The Parochial Church Councll of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary's Church, Stoke D'Abernon Registered Charity no 1128323 ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025 RECTOR Revd Sister Phaedra Pamphllon-Green CA BANK Natlonal Westminster Bank PIC Independent Examlner Mr lan Roberts, BSC, ACA 40 D'Abernon Drive, Stoke D'Abernon KTII 3JD
Annual Report for the Year ended 31 December 2025 Background St Marfs Parochial Church Council IPCCI has the responsibility of promoting the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelical, social and ecumenical. Membership Members of the PCC are either ex officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting IAPCMI in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. During the year the following Served as members of the PCC:_ Minister5 Reverend Slster Phaedra Pamphilon Green CA - Rector Reverend Mary-Beth Hawrish William Fellows Claire King Christopher Harwood Churchwardens Representative on the Deanery Synod Elected Members Julian Ball (Ringing ML75ter) Claire Saxton {Treusurer} Mike Lee Mary Quinn Harriet Mortimer lan Read Janice Scott Susie Carpenter PCC Secretarv Polly Zabari Electoral Roll As required, a new Electoral Roll was prepared in March 2025. The total number on the new roll was 105, of which 28 were resident in the parish and 77 outslde the parish. One resident and 3 non-residents were subsequently removed from the Roll due to deaths and 4 non-residents were added, so that at the year-end the total remained at 105.
Rector's Report As I reflect on the past year, I do so with deep gratitude. Ministry is never something one person carries alone. Everything we celebrate at St Mary's is sustained by the faithfulness, generosity and commitment of many people, and I want to begin simply by Saying thank you. First, to our Churchwardens. At the APCM, Claire King took over from Sue Prentice. who had served faithfully as Churchwarden for six year5. Sue's contribution to this parish cannot be overstated. Together with lan, she kept the parish steady during the Interregnum. She was diligent in her role and worked tirelessly to ensure that we remained financially afloat. Her careful oversight and commitment provided stability at 3 crucial time. Sue continues to Serve on the PCC, offering her wisdom and practical skills, and she has ensured that the lunchtime concerts remain part of our life together. Those concert5 bring real joy to many and are a wonderful expression of our musical identity. Sue, thank you. Clalre King and William Fellows have carried the responslblllty of Churchwarden this year with wisdom, steadiness and grace. It has not been an uncomplicated year. Their leadership, clarity and resilience have mattered deeply, and l am very grateful to them both. l also want to thank the PCC for their continued support, seriousness and prayerful engagement. Shared leadership strengthens parish life. In particular, thank you to Janice Scott, our Safeguarding Representative. who keeps us up to date with OBS checks and safeguarding training. Safeguarding is central to who we are as a church, and Janice ensures that this remains active and visible. Thank you also to Christopher Harwood. our Eco Church Representative. Through his commitment we have achieved our Bronze Eco Church award and are now working toward silver. His work reflects our responsibility to care for God's creation. Thank you to Claire Saxton, our Treasurer. Although this is a paid role, the responsibility it carries is significant. Claire oversees our finances With dili8ence and clarity, en5urin8 that we remain accountable and well-managed. Her careful stewardship underpins so much of what we are able to My heartfelt thanks 80 to Polly Zabari, our administrator. Much of what Polly does happens quletly, yet the smooth running of parish Ilfe depends upon her organisation and calm efficiency. Parish administratlon continues to grow in complexity, and Polly manages it with professionalism and generosity. You will also see Polly helping at our monthly Spud Suppers, at Burns Night, and indeed at almost anything that involves hospitality. Her willingness to serve in so many ways reflects the spirit of this parish. To our vergers, lan Reed and James Vickers. thank you. lan faithfully prepares the church week by week for our regular services. ensuring everything is ready with consistency and care. James serves as our Wedding and Funeral Verger, supporting families at some of the most significant and tender moments of their lives. Together they help create an atmosphere of dignity and welcome. My deep gratitude goes to Matthew Brown, our Direttor of Music. The music at St Marfs is exceptional. Whether in the Music Festival, weddings, funera15 or our choral services. the standard 15 remarkable. Our Easter service this year was described by many as extraordinary. That reflects Matthew's dedication, insight and pastoral care. He shapes worship that is both beautiful and spiritually profound.
