giving was £2k down on 2023; wedding and funeral income was down £6k; community events were down £1.6k.

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It is our aim that planned giving including gift-aid covers the cost of parish share. The running costs and charitable giving are then covered by other sources of income including plate collections, weddings & funerals, community events and other donations.

Planned giving has dropped slightly as a result of deaths and donors leaving the parish; plate collections (especially by card) have held up well; income from weddings & funerals and other sources such as one-off donations and legacies cannot be forecast or relied upon. We have become more reliant on community events in order to raise funds and these take considerable time and energy from volunteers.

The PCC is ever mindful of keeping running costs under tight control. Investment in the new heating system at St James is expected to reduce the energy bill; we have changed supplier to keep insurance cost down; we use endowment fund income where possible to cover church and churchyard maintenance and repair costs; we are now looking at ways in which we might limit the cost of our major expense of parish share.

Stephen Billyeald Treasurer to the PCC

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PCC of Pangbourne with Tidmarsh & Sulham

Statement of Financial Activities for the year to 31[st] December 2024

Unrestricted
Restricted
Endowment
Total
Prior year
funds
funds
funds
funds
total funds
Income and endowments from:
Donations and legacies note 2(a)
Income from charitable activities note 2(b)
Other trading activities note 2(c)
Investments note 2(d)
Other income note 2(e)		 £
£
£
£
£
98,943
11,168
—
110,111
94,407
6,359
25
—
6,384
11,962
3,469
916
—
4,385
5,988
1,201
—
2,973
4,173
4,346
2,902
—
—
2,902
132
Total income 112,873
12,109
2,973
127,955
116,836
Expenditure on:
Raising funds note 3(a)
Expenditure on charitable activities note 3(b)
Other expenditure note 3(c)		 122
—
—
122
1,267
131,549
3,647
23,422
158,617
126,819
1,350
1,011
—
2,361
1,655
Total expenditure 133,020
4,658
23,422
161,100
129,740
Net income / (expenditure) on Ordinary Activities
Gains / losses on investment assets
Net income / (expenditure) resources before
transfer
Transfers
Gross transfers between funds - in
Gross transfers between funds - out		 (20,147)
7,451
(20,449)
(33,145)
(12,904)
3,537
—
2,528
6,065
19,286
(16,610)
7,451
(17,921)
(27,081)
6,381
—
539
539
—
(539)
—
(539)
—
Net movement in funds
Total funds brought forward		 (17,149)
7,990
(17,921)
(27,081)
6,381
43,649
46,113
121,632
211,395
205,014
Total funds carried forward 26,500
54,103
103,711
184,314
211,395

Page 1

Balance sheet

Total funds
Prior year funds
Fixed assets
Investments
Current assets
Debtors
Investments
Cash at bank and in hand
Liabilities
Creditors: Amounts falling due in one year
Net current assets less current liabilities
Total assets less current liabilities
Total net assets less liabilities
Represented by
Unrestricted
Restricted
Endowment
Funds of the church		 £
£
95,826
113,298
95,826
113,298
4,419
7,177
79,125
93,589
9,305
3,282
92,849
104,048
4,361
5,951
4,361
5,951
88,488
98,097
184,314
211,395
184,314
211,395
26,499
43,648
54,103
46,113
103,711
121,632
184,314
211,395

Signed by two trustees on behalf of all trustees

Revd Mark Hopkins (Rector)

Stephen Billyeald (Treasurer)

Date of approval: 9[th] April 2025

Page 2

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of financial statements

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 , together with applicable accounting standards and Accounting and Reporting by Charities – Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP 2005).

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention except for the valuation of investment assets, which are shown at market value. The financial statements include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body or those that are informal gatherings of church members.

Fund accounting

Endowment funds are funds, the capital of which must be maintained; only income arising from investment of the endowment may be used either as restricted or unrestricted funds depending upon the purpose for which the endowment was established.

Restricted funds comprise (a) income from trusts or endowments which may be expended only on those restricted objects provided in the terms of the trust or bequest, and (b) donations or grants received for a specific object or invited by the PCC for a specific object. The funds may only be expended on the specific object for which they were given. Any balance remaining unspent at the end of each year must be carried forward as a balance on that fund. The PCC does not usually invest separately for each fund. Where there is no separate investment, interest is apportioned to individual funds on an average balance basis.

