OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

2023-12-31-accounts



Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council June 2023 – May 2024



On behalf of the PCC

………….………………………………….. Paul Rawlings Churchwarden

.

CONTENTS

  1. The Aims of the Council

  2. Council Members, Committees and Information for 2023/2024

  3. A Review of the Year

  4. Vicar’s Report

  5. Fabric Report

  6. Finance Report and Accounts

  7. Parochial Church Council Report

  8. Deanery Synod Report

  9. Mission Committee Report

  10. Pastoral Care Report

  11. Safeguarding Report

  12. Music Ministry Report

  13. Children & Families Report

  14. Social and Fundraising Report

1

1 The Aims of the Council

The primary aim of the PCC is to co-operate with the Vicar in promoting in the Parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. In particular, the PCC supports the vision and mission statement of the Parish:

“to Seek, to Serve and to Share Jesus Christ daily”

The Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council gives an opportunity to present an overview of the whole mission of the Church in addition to the formal documentation associated with the accounts and the fabric reports.

2 The Parochial Church Council of the Parish of Iver

Council members for 2023-2024

Ex Officio and Co-opted
Vicar
Licensed Lay Minister
Curate
Churchwardens
Deanery Synod
Members
Robert Gooding
Jim Dashper
Sarah Smith
Paul Rawlings*
Anitra Cuff
Paul Fisher		 Elected PCC members:
Date of Retirement
Gerald Paine
2024
Rachel Nikolay (Hon Secretary)
2025
Angela Lindström
2026
Lesley Bristol
2026
Jonathan Oates (Hon Treasurer)
2026
Jim Dalwood
2026
Tina Lewis (interim Hon Treasurer) 2024 (casual
vacancy)
elected Lay Vice Chair of the PCC
resigned as Hon Treasurer and PCC Dec 2023
***elected to PCC (casual vacancy) and as Hon Treasurer
Jan 2024

2

Committees for 2023-2024

Standing

The legal requirement, with power to transact the business of the PCC between its meetings.

Robert Gooding (chair) Paul Rawlings Rachel Nikolay Jonathan Oates (resigned as Hon. Treasurer Dec 23) Tina Lewis (elected to PCC and appt interim Hon Treasurer (Jan 24)

Mission

Robert Gooding (chair) Jan Rayner (co-opted) Diana Stroud (co-opted) Paula Carey (co-opted)

Children & Families Committee

Sarah Smith (chair) Robert Gooding Anitra Cuff

Fabric

Attends to all matters concerning

our buildings and churchyard, their maintenance and improvement.

Paul Rawlings (chair) Graeme Jenner (co-opted) Peter Owen (co-opted) Paul Fisher Murray Macdonald (co-opted) Jim Dalwood

Social & Fundraising

Rachel Nikolay (chair) Paul Rawlings Helen Macdonald (co-opted) Lesley Bristol Heather Harper (co-opted)

Finance

Oversees general finances, prepares budgets and monitors income and expenditure.

Jonathan Oates (chair to Dec 23)* Tina Lewis (chair from Dec 23) Robert Gooding Wendy Jenner (co-opted) Gerald Paine Paul Fisher Angela Lindstrom

*resigned

Pastoral

Robert Gooding (chair) Sue Kightley (co-opted) Maureen Traxler (co-opted) Anitra Cuff Jan Rayner (co-opted) Wendy Jenner (co-opted)

Inspecting Architect Mr David Pendery
Pendery Architecture & Heritage Ltd
23 Orchard Road
Hook Norton, Oxon
OX15 5LX
Bankers NatWest
118 High Street
Slough, Berks
SL1 1JH
Independent Examiner Mr Michael Kennedy
5 Woodwaye
Woodley
Reading, Berks
RG5 3HA
Hon PCC Secretary
Mrs Rachel Nikolay
155 High Street
Iver, Bucks
SL0 9QB
Hon Treasurer Mr Jonathan Oates (resigned Nov 2023)
2 Barnes Way
Iver, Bucks
SL0 9LZ
Hon Treasurer(interim) Mrs Tina Lewis (from Dec 2023)
(elected Jan 24) 367 Rochford Gardens
Slough, Berks
SL2 5XE

On 3[rd] April 2009 Iver Parish Church was registered with the Charity Commission as “The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Peter, Iver” Charity No.1128999. All PCC members are now trustees of the charity.

3

3 A Review of the Year

Electoral Roll:

The Electoral Roll for 2024 stands at 85. There have been 4 deletions and 0 additions since last year.

Attendance at Services:

We have continued with our online streaming of services (mostly from St Peter’s) to our church Facebook page. This is still a blessing to those who could not attend church in person due to distance or infirmity.

Figures based on services between January and December 2023

At St Peter’s, a typical congregation was:

er’s, a typical congregation was:
Service Attendance 2023
Jan - Dec
8.00am Holy Communion 0-10 (0-10)
10.00am MorningPraise (Adults) 17-34 (15-30)
10.00am MorningPraise (Children) 0-8 (1-6)
Combined10am withStLeonard’s (Adults) 20-40 (22-41)
Combined 10am with St Leonard’s (Children) 1-5 (1-10)

Although not included in the statistics, attendance at the Thursday 12 noon Holy Communion service ranged from 4-10 (3-10)

Figures in parenthesis are previous year’s attendances for comparison

At St Leonard’s, a typical congregation was:

nard’s, a typical congregation was:
Service Attendance 2023
Jan - Dec
10.00am Morning Worship (Adults) 10-23 (11-22)
10.00am (Children) 0-4 (0-2)
Combined 10am with St Peter’s (adults) 23-39 (23-38)
Combined 10am with St Peter’s (children) 0-3 (1-3)

Figures in parenthesis are previous year’s attendances for comparison

Note 1. Through the year, attendance at the 10.00am service at St Peter’s was sometimes significantly increased when the services included Baptism, but the figures listed above do not show these increased numbers. Also the figures do not reflect the increased attendances at major festivals, or other special services

Note 2. Combined 10.00am services have continued on the 4[th] Sunday of each month, usually alternating between St Peter’s and St Leonard’s.

Occasional Services in 2023 (calendar year)

Baptisms: Infant/Children (<1-10)
Young People (11-17)
Adult		 2
0
1
(7)
(0)
(4)
Marriages 7
(1)
MarriageBlessings 0
(0)
Funeral Services in St Peter’s or
St Leonard’s (followed or preceded
by a burial or cremation)		 11
(7)
Burials in the churchyards or
Burial Ground		 4
(4)
FullService at Crematorium 7
(4)
MemorialServices 0
(2)
Interment of Ashes 7
(6)

Figures in parenthesis are previous year’s statistics for comparison.

4

3.1 Reviews undertaken during the year

– Statutory and Legal Risks Safeguarding Policy (including Child Protection)

The PCC complies with the Safeguarding Policy in the Parish to ensure compliance with the House of Bishops’ Policy and Diocesan procedures. The policy was last reviewed and presented to the PCC on 11[th] October 2023. Reina Fisher-van Werkhoven continued as Parish Safeguarding Officer

General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

The PCC complies with the principles under which personal data may only be obtained, held or disclosed to others under the Data Protection Act 2018, which is the UK's implementation of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

Financial Risks – Budgeting and Cash Monitoring

The PCC prepares an annual budget and, through the Finance Committee, monitors cash flow and budgetary control on a regular basis

Insurable Risks – Review of Insurances

During the year all our insurance policies were reviewed in conjunction with our insurance Advisors Access Insurance Ltd and Bridges Insurance

– Operational Risks Identifying Essential Repairs

In addition to the quinquennial inspections of St Peter’s and St Leonard’s churches, there is a policy of prioritising maintenance. Details of the work carried out this year is set out in the Fabric Report

Health and Safety (including fire precautions and disability access)

The Fabric Committee maintains its ongoing commitment to ensure that all activities are risk assessed and that appropriate training, equipment, records and processes are made available. Annual servicing of fire equipment and emergency lighting was carried out in January 2024. PAT testing was carried out in all buildings in June 2023. The Health and Safety buildings risk assessments and the disability access audit are continually kept under review.

3.2 Programme and Activities

Special Occasions

Regular Activities

5

Home Groups

The pattern of Home Groups continues with considerable variety in style and content. For many of those who attend they represent the most meaningful aspect of church life. If you are interested in joining a group, please contact the Church Office. We currently have 4 Home Groups meeting in person - 1 on a Monday afternoon (fortnightly), 1 on a Monday evening, 1 on a Wednesday afternoon and 1 on a Wednesday evening.

