2023-12-31-accounts

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Bebington Parish Annual Report 2023

Incorporating a strategic review of the year, the aims and activities of the PCC, financial review and a statement of financial activities

Our Vision

A Christ-Centred Family Sharing God’s Love

Christ-Centred: Followers of Jesus Christ, grounded in scripture, prayer and worship Family: A welcoming fellowship where all ages are nurtured and enabled to use their God-given gifts Sharing God’s love: Making Christ known in our daily lives with everyone we meet Serving and loving each other, our community and beyond

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3 Rector’s Report
5 Townfield Report
6 Wardens’ Report
8 Safeguarding Report
8 Treasurer’s Report
10 Parochial Church Council Report
11 Youth Hub Report
13 Children & Families Hub Report
16 Seniors’ Hub Report
19 Poverty Action Group Report
21 World Mission Report
22 St Andrew’s C.E (Aided) Primary School Report
23 Deanery Synod Report
24 Conroy Trust Report
25 In Memoriam
25 Welcome
26 Statistics
27 Minutes of the Meeting of Parishioners 16 May 2023
28 Minutes of the APCM 16 May 2023
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LW J•Bu

Rector’s Report on St Andrew’s

2023 was a year with lots of buildings related activity!

The anticipated spire & tower repair project was undertaken, running through much of the year to the end of October. We are very happy with the quality of work carried out by Phillips & Curry. The project cost some £314,000 (excluding recoverable VAT). We managed to secure £26,000 in grant funding but repair grants were extremely difficult to find, so we are very grateful that we were able to cover the cost from the large legacy received during 2022/3.

I reported last year that an agreement had been reached to sell the Rectory, with the Diocese providing a more suitable and more modern house. The Diocese’s purchase of 95 Quarry Avenue was completed in April, and we moved in June. The house is far better suited to present day needs, and we are finding it works extremely well both for family life and ministry. The sale completed on the Rectory (now known as The Old Rectory) in October, and we are glad to welcome our new neighbours – and pleased that (as planned) the house remains a family home. We were also able to retain part of the grounds, adjacent to the church hall, at no cost other than the installation of fencing, which gives us options for improving the amenity space.

We had an agreement in place with the Diocese that because one wing of the house had been used by the parish for most if not all its life, the parish would receive a portion of the sale proceeds. On the strength of this, in addition to carrying out the works needed to the church hall to enable the office to move, we were able to refurbish the whole church hall internally. This was much needed, and has been appreciated by hall users. The office is now well settled upstairs in the church hall, and the new location is working well.

In addition, having finally obtained planning permission, we were able towards the end of the year to install the new external church & churchyard lighting, which is an enormous improvement both aesthetically and for safety. Our thanks are due to Stuart Waldron for leading the work on many of the building projects.

That’s not the end of building matters (it never is!) – repairs are needed to a number of the church windows, including extensive stonework repairs, so that will be the next project. And our new Environmental Working Group is looking at options and priorities for improving our care for the environment and working towards environmental awards, and the Church of England’s commitment to Net Zero, which in due course will inevitably include some significant buildings related expenditure.

Of course our buildings are not the focus of our ministry, they are here to serve it, and these developments will enable them to continue to do so, and more effectively, in the coming years.

Although the various building projects took up significant time and resources, probably the most significant development this year was the appointment of a Leader of Children and Families Ministry. After two unsuccessful attempts to recruit a full time worker, we widened the post to offer full time, part time or job share, which encouraged more applicants. Towards the end of the year we were delighted to appoint Jen Shelton to the role on a part time basis, and were looking forward to her taking up the post in early January. As the post is financially provided for from legacy funding, we may at some point look to expand the role with an

additional staff member to create a full time equivalent role as originally planned, but we will review this after Jen has been in post for some time and assess the needs at that point.

We were sad to say farewell to a number of church members during the year, as some sadly died and others moved away. Despite this, however, 2023 was a more positive year for ministry. Having fallen significantly during the pandemic, attendance at St Andrew’s slowly climbed through the year, partly due to returning/increased attendance, but also to a significant number of new members. Average attendance at the 10:30am service during the year was around 135, but increasing through the year and beyond, so significantly higher by the year end; in addition to an average of 20 at the 8am service and about another 30 (on a conservative estimate) joining the livestream online or watching afterwards.

During the year, we ran teaching series including the nature of God; Ephesians; Hezekiah; and issues of our day. We continued the same service pattern as during 2022. We also continued to run other areas of church ministry as in 2022, and held successful events for the church and community at Easter and Christmas. Our ‘warm space’, started in late 2022, ran through the year and became ‘Friendly Faces’: we found that the greatest need being addressed was not the energy crisis, but social isolation. The group is well attended and providing a valuable service to the congregation and the community.

Continuing growth and changes in the congregation have meant that it feels a very different congregation to a few years ago, and we have continued through social and other events to build fellowship. We held a number of breakfasts, lunches and other social events, which were well attended and enjoyed.

I have long wanted us to develop corporate prayer, and towards the end of the year we held a prayer breakfast, which was an encouraging event with about 30 present. We plan to repeat this probably at least once a term.

As last year, it has been encouraging to see a number of people drawn into new areas of service. However, many of our volunteer teams are still very stretched, and there are many opportunities for people to get involved in service. Do please consider prayerfully whether the Lord may be encouraging you into something new.

During the year, we undertook a stewardship appeal, sharing with you that our income was insufficient to meet all our expenditure. We are very dependent on the generosity of the congregation, from whom comes almost all our income. We are grateful to all who give, and to those who were able to increase their giving or start giving during the year – although this was partially offset by those who died or moved away. We finished the year with a deficit of close to £18,000, which was considerably better than forecast at the start of the year, but still significant, and not sustainable in the long term. Due to increased costs, and despite the increases in income, we began 2024 with a gap between income and expenditure of about £30,000 for the year. Short of cutting staff (which would be very damaging to our ministry) there is very little we can do to reduce costs, so in order to meet the budget, a combination of people giving more, and more people giving, is needed. So once again we are asking if you could prayerfully review your financial giving, especially if you have not done so for a while.

As always, there are too many people to thank individually, but I have been so thankful for our dedicated team of staff, churchwardens, PCC, maintenance team, and all who have served in

many different ways in contributing to our ministry during the year, for their partnership, commitment and support.

Through all the pressures and uncertainties we face in our culture and in the current times, we can be grateful for God’s provision for us during the year, and the comfort, inspiration and hope he offers us through Jesus Christ. We look forward to journeying with Him through the coming year.

David Vestergaard

Townfield Report

After about 2000 years of existence, there’s still something unique about the Church. In fact there are lots of things that are unique about it: it’s the hands and feet of Jesus (the body of Christ); it’s “the only society on earth that exists for the benefit of non-members” (as William Temple famously said); and it’s one of very few organisations that is open to everyone, of any age, and seeks to engage and serve them all at the same time.

That’s quite a challenge, but it continues to be a huge encouragement to us at Townfield as we see people of all ages, and many different backgrounds, all growing together, as we seek to love and follow Jesus more. And 2023 has been all of that and more.

As always, Townfield has been a community which has been kept going by the generosity of its members, who have given their time, energy, love, care, prayer, talents, skills, and money in sacrificial ways. We couldn’t be Townfield without each and every one of you, and the contributions you have all made are too many to mention in a report like this, but thank you all.

Perhaps a couple of snapshots of life at Townfield in 2023 will give us a bit of a taste of what the year has been like.

The first snapshot is from a sunny weekend in May, when the eyes of the world were on the Eurovision Song Contest, but Townfield were all at the Great Townfield Weekend in Meols (it was booked before we knew that Eurovision would be on the doorstep!). After previous ‘proper’ weekends away, we had come to realise that it’s very difficult to find a venue which is big enough for us all (but not too big) and is fully accessible. We were also aware that a more testing financial climate might make the cost of a weekend away tricky. So, we decided to do a weekend away … but not away, and we put together a Saturday and Sunday at a friendly nearby church (St Andrew’s URC in Meols), all going home to sleep. And despite being local, a fabulous weekend was had by all, with great numbers attending (including many who wouldn’t have been able to join us if we’d been miles away), enabling us to build & strengthen relationships with each other, and with God, for a very thrifty suggested donation of £15 for adults and £5 for children. In fact, it was such a great weekend, feedback suggests a similar event in the future would be very welcome!

And the second snapshot comes from a string of autumn Sunday mornings, when we spent some time thinking about what our mission from God really is. Over 10 weeks, we spent time digging into 5 different aspects of ‘mission’, exploring the many ways in which we are called to make God’s love known, both by what we do, and by what we say, as we seek to: proclaim

the Good News of Jesus; teach, baptise and nurture new believers; respond to human need in loving service; transform unjust structures, challenge violence, and pursue peace; and care for God’s creation[1] . It was challenging stuff because, as is often the way with God, it made us think beyond ourselves and out own needs, to ask how God might be calling us, as a church, to be less invisible, and to take Jesus outside of our walls more.

Of course, that will be an ongoing journey as we seek to follow God’s call to us in the years ahead. So rock on 2024!

Al Rodgers

1If you’re wondering where we got these 5 areas from, they are the Anglican Communion’s “Five Marks of Mission”: https://www.anglicancommunion.org/mission/marks-of-mission.aspx

Wardens’ Report

2023 has been a time of gradual growth and development in our church community. An increasing number of people are attending our regular services in church, and we continue to livestream most of our services so that any unable to attend are able to participate. We are very grateful to all those who contribute to our weekly worship: our dedicated sidespeople, those who lead and preach, those who read and pray, our talented music team, our wonderful refreshment team, our skilled technical team who keep our worship running smoothly. Our thanks also go to all those who help with the regular upkeep of our church building: those who clean brasses, arrange flowers and, of course, our wonderful Monday Gang. We must not forget the wonderful team of assistant wardens who assist with duties at Sunday services throughout the year. We have held a number of special events including a well-received Good Friday drama outside the Civic Centre, the Carol Service, the Tree Festival and the Christmas Experience. We have continued to hold regular church breakfasts which have proved popular and have been an excellent way of building fellowship across our church community. We have also had a church barbecue and a church picnic.

During the last year, most of our church groups have been running regularly including Little Fishes, Men’s Fellowship, Women’s Fellowship, Crèche, house groups and Sunday Club. We continue to run online prayer meetings. The Youth team have managed to run an exciting programme of youth activities but need some extra helpers. An exciting initiative this year has been the starting of Warm Spaces designed to offer a warm, safe and welcoming place to those struggling with increasing costs of living and especially fuel prices. This was very successful and is continuing under the name Friendly Faces. We are grateful to the individuals and teams who head up the various activities.

We are particularly grateful to Stuart Waldron who is continuing to head up the Maintenance Team dealing with the fabric and building issues. We are thankful for the appointment of Jen Shelton as Children and Families worker. We are sure this appointment will enable us to expand our ministry among children and their families. We are aware that we still need more helpers in some areas of church life and continue to pray that God will provide the personnel we need to run all our ministries effectively.

The last year has been a time of significant change in our church plant. We have completed the repair and conservation of the church tower and spire. The external lighting project was largely completed by the end of 2023. The old rectory was sold, and a new rectory building was purchased. The church office was relocated to the Church Hall. The Church Hall itself underwent significant renovation including installing a new kitchen, new chairs, new flooring, redecoration and much more making it a much more attractive and functional venue.

It is great to see the life and ministries of our church continuing to grow and thrive. We are grateful to everyone who contributes to our church community; each and every one of you is valuable. We would both like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation for all the love, support and prayer which have surrounded us over the past year.

Kate Butler & Viv Halliday

Church Buildings

A number of major projects were completed during the year.

Repair and Conservation of the Church Tower/Spire

Completed October 2023, final cost £314k excluding VAT that was reclaimed. Funded primarily through legacies and £26k of grants.

The project comprised work to the tower/spire that can be summarised as follows:

Indented stone repairs primarily to the spire
New sill stones to 12 lucarnes with new stainless steel bird mesh
Extensive repointing of the tower and spire
Overhaul of the weathervane
Replacement of tie rods to the tower

Under the management of the Church Architect, supported by his Quantity Surveyor, the project was completed on time and to cost, and achieved the aim of providing a sound watertight structure to ensure the church can continue in use for generations to come.

Installation of new external lighting to the church and churchyard footpaths Substantially completed December 2023, cost £23k, funded through legacies

The aim was to provide safer access to the building and this has been achieved through lowlevel footpath lights and new lights on the building to better illuminate access points to the building. The style of fittings are in keeping with the age of the building.

