HOLY TRINITY CHURCH CAMBRIDGE Annual Report & Financial Statements of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31 December 2024
The PCC is a charity registered in England and Wales. Registered Charity Number: 1128200
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
VICAR’S WELCOME
Welcome to the 2024 Annual Report for Holy Trinity Cambridge (HT).
We hope this report gives an informative and encouraging record of all that has happened, and all God has done, in the past year.
The headline is that 2024 has been another year of very significant numerical and organisational growth for the church, with Sunday Attendance jumping approximately 20% in September 2024 – an increase similar to the year before. The growth has been mainly in the adult congregation and spread across all age groups and all four services, but this has had ripple effects throughout all our ministries and events. To accommodate this, our staff team has also grown, with the significant additions of Steven Copsey as Curate and the retaining of Grace Brown and Rachel Jacob as they move from being Ministry Assistants to Children’s Pastors. The Worship Team was also expanded with the addition of a new Ministry Assistant role. We are incredibly blessed by a fantastic staff team and culture and a wonderful forward-looking PCC.
Spiritually, it has also been a very exciting year! The number of guests on Alpha was double the previous four-year average, and during the autumn, over 25 people came to Christ through courses, services and Christmas guest events. It has also been encouraging to see the prayer culture within the church deepen and to see more freedom in our worship and prayer ministry times together. We continue to try and focus on investing in evangelism and discipleship of new believers.
As the accounts show, God has provided generously for our rapidly increasing budget, but we do remain stretched as we anticipate the growth we’ve seen to continue into future years. We also feel the pressure to begin to plan for making room beyond our central building as we outgrow the space.
Overall, 2024 has been an incredibly positive year and our primary challenge continues to be stewarding the abundance God is bringing us. I am incredibly grateful to God, the team, and the wider church family for all I see.
Stuart Browning
Vicar
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT
ROLE OF THE PCC
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is responsible for the upkeep and development of Holy Trinity Church in Market Street, Cambridge together with the Henry Martyn Hall and the Charles Simeon Centre.
The PCC is a body corporate established by and operating under the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) measure 1956. It is a charity registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales, registration no. 1128200.
The Council members have pleasure in presenting their report and the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2024.
COUNCIL MEMBERS
The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules (2020). At Holy Trinity the membership of the PCC comprises Clergy licensed to the parish, Churchwardens, Treasurer, Deanery Synod lay representatives, and church members (elected by those members of the congregation who are on the electoral roll of the church) and all are Trustees. All members of the church are encouraged to register on the electoral roll in order to be eligible to vote at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) and to stand for elected office.
Elected members of the congregation (laity) serving on the PCC hold office from the conclusion of the annual meeting at which they were elected until the conclusion of the third annual meeting thereafter. One third of the PCC members are elected each year.
Deanery Synod members serve on the PCC until 30 June following the election of their successors. Having served for two successive terms Deanery Synod representatives (who hold that office for a term of three years beginning with the next 1 July following the date of their election) may not serve on the Deanery Synod for the term immediately following the second of those terms.
In the eventuality of members of the PCC leaving office mid-term, their place remains vacant until the following APCM. On rare occasions and for a specific purpose a member of the congregation on the electoral roll may be co-opted for one or more meetings. The Operations Director is a non-voting member of the PCC.
The following served for all or part of 2024:
| Vicar | Revd Stuart Browning | Elected PCC | Term of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Members | Office Dates | ||
| Associate Vicars | Revd Oli Benyon | Xanthe Barker | Until APCM 2027 |
| Revd Andy Woodman | Anna McDonald | Until APCM 2027 | |
| Curate | Revd Steven Copsey_(from July 2024)_ | Stephen Rymill | Until APCM 2027 |
| Churchwardens | Alan Norrish | Edwina Swann | Until APCM 2027 |
| Bekah Fairley | Graham Budd | Until APCM 2025 | |
| PCC Secretary | Karen Goldstone | Karen Goldstone | Until APCM 2025 |
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
| Treasurer | Simon George | Clare Irwin | Until APCM 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operations | John Fleming_(from June 2024)_ | Bekah Fairley | Until APCM 2026 |
| Director(In | |||
| Attendance) | |||
| Simon George | Until APCM 2026 | ||
| Geoff How | Until APCM 2026 | ||
| Rick Meakin | Until APCM 2026 | ||
| Fiona Saunderson | Until APCM 2026 | ||
| Deanery Synod | |||
| Toks Sanwo | Until 30 June 2026 | ||
| Laura Stedman | Until 30 June 2026 | ||
| Peter Sloman | Until 30 June 2026 |
The PCC formally met on six occasions during the year in January, March, May, July, November and December. All meetings, with the exception of the December meeting, which was held on Zoom, were held in-person. In addition the PCC met in September for a half day of envisioning, discussion and prayer. The average attendance at PCC meetings was over 80%. The PCC members are responsible for all matters of general concern and importance to the congregation including agreeing on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. Given its wide range of responsibilities, the PCC has several sub-committees and task groups, each responsible for an aspect of church life. These sub-committees and groups, listed below, are all responsible to the PCC and report back to it regularly with recommendations and formal resolutions that are discussed and acted upon as necessary. All sub-committees and groups ideally, and ordinarily, contain at least one PCC member, and members of the wider congregation as appropriate.
SUB-COMMITTEES
Standing Committee – has the power to transact the business of the PCC between its full meetings subject to directions set by the PCC.
Finance Committee – assists the Treasurer in overseeing the financial affairs of the church and to bring to the PCC an annual budget, regular updates on income and expenditure, and any issues that require resolution together with recommendations on possible courses of action.
Missions Committee – encourages each church member to take an active concern in the spread of the gospel both in this country and overseas and manages the mission allocation as set by the PCC. The mission fund income is based on 10% of unrestricted, regular voluntary donations.
Risk & Audit Group – is responsible for working with the Operations Director to review risk management, governance, and working practices of the church, including employment policies and compliance with all regulations and legislation.
Appeals Committee – is convened when needed and constituted primarily from the Risk and Audit group, plus appropriate others, and is available to receive appeals as to employment or disciplinary decisions. The group forms the last stage in the internal escalation process for the procedures set out in the employment policies.
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
RISK MANAGEMENT
The PCC, advised by the Risk & Audit Group, monitor the major risks to which the church is exposed, which principally relate to the buildings, finance and employment. Assessments have been carried out for areas of major risk and the management of these risks is documented. The Risk Register is reviewed annually.
Risk is considered regularly as part of the decision-making process and procedures are in place to control and mitigate major risks. Insurance policies are in force to cover appropriate risks, for instance, the risk of damage to the buildings and public liability.
SAFEGUARDING
In line with the House of Bishops policy statement on promoting a "Safer Church," HT remains committed to ensuring that all children, young people, and vulnerable adults involved in its activities are protected and cared for. Safeguarding remains the responsibility of the whole church. This is fundamentally embedded in all we do at HT, and everyone who participates in its life has a role to play.
HT continues to adopt and implement the recommendations, policies and procedures outlined in the Church of England's safeguarding documentation. This includes all the latest guidance issued since the last Annual Report.
HT uses a bespoke web-based system called the Parish Safeguarding Dashboard to ensure comprehensive compliance. It is designed specifically for Church of England churches and is recommended by Ely Diocese.
By using this system, it was identified that further improvements were needed. These were actioned:
-
Safeguarding policy promotion
-
Safer recruitment practices and people management
-
Use of social media
Safeguarding has remained a standing agenda item at PCC meetings. The Safeguarding Officer also gave the PCC regular Safeguarding reports.
The Safeguarding Policy was not scheduled for review in 2024; it was reviewed in the latter part of 2023. As per the policy, HT staff members and volunteers have sought safeguarding advice and guidance.
Logs of concern have been submitted as required. 37 concerns were received in 2024. The key themes were self-harm, harmful sexual behaviours, and historical allegations. The number of concerns raised has increased in all ministry areas. The Diocese Safeguarding Advisor team has been consulted numerous times, which aligns with the safeguarding policy and procedure.
