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2025-12-31-accounts

St SIMON’S CHURCH, WAVERLEY ROAD,

SOUTHSEA PO5 2PW

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS

2025

PCC Annual report for APCM April 2026: Rev Jackie Twine [Chair PCC]; Fran Sherren [Church Warden] & Paul Jenkins [Church Warden]

FOREWORD

This is the Annual Report for St Simon’s Church Waverley Road, Southsea for the period 1[st] January 2025 to 31[st] December 2025 including the end of year financial accounts for 2025 which is accompanied by an independent auditors report and reports of all activities throughout the year.

GDPR

We have had one data protection / privacy issue during this period which was identified, reported on and acted on appropriately to mitigate any further issues.

Introduction – Rev Jackie Twine – Priest in Charge

What an opportunity to reflect on such a year here at St Simon’s.

We have welcomed so many new members, as we continue to see our congregations thrive, flourish and grow. We have a new youth group, and look forward to seeing many of our young people step forwards to be confirmed. Our children’s groups continue to thrive, as well as our work at Southsea Infants and Mayville, and we are exploring opportunities to work alongside St Mags which will enable us to approach other local schools.

We are currently running confirmation classes (thank you Kevin!), and there have been baptisms and Explorers courses of which one (our fourth) is running currently.

Socially it’s been a wonderful year, with the VE Day ball, Art for Refugees, Quiz Night, Concert for Peace, St Simon’s has got Talent, the Dreams and Realities exhibition and Empty Bowls to say nothing of the many men’s and women’s events, the curry and mystery meal nights and the wreath and craft events.

We have been blessed by the presence of Kevin and Kitty, and we look forward to Oyin becoming licensed as Reader and Kitty becoming priested this June. It has also been a delight to see the Worship Band establish itself on a regular basis. My thanks go to the PCC for their incredible support, and particularly to our 2 wonderful Church Wardens. We have also seen St Simon’s regaining its Vicarage back! And special thanks go to the Coffee Tavern Trust in their financial support of that, and indeed with other projects too.

All of this as well as that which we continue in so faithfully- home groups, evening prayer, Knit and Natter, Memory Lane, Care Home services, Sunday Suppers, Friday Friendship, pastoral care, buildings work, finances, safeguarding. We are blessed by such a strong governance team. We have been so deeply saddened at the loss of Diane, Barbara and Daisy Love and Marjorie. We continue to pray for their loved ones, consoled with the knowledge that they are safe in the arms of Jesus.

You will know I am sure, how much John and I miss you during this extended spell of ill health. Who would have thought that a virus, coming out of the blue could wreak so much havoc? But I know that God is with you, and I am so very grateful for your prayers.

We praise God for all that he has done and continues to do here at St Simon’s.

PCC Annual report for APCM April 2026: Rev Jackie Twine [Chair PCC]; Fran Sherren [Church Warden] & Paul Jenkins [Church Warden]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Reports

1. Annual Report from the Parochial Church Council (PCC) 2025

This is the annual report of the PCC proceedings and activities for St Simon’s Church PCC for 2025. This report covers the whole of the year from 1st January to 31[st] December 2025.

-Administrative information

St Simon’s Church is situated on Waverley Road in Southsea. It is part of the Diocese of Portsmouth within the Church of England. All correspondence should be addressed to the church office, St. Simon's Church, Waverley Road, Southsea, PO5 2PW.

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council powers Measure. The Parish registered with the Charity Commission (2009) as Charity no. 1128695 within the meaning of the charities Act 1993.

The PCC is required to provide an annual report on proceedings of the PCC and the activities of the parish generally for discussion at the annual meeting.

-PCC Objectives and Activities

The primary objective of St Simon’s PCC is the promotion of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England. The PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the priest in charge [when in post], in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical

In the absence of a Priest in Charge, the leadership of the church falls to the church wardens and PCC.

-PCC Structure, governance and management

Normal membership of the PCC consists of certain ex-officio members: the priest in charge, the churchwardens and members of the Deanery, Diocesan or General Synods and members of the

PCC Annual report for APCM April 2026: Rev Jackie Twine [Chair PCC]; Fran Sherren [Church Warden] & Paul Jenkins [Church Warden]

church who are elected at the Annual Parochial Meeting (APCM). All church members are encouraged to consider standing for election to the PCC or to nominate others, and we aim to have a balance of skills, background and experience where possible.

The PCC is responsible for a wider range of matters affecting the work and ministry of the church, including compliance with health and safety and equalities and diversity legislation and with due regard to the Church of England House of Bishops safeguarding guidance in relation to children and vulnerable adults.

In their capacity as trustees, members of the PCC hold a legal responsibility to promote its charitable purpose and for the stewardship of funds including appropriate accounting and reporting of the parish finances. The PCC works to ensure that each member is equipped to fulfil their role. Upon election, new members of the PCC are given an induction which includes their roles and responsibilities, the PCC’s agreed policies and procedures, and the most recent minutes. At the first meeting of the new PCC, the vice-chairman, secretary, treasurer are elected. The churchwardens, secretary and treasurer are encouraged to attend courses run by the diocese on their particular work and all PCC members must attend the relevant diocesan safeguarding training. Regular mailings from the diocese keep the officers up to date with changes in church regulation and financial procedure and these are reported to the whole PCC as appropriate.

