Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts for 2022-2023
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ALL SAINTS' HALIFAX
Charity registration number: 1130479
Aims and Purposes
All Saints’ Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of working with the priest-in-charge, the Reverend Jennifer Middleton, in promoting the whole mission of this Church of England in the Parish of Skircoat Green, Salterhebble and Copley. This Christian mission is pastoral, evangelical, social and ecumenical in serving the Parish community.
There is a linked community Parish Hall run by trustees.
Objectives and Activities
The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of the parish community.
We are committed to developing strong ties with All Saints’ C. of E. Primary School and also fostering good relations with the primary schools in Copley and Salterhebble.
We try to enable people in our local community to live out their faith as part of our parish community through: worship and prayer, learning about the Gospel and developing their knowledge and trust in Jesus. By providing pastoral support and care and in missionary and outreach work.
To facilitate this work it is important that we maintain the fabric of the Church of All Saints’ and the Parish Hall.
Achievements and Performance
Throughout 2022 we held a held two services: 9am Holy Communion and 10.30am Service (which alternated between Morning Worship, All-age and Holy Communion style services). The crèche facility was available every week, with a church volunteer running ‘See and Know’ ministry when there wasn’t an all-age service.
The Kids’ Church ran two groups most Sundays, one aimed at primary-aged children and one at secondary.
Youth Group held meetings fortnightly during term-time on a Sunday evening. They did a Youth Alpha course in the later months of the year which finished in April 2023.
As well as our regular services, we hosted a Churches Together Service in March, led by Father Sean, for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity; a leavers service for All Saints’ Year 6 in July; a Blessing of the School Bags service at the beginning of the new school year in September, A Churches Together ‘Big Sing’ evening in October; nativity services for the local schools in December; a Carol Concert for Ravenscliffe School, a Christingle and Carol Services for All Saints’ School and a Lantern Parade for the community. There was also a Pancake Café on Shrove Tuesday and Easter Holy Week activity session on Good Friday. We had a local choir give a Christmas Concert one evening and All Saints’ school held their school fayre and Jubilee lunch on our premises.
There were 2 baptisms, 3 ‘Thanksgivings for the Birth of a Child’ services held in the church this year, 1 wedding and 5 funerals.
An Alpha courses was run this year, in the church lounge. There were positive responses, and two new regular church attendees and there are plans to run courses next year.
Reports from Groups for the AGM
Sunday Morning Kids Church
The mission of Kids Church has very much remained as before in that we are providing age-appropriate activities and teaching and a space for children of all ages to learn, explore and discuss all aspects of the Christian faith, enjoy themselves and form friendships. We also try and remain very much integrated with the wider church family and mission, with the children and young people taking part in services and supporting other events and activities
Over the last year we have gradually settled into some kind of normality in Kids Church following the pandemic and thankfully have managed to run Kids Church on all the weeks we had planned and even managed to lead a Kids Church service last summer on the theme the Full Armour of God. Initially we were in a period of adjustment as we have had to adapt to changes in the number of children attending as some families have stopped coming and others attend less frequently and also accommodate the age range which has widened considerably - we now have children from age 4 - 17 in 2 groups and it is no longer possible for us to do weeks where all the children are kept together to play games etc. We have 4 leaders who plan and lead groups and 3 helpers on a rota basis (each week we need 2 leaders and 1 helper), these numbers have dropped from what we had previously, meaning leaders and helpers are in Kids Church more regularly than before.
Our younger group caters for children from 4 to 10 years old and is led by Sarah Frank and Caroline Pemberton. We have 4 children, ages ranging from 4 - 7 but numbers attending can vary from week to week. This term we have been using a fab new online resource called Energise and our theme has been stewardship of God's world to compliment the main church services. The children have given some fantastic input into how we can make both small and big changes to take care of the world, and each other. We are looking forward to having two of the children from crèche move up in September and our challenge will be to plan activities which will engage all of them! We would really appreciate prayer for additional support for the group.
The older group catering for Year 6 (age 11) to Year 11 (age 16) (although we are allowing those over the age of 16 to still join us up in kids church if they would prefer to do this rather than stay in church) is led by Alison Underwood and Judith Brandon. We have 6 young people in this group but numbers attending can vary greatly - anything from 1 to 5, with many of the young people attending intermittently due to other commitments and possibly youth group (we can get lower numbers on youth group weeks).
We have been using some resources from the Energise website and other sources and since Christmas we have been doing sessions on environmental and sustainability issues which the young people have really engaged with and positively contributed to the Eco-church work the church is doing. Our biggest challenge is catering for the wide age range and making the groups enjoyable and engaging when there are low numbers attending, it is also difficult to build on the teaching as attendance is very intermittent. This term (following feedback from the young people) we are trialling a more project-style of working so that if there is only one young person there they can work independently and still do something worthwhile, but also still planning group activities to run if more attend which has been quite a challenge to organise!
Please continue to pray for all our children and young people and also pray specifically for us as we consider how we manage the following in the months ahead:
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Increase in numbers in the younger group as more young children join us from creche
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Continued unpredictable attendance and wide age range of the older group and how we can best meet the needs of this group and support them as they explore a relationship with God for themselves, find their place in the wider church family and how we can compliment the work that is happening in the Youth group.
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Staffing - we really could do with some more leaders and helpers to share the load and bring new ideas.