Unrestricted funds represent the funds of the PCC that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and are available for application to the general purposes of the PCC. Funds designated for a particular purpose by the PCC are also unrestricted.

Incoming resources

Voluntary income and capital resources

Planned giving, collections and similar donations are recognised when received. Tax refunds are recognised when the incoming resource to which they relate is received. Grants and legacies to the PCC are accounted for when the PCC is entitled to the use of the resources, their ultimate receipt is considered reasonably certain and the amounts due are reliably quantifiable.

Funds raised by fetes and similar events, and sales of books and magazines from the church bookstall are accounted for gross.

Gifts in kind for sale or distribution are included in the accounts only when sold or distributed by the PCC. Gifts in kind are accounted for at a reasonable estimate of their value to the PCC or the amount actually realised.

Gifts in kind for use by the PCC are included as incoming resources when receivable.

Intangible income (e.g. donated facilities) is only included in incoming resources (with an equivalent amount in resources expended) where another party is bearing the financial cost of the resources supplied and the benefit is quantifiable, receivable and material. Intangible income is valued at the lower of the cost borne by the party bearing the cost and a reasonable estimate of the value of the donation to the PCC.

The value of any voluntary help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the annual report.

Income from investments

Dividends are accounted for when declared receivable. Interest entitlements are accounted for as they accrue. Tax recoverable on such income is recognised in the same accounting period/year.

Gains and losses on investments

Realised gains and losses are recognised when investments are sold. Unrealised gains or losses are accounted for on revaluation of investments at the balance sheet date.

Reserves of Unrestricted and Restricted Funds are held in investment accounts managed by CCLA Investment Management Ltd which specialises in managing charity funds and is recommended by the Church of England. In order to protect the value of Restricted Funds, any gains or losses on revaluation are accounted for in Unrestricted Funds in the Balance Sheet.

Page 3

Outgoing Resources

Grants

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

Activities directly relating to the work of the Church

The diocesan parish share is accounted for on a full accruals basis. Any parish share unpaid at the balance sheet date is provided for in these accounts as an operational (though not a legal) liability and is shown as a creditor in the balance sheet.

Fees for examining the accounts

No fees have been paid to the independent examiner, this year or last, either for reporting on the accounts, or for other advice or consultancy.

Fixed assets

Consecrated property and moveable church furnishings

Consecrated and benefice property of any kind is excluded from the accounts by s.10(2)(a)and (c) of the Charities Act 2011.

Moveable church furnishings held by the Rector and Churchwardens on special trust for the PCC, and which require a faculty for disposal, are accounted for as inalienable property unless consecrated. They are listed in the church’s inventory which can be inspected (at any reasonable time). For inalienable property acquired prior to 2000, there is insufficient cost information available and therefore such assets are not valued in the accounts. Items acquired since 1[st] January 2000 have been capitalised and depreciated in the accounts over their currently anticipated useful economic life (either five or ten years) on a straight-line basis.

Other fixtures, fittings and office equipment

Equipment used within the church premises is depreciated on a straight-line basis over four years. Individual items of equipment with a purchase price of £1,000 or less are written off when the asset is acquired.

Investments

Investments are valued at market value on the balance sheet date.

Current assets

Amounts owing to the PCC at the balance sheet date in respect of fees, rents or other income are shown as debtors, less provision for amounts that may prove uncollectable.

Short-term deposits include cash held on deposit either with the CBF Church of England Funds or with the PCC’s bankers.

Stocks and work in progress are valued at the lower of cost or market value.

Change in basis

There has been no change to the accounting policies (valuation rules and methods of accounting) since last year.

Changes to previous accounts

No changes have been made to accounts for previous years.

