2023-12-31-accounts

Annual Report & Financial Statements

of the

Parochial Church Council of the Parish of St Mary the Virgin, St Marychurch, Torquay

for the year ending 31[st] December 2023

Parish Priest and Prebendary of Exeter Cathedral:

Fr Nick Debney B.A. SSC

Parish Church:

St Mary the Virgin St Marychurch Fore Street Torquay TQ1 4PZ

Bank:

HSBC Bank 7 Palace Avenue Paignton TQ3 3ED

Independent Examiner:

Mr Ian Barrett FCA FCIE

Barrett’s Chartered Accountants

22 Union Street Newton Abbot TQ12 2JS

Registered Charity Number: 1128269

The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, St Marychurch, Torquay, TQ1 4PZ

Annual Report for 2023 presented at Annual Parochial Church Meeting Sunday 19[th] May 2024 in the Church after the Parish Mass

Contents

Agenda for Annual Parochial Church Meeting	Page 2
Trustees of the Charity	Page 3
Administration	Page 4-5
Review – ‘Highlights’ of 2023	Page 6-7
The Priest in Charge’s Annual Report for 2023	Page 8
The Churchwardens Annual Report for 2023	Page 9
Revised Electoral Roll for 2023	Page 10
Honorary Secretary’s Report for 2023	Page 11
Honorary Treasurer’s Report for 2023	Page 12
Examined Accounts for 2023	Page 13-19
General Reports:	Page 20
Deanery Synod Highlights
Forward in Faith and the Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda
Structure, Governance and Management	Page 21
The Notes of the 2023 Annual Parochial Church Meeting	Page 22-23

Page 1

The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, St Marychurch, Torquay, TQ1 4PZ

Annual Report for 2023 presented at Annual Parochial Church Meeting Sunday 19[th] May 2024 in the Church after the Parish Mass

Agenda

The Meeting of the Parishioners

1. Opening Prayer

2. Apologies for absence

3. The notes of the 2023 Annual Parochial Church Meeting

4. The Priest in Charge’s Report

5. The Churchwarden’s Report

6. The Election of two Church Wardens

The Meeting of those on the Electoral Roll

1. Presentation of the Revised Electoral Roll

2. The Honorary Secretary’s Report

3. The Honorary Treasurer’s Report and presentation of the Independent Examined Accounts for 2023

4. General Reports (taken as read)

   • 4.1. Deanery Synod Report

   • 4.2. Forward in Faith and the Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda

5. Elections

   • 5.1. The Parochial Church Council (12 posts)

   • 5.2. Independent Examiner

   • 5.3. Electoral Roll Officer

   • 5.4. Deanery Synod Representatives (2 posts)

6. Safeguarding

7. Letters of Thanks as the meeting requires

8. Dates of Future Meetings

   • 8.1. New Parochial Church Council Meeting – to be confirmed following APCM

   • 8.2. Archdeacon’s Visitation – to be confirmed by the Archdeacon

   • 8.3. Annual Parochial Church Meeting Sunday 18[th] May 2025

9. Close of meeting by Chair.

Page 2

The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, St Marychurch, Torquay, TQ1 4PZ

Annual Report and Financial Statement For Year ending 31[st] December 2023

Trustees of the Charity

Parochial Church Council members are automatically Trustees and are either elected, ex officio or co-opted. During the year 2023, the following people served as Parochial Church Council members:

Parish Priest:	Fr Nick Debney	Chair	Ex-Officio
Church Wardens:	Christine Hinchliffe		Ex-Officio	Until APCM
	Philippe Giorgetti		Ex-Officio	Until APCM
Deanery Synod Rep:	Nicola Hall		Ex-Officio	Until 2026
	Christine Hinchliffe		Ex-Officio	Until 2026
Secretary:	Angela Lee		Ex-Officio	Until APCM
Treasurer:	Peter Gaston		Ex-Officio	Until APCM
Electoral Roll Officer:	Margaret Roper		Ex-Officio	Until APCM
Parish Safeguarding Rep.:	Valerie Oswin		Co-opted	Until APCM
Elected Members:	Alex Blelloch		Until 2024
	Jan Condict		Until 2024
	Nicola Hall		Until 2024
	Meg Joliffe		Until 2024
	Angela Lee		Until 2024
	Janet Morgan		Until 2024
	Les Northway-Reux		Until 2024
	Valerie Oswin		Until 2024
	Wendy Piddlesden		Until 2024
	Margaret Roper		Until 2024
	Barry Stevens		Until 2024
	Sarah Williams		Until 2024

Deanery Synod Representatives are elected every three years, upon election they become Ex-officio members of the PCC for the term. Next election in 2026.

Standing Committee consists of the Parish Priest, Church Wardens, PCC Secretary and PCC Treasurer

Page 3

Administration

The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, St Marychurch is located in the North of Torquay serving a large and varied parish. The Parish sits within the Mission Community of Our Lady and All the Saint’s which comprises of St Mary the Virgin, St Marychurch, All Saint’s Babbacombe, and St Martin of Tours, Barton.

Aim and Purposes

St Mary’s Parochial Church Council’s (PCC) primary aim is the promotion of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England. The Parochial Church Council has the responsibility of co-operating with the Priest in Charge, Fr Nick Debney, in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The Parochial Church Council is also specifically responsible for the Church building, the church hall and the grounds within the boundary.