Parish Magazine

The St Peter’s and St Leonard’s Parish Magazine is produced by the church and compiled by Rev Sarah Smith working closely with Rachel Nikolay and Revd Robert Gooding and is delivered free of charge to all residents in Iver Village and Richings Park by a team of volunteers from both the church and the local community. There are over 2,600 households. The magazine contains news from St Peter’s and St Leonard’s churches as well as the other churches in Iver. It also provides community information and carries adverts for local businesses and services. A digital copy is also available on the church website and Facebook page and is also published on local community Facebook pages.

Website

Our website, viewable on all devices plays an important role in the parish providing many people with communication, information, direct links to our sermons and Facebook Live streaming of our Sunday services, Morning Prayer and other services e.g. Christmas and also one click access to our donations platform ‘Give a Little’. Rachel Nikolay is responsible for updating the site on a weekly basis so that there is easy access to up to date information, including our sermons and notices. The website address is www.iverparishchurch.org.uk

Social Media

The St Peter’s and St Leonard’s Facebook page provides another source of up-to-date information and can be found at www.facebook.com/iverparishchurch The content additionally includes videos of Morning Prayer (for a period of 2 weeks), our 10am services from St Peter’s each week and combined services from St Leonard’s. The page is administered and monitored by Rachel Nikolay.

Opening up our Churches to the Community

St Peter’s Church has been open to the public from 9am to 1pm, Monday to Friday (during term time)

6

3.3 Things We’ve Done Together With Others

3.4 The People Who Make It All Work

Again this year, God has worked through so many different people and, as always, we want to express our very warmest thanks to all those who help our churches to carry on their work throughout the year. Some of these are very obvious, whilst others serve much more "behind the scenes". We as a church rely on these gifts of time, effort and specialist skills, which are given with love and grace. All gifts are of great value. They include:

Some people have stepped back from some of these roles during the pandemic, and it is vitally important that these key roles are now taken up again

4 Vicar’s Report

In many ways the last 12 months has been a time of transition as we adjust to life following the Covid pandemic, with circumstances returning to a certain degree of normality. However, there are still some lingering effects from the pandemic, not least in the reduction in those volunteering. This is something that has been experienced across the voluntary and charity sector, and has impacted churches throughout the country, including our own. Members of our fellowship had an enforced break from serving during the pandemic and, perhaps understandably, are now reluctant to recommit to regular acts of service. Thankfully most, but sadly not all, have now returned to church but some who attended church every week before the

7

pandemic are now only attending every 2-3 weeks. As I said in my report last year “The church only really functions properly when everybody is willing to offer their God-given gifts and talents, so we will be encouraging more members of the church family to return to volunteering over the coming months.”

Sadly a few more present and past members of the church have passed away since June last year, including Mary Bolton in June, Muriel Broome in August and Annette Salamone in November (conducted by Sarah Smith). In November, several church members also attended the funeral in Fordingbridge of Revd Kate Wilson, a much-loved former minister in this parish. More recently many of us are mourning the loss of Christine Story, a great prayer warrior, who died peacefully on Maundy Thursday. A number of church members have also lost family members in the last year. We were all shocked by the sudden death of Rt Revd Alan Wilson, the Bishop of Buckingham on 17th February 2024 and Carole and I attended the memorial service for him at All Saints Church in High Wycombe on 13[th] April. Bishop Alan was always hugely supportive of me, and I will miss his advice and pastoral care.

Here, however, are some of my personal highlights from the last 12 months.

There are a large number of clergy vacancies in the Deanery at present and Sarah and I have both been able to assist in providing cover for some of these, especially at Horton and Wraysbury. As most of you will be aware, Fr Andrew Montgomerie retired after Easter, so please be praying for him and his wife Mary and for our neighbouring parish of St Margaret’s, Iver Heath as they begin their search for a new priest. Carole and I will miss the friendship, support and encouragement of Andrew and Mary.

Jim Dashper took a well deserved “sabbatical” from leading and preaching in February and March, returning on Easter Sunday. Although we missed his ministry, it did give me the opportunity to take more services at

8

St Leonard’s which was a blessing for me. I continue to be hugely grateful to Jim for his ongoing ministry and commitment to our parish.

Paul Rawlings has done an incredible job as our only Churchwarden since last May, and I am delighted that he has agreed to stand for election for another year. However, we really do need another churchwarden to work alongside him to share this significant responsibility.

We also urgently need to find a new permanent Treasurer, although we are very grateful that Tina Lewis stepped back into the role last December on an interim basis when Jonathan Oates resigned. Tina will be stepping down on 31[st] August 2024.

I also want to thank Rachel for her continued hard work and dedication as our Church Administrator, PCC Secretary and Verger. I would not be able to carry out my ministry, in the way that I do, without her.

As always, I am indebted to all those who work alongside me in any form of leadership capacity in the church including those on PCC and Deanery Synod.

In particular, this year I want to thank Roger Hall who faithfully leads us in our sung worship at St Peter’s nearly every week throughout the year. He is also instrumental in helping us to choose the music week by week to ensure that it fits well with the theme of the service. Many people in our church serve faithfully and often quietly behind the scenes and I am so grateful to them all.

Again, during Lent this year in our Sunday services (and some of our home groups) we have been using the “Come and See” materials from Oxford Diocese with videos from Bishop Steven, Bishop of Oxford, exploring “The Way of Love”, based on the Greatest Commandments in Matthew 22. There has, once more, been some very positive feedback on this series.

Having skipped a year last year, this year we returned to having a “Fallow February” without “business meetings”. I do hope that church members found this a useful time again to focus on their relationship with God.

The Easter services this year, I felt were particularly meaningful, especially the Tenebrae service at St Leonard’s, the Good Friday Walk of Witness and the Hour at the Cross at St Peter’s.

My prayer for us is that, as a church, we can now move forward with renewed confidence in the resurrected Christ and work together in playing our part in the building of God’s kingdom here in Iver and beyond through our mission partners.

God bless Robert

Revd Robert Gooding

5 Fabric Report

1. Introduction

All members of the Fabric Committee have assisted with a variety of tasks during the year. The Fabric Committee work to ensure costs are kept to a minimum and where possible look to carry out tasks using their own skills. The Committee continues to seek practical help from other members of the church fellowship. There is a rolling maintenance programme for our buildings but of course if work is postponed it means that the fabric will continue to deteriorate, and the costs will increase when the work is finally undertaken.

2. St Peter’s Church

2.1 External

North Aisle Roof

There is some pointing work needed to repair cracks in the flashing, otherwise the roof appears to be in good condition.

Annexe Roof

Repairs have been carried out to the Annexe roof and guttering where it abuts the pitched clay vestry roof. the annexe gutter has not been extended to take water from the wide gutter at this point. The damaged wall has now dried out and no further issues have been reported.

Sealant has been applied to the screw fixings holding down the annexe roof as these were letting in water.

Tower Roof

This seems to be in good condition, however the weathervane would benefit from redecoration, together with the flagpole.

9

Lychgate Roof

Some damage to the tiles on the lychgate roof, most likely caused in the storms was repaired in September 2023

Walls

On the walls there are a number of “clunch” stones that are exfoliating and there is a section of flint work which needs to be replaced. In addition, there are several areas of “clunch” and limestone pieces exfoliating and repairs are required.

Chancel Wall

The blocked window opening stonework is exfoliating and repairs and consolidation are required.

Stonework

The stonework is still in the same state as last year and is in places in urgent need of repair. The render applied to the stonework of the west door continues to slowly break away and has also become a problem around the south aisle door. This must be rectified by removing the render and replacing damaged stone then applying further render.

The stonework to the gulley around the church needs repointing

Woodwork

All external doors are in need of re-staining.

Lighting

A further two LED outside lights have been replaced.

Windows

The west window in the south aisle has a serious crack in the jamb at high level. The damage to the west window in the north aisle has deteriorated further. There are a considerable number or minor repairs needed to windows to prevent further deterioration of the stonework. The North window in particular was badly repaired some decades ago and still needs urgent attention. One of the specialist companies ere previously unable to quote and a quote was received from a second company. A third company have been contacted and will be looking at the window imminently with a view to providing a quote. Our architect has been engaged with the first quote and has asked for further information from the contractor. Once the second quote is received our architect will look over the works before he can send a report to the DAC which should help in applying for grants to cover the cost of the repairs.

2.2 Internal

Some repointing of stonework is recommended and the plaster on the west and north walls in the tower area is breaking away and needs repair and redecoration. A survey of the wooden roof rafters to detect signs of any active woodworm is recommended, there has still been no sign of death watch beetle activity, but this needs to be kept under review.

Annexe

The kitchen area, including the floor has badly deteriorated. Following permission from the DAC, a contractor was recently engaged to remove some of the floor covering to establish the extent of the damage and the possible cause. The wooden parquet flooring underneath the floor covering is in a very bad state and requires further investigation and this is due to take place imminently. An area of the kitchen which has also been damaged by water will also be repaired. The appropriate Faculty applications will be applied for.