Page 4

2. INCOME

Total
Unrestricted Designated
Restricted
Endowment
This year
Last year
£
£
£
£
£
£
2(a) Donations and legacies
Gift Aid - Bank
18,680
83
—
—
18,763
19,623
Gift Aid - Envelopes
1,258
1,106
—
—
2,364
2,561
Parish Giving Scheme
34,098
88
—
—
34,186
34,920
Loose plate collections
10,236
820
117
—
11,173
11,205
Giving through church boxes
298
6
—
—
304
372
One-off Gift Aid gifts
—
—
2,140
—
2,140
390
One-off donations
1,549
7,925
4,389
—
13,864
8,540
Donations appeals etc
—
—
3,090
—
3,090
61
Tax recoverable on Gift Aid
16,340
—
1,431
—
17,771
16,047
Recurring grants
—
—
—
—
—
25
Non-recurring one-off grants
5,232
650
—
—
5,882
54
Other funds generated
388
185
—
—
573
609
Total
88,080
10,863
11,168
—
110,111
94,407
2(b) Income from charitable activities
Fees for weddings
1,813
—
—
—
1,813
4,413
Fees for funerals
4,012
534
25
—
4,571
7,549
Total
5,825
534
25
—
6,384
11,962
2(c) Other trading activities
Fundraising Events
1,153
2,035
916
—
4,104
5,729
Coffee Receipts
281
—
—
—
281
259
Total
1,434
2,035
916
—
4,385
5,988
2(d) Investments
Income from Trusts
—
—
—
2,973
2,973
3,097
Bank and building society interest
1,201
—
—
—
1,201
1,249
Total
1,201
—
—
2,973
4,173
4,346
2(e) Other income
Other Income
1,227
1,675
—
—
2,902
132
Total
1,227
1,675
—
—
2,902
132		 Total
Unrestricted Designated
Restricted
Endowment
This year
Last year
£
£
£
£
£
£
18,680
83
—
—
18,763
19,623
1,258
1,106
—
—
2,364
2,561
34,098
88
—
—
34,186
34,920
10,236
820
117
—
11,173
11,205
298
6
—
—
304
372
—
—
2,140
—
2,140
390
1,549
7,925
4,389
—
13,864
8,540
—
—
3,090
—
3,090
61
16,340
—
1,431
—
17,771
16,047
—
—
—
—
—
25
5,232
650
—
—
5,882
54
388
185
—
—
573
609
5,825
534
25
—
6,384
11,962
1,153
2,035
916
—
4,104
5,729
281
—
—
—
281
259
1,434
2,035
916
—
4,385
5,988
—
—
—
2,973
2,973
3,097
1,201
—
—
—
1,201
1,249
1,201
—
—
2,973
4,173
4,346
1,227
1,675
—
—
2,902
132
1,227
1,675
—
—
2,902
132
INCOME TOTAL 97,767
15,107
12,109
2,973
127,955
116,836

Page 5

3. EXPENDITURE

Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment This year Last year £ £ £ £ £ £

3(a) Raising funds
Costs of fetes & other events
49
73
—
—
122
1,267
Total
49
73
—
—
122
1,267
3(b) Expenditure on charitable activities
Giving to missionary societies
—
(2,100)
—
—
(2,100)
2,301
Giving - relief and development
agencies
602
—
—
—
602
—
Giving to UK Charities
1,221
3,681
—
—
4,902
2,424
Secular charities
252
—
—
—
252
252
Mission Other
—
—
—
—
—
18
Parish share
74,196
—
—
—
74,196
67,387
Organists
3,597
—
—
—
3,597
4,680
Clergy Duty Fees
1,222
—
—
—
1,222
3,136
Wedding Disbursements
94
—
120
—
214
210
Funeral Disbursements
111
—
—
—
111
385
Salary of parish administrator
3,758
—
—
—
3,758
4,435
Working expenses of incumbent
2,134
—
—
—
2,134
936
Vicar's telephone
949
—
—
—
949
948
Rectory Garden
990
—
—
—
990
—
Curate's House
6,000
—
—
—
6,000
3,000
Church running - insurance
3,470
3,470
—
—
6,940
7,000
Church office - telephone
57
—
—
—
57
202
Organ / piano tuning
270
2,765
2,170
—
5,204
1,073
Church maintenance
1,334
2,651
150
3,374
7,509
6,978
Upkeep of services
603
236
—
—
840
379
Flower expenses
104
—
1,207
—
1,312
1,659
Upkeep of churchyard
266
—
—
3,600
3,866
9,601
Administration
2,509
—
—
—
2,509
2,406
Church Office Rent
120
—
—
—
120
120
Subscriptions and Levies
937
—
—
—
937
—
Church running - Fuel St J
1,415
—
—
—
1,415
—
Church running - electric
1,903
809
—
—
2,712
2,465
Church running - gas
1,056
—
—
—
1,056
4,652
Church running - water
143
673
—
—
816
171
Church major repairs - structure
—
10,050
—
9,891
19,941
—
Church major repairs - installation
—
—
—
6,557
6,557
—
Total
109,314
22,235
3,647
23,422
158,617
126,819
3(c) Other expenditure
Other Expenses
1,350
—
1,011
—
2,361
1,655
Total
1,350
—
1,011
—
2,361
1,655		 49
73
—
—
122
1,267
109,314
22,235
3,647
23,422
158,617
126,819
1,350
—
1,011
—
2,361
1,655
1,350
—
1,011
—
2,361
1,655
EXPENDITURE TOTAL 110,713
22,308
4,658
23,422
161,100
129,740
NET INCOME / EXPENDITURE (12,946)
(7,201)
7,451
(20,449)
(33,145)
(12,905)