Due to the rise and complexity of safeguarding concerns, which has resulted in a significant workload increase for the Safeguarding Officer and Ministry Heads, a new comprehensive and specifically designed safeguarding system for logging and managing concerns, called MyConcern, was purchased.
HT remains a vigilant church in terms of safeguarding. Staff, volunteers and the whole HT community work extremely hard to ensure that:
-
Best practice is followed,
-
HT members and the wider community are kept safe from harm, and
-
Help and support are provided to people when needed.
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
We will continue to do this to the highest possible standards in the years to come.
DEANERY SYNOD
Deanery Synod provides the PCC with an important link between the parish and the wider structures of the Church of England. Since 2023, HT has been represented on the Cambridge South synod by Toks Sanwo, Peter Sloman, and Laura Stedman.
Deanery Synod met three times in 2024: twice on its own (at St Mark's, Newnham in February, and at St Andrew's, Cherry Hinton in October) and once jointly with Cambridge North (at St Andrew's, Chesterton in May). In February, the Synod agreed to provide collective support for the Cambridge Churches Homeless Project (CCHP) of up to £25,000 a year over the next three years, using rebates received from the Diocese for full payment of parish share. This commitment is designed to part-fund the position of Chaplain to the Homeless and is in addition to churches' own giving. Synod meetings also received presentations about the work of Ely Cathedral and the Diocese's 'open learning platform’ and received updates on the Deanery Development Plan and the appointment process for a new Bishop. Elections to Diocesan Synod took place in the spring, and Laura Stedman, Edwina Swann, and Andy Woodman were among those elected by the Deanery as Cambridge South representatives.
PCC ACTIVITIES IN 2024
The PCC received updates on church finances and safeguarding at every meeting. In addition to these standing items, during the course of the year discussion and action on the following topics were included.
-
The PCC was enthusiastic about the leasing of 9 Market Street and were kept informed about contract arrangements and refurbishment, plans being overseen by John Fleming and Andy Irons respectively.
-
At a number of meetings throughout the year the PCC discussed and were kept updated about the progress of the “Living in Love and Faith” report going through General Synod.
-
Preliminary discussions took place about the possibility of church planting.
-
PCC were kept updated about staffing and vacant posts including that of a curate, Steven Copsey, appointed in July 2024. The PCC agreed HT will pay all costs for the first year of his curacy with Ely Diocese taking over the costs in the second year.
-
The PCC also approved updated HR policies and the Staff handbook.
-
A Remunerations Working Group (RWG) was set up in March to recognise the work relating to staffing structure, salaries and benefits etc. necessary with an increased number of staff.
-
A revised Safeguarding policy was approved in March. The Safeguarding Action Plan based on the Diocesan dashboard was reviewed in May.
-
Governance and financial risks were reviewed during the year and additional risks associated with security and cyber activity were identified and discussed with suppliers.
-
In November 2024 the PCC approved the Missions allocations for the year as proposed by the Missions Committee, informed in some cases by suggestions from the congregation.
-
Also at the November meeting, the PCC approved work to backfill a collapsing vault in our churchyard as specified by Dr Tim Reynolds, DAC Archaeological Adviser.
-
The PCC approved the church budget for 2025 at the December meeting and also approved essential expenditure on failing AV equipment.
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
ADULT MINISTRY
SUNDAY SERVICES
HT has seen significant growth in our Sunday services over the past year. They have been well-attended, and at the end of 2024, we had an average of 548 adults attending in-person on a Sunday (not including children or youth), with another 223 watching online.
HT Kids runs during the 9:30 AM and 3:45 PM service, Student Lunch is provided after the 11:30 AM service, and HT Youth runs during the 5:30 PM service. HT's 20s & 30s members connect for food and drinks after the 11:30 AM and 5:30 PM service. Sunday attendance is genuinely multi-generational, with lots of families at the 9:30 AM and 5:30 PM, lots of students at the 11:30 AM, and the 20s & 30s and older adults attending throughout. Outside of university term-time, the Sunday services consolidate into three; at 10:30 AM, 3:45 PM and 5:30 PM.
Throughout the year, HT has several significant Sundays. Highlights include the multiple evangelistic Carol and Nativity services in November and December, reflective worship services on Maundy Thursday and Advent, termly guest-friendly Adult Baptism services, annual Commitment and Mission Sundays, and our wonderful family celebrations around Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. New in 2024 was ‘HT at the Movies’. This special service was an excellent opportunity to share the gospel with many who would not normally come to church.
Our Associate Vicar, Revd Oli Benyon, went on sabbatical for 3 months in May for a well-earned break. He returned at the end of August. We also welcomed over the summer our curate, Revd Steven Copsey onto the team. Steven has brought plenty of experience and wisdom to the Adults Team.
HT typically focuses on a specific teaching series throughout weekly sermons, as outlined below, and have been fortunate to have welcomed a number of visiting speakers throughout the year.
SERMON SERIES
-
Prosperity & the Gospel? (January - February)
-
Acts: People of the Last Days (April - July)
-
Promises to Build Your Life On (July - September: Morning Services)
-
All-In-One: 6 Old Testament Books, 6 Weeks (July - September: Evening Services)
-
Jesus in Focus (September)
-
Joshua: Taking Ground for God (October - December)
GUEST SPEAKERS
-
Andy Byers
-
Michaela Copsey
-
Simeon Zahl
-
Helen Paynter
-
Ellie Wiener
-
Bekah Fairley
-
Mia Ward
-
Reb Grendon
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
-
Isaac Olivarez
-
Angie Burnett
-
Tom Grendon
-
Pat Brittenden
HOME GROUPS
Throughout the year, we continued to welcome new members into the church and helped them connect into the HT family. In the autumn, we started one new group, and two groups ceased to meet. We now have 29 Home Groups which are located throughout Cambridge and the surrounding areas. We have around 450 members of the congregation in Home Groups including 82 in the Thursday morning women's group, Connections. Home Groups continue to provide community and space for spiritual growth, with many members also committed to one of our serving teams. During the year, one of our adult pastors, Yanah Browning wrote a study guide to accompany the ‘Joshua: Taking Ground for God’ sermon series, which was very well received. We continued to hold termly Home Group Leader Training evenings and trained up several new home group leaders.
20S & 30S
The 20s & 30s group at HT has continued to grow and thrive. The group is led by a committee of volunteers who facilitate a range of events, supported by Phili Kent & Andy Woodman. The focus in 2024 was on deepening community, discipleship amongst the group, and on growing the committee after a number of longstanding members stepped down. In the last year, events included prayer & worship evenings, postservice dinners, shuffleboard, wide games, supporting Christ the Redeemer with their Love Barnwell service projects, and two Together Evenings where they looked at the topics of ‘Supporting Others’ and ‘Biblical Friendship’. Alongside Home Groups and weekly post-service fellowship over lunch and at the pub on Sundays, these events provide opportunities for friendships to grow and for people to invest in their relationship with God.
EQUIPPED FOR LIFE
In February we had our annual ‘Equipped for Life’ seminar series. This year we had three different seminar streams for people to choose from:
-
Ready for the Future (This stream was also available via livestream.)
-
Getting to Grips with the Old Testament Law (This stream was recorded and available afterward)
-
Love Cambridge
WEEK 1:
-
Stream 1: Ready for the Future – ‘Living as a Christian in a World of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)’ with Prof. John Wyatt
-
Stream 2: Getting to Grips with the OT Law – ‘What is the OT Law?’ with The Revd Dr Olga Fabrikant-Burke
-
Stream 3: Love Cambridge – ‘How to Help the Homeless’ with Cambridge Churches Homeless Project (CCHP)
-
Week 2:
-
Stream 1: Ready for the Future – ‘Being Personal in a Remote World’ with HT Panel
-
Stream 2: Getting to Grips with the OT Law – ‘Key Themes in the OT Law?’ with The Revd Dr Olga Fabrikant-Burke
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
- Stream 3: Love Cambridge – ‘Bringing Hope to Struggling Children’
with Transforming Lives for Good (TLG)
Week 3:
-
Stream 1: Ready for the Future – ‘Following Jesus in a Climate Crisis’ with Prof. Bob White
-
Stream 2: Getting to Grips with the OT Law – ‘What Does the OT Mean for Christians Today?’ with The Revd Dr Olga Fabrikant-Burke
-
Stream 3: Love Cambridge – ‘Serving Those in Prison’ with Sarah Reynolds
ALPHA
The Alpha Course was hosted three times in 2024: two courses at HT in January and September, and with one workplace course being run at WeWork on Station Road. Over the year, we hosted around 70 people. It has been a great joy to see people come to faith through Alpha, and several guests have since been baptised and become members of HT.
