2023-12-31-accounts - The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Saint Swithun, Purley

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St. Swithun’s Church Grovelands Road, Purley CR8 4LB

Report and Financial Statements of the Parochial Church Council for the Year Ended 31st December 2023

Registered Charity No. 1130779

May 2024

Benefice of Purley St Swithun and St Mark ANNUAL REPORT of the Parochial Church Council of St Swithun for the Year Ended 31st December 2023

Administrative Information

Location - at the junction of Grovelands Road and Downlands Road, Purley. Working with St Marks to form the benefice of Purley St Swithun and St Mark The Benefice is in the Church Of England Diocese of Southwark, Croydon area South Croydon Deanery.

Incumbent: Rev’d Fiona Weaver.

Licensed Reader: Julian Pearcey

Whilst the two parishes remain independent of each other they are going through a process of transformation. Formally each parish retains its own elected Parochial Church Council (PCC) and is responsible for its own finances. The PCC’s of the 2 parishes from 2023 have joined and now meetings are bi-monthly.

Correspondence may be addressed to the Secretary of the PCC:

Mr Paul Sandford, 16 Downlands Road, Purley, CR8 4JE

Members of the PCC who have served from the APCM IN 2023 to the date of approval of this report are:

Chairperson	Rev’d Fiona Weaver -	Incumbent
Vice Chairperson	Ms Hazel Game
Churchwarden	VACANT
Deanery Synod
Representatives	Mr Paul Sandford	PCC Secretary
	Mr John Yorke
Treasurer	Mrs Yvonne Boyd
Elected Members	Mr Robert Page
	Mrs Evangeline Alli
	Mrs Jenny Blair-Ford	Safeguarding officer
	Mr Charles Blair-Ford
	Ms Hazel Game

Vicars APCM report Benefice of Purley St Mark and St Swithun

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit[20 ] and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matt 28:19-20

The last 2 verses of Matthew 28 are known as the Great Commission, and it is our commission. These verses reflect the legacy and the responsibility we have to share our faith and make new disciples. This is my first report addressing the Benefice rather than as individual parishes and this is how our thinking and planning needs to be as one. I know I will retire in 6- 7 years’ time and this passage is a reminder of our core task as a community of faith. It is what we need to focus on more intentionally. I have had several challenging and interesting conversations with the Archdeacon and the area dean and our PCC’s. We agree that the 2 parishes have strengths and weaknesses some different some shared. The responsibility we all have is to build on individual strengths whilst addressing the weaknesses. There is no magic formula! This is the main challenge we have ahead of us in the coming year. As I have reflected on the past year there are many moments of hope and encouragement and much to give thanks for.

Our 5 joint benefice services gave us chance to worship and pray together along with time to socialise at the BBQ and lunches. The Coronation Big Lunch was incredibly well attended and the garden was full. I have been encouraged by the attendance on the Pilgrim course and the study days. The Advent and Palm Sunday craft sessions continue to be much fun and well attended. I am pleased that the St Swithun’s Community Cinema continues to thrive and show a good variety of films. The St Marks ‘Place to be Café’ is also doing well, with a steady number of guests and our volunteers from both the congregation and Local community making new friends and providing much needed support, I enjoy my Friday afternoons at the Café. A good example of how an idea can become a reality when we have people who share a vision with us. My thanks to Lena and Evie who run the Café and to all the volunteers. It also led to our Accessible dementia friendly nativity service which was a great success and something we can build on. What also gives me hope is that I can see that we are working more and more as a joint benefice.

The away day was challenging and has given us much food for thought and actions to follow. I am grateful that once we had finally received the feedback from the Area Dean that Howard Marsh did an analysis of the responses. An immediate task for the new PCC will be picking up on the talents and gifts shared in that response. A task for the new PCC will be to use the Five Marks of Mission: Tell, Teach, Tend, Transform and Treasure format to produce a Benefice Vision.

It is easy to say what we need - I would like nothing more than to see a thriving Sunday school, more families attending, social events, different styles of worship and music, outreach events, etc etc but its harder to implement without willing and motivated people to lead them.

I believe we must start with what we can do and draw people in with the skills and gifts we have. That is where the revised questionnaire comes in and will be asking for not just comments and suggestions but also commitment to implement and action. None of this is new, I feel every year I have stressed the need to grow in faith and number and that we need to make changes in what we do. This may all sound a bit negative - make no mistake I have faith we can make the changes needed and I still feel positive even if a tad overwhelmed at times. I am incredibly grateful for the support and encouragement I have received especially

when I have been incredibly tired and overwhelmed, particularly after the major festivals or when difficult and some painful decisions had to be made.