Youth Group Report
The youth group started up again after covid a year ago. They meet fortnightly on a Sunday evening during term time, with 6 to 10 kids aged 11-17 attending each time. Initially the sessions were planned individually by the four leaders Jen, Alison, Mark and Judith, and included a pizza night, games evening, and sessions on the challenges of being a Christian in a secular world and the case for Christ.
Since September the group has been following the Youth Alpha course led by Jen. It has been wonderful to see how many of the kids have taken up the commitment of daily bible study and prayers using a range of different apps including a youth alpha bible in a year app.
Thank you to everyone who has been praying for the group. Please continue to pray that the kids will grow in faith, be inspired to support and encourage their fellow youth group members and find their place in the wider church family.
Crèche
Our crèche with ‘See & Know’ ministry has enjoyed 4 regular children with occasional visitors. Our theme last term was Old Testament stories and this term we have looked at Creation and God’s beautiful world. We reinforce our teaching with singing and a craft activity.
Our room is much improved with new paint and lighting this year.
Parent & Toddler Group
Our two Groups held on Tuesdays during term time continue to be popular with, on average, 25 children in the morning and 15 in the afternoon attending with a parent, grandparent, or carer.
We are very grateful for a great team of volunteers. We welcomed Angie in September and Christine at Christmas to help with welcoming and crafts.
We are grateful to Rev Jen for her regular input to the groups and we look forward to welcoming back our friends Timothy and Janet with their puppets at Easter after a 3-year break.
Appleyard Small Group
We’re a mixed group of men and women meeting on a fortnightly basis on Tuesday evenings in the church lounge.
Our aim is to support each other and make the Bible passages we study relevant to today, our lives and the world we live in.
We’re not heavily into very deep theological debates although there are a few members who wouldn’t be out of their depth doing that.
The materials we choose are very varied so everyone feels comfortable joining in discussions.
So, we’re possibly a bit of a Co-op group where we all feel to have equal ownership of how it’s run and the material we use.
Macgregor Small Group
Our group has 12 adult members, with several children who join in from time to time, giving us an age range from 6 to over 80, although we are rarely all able to attend a meeting. We meet every Monday evening; the location rotating between different members houses. All of our members contribute in different ways to the running of the group from baking cakes, to leading and contributing to Bible studies, choosing music and organising social events. The aim of our group is to meet with God, to help each other grow in faith, and in learning to walk more closely with Jesus in our daily lives. As a consequence in our studies we regularly digress from questions, and often take more than one week to complete a given Bible study.
Having recently completed a series of studies on a Christian approach to the climate crisis, which included us each working out our carbon footprint, we are now starting a series of studies in Psalms. We are always open to gaining
new members, so if you are on the lookout for a small group, feel free to come along and see if you feel comfortable with us.
Whitaker Small Group
The House group restarted in March 2022 after pandemic scare. There are currently 7 people in the group, and we meet every Monday night at Doreen Whitaker’s house. We are currently studying the Acts of the Apostles.
We occasionally go out for a meal but not on a regular basis. We also have Christmas party, usually at Doreen's’, but we have not had this since start of the pandemic. Hopefully this will be renewed this coming Christmas.
Bouckley Small Group
We are a small group meeting a couple of times a month for those seeking more space and time with a focus of those who are relatively new to faith or church following on from Alpha.
The aim is to encourage one another in early discipleship; learning to study the bible, worship and pray together.
There are generally 4-6 each meeting, with "virtual" group of 9 (7 of which have attended a recent Alpha group).
Quilting and Craft Group
We have continued to meet on the first Saturday of each month since 2018 and currently meet in the lounge.
Margaret (my predominant helper) and I start our day at about 8am and we finish at around 3pm. The group opens up at 10am and we finish at 3pm.
We have about 15 in the group who meet regularly; some of those who have joined have never really done any needlework, but have enjoyed sewing and getting a completed product of which they are very proud. One person has almost finished a double-size quilt that looks amazing. Other people have made bags, small quilts, cushion covers and quilts for dolly cradles.
We have two relatively new members who are very talented and we plan to have an increasing range of crafts this year to suit all abilities. We tried a new technique pre-Christmas, making small medium and large fabric tubs. They turned out really well and those who completed them were very pleased.
The new team members are Susanna and Pita both of whom are a real blessing to Rosslynn and Margaret, and are happy to be part of a team that is helping the group to grow, offering more crafts as well as quilting.
The Group helps all those who attend to not only share their skills but also support others who may be lonely and have mental health issues and generally enjoy each other’s company within a safe environment.
The Group is very relaxed and welcoming and people can choose whatever project they might want to embark on, with lots of support available, but also enabling people to start where they feel is appropriate for them.
At times when every group member is present, it is getting a bit of a squeeze; however, everyone is very accommodating and helpful.
The group currently pays £5.00 per session and the money pays for refreshments and fabric and other items such as cotton, needles etc. The plan is to start charging £7.00 from April 1. This will help raise finances so we can make a contribution towards the cost of heating and lighting in the church.
In conclusion, the group is such a joy and blessing to be part off, it is hard work but to see the faces of the group enjoying being together is just wonderful.
Ladies Who Paint
The group, now in its 13th year, continues to thrive. Meeting every three weeks, we have welcomed six new members this year (not all from All Saints), and the most at our Saturday morning sessions has been 16!
