# **THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ALL SOULS, HARLESDEN** # **Charity Commission Registration Number: 1131170 Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31 December 2022** ## **Administrative Information** All Souls Church is situated in Station Road, Harlesden, London NW10 4UJ. It is part of the Willesden Area of the Diocese of London. The correspondence address is: The Vicarage, 3 Station Road, Harlesden, London NW10 4UJ. The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a registered charity. Charity Commission Registration Number: 1131170. PCC members who have served 1 January until the date this report was approved are: Incumbent: Fr Adam Dobrzynski (Chair) Reader: Mrs Vena Oglesby Wardens: Ron Bruno-Snelling (Treasurer – Ex-officio) Mr Lewis Evans (Vice-chair) Representatives Ms Sharon Dunbar on Deanery Synod: Mrs Margaret Oyemade Elected members: Mrs May Roberts Ms Deborah St Louis (Secretary) Mr Hugh Smith Ms Samantha Bruno Mrs Emelia Nortey Mr Gaius Umeh Mrs Ingrid Bruno Snelling Ms Clare Thomson Ms Gillian Nickie Lorna Anderson Mr Clive Jones Sandra St Louis-Kandapah ## **Structure, Governance and Management** The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representative Rules. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. ## **Objectives and Activities** All Souls PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, Fr Adam Dobrzynski, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It also has maintenance responsibilities for the church hall and the Hall Flat at 1 Station Road, London NW10 4UJ. ## **Safeguarding.** The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, in relation to having due regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. Our Safeguarding Policy is published on the Church website. ## **Achievements and Performance Church Attendance** The Electoral roll for May 2023 stands at 240?? Similar to that in 2021. Of these 60?? are resident within the parish boundaries and 180?? are non- resident. The average weekly attendance, counted during October 2022, was ?? (not including Harvest Sunday.) Normally this number increased at festivals and on special occasions but church attendance continues to be impacted on by the affects of Covid 19, although things are now showing signs of returning to normal (Pre Covid) activity levels. ## **Review of the year.** The PCC met four times in 2022?? with an average level of attendance of 62%??. Here is a summary of the major agenda items. - Fr Adam Dobrzynski investiture, following Fr Michael’s retirement in October 2021 following many years of loyal dedicated service to All Souls and his parish. - Appointment of Officers of the PCC. - Building needs, including installation new Stained Glass windows, issues with the front gate by the Car Park area and issues with the existing boiler system. - Financial Reports, Approval of Accounts and meeting with External Examiner. Approval of Annual Report. - Appointment of Safeguarding Officer and Children’s Champion and revisiting of Safeguarding and Children’s Policy and development of Action Plan. - Offer for Common Fund for 2023. - Review of Fire, Health and Safety, Risk Assessments. - John Keble School. - Digital Giving - - Building Fund – Proposed request of finance to assist with building works. ## **Report on Fabric and Ornaments 2022/2023.** Our churchwardens are responsible for the fabric and contents of the church. It is a big responsibility and we all want to assist them in their task. Thank you to those who clean the church on a voluntary basis. Thanks to those who help to keep the church attractive and clean outside and inside. We are very blessed in our volunteers. The following matters were dealt with: - The church, hall and hall roofs have been inspected, cleared of debris including gutters and gulleys twice in the year. A report is also made on the state of the roof. - The lightning conductor has been tested. - Fire extinguishers have been checked and replaced where necessary. The fire alarm system has been serviced. - They are tested every week and a trial evacuation of the premises has taken place. - The security alarms, internal and external, have been tested - The hall and hub boilers have been serviced and repaired when necessary. However, we are encountering difficulties with the Church boiler system which may require and change to our existing service supplier. - The gardens and backyard are cleaned of rubbish. The gardens and grass are well maintained. ## **The Financial Report – Year Ending 31 December 2022** ## **Introduction:** Report prepared and produced by David Miller of Quantum Services (London) Ltd. This is the second year that David has prepared and produced the Church Accounts following his successful completion of the 2021 accounts where he introduced new accounting software, which provides for a much-improved user experience. The latest accounts (2022) continue to be well laid out, clear and easy to follow. The charge for David’s service (as Accountant) is TBC and this will include the final sign off of the accounts by an Independent Examiner which David can and will complete. This is because he is not directly involved in our Church (other than the preparation of the annual accounts) and he is therefore allowed to provide independent sign off and we are grateful for his support here. The PCC formally approved the appointment of David as Church Accountant and Independent Examiner in 2022 until further