Affirmation of what already happens is important and to be treasured – without the help and support of so many people we would not manage to do what we do. So many tasks – teas and coffees made, pews dusted, litter picked, flowers arranged, books put out, altar prepared, wine and wafers brought, home communions, rotas, gardens tidied, buildings maintained etc. - I could go on. The tasks are many and my thanks for help immense without which my life would be even busier.

At St Marks I am sure you will agree Tom has been an excellent lone warden, his wise counsel and wit have sustained and supported me and many others.

At St Swithun’s, without a warden, it has been an interesting learning curve. My thanks to the St Swithun’s members of the PCC for collectively acting as warden. Although without Hazel guiding, reminding, and keeping an eye on legislation and governance we would have not managed as well as we have.

I continue to appreciate the ministry of our Licensed Reader, Julian Pearcey he is supportive and understanding. His sense of humour, wise counsel, and organisational skills have, on more than one occasion, kept my sanity. I am thankful that in both Churches we have people who are dedicated to keeping our buildings and grounds in good order.

We are blessed that I do not need to preach every week. I am sure you will agree that both Julian Pearcey and Richard Gunning give us much food for thought with their excellent sermons. I am also grateful to them both for their liturgical input. Music is integral to our worship and my thanks go to Gillian Hope at St Swithun’s and Martin French at St Mark’s who continue to share their expertise with us and also the singing group and the choir. At this point I should mention that St Mark’s PCC did advertise for an organist/choir lead but no suitable candidate applied. We will be advertising again soon.

The experience and wise counsel that each member contributed to the PCC, standing and strategy committees has been invaluable. There have been many constructive lively debates regarding the governance of and future direction of our Benefice. Thank you to Sue Carter and Paul Sandford for sharing the PCC secretary role. We are fortunate that we have Sue Young in our Parish office without whom I would not be able to function. Her calmness, sense of humour and willingness to say “yes” when asked to do a huge variety of tasks and keep up to date with the changing legalities and protocols that go with Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals is invaluable to the Benefice.

Val Mottram and Sue Carter both do an incredible and complex juggling act in managing our halls and church bookings with such a variety of users and hirers and looking at new ways that they might bring in revenue. Regarding finance, I am thankful that we have the expertise and capable hands at St Swithuns of Yvonne Boyd and with Sarah Chartres and Ian Robinson at St Marks along with the finance committees. Both sets of accounts are managed, explained in an understandable way. I also thank Terry Cairns and Charles Blair-Ford for the Stewardship work they do. I am sure I have missed people out in my list of thanks - for that I apologise.

We can all see that there is much that we do to serve God already, and there is always more that we are invited to do. Mission, as expressed by Rowan Williams, is seeing where God is at work and joining in alongside, sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. Mission is, as I see it, the task to which we need to commit ourselves in the coming months and years. Our Benefice in common with many churches of all denominations, shapes and sizes, has seen a decline in numbers over the years – particularly in the under 50s, families, and children – and we, along with all these other churches, will have to focus our energy on building our numbers.

God will not mind whether they are 4, 44, 74 or 104 years of age – all God will mind is that they know of God's presence in our world and in their lives. We are each on a journey of faith – a journey which is never static, a journey along which is there is more to see, more to explore, more to encounter. As you respond to the survey/ questionnaire consider where you could be making a difference, where you could share your skills, where you could invite others to join in.

I conclude with something I shared a few weeks ago in a sermon.

“Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth ‘thrown in’: aim at Earth and you will get neither.” – the words of C.S. Lewis.

We, as Christians, have a legacy to leave, and it's all about a love of Christ to permeate the hearts of all of the people out there, that don't know him and do know him.

How important to each of us is that our benefice thrives because we have shared the covenant passed on to us? What is our legacy as a benefice? What are any of us contributing to that legacy? These are the questions that face us in the coming year. This is our faith, we believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we say as part of the Affirmation of Faith. It is my faith, your faith, our faith – let us make it the faith of others.

