2023-12-31-accounts - The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of St James The Great Dursley With St Mark's Woodmancote

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator. This document is also available as Markdown.

St.James the Great In the Heart of the Community APCM 19th May 20 Group Reports and Accounts

APCM Agenda 19[th] May 2024

Meetings to be held in St James the Great Church

on Sunday 19[th] May 2024 at 11.30am

MEETING OF THE PARISHIONERS FOR THE ELECTION OF CHURCHWARDENS

Opening prayers
Appointment of clerk to the meetings
Apologies for absence
Minutes of previous meeting on 30[th] April 2023
Election of Churchwardens

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING

Minutes of previous meeting on 30[th] April 2023
Matters arising from the minutes
Electoral Roll Officer’s report
Treasurer’s report to include presentation of Financial Statements for the year ended 31[st] December 2023
Appointment of an Independent Examiner
Annual Report to include:
Report on the fabric, goods and ornaments of the parish Report on the proceedings of the Deanery Synod
Safeguarding
Trustee’s report
Other reports
Election of new PCC members
Election of Sidesmen and women
Matters of parochial interest

MEETING OF THE NEW PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL

Election of Vice Chairman
Appointment of PCC Secretary
Appointment of Treasurer
Foundation Governor nomination
Date of next meeting: Wednesday 24[th] July 2024

Venue TBC

Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting Sunday, 30th April 2023 in the Parish Centre of St James

Present: Canon Michael Cozens, Edwina Walton (Secretary), Sally Pearson (Treasurer), Elizabeth Byrne, Ann King, Tony King, Adrian Mather, Gill Mather, Kathie Rebbeck, Susan Gibson, Duncan Gibson, David Curtis, Margaret Curtis, Geoff Whiley, Harry Atkinson, Anne Shipton, David Smith, Elizabeth Oakley, Austin Meares, Valerie Meares, Matt Wood, Sally Hayward, Revd Jane Wood, Jennifer Leighton, David Vonberg, Heather Arnold, Chris Raffle, Sally Arnold, Jacquelin Hill, John Ewer, Glennis Ewer, Joy Pepper, Jan Vonberg. NB John and Glennis Ewer arrived at 12.33pm.

Apologies for Absence: Chris Tyler, Rachel Tyler, Clive Orchard, Ann Orchard, Phillip Staddon, Judith Staddon, Caroline Marrow, Stepanie Say, Clare White, Gill Cozens, Tom Arnold, Anthea Fittall, Lynn James. Minutes of the previous meeting held on 22nd May, 2022: There were two corrections:

The Electoral Roll should read 147 not 150
David Smith did not stand down as a Deanery Synod
Representative.

It was proposed by Chris Morgan and seconded by Liz Byrne that the minutes be accepted as a true record of the meeting. This was agreed. Matters Arising from the Minutes: The Treasurer pointed out that the Independent Examiner is no longer AZETS but R.D. Consultancy.

Electoral Roll Officer's Report: The year started with a base of 147. 3 have died and we have gained. The Electoral Role now stands at 155. Chris Raffle stated she was willing to stand as Electoral Roll Officer. This was proposed by Heather Arnold and seconded by Edwina Walton.

Treasurer's Report to include presentation of Financial Statements

for the year ended 31st December 2022: The presentation of this report is a legal obligation. The overall position is not substantially different from last year.

The Parish Share of £48,000. The budget was set this year for £42,000. We are not in a dissimilar position to other Parishes. Before Covid, we were regularly exceeding our Parish Share commitment. The issue is being kept under review by the PCC.

Last year, AZETS was our independent examiner. The fee was increased for this year and would continue to rise in subsequent years. In light of this, both Uley and Dursley PCCs asked the Treasurer to find a new independent examiner. Rhian Davies was appointed for this year. She has experience of church accounts and offers flexibility. The Treasurer recommended we appoint her again.

In response to a question, the Treasurer, Sally Pearson, said the closure of St Mark's would have little impact on our Parish Share as this is calculated on the number of Parishioners and the income was from the combined churches. Those parishioners from St Mark's are now part of St James. There are endowment plans and trust funds attached to St Mark's and it is the responsibility of the Trustees to determine what happens to those accounts.

The full share stands at £75,000 for St James and £25,000 for St Giles.

Harry Atkinson proposed the accounts be approved. This was seconded by Anne Shipton. All agreed.
Sally Pearson proposed we employ the services of R.D.

Accountancy. This was seconded by Kathie Rebbeck. All agreed. Canon Michael thanked Sally Pearson for all her hard work on the accounts. It was noted that Sally is the only person with a comprehensive understanding of the church accounts and it would be helpful to have someone to shadow her as an assistant to learn about Parish Accounting. If anyone would like to do this or knows of someone who may like to fulfil this role, please let Sally know. This could be someone from outside our worshipping community. It is important that more than one person has knowledge of these accounts. Annual Report to include:

i. Report on the fabric', goods and ornaments of the parish

ii. Report on the proceedings of the Deanery Synod

iii. Report from Churchwardens

iv. Safeguarding

i After an interesting year, many of the jobs are ongoing e.g. the electrics are never finished and continue to need updating. The coming year will see the need for fundraising in order to achieve the two main projects: the servicing and repair of the organ and the problem with the heating to be resolved. Chris Morgan was able to give a clear appraisal of the situation regarding the heating in the church. The main problem is with the control panel, which seems to be unable to be controlled, meaning it is very erratic - sometimes it switches the heating on when the church is closed and fails to come on in time to heat the church before it is used. An engineer was called out of retirement and said the system was inappropriate for our needs as it is generally used for buildings such as schools and factories, with multiple buildings and a caretaker to manage it. A new control panel has been ordered and, once fitted, we will know if there is a problem with the pump and boiler. The long-term solution would be to replace the boiler; Jan Vonberg is in consultation with the Diocese regarding eco alternatives.

ii The Deanery Synod meets 3-4 times a year. The main focus has been the Deanery Strategic Plan, which has prioritised finance, governance

and administration, local ministry, teams, growth and buildings. There is great benefit in the parishes working together, sharing resources and support.

David Smith and Elizabeth Oakley were thanked for their work during their 3 year term as Deanery Synod representatives. David Smith was willing to stand for a further term

Proposer: Jan Vonberg Seconder: Chris Morgan All agreed There are 2 vacancies for Deanery Synod representatives

iii Much time has been spent on fabric issues, including obtaining permission for the new notice boards in the porch, getting repairs done, including the wall in the churchyard, and the heating, resulting in the ordering of a new control unit. Routine maintenance was carried out checking the electrics, cleaning the valleys and gutters, spring cleaning the church and tidying up the churchyard.

