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2024-12-31-accounts

THE PARISH OF ST MARTIN WITH ST PETER

In the Worcester Deanery of the Diocese of Worcester Worcester South East Team Ministry

ANNUAL REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

of the

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL

For the year ended 31[st] December 2024

Incumbent: Revd Peter Hart The Rectory 6 St Catherine’s Hill Worcester WR5 2EA Bank: CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ Independent Sally Bishop FCA Examiner: Bishop’s Accountancy Ltd Chartered Accountants Unit 3 Elgar Business Centre Moseley Road, Hallow Worcester WR2 6NJ

Registered Charity No: 1128519 Parish National Church Code: 420642141

CONTENTS

Introduction and Current PCC Members 2
Structure, Governance and Management 3
Objectives and Activities for the Public Benefit 3
Rector’s Report 4
Churchwarden’s Report (incl.Church Fabric, Goods, & Ornaments) 5
PCC Decisions 6 -8
Church Statistics 9
Safeguarding 10
Wednesday Bible Study Group 10
Prayer Groups 11
Missionary Committee 11
Children and Families Committee 11
Children and Families Minister’s Report 12
Forest Church 12
Foundation of Governors of Red Hill CofE Primary School 13
Finance and Management Committee 13
Community Care Committee 14
Social Committee 14
Mothers’ Union 14
Flower Club 14
Church Flowers 14
Music Director’s Report 15
Concerts 15
Parish Magazine 16
Churchmouse 16
Parish Centre 16
Deanery Synod 17
Donations to charity 18
Treasurer’s Report 18
Financial Review and PCC statement 19
Independent Examiner’s Report 20
Balance Sheet 21
Statement of Financial Activities 22
Summary of Income and Expenditure 23
Notes to the Financial Statements 24-29

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Page 1

The Parochial Church Council of St Martin with St Peter Annual Report for the year ending December 31[st] 2024

The PCC presents its annual report and the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2024. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” (FRS 102) in preparing the annual report and financial statements of the charity.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in notes to the accounts and comply with the charity’s governing document, the Charities Act 2011, the Charities Act 2022 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland published in October 2019.

Reference and Administration details

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Martin with St Peter, Worcester (also known as St Martin with St Peter PCC, Worcester), St Martins Church, Parish Office, London Road, Worcester, WR5 2ED is registered with the Charity Commissioners (number 1128519).

Current PCC members (until 2025 Annual Parochial Church Meeting)

Ex officio:

Rector: Chair Revd Peter Hart Other Clergy: Assistant Curate Revd Richard Wood (from July 2023) Revd Mike Bunclark (from September 2023) Churchwardens: Elected April 2024 Angela Dale (Admission from July 2024) Vacancy Deputy Churchwardens: Elected April 2024 Barbara Richards Vacancy Representatives on the Elected by APCM Anthony Glossop Deanery Synod: To 2026 APCM Shirley Scott Vacancy

Elected Officers and Representatives of the PCC

Lay Vice Chair Angela Dale* Secretary Nick Harrison ** Hon. Treasurer Cairen Stedman * Hon. Deputy Treasurer Bill Simpson Planned Giving Recorder Paul Stedman * Safeguarding Officer Malcolm McMurray Independent Examiner Sally Bishop Electoral Roll Officer Julia Glossop

Elected Members (with varying terms of office)

Robin Walker (to APCM 2025) David Scott (to APCM 2026) Marian Field (to APCM 2027) Sarah Burgess (to APCM 2027)

Bill Simpson *** (to APCM 2025)

*Trustees to whom responsibility has been delegated for the reporting of serious safeguarding and other incidents to the Charity Commission.

*** Co-opted members

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Page 2

Structure, Governance and Management

The PCC is a corporate body established by the Church of England and operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure in providing facilities for worship and religious observance for the people of Worcester and environs.

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC.

Objectives and Activities for the Public Benefit

The object of the charity is promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the church. The PCC confirms that in planning the activities for the year, they kept in mind the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit at their trustee meetings.

The PCC carries out its activities via a number of committees and working parties, using a mixture of PCC members and co-opted members. It has a Standing Committee to undertake any urgent PCC business between PCC meetings, and to prepare agendas for the PCC meetings.

Other committees are:

Children and Families (Chair: The Rector) Community Care (Chair: Isobel Maher) Concerts (Chair: Shirley Scott) Finance & Management (Chair: Anthony Glossop) Missionary (Chair: Elizabeth Yarker) Social (Chair: Alison Fraser)

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Page 3

Rector’s Report

This past year has been of particular significance for four people: Richard Wood, Mike Bunclark, Debra Hill and Angela Dale. June saw the ordination to the priesthood of our two curates, and July saw the start of Debra’s work with us as our Children and Families Minister.

Angela took over as Churchwarden at the APCM, and has shaped the role of the Churchwarden in a different direction. She is very hands-on, and works closely with the clergy, the clerk of works and the administrator to make things happen. Out of her appointment has come the Leadership Group, which meets monthly to review activities and developments and to plan our mission in the coming months. Ably supported by Barbara Richards, Angela has made a big difference to the running of the parish, and we all should be most grateful to her for all her hard work.

For Richard & Mike, ordination to the priesthood has been a great step forward in their ministry. Their joy was visible at their first mass, which they shared together with us all, supported by Ven. Robert Jones, our former Archdeacon, who had been so influential in both their journeys to ordination. Since that point Richard and Mike have embraced their sacramental ministry, as it takes them further into the work that God has laid out for them. To help them develop their craft, they have taken responsibility for the Thursday morning eucharist, initially with one of them leading the reflection and the prayers, while the other celebrated communion. Now, they take the entire service individually, swapping over week by week, or covering for one another’s absences. I have had the delight of sitting at the back and watching them grow into their priestly function. This is a blessing for us all.

Debra swung into action over the summer, meeting families and preparing to set up different activities. Out of those preparations have come a re-invigorated Mainly Music and Kids Club, an after-school activity on a Thursday, and a guaranteed Junior Church session every Sunday. She has been active across the Team and at St Barnabas: her diary filled up very quickly. To all those who have been drawn into new areas of ministry alongside Debra we are most grateful, and prayers are requested to draw more children and families into our worshipping community.

The completion of the best toilets in the Church of England was a milestone in our Widening our Welcome strategy. I must pay tribute to Dave Hall who supervised the works through a range of unforeseen issues, and delivered a really great addition to our facilities. The only remaining part of the project is the kitchen at the west end of the church: plans are afoot for its completion during 2025.

One part of my ministry that I really enjoy is leading the Bible Study on a Wednesday morning. We read the Bible passages for the forthcoming Sunday very closely, getting to grips with the text in great detail. This has deepened our knowledge and understanding of the Bible, given us a broader context so that we can put events in order, and understand the influences on later writings. It is also immensely helpful in preparing sermons, as well as being a very stimulating hour of study. There is always room for more people to join us.

I have two functions that engage me with diocesan staff. One is the supervision of our two curates. Training Incumbents meet regularly with those who are charged with the follow-on training for all the curates in the diocese to discuss progress, and to flag up potential clashes of priorities. These are valuable meetings, as much for the sharing with other clergy as for the input from the diocese. My other function is to mentor newly appointed parish priests in their first incumbency in the diocese. Last year I had the pleasure of supporting Revd Lyndsey Coulthard, previously of this parish, as she made the transition from curate of St Stephen’s Barbourne to Vicar. She is very competent, and is already making a big difference in the life of St Stephen’s, and it was a joy to see her flourish as the year went on. I am now mentoring a new Vicar in Dudley, which is equally rewarding.