St Mary’s PCC have passed as resolution under the House of Bishop’s Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests in the Church of England. Following their petition, the Bishop of Exeter has requested extended Episcopal Oversight from the Bishop of Oswestry.

Our mission is to be a growing, joy-filled, Christian presence at the heart of our community. We welcome both local residents and visitors of all ages to all of our services and events. By witnessing inside and outside of our church buildings, we endeavor to walk the journey of faith together, fed and nurtured by God's word and sacraments. Worship is our first duty, and we seek to make the worship at St Mary’s both reverent and accessible, but above all filled with joy.

We are a family friendly Eucharistic community that use our buildings to the glory of God as we seek to grow in faith and out-reach to the community we seek to serve. Everyone is very welcome to join us wherever they may be on their journey of faith.

Our mission statement is 'Serving the people of North Torquay with joy'

Objective and Actions

Our 2023 objective in pursuit of our aim and purposes is to offer public worship, a place for private prayer, community events, opportunities to go on pilgrimage and supporting activities aligned with our aim and purpose, both locally and further afield. We have considered the Charities Commission’s guidance on public benefit and believe our actions have many benefits to the public and the people living in our parish as we intend to offer the following actions for 2023:

Sung Parish Mass on Sundays in the parish church. Tea and Coffee are served after Mass in the Precinct Centre to encourage fellowship and community, everyone is welcome.

Said Masses take place on Wednesday morning at 10am and Friday morning at 10am, as well as a sung School Mass on a Tuesday morning at 9am in the parish church. Refreshments are available in the Precinct Centre after Mass on a Wednesday and Friday morning.

Additional services throughout the year including Lent, Easter, Festivals and Saint Days, Patronal Festival and Christmas. These services times vary and with details being available in the news sheet. Bring and share lunches or ‘nibbles’ follow selected services to continue the celebration and give opportunity for fellowship.

There is not currently a Sunday School running within the Parish, however weekly resources reflecting the readings for the day and the season are provided in a children’s area and are well used.

Upkeep and maintenance of the Church, Church Hall and grounds. To ensure they are safe and suitable for the purposes they are being used for.

The Church Hall is hired out to users for many sessions of the week and is available for the community to hire for their personal and community events. The hall is used for Church events e.g. Lent Lunches and receptions/events throughout the year as the Church Hall has a high quality kitchen and toilet facilities.

Historically the parish have been on Pilgrimage to Glastonbury for the South-West Pilgrimage in July each year.

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These activities are principally funded by voluntary donations through the Parish Giving Scheme, Standing Orders, envelopes, collections and the lettings of the hall. These funds are primarily used for the common fund, heating, lighting, insurance, licences, day to day maintenance and repair of church buildings and grounds. Purchase of resources for services (e.g. candles and printer costs), supporting mission activities (e.g. donations to charity and projects).

The parish is blessed to have the Cornerstone Shop to support the life and witness of the parish. While it is an independent trading company, they make generous grants to the church for fabric and other work.

Committees

During 2023 the P.C.C. operated with just one formal committee which met between full meetings: this was the Standing Committee, elected by the P.C.C. from its own membership.

Standing Committee

This is the only committee recognized by law. It has power to transact the business of the P.C.C. between its meetings, subject to any directions given by the Council. This committee meets when need arises to make recommendations to the full P.C.C. or to proceed with any work requiring immediate attention. The Standing Committee is made up of the Priest in Charge, Churchwardens, Secretary and Treasurer.

Church Attendance

There are seventy-five names on the Church Electoral Roll. The Roll has been subject to a standard Annual Revision, with details of the changes from the 2023 Roll listed. The number of names on the Roll - 75 - is a net increase of three from last year. One person has moved away and four have gone to glory. There were eight new additions to the roll.

Sunday attendance has now recovered and increased from the pre-pandemic numbers with average communicants of between 55 and 60. There are usually between 15 and 20 who attend our weekday Masses. A small number of children and non-confirmed adults attend Sunday services.

Safeguarding

The Parochial Church Council believes that it has complied with its duty under Section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, and that it has due regard to the House of Bishop’s guidance on the Safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. The relevant individuals, as well as the Parochial Church Council as a body, are fully appraised of the requirements which go both with the offices they hold and also with their qualification to be nominated for such offices.

The Parish Safeguarding Officer is automatically co-opted as a member of the Parochial Church Council. Safeguarding is an integral agenda item of every P.C.C. meeting, even if only to report that there are no current issues.

All members of the parish community, whose DBS Certificates expired in 2023 have had these certifications renewed. A review is underway regarding Safeguarding Training to ensure and provide evidence that training is in place and where not, to make sure it is in the future.

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Review ‘Highlights’ of 2023

The Parish continues to be well supported by our retired clergy, Fr Tony Oswin, Fr Antony Lane, Fr Trevor Smyth and Fr John Lee who have supported us throughout the year. Rob Atkin has continued as our Organist and Director of Music and we have been served faithfully by our choir members. The serving team have grown in number and expertise and greatly enhance our worship on Sundays and for our Occasional Offices.

