2022-12-31-accounts

St Mary Magdalene’s Church, Yarm Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for the Year Ended 31 December 2022

Aim and purposes

St. Mary Magdalene Parochial Church Council (PCC) had the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent, the Reverend Darren Moore in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social, and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of the Church.

Objectives and Activities

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community at St. Mary Magdalene. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and makes suggestions on how our services can involve the many groups that live within our parish. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music, and sacrament.

When planning our activities for the year, we gave priority to fully reopening the church safely within Church of England (CofE) guidelines and offering the chalice when safe to do so described fully in the section on Worship and Prayer below. Children’s activities were resumed.

The PCC tasked its GOLD (Generosity of Loving Discipleship) subcommittee to look at ways of making the church more robust and less reliant on occasional offices (baptisms, weddings, and funerals) and fayres to support the mission of the church and in particular to honour our free will offer.

The PCC is committed to being generous to other charities and organisations and took the decision that the family of the deceased would determine where collections from funerals were donated. In addition, the congregation decided which local, national, and international charities the church should support and tasked the Events group with organising activities.

Achievements and Performance

During 2022 the PCC met 7 times; average attendance was 90%. The Standing committee met 6 times during the year to agree PCC agenda. The PCC met in person in church albeit distanced until Covid restrictions were relaxed. The priority of the PCC, Rector and Churchwardens was to develop services to a pre pandemic level and look at ways of developing the worshipping community through the ‘Living Christ’s Story’ initiative, maintain fiscal stability whilst contributing in full to our free will offer, and maintain the church building.

The PCC decided to set up a fabric sub-committee and agreed its terms of reference in January. The first annual report of the group is included in the appendix. The major fabric issues that exercised the PCC were dealing with the woodworm in the church, tower, and ceiling void. The other major piece of work was fundraising for the organ and by the end of the year sufficient funds had been raised to obtain a faculty and engage Peter Woods and Son to start refurbishment in 2023. More details of this will be given in events group and churchwardens reports.

The congregation were surveyed during the year regarding their aspirations for the future. As a result, Café church was abandoned in favour of Church Café, ie; opening the building to those who do not attend worship to allow a better use of the space. A working group was assembled to meet in 2023.

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Worship and Prayer

Church Attendance

During 2022, St Mary Magdalene Yarm as the Parish Church has continued to be the focal point for Anglican worship in the Parish. A regular pattern of services was established to co-ordinate with the other churches in the benefice.

A total of 297 services were held in church during 2022, including 52 Holy Communions, 54 sung eucharists, 67 eucharists and 6 morning prayer services. 35 children were baptised, an increase of 10 over the previous year, which reflected the general opening of the building following Covid restrictions. There were 2 weddings and 10 funerals in the Parish Church and 6 interments of ashes. 7,385 attendances were recorded in the register of which 2,535 were at occasional offices. Communion was taken 4,012 times. 61 instances were recorded of people receiving communion at home.

Worship

We started a regular pattern of worship with the 8.00am Sunday Holy Communion from BCP (Book of Common Prayer) and a 10.30am Sung Eucharist using Common Worship. On Wednesday there is a Holy Eucharist using Common Worship at 9.30am. Booklets were produced to reflect the different times and seasons of the year. Easter contained a full programme with daily services from Palm Sunday through to Easter day. There were 7:00pm Stations of the Cross services on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The liturgy of the Lord’s supper was on Thursday at 7.30pm which included the stripping of the altar and a watch until midnight. There was the liturgy of the passion on Good Friday at 3pm, an Easter Vigil on Saturday at 8:00pm followed by the normal Sunday worship for Easter. Due to the Rector’s sick leave following Easter, worship and occasional offices were led by visiting clergy, including Bishop Paul, Area Dean Tessa Stephens, David Local (Reader), other clergy and occasionally by a churchwarden.

We held an ordination service in June when Bishop Paul ordained Kate Brown and Lisa Opala and a confirmation service where the Bishop confirmed Gracie Rhodes-Hesketh in May. Later in the year it became possible to offer wine at Communion with the choice left to individuals regarding whether they received in both kinds. It was decided to continue the practice, as used in cathedrals, to offer both elements standing. Christmas gave us an opportunity to revive the festival of nine lessons and carols, Christingle, crib service and midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Christingle and crib services boosted the attendance of under 16s to 734 for the year.

Our trainee organist, Joshua Greenwell played on several occasions under the supervision of Dr Robin Harrison (Organist and Director of Music) until he moved on. The Rector and churchwardens were very pleased to be able to offer the position of Organist/music director to Janine Busbridge.

Our fresh expressions of worship were revived in 2022. The Pram Service, which attracts pre-school children and mainly mothers, and Pram Service+ held in school holidays was started following the relaxation of Covid restrictions. Attendance at the services totalled 283. It was renamed Little Sparks in July. ‘Sunday Sparkle’ was restarted in September, taking place on the 2[nd] , 3[rd] and 4[th] Sundays of the month (excluding some school holidays).

Stokesley Deanery Synod

Four members of the PCC sit on the deanery synod, David Yates being a member of York Diocesan Synod. This provides the PCC with an important link between the parish and the wider structures of the church. More information is included in the Appendix.

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The Church building and churchyard

Our architect, John Barnes, in his report on the Quinquennial made some further observations including noting the presence of woodworm in the roof void and tower. He was not able to safely observe the extent of the problem because we did not have a walkway for the roof void. The work to create the walkway was carried out by Dan Cox under the direction of John Barnes, allowing woodworm treatment to be carried out in August by Peter Cox. Following the woodworm treatment, loft insulation was laid in the roof void by Dan Cox, which enabled us to reduce the pre-heating period before the church is used by one hour. Timing of all work was arranged to minimise disruption to services and access to the church. A 20-year guarantee relating to the woodworm was issued following the work.

The Quinquennial work for the 5-year period was carried out by David France and has been signed off by John Barnes.

The responsibility of the maintenance of the churchyard rests with the Town Council. They continue to maintain the grass cutting to a high standard. The gravestones and trees have been surveyed. A box tomb was found to be unsafe due to tree root damage and measures were taken by the Town Council to prevent the structure collapsing.

Pastoral Care

Home communion continued in 2022 with the team of Eucharistic ministers visiting those who have requested it. It was not possible to visit care homes as this was initially prohibited under Covid 19 regulations, although some visiting was possible on an individual basis. Local care homes appeared to be taking a cautious approach which is understandable as Covid was still causing problems with the elderly and immunocompromised.

The wellbeing of the congregation remained a priority for the PCC and the care for the congregation network has continued to be very active, through the co-ordination of Jean Hodgkinson.

Mission and Evangelism

Our benefice magazine, Trident, continued to be published, keeping parishioners informed of the important matters affecting our Church and articles that help develop our knowledge and trust in Jesus.

The harvest and weekly food contributions go to Sprouts in Thornaby and ‘Love in a Box’ gifts for Romania were collected. The Christian aid collection was largely achieved by delivery only envelope and therefore the sum that could be attributed to St Mary Magdalene was an underestimate of our overall contribution – see annual accounts.

Financial Review

This year has ended well with a slight reduction in unrestricted income and a large increase in restricted income due to the initiative to refurbish the organ. Through careful expenditure by the churchwardens and PCC we have honoured our free will offer to the Diocese to allow it to pay clergy and staff. More details of the financial position are given in the Appendix.

Reserves policy

It is PCC policy to try to maintain a balance on unrestricted funds which equates to at least three months unrestricted payments. Details of our actual reserves for the year are given in the Annual Accounts.

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Structure, Management and Governance

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a charity registered with the Charity Commission.

St Mary Magdalene Yarm PCC is a body corporate and operates under the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 and the Church Representation Rules. The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All church members are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC.

Electoral Roll

On 31 December 2022 there were 123 parishioners on the Church Electoral Roll, 52 of whom were not resident within the parish. Jay Yates is the electoral roll officer for the parish. Many thanks to Jay for maintaining the role.

Safeguarding

The Diocese provided three online courses (basic awareness, foundation, and domestic abuse) which all PCC Trustees are required to complete. This proved quite challenging as several members were unfamiliar with online training, and therefore they were assisted to view the programmes and complete the courses. DBS checks are being carried out on all Trustees and those in positions of responsibility. There were no safeguarding notifications at St Mary Magdalene during 2022.

Concluding Remarks

In summary, 2022 was another challenging year, however, we left the year in a much better position than we started. Church attendance was showing an upward trend as new people started attending. Members of the PCC have been very busy building the range of services and developing ideas for the future to support ‘Living Christ’s Story’.

Beryl Nadin, Churchwarden, John Rhodes, Churchwarden, and Reverend Darren Moore, Rector

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ANNEX to the 2022 Annual Report

Administrative Information

St Mary Magdalene’s church is part of the Deanery of Stokesley in the Diocese of York within the Church of England and is situated in West Street, Yarm TS15 9BU. The parish is in the Benefice of Yarm with Kirklevington with Picton and Worsall. The PCC of Yarm remains the governing body for the Parish of Yarm.

