## **The Parish of** ## **St. Mary’s Eversley and Bramshill** ## **Annual Report 2021** ## **Priest-in-Charge:** The Rev’d Lerys Campbell Eversley and Bramshill Parochial Church Council: St. Mary’s Church, Church Road, Eversley, RG27 0PX Charity Number: 1128040 1 |**Contents:**|**_Page_**| |---|---| |**Welcome:**|2| |**Background:**|3| |**Incumbent’s Report and Review of the Year:**|4| |**Church Vision:**|7| |**PCC Report and Membership:**|8| |**Worship and Discipleship:**|| |Worship and Discipleship Committee|10| |Searchers|13| |Discipleship Groups|13| |Bramshill Mission Chapel|14| |Choir and Music|14| |**Community:**|| |Charles Kingsley’s School|15| |Open The Book|17| |St. Mary’s Lunch Club|18| |Darby Green Foodbank|19| |Bellringers|20| |Hearing Champions|21| |**Administration and Maintenance:**|| |Fabric Report|21| |Safeguarding Report|22| |Electoral Roll|23| |Deanery Synod|23| _**Cover image: Top:** Messy Church back in church in family ‘bubbles’, June 2021_ _**Middle:** Act of Remembrance, November 2021_ _**Bottom:** Carols round the Redwood, December 2021_ _**Photo credits:** Graham and Rachel Hartland_ ## **Welcome to the annual report of St Mary’s Church, Eversley for the year** **ending 31[st] December 2021** . In this report, you will find details of some of the many activities undertaken in and by the church during 2021. Due to the 2020-2022 Covid-19 pandemic the way we operated changed dramatically, and at times very swiftly. A detailed report of the accounts of the church, prepared in accordance with Church Accounting Regulation 1997 together with the Charities Act 1993 will be available in a separate document. 2 ## **BACKGROUND:** The Parish of St Mary’s, Eversley contains the rural population centres of Eversley and Bramshill and includes the Parish Church of St Mary’s as well as the Bramshill Mission Chapel. It lies to the west of the town of Yateley and is on the north-eastern corner of the Diocese of Winchester on the boundary between Hampshire and Berkshire. It is in the Deanery of Odiham, and is in the Benefice of Eversley and Darby Green, two parishes without a contiguous border that bracket Yateley. The parish has an approximate population of 1800 with small pockets of developments gradually increasing that number. The PCC shares responsibility with the Churchwardens and Priest-in-Charge for the mission of the church and the pursuance of its charitable objects. These are laid out in the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 and the Synodical Government Measure 1969: “ _The functions of the PCC shall include: Co-operation with the Incumbent in promoting in the parish the_ _**whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical;** the consideration and discussions of matters concerning the Church of England or any other matters of religious or public interest.”_ When planning objectives and activities for the year, the Priest-in-Charge, the Churchwardens and the PCC have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. We fulfil our objectives through activities associated with six main Objectives: ## **1. Regular public worship open to all.** ## **2. Sacred space for personal prayer & contemplation.** **3. Pastoral work, including visiting the sick and the bereaved.** **4. Teaching through sermons, courses and small groups.** **5. Taking of religious assemblies (“Collective Worship”) in schools.** **6. Promotion of Christianity through events, meetings, and literature.** 3 ## **INCUMBENT’S REPORT/REVIEW OF THE YEAR** If 2020 was a challenging year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, then 2021 was a frustrating mix of two steps forward and one step back. In comparison to 2020, overall we were able to do more activities and hold more events, but we were also in a constant state of not being able to plan too far ahead as often the rules or situation would change at relatively short notice. We worked throughout to balance trying keep people healthy with the desire to get on with the business of being church, but it wasn’t always easy. We began the year with another lockdown period which effectively meant that we were unable to resume in-person services until Palm Sunday which fell at the end of March. For much of the next couple of months we remained mostly “outside and online” with joint services held alternately between St. Mary’s Eversley and our sister parish of St. Barnabas, Darby Green. We offered our 8am Holy Communion service once more from Easter Sunday (inside, with social distancing) and continued with ‘Zoom Coffee’ online after the 10am services until the summer. A number of members of the community continued to get involved in the services leading our Bible readings, prayers and singing either with prerecorded offerings or, once we were able, in person. We continued our support of the schools across both parishes. Initially this was done jointly through supporting staff and home learning when schools were shut. However once schools re-opened to pupils, we restarted regular virtual worship, particularly at Charles Kingsley’s CofE School (CKS). A major step forward in our work in the wider community was achieved when we were invited ‘in’ regularly to Little Acorns Pre-school (with Autumn Cottage) at Eversley Village Hall. Whilst initially this has been telling Bible stories and teaching songs via Zoom, one of the ministry team managed to tell the Christmas Story in-person, with knitted nativity characters at the end of the autumn term. This relationship is a completely new one and we look forward to it developing as the pandemic risks reduce. 