As a continuation from the Alpha Course, we hosted two post-Alpha Bible studies (January and May) going through the gospel of Mark over the course of six evenings. This allowed those still exploring, or new to faith, to learn how to read the Bible in a small group of 10 people.
PRAYER
Our Weekly Online Prayer Gathering continued on Wednesday nights from 7:45-8:45 PM. These gatherings were hosted by Oli & Loïs Benyon, Leila & Ken Ong, Fiona & David Saunderson, Andy & Jo Woodman and Steven Copsey. The average number who attend is around 35 people. Twice a term these evenings have been in-person at HT.
THY KINGDOM COME: WEEK OF PRAYER
Throughout the week leading to Pentecost, HT gathered with churches across the country in prayer. The week before, we premiered a YouTube and Instagram mini-series called ‘5 Reasons to Fast’ that included five videos released over the course of five days where our Vicar, Revd Stuart Browning, encouraged the church to fast for one meal a day during Thy Kingdom Come (if medically able). Every day at HT during the week of Thy Kingdom Come, there was a time of Morning Prayer with just under 50 people gathering either online or in-person as well as Lunchtime Intercessory Worship. We also had a very well attended inperson Prayer Night on the Wednesday evening. The week ended with a multi-church Saturday Prayer Night hosted by Christ the Redeemer, Barnwell and this was a fitting conclusion to a very encouraging week of prayer.
PASTORAL SUPPORT
We launched our Pastoral Support Initiative in the spring of 2023, and it has become an invaluable resource. It is overseen by the Pastoral Oversight Team which is currently made up of Oli Benyon, Stephanie Bishop, Steven Copsey, Jane Melia, Rob McDonald, Leila Ong, and Wendy Watts. We also have 8 Pastoral Support Team members who meet with those who submit requests, and their role is to listen, provide support, and particularly to pray. Over 25 requests were submitted in 2024, and the pastoral support has been very positively received. The Pastoral Oversight Team meets regularly to review the
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
provision, to discuss how to develop it further and to cover the pastoral support in prayer. We held two very encouraging training evenings for our Pastoral Support Team in 2024, one in the spring and another in the autumn.
We are also very thankful for the provision of our Pastoral Support Worker, Jenny Allum who gives one day a week on a voluntary basis to HT. Jenny provides pastoral home visits to a growing number of women in the congregation who greatly appreciate the support she provides. We are very thankful for her generous service.
MEN’S EVENTS
Our Men's Ministry has continued to flourish over the year with the aim to foster fellowship, discipleship, and outreach opportunities for the men in the church. This ministry is led by Jon Reynolds and Busoye Anifalaje and is overseen by the Associate Vicar, Revd Oli Benyon.
In 2024, we hosted three Men's Breakfasts with up to 80 people attending, as well as monthly social gatherings which included lunches, a rugby and curry night, country walks, and darts. Roughly 160 men have attended these different events throughout the year.
WOMEN’S EVENTS
We held very encouraging Women’s Brunches in February, June, and November with approximately 100 women attending each event. At these events, we looked at topics of ‘Spurring One Another on Toward Love & Good Deeds’, ‘Seeing Anew: Encountering Jesus’, and ‘Trusting God in Every Season.’ We also had two Women’s Walks in August and September with around 20 women at each.
CONNECTIONS
Our Thursday morning women’s fellowship group, Connections, has gone from strength to strength with now 82 women signed up to the group. Connections is for women of any age and stage of life who attend HT. It meets during term-time. The sessions run from 10 AM until 12 PM and include coffee, treats, chat, worship and ministry time, small group Bible Study, and prayer. Connections also holds termly socials, regular lunches and an annual summer garden party in one of the member’s beautiful gardens.
Considering its numerical growth and the workload that this growth has brought in, the Standing Committee and PCC agreed that this ministry needed to be led by a paid member of staff. Loïs Benyon was employed in March 2024 to lead this ministry. She is employed for 1.5 days per week and leads a team of 9 extraordinary, Jesus-centred ladies who volunteer on the Connections Leadership Team.
Over the past year, we have had the joy to see more women with preschool children join Connections. Becca Pinhey was employed in the Autumn Term to lead the Connections Crèche (as well as the New Creations Crèche), and we are blessed to have Pauline Stevens volunteer every Thursday to help with the crèche as well.
SHOPPERS’ HAVEN
Shoppers’ Haven took place on two Saturdays in December 2024. Across the two days, around 1,000 people came through our doors. Over 60 volunteers helped facilitate the events which included serving refreshments, live music, biscuit decoration, a bouncy castle and soft play, story time with Santa, and
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
present wrapping. It was wonderful to be able to connect with lots of folks for the first time, change some people’s preconceptions of church, and show a church that is very much alive and active. We were able to promote our Carol Services and other Christmas events. We were also able to chat to several people about faith. A number of people expressed a desire to do the Alpha course and subsequently signed up.
CAROLS AT THE PUB
We hosted a new event this year on a Saturday evening in December at the Town and Gown Pub & Theatre just across the street from HT. At this event, we had live sing-along carols (with printed songbooks for everyone in attendance) and festive games hosted by Oli Benyon, Andy Woodman, and Esther-Jane Baxter. The venue was packed, and it was a fun and joyous event. It was attended by many from HT, their guests, as well as many others. It was great to be able to host an event outside of the church building and to connect with people in a different way.
WELCOME EVENTS & TEAMS
As HT grows, welcoming newcomers continues to be a priority. As well as encouraging the congregation in their personal welcome and hospitality, the Adult Ministry has facilitated welcome in a number of ways. In 2024, we held five Welcome Coffees after the 9:30 AM / 10:30 AM morning service with opportunities for newcomers to connect with the staff team over a hot drink and a pastry. In addition, we ran five Discover HT sessions on Sunday lunchtimes or Monday evenings which cover the vision, values, and mission of HT in more detail.
Developing the Hospitality Teams – which cover welcome and refreshments at our Sunday services – has also been a focus. In January, we introduced a rotating teams structure across all services to match the success of this that had already been implemented at the 3:45 PM service. These teams of 8-10 people are overseen by Phili Kent and are led by congregation members.
We also introduced ‘Hope is Here’ evangelistic fliers to give to the many passers-by who walk into our services and have upgraded the welcome area with a beautiful new, custom-made welcome desk complete with a welcome slideshow and iPad for people to sign up for emails.
CAP MONEY COURSE
In October, we ran a CAP (Christians Against Poverty) Money Course. It was led by two members of the HT congregation, Sue Puddephatt and Paul Russell, who are both CAP-trained money coaches. It was a hands-on course that provided attendees with the tools they needed to consider and manage their finances better. Seven people attended the four-week course, and we would like to run it again in future years, as another member of HT has recently trained to be a CAP money coach.
OCCASIONAL OFFICES
Throughout the year, HT held six weddings, no funerals, 14 adult baptisms, three infant baptisms, and nine infant dedications.
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
MISSION WORK
Pursuing the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations, the Mission Support Committee has four main aims: to encourage church members to take an active concern in the spread of the Gospel in this country and overseas; to support the HT Mission Partners and church members engaged in mission, and raise awareness of their work amongst the congregation; to act as an advisory forum to those exploring mission work; and to manage the Mission Fund.