There have been a few cases of minor vandalism but no lasting damage. In addition to services in church there have been quite a few concerts and an excellent art exhibition. After service coffee restarted, and various events with catering, including the Queen’s Jubilee, Harvest lunch and Christmas Carvery all resumed.

Thanks to all those volunteers without whom we would not survive, and as always, we could do with more, including in particular, sides men, especially for Evensong.

iv Safeguarding is a standard item on the agenda of every PCC meeting and the Parish Safeguarding Officer usually attends these meetings. Having adopted the Safeguarding Handbook and Dashboards our policies are reviewed regularly and DBS checks are kept up to date. PCC embers, as trustees, are undertaking online training, which is almost complete.

Other Reports: THESE REPORTS WERE FOUND IN THE BOOKLET PRODUCED FOR THE APCM.

Eco-Church: Canon Michael expressed thanks to Gill Mather and Jn Vonberg for their work. Gill reported that both the swift boxes in the tower and the information board in the churchyard were about to be installed.

Dursley Primary Academy:

2022 saw the continued return to a more usual school routine, following the restrictions of the previous two years. School trips were able to resume and there was greater mixing in the playground. Whole school Collective Worship resumed, with visiting Clergy and the Open The Book Team in school once again. This year Years 1 and 2 were invited to the hall and seemed to very much enjoy the weekly performances.

It was a delight for every class in the school to once more be able to take part in Experience Easter. Another opportunity for Years 1 and 2 to have an outside trip to church, this time St James, arose in July when the three classes came throughout one day to take part in Count on Nature where a variety of related activities were on offer.

Family Fun sessions were able to take place in all phases of the school. It was lovely to be able to invite parents back in to school to join in activities with their children who loved the opportunity to show their parents what they have been learning.

The various sports teams were once again able to take part in the local Primary schools’ tournaments and the District Sports track events were held on the school field. Sports Day events also made a return to the school calendar.

The Young Voices singing festival resumed and we proudly sent a choir of children who had learnt the songs with Miss Payne, Miss Brown and Mrs Delmaine. The annual Rotary Club Music Festival for Primary schools took place once again and the same children performed at an event at Berkeley Power Station.

Another, somewhat unique, singing opportunity arose through the St James Church Choir earlier this year. Edwina Walton, a Foundation Governor and member of the church choir, ran a club with Mr Wright to teach a group of 10 singers a church anthem to be sung with members of the church choir at the Easter end of Term service in St James. The children really enjoyed the experience- especially wearing blue cassocks, the same as the adults - and are very enthusiastic to continue learning and performing church music to perform again in the future. Earlier in the year, we learned that Kath Hopkins, a member of our cleaning staff, had sadly died. Kath had worked in the school for many years and only retired in July 2022.

There have been some staff changes throughout this past year, including Ed Neale in May 2022. Mr Neale was Year 6 teacher and leader of Maths at Dursley for a number of years, he moved on to an exciting role as leader of a Maths Hub. Chris Lee has taken over Ed's responsibilities with great enthusiasm, calling on his experience in such roles in the past. Emma Brown, again a longstanding member of staff, moved on in April this year. Emma was well known as a Reception and Early Years Teacher and the children said a fond farewell at the end of term. Her role has been undertaken by Rosie Webb, an existing school staff member. We wish both Ed and Emma well in their new positions and know they will be remembered fondly by children, parents and colleagues, as will the other staff members who moved on to pastures new during this past year.

We have also welcomed Year 5 Teacher, Mr Tyne, as a valued member of staff and we are delighted at how he quickly he has fitted into the school team.

The school building has also undergone a change in the last year with the refurbishment of four classrooms, the creation of an additional intervention space and redecoration of the corridors. We have also developed two Sensory Rooms, which are used to support many pupils across the school.

We are looking forward to a sunny, happy and productive Sumer Term and the End of Year Service at St James.

Rector's Report: Canon Michael began by mentioning the importance of saying "Thank you" and proceeded to thank the following people in our church community:

all those who come and support our worshipping life; the choir and Nigel Davies; the Servers; Joy Pepper who, in her role as Verger, provides a key point of contact with members of the local community for weddings, baptisms and funerals; flower arrangers; cleaners; bell ringers; Tony King and the live-streaming team.

Glena Neale was thanked for her role in the Thursday Communion Services and her commitment to these over many years, as she has now stood down from this responsibility.

Thanks to Clare White is now in her second year as Parish Administrator and continuing to grow into her role supporting across the Benefice. Thanks were expressed towards colleagues who share Canon Michael's ministry: Revd. Jane Wood, Tony King and Paula Rixon. Richard Morgan and David Vonberg for their valuable contributions to services. Ian Gardner is expected to resume his role in July. He will no longer be an Associate Priest but will have permission to take services, giving him flexibility.

Morag has been on secondment from Wotton since last summer. Her contribution has been a" God send" and she will be missed when she retires in June.

The legal process to close St Mark's concluded with a moving service on March 16th, 2023. Thanks to the members of St Mark's, who facilitated and allowed this to happen. Tribute was paid to the many members of St Mark's, to whom we owe a huge debt of gratitude over many years. The Endowment funds still need to be dealt with and items removed from St Mark's- the chairs will come to the Parish Room!

Legal permission, in the form of a faculty, has been sought to move the organ to St James.

A fitting place for the kneelers is the Lady Chapel and it is proposed to rename this as The Chapel of Our Lady and St Mark as an appropriate

way of keeping recognition of St Mark's Church in association with the Church of St James the Great.

The significance of the Parish Church in the community should never be taken for granted; it played a significant role in the for the people of Dursley following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, providing a place to sign a book of remembrance, light candles and to pray.

The pattern of services will continue, with the 3rd Sunday of every month having a service without the choir. This informal service needs to be developed. Sadly, neither Messy Church or Children's Church have restarted post pandemic.

This week, Canon Michael submitted his letter of resignation and his period of office will end on July 23rd. There will be a special service to mark this celebration of 30 years of service.

"....my time with you is fleeting..." the life of the church continues in all of you and those to come."

There is a clear need for work on the organ and heating.

Special thanks to Clive and his team for the weekly book stall, which provides significant outreach to and engagement with the local community. We are a caring, inviting, and engaging community.

"We should be thankful to one another, all that has been and all to come. Thank you to all of you."

