The Parish of St Martin and St Mary, Chudleigh
Address for correspondence: The Vicarage, Parade, Chudleigh TQ13 0JF
Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Parochial Church Council
for the year ended 31st December 2024
Vicar: Bankers: Independent Examiner: The Reverend Alex Sharp Lloyds Bank Mr David Rudall Newton Abbot TQ12 2EE Greenwood Accountancy NatWest Bank Teign Street Newton Abbot TQ12 2QW Teignmouth CCLA TQ14 8EB London EC4R 3AB
Our web site:
chudleighparishchurch.org.uk
The Chudleigh Parochial Church Council is a Registered Charity no: 1128947
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The Parochial Church Council of St Martin & St Mary, Chudleigh
Annual Report for the year ended 31st December 2024
Aim and Purpose
St Martin & St Mary’s Parochial Church Council (the PCC) has the responsibility of cooperating with the Incumbent, the Reverend Alex Sharp, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.
Objectives and Activities
The work of the PCC is shaped by our church vision: “sharing the love of Jesus with our community through word and action.”
Achievements and Performance
Worship and Prayer
As a Church, we aim to provide services of worship which are both accessible and reverent, enjoyable and edifying, drawing on the best of traditional music and liturgy while embracing contemporary hymns and songs as well. Sadly, we said goodbye to our Organist Steve Cox this year as he took up the post of Organist for the Newton Abbot Benefice. The PCC would like to express their thanks to Steve for his many years of service, and wish him all the best for this new venture. Steve has kindly agreed to continue playing for occasional services, including School Services during the week. Our Music Group leader Mark Gale continues to work extremely hard to lead us in a diverse range of worship each week, and the PCC would like to express its thanks to him as well.
During 2024 our regular Sunday morning service rotated between Holy Communion, Morning Worship and All Age Services. We are very grateful for the ministry of our LLMs (Helen Harding, Sheila Fletcher and Yasmin Mann) and clergy with PtO (the Revd Martin Fletcher and the Revd Roderick Withnell), who lead and preach at services across our Mission Community regularly.
On a monthly basis we also held Messy Church, BCP Holy Communion and Christian Mindfulness services. These reach out to our community in unique and complementary ways to our weekly Sunday Services. We thank all the volunteers involved for their tireless work to provide these opportunities to the local community.
We stream the audio of our Sunday morning services over the internet for those who are housebound or unable to attend. The PCC is very grateful to our PA/AV team for their skill and dedication in ensuring the smooth running of our services and making the broadcast available.
Though we do not hold weekday services on a regular basis, we do have a weekly time of prayer that is open to all at 9.15am on Thursdays. The PCC would like to thank Sheila Glenton for her particular role in facilitating this important meeting at the heart of our corporate prayer life.
Pastoral care for those who are unable to make it to church continues; the PCC recognises that much of this work is done between friends in the congregation in an informal way, and thanks
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our church family for their love and concern for one another. The Pastoral Care Group meets monthly to oversee some of this work. The PCC would like to thank Hayley Jones for her work in chairing this group.
Every 6 years, including 2025, in accordance with the Church Representation Rules, an entirely new electoral roll needs to be compiled in time for the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM). The new roll was closed on the 13th April 2025. It is a legal requirement for church members to be named on the Roll if they wish to participate in any voting that may arise during the APCM or to be elected as a member of the PCC. There are 101 people on the new roll, 88 of whom live within the parish. The old roll, as revised for the APCM in 2024 had 101 names. The average Sunday attendance at the 10.30am Service on 2024 Sundays was 80 (including children but excluding those listening at home).
As well as our regular services, we enable our community to mark, celebrate and thank God at the milestones of the journey through life. There have been 5 Baptisms, 1 weddings and 14 funerals and memorials during the year. We continue to provide opportunities for our community to observe important occasions in the national and Christian calendar such as Ash Wednesday, Easter, Remembrance Day and Christmas, as well as special events such as our annual Memorial Service for loved ones who have died.
The PCC would like to thank all the volunteers who help to decorate the church throughout the year, especially Lucy Kerr for organising this work.