I am indebted to the patience and forensic understanding of my musings and flights of fancy by our Parish Administrator, Rebecca Caskie. She can make my wilder ideas sensible and realisable, and her commitment to the good working of both this parish and the Team as a whole is to be applauded. Remember her faithfully in your prayers as she works on behalf of us all.

Finally, I am grateful to everyone who works so hard to make St Martin’s function as a welcoming and prayerfilled church. The reports do not give a full picture of all the work that is involved in making music, producing the magazine, developing our work with children and families, reaching out into our community, relating to all the local schools and demonstrating God’s love in practical ways. Without all of you, this parish would be a shell, and St Martin’s an empty building. Instead, with your dedication and faith in action, St Martin’s is alive, warm and welcoming, commending God to everyone.

Fr Peter, Rector

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Page 4

Churchwarden’s Report (Including Church Fabric, Goods and Ornaments)

This year we have made changes to how people experience Church when they first come through the door, by making it more visually open and accessible. This has been achieved by moving furniture so that when you come through the door, you have a clear view of the Church. Opening the wooden doors (in the warmer weather) also allows people passing to look in, and for those in Church to admire the glass doors. The Welcome Team have also embraced the wearing of named lanyards so that people new to Church have a point of contact. The number of tables for refreshments at the back of Church has been increased and this has proved extremely popular – good to see so many more people staying after services for a drink and chat.

In July, after a few weeks of necessary disruption, the Tunes and Chips Children officially cut the ribbons and declared our new toilet facilities open. Who knew that this could be so exciting! The facilities have made a significant difference, particularly with the accessible toilet and baby changing area and have been declared the best toilets in Worcestershire.

In December we were successful in our grant application for partial funding for repairs to the two flat roofs on the west side of church (main entrance and upper kitchen area). Both roofs have been leaking and causing paintwork to discolour and flake. Work will commence on the roofs as soon as weather permits which will then allow us to redecorate the ceilings.

At the end of the year a leak from pipes in the boiler room was discovered. We have been able to reduce this leak, but we are in the process of identifying a more permanent and stable solution. This work will be undertaken during the warmer weather when the heating is switched off.

Towards the end of the year we received an extremely generous donation from the Mary Hill Trust for work on our final stage of the WOW project. The servery will be crafted off-site with installation in the new year.

At the end of the year we said goodbye to our cleaner who has been struggling with poor health for a while. Some wonderful volunteers covered her duties in Church, but this was not sustainable. We moved on with temporary appointments and will shortly be seeking a permanent replacement.

During the summer and autumn, thanks to a group of brilliant volunteers, the garden areas around Church received much needed attention. This has been supplemented by the services of a gardener. Whilst it was sad to lose so much hedge to the dreaded box tree moth, it did enable us to have a magnificent display of recycled poppies, made by Redhill CofE School, for Remembrance Sunday commemorations. Thanks to a generous donation, we now have new hedging.

Work is ongoing in terms of sorting out what we store in Church and trying to break the habit of hoarding things we no longer need or use and are of no intrinsic value.

Finally, thank you to all those who have been so supportive and encouraging in my first term as Churchwarden. I know transitions and change can be challenging for some, but your kindness and confidence in me has been overwhelming.

Angela Dale, Churchwarden

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Page 5

The Parochial Church Council of St Martin with St Peter PCC Decisions 2024

Mtg Date Decisions
Jan 9th Agreed:
Christingle Service to be held at the end of January, Holy Week
services still being planned.
Agreed:
To recruit a new temporary cleaner to cover continued sick leave
of permanent post holder
Agreed:
Sub Committees to be contacted and requested to produce their
own Risk Assessments in relation to Safeguarding.
Agreed:
Richard to arrange booster session, from the Diocese, for PCC
members after the APCM
Agreed:
Due to funding issues work on the kitchen/servery is on hold
Agreed:
Parish Share payment will be £80,000 and employees salaries
should be adjusted to match the Real Living Wage
Feb 13th Agreed:
Due to fly tipping around bins details of rubbish disposal will be
clarified for PC hirers.
Agreed:
To adopt the Social Media policy and Disclosure and Barring
Service policy with both being available digitally and physically.
Agreed:
To give Rosehill a deadline for delivery of chairs with arms and
request refund if not met
March 13th Agreed:
Financial Report approved unanimously for the APCM
Agreed:
To borrow money from the free reserves to supplement money
received from fund raising for the Project Fund.
April 28th
APCM		 Elected:
Churchwardens
Angela Dale
Deputy Churchwarden
Barbara Richards
Treasurer
Cairen Stedman
Deputy Treasurer
Bill Simpson
Planned Giving Recorder
Paul Stedman
Safeguarding Officer
Malcolm McMurray
Electoral Roll Officer
Julia Glossop
Deanery Synod Reps (to APCM 2026)
Anthony Glossop, Shirley Scott
Elected to PCC
Marian Field, Sarah Burgess
Reports Received:
Rector, Churchwarden, Annual PCC decisions, Financial accounts, Church Statistics,
Safeguarding, Fabric Goods and Ornaments, Deanery Synod.
Various updates relating to prayer, worship, regular activities e.g. Flower Club and Mainly
Music and updates from the sub committees of the PCC.

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Page 6

May 14th Agreed:
As the Articles of Visitation had not been received discussion
would be scheduled for June’s PCC.
Agreed:
PCC members and heads of sub committees will attend a
session led by the Diocesan Safeguarding Team regarding
safeguarding responsibilities and training
Agreed:
Health and Sustainability Plan to be reviewed at June PCC
Agreed:
The servery project is now on hold due to lack of full funding.
Agreed:
A communication to be sent to all hirers of the Church and PC
reminding them of their responsibilities e.g. putting chairs back
June 11th Agreed:
Tunes and chips will move from Friday to Thursday next term
Agreed:
Health & Safety Risk Assessment to be produced for the Primary
School singing Festival as it involves more than one organisation
and so we have some responsibility
Agreed:
A Team Eucharist at St Martins will be held on 30thJune and,
following their ordinations the day before, Mike and Richard will
be co-celebrants. Robert Jones will preach. There will then be a
buffet lunch.
Agreed:
To approach 2 people for help with updating the Parish Website
as only the concerts are currently updated.
Agreed:
Letter to be sent to DAC confirming work on the toilets has now
been completed and that the servery project is on hold.
Agreed:
Tables for the Autumn Fair would need to be authorised [limited
space and need not to detract from church Fund raising tables]
July 9th Agreed:
To disseminate information from PCC meetings and this would be done by
copies of minutes being available at the back of Church and on request via
the website
Agreed:
Sub Committees to produce a safeguarding risk assessment for
any activities
Agreed:
Angela Dale, Cairen Stedman and Paul Stedman to take on the
responsibility of reporting serious incidents to the Charity
Commission on behalf of the PCC.
Agreed:
Each Church in our cluster will complete a separate
questionnaire re Parish Share by 31stJuly 2024
Agreed:
Finance & Management committee to conduct a review of prices
and charges as part of the Health & sustainability plan. Planned
giving is to be encouraged with forms made available at the back
of Church
Agreed:
Welcomers to wear lanyards or badges
Sep 10th Agreed:
Paul Stedman and Cairen Stedman voted onto the PCC until next
APCM
Agreed:
Revision of some service books needed so service books
matched the mass settings
Agreed:
Leadership Team to look at the publicity on the website for the
WOW project, and other material, which is out of date.