The damp to the back wall of the toilet has been controlled, however the plaster which has fallen away will need repairing. A contractor has been appointed and it is anticipated that the works will take place at the same time the floor is repaired and included in the same Faculty application.

Furnishings

The chancel furnishings are still in good repair but the nave cushions have not been replaced. The linen is in good order with thanks to those who launder and care for the linen at both churches.

Heating

All four boilers were serviced in July 2023 and no issues were found. However, we do need to keep in mind that the heating system is over 17 years old.

Lighting

To change the bulbs in the Nave, South and North Aisle to LED bulbs would prove very costly as the entire light fittings would need to be upgraded. It is still the intention to look into this when funding is viable.

Miscellaneous

The lightning conductor was tested by Bacon Ltd in January 2024 and the certificate was issued.

The cellar is very damp and every opportunity must be taken to ventilate this space.

The situation with regard to mice, bees and wasps continues to be monitored and treated.

10

Evidence of bats has been found in the Chancel area. As a protected species we can only monitor their existence and clean up after them accordingly.

Plans to take over ownership from the Diocese of the driveway between the two churchyards are still on hold following an unsuccessful grant application and difficulty in finding alternative grants.

The clock is wound once a week and still appears to be working fairly well. The clock is often a few minutes fast or slow, however experts have advised that this will mostly be due to changes in weather conditions. Otherwise the clock is in good working order.

The noticeboard outside the west door had deteriorated so badly it came off the wall, most likely assisted by the stormy weather. The PCC agreed that there was no need to replace the board given that there is a large noticeboard at the lychgate and also a services board in the churchyard

2.3 Tower Report

In October 2023 the bells and fittings were inspected by John Davidge and a colleague both of the Oxford Diocesan Guild of Bellringers. Paul Rawlings, Churchwarden and Nickie Tuckwell, bellringer were present during the inspection.

Some maintenance was needed to bells 4, 5 and 7 but to err on the side of caution it was suggested we approach a professional bell hanger via the Guild.

It was recommended that some emergency lighting be installed into the Ringing Chamber.

The bells were rung on 18[th] November as a practice test following the maintenance.

A quarter peal was rung by a team of visiting ringers on 25[th] November 2023. It was a successful quarter peal, however some ringers mentioned it being challenging to ring and odd struck.

A further maintenance visit took place on 9[th] December 2023 at which the problem with bell 7 was corrected. The wire for the clock hammer has been replaced and has been reconnected using the old pulley system, making it easier to ‘knock off’ the clock hammer when required.

There is/are a couple of notices which are usually attached to the treble rope, reminding ringers to ensure that the hammer is clear before the bell is swung. Some new notices may be required.

Following advice from previous maintenance, Whites of Appleton Church Bellhangers visited on 2[nd] January 2024 to look at the issue with bell 4. A quote for the works was received in April 2024.

This aside, the bells are in reasonably good condition and safe to ring under the direction of a competent ringer.

David Rowlands, Bell Tower Captain

2.4 Churchyards

Churchyard work mornings took place in October 2023 and April 2024 at both St Peter’s and St Leonard’s. At St Peter’s, a group of people, including members from the community cleared undergrowth and tidied beds from the churchyards and gullies and gutters were cleared.

The tap in the New Churchyard has not been working for some time. Several attempts have been made to establish the reason for this. Further investigation is still underway, and advice is being sought.

Following the storms in July 2023, large parts of a lime tree on the path in the old churchyard (where the path meets the St Peter’s Centre) came down into the churchyard resulting in some immediate works to remove the fallen branches and make the remainder of the tree safe. In addition some graves were damaged and any remaining relatives are being traced.

The churchyard is generally in good condition, and we would like to thank the Ivers Parish Council for all

their work in maintaining the grounds.

Tombs in St Peter’s Churchyard

The parish council have identified certain tombs in the churchyard which need to be made safe for health and safety reasons. Every effort has been made to contact next of kin of the deceased in the identified tombs and any detail passed to the Iver Parish Council. The work will involve lifting off the tomb tops, removing rubble and bricks and tomb lids replaced at ground level (plus any side panels that have inscriptions). The Ivers Parish Council have a budget for the works and will carry these out. A faculty for these works will need to be applied for.

NB: Upkeep of the Old and New Churchyards, and the Burial Ground is the responsibility of the Parish Council. Responsibility for the administration of burials and monuments in the Burial Ground was handed over to the Parish Council on 1st January 2016. No further new graves will be allowed. Interment in existing graves and interment of ashes will continue.

11

3. St Leonard’s Church

The Quinquennial Report following the inspection in 29[th] November 2022 was received in July 2023.

Following St Leonard’s Hall now being predominantly occupied by the pre school, there is a need for a toilet in St Leonard’s Church mainly for week day daytime activities e.g. Tea, Chat & Company, Home Group etc. Options are currently being looked into.

3.1 Exterior

There is moss on the roofs which will require attention. Repair work will be required to broken/missing tiles of all roofs. Some repointing of brickwork and stonework is required to windows, walls and the boundary wall. The render on the walls is in poor condition and has cracked in a number of places.

The putty around the windows in the vestry has now been repaired.

The gutters have been cleared and hedgehog gutter guards have been installed.

3.2 Interior

The interior of St Leonard’s Church is in reasonable condition although some repairs to the stone work of the windows should be carried out to prevent further deterioration. The south west corner of the Nave has a possible water ingress and continues to be monitored.

The boiler was serviced in July 2023 and it was reported that the boiler may need replacing in the near future.

4. St Leonard’s Hall

Overall, the hall is in good repair and is being regularly used and respected by hirers. There is one radiator that may need replacing due to leakage and this is currently being monitored

The fluorescent lighting is outdated and to replace tubes is difficult as these are becoming obsolete. As some of the lights are not working, it was recommended we install new LED lighting as going forward this would be more cost effective. Following approval it is anticipated these works will take place during the May half term.

Following a pre-school moving into the hall in January (although not opening until mid February) some works were carried out following their Ofsted inspection including new flooring and decoration in all toilets, new pedal bins, redecoration of entrance hall area, fixing of fire extinguishers to walls and some other minor works. It should be noted that the pre-school carried some of these works.

5. St Leonard’s House

The house is let at present and the building is generally in good condition. Some general minor maintenance has been carried out, including upgrading of smoke alarms.

6. St Leonard’s Grounds

The grass is being cut regularly by volunteers for which we are very grateful.

7. The Core

The Core has not been used since December 2017 but serious health and safety consideration would be needed should this building be put to future use.

8. Health and Safety

The Fabric Committee maintains its ongoing commitment to ensure that all activities are risk assessed and appropriate training, equipment, records and processes are made available.

A Health and Safety Policy is in place (last reviewed in October 2021 and to be reviewed in 2024) and Accident Report books are in all buildings, first aid kits are maintained, signage and health and safety notices comply with current legislation. Paul Rawlings continues as our elected Health & Safety Officer.

Fire Risk Assessments have been carried out in all of our buildings. Reports have been received and any works required will be reviewed by the Fabric Committee.

9. Fabric Maintenance

The availability of volunteers over the past years continues to decrease. More volunteers are required to maintain the buildings and to keep maintenance work up to date. Volunteers with practical skills are always welcomed.

There will be a considerable increase in fabric costs should we need to employ external people/ organisations to carry out normal maintenance tasks.

12

A cleaning team is currently being co-ordinated at St Peter’s and volunteers, to work as part of a team are still required. If you feel you would be able to help with the cleaning, please contact Rachel in the Church Office.

We are very grateful to the volunteers who carry out the cleaning at St Leonard’s Church and St Leonard’s Hall and to those who cover essential cleaning when required at St Peter’s.

Paul Rawlings, Churchwarden and Chair of Fabric Committee

6 Finance Report and Accounts

Executive Summary

Following my resignation as Treasurer on 31[st] December 2022, Amit John, as one of our churchwardens, assumed the role of Treasurer, as no other candidates came forward until Jonathan Oates was appointed treasurer following his election to the PCC in May 2023. However, sadly, the financial year ended 31 December 2023 saw an overall deficit of income over expenditure of £6,653.15. This figure is disappointing but can be explained with costs having increased year on year in the region of £5,759.94 and maintenance costs. There has been an increase in legacies of £5,000 from last year, rental income for St Leonard’s House was up by £700, rent for St Leonard’s Hall increased by £110.01. Money received for weddings and funerals being £4,485 a substantial increase to previous years.

Our Parish General Fund, the amount we have available to spend on all unrestricted expenditure, amounted to £21,885. Our restricted fund balances total £38,090.47 and endowment fund balances total £112,366.25 (including the investment assets, monies that may only be spent on specific purposes), a combined total of £150,456.72.