During the year 2025 the following served as members of the PCC:-

Priest in Charge: Rev Jackie Twine Churchwardens: Francesca Sherren and Paul Jenkins Deanery Synod Representatives: Dr Hugh Mason; Paul Jenkins

-Elected Members: Oyin Alonge (Treasurer) Jerry Brown Linda Jenkins (PCC secretary from November 2019) Patrick Jolly Louise Roulston Elly Mulvany Michael Piper Margaret Geary John Twine Kevin Jones (Curate) Kitty Stevenson-Price (Curate0

John Bazley (Safeguarding officer) Andrea Grainger (Children’s pastor)

At the May 2025 Annual Meeting the following posts in the PCC were confirmed:

PCC Annual report for APCM April 2026: Rev Jackie Twine [Chair PCC]; Fran Sherren [Church Warden] & Paul Jenkins [Church Warden]

Meetings of the PCC were held in church with the PCC Standing Committee meetings held via Zoom, following relevant government and Church of England guidance. The PCC welcomed regular reports from the Treasurer, Safeguarding Officer, Fabric Committee and the children’s ministry work.

The PCC delegates a number of its functions to sub committees which include the following:

-Standing committee

The Standing Committee is constituted in accordance with dependent on the number of names on the church electoral roll. The standing committee consists of the Priest in Charge, the Churchwardens, the Treasurer and at least two other members of the PCC. It may transact the PCC’s business between meetings of the PCC .This committee meets prior to each PCC meeting to consider outstanding issues and plan the PCC agenda. The standing committee met every other month between the PCC meetings to set the PCC agenda and deal with any urgent items.

-Fabric committee

The Fabric committee exists to ensure that the fabric of the church building is properly maintained and that the findings of the quinquennial inspection are acted upon. It was formed several years ago and reports to the PCC as appropriate. The committee has overseen work such as roof repairs, planning internal improvements and regular church cleaning and is under the leadership of the chairperson Mick Walters.

-Mission Team

Each year the church gives at least 10% of its unrestricted income to home and overseas mission work. The committee canvassed the congregation for ideas on which charities should be supported. Each year a review of these charities is undertaken.

-Risk assessment

The PCC confirms that the major risks to which the church council has been exposed have been identified by a risk analysis exercise carried out by PCC members. The risks identified and steps taken to mitigate these risks are as follows:

 Property fire or theft: Insurance cover continues against both these risks. Fire inspections are carried out annually by a suitably qualified and experienced professional and fire extinguishers are tested and replaced and advised.

 Misappropriation of funds: The budgeted expenditure for each year is approved by the full PCC. The PCC has a “fiduciary duty” to operate with due regard to the Church of England Legal Advisory Commission guidance which highlights “…the duty to protect the assets of the charity”. The PCC operates a system of controls including analytical reviews and segregation of duties that are designed to militate against any potential for the misappropriation of funds.

Two signatories are required for all cheques and these have been reviewed with the new treasurer’s appointment. All matters involving unbudgeted expenditure in excess of £1,000 are put to the full PCC.

 Revenue falling below committed expenditure: The level of giving was monitored throughout the year, and the financial situation (income and expenditure) was reviewed by the PCC.

-Electoral roll 2025-6

T here were 117 names on the list last year. This has now dropped to 112.

4 people have moved and sadly one passed away.

The electoral roll stood at 112 on 31[st] MARCH 2026

PCC Annual report for APCM April 2026: Rev Jackie Twine [Chair PCC]; Fran Sherren [Church Warden] & Paul Jenkins [Church Warden]

- Deanery Synod annual report 2025 Hugh Mason; Deanery Synod representative

There have been three deanery synods since the last AGM. Apart from the inevitable scrutiny of finances, the main work of each synod has been to review and receive an update on various aspects of the Deanery Plan. The plan was initially constructed in 2015 and has since that time been constantly developed and renewed.

The main concern at the present time is exploring and developing newer forms of ministry including church plants, pioneer ministry and various new forms of lay ministry. In particular the Portsmouth Deanery is concerned to develop the Anna chaplaincy work with older people across the whole deanery and to develop work with young people through such things as the High Tide initiative based at St Jude and the choir church which has been extended to the Church of the Ascension. St Simons is in the Southern Cluster of parishes, made up of St James, St Jude, St Simon and St Margaret, and we are charged with working out ways in which the four parishes can relate to and support each other’s ministry. Given the differences in ethos between the four churches this is very much ‘work in progress’.

At the February meeting, in addition to a presentation from the Anna Chaplaincy Coordinator, we learned of a new initiative by the Southampton City Mission which is planning to establish a Portsmouth City Mission to work in primary schools from September this year to provide support for religious education.

One interesting aspect of this year’s synods has been that two of them have been held in churches, St George’s Portsea and All Saints Landport, which have been recently refurbished as part of initiatives to attract a younger element into their congregations. It is always interesting to see what other churches in the Deanery are doing when attending Synod.

Hugh Mason and Paul Jerkins Deanery Synod representatives

Churchwardens Report -2025 – Paul Jenkins and Fran Sherren; church wardens

Walking into St Simon’s on a Sunday morning and greeting members of our church family is such a joy. We look around and see a church that has been transformed in the past few years. Not just in numbers, though that is important. Not just in the diversity of who we are, but in the joy of coming together to worship and serve God in faith, in trust and in confidence. That is the transforming work of Christ within us all.

