ST JAMES’ PCC, EXETER
| Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31 December 2023
Incumbent: Reverend Prebendary Henry Pryse
Bankers: NatWest, 59 High St, Exeter CBF/CCLA, 85 Queen Victoria Street, London
Independent examiner: -Mrs Dawn Bird, MIMA, C.Math Website: www.stjamesexeter.org St James’ Church, Mount Pleasant Road, Exeter, EX4 7AH Charity Commission number: 1128877
## St James’ PCC, Exeter — Annual Report, y/e 31st December 2023 Background
St James’ Church is situated in Exeter and is part of the Diocese of Exeter within the Church of England. The address is: St James’ Church, Mount Pleasant Road, Exeter EX4 7AH.
E-mail: office@stjamesexeter.org. Website: www.stjamesexeter.org.
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST JAMES' EXETER is registered with the Charity Commission (number 1128877). Working name: St James' PCC, Exeter
St James’ PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church. When planning our activities, the PCC has considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, and in particular the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. Additionally, the PCC has maintenance responsibilities for the church buildings and grounds.
## Structure, Governance and Management
The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, and the Church Representation Rules 2022). The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. Members of the PCC are either co-opted ex-officio or elected at the Annual Parish Meeting and the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM). In 2023 this took place on 26" March. During the year, the following served as members of the PCC: Incumbent: Fr Henry Pryse* Assistant Priest: Fr Martin Poolton* (until 20° August 2023) Reader with PTO: Dr Mark Davie* (until 26" March 2023) Licenced Reader: Mrs Joan Ridgway* Churchwardens: Mrs Rachel Martindill* Mr Andrew Mimmack* (Safeguarding Representative) Deanery Synod Representatives: Mr Mike Payne, Mrs Marilyn Pegg and Mrs Joan Ridgway Elected: Mrs Caroline Adams* (Safeguarding Representative) Mrs Anita Atherton Mr Tim Bayton Mrs Susan Coombs Mr Stuart Macwilliam Mr Gary Patch (from 26" March 2023) Mrs Pat Read (until 26° March 2023) Ms Louise Spencer Mr Jim Weeks Mr Nigel Williams Co-opted (at the meeting in May): Ms Jill Mather* (Secretary) Mr Nigel Ridgway* (Treasurer)
In addition, the PCC appoints: a Health and Safety Officer, a Planned Giving Officer and an Electoral Roll Officer.
The PCC met six times during 2023. The Standing Committee met six times additionally. Other Committees and working groups normally meet between the PCC meetings. Minutes of their deliberations are received and discussed by the PCC. Notes of Standing Committee meetings are circulated to all PCC members.
1
## Committees
The PCC operates through a number of committees, which normally meet at varying intervals throughout the year:
## Standing Committee
This group comprises the clergy, Churchwardens, Readers, Treasurer and two members of PCC, as well as the Secretary (as marked with asterisks *).
## Pastoral Care Team
t
This group offers help and care mainly to those in the Church who have a particular need.
## Social Committee
This group organises social events on behalf of the PCC and encourages participation by as many people as possible in social and fundraising events at St James’.
## Communications Committee
This group is responsible for the production and distribution of Contact magazine as well as maintenance of the website and general publicity.
## Hall Committee
This group oversees the maintenance and use of[the][church][hall.]
## Gardening Team
This group looks after lawns, gardens, trees, hedges and benches in the church grounds.
Young People’s Leaders (11-Ups, JAM and Messy Church)
## Semi-autonomous, Fresh Expressions churches
Messy Church, for young children and their parents or carers, meets monthly in the church and in the hall. “Celebrate Together” is a church that is for adults with needs and their carers normally meeting once a month at St James’ Church.
## Achievements during the year
There remains a spirit of optimism and renewed hope for all that lies ahead as we recover from the collateral damage caused by the COVID lockdowns. 2023 is the first year that we've been fully operational since 2019. Regular “in-person” attendance at our Sunday services remains at a level similar to what we were used to in 2019. However of course now we have live streaming which adds significant numbers to those who attend “in-person”. Some areas of blessing include :
- Children and Young People. We are seeing more of our young people involved with Church activities such as the choir, the serving team, and the welcoming. Whilst the numbers in our younger Sunday School, JAM (Jesus And Me) have decreased slightly, the numbers in our older group, 11-Ups have increased. There is much to celebrate with our committed and faithful groups of young people, five of whom were confirmed in the cathedral in November by Bishop James. Another highlight of the year was again the Nativity extravaganza performed for the whole church, led by our older children and their leaders. We owe much to a very dedicated group of leaders.