PCC members who have served as Trustees between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022:

		Dates
Incumbent	Revd Darren Moore (SC – Chair)
Wardens	Mrs Beryl Nadin (SC)	(2022-2026)
	Dr John Rhodes (SC – Vice chair)	(2015-2023)
Elected Members	Mr David Yates (SC – Secretary)	(2020-2023)
	Mrs Tanya Brackenbury	(2021-2023)
	Mrs Lynn Allison (SC)	(2020-2023)
	Mrs Beryl Nadin	(2020-2023)
	Mr Peter Monck	(2021-2024)
	Mrs Wendy Gaitskell	(2021-2024)
	Mrs Margaret Nicholls	(2021-2024)
	Mrs Pam Parker	(2021-2024)
	Mr Eric Heaviside (until September 2022)	(2022-2025)
	Mrs Elaine Huggins	(2022-2025)
	Mr Martin Huggins (SC - Treasurer)	(2022-2025)
	Mrs Angela Beckwith	(2022-2025)
Co-Opted members	Mrs Ros Carling	(2022–2023)
	Mrs Valerie Meeking	(2022-2023)
	Mrs Marion Johnston	(2022–2023)
Representatives on	Mr David Local (SC)	(2020-2023)
Deanery Synod	Mrs Avril Rhodes	(2020-2023)
	Dr John Rhodes	(2020-2023)
SC – Member of the	Standing Committee

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Events Group:

Mrs Beryl Nadin (chair), Mrs Angela Beckwith, Mrs Jean Finlay, Mrs Elaine Huggins, Mr Martin Huggins, Mrs Marion Johnston, Mrs Avril Monck, Mr Peter Monck, Revd Darren Moore, Mrs Margaret Nicholls, Dr John Rhodes, Mrs Carole Wilson and Mrs Jay Yates

Fabric subgroup:

Dr John Rhodes (chair), Mr Eric Heaviside, Mr Martin Huggins, Revd Darren Moore, Mrs Beryl Nadin and Mr Peter Monck

Generosity of Loving Discipleship (GOLD) committee:

Mr David Local (chair), Mrs Lynn Allison, Mrs Elaine Huggins, Mr Martin Huggins, Mrs Marion Johnston, Revd Darren Moore, Mrs Beryl Nadin, Mrs Margaret Nicholls and Dr John Rhodes

Health and Safety Subcommittee:

Dr John Rhodes (chair) Mr John Bancroft, Mr David Beeton, and Mrs Avril Monck

Reports

Rector’s Report Benefice Magazine Bible Reading Fellowship

Choir

Churchwardens and Fabric

Craft Guild

Deanery Synod Events Fabric Finance GOLD Little Sparks and Little Sparks extra Mothers’ Union Safeguarding Sunday Sparkle Wild Care

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REPORTS TO THE APCM 2023

RECTOR’S REPORT

I would like to begin my expressing my thanks to all of you who have welcomed me as your parish priest since September 2021. The last twenty months seem to have gone very quickly and have certainly not been uneventful for a whole host of reasons!

Any new incumbent will have their own particular point of view and own way of doing things and certainly 2022 was a year that saw some change and some consolidation in about equal measure. It was of course a year which saw us emerge more fully from the effects of Covid, so it was also a year that saw us, as a church, engage and re-engage with those members of our community who had absented themselves for entirely understandable reasons.

Pandemic gloom and just general January doldrums always benefit I feel from some beautiful and wellordered liturgy and so it was that our Candlemas celebrations took place on a Sunday evening rather than during the morning. Certainly, it was lovely to see our church looking so beautiful with candles in just about every available nook and cranny and it was also very lovely to see so many from across the benefice join us for our Feast of the Presentation.

Our Lenten journey together was spent looking at the ‘Women from Holy Week’ and certainly the feedback would suggest that those who took part in the Lent Course found it a beneficial and reflective experience. Since joining you as your parish priest I have been extremely impressed with the enthusiasm for the Bible Reading Fellowship group (BRF) and so it made perfect sense to incorporate that group into our Lenten discussion. Those BRF sessions have proved most diverting and thought provoking throughout the year, I just wish I could have made more sessions, but I can definitely recommend them to those who have yet to experience them – it is a good deal more fun than it might sound! My thanks to David Yates and to all the regular BRF crew for setting it up and keeping it going.

Given the fact that I trained at Mirfield and am clearly coming at things from a certain point ‘up the candle’ I was quite determined to curate a Holy Week that focused on the celebration of Palm Sunday and the joys of the Resurrection but that also included the pain and the suffering in between! So it was that the parish had a full Holy Week that included some wonderful liturgy (in my humble opinion!) that also encompassed services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Attendances throughout the week were somewhat mixed but again there was some very positive feedback, and I am mindful that Covid still had a significant role to play with regard to church attendance across the board. It was certainly positive joining our Methodist friends and colleagues on Good Friday outside the Town Hall for a much more visible sense of witness.

Clearly none of us could have anticipated the events of Easter Monday. The accident that befell myself and my family was awful but as I keep reminding myself and others, it could have been a good deal worse. Suffice to say that I am extremely grateful to a whole host of people within the parish who stepped up so positively to deal with the aftermath and the inconvenience of my sudden and unexpected absence. Quite simply there was an overt and genuine sense of people pulling together in prayerful and practical ways and I really cannot thank you all enough for the way you responded. The two wardens at the time, Marion and John were just exemplary in the way they held the reins and ensured that a number of key festivals and events went by with as little fuss as possible. This included of course last year’s Annual Parochial Church Meeting, the Confirmation of Gracie Rhodes and the funeral of Father David Smith – and I am sure a whole host of other things besides! My thanks also to Bishop Paul, Archdeacon Amanda and Tessa our Area Dean for their role in keeping the ‘show on the road’ during my enforced absence.

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Following my return to parish work at the end of May we saw some pretty amazing highlights after what had clearly been a very difficult and trying time. It was an entirely joyous event to be able to come together to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee at the end of May and then to have The Revd Kate Brown’s priestly ordination the week after was just the icing on the cake. Our church was full of guests and visiting clergy who came to support both Kate and The Revd Lisa Opala and we were once again very glad to welcome our Bishop as he ordained them both. It was also very lovely to welcome The Revd Canon Paul Peverell as the preacher for the occasion. Needless to say, Kate’s presence among us as Honorary Assistant Curate has been a blessing to the parish and to the wider benefice and we look forward to a long and happy relationship.

The Summer Fair and the Strawberry Tea were also very lovely summer social events within the life of the parish. Having the Fair in the Church and Churchyard seemed to be met with overwhelming positivity though perhaps the benefits of a beautiful sunny day were something of a double-edged sword when it came to the numbers attending – not that I would wish for one second a wet and rainy fair! The Strawberry Tea was also very popular, but I do hope that 2023 will see this event transferred to the Rectory Garden.

Throughout the year we have tried various approaches to encourage children and more youthful elements into our community. Some of this has built on work by my predecessors and other initiatives have been gently innovative. The Pram Service has been re-branded as ‘Little Sparks’ and has met on most Monday mornings throughout the year. It would of course be wonderful to see this grow and develop and we shall have to prayerfully consider how we take things forward. The more extended ‘Little Sparks Xtra’ (formerly known as ‘Pram Service Plus’) was a definite hit. More extended sessions of informal worship, crafts, games and food were organised for the beginning of Holy Week and then we had our very sunny and summery trip to Seaton Carew at the start of the school summer holidays. Needless to say, a great time was had by all, highlights being the wonderful fish and chips from ‘The Mighty Cod’ (where else could a church group buy their fish and chips!!) and some French cricket on the beach. Our Sparks work simply would not happen without the support and preparation of Beryl Nadin, Angela Beckwith, John Bancroft and Debbie Gravestock and I really do want to say a huge thank you to all of them for their time and effort.

Engaging youth with our liturgy and worship has not been entirely straightforward. It has however been lovely to see Jane Brackenbury join the serving team on occasions. Her confidence in dealing with the thurible goes from strength to strength and I trust we can all look forward to encouraging her as part of a team that is of course entirely held together by her mother, Tanya!

As the year soldiered on, we sadly lost our organist and Director of Music, Robin Harrison. Robin was appointed as Director of Music at St Barnabas, Middlesbrough. Clearly, we were saddened to see him, and his lovely family leave us, but we were all thankful for his incredible sterling service to St Mary Magdalene over the years. Robin’s final service at St Mary Magdalene’s was an emotional experience but he certainly left us in the full knowledge of our prayers, good wishes and blessings for the future.

Whilst Robin’s new appointment left a considerable gap in our worship plans it was fantastic to see out two young organists, Harry Brown and Joshua Greenwell, step up so professionally in order to keep the musical life of our church at the forefront of things. Not only were they there to play the organ on Sundays and for Occasional Offices but equally their support for the choir members was also wonderful to see and was, I know, very much appreciated. Very well-done gentlemen!

They do say that as one door closes another one opens! Robin’s departure saw us advertise as locally and as inexpensively as possible for a successor. There were a number of applicants but eventually we decided to interview Janine Busbridge for the role of Director of Music & Organist. Janine was duly appointed, and I think we can say that in a remarkably short time she has worked tirelessly with both our choir and the music that we engage with in church Sunday by Sunday. She has proved to be a most approachable, flexible and

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innovative colleague and we look forward to continuing to progress with our music as the months and years move on.

