OpenCharities

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

2025-12-31-accounts

The Parochial Church Council of

St Thomas’ and St Mary Magdalene’s Churches Stockton Heath

Annual and Financial Reports for the year ending 31[st] December 2025

Registered Charity No. 1131459 | Diocese of Chester | Incumbent: Revd. Michael Ridley

Parochial Church Council 2025

Introduction Introduction
This information is published as part of the
requirements of the Church of England
Regulations and Requirements of the
Charities Commissioners.
Vicar: Revd. Michael Ridley
Curate: Revd Ruth Gray
Readers: Christine Chapman
Lee Marsh
Church Wardens: Katharine Emery
Simon Goodchild
Pastoral Worker: Julie Brown
Deanery Synod: Dorothy Carter
Sue Burke
Jenny Corroboy
Sarah Downes
Treasurer: Sue Burke
Safeguarding: Dorothy Carter
Julie Bennion
Secretaries: Kirsty Gill
Kris Bradshaw

Legal Status: a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2006) and a registered Charity (Charity no. 1131459).

Deanery: Great Budworth Diocese: Chester

St Thomas’ PCC has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent, in promoting the mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelical, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of : - St Thomas’ Church, London Road, Stockton Heath - St Thomas’ Church Hall, Ellesmere Road, Stockton Heath

Correspondence should be addressed to: The Vicar, St Thomas’ Vicarage 12 Melton Avenue. Walton Warrington WA4 6PQ Tel: 01925 261396

Ex-offcio Members Elected Members
Revd Michael Ridley Peter Banyard
Revd Ruth Gray Kris Bradshaw
Lee Marsh Irene Fitzgerald
Katharine Emery Kirsty Gill
Simon Goodchild Lynda Heesom
Dorothy Carter Stuart Marley
Sue Burke Janice Rowlands
Jenny Corroboy Dorika Roxby
Sarah Downes Joe Roxby(res 08/25)
Julie Brown Jacqueline Shaw
Elaine Smith
Co-opted Members Peter Speed
Sheila Barton James Thornton(res 11/25)
Melanie Wilson David Whalley

In 2025 the Parochial Church Council met in January, March, April (APCM), May, July, September and November, with Standing Committee meetings generally two weeks beforehand. Standing Committees are comprised of the Vicar (who also Chairs the PCC), the Church Wardens, Secretary and Treasurer and these people prepare for the PCC meeting, and make emergency decisions, which are ratified by the PCC at the following PCC Meeting. PCC members are also Charity Trustees and are recruited from and voted for by members of the congregation who are on the electoral roll. PCC members are elected for three-year terms after which they must stand down, but can stand for re-election. The PCC adheres to its aims and principles concerning outreach and mission, whilst managing the finances and the running of and safety of both Churches. Action groups hold their own meetings but refer to the PCC for approval of their spending and actions. Issues addressed include worship, mission, safeguarding, ecumenical matters, social activities and all the possible ways of enhancing outreach and mission. The PCC works extremely hard on the many aspects of running a successful Church and thanks go to all who attend regularly with a cheerful willingness and enthusiasm.

New faces and talents are always welcome and anyone who feels that they can contribute should speak to a Secretary or a Church Warden.

Kirsty Gill & Kris Bradshaw - PCC Secretaries

A Word from Your Vicar

Dear Friends,

Rowan Williams, a previous Archbishop of Canterbury, suggested that the Kingdom of God existed when we find where God is at work, and join in. The Church of England has always been good at this: with church buildings usually at the centre of villages and towns, clergy providing a middle way in ecumenical matters, church congregations generally being willing and able to bring folk together whatever their faith journey.

All the above is, I believe, true of our churches. We try to be servants to our community with an emphasis on the young, families, the frail and all in need. Across the country there are parishes scratching their heads wondering why they have low numbers and little community inclusion. Our success, if you can call it that, is down to several factors not least many dedicated and committed workers who spend many hours each week keeping the show on the road: safeguarding officers, keepers of the finances, children and family workers, Bible Study leaders, cleaners, bell ringers, musicians, wardens, welcomers, tea makers and lots more. We have much for which we should be thankful!

As another clever person once, said, any church fellowship is only one generation from extinction. By this I mean we’ve got to pray and plan for the future. Our Diocesan Vision “One in Christ: Sharing Hope” has at its centre three vital components:

You can see how this looks on the Diocesan website www.chesterdiocese.org/content/ strategy

For me this makes absolute sense in our context, but we need to be intentional, so here’s a few thoughts on the matter because I think we have all the right ideas but need to focus.