4. PAYMENTS TO STAFF & PCC MEMBERS

(a) STAFF COSTS 2024 2023 £ £ Wages & salaries 7,355 8,323

(b) PAYMENTS TO PCC MEMBERS

As an organist Mrs Wilma Grant, who is a member of the PCC, was paid £3,069 during the year. As parish administrator Mrs Vanessa Saunders, who is a member of the PCC, was paid £3,758. A small immaterial portion of expenses paid to the Rector might have related to his services as Chairman of the PCC.

Page 6

5. ANALYSIS OF FUNDS

5(a) Unrestricted Funds
General Fund
St James Legacies
St James AV
St Laurence Designated
St Laurence Legacies
St Nicholas Designated
St Nicholas Greenhill Bench
Total Unrestricted Funds
5(b) Restricted Funds
St James
Anniversary Project
Bells
Flowers
Heating
Organ
Textiles
Music
St Laurence
Internal Furnishings
St Nicholas
Organ
Heating
Quinquennial		 Opening Incoming Outgoing Transfers Gains/losses Journals Closing
£
£
£
£ £
£
£
(15,235)
97,767
110,713
(539)
—
3,537
(25,183)
20,933
—
1,581
—
—
—
19,352
1,628
—
1,628
—
—
—
—
11,096
1,637
3,337
—
—
—
9,397
14,934
—
—
—
—
—
14,934
9,992
13,470
15,763
—
—
—
7,699
300
—
—
—
—
—
300
43,649
112,874
133,022
(539)
3,537
26,499
2,098
2,357
—
384
—
—
4,840
5,051
155
1,131
155
—
—
4,230
31,117
19
1,207
—
—
—
29,929
—
7,552
150
—
—
—
7,402
1,268
25
270
—
—
—
1,023
373
—
—
—
—
—
373
2,480
—
—
—
—
—
2,480
209
—
—
—
—
—
209
1,899
—
1,899
—
—
—
—
1,617
—
—
—
—
—
1,617
—
2,000
—
—
—
—
2,000
46,114
12,108
4,657
539
54,103
8,912
—
—
—
—
—
8,912
2,030
1,643
23,422
20,000
—
—
251
56,486
—
—
(20,000)
1,432
—
37,917
2,500
—
—
—
—
—
2,500
1,641
120
—
—
—
—
1,761
1,840
—
—
—
99
—
1,940
1,359
—
—
—
—
—
1,359
3,990
680
—
—
—
—
4,670
23,146
—
—
—
561
—
23,706
1,000
—
—
—
—
—
1,000
674
529
—
—
—
—
1,203
18,056
—
—
—
436
—
18,492
121,633
2,972
23,422
2,528
103,711
211,395
127,955
161,100
—
2,528
3,537
184,314
Total Restricted Funds
5(c) Endowment Funds
St James
Sainsbury Capital
Sainsbury Income
Sainsbury Revaluation
St Laurence
Donaldson Gift Capital
Donaldson Gift Income
Donaldson Gift Revaluation
Gunter Trust Capital
Gunter Trust Income
Gunter Trust Revaluation
Lady Graham-Hodgson Capital
Lady Graham-Hodgson Income
Lady Graham-Hodgson Revaluation
Total Endowment Funds
Grand total

5(d) Application of Total Return Accounting to certain Endowment Investments

The investment power of total return permits the PCC to invest permanently endowed funds to maximise total return and apply an appropriate portion of the unapplied total return to income each year. Until that power is exercised, the unapplied total return remains part of the permanent endowment.