notice. ## **The Report:** The first page of the report is a summary of the receipts (income) during the year and the payments (expenditure). More detail on these can be found later in this report. There are 3 funds involved and these are in the first 3 columns: **Unrestricted Funds** (commonly known as the Church General Fund); the **Unrestricted Designated Fund** (commonly called the Hall and Hall Flat Fund) and finally, the **Restricted Funds** (the Fund for Charity Donations and Fee payments to the Diocese). The final column is a ‘Total’ of all the previous columns. The accounts continue to be presented in the new format that was introduced by David for the 2021 year-end accounts. The first fund represents our Tithes, Collections and Fundraising for the Church itself as well as the costs for running the parish Overall receipts remain strong especially when we factor in the continued impact of the COVID pandemic on congregation numbers, although numbers are now starting to increase once again. - Income from planned giving is only very slightly down. This is a credit to the congregation and their commitment to paying their tithe even when the church is closed and have seen this not only for this year but also for last year. - The income from tax related giving (Gift Aid) is down from previous years but this is because we have not yet claimed for 2021 and 2022. - Collections and other voluntary receipts (Donations) were substantially up from last year. This is very impressive, especially when we consider that the Church has been closed in part and, because of the pandemic, it has not been possible to have many fundraising activities. - The second fund of the accounts is the Designated Fund, which includes all the rent and the payments we make in relation to the Hall, Flat and Hub. All our facilities are usually well used and in 2021 income from these sources have seen a marked increase: £76,939 (up from £35,518 in 2020). This is encouraging, and primarily a result of an increase in income derived from the Hall Flat. - Utility receipts are slightly down on the previous year, mainly due to a fall in income from the Hall Utilities (possibly because of COVID). Other Receipts are only slightly down although we expect it to drop significantly in 2022 when the impact of the loss of income from the Car Park, which was being used by TSB BANK employees, will be felt following the closure of the Bank in April. Other potential income streams will need to be considered for this space to offset this loss for future years. - The other funds in the accounts are Restricted Funds; mainly Charities Receipts and Payments; and the Diocesan Fees Receipts and Payments. When we have special collections (e.g. Lent boxes for USPG), the income from these go into this Restricted Fund and is normally paid out immediately. It is restricted because we cannot use that money as we please, but must use it for the purpose it was given. Similarly, income received from weddings and funerals and other statutory fees must be paid out to the Diocese. This is why the balance on this fund is usually small but the Covid pandemic has also impacted on this. - Expenses and Overheads have increased in 2021, however the vast majority of this expense relates to a couple of ‘one off’ items, namely the repair of the Church Hub door and the installation of the Stained Glass windows. It is pleasing to record the generosity of the church parishioners and their donations as part of this fundraising project, which also partly contributed to continued high level of income generated from planned giving in 2021. - Two points of note however are; Hall Flat Rent – This increased significantly in 2021(£41,300 from £5,160) and this was because of a payment of back dated rent being paid in 2021 due to the tenant falling behind on their rent payments following a period of financial difficulty. The second point relates to the Fee and Charges, which also increased in 2021 (£4,731 from £286). The vast majority of this increase relates to the letting agent’s fees for the hall flat (£4,362). Previous accounts have always deducted these fees directly from the rental income (providing a ‘netting off’ figure) but this process is prohibited by both the Charity Commission and Church of England policies because this means are not reflecting the true expenditure. This is why it has been recorded separately under Fees and Charges. ## _**Reserves Policy.**_ It is PCC policy to invest our funds balances with the CBF Church of England Deposit Fund and to this end, and to build up a Reserve; the PCC agreed to set up a Standing Order of £500 per month into this Deposit Fund. The balance of this account, as at 01/01/23 stood at: £25,435.89 ## _**The Treasurer.**_ We appointed Ron Bruno-Snelling to replace Mrs Nicole Sutherland as Treasurer in 2021 and he has continued in this role in 2022 and 2023. As previously mentioned, we have appointed an Accountant in 2021 to assist with the preparation of the annual Church accounts and their Independent Examination and this is something that we have continued in 2022 and 2023. Our TSB current account is a business account, which has some advantages for us, notably the ability to use Internet banking, but it does mean that certain bank charges apply. ## _**The Independent Examiner.**_ As previously mentioned, The PCC appointed David Miller as the Independent Examiner of the accounts and it is proposed to continue with this arrangement until further notice.