Thank you to our wonderful church choir for their faithfulness week by week. We are also deeply grateful to the additional Norbury Choir who join us for choral 5ervice5 and now truly belong to St Mary's. Together they enrich our worship immeasurablv. Thank you to Sara Reed and the team of flower arrangers who fill our church with beautythrou8hout the year. Their work draws us into the seasons of the Christian calendar and enhances our worship in quiet yet powerful ways. My thanks also to Julian Ball and our bell ringers. The bells mark our great festivals and our moments of remembrance. They call the community to worship and remind the wider parish that St Mary's is here, alive and active. I want to express my gratltude to Mary-Beth Hawrish for her falthful ministry among us. Her wisdom, prayerfulne55 and pastoral presence continue to bless this parish. Hospitality has been a definingfeature of our year. Mondays@Mary's continues to grow and flourish. Each week we See people gathering for tea, cake, conversation and companionship. Familiar faces return and new faces arrive. It has become a living expression of welcome and fellowship. Thank you to Nicky Murray and Mary Quinn for organi5ing and cooking the delicious Chrlstmas meal early in December. It was a joyful and generous occasion, bringing people together around tables in celebration and friendship. Burns Night again drew almost a hundred people. welcoming both parishioners and the wider community. Our Music Festival continue5 to grow and showcase who we are as a church rooted In worship and excellence. I would also like to offer special thank5 to Judith Elliston and Malcolm King for the way our Ilfe-slzed Stable has continued to develop. The addition of Ethel the sheep and the wise men brought such delight. Our Advent Carol Service, with the blessing of the stable, drew around one hundred people. The church was full. and sharing mulled wine and mince pies afterwards created warmth and fellowship that felt very special. Malcolm also deserves thanks for being the practical problem-solver every parish needs. His willlngness to mend, repair and improve so many aspects of our building and grounds makes an enormous difference to our daily life. It has also been encouraging to see growth within our congregation this year. We have welcomed new people Into church life, and It has been especially wonderful to see children, babies and young families among us. Ourtraditional worship continue5 to reach across generations and offer depth and beauty to all ages. Alongside these blessings, we have also experienced sadness and strain. The car park situation has had a significant impart on us this year. The actions taken by the management of Parkside School, particularly in restritting access to areas historically used by those coming onto the site, took us by surprise. We were compelled to seek legal advice and have incurred considerable cost in doing so. Claire and William have borne much of that pressure on behalf of us all, and l am deeply grateful for
their steadiness under stress. We remain commwtted to seeking a fair and lawful resolution, and to doing so with integrity. Thi5 year has also brought loss. We have said farewell to Valerie Meurisse, Isobel Stoughton, Geoff Trickey, Anthony Elliot. Bill Bryce and Gordon Rodgers parishioner5 who each played significant roles in the lrfe of this church over many years. Their faithfulness, service and presence helped shape St Marls intothecommunitywe are today. We rememberthem wlth gratitude and hold theirfamilies in our prayers. As we look toward 2026, we do so with hope hope shaped by resilience, grounded in fatth and sustained by the life we share together. We look forward to resolution wherethere has been tension. We look forward to continued growth. We look forward to deepening our identity as a church rooted in prayer, beauty and generous hospitality. Finally, I want to thank all of you. Thank you for your presence, your faithfulness and your prayer. Thank you for the care, love, hospitality and friendship you have shown to Antony and me. It Is a privilege to serve here and to share this journey with you. Rev. Phaedra Parnphilon Green Rector 51Page
Churchwardens, Review of the Year 2025 has a8ain been a successful year for St Marfs under the leadership of Rev Phe with continued growth of our congregation and the launch of new artivities and events. Church Attendance Rev Phe's energetic leadership, excellent preaching and sympathetic pastoral care continues to inspire and grow St Marvs and church attendance was well supported over the year with an average of 40- 45 attendee5 at 10am Parish Eucharist, 10 at 8am said Holy Communion and 15 at Evensong. During the week we regularly have small congregations at Morning Prayer, Holy Communion, Mattins and our Meditation Service. We held some memorable services throughout the year. The Advent Carol Service11021, Nine Lessons11501, and Christmas Eve Crib and Christingle services12301 were particularly well attended and at Easter the Tenebrae service on Good Friday and Dawn Fire service on Easter morning were deeply moving. In addition, our reputation for beautiful music drew significant numbers to a special VE Day Evensong and Surrey Bach Festival Choral Evensong. As a result of the generosity of parishioners, we were able to make donations to the Brit15h Legion for Remembrance Day and to the Children's Society and Oasis at Christmas. We contlnue to host a collection bin in support of Cobham Foodbank and we are grateful to those parishioners who regularly contribute to it. Whilst we welcomed new worshippers to St Marfs, we were saddened by the deaths of Gordon Rodgers, Geoff Trickey, Anthony Elliot, Valerie Meurisse and Berenlce Simm. They were all much- loved and long-standing members of our community and they are sadly missed. Church Warden Change 2025 saw Sue Prentice stand down as Church Warden after having served for 6 years and Claire King kindly agreed to step up. We would like to record our thanks to Sue for all her hard and dedicated work, including having served through the Covid period and the vacancy. We are delighted that she has agreed to continue to organise the monthly lunchtime concerts. The Church In June 2025, we were able to make significant improvements to the sound system In the Church thanks to a generous donation by a parishioner. Our gratitude and appreciation to them must be recorded. Early in 2025 it became apparent that the 200-year-old wooden fencing on the wall to the left of the Lych Gate was in serious condition. Thanks to the efforts of Sue Prentice, we were able to secure a CIL grant and in November new oak fencing that replicates the old was constructed and installed for Us by Daniel Kursa Oak Ltd of Epsom. We are delighted with the re5uIt, which will, we hope, last St Marfs another 200 years. The Church Hall During 2025, the refurbishments planned for the Church Hall were completed. The lightin8 was upgraded to LED, acoustic panels were installed and the hall wa5 redecorated. Fortunately, the cost of the lighting upgrade and acoustic panels was largely covered by generous grants from Surrey, CC, the Diocese and personal donations and we wish to record our gratitude to all who contributed. Parkslde Sadly, the issue that has dominated discussion throughout 2025 has been the ongoing dispute with Parkside School regarding car parking and signage. This blew up in January when on receiving our