Rev’d Fiona

Benefice of Purley St Swithun and St Mark ANNUAL REPORT of the Parochial Church Council of St Swithun for the Year Ended 31st December 2023

Structure, governance & management

The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure of the Church of England. The PCC is a charity registered with the Charity Commission (number 1130779). The Trustees of the charity are the members of the PCC.

The PCC is appointed annually as set out in the Church Representation Rules. The PCC consists, ex-officio, of Vicar; churchwarden (although no one was appointed in 2023); and Synod representatives; together with the PCC members who are elected by members of the congregation on the parish Electoral Roll. The PCC is responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish, including decisions on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent.

St Swithun and St Marks are moving from the present arrangement of two churches one Benefice to the possible establishment of a single Parish. Although this has been a vague direction for some time, it was brought into sharp focus when no churchwarden was appointed at St Swithun’s and a not unlikely prospect of the same at St Marks. Both Churches have seen a slow decline in congregation numbers and fewer people willing to take on the wider support duties within the respective PCCs. Several important steps have been taken to address this.

Following discussions with the Archdeacon, it was agreed that the two PCCs could together to form a United Benefice Joint PCC. The new structure was approved at a joint meeting held at St Swithun’s on 22[nd] August. While not an alternative to the requirement for at least one warden at each church, the new structure can go some way to the need to share talents and resources. This was followed by a half day ‘Mission Action Planning Vision Day’ bringing together the congregations of both churches to focus on what we do well, what we must develop and how to reach out more effectively in the local community. The vision day was based around the ’Five Marks of Mission: Tell, Teach, Tend, Transform and Treasure.

The current active committees are the Finance and Stewardship chaired by Yvonne Boyd and the Social Committee.

Purposes and Objectives

St Swithun’s PCC has the responsibility of cooperating with the Incumbent in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church - pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also responsible for the maintenance of the church building, the church hall and the surrounding grounds; and for ensuring that the parish’s finances and accounting records are in good order.

The joint benefice PCC is committed to growing in faith and number and the Diocese of Southwark Vision is Christ Centred, Outward Focused.

We are also committed to the five marks of mission.

TELL – Proclaim the message of the kingdom (EASTER!). TEACH– Teach, nurture and baptize new members. TEND – Serve those in need. TRANSFORM – Transform (injustice/racism/abuse/violence). TREASURE – Strive to safe-guard creation.

St Swithun’s PCC In the absence of a churchwarden the PCC acts jointly as the warden. This year the PCC met 6 times. The first meeting on 14 June 2023, was for members of St Swithun’s PCC. A special PCC meeting in attendance by both St Mark’s and St Swithun’s took place on 21 June 2023 which considered Inner Growth; Outreach; Governance and Formalities to consider bringing the two PCC’s together to form a Joint Benefice PCC. Meetings from then on were for the Benefice of Purley St Swithun’s & St Mark’s joint PCC. The JBPCC approved plans to develop the Penny Norris Suite; The Pilgrim’s Course; Altar Tapestry; The Advent Program ‘Follow the Star’; Diocesan Pledge; Social Events such as the Harvest Festival & Patronal Festivals and the Epiphany Party Event; Safeguarding; health & safety issues including fire extinguishers; re-ordering of the St Mark’s library; St Swithun’s Quinquennial Report; United Benefice Away Day and consideration of matters arising. A revised version of the questionnaire which was distributed at the United Benefice Away Day will be circulated to all attendees at this year’s APCM.

Worship 11 am Sunday worship,(unless we have a joint benefice service) Eucharistic on the 1[st] , 3[rd] and 5[th] Sundays in each month and Morning Praise service on the 2[nd] and 4[th] Sundays. There is a said midweek service at 9.30 am every Wednesday. Regular attendance at St Swithun’s has been declining slowly in recent years although it had about 29 regular members attending on Sundays in 2023 (“regular” meaning a person who attends at least once a month). We welcomed into baptism, 1 adult and 2 teenagers for confirmation. There was 1 wedding and 4 baptisms.

Music We are grateful to Gillian Hope who has continued to play at our services throughout the year and to Michael Pilkington who has kindly stood in on occasions when Gillian has been unable to play. Gillian also nurtures our singing group, who come together to rehearse an anthem to sing during Morning Praise once or twice a month.

Faith and Nurture It continues to be important to us that we grow in faith there are a number of house groups across the benefice and we have started to work through the Pilgrim course. We have continued to have Advent and Lent study programmes and are in the process of reviving our house groups across the benefice.