Church Hall refurbishment and relocation of the church office to the church hall

Completed in the Autumn 2023, approx. cost £100k, funded through the church’s allocation from the proceeds of the sale of the Rectory

The main features were:

Provision of a new kitchen with new worktops, storage units, flooring and washing facilities
New high-quality flooring throughout
New chairs for the main hall
Redecoration throughout

New office with new desks, chairs, cupboards and carpet
New storage cupboards and refurbishment of others
Zoning of heating system and additional radiators for main hall

Maintenance plan

The Monday Gang continues to monitor and undertake regular maintenance activities to the church and hall. Health and Safety inspections are undertaken on a regular basis and the results reported to PCC.

Stuart Waldron

Safeguarding Report

At St Andrew’s & Townfield we take our duty to protect all extremely seriously. The PCC has adopted the Church of England Safeguarding Policies and Practice Guidelines.

All staff and volunteers working with children, young people and vulnerable adults are provided with a copy of the C of E’s Parish Safeguarding Handbook with our own local supplements, and are required to confirm that they have received and read it. All are also supported with safeguarding training, and safeguarding training is provided to PCC members and others with a relevant interest. We follow the C of E’s Safer Recruitment process for appointments, including the use of DBS checks and references.

In November, St Andrew’s and Townfield both observed “Safeguarding Sunday”, taking the opportunity to highlight the importance of Safeguarding and to increase awareness of who our Safeguarding Officers are.

The Diocese held a Thanksgiving for Safeguarding service at Chester Cathedral in July which Richard attended. With the Diocesan Safeguarding team now up to full strength, the Diocese has plans to increase networking amongst Parish Safeguarding Officers (PSOs), and Richard and Gwen both intend to fully participate.

If you have any queries or concerns please speak to one of the Parish Safeguarding Officers (contact details available on noticeboards in both churches, or via the church office).

Richard Lawrence (St Andrew’s) & Gwen Derrig (Townfield)

Treasurer’s Report

The pandemic generally forced a rethink on the collection and processing of donations from the congregation, resulting in us now seeing 90% of our income received via the collection of monthly standing orders. This does mean that things are safer in terms of handling cash to the bank, but also means that the monthly flow of cash helps the budget throughout the year. At the present time we have approx. 200 standing order payments received each month into the church bank account.

We have enhanced our card reader offering in the church and improved our online giving platform with the result that we are seeing regular use of these two methods for making oneoff donations, particularly from visitors to the church.

As usual we would highlight Gift Aided giving as being enormously valuable to the church enabling us to claim approx. £43,000 each year from the Inland Revenue. The formalities for most donors are the very simple completion of a Gift Aid form. We thank Brenda Duffy, the Gift Aid secretary, for the enormous help in processing these claims twice yearly.

We have seen quite a few changes to the congregation over the last 3 years, with some moving away for family reasons, some now going to more local churches rather than travel across the Wirral, but are encouraged by seeing a good number of new members in church weekly.

Our regular planned income including Gift Aid in 2023 was £258,821, an increase on the previous year of £251,816. Despite this small increase our regular giving has fallen to what it was pre-pandemic in 2019. Our general overall income for the year was £279,904 (including one-off donations, Rolleston Drive rent and wedding & funeral fees) whilst expenditure was £297,856, leaving a deficit for the year of just under £18,000.

The annual accounts will show that in 2023 we received approx. £630,000 in total income (including net sale of the rectory, plus grants to support the spire work), with expenditure at £765,000 (includes cost of church hall and spire work), leaving a deficit in the accounts of £134,000. 90% of this deficit comes from income received in the previous calendar year.

We are very thankful for the increase in committed giving pledged in 2023 which should mean that our planned income including Gift Aid should be at least £275,000 this coming year. There will still be a challenge as our income needs to grow to approx. £304,000 to cover our anticipated expenditure.

You will be aware that we have been in receipt of a large legacy which has enabled us to make some necessary improvements and enhancements to our buildings in 2023. We have completed the very necessary stonework repairs on the spire which, after receiving some grants and Tax recovery where allowed, has cost in the region of £288,000. The sale and purchase of a new rectory by the Diocese has enabled us to make some really worthwhile upgrades to the church hall, costing £105,000 to date with some minor finishing off to do. You may have noticed the external lighting which has made a good improvement to the paths into church and this we were also able to fund at a cost of £25,000.

Apart from these items spent we have set aside sums of money to assist the church school in the near future with some building improvements, and have set up a more considerable fund to enable us to provide a Childrens and Family Worker for at least the next 6 years and possibly beyond.

Finally we have boosted our general funds by £50,000, much needed to ensure that we can fund our annual expenditure, particularly at a time where the general giving is not quite matching our annual expenditure. Naturally we cannot rely on these funds every year and must seek to increase our general giving to match our overall running costs.

Bryan Higgins

Report on the activities of the Parochial Church Council

One of my favourite moments during any service is when Helen Thomas is preaching and very often she will ask, rhetorically, something along the lines of, “… but Helen, what does that mean, I hear you say?” And of course I feel obliged to answer – I usually can’t help myself – whether the answer is actually wanted or not!

But in that spirit: “Ian, I hear you ask, what does the PCC actually do?”

Well, during 2023, they kept an eye on the finances of the parish – but they always do that, don’t they? And they agreed to the church hall refurbishment which has given it a more pleasant aesthetic and made it a better, more useable space. And oversaw the ongoing spire repairs, and the Rectory sale.

The PCC also renewed Christopher Jarvis’ contract for another three years – just reward for his excellent leadership of the youth work, and Employed a new Leader of Children and Families Ministry – and we’re certain Jen Shelton will do a great job in the role, and Approved the appointment of a new Curate, joining us in Summer 2024, and Covered most of a course by CPAS, “Leading your churches in evangelism”, to help us think about sharing our faith and reaching out, and

Kept up to date with the Church of England’s “Living in Love & Faith” discussions about sexuality and relationships, and Agreed to underwrite the cost of refurbishing the community kitchen at St Andrew’s school – an essential element for Townfield’s fellowship and socialising, and Reluctantly agreed to cut down dying trees around the church car park for safety purposes (but new ones will be planted at the back at a later date), and

Started consultation with church hall users as to how best use the land retained from the sale of the rectory, and Continued with Warm Spaces: now renamed Friendly Faces, and Started planning 2024’s church weekend away (now an away day due to costs), and Discussed service times including taking the difficult decision not to restart weekly evening services for the foreseeable future, and

Agreed to new signs around the church grounds, and Agreed to youth outings and events, for insurance purposes, and Facilitated the mounting of a defibrillator at the church hall, and

Received regular updates on the financial position of the parish and agreed to a stewardship campaign to keep the congregation informed, and Approved a new Christmas experience in lieu of the Christmas Journey, and Set up an environmental working group to see how we can better serve the Lord, and the planet as a whole, through being greener as a church and as individuals, and Continually reviewed church life and all aspects of it.

As well as all this, the two church subcommittees covered various aspects of life for our two churches, ranging from administration of communion, to stewardship & financial giving, to repairs & maintenance, to priorities for ministry, and plans for festivals.

Please forgive my flippancy. If I could just adapt John 21:25 for a moment – The PCC did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down I suppose that even the whole 2023 report would not have room for the items discussed and decisions taken to be written.

As ever – my annual appeal: if you aren’t happy with decisions the PCC are making – get involved. If you want a say in how the church is run – get involved. The more voices and the greater range of diversity, the better. There are about 7 meetings per year, each less than a couple of hours: come and have your say.

No report would ever be complete without my declaration of thanks to Karen and Jenny in the church office for all their assistance throughout the year in ensuring agendas, minutes etc. are where they should be; to the members of the many smaller groups throughout the church – the reports of which can be read elsewhere – who all contribute to the running of the PCC and Parish; and to the Rector and Revd Al for their continued support and faithful leadership.

Please keep the PCC in your prayers.

Ian Swindlehurst

Youth Report

Vision

The vision for the youth ministry is “To create a growing community where young people can develop their relationship with God and discover who they are. Now and for the future.”

Each year we strive to make sure that everything we do fulfils this statement in some way, and that each element is fulfilled by something that we do. Currently we are working on developing “now and for the future” so that the impact of the youth ministry is long-lasting, after the young people graduate from it.

Weekly Church Groups

Unplugged

During the spring term Years 7-9 and Years 10-12 looked at various spiritual disciplines. Year 13 took it in turns to cook for each other, as the group was much smaller, and discuss whatever topic was on their minds. This was a particularly interesting term I felt.

During the summer term Year 13 focused on life after graduating from the youth ministry and how to approach the first months of university. Years 10-12 had visitors who shared part of their testimony to help the young people work on theirs ahead of Psalms & Sponges (more on that below). Years 7-9 explored communion ahead of some members being admitted.

During the autumn term, the age brackets move up after the holiday so Years 11-13 and Years 8-10 read through some Biblical books through the week and discussed them during the session. The new Year 7 group did some foundation building by discussing The Bible, prayer, The Church, and more.

As the Year 7 group was small, they were combined with Year 8-9 and as such we have seen more join due to the change of week day.

Amplify Friday

Amplify Fridays returned to the pre-Covid routine of weekly meetings, with Youth Band moving to a Sunday evening. During the spring term we watched Murder on the Orient Express and had a visit from the Creepy Crawly Roadshow; in the summer term we played crazy golf and walked from Heswall to Parkgate for fish and chips; the autumn term saw fireworks at Wirral Rugby Club, bowling and laser quest in New Brighton, and ice skating at Deeside.

The group sees a regular attendance of between 15-25 each week, and we have seen 40 young people at least once since September.

Amplify Sunday

Amplify Sundays have grown to match Fridays in terms of numbers, although not entirely the same young people. We have continued to cover a variety of topics from generosity and evangelism to The Holy Trinity and miracles.

Youth Band

Youth Band moved to alternate Sunday evenings; however, due to crucial members leaving and central instruments not being represented, the limited scope of what we could achieve meant that the time and resources required became more difficult to justify. By the summer holidays it was agreed that we would not continue for the time being, but may return in the future.

Schools Work

Wirral Boys

The Christian Union has returned to Wirral Boys, and we have just finished a long stretch of time looking at the book of Revelation. We have continued to be involved in the school’s Christmas Carol Concert, and hope to assist with lessons in the future.

Wirral Girls

Unfortunately after the summer holidays, the small group size and busyness of teachers meant that the Christian Union has stopped in the girls’ school. We have maintained the connection through Harvest assemblies and the Christmas Carols service; and we are also linked to the new community outreach group within the school that may well bear fruit in the future.

St Andrew’s Primary

Last year I was unable to run Walk Through the Bible or transition lessons as the Year 6 teacher was leaving and so the final term was more full than usual. We have continued to be involved in regular assemblies and special events, and I hope to return to providing the Walk Through the Bible lessons this coming summer term.

Stanton Road Primary

We have continued to deliver assemblies on a regular basis at Stanton Road; there are starting to be opportunities to do more, but we are naturally following the school’s pacing on this.

Amplivacation

Last year we took 20 young people away to Whithaugh Park again, with Rev. Anthony Clowes as our guest speaker. It was a successful trip once again, thanks to our amazing volunteer

team! This year we are set to take 22 young people away, with me as the guest speaker, so hopefully it will be a success …

Other items

Psalms & Sponges

In June, the Year 10-12 Unplugged group led a charity bake sale/art exhibition to raise money for Wirral Youth for Christ. It was an overwhelming success, raising over £500 for our partner charity, and we hope to do something similar this year.

NYMW Conference

In November I went to the National Youth Ministry Weekend, this time with Alison Collins in tow. The main theme of the weekend was of an unknown future; with seminar topics including A.I., mental health, and young leadership. We both had a refreshing and informative weekend, and I have tickets for next year.

Christmas Experience

Many young people took part in the Christmas Experience drama, another key element of the youth ministry calendar.

Journey to the Cross

Last year many young people and myself took part in the Good Friday drama outside the Civic Centre, a very moving piece which we are preparing to repeat this year.

Volunteers

I’d like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to my team of volunteers, without whom we literally would not be able to do any of this! Special thanks goes to Martin Heale and Damien Williams who have both stepped down from the team in recent months.

Changes in the team, coupled with a growing ministry, means we are always looking for more people to join us in this wonderful journey alongside God and our young people. If you would like to visit any of the groups, or join our team, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.

Christopher Jarvis

Children & Families Hub

The main focus of Hub meetings during the year was the recruitment of a Leader of Children and Families Ministry. Legacy funding enabled us to offer a full time appointment fully funded for around 5 years. However, in common with other churches advertising similar roles, we found there was a lack of applicants, so after two unsuccessful attempts, we made the post more flexible, offering full or part time or job share. This encouraged more applications, and towards the end of the year we were delighted to be able to appoint Jen Shelton to the post, working part time across both churches, and looked forward to her taking up the role in early January.