Making disciples

While we have sporadic beginners courses such as the Pilgrim Course, Confirmation Classes etc, we need more mid-week groups to help people grow in faith. Too often we finish a course and leave new Christians to sink or swim. We also need to engage with families who would like their children to gain entry to St. Thomas’ School. Many of the parents aren’t confirmed: we need to find ways to help them grow in faith rather than peter out and stop coming to services once their child ‘gets in’. It may be that some Sundays the children stay in church and the adults go to the hall for lessons in the faith? We are fortunate currently in St. Thomas’ in having a wide fringe of people who just arrive and quite often stay and grow but it’s a bit hit and miss. We need to strengthen our welcome, make nurture more accessible and have an emphasis on teaching. With this in

mind I intend to map out the year with Beginner’s Course September – December, Nurture Course January – Easter and Growing Faith April – July.

Establishing new worshipping communities

In the last year Children’s Praise has started in the Church Hall on the third Sunday: a standalone service for families with children emphasising singing, fun, crafts and refreshments. With Ruth’s help leaders are being trained to carry this on when she moves on to her own parish. We need to do this more in the parish as a whole. St. Mary Magdalene’s doesn’t have a Sunday School now and while numbers are stable unless we encourage young families St. Mary Magdalene’s won’t grow any bigger. It’s interesting that the Word Service at St. Mary Magdalene’s has really grown people’s confidence and is totally lay-led.

This is a pattern we need to encourage across the parish so that new worshipping communities for a wide variety of ages could be established from old to young. In many ways a sort of new worshipping community can be found at our Thursday Morning Communion, this having as much to do with convenience as the building up of friendships. Our numbers on Thursday are comparable with some local churches’ regular Sunday attendance. With the Mature Movers meeting up with us after the service for coffee on occasions there can be as many as fifty people enjoying fellowship. I am sure the newly formed and expanded Ministry Team will have some ideas about new worshipping communities – how about Forest Church? Brick Church? Carers’ Church? Dementia Church? The possibilities are endless to share the Good News of Jesus.

Developing new leaders

We are fortunate that the good work done by Mel and Sheila, our previous Churchwardens, has been continued by Katharine and Simon. This hasn’t happened by accident but because we have lots of previous wardens who support and encourage, sharing their wealth of knowledge. Recruiting new leaders is so much easier when you know you will be supported.

It is very encouraging that five people went on the four week Occasional Worship Leaders’ (OWL) course recently. I am confident that they will make a difference to our worship, working alongside our existing licensed Readers. Hopefully others will want to go on this course too. “Is it you?” (the Diocesan Vocations strapline) is a helpful prompt to those who feel God’s calling to ministry. With the way the Church of England is going and the desperate need for lay and ordained leadership we as a parish need to encourage as many as possible to go on courses so that people can discover whether they have a ministry to serve the church. There is an online OWLs course in November – I hope many folk will volunteer.

With these three strategies I hope that the coming year will be one in which we renew our efforts to spread the Good News of Jesus; are mindful of finding new ways to build up and create worshipping communities and nurture and encourage new leadership. We have much to do: pray for God’s directing to accomplish our hopes.

Yours, Michael.

Some words from Revd. Ruth Gray, Assistant Curate

As this will be my last APCM here at St Thomas’ and St Mary Magdalene’s, I find myself reflecting on the three years I have spent with you all in this wonderful parish.

When I first arrived as a ‘wet behind the ears’ Curate I did so already uplifted by the care shown to me on my pre-curacy visits, and the prayers said as I prepared for ordination. I knew in my heart that all would be well, and it has been, in fact it has been so much more. That is due to the abundance of love, care and

generosity that I see on a daily basis from this church community as you live out your lives as disciples of Christ.

Over the past three years I have built up a collection of pictures and cards given to me mainly by the children within the parish that I have added to my pinboard in my office. One particular card has the picture of a light bulb on it with the words, ‘Let your light shine’ found in Matthew 5:16.

Each one of us is called to be a light giver, to shine the light within us that is the light of Jesus. The light that shines into the darkness, brings hope to the hope-less, compassion to those in need and love to our neighbours. It is this light that I see shining out from you all, in the things that you do. From the listening ears, to the conversation instigators, the bakers and tea makers, the bellringers, the pray-ers, the church preparers, the administrators, the grant application producers, the livestreamers, the PowerPoint makers and clickers, the Bible Explorers, the organ/piano players, the singers and the worship leaders. The list goes on and on.

So thank you for all that you do to shine Christ’s light into the world, long may it continue!