Social events have continued to recover post-lockdown The Autumn Craft Fayre was held once more raising much needed funds for the parish and thanks to Graham Ward and the team for all their hard work. Through our fundraising efforts as well as through the generosity of our planned giving, St Mary’s has been able to fulfill all its financial commitments in 2023. There have been three opportunities to gather as a Mission Community with two Choral Evensong’s at All Saints, Babbacombe and Patronal Festivals at All Saints, Babbacombe and St Martin’s Barton.

Over the course of 2023, we have had a significant number of funerals both at St Mary’s, and for parishioners at Torquay Crematorium which shows how we are reaching back out into our community. In January we held the funeral Mass for Barbara Potter, a longstanding member of St Mary’s and in April following his sudden death, the funeral of Simon Moss, a former Churchwarden and son of our previous Vicar Fr Ken Moss.

In February 2023, Fr Nick Debney was made a Prebendary of Exeter Cathedral, and the parish was well represented at his collation and installation in the Cathedral. We were made to feel very welcome and enjoyed the drinks reception after the service. Members of the parish travelled to Canterbury Cathedral for the Consecration of the new Bishop of Oswestry, the Right Reverend Paul Thomas SSC on the feast of Candlemass.

In April Fr Nick Debney was also appointed as the Chaplain to the Royal British Legion in Torquay and has led services for the D-Day embarkment, the Home Guard service on Corbyn Head, the dedication of a new plaque on the Torquay War Memorial and on Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday.

The 30[th] May saw the 80[th] Anniversary of the destruction of St Mary’s through enemy action. There was an incredible display by the Yarn Fairies in the churchyard and a display of pictures in the church. On the eve of the anniversary there was a vigil service during which the Devon Dance Centre performed an exquisite dance, a piece of music was composed for the occasion, and we heard first-hand accounts of that afternoon from survivors. On the Tuesday, there was a requiem Mass celebrated for all who died in that bombing raid. The church was full for all the services and hundreds of people visited the display and the church over the month.

In June 2023 Family Fest took place at the River Dart Country Park. Family Fest is a family camping weekend run by Anglo-Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Exeter. It was lovely to be able to welcome families young and old to Family Fest to enjoy time together in worship and fun.

The big change to St Mary’s was the arrival of our shiny new Assistant Curate, Fr Kenny Wickens, and his family. Following his ordination on Saturday 1st July, there was a joint welcome Mass at St Martin’s and a barbecue afterwards. A wonderful time of celebration and the start of a new and fruitful ministry. Hot on the heels (six days later) Fr Kenny was Deacon at the Glastonbury Pilgrimage and it was lovely that a group were able to travel from St Mary’s to attend the Pilgrimage.

There was again, a larger than usual gathering this year at the St Marychurch War Memorial on the 11[th] November where Fr Kenny preached an incredible homily on laying down your life for your friend. The Act of Remembrance was supported by the Royal British Legion. This was preceded by Morning Prayer in St Mary’s with the Archbishop of Canterbury who was in the Diocese for a weekend of Mission. St Mary’s was chosen because of the 80[th] anniversary of the bombing of the church. All was a wonderful success.

On the 18[th] November we joined the good folk of St Martin’s for their Patronal Festival welcoming Bishop Paul Thomas, Bishop of Oswestry as the Principle Celebrant. Four member of St Mary’s were confirmed: Summer, Hafsa, Shannon and Sarah – a great joy to be with them for their special day.

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In the autumn we welcome Sharon Hiley, a second-year ordinand training on the South-West Ministry Training Course. She spent a number of weeks with us observing mission and evangelism and parish ministry in a different context from her own.

Leading up to Christmas there were a many Carol Services and celebrations from across the community. It was a great joy to welcome so many people back to St Mary’s, many of whom had not visited since before the lockdown. Our hall bookings have continued to grow from strength to strength under the watchful eye (and lots of work) of Angela Lee.

Christmas was celebrated well with the largest attendances for many years at St Mary’s this year with good congregations and lots of happy, smiley faces – Fr Nick wheeled out his snow machine again which brought lots of smiles to the children’s faces!

Our work with schools has continued to grow this year. The weekly School Mass has been back in place from September for years 3-6. We had the May Day procession and Crowning of the May Queen and the Image of Our Lady in May. We have welcomed Coombe Pafford School back into Church this Christmas and have had visits from St Margarets School, Homelands, Abbey School as part of the RE Program and syllabus. Resources are provided every week for our younger church members and a huge thank you is given to Sally Debney who spends many hours each week putting these resources together for our junior church (and supporting Fr Nick in so many ways).

We are so very blessed with our flower team at St Mary’s led by Jenny Purver. The quality and drama of our displays are exceptional and we are so very lucky to have such talent within the parish. A massive thank you to everyone who is involved in our flower team and for your creativity and drive.

At the beginning of December 2022 there was a change to the Sunday morning Mass time to enable Fr Nick Debney to be at St Mary’s at 11am every Sunday. This has taken a little time to settle down, but where a few people struggled with the time initially, they have since returned to be regular communicants on Sunday mornings. There have a been a steady flow of new people coming along to St Mary’s and it is a joy to welcome them and everyone to our Mass on a Sunday morning – how heartening that 8 new people have applied to go on the Electoral Roll this year.