Activities of the various groups during the year are summarised below:

St Andrew’s Sunday Club

Sunday Club continues to meet as a single primary school-aged group and a separate preschool group during school terms. While some families have moved away we have welcomed others and numbers remain steady. By the end of the year we had approx. 25 children between 2½ years and 11 years old on the register. Most children attend regularly.

Our teaching material has been based around Scripture Union (SU) material, although we have drawn on some of the lessons in On the Way and other material when we want to share teaching not currently covered by SU. During 2023 we have explored John’s account of people that Jesus met, as well as Jesus’ teaching through parables, Biblical kings and running the race. We began the new academic year with a look at Creation, linking to the Harvest Festival Family Service. We were blessed by a visit from a member of the wider congregation to share a favourite verse, as well as thinking about the Bible and evolution with our oldest children.

We are pleased to welcome new leaders and helpers to work in our team. We thank God for all they do to support the children in their walk with Him. We are looking forward to working closely with Jen Shelton in her new role.

Alison Collins & Ali Gurr

Townfield Sunday Club

Children and young people have always been just as important to Townfield as any other age group, so we continue to be delighted to see them being part of our life on Sundays, as well as at Messy Church, in our social events, and in our joint youth work with St Andrew’s.

A large part of our work with children takes place in Sunday Club, run during our Sunday morning services, by our hugely important and committed team of leaders and helpers. They (seemingly tirelessly) enable Sunday Club to take place week by week, running both a preschool/younger primary group, and an older primary group (before children graduate to the secondary aged youth group which we share with St Andrew’s Church). Even if our volunteers give the impression of being tireless, we don’t underestimate the energy they put into working with our children, and we thank them for their commitment.

If you’ve been with us on Sunday mornings in 2023, you may well have heard us talking a bit about our need to grow our work with younger children and families. This is simply because children have a habit of growing up(!). We are hugely grateful that healthy numbers of children do move on up through our age groups as they get older. But with a reduced birth rate on Wirral in recent years, we have noticed that less new families with young children have been finding us, meaning that our numbers of very young children have been lower than in recent years.

This means that we’re aware that an area of growth for us will be to develop new ways of raising our profile with young families in the community, inviting them to discover Jesus alongside us. That will be an ongoing area of prayer and thinking for us all as a church community, and we are looking forward to working alongside Jen Shelton, our new Leader of Children and Families Ministry (shared with St Andrew’s Church), who was appointed at the very end of 2023. Welcome aboard, Jen!

Al Rodgers

Little Fishes

Little Fishes had both good and bad times during 2023. It was great to welcome some new leaders to our team during the year. Sadly, we also had to say goodbye to some leaders as their personal circumstances changed. At the end of the year we had a well-established team of 7 leaders.

The year started well with good numbers attending both sessions. Unfortunately we had to stop meeting during April and May while the hall was being renovated. We were able to resume meeting in the church in June and were back in the church hall before the end of the Summer term. We had to discard some damaged craft materials and resources but are building these up again.

Numbers were much reduced after the break in meeting. But numbers soon started to build up again and this trend has continued into 2024. Little Fishes continues to be a welcoming, happy place for children and their parents and caregivers. Our visits to church at Christmas and Easter continue to be popular, for some the first time they have been into the church building.

Viv Halliday

Church Lads’ & Church Girls’ Brigade (CL&CGB)

During the past year the CL&CGB have met regularly on a Thursday evening during term time. Whenever possible members have attended family services and Sunday Club.

As a Battalion, along with St John’s Great Sutton, we went to Crazy Golf at New Brighton.

We ran our Annual Camp, in Prestatyn, North Wales, where we enjoyed fun, faith and friendship. With much fundraising we were able to offer places to all who wanted to attend and we were able to keep the costs as low as possible.

Our band continued to practice through the year; with the tuition from Tom Lindsay and Ian Davies we were able to parade for Remembrance Sunday.

The children helped produce a decorated tree for the Christmas Tree Festival and were all involved in our Battalion Carol Service.

Overall, our numbers have increased slightly, with some new members joining, following a presentation in St Andrew’s School.

Our company was enrolled on 24[th] October 1893, just two years after the Church Lad’s Brigade started, so this year we celebrated our 130[th] Anniversary. Our research to date indicates that we hold the record for the oldest Company which has run continually since its formation.

“Fight the Good Fight” 1 Timothy 6 v12

Richie Clarke

St Andrew’s Crèche

We have been delighted to welcome some new families into the Crèche this year and we are pleased to see several children continuing their church life by moving into Supercrèche.

Our amazing volunteers aim to provide a fun, safe space for our under 3’s where parents/carers have the option of leaving their child with us while they return to the church service or to stay and play with their child.

The Crèche this year has changed its starting time so that it is in line with all of the other children’s groups. This gives families the chance to experience a short time of sitting together in the church service.

We have been fortunate this year to have a TV installed in the Crèche so that we can livestream the service – many thanks to the Tech team for providing this for us – we are very grateful.

It is a privilege and a joy to serve God through the Crèche and to support our young families. If anyone would like to join our small, dedicated team do speak to David about this opportunity to serve.

Lisa Ehrlich

Townfield Messy Church at St Andrew’s School

It has been great to hold Messy Church at school on a Friday at the end of the school day. We aim to have a meeting once each half term.

Numbers have varied a little but we have averaged around 70 including our volunteers. We met in February, March, May and June. The themes of the meetings were: God’s love seen in Jesus the Good Shepherd; Holy Week and Easter; Jesus our King; God our creator and caring for creation.

Unfortunately we were unable to hold Messy Church in the autumn term because of team availability.

We have a good team of volunteers who help with planning sessions, resourcing the activities as well as helping on the day. It has also been a joy to see our junior leaders using and growing in their leadership skills.

I am very grateful for the support and welcome we have had from the school for Messy Church.

Judith Battersby

Seniors’ Hub

All our regular activities ran during the year, and updates on each are below.

Women’s Fellowship

Our membership presently stands at 25 members, which includes ages ranging from 70’s through to 90’s. We meet every Tuesday afternoon in term time at 2.15pm at the Church Hall, with various speakers and activities during the year.

From January to the end of August 2023 these activities have included: Flower arranging demonstration; afternoon teas; a talk on podiatry; Bible translation with Dr Peter Gopsill; a

shared meeting with St Mark’s New Ferry; a talk on Cambodia; poetry afternoon; Holy Communion; musical afternoon; talk by representatives from “Uganda – with love and care”; Coronation tea commemorating HM King Charles III Coronation; talk on New Zealand; Bible bring and buy; coach outing to Bridgemere Garden Centre; and ending in August with 2 summer specials: the Wirral Singers and the Wirral Ukelele Band.

September to Christmas brought a talk on a pilgrimage to Israel; members’ favourite hymns; a musical afternoon; Harvest lunch on behalf of Wirral Foodbank; a talk on Wirral’s Public Sculptures and another on the History of Storeton; Remembrance Day memories of World War II; Leprosy Mission talk; Christmas Carols by candlelight; ending 2023 with a Christmas film, “The Nativity” from “The Chosen” series, with afternoon tea.

Each meeting starts with prayer, a hymn, notices, scripture reading and prayers led by members of the Fellowship, after which we have our guest speaker/inhouse activity.

Our leadership team is small and rather stretched, so we would welcome new leaders, and new members are of course always welcome.

“The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of wisdom and experience

is the splendour of the old.” Proverbs 20 v29

Sheila Lindsay

Men’s Fellowship

The January term was attended faithfully by a small cohort of members who value companionship and the stimulation of our speakers. We include a Christian charity in each term’s schedule, and contribute to their work. In the September term we enjoyed an address by Ron Povall. All members are encourage to contribute their interests and regularly do so.

Our groups’ programme of speakers is available in church or from the office. Members from 5 Wirral churches attend regularly. All are welcome.

Keith Lindsay

Monday Gang

The Monday Gang continues to provide a service to the church with the aim of keeping our buildings in a safe and clean condition, and saving the church money by undertaking minor works and general maintenance tasks. This provides a great opportunity for members to continue to use their many skills and, most importantly, share fellowship together over coffee and biscuits at the end of the morning.

Some examples of our efforts during 2023:

Relocation of the church office to the hall: assembling furniture, transferring files and equipment, etc.
Hall refurbishment: clearing old furniture, carpets, etc.; helping with redecoration; works to assist heating engineer.
Building a shed to accommodate the gardening tools and equipment displaced from the Rectory garage and outbuildings.

In order to keep the churchyard clean and tidy, regularly cleaning and clearing weeds on the footpaths, cutting back bushes and shrubs so grave inscriptions are visible, and removing litter and other debris.

We meet every Monday morning, except Bank Holidays, from 9.00am to 11.30am. All are welcome.

Stuart Waldron

Pastoral Work

During this year the work of the Visiting Team has been consolidated as new members have established their own routines with the people they are visiting. These ‘new’ members are working really well with those they are visiting, helping them keep in touch with the main congregation. I believe that the blessing and encouragement of these visits are felt as much by the visitor as by those visited. A number of the visiting team are happy to administer Holy Communion to those they are visiting – particularly at Christmas and Easter – which helps the clergy as the number of sick and housebound is long. There continues to be the opportunity for meeting up with individuals to talk and pray either in their home or in a café somewhere. These are positive encounters.

Although I have done one or two hospital visits, the majority are carried out by David for which I am most grateful.

Amy Haigh

Charlotte House

The activities co-ordinator is very supportive of our services and this has helped make 2023 a very encouraging year. Two services are held each month on Wednesday afternoons; one of them now being communion after previously not being able to do so due to Covid and other illness concerns. The residents have very much welcomed this. The Rector joined us at Easter and Christmas, and residents were pleased to see him. For understandable reasons, numbers attending always vary but there have been occasions when they have exceeded 20. Having the opportunity to take part in acts of worship is still very important to many of this generation. They are precious members of our extended St Andrew’s congregation who face many challenges in everyday life. It is also lovely to have visiting relatives and friends of residents joining us. After the service, we enjoy refreshments and a chat!

Sandy & Carolyn Muir

Safe Harbour

We have continued to offer short, simple services in Safe Harbour nursing home four times a year – Easter, Pentecost, Harvest and Christmas. These are gratefully received by the residents, and there would be the opportunity to go more frequently if we were able to resource it. If anyone would like to get involved with these services, please do get in touch with me.

David Vestergaard

Prayer Ministry

After a good deal of prayer and discussion, it was wonderful to reintroduce Prayer Ministry after each main morning service in September. We are pleased that a number of our church family have come into the Feilden Chapel for prayer, for themselves or for others, or simply to thank God for answered prayer, as the Bible encourages us to do. We praise God and ask Him to oversee our ministry as we seek to serve our congregation in His name.

Sylvia Tomlinson

Bereavement Ministry

We do not currently have enough volunteers to be able to offer a bereavement visiting or telephone service, so the clergy seek to offer some support following funerals, although this is limited due to capacity. We once again held our annual Thanksgiving and Memorial Service in November, which was well attended and appreciated by those who came.

David Vestergaard

Heritage Report

The past year has seen an increase from organised groups in the area (3Ls, U3A, etc) – from West Kirby, Heswall, Bebington and Bromborough. Wirral Heritage Week in September saw 50 visitors coming into church for tours, and we have two advance bookings in the coming months for tours.

The heritage team has two new members to support us. At present we are looking at how we can enhance the visitor experience and give training to our new members.

One improvement we have trialled is a 15-minute talk on early history and the introduction of Christianity to Wirral, followed by the building of the church using our model. We then take visitors on a guided walk around the building. This has proved popular with some of the elderly or disabled visitors as it cuts the time that they have to stand during the tour.

Alan Roberts

Poverty Action Group

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Matt.7 v12

Yet again it is a privilege to report on the way God has worked through our many volunteers, by responding in some way to poverty locally, nationally and internationally, during the last twelve months.

Planning meetings are held on six occasions throughout the year.

Christian Aid

We joined Christ Church, Higher Bebington in an attic sale in January. Christian Aid week in May raised £1,144 by holding a breakfast and coffee morning together with envelopes collected at both churches, St Andrew’s School and those delivered by Guides.

Turkey Earthquake Disaster

£573 was raised at a coffee morning on 4[th] March which NatWest Bank had agreed to matchfund up to £100k.

Foodbank

Once again there was a very good response from both churches to the Harvest Appeal, which was so appreciated by the Foodbank. Demands on them are challenging as sadly requests continue to increase. Please be aware of the containers in both churches for food and other donated items, along with the option of sending funds via online banking, cheque or standing order. Details can be found on the Foodbank website.