We all bring to St Simon’s our hopes and our fears, our successes and our failures, our pasts and our futures and God uses them all to build His church. He takes us in directions we perhaps never imagined. He unearths and nurtures in us skills and talents we never thought we had. Sometimes the pace of growth and change can seem slow. As Psalm 37 tells us, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him”. Sometimes the pace of change is so fast we fear being left behind. Sometimes change is uneven and inconsistent. At times we seem to take one step forward and two steps backward. Change comes, but perhaps it’s not what we wanted or expected. But what is important is that we acknowledge faithfully and prayerfully that God is leading us and that He is at the heart of all this change.

As we continue to grow and develop as a church, we seek to build the many ways in which we can serve Christ, both amongst our church family and more widely in our community and beyond. This inevitably brings its own challenges. Supporting vulnerable members of our community is a worthy task, but one that can be fraught with difficulties that we did not envisage.

PCC Annual report for APCM April 2026: Rev Jackie Twine [Chair PCC]; Fran Sherren [Church Warden] & Paul Jenkins [Church Warden]

Our work to support people living on the margins of our community is central to who we are as a church and has been for decades. But this work requires vision, understanding and discipline. Our ambitions may be great for God and so they should be. But we should always be realistic and ensure that what we do, we do to the best of our ability. And that will mean sometimes having to recognise that there are needs that we cannot meet. This should not be a source of division amongst us, but the impetus to use all the gifts God has given us with one mind. At times that may require us to put aside things that are dear to us, if doing that makes us stronger in serving God’s people in our church and community.

As we look around at our church family, the skills, talents and energy are evident. This is our future. If we are to continue to grow and be relevant in our community, we need this energy to be channelled into supporting and building our worship, our prayer life and our service to God. But the future is not next year, it’s tomorrow. There are so many ways in which members of our church family can participate in these activities and make an important contribution. We just need people to have faith in God and in themselves. We read in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control”.

During the year, we have been greatly blessed in St Simon’s by the service of many wonderful and faithful people. Jackie has brought so much love, compassion and caring to our church, which has prepared the ground on which we can grow as a hopeful and confident family.

We have been doubly blessed this year by the arrival of Kitty and Kevin as curates. Despite the many other commitments in their busy lives, they have brought to St Simon’s their faith and irresistible energy, that has been and will continue to be an inspiration to us all.

We are also blessed by three wonderful staff, Andrea, Craig and William. What they give to our church is far more than we could ever compensate them for. Then of course there are the many members of our church, whose faithful service and commitment ensure that St Simon’s remains at the heart of our community. We give thanks to God for them all.

During the year Jackie shared with us a prayer for St Simon’s. Many of you will have copies of the prayer. Let’s all pray this prayer and ask God where He wants you to be in His plans to build a great church for His glory in Southsea.

Dear Lord God,

I thank you for St Simon’s May we grow in number And in generosity of self May we grow in strength of faith And in depth of love towards you Our neighbour and each other That your kingdom may flourish and grow In this parish and community

May you always bless us and protect us

For your glory and in the name of Jesus,

Amen.

Fran Sherren and Paul Jenkins - Churchwardens

PCC Annual report for APCM April 2026: Rev Jackie Twine [Chair PCC]; Fran Sherren [Church Warden] & Paul Jenkins [Church Warden]

– Fabric Committee annual report 2025 Mick Walters; Chair

The Committee addressed the following major items of work on the building during 2025:

Some of these items continue to be addressed in 2026.

Several other items of maintenance and small problems have been addressed throughout the year. Some of these have been carried out by church members resulting in considerable financial savings. Thanks are due to a number of people who are not named here in order to avoid the risk of omitting any. Their work often goes unseen but is much appreciated.

The immediate priorities for the coming year are the Prayer Space, possible upgrading of the electricity supply and the flat roof areas above the offices. All of these will entail significant work and expense.

Mick Walters Chair Fabric Committee

Children’s Ministry (Shipmates) annual report 2025 - Andrea Grainger; Children and Families Pastor

2025 has been a busy year for us, with families growing, new families joining our Sunday Congregation and several of our children being baptised.

Our children's Sunday provision continues to follow the pattern of one Children's service, two weeks of children's groups during the service and one Intergenerational service each month. We find most of our families attending a few times a month rather than weekly due to other commitments. The youth numbers are also increasing and when Kevin started the youth group taking children from year 6 we agreed we would offer the youth provision on Sundays to year 6 too reducing the Shipmates age range.

It is reported that numbers of toddlers in church toddler groups are falling across the country as more families are being offered and taking up free nursery provision.

Our numbers are slightly lower than they have been in the past but the most noticeable effect is the age balance, this July we only had 4 children leaving us for Infant School whereas in the past we had

PCC Annual report for APCM April 2026: Rev Jackie Twine [Chair PCC]; Fran Sherren [Church Warden] & Paul Jenkins [Church Warden]

around 10 to 15 each year. We have also found more families joining us only until maternity leave ends and they return to work.

In September we swapped around the timings of the Tuesday groups making one of the Play and Praise groups exclusively for 'Wrigglers Crawlers and Wobblers' to meet these needs. Numbers in our after school group have been low but are building again. This is a combination of 4 families leaving to go to secondary school, which we were expecting, and a large number of the children who moved from Brambles up to Craneswater School joining one of the many afterschool clubs they offer on a Tuesday. However social media and flyers are working to grow the numbers. Our contact with Southsea Infants has been sporadic this year as they had a new head of RE who was concentrating on reworking the curriculum, but we have regular visits for all age groups planned in for next year. We are also discussing the possibility of working alongside St Margaret's at Craneswater School.