And thank you for all the prayers said, and the love and support given to me over the past 3 years. It will be hard to say goodbye when the time comes for me to move on, but I will go holding onto the memory of all those wonderful ‘light shining’ moments experienced with you all, as God calls me to go and shine my light within a new community of light givers, wherever that may be!

Yours in Christ, Ruth.

Church Wardens’ Report—St Thomas’ and St Mary Magdalene’s

Dear Friends

We want to start off by saying how wonderfully supportive and helpful both congregations have been to us as we embarked upon our first year as ‘newbie’ Church Wardens. It is a privilege to be asked and accepted, and we will serve you all to the best of our ability by the Grace of God.

2025 seems to have been a busy year again for both of our churches of St Thomas’ and St Mary Magdalene’s. St Thomas’ hosted several events as part of Stockton Heath festival, the church became an Art Gallery, and a team manned a ‘pick a prize’ raffle at the festival fete.

We have hosted some wonderful concerts – including ‘Warrington String Quartet’ and ‘Spirit of Broadway at the movies’, to name just two.

Several confirmation candidates were warmly welcomed into the light of Christ as Bishop Julie came to St Thomas’ for our wonderful confirmation service surrounded by our church family.

Every year brings some cause to celebrate, and this year was no exception. Certainly, one of the most memorable events of the year was Michael’s Commissioning as Rural Dean of Great Budworth. A truly joyous service and we were happy to welcome so many people into St Thomas’ to witness the Commissioning and worship with us.

With the help and support of Broomfields Youth Project, PCC approval and church volunteers we hosted a ‘Hang out Hub’ for young people every Tuesday after school from February 2025. It was a ‘safe place’ for them to chill, socialise, play table tennis, badminton, card and computer games and football outside in the better weather. Conversations were had and refreshments were served– it is amazing how hungry young people are and popcorn and hot chocolate was a ‘must’ each week. There was a small core of young people who attended regularly. Unfortunately, numbers did not grow despite continuing for a year and holding events like a pancake party and games competition, there was little opportunity for mission. Hence, the decision was made to close the hub in Feb 2026 and look to development of youth engagement in other ways.

Notable events, both fundraisers and social, were the Harvest Bring & Share with Beetle Drive & Quiz, Hot Pot Supper and Ceilidh, Church Christmas Fair – fun for all of the family! The Vantry has come to St Mary Magdalene’s, helping to support people in the community who are struggling to afford food.

Our Big Winter Clean at St Thomas’ and St Mary Magdalene’s saw many cobwebs swept away and surfaces shining once more! Many thanks to all our hard-working volunteers who keep our churches spick and span.

St Mary Magdalene’s waved goodbye to our organ, which has been sent to a new home. We have a new microphone and sound connection, which is making it much easier to hear

our services, and smart new chair cushions. Thanks to the SMAG and everyone else who has helped with our church upkeep, and a special mention for Peter Banyard who arranged for our fridge to be replaced very quickly when it stopped working.

Advent and Christmas had many popular services. At St Thomas’ we ‘went on a Star Hunt’ with Ruth in two packed-out Crib and Christingle services on Christmas Eve. Well over 1000 people crossed the threshold into our churches during Christmas services.

In January we were happy to welcome all 3 Bishops Julie, Mark and Sam to our Deanery. The ‘Meet your Bishops’ service at St James’ was a great opportunity to get to know them and ask questions.

Recent exciting news at St Thomas’ is that our ‘Expression of Interest’ to Heritage Lottery Fund was accepted! Much hard work has been undertaken by Sue Burke and Suzanne Evans, and we are very grateful to them both. We have a long way to go but are very excited about the future holds for our church.

Several of our church members recently completed the ‘Occasional Worship Leaders course’ run by the Chester Diocese at Church House. This is very important as Michael’s role of Rural Dean stretches his resources further; and as Ruth looks to moving on; we all must give support where we can. This will mean flexibility will be required of us as ‘services of the word’ will feature more and some services will be ‘lay led’. We have done this at St Thomas’ in the past when Michael was covering St James’ and St Hilda’s in Latchford and are confident with our training we can help ease the workload for our ministry team. St Mary’s continues to have ‘services of the word’ once a month, and we have been very grateful for everybody who volunteers to take part.

The Easter Experience showcased the artistic and creative talents of our members as the tableaux of the Passion Story were spread throughout the church. School children were guided through different ‘stations’ of the Easter Story and enjoyed taking an active part in and learning about the final days of Jesus. It was a huge success, and Bishop Mark even visited us to enjoy the experience for himself. Congratulations to all who made it such a success.