Deanery Synod
Two members of the PCC sit on the Newton Abbot Deanery Synod. This provides the PCC with a link with the churches around us, and also with the Diocese as a whole. It also receives reports from the Diocesan and General Synods. There are various topics and speakers at each meeting.
Church Fabric
Routine maintenance continued throughout the year (boiler servicing, path spraying, carpet cleaning, service of fire extinguishers, clock maintenance, etc…). A Health and Safety report was received, and all issues have been addressed. The PCC wishes to thank all the people who do the other ‘behind the scenes’ jobs that make the building clean and safe, it is much appreciated and the building could not function properly without their silent contributions. The churchyard grass cutter is Mike Neck. He and his team continue to make the churchyard presentable.
Mission and Evangelism
Mission and evangelism remain at the heart of our identity. We began 2024 with an evangelistic course for those exploring faith or wishing to revisit the fundamental truths of Christianity called “321.” The PCC are grateful to Graham and Liz Allen for running a Kintsugi Hope over the spring/summer which focuses on improving the wellbeing of attendees in a Christian context.
Over the course of the year we ran numerous events in addition to our regular services and activities, e.g.: “No Blues Monday” dinner and games in January; a Pancake Day event in February; a Good Friday All Age Trail in March; an exhibition celebrating “Creative Chudleigh” in July; an end of summer Pool Party and BBQ in August; and a Light Party in October. We used
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the opportunities of Mothering Sunday and Fathers’ Day to invite the community to join us for special Sunday morning services, which included refreshments beforehand and a BBQ for Fathers’ Day in the Vicarage garden. At Christmas we held a wide range of services, including a Christingle service, three carol services, a midnight communion service and an all-age celebration on Christmas Day.
We continue to be involved in our local school, with the Vicar regularly leading Collective Worship and hosting school services in the church. Along with the Vicar we have two Foundation Governors on the Governing Board. The PCC would like to express their thanks to Cliff Barnes, who stepped down as a Foundation Governor this year, for his many years of service to the school and church. The PCC approved the appointment of Graham Allen as a Foundation Governor, and the reappointment of Tom Newton. The school also makes use of the church building for educational purposes during the school year.
Ecumenically, we held two joint services with Chudleigh Baptist Church and continued to work together on several initiatives, most notably the Miniones parent and toddler group and Tuesday Night (Youth) Group, which has been split into younger and older groups. The churches work together on providing all school joiners and leavers with a Bible, an initiative funded through the collection taken at our joint services.
The PCC continues to develop new ideas for outreach and service and is working toward a similar programme of annual events for 2025 and beyond.
Church Reordering
Over the last year, work has been progressing with regards to the church reordering project. Following the survey in the autumn of 2023, an open day took place in church in February 2024, the results of which helped inform the development of architectural plans. Alongside this, a Statement of Needs and a Statement of Significance were written - these are requirements of the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) for works of this nature.
In September 2024, the PCC held an extra-ordinary meeting in order to allow time for in-depth review of the architectural drawings, with subsequent changes made.
In October 2024, members of the PCC’s reordering working group met with the DAC and Historic England (having had an initial meeting with DAC in the summer). Subsequent feedback has raised some concerns from these bodies about the current plans. This is not unusual for large projects of this nature, and the working group reviewed these in detail in order to respond appropriately.
Whilst the further consultation with DAC and Historic England will delay the commencement of the next stage of the project, work is planned for summer 2025 to address maintenance priorities identified in the latest quinquennial survey and which will not be otherwise addressed by the reordering project. It is also intended to carry out further consultation with the Chudleigh community on the reordering plans in the near future.
Other Activities
The PCC wishes to express their thanks to all the volunteers that organise and facilitate the many different ministries and activities that contribute to the life and mission of our Church.
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These include, e.g., Miniones (a parent and toddler midweek group), the Tuesday Night Group (a youth group for 11-14s), the Church Flowers group, and many more. A report from each group is collated in an appendix to this document, which was made available with this document in the run up to the APCM.
