2024-12-31-accounts

Parochial Church Council of St Mary, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex Parish ref 24.01

The Parish and Borough Church of

St Mary, Harrow on the Hill

Report of the

Parochial Church Council January to December 2024

St Mary’s is part of the Diocese of London within the Church of England

Vicar:

The Revd J E Power (until 4[th] July 2024) Vacancy (from 4[th] July 2024)

Correspondence address:

St Mary’s Parish Office, Church Hill, Harrow on the Hill, HA1 3HL

Charity Commission Registration Number: 1130328

Parochial Church Council of St Mary, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex Parish ref 24.01

Parochial Church Council of St Mary, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex Parish ref 24.01

Structure, Governance and Management

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary, Harrow on the Hill, (PCC) is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council (Powers) Measure 1956. It is supported by a number of committees which make recommendations for its consideration. The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the current Church Representation Rules. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. The PCC met 5 times during the year.

The PCC is a charity registered with the Charity Commission; each PCC member is a trustee.

PCC Officers

Chairman Vice Chairman Hon. Secretary Hon. Treasurer Church Electoral Roll Officer

The Revd J E Power (until 4[th] July 2024) Vacant (from 4[th] July 2024) P Chandler K Grout R Horne J Rankin

PCC Elected Members

R Blank (from 21st April 2024) P Chandler K Crotty D Dodd K Grout L Grout R Horne J Hurley D Muriss K Reilly (until 21st April 2024) J Shepherd C Williams

Deputy Churchwarden (from 11[th] July 2024)

PCC Members ex officio

The Revd A Christian The Revd G Dale M Biggs

Associate Priest Associate Priest Churchwarden

PCC sub-committees and Chair

Finance and General Purposes P Chandler Worship The Revd A Christian Education Vacant Care and Outreach L Grout Communications The Revd G Dale Stewardship C Williams

Parochial Church Council of St Mary, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex Parish ref 24.01

Bank

HSBC, 31 Holborn Circus, London EC1N 2HR

Hon. Legal Adviser

J E. Kennedy & Co., Solicitors, 59-61 High Street, Harrow, HA1 3HT

Independent Examiner

A-spire Business Partners Ltd, Chartered Accountants, 32 Byron Hill Road, Harrow, HA2 0HY

Quinquennial Inspecting Architect

Cerowski Architects Ltd, Chartered Architects, 14 Crossways Avenue, East Grinstead, RH19 1HZ

Reserve Fund Policy

In the Statement of Financial Activity funds are defined as Restricted or Unrestricted, and within the latter there are designated and general funds. The keeping of reserves is part of our commitment to maintain St Mary’s (a Grade 1 listed building) as a place of worship and it is PCC policy to maintain a general unrestricted reserve of at least one year’s current expenditure (c£140,000). After adjusting for the year’s surplus on current account, and revaluation of the value of investments, accumulated unrestricted funds amount to £154,000

Objectives and Activities

• Our primary objective is the promotion of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England.

• Mindful of being the Borough Church we aim to demonstrate Christ’s love by showing our concern in a variety of ways for the wider community in the London Borough of Harrow recognising its multi-faith identity, our parishioners and the congregation.

• Promoting, within the parish, the whole mission of the Church: liturgical, spiritual, educational, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.

• Seeking to work in partnership with other churches and institutions but most particularly with Harrow School recognising the historical relationship

• The maintenance and development of a Grade 1 listed building and churchyard as a house of peace and prayer for all people.

Report of the PCC Lay Vice Chair for 2024

In many ways 2024 was a momentous year in the long and ever-changing life of St. Mary’s.

In April the long-awaited repairs to the spire began with the erection of the scaffolding which engulfed the tower and spire in a blue shroud making them look more like a pagoda than our beloved spire. Work continued steadily with the contractors Stone Edge Conservation being supervised by St. Mary’s inspecting architect, Heather Cerowski. Stone Edge proved to be a considerate and skilful work force. Not only did they keep to budget but the spire, as it began to emerge from its shroud at the end of the year looked even more elegant and sleek than before. Our thanks go to Stone Edge for all its work and to our architect, Heather, for her meticulous oversight of the project. Thanks must also go to all of you for your patience and forbearance as the churchyard turned into a building site.

My sincere gratitude goes to everyone who helped to fundraise for the repairs and who made many personal donations. Mention must be made of Spirewatch, chaired by John Campbell, for its tireless efforts to raise a large contribution to the funds. Substantial donations were also made by Harrow School, the John Lyon Charity and the Diocese of London’s Willesden Area Building Fund. Without their support our task would have been considerably more difficult.

In June our Vicar for the last nine years, Fr. James Power, left to begin a new ministry in Templebreedy near his home in Ireland. We were sorry to say ‘good bye’ to him, Fiona, Huw and Kitty but we were very grateful to him for his lively ministry at St. Mary’s and wished him well in his new life.

St. Mary’s then entered an ‘interregnum’ fending for ourselves without a Vicar at the helm. How fortunate that God has blessed us with two self-funding Associate Priests, Rev Alison Christian and Rev Graham Dale, who have taken over all the regular services at St. Mary’s. We are more grateful to them than words can express. A small group of lay people agreed to maintain an Evening Service at 6pm every Sunday for which we are also very grateful.

The work of St. Mary’s is now being overseen by our two Churchwardens, Matthew Biggs and Lynne Grout, joined by Alison and Graham and ably supported by Roger Horne, the treasurer, Keith Grout, the PCC Secretary, and all members of the PCC. The result has been a magnificent growth not only in the size of the congregation but in its members volunteering to take on new responsibilities such as leading intercessions, stewarding, serving at the altar and many other ‘behind the scenes’ tasks including the management of the website and other forms of communication and the inspired running of our Sunday School. All this has been achieved with smiles and a sense of us all working together to carry out God’s purpose in this place.

In September our Director of Music, Tim Smith, who had developed the standard of music at St. Mary’s with expertise and energy for twenty years, left to take up a new appointment as Director of Music at St. Mary’s, Rickmansworth, close to his home. Very sadly, however, Tim was taken ill and died in December before he was able to begin his new work. The sense of sadness and loss was immeasurable and our hearts went out to Brita, Judy and Tom in their sudden bereavement. There will be a Memorial Service at St. Mary’s on 22[nd] March, 2025, when Tim’s great achievements at St. Mary’s can be acknowledged and celebrated.

We were extremely grateful to Victoria Simmonds who directed the choir, to Mervyn Hogg and Yasar Cohen Shah who stood in as organists, to Lynne Grout and Cathy Danks who played the piano and to the choir who kept on singing so that the music at St. Mary’s could continue during this difficult time. Thanks to all of them and to all of you the feast of Christmas was celebrated with joy and thanksgiving. A new Director of Music, Izzy Mohan, has been appointed to start in January, 2025.

And so this busy year drew to a close with Spire Café, thanks to Sarah Foster and Nick Jones-Ford, and St. Mary’s Bellringers saying farewell to 2024 and welcoming 2025 which will, I am sure, be an equally momentous, exciting and challenging year.

With gratitude to God for his ever-present love and guidance we can enter 2025 with confidence in Him and in each other. A new Vicar and a new Director of Music, a growing congregation and an ever-increasing group of lay leaders herald the next chapter in the life of this great church.

Pauline Chandler February, 2025

London Diocese Report 2024

The Diocese of London is the largest and most diverse in the Church of England. We have over 500 churches and 750 licensed clergy. We are able to have a church in almost every community, supporting the vision for every Londoner to encounter the love of God in Christ. In 2024, 50 new deacons were ordained and early draft statistics indicate that Average Weekly Attendance in London grew by 7.5% to over 60,000.