As part of the interview process with Janine I did of course have to admit that whilst we were hoping to appoint an organist, the truth was that any new organist might not have an organ to actually play! 2022 really did see some consolidation on our organ project thanks to some incredibly generous and substantial donations. In some sense I do feel a little bit of a charlatan when it comes to describing our organ work. In all fairness those of you reading this report have put in far more time, work and effort over the years than I ever could, and I really do salute your combined resolve and effort in bringing the project almost to fruition. Certainly, the various fundraisers over the years have meant that we were able to end 2022 in the safe and sure knowledge that 2023 would be the year when our organ would finally be renovated and restored. It certainly gave your incumbent, the wardens and our new director of music something to think about and to look forward to!

Having celebrated Her Majesty’s 70[th] Jubilee it clearly came as a shock to come to terms with her death in September. We were all very aware of her frailty and age and yet her rock-like presence had been with us all for so long that it still rather caught us unawares. We responded to events as quickly as we could and my thanks to the various volunteers who manned the church and rang the bells at appropriate times. Certainly, St Mary Magdalene became a bit of a focal point when it came to the Book of Remembrance and it was also the focus for the Proclamation of our new King, Charles III which was also a moving and reflective experience.

September also saw me hi-jack a sermon slot to present a bit of a vision plan for the future. It was a fairly ordinary Sunday in Ordinary Time, but also happened to be a Sunday that Bishop Paul chose to join us. In all honesty if I had known he was going to be there I probably would have prepared a more traditional sermon! In any event I spoke about all the many good things our community does to bring something of the love of God through his son Jesus to our town and our parish. I also suggested a handful of ways we might look radically and positively to the future. The two key elements of my talk involved people and buildings. To that end I suggested the PCC might like to take a look at our parish becoming a formal member of ‘Inclusive Church’. I also suggested that we needed to think about ways and means of keeping the church building open more often and of increasing our publicity in order to make folk more aware of our presence. My vision statement (for want of a better word) was met with plenty of feedback. Those present were given postcards to write down their ideas and comments and these were then collated and presented in their entirety for all the parish to read. Everything was kept anonymous (aside from Bishop Paul’s comments!) and nothing was edited – so what was read was absolutely the feeling of those who heard me speak. 2023 will perhaps be the year when we take some of those ideas and plans to the next level.

The autumn sees us all move to a different phase of our church calendar. We look forward to joining our brethren at All Saints as we come together as a Benefice for their Patronal Festival, and this has now become something of a fixture. Our church and town also have a clear commitment to remembering the fallen as we gather as a church and as a civic community to commemorate Remembrance Sunday. Our church was full on Remembrance Sunday itself and it was perhaps added an extra poignancy this year with events taking place in Ukraine. We then gathered as a wider community at the war memorial town where we were joined by The Revd Martin Ramsden and other civic dignitaries to mark the two-minute silence. As ever it was an awe-inspiring and sombre occasion and in this post-Covid world it really was very lovely to see so many in attendance.

Our Advent and Christmas plans were augmented with something of an innovation. Our Crib Service was pre-cursored with carol singing around the Christmas tree on the green (with the obligatory mulled wine also being served!). This was a remarkably successful venture and my thanks to Councillor Ian Carter and those within our own church community for making it such a success. Certainly, our Crib Service benefitted

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and was supremely well supported. Other Christmas worship, not least the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and Midnight Mass were less well supported, and I look forward to liaising with Janine and others to see how we might better timetable some of what we offer. Our Christmas Fair took place in the Fellowship Hall and whilst it was lovely to be able to offer hot turkey rolls from the extremely well- resourced kitchen, I suspect there is also a feeling that our church building offers somewhat less tangible qualities which may well see a return to using it rather than the Fellowship Hall in the future. Our Christmas schedule was also amended with the Nativity Festival. It was really very lovely to see so many crib sets and nativity scenes donated for the occasion. The success of the event was probably a little under-stated and we look forward to seeing how it might be developed in 2023 and beyond.

Aside from our work with Little Sparks it has been a most encouraging year when it has come to building relationships with the young people in our schools. There has been a palpable sense in 2022 of relationships deepening and expanding especially with Yarm Primary School. It was also wonderful to have Egglescliffe School come into church over Christmas to deliver a stunning Christmas concert. Equally, our relationship with Yarm School, Yarm Prep School and Layfield Primary School remains extremely positive and I thoroughly enjoyed my stint as Santa at Yarm School’s Christmas Fair (but don’t tell anyone it was me!).

Finally, my thanks again to all of you who have assisted me thus far in my ministry here as your parish priest. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time amongst you since September 2021 and am looking forward very much to our future together. My work here has been made so much easier through the hard work and tireless efforts of others. My thanks to our wardens Beryl Nadin and John Rhodes whose diligence and attention to detail have helped cover my woeful inadequacies! I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Marion Johnston and for the work she and John carried out in organizing so much throughout the vacancy and before my arrival. John is of course stepping down as a warden in 2023 and I can categorically state that he is probably the most diligent and well-organised Churchwarden I have ever encountered who is only ever entirely on top of his brief – thank you Dr Rhodes for all your help and support! My thanks to all the members of the outgoing PCC and to the various officers who have also helped keep me on the straight and narrow, not least of course David Yates our Secretary and Martin Huggins our Treasurer, it is of course very much appreciated. To those who Chair and serve on our various Committees: Events, Fabric, Environmental & GOLD. To Janine, our Director of Music, to David Beeton for maintaining our Facebook Page and prodding me ever so occasionally regarding our online presence! Thank you! To those who encourage our young people, to those who assist with worship, who welcome people at the door, who sing in the choir, who lead intercessions, who read lessons, who serve tea and coffee, to those who arrange flowers at the key festivals and keep the place clean and tidy, I really cannot thank you enough; your efforts really are very much appreciated. A huge thank you to Jean Hodgkinson for all her wonderful work in helping us all maintain pastoral connections with one another and with those who might need our prayers and support – it is an extremely vital and valuable part of our mission, and I really am grateful to Jean and all her team who carry out this wonderful part of our ministry. To Avril Rhodes for her work, so often behind the scenes, with reader rotas and admin and Christian Aid and Baptismal support and sermon critiques and ecumenical relations and church path sweeping and so very much more besides! To those involved in making our churchyard even greener and more environmentally friendly than it already is and a special mention to Victor Wood for his work with maintaining the memorials and in detailing the wonders of our ancient building. To Avril Monck for her verging skills and to Tanya Brackenbury for being our Swiss army knife of servers, many thanks indeed for putting up with my little ways and for being so accommodating. Finally, to my wonderful colleagues Kate Brown and David Local – I really would be lost without their support, their energy, and their commitment – I really am extremely fortunate and truly blessed to have you both at my side!

I look forward very much to the future. I look forward to us all building up the body of Christ in this place. I look forward to continuing to develop our work within the Benefice and to working closely with our brothers

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and sisters in Christ. I look forward to us working together to improve the fabric of our resources and to making those resources accessible for all so that we can in some way let people know the love God has for them in the small acts of love we are able to carry out as the parish of St Mary Magdalene, Yarm.

The Revd Darren Moore

BENEFICE MAGAZINE: Trident

The editorial team comprises Revd Kate Brown, Ros Carling, Debbie Gravestock, John Rhodes and Jay Yates and 10 editions of Trident were published. During the year the editorial team met to finalise the layout and content and we are grateful to Avril Rhodes for her proof reading. We decided to continue to hand deliver most copies of the magazine to ensure they were received just before the start of the month. Many thanks to Beryl and her dog for a proportion of deliveries. Some copies are posted or sent as an E-mail.

Thank you to all who have continued to provide contributions. The editors have never had a month without a varied and full copy. We ask that all source material is referenced in any article submitted, before it is published. We tried to prevent infringement of any copyright by following the UK Copyright Service advice for news reporting.

The editors are aware of safeguarding and do not publish unnecessary names and contact details. We also endeavour to ensure permission is granted for photographs to be included, especially of children. We continue to be delighted to receive contributions from young budding journalists.

We are indebted to our advertisers who allowed us to keep the cost at £6.00 per annum. Gill Waller who collected the advertising renewals and the printers TopPrint have continued to provide an excellent service. Ros Carling received the magazine and undertook distribution. It is important that our advertisers know that you support Trident by thanking them for advertising in our magazine when you see them. We must remember that they do not do it solely to support the church, but to attract customers like us.

Trident is your magazine and an important tool in our outreach. Please share your copy with your friends and encourage them to purchase a copy for themselves. We try to provide news and articles about events and activities taking place within the parishes in the benefice, and also to include articles about aspects of faith. We have many regular contributors and without you the magazine would not be enriched by such diversity.

We thank all of you who subscribed for the year as it does help us to minimise waste at the end of the month. Please do ask a friend to consider taking out a subscription so more people can learn about our church. Thank you one and all for your support.

Report provided by Trident Editorial Team

BIBLE READING FELLOWSHIP

Bible Reading using the BRF (Bible Reading Fellowship) publications continues to thrive within the congregation at St Mary Magdalene, and numbers have continued to grow. Our short monthly informal ‘lay led’ reading and discussion group meetings on a Wednesday morning for our BRF users and anyone else interested have continued, with some most interesting discussions on all sorts of topical and biblical subjects ensuing. These have been well supported and generated much enthusiasm, and have proved to be a valuable support and also another welcome chance for informal social contact by those joining in. Our Reader David has also supported and prepared material for these, and many thanks are due to him, and also to our Rector Darren’s continuing support and lead whenever his other commitments allow.