The Mission Committee works to encourage and support HT’s Mission Partners on behalf of the church through prayer, correspondence, mentoring, and grants – seeking to build up the relationship between them and the congregation. Mission Sunday, on Sunday 2 June, was a very encouraging day. Pat Brittenden, a member of HT, preached on Acts 9 as part of our ‘ Acts: People of the Last Days ’ sermon series at all four services. Amongst other roles, Pat leads the Hikma Partnership (hikmapartnership.org/en/) – a network committed to amplifying the voices of Christians of a Muslim Heritage through research, mentoring, writing, and publishing. We produced a leaflet summarising the work of all our Mission Partners, had a Mission Table with lots of information about our Partners, and encouraged members of the congregation to submit Mission Funding requests.
Our Weekly Online Prayer Gatherings on Zoom continued to provide an opportunity for the church to commit to praying for our Mission Partners.
We organised four very well attended Mission Lunches in 2024 on the following topics:
-
Meeting Needs in Myanmar
-
Why Ireland? with Paul & Gill Collinson
-
Am I Called to Mission?
-
Everyday Christians Meeting & Reaching Everyday Muslims
The church supports a large number of Mission Partners involved in a range of ministries both locally and overseas, including outreach to international students, work amongst the homeless in Cambridge, theological training in Zimbabwe, church planting in India, engineering ministry in Uganda and sharing the gospel in East Asia.
STUDENT MINISTRY
The Student Team has seen God widen our church family across Cambridge University and ARU, deepen students’ love for Jesus, and raise our passion for living aligned with, and empowered by, the gospel.
In Spring Term, our Student Night sermon series, called Christian Identity: Living Beyond Culture’s Script , considered how the gospel gives us a new identity rooted in Jesus. As a community centred on the gospel, we spent time together in the following ways: service projects with Christ the Redeemer, Barnwell, where we painted and gardened; socials, such as our annual Lunar New Year celebration and Halfway Hall; and seminars, such as our Women in Ministry talk and panel. For the third year in a row, we hosted CICCU’s Events Week, titled Humans .
In Summer Term, we reflected on what it looks like to live out our Christian identity in our Student Night sermon series, Gospel Practices . This series, on the Sermon on the Mount, gave students an opportunity to reflect on the purpose and use of spiritual disciplines. Another Student Night highlight was our annual West & Central African cultural celebration. Additionally, we continued to see wider church integration and community through Hospitality Sunday meals and discipleship one-to-ones. Then over the summer
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
months, Hannah Fox and some students joined other HT members at the New Wine Festival. During this time, John Brown finished as MA.
In Autumn Term, Asher Dunnett joined as Student MA. We continued our usual fresher outreach of attending CICCU’s Freshaway and running a fresher welcome stall outside HT. We expanded our efforts by attending ARU’s Freshers Fair and speaking at ARU Christian Union’s first meeting. We also continued our new initiatives from last year. We launched new Discipleship Groups and added more Adopt-aStudent pairings –in addition to some groups continuing from the year before, we saw over 50 students and 17 hosts get involved! The Student Night sermon series was Why Jesus? looking at the person of Jesus. We had 20 small group leaders and an average attendance of 90, with our highest showing at 105. This year, we had two Student Carol Services with guest speaker Stephen Foster. 60 students attended Houseparty, our annual weekend away, with Yanah Browning speaking on Hearing God’s Voice .
YOUTH MINISTRY
The heartbeat of HT Youth remains our Sunday sessions that meet during the 5:30 PM service for young people in school years 7-13. In 2024, the average attendance across the year was 54, with a number of sessions that had over 60 young people present. These sessions took place onsite at HT, for the first two terms, younger youth met in the Henry Martyn Hall (HMH) and older youth in the Charles Simeon Centre (CSC) offices. After summer, this swapped as older youth were now a bigger group, so needed the bigger space. Space continues to be a challenge as the youth group grows.
In spring term, our teaching series, John’s Gospel: Jesus in His Own Words , explored the person of Jesus through the ‘I Am’ statements of John’s Gospel. In summer term, our teaching series, Big Questions , used questions asked in the Bible to open up conversations on big topics such as suffering, science & faith, and judgement. In autumn term, our teaching series worked through Paul’s letter to the Philippians.
A highlight of the year was the Youth Weekend Away. Taking place in January, it was our biggest yet with 65 young people attending! Teaching across the weekend explored the topic of the Holy Spirit with former HT staff member Matt Lewis joining as our speaker. This was such an encouraging time with lots of young people encountering God’s Holy Spirit. Off the back of this, we’ve been making more space for Holy Spirit ministry. This has included Encounter Sundays a couple times a term where we pause small groups to make space for worship and response in our usual Sunday sessions. We also launched termly Friday evening Youth ENCOUNTER Nights. Open to youth groups from other churches, these are chances for young people from across the city to gather together for games, worship, an encouraging talk, and space to wait on the Holy Spirit. At our autumn ENCOUNTER Night, there were groups from three churches across the city.
Another significant event this year was our trip to DTI Summer Youth Festival. This was our second time taking a group to DTI and we over doubled our numbers from the previous year with 38 young people coming. Our young people had a great time both engaging with sessions and seminars as well as fun activities onsite. We were really encouraged to hear lots of stories of what God had been doing.
Small events throughout the year included a mix of chances for the whole youth group and smaller groups to have fun together and build relationship. We also ran a Youth Leadership Course – this was an exciting space to disciple a small group of young people, helping them think about how Jesus might be calling them to lead in their contexts and what it could look like to step into that.
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
There was significant change in the staff team as Jason Allison finished his role his Youth Ministry Assistant in the summer. In September, Bethany Cook joined the staff team to take on this role. HT Youth continues to be facilitated by a wonderful team of about 15 volunteers who generously give their time and energy to welcome young people, build relationship with them, and walk with them as they explore their faith.
CHILDRENS’ MINISTRY
HT Kids had a great year growing in their relationship with Jesus, each other, and their leaders. In June, we had a huge turnover of leaders, some graduated and moved away, two moved overseas, two joined the HT staff team in other roles, while others got married or moved to other ministries. Thankfully, by December, the new recruits were through the Safer Recruitment process and coming into the groups.
The number of children coming on Sundays remained similar to 2023. We had 181 "regulars" with around 80 coming each Sunday morning and 20 in the afternoon. During the year, HT Kids continued to use all the meeting rooms onsite and a big room at Sidney Sussex College to have enough space to conduct the regular weekly groups.
The staff team was Cat Meakin (Senior Children's Pastor), Grace Brown and Rachel Simpson (Ministry Assistants until August 2024, then Children’s Pastors from September 2024), and Ben Pymer (Ministry Assistant).
In the spring term, HT Kids looked at the 10 Commandments. In the summer term, we looked at Lives Lived by Faith , with testimonies from church members and “famous Christians”. In the autumn term, we looked at the “I Am” statements found in John’s Gospel, followed by one week of “HT Kids at the Movies” and two weeks of Christmas teaching looking at God Came Down – a mini-series focused on what He’s like and why He came to rescue us.
NON-SUNDAY EVENTS
HT Kids ran events outside of the normal Sunday church setting to help the children grow in friendships with each other and their leaders, and to encourage them to invite their friends to come to know Jesus and to grow in their faith.
DISCIPLESHIP & GROWING IN FAITH
The Year 6 age group participated in a discipleship course called Rooted to help them go deeper with Jesus and prepare them for the transition to HT youth, as their time at HT Kids came to an end.
OUTREACH
HT Kids held a number of guest events throughout the year. Our first Praise Party saw 150 children, mums, dads, and grandparents gather during the February half-term to create instruments, praise Jesus, bounce on the bouncy castle, and eat donuts. It was wonderful!
On Good Friday, 167 children gathered in three locations for crafts, games, and challenges, followed by worship and a gospel talk. This ended with an Easter Egg Hunt in the grounds of Sidney Sussex College. It was wonderful to share the Good News of Easter with both HT children and guests, and to have so much
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
fun as well. The number was significantly higher than last year, which was significantly higher than the year before that.
In October, 161 children and their families (62 from non-HT families) gathered in a church member’s garden for our annual Light Party. This included games, hot dogs, a bonfire, toasting marshmallows, worship, and a short thought on Jesus. It was so much fun and wonderful to share the Good News with so many.
At Christmas we ran three Interactive Nativity Services again. Children could bring guests and come dressed as any character they liked. They were then invited up on stage when the narrators got to their part, and all kids joined in for the grand finale action song at the end of the play.