4 Foodbank continued its vital service to the community; we continued online Messy Church, Messy Church ‘in a bag’, and various other ways of reaching out to people both pastorally and evangelistically. Our weekly email newsletter continued and the decision was taken that this would remain a joint newsletter, even after services returned to both churches each Sunday. In May, we took the decision to move our regular worship at St. Mary’s to a regular 10am slot when we resumed weekly services; something which we had done online during lockdown out of necessity. Having gone through a series of successive ‘easings’ of lockdowns, restrictions on singing outside and then only inside, we were finally able from the 20[th] June to offer services at both churches at 10am each week but with restrictions, and then from August to allow singing indoors as well. We continued – and continue - to offer livestreaming and therefore attendance from home, but we were beginning to move back towards something which looked more like what we had been able to do 18 months previously. We continued online daily prayer and as restrictions eased, we began to reintroduce various activities. On the 27[th] June, we held our first baptism in church for nearly 18 months and then in the summer managed a couple of coffee mornings and midweek communions for the first time. We tried various options with Messy Church including meeting outside but from the Autumn, began to be able to do things in-person in church again – albeit in a slightly different way than before. Bellringing began once more; we were able to offer refreshments again after services, and open up St. Mary’s Lunch Club on Fridays. From October our Searchers (Sunday school) group restarted two Sundays a month. To coincide with this, we moved Messy church to 3[rd] Sundays, meaning we were able to offer a family friendly provision each Sunday of the month (1[st] Sunday All Age, 2[nd] and 4[th] Searchers and 3[rd] Messy Church). PCC and other meetings remained online for the majority of the year although we were able to hold some “mixed mode” towards the end of 2021. 5 From a building perspective, we had an incident with some of our lighting shortly after the Remembrance Service and we are currently working on fixing the light fittings that caused the problem. After over two years of trying to find an affordable solution to the back wall situation, after much toing and froing, in September we were able to get someone to begin the works to move the tomb which has been the sticking point for accessing the back wall and addressing the issues there. However, after building a concrete pad to house the tomb, this step forward did not last long as progressive delays and issues have meant that we are once again having to speak to architects and the Diocese in an attempt to move the works forward. Our delayed quinquennial inspection finally took place in March 2022. However at the time of writing, we have yet to receive this report and so are uncertain as to the future steps on the building works, necessary fixes and possible upgrades to our hall or other projects we might consider to enhance our worship facilities at the church. We were also able to hold both Harvest and Remembrance services in person. Finally in November/December, it began to feel like we might get some idea of what the future may hold. We were able to hold our Advent Service with help from CKS and then on the 10[th] December, our wonderful Fireside Carols event took place outside the church. 2-300 people, including lots of children from CKS, and a choir from St Mary’s took part. A lot of fairy lights lit up the night sky, and fires kept us warm as we sang to our hearts’ content! We were also able for the first time in two years to hold in-person Carol Services both in St Mary’s and at Bramshill Mission Chapel with good attendances at both. Sadly the Omicron Covid-19 variant which appeared the end of the year reminded us once more that we are not yet completely clear of the impact of this pandemic. Consequentially, numbers for Christingle and Christmas Eve/Day Services, were quite low as people shielded, or prioritised being able to see family. However it now looks certain that we will be able to do more and better things in 2022 and increasingly reach out into the wider community. I’ll just end my report by offering my thanks to all who contribute to the life and outreach of St Marys in ways big or small and my prayers that 2022 will offer us signs of hope and God’s kingdom breaking through as we seek to follow him into the future. ## **CHURCH VISION:** Although much of our vision has had to adapt during 2020/21 the three areas we focussed on before are still relevant to our mission as a church, before, during and post-pandemic: ## _**Unity in Diversity**_ This looks at the different ways in which we can worship God, aiming to create opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds. In 2020 we were aiming to survey our local community to find out what will help people engage with and grow in their Christian faith. This survey was due to go out after Easter 2020. With the changes in worship following the outbreak of the pandemic, it seemed best to wait until we know what worship options may be open to us post-pandemic before we survey the community on what worship styles, locations and times may best suit both those who would normally attend in person, and those who haven’t previously