There were 23 subscriptions (+ the Rector) to the church order for BRF bible reading notes booklets, and this implies 25-30 members of the congregation using daily readings and prayers, several being couples. This is an increase of 2 in 2022.

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• All 23 read ‘New Daylight’, daily readings.

• None now read ‘Guidelines’, weekly reading and topic(s) for study.

We have been able to meet monthly around the table in church with cake and coffee and this has been most welcome, permitting increased social involvement.

Our church members who are using these the BRF publications find them valuable, often enjoyable, sometimes challenging, and always useful; and those of us who use the booklets highly recommend them to all.

Report provided by D Yates

CHOIR

Following the House of Bishops advice on opening church buildings in January and in particular the permission for choirs and music groups to perform, the choir started to support the Sunday eucharist with an anthem. In February, Dr Robin Harrison organised an Evensong jointly with St Paul’s Stockton and Northallerton choirs which was very uplifting.

The choir has been supported by our trainee organist Joshua Greenwell over the year and especially when Dr Harrison left for St Barnabas, Middlesbrough. Subsequently, Mrs Janine Busbridge was appointed and coordinated with Joshua. The choir started rehearsing on Friday evenings to prepare for the Sunday sung eucharist and the nine lessons and carols Christmas service held at 7pm on Saturday 17[th] December. Christmas was a busy time for the choir with Midnight Mass and Christmas day being a Sunday. We are gradually increasing our numbers thanks to the work of Janine.

Report provided by J Rhodes

CHURCHWARDENS and FABRIC

The churchwardens for 2022 were Marion Johnston, replaced by Beryl Nadin at the swearing in service, and John Rhodes. Together we endeavoured to support our Rector and Reader in their ministries. Covid 19 still dominated our activities for the first half of the year albeit the use of masks and gel declined, and we did not need to order further supplies. We tried to steer a pragmatic balance to allow the congregation to worship comfortably and safely. The use of the projector and screen was gradually replaced with booklets and notice sheets.

The church has been kept clean by Andrea’s Angels who have been very flexible when funerals and other activities impinged on the cleaning times. Marion and then Beryl were the contacts for Andrea and we would like to thank her and her team for their cleaning efforts.

We have been well supported by our welcomers at 10.30am Sunday services and special services at Easter and Christmas. They have had to deal with the transition from covid restrictions through to our normal pattern. Kathy Wilson has been our rock at the 8.00am Sunday service, setting up the back of church and welcoming everyone. We are grateful for all who volunteered to do readings, intercessions, and coffee. Without this quiet army of volunteers our job would be extremely difficult.

This year has been extraordinary for so many different reasons, but we must record our thanks to David Local for stepping in when the Rector and his family were injured after Easter. The churchwardens were grateful for the clergy within the Deanery including our Bishop and Archdeacon who stood in at short notice. Area Dean, Tessa, chaired the APCM after the main service on 15[th] May, while Bishop Paul took two eucharistic services and officiated at three baptisms on one Sunday. John Rhodes would like to thank Avril (Rhodes) for helping when we could not get cover and the congregation for being so supportive when we offered morning prayer because a sacramental service was not possible.

We started socialising again and had a splendid Platinum celebration for our late Queen Elizabeth II with a large table for a “big tea “outside church. However later in the year the church was used for the book of

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condolences after our beloved queen passed away. Many thanks to all who agreed to be present to welcome and direct visitors to sign the book. This allowed the church to be open for the majority of the week of mourning. We were pleased to be able to host the proclamation for Charles III as our new King.

Home communion is available, and many thanks are due to those prepared to visit those who cannot get to church but wish to receive the reserved sacrament. Similar thanks to those who cascade news and support our congregation via care for the congregation and to Jean Hodgkinson for organising the network.

The church equipment has been maintained according to the PCC schedule and there is nothing untoward to report. The Quinquennial work was completed following the appointment last year of our new Architect John Barnes. We feel that he has done a tremendous job picking up the mantle from John Niven. The work included repointing stonework, cleaning out and repointing in the tower, replacing a cracked window in the tower, and adding a safety barrier in front of a window in the tower. The necessary permissions from the Diocese were obtained by John Rhodes before the work commenced. A fabric committee was set up to make recommendations to the PCC and assist the wardens – see report below.

John Barnes noticed there is water collecting on the roof walkway in two positions and recommended that this is investigated and corrected to allow water to run off into the drainpipes. This recommendation has been accepted in November and is being pursued.

The major piece of work was to treat the woodwork in the roof void, tower and church against woodworm, the signs of which were observed by John Barnes in the tower and roof void and by the congregation in church. The woodworm in church was treated by John Rhodes as contractors were unable to treat pews with their spray system as holes had to be filled with treatment fluid using a syringe and needle. The architect directed the construction of a walkway the length of the nave and sanctuary within the roof void to allow the specialists to spray the entire centre roof timbers. The necessary faculty (official Diocesan permission) was obtained for the introduction of the walkway. After treatment it was possible to gain access to lay loft insulation to help keep the church warm and reduce heat loss.

Following the securing of sufficient funds, including pledges from two charities, a faculty was sought for the refurbishment of the organ, and it is hoped to start work in January 2023.

Another major piece of work was to replace the outside lights which had failed due to corrosion of the bulkhead lights. A faculty was obtained to replace these with spotlights as advised by John Barnes. Oliver Monck carried out the work efficiently and the lights automatically go out after midnight to provide a natural dark space for insects and wild animals.

Conyers School again donated a Christmas tree, and this was put up and decorated by a small group. Many thanks to all involved which facilitated our carol services being made festive events. The church was well used by children at Christmas with school concerts, Christingle and a crib service taking place.

The churchyard has been maintained by the Town Council and an unsafe tomb is in the process of being made safe. The growth of vegetation over the boundary walls has been removed and the northern hedge boundary maintained. The churchwardens would like to thank the council for the maintenance work carried out.

Our church building is in good order and the congregation is very supportive of work to ensure maintenance takes place, tolerating any inconvenience. The churchwardens are grateful to all those who give their time for the work of the church on a regular basis, whether by reading a lesson, interceding, cleaning, providing refreshments, acting as welcomers, washing and ironing the linen, arranging social events, setting up for services, working in the churchyard, serving, or by volunteering to do any of the multitude of odd jobs which our parish community needs. The Terrier and Logbooks have been checked and all items accounted for.

Report provided by Marion Johnston, Beryl Nadin and John Rhodes: Churchwardens.

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CRAFT GUILD

An active start to 2022. Members made contributions to all church events. A Spring fair made a welcome return. We joined Kirklevington for their September fair where income was shared. And the church Christmas fair returned to the Fellowship Hall venue. We travelled yet again to The Golden Lion at Great Ayton to enjoy a Christmas meal. This was sadly missed by a few COVID victims, so the fight is still on. Income over the year has been in the region of £725.

We continue to cover the full rent of the Fellowship Hall through member payments. Our preferential rate, because of our church commitment, is still in place and we greatly appreciate this.

Some members with health and mobility issues continue to attend for social fellowship and in an advisory capacity, which makes for lively discussion. Not all our crafters attend St Mary Magdalene church but give loyal support nonetheless. So, 2022 saw a healthy Tuesday membership of 16 and a support team of outworkers.

Report provided by Carole Wilson

DEANERY SYNOD

The Parish has four lay representatives on synod. Three are elected from the parish, namely David Local, Avril Rhodes, and John Rhodes, plus David Yates who is an ex-officio member because he is a Diocesan Synod member. Rector Darren is a representative as a Stokesley Deanery Clergy Chapter member.

Deanery Synod met in person in 2022, in February, June, July and October.

Synod meetings were mainly devoted to the development and completion of the Stokesley Deanery Plan in response to the Diocesan vision of renewal known as “Living Christ’s Story”. The February meeting was addressed by Archdeacon Amanda (Archdeacon of Cleveland) and Bishop Paul (Bishop of Whitby) on this topic, using a standard presentation, including a video introduction from Archbishop Stephen, and took questions. At that stage the Deanery had three months to produce the plan with a ten-year timeframe up to 2031, using a template for consistency. The June meeting discussed the then draft plan and the additional July meeting approved the final plan to “be submitted to the Bishop/Archdeacon for consideration as part of the wider diocesan planning process”. Subsequently the overall Diocesan Living Christ’s Story Strategic Plan 2021-2031 was endorsed by the Diocesan Synod in November 2022. A copy of the full plan or the summary may be obtained from any of your representatives. As a flavour of the scope of the plan, please see the three themes and working group objectives below:

Leading by prayer and worship: To offer as many different options for prayer, worship and ministry as we can, in order to meet existing and potential needs of our communities – so that we may become more like Christ.

Reaching out, welcoming and nurturing new and existing disciples: To reach out into our communities to tell people about Jesus Christ, our faith and our churches, listening to what they want and welcoming them into our activities – reimagining mission and ministry

Worshipping God by doing everything as well as we can: To provide, as effectively and efficiently as possible, the means and resources, ministry, financial, administrative and technical, to support what we do – transforming our structures and finances.