This year subjects painted, mostly using watercolour, have included a dragonfly, two shubunkins, a hedgehog using Brusho inks, trees, flowers, a bee on a thistle, Christmas cards, a fox, night skies, sunsets and most recently, a stag.
Techniques have been varied, but have included wet in wet, colour mixing, line and wash and layering.
Coffee Morning
Thursday coffee morning has continued to run weekly throughout the past year.
We continue to average a weekly attendance of 10 - 15 people from both the church and the wider local community.
In 2022 we celebrated the Platinum Jubilee of our late Queen, with 28 people joining us for a cream tea. We have celebrated Easter, Harvest, Christmas and birthdays together.
We continue to run on a nominal voluntary donation.
In 2022 we have been able to make charitable donations to Christian Aid, the Winter homeless shelter and have also made a donation to church funds.
We have recently registered to become part of the Warm Spaces initiative. We are in the process of registering as a Place of welcome.
Walking Group
As a new venture in 2022 it was decided to form a walking group and this has proved to be, in my view, a success. There have only been 3 walks to date, but very varied in location and terrain. The group is very diverse in age and experience ranging from a toddler to an octogenarian, who travel together, it must be added!
Up to present we have walked from church to Copley, through North Dean Wood to Norland and back to Copley along the valley bottom. The second walk took us up the hill from RIpponden, along to Rishworth, across the valley, then finally following the stream along the valley bottom back to Ripponden. Our third walk wound around Mount Tabor taking in the wonderful valley views below. The walks vary in length, probably between 4 and 5 miles. We have been fortunate with the weather so far. It is hoped the group will meet this year on a more regular basis, maybe once a month or every six weeks.
If you are reasonably fit, come and join us. The conversations flow as we walk along and the atmosphere is light and friendly as you would expect.
Mother’s Union
Our Mothers' Union Branch enjoyed a successful 2022, although nothing had been planned in the way of events or speakers due to the previous years of Lockdown and Covid. Remarkably things fell into pace, starting the year in January with our annual Wave of Prayer, when we pray for our Link Dioceses around the world and in turn they will keep us in their prayers.
As we moved through the year we packed 320 Emergency Hospital Bags, distributing them to the Calderdale Royal Hospital throughout the year. We held a Jubilee Cream Tea, in honour of our Queen's 70 year reign - a fabulous afternoon, which drew together around 75 guests and raised £400 for MU projects. We had a very enjoyable meal out at The Murgatroyd when the Tapas dishes just kept on coming! And we had 3 speakers from the Diocese talking about Outreach projects; personal dreams for the MU; and also achievements leading to receiving the Maundy Money at Windsor Castle from King Charles (then Prince Charles). We also held our own Lady Day Service on the Eve of Lady Day, 24th March, enjoyed by many members. Our final meeting of the year, the AGM, saw us holding a Festive Gift and Craft stall, raising another £155. A very eventful year considering we started with no organised
plans, and we have been able to donate a total of £600 to MU projects. We have gained a small number of nonmembers who attend our meetings regularly and are very welcome, we are pleased to have any interested people from Church or the local area to join in with our meetings. We have, at present, 35 enrolled members and are always happy to receive more.
Music Group report
It has been an interesting year for the Music Group, with individuals facing personal challenges but we have played at all services except one when Jen and the projector stepped in.
Current members of the group are:
Anita (piano), Cath (singer), Catherine (singer), Charles (bass and singer), Christine (Singer, clarinet, leader), George (acoustic and electric guitar, bass, singer, leader), Ian (piano, guitar, bass, leader), Julia (piano, singer), Keith (Cajon), Michael (percussion), Sue (singer)
Thanks to all those who support us on sound and projection.
All Saints School
The relationship between school and church continues to be very strong. Rev Jen's participation in school has been immense. From ex-officio, chair of governors, delivery of worship and the RE curriculum she has made an impact in many areas. She has opened up the church to all and has allowed our PTA to use the church on many occasions whilst helping out herself and encouraging the participation of the congregation. We are hosting a special education needs series of training for teaching assistants across Calderdale within the church.
We have also used the church for the school disco, Christmas fayre, weekly celebrations, services linked to the church calendar, performances including plays, choir and musical and Shine tea party. Due to the size of our hall this means we can come together as a whole school community.
Representation from the church on our board of governors has proved beneficial in making compassionate decisions, continuing to deliver our vision and having a person who genuinely cares about wellbeing not only for myself but all. She is dedicated in the role of Chair of Governors.
The use of the graveyard for forest school continues to benefit our pupils and Rev Jen has supported us with plans to grow this even further.
Rev Jen clearly has excellent mentor skills and the participation of Joshua the apprentice added to all the lovely things Rev Jen does for our school.
I would like to thank Rev Jen, Joshua and Diane and the kind volunteers from the celebration cafe for everything they do to support school. Lauren Watson—Headteacher
Open the Book
We have a strong team of nine storytellers from All Saints' Church who meet fortnightly to lead Collective Worship at All Saints' CE (VA) Primary School.
Most of our volunteers are ladies and we would welcome more men to become members of our intergenerational team. We have been blessed with the participation of Joshua Pollard who is a great asset; he came at a time when we needed more male participants, not to say that the ladies would not take on these roles!
Originally, we led collective worship for the whole school in church but now we deliver two sessions in school which conserves learning time and feedback can be differentiated at the appropriate age level for the children. The children are often invited to play parts. They receive a special sticker to take home to tell their parents. They enjoy taking part.