We had a successful new fundraising event, a Shipmates Country Dance which we hope to repeat at some point next year.

The year finished with a flurry of Christmas activity. Our Nativity Service this year had 34 Children and Young people taking part, for comparison we had 17 in 2021 and 25 last year. The two “Trip to Bethlehem” Christmas Eve services went well with several new volunteers stepping up and a couple of additions to the story, including a census on the way in and a visit to Elizabeth. We had approximately 100 people at each service, all of whom left with a Christmas Story book or tract. As usual none of this would be possible without support and prayer of my fabulous volunteers and the church congregation.

Many thanks for your ongoing encouragement.

Andrea Grainger Children’s Pastor

– Youth work and Curate Report 2025 Kevin Jones, Curate

What an amazing year it’s been! First, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone at St. Simons for the love, support, and guidance I’ve received. It truly is a blessing to be part of such a special church family.

This year has been filled with so many meaningful milestones — leading the Lent and Explorers courses, being ordained as a priest, and launching our wonderful Youth Club. Each of these moments has been such a joy, an honour, and a real privilege. I’m so grateful for all that we’ve shared and achieved together.

Youth Report

We’re so encouraged that we now have up to 13 young people joining us on Sunday mornings for Bridge Builders! It’s a special time where we grow in faith together, share some great conversations, and have lots of fun along the way. We always make sure there’s time for an energetic game or two as well!

In September, we launched our brand-new Simons Crew Youth Club, and it’s been so exciting to see it take shape. The evenings are packed with fun — table tennis, table football, plenty of tabletop games and activities, plus a few lively competitive games too! And of course, we make time to sit down together, enjoy some food, and have a good chat.

I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who generously gives their valuable time to help make this possible. It’s been pure joy to be part of it all. Kevin Jones (Curate)

PCC Annual report for APCM April 2026: Rev Jackie Twine [Chair PCC]; Fran Sherren [Church Warden] & Paul Jenkins [Church Warden]

– Safeguarding annual report 2025 John Bazley; Safeguarding Officer

Since the last APCM on the 13[th] April 2025 there have been 5 (4*) reported safeguarding concerns/incidents raised with the Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO). All incidents have been resolved/closed and, where appropriate, Diocesan Safeguarding staff notified.

The PCC receives a written report at every meeting and where appropriate the priest in charge and Churchwardens are notified of incidents. Throughout the last year the PCC has had due regard to the House of Bishops’ Safeguarding Policy and Practice Guidance and fully met all the requirements laid down by the Church of England (CofE) Safeguarding Code of Practice. A major revision of CofE Safeguarding legislation took place in the summer of 2025 so that The Parish Safeguarding Handbook is no longer current and has been replaced by the CofE Safeguarding e-manual which is available at: Safeguarding e-manual | The Church of England.

St. Simon’s is fully compliant with the CofE mandatory requirements for safeguarding; this is monitored and maintained via a CofE devised online portal called “The Parish Dashboard” which is kept up to date by the PSO and accessible by the priest in charge and both Churchwardens. A summary of the Dashboard status is reported at each PCC.

Safeguarding Training and DBS Status

John Bazley

Parish Safeguarding Officer

*Indicates numbers from 2025

- Sunday Suppers annual report for 2025 Francesca Sherren; leader

VISION & VALUES

‘Sowing Hope, Growing Disciples’

Sunday Suppers is grounded within our core values – ‘welcoming, inclusive, loving, creative & joyful’.

OUR GUESTS

We are open every Sunday to any adult who needs a hot meal and some company and a sense of belonging. Almost all our guests are struggling with the cost-of-living rise. Some are living in poverty, recovering from or living with addiction, poor mental health or living in temporary accommodation. Very few of our guests are street homeless. Many of our guests come every week and we have built up friendly relationships with them. The volunteers know many of the guests by first name.

PCC Annual report for APCM April 2026: Rev Jackie Twine [Chair PCC]; Fran Sherren [Church Warden] & Paul Jenkins [Church Warden]

NUMBERS of GUESTS

The numbers of guests attending this year has fluctuated, usually due to weather conditions. However, we regularly feed between 45 and 70 guests.

FOOD

We continue to offer freshly cooked beef or chicken stew/curry/casserole, usually with a baked potato or pasta. We always offer a vegan alternative. We still endeavour to provide high quality and high calorific food to our guests. We offer a small goody bag to each guest with higher priced items they might not choose to buy for themselves, e.g. tinned meat, tinned fruit and puddings.

FUNDING

It is anticipated that funding will decrease in the coming financial year. As from April 2026, the Portsmouth city council ‘Household Fund’ is to be replaced by the Crisis and Resiliance Fund. This new fund will allocate money to community meals/food pantries/food banks etc, but grants will be significantly lower than in previous years. The Sunday suppers leaders will be discussing ways to use our funding most efficiently and a proposal will be sent to the church PCC for discussion and decision.

LEADERSHIP TEAMS

We have created a group to share the responsibility of leading Sunday Suppers on Sunday nights. Those leaders are:

The kitchen teams are led by:

PRAYER TEAMS

We have 2 people who regularly pray for Sunday Suppers while it is running from 5.30-to 7.00pm on a Sunday evening.

