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← The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Wraxall With Failand

2023-12-31-accounts

Annual Report for the Parochial Church Council for Wraxall with Failand

All Saints’ Church,Wraxall and

St Bartholomew’s Church, Failand

==> picture [199 x 263] intentionally omitted <==

For the year ended December 31[st] 2023 Charity Registration Number1130482

www.wraxallwithfailand.org.uk

Parish of Wraxall with Failand

Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Year ended 31[st] December 2023

Contents Page
Agendas 3
Minutes of Annual Meeting of Parishioners 2023 4
Minutes of PCC Meeting at APCM 2023 8
Annual Report of the PCC 9
Rector’s Report 10
Treasurer’s Report 10
Independent Examiner’s Report 11
Consolidated Financial Statements 13
Consolidated Balance Sheet 14
Vaughan Trust 15
2023 Charity Donation Summary 16
Wardens’ Report from All Saints’ 17
Warden’s Report from St Bartholomew’s 18
Pastoral Care Report 19
Electoral Roll Report 19
Safeguarding Report 20
Church Activities 21
Deanery Synod Reports 24
END 27

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING AGENDAS

ANNUAL MEETING OF PARISHIONERS

Apologies for absence

==> picture [87 x 115] intentionally omitted <==

Minutes of the last Meeting of Parishioners

Elections of Churchwardens

Deputy Churchwardens

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING

Minutes of the last Annual Parochial Church Meeting

Matters arising

Acceptance of the Electoral Roll

Appointment of the Electoral Roll Officer for 2024

Annual Reports

Matters arising from this year’s Annual Report

Report on the Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Churches

Report on the Proceedings of the Deanery Synod

Financial statements

To appoint an Independent Examiner for the ensuing year

Thank you to those who have served on PCC in 2023/24

To elect any new PCC representatives

Questions for the Rector/PCC

Closing prayer

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING

Election of Officers:

Chair/Vice-Chair

Treasurer

Secretary

AOB

3

’ ’ - Benefice of Wraxall with Failand All Saints Wraxall. St Bartholomew s

Failand

Record of Annual Meeting of Parishioners at Cross Tree Centre, Wraxall. Date of meeting: Sunday 21st May 2023

Time: 11.30am

Present: Rev Morey Andrews in the Chair and 28 members of the congregations

Present:Rev Morey Andrews in the Chair and 28 members of the congregations
Item Discussion Action/
decision/
responsibilit
y
1. Apologies
2. Minutes of the last
meeting of
Parishioners
3. Elections of
Churchwardens and
Chapel Warden
4. Election of Deputy
Churchwardens		 Morey welcomes, prays and thanks the attendees for joining us.
Context of meeting focussed on trust and thanks.
Pat and Vernon Adams, Jane Knight, Marie Evans, Rosemary
Wild, Paul and Mary Edmunds, Bob Caton, Megan Crook, Peter
Sapsed, Petra Brace, David Bird.
The minutes from the last APCM were agreed and signed as a
true and accurate record. All agreed with 2 abstentions.
Thank you very much to our churchwardens for all their amazing
hard work this year.
All 3 wardens have elected to stand again.
AS: Meg Caton proposed by Paul Edmunds, seconded by Petra
Brace
AS: Peter Heard proposed by Nick Carter and seconded by John
Stevens .
SB: Chris Sage proposed by John Stevens and seconded by Sue
Johnson
All in favour
Deputy Churchwardens, thank you for their work and support.
Deputy Church Warden All Saints: John Stevens
All in favour
Deputy Warden at St Bartholomew’s: Robert Sheppard
All in favour
The meeting closed at 11.38am

4

’ ’ - Benefice of Wraxall with Failand All Saints Wraxall. St Bartholomew s

Failand

Annual Parochial Church Meeting at the Cross Tree Centre, Wraxall. Date of meeting: Sunday 21st May 2023

Present: Rev Morey Andrews in the Chair and 28 members of the public. Time: 11.38am

Present:Rev Morey Andrews in the Chair and 28 members of the public.Time: 11.38am
Item Discussion Action/
decision/
responsibility
1.Minutes of the last
APCM
2.Matters arising
3.Acceptance of the
Electoral Roll
4.Appointment of the
Electoral Roll Officer
5.Annual Reports
6.Matters arising from
this year’s annual
report
7.Report on fabric,
goods & ornaments of
the churches
8. Deanery Synod
9. Financial Statement		 The 2022 APCM minutes from last meeting were agreed with 2
abstentions
There were no matters arising from the minutes within the
APCM Report 2022
All accepted the revision of the Roll. Numbers have stayed
roughly the same.
Total number for both churches is 86.
ERO Noted how few people live within the parish boundary.
Thanks to Carol Sapsed for her work on this.
Reminder: Complete revision in 2025, all will have to re-
register.
Carol Sapsed has offered to carry out this role for the year
2022-2023. Eilleen Oates proposed Carol Sapsed as Electoral
Roll Officer and this was seconded by Peter Heard.
All in favour
Chair proposed the approval of the Annual Report for 2022,
Carol Sapsed seconded. All in favour
Warden’s Report Comments:
-quinquennial report, some unexpected costs/repairs to
churches.
-Minutes of PCC are always available for reading.
-Hard work keeping the fabric of the church up to date,
thanks to wardens for all their hard work on this.
No matters arising from this year’s annual report.
Log books, fabric report and Terrier for both churches are
available for viewing upon request.
Iris Croome and Sharon Guest propose Sue Irwin to stand as
Deanery Synod Rep with John Stevens. All agreed
There is space if anyone would like to join the team.
JS: 8thJune there is an open meeting at St Peter’s in
Portishead about Chaplaincy by Mike Haslam.
No questions for Deanery Reps.
SI: it is very interesting and shows you the next layer up.
If you ever have any questions regarding the Deanery or
Diocese, please ask the reps.
David Bird sadlycan’tjoin us. David is lookingto stepdown,