During 2024, we have continued working towards our priorities of becoming a younger, safer and more racially just Church. For example:

• 19 London Youth Apprentices engaged 715 young people weekly and funding was granted to enable the launch of five youth ministers in Hackney and Islington.

• In a challenging year for safeguarding, referrals to the Diocesan Safeguarding Team increased substantially, indicating more trust and confidence in the safeguarding service. 789 people were given safeguarding leadership training, and 3,808 DBS checks were carried out.

• Churches across the Diocese engaged with Race Equality Week, Racial Justice Sunday, and Black History Month last year, reflecting on racial justice and committing to action.

The breadth of parishes and Bishop’s Mission Orders in London nurtured confident disciples, compassionate communities and creative growth in an amazing variety of ways. They also contributed over £23m in Common Fund, an increase of almost £1m. Alongside £13.2m income raised by the London Diocesan Fund (LDF) and £3.6m from LDF reserves, this paid to provide ministry and support parishes across the Diocese.

Safeguarding Report 2024

1. Introduction

• a) Safeguarding is a standing agenda item at meetings of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) and an up-to-date Safeguarding Action Plan is presented at every PCC meeting. PCC’s responsibility for safeguarding compliance derives from members’ duties as trustees of a charity supervised by the Charity Commission of England & Wales, viz ; to adopt a safeguarding policy and establish an action plan to implement it.

• b) The licensed clergy, and particularly the incumbent, are responsible with the PCC and the assistance of the Church Safeguarding Officer, for ensuring that the correct policies, guidance and procedures are in place and for developing a “safer culture” in their churches.

• c) The Church Safeguarding Officer is responsible for ensuring the coordination of any concerns about a child, young person or vulnerable adult, or the behaviour of an adult working with vulnerable groups. Her/ his role is to ensure that these are appropriately reported both to the statutory agencies and to the Diocesan Safeguarding Team. She/ he should attend the PCC at least twice a year and work with it to ensure the proper implementation of the safeguarding policy.

• d) The Children’s Champion is the voice of the children within the parish at PCC meetings. He/ she does not have a direct role in safeguarding but is expected to work closely and confidentially with the Church Safeguarding Officer and parish clergy to inform/ report/ discuss any concerns, seeking their support and advice when necessary.

• e) The Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser is a member of the Diocesan Safeguarding Team which manages and coordinates the day-to-day operational mechanisms for safeguarding practice across the Diocese. This is achieved by the provision of advice on safeguarding concerns, support for parishes in managing concerns, overseeing safeguarding training and monitoring safeguarding issues in parishes.

• f) The licensed clergy, Church Safeguarding Officer, DBS Verifier, Children’s Champion and Parochial Church Council work firmly within the parameters of the Church of England’s Safeguarding Policy and Practice Guidance.

2. Formal Obligations

The Parochial Church Council is obliged by law to confirm to the Annual Parochial Church Meeting that it has complied with its statutory duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding & Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, and section M5(3) of the Church Representation Rules 2020 that:

The Parochial Church Council has had due regard to the House of Bishops’ Guidance on Safeguarding Children & Vulnerable Adults.

3. Safeguarding Roles

• a) The Church Safeguarding Officer is Matthew Biggs

• b) The DBS Recruiter & Verifier was Fiona Power until 4[th] July 2024. The role is now vacant.

• c) The Children’s Champion is Kellie Reilly

• d) The Chair of the Care & Outreach Subcommittee is Lynne Grout

4. Safeguarding Policy, Guidance & Information

• a) The Diocese of London suggests a draft Parish Safeguarding Policy for adoption. The draft policy is available on the diocesan website. The Parochial Church Council adopted the draft policy without amendment at its first meeting on 22[nd] May 2022.

• b) The “Promoting a Safer Church” policy must be promoted in all churches in the Diocese; the relevant posters are displayed in the Church Room, Vestry and South Porch for public reference and consultation, and also on the parish website.

• c) The PCC re-assessed and re-affirmed its procedure for dealing promptly with any safeguarding concern or allegation (or suspicion of abuse).

• d) The official policy guidance and procedures for Church Safeguarding Officers are kept in the Church of England’s “Parish Safeguarding Handbook” and “Code of Safer Working Practice.” A copy of the Code of Safer Working Practice is posted in the Church Room. A “hard” reference copy of the Parish Safeguarding Handbook is available upon request.

• e) All Church Activities involving Children or Young People were issued with a first draft of a Risk Assessment which will be discussed in 2025.

• f) All Non-Church Activities involving Children & Young People have signed a Hall Hire Agreement which obliges them to either conform to the Diocesan policy or a policy of their own.

• g) The Diocese deployed the “National Safeguarding Standards” in 2024. These attempt to demonstrate what good Safeguarding practice should look like, rather than just becoming a “tick box” compliance exercise. Parishes who have met all compliance targets are required to move forward to reviewing their commitment to best practice in various ways over a three year cycle. This will begin for us in 2025.

• h) All Stewards and the Parish Safeguarding Officer now wear lanyards at Sunday services in order to identify themselves to worshippers and to act as points of contact

5. Safeguarding Learning and Development

• a) All three members of licensed clergy have completed their full safeguarding training requirements and were officially “in good standing” with the Bishop of London, as evidenced

by their inclusion in the online National Register of Clergy. This was checked at random moments throughout the year.

• b) All Activity Leaders all PCC Members fully completed the requisite training as required for their roles in 2024. There were no exceptions.

• c) The Parish Safeguarding Officer attended a “Parish Safeguarding Officers’ Workshop” administered by the Diocesan Safeguarding Team. Useful details were learned.

• d) The Diocesan Safeguarding Team continues to run monthly “drop-in” Zoom meetings. The Parosh Safeguarding Officer attended four of these in 2024.

• e) The training requirements for all relevant church officers were reviewed in June and August 2024.

6. Safer Recruitment and People Management

• a) The clergy are fully Safely Recruited by virtue of their inclusion on the National Register of Clergy.

• b) The Church Safeguarding Officer and DBS Verifier have been fully Safely Recruited as part of their appointment to role.

• c) PCC Members and Church Activity Leaders continued to be Safely Recruited. Exception Reports are generated and shared periodically with the PCC.

• d) All PCC Members and all Church Activity Leaders have completed their individual Confidential Declarations in 2022 as required by the “Safer Recruitment” Guidance.

• e) Job Descriptions for the various Church Activity Leader roles (e.g. Sunday School Leader, Tower Captain, etc.) are necessary and these were updated throughout the year.

• f) The availability and support of key personnel to undertake these checks is vital; without their engagement, advancing in safeguarding compliance is difficult.

• g) The generation of Job Descriptions enables the PCC to look again at these relevant roles and re-assess them for the future.

7. Concerns Raised

• a) Number of safeguarding concerns shared with Parish Safeguarding Officer: One b) Number of Referrals made to Diocesan Safeguarding Team: One.

8. Additional Information

The resignation of the Most Revd & Rt Hon. Justin Welby from his role as Archbishop of Canterbury triggered a written statement by Head of Safeguarding of the Diocese of London which was read from the lecturn on Safeguarding Sunday/ The statement reassured worshippers that all safeguarding workers were committed to the task at hand.