- Messy Church. Messy Church continues to thrive with typical numbers of 50 plus attending. We have been pleased to welcome new families as well as saying a fond farewell to a number of regular members as they have moved onto secondary school. Families and helpers alike experience the enthusiastic and joyous atmosphere of Messy Church, seeing God’s work in action. Every month we are indebted to our team of dedicated helpers. As always they contribute to something bigger than the sum of the individuals.
,
9
- Celebrate Together met (enthusiastically) at St James’ once a month, for those adults with needs and their helpers. Revd. Debbie Starling and Revd. Sheila Swarbrick assist St James’ home team.
- Our close cooperation with other churches is a great blessing. Our church hall is regularly used by the Orthodox Church for coffee after their service, and some 300 people attended the Orthodox Easter vigil in the church.
- Community events. 2023 was like old times, in the summer with the Big Cream Tea and later the Féte (with the scones and bouncy castles) and then Santa and Christmas bazaar; all big crowd pullers from among the locals, all having fun!
- Friendship groups. There are number of friendship and fellowship groups. Notably the fortnightly craft group (which attracts 25 or more people) and the monthly coffee mornings (attracting 30 or more), which have been going from strength to strength during 2023.
- _ Music at St James’. Our choir has grown in number and ability, and we are pleased that it now includes 4 treble voices. The singers have welcomed friends from other churches to swell their ranks on special occasions, such as Choral Evensong and the carol service. On Sunday mornings when the choir is not singing an anthem, a range of instrumentalists contribute to our worship during the distribution of Communion. The restoration work on the organ was a resounding success, and a showcase concert with live pictures both of the console and from inside the organ was well received by all. Later in the year, our musical director offered an introduction to reading music, which was a brilliantly informative session open to all.
## Milestones in the life of St James’ in 2023 include:
The successful organ restoration in January which caught the imagination of many people and consequently it was generously supported in fund raising. Later in January there was a blessing ceremony for the (substantial) cherry tree planted as part of the Queen's green canopy as a memorial for her reign and paid for by generous donations. On the 29' January the PCC hosted a welcome tea party for the 40 or so adults and children that have joined us since the beginning of lockdown (March 2020).
On 22" March, Mike Clark, the Transition Support Minister for Exeter Diocese met with the PCC and wider group to help us to reflect on the sort of community we are and what makes us distinctive, to discuss our shared values and priorities, in addition to our hopes for the future. This was a significant meeting, laying the foundations for the St James’ survey and, ultimately the Mission Action Plan. From April, an Ellen Tinkham pupil joined us every Tuesday (with their tutor) on a term-time work experience placement, mainly assisting with gardening. This has been a mutually beneficial experience. On 215t May, we had our first quarterly service of wholeness and healing. We regularly enjoy people coming to St James’ on observational placements, often from very different types of churchmanship. Kat Parker from Cullompton was with us in June and July. On 20* August, anticipating the sale of their house, we said farewell to our Fr Martin Poolton, and Fiona. Subsequently their house sale fell through, and we are delighted to have them back.
The Archbishops’ Emergency Appeal for the Anglican-run al-Ahli Arab Hospital’s vital work in Gaza was adopted in response to events following the 7‘ October atrocities. On 29' October, Fr Henry formally introduced the Mission Action Plan survey, through November and into December. An extensive and highly successful piece of work with nearly 100 respondents, the results of which are still being disseminated.
With the funerals in 2023 and on into 2024, we all experienced the sad loss of those dear to us, many of whom have been a precious part of the St James’ family. At present there are 158 parishioners on the Electoral Roll.
3
## Volunteers
The members of the PCC would like to thank all the volunteers who. give of their time and effort so tirelessly to make our Church a vibrant but also a warm and embracing community. Our especial thanks go to our Churchwardens, Rachel Martindill and Andrew Mimmack.