but who might now be interested in doing so. This will now need to take into consideration what we have learnt from online worship patterns (including what people have enjoyed online during the course of a week). One change - which we have already made and are assessing to see if it works - is to move Messy church to the village Hall as part of being in the community. ## _**A Visible Presence**_ Although we have struggled once again at times during the year to connect with the community due to the nature of lockdown and the fragmented communication which was available during the pandemic, we have seen positive steps forward. Members of the PCC are still active members of the 7 Eversley Village Hall (EVH) management committee and the Carol event proved that if we can find the right vehicles, we can reach out into the community and engage people with the gospel. We continue to have a valuable input into CKS. As many organisations have paused their activities during this time, we will begin to have wider conversations in 2022 as opportunities open-up post lockdown. Opening up after the pandemic offers us a golden opportunity to better integrate church and village life to help people see the relevance of the Christian faith today. ## _**Building a Sustainable Future**_ **Buildings:** We were able to undertake some works during 2020, but 2021 was mostly the year of frustrating delays. 2022 must now be the time in which we explore further opportunities to restore, renew, develop and enhance both the Church and hall facilities at St Mary’s and begin to look at investing in eco-church priorities. **Finances:** As for all organisations, 2020 was a very challenging year for us financially and although better, 2021 was still a big challenge. With some new income streams coming in during the year, we were able to do better than we had perhaps feared, but we will still need to significantly increase our sources of income and find new ways of encouraging generous giving if we are to move forward to a better financial situation. _Rev’d Lerys Campbell, Priest-in-Charge_ ## **PCC REPORT:** The PCC meetings have continued to be replaced by online Zoom meetings, with only a few people attending in person on a couple of occasions. These meeting have successfully continued the work of the PCC however the direct contact of a face to face meeting is missed. Since the approval of the minutes of a PCC meeting require the physical presence of those approving them we are building up a backlog of approvals for when we can all meet again in person. However the correctness of the previous meeting’s minutes is agreed at the beginning of the following meeting. 8 The three PCC subcommittees have continued to meet however the work of the fundraising and buildings sub committees have been impacted by the pandemic. The PCC have let the Rectory Rooms to the Eversley Eco Hub, which once established will hopefully provide regular additional income to the church. The quinquennial inspection of the church fabric is due and it has been difficult to find an architect qualified and able to carry out the inspection, however a suitable architect was been identified late in the year and the inspection will take place in Spring 2022. The repositioning of the tomb stone adjacent to the east wall is proving challenging as the stonemason is having difficulty finding a suitable crane that is available for hire. We successfully held an outdoor Christmas event “Carols round the Redwood” (mentioned elsewhere) which raised much needed funds for the church. The PCC is short of members and anyone wishing to join us would be welcomed. _Tim Ellis, Churchwarden_ ## **PCC MEMBERSHIP:** As per elections at the Covid-postponed APCM eventually held in April 2021. ## **Churchwardens (elected annually):** Tim Ellis – and a vacancy **PCC members:** 2020-2023 Susan Brooker, Jennie Ford 2021-2024 Martin Clark, Niell Becker, Iris Scammells, Jane Pickup, Marion Green (Two vacancies) ## **Deanery Synod Representatives:** 2020-2023 Jane Hughes LLM 2020-2023 David Lister 9 ## **WORSHIP AND DISCIPLESHIP** ## **WORSHIP AND DISCIPLESHIP COMMITTEE:** _**Purpose:**_ to enable people to worship God and attend church either in person or virtually. _**Members:**_ Rev’d Lerys Campbell, Amanda Clark, Rev’d Rachel Hartland, Jane Hughes, Jane Pickup - _**We started 2021 worshipping online only**_ and we are incredibly grateful for all those that enable this to happen. - _**Regular in-person worship re-started in May**_ , choosing to remain outside if the weather allowed, with the benefit of allowing singing to take place. Having developed a 10am start for online worship we decided to continue with this time of worship which seems to suit many people better than the later time that we had previously. This is in addition to BCP Holy Communion at 8am on 1[st] , 3[rd] and 5[th] Sundays. - _**Our 10am service is offered both in person at St Mary’s and livestreamed**_ on-line on our YouTube channel. This makes us a more accessible church to more people, including those who are ill. - _**Morning Prayer**_ continues to be available Monday-Saturday live on Facebook at 10am, in person on Wednesdays at St Mary’s and on Saturdays at our sister parish of St Barnabas, Darby Green. - _**For Mothering Sunday**_ , a crafty group to whom we are most grateful, made material flowers which were distributed by a team around the community and warmly received; worship had to be offered online because of government restrictions. - _**Maundy Thursday**_ was celebrated via YouTube from Winchester Cathedral. - _**Good Friday**_ worship was done via a ‘Zoom meeting’ that was suitable for the family, and the more reflective worship of the Final Hour featured pre-recorded contributions edited together for the whole Benefice and shared via YouTube. 