customary, neighbourly notification of our need for parking to accornmodate a funeral, the school responded by coning off area5 of the leased car park. Despite initial attempts to communicate with the school, the Church felt compelled to turn for advice to the Diocesan Solicitorfs, Birketts. During the summer, the dispute escalated when the school acted to prevent parishioners from using the diagonal parking spaces and the overflow car park. Despite several face-to-face meetings between the Church Wardens, school governors and the headmistress, we have still been unable to reach a resolution. but we haven't given up and are continuing to work at it. We are extremely grateful to Richard Venables and Michael Carpenter for their legal advice and to all the people of St Mary's for both their moral and generous financial support as we continue to try and reach an amicable and workable solution. In addition to the unresolved parking problems, Parkside had raised objections to the Church by erecting a permanent sign at the entrance to the estate. During 2025, we have obtained planning approval for our sign and the agreement of Surrey Highways Department to erect It on their land outside the gate. We are hopeful that this will take place very soon. Muslc Music at St Mary's continues to develop and improve. Once again, we are grateful to Matthew Brown for his enthusiastic and inspired leadership 35 our Director of Music. The Norbury Singers regularly augment the church choir at special services throughout the year and maintain a hlgh standard of choral repertoire. 2025 saw the second Surrey Bach Festival which was ar)other great success and made a profit for the Church of £2¢]00. We are grateful to Chelsea FC, NFU and Menzies chartered accountants as well as some individuals for sponsoring the event. Planning Is already underway for our 2026 festival. Events and Soclal Activities We held our second Burns Night which wa5 3 great success. A fun night was had by all with delicious 3 course dinner, dancing with live band. a piper and traditional addressing of the haggis. In May. we hosted a successful tea party and Choral Even50n8 in celebration of VE Day, and we once again enjoyed a delicious Christmas Lunch in December, thank particularly to the delicious cooking and hard work of Mary Quinn and Nicki Murray and our special thanks 80 to them. Our monthly Spud Suppers continue to be well attended, and we would like to thank Susie Carpenter and Polly Zabari for all their hard work in organising and running these events. March 2025 saw the launch of our community café. Monday @ Marvs. This has become a highly successful meeting place after the Chairyoga on a Monday mornin& with a regular attendance of 15- 20 people. On the Second Monday of each month, we link up wlth the Princess Alice Hosplce to host Compassionate Café for anyone suffering from, or caring for a loved one with, a life-limiting th condition. On the 4 Monday, under an initiative backed by the Diocese, we hold a Hear Here clinic providing simple maintenance for users of NHS Hearing Aids. Eco Church Christopher Harwood continues to be our eco champion and following the lighting upgrade and renegotiation of elertricty contractswith Octopus Energywe have now been awarded 3 bronze award by the Diocese. The Website We are very grateful to Kevin Wood, one of our Norbury Singers, for refreshing and upgrading our website which is now very much sharper and includes a facility to book the church hall online. The latter makes the enquiries and reservations for our hall much slmpler. It is much appreciated by Polly 71Page
and bookin8s have increased. 2025 also saw the upgrade of all the computer5 in the office. pcc We are grateful to all who serve on the PCC and give of their valuable time. We would like to thank Claire Saxton for agreeing to once again take on the role of treasurer, to Janlce Scott for her vital role as our Safeguarding Oflicer and to lan Read who continues as Verger, assisted by James Vickers. We are also very grateful to Anne Driver for her bookkeeping, Stephen Chater for managing our planned giving and organizing church guides, Julian Ball for dealing with gift aid and Arthur and Brenda Way for dealing with the cash. Volunteers We should also like to thank all our volunteers for their dedicated service. Thank you to Sara Read and her team for their beautiful church flower arrangements, Malcolm King for his contribution as our odd-job man and of course Polly for all her hard work and commitment as parish administrator. So much of what we do at St Marfs would not happen rf it were not for Polly. Claire King and Wllllam Fellows Church Wardens Committees Finance and Standlng Committee The Finance Committee and Standing Committee is the only committee required by law and must consist of not less than five members. The Finance and Standing Committee ha5 power to transact the business of the PCC between Its meetings, subject to any direttions given by the PCC. It is also responsible for ensuring that an annual budget is prepared for approval by the PCC and has oversight and control of all financial matters. Worshlp Supervision of and liaison with all those Involved in leading worship 15 maintained by the Rector. This includes intercessors. chalice a5SiStants, lay reader5, lay preacher5, director of music and captain of the bell tower. afeguarding of children and vulnerable adult At St Marf5 we continue to adhere to recommended Safeguarding practices to promote a safe environment, ensure safer recruitment practice and respond promptly to any reported concerns. Details and contact information are available on the church's website. St Marfs follows the Guildford diocesan advice which adopts the national Church of England Safeguarding policies and templates, and we are well supported by the Safeguarding team at the diocese. In 2025 the diocese focussed on training to raise awareness of domestic abuse. All PCC members are encouraged to undertake Basic and Foundation training in Safeguarding, which is a standing a8enda item for PCC meetings. In 2025 both the church's Fire Safety Policy and Health & Safety policywere completely reviewed and updated. 81Page
rh November 16 2025, was Safeguarding Sunday, when Revd Mary Beth Hawrish reported on how Safeguarding operates in our church on a day-to-day basis. The Parish Dashboard requires regular updated information on Safeguarding, including checks on church activities to ensure they are safely run, monitored and supported. Our church actlvities currently include Mondays@Marys, Spud Suppers and Chair Yoga. Janlce Scott Parish Safeguarding Officer Director of Music's Report The Music Department has had another successful year in 2025, with continued excellent work from our Parish Choir and Norbury Choir in our liturgical music provision, a second successful 5urrey Bach Festival, and a continuing series of Thursday lunchtime concerts. l am very grateful forthe support of the PCC and the church community in all our musical efforts. Parlsh Choir The Parish Choir continues to lead the congregatlonal worship at Parish Eucharist and Evensong, and to sing alongside the Norbury Choir at choral services. Numbers have declined slightly since 2025. but the choir remains able to provide a strong lead forthe congregation and beneffts fromthe opportunlty to sing more challenging music wlth the support of the Norbury Choir. Norbury Cholr The Norbury Choir continues to provide a good service as the fully choral element of our litur8ical music provision, slnging a Choral Eucharist once a month. occasional Choral Evensongs spread throughout the year, festal services, and for the first time in 2025, the new Festival Evensong at the Surrey Bach Festival. Their dual role a5 providers of hi8h-level choral music and as 5UPPOrt for the Parish Choir has developed effectively. 5urrey Bach Festival The second year of the Surrey Bach Festlval contlnued from the success of 2024. wlth another profitable and much appreciated festival. In 2025, the offering of events was a weeklong. with concerts, tours, a Come and Sing Day and a Festival Evensong spread throughout the week, and attendance was consistently high. We benefited from sponsorshipfrom Chelsea FC. Menzie5. and NFU Mutual. alongside several generous individu31 donor5, which with the ticket sales brought U5 to a comfortable profit. For 2026, plans are underway for a similar week-long offering from 13th - 19th July. Lunchtime Concerts Sue Prentice continues her excellent work as primary organiser and host of the Thursday lunchtime concerts, which have seen anothervaried and interesting programme overthe course of 2025. Aswell as the selection of professional organists and musicians, the Yehudi Menuhin School provided their yearly concert again in November. which is continuin8 as a wonderful link between the church and the school.