FAITH & BIBLES

We continue to offer a short Christian faith talk every week. As part of our core values, ‘nurturing and using each other’s God-given skills and talents’ one volunteer has been encouraged to take on the role of giving the faith-based talk. Several members of the congregation have donated bibles, and we have been able to give these away to Sunday supper guests.

VOLUNTEERS

8 volunteers left since last March and have been joined by 4 new volunteers, taking our total to 30 volunteers, at present.

Francesca Sherren, Leader of Sunday suppers

PCC Annual report for APCM April 2026: Rev Jackie Twine [Chair PCC]; Fran Sherren [Church Warden] & Paul Jenkins [Church Warden]

Social Committee 2025– Dinah Walters

The Social Committee at the beginning of 2025 comprised the following members of the congregation: Gail Chipperfield, Phil Gower, Andy Taylor and John Twine. I would like to thank them all for their contributions during the year in organising the various events, especially Gail, who retired towards the end of the year after a long spell on the Committee. We have three new members: Jerry Brown, Trevor Green and Kitty Price. We meet twice a year to plan the programme of events.

Activities in 2025 revolved mainly around going out to local cafes and restaurants to join in fellowship over meals together. Destinations included curry nights at the Haldi on Albert Road, men’s breakfasts at the Tenth Hole and ladies’ tea afternoons in Dinah’s home.

The Midsummer Mystery Meal, an evening out to a secret destination for a pub meal, was the usual hit! In December we had our Christmas Grub Club meal in the Dolphin pub on the High Street, which most people enjoyed in spite of the rather crowded and noisy atmosphere.

In April Andy organised another highly successful Quiz Night in the church, both a social event and a fundraiser for the church.

We held two new events in 2025, both of which proved popular. In May we held a lovely Saturday evening event to celebrate the 80[th] Anniversary of D-Day. Church members brought along family and friends, so over 60 people enjoyed the cold supper, singing and dancing to a professional singer, who provided songs of the 1940s.

In September John Twine took on the organisation of “St. Simon’s Has Talent”, a showcase for those brave enough to entertain us with their various skills. There was a real versatility in the various acts, with singers, musicians, dancers, poetry readers and many more, providing a very entertaining event. We plan to repeat this in 2026.

Thank you to everybody who supports our activities, by helping to organise or by attending our events.

Dinah Walters

- Pastoral Ministry annual report 2025 Michael Piper

The small team meets on a monthly basis to review any pastoral needs arising amongst members of the Church Family. These might include folk who are bereaved, unwell or requiring hospital treatment. We also try to share news of members who are elderly and housebound, and find attendance at worship difficult.

We decide as a team whether a visit or phone call might be appropriate to show our support, and we spend some time praying for those for whom we are concerned.

We also share updates on the Care Homes in the parish where St Simon’s has close connections with residents and staff and where monthly services are undertaken. There are currently 4 Homes visited regularly – Bluebell, Clarendon, Alton Manor and St Ronan’s. When requested, we provide end-oflife care for residents, including support for their families. Anna Chaplains from the Cathedral took responsibility (by mutual agreement) for the other two Homes in the parish, Braemar and Regency.

Chaplain to the Older Generation, John Twine, gives us an update on his ministry, including the Memory Lane sessions that he provides at Care Homes.

PCC Annual report for APCM April 2026: Rev Jackie Twine [Chair PCC]; Fran Sherren [Church Warden] & Paul Jenkins [Church Warden]

- Mission Team annual report 2025 Geraldine Poulter and Sue Bussey

Hebrews 10:24

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds”

In 2025 each of the existing chosen charities received £1,798 from unrestricted church funds and all the charities gratefully acknowledged this donation.

The six charities that received the donations in 2025 were;

Looking at the system of reviewing our chosen charities each year, after careful consideration it was the decision of the PCC to replace ‘Beyond the Streets’ charity.

Following this, the church congregation was asked to nominate a new charity to adopt. A record number of charities were nominated by the congregation. Thank you to all who took part. The PCC used the same system for deciding on the choice of a new charity to adopt as was used last year. The PCC agreed to adopt “Hope into Action” as the new charity for 2026 onwards.

Hope into Action works in partnership with local Christian churches to provide housing and other support for the most vulnerable people in the city, to help them rebuild their lives. A speaker agreed to come and share their work in 2026.

2025 update

HOMESTART PORTSMOUTH: on 6[th] June a quiz was organised by HomeStart at St Simon’s adding to the funds for this charity. In December 2025 Jo Toms, CEO of HomeStart, gave an informative talk which was very well received.

PORTSMOUTH CITY OF SANCTUARY continues to offer asylum seekers support and hold a ‘HUB’ every Monday at All Saints Church, Portsmouth.

FRONTLINE DEBT continues to work with desperate families in financial difficulties and provide debt advice and emergency vouchers for those in need.

BEREAVED FAMILIES HOLIDAYS provide a break for bereaved families and seven families attended an outdoor centre in Wales. Children ranged in age from 5 years old to those in their teens. This is a quote from the charity:-

‘It was an incredible week made possible through the discretionary grant to which St Simon’s contributed’

JOSHUA RADIO (UGANDA) was able to purchase air conditioning units for the main studio radio station and broadcast delay equipment which is now required by local law.

The charities noticeboard in the lower church hall displays information about all our chosen charities and is kept up to date by Geraldine Poulter and Sue Bussey and allows church members to learn more about the work of the charities.

Please hold all these charities in your prayers especially in these difficult times. They are requested, needed, valued and appreciated.