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Priest in Charge’s Annual Report for 2023

Dear Friends,

I would like to begin my report by saying a massive thank you to you all for your care and concern for each other and for me, Sally and Adam. 2023 has been a busy year, it is not until you look through photographs and refer to the annual review on Page 6 that we can begin to see all the things that are happening here at St Mary’s. Some things we would like to move at a faster pace, but we are all bound by time and capacity. I would also like to thank our retired clergy for supporting me and the life of the parish in this last year.

We have had a number of high-profile and one-off events this year with a number of Mission Community events, the commemoration of the 80[th] Anniversary of the Church being destroyed by enemy action, the visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury which was enjoyed by many people.

Our choir has grown this year as have our serving team who are all loyal and faithful in giving of their talents to sing and serve. It was a particular joy to appoint Jason Watkins as my Head Server and Master of Ceremonies in the Autumn. Jason has a long history with St Mary’s and was himself taught to serve here, a a ministry which he is now seeking to share with others.

We welcomed Fr Kenny Wickens as our Assistant Curate, something which has made a considerable difference to the pastoral and liturgical life of the parish. Following his ordination, both churches came together for his first Parish Mass which was followed by a wonderful barbecue and party. We hope to replicate it later this year for his ordination to the Priesthood on Saturday 22nd June here at St Mary’s and his First Mass at St Martins on Monday 24th June. We observed our usual celebrations of patronal festival and have continued in the St Mary’s way of observing the festivals of the church.

We are now twenty months since my licensing as your Priest in Charge and I feel that we have made significant progress in so many aspects of our life together. It is always challenging for parishes to get used to a new Parish Priest; add to that the significant change being priest and pastor across two churches is a lot to get used to. I would like to thank you for your generosity in these changes and supporting Fr Kenny and me in all of this.

A key change was the change of our Sunday Mass time from 10:00am to 11:00am. It has meant that I have been able to be with you each week rather than every other week and 2023 has been a time for me to get to know you all a little better.

I would like to thank the PCC for all their hard work this year and Chris Hinchliffe and Philippe Giorgetti as Churchwardens who do so much behind the scenes. I would also like to thank Peter Gaston and the finance team who have worked so hard this year to keep our finances in check.

It continues to be an incredibly exciting time in the life of St Mary’s, we are beginning to see more and more things happening in the parish, by God’s grace, and as we look forward, my prayer is that we remain faithful, joyful and focussed on growing God’s Kingdom in this part of Torquay – for if we are faithful, with God nothing is impossible!

Fr Nick Debney Priest in Charge and Prebendary of Exeter Cathedral

Page 8

The Churchwarden’s Report for 2023

Well, what a year that was in the life of our Church and Community!

In May one became two (and a deputy!) – it has been a long time since St Mary’s has had two Churchwardens as at the APCM Philippe joined Christine as a Churchwarden supported by Les a Deputy Churchwarden. In June, work began on the backlog of organ repairs approved by the PCC which continued into December. In May the church was open every day as we commemorated the 80[th] anniversary of the destruction of the church through enemy action. The anniversary was marked well with large congregations. We are sure you will agree, the Commemoration Service was a fitting remembrance of such sad history. It was so moving to hear from John, who had ‘bunked off’ Sunday School that day, and so survived to tell the tale. He still visits the Holy innocents chapel every Wednesday.

In July we joined with St Martins for the welcome Mass for Fr Kenny following his ordination on the 1[st] July for a joint Mass and barbecue. We put together a welcome hamper for Fr Kenny and Rachele. Christine Hinchliffe and Philippe Giorgetti were formally admitted as Church Wardens at The Archdeacon’s Visitation in Totnes. We received under the Parish Giving Scheme with a contactless giving machine which was installed in the Church. After many years, the water tanks in the roof were bypassed to bring mains water into the church. In July we met with a representative from Ecclesiastical Insurance who undertook a health check in which we were found to be in good shape – it has been five years since we last met with them.

In August. a new cooker was purchased, through a donation from the pre-school, for the small hall and new tower and Churchyard LED flood lights were installed and fitted through the legacy of the Long sisters – this has saved electricity and reduced costs.

In September, the vestry toilet was serviced and a new water boiler for the choir vestry was installed as the old one was leaking. The church security alarm was also serviced.

In October an ecological Survey was conducted, and we attended the Church Wardens Training Seminar for Safeguarding. A check was made on the lightening conductor as it was found to be substandard which is being scoped as it has involved several companies giving and submitting different results/planned work. This work is ongoing.

In November, the Church Hall gas meter was replaced to comply with regulations. Further work took place to set up the contactless giving machine. We began work on the items identified in the quinquennial report and we supervised work on the South Isle, repairs to the windowsill in The Holy Innocents Chapel and above the North entrance door. A huge thank you to those who cleaned, polished, hoovered, and did all the tiding up, in the short time frame we had (24 hours) following completion of the decorating before the Visit of the Archbishop Of Canterbury which was so successful in the life of the parish. We attended the Patronal Festival at St Martin’s with Baptism and Confirmation Service with Bishop Paul which was another great opportunity for us to gather as a mission community.