9. Next Steps

• a) The Parish Safeguarding Dashboard tool for St Mary’s, officially supplied and encouraged for use across the Diocese, is currently set at Level 3, focussed on compliance with “Safer Practices”. All mandatory objectives were met in 2024

• b) Work will continue in 2024 to ensure that PCC officially approves a list of Church and Non-Church Activities, and that those individual activities have Risk Assessments, DBS check and Safer Recruitment checks are fulfilled for each of them.

10. Acknowledgements

• a) “Safer churches” is a key priority for the Diocese of London’s 2030 vision: welcoming everyone into the life of the diocese, into a community where the value and dignity of everyone is valued and respected, is not only core to the Gospel and our calling but to safeguarding. Everyone should know that they are as safe as they can be: safeguarding is an integral part of our life and ministry.

• b) The PCC is adamant that St Mary’s Church will be a place where children, young people and vulnerable adults can worship and grow in Christ safely.

• c) The Safeguarding Team gratefully acknowledges the support, patience and prayers of clergy and congregation in 2024.

M K Biggs Church Safeguarding Officer

• 31[st] January 2025

Stewardship Committee Report January-December 2024

The Stewardship Committee currently had two aims during 2024:

• To increase the income into the general funds in order to support the church ministry within St. Mary’s Church Harrow on the Hill.

• Raise money with Spirewatch to replace the lead tiles and undertake other structural repairs to the spire of St. Mary’s Church.

A number of activities have been undertaken during this period and include:

• Summer Fete which resulted in profit of £5,043.

• Christmas Fair 2024 which exceeded the budget assigned and raised a profit of £5,158 an increase of 18% on the previous year.

• Continued to promote opportunities to donate money electronically to the church within church and at all events.

• Received funding from the F&GP Committee to purchase more banqueting tables to avoid hiring them for large events. This has saved £750 this year alone.

• Implemented an online service to promote events and issue tickets. This has proven to be extremely useful for the following reasons;

• Tracking of sales for each event which supports planning the resources needed for the event as well as providing intelligence for the level of further promotion required.

• Collation of a waiting list for each event where spaces are limited. This feature has resulted in making more sales in tickets than expected as those unable to attend an event after purchasing tickets, allowed the church to keep the money and the tickets were then able to be resold to those on the waiting list.

• Good value for money, each online ticket sale costs approximately £0.56.

• Ability for those purchasing tickets to leave a further donation

• o The ability to collate and receive Gift Aid.

• Provides a data base of those attending events and logging of their agreement to be notified of future events.

• Ran campaigns to advertise the support needed for the Spire fund with positive results.

• Organised a Cheese and Wine event which raised £1,578, largely helped by the online ticketing service with resales of tickets and a raffle which took about £500.

• Continued to work alongside Spirewatch to co-ordinate fund raising events.

• Organised a concert with St. Mary’s Strings and conducted by Owain Arwel-Hughes CBE which raised almost £1,000, although there were some expenses for refreshments on the night and for the Birthday Service. Net profit £795.

• Undertook two open days of the church and tower to raise funds for the Church in conjunction with the Spire Café.

• Reviewed the stewardship undertaken in the church against a checklist provided by the Church of England. This has shown elements that the church does well, those that could be improved and those that are not undertaken and would help in our

efforts to raise funds for our ministry. This will be discussed at the PCC on 20 March 2025 to agree objectives for the coming year.

• An evening with the Chaplain-in-Chief of the RAF is being held on 25 April 2025 and we hope this will be well supported.

Whilst one project finishes, others commence! There are several projects requiring funding going forward and these will be prioritised over the coming months and will include the restoration of the organ and support for our musical lives at church. The stewardship checklist to support the church ministry will also be discussed by the PCC and those agreed taken forward in 2025.

In writing this report, the church community will know that all the funds required for the restoration of the spire have been raised. It is extraordinary to think the church has managed to raise £441,000 to complete this restoration over the last 4 years.

The Stewardship Committee would like to give a sincere thank you to all involved in the various activities to raise money for the church and in particular committee members of Spirewatch.

Christine Ward 16 March 2025 Chair Stewardship Committee

St Mary's Communication Group 2024 Report

Communications group members met and planned throughout the year - mainly Graham, Judith, Lisa and Elias - with occasional other for specific matters.

St Mary's Website

Throughout the year the website was updated and improved - mainly by Lisa and Elias - and in particular, the sermon/blog pages were updated - and the 'getting to church' routes updated. Following the departure of James Power, there was a tidying exercise required on various pages - in part to remove JP and to include our Associate Priests - the Rev'd Alison Christian and Reverend Graham Dale. There was also an editing of the presentation of the Spire fundraising with additional photographs.

Weekly Spire Comms email

Perhaps the most positive development was the creation of a weekly email Spire Comms - mainly by Judith. This has enabled Church members, wider parishioners and the housebound to keep in touch, especially during the interregnum, and the recipients tick up every week (Feb 2025, 83 people). We are currently investigating moving this to weekly email onto the MailChimp system - and already beginning to think about engaging with and integrating the new Vicar into this email. This email communication is gold dust for more immediate news/events - as well as a sense of connection and support from St Mary's. In light of this success - and because Judith's time is limited - we reluctantly agreed to stop the production of the quarterly Spire magazine - to instead focus on this more immediate communication.

Wider Community Communication

Wider communication includes Judith's heritage walks/talks to showcase the history/relevance of church and churchyard. In 2024 Judith did three walks with collections taken in aid of Spire funds. These walks complement the Spire Cafe, draw local people in and promote interest in Church Fields, where local councillors lead some wider work. Judith also did presentations/talks to local groups such as Headstone Manor, Harrow WI and Ealing Retirement Forum, who paid a speaker fee which went to Spire funds (thanks Judith!).

Religious Art

In 2024 we were grateful for the art work of Jonathan Hutchins in creating Stations of the Cross paintings displayed at Easter in St Mary's. This will happen again in 2025.

2025

The group - chaired by Graham - will continue to meet and support each other in 2025 and we already have some exciting plans ahead. This includes tackling some themes on our website - for example, how to present the stewardship/fundraising now the immediate Spire Project is done, yet still with the challenge of maintaining an old building. Also, discussion has started about how we present the 'spirituality' and 'faith' of St Mary's to those who never come to Church but do visit our website (this is a conversation to be had with the

new Vicar).Both of these themes are already being supported in the way we present fundraising/social events on the website - and how we present our special services around Church seasons.

Choir Promotion

A more immediate challenge for 2025 is how to support our new Director of Music to profile/advertise the Choir to schools, young people and families in Harrow. This could be done on the website and also through social media - where we use platforms such as X or Meta to drive interest.

Judith Shepherd 13[th] February 2025

Flower Arrangers Report 2024

We have managed to provide flower arrangements every week throughout the last year and there is a larger regular team who decorate the church for Easter, Harvest and Christmas. The 'regulars' include those who only come to St. Mary's to arrange flowers and catch up with the news over coffee. It is gratifying that they find fulfilment and pleasure at these festivals and we are always delighted to welcome them.

The arrangers have presented wonderful displays, which is our way making our church feel welcoming and cared for and to appreciate and give thanks for the wonders of nature.

We asked if people would like to donate a lily in memory of loved ones for our Easter celebrations. It worked very well and all the names were displayed next to the arrangements.

We made posies for Mothering Sunday, a very lovely opportunity to socialise and enjoy each other's company. The baskets of flowers were taken into the church for distribution during the services.

It is always a pleasure to welcome Sunday School and they made some lovely arrangements in beautifully decorated jars to present at Harvest Festival.

We have made several tributes to remember anniversaries during the year and are always happy to mark special events. Just let us know if we can help you.

We are extremely grateful to Giles, John, Christopher and Keith for their hard work behind the scenes, Thank you so much.