There will possibly be a meeting with the PCCs before Canon Michael retires; both sets of Church wardens are meeting with the Archdeacon on May 10th

Elections

Deanery Synod: There are 3 vacancies, as dictated by the size of the Electoral Roll. Nominations: David Smith proposed by Jan Vonberg and seconded by Chris Morgan

David Smith was duly elected. It is important to note that there are opportunities to appoint people throughout the PCC.

PCC: Four PCC members have completed their terms of office, leaving 4 vacancies and 2 casual vacancies to serve for 1 year only. Nominations:

Sheila Gardner proposed by Clive Orchard, seconded by Christine Morgan, " Jan Vonberg, " David Smith Clare White, " Edwina Walton, " Anne Shipton NB if classified as an employee as PCC, will have to withdraw. Austin Meares proposed by Heather Arnold seconded by Sally Pearson Elizabeth Oakley, " David Smith, " Joy Pepper Chris Raffle, " Edwina Walton, " Heather Arnold All were duly elected. Two of these appointments are to serve for one year only; this will be decided at the PCC meeting.

Sides men and Sides women : it was agreed to elect the people on the existing list en masse apart from : Julie Campbell. Chris Morgan proposed this and it was seconded by Jan Vonberg.

Matters of Parochial Interest:

There was a suggestion from Jacquelin Hill that we publicise the service for Sea Sunday, which has traditionally taken place in Sharpness. The meeting closed at 12.45pm with The Grace. Edwina Walton

Trustees report for APCM 19 May, 2024

Our Vision.

As members of the Ewelme Benefice, we will work together to share in the Diocese of Gloucester’s LIFE vision. “I have come that they have life, and have it to the full” John 10:10

Objectives and activities.

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and be part of the community. Patterns of worship are discussed by the PCC which makes suggestions on how to improve contact with everyone within the parish. We try to enable all people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through:

Worship and prayer; hearing about the Gospel, and developing their knowledge and trust in Jesus.
Provision of pastoral care for people living in the parish.
Missionary & outreach work.

To do this work it is important that we maintain the fabric of our building.

Report for 2023/24 The most significant event of the past year has been our Rector, Michael Cozens’ retirement at the end of July, preceded by a wonderful, but bittersweet, farewell party on 13th July at the Cyder Barn, Owlpen, courtesy of Hugo Mander.

Since then we have been in Vacancy, without an incumbent. A joint meeting of Uley and Dursley PCCs with Archdeacon Hilary and Area Dean was held in September to explain and discuss the vacancy process. A group of seven lay people from across Benefice consulted with their congregations, then drew up a Statement of Needs (aka Parish Profiles). November saw a joint meeting of PCCs with Archdeacon Hilary and Bishop Robert to approve the Statement of Needs and ask the Archdeacon to advertise the post of Rector of Ewelme Benefice in the Church Times. The advertisement appeared over 4 weeks during January. Two people applied for the post. An Interviewing panel, including two representatives from each parish, met to consider applications and judged both strong enough to invite to interview. February 21st was Interview Day. Both

candidates were given a tour of all the churches in the Benefice and Uley Primary school and had opportunities to chat to representatives from each congregation and the ministry team before being interviewed by the panel in the afternoon. A wonderful lunch was laid on by Clare White at St Giles.

From two very strong candidates, the Panel unanimously chose Revd Juliet Jensen to be our next Rector, though we were not able to announce the appointment to our congregations and communities until 21st April, after the necessary paperwork had been completed. We look forward very much to Revd Juliet’s licensing on 1st September. After experiencing a few incidents of minor vandalism (among them setting fire to leaflets and upturning furniture) over the summer, the Standing Committee reluctantly decided in mid-August to keep the church locked when it was not being used. However, thanks to a number of people volunteering to sit in St James, in pairs, we were able to keep it open in the mornings for the rest of the school holidays. Once term started, we reverted to opening 9 till 5, but another serious incident in mid-October meant we had to keep the church locked again. For the past few months, Clare has been unlocking it at 9, and locking up when she leaves at lunchtime, and we have had no further trouble. Volunteers spent a couple of Saturday mornings in October tidying the churchyard, then in February more volunteers gave the Parish Centre a thorough spring clean. Just last week, the church had its own spring clean. Many thanks to all who helped.

Since Michael’s departure, life at St James has continued to follow the usual seasonal rhythms. All the usual Christmas and Easter services were held and attendance were somewhat down on the previous year, except for the Advent Carol service and the Crib & Christingle service. The lack of heating may have contributed to this (our congregations have had to endure temperatures well below the norm, despite the temporary electric heaters and supply of blankets). We have kept the pattern of services mostly the same as before, the one exception being that on the last Sunday of each month we have held a Benefice communion service at 10 am, alternately at St James and St Giles, which has helped to strengthen the bond of friendship between the parishes. On the third Sunday of each month we have had spoken Holy Communion at 8 am, followed by a Service of the Word at 10 am, which has sometimes adopted a less formal structure and focused on a particular theme. Choral Evensong has taken place at 6.30 pm on a Sunday once or twice a month. On Wednesdays, Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer have been on Zoom. There has been Morning Prayer and a said service of Holy Communion in church each Thursday at 9 am and 10 am respectively.

We are hugely grateful to Moya Wallis, Churchwarden at Uley, for her hard work and skill in drawing up the clergy rota, and to all the clergy and readers, both from our St James family (Revds Jane Wood, Ian Gardner, Richard Morgan and David Vonberg, and Readers Tony King

and Paula Rix) and beyond, (Revds Bob Callaghan, Peter Cheeseman, Mike Cross, Peter Fewings and Jane Kenchington) who have between them ensured that we haven’t had to cancel a single service, and have also taken 2 weddings, 6 baptisms and 15 funerals. Richard Morgan, (helped by Corinne Unsworth), Ian Gardner and Tony King have taken services regularly at the Hollies and Henlow Court care homes, and a team comprising clergy and lay people have taken home communion to the sick and housebound as needed. Revd Jane Wood and Tony King prepared Donna Pinker and Danny Parker for Confirmation, and they were confirmed by Bishop Robert in December at Holy Trinity Church, Longlevens. Revd Jane also organised a retreat day at St Bartholomew’s, Nympsfield earlier this month. Archdeacon Hilary presided and preached at the Parish Communion service on 10th December, and Bishop Robert did likewise on Christmas Day. It was lovely to have them with us.