Your PCC is immensely grateful to you all for the contributions and donations received in 2023. We give thanks we have had the opportunity to use this money wisely to continue God’s work here in Iver Parish and beyond.

INCOME

Our overall income was up in 2023 by 4.94 % from £112,488.74 to £118,045.34

Our income is derived from 5 sources: voluntary income; fund raising; investments; charitable activities and other resources.

(i) Voluntary Income increased by £1,510.32 from £73,716.71 to £75,227.03

Giving by standing order increased by £333.43 and gift aid received decreased by £1,063.74. Plate collections also decreased in 2023 by £2,195.13 but there was an increase in wall box donations by 34.06. Legacies increased from zero in 2022 to £5,000 in 2023.

(ii) Fund raising decreased by £547.28 (net)

2023 has seen fundraising events with a net income of £4,589.31 being raised with £184.75 spent.

(iii) Investment income increased by £77.49

We received a small return of £61.58 on our Santander shares donated to the PCC in 2002. We also received interest of £872.10 in 2023 from The Ethel Leach Memorial Fund; an original investment of £1,000 in 2006 invested in M&G Charifund Unit Trust units is currently worth £14,636.90.

We also let St Leonard’s House, a 3 bed-roomed house in St Leonard’s Walk behind St Leonard’s Church, at £1,700 per calendar month. This generated £19,900 between January to December, pa net excluding insurance and repair costs and is a vital source of income.

(iv) Income from charitable activities increased by £4,800.50 from £12,168.93 to £16,969.43

This income source is analysed across three headings

Income from the hire of St Leonard’s Hall increased by £110.01 from £4,838.24 to £4,948.25 in 2023.

The advertising income for the magazine has resulted in a slight decrease of revenue from £3,377.69 to £3,333.18 in 2023.

Fees from weddings and funeral services increased in 2023 to a total of £4,485; of which £2,747 is paid to the Diocese and is reflected in our Ministry costs.

13

EXPENDITURE

Our Expenditure increased by 4.84% in 2023 from £118,938.55 to £124,698.49

The significant reasons for this are:

Restricted funds

The church has a number of funds which are for restricted use only. These are separately disclosed in the accounts see note 21(b).

Thanks and appreciation

Once again, the PCC would like to extend its thanks and appreciation to everyone involved in the many and varied aspects of financial activity undertaken at St Peter’s and St Leonard’s, particularly to Amit John and Jonathan Oates during 2023.

Tina Lewis, Interim Treasurer

7 Report on the activities of the Parochial Church Council for 2023-24

The Parochial Church Council have met to transact business on 8 occasions since the last APCM

The Standing Committee of the PCC also met as necessary.

Rachel Nikolay was re-elected as Hon PCC Secretary. Jonathan Oates was elected as Hon Treasurer. Paul Rawlings was re-elected as Churchwarden.

Robert Gooding chaired the above PCC meetings and Paul Rawlings was elected as Lay Vice Chair.

There were three PCC vacancies and one Deanery Synod vacancy not filled at the last APCM.

Jonathan Oates resigned as Hon Treasurer and also from the PCC at the beginning of December 2023. Tina Lewis stepped in as Hon Treasurer on an interim basis only.

A PCC Away Day was held on Saturday 29[th] April 2023, at St John the Evangelist, Eton. Some time was spent celebrating what we do as a church, some personal time was spent with God, and those present discussed needs and mission opportunities for the next 12 months and beyond.

In these continuing challenging times the PCC worked to ensure the best use was made of our available financial resources and to ensure that our Church continues to be able to support a range of charitable activities outside of the Parish.

Our thanks go to the PCC, our Churchwarden Paul Rawlings, our Vicar - Revd Robert Gooding, our Curate Revd Sarah Smith and our LLM – Jim Dashper for all of their support and prayer, during the last year.

Rachel Nikolay, Hon PCC Secretary

8 Deanery Synod Report

Our Parish currently has two clergy representatives, Robert and Sarah and two lay representatives, Anitra Cuff and Paul Fisher, who keep the PCC updated with developments in the Deanery. Anitra and Robert also serve on the Deanery Mission and Pastoral Sub-committee. Clergy members of the Deanery meet regularly for “chapter” meetings for mutual support and encouragement.

Deanery Synod has met 4 times during the period covered by this report, in June, September and November 2023 and in February 2024.

In August 2023, Judy Giles was appointed as the new Deanery Administrator and Area Dean Assistant and she is doing a great job.

There is also an excellent new Deanery Website https://burnhamsloughdeanery.org.uk/

At each Synod meeting there is an opportunity to hear news and to be encouraged by mission initiatives from churches throughout the Deanery

There have also been a number of interesting presentations.

June:

14

September:

February:

In the Burnham and Slough Deanery the Revd Canon Janet Binns, our Area Dean, has managed a year of significant change. The emphasis has been using the valuable human resources we have within our deanery effectively.

Deanery Share and Pastoral Reorganisation

The deanery is currently facing a substantial deficit in the Parish Share; many parishes are unable to pay in full, and there is an urgent need for action. The current deficit in our Deanery is more than £100,000 and negative balances will now be carried over to the next financial year, not written off. In our Deanery there are currently 8 Parishes or Benefices (comprising of 13 churches) currently in vacancy (interregnum) following a large number of clergy departures (mostly retirements) Nearly all the parishes currently in vacancy are facing some sort of pastoral reorganisation, with parishes or benefices being combined before new clergy are appointed. There are some mixed views about this. For instance, Colnbrook is joining with Horton and Wraysbury and Datchet will be joining with the existing benefice of Eton, with Eton Wick and Boveney and Dorney. In St Peter, Chalvey, the post has been reduced to ½ stipend and the new person who starts in May 2024 will have a ½ time chaplaincy role at Slough and Eton School. The Deanery is divided into 4 different “groupings” and the current groupings are being reorganised, for instance Langley Marish will be joining the Eastern Group which currently consists of Iver, Iver Heath and Wexham.

Our excellent Deanery Treasurer, Sheila Warburton, has explained that the Diocese and the Deanery expect parishes to cover the full ministry cost for their clergy and pay their full parish share on time, while recognizing that this is not always achievable in areas of deprivation. However, if every parish paid between 80% and 100% of their ministry costs the Deanery would no longer be in deficit and that is what, as a Deanery, we are hoping to achieve in the next year or two. Iver currently pays approximately 90% of its ministry costs. Ministry costs comprises or clergy stipend, housing, clergy pensions and contribution towards training future clergy.

Deanery Lay Chair

We have a newly elected Lay Chair, Mr. Javed Gill, who has spoken to us about Diversity and the importance of learning from each other. St Peter’s PCC is considering a list of six questions that Javid presented at the last Deanery Synod meeting, about critical aspects of our church mission. These questions were handed to our own PCC at their meeting in March and Robert is to co-ordinate them in readiness for the next Deanery Synod meeting in June.

Greenhouse Project and Intercultural Resourcing Hub

Rt Revd Dr Tim Wambunya (Vicar of St Paul’s Slough) updated the meeting on the Greenhouse Project and Intercultural Resourcing Hub. St Paul’s is the designated Oxford Diocese Intercultural Mission and Ministry Resourcing Hub and the Burnham and Slough Deanery Greenhouse.

As a diocesan resourcing hub, their primary focus is to share their intercultural ministry, promote Church models that foster cultural and ethnic integration, encourage effective intercultural mission and ministry and inspire a culture change regarding ethnic and cultural integration.

As a deanery greenhouse, they will provide online training, mentoring, and other resources to grow effective intercultural mission and ministry.

They will work together on a variety of projects and “gossip the gospel”

St Paul’s hosted an online roadshow from Monday 13th November to Friday 17th November 2023. It covered topics such as how to help and support people from different cultures and create a successful intercultural church.

National bid, Children and Youth Ministries

Revd Chris Ferris (Rector of Langley Marish and Associate Area Dean) has spoken to Deanery Synod about this in recent months. Research from the newly appointed Discipleship Enabler James Wood from the Diocese of Oxford has shown that engagement with children and young people is decreasing year-on-year. The National Church is offering to fund children and youth ministries and Burnham Deanery are working with James Wood on a bid for a substantial amount to fund this ministry in our Deanery. Deaneries in the

15

Diocese are being encouraged to make bids to the Diocese, who in turn will choose the best proposals and these will then form a bid from the Diocese to the National Church for funding over a 3-year period. Parishes (or groups of parishes) seeking funding for a children or youth worker, although not initially required to provide funding themselves, will need to demonstrate that the ongoing work can continue to be funded locally at the end of the 3-year period. The matter is ongoing with a small working party, and it is not known when our Deanery will be able to offer funding for youth workers or ministers.

Join us

We are currently looking for a third lay person to become Deanery Synod Representative and bring our numbers up to strength. If you are interested in undertaking this important role, please speak to one of us about joining this engaging work for our church.