We are always looking to encourage those who have never tried arranging before, do come along and join in, everyone is very welcome.

Lynne Grout 26[th] February 2025

Music Report 2024

This last year has been a difficult year for St. Mary's music.

Our Director of Music for the past twenty years, Tim Smith, decided to retire from St. Mary’s and accept a position at St. Mary’s Rickmansworth which was much nearer to his home. It was planned for him to leave in September, and he gave three months’ notice in June. We had very exciting news that Tim had been awarded the British Empire Medal in the June Birthday Honours List for his services to music.

Unfortunately, it became apparent that Tim was unwell and as June progressed, he became increasingly poorly. He struggled on, always professional and giving of his very best. He was eventually unable to continue, and it was wonderful that he made it to his retirement party on 8th September.

We were very fortunate to have help and support from a number of musicians who kept things going for the rest of the year.

Mervyn Hogg and Yasar Cohen- Shah played the organ for services and helped the choir between them. Cathy Danks did a wonderful job at the piano when the organists were unable to play, and we couldn't have managed without the help and skill of Victoria Simmonds who took charge of the choir practices and organising the repertoire.

At the beginning of December we received the very sad news that Tim had died, and everyone was shocked and deeply saddened. However, it was decided to continue with preparations for the Christmas music as it was felt that it was Tim would have wanted, and his family were in agreement.

We managed to provide music for all the usual services and were extremely fortunate to be supported by past members and friends of the choir and 30 singers sang at the Carol Service. It was joyous and uplifting and most beautifully performed. The Handbell Ringers also took part, and it was really delightful to hear the delicate playing of two lovely carols. It was particularly lovely to welcome Tom Smith to the service, and everyone was delighted that he felt able be with us.

The attendance at all the services was extremely good. There were 200 at the Carol Service, 80 at Midnight Mass and 200 adults and 40 children on Christmas morning. We would like to thank everyone for their support, and he choir for their wonderful singing.

We are very blessed at St. Mary’s to have several young choristers who are dedicated to the choir and give up a lot of their time to practising and attending the services. They are a very important part of our church youth outreach, and they are highly valued. They sing a choral evensong every month and have a social pizza gathering afterwards, it is a really lively and heartwarming to see them having fun together.

We have great pleasure in announcing the appointment of Izzy Mohan as our new Director of Music. We are delighted to welcome her and hope she will feel fulfilled in her new role as she leads our music making in the future.

Lynne Grout – Churchwarden 6[th] March 2025

Handbell Report 2024.

The Handbells did not perform in the first half of the year, owing to health and mobility problems of some members. We did meet socially, as we enjoy each others’ company.

However, in the Autumn, we were able to rehearse a programme of Christmas Carols and performed on six occasions during Nov/Dec, -- twice giving the audience members a chance to “have a go” themselves, always a popular option!

We are really short of players now with two unable to play through health issues. Without new blood the future for the Handbell Group is extremely uncertain Jean Pearson 10[th] March 2025

Sunday School Report 2024

The Sunday School continued to meet on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month throughout 2024. We have increased in number and have a few families who regularly attend. The children are growing in confidence and some of the older children have started to read on Sundays when we do not have Sunday School and a couple of them were delighted to read at the Nine Lessons and Carols service. Our Nativity was also written and directed by one of the children and we are hoping to make this happen again next Christmas. They enjoy our discussions about bible stories and presenting their creations to the congregation.

Kellie Reilly 18[th] March 2025

Care and Outreach Report 2024

We have done our best to keep in touch with anyone who needs practical help, emotional support or a friendly chat.

We now have a team of five trained bereavement councillors who work within the congregation and in other areas. We are a corporate member of Harrow Bereavement Care and are often contacted to visit on their behalf.

We held our annual Bereavement Service on May 5th. It was very sensitively led by Alison Christian and much appreciated by those who attended.

We have given a lot of thought to our charitable giving which has not really recovered since Covid. We realise that there are many calls on people's funds, so have decided to implement a regular monthly donation of products needed by the Harrow Food Bank. Details will shortly be available.

We will continue to support the British Legion on Remembrance Sunday and Christian Aid that Douglas Dodd organises so efficiently.

We are very grateful to Jane Hurley and Pauline Chandler for organising the monthly cake sale. It is extremely successful supporting the MS Society, Parkinson's UK and Cardiomyopathy UK.

There was a very encouraging response to Harvest lunch when forty congregation and friends met in the church room. It was lovely to have such a wide age range and to welcome those who had not attended before.

Our latest venture is the parish coffee morning on Thursdays between 10 and 12 noon in the church room. It is very informal and a great opportunity to have time get to know each other better. The parish office is also open and Keith, the parish secretary, is available to answer any queries.The numbers attending are growing and we had a very happy Christmas get together when Liviu Zoika kindly offered a taxi service to those who find travel difficult and would not normally have been able to attend,

We look forward to the challenges ahead and are always pleased to receive ideas on how we can be of service.

Lynne Grout – 28[th] February 2025

Tower Captain’s Report 2024 Bell Ringing Guild, St Mary’s, Harrow on the Hill

The main aims of my work as Tower Captain continue to be:

First : to ensure that there is bell ringing for Sunday morning services, and for other special occasions, particularly such occasions for St Mary’s Church;

Second : bell ringers have appropriate training for their own ringing advancement, for the improved quality of band bell ringing, and for the sustainability of future bell ringing at St Mary’s; bell ringers have undertaken the required Safeguarding training

Third : bell ringing at St Mary’s is enjoyable and welcoming to visitors and to newcomers; Fourth : to encourage St Mary’s ringers to contribute to the wider ringing community.

The first aim has been achieved throughout 2024 due to the continued commitment of our ringers to ring for Sunday service. The number of ringers has varied due to holidays, illness, and other commitments, but we have occasionally rung nine or ten bells on a Sunday morning. It is often the case there are more Sunday ringers than the number at Monday practices which have occasionally been cancelled. All church events requesting ringing have been supported.

During the year we have managed to ring for the following special occasions and annual occasions:

• Ringing in the New Year

• St Mary’s 930[th] birthday in January, and a Quarter Peal rung

• Harrow School Speech Day in May with all ten bells ringing

• The departure of Fr James Power, and a Quarter Peal rung

• Ringing for St Mary’s summer fete in June

• Prior to the Civic Service at St Mary’s

• Funerals/memorial services, weddings, and open days during the year

• Birthdays acknowledged

• John Lyon Founders Day Service in September

• Remembrance Sunday in November, and a Quarter Peal rung

• Ringing for service Bishop of Willesden visit

• Christmas Eve Midnight Mass

• New Year’s Eve ringing

The New Year’s Eve band rang out the old year and then rang in the new, followed by panoramic views of the fireworks across London from the tower roof. The long-standing tradition of a get together took place earlier in the evening in the form of a sit-down meal, with others joining later for the ringing. The recent tradition of the Spire Café opening late evening ready for the midnight fireworks was also maintained giving the Hill residents an opportunity to celebrate the New Year together. We said farewell to our Vicar, James Power, and rang a Quarter Peal in May to acknowledge his nine years of dedicated service and support to the church and to the bell ringers of St Mary’s.