Other events, such as the Coronation live stream and cream tea, Harvest lunch, Barn dance, Christmas Carvery, Christmas Market, Live Nativity and Agapé meal have all taken place successfully thanks to the hard work of many volunteers, special mention going to Ann and Clive Orchard and Barbie Davies. The free bookstall, Bring and Take events, the Coffee Cake and Music recitals and the concerts and art exhibition St James has hosted have all continued to build bridges between the church and the local community.

Many, many thanks also to our Administrator, Clare White, whose workload and responsibilities have also inevitably increased during the vacancy, also to Nigel Davies, Lynn James and the choir for continuing to lead our sung worship with such dedication and skill, to our Verger, Joy Pepper, and our Sacristan Sheila Gardner for discharging their duties so efficiently, to Judith Staddon and Valerie Meares for editing the Messenger magazine, to our faithful team of bell ringers, and to Tony King, George White and their team for live streaming our services. Our link with Dursley Academy has been maintained through weekly visits from the Open the Book team, (which was singled out for special praise during Ofsted and DGAT inspections), through hosting a play performed by a visiting Christian theatre company last June for Key Stage 2 pupils, and through the Experience Easter sessions (organised by Anne Shipton and Edwina Walton) attended by the whole school over a week towards the end of the Spring term. The children also came to church for end-of-term services in July and December last year. The PCC has met 5 times for regular meetings in June, September, November, January and March. It also met briefly after the APCM in April to elect church officers, and had three extra meetings jointly with Uley PCC in connection with the vacancy process in September, October and November. Thanks are due to all PCC members for coping with this additional work, and especially PCC Secretary, Clare White, Treasurer, Sally Pearson, Parish Safeguarding Officer, Rachel Brown

and Finance and Fabric committee chair, Austin Meares, for their commitment of time and talent in carrying out their roles.

As my fellow churchwarden, Matt Wood, had to step down for personal reasons in August, I am extremely grateful to assistant wardens Austin Meares, Chris Morgan, Sally Pearson and Caroline Marrow for all the support they have given me, helping with churchwarden’s duties and supplying wise counsel and vital information as needed.

Of course, there are many others who give their time week in week out to tend the churchyard, clean the church, arrange flowers, serve refreshments, read lessons and intercessions, and welcome people to our services, and I am deeply grateful to all of them for their valuable contributions to the life of St James.

The past twelve months have presented us with a number of challenges, but with God’s help and everyone pulling together we have risen to them, and I think we can look forward to the next year with confidence and hope.

Jan Vonberg May 2024

Electoral Roll 2022/23

We had a starting figure of 147, there were 3 people to be removed because they had died during the year and we added 13 new people. Final figure for 2022/23 was 157.

Chris Raffle, Electoral Roll Officer April 2024

ST JAMES DURSLEY AND ST MARK’S WOODMANCOTE PCC

REPORT FROM TREASURER TO PCC MARCH 2024

The Finance Report

• Basis of Accounting

These financial statements have been produced on a Receipts and Payments basis in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006.

They have been produced utilising the Diocesan cashbook, developed by the Gloucester Diocesan Board of Finance as a simple way of recording receipts and payments, for the average PCC. It uses the information entered to produce a generic Receipts and Payments Account and Finance Return.

• Accounting Policies

The financial statements include transactions and assets for which the PCC can be held responsible. They do not include the accounts of other church groups that owe affiliation to another body, nor those that are for informal gatherings of church members

During the year the PCC have agreed Financial Control Procedures to ensure the PCC meets the legal requirements and good practice

recommendations set out in the Charity Commission Guidance on Internal Financial Controls for Charity. These will be reviewed annually at the first PCC meeting following the APCM.

Reserves Policy

This is now reflected in the Financial Controls Procedures. The purpose of a Reserves Policy is to provide a level of working capital that protects the continuity of core work. The Reserves Policy is to retain a minimum of £8k in unrestricted funds across all accounts at all times to protect 3 months of core work.

Year End Balances

The Statement of Assets at annex 1 shows at the year end 2023 we were holding £76,475 across all our accounts. This represents a movement in funds of £27432 from the year end position in 2022. This is largely accounted for by the decision of the PCC to reduce our contribution to the Parish Share to enable us to accrue sufficient funds to meet the costs of the replacement of the boilers in both the church and the parish centre and meet the excess costs arising from the theft of the lead from the porch roof.

Receipts and Payments
The Receipts and Payments Account (Annex 2) shows the areas of expenditure and income across all accounts and allows comparison with last year.
Parish Share:

At the beginning of the year the PCC made a commitment to a Parish Share of £42k. As with many other parishes the impact of increased salaries and energy costs has made meeting this commitment challenging. In addition the theft of lead from the roof of the porch and the failure of the heating system in both the church and Parish Centre are estimated to mean the PC will incur costs in excess of £70k. This required the PCC to review the budget position and reduce the Parish Share contribution to £25k.. The commitment from the PCC for 2024 is currently £34k, based on the budget predictions for the year, but this figure will be reviewed in June 2024.

• Fundraising: Fundraising activities increased in 2023. During the year the following has been raised:

Event	Amount (£)
Bookstalls	3667.41
Bookstall DEC	699.15
DEC collections	494.15
Coffee	879.00

Lent lunches	1195.30
100 club	1203.3
Coffee Cake and Music	2681.12
Coronation Teas	342.59
James Hopkins Trust	170.00
Open Garden	625.00
Harvest Lunch	268.20
Wreath making	380.00
Christmas Market	2763.39
Christmas carvery	540.00
Ride and Stride	173.75
Barn dance	114.00
Children’s Society boxes	274.22
Other	175.42
TOTAL	16646

• Parish Finance Return

This return which is required by the Diocese, and generated from the Diocesan Cashbook, used to record all transactions across all our accounts and investments, is included at Annex 3

• Appointment of Independent Examiners

The PCC has elected to subject the financial statements to independent examination. These accounts have been examined by Davies Accountants (SW) Ltd (previously known as RD Consulting, Chartered Accountants). Their report will be included as Annex 4 when this report is presented to the APCM.

Having made appropriate enquiries, the PCC propose Davies Accountants (SW) Ltd as independent examiner until the next APCM.

Structure, Governance and Management

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. The members of the PCC are listed below. All those who attend our services are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. Elected members serve for 3 years to enable a rotation of the membership.

PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish including how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. The PCC held 5 meetings during 2023. We held a very short meeting in the Church immediately after the APCM in May to make the necessary election of PCC Officers.