Nita Cuff, Paul Fisher and Robert Gooding

9 Mission Committee

Jan Rayner did not stand for re-election to the PCC in 2023 and therefore stepped down as chair of this committee, and so I became chair once again. I am very grateful for Jan’s excellent organisational skill as chair and equally pleased that she has continued as a co-opted member of this committee including taking over from Diana as secretary. Diana will be stepping down as a member of this committee at the 2024 APCM after 20 years of faithful service. We will miss her passion and commitment, and we will need to recruit more members to this Committee to work along Jan, Paula and myself, both from within the PCC and from the wider congregation.

Mission Giving

The mission budget for the year 2023 was distributed as planned.

The mission budget for 2024 is £6,536.76 (+£221.76 compared to 2023 budget of £6,315). This equates to 5% of the forecast income for 2024. In line with mission giving for 2023 and previous years, it was agreed that more would be awarded to individuals. Our church remains committed to mission giving and careful financial management and budgeting has allowed us to continue our giving for 2024. The Finance Committee continues to have a standing agenda item to review the opportunity to increase mission giving, should the financial position of the church improve during the year.

There have been no requests to change or consider new Mission Partners for 2024. We therefore currently support:

Mission Aviation Fellowship Church Army Far Eastern Broadcasting Associates (FEBA) London City Mission Tearfund

Wayne Dixon (Christian Connections in Schools; in association with Scripture Union) David and Joy James (InnerCHANGE, a ministry of Novo UK) Paula Carey (World Horizons) Stewart and Jo Johnson (Wycliffe Bible Translators) Simon French (Africa Inland Mission)

A letter was sent to each of our individual Mission Partners in January 2024 advising them that we are still continuing to support them financially and prayerfully.

An additional special one-off donation of £200 was also agreed towards the work of Novo UK and their ‘God Movement Network’ which is supporting and equipping disciple makers across the UK which is a resource that David and Joy James have been using.

Visits from Mission Partners

The following visits were made by our Mission Partners:

16

The following visits are planned for later this year

Other Activities

Our Mission Partners continue to work faithfully in the UK and around world in a context that has changed a lot in recent months and years with the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Israel / Gaza and the continuing cost of living crisis, with many charities seeing a significant reduction in their income. Our Mission Partners need our financial support and prayers more than ever as they seek to declare the good news of Jesus in a broken world.

Robert Gooding, Chair of Mission Committee

10 Pastoral Care Report

The current Pastoral Care Committee has met regularly since the last APCM report.

The Committee again organised our annual Remembering Service on Sunday 5[th] November 2023 and we are very grateful to all those who volunteered to help in various ways on the day and provided a warm welcome for those attending. Again, many positive comments were received from members of the wider local community who came along to this service.

Certain members of the Pastoral Care Committee again also took the lead this year in organising the Tenebrae service at St Leonard’s on Maundy Thursday, together with other members of the St Leonard's fellowship.

We still have four homegroups meeting either weekly or fortnightly and I am very grateful to those who faithfully host and/or lead these.

Cameo continues to go very well with around 40 people attending on the 2[nd] Saturday of each month and the group has collected and donated hundreds of pounds to local charities. Likewise, the Tea Chat and Company group is growing on the 1[st] Tuesday afternoon of each month with at least 25 attending and members from this group kindly provided flowers for the Mothering Sunday service on 10[th] March. From February 2024, Tea, Chat and Company have moved to a new temporary home at Richings Sports Park as St Leonard’s Hall is now be used by Lilliput Pre-School. Both Cameo and Tea Chat and Company provide important informal pastoral care to those who come along and also enable us to reach out to our local community.

We have also started a new group called “Mix and Mingle” for adults of all ages which meets once a month on a Saturday afternoon at the St Peter’s Centre for craft activities, games and social interaction. This was one of the priorities identified by the PCC last year and is organised by Sarah Smith as her Mission and Ministry Project for her curacy, with help from Rachel Nikolay who also provides the refreshments.

Sue Kightley and Maureen Traxler continue to serve on the volunteer Chaplaincy team at Wexham Park Hospital.

We are, as always, very grateful for all the “unofficial” pastoral support that members of the church family offer to others quietly behind the scenes.

Revd Robert Gooding - Chair of Pastoral Care Committee

17

11 Safeguarding

Introduction: A safer church is a more Christ-like church

In July 2023 the Church of England approved a set of National Safeguarding Standards as part of the quality assurance framework for safeguarding. They support the Church’s vision that it is essential that safeguarding is understood as a theological imperative, rooted in the nature and love of God, and outworking in basic commitments to giving equal worth to all.

The Five Standards are:

  1. Culture, Leadership and Capacity : Church bodies have safe and healthy cultures, effective leadership, resourcing and scrutiny arrangements necessary to deliver high-quality safeguarding practices and outcomes.

  2. Prevention : Church bodies have in place a planned range of measures which together are effective in preventing abuse in their context.

  3. Recognising, Assessing and Managing Risk : Risk assessments, safety plans and associated processes are of a high quality and result in positive outcomes. The assessment and management of risk is underpinned by effective partnership working.

  4. Victims and Survivors: Victims and survivors experience the timeliness and quality of Church bodies' responses to disclosures, and their subsequent support, as positively meeting their needs, including their search for justice and helping their healing process.

  5. Learning, Supervision and Support: All those engaged in safeguarding-related activity in Church bodies receive the type and level of learning, professional development, support and supervision necessary to respond to safeguarding situations, victims and survivors, and respondents, effectively.

(https://www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding/national-safeguarding-standards#na)

All safeguarding activities that are implemented and monitored in this parish contribute to meeting these objectives. The concept of a ‘healthy culture’ involves looking at aspects of communication, behaviour, relationships, self-reflexivity and privacy and data protection – all important elements to maintain a healthy church culture, which serves to prevent safeguarding issues.

Safeguarding is a standing agenda item at each PCC meeting. This is where policies are being reviewed, or any relevant topic is discussed. It has also been an opportunity for learning from national case reviews. Regular meetings (every two to three months) take place with the Safeguarding committee, consisting of Revd Robert Gooding, Rachel Nikolay, Church Administrator, Reina Fisher-van Werkhoven, Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO).

Safeguarding activities and management take place in line with Church of England Safeguarding Policy and Practice Guidance. Where appropriate Diocese Safeguarding meetings or workshops are attended. A special Safeguarding Sunday service took place both in St Peter’s and St Leonard’s church on the 19[th] of November2023, to reiterate the church’s responsibility to truly create places that are safer for all, by creating open cultures where abuse has nowhere to hide. This will be repeated annually.

Safeguarding Policy, Guidance and Information

Details of Parish Safeguarding Policy are available on the parish website and are reviewed annually (last updated October 2023).

The ‘Promoting a Safer Church’ information poster with key contact details for safeguarding concerns is available on the parish website and is displayed in both church buildings.

Safeguarding Learning and Development

All employed staff and church officers (all volunteers having a role in serving the church) are required to complete Safeguarding training, according to CofE training guidance, almost all of which is available as online learning. Those involved with children and vulnerable adults will be required to complete an enhanced level of safeguarding training. The purpose of this is to raise awareness of abuse that could take place, but most of all to prevent this and make the church a safe place for all.

Currently 70 % of staff and volunteers are fully compliant, and 30 % is not compliant with this. All are being reminded via email that training is still outstanding, and this also being reiterated at PCC meetings. The fact that the training is only available online is a barrier for some volunteers who do not have access to internet or are not conversant with online training, but this has been addressed by a face-to-face session on the 22[nd] of July 2023, facilitated by Reina Fisher-van Werkhoven and Rev. Robert Gooding.

Safer Recruitment and People Management

The Church of England has developed a comprehensive Safer Recruitment and People Management toolkit in order to formalise the process of employing paid staff and volunteers. This includes the use of job descriptions and obtaining references, DBS checks, and completion of required safeguarding training. New volunteers and staff will need to be supported in their role through regular meetings. The parish reports to

18

the Diocese the progress in meeting these recruitment and management requirements via an online dashboard. When new staff or volunteers will join the team, the new process will now need to be followed.

Concerns Raised

No safeguarding concerns have been shared with Parish Safeguarding Officer since the last report.

Reina Fisher-van Werkhoven, Parish Safeguarding Officer

12 Music Ministry

Roger Hall continues to provide music leadership at most St Peter’s 10am services together with Reina Fisher-van Werkhoven. Anne Torrent also kindly provides music for some St Leonard’s services, parish joint services and other special events. We continue to pray for more members to join the music ministry team.