Christmas

The Christmas Card and Gift coffee morning raised £721.36 which was sent to the International Red Cross Appeal to support humanitarian aid in Gaza and Israel. Twenty-seven shoe boxes were delivered to The Entertainer store in response to the Samaritan’s Purse Appeal. Ferries Family Groups and Social Services Family Matters were the very grateful recipients of the many toys and gifts bought with the £547.60 which was donated in addition to those brought to the Toy Service. Townfield Church responded very well to the Forum Housing Association’s suggested list of items (mainly for men). The Friendly Faces team provided a tree for the Tree Festival, in addition to the usual PAG tree.

Friendly Faces

We registered with Places of Welcome, one of 700 across UK, offering a safe friendly place for free tea and biscuits and where local communities can connect, belong and contribute, and where resources and advice are available. We were grateful to those working on the hall alterations that, apart from two weeks over Easter, we were able to meet each week. A new flier produced by Callum Peters accompanied the name and time change from Warm Spaces to Friendly Faces, now meeting from 9.30am-12.30pm. Following the successful Environmental Health inspection in October (rated 5), a light lunch was offered. A six-week smartphone training course was held, followed by card and Christmas table decoration making. God continued to bless this opportunity to meet and share His love with our local community and we have been encouraged to welcome many new friends as numbers increased.

Besom

A visit to Involve North West (a charity aiming to offer support with issues affecting quality of life) proved to be a worthwhile exchange of experiences which was very much appreciated by us all. Gilly Laing, our lead co-ordinator, was interviewed on Radio Merseyside’s Daybreak on 15[th] October when she outlined the work of the charity. An excellent northern gathering weekend as held on 6[th] -7[th] October at St Werburgh’s Church, Chorlton, Manchester. Instances of positive answers to prayer were shared which inspired the Wirral Besom team to increase their prayer times from roughly termly to weekly. We have experienced God’s provision as we have welcomed two new van team members, successful van repairs and the support of Conway Electrics when required, along with a committed team of great volunteers from various churches including St Andrew’s and Townfield. A presentation at St Peter’s Church, Heswall was given during November. Statistics: January to December 2023 – referrals 333 & givers 186.

Recycling

Unfortunately Superdrug Birkenhead stopped talking large collections of blister packs. Those

stores with a pharmacy continued to accept individual donations. St Andrew’s continued to accept used stamps and spectacles (without the cases) when placed in the swing bin at the back of church.

Hope for Justice

The Wirral branch of Hope for Justice sadly closed as the rep moved away.

Whatever we do we do for the glory of God and in his strength.

Adrienne Smallthwaite & the Team

World Mission Support

Our established practice is to allocate a tenth of the income we receive through regular giving and one-off general gifts to supporting mission. St Andrew’s operates a Mission Committee who are responsible for recommending to the PCC the allocation of St Andrew’s share of this tithe. The PCC members for Townfield Church fulfil the same role for Townfield.

St Andrew’s Mission Committee follows the principle that work supported should have an evangelistic element, although it may also include other aspects such as social action. We also aim to spread the allocation widely in terms of geographical area and type of work. Some of the organisations we support we have been giving to for very many years, others are more recent.

The committee members also each act as representatives for one of our mission partners, being responsible for communication with them and with individual supporters in the congregation, and obtaining updates for prayer and disseminating these. We also aim to welcome visits from mission partners where this is practical, or otherwise representatives share information with the congregation, in the form of a focus spot or presentation, with the aim of covering 2 or 3 mission partners each year in this way.

In 2023, St Andrew’s Mission Committee gave support to the following mission partners:

Bible Society (Rep – Martin Heale) – promoting access to the Bible worldwide – translating and distributing the Bible in different countries, and providing resources and events to promote the Bible in the UK.
CPAS (Church Pastoral Aid Society) (Rep – Helen Thomas) – providing children’s & youth camps, teaching & leadership resources and training for churches, and acting as Patrons for many C of E churches.
Anglican Province (formerly Diocese) of Chile (Rep – Amy Haigh) – towards support for the ministry of Alex Cordova, planting a new congregation in San Pedro Church, Concepcion.
CMJ (the Church’s Ministry amongst Jewish People) (Rep – David Halliday) – working amongst Jews, Muslims and others in the Middle East and the UK to share and promote understanding of the Christian faith.
Crosslinks (Rep – Vacant) – to support the work of Jomo Nderitu, the Diocesan Youth Co-ordinator for Marsabit Diocese in Kenya.
Wirral Youth for Christ (Rep – Christopher Jarvis) – taking the gospel to young people across the Wirral through work in schools, in partnership with churches including ourselves.

Barnabas Aid (Rep – Rachel Lindsay) – working to support persecuted Christians around the world and lobbying on their behalf, raising awareness of persecution and seeking action.
Ferries Family Groups (Rep – Vacant) – contributing towards the costs of their office base and their staffing, facilitating their work with and witness to families in need of support in various ways.
St Catherine’s Church, Tranmere (Rep – David Vestergaard) – towards their employment of a young people and families worker.

During the year, we had a visit from Osoba Otaigbe of the Bible Society, who spoke at a Sunday morning service. We pray for our mission partners at some of the weekly zoom prayer meetings and prayer breakfasts.

If you would like to receive news updates on one or more partners, please contact the church office. There are several vacancies for mission reps, so If you are interested in taking this role for one of the partners, please speak to me.

Our thanks are due to the Mission Committee for their service.

David Vestergaard

St. Andrew’s C.E (Aided) Primary School

With OFSTED having been in the news in recent months, it’s worth remembering that all Church of England and Methodist schools in England, as well as undergoing regular OFSTED inspections, also have Statutory Inspections of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) to prepare for.

So, St Andrew’s school deserves special mention this year, because it had the double privilege of receiving both OFSTED and SIAMS inspections during 2023!

Although inspections can understandably be stressful experiences for everyone involved in the life of a school, St Andrew’s took both OFSTED and SIAMS in their stride, with very encouraging written reports from both organisations.

SIAMS particularly highlighted that St Andrew’s is “ deeply rooted in its community ”, with its “ inclusive Christian vision… at the heart of school life ”, where “ close working with local churches and families deeply enriches Church school life, nourishing collective worship and the wider curriculum ”. Collective worship within the school was particularly highlighted as “ joyous, reflective and invitational ”, alongside “ a remarkably thriving partnership with local churches, one of which is based in school ” which “ richly enhances worship ”.

OFSTED was equally positive about life at St Andrew’s school, noting that children are “ happy to come to school ”, showing “ great empathy for one another ”, with a “ strong sense of community ” and “ a strong understanding of equality and diversity ”.

Clearly school staff, pupils and governors all deserve our congratulations on these fantastic reports (not least because notification of the SIAMS inspection was the very first phone call received on the first day of the new term in September!). And our thanks also go to the many

members of both St Andrew’s and Townfield Churches who support school as Governors, Vision Volunteers, Messy Church volunteers (run by Townfield), prayerfully, and financially (through an annual donation from PCC funds).

We also recognise this partnership is very much a two-way thing, which benefits and enriches us as church communities, with Townfield continually grateful for the outstanding welcome and support we get from Mrs Lamkin (the Head Teacher), Mr Jardine (the Site Manager) and all the school staff on Sundays, as well as for Messy Church and for other events we run in the school buildings.

If you would like to find out more about the partnerships between us as churches and the school, do visit the school website, or speak to a Governor.

Al Rodgers

PS. If you would like to read the full inspection reports, both the SIAMS and OFSTED reports are available on the school website.

Deanery Synod

During 2023 the Deanery Synod held two meetings as follows:

On 16[th] February at Christchurch Higher Bebington we heard from Harriett Roberts the diocesan vision adviser. This was part of a grassroots consultation initiated by Bishop Mark Tanner. Some may remember a similar exercise done one Sunday at both St Andrews and Townfield. As part of what we heard that evening at Christchurch we were invited to cast the net wide and we took part in an exercise making suggestions on paper under various categories – blue sky thinking, outreach, temperature check, people power as well as casting the net in new ways. We were also invited to consider things from an environmental perspective as well as wake up church. All of these suggestions were fed back to a diocesan committee which met in late May to consider the suggestions and how they would shape Chester Diocesan vision and mission.

In the meantime Mike Shevlin joined Deanery Synod after election at the APCM.

On 16[th] October at St John’s Frankby we heard from Wendy Robertson, a Community Missioner with Transforming Lives Together who spoke to us about community engagement. There is still a need out there in the wider community to be able to engage with those needing help. This is against a backdrop of increase in energy debts, foodbank use, mortgage problems and those with energy prepayment meters – there is an increase in working folk needing help with these issues, particularly as surveys point to over half of UK adults feeling anxious or depressed over money. It was pointed out that community engagement can be at other public buildings as well as the local parish hall. Across Chester Diocese there are 47 places of welcome to the local community of which 20 are on Wirral including our own Friendly Faces at St Andrews. As part of this meeting we heard about various initiatives which come via the Church Urban Fund and include charity advocacy for social justice and equality as well as focusing on loneliness. There was also an opportunity for feedback to Wendy and to hear of what other churches are doing and what they come across.

As this report goes to press we have learnt that Carol Parry is stepping back from Deanery Synod and PCC. I would like to join others who have served on PCC and Deanery Synod over the years in thanking Carol for her input and service in this aspect of parish life.

Here ends this report from a Deanery with 14 parishes (and 21 places of worship).

Chris Jackson

Conroy Trust

The Conroy Trust was established in 1873 to benefit the poor of the Parish of Bebington, as defined by the then parish boundaries. These boundaries include St Andrews Bebington, St Marks, New Ferry and Holy Trinity, Poulton.

The management of the Trust is overseen by between three and five trustees. The Trustees during the year were David Vestergaard, Chairperson, Alan McGraa, Betty Cartwright, Beryl Lord and Maureen Preston, with both Beryl and Maureen retiring as at the Annual General meeting in 2023, and replaced by two new elected trustees, Helen Brown and Susan Kennaugh appointed at the meeting of parishioners in May 2023.

A report on their management is presented to the annual general meeting of the parishioners and this report is for the year ending 31[st] December 2023.

The annual meeting of parishioners has the power to appoint new trustees when the occasion arises and the appointment process is conducted by a majority vote.

2023 Financial Statement

The summary income and expenditure for 2023 was as follows:

	2023 2022
Income from Investments	6603 6645
Expenditure	11094 10894
Surplus/Deficit	-4190 -4248

During the year we have again managed to support the work of: Ferries Family Groups Wirral Foodbank Life Church Bebington (Youth Hub) CLCGB St Andrews Youth Weekend St Marks Youth Work Along with 3 individual grants.

Expenditure during the year was in excess of the current years income, with the trustees wishing to utilise some accumulated reserves to boost the assistance they can give to as many as possible. As at 31[st] December 2023 the value of funds under management stood at £252,526, compared to £235,475 in 2022. Apart from a current account held at HSBC all investments are held with CCLA Investment Management Ltd, with the largest portion being a stock market investment, which has seen some recovery in 2023, growing by £20,241.99 as opposed to losing -£28,985.53 in value in 2022.

A modest grant can be awarded to anyone in the parish who is experiencing financial hardship, with Grants also available to be awarded to charitable organisations within the parish who are working to help the poor of the parish. Anyone interested in discussing grants should in first instance refer to the chair of the trustees, Rev David Vestergaard.

Bryan Higgins (Secretary to the Trustees)

In Memoriam

During the year we said a sad farewell to the following members of our congregation: Barbara Bazley

Alan Breeze Jill Brock Hilary Hastie Alex McMillan Beryl Roberts Jack Rudd Muriel Scully Leonid Shafran Bette Thelwell Ken Walker

Welcome

We were delighted to celebrate the birth of: Otis Parkin

Statistics (St Andrew’s & Townfield combined)

----- Start of picture text -----
Average Sunday attendance Funerals Weddings Baptisms Electoral Roll
(including children)
2019 324 28 5 15 359
2020 315 (including online and at 25 2 5 358
home)
2021 380(including online and 20 4 6 328
at home)
2022 250 19 3 13 338
(including online & at
home)
2023 270 25 2 6 326
(including online & at
home)
----- End of picture text -----*

*It’s very hard to estimate online figures and with hindsight this is probably an overestimate

Minutes of the Meeting of Parishioners held on the 16 May 2023 at St Andrew’s, Bebington church hall and online via Zoom at 8pm

In attendance: the Rector, the Revd. David Vestergaard in the Chair, plus 51 parishioners and members of the electoral roll.

The Rector opened the meeting with a prayer, an act of worship and a reading from Colossians 2.
Apologies for absence Apologies for their inability to attend were received from Jonathan Breeze, Janet Campbell, Alison Gurr, Ian Halliday, Rob Holmes, Jenny Jackson, Paul Moss, Jill Moss and Ash Vestergaard.