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Oct 8th Agreed:
Role descriptions for volunteers and risk assessments for
activities to be produced in order to comply with the
safeguarding dashboard.
Agreed:
There is more work needed on the grounds than can be handled by
volunteers alone. Report to go back to Finance and management on the
possibility of engaging professional services to provide support and advice
for volunteers.
Agreed:
To move as many events as possible, subject to numbers and
type of activities, to the lower vestry to save heating the whole
Church.
Agreed:
To set up a small team to work on updating the website
Nov 12th Agreed:
Paul Stedman will take on the Parish Safeguarding Officer role.
He will need to undertake mandatory training and inform
when this has been completed, Malcolm has agreed to support
Paul through the transition phase. Malcolm was thanked for his
hard work serving as the PSO
Agreed:
Security measures to be tightened up to comply with our
Insurance policy.
Agreed:
Following Mark Carters visit and advice on some building issues an
application will be made for a grant for work on some of these
Agreed:
Leadership Team will discuss and work on a policy relating to
preventing bullying & harassment following receipt of the
Diocese document

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Page 8

Church Statistics

2024 2023 2022 2021 2020
Number on the electoral roll (31 December) 112 115 120 116 123
Average attendance at Sunday services (adults/children)
Total attending services on Easter eve/day
Total attending services on Christmas Eve/Day
Total “worshipping community”		 74/5
143
255
100		 60/5
125
130
96		 62/5
140
101
119		 [1]
69
164
101		 [1]
[1]
[1]
165
Safeguarding
Persons registered as working with children
Persons registered as working with vulnerable adults
Safeguarding Dashboard Audit compliance		 8
8
64%		 11
11
82%		 9
8
70%		 12
8
66%		 16
16
N/A
Number of weddings/blessings at St Martin’s
Number of baptisms
Number of church funerals/burial of ashes/crem. funerals		 1
12
9		 2
10
18		 6
9
6		 3
9
19		 3
2
13
Planned Giving (including PG gift aid)
No. of Planned Givers (S.O.’s and envelopes)
Average giving per planned giver
Parish Share (to Diocese)
Total expenditure
Surplus / (Deficit)
Current Assets less Liabilities (liquid assets)
Total funds c/f		 £86,247
57
£1,513
£80,000
£229,925
(£12,802)
£224,003
£430,567		 £95,308
70
£1,362
£107,989
£209,378
£4,234
£236,804
£438,742		 £98,447
85
£1,158
£105,914
£223,709
(£9,579)
£232,571
£417,028		 £96,840
85
£1,139
£105,914
£228,537
£52,151
£242,149
£451,389		 £109,376
92
£1,189
£105,914
£173,784
(£4,611)
£189,998
£372,775

NOTES: [1] Due to COVID19, Services were held in church on 11 Sundays only in 2020 and much reduced in 2021. Easter and Christmas attendance was much reduced

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Page 9

Safeguarding

The Parochial Church Council, and the incumbent, have a duty of care to ensure the protection of the vulnerable in their church community. The incumbent and the PCC have implemented The House of Bishops’ Safeguarding Policy ‘Promoting a Safer Church’, and we are compliant with our duty under Section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have due regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).

The PCC agenda includes a standing item for a Safeguarding Report, and the PCC regularly reviews all of our safeguarding policies, procedures and guidance. It also regularly considers and acts upon action plans generated by the Safeguard Dashboard.

Our compliance with all safeguarding requirements is monitored by use of the online Safeguarding Dashboard. The Dashboard generates an Action Plan for the PCC to consider, and identifies specific actions that need to be addressed in order to achieve greater compliance. During 2024, the measures on the dashboard were ‘tightened’ with the consequence that, at the end of 2024, we were 64% compliant (82% in 2023 & 70% in 2021). All activity leaders have been advised that we need to focus on Risk Assessments, Safer Recruitment and Safer Environment.

There are currently four activities involving children: Junior Church, Forest Church, Kids Club and Mainly Music. We also have two activities involving adults: Pastoral Visiting and Community Care lunches.

All appointees to roles which include regulated Activities must be appointed in accordance with the ‘Safer Recruitment & People Management’ process. This goes beyond simply obtaining DBS accreditation because people who have abused or could abuse, may not have a criminal record.

There were no incidents during 2024 requiring consultation with the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer (DSA). There were no serious incidents requiring a report to the Charity Commission. There are no current safeguarding agreements in place.

During 2023, Five people withdrew from safeguarding roles. DBS accreditation was renewed for two people, and two received accreditation for the first time. At the end of the year, we had 11 people with enhanced DBS accreditation, of which 7 were accredited to engage in “regulated activities” with children and vulnerable adults (including three clergy), one with children only, and one with vulnerable adults only.

The Safeguarding Learning and Development Framework sets out the levels of learning required according to the roles and responsibilities of all those engaged with safeguarding or regulated activities. Dependant on their safeguarding role, this may include Basic Awareness, Foundation, Leadership, Safer Recruitment & People Management, and Domestic Abuse Training. All those in St Martin’s who are involved with safeguarding activities have received appropriate training. Also, all but one PCC member, and two church officers need to undertake training/further training.

After nine years, this is my last report to the APCM, and I have now passed on all safeguarding records to the new Parish Safeguarding Officer, Paul Stedman.

A big thank you to all who have engaged with safeguarding over the past year, and especially to those who fulfil safeguarding roles in the church.

Malcolm McMurray, (ex) Parish Safeguarding Officer

Wednesday Bible Study Group

There is a faithful group of people who join together on a Wednesday morning at 11.15 to study the passages that will be read on the subsequent Sunday. We have grown together in understanding and knowledge of our Bible, and the conversation is open and challenging. There is plenty of space in the Undercroft, where we meet – come and join us!

Fr Peter, Rector

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Prayer Groups

Saturday Prayers for Peace and Justice

At 4pm, a few of us drop what we are doing, and gather on Zoom, hosted by Joan, for a 20 minute concentrated group prayer time on the subject one of us has chosen. The value of this is it's regularity, consistency, and sharing of information. Whoever has done the research for that Saturday, gives us all a picture to stimulate prayer. Also, we know we are joining with small groups all over the world who are praying about justice, war, peace, persecution, poverty, weather related disasters, and more. As a small group, we have asked ourselves, ‘should we continue?’ and the answer is always ‘yes’.

Prayer for others is an urgent duty, and a God-given privilege. We have not much more than half an hour, as we finish with the Our Father and the Grace .

Daily Compline

Compline is an ancient office of the church, and can be found in the book of Common Worship. It’s described as ‘An order for Night Prayers’.

Several of us join together on Zoom, which is hosted by Mike and Anne Bunclark, and we conduct this quiet and reflective service at the end of the day (8.30 until 8.45 pm). One person leads the reading, and one person reads the response. There is a short time spent thanking God for the day, and praying briefly for needs in the world. It could suit more people, if they tried it.