PCC Annual report for APCM April 2026: Rev Jackie Twine [Chair PCC]; Fran Sherren [Church Warden] & Paul Jenkins [Church Warden]

Friday Friendship Coffee Morning 2025 – Louise Roulston & Linda Jenkins

This year, our Friday Friendship weekly meeting has continued to thrive as a welcoming and supportive community. Guided by our values of love, hospitality and compassion, the group has provided a consistent safe space for connection, friendship and mutual support.

Our trips have been a highlight (Chichester and the D Day Museum), giving our friends the chance to explore new places, relax and build confidence together. Monthly shared meals have also played a role, creating opportunities for conversation, cultural exchange and a sense of belonging.

Thanks to generous fundraising support, (Empty Bowls and the cream tea event) we’ve been able to sustain the group, provide meals and organise trips throughout the year. This collective effort has helped create a warm, inclusive space that continues to make a meaningful difference to the guests we welcome from across the globe.

We are so grateful to everyone who has taken part, volunteered and donated and we look forward to another positive year ahead.

Louise Roulston

Church Administrator’s Report 2025 – Craig Fisher

Major activities over recent months:

Staff Team: We continue to hold Staff Team meetings and one on one meetings with Rev. Jackie Twine including appraisals.

The line of Communication between non-paid staff and the office has been addressed by a flow chart being created as late responses, or intent planning of activities can have a knock-on effect of creating extra work and difficulties planning of the church calendar and the loss of potential room bookings etc. This introduction should start showing fruit as we move through the new yea, many thanks to Fran Sherren for this.

Hall Lettings: We have gained a new regular booking of a Pilate’s group on Tuesday evenings in our Upper Hall.

Mayville High school who we gained as a regular user of the upstairs hall during term times renewed to continue with the church and have also given dates for 2027. The agreed day rates for winter & summer have stayed the same. Their cleaners continue coming into St. Simon’s at the end of their day thus not increasing the number of hours that may have been needed for our caretaker. We have also acquired another regular term time teaching group for Saturday afternoons in the Upper Hall.

Further refurbishment of the Upper Hall has taken place with the lighting lowered & LED installed together with acoustic rafts. This has improved the Hall and enhanced the future hiring of the Hall which has proved challenging due to the lack of daylight & access.

The installation of sound clouds in the Lower Hall has improved the noise levels of the Lower Hall. A regular booking from last year, Solent Mind have returned to use the Lower Hall on a Wednesday afternoon and increased their booking by an extra half hour.

Portsmouth City Council continued to use the premises as a Polling Station; twice in 2024. Although no Polling was planned for 2025 Portsmouth City Council are booked to return to St. Simon’s in May 2026

The prices are still competitive and have not been raised this year. Generally, one off private bookings are kept at a minimum of a 3-hour booking due to heating & administrative costs.

PCC Annual report for APCM April 2026: Rev Jackie Twine [Chair PCC]; Fran Sherren [Church Warden] & Paul Jenkins [Church Warden]

I think there may be a need to review the pricing of one-off bookings due to the energy costs; perhaps a rate for winter and one for summer and also, a small deductible booking charge as there have been a noticeable increase in last minute cancellations.

Events: The number of social events and activities continue to increase. Together with regular room hire bookings the church currently only has a small number of spaces on the calendar free for oneoff bookings.

Finance: We continue to work closely with the Treasurer regarding running costs and budgeting. Many thanks to our treasurer Oyin Alonge for all his hard work and budgeting

Craig Fisher

Treasurer’s Report 2025 – Oyin Alonge & Gail Chipperfield

First of all, we want to sincerely thank the church for their continued faithful generosity and support throughout 2025. Through your generous giving, we fulfilled our full Parish share and supported our six approved charities.

We remain thankful to the Coffee Tavern trust who have remained steadfast in their support with contributions towards our annual building insurance charge, subsidy towards our vicar’s salary, support towards our Children and families pastor salary and support for children’s work especially at Christmas.

We also want to thank the Waverley Trust for the continued commitment through their donations towards our Administrators’ salary.

We want to critically mention the work of our Grants team – John Twine and Jerry Brown who continue to secure funding for our work with Sunday Suppers as well as other capital projects in church, (please reference the Fabric report).

Funding for our work with the community through Friday Friendship remains sustainable through the fund-raising efforts of the team and grant funding secured through John Twine and Jerry Brown.

Fully aware of the economic challenges and rising costs, we continue to look for ways to subsidise our income as a church as we would be severely challenged to continue our work without your contributions and the support earlier outlined.

We want to reach a point where we are less reliant on grant and trust funding.

Your recommendations to friends and family that our premises are available for hire would also increase our available unrestricted income.

We remain thankful for the prayers and action of faith in response to the Prayer space. Work is still ongoing on the prayer space, and we continue to welcome donations. Please see our finance report for additional funding raised towards the prayer space.

We continue to monitor our costs closely by setting budgets at the beginning of the year and work with budget holders to review spending quarterly.

We thank you all again for your contributions and donations.

Oyin Alonge and Gail Chipperfield

PCC Annual report for APCM April 2026: Rev Jackie Twine [Chair PCC]; Fran Sherren [Church Warden] & Paul Jenkins [Church Warden]

Annual Accounts 2025 [Separately available]

Independent Auditor’s report

Margaret Burke has been the independent auditor and reviewed the financial accounts for St Simon’s Church, Southsea. The report is below.