The second aim is being achieved by our continued focus on our learners. My thanks go to our regular team of experienced ringers who enable each learner to practice within a secure band. Our regular helper, Paul Daybell, has supported us when possible, during the year but the band has made sufficient progress with him to run practices effectively with fewer ringers. Ringers are encouraged to lead the ringing at their level of expertise. During 2024 some of the band have participated in training events, bell ringing outings, and Quarter Peal attempts, to help consolidate their skills and understanding. Clear progress is being made by each ringer and it is hoped that

this progress can be consolidated in Quarter Peal attempts in future. Unfortunately, our latest learner, Nick Deal, has stopped attending practices due to work commitments and another learner only joined briefly due to health issues. Our thanks to Audrey Wakeling and Douglas Dodd who join us for service ringing whenever possible. Last June, we entered a band for the S&W District Striking Competition held at Norwood Green but did not manage to complete the set ringing and so we did not secure a place in the next round in October. Ringers have been asked to undertake the appropriate Safeguarding Training. Ringers are keeping Matthew Biggs, Church Warden, informed when they successfully complete a unit.

The third aim has been achieved, evidenced again by the regular attendance for Monday night practices and for Sunday morning service ringing. St Mary’s hosted three S&W 10 bell practices during the year and these were well attended. We are grateful to outside ringers supporting our Quarter Peal attempts when we cannot provide a full home band. We welcomed a few visitors during the year. A visiting band rang a successful Peal in April; Christopher O’Mahony, a past Ringing Master, joined us for Sunday service ringing in July during a visit from Australia; Marc Kasfiner arranged a visit to St Mary’s for Bedfordshire ringers on a ringing outing in August; local schools made their annual visits; and Simon Baxter joins us on Sundays when visiting his mother. Thanks also go to Pauline for arranging the well attended Guild Annual Dinner at The Grove on the Hill in September, to which past ringers, family, and friends, are welcome. The Tower Open Days and Fete Day attract many visitors who are most impressed with seeing the bells and the views from the top of the tower and find the talks by Michael most informative and interesting. Many thanks to Pauline and Michael for organizing these and to all who provide support.

The fourth aim has also been achieved in several ways. I have been re-elected as S&W District Secretary and as Safeguarding Contact for the Middlesex Association. As part of my District Secretary role, I arrange and co-ordinate several monthly practice sessions for the S&W District to enable ringers to maintain and improve their ringing skills, and to learn from other more experienced ringers. In October, a ringing outing to five towers in and around Bray gave the opportunity for wider experience of ringing. Caspar and I went on the outing. I hold the appropriate Safeguarding awards to support Michael and Pauline Chandler and Henry Johnson, in training any Harrow pupils and adults wishing to learn to ring.

Many thanks to Steeple Keepers Michael Chandler, Caspar Kennedy, and Camille Berrido for their regular maintenance of the bells and for prompt repairs. Thanks to them also for raising the bells on Saturday mornings. Many thanks also to Michael and his team for managing the installation and removal of the muffles during the year.

As Tower Captain, I continue to be delighted with the commitment from our ringers to attending practice nights and Sunday service ringing especially during the period of re-tiling of the spire since spring 2024. I am also grateful for the continued support of the church and I wish Fr James Power every success in his new post. I am hopeful about our band maintaining ringing to an improving standard at St Mary’s during 2025, and that our band can continue to take part in District ringing events and to commemorate national and local events. However, we also must continue to seriously focus on attracting and training new members to maintain this progress in the longer term.

Bridget Campbell, Tower Captain, 7 February 2025

Finance and General Purposes 2024 Report

The committee met monthly throughout the year (except in August) mostly via Zoom.

General income, mostly through Planned Giving, is not increasing and remains a cause for concern. The income from new members and rises in payments from existing members does not match the income from members leaving Planned Giving. The use of card readers is increasing steadily. St. Mary’s is still not covering regular expenditure i.e. Vicar’s stipend, energy bills, funding Church Services etc, through regular income and has to rely too much on ad hoc donations, legacies and bequests. These, though most welcome, are not a reliable source of income for regular expenditure.

Spire Repairs: The main work during the year was the re-leading of the spire with associated timber and stonework which continued in 2025. The contractors were Stone Edge Conservation and the and the supervising architect was Heather Cerowski (until December 2024) and Francis Maude (from December 2024) of Donald Insall Associates. The overall cost will be in the region of £500,000 and the fund is now ready to meet the costs. Sincere thanks must go to all who contributed to raising this amount. A magnificent achievement. At the completion of the repairs a full report of the project will be lodged in the church safe.

Quinquennial Inspection : took place during August,2024. The main finding was the need to survey and repair all the tiled rooves. This had been expected. The other recommendations concerned routine repairs. The church was complimented on its care of the building and the record keeping. The full report is available on request from the Parish Office.

Quinquennial Architect: In December the architect, Heather Cerowski, left Donald Insall Associates to set up Cerowski Associates. In agreement with the Diocese Heather will continue as St. Mary’s Inspecting Architect but the completion of the spire repairs will continue under the supervision of Donald Insall Associates.

The routine maintenance of and non-routine work on the buildings is shown in the list below.

(The numbers refer to the Contractors which are named after the list.)

Security: The Fire Alarm, detectors and extinguishers were checked routinely. (5) The Intruder Alarm was checked routinely (5) The Fire Alarm was tested weekly. (9)

The Lightning Conductors checked and found satisfactory and the certificates issued. (4) The white line edging to external steps was repainted. (9) Internal and external light bulbs were replaced as required. (9)

Electrical: Routine Circuit Inspections took place, identified faults rectified and the relevant certificate issued. (1) Some repairs to external lighting were carried out at a cost of £141.60 Fabric: All gutters, downpipes and drains were inspected and cleared at regular intervals. (2 & 10) Minor repairs and maintenance were undertaken as required. (2 & 9) The number of death watch beetles was not checked this year due to the inaccessibility of the inside of the spire because of the spire repairs A grant of £10,000 was received from Harrow Council towards the cost of the renovation of the Peachey Stone. The Architect has drawn up the specification. The cost is likely to be considerably more than the grant so the matter is on hold for the time being. Heating: Boilers in Church and the Church Room boiler were serviced. Gas Safety Certificate were issued. (3) Churchyard: The volunteer gardeners continued to maintain the upper and lower Churchyard (9) Harrow School Conservation Group continued to work, when possible, in the lower Churchyard. (10)

The handrail by the steps was repaired. (2)

Recommended safety work on trees in the upper churchyard (8) was carried out by Haywards at a cost of £1,920.00

Miscellaneous: The organ and organ blower were routinely inspected (6 and 10). Some faults were identified which, if all were rectified, would cost about £80,000. No action has been taken and the matter will be reviewed periodically.

A Defibrillator in a cabinet was installed (1) on the exterior wall of Church Room at a cost of £485. Harrow Hill Trust has generously offered to cover the cost of the annual maintenance (c£100)

Contractors

1. JB Electrical, 11, Seven Acres, Northwood, HA6 3JZ

2. P&J Enterprises, 2, Old Grove Close, EN7 6UN

3. G&D Higgins, Masters House, Marlborough Hill, Harrow, HA1 1UX

4. Omega Red Group Ltd. Blenheim Industrial Estate, Nottingham, NG6 8WA

5. Technica Systems Ltd, Technica House, 3-7, Clifford Road, Alperton, HA0 1BZ

6. Watkins & Watson Ltd. 141, Blandford Road, Poole, BH15 4AT (Organ Blower)

7. Hockley and Dawson, Consulting Engineers

8. Arbol Euro Consulting Ltd.

9. In house volunteers

10. Bishop & Son, 58, Beethoven Street, London, W10 4LG (Organ Tuner)

Future Plans

During 2025 the Committee, apart from its on-going responsibilities for monitoring income and expenditure and for maintaining the buildings and grounds, consider the following to be the priorities:-

• a) To carry out the main recommendations in the Quinquennial Report

• b) To install a new sound system in the Church and, if possible, a sound system in the Church Room. The cost will be met by a bequest.