Administrative information

St James the Great Church, Silver Street, Dursley

St Mark’s Church, Woodmancote, Dursley

These churches form part of the Parish of Dursley which is part of the Ewelme Benefice with the parish of Uley with Owlpen and Nympsfield. The Benefice is part of the Diocese of Gloucester within the Church of England.

The correspondence address for these churches is via the Parish Office, St James Parish Centre, Silver Street, Dursley. GL11 4NA

The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2006) and a registered charity, number 1130972

PCC members who have served at any time from 1[st] January 2023 until the date of this report are:

Ex-officio members:

Incumbent: The Revd Canon Michael Cozens (until July 2023) Associate priests: The Revd Ian Gardner The Revd Jane Wood Reader: Antony King

Churchwardens: Matthew Wood (until August 2023)

Janet Vonberg Elected members: David Smith Deanery Synod representative Elizabeth Oakley Deanery Synod representative Clare White PCC Secretary (from May 2023) Sally Pearson PCC Treasurer Austin Meares Edwina Walton (until May 2023)

Christine Morgan Christine Raffle

Sheila Gardner (from May 2023)

Sarah Hodge

Gillian Mather

Kathryn Rebbeck

Christopher Tyler

Joy Pepper

Caroline Marrow

Marcia Heaven (until May 2023)

Parish Safeguarding Officer: Rachel Brown

https://parishbuying.org.uk/categories/givingandpayments/solutions/paya - - z giving station

Sally Pearson, treasurer March 2024

ANNEX 2 PCC Dursley Receipts & Payments Accounts F¢Y the Year ended 31 D¢mber 2023 2023 2022 Incoming res¢Jurce5 Volunrary income.. PrthÈd 43.708 20h31 13.446 67S 380 44,763 37.169 13,446 48.078 23.233 13.099 Cdkctions. donarv)ns & her&Ing Incom? tax recovered L41cS Acwwtie5 for generating funds Magazine18ook5ts154le>Hall Lerting5 etc Income fromother Prop$ Annual Fetelerfent5 Investment income.. InreresL & dtVhleTrds Income from charifable a£tyvities= Prochlal feÈ% Ih92 14.846 6.255 6,2SS 6.900 14.414 ID65 16,640 18.705 585 249 834 206 Other Incoming resources: Inwrance (vr In on dIspty1 of fred assers ln5 rec•Yed 8203 8,203 12.893 Tts Intomlng Ywur¢s 1•7.241 J.433 16,641 127.J16 123.714 Resources expended Charlrnble aa+Yltfjes.' Danatn51Grnts to ¢harit & Eyangekn Parnh Share Ckryy expenses Church runnmg expense5 Churchyard r&tenance COSL of ra&ni funds Running Costs. Support costs AdmiKrnrKJn C¢)SES Ibic. sraff ctssrsl Other Governance costs Major expenditure Ilepair5 to church bu1185 Itepairs to otherproperty Capital purchases13dditKns Loan 18931 15301 125DOOI Ilh501 125.1781 ,3J3> 1880) (25,000) (1.650> (32,058) {152) (I,oio> 14.7941 14381 150.0001 11.9451 132,4271 14751 12.9511 13501 14371 16.4431 143SI 15751 12321 120.3491 120.349) (9.8Z61 15521 13601 {360> (I,J92) (2.946} 115.1801 12881 12.6581 Tot41 r¢¥our¢¢s expended (86.826) (2227) (11.068) (100.111) 1133.9481 Net (outgtslnB)l kntiJmvi8 YUr£I 20h16 1.205 5,574 27.195 110.2341 Trnfv5 bethen fv+ Nei JYsou¢es befv 20.416 237 120S S374 27.195 237 110.2341 13321 20.653 20501 120S 1.909 S.574 26.632 27.432 49.042 IlQ.5661 59.608 Fwk b)hr l Jo Fvnd5 conTed forwwdot 31 De< 41.154 32.206 76.474 49.042

1111 Ull illi iu 11 11 i! 18

Independent Examiner's Report For the year ended 31 December 2023 Independent Examinerfs Report to the PCC of Dursle Parish Church I report lo Ihe Iruslees on my examination of the accounts of Dursley Parish Church {Ihe Trust) for Ihe year ended 31 December 2023 Responsibilities and basis of report.. As the charity trustees of Ihe Trusl you are responsible for the preparalion of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Acl 2011('the Act,) and the Church Accounting Regulations 2006. I report in respect of my examination of Ihe Trusl's accoun15 carried out under section 145 of Ihe 2011Acl and in carryin9 Out my examination I have followed all Ihe applicable Directions given by Ihe Charity Commission under section 14515)(b) of the Act. Independenl Examinerfs statement-. I have compleled my examination.. I confimi that no material matters have come lo my attenlion in connection with the examination giving me cause lo believe that in any material respect: 1. Accounling records were kept in respecl of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act- or 2. The accounts lo not accord with Ihose records. I have no cOnm$ and have come across no other matters in connection with the examinalion to which attention should be drawn In this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Name: Rhian Davies Date. 2710312024 Relevant prolessional qualification of professional body.. CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANTS Address: Rocktop, Itchington Road, Tytheringlon. GL12 8QE

Wotton Deanery Synod Report for Dursley APCM Meeting 2024

Wotton Deanery covers an area of Gloucestershire east of the Severn, from Nympsfield to Chipping Sodbury. The Synod usually meets about four times a year. Synod members are ex officio members of the PCC. They are on the PCC as Synod reps. Clergy are members of Synod. Dursley can have three lay members. At present there is only one rep. The two vacancies can be filled at the APCM.

The main business of the Synod during the year has been the Deanery Strategic Plan. The first part of this was engagement and support of role holders such as treasurers, and administrators. Much of this has been through a working group. Subsequently the synod has started to look at how benefices and parishes can increase their incomes.

Few, if any, of the deanery benefices have been able to meet their Parish Share this year. Covid has had a marked effect on church attendance and giving.

The church is facing huge problems particularly in the small villages. As deanery reps we support each other. It is encouraging to hear of initiatives throughout the deanery to reach out to communities. In our own parish we have the work with the primary academy, and the weekly free book-stall as examples.

David Smith.

April 2024

Parish Centre Report.

This year we have lost a few of the regular groups who met in the Parish Centre. This was due to the central heating boiler being condemned in September 2023. We still have 7 groups who still meet on a weekly basis. The building has been very cold ever since, without my trusty heater from St Mark’s I may have frozen to my desk!