From 1[st] January 2023 the PCC adopted a total return approach to two endowments: Sainsbury Trust and Lady Graham Hodgson Bequest. The initial value of each fund was £8,912 at September 1983 and £1,000 at April 1976 respectively. The unapplied total return was calculated at 1[st] January 2023 and valued at £26,068 (Sainsbury Trust) and £15,172 (Lady Graham-Hodgson Bequest) as the increase in value above inflation.

Page 7

Lady Graham-Hodgson Lady Graham-Hodgson
Sainsbury Trust Bequest
Trust for Unapplied Trust for Unapplied
investment Total Return investment Total Return
As at 1 January 2024
Base Value of permanent endowment 39,145 9,715
Unapplied total return 28,282 10,015
Total 67,427 19,730
Movements in the year
Investment income 1,643 529
Investment return realised and unrealised 1,432 436
Unapplied total return allocated to income in the year -23,422 -
Add indexation of base level of endowment 1,459 -1,459 362 -362
As at £1 December 2024
Base value of permanent endowment 40,604 10,077
Unapplied total return 6,476 10,618
Valuation at 31 December 2024 47,080 20,695

The purpose of the Sainsbury Trust is the maintenance of St James the Less church and churchyard with the request that the Sainsbury grave in Pangbourne Hill Cemetery be kept in good order. The purpose of the Lady Graham-Hodgson Bequest is the maintenance of St Laurence church and churchyard, so long as the grave of Sir Harold Graham-Hodgson is maintained.

6. STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

This year
Last year
6(a) Investments
Sainsbury Trust
Donaldson Gift
Gunter Trust
Lady Graham-Hodgson Bequest Capital Fund (Endowment) -
Total
6(b) Debtors
Accounts Receivable
HMRC PAYE
Total for Debtors
6(c) Current Asset Investments
CBF Investment Fund Income Shares
CBF Investment Fund Accumulation Shares
Total for Investments
6(d) Cash at bank and in hand
6(e) Creditors: Amounts falling due in one year
Accruals
Accounts Payable
Total for Creditors: Amounts falling due in one year
Grand total		 £
£
46,829
65,397
4,440
4,340
25,065
24,504
19,492
19,056
95,826
113,297
4,601
7,178
(182)
4,419
7,178
37,829
45,706
41,296
47,883
79,125
93,589
9,305
3,282
(1,910)
(2,452)
(5,951)
(4,361)
(5,951)
184,314
211,395

Page 8

7. OTHER INFORMATION

Related party transactions - There were no amounts owing to or from members of the PCC, persons connected with them or other related parties, by the PCC at the period end.

No ex-gratia payments were made by the PCC during the period.

8. DECLARATIONS

Adequacy of assets to meet fund restrictions

Sufficient resources are held in an appropriate form to enable each fund to be applied in accordance with the restrictions imposed.

Branches

The financial activities, assets and liabilities of all the PCC’s branches or sections have been included.

Designated funds

The PCC has certain designated funds. These have been disclosed in Note 5(a) above.

Discontinued, continuing and acquired operations

All of the PCC’s operations are continuing operations, and there were no operations discontinued or acquired during the period.

Funds in deficit

Neither unrestricted funds, nor any restricted nor endowment funds are in deficit at the balance sheet date.

Inter-fund loans

There were no inter-fund loans outstanding at the balance sheet date.

Revaluations

None of the PCC’s functional fixed assets have been re-valued during the year and the PCC does not have a policy of revaluation of these assets. Investments were revalued at balance sheet date.

Subsidiaries

The PCC has no subsidiary companies.

Un-capitalised fixed assets

The PCC has no material fixed assets which have not been capitalised and included on the balance sheet.

Page 9