SOCIAL EVENTS
HT Kids groups enjoyed socials to help their friendships flourish with each other and their leaders – bowling for Years 3-6, picnics with games and crafts for Reception to Year 2, and a teddy bears picnic for the creches.
In January, we hosted a dinner for the parents and leaders of HT Kids. 61 parents and most of the leaders gathered together for a delicious meal and the chance to get to know each other better. This was followed by a Parenting for Faith Course hosted online by the Adults Team.
On the last Sunday of the student term, we run our annual Jesus Green Messy Games for Years 1-6 to have fun together and say thank you to the student leaders before they leave. The younger children also had an Outer Space party in their groups at church. All the children got a "certificate" with photos of their group and a memory verse they've been memorising to give thanks for the year.
NEW CREATIONS
New Creations is a group for parents and carers of children aged 0-11. We had more dads coming along and welcomed new parents as well, whilst others have moved away from Cambridge or returned to work.
We enjoyed activities including: a visit from the Stylists at John Lewis, first aid training, sharing ideas for things to do around Cambridge over the summer with children, a meeting with the dentist, our own Olympics, a children’s mental health seminar, a parenting course, Christmas food tasting, and lots of crafts.
Each session begins with a thought for the day. In the spring we looked at “A Song That Encourages Me...”; in the summer, “People Who Met Jesus in Mark’s Gospel”; and in the autumn, “Psalms That Encourage Us”.
New Creations was led by Cat Meakin (Senior Children's Pastor), Sarah Reynolds, Bethany Atkinson (until Easter 2024), Ros Couchman, Tess Lamb, and Leke Ojumu (who was on Paternity leave from the role but returned at Christmas 2024). The Creche was led by the Ministry Assistants, supported by Hailey Burks until July 2024. Becca Pinhey was appointed to the Midweek Creche Leader position in December 2024.
WORSHIP MINISTRY
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
The last year was a busy but exciting one for the Worship Team. The team has been working hard to ensure all four services each Sunday are equipped with a full band as well as an AV team. The growth of many ministries in the church has led to a greater need for Worship Teams in different ministries – 20s & 30s, Students, Youth, and Kids, as well as at Women’s & Men’s events, Alpha and several outreach events. Alongside this, we’ve seen the development and growth of the livestream with the approval of new infrastructure to be installed in early 2025.
This growth across the board has seen the need for the continued upscaling of the Worship & Production Teams, with 95 people currently serving in the Worship Team. We have also had a change of staffing. Bez Idakula finished up his time as Production Ministry Assistant and the role was filled by Caleb Harris in September 2024. Jonny Rhodes also joined the team as Worship Ministry Assistant in September, and both of them have been an amazing asset to the team. We’ve also been hugely blessed by Finn Pett staying on as Worship Ministry Assistant this year, as well.
As always, Christmas was a huge undertaking for the Worship Team, but we continued to upscale with five Carol Services, three Interactive Nativity services, a Christmas Worship Night, two Shoppers’ Haven events with busking, and a Carols at the Pub event. Additionally, the team wrote a spoken word ‘Still Wonder’ which has been shared as a resource and used by number of churches across the country for their own carol services. The biggest challenges came in the form of major AV infrastructure failure during the weeks of the Carol Services where we lost our sound system. However, the team was amazing and successfully purchased, installed, and reprogrammed a new system in time for the next round of Carol Services. This was a huge feat for what would usually be about a 6-month project, so a massive thank you is in order for the wider team.
From February through August, every three weeks, the Holy Trinity Cambridge Collective released all the singles that were recorded live in February 2023, culminating in the full release of their live album Season of Singing in August. In the 3 months after releasing these songs, they were played in 84 countries across the world. We continue to hear stories of how God has been using these songs to minister to people and how people are using them in their churches.
Other highlights have included the growth of worship & prayer events with the rebrand of ‘GATHER’ our twice-termly Prayer & Worship Night and the opening up of the church for Lunchtime Intercessory Worship every Wednesday during autumn term. We have seen hundreds of people coming in off the streets during Lunchtime Worship and countless people being prayed for.
We were so grateful to partner with other churches as we hosted St Paul’s Hammersmith for a Worship Night and hope to continue to partner with other churches in similar ways in the future. The Worship Team has also helped to resource other churches, particularly through the New Wine Network. As a team, we were able to send worship leaders to lead a number of national festivals – New Wine Festival & Leadership Conference – and wrote songs released in the ‘Songs for the UK Church’ initiative.
It has been an exciting year across the board for the Worship Team and we are expectant to see how the Lord will continue to grow our team, meet with us in our times of corporate worship, grow us in our pursuit of prayer, and help us continue to resource churches.
STAFFING
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
The HT family is blessed with a committed and selfless staff team. It is impossible to thank them adequately in a report such as this, but we are truly grateful to them for all their hard work, commitment, and fruitful ministry.
As of the end of December 2024, Holy Trinity employed 28 staff, with the team comprising: Esther-Jane Baxter (Worship Pastor), Loïs Benyon (Safeguarding Administrator), Rev'd Oli Benyon (Associate Vicar), Julia Bishop (Media & Communications Manager), Grace Brown (Children’s Pastor), Rev'd Stuart Browning (Vicar), Yanah Browning (Adult Pastor), Bethany Cook (Youth Ministry Assistant), Rev’d Steven Copsey (Curate), Ben Crelin (Student Pastor), Asher Dunnett (Student Ministry Assistant), John Fleming (Operations Director), Hannah Fox (Student Ministry Assistant), Sasha Glasscock (Vicar’s PA & Administrative Assistant - Maternity Leave Cover ), Steve How (Safeguarding Officer), Caleb Harris (Production Ministry Assistant), Andy Irons (Facilities Manager), Rachel Jacob (Children’s Pastor), Phili Kent (Adult & Services Teams Pastor), Lorna Kidd (Office Administrator), Cat Meakin (Senior Children's Pastor), Jaime Olivarez (Finance & HR Officer), Leila Ong (Adult Pastor), Finn Pett (Worship Ministry Assistant), Rebecca Pett (Youth Pastor), Becca Pinhey (Midweek Crèche Supervisor), Ben Pymer (Children's Ministry Assistant), Jonny Rhodes (Worship Ministry Assistant), Ruby Truesdale (Vicar’s PA - On Maternity Leave ), Lucas Warren (Facilities Assistant), and Rev'd Andy Woodman (Associate Vicar).
Finally, the church would also like to acknowledge the support of the following Ordinands who were on attachment in 2024: Lizelke Klindt , William Ingle , Patrick Craig , and Joe Gray .
FINANCIAL REVIEW & FUNDRAISING
Holy Trinity relies on God’s provision for the financial resources it needs to operate and expand its ministries. We thank God for the generosity of our congregation who continue to provide most of our funding through a combination of regular and one-off giving. As can be seen we can report that the church has received a continuing and growing level of financial support through the year.
Income in the year grew by around 23% , which included an increase in regular giving of 35% whilst oneoff giving declined by 15% (which was caused mainly by a particularly strong Autumn Gift Day in 2023 that raised £187k compared to £100k in 2024).
Expenditure in the year grew by 33% with the predominant growth driver being staffing costs which rose by 43% as we continued to expand our ministry teams to cope with the increasing demand and activity within the church.
Overall, the increased expenditure generated of a small loss of £80k which compares to last year’s surplus of £37k.
The long-term policy of HT is to expend income received during each financial year on its purposes. However, some years will result in a surplus whilst other years result in deficit. Surpluses are prudently carried forward to offset deficits. In addition, it is the policy of the PCC to maintain at least three months of cash reserves equivalent to three months of operating expenditure. However, following some large oneoff gifts in the last few years our cash reserves have been higher than this and the PCC is actively looking at ways of investing this surplus to expand our ministries and God’s provision within Cambridge.
Great thanks this year must be given to Jaime Olivarez (our new Finance Officer) for all her hard work. In addition, the support of the Finance Committee continues to be invaluable to the Treasurer, Simon
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
George, and in this regard, special thanks are additionally due to Roy Warnes, Allen Swann, Anna McDonald, and Tom Russell.