3. Minutes of the meeting of 24 May 2022

The minutes, having been previously circulated, were signed as a true record on a proposal from Kate Muskett, seconded by Viv Halliday; with all in favour.

4. Election of Wardens

There being two nominations for the two vacancies – and with no other nominations allowed at the meeting – Kate Butler and Viv Halliday were duly elected for another year; with all in favour. The Rector placed on record his appreciation of their service and for being willing to stand again.

5. Receipt of the Conroy report

Having been previously circulated, the meeting was happy to receive the report.

6. Election of Trustees

There being two vacancies for the roll of Conroy Trust trustee, the two nominations – Helen Brown from St Mark’s church, and Sue Kennaugh from St Andrews – were duly elected; with all in favour. The Rector expressed his thanks at their willingness to take on the role.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 8.15pm

Minutes of the APCM

held on the 16 May 2023 at St Andrew’s, Bebington church hall and online via Zoom at 8.15pm

Present: The Rector, the Reverend David Vestergaard in the Chair, and 51 Parishioners and members of the electoral roll.

1. Apologies for absence

Apologies for their inability to attend were received from Jonathan Breeze, Janet Campbell, Alison Gurr, Ian Halliday, Rob Holmes, Jenny Jackson, Paul Moss, Jill Moss and Ash Vestergaard.

2. Minutes of the meeting of 24 May 2022

The minutes, having been previously circulated were, following a proposal by Amy Haigh, and being seconded by Chris Jackson, signed as being a true record.

2a. Appointment of Tellers

Viv Halliday, Judith Battersby and Hannah Shevlin were appointed as Tellers.

3. Electoral Roll Report

The report was given by the Electoral Roll Secretary, Alison Collins. The number on the roll as of 16 May 2023 was 326. This was a fall of 12 from last year’s roll – consisting of 18 deletions and 6 additions. The Rector expressed his thanks to Alison for her work. The meeting was happy to receive the report.

4. Receipt of the Annual Report

The Annual Report was received. It had been printed in advance of the meeting and gave reports from the Rector, Townfield Church, Youth activities, Wardens’ & Treasurer’s reports, World mission support, Safeguarding, Children & Families Hub, Seniors Hub, Poverty Action Group, St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School, Deanery Synod and the activities of the Parochial Church Council.

The receipt of the Rector’s, the Wardens Report, the PCC Report, Townfield, Safeguarding, and the Deanery Synod Report were accepted en bloc on a proposal by Viv Halliday, seconded by Nathan Storm; with all in favour. All other reports were taken as read.

The Treasurer’s report was given by Bryan Higgins. The figures as shown within the annual report were explained in some greater detail. He highlighted that net income for 2022 was £430,695: this was in part due to receipt of legacy money, but as Bryan explained, this had already been allocated to the likes of the spire, lighting, and other projects. He explained our ongoing reserves policy of having enough cash held to be able to pay two months’ worth of payments, plus £20,000.

Donations and legacy income for the year was £733,917; total expenditure was £325,373. Our biggest expense, as always, was the Parish Share, which accounted for £133,000.

The total assets figure represents an historic valuation which has not been updated as there is no benefit in doing so. He highlighted the importance of Gift Aid, which this year

amounted to £43,742. For information, staff costs for the year came to £48,792 for the two office staff and youth worker.

The Rector extended his thanks to Bryan, and to Libby Higgins, for their work on the accounts throughout the year.

The meeting was happy to receive the accounts on proposal from Ann Shevlin, seconded by Callum Peters; with all in favour.

5. Appointment of Independent Examiner

Mike Forshaw was appointed as Independent Examiner on a proposal by Ann Shevlin, seconded by Viv Halliday; with all in favour.

6. Election to the Deanery Synod

There being 5 spaces and 4 nominees, Judith Battersby, Carol Parry, Chris Jackson and Mike Shevlin were all elected unopposed.

7. Election to the PCC

Laura Clark and Esther Darnton were elected to fill the two spaces to the Townfield church council. For information, Laura Clark and Judith Battersby were put forward as Wardens for Townfield and these appointments will be ratified at the next Townfield meeting.

There being five nominees and four spaces; Callum Peters, Nathan Storm, Penny Tomlinson and Ian Swindlehurst were all voted on to the PCC for 3 years following a ballot.

The Rector extended his thanks to those willing to stand, and to those already on PCC and Deanery councils.

8. Rector’s report

The Rector started his report by thanking everyone willing to stand and had words of encouragement for those not elected this time. He said that over the past twelve months, like many churches, things at times had felt like a bit of a slog with fewer numbers of members and volunteers, and reduced income; but there were encouraging signs in seeing new members join and their willingness to volunteer and serve. A recent welcome lunch for new(ish) members at St Andrew’s was attended by around 80 people. There was also encouragement in the likes of Super Creche – struggling before lockdown but now flourishing; and Warm Spaces – being run with a strong team of volunteers, well attended, addressing isolation and loneliness – which will continue. It feels like we’re coming into a new season.

For longer standing members, he acknowledged that change and the relative speed of it, meant some were feeling that church was a different place, and we are looking at ways of rebuilding fellowship and relationships within the church and the community. He acknowledged this may take a bit of work.

Elsewhere the church hall refurbishment is about halfway through with the next phase (kitchen refit) planned for during half-term, and new chairs are being purchased. The catalyst for this has been the need to move the church office following the sale of the

rectory. They move into the Quarry Road property in June and the rectory itself is under offer from someone who is wanting to keep it as a family home. Some of the rectory land, adjacent the church hall boundary has been retained by us for future use.

There are exciting opportunities ahead – the Children & Families worker role hasn't been filled yet and we’ve found there are currently more vacancies than candidates, but we will advertise the position again later in the year. We are also hoping that we may have a new curate in 2024.

There are lots of possibilities open to us as a church, but it will take everyone playing a part in praying, inviting and witnessing. He encouraged everyone to come and join in with the Thy Kingdom Come initiative.

He ended his report with an expression of thanks to everyone who serves & volunteers – as ever, too numerous to name.

9. Minister for Townfield

The Revd. Al Rodgers reported that there had been a lot to thank God for in 2022, after 2021 which felt a lot like just getting the basics back in place. Messy Church, house groups and home visiting were all now operating pretty much normally, and social events had taken place including a barn dance and a sausage machine!

A first for Townfield saw the baptism pool in the school hall in March, and Christmas eve service was standing room only; give thanks to the Lord. He noted that Townfield is a team effort with 25 people being involved each and every Sunday – a different 25 each week.

They had been using the church’s vision statement as a base of a series of teachings over 9 weeks looking at each separate heading for 3 weeks each – taking time to help shape and understand what it is they do going forward. They are, he said, looking to grow in every sense so they can share God’s love with the community and ensure they aren’t, ‘Bebington’s best kept secret!’

He gave thanks for the legacy money we’d received and hoped that the leader of the Children & families Ministry is in place sooner rather than later. 2022 had been a bit of a struggle financially after a few years of growth, although income was still higher than 2020. He noted that income was lower than expenditure and this wasn’t sustainable in the long term, so a stewardship campaign was being undertaken with emphasis on being thankful. Thankful that Townfield are not on their own – that it’s God’s will to build up his church and without God being with us all is in vain. But roll on 2023!

10. Youth report

Chris Jarvis reported that he was hopeful this would be the last time we’d have to reference the pandemic. He said that everything we were doing before 2020 we were doing again. Primary school assemblies and senior school lunchtime meetings were all growing. Before the pandemic, numbers in the groups were falling but were now on the rise again, particularly in the years 7-9 range, and one of the young people who had starting attending the Friday evening group had attended Tuesday Unplugged for the first time. Things seem to be in a healthy place right now.

They are now looking ahead to new things they can start with a charity/evangelism event in the early stages of planning. Opportunities of going into schools and participating in actual lessons are possible and the hope is this will help us connect with pupils.

David Jack asked how much we, along with Wirral Youth for Christ, are involved with schools in the parish. Chris explained the YFC’s involvement is generally in partnership with us. We are involved in both Grammar schools, and St Andrew’s and Stanton Road primary schools.

The Rector expressed his thanks to Chris for all his work.

11. Discussion and Questions

Chris Jackson expressed his thanks to Rob Holmes for his redecoration work in the church hall building and to the Monday gang for their work.

Amy Haigh expressed her thanks for the services being livestreamed and how appreciated they are by people who have to watch at home.

12. Any other Business

There being no further business, the meeting closed with an act of worship and the Grace at 9.20pm.

The Charity Registration Number is :- 01130323

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Report and Accounts

31 December 2023

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Report and accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023

	Page
Charity information		1
Trustees' Annual Report		1
Statement of directors' responsibilities		6
Independent Examiner's Report		7
*Funds Statements:-*
Statement of Financial Activities		9
Statement of Financial Activities - Prior Year statement		10
Movements in funds		11
Income and Expenditure account		12
Balance sheet		13
Notes to the accounts		14

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Trustees' Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023

The Trustees present their Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023.

Reference and administrative details

The charity name.

The legal name of the charity is:- The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington. The charity is also known by its operating name, Bebington Parish Church, St Andrews' and Townfield Churches.

The charity's areas operation and UK charitable registration.

The charity is registered in England & Wales with the Charity Commission in England & Wales (CCEW) with charity number 01130323.

The charity does not operate in any overseas jurisdictions.

Legal structure of the charity

The charity is constituted as an unincorporated charity, established by Trust Deed. The governing document of the charity is the Trust Deed establishing the charity.

The governing document is dated 24 June 2009

There are no restrictions in the governing documents on the operation of the Charity or on its investment powers other than those imposed by Charity Law.

The trustees are all individuals.

The principal operating address, telephone number, email and web addresses of the charity are:-

St Andrew's Church Hall Highcroft Ave, Bebington Wirral, CH63 3EZ Telephone 01516456478

Email Address office@standrewsbebington.org.uk Web address www.standrewsbebington.org.uk

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington Trustees' Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023

The Trustees in office on the date the report was approved were:-	The Trustees in office on the date the report was approved were:-
	*Appointed*	*Resigned*
Chris Jackson
Al Rodgers
David Halliday
David Vestergaard
Ian Halliday
Ian Swindlehurst
Judith Battersby
Kate Muskett
Mike Ludbrook
Carol Parry
Caloline Adamson
Val Waldron		16/05/2023
Simon Jones		16/05/2023
Bryan Higgins
Sharon Mason
Callum Peters
Nathan Storm
Wendy Doran
Colette Owen
Viv Halliday
Kate Butler
Sue Kennaugh
Stuart Waldron
Laura Clark	16/05/2023
Esther Darnton	16/05/2023
Penny Tomlinson	16/05/2023
Mike Shevlin	16/05/2023
All the trustees are also members of the charity.

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington Trustees' Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023

Objects and activities of the charity

The purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document.

Promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church.

The main activities undertaken in relation to those purposes during the year.

We have run church services each Sunday, and seasonal services, for St Andrew’s and Townfield churches. The main Sunday service at each church, and some seasonal services, were also livestreamed for the benefit of those unable to be present in person. Most of our other regular activities ran through the year, including Little Fishes (carer & baby/toddler group), Children’s groups, Youth groups and activities, Women’s and Men’s Fellowships, prayer events & meetings, house groups and Alpha courses, and hosting & supporting the Church Lads & Church Girls Brigade and Guides, Brownies and Rainbows. Our Warm Space started in November 2022 ran through the year, rebranded Friendly Faces in the summer, as a place of welcome and hospitality. We ran a large outdoor dramatic event on Good Friday, and a Tree Festival & dramatic performance titled A Christmas Experience in the church in early December.

The main activities undertaken during the year to further the charity's purpose for the public benefit.

Activities ordinarily carried out and serving the local community include weddings, baptisms and funerals; marriage preparation; baptism preparation; support for the bereaved; youth activities, Little Fishes carer & baby/toddler group; school assemblies; Christmas and Easter school services; services in nursing homes and sheltered accommodation; special community events such as A Christmas Experience and Journey to the Cross; Friendly Faces (previously Warm Space); and hosting and supporting Guiding groups, Church Lads & Church Girls Brigade and other community groups. All of these took place during the year. We have also undertaken financial giving and prayer support for Mission and Christian organisations and activities locally and around the world, promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church.

The Trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit in managing the activities of the charity.

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Trustees' Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023

The main achievements and performance of the charity during the year.

We estimate typical Sunday attendance in church during the year as approx. 220 adults & children. In addition to this, we estimate approximately 50-55 ‘at home’ worshippers on a typical Sunday, by livestream, cd or dvd, though this number is hard to assess accurately.