Financial Review
Total receipts on the unrestricted General were £94,455, and payments from this fund totalled £103,977 giving a deficit of £9,522. This deficit mainly arises due to the fact that the giving was down in 2024. The PCC have designated the interest received from the deposit account relating to the legacy held to the building fund . Designated monies are not restricted but set aside for projects. They can be used for general expenses if required. It has been good to see that more people are now using contactless giving and one-off Gift Aid envelopes. Our grateful thanks go to all who contribute financially to the life of the church.
The contribution to the Diocesan ‘Parish Share’ – which goes towards the cost of stipends, pension, housing costs and training for the clergy – increased by 8% in 2024, hence the increase in expenditure in 2024. The Parish Share is paid by every parish and calculated annually according to their congregation numbers averaged over three years.
Reserves Policy
It is PCC policy to try and maintain a balance on unrestricted funds of at least three months expenditure. This is equivalent to approximately £26,000. As of the year end, this is being met by using designated deposit interest.
Safeguarding
The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).
The safeguarding team continue to use the Parish Safeguarding Dashboard and Hub, an online platform to manage safeguarding requirements, and have now progressed to level 3 on both. All PCC members are up to date with their safeguarding training and DBS checks . Safeguarding policies have been reviewed and approved by the PCC.
A volunteer pack has been designed to assist with Safer Recruitment and People Management, and we are continuing to work at putting this into effect across the church’s activities.
Volunteers
The members of the PCC would like to thank all the volunteers who work so tirelessly to make our Church a lively and vibrant community. Our special thanks go to our Churchwardens, Alison Phillips and Cliff Barnes, and to our Assistant Churchwardens David Bone, Ken Styman, Nick Tuckett and Pamela Tuckett.
Structure, Governance and Management
The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. The Council comprises the Incumbent, the Churchwardens, those elected to the Deanery Synod, and other members who are elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, by those on the Electoral Roll. Members of the congregation are always encouraged to join the Electoral Roll, and to consider standing for election to the PCC.
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The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance in the parish, and for all financial matters. The full PCC met eight times during the year.
Administrative Information
The Church is situated at Fore Street, Chudleigh TQ13 0HX and is part of the Chudleigh Mission Community, in the Deanery of Newton Abbot, in the Diocese of Exeter. The correspondence address is The Vicarage, Parade, Chudleigh, TQ13 OJF.
The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, and the Church Representation Rules 2022) and is registered with the Charity Commission, no: 1128947.
PCC members who have served from 1st January 2024 until the date this report was approved were:
The Incumbent Alex Sharp Chair Churchwardens Alison Phillips Cliff Barnes Vice Chair Deanery Synod Reps Megs Kiddle Clare Lillington Treasurer PCC Secretary Ruth Tuckett Elected Members David Bone Hayley Jones Lucy Kerr Margaret Parsons Nicky Over Pip Low Rachel Tuckett Sheila Glenton to 2nd May 2024 Jenny Brandon to 2nd May 2024 Helen Jones from 2nd May 2024
Approved by the PCC on 10[th] March 2025 and signed on its behalf by:
…………………………………….