Also this Lent, St Mary Magdalene’s hosted the ‘Caring for God’s Creation’ course which we were trialling, ably led by Sheila Barton. This provided us with lots of things to think about and helpful advice to make our churches and our lives more green, and will contribute towards our Eco Award.

Some happy (and sad!) news regarding Ruth - we are very happy to celebrate that she has been officially ‘signed off’ by Bishop Julie and can now start to actively apply for jobs and to have her very own Parish. We will be sorry to see her go, she has brought so much to our parishes, and she will always be a part of our church family.

Finally, we cannot conclude our report without saying thank you to all those who freely help with keeping our churches open and welcoming. Please continue to support us both with your prayers and we look forward to serving with you all for another year.

With thanks, Simon and Katharine

Annual Report of the Safeguarding Officers for 2025

At our churches we do everything we can to maintain a safer environment for everyone. We have adopted and remain committed to implementing the House of Bishops’ Safeguarding policies and good practice guidance.

If you have any concerns regarding safeguarding, about people of any age within our churches, please contact our Safeguarding Officers at stsmmsafeguarding@outlook.com

St Thomas’ - Dorothy Carter St Mary Magdalene’s - Julie Bennion

Both have up-to-date DBS clearance and all mandatory training. There are posters in both churches with their contact information displayed. If neither of these are available and if the matter is urgent please speak, in confidence, to the Vicar or your Church Warden who will ensure that your concerns are passed on immediately.

Further information can be seen on the church website: stthomas-stocktonheath.org.uk.

Safeguarding is a regular item on all PCC agendas. PCC members must have enhanced DBS clearance certificates and anyone working regularly with children must be cleared on the Children’s Barred List. PCC members must complete safeguarding training at Basic and Foundation levels as well as training in Safer Recruitment.

The Safer Recruitment Policy means that any paid staff and/or volunteering roles must be subject to a standard application process, including references and safeguarding clearance where appropriate. All clearance and training certificates are valid for three years only. Certificates may be required for various other roles, but guidance will be given at the time of application.

Church employees who work regularly with children or vulnerable adults currently have valid and satisfactory DBS disclosures. This also applies to Readers and Pastoral workers. The aims of these measures are:

• to ensure a safe environment for all who attend our Churches to worship, work, volunteer or visit.

• to promote safe practice by raising awareness of safeguarding issues by offering training to church volunteers.

• to ensure all church activities and church groups have current risk assessments which are reviewed annually, as do all church trips and on and off-site events.

No serious issues were reported during 2025 but advice and support has been readily available whenever required, including in areas of safety in health and wellbeing. Safeguarding measures are extremely stringent and anyone who would like further information should speak to Dorothy or Julie at any time. Thanks go to everyone who has willingly complied with the regulations and guidelines, thus helping to keep our congregations, volunteers, visitors, friends & clergy safe, while still keeping our churches welcoming and inclusive.

Dorothy Carter. Lead Recruiter / Safeguarding Officer - St. Thomas’ Julie Bennion. Safeguarding Officer - St Mary Magdalene’s

Great Budworth Deanery Synod

The aims of the Deanery Synod are:

In 2025 , meetings were held at St Matthews’ Stretton; Daresbury hosted an open meeting, and a Zoom meeting regarding the business side of the Deanery took place in October. Recurring topics were safeguarding, reports on Parish Share, vacancies in the Deanery and full details of training available. Revd. Emma Speake of Runcorn spoke enthusiastically on "inclusion and access to church and worship". The Bishop's advisors spoke on Lay Ministry, pointing out that training is available and at multiple locations. Synod allows us to hear how other churches are reacting to these challenges and to share ideas.

Revd. Alec Brown became interim Rural Dean in place of Revd. Bev Jameson, and Revd. Michael Ridley became our new Rural Dean later in the year. St Thomas' and St Mary Magdalene's representatives for 2025 were Dorothy Carter, Jenny Corroboy, Sue Burke and Sarah Downes. The Parish is represented by Julie Brown, Pastoral Worker.

Deanery Synod representatives attend meetings on behalf of the Parish and report back to PCC. Because of the numbers on our electoral roll, we are eligible to elect five members for the Deanery Synod for a three-year term. If anyone would like to learn more about this role, please talk to a Church Warden or one of the representatives.