Pauline Leslie Chandler 3[rd] February 2025.

Deanery Synod Care Report 2024

The Harrow Deanery Synod met for three sessions during the year with a time of worship led by the hosts. Judith Shepherd represented St Mary's at each session, a summary of the sessions in below.

The first meeting was held on 6 February at the London School of Theology in Northwood with the theme of “Engaging with our Communities”. Revd Julian Gadsby, Church Engagement Specialist of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity spoke on discipleship, making a difference where we are, and shared the 6 Ms of Discipleship. These are: Model a godly character, Make good work, Minister grace and love, Mould Culture, Mouthpiece for truth and justice, Messenger for the Gospel.

The second meeting was held on 13 June at All Saints Harrow Weald. The meeting started in the Forest School which is located to the North of the church. Revd John Barker gave a brief profile of the church. He said that there were four parts of the church and its worship:- the Forest School, the Pre-School, the Church Hall, and the Parish. Revd Dave Bookless, Head of Theology of A Rocha International, spoke about the ECO-Church programme in England and Wales which was started by A Rocha 8 years ago and 7,000 churches are already enrolled in it.

In July, Clive Scowen was elected as Lay Chair, Revd David Green as Treasurer, Revd Sarah Archer and Revd Jon Lindsay-Scott as Clergy Representatives on the Standing Committee, Robert May, Toby Partridge and Judith Shepherd were appointed as Lay Representatives on the Standing Committee, and Mike Still was appointed the third Deanery representative on Harrow Standing Advisory Committee for Religious Education. Matthew Szurgot, the Head of School at Holy Trinity Northwood Church of England School was co-opted to Synod.

The third meeting was held on 23 November at St Jerome’s Bilingual Church of England School in Harrow on the theme “Growing Younger: Improving our Provision for Children and Youth in our parishes”. Synod members had been asked to submit questions for a panel of practitioners consisting of Sarah Agnew, Children and Families Ministry Advisor for the Diocese; Carol Sormaz, Children Families and Community Worker Christ Church Roxeth; Andy Carson, Youth Worker Christ Church Roxeth and Harley Lloyd-Fix, Re: Generation Harrow Schools Worker.

Judith Shepherd 9[th] March

Financial Review - 2024

The Statement of Financial Activities for the year 2024 forms part of this report.

In financial terms, as in many other ways, the commencement and completion on 21st February 2025 of the renewal of the Spire was the dominant activity. Over the last 4 years up to 31[st] December 2024 sums have been raised or set aside as follows:

Donated by: Spirewatch 168 Harrow School 25 The John Lyon Charity 28 London Diocese 25 Individuals 40 Raised at events 11 Interest on deposit 7 Sub-total 304 Legacies to Church designated to Spire 103 Filming income designated to Spire 36 From Reserves 50 Surplus from Roof Fund 52 Total 545 Up to 31[st] December 2024 expenses have been: Stone Edge Conservation Limited 529 Professional Fees 20 Insurance 13 Other incidentals 25 VAT recovered -90 Total 497 Leaving in the Fund at 31[st] December 48

As has been the case for some years now the General Fund continues to suffer deficits (this year of c£4,107) as Planned Giving and collections continue to decline in real terms after inflation. And in 2024 we had a diocesan grant for moving costs of £13,000 which will not be repeated in 2025. Costs are only going to increase, although we did manage to control energy bills well, which were £16,682 against a budget if £21, 554, but well up on 2023 - £13,108. So we are going to have to find a way to increase income. Fetes and Fayre have been a success, raising over£11,000 in 2024. Thanks to all who work so hard to make these occasions a success. After the deficit referred to above, alleviated by a revaluation of investments (£2344), reserves at 31[st] December stood at £154,499

Roger Horne: Treasurer 13th March 2025

Parochial Church Council of St Mary, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex Parish ref 24.01

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

Contents

Accounting Policies	pages 1-3
Statement of Financial Activities for 2024	page 4
Balance Sheet as at 31st December 2024	page 5
Note 2 Income	page 6
Note 3 Expenditure	page 7
Note 4 Staff costs	page 8
Note 5 Investments, Fixed & Capital Assets	page 8
Note 6 Debtors (Accounts Receivable)	page 8
Note 7 Creditors (Accounts Payable)	page 9
Note 8 Analysis of Net Assets by Fund	page 9
Note 9 Statement of Funds	page 9
Independent Examiner’s Report	page 10
Statement of responsibilities of the
Parochial Church Council	page 11

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2024

1. Accounting Policies

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation when facts are uncertain in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:

Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2008, the Charities Act 2011, and with the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice and Financial Reporting Standard (FRS102). The financial statements have been prepared in pounds sterling, under the historical cost convention, and include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of Church groups which owe their main affiliation to another body nor those that are informal gatherings of Church members. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £.

The Parochial Church Council of St. Mary, Harrow on the Hill, is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The consecrated property, the Church, is located at Church Hill, Harrow on the Hill, HA1 3HL, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

It is the policy of the PCC to keep financial viability constantly under review, and in this regard the PCC considers that there are no material uncertainties and that the Church is a going concern.

The PCC meets the definition of a public benefit body under FRS 102.

Funds held by the PCC are:

Unrestricted Funds – the General Fund and the Reserve Fund represents the funds of the PCC that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and are available for application to the general purposes of the PCC.

Designated Funds – these are monies set aside by the PCC out of unrestricted funds for specific future purposes.

Restricted Funds –

a) Income from trusts or endowments which may be expended only on those restrictive objects provided in terms of the trust or bequest

b) Donations, collections or grants received for a specific designated object. The funds may only be expended on the specific object for which they were given. Any balance remaining unspent at the end of the year is carried forward as a balance on that fund. The Roof and Spire Fund is the most significant example.

Endowment Funds – funds the capital of which must be maintained; only income arising from the investment of the endowment may be used, either as restricted or unrestricted funds, depending on the purpose set out in the original document. The PCC has no endowments at present.

1

Income

All income is accounted for gross.

Donations and Legacies

Collections are recognised when received by or on behalf of the PCC. Planned giving is recognised when receivable by or on behalf of the PCC. Income tax recoverable on Gift Aid donations is recognised on an accruals basis matched to the period when the donation was received. It will therefore include claims made after the year end relating to donations received in the year.

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

Other trading activities

Trading income is recognised on an accruals basis when its ultimate receipt is reasonably certain.

Income from investments

Dividends and bank interest are accounted for on an accruals basis.

Other income

All other income is recognised when it is received.

Gains and losses on investments

Realised gains or losses are recognised when investments are sold.

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

Expenditure

Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and is accounted for gross.

Grants

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

Church activities

The diocesan parish contribution is accounted for when paid. Any parish levy unpaid at 31st December is provided for in the accounts as an operational (though not a legal) liability and is shown as a creditor in the Balance Sheet.

Fixed Assets

Consecrated and beneficed property of any kind is excluded from the accounts by virtue of the Charities Act 2011.

Movable church furnishings held by the Vicar and Churchwardens on special trust for the PCC, and which require a faculty for disposal, are accounted as inalienable property unless consecrated. They are listed in the church’s Inventory that can be inspected at any reasonable time. For inalienable property acquired prior to 2000

2

there is insufficient cost information available and therefore such assets are not valued in the accounts

All expenditure incurred in the year on consecrated or beneficed buildings, individual items under £1,000 or on the repair of movable church furnishings acquired before 1 January 2000 is written off.