PCC Annual report for APCM April 2026: Rev Jackie Twine [Chair PCC]; Fran Sherren [Church Warden] & Paul Jenkins [Church Warden]

St Simon's church, Southsea - 1128695
Fixed Asset Note (1 Jan 2025 - 31 December 2025)
Type of transaction
Investment Property
CBF CoE Investment Fund
Opening balance
75,000.00
66,549.21
Increase in the value of the fixed asset
0.00
63,888.71
Movement
0.00
-2,660.50		 St Simon's church, Southsea - 1128695
Fixed Asset Note (1 Jan 2025 - 31 December 2025)
Type of transaction
Investment Property
CBF CoE Investment Fund
Opening balance
75,000.00
66,549.21
Increase in the value of the fixed asset
0.00
63,888.71
Movement
0.00
-2,660.50		 St Simon's church, Southsea - 1128695
Fixed Asset Note (1 Jan 2025 - 31 December 2025)
Type of transaction
Investment Property
CBF CoE Investment Fund
Opening balance
75,000.00
66,549.21
Increase in the value of the fixed asset
0.00
63,888.71
Movement
0.00
-2,660.50
Closing balance 75,000.00 63,888.71
Income and Endowments
Unrestricted Income
Donations and Legacies
4000 Parish Giving Scheme - Direct donations 18509.82
4001 Unrestricted Income - Manual Gift Aid receipts 23955.00
4002 Unrestricted Income - Non Gift Aid Bank receipts 3210.00
4003 Unrestricted Income - Sunday Cash Offerings 2822.93
4004 Unrestricted Income - Sum-Up online receipts 1861.42
4006 Unrestricted Income - Parish Giving Scheme - Tax recoverable 3825.03
4007 Unrestricted Income - Tax recoverable - Standard Gift Aid receipts 6617.26
Totals: Donations and legacies 60801.46
Other trading activities
4008 Unrestricted Charitable fundraising 500.49
4009 Unrestricted Income - Rental Income 10194.00
4013 Unrestricted Income - Miscellaneous Income - Wedding and Funerals 1791.68
4018 Unrestricted Income - Rental Income - Mayville school 11850.00
Totals: Other trading activities Totals 23835.68
Investments
4012 Unrestricted Income - CCLA Investment Income 1849.18
Totals: Investments 1849.18
Other Income
4010 Unrestricted Income - Investment Property Income 12323.90
Unrestricted Income - Revenue Maintenance Grant receipts - Insurance-Coffee T-
4016 Trust 7147.68
Unrestricted Income - Revenue Maintenance Grant receipts - Portsmouth City
4016 Council 8121.92
4017 Unrestricted Income - Waverley Trust Grant 10984.00
Totals: Other Income 38577.50
Grand Totals: Income and Endowments 125063.82
Expenditure
5000 Parish Share Quota 75027.00
5002 Portsmouth Deanery expenses 1254.22
7002 Employee and Employer pension payments - NEST 1412.91
7011 Administrator Salary 10194.14
7012 Children's Pastor Salary 17844.08
7013 General Maintenance Salary 8137.85
7016 Miscellaneous General Expenses 2895.35
7018 Curate expenses 261.67
7021 HMRC - PAYE Total + Employee NI 4966.96
7022 Payroll expenses 320.71
7110 Water Rates 165.66
7130 Premises Insurance 8308.10
7190 Rental Deposit returns 400.00
7200 Electricity 10398.60
7500 Printing 411.06
7520 Office Stationery 353.36
7530 Telephone 576.00
7540 Internet Charges 916.08
7572 General Church Upkeep - Revenue expenditure 3655.29
7580 General Music Administration expenditure 68.78
7590 General Administrative expenditure 2160.60
7810 Cleaning 946.49
7900 Bank Charges and Interest 287.26
8000 Copyright Licenses 735.69
Totals: Other expenditure 151697.86
Grand Totals: Expenditures 151697.86
Restricted: Sunday Suppers Fund
Opening balance 73359.09
Donations and legacies
Total Income Restricted Income - Sunday Suppers - Direct Donations 44035.08
Totals: Donations and legacies 44035.08
Expenditures
Total Expenditure Expenditure - Supplies 43309.63
Totals: Expenditures 43309.63
Closing balance 74084.54
Restricted: The Prayer Space Project Fund
Opening balance 23760.00
Donations and legacies
4904 Direct donations 697.14
4904 Charity Fund-raising events 887.00
4904 The Benefactor Trust - Grant 2300.00
4904 Portsmouth City Council - Grant 5144.96
4904 Grant - Diocesan Board Minor repairs Fund 4550.00
Totals: Donations and legacies 13579.10
Expenditures
5011 The Prayer space expenses 22415.84
Totals: Expenditures 22415.84
Closing balance 14923.26
Restricted: Alms Fund
Opening balance 0
Expenditures
5012 Charity Disbursements 10788
Totals: Expenditures 10788
Closing balance 0
Restricted: Friday Friendship
Opening balance 2071.00
Donations and legacies
4911 Restricted Income - Grant - Portsmouth City Council 5989.20
4911 Open Bowls Fund raising 2190.70
4911 Cash donations 135.00
Totals: Donations and legacies 8314.90
Expenditures
5001 Friday Friendship Expenses 3979.04
Totals: Expenditures 3979.04
Closing balance 6406.86
Restricted: Vicar's salary Top-up
Opening balance -7250.00
Donations and legacies
4910 Vicar's salary Top - Up 36250.00
Totals: Donations and legacies 36250.00
Expenditures
Contributing towards Parish share Quota 29000.00
Totals: Expenditures 29000.00
Closing balance 0.00
Restricted: Capital Expenditure Grant Fund
Opening balance 15981.00
Donations and legacies
4917 Restricted Income - Capital Expenditure Grant receipts 33200.00
4917 VAT Reclaims 3275.17
Totals: Donations and legacies 36475.17
Expenditures
7180 General Upkeep - Capital Expenditure 34321.21
Totals: Expenditures 34321.21
Closing balance 18134.96
Restricted: Children and Families Expenses
Opening balance 0.00
Donations and legacies
4919 - PCC Agreed Transfer 1000.00
4915 - External Stripe Events 435.74
4919 - CTT Christmas grant 600.00
Totals: Donations and legacies 2035.74
Expenditures
7571 - Children + Familes Expenses 1796.17
Totals: Expenditures 1796.17
Closing balance 239.57
Restricted: Youth Inc and Expenditure
Opening balance 0.00
Donations and legacies
4907 - Youth Fund - CTT 3000.00
Totals: Donations and legacies 3000.00
Expenditures
7820 - Youth Expenses 131.47
Totals: Expenditures 131.47
Closing balance 2868.53
St Simon's church, Southsea - 1128695
Balance sheet - Detailed.
As at 31 December
2025
As at 31 December
2024
Fixed Assets
Investment Property - 31 Gains road
75,000.00
75,000.00
S1: CBF CoE Investment Fund
63,888.71
66,549.21		 St Simon's church, Southsea - 1128695
Balance sheet - Detailed.
As at 31 December
2025
As at 31 December
2024
Fixed Assets
Investment Property - 31 Gains road
75,000.00
75,000.00
S1: CBF CoE Investment Fund
63,888.71
66,549.21
Totals: Fixed Assets 138,888.71
141,549.21
Current Assets
General Fund Bank Account
63596.95
44675.78
Sunday Suppers Bank Account
74084.54
73359.09
General Fund Savings Account
1353.21
1342.53
Accounts receivable
0.00
0.00
Totals: Current Assets 139034.70
119377.40
Liabilities
Accounts payable
0.00
0.00
Totals: Liabilities 0.00
0.00
Net Asset Surplus(Deficit) 277923.41
260926.61
Reserves
Excess/Deficit to date
19657.09
45864.91
Starting balances
260926.61
213572.58
Gains/Losses on investment assets
-2660.50
1489.12
Gains/Losses on revaluation assets
Totals: Reserves 277923.41
260926.61