In December we had a significant number of carol services, carol concerts and school services, more than for many years. We had many more services than normal as the 4[th] Sunday of Advent fell on Christmas Eve. We have significantly more people at all our services with larger congregations than last year, shows a year of growth in the parish. We look forward to all the events and opportunities for fellowship and worship in our Church and community in 2024.

We both feel that this has been a very successful year and a solid foundation to move forward into 2024/25. Anyone who wishes to know the duties of a Churchwarden with a view to taking over in Mid 2025, please ask Phil or me.

Chris Hinchliffe and Philippe Giorgetti Churchwardens.

Page 9

Revised Electoral Roll 2023

This year is a revision of the Electoral Roll with a full revision due next year in 2025.

Jeremy Aspinall Margaret Harris Marguerite Aspinall Christine Hinchliffe Alexandra Blellock March Ivory Thea Bristow Meg Joliffe David Clark Joan Jones Mirian Clark Nikki Jones Jan Condict Jennie Kay Fiona Cook Kathryn Kelly Irene Coulton Brenda Kelly Dianne Dann Jane Lane Ken Davies Jean Leaman Elaine Davies Angela Lee Adam Debney Martin Mansley Sally Debney Jessie Mickerman Jennifer Elliot Julia Montages Sorcha Fenlon Janet Morgan Cora Grant Stan Myers Cyril Garman Leslie Northway-Reux Peter Gaston Ruth Northway-Reux Philippe Giorgetti Val Oswin Judith Giorgetti Alma Pearson Joyce Goodricke Ena Pethick Nicola Hall Peggy Phillips June Harris Wendy Piddlesden Andy Harris Kim Plumb

Alistair Purser Jenny Purver Mike Roper Margaret Roper Ida Shewchuk Tui Shirley Clifford Spence Libby Spence Neville Stanford Barrington Stevens Jill Stevens Robert Stone Catalina Tamas Rose Trembath Stuart Walton Graham Ward Gareth Watkins Hayley Watkins Jason Watkins Donna Westlake Janet Westlake Nora Whelan Robert Williams Sarah Williams Maureen Wood

Summary

This roll contains 75 names, and includes the following changes from the 2023 roll:

Additions: Eight Change of address: None Change of name: None Moved away: One No longer attend None Deceased: Four

Page 10

Honorary Secretary’s Report for 2023

The PCC met five times on the following dates in 2023, January 17th, 14th March, 24th July, 20th September and 22nd November.

Januarys Meeting

The PCC agreed to the work in the Holy Innocence chapel and South Aisle to proceed. It was also agreed to obtain quotes on church organ as it failed during Midnight Mass

March Meeting

It was agreed that the replacement of the outside lighting and floodlighting should proceed. PCC also agreed that Fr Nick should pursue grants to get screens in church from Mission and growth fund to support the School Mass and provide more options for projection in church.

July Meeting

PCC agreed to Fr Nicks proposal to get suitable Wi-Fi into church. Philippe Giorgetti to source contactless giving for church PCC agreed unanimously and thanked Philippe. The P.C.C. received a legacy of £5,000 from the late Miss Doris Long previous Sunday school teacher and much-loved member of the congregation.

September meeting

A new cooker has been installed in small hall for which the pre-school have made a donation. PCC agreed that Fr Nicks idea for people to purchase an organ stop in memory of a loved-one and excellent idea. The organ work has been started and it was hoped it would be finished by Christmas. The PCC planned for the visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury on the 11[th] November.

November meeting

Graham ward requested to hold a Christmas fayre on 9th December. The Precinct Centre will hold theirs the same day, all agreed. The PCC agreed to raise Tracey Hall cleaners’ hourly rate to £12.50 in line with living wage. Our catering ladies wrote to PCC with regards to hygiene in hall kitchen, PCC agreed to arrange a deep clean of kitchen

Angela Lee Honorary Secretary to the Parochial Church Council

Page 11

Honorary Treasurers Report for 2023

I would like to start by thanking those without whose help I would not have been able to fulfil this role.

I especially thank our Churchwardens Christine Hinchliffe for her tireless work and Philippe Giorgetti for his assistance in installing a contactless card giving system. I would also like to thank Janet Morgan and all those who count the Sunday morning collections and Graham Ward for his work with the Craft Fair and collecting the monies from the candle and organ pipe donation boxes.

There has unfortunately been a deterioration in the financial position of the church mainly due to there not being a grant (£4,140 in 2022) from the central church towards the cost of energy bills this year and a refund for expenses of Fr Roger Carlton (£3,681 in 2022) from the Diocese of Exeter.

Giving has fallen slightly, despite a number of new people joining the congregation. It is known that it takes time for their presence to be reflected in giving. It is to be hoped that by being able to receive card donations will help (particularly at Baptisms and Weddings) as we need to replace the giving of those who move away or who have gone to glory.

There has been a welcome increase in local fundraising, and the Craft Fair was very successful due to the hard work of Graham and his team.

Work is proceeding on clearing the backlog of Gift Aid claims.

The welcome increase in activities in the church has brought with it an increase in running costs, such as the production of service sheets. Having a very active Priest-in Charge and welcoming Fr Kenny as Curate will inevitably lead to an increase in clergy expenses. I would like to thank our retired clergy, who give freely of their time, and generously meet most of their own expenses.