5

10. To elect new PCC
representatives
11. To appoint an
independent
examiner
12. Questions and
Comments		 will certainly step down in a year.
MA Income doesn’t match expenditure.
PCC have written to the Diocese to state how we feel about
the. Most are in favour of paying the parish share although
the calculations do not match our church profile and this has
been made known.
PCC have looked at the expenditure and how we can increase
income. Fortunate we have had funds and legacies given to us
over the years.
Helen and Eileen have done an amazing job on the accounts,
people counting the weekly offerings, thank you! Lots of
people contribute.
Thanks to all those who serve.
Sharon had notified the PCC that she wished to step down at
the 2023 APCM meeting.
Thanks go to Sharon Guest for serving on the PCC since 2019
(4 years).
There is space for new PCC members if anyone is interested,
nobody has come forward.
MA reads through the list of names for those on PCC.
Independent Examiner next year (YE 2023).
Thank you to Kevin who has given his time and skills with the
finances for the report this year.
Peter Heard proposes Kevin Crawford to audit the accounts
for year-end 2023. James Heard seconded. All agreed.
Comments or questions regarding the financial statement:
Q Haven’t seen any teaching on the subject of money or
giving, has been focussed on mission.
A Not done it in the time I have been here. Will be some
teaching on that in the Autumn. MA: Thanks for the reminder.
Q £24,348 expenditure?
A Should have been under Failand as cost of repairs. Needs to
move, has been noticed. It should come under repairs for
Failand.
PH: Note- the balance sheet is for both churches.
Be useful to have that noted in brackets which Church it is.
Proposal of accounts by Eileen Oates with the minor
adjustment above. Seconded by Peter Heard: All in favour
Thanks to Eileen, Helen, David B, John Mc Auliffe, Elize on
(Tuesday) and Kevin Crawford for the work on the financial
audit. Thanks to Peter Heard for his work on presenting the
finances for All Saints’ in graph form.
Morey signs accounts for acceptance by the PCC in report in
his role as Chair, all agreed.
Thanks to Becky Cawsey for all her work as Parish
Safeguarding Officer (PSO).
BC Two policies to be agreed and renewed annually.
Reminder from Becky that all PCC members should do the
basic Foundation and Domestic Violence LearningModules.

6

Complete the highest level every three years.
Hope to have everyone’s DBS updated by the end of that
year.
No further questions for PSO.
Questions and Comments for Rector:
Q We Asked last year how you felt, now a year on we ask
again…Do you feel encouraged, supported and
enthusiastic?
-A Can’t be naïve in thinking that the Church of England is in
a good place right now. Don’t believe we will be back to
numbers of 100/200 people in church. We are still a faithful
congregation following Jesus and seeking to do what he
wants.
-Reflecting this morning on Revival. The heart of revival is
prayer, faithful proclamation of scripture, honest fellowship
and allowing God to be God within our midst.
-God in his wisdom and generosity has allowed us to have
Sarah Sanderson, pioneer minister to support me and the
work of the parish.
-Struggling having a dual role. Although it does work as both
parishes are accepting of how things are.
-Excited, God has a plan!
Q With regards to the separate parishes under your care,
the collaborative events that take place i.e. Lent Courses,
wondered if we may have more cohesion between us?
Everything we put on is open to all three churches; only thing
that is separate on the whole is the Sunday Services.
25thJune there will be a joint service where all three
churches will be together where Sarah will preside for the
first time.
Through the newssheets we are trying to do more joined up
thinking.
Thanks to this parish for sharing the spaces here for their use,
they have no building or storage.
Q Wondered if you wanted to share the revised pattern of
worship for September.
Looking to encourage all age worship.
Plan to open up the 10.00am service to an all age friendly
service, it will look different to ATIC.
We have done the research; we have asked the families, most
all age services across England are usually on 4.00pm on
Sunday but our families want the service on Sunday morning,
we need to cater for our families.
Noted during feedback from family members at the Monthly
Coffee Morning, that some of the language that appears in
the communion services can be quite scary and threatening
to smaller children. Gives us cause to think, Ministry Team
Meeting will discuss this further.
May move Zoom service to third Sunday. Not sure what this
service will look like yet.
Sylvia highlighted some comments the children at Wraxall
School have shared. One child dressed as God for World Book
Day, One questioning ‘Is God unique?’ and another
highlighting the balloon on the ceiling for Sarah’s Ascension
Service in School.		 EJ to check
with Wraxall
school if they
would like
further
support.

7

They talk about God very naturally. Comments made about how we can support the school with reading/helping. Suggested that this can be advertised in the newssheet. DBS through school would be required, not too much work to sort out, mostly done by the office. EJ to check with school if they would like some more help.