Organ The organ continues to function well, albeit showing minor 518ns of its age at 50 years old in 2025. Advice has been taken and a rough quote obtained for a service and minor overhaul, and fundrai5in8 and planning for this will begin in 2026. Matthew Brown Organist and Dirertor of Muslc Ringing Masterfs Report It's been a very enjoyable year, and we have continued with good attendances at practice5 and on Sundays, enabling u5 to continue regular Sunday servlce rlngln& as well as ringing for weddings and special occasions. Of the two new ringers, whilst one unfortunately left due to famlly commltments, the other, Rachel, has continued to go from strength to strength and regularly ring5 on Sundays. And so on to ourthree main events that took place since the last AGM. OurTower Dinner took place on Monday 6 January 2025 when we returned to The Old Plough in Stoke D'Abernon. This remains the favourite venue, and it was an enjoyable evenin& with the bonus that. being local, some of the ringers can walk home afterwards! Our Ringin8 Outing took place on Saturday 17 May and was to the Mole Valley area, close to where I live. We visited Ockley, Capel, Charlwood, Betchworth and Buckland. We had lunch atthe Red Lion in Betchworth. Th weather was very kind to us, and it was an enjoyable day out. The weight of the bells Varied greatly during the day, however we flnished on the very light bells at Buckland. although they were still heavier than our bells at Stoke. It wa5 a good experience for u5 all and it is always good to ring at other towers and visit the churches. It was a very enjoyable day. Tony and Phe very kindly hosted a BBQ at the Rectory in July. and it was a beautiful afternoon with sunny weather. We benefited from Phe's baking skllls and Tony provided excellent support for Lee at the BBQ Our former Ringing Master, Jenny was able to join us which was a bonus. Thank you to everyone who came and to Phe and Tony for hosting it in their garden. There was also some sad news during the year, as in October, one of our long term supporters, Jennifer Meade. the former Tower Captain at Esher, passed away in October. Jen sUPPOrted u5 at prartices and helped by ringing at weddings, and we miss her greatly. We were invited to ring at her funeral at Esher Church a5 she had wanted the bells to sound joyFul, which was the sound that she had loved hearing. As mentioned last year, we would like to recruit maybe one or two new rin8ers and rfanyone would like to 8ive it a go then please get In touch, or Speak to me at the Church, and I would be happy to show you around and demonstrate what is involved. l am so very grateful to all the ringers who are always supportive, enthusiastic and willing to help, and without whom there would be no rin8ingl Finally, may I please thank Phe and the Churchwardens, who have been so supportive during the year. as has Polly, always! We are also grateful for the continued support from all the parishioners- thank you. Jullan Ball Ringing Moster IOIPage
Eco Church 2025 began with achievement for St. Marls of the Eco Church Bronze Award certificate which is now displayed in the Parish Hall demonstratingthe official journey start to reduce our church energy costs. This is part of the carbon net zero 2030 strategy of our Diocese and the Church of England. We are guided by a benchmarking survey up to Gold as do most of the parishes in Surrey with the online resources of http.'//echochurch.orocha.org.uk a Christian conservation charty endorsed by the Diocese of Guildford. The flve of mlssions of St. Marfs Echo Church activities for this past year are listed below.. l. Worship and Teaching. Our Rector, Rev. Phe provides leadership with her awareness and gratitude for creation bountifulness in her sermons and prayers and event hymns. so that we might be encouraged to become better steward5 Of nature and its wildlife not only for its survival but also for our wellbeing and as a faith strengthener. 2. Church buildin8s and energy costs. St. Marf5 Hall built in 2010 swapped out this year its inefficient fluorescent tubes for LEDS to be better lit, thanks to a Quick Wins grant from the Diocese of Guildford and a generou5 donation. This now makes the hall a more environmentally conscious venue for hiring and with new acoustic tiles improving sound quality and insulation this makes for a comfortable environment. We have switched to one of the CofE recognised green electric tariffs and this helps lower utility bills. The hall has already an air source heat pump, and all counts as Net Zero building. 3. Church land and nature, St. Mary's supports No Mow May as May is a critical time for insects to boost biodiver51ty, uncut grass allows wildflowers to grow in our churchyard that provide vital nectar and pollen for pollinators and struggling insect populations. We have mowed the grasses edges and garden of remembranceto keep the grounds smart and safe forvisitors. But ourtimely request to the ouncil contractor for No Mow May wa5 met with a refusal because of more work required later. St. Mary's has the perfect land to allow nature to flourish. It is also part of our silver award goal. Will you join the campaign? Two more bird feeders are added. It is a regular job to refill, and we are rewarded by more bird song. Thankyou forthose parishioners who donate bird seed. We need more supporters. 4.Community and global engagement. As individuals we may accept that the world's climate does change and Its current severity causes disasters in different countries. As a parish here we can serve our community by various initiatives that inform and help preparedness. The PCC is to consider what appetite there is for St. Marf5 to hold a climate cinema event for families that has been succe55fully presented in other church parishe5. An example to watch is Prof. Alistair Skelton zoom call wlth Eco Church Peaslake httPs,'//www.youtube.com/wotch?v=GB-(71zlucGw Let us know if you support a Eco film event. 5. Lifestyle awarenes5. Actions include buying and supporting Falr Trade Foundation coffee. 8y now most of us are aware of the 're-use, recycle, possibilities in our lives and the enjoyment of Eco Crafts. St. Mary's promote this creativity. This has become popular with specific online platforms that all helps to reduce landfill and mountains of clothes dumped overseas. Recently the General Synod had debate voting in favour of the sustainability movement of buying flowers for church in season and avoidin8 foams that cause pollution. St. Martys will be looking at these environmental issues Christopher HanNood Eco Church Representative IIIPage