Children and young people The number of children and young people under 16 attending St Swithun’s regularly has fallen greatly, although we do have some new families and we are trying to find ways to work with them. For younger children we maintain a small area at the

back of the church where there are children’s books and activity sheets. We are also in the process of setting up a ‘young mens’ youth chill and chat group.

Pastoral Care Pastoral care is carried out naturally through individual members ensuring we keep a check on each other and informing the churchwarden or vicar if there are issues. We continue to value our special relationship with the residents of Carlene House (a residence for adults with learning difficulties or special needs). Many of the residents regularly attended our Sunday services, and social events and members of the congregation have attended events at Carlene House. We work to ensure we can be as welcoming and inclusive as possible in worship and all our activities.

Safeguarding and Privacy Jenny Blair Ford is our safeguarding officer. Safeguarding is a standing item on the PCC’s Agenda. Safeguarding and safe recruitment of both staff and volunteers are paramount to the benefice’s approach to carrying out its mission. The PCC is fully committed to ensuring that our church and related premises are safe places for all who use them, including children and vulnerable adults. Safeguarding now appears as a regular item on PCC agendas. In line with Diocesan policy all PCC, DBS checks are carried out in line with regulations for all PCC members. The charity is fully compliant with Diocesan safeguarding requirements. We are aware of our responsibilities in holding a range of personal information and, steps are taken to ensure compliance with GDPR legislation across all activities. This year we had a safeguarding issue re a homeless person gaining access into the church hall boiler room. This took some time to resolve. We managed to get help from Croydon Outreach and the Safer neighborhood team. Having got him housed the person then returned but this time gained access to the lower hall. Safeguarding issues again raised and our guest was moved on. Our thanks go to Nick Mottram for securing both boiler and hall and also working with our hall hirers to ensure they had their own risk assessment on this issue. Jenny has also been reviewing the DBS status of the PCC. The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have due regard to the House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).

The Christmas Parcels Scheme continues to be incredibly successful and is now a benefice project lead by St Swithun’s. It has been operating for over 40 years, supporting charities working with people in need in the Southwark Diocese by distributing parcels of food, toys and gifts donated by parishioners at a benefice service on Gift Sunday, together with vouchers bought with money donated. Damaris Weller continued to coordinate this effort in 2023, when we gathered funds to make up 69 boxes of groceries and provide gifts of supermarket vouchers/cash. Altogether our gifts reached 52 single, needy people and 17 families, at Bede House Southwark, St Mary’s Bermondsey and Age U.K. Walworth. Copleston Diocesan Day Centre in Peckham chose to receive groceries and a cheque towards their Food Bank.

Croydon Churches Floating Shelter (CCFS) / Night Watch . CCFS no longer operates a shelter. St Swithun’s and St Mark’s participated in the replacement scheme that provides sandwiches and snacks to be taken to Night Watch. Our commitment was for 1 night a week for 7 weeks.

Purley Food Hub and Other Donations Purley Food Hub is a Churches Together in Purley & Kenley initiative, based at Purley URC. Members of St Swithun’s congregation continue to support the hub with contributions. Damaris Weller coordinates and delivers our donations and Rev’d Fiona is a Trustee and volunteers as a driver delivering food. Members of our congregation donated various other beneficial items such as clothes, bedlinen and duvets which were taken to the local refugee centre, books that were given to Purley URC’s Book Fair, and baby clothes/equipment and toys, which went to Growbaby run by Montpelier Church, South Croydon.

Communications We have an online presence with website and Facebook. We also use (internal and external) notice boards to promote our activities, displaying services, social activities, and Deanery/Diocesan events. We email our notice sheet and readings each week via our Gmail account to keep in contact with our congregation and friends of St Swithun.

Social Activities Our Community Cinema (previously “The Film Club”) has continued to be active through the year, with a break during the Advent and Christmas season. Films were shown once a month in the Carter Room (with refreshments) and this has proved to be increasingly popular with attendance generally rising. We started 2023 with a successful evening of table-top quizzes and puzzles around the church hall and Italian themed home cooked food for our Epiphany Supper. In April we supplemented St Mark’s Patronal lunch with several desserts, similarly the joint benefice Harvest Festival. For St Swithun’s Patronal celebration in July there was a splendid barbecue masterminded by Wazir Alli, with a range of salads and puddings. The strong men from both congregations and families helped set up the heavy tables and gazebos. Profits went into the charity fund. It was not possible this year to hold an Advent Tea Party for charity, but the committee helped with catering for the Christmas Carols and other celebrations.