We have a connection with Downs School again.

Peter Heard, thanks to all who contribute to the workings at the churches. Thanks to Meg for her support.

Thanks to participants for taking part today and to the PCC team.

Meeting closed with prayer by Morey at 12.25pm

Benefice of Wraxall with Failand

Record of PCC meeting held at the APCM in The Cross Tree Centre, Wraxall. Date of meeting: Sunday 21st May 2023 Time: 12.26

Present: Rev Morey Andrews (MA) Carol Sapsed (CSap) Eileen Oates (EO) Meg Caton(MC), Sue Irwin (SI), John Stevens (JS), Chris Sage (CS), Peter Heard (PH), Sylvia Phillips (SP), Sarah Sanderson (SS) Robert Sheppard (RS) In attendance:

Elize Jutsum (EJ) (Minutes)

Item Actions
1.0 Apologies David Bird(DB)
2.0 Minutes of last meeting. Signed as a true and accurate record.
3.0 Election of Officers  Chair – Morey Andrews
 Vice Chair – Carol Sapsed
 Treasurer – David Bird
 PCC Secretary – Elize Jutsum
Rev Morey Andrews as Chair and Carol Sapsed as Vice Chair,
all in agreement.
EJ Secretary, Eileen Oates proposed Chris Sage seconded,
all in favour.
Parish Treasurer Role:
Chris Sage proposes David Bird as treasurer for both
churches and Peter Hears seconds. All in favour with 1
abstention.
Treasurer for St Bartholomew’s: David Bird(Failand Account)
Treasurer for All Saints’: David Bird (Wraxall account)
Helen will remain doing her role until next year.
4.0 AOB GDPR Fee- due 7~~th~~June, paid by John Stevens £40
Thanks to JS for this.
PH Parish Share agreement will be brought to PCC byemail.
Standing Committee Meeting: 4th July 2.00pm on Zoom Next
PCC meeting: Monday18thJuly10.00am in CTC		 End
**12.34pm **

8

Parish of Wraxall with Failand Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council For the year ended 31[st] December 2022

The parish has two Churches: All Saints Church is situated in the village of Wraxall in North Somerset and St Bartholomew’s is in the adjacent village of Failand. They are part of the Portishead Deanery in the Diocese of Bath and Wells within the Church of England.

The correspondence address is: The Parish Office, All Saints Church, Wraxall Hill, Wraxall, BS48 1LB. In 2009 the Parochial Church Council registered with the Charities Commission. The Charity Registration number is 1130482.

Rev. Morey Andrews Incumbent licensed 6th October 2021

Rev. Carol Edwards Retired Priest Curate Rev Sarah Sanderson (October 2022)

Who served during the year (PCC):

Meg Caton Church Warden Peter Heard Church Warden John Stevens Deputy Warden Chris Sage Church Warden Robert Sheppard Deputy Warden Sylvia Phillips Reader David Bird Treasurer-All Saints and St Bartholomew’s John Stevens Deanery Synod Sue Irwin Deanery Synod Carol Sapsed Diocesan Synod Eileen Oates All Saints’ Robert Sheppard St Bartholomew’s Carol Edwards All Saints’ (Co-opted) Elizabeth Hussey All Saints’ Elize Jutsum PCC Secretary

The primary object of the PCC is the promotion of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England. The PCC (Power Measure 1956 states the PCC ‘is to cooperate with the minister in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical’).

The general pattern of services in both churches, having been reviewed throughout the year: All Saints’:

1st Sunday 8.30am BCP Holy Communion 10.00 Holy Communion (Livestreamed) 2nd Sunday 10.00 Holy Communion 3rd Sunday 10.00/10.30 Iona 4th Sunday 10.00/10.30 Holy Communion with Prayer Ministry 5th Sunday 10.00/10.30 Holy Communion

September-December

1st Sunday 8.30am BCP Holy Communion 9.30 Graze-All Age Worship 2nd Sunday 10.00 Holy Communion 3rd Sunday 10.00/10.30 (Livestreamed) 4th Sunday 10.00/10.30 Holy Communion with Prayer Ministry 5th Sunday 10.00/10.30 Holy Communion

9

St Bartholomew’s:

1st Sunday 4.00pm/6.00pm Evening Worship (Time changed in Spring and remained at 6.00pm in Autumn) 3rd Sunday 4.00pm/6.00pm Holy Communion

5th Sunday 4.00pm/6.00pm Evening Worship

Morning Prayer: Mon-Wednesday 8.15am via Zoom Thursday 10.00am Holy Communion on Zoom

Rector’s Report

Verbal report to be received followed by written notes for the minutes.

Treasurers Report on the Accounts to the 31st December 2023

Another year passes and again the results for the two churches All Saints’ and St Bartholomew’s reflect the difficulties in raising sufficient funds to cover expenses. The buildings require, on a regular basis, maintenance for which the costs of which become more expensive each time.

Both churches are in reasonable condition, but we never know what the next problem will be.

We are fortunate that All Saints have funds in hand which will hopefully be sufficient to cover the cost of unforeseen problems.

St Bartholomew’s had over the year’s accumulated reserves which enabled the cost of the extensive high level roof repairs to be met.

Unfortunately, the general fund of both churches in the year was insufficient to cover payment in full of the Parish Share. We were £11,000 approximately short, nevertheless we paid £42,000.