## Safeguarding
The PCC is committed to the safeguarding of our young people and vulnerable adults and reviews its Safeguarding Policy annually. Details of safeguarding contacts can be found on St James’ Church website and on the notice boards in the church and church hall. Safeguarding reports are submitted to each PCC meeting, with updates on training and information from the Diocese. An action plan produced by the Parish Safeguarding Dashboard is submitted at least twice a year to PCC. A safeguarding report is also given at the APCM. Additionally, our volunteers who work with children complete the appropriate online safeguarding training courses as well as our members of PCC, Servers, Assistant churchwardens, Welcomers and many others who have roles in the church. In carrying out these actions we consider that we have had ‘due regard’ to the guidance issued by the House of Bishops and the PCC has complied with its duty regarding safeguarding.
## Health and Safety
Our Churchwardens and the Health and Safety representative attended a health and safety course, run by the Diocese which focused on prevention and taking sensible precautions, particularly when lone working. It stressed that health and safety should not be a barrier to volunteering and that risk assessments were seen as beneficial and a good method of record keeping. The congregation was reminded of the emergency exits. Improvements were made to the emergency exits in the hall by providing ramps to the grass area. Thanks to all those, in particular the Churchwardens and the Treasurer, who keep a vigilant eye on the buildings and grounds to ensure any minor repairs are completed promptly.
## Financial review
As a result of the generosity of many, the accounts showa surplus of £4,528 for 2023, having paid the deposit of £6,000 for the repair work on the huge French windows in the hall. Receipts: Our income (stewardship and collections) has increased by over £5,000 with a corresponding increase in Gift Aid tax recovered. In addition to this we have been blessed by generous giving for special collections (in Restricted Receipts) such as the organ renovation (over £10,000), the Gaza appeal (over £2,000), the Queen's memorial tree (over £850) and the new garden bench (£800). We are grateful to the Feofees of St Sidwell’s for a £2,000 grant for fabric and upkeep. Payments: We have enjoyed a reduction in our Common Fund payments resulting from the temporary reduction in attendees caused by the collateral damage of the COVID lockdowns. Both church and hall running costs have increased due to electricity and gas price increases. Hall fabric costs of £7,265 includes work to be done on the huge French windows (£6,000). A provision has been made for a persistent water ingress in the bell tower of £40,000, on the advice of our surveyor, Mark Ledgard of Savills. :
## Reserves Policy
The PCC consider that a contingency may be prudent in the case of the loss of the major donors. It may take one year to recover from or adjust to such a calamity. A maximum reserve of £25,000 may be required, which is adequately provided for our Unrestricted Cash at Bank and Short-term investments. Approved by the PCC on ich 2bMs4Y... 2024 and signed on its behalf by: eras eee MLEWG RM occ Reverend Prebenda nry Pryse Mrvan
## Independent[Examiner's] a T[Certificate] a Lt for the PCC Accounts
**----- Start of picture text -----**
THE CHURCH
OF EI N GLANDDEVON
**----- End of picture text -----**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Report to the trustees of: St James’, Exeter
On accounts for the year ended:
**----- End of picture text -----**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Parochial Church Council
**----- End of picture text -----**
Charity Number (if applicable): 1128877
Respective responsibilities The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The of trustees and examiner charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
- e examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act, e to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and
- e to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the examiner’s statement Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
Independent examiner's [In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention (other-tharstatement +thatdisclesedbelew—)
1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements: e to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and
- e to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act
- have not been met; or
2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
- Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Signed: Mier E | Ried Date: 22jo2 J2024
Name: | DAWN BIRD
Relevant professional |Member cof the Institute of Methematies and Its
qualification(s) or aoe Rep lications, Chacered Mathematician
Address:| 1€€ Couwiek Lane
Ex2 ITF .