Jenny Corroboy, Dorothy Carter, Sue Burke & Sarah Downes Deanery Synod Representatives

Action Groups

Action groups hold their own meetings but refer back to the PCC for approval of their spending and actions. Issues addressed include worship, mission, safeguarding, ecumenical matters, social activities and all the possible ways of enhancing outreach and mission. The groups who meet regularly are:

St Thomas’ Action Group (STAG) St Mary’s Action Group (SMAG) Church Hall Action Group (CHAG) Fundraising, Social & Mission Group Tech Team Pastoral Group Deanery Synod Bridgewater Churches Together

Outreach

A word of thanks go to all to who work so hard to organise or help with the groups that our Church community provides.

It was stated a while ago in Parliament that “Without volunteers this country would grind to a halt” and our wonderful group of volunteers certainly lays testimony to that statement.

A heartfelt thanks goes to all who work so hard to make our Church the warm, welcoming and safe haven that it is.

Apart from the support listed in other parts of the report, volunteers are responsible for the success of the following really well loved and important parts of our Churches:

Sunday School Bellringing Eco Church Church Duties Home Visits

The Choir Open Church Cleaning Office work Praise and Play

Electoral Roll

The Electoral Roll closed on March 21st to allow time for revision and a new version has now been prepared. The number of members is 241.

The Electoral Roll will be re-opened on April 26th after the AGM.

Congregation members are encouraged to have their names added to give them voting rights at general meetings.

Should anyone wish to be entered on the Electoral Roll application forms are available at the Church Office or ask one of the Church Wardens.

Simon Hutt Electoral Roll Officer

Reserve Policy

It is the aim of the PCC to hold £27,000 in unrestricted reserves to enable cover for three months’ running costs in the event of a major problem, and/or to provide additional support for some unforeseen repairs. Having considered outgoings, the PCC deems this to be a reasonable amount to hold in reserve to maintain an adequate cash flow. This policy will be reviewed in twelve months’ time by the PCC, who will consider the viability of this amount.

Risk report

The major risks to which the PCC are exposed are reviewed regularly, with systems in place to address them effectively. Major risks identified are: Adverse publicity Demographic change Dependency on income Disaster issues Fund raising Governance Security Volunteering Vulnerable people Pandemic

Risk assessments are stored at a central point and can be viewed on request.

Financial Review of the Year 2025

I recently found an old Annual Report 2003 whilst clearing cupboards! In it the then Treasurer, Peter Chapman reported that there had been a deficit every year of the five years he had been Treasurer! Thankfully in my eight years we have only once had a deficit and that was in 2023 as a direct result of the St Mary

Magdalene Car park major works and this year, we have achieved a surplus of £25,241 of which £23,413 is General Fund and therefore unrestricted monies. Personally, and on behalf of the whole PCC thank you to everyone who gives sacrificially of their time, money and talents to the work of our churches and God’s Kingdom in Stockton Heath and Appleton.

The 2025 Accounts have been prepared on an Accruals basis so that income or expenses are recorded when the transaction occurs rather than when payment is made or received. As our total income is less than £250,000, we are not required legally to produce Accruals Accounts but have done so as it allows for more accurate comparisons month on month with the previous year. This is particularly useful in both assessing the current financial position, forecasting future positions and identifying change. There have been no major works in the Parish in 2025.

Parish Finances are a team effort. Linda Latham continues as Bookkeeper maintaining all the computerised Finance Coordinator records and provides a ‘second authority’ for all our financial transactions, she is an invaluable colleague. Joanne Ridley, Reg Pritchard, Jackie Cole and Christine Bradshaw assist with the money counting every week and we have recently welcomed Sarah Downes to the Sunday team to add some resilience for holidays. Simon Hutt undertakes the weekly banking at the Post Office and the Parish Office team provide invaluable admin support. Joanne Ridley is our Gift Aid Secretary and together we ensure we claim every penny of eligible tax recovery on donations. I am grateful for the dedicated work of the entire team.

Geoff Bruce BSc. FCA has completed six years as our Independent Examiner, having agreed to ‘one more year’ last year. He has provided this service free of charge throughout and we are most grateful to Geoff for his time, guidance, and expertise, particularly in my early years as Treasurer his advice was invaluable. In addition to examining our accounts in line with Charity Commission guidance, Geoff helped me establish sound financial processes and has provided oversight of these throughout the six years. He has encouraged all PCC members to be aware of their responsibilities as Trustees. There is an established induction process for all new PCC members detailing the responsibilities of Trustees, we adhere to our Standing Financial Instructions which are reviewed annually, and I undertake the Charity Commission Internal Financial Controls Self-Assessment Checklist presenting the findings to the PCC annually to ensure we have robust processes in place. I produce and present a formal report to every PCC meeting updating the financial position and keeping PCC members fully informed about all financial issues, these reports are incorporated into the PCC minutes as Appendices.