Depreciation

The Church Room was built in 1960 at a cost of £9,965 including architect’s fees: this is now depreciated on a straight line basis, having been on a reducing balance basis until 2021.

The Lenovo computer purchased on 29[th] December 2023 will be depreciated over 3 years on a straight-line basis.

Other furniture and equipment, if applicable, is depreciated over 5 years on a straight line basis.

Investments

Investments are valued at market value at 31st December.

Current Assets

Income tax recoverable and other debtors are included at the settlement amount due. Prepayments are stated at the amount prepaid. Cash at bank includes cash and short-term liquid assets with a maturity of less than 3 months from the date of opening the deposit, and, short term liquid assets of between 3 and 12 months maturity which are stated at the balance on the account at the accounting date.

Creditors

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the Church has a present obligation arising from a past event that can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors are stated at their settlement amount.

Investment Policy

Funds in excess of immediate working capital requirement are placed in a bank deposit account.

3

Parochial Church Council of St Mary, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex Parish Ref 24.01 Charity No 1130328

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

Notes Income from: Donations and legacies 2a Trading activities 2b Investments 2c Other income 2d Total income Expenditure on: Church activities 3 Net Income/(Expenditure) before Investment Gains Increase in value of investments 5 Net deficit (2023: income) Total Funds b/f at 1 January Total Funds c/f 31 December	Unrestricted Funds - 2024 £ 106173 11347 6625 14887	Restricted Funds - 2024 £ 229963	Designated Funds -2024 £ 30500	Total Funds - 2024 £ 366636 11347 6625 14887	Unrestricted Funds - 2023 £ 119306 11314 7062 17446	Restricted Funds - 2023 £ 51177	Designated Funds -2023 £ 73778	Total Funds - 2023 £ 244261 11314 7062 17446
	139032 143139 -4107 2344 -1763 156262 154499	229963 284304 -54341 -54341 100201 45860	30500 185600 -155100 -155100 186446 31346	399495 613043 -213548 2344 -211204 442909 231705	155128 138733 16395 8877 25272 130989 156261	51177 11935 39242 39242 60959 100201	73778 13778 60000 60000 126446 186446	280083 164446
								115637 8877
								124514 318394
								442908

St. Mary's annual figures 2024IE Rpt

29/04/2025

4

Parochial Church Council of St Mary, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex Parish Ref 24.01

BALANCE SHEET AT 31 DECEMBER 2024

	Notes	2024	2023
		£	£
Fixed Assets	5
Investments with CCLA		104764	102420
Church Room		1512	1815
Office Computer		427	641
Total Fixed Assets		106703	104876
Current Assets
Methodist Chapel Aid Deposit Account		0	52580
CBF Deposit Account		55500	175500
HSBC Current Account		1856	72340
HSBC Roof and Spire Fund Account		95	36223
Natwest Current Account		100	400
Sundry Debtors (Accounts Receivable)	6	72547	7613
		130098	344656
Sundry Creditors (Accounts Payable)	7	-5095	-6624
Net Current Assets		125003	338032
Net Assets	8	231706	442908
Funds
Restricted Funds	9
Memorial Garden Fund		351	351
Spire Fund -see designated fund below		37950	92411
Peachey Stone		7165	7165
Lawn Mower		395	275
Total Restricted Funds		45861	100202
Designated Funds
Sound System		21346	21346
Spire Fund - see restricted fund above		10000	165100
		31346	186446
Unrestricted Funds
Accumulated General Fund	9	154499	156260
Total Funds		231706	442908

Approved by Parochial Church Council

Matthew Biggs - Churchwarden Lynne Grout - Churchwarden

Date: 27th April 2025

The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements

St. Mary's annual figures 2024Balance sheet

29/04/2025

5

Parochial Church Council of St Mary, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex Parish Ref 24.01

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year ended 31 December 2024 (continued)

2 Income from:- 2a Donations and Legacies Charitable Fundraising Planned Giving Collections Income Tax Recovered Miscellaneous Income Donations (see below) 2e 2b Trading activities Summer Fete and Christmas Fayre Other Church activities 2c Investments Dividend and Interest Income 2d Other income Filming Rights Fees for Weddings and funerals Rental Income Total income 2e Details of Donations Donation from Spirewatch Interest on deposit Diocesan Building Fund The John Lyon Charity Harrow School Contribution Chris Bennett estate Individual donations Fund raising events Diocesan Moving Grant Church Room Refurbushment Lawn Mower Totals	Unrestricted Restricted Designated Total Unrestricted Restricted Designated Total Funds - 2024 Funds - 2024 Funds - 2024 Funds - 2024 Funds - 2023 Funds - 2023 Funds - 2023 Funds - 2023 £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ 1289 1289 1060 1060 54111 54111 53264 53264 6353 6353 8321 8321 14055 14055 13951 13951 138 138 327 327 31516 228674 30000 290190 43443 50117 73778 167338
	106173 229963 30000 366136 119306 51177 73778 244261 9431 9431 9418 9418 1916 1916 1896 1896
	11347 11347 11314 11314 6625 6625 7062 7062
	6625 6625 7062 7062 0 500 500 0 0 2516 2516 5577 5577 12371 12371 11869 11869
	14887 0 500 15387 17446 0 0 17446 139032 229963 30500 399495 155128 62491 73778 280083 Unrestricted Restricted Designated Total Unrestricted Restricted Designated Total 128000 128000 40000 40000 6090 6090 1176 1176 25000 25000 3000 3000 25000 25000 0 11500 17500 29000 11500 11500 10000 10000 60000 60000 7016 24016 20000 51032 31943 1930 33873 2948 2948 4011 4011 13000 13000 0 0 13778 13778 120 120 0 31516 228674 30000 290190 43443 50117 73778 167338

St. Mary's annual figures 2024income

29/04/2025

6

Parochial Church Council of St Mary, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex Parish Ref 24.01

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year ended 31 December 2024 (continued)

**3 **	Expenditure on:
		Unrestricted		Restricted		Designed	Total	Unrestricted		Restricted		Designed	Total
		Funds -	2024	Funds -	2024	Funds -2024	Funds - 2024	Funds -	2023	Funds -	2023	Funds -2023	Funds -	2023
		£		£		£	£	£		£		£	£
	Church Activities
	Charitable Giving (see below)				1289		1289				1060			1060
	Church Services		954				954		2040					2040
	Altar Linen		1082				1082
	Churchyard		1920				1920		0					0
	Depreciation		517				517		303					303
	Diocesan Fund	68898					68898	65648					65648
	Fabric		4313				4313		5126	`				5126
	Fees to Diocese and Bell ringers		1211				1211		2452					2452
	Insurance	12043					12043	11534					11534
	Maintenance & Services		5466				5466		2263					2263
	Spire			283015		185600	468615				8040			8040
	Peachey Stone						0				2835			2835
	Church Room Refurbishment						0					13778	13778
	Christmas Concert						0		660					660
	Music	10465					10465	11162					11162
	Advertising for new Director of Music		599				599
	Office Expenses	15722					15722	18139					18139
	Office moving expenses		550				550		1856					1856
	Examiner's Fee		1500				1500		1500					1500
	Bank and Sum Up charges		273				273		386					386
	Parochial Expenses		448				448		2022					2022
	Utilities	16682					16682	13125					13125
	Subscriptions		496				496		517					517
	Total expenditure	143139		284304		185600	613043	138733		11935		13778	164446
	Distribution of Charitable Giving
	Charity	2024		2023
	Overseas Charities
	Christian Aid week		354		530
	Sub-total Overseas		354		530
	Home Charities
	Cardiomyopathy Association		203		208
	Firm Foundation				252
	Parkinson's UK		225		36
	Multiple Schlerosis		84		34
	Mayor's Charity		189
	British Legion Poppy Appeal		112
	The Children's Society		40
	Lent Appeal		82
	Warm spaces for winter 2022/23
	Sub-total Home		935		530
	Total Charitable Giving		1289		1060

St. Mary's annual figures 2024expenses

29/04/2025

7

Parochial Church Council of St Mary, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex Parish Ref 24.01

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year ended 31 December 2024 (continued)

4 Staff Costs

a Wages and salaries

The average number of employees during the year was 3. They were the Organist/Choirmaster, a Parish Secretary and a cleaner. The Organist left in September 2024. No payment was large enough to attract social security costs. The PCC is registered with the Pensions Regulator and employees may join at their discretion. No employee receives employee benefits of more than £60,000 (2023: the same).