After much research and investigation on many people’s parts we finally have a solution to the problem, hopefully by winter 2024 we will have a new boiler in place.

A building consultant has been hired to make plans for work on the building, as part of the work he will get permission from Stroud District Council and Listed Buildings to carry out necessary maintenance jobs, including fitting a new flue for the gas boiler.

CCTV cameras will be fitted as security for anyone using the centre. Our cleaner Marie Mills works very hard two mornings a week and is doing an excellent job.

On 17[th] February a large group met in the Parish Centre and gave it a thorough Spring Clean. It was much needed and looks so much better. Thank you to that group.

Clare White

April 2024

Fabric

It has been a challenging year with having to contend with some serious issues. Early in 2023, the lead on the porch roof was stolen allowing water penetration into the room below causing damage to the walls. A new roof (of stainless steel to minimise another theft) has been fitted and although this work was largely covered by insurance, our exposure ran into several thousand pounds. The porch room will be redecorated later once the premises has thoroughly dried out. The cost will be covered by insurance. During the year the church boiler failed (as indeed did that in the Parish Centre) and after considerable advice this state of affairs will be remedied shortly.

The lead roof on the tower requires attention as there has been some water ingress into the belfry. This will entail a careful inspection of the wooden framework immediately below the roof – a project for 2024. Following lengthy discussions with the Diocese, WiFi will be installed in the church during the next month or two.

As usual, the church gutters have been cleaned on a regular basis. However, dampness has appeared on some of the inside walls (due in part to lack of heating) and this too will need to be addressed in the coming months.

Austin Meares April 2024

Safeguarding

Since the last APCM I have continued to use the Parish Dashboards software to ensure we are complying with Diocesan and National parish safeguarding requirements. This software allows me to keep the PCC up to date with a Safeguarding Action Plan, generated by the data I input, which shows how much progress we are making towards the targets set, and at our last PCC meeting in March we approved and reviewed all our safeguarding policies and procedures. In January this year I attended a Wotton Deanery Safeguarding Officers meeting in Wickwar which was the first time all the Deanery PSO's had met together. It was an encouraging meeting for those of us from the Ewelme Benefice as Pat Jones from Uley and myself have been using the Parish Dashboard software since its conception, whereas many Parishes have yet to get started, so our new incumbent will be well supported in this respect. During the vacancy I have been meeting every couple of months with Rev Jane and Jan Vonberg to keep in touch with any issues within the Parish and during this time we have dealt with and resolved welfare concerns, safeguarding issues in liaison with the Diocesan Safeguarding Team and provided background support for the welcome presence of the children's' choir at Harvest and Advent.

Heather Arnold has kindly offered to take over from me as Dursley's PSO once our new incumbent is in place, and she too attended the Deanery meeting and is already making her mark with her competence

and experience as a School Governor and her excellent IT skills. Until I hand over officially to Heather, I shall continue to work with her as we make sure any newly-elected PCC members are DBS checked and supported to complete their mandatory training, and we will continue to adhere to the requirements of the Dashboards to make sure we are in a strong position as we head towards the end of this period of vacancy.

Rachel Brown, Safeguarding officer

April 2024

Music Report

The choir continues to support our worship on a regular basis and when all members are present, we number thirty with an average attendance of around twenty-five. It is sad to report that we are one of the very few “traditional” church choirs in this area, relying on our own members and not using an “ad hoc” group of singers for special occasions. As ever, I am indebted to the choristers for their loyalty, support, diligence, and goodwill, and for making the regular Friday rehearsals so enjoyable. The choir is fortunate to have the support of Lynn James who directs the accompanied pieces and Anne Shipton who sees to it that literally hundreds of pieces of music are given out, repaired, and put away after use each month.

Since the last APCM we have had quite a few “extras” to our usual commitments, beginning with a concert in memory of the late Jo Downing (13[th] May), followed by the annual Plant and Produce Stall on the day of Eric Tyson's organ recital (27[th] May). July saw the organ from St Mark's transported to St James where it now lives in the Children's Corner on its moveable platform. On Sunday 23[rd] July five singers from St Giles Uley augmented the choir to sing for Canon Michael's final service which was a splendid occasion as well as a sad one, as Michael's ministry was so well appreciated not only by our churches, but by the wider community.

The annual choir lunch (August 5th) was held at Capel Gosen, Cynghordy (the chapel which Barbie and I have been restoring). It was the choir's second visit to this beautiful, slightly remote part of Carmarthenshire, but this time there was no singing as such, just lunch and, of course, the Tambourine Award. David Wood was on fine form once again highlighting the misdemeanours of the choristers with 2023's award being given to Rob Marrow. (Spoiler alert; I am a sure-fire nomination for 2024!).

The choir rests during August and the level of singing from the body of the church was extremely good for our services and I am grateful to Chris Tyler for being able to play in my absence.

A rather sad occasion was to sing at the funeral of Glenis Ewer on 1[st] December. Glenis was a faithful member of the choir and despite her failing health she sang for as long as she could aided by husband John

and her fellow sopranos, particularly Sally Arnold. May Glenis rest in peace.

What a good job St Mark's organ was available for the Midnight Mass! The splendid pipe organ in St James' has not taken kindly to the lack of heat; perhaps its reactions are human after all? Specifically, it has been prone to sticking notes and stops not cancelling making it a bit of a nightmare for the player. It let its presence be known after the Sanctus with a high-pitched cipher on the Tromba which refused to cancel. So, the choir was accompanied on the piano for the Agnus Dei and after the communion, we decamped to the back of church to finish the service to the accompaniment of St Mark's organ.

Saturday 6[th] January saw the choir completely out of character taking the part of the “Choir of Angels” in the Live Nativity. We welcomed Peter Kirvan back to take the part of the Angel Gabriel complete with huge wings! Despite the unlikely angels, the event was truly atmospheric and thoroughly enjoyable thanks to Barbie Davies' vision and organisational skills.

As ever, the Coffee, Cake and Music organ recitals continue to attract large audiences (in 2023 making a profit of £2791.12), and since Canon Michael's departure I am grateful to the Rev'd David Vonberg for “fronting” these occasions. In February 2024 we started the 19[th] series early with a recital given by the Dutch organist Harry van Wijk. It was gratifying to see that the lack of heating did not deter the regulars, and even more gratifying that the organ behaved itself!

Several choristers have been able to support the Dursley Academy's church services by singing alongside the small group of would-be choristers which Edwina Walton has been teaching. At the Easter service, we actually sang a proper hymn; a triumph in itself when the young people are bombarded with “pop”.