As for most churches, this represents a reduction from pre=pandemic figures (our 2019 total was approximately 324), but is an increase on 2022 (250 including ‘at home’ worshippers).

Our best estimates are that there were 35 who left the congregations (10 by death), and approximately 27 who joined (adults and children). Some of those whom we have classed as left are people who have not returned since the pandemic. The number of people joining, including a significant number of children, is an achievement in this time.

During the year the parish conducted 25 funerals, 2 weddings, and 6 baptisms.

The difference the charity's performance during the year has made to the beneficiaries of the charity.

Benefits from the activities listed above have included faith development, spiritual and pastoral support, personal encouragement, development of gifts and experience, friendship and companionship, and meeting a range of needs for all ages.

The degree to which the achievements and performance during the year have benefited wider society.

The activities listed above have provided a wide range of public benefit including faith exploration, spiritual support, pastoral care, provision of services and care for needs at key life moments, and services to local schools.

Structure, governance and management of the charity

The methods used to recruit and appoint new charity trustees.

Decisions are made by the PCC in collaboration with the Clergy and Staff team, and working through subcommittees and together with volunteer leaders for groups and activities. The PCC meets at least 6 times a year in formal meetings of the Council, with additional meetings as necessary. In order to organise its affairs effectively during 2023, the PCC operated the following subcommittees and working groups: St Andrew’s Church; Townfield Church; Standing; Finance & Fabric; Youth Hub; Children & Families Hub; Evangelism; Missionary; Poverty Action Group; Environmental Working Group; Maintenance Team. The Seniors Hub still exists but did not need to meet during the year.

Bankers	HSBC Bank plc - 58 Bromborough Village Road, Bromborough, Wirral, CH62
	7ET
Architects	Bryan Martin BA, Dip Arch, RIBA, AABC, Architect, 36 Banbury Lane, Byfield,
	Northamptonshire, NN11 6UX
Surveyors	Gordon Cain, Coach House, Villa Rosa, St Lukes Rd South, Torquay, TQ25NZ
Accountants (payroll) (Independent examiner)	KBH Accountants Ltd. 255 Poulton Road, Wallasey, Wirral, CH44 4BT Haines Watts Chartered Accountants, 3rd Floor, Pacific Chambers, Victoria St,
	Liverpool, L2 5QQ

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Trustees' Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2023

Financial review

The charity's financial position at the end of the year ended 31 December 2023

The financial position of the charity at 31 December 2023 and comparatives for the prior period, as more fully detailed in the accounts, can be summarised as follows:-

Total Funds Unrestricted Revenue Funds available for the general purposes of the charity Net income	2023 £ (134,658) 1,129,189 1,129,568	2022 £ 430,695 1,264,226 1,264,226

Financial review of the position at the reporting date, 31 December 2023 .

Our total income for the year was £630,592 and our total expenditure £765,250 giving an accounting deficit of £134,658

During 2023 our financial position has indicated that normal running costs were not quite met by our regular income, resulting in reliance on the general reserves.

The pandemic has had a lasting influence on our general income and additionally affected by the general cost of living challenges, deaths of parishioners and a number of families moving away. The trustees consider the financial performance of the charity to be satisfactory.

Policies on reserves.

It is PCC policy to maintain a balance on unrestricted funds which equates to approximately two months' unrestricted payments in addition to £20,000 to cover emergency situations which may arise from time to time. At 31 December 2023 unrestricted reserves amounted £1,129,568 (2022 - £1,264,226) of which £80,000 of general cash balances were held to meet this policy.

Availability and adequacy of assets of each of the funds

The board of trustees is satisfied that the charity's assets in each fund are available and adequate to fulfil its obligations in respect of each fund.

Details of The Independent Examiner

Mr Michael Forshaw FCA

Haines Watts Chartered Accountants

3rd Floor, Pacific Chambers Victoria Street Liverpool Merseyside L2 5QQ

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Report of the Independent Examiner to the Trustees of the charity on the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023

I report to the Trustees on my examination of the financial statements of the charity on pages 9 to 29 for the year ended 31 December 2023 which have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) and with the Financial Reporting Standard 102, (effective 1st January 2016) adapted to meet the needs of unincorporated organisations, as modified by FRS 102 SORP (Statement of Recommended Practice for Accounting and Reporting by Charities) 2019, applicable to all accounting periods beginning on or after 1st January 2019), (The SORP), published by the Charity Commission in England & Wales (CCEW) , and under the historical cost convention and the accounting policies set out on page 14.

The historical cost of the property was amended by the revaluation.

Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and the Independent Examiner and the basis of the report

As described on page 6, you, the charity's Trustees, are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and all other applicable law and with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice, applicable to smaller entities, and for being satisfied that the financial statements give a true and fair view.

The Trustees consider that the audit requirement of Section 144(1) of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) does not apply, and that there is no requirement in the Governing Document for the conducting of an audit. As a consequence, the Trustees have elected that the financial statements be subject to independent examination.

Having satisfied myself that the financial statements are not required to be audited under any legal provision, or otherwise, and are eligible for independent examination, it is my responsibility to:-

a) examine the financial statements of the charity under Section 145 of the Act;

b) follow the applicable procedures in the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Basis of Independent Examiner's Statement and scope of work undertaken

Since the charity's gross income exceeded £250,000, the charity's examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am an authorised member of Chartered Accountants , which is one of the listed bodies.

I report in respect of my examination of the charity's financial statements carried out under s145 of the Act. In carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act setting out the duties of an independent examiner in relation to the conducting of an independent examination. An independent examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and of the accounting systems employed by the charity and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements, and seeking explanations from you, as Trustees, concerning such matters. The purpose of the examination is to establish as far as possible that there have been no breaches of charity legislation and that, on a test basis of evidence relevant to the amounts and disclosures made, the financial statements comply with the SORP.

The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and information supplied by the Trustees in the course of the examination is not subjected to audit tests or enquiries and does not cover all the matters that an auditor would consider in arriving at an opinion. The planning and conduct of an audit goes beyond the limited assurance that an independent examination can provide

Consequently, I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the financial statements, and in particular, I express no opinion as to whether the financial statements give a true and fair view of the affairs of the charity, and my report is limited to the matters set out in the statement below.

I planned and performed my examination so as to satisfy myself that the objectives of the independent examination are achieved and before finalising the report I obtained written assurances from the Trustees of all material matters.

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Independent Examiner's Statement Report and Opinion

Subject to the limitations upon the scope of my work as detailed above, I have completed my examination: and can confirm that:�

This is a report in respect of an examination carried out under 145 of the Act and in accordance with Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act which may be applicable;

and that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:-

accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by with Section 130 of The Charities Act 2011;

the financial statements dci not accord with those records; or

the financial statements do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 1true and fair' view, which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination;

have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles set out in the FRS 102 SORP (Statement of Recommended Practice for Accounting and Reporting by Charities) 2019, applicable to all accounting periods beginning on or after 1st January 2019), (The SORP).

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

Signed:-

Mr Michael Forshaw FCA - Independent Examiner

Haines Watts Chartered Accountants

3rd Floor, Pacific Chambers Victoria Street Liverpool Merseyside L25QQ This report was signed on _19/03/2024

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington - Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2023

Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2023

Current year Unrestricted Funds 2023 £ Income & Endowments from: Donations & Legacies A1 559,191 Charitable activities A2 12,061 Investments A4 27,990 Total income A 599,242 Expenditure on: Charitable activities B2 734,279 Total expenditure B 734,279 Net income for the year (135,037) Net income after transfers A-B-C (135,037) (135,037) Reconciliation of funds:- E Total funds brought forward 1,264,226 Total funds carried forward 1,129,189 SORP Ref Net movement in funds	Current year Restricted Funds 2023 £ 31,350 - - 31,350 30,971 30,971 379 379 379 - 379	Current year Total Funds 2023 £ 590,541 12,061 27,990 630,592 765,250 765,250 (134,658) (134,658) (134,658) 1,264,226 1,129,568	Prior Year Total Funds 2022 £ 733,917 12,587 10,224 756,728 326,033 326,033 430,695 430,695 430,695 833,531 1,264,226

The 'SORP Ref' indicated above is the classification of income set out in the formal SORP documents. As required by paragraph 4.60 of the SORP, the brought forward and carried forward funds above have been agreed to the Balance Sheet.

A separate Statement of Total Recognised Gains and Losses is not required as this statement includes all recognised gains and losses.

All the prior year transactions were unrestricted items, and no further analysis is required

All activities derive from continuing operations

The notes attached on pages 14 to 29 form an integral part of these accounts.

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington - Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2023

Income & Endowments from: Donations & Legacies A1 Charitable activities A2 Investments A4 Total income A Expenditure on: Charitable activities B2 Total expenditure B Net income for the year Net income after transfers Reconciliation of funds:- E Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward Net movement in funds SORP Ref	Prior Year Unrestricted Funds 2022 £ 733,917 12,587 10,224 756,728 326,033 326,033 430,695 430,695 430,695 833,531 1,264,226	Prior Year Restricted Funds 2022 £ - - - - - - - - - - -	Prior Year Total Funds 2022 £ 733,917 12,587 10,224 756,728 326,033 326,033 430,695 430,695 430,695 833,531 1,264,226

All activities derive from continuing operations

The notes attached on pages 14 to 29 form an integral part of these accounts.

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington - Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2023

Movements in revenue and capital funds for the year ended 31 December 2023

Revenue accumulated funds

Unrestricted Funds 2023 £ Accumulated funds brought forward 1,264,226 (135,037) 1,129,189 Closing revenue funds 1,129,189 Summary of funds Unrestricted and Designated funds 2023 £ Revenue accumulated funds 1,129,189 Recognised gains and losses before transfers	Restricted Funds 2023 £ - 379 379 379 Restricted Funds 2023 £ 379	Total Funds 2023 £ 1,264,226 (134,658) 1,129,568 1,129,568 Total Funds 2023 £ 1,129,568	Last year Total Funds 2022 £ 833,531 430,695 1,264,226 1,264,226 Last Year Total Funds 2022 £ 1,264,226

The notes attached on pages 14 to 29 form an integral part of these accounts.

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington - Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2023

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31 December 2023 as required by the Companies Act 2006

*Income* Income from operations Refunds from HMRC on gift aided donations Income from investments, other than interest receivable Interest receivable Gross income in the year before exceptional items Gross income in the year including exceptional items *Expenditure* Charitable expenditure, excluding depreciation and amortisation Governance costs Realised losses on disposals of social investments which are programme related Total expenditure in the year Tax on surplus on ordinary activities Retained surplus for the financial year Net income after tax in the financial year Net income before tax in the financial year Investment income	2023 £ 558,357 44,245 16,351 11,639 630,592 630,592 764,530 720 - 765,250 (134,658) - (134,658) (134,658)	2022 £ 702,762 43,742 8,031 2,193 756,728 756,728 325,373 660 - 326,033 430,695 - 430,695 430,695

All activities derive from continuing operations

In accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006, the headings and subheadings used in the Income and Expenditure account have been adapted to reflect the special nature of the charity's activities.

The notes attached on pages 14 to 29 form an integral part of these accounts.

	SORP
	Note Ref		2023		2022
Fixed assets
Tangible assets	10 A2		655,132		655,132
Current assets
Debtors	1 1 B 2	24,909		24,299
Investments held as current assets	1 2 B 3	106,976		100,000
Cash at bank and in hand	B4	351,442		496,974
Total current assets		483,327		621.273
Creditors: amounts falling due within
one year	13 C1	(8,891)		(12,179)
Net current assets			474,436		609,094
The total net assets of the charity			1,129,568		1,264,226

Restricted funds
			379
Unrestricted Funds
Unrestricted Revenue Funds	16 D3	1,129,189		1,264,226
			1,129,189		1,264,226
Total charity funds			1,129,568		1,264,226

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023

1 Accounting policies

Policies relating to the production of the accounts.

Basis of preparation and accounting convention

The accounts have been prepared on the accruals basis, under the historical cost convention, and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard 102, (effective 1st January 2016) and 'FRS 102 SORP (Statement of Recommended Practice for Accounting and Reporting by Charities) 2019, applicable to all accounting periods beginning on or after 1st January 2019), (The SORP), published by the Charity Commission in England & Wales (CCEW) , and in accordance with all applicable law in the charity's jurisdiction of registration, except that the charity has prepared the financial statements in accordance with the FRS 102 SORP (Statement of Recommended Practice for Accounting and Reporting by Charities) 2019, applicable to all accounting periods beginning on or after 1st January 2019), (The SORP), in preference to the previous SORP, the SORP 2005, which has been withdrawn, notwithstanding the fact that the extant statutory regulations, the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 refer explicitly to the SORP 2005. This has been done to accord with current best practice.