Ecumenical Relationships The church is a member of Churches Together in Purley and Kenley. We are also in a trial relationship with the Syriac Orthodox Church – with agreement from the Archdeacon this will be reviewed by the end of May.

Electoral Roll The roll underwent its annual revision prior to the 2024 APCM and all the necessary procedures were carried out. The revised roll for 2024 now consists of 44 names. This is a net loss of one name since 2023.

Deanery Synod Our lay representatives on the Deanery Synod for the past 4 years have been Paul Sandford and John Yorke. Rev’d Fiona serves on the Deanery Pastoral committee that governs Synod business.

Ornaments of the Church The church plate, vestments and ornaments of the church are all present and have not changed since at least 2021. It was suggested at the church annual inspection in 2022, by the then Archdeacon, that we should improve the photographic records we have of our church plate and ornaments, particularly for insurance purposes. This is an ongoing project that will continue in 2024.

Buildings and Grounds Maintenance (Fabric Report)

Work on the fabric of the church and hall has continued to be restricted to essential work only, due to our difficult financial situation following a drop in income.

Checks and inspections were carried out as follows: the Gas Safety Check Test in March 2023, and the Portable Appliance Test (PAT) and fire extinguishers test in November 2023. The gutters and down pipes drains were cleared in March 2023.

The lighting in the chancel and the sanctuary was replaced in January 2024 with new LED light fittings and at the same time a few remaining non-LED light bulbs in the nave chandeliers were replaced with LED lamps and two defective lamp holders were replaced. No action was taken to stop the small leak in the roof over the chancel that was mentioned in last year’s report and, although that leak seems to have stopped, there is now fresh evidence of a leak above the vestry. This needs to be looked at and rectified as soon as possible.

The safety check of all the trees on the site for dead or decaying branches, referred to in last year’s report, was not carried out. This needs to be carried out by a qualified tree inspector. However, several trees considered unsafe by a tree surgeon were felled and others cut back in June 2023. Some tree branches that were overhanging two of the streetlights in Downlands Road were also cut back following complaints from residents about the loss of light from the lamp columns.

A few minor repairs were carried out in the church hall, including the replacement of two luminaires, and following a security issue we fitted new locks. There is still a lot of maintenance work that needs to be carried out there. It would be desirable to make improvements generally to the hall and this is something that needs to be considered in the future.

One Thursday each month, the Gardening Group (which comprises church members) meets to maintain the church grounds. A paid gardener also tends to the grounds periodically. Litter in the church grounds is an on-going problem, particularly in the Garden of Remembrance. and on the bank below the south porch. Members of the congregation are encouraged to do some litter picking when they can with waste bags being provided for this purpose at the back of the church.

In 2023, it was time for the Quinquennial Inspection. Our previous architect/inspector had retired and we appointed a new inspector: Mr Paul Sharrock of Thomas Ford and Partners, who carried out the inspection in July 2023. As a result of his inspection, he reported that no urgent work was necessary but some items were recommended as follows:

Item No.	Work Recommended	When the Work Requires Attention
1.	Replace missing copper flashing to porch roof	Within the next 12 months
2.	Review detail of flashings to the north-west porch roof	Within the next 12-24 months
3.	Review capacity of gutters and downpipes from lower roofs	Ditto
4.	Clear the sycamore and saplings from the western boundary	Ditto
5.	Redecorate painted soffits	Within the next 4 years
6.	Repair rotted section of door frame to the boiler room	Ditto
7.	Repair damaged render near steps to the south- west porch	Ditto
8.	Adjust detail of rainwater pipe on south-west side	No timescale (this is a desirable improvement)
9.	Redecorate detail of rainwater pipe on south- west side	Ditto
10.	Replace the external protection to the stained glass	Ditto
11.	Repair plaster to the Gallery front and redecorate	Ditto

Treasurer’s Report for the year ended 31[st] December 2023

The 2023 financial results for the Parish showed that there was a deficit of income over expenditure of £13,957 on the General Fund (2022 £4,676). Total income remained at the same level as 2022 with small increases in pledged giving, collections and rental income. These increases were more than offset by the suspension of the Diocesan fuel grant.