St Simon's church, Southsea - 1128695 Statement of Assets and Liabilities Fund Closing balances as at 31 December 2025

Investments
CBF CoE Investment Fund - Asset
Unrestricted - General fund
Tangible assets
31 Gains road - Asset
Unrestricted - General fund
Cash at bank and in hand
Restricted Funds
Sunday Suppers
The Prayer space roof project
Capital - Fabric Expenditure projects
Friday Friendship
Youth Funds
Children and Families Fund
Restricted Funds
Unrestricted - General Fund
Unrestricted Funds		 Balance
63,888.71
63,888.71
75,000.00		 Balance
63,888.71
63,888.71
75,000.00		 Previous Year balance
66,549.21
66,549.21
75,000.00
75,000.00 75,000.00
74,084.54
14,923.26
18,134.96
6,406.86
2,868.53
239.57
116,657.72
21,023.77
21,023.77
73,359.09
23,760.00
15,981.00
2,071.00
0.00
0.00
115,171.09
2,863.00
2,863.00
St Simon's church, Southsea - 1128695
Bank reconciliation - St Simons Main current Account
Balance as per bank account per accounts (Cash book)
91296.55
Balance as per savings account(Cash book)
1353.21
Total:
Balance as per BANK ACCOUNTS
Lloyds Sort-code: 30-93-04 Account No: 00752488
91296.34
Lloyds Sort-code: 30-93-04 Account No: 00181472
1353.21
Total:
Bank reconciliation - St Simons Sunday Suppers Account
Balance as per bank account per accounts (Cash book)
Balance as per BANK ACCOUNT
Lloyds Sort-code: 30-99-50 Account No: 28751462
Cashbook Components
Unrestricted Account
Friday Friendship - Restricted
PrayerSpace project funds - Restricted
Capital Income and Expenditure - Restricted
Sunday Supper holdings - Restricted
Youth Funds - Restricted
Children and Families Funds - Restricted
Stripe - Excess/Outstanding		 92649.76
92649.55
46384.94
46384.95
20917
6407
14923
18135
27700
2869
240
107
91296.55

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Simon Southsea PO5 2PW On accounts for the year 31 December 2025 Charity no 1128695 ended (if any) Set out on pages (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/12 /2025 .

Responsibilities and As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the basis of report accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

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

Independent [ ~~The charity~~ ’ ~~s gross income exceeded £250,000 and I am qualified to~~ examiner's statement ~~undertake the examination by being a qualified member of [insert name of applicable listed body]].~~ ~~Delete [ ]~~ ~~if not applicable.~~

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

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

Signed: Name: Margaret Burke ACMA CGMA

Date: 17/3/26

Relevant professional Chartered Institute of Management Accountants

1

Oct 2018

IER

qualification(s) or body (if any):

Address:

41 Ophir Road

Portsmouth PO2 9EL

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

2

Oct 2018

IER