Going Concern

Under 3.38 and to comply with 3.14, if there are no uncertainties about going concern this MUST be stated. Under 3.39, if there are uncertainties details must be given. Enter text here to comply

Suggested normal text (whioch may require modification to meet the circumstances):-

The charitable activities are entirely dependent on continuing grant aid and voluntary donations as well as trading revenues. As a consequence, the going concern basis is dependent on the future flow of these uncertain funding streams. Accordingly, the Trustees have obtained forecasts and, after reviewing the financial forecasts for future periods to 31 December 2024, the Trustees are satisfied that, at the time of approving the financial statements, it is appropriate to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Other than these matters, the Trustees are not aware of any material uncertainites about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

Risks and future assumptions

The charity is a public benefit entity. "Major risks for the PCC are curently either financial or property related. Key risks:

Income fails to keep pace with increases in Parish Share and public utility charges and ministry is compromised
Funds are not available to pay staff salaries
Funds are not available to meet the costs of essential repairs and refurbishment Actions to mitigate risks:
Provide periodic explanation to congregation how our funds are used and the need to increase regular giving.
Regular promotion of regular giving and tax efficient giving schemes
Special appeals to be lauched to meet these costs."

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023

Policies relating to categories of income and income recognition.

Nature of income

Gross income represents the value, net of value added tax and discounts, of goods provided to customers and work carried out in respect of services provided to customers.

Categories of Income

Income is categorised as income from exchange transactions (contract income) and income from non-exchange transactions (gifts), investment income and other income.

Income from exchange transactions is received by the charity for goods or services supplied under contract or where entitlement is subject to fulfilling performance related conditions. The income the charity receives is approximately equal in value to the goods or services supplied by the charity to the purchaser.

Income from a non-exchange transaction is where the charity receives value from the donor without providing equal value in exchange, and includes donations of money, goods and services freely given without giving equal value in exchange.

Income recognition

Income, whether from exchange or non exchange transactions, is recognised in the statement of financial activities (SOFA) on a receivable basis, when a transaction or other event results in an increase in the charity’s assets or a reduction in its liabilities and only when the charity has legal entitlement, the income is probable and can be measured reliably.

Dividends are accrued when the shareholder’s right to receive payment is established.

Income subject to terms and conditions which must be met before the charity is entitled to the resources is not recognised until the conditions have been met.

All income is accounted for gross, before deducting any related fees or costs.

Accounting for deferred income and income received in advance

Where terms and conditions relating to income have not been met or uncertainty exists as to whether the charity can meet any terms or conditions otherwise within its control, income is not recognised but is deferred as a liability until it is probable that the terms or conditions imposed can be met.

Any grant that is subject to performance-related conditions received in advance of delivering the goods and services required by that condition, or is subject to unmet conditions wholly outside the control of the recipient charity, is accounted for as a liability and shown on the balance sheet as deferred income. Deferred income is released to income in the reporting period in which the performance-related or other conditions that limit recognition are met.

When income from a grant or donation has not been recognised due to the conditions applying to the gift not being wholly within the control of the recipient charity, it is disclosed as a contingent asset if receipt of the grant or donation is probable once those conditions are met.

Where time related conditions are imposed or implied by a funder, then the income is apportioned to the time periods concerned,and, where applicable, is accounted for as a liability and shown on the balance sheet as deferred income. When grants are received in advance of the expenditure on the activity funded by them, but there are no specific time related conditions, then the income is not deferred.

Any condition that allows for the recovery by the donor of any unexpended part of a grant does not prevent recognition of the income concerned, but a liability to any repayment is recognised when repayment becomes probable.

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023

Income from legacies

Income from legacies is recognised when the charity has sufficient evidence that a gift has been left to them, that where required, probate has been granted, the executor is satisfied that the property in question will not be required to satisfy claims in the estate, that it is probable that the amount will be received by the charity, and the amount to be received can be estimated with sufficient accuracy, and that any conditions attached to the legacy are either within the control of the charity or have been met.

Where a payment is received from an estate or is notified as receivable by the executors after the reporting date and before the accounts are authorised for issue but it is clear that the payment had been agreed by the executors prior to the end of the reporting period, then the amount concerned is treated as an adjusting event and accrued as income in the accounting period if receipt is probable.

Where the charity has established entitlement to a legacy but there is uncertainty as to the amount of the payment, details of the legacy aredisclosed as a contingent asset until the criteria for income recognition are met. Where a legacy is subject to the interest of a life tenant, the legacy is not recognised as income until the death of the life tenant.

If it is doubtful that full settlement of a legacy debtor will be received, then an adjustment is made to reduce the amount of the legacy debtor and legacy income rather than charging the adjustment as expenditure in the Statement of Financial Activities

Donated goods, facilities and services

Donated fixed assets are recognised at the current fair value. All such donations are recognised as donation income, and debited to fixed assets.

Donated goods that are not fixed assets are accounted for at a fair value, unless it is impractical to reliably measure the value of the donated items.

In the absence of any direct evidence of fair value of donated goods, then a value is derived from the cost of the item to the donor or, in the case of goods that are expected to be sold, the estimated resale value after deducting any anticipated costs of sales.

If it is impracticable to measure the fair value of goods donated for resale, or the costs of valuation outweigh the benefits, the donated goods are recognised as income when sold, with an equivalent amount being recognised as an expense.

The costs of goods donated for distribution to beneficiaries is deemed to be the fair value of those goods upon receipt. When the goods are distributed freely or for a nominal consideration, then the carrying amount is adjusted at the time of sale, to the value at the point of distribution and the adjustment is shown as a cost of donations made.

The carrying amount of any stock held for distribution is assessed for impairment at the reporting date. All donated goods are recognised as donation income, and debited to trading stock.When trading stock is subsequently sold, or appropriated to meet an expense, then the carrying value of the stock is recognised as an expense. In accordance with the SORP, goods donated for distribution to beneficiaries, or for consumption by the charity are included in 'legacies and donations '. Goods donated for resale are included in 'Income from other trading activities'

The cost of any stock of goods donated for distribution to beneficiaries is deemed to be the fair value of those gifts at the time of their receipt. If the goods held are to be distributed freely or for a nominal consideration, then the carrying amount is subsequently adjusted to reflect the lower of deemed cost adjusted for any loss of service potential and replacement cost. Replacement cost is the economic cost incurred if the charity was to replace the service potential of the donated goods at its own expense in the most economic manner.

Donated services and facilities (including seconded staff and use of property) are included in the accounts on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity.

All donated services and facilities are recognised as donation income when received,(provided the value of the gift can be measured reliably) and recognised as an expense with an equivalent value.

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023

Policies relating to expenditure on goods and services provided to the charity.

Recognition of liabilities and expenditure

A liability, and the related expenditure, is recognised when a legal or constructive obligation exists as a result of a past event, and when it is more likely than not that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and when the amount of the obligation can be measured or reliably estimated..

Liabilities arising from future funding commitments and constructive obligations, including performance related grants, where the timing or the amount of the future expenditure required to settle the obligation are uncertain, give rise to a provision in the accounts, which is reviewed at the accounting year end. The provision is increased to reflect any increases in liabilities, and is decreased by the utilisation of any provision within the period, and reversed if any provision is no longer required. These movements are charged or credited to the respective funds and activities to which the provision relates.

Volunteers

In accordance with the SORP, and in recognition of the difficulties in placing a monetary value on the contribution from volunteers, the contribution of volunteers is not included within the income of the charity. However, the trustees value the significant contribution made to the activities of the charity by unpaid volunteers and this is described more fully in Note5.

Policies relating to assets, liabilities and provisions and other matters.

Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets are measured at their original cost value, or subsequent revaluation, or if donated, as described above. Cost value includes all costs expended in bringing the asset into its intended working condition.

Creditors and provisions

Creditors are measured at their recoverable amounts at the balance sheet date.

Pensions - defined contribution schemes

The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions are charged to the profit and loss account as they become payable in accordance with the rules of the scheme.

Fund Accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the Trustees for particular purposes.

Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of an appeal or as implied by law.

Endowment funds are funds donated to the charity, where the funds shall be invested and the charity shall enjoy the benefit of the income from the capital fund, but where restrictions are placed on the use of the capital.

2 Liability to taxation

The Trustees consider that the charity satisfies the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 of the Finance Act 2010 for UK corporation tax purposes. Accordingly, the Charity is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains received within categories covered by chapter 3 part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively on the specific charitable objects of the charity and for no other purpose. Value Added Tax is not recoverable by the charity, and is therefore included in the relevant costs in the Statement of Financial Activities.

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023

3 Winding up or dissolution of the charity

If upon winding up or dissolution of the charity there remain any assets, after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, the assets represented by the accumulated fund shall be transferred to some other charitable body or bodies having similar objects to the charity.

4 Net surplus before tax in the financial year

Net surplus before tax in the financial year
	2023	2022
	£	£
The net surplus before tax in the financial year is stated after charging:-
Pension costs	974	876

5 The contribution of volunteers

We depend heavily on the support of volunteers. Almost every event and activity we have undertaken has been carried out either entirely by them or with their help. Over 200 volunteers committed countless hours to our activities during the year. Their support is valued enormously. The arrangements with volunteers are difficult to value in monetary terms and have not been recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities. The volunteers and the charity accept and agree that no contract of employment is created by these arrangements.

6 Staff costs and emoluments

Salary costs
2023
£
Gross Salaries excluding trustees and key management personnel
51,174
Employer's operating costs of defined
contribution pension schemes
974
Total salaries, wages and related costs
52,148
The average number of part time staff employed in the year was
2
The average number of full time staff employed in the year was
1
The estimated full time equivalent number of all staff employed in the year was
3
The estimated equivalent number of full time staff deployed in different activities in the year was:-
Engaged on charitable activities
3
The estimated full time equivalent number of all staff employed as above
3

2022
£
47,916
876
48,792
2
1
3
3
3

Neither the trustees nor any persons connected with them have received any remuneration from the charity or any related entity, either in the current or prior year.

No employees received emoluments (excluding pension costs) in excess of £60,000 per annum.

7 Defined contribution pension schemes

Any liabilites and assets associated with the scheme are shown under debtors and creditors.

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023

8 Remuneration and payments to Trustees and persons connected with them

No trustees or persons connected with them received any remuneration from the charity, or any related entity.

9 Deferred income - Unrestricted and Designated funds

*Current Year* Sundry items under £1000 Donations for Iglesia Anglicana M Blake (Townfield) B Fletcher (Curtains) Messy Curch (Townfield) Sylvia Walkey legacy Total These deferrals are included in creditors *Prior Year* Sundry items under £1000 Donations for Iglesia Anglicana M Blake (Townfield) B Fletcher (Curtains) Messy Curch (Townfield) Sylvia Walkey legacy Total These deferrals are included in creditors	Opening Deferrals £ - 580 1,494 500 385 2,240 5,199 Opening Deferrals £ - 1,000 1,494 500 385 8,547 11,926	Released from prior years £ - 580 1,494 500 - - 2,574 Released from prior years £ - 1,000 - - - 6,307 7,307	Received less released in year £ - - - - - - - 2023 £ 2,626 Received less released in year £ - 580 - - - - 580 2022 £ 5,199	Deferred at year end £ - - - - 385 2,240 2,626 2022 £ 5,199 Deferred at year end £ - 580 1,494 500 385 2,240 5,199 2021 £ 11,926

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023

10 Tangible fixed assets

*Current Year* Cost At 1 January 2023 At 31 December 2023 Depreciation At 31 December 2023 Net book value At 31 December 2023 At 31 December 2022 *Prior Year* Cost 01 January 2022 31 December 2022 Depreciation 31 December 2022 Net book value 31 December 2022 31 December 2021 Debtors Prepayments and accrued income Other debtors	Land and Buildings £ 655,132 655,132 - 655,132 655,132 Land and Buildings £ 655,132 655,132 - 655,132 655,132	Plant & Machinery £ - - - - - Plant & Machinery £ - - - - -	Motor Vehicles £ - - - - - Motor Vehicles £ - - - - - 2023 £ 1,853 23,056 24,909	Total £ 655,132 655,132 - 655,132 655,132 Total £ 655,132 655,132 - 655,132 655,132 2022 £ 1,999 22,300 24,299