Rising inflation and increases in energy costs resulted in a more than 10% increase in operating costs. The effect of this was that net hall rental income was down from £11,419 to £9,157. On a positive note, hall rentals continue to pick up post Covid and both energy costs and inflation are forecast to fall in 2024. Church rental income will improve in 2024 as members of the Syriac Church have become regular users of the church and Carter room.

The Parish Support Fund is the largest expenditure and was £46,800, a rise of 2% on the previous year. This is forecast to increase by approximately 3% in 2024, as recommended by the Diocese.

The other recurring administration costs of running the Parish are well controlled and kept to a minimum thanks to the efforts of volunteers within the Parish. Special mention must go to Val and Nick Mottram for their hard work in promoting the hall and managing lettings.

The PCC approved an outlay of £1,446 for new LED lighting in 2023, with a further £810 spent in 2024. Other non-recurring costs were architect’s fees of £1,428 for the Quinquennial Inspection of the church buildings and £1,650 for the felling of trees in the church grounds.

Cash flow has been a problem again this year with expenditure exceeding income each month and this necessitated the sale of £30,000 of investments, the sale realising a small gain of £467. In consequence, investment income was down but rising interest rates ensured that this fall in income was small. Stock markets have improved in 2023 and as a result our investments held in funds managed by the CBF have increased in value by 9.5%.

The Charities Fund balance now stands at £9,597 and it is some years since payments were made to the Charities supported by the Parish. It is proposed that, in 2024, the charities supported by the Parish are reaffirmed and payments made accordingly.

The Audit review highlighted that invoicing for rental income should be fully documented and that the tax reclaim should be brought up to date and consideration given to claiming more frequently.

The transfer of the role of Treasurer from Robert Page to Yvonne Boyd has been completed and Yvonne would like to place on record her thanks to Robert for his help.

Financial Risk Management The financial risks facing the PCC were discussed by the Stewardship and Finance Committee during 2016. The controls which are in place to manage those risks were also reviewed. The conclusions of this review were outlined in our earlier report dated April 2017. A further review, which should have been carried out during 2021, was postponed due to Covid and has not yet been carried out.

Policy on Reserves The PCC’s policy on Reserves was fully explained in our earlier annual report dated April 2010. There have been no changes to that policy.

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 21[st] April 2024, and signed on its behalf by:

Rev’d Fiona Weaver Vicar of Benefice of Purley St Mark and St Swithun

Independent Examiner’s Report to the PCC of St. Swithun’s Church, Purley

I report on the accounts for the year ended 31st December 2023, which are set out on the Statement of Financial Activities, Balance Sheet and Associated Notes.

Respective responsibilities of the members of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) and of the Independent Examiner

As the members of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts; you 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 to:

examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act.
follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under Section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act
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 PCC 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 you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in a full audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.

Independent Examiner’s Statement

In connection with my examination, no matters have come to my attention:-

(1) which give me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
• to prepare accounts which accord with these accounting records, have not been met; or
(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Andrew Harker, FCCA 1[st] May, 2024 57, The Fieldings, Southwater, Horsham, W. Sussex RH13 9LZ

St Swithun’s Church, Purley

Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31st December 2023

Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31st December 2023

Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Restricted	Endowment	Total	Funds
	Funds	Funds	Funds	2023	2022
Incoming Resources	£	£	£	£	£
Incoming resources from donors
- pledged giving	24359			24359	23244
- other collections at services	2093			2093	2406
- income tax recoverable	6470	180		6650	7497
- donations		730		730	1113
- legacies
Incoming resources from activities
- fees, rent, refreshments	4142			4142	4313
- hall lettings	20919			20919	18511
- fund raising activities		1363		1363	1644
Incoming resources from investments	3695			3695	3811
Other income	0			0	1400
Total incoming resources	61678	2273		63951	63939
Resources Expended
- costs of fund-raising					169
- grants		1083		1083	1637
- costs directly relating to the work of
the church
(i) Parish Support Fund	46800			46800	45840
(ii) other recurring expenses	26528			26528	18852
(iii) fabric and equipment	2874			2874	3426
- governance costs	378			378	200
Total resources expended	76580	1083		77663	70124
Net incoming resources	-14902	1190		-13712	-6185
Gains on Investments (realised)	467			467
Gains on Investments(unrealised)	7420		1707	9127	-16886
Net Movement of Funds	-7015	1190	1707	-4118	-23071
Balances brought forward	108535	16445	18151	143131	166202
Balances carried forward	101520	17635	19858	139013	143131