10 - _**On Easter Sunday**_ we celebrated the resurrection of Christ by gathering virtually to share spiritual communion for the second year running. - _**Messy Church**_ had to operate remotely during lockdowns and periods when there were a high number of positive Covid cases locally. Materials were delivered to families ‘in a bag’ and worship led via Zoom. We returned to in-person worship from June, initially outside but later inside where we are very pleased to see our families returning and new families joining us. - _**Seeking to reach children and young families with the Gospel message,**_ from September we moved Messy Church from the 4[th] to the 3[rd] Sundays. This means that we can offer some form of children’s ministry each week: All Age worship 1[st] Sundays, Searchers during Holy Communion on 2[nd ] and 4[th] Sundays and Messy Church on 3[rd] Sundays. - _**Harvest Festival**_ was celebrated with outdoor worship, and we chose to support the Hart Foodbank and an international foodbank (through the Barnabas Fund) through food and financial donations. - _**Remembrance Sunday**_ was able to take place, almost as normal. With service times now at 10am, for the first time we had a shortened service of Holy Communion in church (well attended but with ‘social distancing’) _before_ joining other members of the community outside for the Act of Remembrance at the war memorial. Both parish councils (Eversley and Bramshill) were represented by local councilors and other organisations joined in laying wreaths. Both CKS and St. Neot’s Preparatory School were represented by staff, and a small group of pupils from both schools took part in the commemorations. - _**Fireside Carols in the churchyard**_ (10[th] December) was a new venture organised by the PCC to enable the community to come together in a Covid-safe way to celebrate Christmas. We were delighted that CKS children were able to perform under Mrs Charlton’s direction and with support from many other staff and parents. This event was 11 hugely appreciated by the community, and is something we will aim to repeat in 2022. - _**Bramshill Mission Chapel**_ (which is very small, and only accessible on foot from neighbouring houses) was only able to open once on 12[th] December for a Carol Service. This was greatly appreciated by the community and well attended. We hope to restart monthly services in the lighter months in April 2022. - _**For Christingle on Christmas Eve,**_ the community making of the Christingles was cancelled as it was unsafe to do this as a group activity. The ministry team made them instead (masked and gloved) enabling the (socially distanced) Christingle service to take place inside. The service was fully booked and greatly appreciated. - _**At Midnight and on Christmas Day**_ numbers attending services were very low. Many families quite understandably wanted to limit the amount of people they were mixing with as they prioritized spending time with their families to celebrate Christmas. - _**Plans for Mini Church:**_ during the year Covid has allowed/forced us to look at what we have to offer our community and we have made the decision to stop our pre-school ministries of ABC and Little Lights. However, we believe God has great plans for us as we look forward to 2022, with some new children’s work starting: Mini Church will be held in the church hall weekly (in term-time) for carers with babies and toddlers and include play, stories, singing, coffee and support to be held in the church hall. - _**We have built a good working relationship with Autumn Cottage Pre-school**_ which opened at Eversley Village Hall in Sept 2020. From September 2021 we were invited in to read a short Bible and teach the children a song fortnightly. This is a new ministry in a context we have long prayed would open us to us (when the pre-school was under previous ownership), and we grateful to the new owners/leaders for their encouragement and welcome. We look forward to this ministry developing further in 2022. _Jane Hughes, Licensed Lay Minister, Chair of Worship Committee_ 12 ## **SEARCHERS:** Searchers (Sunday school) was unable to restart until October 2021 due to restrictions imposed during the pandemic. Because our able-bodied volunteers are much reduced in number, we are only able to provide this on weeks when there are Holy Communion services. We are indebted to Caryn Jackson-Jones, Barbara Blundell, Nicky Hare and Abby Yeomans for their willingness to pick up facilitating this, and have been able to welcome one new child to this important part of our ministry. Currently material is being provided on an ad-hoc basis by Rev’d Lerys and Kate Campbell, but we may look at a more structured pattern of resourcing this group in 2022. _Rev’d Rachel Hartland, Associate Priest_ ## **DISCIPLESHIP GROUPS:** _**Purpose:**_ to encourage and grow active disciples of Christ. The one remaining home group at St Mary’s led by Jane Hughes continued throughout 2021 via Zoom. The group studied Isaiah and started to look at Romans 8. The group consists of 6 committed members who for various reasons haven’t always been available which has meant the group hasn’t met many times during the year. The plan is to meet roughly fortnightly