Open the Book worship is well loved by the children. It focuses on key Bible stories. This year we have completed the Old Testament favourites which included: The Great Escape with Moses, Samuel hears a voice, David the Giant Killer, King Solomon, Jonah and Daniel and the Lions.
We have a brilliant team with so many skills which make these sessions so special for the children. Long may it continue!
Welcome Garden APCM Report
Our dedicated and enthusiastic Garden Team have enjoyed looking after the garden over the last year.
We have continued the battle against the weeds and overabundance of large daisies in an effort to allow other plants to thrive. We continue the work to improve the grassy areas, mindful that we are not trying to make a perfect lawn, but we would like to maintain an attractive space for people to sit, children to run around and outdoor groups to meet.
We have contributed towards the eco church project with the introduction of bug hotels and bird boxes made by the local Beaver Group and an herb garden created by the Cubs. In collaboration with The Community Pay Back Team the installation of a bike rack is underway to encourage more bike users.
We introduced a Platinum rose to commemorate the Queens’ Jubilee and we look forward to spring flowers which are starting to come through. The snow drops and now miniature daffodils are looking good.
Parish Hall Report to APCM
The Trustees welcomed the arrival of Rev Jen who has become a Trustee which means we now have 8 Trustees.
The Annual Hire Agreements have been signed with the Regular Hirers which includes a commitment for the Hirers to have their own Safeguarding Policy.
We have a reasonable number of Hirers who meet regularly during the week but there is room for more. We are mindful that the cost-of-living crisis has affected peoples’ ability to commit to a weekly exercise or creative activity. We also continue to have regular bookings for birthday parties at the weekends. We continue to make improvements to the Hall to ensure that it is safe and welcoming environment to come to and we are looking at ways of improving its carbon footprint.
The Trustees would like to extend their thanks to the Manager/Caretaker role carried out by Sue Blackwell and the Treasurer role carried out by Jim Pattinson.
Alpha Course 2022
Over the last year we have run the Alpha course once, from October to December. This was our first in person Alpha course since Covid restrictions were lifted, so it was a bit new and different for all of us. In total we had 11 people on the course, 4 leaders and 7 course members, some from church and others not.
As so often happens, by far the most effective way of bringing people on the course was through personal invitation, rather than more general advertising. Over our weeks together we wrestled with some of life's big questions, we ate cake, and friendships were established and grew. If you would like to know more about Alpha, please talk to John or Christine Bouckley or David or Wilma MacGregor.
Deanery Synod Report
The year started with a joint synod for Brighouse and Elland Deanery and Halifax and Calder Valley Deanery on Zoom. We were given a presentation about the Six Steps to Carbon Net Zero which the Church of England is signedup to and aiming to achieve by 2030. This focused on the diocesan toolkit and help for parishes. We said ‘hello’ to the new Area Dean for Brighouse and Elland Deanery, Rev’d Canon James Allison.
The second meeting held at St. John the Divine, Rastrick was also a joint synod and the newly appointed Archdeacon of Halifax, Bill Braviner spoke to us about ‘working together for mission and growth’. It also was the farewell meeting for our Area Dean, Rev. Katia Shoesmith.
Unfortunately the meeting in November was re-scheduled due to the licensing of Rev. Stuart Stobart at St. Augustine’s and none of our representatives could attend as we had our own PCC meeting that evening.
The final meeting was held this March at Mixenden, just the Halifax and Calder Valley Deanery, as we now have a new Area Dean, Rev. Robb Sutherland. A presentation was given by the newly appointed chaplain of Trinity Academy and by CiCs (Christians in Calderdale Schools).
ECO Group Report
https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/
At the PCC meeting in July 2022, the Church of England’s commitment to be carbon zero by 2030 was discussed and how we might move forward on this target as a local church. It was agreed that a small group be convened to work on this which would include members of PCC and the wider congregation.
The group met in October 2022 and finalised the church Environmental Policy to be taken to PCC for approval. The remainder of the meeting was spent working through part of A Rocha UK’s award scheme for churches in England and Wales. This ECO Church survey and supporting resources are designed to equip churches to express their care for God’s world. The actions taken will count towards an Eco Church Award at Bronze, Silver or Gold level.
At the PCC meeting in November the Environmental policy was adopted. An overview of starting points for further action in each of the five impact areas (Worship, Lifestyle, Buildings, Land and Community and Global Engagement) was then given.
At meetings in January and March 2023, possibilities for development in each of the five areas were discussed and the following have so far been actioned.
A calendar was sent out with suggestions of events that help us take God’s call to care for our planet seriously.
Worship
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Fairtrade Fortnight celebrated in church
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Some home groups using eco material
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climate change included in prayers
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Kid’s Church leaders planning sessions to work on an ECO Church project
Buildings
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Lighting to be tackled to change to LED fittings.
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Land
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herb garden created by cub scouts
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a grass mowing policy was adopted
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bird feeders put in place
Community and Global Engagement
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Environment Officer for the diocese invited to speak at a Sunday service
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engage with Fairtrade movement during Fairtrade Fortnight
Lifestyle
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lifestyle tips and advice on caring for environment put on newsletter
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Kid’s group research where can recycle items locally and inform church members
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encourage church members to undertake environmental lifestyle audit
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installing bike rack in church grounds
As each area of the ECO Church survey was soon in ‘Bronze’ it was decided to work towards the ‘Silver’ award. This has now been achieved and we are beginning to work towards ‘Gold’.