The format of the Accounts presented is unchanged from 2024. We continue to use the Data Developments Finance Coordinator computerised accounts system and operate ‘fund accounting.’ This accounting package will not be supported past 2027 so we will be transferring to a cloud-based system with Data Developments in the next few months in readiness.

You will note headings of general fund, designated funds and restricted funds on page two of the accounts and on the Balance Sheet these funds and their balances are detailed. We have three designated funds set aside for a particular purpose: Visranthi Trust, a charity in India which supports victims of domestic abuse to which a group of regular donors contribute; Mission Project Fund for our outreach work like the Christmas and Easter bags for vulnerable families and the holiday fun lunches and St Mary Magdalene Car Park Fund. Thanks to a successful Car Treasure Hunt in June combined with a generous donation the deficit in the St Mary Magdalene Car Park fund was cleared. In December 2025 Ann and Mick Jackson retired from their roles as Parish 100 Club organisers. I would like to record our thanks to them for their dedication over around sixteen years. In the eight years I have been Treasurer they have overseen donations of £12,250 from 100 Club to support the church. Lynda Heesom has taken over this important role and has to date eighty-eight members; it would be wonderful if we could finally have one hundred members. You will note that Parish 100 Club now appears on the Balance sheet as a Designated Fund but there is no money recorded for 2025 because although many members paid their fees for 2026 in 2025, these are recorded as ‘Debtors’ to be included in the 2026 accounts under the Accruals principles.

There are five active restricted funds, donations into these funds must be used for the sole purpose of that fund: Parish Family Fund for youth and family work; Grants Fund holding money given annually by the War Graves Commission for us to use to maintain the graves of the fallen in the churchyard; Bells fund to manage and maintain the bell tower and ringing band; the Parish Charities Fund is used for our annual charitable outward giving; and St Mary Magdalene Flower Fund is self-explanatory. The movement in these funds can be seen in detail in the ‘notes to accompany the accounts’ page of the accounts.

Agency Accounts, also detailed on page 5, relate to money we receive on behalf of a third party: it is not our money and is managed separately within the accounts but forms part of our creditors figure. Examples include fees we receive and pay to the Diocese, verger or organist from weddings and funerals and charity donations such as the Children’s Society Christingle candles, Macmillan Coffee morning. As approved by PCC in 2024 we have taken on the management of Little Sunbeams finances. We initially managed these monies through a restricted fund, but the Independent Examiner has advised we transfer this to an Agency account.

Our total receipts for 2025 are £230,333 compared to £230,910 in 2024. Due to our managing Little Sunbeams monies both our income and expenditure figures are overinflated by their £3934 receipts and payments. Our total expenditure in 2025 was £205,093 a reduction of £21,911 from the 2024 figure of £227,004. Hence it is the

reduction in expenditure rather than an increase in income which has created our surplus.

Following the annual Thanksgiving Sunday Appeal 2024, we received pledged increases to Planned Giving from both congregations totalling £8,154 with an actual increase of £7,235 most pledges being honoured, the difference being due to members of our congregation moving away or sadly dying. Plate collections were also increased by £660. £24,836 in donations were received in 2025 reduced by £7,035 compared to 2024. We received on large donation in 2025 of £5,000 which, with the hard work of Peter Speed and Ian Burke enabled the complete renewal of the Church Hall kitchen. The Card Reader continues to be an asset with £3,761 being received in 2025 compared to £3,145 in 2024.

We make considerable effort within the Parish to ensure that all giving is tax efficient wherever possible. If you are a UK taxpayer giving to the Parish and have not completed a Gift Aid declaration, please contact me . £29,176 has been claimed in Recovered Tax in 2025, this is a reduction of £4,851 from 2024 explained by reduced Gift Aid eligible donations in 2025 and a successful Listed Places of Worship VAT repayment claim for eligible works to the clock and in the Tower of £2,834 received in 2024.

A reduction in Interest Rates has led to reduced Investment Income of £453, funds are held in CCLA (CBF) Deposit Account where we receive a higher interest rate. Total interest on this account in 2025 is £4140 and the PCC have approved movement of further funds not immediately necessary for day-to-day operations into this account to maximise our income.