11 Debtors

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023

12 Investments held as current assets at market value at 31 December 2023

Other investments 13 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year Accruals Deferred Income - Unrestricted & designated funds Other creditors 14 Income and Expenditure account summary At 1 January 2023 Surplus after tax for the year At 31 December 2023 15 Particulars of how particular funds are represented by assets and liabilities At 31 December 2023 Unrestricted Designated funds funds £ £ Tangible Fixed Assets 655,132 - Current Assets 482,948 Current Liabilities (8,891) - 1,129,189 - At 1 January 2023 Unrestricted Designated funds funds £ £ Tangible Fixed Assets 655,132 - Current Assets 621,273 - Current Liabilities (12,179) - 1,264,226 -	2023 £ 106,976 2023 £ 6,060 2,626 205 8,891 2023 £ 1,264,226 (134,658) 1,129,568 Restricted funds £ - 379 - 379 Restricted funds £ - - - -	2022 £ 100,000 - 2022 £ 6,800 5,199 180 12,179 2022 £ 833,531 430,695 1,264,226 Total Funds £ 655,132 483,327 (8,891) 1,129,568 Total Funds £ 655,132 621,273 (12,179) 1,264,226

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023

16 Change in total funds over the year as shown in Note 15 , analysed by individual funds

Funds brought forward from 2022 £ *Unrestricted and designated funds:-* Unrestricted Revenue Funds 742,371 Designated Revenue Funds: Church Hall Designated fund 39,703 Mission/Staff Designated fund 39,703 Afternoon tea - Iglesia Anglicana Chile 580 Hindley Legacy 2,970 Heritage fund 1,235 Descretionary fund 400 Roleston Drive 3,911 Iris Jackson Legacy 1,000 Knit & Natter 150 Margaret Baker Legacy 432,203 Total unrestricted and designated funds 1,264,226 *Restricted funds:-* Warm Spaces - Total restricted funds - Total charity funds 1,264,226 Analysis of movements in funds over the year as shown in Note Income 2023 £ *Unrestricted and designated funds:-* Unrestricted Revenue Funds 599,242 *Restricted funds:-* Warm Spaces 31,350 630,592	Movement in funds in 2023 See note 17 £ 106,390 (39,703) 161 (580) (200) 1,992 (1,000) (202,097) (135,037) 379 379 (134,658) 16 Expenditure 2023 £ (734,279) (30,971) (765,250)	£ - - - - - Other Gains & Losses 2023 £ - - - Transfers between funds in 2023	Funds carried forward to 2024 £ 848,761 - 39,703 161 - 2,970 1,235 200 5,903 - 150 230,106 1,129,189 379 379 1,129,568 Movement in funds 2023 £ (135,037) 379 (134,658)

17 Analysis of movements in funds over the year as shown in Note 16

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023

18 The purposes for which the funds as

Unrestricted and designated funds:-

Unrestricted Revenue Funds

These funds are held for the meeting the objectives of the charity, and to provide reserves for future activities, and , subject to charity legislation, are free from all restrictions on their use.

Designated Revenue Funds

This fund represents the unrestricted funds donated, but where the funds have been allocated for a purpose. This year funds have been ringfenced for the new roof, and also for improved lighting and other small projects.

Restricted funds:-

Warm Spaces

Warm Spaces- grants were received from Wirral Borough Council to support a nationwide initiative of promoting warm spaces for individuals to meet who were suffering hardship during economic difficult times. The grant monies were provided solely to cover some of the expenses incurred by the providers of Warm Spaces , and covered the cost of heat and light and refreshments.

19 Ultimate controlling party

The charity is under the control of its legal members. Every member of the charity has unlimited joint and several liability for the debts of the charity.

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Detailed analysis of income and expenditure for the year ended 31 December 2023 as required by the SORP 2015

This analysis is classsified by conventional nominal descriptions and not by activity.

20 Donations, Grants and Legacies

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Current year|Current year|Current year|Prior Year| |Unrestricted|Restricted|Total Funds|Total Funds| |Funds|Funds| |2023|2023|2023|2022| |£|£|£|£| |Donations and gifts from individuals| |-| |Small donations individually less than £1000|284,706|284,706|227,132| |Refunds from HMRC on gift aided donations|44,245|-|44,245|43,742| |Large donations individually over £1,000|-| |1,000|1,000|2,000| |Conroy Trust|-| |4,000|4,000|3,750| |Total donations and gifts from|333,951|-|333,951|276,624| |individuals|

----- End of picture text -----

Donations and gifts from individuals (Include HMRC refunds on gift aided donations) - Prior Year analysis

----- Start of picture text -----
||||| |---|---|---|---| |Prior Year|Prior Year|Prior Year| |Unrestricted|Restricted|Total Funds| |Funds|Funds| |2022|2022|2022| |£|£|£| |Prior year|276,624|-|276,624|

----- End of picture text -----

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Detailed analysis of income and expenditure for the year ended 31 December 2023 as required by the SORP 2015

Legacies receivable Legacies receivable - Prior Year analysis Prior year Total legacies receivable M Blake Sylvia Walker legacy M Baker legacy	Current year Unrestricted Funds 2023 £ - 59,847 1,494 61,341 Prior Year Unrestricted Funds 2022 £ 456,307	Current year Restricted Funds 2023 £ - - - - Prior Year Restricted Funds 2022 £ -	Current year Total Funds 2023 £ - 59,847 1,494 61,341 Prior Year Total Funds 2022 £ 456,307	Prior Year Total Funds 2022 £ 6,307 450,000 - 456,307

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Detailed analysis of income and expenditure for the year ended 31 December 2023 as required by the SORP 2015

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Current year|Current year|Current year|Prior Year| |Unrestricted|Restricted|Total Funds|Total Funds| |Funds|Funds| |2023|2023|2023|2022| |£|£|£|£| |Revenue grants and donations from non| |public bodies| |Chester Diocese - Energy grant|-|-|-|986| |Wirral BC - Warm Spaces|-|-| |5,050|5,050| |Chester Diocese| |-|-| |163,899|163,899| |Benefact Trust| |-|-| |6,300|6,300| |Garfield Weston| |-|-| |20,000|20,000| |Wirral BC| |-|-|-|-| |Total private sector revenue grants|163,899|31,350|195,249|986|

----- End of picture text -----

Revenue grants and donations from non public bodies (Include Gift Aid donations from subsidiaries) - Prior Year analysis

----- Start of picture text -----
||||| |---|---|---|---| |Prior Year|Prior Year|Prior Year| |Unrestricted|Restricted| |Total Funds| |Funds|Funds| |2022|2022|2022| |£|£|£| |Prior Year|986|-|986|

----- End of picture text -----

Total Donations, Grants and Legacies

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Unrestricted|Restricted|Current Year|Prior Year| |Funds|Funds|Total Funds|Total Funds| |Current year| |2023|2023|2023|2022| |£|£|£|£| |Total Donations, Grants and| |A1|559,191|31,350|590,541|733,917| |Legacies| |Unrestricted|Restricted|Prior Year| |Prior year|Funds|Funds|Total Funds| |2022|2022|2022| |£|£|£| |Total Donations, Grants and|A1|733,917|-|733,917| |Legacies|

----- End of picture text -----

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Detailed analysis of income and expenditure for the year ended 31 December 2023 as required by the SORP 2015

21 Income from charitable activities - Trading Activities

*Current year* Primary purpose and ancillary trading 22 Total income from charitable trading Total from charitable activities A2 Income from charitable activities - Prior Year analysis *Prior year* Total income from charitable trading Income from funders 23 Investment income Property Rental Income Dividend Income Bank Interest Receivable Other Investment Income Total investment income A4 Investment income - Prior Year analysis Prior Year Income from church activities Total Primary purpose and ancillary trading Sale of goods and services in accordance with the charity's objects Total Income from charitable activities	Current year Unrestricted Funds 2023 £ 2,395 9,666 12,061 12,061 12,061 Prior Year Unrestricted Funds 2022 £ 12,587 - 12,587 Current year Unrestricted Funds 2023 £ 6,451 2,924 11,639 6,976 27,990 Unrestricted Funds 10,224	Current year Restricted Funds 2023 £ - - - - - Prior Year Restricted Funds 2022 £ - - - Current year Restricted Funds 2023 £ - - - - - Restricted Funds -	Current year Total Funds 2023 £ 2,395 9,666 12,061 12,061 12,061 Prior Year Total Funds 2022 £ 12,587 - 12,587 Current year Total Funds 2023 £ 6,451 2,924 11,639 6,976 27,990 Total Funds 10,224	Prior Year Total funds 2022 £ - 12,587 12,587 12,587 12,587 Prior Year Total Funds 2022 £ 6,569 1,462 2,193 - 10,224

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Detailed analysis of income and expenditure for the year ended 31 December 2023 as required by the SORP 2015

24 Expenditure on charitable activities - Direct spending

*Current Year* Total direct spending B2a *Prior Year* Total direct spending B2a Other Expenditure - Governance costs *Current Year* Independent Examiner's fees Total Governance costs Defined contribution pension costs - charitable activities Giving outside the parish Church mission (incl youth, weekend & Gross wages and salaries - charitable activities Church mission (incl youth, weekend & Defined contribution pension costs - charitable activities Church buildings expenses Church buildings expenses Gross wages and salaries - charitable activities Church office & general running Giving outside the parish Parish share Church office & general running Parish share	Current year Unrestricted Funds 2023 £ 51,174 974 25,222 10,534 20,499 141,406 483,570 733,559 Prior Year Unrestricted Funds 2022 £ 47,916 876 33,886 20,112 14,918 133,312 74,353 325,373 Current year Unrestricted Funds 2023 £ 720 720	Current year Restricted Funds 2023 £ - - 4,671 - - - 26,300 30,971 Prior Year Restricted Funds 2022 £ - - - - - Current year Restricted Funds 2023 £ - -	Current year Total Funds 2023 £ 51,174 974 29,893 10,534 20,499 141,406 509,870 764,530 Prior Year Total Funds 2022 £ 47,916 876 33,886 20,112 14,918 133,312 74,353 325,373 Current year Total Funds 2023 £ 720 720	Prior Year Total Funds 2022 £ 47,916 876 33,886 20,112 14,918 133,312 74,353 325,373 Prior Year Total Funds 2022 £ 660 660

25 Other Expenditure - Governance costs

All the expenditure in the prior year was unrestricted.

The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bebington

Detailed analysis of income and expenditure for the year ended 31 December 2023 as required by the SORP 2015

26 Total Charitable expenditure

		Current year	Current year	Current year	Prior Year
		Unrestricted	Restricted	Total Funds	Total Funds
*Current Year*		Funds	Funds
		2023	2023	2023	2022
		£	£	£	£
Total direct spending	B2a	733,559	30,971	764,530	325,373
Total Governance costs	B2e	720	-	720	660
Total charitable expenditure	B2	734,279	30,971	765,250	326,033
All the expenditure in the prior year was unrestricted.

*Prior Year*		Prior Year Prior Year Prior Year Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Total Funds
Total direct spending	B2a	2022 2022 2022 £ £ £ 325,373 - 325,373
Total Governance costs	B2e	660 - 660
Total charitable expenditure	B2	326,033 - 326,033

Bebington Parish Annual Report 2023

Our Vision

A Christ-Centred Family Sharing God’s Love

Contents

Rector’s Report on St Andrew’s

2023 was a year with lots of buildings related activity!

David Vestergaard

Townfield Report

Al Rodgers

Wardens’ Report

Church Buildings

Repair and Conservation of the Church Tower/Spire

Maintenance plan

Stuart Waldron

Safeguarding Report

Treasurer’s Report

Bryan Higgins

Report on the activities of the Parochial Church Council

Ian Swindlehurst

Youth Report

Vision

Weekly Church Groups

Unplugged

Amplify Friday

Amplify Sunday

Youth Band

Schools Work

Wirral Boys

Wirral Girls

St Andrew’s Primary

Stanton Road Primary

Amplivacation

Other items

Psalms & Sponges

NYMW Conference

Christmas Experience

Journey to the Cross

Volunteers

Christopher Jarvis

Children & Families Hub

St Andrew’s Sunday Club

Townfield Sunday Club

Little Fishes

Viv Halliday

Church Lads’ & Church Girls’ Brigade (CL&CGB)

Richie Clarke

St Andrew’s Crèche

Seniors’ Hub

Women’s Fellowship

Sheila Lindsay

Men’s Fellowship

Monday Gang

Stuart Waldron

Pastoral Work

Charlotte House

Safe Harbour

David Vestergaard

Prayer Ministry

Sylvia Tomlinson

Bereavement Ministry

David Vestergaard

Heritage Report

Alan Roberts

Poverty Action Group

Christian Aid

Turkey Earthquake Disaster

Foodbank

Christmas

Friendly Faces

Besom

Recycling

Hope for Justice

World Mission Support

St. Andrew’s C.E (Aided) Primary School

Al Rodgers

Deanery Synod

Conroy Trust

2023 Financial Statement

In Memoriam