FUTURE PLANS
As a church, we have felt God speak to us about preparing for an extended season of growth and seeing a significant number of people exploring the Christian faith. This tallies not only with our experience in recent years, but also with the significant planned housing developments for Cambridge and the surrounding area.
We are therefore committed to increasing our mission and evangelism, to leaning into our prayer life as a Church, and to making significant organisational plans to continue making space, as we are currently close to capacity limits on Sundays and in most ministries.
We are very excited to see the completion of the 9 Market Street renovation during 2025 and look forward to inhabiting that space. This will significantly increase space for Kids and Youth work on Sundays and will give us a third large space for mid-week events and courses, not to mention much needed staff office space and meeting rooms.
Due to growth, we anticipate that from Autumn 2025 we will have to run our four Sunday services for longer periods of the year than we currently do and foresee major capacity issues at high points such as Christmas, Baptism Sundays, and other guest events. We are therefore earnestly pursuing conversations with the PCC and the Diocese about how to plant a congregation beyond HT or significantly expand our space in other ways.
To facilitate all this, we have budgeted for a modest increase to staffing next year – in particular, to add to the Youth, Worship, and Operations Teams. We are very aware of the need to raise our giving income in line with our year-on-year growth as we are coming to the end of our ability to fund growth from the reserves.
Overall, the future is very exciting and the combination of God moving in significant ways among us and the growth of Cambridge makes stewarding rapid growth in a healthy and sustainable way our primary challenge.
PCC RESPONSIBILITIES FOR FINANCIAL
STATEMENTS
The PCC is responsible for preparing financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of its affairs and of the surplus or deficit for that year.
In preparing those financial statements, the PCC is required to:
-
Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently,
-
Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent,
-
Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis, and
-
State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements.
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR END 31 DECEMBER 24
The PCC has overall responsibility for ensuring that the church has appropriate systems of control, financial and otherwise, and is responsible for keeping proper accounting records, which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the church and enables them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011 and the Church Accounting regulations 2006. It is also, with the Churchwardens, responsible for safeguarding the assets and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
So far as the PCC is aware:
-
There is no relevant audit information of which the church's auditors are unaware.
-
PCC has taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.
On behalf of the PCC,
Bekah Fairley, Church Warden Alan Norrish, Church Warden
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLYTRINITY, CAMBRIDGE PAGE 6 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 315r OECEMBER 2024 INDEPENDENT AUDITORS. REPORT TO 7HE MEMBERS OF PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE OPINION We have audited the financial statements of the Parochial Church Councll of HolyTrinity, Cambridge for the year ended 31st December 2024 which corvprise the Statement of Financial Attimtigs, the Balance Shee( Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United ngdorn Accounting Stsndards, indudin8 Financial Reporting Standard 102'The Financial Reporting stsndard appllcable in thé UK and Republic of Ireland. Iuntted Kingdom Generalty Accepted Accountin8 Practice). In our opinion, the financial 5tatements- give a true and fair view o incoming resourcès and application of Tesources for the year then ended- have been properfy prepared in accordance wth Unlted ngd0Th Genei&lly Accepted Accounting Practice- and have been PTepBred in accordan with the requirements of the Charitie5 Act 2011. BASIS OF OPINION We conducted our audit In accordance with International Standard5 on Auditing IUKI IISAS IUKII and appllcable law. Our responsibilitie5 under those Stsndards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial ststements section of our report. We are independer.t of the charity in accordan with the ethical requlrements that are relevant to OUT audit of the financlal statements in the UK, including the FRC'5 Ethlcal Standard, and the provisions available fal small entitie5, in the circumstances set out in note 13 to the finaftcial 5taternents, and we have fvlfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evldence we have obtained 15 sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. CONCLUSION5 RELATrNG TO GOING CONCERN In audltin8 the financlal statements. we have conclude<l that the thembers, Use of the 80ing ¢on¢ern basis of Occounting in the preparatlon of the finanaal 5tstements15 appropriate. Based on the work we have performed. we have not identified any material uncertalntles relating to events or conditions that. indivtdually or collectively. may cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of zt least t¥4elve months fTom when the finanual statements are authori5ed foT'.s5ue. Our rÈsponsibilities and the responsibilities of the member5 wlth respect to 80ing conrn are described in the relevant 5ectiQll5 of this report. OTHER INFORMATION The other informatif)n comprises the information included in the Members, Annual ReporL other than tho financlal statements and our auditor5. report thereon. The members are rè5pon5ible for the Dthei information. Our opinion on the flnancial statements does not cover the other information and. except to the eytent otherwise explicitly stated In our report. we do not express any ftjrrn of assurance conclusion thereon. In connection with our audit of the financia5 statements, our rpOnsIbIlity is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially Inconslstent with the financial statèmènts or our knowleage obtained in Ihe audit or othefwlse appear5 to be mateTially misstated. If we identify suth material inconsistenues or apparent material rnisstatements, we are required tD determine whether there is a material miwatement in the ffinanual atements or a maierial misstatement of the other information. If, based on the wgrk we have performed. we condude that there is a material mi55tatErnent of thi5 other inlorrnation. we are required to report that fatt. We have nothing to report in thi5 fegard.
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, C4MBRIDGE PAGE 7 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR EMDED 31sr DECEMBER 2024 INDEP£NOENT AUDITORS, REPORTTO THE MEMBERS OF PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE MAThERS ON WHICH WEARE REQUIREDTO REPORT BYEXCEPTION We have nothing to report in respett of the following matters where the Charitles Act 2011 requires us to report to you if, in our oplnion.. the information given in the Member5, Annual Report is incon515tent in any material re5pert wtth the rinancial statements- or the charity has not kept adequate accounting recofds- or thè financial ststements aiÈ not in agreemep.t with the accounting records and rÈturns- or we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit. RE5PONSI8ILITIE5 OF MEMBERS As explained more fully in the members, responsibilities statement in the MernbeTS' Annual Report, the members are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view. and for such interval control as the trustee5 deterrvine 55 neCesry to enable the preparation of financlal statements that are free frorn material mis5taternent, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing thè financial siatÈmÈnts, the members arè responsible for as5e5sing the charity's ability to contintje as a going concern. disclosing. as applicable, matter5 related to going concern and using the 80ing concein ba515 Qf aounting unless the members either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operatlOTIS. or have nct realistic alternative but to do so. AUDITORS, RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE AUDIT OF THE FINANaAL STATEMENrs We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and regulations made or having effect thereunder. Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from rnaterial rni55talement. whether due to fraud or error. and to issue an audltorfs report that Includes our opinion. Reasonable a5suran¢e is a high level of assurance but is nol a guarantee ihat an audit conducted In accordance wit 15A's IUKI will alway5 detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstaternents can arise from fraud or error and are considered material rf. indiwdually or in the aggregate. they could reasonably be expected to inffluen the economic dec151Dlls (rf usets iaken on the basis of these financial ststements. THE EXtENT TO WHICH OUR PROCEDURES ARE CAPABLE OF DEtEcnNG IRREGULARITIES, INCLUDING FfWUD, Irregvlarities, including fraud. are Instan of non<ompliance with laws and reg¢Jlations. The primary TpOnsibIlItY for the prevention and detertron of irrEgularftie5 iniluding fraud rests with boih the managemeni and those charged with governance of the charity. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities. outlined above, to detect mis5taternents in respect of irregularities, including fraud. We have considered the nature of the industry and sector. contfol environment. laws and re8ulation5 and bu5ines5 performance of the charr(v. Law5 and regulations Condered illLl¥Jded, but were not Ilmited to the Charitie5 Act 2011, FR5102, Charity SORP and UK taxation lewslation. We have enquired with the management in regard5 to their own assessment of the risks of iiregularities, including frdud. We also enquired of management and those charged with governan as to any known instance5 of non-compliance Dr suspected non-corllpliance with law5 and regulatlQlk5. We obtained relevant documentation and representations in order to forn7 an opinion on potential irregularltie5. including Iraud. We considered the opportunities and Intie$ that may exla within the oaniSatIOn for fraud. Based on this understanding, we designed spe(ific avdlt procedures to identify instances of non<ompli8nce with law5 and regulation5, induding obtaining additional corroborative evidence as required. Examples of procedure5 included reiriewing large and unusual t¥ansactions, reviewing large and unexpected variances, reviewing journal entries and reviewing releydnt legal correspondence.