By the time of the final meeting in October, some feedback on the plan was starting to be received from the diocese, and steps were being taken to establish local implementation working groups. Also, in October a new approach to meetings was taken with “carousel conversations” consisting of four tables led by someone on a specific topic. Synod members could select three topics within the time available for the meeting; each session lasting fifteen minutes. This is an efficient way of covering multiple topics rather

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than covering one subject in depth per meeting. Topics in October were café church, a book called “How village churches thrive”, “Lego church” and open-air worship.

Deanery Synod is funded by each parish paying a levy per representative. It was agreed that the 2022 levy remain unchanged at £40.00 per representative. Martin Bailey, Deanery Finance Adviser stepped down from this role in February 2022, after fifteen years. His work was of great value to the Deanery over a long period. He was succeeded by Ken Taylor, an appointment confirmed in October. Other Officers remained unchanged and are Revd Tessa Stephens (Area Dean), John Dickinson (Lay Dean), Liz Taylorson (Secretary) and Bob Ardley (Treasurer).

Report provided by David Local, Avril Rhodes, John Rhodes, David Yates.

EVENTS GROUP

The Events Group was set up when the PCC agreed at their meeting on 28[th] February to amalgamate the Fundraising Committee and the Social Committee. It was felt that the roles of the committees overlapped, and the same people were members of both groups. For the benefit of this report, the name Events Group will be used when referring to activities throughout 2022.

The Events Group met a total of 10 times during 2022. Until July the group was chaired by either Father Darren or John Rhodes; from July it was chaired by Beryl Nadin who was also the note taker.

It was decided at the meeting of 14[th] January, 2022, that monies from all church fundraising activities until September, with the exception of the Lent Lunch, should go to the Organ Fund at which date Woods of Harrogate were due to begin work on the restoration of the organ.

The Group organised a number of fundraising events for the Organ restoration during 2022:

• Booze & Brains – Saturday 12[th] February raised £334

• Easter Eggstravaganza – Saturday 2[nd] April raised £1,286.96

• Race Night – Saturday 30[th] April raised £1,045

• Apollo Male Voice Choir (with thanks to Eric Heaviside) – Friday 20[th] May raised £800

• Robin’s Gospel Event – Friday 6[th] May raised £187

• Platinum Jubilee Tea Party – Saturday 4[th] June. Primarily a celebration event but money was raised from the raffle and punch sales.

• Yarm School Concert – Thursday 16[th] June raised £800 (approx.)

• Summer Fayre – Saturday 9[th] July raised £1,200

• Strawberry Tea at St Mary Mags – Saturday 20[th] August raised £300+

• Christmas Fayre – Saturday 26[th] November and the Big Raffle drawn on Sunday 11[th] December together raised just short of £3,000

The ‘Cash only Club’, set up in September by Jean Finlay, raised £620 towards church funds.

The Lent Lunch was held after the 10.30 am service on 6[th] March and a donation of £500 was raised for Yarm’s new Wellness Centre. A cheque for this amount was presented to Cheryl Scollay following her informative talk to the congregation.

On Sunday 9[th] October, we held our Harvest Lunch in aid of Water Aid and £300 was raised through donations.

All of these fund-raising activities proved to be wonderful social events for our congregation and most of them gave us the opportunity to open our church and fellowship to the wider community.

The morning of Monday 8[th] August dawned bright and cheery and a significant number of our church family descended on Seaton Carew for a parish rendezvous. For many years, before lockdown, this event had been organised by John and Doreen Bancroft as the ‘Pram Service +’ outing to Saltburn which was always a wonderful success, regardless of the weather. In 2022 there were significantly more adults than

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children (about 20 adults and 7 children) but enthusiasm was far from lacking as paddling, estuary constructing, castle building, shell/stone collecting and cricketing were all undertaken in the true nature of beach loving Brits. Interesting establishments were discovered during the day where coffee and ice-cream were served, and toilets were made available by a very kind hotel landlord. Lunch was a ‘proper’ beach ‘do’ with Fish ‘n’ Chips from The Mighty Cod take-away.

Events Group Members: Father Darren, Angela Beckwith (from October), Elaine Huggins, Martin Huggins (until October), Marion Johnston, Avril Monck, Peter Monck, Beryl Nadin, Maggie Nicholls, John Rhodes, Carole Wilson and Jay Yates.

The Churchwardens would like to thank the members of the Events Group for their hard work and continued support in making the social life of our church so varied and uplifting.

They would also like to thank everyone from our congregation who contributed so much during 2022, particularly towards our various Fairs, and also members of our congregation and wider friends who came along to support our events. Without the support of so many people, not only would it be impossible to sustain the social life of our church, but our fundraising and charitable giving would also be substantially reduced.

Report provided by Beryl Nadin, chair

FABRIC SUB-COMMITTEE

The fabric sub-committee was set up in May 2022 to assist the churchwardens in their responsibility for ensuring the PCC cares for and maintains the fabric of the building and the Town Council cares for and maintains the churchyard. Terms of Reference were agreed by the PCC.

The first meeting was held on 2[nd] May and further meetings were held in June, August, September and December. Action points were recorded and presented for each meeting to the following PCC meeting for approval. 22 items of business were discussed in these meetings and 8 were closed by December as follows:

• The sub-committee has overseen the work required by the Architect in the quinquennial report of May 2020 and in particular the work carried out by David France on the outside stonework and tower.

• Dan Cox secured the rear vestry protective grille.

• A list of approved contractors for annual servicing/checks has been agreed by the PCC.

• The installation of Wi-Fi was recommended to the PCC

• A walkway was constructed by Dan Cox to obtain access to the roof void.

• Woodworm has been treated in the tower and nave roof by Peter Cox.

• The damaged perspex in the tower has been repaired by Dan Cox.

• It was recommended to the PCC that three quotes be obtained for all work over £2,000

Report provided by John Rhodes, Martin Huggins, Eric Heaviside, David Yates, Beryl Nadin and Peter Monck

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FINANCE

General Unrestricted Funds

At last, 2022 became a more normal year following the disruption from Covid. We have had an active year and have come out of it with a healthy balance of £32,215 (2021 – 33,979), thanks to everyone who has supported us.

The specific detail is as follows.

Total unrestricted income was £86,193 (£97,098 in 2021) and is detailed in the financial statements. Of this, £64,460 (was £68,328) was pledged giving and includes associated tax relief, and represents a significant 74.8% (was 70.3%) of the total income. This is the second full year of the Parish Giving Scheme and this scheme helps to benefit our cash flow. We still have about two thirds of our supporters signed up to the scheme, with a few new users signing up during the year. It would be good if other contributors were able to join them.

Other parts of the accounts are continuing to recover. The Christmas Fayre, again held in Church, raised a very welcome £2,381(£2,106) and the Christmas Raffle yielded a further £784 (£1,007). Total net fundraising (including the above) was £4,815 (£2,515)

The remaining income came largely from collections, donations and fees, and is now at £14,068 (£22,088). Collections have increased significantly to £5,183 (£2,644) in 2022 and yellow envelope Gift Aided donations have held up well. However, fee earnings have decreased to £3,359 (£5,982), which is of surprise and not obviously explainable. The Diocese has given us a grant of £1,250 to help with the increased costs of energy.

Also, we have received £1,392 (£524) from the rest of the Benefice as their contribution to the expenses of the Rector, the Curate and the Rectory. There have been no legacies this year. (£0 in 2021).

Total unrestricted expenditure was £85,956 (was £83,285). We have maintained our contribution to the Freewill Offer to support the Mission in the Diocese at £61,800, the same as last year. This Freewill Offer was paid in full, and is a very significant 71.7% (63.6% last year) of our total income from all sources. In addition, Diocesan fees for weddings and funerals in our Church have added £4,460 (£2,546) to our total giving from the Parish to the Mission in the Diocese, which now totals £66,260 (£64,346).

The cost of running the Church building was £9,950 (£9,819). The upkeep of services cost a further £7,701 (£5,389), and continues to support the training of an organ scholar. It is higher this year due to more services needing supplies and also due to the printing of new service books.

Expenses for clergy amount to £3,153 (£1,831) – an increase resulting from a whole year of the new Rector and the Curate. This is offset by the sharing of these expenses with Kirklevington and Worsall who paid £1,392 of this amount.

Other expenditure was £2,142 (£2,088),

Net result for the year was an excess of expenditure over income of £1,764 compared to an excess income over expenditure of £13,812 in 2021, which is a reasonable reflection of a return to normality.

The total balance of unrestricted funds at 31[st] December 2022 was £32,215 (£33,979).

Restricted Funds

Organ Fund

We have concentrated most of our fundraising activities this year towards the major repair work to be done to our pipe organ. Various activities and grant applications have yielded £62,454 (£11,365) during the year, in addition to which we have grant awards which will be paid on start of the work. Thanks to all the hard work and generosity of the congregation, we have managed to raise enough funds to cover the costs and allow the work to start in 2023.

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Restoration Fund

There has been much more activity here than last year. The Quinquennial Report had shown up various significant repairs required that have been completed at a total cost of £20,042. Activities covered were Woodworm Treatment, Stone wall repairs, Roof Insulation, together with Architects fees and access improvements required. This has been partially funded by a Listed Places of Worship Grant of £2,427, together with a Fund Raising “Cash Only Club” which made £600.