St Mary's Community Involvement Will Foodbanks soon dlsappear7 Unfortunately, no. Many famllies are Struggling, as we reported last year and the year before, and numbers have increased significantly since we started the foodbank in December 2013. The aim was to help families about three times only, as an emergency measure, to get clientsthrough a sudden change in their situation, allowing them to use their available money to pay arrears of any kind, while we supplied food they would not need to buy meanwhile. But almost 13 years later, the kind of need has changed dramatically. Credit and loans are more available (hence debt building upl, the job market has changed, salarie5 and work opportunities have altered, and there has been a great increase in food prices in shops and in utility costs. Health issues, especially mental health, have risen not just winter-influenced illnesse5, but Narovirus and still COVID in new "disguises"/variants. They are all still affecting many people of all ages in the area, some with profound consequences. We are only open one day a week. Our catchment area is Cobham, Ox5hott. Stoke D'Abernon, Downside, East & West Horsley, and Effingham. We still have 15-20 families visiting us weekly to collect food. and we provide some deliveries (also made by our volunteers) to help clients who cannot come to us. Some families in our catchment area have no transport or any person able to collect food for them; we offer the delivery service in exceptional circumstances only. Thank5 to the generosity of many donors- especially from St Mary's Church and Church Hall, Stoke D'Abernon. and many individua15- we have received sufficient funding and stock forthe warehouse to help all client5 who come to us for support. In the period from 1st April 2025 to 30th January 2026, we received 126.92 kg {last year: 135.41 kg) of food donations from church collections, and from hall collections only 48.41 kg {last year.. 133.54 kg). It is a sad story that it is still so essentlal to help people with food who do not have enough money to feed their families. We also thank all the people who have donated money to our account. We have many expenses to run the foodbank insurance, rent, and upkeep of the foodbank van. Regularly, we must buy additional food when stocks are low. We have no salaries to pay for anyone active in the foodbank. In the period mentioned, we received a total of 1,886.82 kg of food. but we had to buy nearly 300 kg to fulfil our outgoing food needs. On the positive side, we were able to give 59 of our families a generous Christmas hamper, including fresh items fruit, vegetables. and eggs bought from the local market - and fresh meat from the butcher in Oxshott, who gave us a price redurtion for foodbank clients. We also had plenty of Christmasfood goodiesto distribute. However, it does not Stay"Christmas" forever, and manypeople re-joined the queue forfood atthe foodbankfrom mid-january onwards. Joining the queue are many adults who have jobs but cannot cope with the cost of livin& and worried parents who cannot feed their children. Our food donations are well down in these months, but we need your continued help, support, and prayers for all these deprived people in our community. 121Page
Many thanks for all your contributions. Christina van Roest Trustee and Generol Manager Church Guides The Church Guides welcomed a wide range of vlsltors to St Marfs at weekends durlng 2025 from April until October. The number of vi51tors to St Marfs recorded in the Visitor5, Book during 2025 was 142. They came from Armenia, Australia, Canada, Estonia, France. Moldova, South Africa and the USA, as well as from all parts of the UK. During the year, we welcomed an enthuslastlc group from Fetcham U3A and we led two well- supported organised tours as part of the Surrey Bach Festival. In 2026, we plan once again to open 2pm-4pm on Saturdays and Sundays from Easter Dayto the end of October. To achieve this, however, we are entirely reliant on volunteer Church Guides being able and willin8 to 8ive up their time for the enjoyment and education of members of the wider community. We are very grateful to them. For further information, or if anyone is interested in joiningthe team of Church Guides, please conts Polly at adMIntmar 5stokedabernon.or Stephen Chater Church Guide Church Activities 2025 proved to be another successful and popular year for our Lunchtime Concerts and we held 8 concerts across the year. We had a good variety of performers both solo and duos wlth three organ recitals, a guitar recital and piano duos featurln8 the clarinet, violin and a Tenor singer and finishing off the yearwith our annual vlsit from the young pupils at the Menuhin School. Our audience numbers are 8enerally in the mid 30,5. The average profrt we made across the 8 concerts was £183 a concert. We started off the year with a wonderful Organ Recital given byour old friend and ex Deputy Organist Oliver MacFarlane, in February enjoyed a Guitar recital by lan Watts and then in March had a lively Clarinet and Piano duo with lain Clarke and Ellie Kershaw. In May we were delighted to welcome back Katherine Dienes Williams the Organist and Dirertor of Music at Guildford Cathedral who performed fabulous Organ programme for us. The June recital was the first at St Martys to feature a Tenor singer and Pianist and wa5 enjoyed by everyone. Dueto the Music Festival and the way the dates fell we decided not to have a July concert and so kicked off the Autumn with our own Matthew Brown giving an Organ recital. The October concert featured an extremely talented young violinist, Matteo Cimatti accompanied by Roksana Dabkowska and was a real highlight. We then finished off the year with a delightful recital by Pupi15 of the Menuhin School featuring Violin. Viola. Guitar and Harp. We are extremely fortunate to be entertained by some amazingly talented international muslcians and in order to continue to be able to hold our concerts we do need to keep our audience numbers increasing. If anyone has any idea5 to help our marketing and promotion do let Sue or Polly know. We A3IPage