The Church Hall is being used much more and together with a modest increase in hire charges has meant that it has produced a surplus on its day to day activities after many years of losses. This, however, is flattered by a repayment of overcharging for electricity when we changed suppliers.

The year has seen considerable work on the fabric, both of the church and of the Hall and I wish to express our gratitude to the Cornerstone shop for its very generous donations which made this possible.

We received a legacy from the late Miss Long, part of which was used to pay for new lighting of the Churchyard and tower.

A major project to bring the organ up to its proper standard of playability started towards the end of the year. Although fund-raising has covered the costs of renewing the organ stop heads, we have committed £10,000 of our reserves to complete the project.

We are still living on the proceeds of the sale of the former curate’s house to fund our higher level of activity and this is not sustainable in the long term.

Existing members of the church are and need to continue to give generously to fertilise the green shoots of new growth that are starting to appear, to avoid withering. There is fertile soil for the Gospel as well as stony ground, but we must dig and dung the soil and pay for the seeds and, so I urge members of the congregation to prayerfully and thoughtfully to review their giving, and if not already using it, consider using the Parish Giving Scheme as this scheme really helps with cash flow, as for taxpayers, this allows the gift aid contribution to be reclaimed immediately.

Peter Gaston

Parochial Church Council Honorary Treasurer

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ST MARYCHURCH 2023 ACCOUNTS 2023 2022 GENERAL FUND CHURCH RECEIPTS PLANNED GIVING PARISH GIVING SCHEME PLATE DONATIONS GIFT AID TAX REFUND LEGACIES ISEE LEGACY FUND BELOW} SPECIAL COLLECTIONS CRAFT FAIR DIOCESAN EXPENSES REFUND HEATING GRANT GIFrs 10,710 13,817 7,126 2,725 2,198 10,159 14,662 8,298 1,379 292 650 1,001 3,681 4,140 429 4,014 iii 6,093 FEES TOTAL 44,431 47,891 PAYMENTS GIVING DIOCESAN SHARE UTILITIES INSURANCE ADMIN CLERGY EXPENSES UPKEEP OF SERVICES ROUTINE MAINTENANCE GIFTS FEES HOSPITALITY TRANSFER TO ORGAN AND MUSIC FUND 820 14,044 9,623 7,321 3,805 2,859 2,346 1,321 loo 8,641 372 42 698 13,885 10,118 6,947 1,743 4,782 1,168 2,145 3,836 341 1,475 TOTAL 51,293 47,139 SURPLUS/(DEFICITI -6,862 753 Puge 13

HALL RECEivrs HIRE FEES DONATION FOR COOKER ELECTRICITY REFUND ii,iii 400 3,161 9,225 TOTAL 14,672 9,225 PAYMENTS UTILITIES CLEANER INSURANCE DEPOSITS REFUNDED ROUTINE MAINTENANCE NEW COOKER 5,323 3,352 1,510 640 2,271 445 6,258 2,637 1,433 320 2,074 TOTAL 13,541 12,722 SURPLus/(DEFICIT) 1,131 -3,497 COMBINED SURPLUS {DEFICIT) -5,732 -2,744 LEGACIES FUND MISS LONG LEGACY LESS CHURCHYARD & TOWER LIGHTING 6,084 -3,649 BALANCE AT 31ST DECEMBER 2,436 BASIC GENERAL FUND BALANCE AT 1ST JANUARY CHURCH 5URPLUS/DEFICIT HALL SURPLUS/DEFICIT UNPRESENTED CHEQUES 20,244 -6,862 1,131 491 21,996 753 -3,497 987 BALANCE AT 31ST DECEMBER 15,003 20,239 Puge 14

BAREWELL FUND BALANCE BROUGHT FORWARD 88,846 91,892 PAYMENTS SOUND SYSTEM -465 -2,794 BALANCE AT 31ST DECEMBER 88,381 89,099 COMMON FUND AccouNr BALANCE BROUGHT FORWARD 27,802 41,687 FROM GENERAL ACCOUNT 14,044 13,885 PAYMENT PARISH SHARE 28,088 -27,770 BALANCE AT 31ST DECEMBER 13,758 27,802 FABRIC FUND BALANCE AT 1ST JANUARY 23,212 17,891 RECEIPTS CORNERSTONE DONATION INSURANCE CLAIM DONATION FOR LIGHTS 20,000 365 3,672 1,000 16,000 TOTAL 25,037 16,000 PAYMENT5 FLOORING WATER SUPPLY BOILER QUINQUENNIAL WORK HALL FABRIC WORK HALL LIGHTS HALL BOILER HOLY INNOCENTS CHAPEL 3,922 525 1,697 11,256 2,113 2,090 1,064 -10,679 TOTAL 22,667 -10,679 BALANCE AT 31ST DECEMBER 25,582 23,212 Puge 15

MUSIC AND ORGAN FUND BALANCE AT 1ST JANUARY 423 RECEIPTS ORGAN PIPE & OTHER DONATIONS ORGAN STOPS PROJECT 696 300 90 TOTAL 996 90 PAYMENTS PIANO TUNING ORGAN TUNING ORGAN REPAIRS MOVING PIANO AND ORGAN ORGAN STOPS PROJECT TRANSFER FROM GENERAL FUND -138 -936 -570 -482 -900 42 1,475 BALANCE AT 31ST DECEMBER Puge 16