The balance of the Restoration Fund at 31[st] December 2022 was a much reduced £10,184 (£28,444 in 2021), which will need to be increased by fundraising in order to be available for future work and for keeping the Church in good order.

Charities

Restricted funds were again collected and paid out to individual charities, coming from collections at funerals as specified by families concerned, and from special events arranged by the Church for nominated charities. The total amount was £5,426 (£1,279)

Reserves Policy

It is PCC policy to maintain a balance on unrestricted funds, which equates to three months’ unrestricted income, to cover emergency situations which may arise from time to time. The balance of £32,215 in unrestricted funds at the year-end exceeds this target (currently £21,875).

Additionally, we recognise that the maintenance of a historic building requires periodically significant sums of money to carry out important restoration and maintenance work. Although we had a significant legacy in 2011, we have spent considerable sums on successful restoration and renovation projects, leaving our reserves for this aspect of our work at just over £10,184. The use of this money needs to be carefully regulated and monitored, and it would be good if it could be augmented by individual efforts and some new legacies in due course.

Report provided by M J Huggins, Hon Treasurer

GENEROSITY OF LOVING DISCIPLES (GOLD) REPORT

The Generosity of Loving Discipleship Team has the following members: David Local (Chair), Maggie Nicholls, Beryl Nadin, Martin Huggins, John Rhodes, Revd Darren Moore, Lynn Allison, Marion Johnston and Elaine Huggins.

During 2022 we met on 3 occasions. Following the 2022 APCM, Beryl as a newly appointed Church Warden joined the team and Marion decided to continue to be a voluntary member. Also Martin Bailey, Deanery Financial Adviser (DFA) who had acted as an Adviser for the team since its inception ceased to attend, as he had resigned his position as DFA for Stokesley Deanery Synod.

The Payaz contactless giving machine, installed in October 2021 continued working smoothly with satisfactory results. As a result, it was agreed to recommend the PCC examine the possibility of QR code giving being commenced. This was subsequently agreed by the PCC, introduced and is now a regular tool used. The PCC Treasurer at his end of 2022 review of finances reported that contactless giving had raised £1,500 for Church funds.

It was also agreed to recommend the PCC to adopt of a Legacy Policy. This was agreed by the PCC, and the Generous Giving team examined appropriate mechanisms for promoting Legacies. However, in view of the activities planned up to summer 2022 to raise urgent funds for the repair of the Organ it was agreed that consideration of the formal launch of the Policy should not take place until these activities have been completed.

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It was agreed to hold a Gift Day in 2023 during the weekend 25/26 March 2023 to enhance existing church funds in 2023.

The Generosity of Loving Discipleship Team will continue to explore ways of positively developing generous loving disciples from our existing church membership and particularly new members joining us in the future.

Report provided by David Local, Chair

LITTLE SPARKS and LITTLE SPARKS EXTRA

Little Sparks, previously known as Pram Service, is a group for pre-school children and their parents/carers. The group meets in church at 10.00am on a Monday morning (excluding Bank Holidays) for about an hour and a half. Activities begin in the Lady Chapel with prayer in the form of lighting candles. We then have an age-appropriate Bible story before moving to the chancel for a rousing sing, always ending with ‘The Wise Man’.

Refreshments are then served giving the adults time for an informal chat while the children play with the toys in the children’s area, suitably supervised.

During 2022 numbers attending Little Sparks sadly dwindled. Three children attended on a regular basis at the beginning of the year with the occasional addition of older children who were not at school that day. Unfortunately, only one child and his grandma attended regularly by the end of the year. It was felt, however, that along with the church members who helped with Little Sparks there was sufficient involvement and enjoyment to keep the group going.

Particular thanks go to John Bancroft and Debbie Gravestock who provided the music, and to members of the Mothers Union who kindly provided refreshments.

Father Darren led Little Sparks with much enthusiasm during 2022, assisted by Angela Beckwith and Beryl Nadin.

Little Sparks Extra, previously known as Pram Service + , is a group for pre-school children and primary school age children which takes place in church on chosen Monday mornings during the school holidays.

During 2022 these sessions took place on the Mondays of two of the Half Terms, the first Monday of the Easter Holiday and on three Mondays during the Summer break, one of them being the trip to Seaton Carew (see Events Report).

The format of Little Sparks Xtra mainly follows that of Little Sparks with the addition of craft activities relating to the relevant Christian Festival. Families are asked to bring a packed lunch if they wish to stay until 1.30pm. The Little Sparks Xtra sessions were much enjoyed in 2022 by many children who, when younger, had attended Pram Service, as well as by children attending for the first time.

John Bancroft and Debbie Gravestock provided the music for Little Sparks Xtra and the Mothers Union, once again, made refreshments. We are very grateful to them all, for their hard work, their commitment and their enthusiasm.

Father Darren led the sessions with support from Angela Beckwith, Anne Stainer, Avril and Peter Monck and Beryl Nadin.

Report provided by B Nadin

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MOTHERS’ UNION

Yarm branch of the Mothers’ Union began 2022 with 22 members on roll. During the year one member resigned because of ill health but one member transferred from another branch and three new members from our congregation were enrolled so we ended 2022 with 25 members on roll.

Over 2022 there were ten meetings and events on Monday afternoons. These included outings to Leake Church and Kirkleatham Walled Gardens and Café. Due to the cost of hiring a coach we used car sharing, which worked well. The evening discussion group has not yet settled back into a pattern but hopes to restart in April 2023.

In Holy Week we were fortunate to be permitted to lead reflections on the Stations of the Cross and were joined by several members of the congregation. The Advent Service held in November was attended by members from nearby St John’s Egglescliffe, and ladies from Yarm Methodist Church. As always, the faith tea was a credit to our members.

Our short Prayer Service on the second Wednesday of each month continues to do well and attracts members of the congregation as well as members of the Mothers’ Union. We welcomed visitors for various events and continued to serve on many of the rotas in church. Many of our members supported Deanery events and visited St Francis’ Church in Ingleby Barwick and St Mary’s Church in Nunthorpe to support their outreach. Several members attended the Spring and Autumn Retreats at Wydale – each one an excellent experience whether joining in with the whole group for the sessions and discussions or choosing to spend the time relaxing and enjoying the calm of the buildings and grounds.

Report provided by Marion Johnston

SAFEGUARDING

The Diocese of York safeguarding statement

“It is important to recognise that safeguarding is important for the needs of any age be it children, young people, vulnerable adults including the elderly and a commitment to equal worth for all.”

To this end and following the guidelines stipulated by the Diocese in December 2021, all parish trustees have completed successfully during 2022 at least three online safeguarding courses designated by the Diocese.

These are:

• Basic safeguarding awareness

• Foundation course in safeguarding

• Domestic abuse.

The PSO and two other trustees have completed a course on safer recruitment, ”Dashboard” recording and one other on modern slavery.

The Diocesan courses were completed online with interactive examples and situations. Assessment questions followed each particular section. Everyone must be congratulated on their high scoring results and hope that the courses shed a light for them on the issues of safeguarding.

The Diocese holds quarterly discussion forums for safeguarding officers (PSO) and the PSO has taken part in those in 2022.The PSO and churchwardens have participated in online meetings and lectures during Safeguarding weeks held in the Spring and Autumn. These have covered subjects such as online safety for children and young adults and working with children in church settings.

There will be a safeguarding audit by the Diocese in May 2023, the first since 2018. They have stipulated that all DBS certificates issued before 2020 must be renewed. It is a requirement that the DBS certificates

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are renewed every three years. All trustees who needed to reapply have now done so with the assistance of John Rhodes. We aim to have a welcoming church and raise any safeguarding issues with respect and sensitivity.

The PSO, churchwardens and Rector will work together if there are any safeguarding issues brought to their attention before reporting to any other agencies, for example the diocesan safeguarding adviser and social services. Any issue is totally confidential and any written information is kept locked in a safe.

The Diocesan policy is on the noticeboard and there are copies of the” Parish Safeguarding” handbook and” a safer church” available.

Report provided by Susan Ellis, Safeguarding Officer

SUNDAY SPARKLE

‘Sunday Sparkle’ is a group for Primary School age children (4 to 11 year) which takes place during the 10.30am service on the 2[nd] , 3[rd] and 4[th] Sundays of the month (excluding school holidays). The group meets in the back vestry of the church at the beginning of the service and re- joins the main congregation for the Eucharist, usually at about 11.20am.

Following the welcome and a short opening prayer the children listen to a story, usually based on the Liturgy for that day (Year C for 2022), take part in a related craft activity or something similar, and end with sharing the Children’s Peace and a short prayer.

At the very end of the main service the incumbent shares the children’s work/activity with the rest of the congregation, when and if appropriate.

There is a team of adults who prepare and run Sunday Sparkle on a rota system: Angela Beckwith, Anne Stainer, Jayne Gregory and Beryl Nadin.

Two teenage helpers assisted when needed during 2022.

During 2022, a total of sixteen children took part in Sunday Sparkle. With the departure of the Harrison family in September, unfortunately numbers became depleted and fewer children attended towards the end of the year.