Julie Bennion and Peter Speed do a fantastic job of managing the bookings for St Mary Magdalene and St Thomas Church hall hire respectively not only raising £10,529 and £15,774 respectively in income but ensuring the halls are safe and welcoming for visitors. St Thomas’ Hall hire income has increased by £985 and St Mary Magdalene reduced by £724. Both halls are very busy with regular bookings and this difference relates entirely to party and ‘one -off’ hall hire, with St Thomas’ Church hall having fortysix such bookings and St Mary Magdalene only nine. Some of this relates to hire availability on Saturdays but PCC has approved an advertising banner for St Mary Magdalene based on the success of the St Thomas Church hall banner.

The Fundraising, Social and Mission Project team have had a busy year raising around £7,000 after costs for events. Highlights were the Elton John Tribute night, Stockton Heath Festival events, Car Treasure Hunt, Ceilidh and Hot pot Supper, Warrington String Quartet Concert - with an unwanted appearance of Storm Claudia - the Christmas Fair in collaboration with St Thomas’ School and Golborne Brass Band Christmas Concert. In addition, the team held free family fun lunches in school holidays, packed and distributed Christmas and Easter bags with help from the other congregation members, hosted a Pancake Party, held a Macmillan Coffee morning, provided refreshments for Michael’s induction as Rural Dean and for VE Day to name a few. We have welcomed several new members to the team who have been a joy to work with.

We were fortunate again to receive a grant from ‘Brakes’ via Transforming Lives Together of £2500 for the Mission projects we undertake: fun lunches, Christmas and Easter bags. Our collaboration with local schools is now well established. We provided a total of 198 adults and 237 children with Breakfast, lunch, evening meal and pudding for 2 days, fresh fruit and potatoes, Christmas treats and craft. We also hosted eight free fun lunches during school holidays with all hot meals freely provided by members of the FRASM team. With the Pastoral Care Team 52 Easter and Christmas Cheer bags were distributed to older vulnerable or isolated people within our congregation and community. In addition to the grant of £2500 from Brakes, we received donations from our congregations of £748. The church ‘Kindness Group’ has continued their activity in 2025 with ten gifts of flowers and eight cakes being taken to members of our congregations and community – showing and sharing God’s love.

In 2025 our expenditure was £205,093 a reduction of £21,911 compared to £227,004 in 2024. There are four main reasons for this reduction, none of which are recurrent. We have not undertaken any major works in 2025 whereas in 2024 we undertook repairs to St Thomas’ Church Clock and electrical works in the Bell tower these account for the reduction of £12,373 in the Church Maintenance category seen in 2025. In 2024 we purchased a piano, there have not been any major equipment purchases in 2025 explaining the reduction of £8,340 in the Equipment Purchase category. In 2024 we undertook preparatory works: digital survey, heating appraisal, full project costings ready for the Expression Of Interest to National Heritage Lottery Fund for Major Works funding for the final stages of restoration and internal reordering for St Thomas’ Church to remove her from the Heritage England Churches at risk register costing £7,370. During 2025 we had minimal spend on this as we were working on the Expressions of Interest and I am delighted that we finally succeeded in passing this stage in January 2026 having been invited to formally apply for a grant, there are still no guarantees, however. Although we continue to be impacted by rising running costs, our energy costs have been reduced because of an error in the applied VAT rate to gas invoices from 2023 and 2024, only identified in 2025. Regent Gas our energy supplier for Gas for both St Mary Magdalene’s and St Thomas’ Churches had inconsistently applied a VAT rate of 20% rather than the 5% we are required to pay to several invoices since the start of the contracts in 2023. A successful challenge resulted in a credit being applied for both churches (£4,222 to St Thomas and £478 to St Mary Magdalene) explaining our apparent reduction in running costs for 2025.

Diocesan Parish Share of £77,635 per annum in 2025, an increase of £2,261 must be paid before any other costs are considered. This is our contribution to the cost of our Vicar, his stipend, pension contributions, housing and training of future clergy. No Deanery Contribution was required again in 2025.

Energy costs are a worry for everyone and the church is not exempt. Fortunately, we negotiated new three-year contracts for gas for both churches and electricity at St Mary Magdalene before the current crisis at 2025 prices to commence in 2026. Similarly, gas for StThomas Church hall is on a three-year contract commencing October 2025 and electricity for St Thomas’ Church and Hall were new favourable three

The PCC again fulfilled our obligation to Christian outreach in our ‘Outward Giving’ Parish Policy which is to give away 10% of our disposable income. We allocated £13,985 based on our disposable income into General Fund in 2025. This was distributed between Overseas Mission, Home Mission, and Secular Charities.