ST MARYCHURCH ACCOUNTS 2023 31 DEC 31 DEC 2022 2023 STATEMENT OF FUNDS BASIC GENERAL FUND 15,003 20,244 LEGACY FUND 2.436 BAREWELL FUND 88,634 89,099 COMMON FUNDACCOUNT 13,758 27,802 FABRIC FUND 25,582 23,212 MUSICAND ORGAN FUND OVERSEAS MISSION CHILDRENS, SOCIETY TOTAL FUNDS 145,413 160,357 REPRESENTED BY CURRENT ACCOUNT UNBANKED INCOME UNPRESENTED CHEQUES 148,663 940 -4,189 164,652 610 -4,905 TOTAL 145,413 160,357 Puge17

The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, St Marychurch, Torquay, TQ1 4PZ

Notes to the Financial Statement for Year ending 31[st] December 2023

1. Accounting Policies

Basis or Preparing the Financial Statements

The accounts are produced on a Receipts and Payments basis. As a small charity, it is not obliged to follow the Charities SORP (FRS 102).

Taxation

The Charity is exempt from tax on its charitable activities.

2. Fund Accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the Trustees.

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular purposes.

3. Trustees’ Remuneration and Benefits

The Trustees received no remuneration of other benefits for the year ended 31[st] December 2023.

There were no Trustees’ expenses paid for the year ended 31[st] December 2023.

4. Staff Costs

One cleaner/caretaker was employed during the year.

5. Debtors and Creditors

All Debtors and Creditors are due within one year.

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The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, St Marychurch, Torquay, TQ1 4PZ

Independent Examiner Report to the Trustees of The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary the Virgin, St Marychurch, Torquay

Charity Number: 1128269

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary The Virgin, St Marychurch, Torquay for the year ended 31[st] December 2023.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

I report in respect of my examination of the Charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: (1) Accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or

(2) The accounts do not accord with those records.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Ian Barrett FCA FCIE Barretts Chartered Accountants and Chartered Tax Advisers 22 Union Street Newton Abbot TQ12 2JS

Dated: 16[th] May 2024

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General Reports for 2023

Deanery Synod ‘Highlights’ for 2023

There were three meetings during the year: February’s was at St Mary Magdalene Church in Torquay, July’s at St Mary the Virgin in Churston Ferrers, and October’s at Christ Church in Paignton.

At each meeting the parishes were invited to share their ‘Blessings, Challenges, and Opportunities’ i.e. what is going well, what the difficulties are and the plans for improvement. The topics were many and diverse, so just to pick a few: in February we heard about the work of the mobile food bank in Torbay which had been funded by a government grant and the support given by a number of Churches to Asylum seekers and also Ukrainian refugees. All Parishes were encouraged to make use of the Safeguarding Dashboard, and many present said how helpful it had been. James Davenport stepped down as Deanery Treasurer - a year later this post has still not been filled, but he is looking after things in the vacancy.

Fr Kenny Wickens was welcomed as one of the new members at the July Synod, and new Standing Committee members were chosen, among them Fr Nick Debney. We also learnt that Reverend Nathan Kiyaga was to step down as Rural Dean. October was Reverend Nathan’s last Synod in this role, and in February of this year (2024) Fr Peter March was commissioned by Bishop James Grier as the new Rural Dean of Torbay.

It’s good to have the opportunity to meet with people from other parishes, as well as to go to other churches, always starting with an act of worship which reminds us that we are all part of a much larger body, united in Christ.

Nicola Hall and Christine Hinchliffe Deanery Synod Representatives

Forward in Faith and Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda Report for 2023

Forward in Faith is the organisation which funds the work of the Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda, the Society. It is important that as a church affiliated to the society those members of our congregation are also; should they wish to be. They should also be encouraged to be members of Forward in Faith.

This year saw Fr Nick Debney serve his six year as Clerical Chair and is stepping down so that Fr Ben Rabjohn’s can take up the reigns, Mrs Sue Way as Lay Chair and locally Fr Peter March as members of the council as the clerical representative for our Archdeaconry. There is currently a vacancy for a lay representative. Meetings were all held by zoom and we hope to resume face to face meetings in 2024.

Fr Nick Debney Clerical Chairman of Forward in Faith

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Structure, Governance and Management

This parish is a constituent member of the Torbay Deanery. The parish is within the Totnes Archdeaconry in the Diocese of Exeter of the Church of England. This parish receives episcopal oversight from the Bishop of Ebbsfleet and latterly from the new Bishop of Oswestry and has passed a resolution under the House of Bishops’ declaration on the ministry of Bishops and Priests.

This parish is affiliated with The Society under the Patronage of Saint Wilfrid and Saint Hilda and remains a member of Forward in Faith. Our services are of the Anglo-Catholic tradition with our worship is enhanced by the use of incense, candles, music, altar servers, and vestments.

This parish is registered with the Charity Commission – Charity Number 11282569.