Much hard work is given by many who are unpaid and our thanks go to them.

Although the figures presented reflect total funds of nearly £132,000 the erosion of which will reduce these amounts.

Again in the current year we anticipate that there will be a similar shortfall in our contribution to the Parish Share.

All this underlines the importance of increasing our giving in line with inflation!

Not forgetting legacies, always most welcome.

A M D Bird Treasurer

10

Independent Examinerfs Certificate for the PCC Accounts IMIAXALL WTrI FAIiANO P•rochl•l Church Councll I y•ar •rthJ' 31 DECEMBER 2023 Chwty Numb 1130482 The tharity'$ tru1t805 w• lor the weporathon cllhe Kuunl•. The charity's Irusteos considlf tnat an not requlred lor thls year undef seth. re•P￿￿￿bIllll1a 01 144 01 the Charites Act 2011 Ilhe Chartsos Acll and Ihatan indeFen¢Jenl tru￿•1 and •xmln•r ey4minaiion ts need￿. 11 Ls My ￿ponsib￿lty 10. examir the accounts under aecthx 145 of the Charw Act. lo lollo4 the procedures laid in the general Dlreth"ons gryen by the Charity Commiswn (under sect￿￿ 1451SMbl of Ihe Charities ￿ 8nd to st4to whthr parUul4r m•ttorn hm to my attenltyl. BaJls of Indp•nd•nt W examwti'on w8$ carriod rArt in oc¢ordaK• Wlh ge1￿1 Lh'rocttiis gjven ty the •umW #i•t•m•At Charity Comff￿SK￿. An 8xarninaf￿n IrKludes o reV￿W oftho x£ountrng records keo by tm ¢hanty and o compartson ofthe accounts prYseni£d wth th0￿ rKoTds. 11 aLso rrtluoes cOn￿derat￿ of8ny unwal wns or disch)8wes in the xcounts, 8ThJ see￿"n9 exK4anat￿s from the twstees ¢¢n¢ming any such rrrdllws. The prO￿dureS undtrt¥ken ¢Jo r#)t wKJe 811 the evwJen¢e trat would be required in a . 8nd consequenity no wnion Lq gwen as to whether Ihe &eounts p￿Sent 'true and and the repJl Is lth.led lo th09¢ matters sei out #i ¢h• at•nwl bdow. Ind•p•nrt•ftt •x•mln•f• In conDKtion wth my examination, M trotter has ¢on to my tenfjoTh which •tst•m•ftl 9iv6s rea¥onJble causa lo be1￿¥e that in, any mthnal reskd. aC￿￿nb"r4 recNd$ were not kept In 8etcrdan¢• wrth 130 offv Chard £tor accourts do not ¥¢¢ord wlh Ihe x¢ounb"ng records I h8¥e coTh across no oth¢r rroltots in COnr￿tIon wth the exarninabon to whrh aiientr'on should ￿dr•Wffi in ordw lo enabk• a undorntandiry oftho to be reached Slgn•d: 201¥ N•nw: KEVIN DAVIO CRAWFORD Rol•v¥nt pmtsslon•l qu•iinc•tlonl•l or boty ltt •nyl.' -, é OF CKqn-, 6nfO ACco¥trJ InrJfs Ift CrJC&nbo0 d 41AL(s (fCA Addr•￿. 4B FARLEIGH ROAD. BACK￿LL N.SOMERSET BSIJ 3PA

Oixlosure t)y Il ttNI red• lo prt40rn. ￿￿•t•ll$ ol •ry the •x•mirw ￿she% to dlodos•. A 105$ was made ITh the ye4r and there 15 no feason io beI￿ve thèt thls WHI no contlnue In the short io rnedium ierm gNern the level of incoffle cornpared i or4oing exFendirure. However, th￿￿ appeaf to be Suffic￿￿[ a5set5 tocover the5 a5sumiw ihe 1¥4¢1 ol Irm sw ¢onstsnt Ind (ah te managed Of eve reduced

lknll wth Fadand PCC s1•t•m￿ olFinan¢l81 Aellvlli•• For lh• yriod from 01 January 2023 to 31 2023 70 1974.%) 1.742A 14TJA2 Js 11gJ755 l￿F￿ Jmrj 24SI 1295755 171QJAJ 11W.78 11&•lJl 211U12 11.14qAS 14tl1 17WJ I￿￿> 7.11ts] 1t4K¥) W1293 2tW91 18>JA7 17J7I1 IIZJF20 1JS1 1•5r82• lSlJg.7 1119212th 1IT.QJZ.MI 19&th1 I1￿7 11lJ)7 r1174tsn 1IIJILJ4 11SX7k 1.97 157.Sll•Y (Slh3)Z4l0JI￿lp•P id1

J1I1W102J 31M212022 A4&r rfj 9,7Y7AI 9W75 f•X10 9W75 97 Tot41 OJry•tyl•M•t• 12&71&14 791AI ZTI. 791. 111.524. 12S.JT114 R•wnT* IiJWL• IZJ7274 Iwji. TOW PA•rM• 12&J73.14 SW?JD a?￿27 JlJ)11.47 111.524 14