Tuesday Monthly Prayer Meeting

This is a fairly new venture, and we meet in the Lower Vestry, or in the Lady Chapel at 12.30pm, bringing our lunch with us. We discuss what we might pray about, focusing on Church matters mainly, and asking God for guidance, leadership and blessing. Joan brings a few notes to jog our memories, and of course we are free to talk and pray about what is on our mind. We start at 1pm, so could be joined by others then.

So far, very few members of the congregation come.

Ruth Kirwan, Prayer groups member

Missionary Committee

We continue to raise funds throughout the year to enable us to support Mission locally, nationally and worldwide. Our regular commitments include our Partners-in-Mission, the Diocese of Colombo’s support for the tea pickers in isolated areas of Ceylon (with a focus on the education and health of their children) and Embrace the Middle East uses our donation for its Health Fund. Our Advent and Lent Appeals supported Church Army and Ukrainian Refugees.

Our regular fund-raising events include the Plant Sale and Coffee Morning in May, and the Harvest Produce Sale in October, which bring in a good proportion of our giving. Christian Aid Week, also in May, involves many church members delivering envelopes which we no longer collect. A Christian Aid Breakfast was popular. We enjoyed photographing local churches to devise a quiz in support of ‘Ride and Stride’ our local Historic Churches Trust. We continue to send used postage stamps to USPG and Embrace the Middle East, and take gifts to Maggs Day Centre, St Paul’s Hostel, and the Foodbank. We thank everyone for their generous support.

Elizabeth Yarker, Missionary Committee Chair

Children and Families Committee

The Children and Families Committee is the forum where all our work with children and their parents is kept under review and specific projects planned. Under its oversight are The Churchmouse , Junior Church, Mainly Music, Forest Church, and all of Debra’s initiatives. The committee organised the Barn Dance last year, the games at the Pancake Party, the Easter craft session, the Christmas Craft afternoon and the Crib Service, all of which were very successful and saw a number of families join us for fun, creativity, and church decoration. The committee provides monthly updates to the PCC on all our activities with children and their parents, encouraging prayer and support for all we do. Prayer makes a difference, and transforms plans into God’s action amongst us. Let’s keep praying, and looking for God’s answers in this important area of our parish’s ministry.

Fr Peter, Children and Families Committee Chair

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Page 11

Children & Families Minister’s Report

Please note that I have only been in post for 6 months, when considering the report. I am very grateful for being appointed and I have enjoyed the role.

St Martin’s

Mainly Music was already established. However, with regular advertising and a change of layout, the numbers have grown from a regular 6-7 to a regular 19-21. There have been some great relationships with parents; a parent asked for her children to be baptised, something they hadn’t considered before.

I established a kid’s club. We have seen new children from different schools attend Kid’s Club , we have children from Stanley Road, Red Hill CofE, and Whittington CofE Primary Schools attending. We have three young leaders from Nunnery Wood and Bishop Perowne High Schools. The numbers fluctuate weekly from 3 to 13.

There was already a Junior Church established, but it didn’t meet weekly. I have run it weekly to see how the numbers would grow. It again fluctuated, but there doesn’t seem to be a difference in the numbers on a regular basis.

Pastoral support- I have met some mum’s that have needed extra support, or who are exploring their faith. I have also been supporting the ministry through messages and social media. There are many relationships being built.

I attended all the Christmas concerts of every school that used St Martin’s Church, greeting all the children, staff and parents, so I could get my face known.

St Mark’s Church and Whittington Church

I have become a regular face at Whittington Primary School. I undertake fortnightly assemblies and have led the workshops at St Philip and St James Church. I have developed a fantastic relationship with staff and pupils alike. We ran a Christmas workshop at St Marks, with children from Cherry Orchard Primary School.

Holy Trinity & St Matthew’s Church

The week I started work, iSing Pop had been invited into Perry Wood Primary School. On the back of the iSing Pop concert, we negotiated to be able to go into the school and start an after school club. We started this in September and have between 16-21 children who attend. Seeing how this was working, we established a new worshipping community one Sunday a month, in Ronkswood Community centre, which has seen children who attend the after school club attend with their families. We hope to continue to develop this.

St Barnabas

A new Blockbuster after school club was launched in St Barnabas CofE Primary School in September. The school engagement has been brilliant. The school has allowed the after school club to come to St Barnabas Church at Christmas, to engage the families. The club is well attended by 15-20 students.

I initiated a Café at St Barnabas Church, to reach out to the parents who had just dropped their children off at school. This has a regular attendance of parents and small children. I hope to develop it this coming year.

Debra Hill, Children and Families Minister

Forest Church

Last year, Forest Church ran monthly on 11 occasions (excepting January) hosted in Whittington Churchyard. Numbers ranged from 4 children to 9 children and involved at least 8 families throughout the year. The programme for the year centred on a seasonal theme around which a short time of creative worship tied into the liturgical calendar. Seasonal craft and nature-based activities engaged children in several ways with their environment, and concluded with prayers.

The central aim last year was to establish a full year programme, complete with resources. The aim for 2025 is to begin to target wider participation through the Team CofE Primary Schools, and run a limited number of off-site visits (eg local Bluebell walk and a summer coast trip). Rosie Venner has joined Chris Stand and Richard Wood to expand the team as we pursue these aims.

Revd Richard Wood, Assistant Curate

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Foundation Governors of Red Hill CofE Primary School

There are three Foundation Governors:

Father Peter Hart – Link Governor for English

Father Mike Bunclark – Link Governor for RE

Val Hall – Link Governor for Safeguarding and Looked After Children. (LAC’s).

Governors are strategic leaders of the school. The core functions of the governing body include, but are not limited to ensuring:

To fulfil these duties, we have attended, where possible, Full Governing Board meetings, termly and Sub Committee meetings, also termly.

Subject Link Governors have met with subject leaders to monitor their specific area and to gather evidence through discussion, observation, book trawls and have used pupil voice, where possible, to gain insight from the children in respect of their learning and understanding.

The Safeguarding Governor has met with the Safeguarding Lead (Head Teacher), at least half termly and checks the SCR (Single Central Register) termly. Mike also sits on the buildings and finance subcommittee. Following these visits we have written reports and reported back to the various committees.

We have sometimes been called upon to sit on panels, interviews, Head Teachers’ appraisal, and for other reasons as necessary. We have attended training to assist us in our roles and to update us as necessary. All Governors are invited to attend school events such as concerts, performances, fireworks, sports days and church services. We have attended where possible.

There is a secure area for Governors on the school website where we can access school documents, policies and to share reports.

We are particularly interested in developing strong links with St. Martin’s Church, with pupils frequently visiting the church as part of their learning and for specific school services. Some highlights this year have been the Harvest Festival and Christmas Carol Services, with pupils performing music, drama, recitals and singing. These were very well attended by parents. Artwork has been shared for display in church and for the enjoyment of our congregation and visitors.