……………………………………
Alex Sharp (Chair)
Clare Lillington (Treasurer)
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Parish Church of St Martin & St Mary Chudleigh Charity number 1128947 Receipts and Payments Accountsfor the year ended 31st December 2024
| RECEIPTS Regular giving Tax efficient planned giving Other Planned giving Collections at Services Gift Aid recovered Donations Other Voluntary Receipts Legacy Grants Sundry donations Income from church activities Fees (net) Parish magazine Receipts from Investments Dividend income Deposit account interest Insurance claim TOTAL RECEIPTS PAYMENTS Church Activities Giving - relief & development Giving - home missions Parish Share Vicar's expenses Church utilities Church insurance Church maintenance Major repairs Upkeep of churchyard Upkeep of services Parish magazine Messy church, children, youth Music, organ & choir Outreach Sundry expenses TOTAL PAYMENTS Net receipts (payments) Balance - 1 January 2024 Transfers Balance - 31/12/ 2024 |
Unrestricted Designated Restricted 2024 45817 7645 53462 1858 0 1858 4308 1764 6072 14461 500 14961 2557 130 2687 69001 10039 79040 11891 0 11891 1322 0 1322 4529 1142 5671 17742 0 1142 18884 3509 0 3509 1305 0 1305 4814 0 4814 46 0 46 37368 0 37368 46 37368 0 37414 2852 2852 94455 37368 11181 143004 5685 925 6610 2782 3319 6101 54982 0 54982 2589 0 2589 7143 0 7143 5123 0 5123 6881 3960 10841 13943 13943 4455 0 4455 768 0 768 1109 0 1109 2436 1830 4266 3077 0 3077 1892 0 1892 5055 150 5205 103977 13943 10184 128104 |
2023 57946 2026 5766 14542 2836 |
|---|---|---|
| 83116 | ||
| 28235 1322 3547 |
||
| 33104 | ||
| 2434 1610 |
||
| 4044 | ||
| 46 21228 |
||
| 21274 | ||
| 141538 | ||
| 5945 7289 50874 3015 5223 4947 3805 0 3283 782 1323 4063 3866 2551 3342 |
||
| 100308 | ||
| -9522 23425 997 14900 27328 696297 12049 735674 1237 801 -2038 0 19043 720523 11008 750574 |
41230 694444 |
|
| 735674 |
| Statement of Assets and Liabilities 2024 Unrestricted Restricted TOTAL Cash Funds Current account 19043 10416 29459 CCLA Deposit account 720523 592 721115 Bank balance 31/12/2024 19043 720523 11008 750574 Investments Investments M&G Charifund 39239 39239 Investments COIF income units 1704 1704 40943 0 40943 TOTAL Assets 59986 720523 11008 791517 Notes Restricted funds are: Chudleigh Youth Project 1496 School bible fund 343 Missionary giving fund 8685 Parish weekend fund 484 11008 |
2023 TOTAL 28927 706747 |
|---|---|
| 735674 | |
| 35996 1666 |
|
| 37662 | |
| 773336 |
The PwDcbial Church Council oltbe Cb Number.. 1128947 i&stioa Parish nf St Martin amd Chudle Indepelldeut examiner's report to the trustees of The Parochial Church Councll of the Ecelesia5tical Parish Of St MArtlD and Maryy Chmdleigh I repon to the cknatity trttte5 oll tlly examination of the accow)ts of The Parochial Church Council of the Ec¢lesiastic41 PArish of St Martin aAd Mary, thudleigh (the Tnt) for the year ellded 31 December 2024. Respoll8ibilities and basis of report As the charity ttuslEeS of the Trnst vou are responsible for the preparatson of the accouTLts ill accordance with tbe wireMts of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Actr). I rEPOrt in respect of my examination of the Tntrs acc4)unts carried out under tIOn 145 of tbe Act ]d in Crying out Y eiamiuation I liave followed ail applithle DItiOnS given by the Charity Commisbion under stion 145(5)(b) of the ACL Independent exanthier's rt&temeot I have cornpleted my EXalItIon. I confim) that no t]Latersal matters bave come to tny atterttion i cooDeution with th¢ exalall0 giving me cause to believe that ill any material respect.. a¢¢ouotiog records were not k¢pt in resm of the Trnst as Tequired by stiOn 130 of th¢ Act. or the accounts do not accord Thith those twords. or the aOunts do ttot cOpIY with tlie applicable requirements concerning the forni and ¢onient of account8 Set out tn thc Clwities IAc¢gunts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other ally Tequirement that the accounts give a Je and fair view which is llot a tter CODsidered as pgrt of au indlldent examination. I bave no (x)ncem5 and have cOe acro otber rnattets in connLxtion with the exatnittatioll to which attention should be drawn id this repTrrt in order kn enable a proper understanding of the aC¢tsUfLt$ t(F be rgache(L David Rudall FMAT Greenw(KKI Accountallcy Ltd 5 Pell¢w Arcade Tel8nOUth Devo TQ14 8EB Date". 7 May 2025