The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The Parochial Church Council operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. Members that make up the Parochial Church Council are either elected, ex-officio or co-opted and are all trustees.

Locally the parish is governed by the Parochial Church Council (PCC) which reports its activities to the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) of all laypersons who names are entered into the electoral roll of the parish and all those clerics licensed to the parish or who have the Diocesan Bishops Permission to Officiate. The APCM meets once a year and has a report on the work of the Parochial Church Council, reports from officers and leads on activities and an update on the fabric of church buildings and their use. At this meeting the elections of the Church Wardens and members of the Parochial Church Council are held.

Church Wardens are ex-officio members of the Parochial Church Council. Two Church Wardens are elected by the annual meeting of the parishioners (during the APCM). This consists of members of the parish by local government electoral roll by reason of them residing in the parish and by those on the parish electoral roll.

Licensed Clergy are Ex-officio members of the Parochial Church Council, the Priest in Charge is the Chair of the Parochial Church Council. Retired Clergy or Readers with the Bishop’s Permission to Officiate do not have places within the Parochial Church Council.

At the first Parochial Church Council meeting after the APCM the Officers of the PCC are elected (Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer). Co-opting of members can be undertaken at any Parochial Church Council meeting.

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The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin

St Marychurch, Torquay, TQ1 4PZ

Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting Held on Sunday 21[st] May 2023 in the Church after the Parish Mass

The Meeting of The Parishioners

There were 35 adults and 2 children in attendance.

Apologies for Absence

Apologies were received from Peter Gaston (Treasurer), Reverend Tony Oswin and Valerie Oswin.

Minutes of the 2022 Annual Parochial Church Meeting

Fr Nick asked all to turn to the minutes of the 2022 Annual Parochial Church Meeting. The notes were correct as proposed by Wendy Piddlesden and seconded by Nicola Hall.

Priest in Charge’s Report

Fr Nick said had been an absolute joy to be here he offered a massive thank you for making him and his family so welcome. He is enjoying being here but we have a long way to go. His first 6 months have been extremely busy, also we have had the death of Her Majesty the Queen requiring a lot of arrangements. Our schools work is really positive and good relationships are being made within the local community. Renewed links with Coombe Pafford and St Margarets schools have been an additional joy. Fr Nick shared the news that we will be welcoming a new curate, Kenny Wickens in the summer which is a real accolade for the parish.

Fr Nick paid special thanks to Chris Hinchliffe as sole church warden during interregnum and for all her hard work. He went on to thank all the members of the PCC, our Choir, Servers, cleaners, flower team, refreshment group and all who undertake a ministry for the glory of God at Mary’s. When this church was destroyed the community came together and the church continued to flourish, his shared his hope that we will flourish once more.

Fr Nick asked if there were any questions of concerns which people wished to raise from the floor. There were none.

Churchwardens Report

Christine Hinchliffe shared her report with the meeting. Fr Nick asked if there were any questions for Christine, there were none. Fr Nick thanked her for her report.

Election of churchwardens

Christine Hinchliffe and Phillipe Giorgetti had been nominated as Churchwarden’s with Leslie Northway-Reux to support them as a Deputy churchwarden. Given there were no further nominations all were duly elected.

Meeting of Those on the Electoral Roll

Presentation of the New Electoral Roll

Fr Nick advised our electoral role is looking good, we have 72 on this year’s roll, an increase of 17. Fr Nick thanked Margaret Roper for all her hard work with this.

Honorary Secretary’s Report

Fr Nick asked if there were any questions, there were none.

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Treasurers report

We are continuing to support the payment of the Common Fund from the Barewell fund (from the sale of the curates house in 2021) but Fr Nick hopes in 2 years to be paid from giving. We are meeting all financial commitments but need to undertake some work surrounding our investment income, the claiming of Gift Aid and more budgeting and financial planning in the future. We need to keep a close eye on utilities in the hall and the church as we face an increase in our costs. There is a small surplus this year, which is something to be celebrated, but we must not be complacent in our giving, our fundraising, and our expenditure.

Fr Nick said expressed sincere thanks to Cornerstone shop which makes a huge difference to the way we manage our finances and look after our beautiful buildings. Any questions, there were none. Thanks were expressed to Peter Gaston in his absence for his hard work throughout the year.

Elections of the Parochial Church Council

The following people were elected to serve on the PCC for the ensuing year: Jan Condict Janet Morgan Margaret Roper Meg Joliffe Nicola Hall Peter Gaston (Treasurer) Sarah Williams Valerie Oswin Wendy Piddlesden Alexandra Bleloch Barry Stevens Angela Lee (Secretary)

Appointment of An External Examiner

The meeting appointed Ian Barrett as independent examiner.

Electoral Roll Officer

Margaret Roper has agreed to continue as the Electoral Roll Officer.

Parish Safeguarding Representative

Valerie Oswin has agreed to continue as the Parish Safeguarding Representative.

Next PCC Meeting

The new PCC will meet for the first time on Wednesday 22nd June at 7pm in Church.

2024 Annual Parochial Church Meeting

The APCM will take place after Mass on Sunday 19th May 2024 in Church

Signed……………………………………..…………

Date: 19th May 2024

Fr Nick Debney, Priest in Charge

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