on a Tuesday evening and we would welcome anyone who would like to join. In 2022 we will review going back to in person meeting. It would be lovely if we could start a daytime group and possibly another evening group on a different day to give everyone the opportunity to study God’s word and draw closer to him. _Jane Hughes, Licensed Lay Minister_ 13 ## **BRAMSHILL MISSION CHAPEL** Unfortunately we were not able to re-open the chapel for worship in the latter half of the summer 2021 as we had hoped. We were able to hold a Christmas Carol service at the Chapel in December. The damp issue was fixed during the summer and the chapel was duly cleaned and prepped by our wonderful team of helpers for our service in December with a significant number joining us. Our previous organist (John Goodman) had decided to step back from playing at the end of 2019. We are pleased that Ian Young very kindly agreed to come and play the organ for us. Unfortunately the organ has suffered during the pandemic – possibly from damp – and so was not much help in aiding our singing. It did offer us quite a bit of amusement as poor Ian wrestled with it. We will be looking into remedial work on the organ – and using a keyboard in the short term – when services hopefully resume in April 2022. We are hoping in 2022 we will once again be able to offer services from Easter through to Harvest and Carols at Christmas. _Rev’d Lerys Campbell, Priest-in-Charge_ ## **CHOIR and MUSIC** We continued in 2021 to use much of our pre-recorded choral pieces, thanks to the time and technical effort of several people, in particular Adrian Nash until his ill-health made it more difficult. When we were finally able to have in -person congregational singing again (initially outside) over the summer, and inside come the autumn, there were some ad-hoc in person hymns led by choir members. It was a great joy to have a dozen or more of the St Mary’s choir join us for our Carols round the Redwood event. We continue to be served well by Clive Baker, Ian Young, Graham Hartland and myself playing for our worship, though we’ve used our stock of prerecorded material where necessary. Although Amanda has had to take a step back for the moment from leading on first Sundays we are hopeful that she and other musicians will be able to join us and help expand the musical teams going forward. 14 I am hopeful that 2022 will offer us more opportunities to include more choral music and other instruments in our worship and rebuild the musical tradition which St Mary’s has had in the past. My thanks to the many who have offered their talents across the year and we are grateful to all who have helped to keep sung worship as part of our services - even when we have been stuck at home. _Rev’d Lerys Campbell, Priest-in-Charge_ ## **COMMUNITY** ## **CHARLES KINGSLEY’S CHURCH OF ENGLAND PRIMARY SCHOOL:** Charles Kingsley’s CofE Primary School (CKS), founded by a past Rector of the parish, is a one-form entry primary school with which St. Mary’s has close links. Rev’d Lerys Campbell, Priest-in-Charge is an Ex-officio Foundation Governor. Rev’d Rachel Hartland (Associate Priest) is an elected Foundation Governor. Other elected Foundation Governors in 2021 were Suzanne Craddock, Jacqui Stanford, John Haynes, Peter Sloan (Chair from September 2020 onwards), and Adam Johnson (Vice-Chair to July 2020). James Carpenter and Angela Bidgood were elected as Foundation Governors in July and November 2021 respectively. Both have children at CKS but live and attend churches outside of Eversley parish. Meetings remained predominantly online, and the Foundation Governors were sadly not able to meet as a discreet group in 2021 due to the pressures on the school and individuals – a situation that has been remedied in 2022. However, by dint of a couple of individual outdoor meetings with staff, and many emails, the Foundation Governors were instrumental in helping reshape the Values that CKS life and ‘concept-led’ curriculum. They continue to seek to serve each other and the community humbly and in love (Galatians 5:13b) inspired by the revised **R.E.S.P.E.C.T** model outlined below: **R** building relationships based on love, trust, humility and care. _**Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31**_ 15 **E** appreciating everyone, however different they may be. _**There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28**_ **S** learning self-respect as we recognise we are each unique creations of God. _**Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you born I set you apart. Jeremiah 1:15.**_ **P** developing hope and aspiration with the promise to use our God-given gifts to shape our journey. _**For I know the plans I have for you. Jeremiah 29:11**_ **E** respecting our environment, and having gratitude for what God created. _**In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1**_ **C** valuing our community as we live and learn together. _**Live in harmony with one another. Romans 12:16**_ **T** thinking creatively as we question, discuss, create, explore and develop wisdom. _**Blessed are those who find wisdom. Proverbs 3:13**_ More information on the Vision and Values at CKS can be found at www.charleskingsleys.hants.sch.uk/vision-mission-values-and-aims/ In common with every other school in the country, the pressure on the staff team at CKS remained unprecedented in 2021, and we have remained prayerfully concerned about the strain that has been placed on their mental as well as physical health. As a church community that is used to visiting weekly for Collective Worship with our clergy and ‘Open The Book’ team, meeting half-termly for prayer and providing an annual Prayer Space, the continued dislocation of restrictions placed on our engagement with the school family was hugely frustrating. However, building on our continued regular ‘virtual’ offerings, on a few occasions in the summer term, and more regularly in the autumn term, OTB and clergy were able to return to visiting for Collective Worship, even if these occasions could not be facilitated ‘whole school’. 