Report provided by Beryl Nadin, Leader

WILD CARE

2022 has been a notable year for Yarm and we have formed a Wild Care Group from members of the congregation to look after the ecology, flora and fauna, of our churchyard and to enable the churchyard to become a nature facility for schools, and a haven of peace for Yarm town, as well as a well kept respected resting place for the dead.

During 2022 our Wild Care group has visited other churches in the Stokesley Deanery, and saw their management of ‘eco’ churchyards and provision for birds, bats, and small animals; and then formulated plans for our churchyard at St Mary Magdalene, Yarm (over quite a few mini meetings with cups of coffee and tea). Also in this period we have liaised with Yarm Town Council to obtain agreement for our intended initiatives, and of course informed all our congregation via the benefice magazine ‘Trident’ as well as obtaining PCC consent.

So at the end of 2022 we look forward to an interesting year, ready to start activities in the churchyard commencing with installing half a dozen bird boxes on some of our many trees.

Report provided by David Yates

St Mary Magdalene Yarm Annual Report for year ended 31/12/2022

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Independent examiner's report to the membersltrustees of St Mary Magdalene Church, Yarm, PCC. I rew)rt on the accounts for Ihe year ended 31 December 2022. which are set out on pages l and 2. Respective responsibilities of the Trnstees and the Independent ELqminer The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not requir¢d for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an indeprndcnt examination is needed. It is rny re5tM)nsibility Examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act" Follow the pr￿edureS laid down in the G¢n¢ral Directions given by the Charity Comn]issioners section 145{5Xb) of the 2011 Act. and Stste whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basis of Independent Examiner's Statement My examination was carried out in accordanc¢ with th¢ General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An ¢xamination includes a ￿vieW of ihe accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of th¢ accounts presen1￿ with those records. li also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in th¢ accounts, and sttking explanations from the management committee concerning any such matters. The pr(Kedures und¢rtak¢n do not provide all the evidence that would be requir¢d in an audiL and consequ¢ntly l (k) not expr¢ss an audit opinion on the accounts. Independent Examiner's ststement In connection with my examination. no matter has come to my attention which gives me re&wnable cause to believe that in any material rest￿t the requirements to k¢¢p acwunting records in accordance with s.130 of the 2011 Act. or to prepare accounts which accord with th&8e accounting records have noi been m¢ or 2. to which. ID my opinion, attention thould drawn in order to enable a proprr understanding of the accounts to be reache41 Mr Philip Atkinson 30 Nurs¢ry Gardens. Yann March 2023

Parochial Church Council of St Mary Magdalene, Yami Statement of Financial Activities For the year ending 31 D•￿mber 2022 TOTAL TOTAL 2021 INCOMING RESOURCES VrAwlary IrK￿ne 2(a) 73.129.35 7,W.54 68.444.82 2.428.76 144,(KKI.93 8264.54 312.94 5.171.34 0.00 97.025.79 6.157. come trotn Invethenls 21t) 2(d) 4e) 85.60 5,171.34 6,￿21 SW.03 ¢)ther irtomè TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 86,1¥d.57 68,444.82 3.112.36 157,749.75 110225.57 RESOURCES EXPENDED 3(a) 64,953.53 9.950.50 7,701.48 1.446.80 64,953.53 9,950.50 7,701.48 6.742.82 64.067.87 10224.35 5.388.$9 2,592.66 77429 1208.70 Imrth Upkeep of %r¥ices 5296.02 21 371.76 21.371.76 b) 3.078A4 3.7T3.13 t,871.89 TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENOED 87,95629 s,￿1.71 21.371.76 115.318.76 86,128.35 NET INCOMING RESOURCES & MOVEMENT OF FUI&JS -1.763.72 62.454.11 -18259.40 42,430S9 24.rA7.22 33,978.51 11.385.45 28.443.88 n.787.84 49,￿.62 BALANCES CIFWID 31 DECEMBER 32214.79 73.819.56 10.184.48 116218.83 n,787.84

Parochial Church Council of St Mary Magdalene, Yann Balance Sheet at 31 December 2022 TOTAL Fw AXED ASSETS ML ML 14L CURREKFJKwrs £536 33 t346.38 £45.699.94 È6.11620 £51,816 14 £32,534.28 Fr￿d term depc £o.o) r3¢257.￿ rn.119.K2 £4.LW28 ￿,445. £43.462.84 £34,794.29 £73.819.56 £10.1844 £118,798.33 £76,343.50 LL4BIUllES £2.579.X) Q579. 555. NET CURREp¥fssETS kn L￿lME$ £32214.79 £n,819. £10.184.4 È118218.03 £73,787.84 PARISH FUND8 £32214.79 r32214.79 £31978.51 £84.W.04 £39.809.33 £73.819.50 £10.184.48 £1￿,034.35 £10.184.48 £118218.83 Én,787.84 ViW,,{31,, D R Moore{PCC thrM￿>

Notes to the Financial Ststements For the Year ended 31 December 2022 ACCOUNTING POLICILS The fmnciat strtcmenLS bavc bteD rryared in xC0rda￿C with the Cburth Acc¢)wJUng Reguliixts 2(Mkn accord￿¢¢ applicable xcountsng staDdaF& thecurrujt orR¢tOm￿ Prxaicc Accwnting and Rq￿Trg by Chalities {SORP 2W5X shom valu¢. The finaDcial #atrmeDLS inclth all asxts and liabiliti¢5 forwkn¢b the PCC is t¢5[￿ible in law. Tho. do n( tnclwk the of 8rn the purrMK for wh￿b thc LXMlowm¢nt ￿￿)lIshed in thc fir& pl￿. 77Kre aTE w￿lJ). Th) w¢h fi]tsJs uDderthe c￿trol of th PCC. Re51rictsdfvThb Compli￿ {al incoEDe from erknMineDts which is to E¢ &wa¥kd ott the rewict&l purrA)s tg. the dwor. aÈxl (bl rel.￿lle1￿Mi(￿ orgwts fy a $￿fiC PCC intcndd h. the ¢kny)r. Whu¢ thLX bave ￿)￿ent balance& iDter(st on iDvc&ttKDt is a￿￿ts011¢a to th¢ J]MJJ"iidual fimds on av¢Tag¢ balan¢¢ b￿lS Th¢ R¢stor8E￿ Fwxd •KI Fwxd are restricd a￿] d￿at1£￿t0 MisSi￿OrOther Charity are ￿s0 tr¢cd as restrictrd. when they rcsult frcffj a s￿ifiC dL￿￿10n Incoming resources d are reclaimd for the xccxmlingi'car athl the vcar. refiJt&s, ¢AILcrthan frwi th¢ Pish Giving Scheme, due lortk ￿]￿J Y￿￿ary to December 2022 •r id¢¥difjryJ in the IMLt arc inclthtsl i the figure5. GraDts aDd l¢gxi¢s arE ￿¢￿]n￿d forwlkT the PCC i$ lega]ty the att￿ts due. Diiidcnds are counted forwhen rettii'l¢. It￿￿1 15 tr￿u&J. All rAknitK4)u is re¢WX￿ il is rcL%irt&le. All incorri Resources expended rtlligation on the PCC. The dirKesan freewill otTer is X£wIkn￿ for in In￿al￿￿ Alw￿ts r￿e1V￿1 s￿lE¢&llY and is xcOun￿d forgrr￿S. Fixed assets Cowr8￿ 8llrt t•wfi¢¢ FKoF¢rty is m¢htha in in rKtorth with s.l(K2Ma) x1 {c)oftr¢ Chariti¢S A¢t2011. Movabk chwch fiunthn8s h¢ld lry th¢ rwr atMI chwchwardeJL8On special truA for thc PCC w4Jith i fKulty lordi5rM)sai are iDaii¢nablc p￿[￿rtY. ]i&ed ID the churclL'S invakn: whwb ¢• ￿ thyted (at any r¢¥AMthk tsme). For atty"th]ng pqwr¢d pnOr￿ 2(MM) there is J]Lwffi¢i•i c￿ infonwi￿ availAe a￿1 ttKr¢fo￿ 57th ar¢ not vajucd ID thc fmancial Aat¢m￿￿ UM11￿￿￿2] item co&more th￿£2.(￿MI athl I￿11'Y1th￿ itaDS olcquipllbxt Kc wrilten the a55¢t is x>4wrrd. valual at value at31 tkttmbcr. Page 3