Ecumenical Relationships
There is a South Halifax Churches Together group of which we are an active member. This includes the local Methodist, United Reformed and Catholic Churches. Joint services are held with them, either on our premises or theirs, a few times a year.
Structure, Governance and Management
The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church representation Rules of the Church of England. The membership of the PCC consist of the incumbent, the two readers, the churchwardens and members elected by those members of the congregation who are on the electoral roll and vote at the Annual General Meeting. All those who attend services are encouraged to register on the electoral roll and stand for election to the PCC.
The full PCC met seven times during the year with a level of attendance of 85%. During the vacancy period from January to October the Standing Committee also met weekly via Zoom to discuss day-to-day running, maintenance and services.
The PCC members serving from April 2022 to April 2023 before the AGM and were:
| Reader and Chair of PCC | Ian Byfield |
|---|---|
| Reader | John Bouckley |
| Wardens | Dianne Bates |
| Alan Gerrard | |
| Deanery Synod members | Diane Williams (treasurer and administrator) |
| Rosslynn Gowers | |
| Ian Byfield | |
| Margaret Greaves | |
| Elected members | Dominic Llewelyn |
| Jane Appleyard | |
| Susan Blackwell | |
| David MacGregor | |
| Christine Henderson | |
| Roy Croft | |
| Sarah Frank | |
| Alan Gerard | |
| Paul Gunningham | |
| Ian Whitehill (co-opted mid year) | |
| Ruth Ingham (co-opted mid year) |
Rev. Jennifer Middleton was chairperson.
Pastoral Care
A Parents and Toddlers Group was run weekly, in the Parish Hall. There are two sessions, a morning and afternoon and this is well supported by volunteers from the church.
The Ladies Who Paint and Quilting Groups offer creative opportunities which support emotional and mental health. These are run every three to four weeks.
Home Communion has been taken to elderly parishioners who cannot get to church services.
There are also members of the congregation who support those without transport to get to the building for services, group events and coffee mornings.
The weekly notice sheet is posted or hand delivered to those who are elderly or who have long-term health issues so that they are kept in touch with what is happening. There is also a Mailchimp version emailed out to those who have asked to be kept in touch throughout the community.
The small groups continue to pastorally support their members.
Safeguarding Report for the AGM
The PCC has complied with the duty to have due regard to the house of Bishop’s safeguarding policy and practice guidance.
We have a working safeguarding team (Christine B, Dianne B, Shelia B, Diane W, Jen M), that continue to seek to update policy, and procedures and ensure they are complied with. We have developed role descriptions for our volunteer roles and have moved to best practice with regards safer recruitment.
The PCC have now adopted a recruitment of ex-offenders policy to add to our suite of safeguarding policies and we are now working towards a social media policy.
Volunteers, including PCC, continue to be offered appropriate training to help with their role in safeguarding. We continue to use the parish safeguarding dashboard which helps us keep track of the safeguarding progress we are making and areas we need to review. We have now reached level 3 on the dashboard.
Concerns expressed through PSO are escalated appropriately to the diocese safeguarding team when required. Thank you to everyone in our congregations as we remain aware of safeguarding as a whole community responsibility.
Building Fabric Report for the AGM
Over the past 12 months the focus of work on the church building has been to instal a new audio-visual system. Alongside this, changes have been made to improve the internal lighting and also to replace fittings with LED lighting in line with our drive to reduce the carbon footprint of the building.
Towards the end of October alterations were made to existing power points and 2 new ones installed for the new screens.
The new audio-visual system was then installed:
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Two TV screens were fixed in place and connected, one in the north aisle above the entrance to the creche and the other in the south aisle in front of the organ chamber.
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A new screen was installed above the chancel steps and a projector installed and connected on the front pillar on the north side of the nave.
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A further screen was later placed in the chancel that can be viewed from the chairs situated in that area.
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To both improve lighting and reduce the carbon foot print of the building the following improvements have been made to the lighting:
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Six uplighters were replaced by down-lighting LED fittings; two in the creche, two in the corridor leading to the creche and two in the entrance lobby.
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A new LED batten light was fitted in the church office and a Twin LED luminaire in the kitchen.
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LED Bulkhead lights have been installed in the toilets, toilet corridor and store cupboard.
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Existing lighting along the reredos shelf has been replaced with LED flexible strip lighting.
Other electrical work carried out alongside the lighting has been to instal a twin RCD socket in the creche, change the single plug socket in the toilet corridor to a double, and replace the non-working double socket in the lounge.
A faulty battery was replaced on the fire alarm system.
Redecorating has been done in the creche where two walls, that had previously been affected by water ingress, and some of the stonework around the window were repainted. Both the toilets have also had the walls repainted.
Plumbing has involved only minor repairs. A new tap was fitted in the kitchen, new isolation valves were fitted under the kitchen sink and the flush was replaced on one of the toilets.
All the gutters were cleaned out in the autumn.
During a cold spell, water was found in the storeroom under the eaves at the north side of the upstairs Warneford Room. As a result, two broken roof slates were replaced. It was also suspected that condensation was forming on the ceiling in the cold weather because of a lack of ventilation. The room has been cleared of several unwanted items and the door kept open so air can circulate more freely.