are also very grateful for the generosity of our audience members who donate via the collection at the end of the recital which covers the costs of the professional musicians and contributes to fund raising for our Church. Sue Prentice Deanery Synod The 2025 year comprised of three meeting5 for Leatherhead Deanery Synod. The first on Zoom on February 26th. The Subject speaker was Martin Carr, Net Carbon Zero Project and Engagement Lead, Diocese of Guildford. He had been asked to advise what our parish churches should be doing to reach Net Carbon Zero by the C of E 2030 target, as well as explalnlng about the systems available for alternative heating. Thi5 W35 helpful to all parish eco-teams and church wardens. As an outcome from the Diocese promotion, St. Marfs Lay member, Christopher had attended the Net Zero Audit to Attion webinar and researched churches in Surrey and vislted them to experience alternatives to gas heating. They are Air source heat pumps, under pews elertric heating or electric Infra-red overhead heaters. Last two methods heat the congregation rather than the church space. All Saints, Church, Ockham hosted the second meeting on Ilth June. Extrarts: Speaker was Revd Canon Dave Gardner, Member of the Vision and Strategy Team at the Archbishops, Council of the Church of England. His talk was 'How to make your church community more spiritually healthv with the question 'what helps us to grow spiritually and be better at missionP' Recent research by the Gregory Centre for Church Multiplication has shown that the key to spiritual growth for most people is not adopting demanding spiritual disciplines but being part of a healthy church communityl Revd Canon Gardner spoke on two aspects of the research carried out namely: 11 How Christians, especially those aged 18-35, grow spiritually; and 21 How to equip churches to facilitate spiritual growth in their congregations. In question time, in response to the question 'How should we read the Bible for transformation rather than just informationf, the speaker recommended an approach of asking oneself, 'What do I think thi5 might mean for my lifeP' In response to the question 'How do we do this without becoming exhaustedP' the reply was that we must stop and abide. A pattern and a rhythm in life is desirable. St Andrew'5, Oxshott h05ted the third meeting on 15th October 2025. Extracts: theme was "Adolescence-what can we leam aboutyouth Culture?" To explore the challenge5 and opportunities facing young people today, and how churches can engage more effectively with youth culture in our communities. Presentatlon'Adolescence' delivered by Mikey Dlcken and Adam Brown, youth workers at Leatherhead Youth Project. Set up 20 years ago, this charitable organisation operates Monday to Friday and aim5 to provide 'radical h05PitaliW and a '5afe social space, and to build 'relational trust, withthe youngsters who drop by after school. There are currently Ilfull and parttime team members who work in the centre and visit local schools in the Mole Valley area. Revd. Renos Pittarides introduced Shirley Mensah from St Andrew'5 in Cobham as the new youth and children's ministry CQ- ordinator forthe Deanery. The Leatherhead Deanery Synod encourages parishioners to attend and forthe elected lay member/s to represent their parish church hence notice of the agenda is given and any parish questions asked can betaken forward. Do ask Rev. Phe or myself if you would liketo know more. Christopher Harwood Chrfstopher Harwood Deane Synod Representative 141Page
Finance l am pleased to present the Financial Statements for the year ending 31st December 2025 and would like to provide some colour to the figures. We received income of £226k during the year and spent £262k, resulting in net outgoing resources of £36k. Excludin8 one-off Items of income and expenditure we had net outgoing resources of £24k, meaning we were running at an average loss of £2k per month in terms of general running cost5 of the church and the hall. Our primary income stream as ever is our incomefrom planned givers. Togetherwith gift aid, we were grateful to receive £86k, an increase on 20241£79kl due to the successful stewardship campaign in 2024. We received grants in the year from the Diocese and the Council to the sum of £24k for the hall acoustic panels, hall LED lights and for the fencing outside the lychgate. The hall continues to be an important asset. Hall hlre was approxlmately In Ilne wlth 2024 {£35k generated vs £38k in 20241. Key Items of spend in the hall included the redecoration lat a net cost to St Marys of £9k after grant5 received}, 3 new dishwasher1£3kl and the new sound system1£4k - although the majority of this was covered by a donation}. We were fortunate to receive legacies in the year totallin8 £llk. Donations of £18k were received, a significant increase on last year {£4k} a5 we received donations for our Legal Fund Appeal I£Sk). the sound system1£4kl, our new LED li8ht51£2kl and from a family grateful for our support for a funeral 1£2kl. Concerts and recltals in the account5 includes the Music Festival this generated income of £19k {2024: £16kl. Expenditure on this also increased year on year to £17k12024: £13kl, which gave us profit of £2k. Monthly recitals in the hall continue to be successful. making an average of £2 profit per concert for St Marls. Parish Activities includes Burns N ight which generated income of É5k. Expenditure was £3k. givlng us £2k profit for the night which was in Ilne wlth 2024. Monthly Spud Suppers are popular, raising over £lk of profit for us during the year. The Parlsh Share is the maln sourte of expenditure, at £90k for the year which was 1% increase on 2024. This is increasing by a further 2% in 2026. We have incurred exceptlonal le8al costs during the year due to the ongoing dispute with Parkside regarding parking-we spent £17k which was unbudgeted. Due to a new booking system for the hall, we have altered the proportion of Polly's salary that is allocated to the hall from 65% of her salary to the hall to now 25%. The accounts have been adjusted to reflect this change for 2025 as well as 2024. Our cash balance at the end of the year was £97k, a fall from the end of 2024 when it was £136k. We have two savings accounts generatin8 interest. 151Page