St Swithun’s Church, Purley

Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31st December 2023

Balance Sheet as at 31st December 2023

2023 £ £ 0 86295 19858 106153 20812 9438 4253 34503 140656 1643 1643 139013 101520 17635 19858 139013	2022 £ £ 0 108406 18151 126557 14559 7372 3753 25684 152241 9110 9110 143131 108535 16445 18151 143131	2022 £ £ 0 108406 18151 126557 14559 7372 3753 25684 152241 9110 9110 143131 108535 16445 18151 143131
20812 9438 4253	14559 7372 3753
1643	9110
		152241 9110
101520 17635 19858	108535 16445 18151
		143131
		143131

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 21st April 2024, and signed on its behalf by:

Rev’d Fiona Weaver, Vicar

Yvonne Boyd, Treasurer

The notes on pages13 through 19 form part of these financial statements.

St Swithun’s Church, Purley

Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31st December 2023

Note 1: Accounting Standards and Policies

The accounts have been prepared using the accruals method of accounting. Their presentation incorporates the 2015 Statement of Recommended Practice (“SORP”) and the Financial Reporting Standard 102 (“FRS 102”) for Charities.

The statements have been prepared following the model set of accounting policies given in the Guidance Notes issued by the Diocesan Accounts Group, with the following variations:

Funds raised by fund-raising activities are accounted for gross, except when proceeds of independently-organised events are handed over to the treasurer net of the organiser’s expenses;
Individual items of equipment for use within the church premises or otherwise for the purposes of the PCC, and having a purchase price of £1600 or less, are written off when the asset is acquired.

Note 2: Tangible Fixed Assets

The tangible fixed assets of the PCC comprise the freehold land and building of the Church Hall. No value is placed on the Church Hall, since the PCC considers it to be inalienable property, based on functional considerations.

Note 3: Debtors		2023		2022
Pre-payments for goods and services	0		0
Accrued income	512		0
Income Tax recoverable	20300	13650
Other debtors	0		909
		£20812		14559
Note 4: Creditors		2023		2022
Deferred income	0		2400
Creditors for goods and services	1413		4533
Other creditors	230		2177
		£1643		£9110

St Swithun’s Church, Purley

Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31st December 2023

Note 5: Specific Fund Balances at 31st December 2023

Unrestricted Funds See Note General Fund 6 General Reserve Fabric Reserve 8 General Purposes Legacies Fund 11.1 Lionel Ralph Legacy 11.2 Rev Donald Broad Legacy 11.3 Restricted Funds Charities Fund 10 Organ Fund Christmas Parcels Scheme 9 Endowment Funds Richards Trust 11.4	2023 £ £ 0 6614 645 32213 43899 18149 101520 101520 9597 7675 363 17635 17635 19858 19858 139013	2022 £ 0 6614 645 44685 40124 16467
	101520 9597 7675 363	108535 8234 7675 536
	17635 19858	16445 18151
		143131

Note 6: General Fund Account

The General Fund receives directly all income of the PCC, only excepting donations made in support of external charities, proceeds of fund-raising events, and investment income generated by moneys held in certain other funds. All running and routine maintenance expenses of the church’s buildings and grounds are charged to the fund, together with all expenses related to worship and the clergy, and the annual contribution to the Parish Support Fund of the Diocese of Southwark. Any surplus of income over expenditure in the fund at year-end will be transferred to the Fabric Reserve.

St Swithun’s Church, Purley

Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31st December 2023

Note 6: General Fund Account

2023 £ 24359 6470 2093 0 32922 3194 9157 3833 310 0 13300 0 49416 753 2824 4413 384 0 372 281 1932 52 686 1428 2715 355 0 16195 46800 0 378 63373 -13957 49416	2022 23244 7297 1759 290	2022 23244 7297 1759 290
9157 3833 310 0	11419 3996 184 132	32590 3403 15731
753 2824 4413 384 0 372 281 1932 52 686 1428 2715 355 0	1068 2624 2936 144 286 744 408 1774 0 693 0 725 358 0
		1400
		53124
		11760 45840 0 200

		57800 -4676
		53124

St Swithun’s Church, Purley

Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31st December 2023

Note 7: Church Hall Income & Expenses

Income Income from lettings Total income Expenditure Gas & Electricity Water Cleaning Gas appliance servicing & repair Fire precautions Music reproduction licence Minor repairs and sundry Total expenditure Net Income	2023 2022 £ £ £ 20919 18511 20919 18511 7543 4045 271 82 2704 2568 108 96 255 147 45 41 836 113 11762 7092 9157 11419
	7543 271 2704 108 255 45 836

Note 8: Fabric Reserve Account

The Church Fabric Reserve exists to provide funding for the cyclical maintenance needs of, and if possible for significant improvements to, the church’s buildings, furnishings and grounds.