Wages and salaries Pension Contributions Totals	2024 £ 15501 - 15501	2023 £ 17522 -
		17522

b Transactions with PCC members

Parish Secretary Keith Grout is a member of the PCC. Under the Charities Act 2006 he was paid the sum of £7,614 (without pension contribution or any other benefit) during the year. The total donations made by PCC members during the year were £18,503 (2023: £31,306). There were no other disclosable transactions in respect of PCC members, nor persons closely connected to them, nor other related parties.

5 Investments, Fixed & Capital Assets and unrealised gain/(loss) thereon.

CBF Investment Income shares:

Date 31/12/2023 31/12/2024 31/12/2024 Cost 1st January 2024 Depreciation At 1st January 2024 Charge for the year At 31st December 2024 Net book value At 31/12/2024 At 31/12/2023 Holding Unrealised gain Holding	no. shares 4531 4531 Freehold Property £ 9965 8150 303 8453 1512 1815	Price/pence 2260.53 51.74 2312.27 Office Computer 641 0 214 214 427 641	Value £ 102420 2344
			104764

A new Lenovo computer was purchased on 30/12/2023 for £641.

6 Debtors: amounts falling due within one year Income Tax Recoverable on Gift Aid VAT refunds on Spire work Accrued investment income Diocesan Building Fund Chris Bennett legacy Other debtors and prepayments Total	2024 £ 3269 28165 2073 25000 10000 4040 72547	2023 £ 3392 0 2721 0 0 1500
		7613

8

St. Mary's annual figures 2024Notes 4-6

29/04/2025

Parochial Church Council of St Mary, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex Parish Ref 24.01

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year ended 31 December 2024 (continued)

7 Creditors:amounts falling due within one year

Charity collections Utilities Other Church expenses Total Charity collections Utilities Other Church expenses Total 8 Analysis of Asset by Fund Investment Church Room Office Computer Net Current Assets 9 Statement of Funds Unrestricted Funds General Fund Restricted Funds Spire see below Peachey Stone Lawnmower Memorial Garden Charitable Fundraising Total Restricted Designated Funds Spire see above Sound System Total Designated Total Funds	Unrestricted £ 104764 1512 427 47796 154499 Balance b/f 1 Jan 2024 £ 156262 156262 92411 7165 275 351 0 100202 165100 21346 186446 286648 442910	2024 Unrestricted £ 0 2171 2513 4684 2023 Unrestricted £ 0 2256 4250 6506 Restricted £ 45861 45861 Income plus gain on revaluation of shares£ 141376 141376 228554 0 120 0 1289 229963 30500 0 30500 260463 401839	2024 Restricted £ 411 411 2023 Restricted £ 118 118 Designated £ 31346 31346 Expenditure £ 143139 143139 283015 0 0 0 1289 284304 185600 0 185600 469904 613043	2024 Total £ 411 2171 2513
				5095
				2023 Total £ 118 2256 4250
				6624
				Total £ 104764 1512 427 125003
				231706
				Balance c/f 31 Dec 2024 £ 154499 0
				154499
				37950 7165 395 351 0 45861 10000 21346 31346
				77207
				231706

St. Mary's annual figures 2024Notes 7-10

29/04/2025

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Parochial Church Council of St Mary, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex Parish ref 24.01

Independent examiner’s report to the Parochial Church Council of St. Mary, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex.

This report on the accounts of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) for the year ended 31 December 2024 which are set out in the Annual Report and Statement of Financial Activities, is in respect of an examination carried out under the Church Accounting Regulations 2016 (“the Regulations”) and sections 144 and 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

Respective responsibilities of members of the PCC and examiner

As members of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of financial accounts; you consider that the audit requirement of the Regulations and section 144 of the Act do not apply. It is our responsibility to issue this report on those accounts in accordance with the terms of the Regulations.

Basis of this Report

Our examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 145 of the Act and to be found in the Church guidance, 2016 edition. That examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the PCC and a comparison of the accounts with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanation from you as trustees concerning such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently we do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.

Independent Examiner’s Statement

We have completed our examination. We confirm that no material matters have come to our attention in connection with the examination which give us cause to believe that in, any material respect:

• the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or

• the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or

• the accounts did 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 ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

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

Sandra Sweeney A-spire Business Partners Chartered Accountants 32, Byron Hill Road Harrow on the Hill HA20HY

Dated 1st March 2025

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Parochial Church Council of St Mary, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex Parish ref 24.01

Statement of responsibilities of the Parochial Church Council (“the PCC”)

The trustees are responsible for preparing the PCC report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law in the United Kingdom including Financial Reporting Standard 102: The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the members of the PCC to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and the income and expenditure of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the members of the PCC are required to:

• Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently

• Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP

• Make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent

• State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements, and

• Prepare financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.

The members of the PCC are responsible for maintaining proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the constitution. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the provision and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

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Parochial Church Council of St. Mary, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex, Parish Refernce 24.01

Associated Funds & Charities not controlled by the PCC at 31 December 2024

	2024	2023
St. Mary's Church Flower Fund	£	£
Assets brought forward 1 January 2024	440	440
Income	0	0
Expenditure	162	0
Assets carried forward 31 December 2024	278	440
St. Mary's Ringing Guild
Assets brought forward 1 January 2024	9135	9162
Income	408	273
Expenditure	166	300
Assets carried forward 31 December 2024	9377	9135
St. Mary's Handbells
Assets brought forward 1 January 2024	1967	1967
Income	134	0
Expenditure	0	0
Assets carried forward 31 December 2024	2101	1967
CHARITY ACCOUNTS (Vicars and Churchwardens)
	2024	2023
	£	£
Charles Burt Legacy
balance bfwd 1 January 2024	33855	30058
Income including re-investment of dividends and change in investment value	1936	3797
Expenditure - bank charges	0	0
balance cfwd 31 December 2024	35791	33855
The Dell Charity
balance bfwd 1 January 2024	30526	27570
Income and change in investment value	1340	2956
Expenditure - bank charges	-26	0
balance cfwd 31 December 2024	31840	30526
Woolley Choir Memorial Scholarship
balance bfwd 1 January 2024	3668	3342
Income and change in investment value	146	326
Expenditure - bank charges	-5	0
balance cfwd 31 December 2024	3809	3668
Chester Trust Fund
balance bfwd 1 January 2024	1410	1295
Income and change in investment value	51	115
Expenditure - award to choristers	-150	0
Expenditure - bank charges	-3	0
balance cfwd 31 December 2024	1308	1410

14/04/2025

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