**----- End of picture text -----**
## ST. JAMES' CHURCH, EXETER Financial statements for year ended 31 December 2023
|CASH FLOW STATEMENT||||;|2023||2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||£||£|£|
|Total Receipts in year (Note 2)||||159,508|||138,747|
|Total Payments in year (Note 3)||||154,980|||138,288|
|Excess of Receipts over Payments||||||4,528|459|
||||||:|||
|NatWest Bank account at 1 January||||||47,270|46,811|
|Transfer - CBF Deposit Fund - Roof repairs||||||-40,000|0|
|NatWest Bank account at 31 December||||53,936|||54,414|
|Cheques not presented||||-42,138|||-7,144|
|||||11,798|||47,270|
|Cash at Bank and in hand||||||11,798|47,270|
|||||||2023|2022|
|BREAKDOWN of|funds|||||£|£|
|Unrestricted (includes Designated - see below)||||||46,153|41,029|
|Restricted Funds (see below)||||||5,145|6,242|
|Cash at Bank and|Short|term investment||||51,298|47,270|
|UNRESTRICTED|funds|||||||
|General||- unrestricted funds||||6,153|40,529|
|Designated - CBF Deposit||Fund -|Roof repairs|||40,000|0|
|Designated - Bequests and||Memorial donations||||500|500|
||Total Unrestricted Funds|||||46,153|40,529|
|RESTRICTED funds
:||||||||
||Messy Church Legacy|||||355|395|
|Rector's||Discretionary Fund||||1,815|1,315|
||||Flower Fund|||924|814|
||Organ and||Fabric Fund|||1,587|3,028|
|||Celebrate Together||||465|730|
||Total Restricted Funds|||||5,145|6,242|
|Income-generating Investments, including Endowment Funds :||||||||
|||||Shares||2023|2022|
|||||||£|£|
|CBF Investment Fund Shares||||18,452.23||417,118|380,963|
|(held forPCCby ExeterDiocesan Board ofFinance)||||||||
|EndowmentFunds||||Shares||||
|25p Ordinary Shares Astra Zeneca Group plc||||360.00||38,160|40,385|
|CBF Investment|Fund Shares|||3,666.78||82,889|75,704|
|M & G Charifund Units|(FlowerFund)|||224.00||3,214|3,292|
|||||||124,263|119,380|
6
## ST. JAMES' CHURCH, EXETER
## Financial statements for year ended 31 December 2023
|2) INCOMING RESOURCES||2023||2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Unrestricted|Restricted|TOTAL||
||funds|funds|||
|RECEIPTS - UNRESTRICTED|£|£|£|£|
|Incoming resources from donors|||||
|Stewardship and Collections|73,625|||68,281|
|Income Tax recovered|17,488|||14,618|
|Sundry donations for general purposes|454|||1,853|
|Grant income|2,000|||1,040|
||93,567||93,567|85,791|
|Other voluntary incoming resources|||||
|Fundraising and social events income|2,309||2,309|2,523|
|Income from investments|||||
|Dividends from investments|14,512||14,512|14,390|
|Income from activities|||||
|Hall receipts|25,705|||25,752|
|Funerals, marriages - PCC fees (nett)|1,938|||1,609|
|Magazine|1,593|||1,256|
|Luncheon Club|0|||342|
|Church hire and others|3,794|||2,042|
|Insurance receipts (nett)|0|||0|
||33,030||33,030|31,000|
|Total Receipts
- UNRESTRICTED|143,419||143,419|133,705|
|RECEIPTS - RESTRICTED|||||
|Incoming resources from donors|||||
|Legacy - Messy Church||0||500|
|Donations - Fabric and equipment||10,123||1,470|
|Donations - Gardens and Grounds||1,658||6)|
|Donations - Charities||2,357||857|
|Donations - Others||1,584||1,950|
|||||4,777|
|Income from investments|||||
|Flower Fund - Dividend income& receipts||||266|
|Total Receipts - RESTRICTED||16,089|16,089|5,043|
|TOTALRECEIPTS|143,419|16,089|159,508|138,747|
7
## ST. JAMES' CHURCH, EXETER Financial statements for year ended 31 December 2023
|3) OUTGOINGS - Resources expended||2023||2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Unrestricted|Restricted|tora)||
||funds|funds|||
||£|£|£|£|
|PAYMENTS - UNRESTRICTED|||||
|Activities directly relating to the work ofthe Church:|||||
|Ministry:- Common Fund - Diocese of Exeter|81,621|||88,139|
|Clergy expenses
(incl. visiting Priests)|2,145|||3,365|
|Secretarial and Parish Office|4,647|||4,200|
|Church running expenses (including insurance)|9,244|||7,602|
|Fabric - Church and Grounds|1,835|||2,079|
|Maintenance of Church buildings|2,126|||2,508|
|Organist and music|4,128|||4,269|
|Altar requisites|1,913|||713|
|Funerals, marriages (nett)|0|||0|
|Magazine expenses|1,455|||1,396|
|Children & Messy church expenses|257|||66|
|Insurance claims (nett)|0|||45|
||109,371||109,371|114,382|
|Hall
-
running expenses|13,790||13,790|11,727|