Income Transfer from General Fund Total income Expenditure Water-repellant treatment of west wall Replacement of smoke detectors on vestry stair 5-yearly inspection of church hall electrical system Total expenditure Balance brought forward Balance as at 31st December 2023	2023 2022 £ £ £ 0 0 0 0 636 336 594 0 1566 645 2211 645 645

St Swithun’s Church, Purley

Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31st December 2023

Note 9: Christmas Parcels Scheme Account

The Christmas Parcels Scheme aims to bring a little Christmas cheer to needy families and individuals in the poorer parts of the Diocese with gift packages of toys, treats and vouchers

Income Donations Income tax recoverable Total income Expenditure Groceries, vouchers, coins etc Net income Balance brought forward Balance as at 31st December 2023	2023 2022 £ £ £ 730 823 180 200 910 1023 1083 989 (173) 34 536 502 363 536

Note 10: Charities Fund Account

The PCC has suspended its commitment to give a portion of its income to charitable giving. This decision will be kept under review. Proceeds of fund-raising events such as the annual Plant Sale and the Patronal Festival barbecue are credited to the fund, together with any donations made specifically to the Fund.

Income Plant Sale Parish barbecue (Patronal) tickets Epiphany Quiz night Mindfulness course donations Community Cinema, Messy Church Total income Expenditure Expenses of fund-raising events Total expenditure Net Income Balance brought forward Balance as at 31st December 2023, available for distribution	2023 2022 £ £ £ 50 1018 425 460 440 80 368 166 1363 1644 0 169 0 169 1363 1475 8234 6759 9597 8234
	0

St Swithun’s Church, Purley

Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31st December 2023

Note 11: Legacy Funds

11.1 General Purposes Legacies Fund

All legacies received for the general purposes of the PCC are placed in the General Purposes Legacies Fund. It is the policy of the PCC that these funds should be reserved for significant improvements to the church buildings, grounds and furnishings, or to finance developments in the church’s mission. Income generated by the funds is credited to the General Fund.

			2023	2022
		£	£	£
	Income
	Legacies
	Total Income		0		0
	Expenditure
	New boiler in Carter Room			1860
	New LED Lighting	1446
	Transfer to balance General Fund deficit	13957		4676
	Total expenditure		15403	6536
	Net expenditure		15403	6536
	Realised gain on investments sold		467
	Increase (Decrease) in value of CBF
	Shares to 31.12.23		2464	(7434)
	Balance brought forward		44685	58655
	Balance as at 31st December 2023		32213	44685
11.2	Lionel Ralph Legacy
	Balance brought forward (market value of
	investments at 31st December 2022)		40124
	1942 shares, CBF Investment Fund
	Increase in value of investments
	Increase in value of CBF shares to 31.12.23		3775
	Balance as at 31st December 2023			43899

St Swithun’s Church, Purley

Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31st December 2023

Note 11: Legacy Funds (continued)

11.3 Rev. Donald Broad Legacy

The legacy from Rev’d Donald Broad was assigned by the PCC to set up a bursary fund for discretionary use by the PCC to assist with training or travel costs for clergy or laity on church business, and to assist younger members travelling abroad for charitable purposes.

Income Dividends received Interest received Total income Expenditure Total expenditure Net Income Increase (Decrease) in value of CBF Shares to 31.12.23 Balance brought forward Balance as at 31 December 2023	2023 2022 £ £ £ 376 374 124 34 500 408 0 0 500 408 1182 (1676) 16467 17735 18149 16467

11.4 Richards Trust

Balance brought forward (market value of investments at 31st December 2022) 878.49 shares, CBF Investment Fund Increase in value of investments Increase in value of CBF shares to 31.12.23 Balance as at 31st December 2023	18151 1707 19858

Note: The investments are held by the South London Church Fund and Southwark Diocesan Board of Finance, acting as Custodian Trustee.