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLYTRINITY. CAMBRIDGE PAGE 8 FINANCIAL sfATEMENT5 FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 INDEPENDENT AUDITORS. REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINIIY. CAMBRIDGE There are inherent limliations in the audit procedures described above. not least as samplin4 is used under Internatictnal Auditing Standards, therefore not all transactions are reviewed. Therefore. there 15 a risk we wi51 not detett all irregularities including those leading to 4 Thaterlal mi551atement in the flnanclal statements or non-comp113nce with regulations. The risk of ttot detecting 3 material rnis5taternent due to fraud is also higher than the risk of not detecring one from errol, as fraud may Invol deliberate conlMent by, for eKarnple, forgory, collusion. omission OT intentional misrepresentation. A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financlal statements is located on the Financlal Reportlng Council's website at www.frc.org.uv2udiiorsrespon51b.;lities. This descriptlon forms part of our auditors, report. Thi5 report 55 made solety to the PCC'S members a5 a body, in aCrdan wth Sertions 144 and 145 of Ctharitie5 A¢t 2011. Our audll work has been undertaken 50 that we might state lo the PCC'5 mEmbeis those mattèrs we are required to State to them in an abditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the PCC and ihe PCC'S members as a body, for our audit work, for thi5 repoTt, or for the opinions we have formed. PRENTIS & CO LLP CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS & STATUTORY AUDtfORS 11Sc Milton Road Cambridge CB4 IXE ILytS APKL tsls. Prènt15 & Co LLP Is eligible to act as an auditor in tern of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.
otho o#Nm Do Ln to m tJ r 00 ro •t o Nm c> m r4 Ill *InM ¢U V TJ x£ LU IJ CC F- F-
PAROCHIALCHURCH COiINCIL OF HCXVTRINfty. rAMBRIDGE PAGE 10 FINANCIAL sfATEMENf5 FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 QALANCE SWEEI YEAR ENDED aisl DECEIIBER 2024 Umre5triued Funth Rertrxted Endowment Fund5 Funds Total 2024 Mcte5 FIXED ASSErs TaKgible assets nvestmerts 149.378 2,511 1,200.0 loo 1,349.378 2,611 TofAL FIXEO ASSETS CURRENT A55ETS Debtors Cash at b¥nk Jrtd in ha 151M89 1,2QO,ICKI 1,351.985 29,594 5,410 29.594 840,286 34,876 TOTAL CLIRRENT AE CURRENT UABILrriES Creditors-. Amownts falling due within one year 835.LYJ4 34,876 869,880 ),S13 9).513 NET CURRENT AS5EYS 744,491 34B76 779.367 TOTAL NET ASSUS AND CHARITr FUNtJS 896,380 3476 1.200.If 2.131,3S6 YEAR ENDED aisT DECEMBER 2023 UDrestDcted Funds Restrlcted Endowrrvènt Funds FuTrJs Totsl 2023 Notes FIXE9 ASSETS TÈnBlble assets Investments 30.227 2.46S S82,Tr)0 100 612.227 2,565 Tf)TAI FIXEDAS5ETS CURRENT ASSEYS Debtors Cash at bank In tt?nd 32,692 582,laO 614.792 50,017 940.337 50,017 975.685 JS.348 TOTALCURRENT A55ETS CURRf Mr L14BiunES CTeditors.' Amounts f3111ng within one Year 990,354 35.348 1.025,702 50x6 SO.396 NETCURREP4T AS5grs 939.958 35.348 975,306 TOTAL NET ASSET5 ANDC RITY FUNQS 972,650 a5348 58lllX) 1,59D,O byth Parochial Churth Counol crt loLS AY-L 20 Swed OD its bthalfr. an Nor sh Church Ward The notes ors paEeS 20 tg 30forni part 01thesen•0ol statemen1&
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLYTRINrrY, CAMBRIDGE PAGE 11 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31sr OECEMBER 2024 STATEMENT OF CISH FLOWS Total Funds 2024 Total Funds 2023 N(rtes Cash flow5 frorn operating actlvltle5 Net cash provided byllused inl operatlng acbwties- io 148,6711 11,3081 cash Ilows tram Inve5tsni a¢vItIes. Dividends, interest and Tents from investments Purchase of fixed asset additlons Flxed asset Investments 52,830 23,969 1139,5581 119,6211 11001 Net cash provlded by/lused Inl Investlng a<tivltles: 186,7281 4,248 Change In cash and equt¥alents In the reportin8 perlod: 1135,3991 2,940 Cash and ¢ash equl¥alents at the beginnlng of the reportin8 perlod.. 975,685 972,745 Cash and cash eqUalents at the end of the reportlng perlod: 840.286 975.685
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLYTRINITY. CAMBRIDGE PAGE 12 FINANCIAL &fATEMENTS FOR THE YFAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMEKrs ACCOUNTING POUCIES lal BASIS OF PREPAR4mON AND ASSESSMENT OF GOING CONCERN The flnancial statements have been prepared under the historical c05f ronvention wtth items reco£nised at cost or transaction value unle55 Otherwise stated ir. the relevant notes to these financial statements. The finanual statements have been prepared in accordance wth the Statement of RÈtttmrnended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by thoriti prep4ring thwr financial Statements in accordance wlth the Financial Reportln8 Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS 1021 and the Charlties Art2Qll. The financial Statements have also been piepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2CQ6 and modified where necessary. The financial statements include all tranSalon$, assets and liabilities for which the Parochlal Church Q)uncil 15 iespon5ible in law. They do not indude the transactions of church groups that owe their maln affiliation to anather body, nor those that are informal gothering5 of thurch members. The Par¢xhial Church Coundl of Holy Trinity. CambTid8e constitutes a public benefft entlty as defined by FRS 102. The Council Members considerthat there are no materlal uncertaintie5 about the Parochlal Church Covncil'5 ability to contlnue a5 a going concern. A healthy reserves positlon ha5 been maintained thanks to sustained regular despite the pandemiL The ffinarscial statements are presented in sterlin& which is the functional currency of the tharity. Ibl INCOME RECOGNlnON All Incorne 15 Tecognised On the Parochlal Churth Counal has entitlement to the incomo, It IS Probable that the income wtll be recelved and thÈ amount of income receivable be rnea5UTed reliably. Donations and giants are recognlsed on the daythey are deposited with the Parochial Church CDunal'5 ballker5. In the event thai a donation or grant is subject to conditions that requife a level of perfomiance or whele terms of use are irnplred, the incomels deferted and not recognised until either of ihose condr(ions are met. DidendS are fecognised once the divTdend has been declared and notlfication h85 been received of the dlvldend due. Thi5 is normally upon notificatlon by ihe Council'5 investment managers. Interest on funds hèld on deposlt ale included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the Parochial Church Council,. thrs is nornially u'pon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank Other invèstment Income Irental incornel is recogn15ed in the period in which it falls payable to the Parochial Church Council,. this is norn)ally uporl notification of the income payablè by the appointed letting agents. Icl EXPENDITURE RECOGhlTION AND IRRECOVERABLE VAT Expenditure is recogni5ed once the is a legal or constructive obligation committing the cha¥ity to ihat expenditure, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured rellablv. Expendlture on charitable activltles indudes grants made as part of the PCC'S commitment to the worldwide church, evtdenced in its finantial cornmttment to ipdividuals and organisations working throughout the UK and abroad. programme cost undertaken to fvrtherthe purpose of the PCC and all assotlatÈd support costs.