Looking forward, more work is planned to reduce the carbon footprint of the church; this includes further improvements to the lighting and fitting a bike rack in the church grounds. There are also plans for further work on the flat roof of the storeroom behind the chancel to make sure it is water tight.
The Quinquennial inspection is due in 2023 which no doubt will also give us a list of jobs and priorities going forward into the next five years.
End of Year Financial Statements
Year ending 2022
Introduction
This year our income from Giving was up by £6,000. Letting and fees for weddings and funerals were slightly down. Gift Aid recovered was similar to the previous two years (change in accounting last year doubled that figure). We continue to tithe our giving to other charities. We paid £3,000 more Parish Share than the previous year, however this still falls short of the £76,000 requested. Church running expenses were higher this year as it was the first year, since the Covid pandemic, that the building has been fully opened and used regularly. We have had a lot of community events, school use and small group meetings. Energy bills were higher than anticipated, as was the case through the country, due to global events. We have carefully used our utilities, making some small changes (eg. LED lighting) to help reduce consumption, but costs have risen. We continue to maintain the building well. Money saved for the AV upgrade/installation was finally spent this year so increased our outgoings by £18,000. We used around £7,000 from previous money held to cover costs this year, but this is not sustainable long-term.
Fund Analysis and Description, Balances at Year End:
| General Fund | £24,526.02 | |
|---|---|---|
| Church Maintenance Fund £5,380.89 | A reserve fund where PCC policy is to endeavour to maintain a | |
| balance of £5,000 in the fund. | ||
| General Reserve Fund | £6,822.38 |
PCC Policy is to endeavour to maintain £5,000 in this fund. |
| Harrison Bequest | £9,742.66 | This fund is designated for use within the Copley Area |
| Susan James Memorial Fund £9,592.98 | An endowment fund. The balance in excess of £10,000 may be | |
| used for Christian Education purposes. The balance may be | ||
| drawn down to £9,000 if necessary. |
| Parish Hall Reserve Fund | £6,328.86 | A designated fund, intended only to be utilized when it is |
|---|---|---|
| considered that day-to-day running expenses of the Parish Hall | ||
| cannot be met from their general funds. Policy is to maintain a | ||
| balance of £5,000. | ||
| Virgin Garden Project | £6,012.14 | A Restricted Project fund, at present used for the Welcome |
| Garden Project. | ||
| Virgin Parish Hall | £11,030.69 | A Restricted fund for the purpose of maintaining the fabric of |
| the building and the day-to-day running of the Parish Hall. This | ||
| fund isadministered by the Trustees of the Hall and not | ||
| available for Church use. | ||
| Music and Worship Fund | £3,050.59 | A Restricted fund for purchases for music and worship |
| outreach work within the Parish | ||
| Audio-Visual Systems | £2,121.22 | A designated fund set up to replace the Sound and Vision |
| system. A new donation was received in 2019 to improve and | ||
| update the system, which was installed this year. Remaining | ||
| money transferred to the General Fund once completed. | ||
| Coffee Morning | £1,361.92 | This is a designated fund for the coffee morning group, |
| funded by donations. | ||
| 2022 Budgets set by PCC: | Budget funds allocated from General Fund to be used in 2022 | |
| and re-set annually | ||
| Alpha Fund | £112.51 | for use running the Alpha Course |
| Outreach Events | £156.79 | used for Outreach events |
| Small Groups | £50.00 | for use by small groups |
| Youth and Children | £272.20 | used for children and youth work |
Most funds should be classed as Designated not Restricted so there was some re-ordering on the computer software done this year to reflect this and to make sure the balances were in-line with the bank statements. Some funds had little money left in and were no longer in use, so the money was transferred to new headings or the General Fund. The Balancing of Funds (headed as an endowment for ease of use - but isn’t) was a way of accounting for unresolved fund amounts.