|Hall
-
Fabric costs|7,260||7,260|(6)|
|Fundraising expenses|243||243|345|
|Giving to Charities, missions etc. (Note 4)|7,130||7,130|7,550|
|Total Payments - UNRESTRICTED|137,794||137,794|134,004|
|PAYMENTS - RESTRICTED|||||
|Legacy - Messy Church||0||145|
|Donations - Fabric and Organ||11,722||1,109|
|Donations - Gardens and Grounds||1,484||0|
|Donations - Charities||2,307||857|
|Donations - Others||1,365||1,950|
||.|16,928|16,928|4,061|
|Flower Fund||257|257|223|
|Total Payments - RESTRICTED||17,185|17,185|4,284|
|TOTALPAYMENTS|137,794|17,185|154,980|138,288|
8
Notes to Financial statements for year ended 31 December 2023
## ST. JAMES' CHURCH, EXETER
## 4) GIVING TO CHARITIES, MISSIONS, etc.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
UNRESTRICTED RESTRICTED
Giving through St James PCC Donations Special Appeals
and Donations
Overseas
USPG 1,005
Tearfund 1,005
Melanesian Mission UK 1,005
Archbishops’ Emergency Appeal Gaza - JMECA
(Jerusalem and Middle East Church Association) 1006 200
UK based
The Fairtrade Foundation 670
Mothers' Union 670
Hospiscare 670
Christians Against Poverty 670
Devon Historic Churches 30
Transform Trade (Traidcraft) 400
The Childrens Society 340
TOTALS 7,130 2,357
(Figures for 2022) 7,550 857
**----- End of picture text -----**
9
## ST. JAMES' CHURCH, EXETER
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 315‘ December 2023
## 1. Accounting Policies
The Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and the Statement of Recommended Practice, on the Receipts and Payments basis.
## 2. Analysis of Fund Movements for the Year
- i. | UNRESTRICTED FUNDS may be used by the PCC for any of its ordinary purposes. The PCC has chosen to set aside bequests and memorial donations to be used for fitting future projects or commitments. There is therefore a DESIGNATED fund that remains part of the unrestricted funds. Movements in the funds are shown in the cash flow statement.
- ii. RESTRICTED FUNDS represent income which may be spent only on the specific purpose for which they were given or for which they were invited. Any balance remaining unspent is carried forward as a balance on that fund and may not be absorbed into general funds.
- iii. ENDOWMENT FUNDS are funds whose capital must be maintained: only income arising from the investment of the endowment may be used, either as restricted or as unrestricted funds depending upon the purpose for which the endowment was established.
3. Investments Quoted investments are valued at bid-market prices as at 31°* December. Apart from bank and deposit balances, there are no other investment assets.
- 4, Assets and Liabilities i. The church and grounds as well as the Rectory and the curate’s house are vested in the Representative Body of the Church of England and are not parish assets.
- ii. Moveable church contents (plate, furniture etc.) are inalienable property and require a faculty for disposal. They are recorded in the Church Terrier log. Many are historic and no reliable cost basis exists for them; they are neither recognised nor listed in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities below.
- iii. Other assets and property, which are retained for or occupied for Church purposes and which are not investment assets, are listed below in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities as non-monetary assets.
## 5. Statement of Assets and Liabilities
- ASSETS Hall: The building, kitchen equipment, cooker, fridge/freezer, water heater, cupboards, chairs, tables, stage curtains, heaters, fire guards and copper piping.
- Grounds: Lawnmower, shed, cycle rack, notice boards. Parish Office: PC, software, photocopier and office equipment. Church: Organ, silverware, vestments, altar frontals, statues, pictures, Clavinova, CCTV equipment, loop system, PA equipment, Optoma projector and screens, heaters, guards and copper piping.
- DEBTORS HMRC December 2023 claim received in January 2024: £1,272.64 (December 2022: £1,334.91 - received in January 2023)
- Hall receipts December 2023 received in January 2024: £245 (December 2022: £765 - received in January 2023)
## LIABILTIES
There were no liabilities at the year end.
10