Val Hall, School Governor

Finance and Management Committee

It has been the usual busy year for the committee. Significant issues were:

Anthony Glossop, Finance & Management Committee Chair

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Community Care

Our weekly coffee morning, PopIns, continues on Thursday mornings from 10-11am, with a happy group of friendly people. Come in, you’ll find a warm welcome. Our Lunch Party was held in February and we gave a Tea Party in July. Our guests enjoy these events, meeting their friends, and there is so much chatter and laughter. The Harvest gifts were distributed to Maggs, Worcester Food Bank, and three small hostels. We ran a successful refreshment stall at the Autumn Fair, serving coffee and cakes, followed by home-made soup, rolls and cheese. This year we distributed 25 Poinsettias to bereaved people, the elderly and housebound friends. We sent cards to bereaved families who live away from Worcester. People are very grateful that they are being remembered. We continue to visit when needed, deliver flowers to cheer, and bring people to church on Sundays.

Isobel Maher, Community Care Committee Chair

Social Committee

The Social Committee at St Martin’s continues to organise and cater for events for the church family and wider community. In June this year we were delighted to be asked to organise a special Team lunch for Mike and Richard to celebrate their ordination as Priests. We enjoyed contributions of food from all of our Team Churches. The annual Pancake Party and Harvest Lunch were both well attended and enjoyed by all. Members of the committee helped at the Autumn Fair, and various concerts held in the Church. We are planning to hold a ‘Tea Party’ in June/July of next year. New members of the committee always welcome.

Alison Fraser, Social Committee Chair

Mothers’ Union

We meet at 2:30pm on the first Wednesday of each month, apart from January and August, and open with prayers and notices before an interesting talk varying from gardening, beekeeping, to faith in the workplace. We are involved with families by working together in activities such as making angels, and putting ourselves in each others’ shoes to make a better place. We would like to thank members of the congregation for giving very interesting talks over the past year - Bill Simpson, Anthony Glossop and our former curate Phil Bradford. In June we had a strawberry tea, which was well attended, where £200 was raised. In December we enjoyed a Christmas dinner at the March Hare before resuming to meet for our February meeting. We are collecting emergency toiletries for A&E, so any contributions are gratefully received for this good cause. All are welcome to come to our meetings.

Mary Williams, Mothers’ Union

Flower Club

Flower Club meets monthly, in the Lower Vestry, ten times a year, February to July, and September to December. Flower club in 2024 was a success, we had two new members and two more came whenever they could.

Each month we do a different arrangement, in October we did an Oriental one. They were wonderful and we have photos to prove it. We have the same tutor this year, she is extremely knowledgeable, helpful, kind, a great demonstrator, and certainly helps us with all our flower arranging problems.

Flower club commences again in February 2025, with a nod to Valentines day.

Marian Field, Flower Club

Church Flowers

We would like to thank all our volunteer flower arrangers for giving up their time to enhance the Church in 2024. Please will you help us again in 2025?

Our main source of fresh flowers, oasis and other products in 2024, was from P & M Flowers, the wholesaler in Oldbury Road, Worcester. But in the autumn they went into voluntary liquidation and closed their doors. Since then we have purchased flowers at various florists and supermarkets. It was not easy, and costs increased.

Oasis and other products we can get on line, we are getting good at this, but we still need to explore a better way of obtaining fresh flowers. A local florist may be a good idea because we can buy single flowers in quantity, rather than supermarket flowers in mixed bunches. The challenge is on and we are up for this, wish us luck.

Marian Field, Church Flowers

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Musical Director

2024 began with a Choir pilgrimage to Pershore Abbey to join with Paul Trepte and the Abbey Choir to sing Choral Evensong. This was followed by tea and cakes. For the service, our choir learned a new setting by John Ireland which has subsequently been rolled out in our own church. John accompanied the service on the new Ruffatti pipe organ, which is quite some instrument, and speaks with a decidedly continental accent.

Having presented an ambitious play, A Midwife Crisis, as part of the Crib Service, the Tunes and Chips Choir continued in 2024 by joining with the adult choir on Easter Day. We also hosted two further Red Hill School organ workshops, and the first Primary Schools Singing Festival, which saw well over one hundred pupils from a number of schools joining together under the charismatic direction of Ruth Bennett, music lead at Red Hill School, accompanied by John.

With the Three Choirs Festival at home this year, we hosted some high profile concerts. Church Choir members not involved in TCF, gave a Coffee Concert singing a varied programme, with solos by Sarah Davidson and Anne Linstrum, and organ pieces from our associate organist, Robin Walker. To finish the concert, a rendition of Sir David Wilcox's Sing, to the tune of the Toccata by Widor, was much appreciated.

In September, Tunes and Chips was integrated into our Kid’s Club offering, which has a music session, games, and worship every week in term time. Once again, the singers contributed to Harvest Festival and the Crib Service and have become more expert at singing with microphones.

Church Choir numbers remain stable over the year. For Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, amazingly, nobody was ill with a cough, cold, or flu, which was miraculous I feel, given how much pestilence was around.

I am continually grateful for the support of Robin Walker and Matthew Gardner for their organ and piano playing. The Rector kindly agreed to a modification of my terms and conditions, thus giving one Sunday away each month.

Going forward, the mission will be to keep looking at new expressions of music in worship and build on our links being made locally with our schools, especially with our secondary schools.

John Swindells, Director of Music

Concerts

From the beginning of 2024, Rebecca Caskie took over as Concerts Administrator, and has fulfilled the role with efficiency and enthusiasm. With the support of our trio of musicians - John Swindells, Matt Gardner and Robin Walker - we have been able to manage all our ad hoc bookings and, with the help of other volunteers, have served refreshments to our audiences whenever required, all proceeds going to St Martin’s. Apart from our regular hirers - Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra and Severn Arts - we hosted four concerts given by artists/groups who were new to us, and all appreciated the facilities we provide.

As agreed towards the end of 2023, Matt Gardner took over the organisation of our series of monthly Coffee Concerts on Saturday mornings, and I’m pleased to report that these have been going from strength to strength. Matt writes: “The concerts continue to be well supported by audiences and a wide range of musicians who give their services for free. In 2024 these concerts raised a total of £2,937 in audience donations for a variety of charities nominated by the performers, as well as contributing £1,675 to church funds via refreshment sales. Special thanks must also be offered to all the volunteers who help with cake baking, running the café and moving furniture.”

This year it was Worcester’s turn to host the prestigious Three Choirs Festival and St Martin’s was privileged to be chosen as a venue for four events during the week at the end of July. With a small team of volunteers, I was able to run a café during all the events, and this raised around £500 profit for St Martin’s - in addition to the 4-figure sum paid to us by the Festival for our facilities.

In October, we held our second Silent Film Night - two hilarious black & white classics, accompanied by the eminent pianist Colin Sell. We were grateful to the Cathedral for lending us their very large projection screen, to the Diocese for the loan of a projector, and especially to Colin who gave his services free for this charity event. After paying significant film rights, we raised £600 for the WOW Projects Fund.

All these events continue to bring in new people to appreciate our building and our warm welcome - all part of our Mission, as well as raising much needed funds for the Church. I’m grateful to Matt for keeping accurate financial records and maintaining the Concerts Account, and at the end of the year the Committee is delighted to be able to pass on over £9,000 in Concerts profit to the General Fund.

Shirley Scott, Concerts Committee Chair

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Parish Magazine Report

We currently have fewer advertisers and fewer subscribers, and could do with more of both. Articles submitted by members of the congregation (or suggestions for content) are always welcome. The editor’s policy is to feature different images on the cover and this seems to have been welcomed. If anyone would like one of their own images to feature, please submit a digital version, but the house rule is that it must be taken within the area covered by the Worcester South East Team, and any people featured must grant permission.