Statement of Financial Activities
| Statement of Financial Activities | |
|---|---|
| Unrestricted Restricted Endowment 2022 2021 funds funds funds Total funds Total funds |
|
| Incoming resources Incoming resources from generated funds Voluntary income Investment income Other incoming resources Total incoming resources Resources used Charitable activities Governance costs Other resources used Total resources used Net income / (expenditure) Transfers Gross transfers between funds - in Gross transfers between funds - out Net income / (expenditure) Other recognised gains / losses Gains / losses on investment assets Gains on revaluation, fixed assets, charity's own use Net movement in funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward Represented by: Unrestricted General fund Designated Alpha Course Audio-Visual Systems CCLA Church Maintenance Fund CCLA General Reserve Fund CCLA Harrison Bequest CCLA Parish Hall Fund Coffee Morning Outreach Events Small Groups Youth and Children Restricted Alpha Fund Bursary Fund CCLA Ernest & Norah Carter Memorial Fund Children and Youth Church Outreach General Diocese - Weddings - Funerals Garden Project Graveyard Project Music and Worship Revaluation reserves Vicarage Fund Virgin Parish Hall Endowment Balancing of Funds CCLA Susan James Memorial Fund |
70,985.50 — — 70,985.50 65,583.90 402.67 27.33 90.56 520.56 19.52 18,654.45 11,284.50 — 29,938.95 35,911.66 |
| 90,042.62 11,311.83 90.56 101,445.01 101,515.08 6,846.00 — — 6,846.00 5,996.00 72,365.07 — — 72,365.07 61,690.24 37,951.03 9,001.55 — 46,952.58 25,850.77 |
|
| 117,162.10 9,001.55 — 126,163.65 93,537.01 |
|
| (27,119.48) 2,310.28 90.56 (24,718.64) 7,978.07 34,055.36 289.59 33,447.73 67,792.68 — (58,416.97) (9,375.71) — (67,792.68) — |
|
| (51,481.09) (6,775.84) 33,538.29 (24,718.64) 7,978.07 — — — — — — — — — — |
|
| (51,481.09) (6,775.84) 33,538.29 (24,718.64) 7,978.07 |
|
| 108,244.03 25,947.80 9,591.33 143,783.16 135,805.09 |
|
| 56,762.94 19,171.96 43,129.62 119,064.52 143,783.16 24,526.02 — — 24,526.02 40,033.44 — — — — — 2,121.22 — — 2,121.22 20,323.66 5,380.89 — — 5,380.89 5,310.13 6,822.38 — — 6,822.38 6,732.65 9,742.66 — — 9,742.66 9,614.53 6,328.86 — — 6,328.86 26,229.62 1,361.92 — — 1,361.92 — 156.79 — — 156.79 — 50.00 — — 50.00 — 272.20 — — 272.20 — — 112.51 — 112.51 693.81 — — — — 284.00 — — — — — — 416.35 — 416.35 210.41 — — — — 4,468.76 — — — — — — 6,012.14 — 6,012.14 9,545.89 — (1,477.65) — (1,477.65) (1,477.65) — 3,050.59 — 3,050.59 3,172.59 — 27.33 — 27.33 — — — — — 134.50 — 11,030.69 — 11,030.69 8,915.49 — — 33,410.47 33,410.47 — — — 9,719.15 9,719.15 9,591.33 |
Balance sheet
Class and code
Description 2022 2021
| Fixed assets 301 Parish Hall and Buildings 303 Investments Total Fixed assets Current assets 401 Virgin Money 403 CCLA Harrison Bequest (Designated) 404 CCLA Parish Hall Reserve(Designated) 405 CCLA Susan James Fund(Endowment) 406 CCLA General Reserve Fund 407 CCLA Church Maintenance Fund 410 Virgin Parish Hall(Restricted) 411 Virgin Project Account(Garden)(Restricted) Z05 Accounts Receivable Total Current assets Liabilities 501 Creditors for Goods and Services 502 Other Creditors Z04 Accounts Payable Total Liabilities Net Asset surplus(deficit) Reserves Excess / (deficit) to date Z01 Starting balances Total Reserves Represented by funds Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment Unresolved Total |
19,984.00 19,984.00 1,546.75 1,519.42 |
|---|---|
| 21,530.75 21,503.42 29,932.28 57,226.49 9,742.66 9,616.18 6,328.86 6,246.70 9,719.15 9,592.98 6,822.38 6,733.81 5,380.89 5,311.04 11,030.89 8,684.69 6,012.14 6,037.59 14,685.00 14,447.00 |
|
| 99,654.25 123,896.48 — 1,616.74 — — 2,120.48 — |
|
| 2,120.48 1,616.74 |
|
| 119,064.52 143,783.16 |
|
| (24,718.64) 7,978.07 143,783.16 135,805.09 |
|
| 119,064.52 143,783.16 24,526.02 40,033.44 32,236.92 68,210.59 19,171.96 25,947.80 9,719.15 33,410.47 9,591.33 |
|
| 119,064.52 143,783.16 |
Statement of assets and liabilities
| General Designated Restricted Endowment 2022 2021 |
|
|---|---|
| Fixed assets - Investments Investments - Totals Fixed assets - Tangible assets Parish Hall and Buildings - Totals Current assets - Cash at bank and in hand Virgin Money - Virgin Money - Virgin Parish Hall(Restricted) Virgin Project Account(Garden)Res. Virgin Project Account(Garden)Res. Totals Current assets - Debtors Accounts Receivable - Totals Current assets - Investments CCLA Harrison Bequest (Designated) - CCLA Parish Hall Reserve(Designated) - CCLA Susan James Fund(Endowment) - CCLA General Reserve Fund - CCLA Church Maintenance Fund - old fund 1 - old fund 1 - Totals Liabilities - Creditors: Amounts falling due in one year Creditors for Goods and Services - Other Creditors - Accounts Payable - Totals Grand total |