Roger Hall

13 Children & Families

Sunday Seekers and Sunday services

The Rota continues to be tricky, with the team being reduced to two core leaders, one of whom also volunteers in other areas of the Sunday Service. We only have one person available each week, which means we need to have the doors to the Annexe open and someone in church “within sight” to ensure we meet our safeguarding responsibilities. We urgently need more volunteers. We are also only able to cover at most 3 out of 4 Sundays a month, now often with the same leader, as the other volunteer's responsibilities elsewhere have also increased. Bearing in mind that our regular volunteer also needs to be spiritually fed, I am not sure how sustainable this will be without other volunteers.

Due to reduced volunteers, the service on the 2nd Sunday of the month continues to be an All Age service. This is usually the week for Baptisms, with many non-church people attending. We have tried to include elements such as drama, a shorter interactive talk, and interactive prayers. Sometimes this makes the service difficult when it has been planned as an All Age, but then there are no children or families at the service.

At the outset of the year, we utilised Scripture Union resources, occasionally supplemented with additional materials, and received positive feedback from both the children and leaders of Sunday Seekers. However, due to the absence of a consistent core group of Sunday Seekers, as well as the varying ages of those who do attend ad hoc, determining suitable age-specific materials to purchase, has become challenging. Consequently, in the interim, Sarah has been planning weekly lesson plans, with Anitra providing supplementary support. These custom lesson plans have been well received. While Sarah finds fulfilment in preparing them, this task demands a significant investment of time and effort.

Schools Ministry:

Open the Book

This is continuing well. We have a committed team from both St Peter`s Church, Iver and Kings Church, Iver. The children engage well with the stories, reflection, and prayers, which is lovely to see. Thank you, Anitra, for your hard work and time spent in organising the scripts and costumes.

Iver Village Infants Academy

As well as the Open the Book Team going into the school every Monday morning, Sarah and Robert went into the school on 12th Dec and told the Christmas Story to the year 1 children. The children seemed to enjoy it and joined in. The school came into the church in October for their Harvest Festival Service.

Iver Village Junior School

Sarah and Robert continue to forge a good relationship with the school. The school had a lovely Christmas Concert in the Church.

This year Sarah and Robert went onto the school to do a Harvest Festival Assembly. This went well with the children engaging and asking some pertinent questions; told the Christmas story to year 3 children. The children seemed to enjoy it and participated fully, it was lots of fun; carried out an RE Lesson on the “Founding of Christianity” for both year 5 classes; and went into the school and carried out an Easter Assembly.

Old Station Nursery/Lilliput Pre-school

Robert is making connections with both of these. Lilliput Preschool has expressed an interest in coming into St Leonard's Church at Easter, Christmas, Harvest, etc. Robert went into The Old Station Nursery in October for their Harvest Festival and went in to tell the children the Christmas story.

19

Other schools

Sarah is fortunate to still be able to attend St Helen's College, the school she worked at, carrying out assemblies, prayers, RE lessons and a special Christingle-making workshop

TotZone

TotZone moved into the new venue of St Peter's Annexe in January 2024. The group runs Thursday mornings from 9.30am - 10.45am. There are roughly 5 to 8 children each week. Happily, a family from TotZone has booked for a Baptism in May

Other Events:

Light Party - this went well this year with 12 children attending. They had a great time and didn't want to leave afterward! Due to this success, we will be having another Light Party next year

Easter Party - this took place on Sat 30th March in St Peter's Church. We had 20 children attending (we were hoping for at least 10/12!), along with 21 adults accompanying them.

We had a few crafts for when the children arrived and facepainting by Kat, followed by some traditional party games, pass the parcel, musical statues, etc, and an Easter Egg Hunt. Robert did a short interactive talk which involved the children finding elements related to the “real” Easter story around the church, along with Bible passages, which Robert then explained. The children enjoyed this and we were not short of volunteers to read the passages. We finished with party food. All seemed to enjoy the party and stayed for sometime after the event officially finished children playing, adults chatting with each other and talking to us. I hope it was a blessing to all. It was to us!

Christingle - we held our first (in some time) Christingle service. Unfortunately, although it was great fun making the Christingles and learning all about what the elements mean, it was not well attended. However, we are planning a Christingle Service again next year

4pm Christmas Eve Family Service - although this service is not crowded there were more attending this year than last year. We are considering making the 2024 Christmas Eve Family Service the Christingle Service this year

Baptism - this year we have only had one Baptism, 2 children and 1 adult. We will be Baptising one of the children from TotZone on Sunday 12[th] May

Confirmation Course - t his started in March and is currently running as I write this report. The attendees seem keen and eager to learn more. It is especially inspiring to see how the young people are sharing their thoughts and learning from each other as well as us

We are using material recommended to us, from the Diocese of Bristol called “Live Life”. The sessions are a mixture of video and discussion

We are looking forward to their future confirmations, which will take place on Sunday 9[th] June 2024 at 5pm at St Paul’s, Slough.

St Peter`s Football Club - Robert presented the new football shirts to the players in January. As there was a delay in receiving the shirts it was too late to organise a church presentation, so Robert took the opportunity to go before a match to present the football shirts and pray for the team, the team went on to win.

Other:

As well as her Curacy training, Sarah has attended the following training/courses: York Diocese session on mental health in young people: Anxiety and depression. Serving the Local School Webinar (C of E)

Revd Sarah Smith – Chair of Youth and Children’s Committee

14 Social and Fundraising

The Social & Fundraising Team has had another busy year organising a variety of events involving many meetings and behind the scenes planning and preparation. In addition to raising valuable monies for general church funds the team strives to reach out to the wider community, serving and sharing the love of Jesus through all we do. The events reported on are those which took place during the period of this report, June 2023 to May 2024 and the amounts raised are net (after costs).

Coronation Event – Sunday 7th May 2023

Although not in the period of this report, this event was not reported on at the last APCM due to taking place after the report had been published.

The event took place at St Peter’s Church between 2pm and 5pm, went really well and was well received by those attending. Both adults and children took part in the activities available and enjoyed cream teas and homemade cakes. The King even popped by for the afternoon for a photo opportunity with the residents if Iver! A total of £551.16 was raised.

20

The church was also represented at the Iver Village Residents Association Coronation event in Iver Rec on Monday 8th May where leaflets were handed out for future events.

An Afternoon in June – Sunday 4[th] June 2023

This event was run as part of the Richings Park Centenary Celebrations and was held on the lawn at St Leonard’s Church. Although not hugely attended, those who did come along enjoyed the afternoon in the sunshine and some good conversations were had. A total of £212.05 was raised.

Tower Tours & Cream Teas – Sundays 6[th] and 20[th] August 2023

Both events ran smoothly with over 50 people climbing the tower across both weekends. Many people enjoyed the audio tour at ground level, this being a great addition for those wanting to learn more about the history of the church and giving an added option for those unable to climb the tower. Cream teas were enjoyed by many with an emergency restock of scones halfway through the second weekend! Lots of great conversations were had with both familiar and new faces, including a number of people who were new to Iver, having recently moved into the area. A treasure hunt was available for children. A total of £519.15 was raised

A Quiz of All Quizzes – Saturday 18[th] November 2023

Incredibly this was our 10th Anniversary of quizzes with Roger and Karen as our Quiz Masters. It was appropriate to have the theme of ‘A Quiz of All Quizzes’ with a mix of questions from the various quiz themes from the past 10 years! 8 teams were entered, there was a really good atmosphere and a good, fun and challenging evening was had by all. A raffle was also held. The event raised £491.00

Iver Christmas Tree Festival & Christmas Market – 1st to 3[rd] December 2023

There were again over 40 fabulous trees on display, slightly more than the previous year and the church looked absolutely stunning. Although we had thought 2022 was one of our busiest years for visitors, we think the 2023 Festival and Market surpassed this with an estimate of over 250 visitors throughout the weekend. Some really lovely and very positive feedback has been received

The ‘Real Christmas Grotto’ was manned for a large part of the Saturday with Robert dressed as Joseph. The Grotto was enjoyed and well received throughout the weekend with children choosing from a selection of Bible Society Christmas story books to take away with them. This year we would like to especially thank Pat at Home Cottage Farm who kindly helped with the loan of straw bales for use in the Grotto

The Christmas Market was really well attended and received. There were a few returning stallholders and some new ones, all stalls were great, selling a variety of quality items. Although 18 stalls were booked, sadly four had to cancel either the night before or on the day (with the entry fee being non refundable, funds were still received). Again, really positive feedback has been received from both visitors and stallholders with at least one stallholder requesting to book for 2024 already! A truly amazing final amount of £1701.35 was raised.

We would like to thank all those who entered trees or had stalls in the Market, those who visited and those who volunteered to help in any way during the weekend.

Please be thinking about perhaps entering your own tree into the 2024 Festival or talking to others and encouraging them to do so. It would be great to see even more trees decorating the church this year.