It is good to see that the church continues to be a venue for various community musical events; Piano pupil concerts; the Dursley Male Voice Choir; the Tyndale Choral Society; Rednock School, to name just a few, and when we have winter heating, I'm sure it will become an even more popular venue!

Looking to the future, the choir is in good shape, but we are always on the lookout for new (and particularly younger!) members; Ria Davies (Soprano) joined us in 2023. Hopefully in 2024-5 we will be able to recruit a number of youngsters to create a Junior Choir. The organ will definitely need some TLC before too long, and, more importantly, we look forward to welcoming our new Rector.

Nigel Davies

April 2024

’ – Dursley Ringing Master s Report February 2024

Sunday service ringing and Thursday practice nights have usually been well attended,

although there have been rare occasions where we’ve not had a band able to ring all eight bells - we’ve made the most of what we’ve had at the time. 2023 has seen a continuing strengthening of our regular band: The more experienced ringers are now regularly managing 8-spliced Surprise Major on a practice night.

Having rung his first quarter peals trebling to Bob Doubles and Grandsire Triples, Ashley is now ringing inside to Plain Bob Triples. Our newest learners, Joy and Karen, are making good progress at handling and are both ringing for Sunday service. Earlier in the year they benefited from many Friday evening tied bell practices, run by Liz and John T. Joy is now progressing with call changes, while Karen is getting comfortable ringing in rounds.

A number of ad-hoc tied bell / simulator practices have been arranged over the year for those available to ring in the mornings and afternoons. We’ve had a more bountiful crop of Quarter Peals this year: This is primarily due to Philip efficiently organising a Quarter for the second Monday of each month.

The successful (4-spliced surprise) quarter peal in October was rung in thanksgiving for St Mark’s Church, which had its valedictory service earlier in the year.

We’ve had a few Evensong Service Quarter attempts, with two successes, but Evensong ringing has usually been managed as open ringing. There were also a couple of Quarters rung by visiting bands. Philip organised a Peal attempt at Dursley for the Coronation celebrations for King Charles III, planning diligently around the town council’s schedule of celebrations; Unfortunately we weren’t successful but after a couple of restarts we did successfully ring a Quarter Peal of Cambridge Surprise Major to mark the event.

As it was proving too difficult to agree an open-ringing session at St. James for the rest of the band to join in the celebrations, band members not involved in the Peal attempt were encouraged to take part in openringing at our neighbouring towers, including Cam and Berkeley. Out of three Peal attempts over the year, we did successfully complete a Peal of Rutland Major to compliment the retirement of Rev Canon Michael Cozens and in thanksgiving for his ministry. By taking part, Janet Morris, a former Dursley ringer, completed the circle in peals! A very enjoyable ringing outing was had in June, spanning four towers (Ashchurch, Ashton-under-Hill, Hampton and Woolstone) Many thanks to Frank for organising such a successful day out and excellent lunch. We’ve had continuing success with the local striking competition: In April, Dursley represented Wotton branch again in the Association Croome Trophy 6-bell competition, held at Frenchay. Eight teams entered, and we came joint sixth.

In September, we entered a band into the Wotton branch striking competition at Avening. Dursley came first out of four entrants, including Coaley, Chipping Sodbury and a scratch band. We therefore won the Beaney Trophy again and are due to represent the Wotton Branch at the next association Croome Trophy 6-bell competition.

We’ve rung for two weddings. and hosted visiting towers’ outings. We continue to benefit hugely from members of other towers’ teams, for Service ringing, practices, and Quarters, in particular Tim, Andrew W, Jonathan, Hilary and Mike. Without their contribution there would be many sessions where our repertoire would be greatly restricted, even preventing us from ringing all eight bells had they not been present. We are very grateful for their continuing involvement which makes the ringing at Dursley that much richer.

I’d also like to acknowledge the great distance some of our ringers travel to get to Dursley, when they could be ringing much closer to home. Their choice of tower is appreciated!

There have been odd occasions where we’ve had so many people at practice that it’s been a challenge to fit in each ringer’s preferred method. This year I’ve developed an appreciation, that while we should strive to grow and strengthen as a band, people’s personal circumstances may not allow for everyone to learn new methods thoroughly each week Thanks to Andrew Ward and Ashley who have maintained the tower over the year, which has enabled us to ring without interruption; This has included changing ropes and fixing the boss on the tenor.

Finally, many thanks to Andy B, who ran practices and Service ringing when I wasn’t in Dursley, and provided valuable guidance and support over the year.

John Cole and Elizabeth Byrne April 2024

Open The Book

The Open the Book team first went into Dursley Academy in 2008/09. During that time, we have seen many changes with three Headteachers, changes in staff and of course the children, when they eventually leave the Academy to go onto senior school. Open the Book Team members have also changed since we first started. Unfortunately, some could no longer participate for different reasons, and some have since passed away, which has been a great loss to the team.

At first it was only the juniors that came into the hall to watch us and take part, but at the time of writing this we now have the whole school including the reception class. However, the reception class didn’t come into the hall until after Christmas, getting settled first into the school routine. Children often participate in the play. The number of children required and the class taking part has already been asked for on the schedule which has been to the team members and the school at the

beginning of each term. We still follow the same pattern. Firstly, the person who is doing ‘beginning and end’ asks the children questions about the story that we have done the previous week. Many hands go up, some even before the question is asked. Some say they have forgotten when asked but there are many that have the correct answer. They are given a sticker for getting It correct. We then introduce the story for that week and ask the children to put their hands together ‘To Open the Book’. After the play we do a simple conclusion and a final prayer. Any children taking part in the play are given an ‘Open the Book’ sticker.

During last term GDAT (Gloucester Diocese Academy Trust) came into the school to do an inspection. The team were told that it was the best Open the Book they had ever seen, and they had seen many. That followed a few weeks later by an inspection by SIAMS (Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools). One of the Inspectors came up afterwards to the team and congratulated us on the performance and again said it was the best they had seen. We are all delighted to have received such praise from the two inspections. Since my last report in 2023 Joyce Lombard has joined the team. May I say thank you to the Team Members that take part in Open the Book and the support that they give me.

Joy Pepper April 2024

Messenger Report

It was decided during Canon Michael’s time here that The Messenger was a window into our Church, giving information, not only to our congregation but also anyone who visits our beautiful church. We have dates for your diary and useful contact details on the inside cover and on the back.