Looking forward to 2026, we are anticipating replacing the current church boiler at a cost of £12k and we hope to launch an Appeal to supportthi5. We a150 have our quinquennial review in the church due totake place in the summer. We have budgeted forfurther legal costs of £7k in casethey are required. It has been a challenging year in terms of expenditure for St Marws and we are constantly striving to find new sources of income with regards to the hall and to keep our expenditure in check. Mythanks as always goestothe Finance Team-Anne Driver, Arthur and Brenda Way, Stephen Chater and Julian Ball. Without their dedication, our finance System would fall apart! Claire Saxton Treosurer Planned Giving During 2025, we gained two new PG members, and we lost four members, so we now have a total of 66 PG members. In addition, two of the existing PG members decided to increase their regular giving, which is encouraging. The financial impact of the fall In the number of PG members is significant. especially in the light of increasing costs. The net1055 on an annualized basis is £5,180 and this increases to £6,475 if the loss of potential Gift Aid is included. We continue to be enormously grateful to all regular givers for their loyalty and generosity and look forward to recruiting new members during 2026. Stephen Chater Hon. Treosurerof Planned Glving Reserving Policy, an explanatory note We have traditionally had a policy where we maintain minimum unrestricted reserves of 60% of annual operating expenditure. however during 2025 we breached this policy due to our higher-than-expected levels of spend. We have reviewed our financial risks in terms of a potential decline in our income, unforeseen emergencv costs, operational cost increases and trough5 in cash flow. We therefore belleve that we should be holding a minimum of unrestricted reserves of 30% of annual operating expenditure. Thi5 level will be sufficient and prudent for us to navigate any financial difficulties. We have two savings accounts which generate interest. Investment policy• an explanatory note Having regard to the purposes for which reserves are held. it is considered prudent not to expose the church's funds to the risks to capital implicit in, for example, equity and property type assets. Apart from day-to-day working capital in a current or deposit account, the practice 15 normally to hold assets in relatively short term sterling deposits and investments carrying lal a capital guarantee: Ibl a facilitv for immediate or early withdrawal without undue penalty: and {c) minimum default risk. 161Page
STOKE D'ABERNON PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL AFFAIRS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2025 BALANCE SHEET AT 31ST DECEMBER 2025 Notes 2025 2024 Fixed Assets Freehold Property 913.023 913.023 Current Assets Debtors and prepayments Deposils"and Cash at Bank and in Hand 6,956 9,073 97.467 104,423 136,143 145,216 Current Liabllities •amounts falling due within one year Creditors {6.103 10,775 Net Current Assets 98,320 134,441 Total Net Assets 1,011,343 1,047,464 FUNDS Unrestricted Funds 10 98.320 134,441 Restricted Funds 10 913,023 913,023 1,011,343 1.047,464
STOKE D'•l8ERNON PAROCHIAL CHURGH COUNCIL STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL AFFAIRS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2026 NOTES Unrestricled Funds General Desiqnated Restricted Funds Endowment Fundy Total Fund5 2025 2024 INCOME AND EXPENDITURE Incoming R&sourc05 Voluntsry income (direct gmngl Other Voluntary incoma Gross income from 8vènis and actNit18S other ordinary income Income from investments Total Incomlng resources 21al 21bl 97,894 18,430 1.058 10,764 11 98,952 29.194 96,271 9,496 21cl 2{dl 2(el 29,650 42.042 2.092 190,108 29,650 65,665 2.092 225.553 28,067 43.436 2,243 179.513 23,623 35,445 Rasourc•s exp•nd•d Ch8ri1able 8xpgnditur8 Donations The work of the church 31al 31bl 1,211 162,685 1,058 29,583 2,269 192.268 1.919 166,007 Chutrvh Administration 3(cl 62.333 4.804 67.137 28,930 Total rpsources expended 226.229 35,445 261.674 196,856 {OUTGOINGWNCOMING RESOURCES Funds brought foard at 1 st January 2025 Funds carried fotward al 31st December 2025 136,121) 136.1211 117,3431 10 133,940 501 913.023 1,047.464 1.064,807 97,819 501 913,023 1,011,343 1,047,464
STOKE D'ABERNON PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2025 ACCOUNTING POLICIES The following accounting policie5 have been applied to rtems which are considered material to the PCC'S financial statements (al BASIS OF PREPARATION The financial statements have been prepared in accordance wth the Church Accounting Regulations, applicable accovnling standards 3nd the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting by Charities. The f inanci31 statefnents have also been prepared under the histlca1 cost convention. (bl FUNDS Unreslricted funds represent funds of the PCC, which ar8 not"subject to any restriction regarding their use and are available for application for the general purposes of the PCC. They include general funds for the day to day working of the PCC, designated funds earmarked by the PCC for particular purposes or to provide reserve5 for future contingencies and other funds not appearing under these other headings. The restricted fund relates to St Mary's Hall and St Mary's Meadow both of which are shown at a value of £100 each. together WTlh the cost of the new Sl Mary's Hall of £912,823. The accounts include transactions, assels and liabilities for which the PCC can be held responsible Icl INCOMING RESOURCES il Volunta income and ca ital sources Collections, grants and donations are rec(yJnised when received Amounts received under covenants and grft aid are recoJnised when due Income tax recoverable on covenants and gift aid is reccgnised when claimable Fund5 raised by special events and sales table are accounted for gross ill Other ordina income Parochial fees due to the PCC for weddings and funerals are accounted for when due and are net of the Diocesan proportion
STOKE D'ABERNON PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 315t DECEMBER 2025 (continued) iiil Income from investments Interest is accounted for when it is recelved (dl RESOURCES EXPENDED Donations and other costs are accounled for when due. There are certain costs such as the administrator's salary which are allocated bebNeen the church and the hall,. the proportion of how they are split is an estimate and has been reviewed and updated during the year. The comparatives hav.e also been updated to ref lect the currenl alloCa'on of.the_cosls. (e) FIXED ASSETS i) Consecrated land and buildin s and moveable church furnishin Consecrated and ben8ficed property is excluded from the accounts by Section 96121 of the Charities Act 1993 Other freehold land and buildin Propety for the use of the PCC for its own purposes is included in the Balance Sheet at cost or valuation al the date of acquisition. No depreciation is charged against these properbes but any expenditure on the maintenance or improvement of the properties15 eXperd as incued. (fl CURRENT ASSETS Debtors comprise amounts due to the PCC. Ig) CURRENT LIABILITIES Creditors comprise amounts due by the PCC at the year end or within one year of that date. These amounts include suppliers of goods and SeiceS lo the year end forwhich accounts had not been received at that dale.