Illuminated Ivers (formally Light up the Ivers) – Christmas Eve 2023

St Peter’s was again number 24 on the ‘Advent calendar’ and was decorated with lights, a lit star and pictures and Bible verses depicting ‘Jesus as the Light of the World’. It was a real challenge to get this set up due to the high winds and rain and we were helped by a member of the community who had come along to take photos, we are very grateful for his assistance. The display was again well received by the community and we hope you all had an opportunity to see the display between 24th December to 3[rd] January.

In addition to those already thanked, the Social & Fundraising team would like to extend their grateful thanks to the following:

Gerald Paine for making countless jars of his ever popular and delicious jams and marmalade which have been sold in aid of church funds, raising an amazing £702.00

Roger and Karen Hall who continue to skilfully compile and host our quizzes.

Our talented cake bakers and those who have so generously donated towards the costs of running these events.

Oakwoods Estate Agents for sponsoring the Christmas Tree Festival and Market with advertising boards

Many local businesses for donating raffle prizes for a number of the events

21

Everyone who volunteered to help and support these events in any way, the events could not run so successfully without each and every one of you!

I would like to again add my personal thanks to our small but perfectly formed Social & Fundraising team - for their endless commitment and hard work in putting together a selection of fun and enjoyable events for all.

Please continue to prayerfully consider ways in which you could help us in the coming year as we seek to serve the Lord in our community and church. All of these events would not have been possible without the help of many people, and we thank them all again for their time and service.

Rachel Nikolay, Chair of Social & Fundraising Committee

22

Parochial Church Council of Iver, St. Peter and St. Leonard STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCOME STATEMENT for the year to 31st December, 2023

Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Endowment
Funds
TOTAL FUNDS
2023
INCOMING RESOURCES
Note
(£)
(£)
(£)
(£)
Incoming Resources from generated funds
Voluntary Income
1 (a)
73,477.03
1,750.00
0.00
75,227.03
Activities for generating funds
1 (b)
4,589.31
0.00
0.00
4,589.31
Investment Income
1 (c)
20,833.68
0.00
0.00
20,833.68
Incoming resources from charitable activities
2.00
16,969.43
0.00
0.00
16,969.43
Other incoming resources
3.00
425.89
0.00
0.00
425.89
TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES
116,295.34
1,750.00
0.00
118,045.34
RESOURCES EXPENDED
Cost of generating funds
Cost of generating voluntary income
4.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
Fund raising trading: costs of goods sold and other costs
5.00
184.75
0.00
0.00
184.75
Investment Management costs
6.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
Charitable Activities
7.00
122,875.73
317.47
0.00
123,193.20
Governance costs
8.00
100.00
0.00
0.00
100.00
Other resources expended
9.00
720.54
500.00
0.00
1,220.54
TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED
123,881.02
817.47
0.00
124,698.49
Net INCOMING/(OUTGOING) RESOURCES BEFORE TRANSFERS
-7,585.68
932.53
0.00
-6,653.15
Other recognised gains and losses
Realised
0.00
761.88
2,748.46
3,510.34
Unrealised
101.43
5,428.24
5,529.67
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
101.43
761.88
8,176.70
9,040.01
Balances brought forward at 1st January 2023
304,275.33
36,396.06
104,189.55
444,860.94
Balances CARRIED FORWARD at 31st December 2023
20.00
296,791.08
38,090.47
112,366.25
447,247.80		 PRIOR YEAR
TOTAL FUNDS
2022
(£)
73,716.71
5,136.59
20,056.19
12,168.93
1,410.32
112,488.74
0.00
191.75
0.00
117,887.82
100.00
758.98
118,938.55
-6,449.81
2,487.99
0.00
2,487.99

Parochial Church Council of Iver, St. Peter and St. Leonard BALANCE SHEET at 31st December 2023

Parochial Church Council of Iver, St. Peter and St. Leonard
BALANCE SHEET at 31st December 2023
2023 2022
Note (£) (£)
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible Fixed Assets 11(a) 275,000.00 275,000.00
Investment Assets 11(b) 82,271.24 76,741.57
TOTAL 357,271.24 351,741.57
CURRENT ASSETS
Short Term Deposits 55,043.53 51,533.19
Cash at Bank 34,933.03 41,586.18
Cash in Hand 0.00 0.00
NET CURRENT ASSETS 89,976.56 93,119.37
NET ASSETS 447,247.80 444,860.94
FUNDS
Unrestricted 20 (c) 296,791.08 304,275.33
Restricted 20 (b) 38,090.47 36,396.06
Endowment 20 (a) 112,366.25 104,189.55
TOTAL 447,247.80 444,860.94

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 2024 and signed on its behalf by

Notes to the FINANCIAL STATEMENT (continued) for the year to 31st December, 2023

10. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The Financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2008 and in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and SORP (2015) and applicable accounting standards. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention except for the valuation of investment assets, which are shown at market value.

Funds

General funds represent the funds of the PCC that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and are available for application on the general purposes of the PCC. Funds designated for a particular purpose by the PCC are also unrestricted.

Restricted funds are those funds that must be spent on restricted special purposes and details of the funds held and restrictions provided in note 21 (b). Endowment funds, where the capital must be retained , are explained in note 21 (a).

The financial statements include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body or those that are informal in gatherings of church members

Incoming resources

Voluntary income and capital sources

Collections are recognised when received by or on behalf of the PCC. Planned giving receivable under Gift Aid is recognised only when received.

Income tax recoverable on Gift Aid donations is recognised when repayment claim has been received.

Grants and legacies to the PCC are accounted for as soon as the PCC is notified of its legal entitlement, the amount due is quantifiable and its ultimate receipt is reasonably certain.

Fund raising events are accounted for gross.

All trading income is recognised gross.

Other Income

All rental income from the letting of church premises is recognised when the rent is paid.

Income from investments

Interest entitlements are accounted for when received. Tax recoverable on such income is recognised in the same accounting year.

Gains and losses on investments

Realised gains and losses are recognised when investments are sold.

Unrealised gains or losses are accounted for on a revaluation of investments at 31 December.

Resources used

Grants

Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over, or when awarded, if that award creates a binding obligation on the PCC.

Activities directly relating to the work of the Church

All costs are accounted for when paid.

Fixed Assets

Consecrated property and moveable church furnishings

Consecrated and beneficed property of any kind is excluded from the financial statements by s.96(2)(a) of the Charities Act Moveable church furnishings held by the vicar and churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal are accounted for as inalienable property unless consecrated. They are listed in the Church's inventory, which can be inspected (at any reasonable time)

Investments

Investments are valued at market rate at 31 December.

Current Assets

Accounting is made on the receipts and payments method.

Short term deposits include cash held on deposit either with the CBF Church of England Funds or at the bank.

Notes to the FINANCIAL STATEMENT (continued) for the year to 31st December, 2023

11. FIXED ASSETS FOR USE BY THE PCC

11. FIXED ASSETS FOR USE BY THE PCC
St Leonard's St Leonard's
House Hall Total
11 (a) Tangible Fixed Assets (£) (£) (£)
Gross Book Value at 1st January 2023 235,000.00 40,000.00 275,000.00
Depreciation: Charge for Year 0.00 0.00 0.00
Net Book Value at 31st December 2023 235,000.00 40,000.00 275,000.00
11(b) Investments 2023 2022
(£) (£)
Fabric Maintenance and Improvement Fund
2973.63 shares in the Central Board of Finance Investment Fund
Historical cost at 31st December 2023 £24,179.72 (2973.63 shares value £24,179.72)
Market Value at 31st December 2023 67,219.80 61,439.36
Ethel Leach Memorial Fund
1020 M & G Charifund Unit Trust units
Historical cost at 31st December 2023 £1,000.00 (2006 1020 units value £1,000)
Market Value at 31st December 2023 14,636.90 14,989.10

Other Investment

126 Banco Santander Shares previously Abbey National 10p Ordinary Shares

Historical cost at 31st December 2023 £252.70.24 (2002 100 share value £130, 2013 7 shares value £38, 2014 8 shares £46, 2015 5 shares £24, 2016 1 share @ £4, 2020 5 shares £10.70) Market Value at 31st December 2023 414.54 313.11 Total Investment Assets 82,271.24 76,741.57

Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
12. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BY FUND Funds Funds Funds TOTAL FUNDS
2023 2022
(£) (£)
Fixed Assets 275,000.00 275,000.00 275,000.00
Investments 414.54 81,856.70 82,271.24 76,741.57
Current Assets 21,376.54 38,090.47 30,509.55 89,976.56 93,119.37
Fund Balance 296,791.08 38,090.47 112,366.25 447,247.80 444,860.94

13. Wages, Salaries and Pensions

The PPC employed one part time worker during 2023 (2022: one). The PCC contributes 1% of the employee's salary into the government backed pension fund NEST Employees also contribute 1% into the fund.There are no costs to the PCC in the administration of this scheme.