Th? R•thard Vau han T￿st Year ended 31st December 2025 2022 Incorne and EXp￿￿tt￿re ac￿U￿1 Inct)rn• Investrnent Income 1531 1525 Refund ot legal fees and Compen￿tion Withdrawal of investment funds Totsl Incomè 1531 1525 Expenditufe Church runTring costs St Bartholomew5- Admin C05t5 Curate - Computer Rertor-computer 113 share Trènsfer to Wraxall for Parish Sharo 800 8(X) 719. 233.33 Total Expenditure 2800 1752.41 SurplusllDÈficrtl for year Richard Vaughon TrusrAccount 2023 -1269 -227 8alanc* sheet Investments 2810.90 COIF Investment Fund15ee n<)te below? Incorne 5hare5 at Market value 55782 51121 Current A55ets Cash at bank and in hand 1875 57657 3143 54264 Represeftted br. Endowment Accumulated Income 55782 1875 57657 51121 3143 54264 Rèviewed 1710112024

Charitable Giving 2023

2023 Charity Account

Caring @ Christmas
Christian Aid
Clevedon Food Bank
Church Mission Society
Help Bristol's Homeless
Horse World Trust
Leprosy Mission
Mind
MSA Trust
Save the Children
Tearfund
The Children's Society
Total		 199.29
194.87
139.00
427.20
395.00
60.00
41.73
85.00
199.29
330.99
609.44
941.46
3,623.27

16

Warden’s Report from All Saints’ Wraxall

In 2023, routine maintenance tasks were carried out on the church and Cross Tree buildings as normal. These included inventory, testing of portable appliances, fixed electrical wiring inspection, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, security system, clock, organ and piano servicing and checking of lightning conductors. There are issues to be addressed with the piano. Changes in electrical regulations this year required additional work, and surge protectors and current limiters were added to the church/CTC and car park electrical supplies, as well as fire retardant and armoured cables.

Some work on the physical structure of the church building was required, as set out in the quinquennial report from 2022. Works included repair of a crack in the east elevation of the tower using lime mortar, and removal of some growth from a pinnacle on the north side. These works were carried out at reasonable cost by a rope access company, so as to avoid the use of costly scaffolding. Some lead work was also required on the south roof.

Again this year, the churchyard working party maintained the grounds, and we are grateful for their considerable effort. Some further work was required to prune the yew tree at the south side of the church, which had started to obstruct the preaching cross. Very little changed inside the church, but the lighting system was re-programmed to provide a low-energy setting for daytime use, thus saving some money on electricity. The oil -fired boiler in the Lodge was replaced and some more roof issues were identified; these were partially addressed in 2023, but there is further work on the lodge to be addressed at a future date.

Normal services and events were held in the church according to season. Our Curate, Mrs Sarah Sanderson was priested at Bath Abbey on June 24[th] . A ‘parents’ respite tent’ was manned at the North Somerset Show. the Christmas Fair was held on 18[th] November, and raised a splendid £805.35 for the church. The Harvest Tea was held on 1[st] October, and this was preceded by a mini-concert, “I, John de Brokkeleyghe”, organised by Tim Senior of Supersum company, and performed by local singers including some from our own church. The event was well-received.

During 2023 there were two couples married in our church, and three baptisms. There were seven funeral services and nine interments of ashes. First Sunday services continued at Sycamore Lodge, School services were hosted in church, and there were several FWSA events in CTC, which continues to be well used by hiring out for parties & meetings etc.

The wardens wish to thank all teams who keep our church clean, beautiful and in good order, together with the Entertainments Committee & coffee providers who keep us well supplied with cake & other delights throughout the year!

Finally, this being the last full year as warden for Meg, PH wishes to thank her for her faithful service over many years and for her dedication and wisdom in caring for our beautiful church.

Meg Caton, Peter Heard, Wardens. March 2024

17

Warden’s Report from St Bartholomew’s Failand

Our Service pattern remains unchanged with an occasional additional morning service eg Remembrance Sunday, Horse Service when necessary.

We do not have a regular organist for the fifth Sunday service and rely on recorded music.

It was decided at a meeting of the regular congregation that the Service time of 6.00 pm should continue throughout the winter months.

January……..Normal Services + Baptism

February……..Normal Services + Interment

Boundary hedge on land adjacent to graveyard cut.

March……..Normal Services

April……..Palm Sunday, Evening Prayer, Good Friday Meditation and Easter Sunday HC. Plus fifth Sunday of Evening Prayer.

Tuning of Organ

to make a new bracket.

May……….Normal Services

Additional work to stabilise south gable

June……..Normal Services + Baptism + Interment of Ashes

Annual inpection of lightening conductor Extra land topped.

Work starts on rubbing down and repainting railings on south boundary wall.

July……..Normal Services + Interment of Ashes

August……..Normal Services

Work on railings finished.

September ……..Normal Services + Horse Service

Boiler serviced.

Pendulum fixed back on clock and service carried out.

October…….Harvest Festival on first Sunday , HC 3rd Sunday, fifth Sunday EW + Baptism

Phase 1 of work to repair leak in kitchen roof commences

November……..Normal Services + Remembrance Sunday + two funerals

18

December……..Toy Service Toys donated to Salvation Army

Carols by Candlelight: Money raised was donated to Help the Homeless in Bristol and Save the Children (Gaza Appeal)

Christmas Eve 9.00 pm Holy Communion.