1,519.42 — 27.33 — 1,546.75 1,519.42 |
| 1,519.42 — 27.33 — 1,546.75 1,519.42 — 19,984.00 — — 19,984.00 19,984.00 |
|
| — 19,984.00 — — 19,984.00 19,984.00 12,601.35 (16,024.49) 2,649.95 31,412.47 30,639.28 57,933.49 — — (707.00) — (707.00) (707.00) (240.80) — 11,271.69 — 11,030.89 8,684.69 (194.85) — 7,807.34 — 7,612.49 7,637.94 — — (1,600.35) — (1,600.35) (1,600.35) |
|
| 12,165.70 (16,024.49) 19,421.63 31,412.47 46,975.31 71,948.77 14,685.00 — — — 14,685.00 14,447.00 |
|
| 14,685.00 — — — 14,685.00 14,447.00 2.00 9,740.66 — — 9,742.66 9,616.18 42.38 6,286.48 — — 6,328.86 6,246.70 (1,998.00) 1,000.00 — 10,717.15 9,719.15 9,592.98 2.00 6,820.38 — — 6,822.38 6,733.81 1.00 4,379.89 — 1,000.00 5,380.89 5,311.04 133.08 50.00 (60.66) — 122.42 122.42 — — (122.42) — (122.42) (122.42) |
|
| (1,817.54) 28,277.41 (183.08) 11,717.15 37,993.94 37,500.71 (45.85) — 45.85 — — 1,616.74 (48.07) — 48.07 — — — 2,120.48 — — — 2,120.48 — |
|
| 2,026.56 — 93.92 — 2,120.48 1,616.74 |
|
| 24,526.02 32,236.92 19,171.96 43,129.62 119,064.52 143,783.16 |
Analysis of income and expenditure
| Analysis of income and expenditure | Analysis of income and expenditure |
|---|---|
| Total Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment 2022 2021 INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS Incoming resources from generated funds - Voluntary income 101 - Planned Giving 63,845.50 — — — 63,845.50 62,543.00 103 - Offerings (Open Plate) 5,037.05 — — — 5,037.05 2,710.55 104 - Sundry Donations 187.82 — — — 187.82 28.35 109 - Specific Donations 1,865.13 50.00 — — 1,915.13 302.00 Total 70,935.50 50.00 — — 70,985.50 65,583.90 Incoming resources from generated funds - Investment income 108 - Income from Investments 139.21 263.46 27.33 90.56 520.56 19.52 Total 139.21 263.46 27.33 90.56 520.56 19.52 Other incoming resources 102 - Gift Aid Recovered 14,736.69 — — — 14,736.69 28,305.86 105 - Parish Hall Lettings/Rents — — 11,284.50 — 11,284.50 5,329.00 106 - Church Lettings 150.00 — — — 150.00 70.00 107 - PCC Charges 1,305.60 — — — 1,305.60 1,640.50 110 - Transfers 435.35 — — — 435.35 — 111 - Sundry Items 126.81 — — — 126.81 171.10 113 - Credits to Disperse 1,900.00 — — — 1,900.00 — 114 - Church Garden Project — — — — — 395.20 Total 18,654.45 — 11,284.50 — 29,938.95 35,911.66 |
|
| 139.21 263.46 27.33 90.56 520.56 19.52 14,736.69 — — — 14,736.69 28,305.86 — — 11,284.50 — 11,284.50 5,329.00 150.00 — — — 150.00 70.00 1,305.60 — — — 1,305.60 1,640.50 435.35 — — — 435.35 — 126.81 — — — 126.81 171.10 1,900.00 — — — 1,900.00 — — — — — — 395.20 |
|
| 18,654.45 — 11,284.50 — 29,938.95 35,911.66 |
|
| INCOME TOTAL | 89,729.16 313.46 11,311.83 90.56 101,445.01 101,515.08 |
EXPENDITURE
Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment 2022 2021
Charitable activities
| Charitable activities | |
|---|---|
| 215 - Charity Giving Total Governance costs 201 - Diocesan Common Fund 202 - Clergy Expenses and other costs 216 - Gas;Electric;Water 217 - Buildings Insurance Total Other resources used 203 - Church Running Expenses 204 - Church Maintenance 205 - Printing and Stationery 206 - General Administration 207 - Photocopier 208 - Wages 209 - PAYE 210 - Parish Hall Running Costs 211 - Upkeep of Churchyard 212 - Other Expenses 213 - Parish Weekend 214 - Transfers 219 - Church Garden Project Total |
6,796.00 50.00 — — 6,846.00 5,996.00 |
| 6,796.00 50.00 — — 6,846.00 5,996.00 55,000.00 — — — 55,000.00 52,000.00 59.35 — — — 59.35 105.00 12,671.20 — — — 12,671.20 5,105.30 4,634.52 — — — 4,634.52 4,479.94 |
|
| 72,365.07 — — — 72,365.07 61,690.24 3,112.36 — 18.90 — 3,131.26 1,481.45 3,358.34 225.00 — — 3,583.34 2,289.34 — — — — — 94.99 — — 18.90 — 18.90 815.18 1,248.23 — — — 1,248.23 754.79 11,946.00 — — — 11,946.00 11,748.00 585.00 — — — 585.00 780.00 — — 8,938.30 — 8,938.30 5,168.34 — — — — — 13.81 687.75 16,268.39 — — 16,956.14 832.02 — — — — — — 519.96 — — — 519.96 — — — 25.45 — 25.45 1,872.85 |
|
| 21,457.64 16,493.39 9,001.55 — 46,952.58 25,850.77 |
|
| EXPENDITURE TOTAL | 100,618.71 16,543.39 9,001.55 — 126,163.65 93,537.01 |
| GRAND TOTAL | (10,889.55) (16,229.93) 2,310.28 90.56 (24,718.64) 7,978.07 |
Conclusion
The finances were in line with the proposed budget for 2022. We had anticipated using some extra money, which we had within our funds, to cover energy costs and increased outreach activities. However, some of these were still higher than anticipated.
We are hopeful for 2023 as our Generosity Sunday in October and new contactless machine received in November have resulted in an increase in giving, which will be reflected in the 2023 accounts. Our parishioners continue to be very generous, and we are very grateful for their support of the church’s ministry and mission. Dated: 1[st] March 2023 Diane Williams (treasurer on behalf of the PCC)