STOKE D'ABERNON PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2025 (continued) Unreslricled Funds General Desig- naled Reslricled Funds Tol81 Funds 2025 2024 INCOMING RESOURCES 21a} Voluntary Income (direct givlng} Planned Giving Grfl Aid Not gift aided Income Tax Recoverable olleclions in Church 65,354 4,072 16,202 12,266 97,894 11 65,354 4,072 16,202 13,324 98,952 60,988 2,550 15.486 17.249 96,271 1,058 1,058 21bl Other Voluntary Incomo Legacies Donations 10,717 7.713 18,430 10,717 18,477 29,194 5,000 4,496 9,496 10,764 10,764 21cl Gross Income from events and actlvitles Concerts and recitals Parish Activities 21.779 7,871 29,650 21.779 7,871 29,650 19,822 8,245 28,D67 21dl Other Ordinary Ineomo PCC Fees Hall Hire Grants Bellringers income Sales Table 8.016 35.051 6,016 35,051 23,623 490 306 179 65,665 3,676 38,448 23,623 867 143 302 43,436 306 179 42,042 Sundry income 23,623 21e} Incom8 from Investments Interest 2,092 2,092 2,243 TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 190,1Q8 35,445 225,553 179,513
STOKE D'ABERNON PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YE4R ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2025 Icontlnugd} Unrestricted Funds Genera1 Desi nated Restricted Funds TDtal Funds 2025 2024 3 RESOURCES EXPENDED 3{al Donatlons 1,211 1.058 2,269 1,919 31bl Directly relating to tho Work of the Church Minisl Parish Share 90,448 90.448 89,427 Pri sts. Workin Telgphone Postagè and stationery Motor and Travel Miscellaneous Ex ens8s 10 177 215 460 675 215 460 675 24 211 Re¢to enses Walgr Rates 674 674 674 674 1,009 1.009 Church runnin He81ing arid lighting Insuran¢8 Repalrs and Maintenance Mlscellaneous Altar frontal ex ense 3.830 2.017 5,162 1.618 4,254 1,899 6.840 2,017 5,162 1.618 4,878 17,871 12,627 12.627 of Services lar rwuisiles Organists. Fees Singers and music Books and printing Miscell8neous 600 9,394 4,135 1,122 10,S66 5,178 9,394 4,135 1.142 1 S,271 1,142 15,271 954 17.868 31bl CARRIED FORWARD 119.695 119,695 126.386
STOKE D'ABERNON PAROCHIAL ¢HURCH COUNCIL NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2025lcontlnuedl Unresiricted Funds General Desi nated Restricted Funds Total Funds 2025 2024 RESOURCES EXPENDED Iconlinuedl 31bl Directly relatSng to the work of the Church brought forward 119,695 119,695 126.386 Church Hall AdTnin5tratoes salary (proted) Cleaning Light, Heat Bnd Water Rates ItT5urance Malnt8n8ncè Decorating Dishwasher Lighting Acoustic panels Sound system Telephone Printing, stationery and photocopwng Websiie and IT support Mis¢ellaneous 5,215 8,771 3.651 1.648 3.565 5.350 3.192 2,720 567 347 860 5,215 8,771 3,6S1 1.648 3,565 5.350 3,192 9.720 14,610 4,307 880 801 1,059 4.013 66.762 4,782 7,791 6,209 1,557 6.221 7,000 14.043 3,960 994 852 391 2,103 30,900 1,059 4,013 41,759 25.003 Ghurch ard 730 4.580 5.310 0lh8r 8ellringers' costs 501 501 501 1.069 1,069 Totsl rèlatfjng tc* the Work of thg Church 162.685 2g,583 192.268 158.355 31cl Church Administration Adfflin51rato¢s salary Ipro-r8tedl Printing. siationery and photo(x)pwng Telephone Travel Web51te and ST supp( Sales Table Accountancy fe?5 Planning fee5 Legal fees Bank charges Parish Functions Miscellaneous 15,644 2,060 860 15,644 2,060 860 14.347 2,220 994 92 391 1,059 286 3,669 1.886 12.052 553 24,261 1.059 286 3,669 1.886 16,856 553 24.261 4,804 580 17,677 281 36.582 62,333 4,804 67.137 TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 226.229 35,445 261.674 196,856
STOKE D'ABERNON PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31$¢ DECEMBER 2025 {¢ontinuedl STAFF NUMBERS AND COSTS The PCC made Parish share payments of £90,44812024- £89,427) to cover all Diocesan costs on a formula ba&s. Staff employed by the PCC are.. . 2025 2024 Administrator Organist 20,859 8.872 -9,723 No financial benefit has been reflected in these a¢¢ounts for Ihe time and effort freely given by many members of St Mary's Church invdved in the running and administration of church activities. INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S FEES AND FEES FOR ACCOUNTANCY SERVICES The PCC is not charged a fee by the independent examiner. Accounlancy payments amounted lo £3,66912024- nill. FIXED ASSETS FOR THE USE OF THE PCC The following fixed assets are used or retained by the PCC 2025 2024 St Mary's New Hall (cost) 912,823 912,823 St Mary's Old Hall (residual value) St Mary's Meadow {estimaled value at date of gift in 1957) 100 100 913023 100 913 023
STOKE D'ABERNON PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2025 Icontinuedl 7 DEBTORS AND PREPAYMENTS 2025 Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds 2024 Unreslricted Restri¢led Funds Funds Income tsx recoverable Sundry debtors 4,716 2.240 6.956 7,730 1,343 9,073 8 CREDITORS 2025 Unreslricled Restricted Fur)ds Funds 2024 Unrestrided Restricted Funds Funds Receipts in advance Sundry creditors 2.888 3,215 6,103 4,319 6,456 10,775 9 DEposrrs AND CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND 2025 Restrioled Funds 2024 RestrGted Funds Unrestricted Funds Endowment Funds Unrestricted Funds Endowment Funds Building Society Cash al bank and in hand 68,587 28.880 97.467 98,495 37,648 136.143
STOKE D'ABERNON PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL NQTes TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2025 leontlnuedl 10M VEMENTS OF F NDS Balances Net Funds Trarisfers Balances at 3111212025 inEI)mingl 0110112025 loutgoingl resoUrS Unrestrlcted fund5 G&neral Designatèd 133,940 501 134,441 {36,1211 97,819 501 98,320 136,1211 Restricted Funds Freehold Property Fund 913.023 913.023 1.047.464 136.121 1.011.343
STOKE D'ABERNON PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2025leontlnuedl 31al DONATIONS G6neral Fund5 Désignated Funds General Funds De5ignaied Funds 2025 2024 Crisis at Christmas Familie5 for Children Macmillan Oasis Family Centre Cobham Royal British Legion The Chiklren's SocJety 510 30 389 623 247 50D 2.269 613 169 625 1,889 30 Total for ear 2,269 1.919