No members of the PCC received payments of expenses during 2023. The vicar received reimbursement of expenses all of whch were related wholly to work undertaken undertaken on behalf of the church.

14. LONG TERM MAINTENANCE FUND

The Long Term Maintenance Fund is invested with the Central Board of Finance. The income and interest are available for the maintenance and enhancement of the churches.

15. MILLS MEMORIAL FUND

The capital relating to this fund is invested with the Central Board of Finance, and the income is used to defray the cost of tuning the organ at St. Leonard's Church.

16. MISSIONARY AND CHARITABLE GIVING

16. MISSIONARY AND CHARITABLE GIVING
Expenditure
2023 2022
(£) (£)
Giving to Overseas Mission
Mission Aviation Fellowship 441.00 357.60
Paula Carey - World Horizons 474.00 396.00
FEBA 441.00 357.60
Tear Fund 441.00 357.60
Wycliffe Bible Translators 909.00 792.00
Africa Inland Mission (AIM) 909.00 792.00
Total 3,615.00 3,052.80
Giving to Missions at Home
Interchange 909.00 792.00
Church Army 441.00 357.60
London City Mission 441.00 357.60
Christian Connection in Schools (Wayne Dixon) 1,818.00 792.00
Total 3,609.00 2,299.20

17. LOANS

There have been no loans in 2023.

18. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The PCC has a related party relationship with Iver Educational Trust (IET). Both charities share trustees and transactions occur between both parties. Iver Educational Trust rents office space to the PCC and share the costs of a secretary. During the year the PCC paid IET £1,800 for the use of office space and IET paid the PCC £4,500 for secretarial

services. IET also reimbursed the PCC £231.52 for broadband costs.

19. SPECIFICATION OF FUNDS HELD AS AT 31ST DECEMBER 2023

Church Funds are held in one of the following locations:

Current Account

Cheque Account with Nat West Bank.

CBF Central Board of Finance of the Church of England. The PCC has five CBF accounts: the Reserve that contains the majority of our savings, the St. Leonard's account for St. Leonard's Hall, the FMIF account for the income from the FMIF trust fund the St Peter's Bells fund and the St Peter's Tower fund

FMIF

Ethel Leach Fund

Fabric and Maintenance and Improvement Fund. There are two accounts of this name: an income account (see CBF) and a trust fund.

There are two accounts in this name:

a trust fund (investment account) and an income account (part of the CBF reserve: see above)

Notes to the FINANCIAL STATEMENT (continued) for the year to 31st December, 2023

20 (a) Endowment Funds

20 (a) Endowment Funds 2023 2022
(£) (£)
Mills Memorial Fund (CBF St Leonards) 1,000.000 1,000.00
Ethel Leach Memorial: Income Account (CBF St Leonards) 3,739.97 3,592.78
Maintenance Trust Account (FMIF CBF Account) 17,935.41 16,124.95
Fabric Maintenance and Improvement Trust (Trust Account) 67,219.80 61,439.36
Ethel Leach Memorial Trust (Investment Account) 14,636.90 14,989.10
Graveyard Maintenance Trust (CBF Reserve) 7,834.17 7,043.36
* Items in italics are capital sums 112,366.25 104,189.55
20 (b) Restricted Funds 2023 2022
(£) (£)
Alpha Course (Current Account) 236.24 236.24
Bells Fund (Current Account) 225.40 225.40
CBF General Reserve (CBF Reserve) 6,719.10 6,510.45
Chairs for St Peter's (Current Account) 2,152.62 2,152.62
Organ Fund (Current Account) 874.95 624.95
St Peter's Bells Fund (CBF Account) 7,703.00 7,463.79
St Peter's Tower Fund (CBF Account) 10,111.88 9,797.86
St Peter's window restoration fund (Current Account) 2,935.00 2,935.00
Worship Group (Current Account) 49.65 49.65
Youth Work (Church C/A) 3,006.51 3,323.98
Iver Family Fun Day (Current Account) 216.12 216.12
St Leonard's House Deposit (Current Account) 1,800.00 1,800.00
Kitchen flooring fund (Current Account) 1,060.00 1,060.00
Defibrillator (Current Account) 1,000.00 0.00
TOTAL 38,090.47 36,396.06
20 (c) Unrestricted Funds 2023 2022
(£) (£)
St Leonard's House 235,000.00 235,000.00
St Leonard's Hall 40,000.00 40,000.00
Banco Santander E0.50 Ordinary Shares 414.54 313.11
Parish General Account 21,376.54 28,962.22
TOTAL 296,791.08 304,275.33

Parochial Church Council of Iver, St. Peter and St. Leonard STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCOMING RESOURCES for the year to 31st December, 2023

1. INCOMING RESOURCES FROM GENERATED FUNDS
1 (a) Voluntary Income
Giving under gift aid
Income tax recoverable on covenants
All collections (open plate) at services
Wall box donations
Grants
Legacies
Donations
Organ Fund
TOTAL
1 (b) Activities for generating funds
Fetes, bazaars and other fund-raising events
TOTAL
1 (c) Investment Income
Share Account Income
Interest Received
Rental
TOTAL
2. INCOME RESOURCES FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
Church Hall Lettings : St Leonard's Hall
Magazines and books
Fees
TOTAL
3. OTHER INCOMING RESOURCES
Refunds and rebates
Miscellaneous
TOTAL
TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Endowment
Funds
TOTAL FUNDS
2023
2022
(£)
(£)
(£)
(£)
(£)
47,484.24
47,484.24
47,150.81
11,105.53
11,105.53
12,169.27
5,865.57
5,865.57
8,060.70
61.16
61.16
27.10
0.00
500.00
500.00
1,040.00
5,000.00
5,000.00
0.00
3,960.53
1,000.00
4,960.53
4,848.83
250.00
250.00
0.00
73,477.03
1,750.00
0.00
75,227.03
73,716.71
4,589.31
-
4,589.31
5,136.59
4,589.31
-
0.00
4,589.31
5,136.59
61.58
61.58
9.59
872.10
872.10
846.60
19,900.00
19,900.00
19,200.00
20,833.68
-
0.00
20,833.68
20,056.19
4,948.25
4,948.25
4,838.24
3,333.18
3,333.18
3,377.69
8,688.00
8,688.00
3,953.00
16,969.43
-
0.00
16,969.43
12,168.93
355.89
355.89
1,404.57
70.00
-
70.00
5.75
425.89
-
0.00
425.89
1,410.32
116,295.34
1,750.00
0.00
118,045.34
112,488.74

Parochial Church Council of Iver, St. Peter and St. Leonard STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES RESOURCES EXPENDED for the year to 31st December, 2023

COSTS OF GENERATING FUNDS
4. Cost of generating voluntary income
Fees and costs
TOTAL
5. Fund-raising trading: costs of goods sold and other costs
Fundraising costs
TOTAL
6. Investment management costs
Professional Advice
TOTAL
7. Charitable Activities
Missionary and Charitable Giving
Home Missions and Other Church Societies
Ministry
Working expenses of incumbent, curate & parish office
Church Running Expenses
Church Maintenance
Upkeep of Services
Expenditure on Parish Magazine
Parish Training & Mission
Youth, children & family work
Church Hall running costs St Leonards
Other PCC Property Upkeep - St Leonards House
TOTAL
8. Governance Costs
Accountancy and independent examination fees
TOTAL
9. Other Resources Expended
Organ Expenses
Bells Fund
Miscellaneous
Bank Charges and Loan Interest
TOTAL
TOTAL RESOURCES USED		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Endowment
Funds
TOTAL FUNDS
2023
2022
(£)
(£)
(£)
(£)
(£)
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
184.75
0.00
0.00
184.75
191.75
184.75
0.00
0.00
184.75
191.75
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
3,615.00
3,615.00
3,052.80
3,609.00
3,609.00
2,299.20
58,447.00
58,447.00
60,279.04
27,303.04
27,303.04
24,884.09
12,316.04
12,316.04
11,574.09
4,998.19
4,998.19
6,021.33
1,615.41
1,615.41
1,518.13
5,740.00
5,740.00
5,155.40
0.00
0.00
0.00
317.47
317.47
0.00
2,918.07
2,918.07
1,956.11
2,313.98
2,313.98
1,147.63
122,875.73
317.47
0.00
123,193.20
117,887.82
100.00
100.00
100.00
100.00
0.00
0.00
100.00
100.00
0.00
0.00
312.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
539.56
500.00
1,039.56
262.58
180.98
180.98
184.40
720.54
500.00
0.00
1,220.54
758.98
123,881.02
817.47
0.00
124,698.49
118,938.55