Fund raising Events: Avon & Somerset Police Choir Concert in April (£1,3000 )

Bristol Chamber Orchestra Concert in June (£1,000 raised)

Finally, Champing at the Church raised £3,400.

We still regularly maintain the churchyard and have constructed a compost bin for green waste and also allow wild flowers to bloom. In conjunction with the diocesan Wilder Churches and Somerset Wildlife Trust we are considering other ways of encouraging wildlife and nature to thrive in our church yard.

We have a new cleaner once a month.

Chris Sage

Pastoral Care Report

The parish pastoral care team continues to send Birthday, Anniversary and Get well cards to members of both congregations. This enables people to remain in contact with church life and to hear news of the wider church community.

As part of our pastoral care for members of both our congregations ‘Home Communion’ is taken to those who are unable to attend church services. The aim is that everyone who wants to, can receive Communion at least once a month.

It is a huge privilege to visit people in this way and to share the Sacrament with them. They are always grateful and love to hear news of those they know in the congregation.

At present there is one person receiving ‘Home Communion’ but it is a fluid list.

Another aspect of our pastoral care is the availability of home cooked meals for those who may require one.

Members of the pastoral team are: Eileen Oates, Iris Croome, Meg Caton, Susan Sanderson, Megan Crook, Sylvia Phillips, Sue Johnson, Elize Jutsum and Anina Stenlake.

Thank you to everyone it is a real privileged to belong to such a caring community. Eileen

Electoral Roll Officer Report 2023

Electoral Roll Report May 2024

19

Carol Sapsed. Electoral Roll Officer.

Safeguarding Report Wraxall with Failand

The parish of Wraxall with Failand seeks to deliver its mission, at all times, in compliance with the House of Bishops guidance, on Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, Promoting a Safer Church.

We have a dedicated Parish Safeguarding Officer who has a professional background in Safeguarding and is able to support and advise as appropriate.

There have been no Safeguarding Incidents raised over the past reporting period that have required notification to the Diocesan Safeguarding Office.

All parish personnel , whether employed or volunteers for whom

a vetting and barring check, (DBS) is mandatory for their role, are compliant with the new standard of renewal every three years, whether Church officers or volunteers.

Completion of Safeguarding training is a rolling programme in compliance.

The parish continues to utilise the Parish Dashboard computerised portal to record its Safeguarding information. This portal is being rolled out nationally and enables parishes to retain information securely whilst measuring itself against national standards. Although access to the portal is restricted, it also produces automated action plans for the benefit of the PCC to enable them to have an overview of activities to

be progressed. The Parish Safeguarding Officer is also now utilising the new Safeguarding Hub, again a secure computerised portal to further develop its safeguarding responsibilities

Becky Cawsey Parish Safeguarding Officer Parish of Wraxall with Failand

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Church Activities (Alphabetical order)

Children and Families Report 2023

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baked and a family friendly space was created for carers of babies and toddlers run by the church team.

Thank you to everyone who has supported and volunteered over the year. Your time is much appreciated as we continue to bless our local community and families in the name of Jesus!

Elize Jutsum (Children and Families Worker to September 2023) Rev Sarah Sanderson (Curate)

All Saints’ Churchyard Working Party Report

2023 saw good support from the regular crew and we managed to keep the grass under control. We had some more equipment donated which has been very useful.

The meal in November is a great social occasion and is truly appreciated by all.

The churchyard work party happens on the second Saturday of each month from 10am till 12 noon with a tea break at 11am. We are always looking for more helpers as there is always a lot to do. The main focus is on keeping the grass looking tidy and attending to the appearance of the church building (ie keeping the gullies clear).

We have plenty of tools and mowers on site so all we need are helping hands. It is a good social morning and is enjoyed by all who come and join in.

Bob Caton

Wraxall Entertainments Report

We give thanks once again for the events that have taken place over the past months a wonderful opportunity to share fellowship together.

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Church yard working party supper an opportunity to say thank you and show our appreciation for all the hard work and dedication to those who maintain our beautiful church yard.

Agape meal, it was good to have members of Trendlewood and Christ Church join us this year.

Sarahs Ordination Tea

Funeral Tea

Ignite service

Service of remembering.

Carol service.

Christmas Fayre always an enjoyable time of outreach and fellowship.

Harvest Tea delicious cakes and an opportunity once again to test our knowledge over a fun quiz.

Committee members Sue Irwin – Chair Eileen Oates – Secretary Iris Croome – Treasurer Caroline Watts, Jane Knight, Yvette Dunn and Brenda Coxell.

Flower Teams’ Report

We continue to provide with pleasure flowers each week, we have stopped using pedestals as oasis and flowers are becoming more and more costly. We have changed to vases. There are still six of us: Sharon/Iris, Sue/Caroline and Maureen/Eileen .We have enjoyed doing the festivals and any special occasions but age and costs has stopped us doing weddings. It is such a joy to add to the beauty of our Church.

Julian Group Report

“Be still and know that I am God”

Julian Meetings foster the practice of contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition and are named after Julian of Norwich, a fourteenth-century mystic. They are for people of all denominations or none.

What is contemplative prayer? Contemplative prayer has been described as listening for God; opening ourselves to God.

Prayerful silence is greatly helped when two or three people are together, and this can complement our daily personal prayer.

Belonging to a group can be a source of help and encouragement. An opportunity to just BE.