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE PAGE 13 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 315r DECEMBER 2024 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS cont...-.. Idl FUND ACCOUNTING General fund5 represent the funds of the PCC that are not sijbject to any restrictions regarding their use and are awdilable for application on the general Pufposes of the PCC. Funds designated for a partlcular purpose by the PCC are a150 unrestricted. Restricted Funds are those that can only be used for spedflc purpose5. Restrictions arise when specified bythe donor or when fvnds are raised for particular purposes. Endowments Funds are funds. the capital of which must be maintalned; only income ar151ng from inve5trnent of the endowment may be v5ed either as restritted or unrestricted funds, depending up¢n the purpose for which the endowment was established. The PCC Iloe5 not usually invest separately for each fun(J. Where there is no separate investment, interèst 15 apportioned to general fvnds. lel TANGIBLE FIXED ASSEfs ANO DEPRECIATION TonBlble fixed assets. other than Freehold Land and Buildings, are initially reco8nised at Costs. After recognition, under the cort model, tangible fixed assèts are rneasured at cost less accumulated depreciation and any actstrnulated impairment losses. All costs mea5Ufed to bring a tangible fixed aet inta sts intended working condlt-on should be included Sn the measurement uf cost. Freehold Land and Buildings had been recognised under the revaluation model. Under the reluatIn model Freehold Land and Buildings are initially recognised at cost but thÈreafter will be stated at fair va5ue where this Can be measured reliably. Revaluations are made with sufficient regularity to ensure that the carryinE amount does not differ rnaterially frorn that which would be determined using fair value at the end of the reporting date. Fair values are deterrnsned from market-based eden by appraisal that is nUrrnal undertaken by professionally qualified valuers. Galns and losses on revaluation are recognised in the Statement of Financial Actlvitles. Depreciation is PTovided on all tangible ffixed assets at rates olculated to write Dff the ro5ts le55 estirnated ledUal value of each asset over Its wected usefijl life as ftillows.. FvrniturÈ Office equipment AV equlpmenl Church resour Kitchen equipment LèasÈhold Émprovements Building Land 3 years straight line 3 to 5 years stratght line - 3 to S years straight Ilne - 5 to 10 years 5tialght line - 3 to 5 years straight line - Overthe rernair¢ing terni Df the lease years straiffht line - Not depreciated
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLYTRINITY. CAMBRIDGE PAGE 14 FINANCIAL STATEMENT5 FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ¢ont...... Ifj FIXED AET INVE>tMENTS Investments are a form of ba51( financial instrument and are initially recognlsed at thelr transaction value and subsequently measured at their fair value at the balanco sheet date u51n8 the c,osin8 rnarket price. The Statement of Flnancial Activ(ties includes the net gains and losses arising on revaluation and d15polS through0 the year. The Parochial Church Council does not acquire put options. derivatives or other complex financial instruments. Igl REALISED GAIN5 AND LOSSES All galns and1055e5 are taken to ihe Stslement of Financial Artivities as they arise. RealÈsed gain5 and lo55es on investments are calculated as tlte differen between sale5 pre5 and their opening carrying dlue or their purchase value if acquired subsequent to the first day of the financial year. Unrealisèd gains and losses are tslculated as the difference between the fair value at the year end and thelr carrying value. Realised and unrealised investment gains and losses afe combined In the Statemènt of Financlal Activities.
r4 O ts) C D O trl l Lfi momln cw sr ty to o Ln r4 Q Eo 49 b r tho t¥ c o*c V th P4 o) or
ors th 01 (J 0 sn 0 ¢n rnouJ Ln * ¢4J EO U) (nmmv ce r9 o r4 0 ry> Ln Wmp4 v) ¢L> C¥1 LnNom
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, G4MBRIDGE PAGE 17 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES continued The average number of employees during the year was 24 full time equivalent12023". 20 full time equivalentl with all ernployee time involved in prowding eiiher support servi5 to charitable actlvlties or 5UPPQrt to the governance of the charlty. The total number of ernployees whose total salaries exceeded £60,orx) 15 as follows.. 2024 2D23 £60,000- £70.000 None of the trustees have been paid any remuneration or received any other benefits incurred for being trustee of the charity. The work of the charity is diretted tsy the Vicar, Chair of the Trustees who is an employee of the Ely Diocese. Trustees expenses reirnbursed durin8 the year were £8,614. Thi5 was for reimbursing 3 trustees for a variety of costs induding travel, staff entertainin& tèarn and pastoral costs12023'. £6,311 for 4 trustBesl. The charity operate5 a defined contribution pension scheme with NE. The assets of the scheme are held separatèly ftom those of the charity in independently administered fund5. The pension charge repfe5ents the arnounts payable by the charity to the fund in respect of the year. Although the charity's auto-enrolment staging date was l February 2C17 the scheme vrds adopted in 2013 and all staff enrolled from the con7mencement of their employmenL NtriNCOME FOR ThE YEAR This is staled after charging.. AudtEoes remuneration- eeral audit Depreciation of tangible fixed assets 2024 2023 6,200 23,407 5,800 19,498
ts) o Ln o r O qt 1 ryi I','Ii iiii,a:. ¢J CJ c) c¢ oo o
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TRINITY, CAMBRIDGE PAGE 19 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS cont...... INVEsfMENTS 2024 2023 Market Value Market Value Cost C05t Usted investments Capital aoUnt 100 576 2,035 576 Ic 576 1,989 576 676 2,611 676 2,565 Listed inve5trnents 2024 2023 Market value os at tsr january Unrealised galns Historic adjustrnent Market value as at 31st December 1,989 2,465 14761 1,989 2.035 Investrnents are held in the CBF Church of En¥and Investment Fund. DEBTORS YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 Unre5tTiCted Restricted Endowment Funds Funds Funds Total 2024 GiftAid reclaimable Prepayments Other debtors 15,693 11,481 2A2Q IS.692 11,481 2,420 29,594 29,594 DEBTORS YEAR ENDED 315r DECEMBER 2023 Unrestrictwj Restricted Endowmeni Funds Fund5 Funds Total 2023 GiftAid reclaimable Prepaymenis Income receivable VAT reclaimable 43.794 333 249 5,641 43,794 333 249 5,641 50,017 50,017 CREDITO[. AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WIThIN ONE YEAR YEAR ENDED 315T DECEMBER 2024 Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Funds Funds Funds Total 2024 Trade credltors Other creditors and accruals 39,965 50,548 39,965 50,548 90.513 90,513 CREDifoRS- AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2023 Unrestrirted RestTiCted Endowment Funds Funds Fund5 Total 2Q23 Trade creditors Other creditor5 and accruals 35.572 14.824 35,572 14,824 50,396 50,396
LL 5 W LL LL E 1J IJ IJ a> ¢n u> w LU
c) o omom Lfi rri CQ $0 ri ch LL lj r£>w1>u21xIU
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF HOLY TR5NITY, CAMBRIDGE PAGE 22 FINANCIAL S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 NOTES TO THE FINANCIALSTATEMENT5 cont...... io. RECONC1ON OF INCOMING RESOURCES TO NEfcASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES 2024 2023 Net income/lexpenditurel for the reporting period Iper Statement of Financial Activitiesl Adjustments for: Depreciatlon charges Dividend5, interest and rents from inv&trnents Revaluation of fixed assets Gains/(lossesl on investment Decrease/lincreasel in debtors Increaselldecreasel in creditors Net cash provlded byllused In) operatlng artivrl 541,258 36,699 23,407 152,8301 1621,0001 19,498 123,9691 12,4651 128,5481 12.5231 20,423 40,117 148,6711 11,3081 ii. OPERATING LEASES As at 31st December 2024, the tharity had entered into negotiation5 for an operating lease on a building. The agreement 15 yet to be signed. 12. REUTED PARTY DISCLOSURES Three employees are related to Trustees. whose employmep.t pre-dates the appolntment of the connerted Trustees. There are no favour8ble conditions in their employment contracts and the TTUStee5 as a whole are satisfied that there are no conflicts of intefest arising. 13. MANAGEMEPITTHREAT IN RELATrON TO NON-AUDIT SERVICES In common wth many other tharitie5 of our size and nature we use our auditors to prepare and Submit returns to the tax authorities and assi th the preparation of the financial statements. The Trustees and auditors are both comfortable that these additional serwces are non-material and do not present a threat to the Independen of the audit process.