Beverley Hart, Parish Magazine Editor

The Churchmouse Report

We started this simple monthly children’s newsletter in 2022 as the Parish Magazine format is not very hospitable in scale to kids’ stuff! During, and since, Advent (when we had to reprint) all the copies have been distributed, in part thanks to the efforts of Debra. Although contributions from our younger members are not as numerous as we’d like, they are most welcome.

Beverley Hart, Parish Magazine Editor

Parish Centre

This is the first time a report on the Parish Centre has been included in the Annual Report, so a bit of ‘background’ may be helpful.

The Parish Centre was built in 1903 as a Mission Hall, where the congregation of St Martin’s worshipped until the church was built and consecrated in 1911. The choir stalls from the mission hall were re-installed in the church and, with some modifications, are still used today. It is not owned by St Martin’s - it is leased to us by the Diocese of Worcester, and we are responsible for all running costs and repairs.

There are two halls with a basic kitchen adjacent to the upper hall and a utility room off the lower hall. Access to both halls and to the toilets is via stairs, so disabled access is very difficult. Unfortunately, the layout of the building is such that providing disabled access would be very expensive. We also have 11 lock-up garages at the rear of the Parish Centre, which are mainly let for storage. The roof of the garages is in poor condition and leaking – repair or replacement will be necessary in the near future.

Currently, there are nine groups using the Parish Centre:

16[th] Worcester Scout Group – Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers meeting weekly in term time.

Some of these groups have been using the Parish Centre for many years – the Guides recently celebrated their 80[th] Anniversary! It demonstrates how important it is as a community resource.

Both halls are available for hire for parties or events, particularly at weekends. A huge thank you to Joan Hazzard for all her work in managing bookings, and invoicing of rental charges.

In December of each year, any surplus from rental income, less expenses, (and a working balance of £2000) is transferred into church funds. This is a significant contribution to church funds, but we are committed to potentially large expenditure in the future for the maintenance and repair of the fabric.

I have been manager of the Parish Centre for 20 years, and I would now like to pass on the role. If you are interested, please contact me or Angela Dale.

Malcolm McMurray, Parish Centre Manager

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Deanery Synod

Deanery Synod has met three times this year. On each occasion we are at a different venue. This serves two purposes. The first is the opportunity to visit the very varied locations of parishes in our Deanery, and also to ensure not every Synod member has a distance to travel each time.

The first Synod was an opportunity to meet the new Archdeacon - Mark Badger. He encouraged us to think about mission with a particular focus on engaging with people moving into new housing developments but also thinking about how we connect with new people moving into existing homes in our parishes. As groups from different churches we were encouraged to look at what our churches currently offer, and where there are openings to extend our welcome beyond the church setting. The aim is to bring people gradually into contact with the church and faith by using experiences and settings where they feel more comfortable.

At our second Synod meeting we were invited to bring our Treasurers along. Quite often issues involving finance are discussed at Diocese level without the impact of everyday, individual parish life being articulated. This meeting was used to discuss the issues faced by us as parishes, which were then presented to the Diocesan Officers for them to understand our concerns.

Our final meeting, held on a Saturday, had two guest speakers. Revd Kim Brown has been appointed to help develop New Worshipping Communities. She has a wealth of experience, and provided many resources and ideas that parishes can build into current parish activities. She is willing to help all churches wanting support to develop their interaction in communities.

The second speaker was the Revd Duncan Hutchinson, who has launched the Church and School Partnership Award in our Diocese. Even though we do not have a church school linked to St Nicholas, it does not prevent us from building stronger bonds with secular schools.

An extra event, organised by Revd Paul Wilcox was a Deanery Prayer event. It was held on September 11[th] , offering prayer stations linked to praying for different aspects of our Deanery life. The detail that was put into the evening was excellent, but unfortunately very few non-clergy attended. This was a shame, as the quality of what was offered was excellent.

Finally, our Area Dean is leaving us for pastures new, we await a new Area Dean being appointed.

Elizabeth Fleming (Deanery Synod Rep) and Nick Stephens (Diocesan Synod Rep)

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Donations to Charity

St Martin’s aims to donate at least 5% of the church’s income to good causes, and the Missionary Committee fundraise through the year. Donations to local, national and international charities are made from these sources and from other income. The following gifts are included in the church accounts. In addition, a further £6,592 has been set aside by the PCC but not yet disbursed.

USPG £1,012 W&D Historic Churches Trust £50
Church Army £551 Mission Aviation Fellowship £75
Embrace the Middle East £250 Bible Society £75
Maggs DayCentre £75 Christian Aid £200
St Pauls Hostel £75
TOTAL £2,363

St Martin’s sponsors Coffee Concerts featuring local artists who choose a charity to benefit from a collection during the performance. The proceeds are paid directly to the charity and are not included in the church accounts. The table below shows the amounts raised net of gift-aid as this is claimed by the charity concerned.

St Richard’s Hospice £570 Worcester Snoezelen £214
Midland Freewheelers £319 Grace KellyChildhood Trust £171
Trussell Trust £315 Elgar School of Music £171
Worcester Foodbank £306 Maggs DayCentre £170
Severn Arts £301 Embrace the Middle East £95
Water Aid £245 TOTAL £2,877

St Martin’s also organises collections for many charities (including for Christian Aid Week and the Disasters Emergency Committee) and facilitates charitable donations at funerals and other events which are not included in the church accounts. For example, the Harvest Festival food collection was donated to Worcester Foodbank.

Cairen Stedman, Treasurer

Financial Report

As presaged in last year’s financial report, some difficult decisions were made by the PCC about expenditure this year, the principle one being our inability to meet the full Parish Share due to the diocese to support our parish clergy. Nevertheless, the total funds of the church have decreased by around £8,000 over the year. In part this can be attributed to funds needed to complete the Widening Our Welcome project to upgrade our toilet facilities, but is also due to having sadly lost from the parish a number of regular givers.

The current market volatility and outlook for the economy as a whole are concerning; the church benefits from the interest of the John Carter Endowment Fund. This fund grew by around £4,500 in the year, but it remains to be seen how markets will adjust over the coming year. Some of the Margaret Benson bequest has been used to help fund our Children and Families Worker, and the benefits of this in drawing new members into our community are beginning to be seen.

To support the church’s mission financially, everyone can help by joining one of the financial support schemes. As a new incumbent to the position of treasurer, I can appreciate just how much of the workload the Parish Giving Scheme has taken – if you are not yet signed up, I would encourage you to consider doing so. Further details are available at www.parishgiving.org.uk. For those who shop online, many major retailers are signed up to EasyFundraising (www.easyfundraising.org.uk). Individuals sign up and designate a charity (which could be St Martin’s) and the retailer donates a small amount of each purchase. It may seem tiny, but pennies add up. Please do talk to me or Paul for more information if you would like.

This year has been a very steep learning curve for me, as Paul and I took over from Garth and Christine as treasurer and planned giving co-ordinator, and we are grateful to them for the huge amount of support they have given – we hope to rely on them less as time goes on.