We are a group of on average 9 ladies and 2 gentleman from several local churches who meet on the first Monday of each month at 2pm in the Charlton Chapel at All Saints church.

The meeting starts with a short piece of meditative music, a brief reading which then leads into about 20 minutes of silence.

If you are not sure if it's for you I would encourage you to come along and "Taste and See". Eileen Oates

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Mother’s Union Report

Our branch enjoyed an interesting and varied programme.

Revd Sarah on her Faith journey, the work of the Child Contact Centres in Nailsea /Clevedon these are run by the Mothers' Union enabling the absentee parent to meet with their children in a safe environment, we had a collection of Christmas related food to give to our speaker Sue from the Food Bank.

For our outing this year we enjoyed a meal at Carriages before having a conducted tour of Tickenham Church.

We hosted the Deanery Service in September followed by tea for 50 members.

The members would like to thank everyone for supporting the fundraising events enabling us to support the M.U projects both home and abroad.

Our plans for 2024 are well under way. We would welcome any one who would like to join in a meeting to hear any of our speakers.

Sue Irwin Co-ordinator All Saints Wraxall Mothers' Union

Time for Tea

We have continued to meet on the second Thursday of the month at 2-45pm in the Cross Tree Centre. Numbers vary but usually we have between 12 and 16 for tea and a talk or a quiz session. After cancelling in January due to bad weather we have had talks on Afghanistan, scams, trees at Noah's Ark, Bridgwater carnival, the Probation service, Belmont Estate, Fire safety and in December were entertained with carols by pupils from Wraxall school. We are a happy but small group and would welcome more people to join with us for what is acknowledged to be an interesting time accompanied by a good tea!

Susan Sanderson

Wraxall Tower Report

Practices and service ringing continued, following the usual pattern of Monday evening practices and service ringing at 9.30-10am on second and fourth Sundays.

The bells were rung for two weddings in 2023.

On Saturday 6[th] May 2023, the bells were rung to honour His Majesty King Charles III & Queen Camilla on the occasion of their Coronation.

There were two full peals rung this year, to mark the diamond wedding anniversaries of Bob and Meg Caton, and John and Betty White. The methods rung were Wraxall Delight Major and Turramurra Surprise Major respectively; the former being a new method composed for the occasion.

We were delighted to welcome two new learner members at our tower – Andy and Cara. They are making splendid progress.

Maintenance: The ropes that operate the chiming hammers were found to have perished. They were replaced.

Peter Heard, Tower Captain

Deanery Synod Report (John Stevens)

Deanery Synod report 2023

Tuesday February 7th

This was a normal Synod meeting, held at Christ Church, Clevedon. An opening prayer was said by Rev Clive Jennings. The Minutes of the 15th September 2022 meeting were agreed and the 2022 Deanery Accounts approved.

Rev Rob Eastwood-Dewing, Co-Area Dean, then introduced a session working in groups on the

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Deanery Plan. This concentrated on our church’s involvement in Mission and began by asking the question:

‘What act(s) of engagement in mission that your church is involved in are you most proud of or excited about?’

We then went on to consider how our mission work rated with respect to the 5 Marks of Mission:

  1. TELL: To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom

  2. TEACH: To teach, baptise and nurture new believers

  3. TEND: To respond to human need by loving service

  4. TRANSFORM: To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation

  5. TREASURE: To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.

We then thought about what we could consider doing to improve our rating in the areas in which we are weak, and to identify any help we needed from the Deanery or Diocese to do this. The Area Deans’ notices included notification of an additional Synod meeting on 20th April, at Holy Trinity, Nailsea, for a consultation on Redeployment. The meeting closed with a service of Compline.

Thursday 20th April

This was an extraordinary meeting to discuss and approve the new Portishead Deanery Deployment Plan.

Thursday 8th June

This was a Deanery-wide meeting, held at St Peter’s, Portishead, on the subject of Chaplaincy. Rev Rob Eastwood-Dewing opened the meeting using the ‘Dwelling in the Word’ exercise which is used frequently in St Peter’s. He then introduced Rev Mike Haslam, Chaplaincy Adviser, Bath and Wells Diocese.

Mike invited us to say what we thought chaplaincy was about. He then told us that it involves meeting people where they are, and is deeply missional. Some examples of what chaplains do involved accompanying people in a 4 mile tunnel under the River Severn and setting up a chaplaincy on the West Somerset Railway.

Chaplaincy mainly involves listening, is inclusive and involves meeting people on their own terms, as a guest. A biblical example is Jesus walking with Cleopas and friend on the road to Emmaus – it is necessary to accompany people on their journey, even if they’re going in the wrong direction!

Chaplaincy is growing – there have been over 60 new chaplaincies created in Bath and Wells over the last 6 years. Two key things about chaplaincy are hope and vulnerability – hope because there are so many opportunities available and vulnerability because often the chaplain is the only person of faith in the community they’re in.

There was then a panel discussion which included some local chaplains, from Mission to Seafarers, a Children and School worker from Backwell (the children are the chaplains) and Nailsea Town Chaplaincy.

The meeting closed at 9pm with prayer. Thursday 14th September

This was a normal Synod meeting, which took place at Easton-in-Gordano, and was attended by the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Right Reverend Michael Beasley.