16 The Head Teacher, Mrs Charlton, continued to work hard to ensure that the Christian ethos of the school remained core to the way staff and pupils responded to the pressures of the pandemic. This includes a ‘Keeping the Faith’ slot within the weekly ‘In Touch’ newsletter when pupils were at home, and the more normal weekly ‘Parentmail’ newsletter. We are deeply grateful to Mrs Charlton, the governors, staff and families of CKS who so enthusiastically support and help to maintain our link with the school, whatever the circumstances. They remain in our prayers at all times. _Rev’d Rachel Hartland, Associate Priest_ ## **OPEN THE BOOK:** _**Purpose:**_ To present Bible stories in primary schools in an accessible and enjoyable way and provide a resource that assists schools in meeting their statutory collective worship obligations. The St Mary’s team consists of 7 members from across different local churches. The team provide an assembly at Charles Kingsley’s CofE Primary School (CKS) approximately fortnightly on a Tuesday morning. Members of the team act out a short Bible story supported by the pupils. Everyone has great fun presenting the stories and the children (and I think staff) look forward to the assemblies. In May, Beth Quainton stood down as our leader to begin her training for ministry and Ruth Nickless and Jane Hughes now jointly lead the team. We wish Beth every success in her calling. Covid restrictions and high numbers of cases meant that we did not go into CKS until June 2021, when we performed outside on the playground or playing field. After the summer break we returned to CKS performing in the school hall. To keep everyone safe the hall remained well ventilated and we had a smaller group of children (a ‘bubble’) watching, and not taking part as much as normal. We look forward to resuming whole school Collective Worship in 2022, as well as other local schools to consider welcoming Open The Book into their schools to enable us to bring Bible stories to their pupils. 17 We are especially thankful to Mrs Charlton, head of CKS for her invitation into the school and for her and all the staffs support. _Jane Hughes, Licensed Lay Minister_ ## **ST. MARY’S LUNCH CLUB** _**Purpose:**_ To provide the opportunity to meet and make new friends, as well as having lunch and good conversation. Sometimes to listen to a guest speaker or play games/quizzes and listen to music. Also the Communion service, which is every other Friday at 11.30am. _**Leaders:**_ Sue Brooker and Tim Ellis _**Number of attendees:**_ Variable, 12 – 18, speakers tend to attract more attendees. We aim to arrange a speaker once a month as funds allow. ## _**Praise Points:**_ Lovely, helpful members, they help clear away after lunch has finished. Friendly, pleasant atmosphere. Interesting speakers. ## _**Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our lunch club did not start back until**_ _**September 2021.**_ During the restrictions, we kept in touch with our lunch club members via email and telephone calls. Two coffee mornings were held in July and August, before lunch club started in September. We have not had any speakers since restarting, but at Christmas time we had Clive Baker, the church Organist, play some Carols and we sang. _**Prayer Points:**_ Now we are post-Covid restrictions, we look forward to arranging activities and speakers and hope to attract more members and to extend our outreach to people who are not members of St Mary’s congregation. _Sue Brooker – Lunch Club Co-Leader_ 18 ## **DARBY GREEN FOODBANK (satellite of Hart Foodbank)** **Leaders: -** Jane Hughes, David and Jackie Neville, John London, Richard Ranson ## **How many Volunteers** : - 32 ## **Praise Points** - Enough leaders and volunteers to run the foodbank. - That we have enough food to feed local people in a crisis. - Support and co-operation of all the local churches. - Lots of food donations from supporting churches, schools, local groups and individuals. - Although the number of emergency parcels requested remains high we are able to fulfil them. - The support of red voucher holders. - The support and co-operation of St Barnabas PCC & Spring Pre-school whose facilities host and are impacted by Foodbank operations. - That Centre Stores, Eversley are still willing to host the drop-off point for donations and help us to source items on the shortages list with financial donations from individuals. ## **Prayer Points** - The circumstances behind the continuing increase in number of parcels needed (including the Covid-19 pandemic). - other expenses. - That those in a time of crisis know about or are signposted to the Foodbank. - New volunteers will be moved by the Holy Spirit to join. - The present volunteers stay healthy, enthused, committed and receive appropriate training. 