Cairen Stedman, Treasurer

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The Parochial Church Council of St Martin with St Peter Financial Review Statement of the PCC members responsibilities regarding financial matters The PCC members are responsible for preparing the Trustees, Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practicel. The law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the PCC members to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the PCC incoming resources and application of resources for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the PCC members are required to.. selert suitable accounting policie5 and then apply them con515tently observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2019 make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed. 5ubjert to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial Statements prepare the financial statemerbts on the going concern basis unless it 15 inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation. The PCC members are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the PCC and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity IAccounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the Church Accounting ReEulations 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the PCC and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Approved by the PCC on............. signed on their behalf by www.StMartinsWorce5ter.orE.uk Page 19 vrww.facebook.(x)m15tMartlnsWorcester

Independent Examiner's Reportto the Tntstees ofThe Parish of St Martin with St Peter, Worcester I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the tharity for the year ended 31 December 2024 which are set out in the followin8 pages. Responslbllhles and bosls of report As the chariws trustees you are ￿sponsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requlrements of the Charitles Act 20111.the ACVI. I report in respect of my examination of the charit￿5 accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Dirertions given by the Charity Commission under sectlon 14515llbl of the Act. Independent examiner's ststement 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 respett= accounting records were not kept in respett of the charlty as required by settion 130 of the Act,. or 2. the attounts do not accord with those records; or 3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements conceming the fomi and content of actounts set OLrt in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts glve a'true and fair vieW which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection WTth the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in older to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Sally Bishop FCA Bishops Accountancy Ltd Chartered Accountants Unit 3 Elgar Business Centre Moseley Road Hallow Worcester WR2 6NJ Date: I￿1 wl202S w%Y.StMartinsWoTcester.or8.uk w.facetook.comlStMartinsWorcester

There may be minor discrepancies in the totals as the pence are not being shown

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There may be minor discrepancies in the totals as the pence are not being shown

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The Parochial Church Council of St Martin with St Peter

Summary of income and expenditure From January 1[st] 2024 to December 31[st] 2024

2024(£) 2024(£) 2024(£) 2023(£) 2023(£) 2023(£)
Income Expenditure Difference Income Expenditure Difference
Plannedgiving 71,925 77,440
Plate collections 4,158 4,076
Gift Aid received 16,968 18,874
Legacies 0 25,969
Donations 3,658 2,855
Bank/BuildingSocietyinterest 7,316 6,954
John Carter Bequest 5,586 5,501
Parish Share 80,000 107,989
Alms from St Martin's 6,592 5,298
Church & P.Centre Insurance 6,947 7,035
Church maintenance & repairs 3,320 5,894
Church cleaning 1,606 2,216
Parish Centre cleaning 6,699 9,012
Sub-total 109,611 105,164 4,447 141,669 137,444 4,225
Church utilitybills * 9,062 (9,062) 8,280 11,842 (3,562)
Parish Centre utilitybills * 4,897 (4,897) 2,780 6,838 (4,059)
All other Parish Centre 23,932 1,926 22,006 19,502 3,319 16,183
All other salaries 13,000 44,229 (31,229) 2,000 21,989 (19,989)
MissionaryFund 2,114 2,139 (25) 2,792 2,747 45
Biliki Fund 301 316 (15) 286 182 104
Projects Fund 27,005 45,866 (18,861) 2,630 7,608 (4,978)
YoungPeople 2,122 1,788 334 852 882 (30)
Organ and Church Music 61 2,223 (2,163) 1,102 1,990 (888)
Garages 5,256 0 5,256 5,341 0 5,341
Concerts 12,290 2,654 9,636 8,139 1,101 7,038
Magazine Income/expenditure 4,297 2,300 1,997 4,115 1,604 2,511
Other income and expenditure 17,134 7,361 9,773 14,124 11,832 2,292
Total 217,123 229,925 (12,802) 213,612 209,378 4,234

*In 2023, energy surcharges were applied to church and parish centre rentals, which have been consolidated into rental charges in 2024.

There may be minor discrepancies in the figures above as the pence are not being shown

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The Parochial Church Council of St Martin with St Peter

Notes to the Financial Statements

From January 1[st] 2024 to December 31[st] 2024

1 Summary of significant accounting policies

(a) General information and basis of preparation

The charity (St Martin with St Peter PCC) constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland issued in October 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Charities Act 2011, the Charities Act 2022 and UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

The financial statements have been prepared to give a ‘true and fair’ view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a ‘true and fair view’. This departure has involved following the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland issued in October 2019 rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 which has since been withdrawn.

The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis under the historical cost convention. The financial statements are prepared in sterling which is the functional currency of the charity and rounded to the nearest £.

The significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all years presented unless otherwise stated.

(b) Funds

Unrestricted general funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Unrestricted designated funds are used by the trustees for particular projects and purposes. The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. These funds cannot be used by the trustees for any other purposes unless determined by the Courts or the Charity Commissioners. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in note 3 in the financial statements. Specific fund policies are detailed in note 2.

Endowment funds are restricted funds that must be retained as trust capital either permanently or subject to a discretionary power to spend capital as income, and where the use of any income or other benefit derived from the capital may be restricted or unrestricted. Details of the single St Martin’s endowment fund is shown in note 2(h).

(c) Income recognition

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when the charity is legally entitled to the income after any performance conditions have been met, the amount can be measured reliably and it is probable that the income will be received.

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The Parochial Church Council of St Martin with St Peter

Notes to the Financial Statements

From January 1[st] 2024 to December 31[st] 2024

For donations to be recognised the charity will have been notified of the amounts and the settlement date in writing. If there are conditions attached to the donation and this requires a level of performance before entitlement can be obtained, then income is deferred until those conditions are fully met, or the fulfilment of those conditions is within the control of the charity and it is probable that they will be fulfilled.

For legacies, entitlement is the earlier of the charity being notified of an impending distribution or the legacy being received. At this point income is recognised. On occasion legacies will be notified to the charity when it is not possible to measure the amount expected to be distributed. On these occasions, the legacy is treated as a contingent asset and disclosed.

Dividends and interest are accounted for when receivable.

Gift Aid received from donations is recognised during the financial year in which the donation is received.

Rental income from the letting of church premises, income from church magazine adverts and any other income is recognised when received.

(d) Expenditure recognition

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Expenditure is recognised where there is a legal or constructive obligation to make payments to third parties, it is probable that the settlement will be required, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as an expense against the activity for which the expenditure arose.

Costs of raising funds comprise those costs directly attributable to fund raising events.

(e) Tangible fixed assets

Expenditure on equipment used within the church is depreciated on a straight line basis over 4 years. Individual items of equipment costing £1,500 or less are written off when the asset is acquired.

(f) Fixed asset investments

Investments are quoted on a recognised stock exchange and the value that derives from them is valued at market value at the year end.

g) Debtors and creditors receivable / payable within one year

Debtors and creditors with no stated interest rate and receivable or payable within one year are recorded at transaction price. Any losses arising from impairment are recognised in expenditure.

(h) Pensions

Contributions to defined contribution plans are expended in the period to which they relate.

(i) Going concern

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis as the trustees believe that no material uncertainties exist. The trustees have considered the level of funds held and the expected level of income and expenditure for 12 months from authorising these financial statements. The budgeted income and expenditure is sufficient with the level of reserves for the charity to be able to continue as a going concern.