2022 GENERAL FUND PaJe 4.1 2. INCOMING RESOURCES FuT¥ts Restsidtij TOTAL FUNDS TOTAL FUNDS X121 lal vol￿ Ir￿ P￿nj G6vlng Grft Ak1J- ￿lect Payments linc PGS >2426.871 - Green Envelcpes Nc4 Gfft Athytrj. Llreca Payments 41018.16 41018 16 42278.60 3136. 1W.IX) 752(6 75205 1455.31 47712.21 Gfft Myed. Yellow Envelope8 l¢ne offj Tax Redaim on Grft AA1202118rpJ PGS1£7.761.61 ￿ 20221 Tax Redaim on Organ Donthns OEgan Dthatons (Ind￿1r¥a £694.69 eXp￿￿￿t evÈrtsl 1595.45 16747.48 15￿ 45 76747.48 1117581 19428.42 431 09 10934.36 2643.72 2784 59 728.00 1¢YXKk. 53148. 53148.80 SI￿2.74 5577.49 3eo.o 12￿.0￿ 5182.74 281.47 Special Co1￿10r￿ & Donatiorr&12021 Ir￿ COWDI tknatK>n from fees Grant from Ei¢)¢ese fty Errgy Pur&￿¥¢$ Legacy 12KJ. 25417.14 1794. 784 40 1512 (Kl TJ1.¢X) 1791.36 784 40 1512 OD 231 OD 329 65 154 67 267 S(tl.21 ll￿￿60 1485 50 104.00 )85 669 20 151.90 Raffle lind £280 sold Fe5bve Fayrel maga￿De Income Inwrne trom FI￿rn. w&atting5 aTrJ Votwe cantt￿5 Miscellaneou8 Income Craft (>JikJ- adi¥ibes Craft OJihJ- flx Hall Hire Concert(2￿ . Beeme DrNel Chllstmas Festsve Fayre 100 Club 154.67 19J.30 2WJ 90 a).￿ 7e64.54 1WJ.30 rdw 90 2105 74 21¢ I Incom•from In￿&1ments Interest on DeP￿t Account Interest on Oarflruton Buik1irg SL Interest on Grft Avj Accoth)t 0.85 0.13 21dl Incomefrom Church xtMfle6 Fees 1359.OD 705 32 163.75 523.27 420. 705.32 163 75 5TJ.27 420.LXI 394.17 42.76 87.28 . Rertw Wer R31e Kirkknryton 8 Wowll Omer Inoynel2W21 Ordinatwjn exFerÉes from PlJnthoTpe aTrJ KJ"rkJe*iryton 5171.34 TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 1¥2.57 68444.82 154637.39 10969164

Pdge 4.2 RESOURCES &XPENDED Re51ridtiY TOT￿ FUNDS FuTr35 TOTAL FUNDS 2021 lal Church P£ll¥bts Mlnlstry. R&b)r Pari8h Free￿1 ofier for fx¢Ke8an Exper￿1￿21 . vacarKy T75.621 Water Rate . Curat•. ¥er .M685ion Gold cc6ts 6181XJ.INJ 2¢24 10 426.clj 618CIJ CO 2424 10 426 618W.00 171.(r2 c#J 64953.53 Chufch 2571.WJ 1520 21 32￿ 31 1(￿ 54 1388 (A) 2571.￿+ 15Tr.21 Ykn6.31 1C6.54 1388.rpJ 2398.74 1318.SS 3181.03 97.87 967.85 E￿an¢ty Insuran¢ Water Rate cteaning Organ Tuning & Mrlenarte 165. 138 91 140 165.oj 138.91 140. 280.C() ghteniry PrLeLJn TestirvJ120X 5Yew Te511 1QJ.( 372.60 klinor Maint￿On( Upkggpol SgTrrf( Candle5 Wine 8 8re•l 679.53 140.58 1271 12 110525 679.53 140.58 1271.12 1105.25 240.10 497.43 461.9J 349.16 3(KKJ.00 Pew Sheets Organi%t Organ￿1 Tukn'on Churchyarrj Upkeep 3495. 1010.C¥) 1010.(K) TTOi.48 Hire of Ha BaF4wn Cards Deanery PreceFrt RSCM & CCU membeTraip Prinbr¥J GThl Aid Envdo 108.20 120.LKI 108.20 120.00 2F2.00 507.59 8698 YJ2.03 5428.02 39).57 120.00 110.00 9)7.$9 80.57 324.91 1278.61 Charthes (see 91 730.(K¢ 144& Extr&)rdlnary Expendrture L￿hts￿d Repairs12021- Re£torWelcomel M￿rOphOnes(202l - Paya2 On ReJerl Rece IbJht ￿ t￿k8l12￿l_ pa￿ P(£t SpWI 613.80 85.74 126.IKI 613.80 8574 126.C 368.09 358.80 47.40 4bl Fund Ra151tya C¢*ts FunciNx151irt Owan everts£&94.691 3gaDne Printing Cosl of Ilty￿[s lin¢1 £300 i¢r artrfKk41 fiMr51 Cost of coffee & b￿Cuts ch[￿tmaS Fayre eyrws 1053.59 1529.98 5W2 71 397 85 289 00 27267 1359 78 98.20 141.24 1529.98 2.71 397.85 78.44 TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 87956.29 599).71 93947.(KJ 84514.05

2022 RESTORATION FUND Page 5 INCOMING RESOURCES TOTAL FUNDS 2022 TOTAL FUNDS 2021 2{al Voluntsry Income Donth"ons Grant from Lottery Herrlage FUTr VAT Relun¢J- LPW Grant Scheme OthwGr¥nts Tax Rebate 2428.76 2426.78 2426.76 2{bl Aetiviti8s forgtnernting funds Cash Onty Club1100 Clubl Miscellaneous evenls 2{cl Ineom• from in￿$￿•Ats Interest ¢m dgposr¢ acrA)unt- CBF Int•rest on Virgin Money account 31.08 85.60 33.90 2191 Other Income 5C#J.03 TOTAL 3112.36 3112.36 533.93 RESOURCES EXPENDED 31al Church Aetivrti•s RestoTrtion Fee. ￿￿hIte(l Roof Walkway Roof Insulab"on 1641. 7150 (XI 1820. 3893.11 5538.oj stont Wall RepaTrrs 2CI)42.71 2C#)42.71 1614.30 Other Exp•ndltur• Renew outsi￿ lights 1329.05 1329.05 1329.05 0.00 3{bl Fund Raising Costs TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 21371.76 21371.76 1614.30

Notes to the Accounts 2022 Pag¢8 {al STAFF COSTS Invoi¢¢d payments for Organist norn￿1 servtis 3.495.IKI 3.OCQ.IXI DurirrfJ the ￿8[ the PCC wracled in several oryani. K are sow •mpkW. and as su¢h do atlract S￿al security costs. (bl PAYMENTS TO PCC MEMBERS to his Servi￿5 as chairnan ofthe PCC. No 8xpens•s were paid to any (rther PCC member. persons dosety conne¢led to them or related parls. FJXED ASSETS The PCC has no asss as d&fin•d ￿ Ihè Accounting PdKies above (page 31 DEBTORS TOTAL TOTAL 2021 Fund Fund Cther Debtors January to December2022, ill be recovered during J)23. The esbm8t¢d amount is £6,223, and wll be accourrted lor in 2023 xcounts. This intlud¢s rerjaim fortax on srnall donations. whKh ill providg £2.C(KJ of irthm. CREDITORS Lcruals ulfity and other costs 2,579.50 2,579.50 2.555.86 GENERAL NOTES 8.1 Net nKJvement ￿ Gen￿￿ funds in the Y￿¥￿s Unrestsided Rèslitied {(Kgan ftwi Total (General Fund5) Net movement cl Restrtcted Reslorai#)n funds in the ywrwas 1.764.68 £62.454.11 £60,689.43 -£18.259.40 8.2 Valu& of Organ Fund at th¢ gnd of2022 wa$ £73,819.56 8.3 Balances b￿U9￿ foNArd indude histor￿[ legaoes as fokns.. General kcourrt." legaaes from 2()9 I￿ary in 2012 legacy in 2013 IwJaao$ in 2019 Restoralfion uwnl'. legacy in JJ11 cy in 2021 £18.C#)J.00 £5.Cth).CA) £5￿. £I,5￿.[M) £116.326.33 £5LK).03 8.4 Assign￿ Fees. A sum of£4.460.CO1£2.546.CO in 2021} has been paid to the Diocese. being the staluw F•&s Charyed for Ihe 5ervit•s of deryy to officiate at tEddings. funerals ar￿ th• like. 8.5 Purchase of ftems for sak leg. Cards. tea t￿￿1$. etcl are tMitl¢n off in th• ￿rof ptymer 8.6 Valu• ofnoffl￿I Sl¢xk is £5(Kl.(Kl. St￿k is contrdled Ix acCoW￿ for.

Notes to the Accounts 2022 9. Chaiity Donations- 2022 Tl)e following donab.ons V•ere m to Chty. TOT church Sportsornd Acirvili•s 514. 311. 8. Wattr￿ {H￿ 129.%) TOTAL 1.￿).10 2.28%62 9.11. Res•Hrc 510.75 9.12 RNU 51D.75 124.01 9.14. R•8qwth 146.r13 9.16. Htf H 147.67 TOT o. 3.14D.￿l 114040 TOTALS 9.19. Crf￿ 1.IrLg.70 1.Wts.70 GRIND TOTAL

Independent examiner’s report to the members/trustees of St Mary Magdalene Church, Yarm, PCC.

I report on the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2022, which are set out on pages 1 and 2.

Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and the Independent Examiner

The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility

• Examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act;

• Follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and

• State whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of Independent Examiner’s Statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission.

An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the management committee concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.

Independent Examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention

1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements

2. to keep accounting records in accordance with s.130 of the 2011 Act; or

3. to prepare accounts which accord with these accounting records have not been met; or

4. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Mr Philip Atkinson

30 Nursery Gardens, Yarm

March 2023