Bishop Michael led the opening worship and then commissioned the new Synod, which was beginning a new triennium. We then moved on to the election of a Lay Dean and Deputy Lay Dean, also new members of the Deanery Mission and Pastoral Group. Not all these posts were filled, with some to be co-opted at a future point.

The Deanery Treasurer was re-appointed and the Deanery Plan was approved (to be valid for the next 3 years). This identifies those things which can be best accomplished at the Deanery level, rather than at the Diocesan or Parish level.

Bishop Michael gave a talk titled ‘Living and Telling the Story of Jesus – a year of being the Bishop of Bath & Wells’. As well as showing some photographs of groups and places he had visited during the year, the Bishop also made some general observations on the challenges in

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the Diocese:

• How to renew the life of our churches, so that the story can be passed on and lived among new generations. He observed that the difficult financial situation is a symptom of the disconnect with new generations and is not the real problem.

• How do we take the substance of our faith and offer it in new ways, while valuing and cherishing what we already have?

• How to start with what we already have, not by worrying about what we lack.

• We need to value and cherish the people and resources in our churches – there are lots of good people doing tremendous jobs.

• But we need to find ways that the Story of Jesus can be made more relevant, especially to younger people. A poll of those present showed that the majority began their Christian journey before the age of 18, so this is the area we must target. After Bishop Michael’s very interesting and thought-provoking talk, we then broke into Buzz Groups for 5 minutes and there was then a Q and A session.

After Notices from the Co-Area Dean, Rev Astrid Tiesema-Samsom, the Bishop gave the Farewell and Blessing.

Wednesday November 15th

This was a Deanery-wide meeting, at St Andrew’s, Clevedon, with Tony Cook, Bath & Wells Diocese. Tony heads up the Go Team who have responsibility for Growing Faith and Everyday Faith, two key elements in the diocesan strategy, which Tony described as overlapping initiatives.

Starting with Everyday Faith, this is about how we encounter God as we go about our daily lives, with the aim of building our faith. The aim is to refuel our spiritual resources, which we then reflect in our daily lives, such as in the decisions we make and the effect they have on others. Tony quoted two examples of people doing this (a taxi driver and a barista); in both cases they put their Christian principles into action by making their working space as welcoming and safe as possible, showing empathy with their clients, and offering to pray with/for them, if that seemed appropriate.

The Growing Faith initiative is aimed primarily at children, young people and families, in the places where they spend most of their time, namely in Church, school and home. Tony pointed out that children spend most time at home, then school and least time in Church, so we must take this into account when deciding how to use our resources. A change of culture is needed. Tony gave out a set of work cards giving practical examples we can use (1 set per Parish). He also showed a slide with a list of resources to help, which will be circulated with the minutes. He also said he would love to visit parishes, to speak about either of the initiatives.

Reps: Sue Irwin and John Stevens

Portishead Deanery Report 2023

We met, as usual, four times in 2023; two of the meetings (June and November) were deanery-wide meetings, open to anyone to attend, while the February and September meetings were full Synods. There were 2 additional meetings in 2023. One, in April, was a full Synod meeting where the only agenda item was the presentation of the Deanery Stipendiary Deployment Plan, which had been worked on by the Deanery Mission & Pastoral Group (DMPG) since May 2022. This showed how Portishead Deanery could lose 2 posts, from a total of 15 down to 13, and the final deployment plan was approved at that Synod meeting by a majority vote.

The other meeting, in November, was one arranged by Bishop Michael to which clergy, DMPG, readers and churchwardens were invited, and were intended to introduce the Deanery to the Bishop and encourage attendees by giving examples of mission initiatives within the Deanery.

February – This Synod was held at Christchurch Clevedon and saw the approval of the 2022 Deanery accounts as well as group work on the Deanery Plan with a “Your Church & Mission” exercise. June – The venue for this Deanery-wide meeting was St Peter’s Portishead, and the subject was Chaplaincy, Mission and the local Church. The meeting had a presentation from Mike Haslam, the

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Diocese’s Chaplaincy Advisor, and also heard from a panel of local Chaplains.

September – The September Synod took pace at St George’s Church Hall, Easton, and saw the reelection of the Lay Dean, the election of a new DMPG, and the re-appointment of the Deanery Treasurer as well as the final approval and adoption of the Portishead Deanery Plan 2023-26. Bishop Michael was also present for this Synod and gave a presentation entitled “A year of being the Bishop of Bath & Wells”, which was much appreciated by all those present.

November – The venue for the November Deanery-wide meeting was St Andrew’s Church Hall, Clevedon and saw a presentation by Tony Cook, Head of Growing Faith & Everyday Faith, Bath and Wells Diocese, on Growing Faith and Everyday Faith. This deanery-wide meeting was very well attended and Tony agreed to come to individual churches in response to invitations to talk more about either one of these subjects.

We have enjoyed having Assistant Diocesan Secretary Peter Evans as our Deanery Accompanier. He has been present at most DMPG meetings and Synods. Claire Horton, the Bath Archdeaconry Deanery & Parish Adviser, has also been very helpful.

We want to express our gratitude to the clergy and officials of all the deanery churches for their hard work and commitment during this difficult year, especially to those churches which have been in vacancy.

Rob Norman (Lay Dean) Astrid Tiesema-Samsom (Co-Area Dean) Rob Eastwood Dewing (Co-Area Dean)

End of APCM Report

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