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The Parochial Church Council of St Martin with St Peter

Notes to the Financial Statements From January 1[st] 2024 to December 31[st] 2024

2 Specific fund policies

(a) Free Reserves

The PCC will try to maintain a balance on Free Reserves equivalent to at least six months Unrestricted Funds expenditure. This is held to smooth out fluctuations in cash flow and to meet emergencies. If the reserves fall below this level, the PCC will plan to reduce expenditure and increase income so that this balance can be achieved. Free Reserves comprise the General Fund and the Designated Funds. Refer to note 11 for a compliance check.

This policy is regularly reviewed and revised following ongoing research into current practice.

(b) General Fund

This must be maintained at a higher level than the total of the other unrestricted funds (except the Reserve Fund). If needed, the Treasurer can transfer money from the Reserve Fund to the General Fund. A balance of £10,000 in this fund is maintained at year-end by transfer to or from the Reserve Fund.

(c) Concerts Fund

This generates profits received from church musical events. A balance of £1,500 in this fund is maintained at year-end, with the surplus being transferred to the General Fund.

(d) Hardship Fund

The Hardship Fund was created in November 2023 to support individuals and families in dire need in the parish. It is administered by the Rector and Churchwardens and was initiated by a transfer of £700 from the church General Fund (Allocation of Alms). The Hardship Fund can be closed down in the future by the Rector and Churchwardens with reference to the PCC, with any residue to be transferred to the General Fund (Allocation of Alms).

(e) Parish Centre Fund

This fund is used to financially manage the Parish Centre and any profit is used for the church general purposes as decided by the PCC. A balance of £2,000 in the Parish Centre Fund is maintained at year end by transfer to or from the General Fund.

(f) Endowment Fund - John Frederick Carter Bequest

St Martin’s Church received a bequest of £99,500 in 2008 from the estate of John Frederick Carter. The capital is invested in the CBF Church of England Investment Fund administered by CCLA. The church receives the dividend from the investment but was originally not allowed to spend the capital. The Charities Act (2022) changed some aspects of charity law, including the possibility of spending the capital in some circumstances. This is currently being researched.

(g) Margaret Benson Memorial Fund

St Martin’s Church received a substantial legacy in 2021-3 from the estate of the late Margaret Benson. The legacy was donated to the Vicar and Churchwardens of St Martin’s Church “for such religious purposes in the said Parish as the said Vicar and Churchwardens shall in their absolute discretion think fit”. Accordingly the legacy was deposited in the restricted Margaret Benson Memorial Fund.

(h) Projects Fund

This was set up by the PCC in January 2021 to financially manage major church projects. The PCC reserves the right to close the Projects Fund and transfer any money to the General Fund.

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The Parochial Church Council of St Martin with St Peter

Notes to the Financial Statements

From January 1[st] 2024 to December 31[st] 2024

3 St Martin’s Restricted Funds

These funds contain donations for particular purposes specified by the donor. By law these funds cannot be used by the PCC for any other purpose. The groups managing these funds have to give notice to the PCC for any substantial expenditure, and the PCC has the authority to veto such expenditure if it was to cause financial hardship to St Martin’s Church.

4 Fixed Assets (Capital value)

Note: The following tables show specific financial data, but there may be minor discrepancies in the figures as the pence are not being shown.

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The Parochial Church Council of St Martin with St Peter

Notes to the Financial Statements From January 1[st] 2024 to December 31[st] 2024

5
6
7		 Fixed Asset Valuation
31/12/24		 Change in value
in 2024		 Change in value
in 2024		 Valuation
31/12/23
CBF Short Duration Bond Fund £725 £22 £703
CBF Investment Fund(capital) £205,840 £4,606 £201,234
Total £206,565 £4,628 £201,937
Debtors 2024 2023
Gift Aid rebate £1,517 £1,309
Listed Places of WorshipVAT re-claim £2,400 £1,286
Other debtors £708 £1,717
Total £4,625 £4,312
Liabilities: Amounts falling due within oneyear 2024 2023
Creditors for goods and services (no long term creditors) £9,785 £5,172
Staff Costs 2024 2023
Mrs Rebecca Caskie(Team Administrator)-gross
St Martin’s PCC contribution : £12,293 £12,777
Worcester South East Team contribution: £2,000 £2,000
Church and Parish Centre Cleaner(s)-gross £8,304 £6,178
Debra Hill - CYP Worker -gross
St Martin’s PCC contribution:
£3,194
Worcester Diocese contribution £11,000
John Swindells(Director of Music)-gross £5,780 £7502
Organist holidaycover £920 £420
Gross wages,salaries and benefits in kind £43,491 £28,877
Employer’s national insurance costs £0 £0
Pension costs £738 £451
Total staff costs £44,229 £29,328
No employees received total employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) of more than
£60,000.

8 Statement of Financial Activities

In this statement:

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The Parochial Church Council of St Martin with St Peter

Notes to the Financial Statements

From January 1[st] 2024 to December 31[st] 2024

9 Fund Reconciliation

FUNDS At
1.1.2024
£		 Net
Transfers
£		 Income
£		 Outgoings
£		 Gains/
(Losses)
£		 At
31.12.2024
£
Unrestricted 123,157 (18,430) 178,038 171,536 21 111,251
Restricted 114,351 18,430 39,085 58,389 0 113,477
Endowment 201,234 0 0 0 4,606 205,840
Totals 438,742 0 217,123 229,925 4,627 430,567
FUNDS At
1.1.2023
£		 Net
Transfers
£		 Income
£		 Outgoings
£		 Gains/
(Losses)
£		 At
31.12.2023
£
Unrestricted 142,291 0 175,303 194,474 37 123,157
Restricted 90,946 0 38,309 14,904 0 114,351
Endowment 183,791 0 0 0 17,443 201,234
Totals 417,028 0 213,612 209,378 17,480 438,742

10 Analysis of net assets by fund

2024 Unrestricted
Funds(£)		 Restricted
Funds(£)		 Endowment
Funds(£)		 Total
(£)
Fixed assets 725 0 205,840 206,565
Current assets 119,387 114,400 0 233,787
Current liabilities (8,862) (923) 0 (9,785)
Net total assets 111,250 113,477 205,840 430,567
2023 Unrestricted
Funds(£)		 Restricted
Funds(£)		 Endowment
Funds(£)		 Total
(£)
Fixed assets 703 0 201,234 201,937
Current assets 126,673 115,304 0 241,977
Current liabilities (4,219) (953) 0 (5,172)
Net total assets 123,157 114,351 201,234 438,742

11 Check for compliance to Reserves Policy

Year-end Unrestricted Funds total (£111,251) less last 6 months expenditure of £98,702 = £12,549.

Therefore Free Reserves are £12,339 and the church conforms to the PCC Reserves Policy (see note 2a).

12 Independent examiner’s remuneration

The independent examiner’s remuneration for the 2024 accounts amounts to an independent examination fee of approximately £500. (2023 £510)

13 Related party transaction

In 2024 St Martin’s received donations of £33,381 (2023: £39,963) from PCC members.

14 Trustees’ and key management personnel remuneration and expenses

St Martin’s considers its key management personnel are the members of the PCC. PCC members neither received nor waived any remuneration during 2024 (2023: £nil). PCC members did not have any expenses reimbursed during 2024 (2023: £nil).

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