19 ## **Hopes & Aims for the Future** - That our red voucher holders will be visited again. - To be better able to signpost our clients to additional support. - To have better contacts with and higher visibility in the communities we serve. _Jane Hughes—Darby Green Foodbank lead_ ## **BELLRINGERS:** ## _**Tower captain:**_ Alan Barsby This year we started in lockdown so there was no ringing until July. Notable events we rung for included the occasional of the funeral of HRH Prince Phillip, and for Jenny (a member of the tower) and Steve Jarman who had been married in 2020 but could only have 15 people at the wedding so they had a blessing for which we rang. We also rang for Remembrance Sunday and a wedding on 31[st] December. Since lockdown ended not all members have returned to ringing due to illhealth, and thus our numbers are low and we rely on visitors from Yateley, notably John and Debbie McLaren, and Chris Hutchinson. However, we try to ring for every Sunday Service, even if only with 3 bells, and continue our regular practice nights on Wednesdays. On a plus note two of our tower members increased our numbers by giving birth to Arthur and Charlotte. These little ones sometimes come to ringing (with Mum and/or Dad). We look forward to teaching them to ring in years to come. _John Mclaren_ 20 ## **HEARING CHAMPIONS** ## _**Purpose:**_ This is a FREE service for people with NHS hearing aids including basic maintenance, battery supply, cleaning & re-tubing, and trouble-shooting advice. The scheme is administered by Guildford diocese and all volunteers have been trained by the audiology departments of Epsom & St Helier Hospital or the Royal Surrey County Hospital and hold training completion certificates. Hearing Champions has been suspended due to Covid and will now be run by St Peter’s Yateley. It will recommence as soon as Covid restrictions allow, and we must be mindful of working with St. Peter’s to engage with those in the community of Eversley who don’t have transport, but do want to make use of this service. ## **ADMINISTRATION AND MAINTENANCE** ## **FABRIC REPORT:** **Purpose:** To maintain the church fabric Due to the pandemic the church has been little used during the year, however maintenance work has continued. The annual inspection of the fire extinguishers at both the church and the mission hall has been carried out and those extinguishers that were approaching their expiry date have been replaced. The movement of the 6 ton granite monument to enable investigations into the movement in the west wall has proved problematical. We have obtained an emergency faculty to move the monument but the stonemason selected for the job is having difficulty sourcing the necessary equipment. The church quinquennial inspection was due but the current church architect had proved to be unresponsive. As the year closed we were in the process of 21 appointing a new church architect from the list of those who have previously worked with the Diocese. A lamp shade fell from one of the light fittings. On inspection it was discovered that the retaining nut had failed due to overheating. A visual inspection showed a second nut on the same fitting had failed therefore the lamp shade was removed. A visual inspection of all the remaining lamp fittings in the church showed no problems. Our grateful thanks go to the maintenance and cleaning teams all of whom have given their time and practical expertise to keep the church and its environs looking cared for and running smoothly. ## **Praise points:** - No one was hurt when the light fitting failed - Services continue to be livestreamed from the church - **Prayer Points:** - A solution will be found to the problems with the west wall. - A new church architect will be appointed. _Tim Ellis, Churchwarden_ ## **SAFEGUARDING** The PCC have complied with the duty under Section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measures 2016 having regard to the House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding and vulnerable adults. Our web page gives details of our safeguarding policy, contact information for the Safeguarding Officer and helpline numbers. There has been little activity in the Church due to Covid. Individuals working in church with children or vulnerable adults are currently being reviewed and updated. _Mrs Marion Green, Safeguarding Officer 2021-2022_ 22 ## **ELECTORAL ROLL** Notice of Revision of the Electoral Roll was given on 27th March 2022 and carried out between 10th April 2022 and 23rd April 2022. The revised roll has been available (for correction only) from 24th April 2022 for 14 days. The revised Electoral Roll for 2021 at the time of the Annual General Meeting on Sunday, 25th April 2021 contained 91 names. During the past year, sadly two very longstanding members of our fellowship have died, so the Revised Roll for 2022 contains 89 names; of these 46 are resident within the parish and 43 reside outside the parish. _Iris Scammells, Electoral Roll Officer_ ## **DEANERY SYNOD** Our incumbent, Rev’d Lerys Campbell is Assistant Area Dean and has worked closely with Rev’d Marion de Quidt, Area Dean and Vicar of the Whitewater Benefice throughout the pandemic to make sure that all churches in the Deanery were well-informed and supported during the Covid-19 pandemic. Jane Hughes (LLM) and Dr David Lister are elected lay representatives to Deanery Synod with the clergy also representing St. Mary’s Eversley. However, meetings of Deanery Synod were sporadic, and largely online, the focus being on keeping us informed about the very difficult circumstances being encountered in our link-Province of Myanmar, facilitating the technology required to enable worship in the pandemic, and overseeing the Deanery’s contribution to Diocesan finances. Odiham Deanery raised 92.4% of its expected Common Mission Fund contributions in 2020, being similar to other Deaneries in the Diocese, and representing an approximate £64k shortfall. At St. Mary’s we remain aware that we contribute to this shortfall, due to falling numbers on Electoral Roll, people moving out of area, economic difficulties, and of course the impact of the pandemic. We remain committed to contributing as much CMF as we can, whilst maintaining a balanced budget in the face of rising costs. 