We continue with sales of 95-100 copies per month and online copies go out each month too.

All our advertisers have returned for another year which is very pleasing.

Valerie Meares and I are very grateful to everyone who contributes articles and photographs and hope that they will continue to do so and if anyone else is moved to write something for us that would be wonderful.

Judith Staddon May 2024

St James Eco Church Report 2024

Quite a lot of Eco church projects have progressed in the past year, and we are very grateful to the many people who have been helping us. I shall attempt to try and say thank you to everyone throughout the report, but apologies if I overlook anyone (if I do, may I offer a big ‘thank you’ before I begin).

	Project	Up-Date	A big ‘Thank you’ to……
	Swift boxes Simon & Paul installing caller.	Two swift boxes have been constructed and installed into St James belfry by two of the bell ringers. The swift bird caller has been installed adjacent to the swift boxes. This is set on a timer to sound twice a day, for about 6 weeks, 9.00 – 11.00 and 16.00 – 18.00. The sound will hopefully help attract some swifts to nest in the boxes. It is worth considering that the boxes may not be occupied for 1- 2 years.	Andrew Ward and Ashley Pearson have been very kind giving their skill, materials, and expertise with the installation. Simon Bilous and Paul Winterbottam gallantly installed and set the swift caller for us. We are very grateful to Julian Jones for his ongoing support, advice, and encouragement regarding installation of the swift boxes. Julian is the director of Wild Dursley (‘WILdur’) which is a Community Interest Company.
	Bug Hotel Before After	The bug hotel roof has recently received a refurbishment! Wooden edging has been added, to help maintain the ‘living roof area. New turf and plants including house leeks and sedums have been planted. The existing wildflowers including dandelions, Common Sowthistle and Herb Robert have been left to flourish.	Jan Vonberg has carefully trimmed the grass surrounding the bug hotel and planted some lavender and herbs. Adrian has fixed a wooden surrounding to the Gabion and Gill has added some turf and further plants including a House Leek, two sedum and a creeping thyme. A couple of Foxgloves have also appeared.

		Examples of The temporary bee hotel to be added soon	Jennifer Kendrick has also donated a splendid house- shaped bee hotel which will be added to the existing bug hotel as a temporary fixture soon.
Wildlife Information Sign Paul and Adrian with the finished job! Brendan, Adrian and Jennifer checking the sign height.		Eco Church members made a general contribution to the design and content of the sign, and Izzy Merry (Gill’s daughter) lent her graphic design skills with its final design. Once we had followed the processes for obtaining permissions to install the sign, we were able to have it printed on a robust aluminium board. Prior to the sign installation, we realised the importance of making sure that the sign was a good height for wheelchair and mobility scooter users to use. Brendan, Jennifer, and Adrian spent time making sure the sign height was appropriate.	We’re very grateful to Brendan Skelton who designed and constructed the fantastic sturdy metal sign stand. Thank you also to Jennifer for her tremendous support and generosity with the sign. The sign was installed last summer and we’re very grateful to Paul Pogba and Adrian Mather for making such a good job of it.
	Count on Nature 2023	This is a national initiative open to all denominations and is a nature-recording project piloted by Caring for God’s Acre, the Church in Wales, and the Church of England, in partnership with A Rocha UK. Following the success of similar events the previous two years, St James held this again in the churchyard, on June 10th, 2024. As before, the Eco Church group hoped to raise	This year, we were very fortunate to have a visit by Peter Cranswick, ‘The Moth Man’. Peter is a local wildlife expert who has a particular interest in moths. He organised two ‘Moth Reveals’ in the churchyard, which was fascinating, and captured the imagination of the passing public. A Privet Moth!

			awareness of the wildlife projects that are happening at St James in response to the climate crisis. The event also encouraged appreciation of wildlife, as well as demonstrating projects that might be tried at home.	Thank you to David Smith, Elizabeth Oakley, Steph Say, Clive Orchard, David Vonberg, Kathy Rebeck, Brendan Skelton, Jennifer Kendrick, Claire White, and Adrian Mather, for all the help and support both with the planning and on the day.
		Radio‘Spot’	In May, Katherine Clamp (Gloucester Diocese Communications Officer) contacted St James Eco Church team to request if anyone would be happy to be interviewed on BBC Radio Gloucester Breakfast Show and talk about ‘No Mow May’ happening in the churchyard.	Gill was happy to be interviewed by the very friendly radio presenter, Jon Smith. We discussed why this campaign was started by the Wild Plant Charity as well as the benefits to the wildlife and people.
Climate Change Service			In July, the Service of the Word was focussed on God’s creation, and the climate crisis.	Thank you to Michael Cozens for helping Jan and Gill with the overall planning and leading of this service.

	‘No Mow May’		St James took part in the Wild Plant Charity ‘No Mow May’ campaign again last year. Happily, a couple of Common Orchids appeared again during this which were wonderful to see.	A big ‘thank you’ to John Crellin and David Wood for their ongoing support with this different mowing regime, both through and beyond May into the summer. Some new temporary signs from Caring for God’s Acre charity will soon appear. These will explain why we are encouraging some meadow areas for wildlife in the churchyard.

	This event, held every couple of months and run alongside the regular book sale inside the church, continues to be very successful. The event is hosted by St James Eco Group and Durley Freegle. Pre-loved clothing, toys, games, household good (excluding those that are electrical) are exchanged by the public for free. Any donations are given to Dursley Freecycle	A big ‘Thank You’ to Val Pedrick (Dursley Freegle) who inspires and leads these events. Also, huge thanks to Lizzie Adkins who has recently joined the group, and is also very inspirational and hard working. Also, a big ‘thank you to Clive for helping with all the tables on the day, as well as David Smith and all those who come and help serve refreshments. We couldn’t do it without you.

A	We are continuing to work towards the silver Eco Church award and hope to have made some further progress over the next year.	The St James Eco Church team is aware that A Rocha is a charity. They provide the framework we follow to help achieve a ‘greener’ church’. In light of this, the team has decided to try and raise some funds for them, and have a coffee morning planned in St James on Thursday 9thMay, following communion.


Dog Fouling Prevention signs	Many people have commented on the problem of dog fouling in St James churchyard. To try to address this, three new temporary signs have been created to encourage dog owners to ‘pick up’ after their dog.	The team were very grateful to the 1stDursley Brownies to join in with this project and design some signs for us to use. The Brownies enjoyed taking part in the design competition, and three winning designs were chosen and used.

Gillian Mather

April 2024