23 The Diocese as a whole experienced leadership issues in 2021, with Right Rev’d Bishop Tim Dakin initially stepping back from leadership, and then offering his resignation which became effective with his retirement in Feb 2022. The Diocese is now entering a period of prayerful reflection, reconciliation and restructuring, and we give thanks for the integrity and leadership of Right Rev’d David Williams, Bishop of Basingstoke and also Right Rev’d Debbie Sellin, Bishop of Southampton, as they work together with others nominated by Lambeth Palace to lead this work. _Rev’d Rachel Hartland, Associate Priest_ 24 EVERSLEY PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2021 Boyett Mayes Limrted Th8 Stables, Mowy5 Fami Bottle Lane Mattingley Hampshire RG27 8LJ FOR THE YE*A ￿￿￿* J1ST OECEldBER 1021 INCOME: 24.49$ 28.4n 487 Glt AWJ R•cl• 1.341 27.C•g 30,301 8.033 4.731 R•cw RoL¥n Hkn• Churth HIN 1275 1.028 247 818 5,185 110 W•dthrsp 1,665 3,643 3.774 TOTAL INCOME F••• P*J 875 31,800 27.873 Vlork ol th• ¢huth.' 33.7S5 1.148 Vv 1265 31 91 s••r¢h￿ I kirtsyChw¢h 104 2.6X* P•90 2 COkfE EXPENDITURE ACCIXTh FOA THE YEAR EP4)EO 31$T DECEMBER 2021 Irontinu•¢Jl X*21 2020 2.449 463 1.8 74 435 Htraing O 812 Wal•r 8￿¢tsnd & H*h Clè•rwvJ H•41￿9 Mamt•n8nt4 Chwch Il•int•n*nc 218 102 840 7.315 7.417 BAMINI.. Inwr•rK• 124 144 230 437 128 s￿thy TOTAL EXPENL¥TIMIE J7.727 lo Ch•rlly (No* 11 1.440 TOTAL ouTGO￿4GS IDEFICIDI SLIIPLUS FOR ￿ YEAR 12•.711 104.rjs R•*lrt*d 1,122 133.3551 132 118 Pw•J Foft M YEAA El￿ )18T1￿1•pER I•ZI 20 274 274 Tthllrv 1IZ2 1.122 33J55 1102fj4 IiOaJ4 143.619 143Mt9 EVERSLEY PAROCMIAL CHIIRCH COUNCIL 3TATEMEMT Chc ASSETS AND UABIUTIES AS AT 31ST OECEMBER 2021 2020 Cwrwrt INot• 21 3.￿24 Tol*l U•bll#l•• 3.024 Cash * Bank. Main PCC Ac£wnl Cash at 84nk. No 2 Attount Cash 8t 88nk. Shthbfook Bank Cath 4t B4nk- N8borh* Cash at Bank. CCI 12.796 16.444 15.348 S3.4L 41.508 10.954 41,534 10. Tot41 C•th 135.142 130,181 Crffic• E¢w*mw Tolal Aults 135.142 130.111 Tot•1 N•¢ A•••ts •• at 31•1 D•¢•mkn 20 Niell gecker Trn85U Zz SUPPLEIAENTARY INF(XIMATION FOR THE YeAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2021 NOTE 1.. CTrIARITABLE ¢JVING 2021 2020 Ccmmpassw UK ROYBI Bfrtth L&Jh Chi%Jren's So&8ty Hart Food Banks Cttwch urt￿ Fw 327 316 112 NOTE 2: ACCRUALS I PAYMENTS IM AOVANCE >) Athjrt" f))nInt￿￿￿ to Mkss•)n Fw 1.(Q8 240 InsLtrart• CIM¥¢h Hall Hye 2022 p•NJ •i NOTE 3: PECONCILATION OF RESTrICTEO FUNDS TO 8ANK ACCOUNTS 2021 2020 111. 110.264 LLYb Ir￿ M&"n PCC atsxu* 111. 110264 Cash at Bwk. No 2 16,444 15.348 41.534 41.XQ 111.386 PwJg6 BM Independent examlnevs report to Eversley PCC Accountants. Taxalion and Business Advisers This report on the financial statements of the PCC for the year ended 31• December 2021, which are sel out on pages 110 6, is in respect of an eXaMinat￿n carried out in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 (the 'Regulats"ons"l and $145 of the Charities Act 2011 lthe"2011 Acl'l. Respgctlv• re$pon$lbllltlos of the PCC and examlner As m8mbers of the PCC you are ￿sponsible for the preparation of the ffinancial statements.. you consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 144121 of the 2011 Acll and that an independent examinatson is needed. 11 is my responsibility.. to examine the accounts under sect￿n 145 of Ihe 2011 Act., to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission lunder section 14515llbl of the 2011 Act,. and to stsle whether particular matters have come to my attention. 84818 of Ind•p•ndent oxamIn•￿8 •tat•m•nt My exarnination was carried out in ac¢ordan¢e with the General Directions given by the Charity Commis510n. An exarnination includes a review of the a¢counling records kept by the charity and comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures In the accounts and Seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters The Procedu￿ undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a "true and fair view" and the report Is lirnited to those matters set out in the slalement bel¢)w. Indopendent oxamlnerf¥J stst•mont In the course of my examination, no matter has Come lo my attention.. 111 which 9ives me reasonable cause to bel*ve that in, any mateftal ￿Pect, the requirements.. to keep proper accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act., and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounbng records and comply with the accountin9 requirements of the 2011 Act have not been mel or 121 lo which. in my opinion. attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed Date 3rJ.F.EG.KUAR4 .Lo)21 Name LISA FINCHAM (Mrsl Qualifications BA ACMA CTA Address BOYErr MAYES LIMITED THE STABLES, MONEYS FARM Bo￿LE LANE, MAThINGLEY RG27 8LJ Tel.. 01256 636 60) Emall: info@bml-accountanls.co.uk Webslte.. www.bml-accountants.co.uk The Slobles, Moneys Fom. Botme Lone. Mottingley. Hompshtfe RG27 8LJ Compony Registrotion Number.. 4059388 Cio Chartered Tax Advise