£13,160 in donations are as follows: £2500 to the Church Missionary Society, £2500 to USPG, £600 to Visranthi Trust, £500 to St David’s Nigeria, £500 to Christchurch Latchford, £500 to Ascension Trust for Street Pastors, £400 to the Prison Fellowship, £1,250 to Broomfield’s Youth Project, £600 to St Joseph’s Family Centre, £850 to St Rocco’s and £600 to St Thomas’ School towards distinctiveness, £1,050 to Warrington Youth for Christ, and £200 to support the Creamfields Church tent, £50 to National Churches trust, £560 to DEC Gaza. A further £500 was given to the church Mission Project. Listed in the Memorandum Analysis - Charity Agency Summary are all the other collections or donations received and paid out to charities throughout 2025.

Our Cash at bank and in hand is £173,961 with £157,213 in unrestricted funds and £16,748 in designated and restricted funds. Thanksgiving Sunday 2025 yielded increased pledged giving of £4792 and new pledges of £1,820 totalling £6,612 increased giving which will help sustain us through 2026. As I have alluded to, our surplus in 2025 was a direct result of non-recurring reduced expenditure. This must resonate a cautionary note for 2026 where we will be more dependent on increased income than we can be on reduced expenditure. The overall costings for the previously mentioned Major Works project for St Thomas Church are predicted to be £1,900,000, we must provide 10% of this from Parish Funds - the PCC has ring fenced £80,000 for this - fundraising and securing other grants. Our application to National Heritage Lottery Fund is in two phases: a Development Phase Application for around £235,000 which if successful is followed by a Delivery Round Application for the remainder of the funds to undertake the works. No guarantees are in place for either of the phases to be successful, but we must continue to endeavour to secure funding to preserve our beautiful church for generations to come. Please do support any events or activities in the coming years.

In 2025 we have welcomed our new Church wardens - Katharine and Simon who have settled in very well and are already doing an amazing job. Kris and Kirsty continue to ‘job share’ the role of Parish Secretary and efficiently keep us all in order. It is a privilege to work as part of this Leadership team with such dedicated people and with Michael and Ruth. I am grateful for all their support in my role.

Financial stability underpins all that we do as a Parish to follow Jesus and show and share God’s love in our community. Let us fix our eyes firmly on Jesus, thank Him for all His blessings in 2025 and journey on with Him through 2026.

Sue Burke Parish Treasurer

St Thomas. Ctrwrch Stockton Heaih Statennt of Financial Aclivitie5 For the period Irom 01 January 2025 to 31 December 2025 TXd Prb]ryMr ¢(m• artl trom: Qbna1￿￿saThj ￿9￿cleS Flwred Griny Fle Colth￿s 9&385 17.852 2&195 7.053 96,911 17,852 29,176 09,6B2 17,182 31757 155 r￿nat￿n5 1&777 4.373 24.A36 31.871 F￿d Ra 11740 1154 Ckher HctrMF5 lJ34 3,934 4,250 1.178 4.721 2.916 CthEr nrom 720 IS,?14 10,529 S.33 4.917 Th¢wnA5'ChLth Hllll H St Ily5H￿l prc FeE5 14,?89 11,253 7,65S l713 &339 217 Iq331 23Q3 23i•i0 Expornl￿r• (m: &359 1.859 234 7,452 &114 77.63S 77.63S 3.OB7 7&374 gyc YO￿ C05t5 ch￿ RLmiM9 rthts ChLYth Marttnance l RepHir5 ChLYth equi￿ PLrchaso ChLYth Hal Cost5 Hal m3fftrh￿e lryar5 ￿￿￿7￿ Gmry 1.705 491 1.473 42.S38 17.648 1Q4SS 17,235 2.025 lQ870 10,688 IS02B S27S 1115 I7.￿3 35.519 S.275 2.115 17,e43 6,507 12,660 9,738 12.660 1354 141 Lwcttywd ￿515 9,37S 4,151 1825 7.?70 4.562 1156 7.37 st￿￿5H￿ MaJ￿y￿S 332 332 )%￿3 ?J#M 357 tS241 Transf•rs Gr055ltan5fw5b#wE￿fu[vjS. Wl 1076 6Da)) 14,528 (2,0701 19, 19.214 119,2141 11.5201 Oth•r r•Co9￿3•d galrn I1088•8 Gains on lE¥a￿JaIlan ILxed a55ets. chaitY5 LiIIIIU5e 21413 1.225 2S241 R•conelllaOon of1￿& It,S07 141721 14481S T¢xil Prbjrywr ds T¢a fth15 cr1￿￿ 1S?,213 12.IC4 173,•61 141.?21

Balance sheet (Summaryl A5 at: 31 December 2025 As at 31112ra)25 As •13111212Q24 12, 175.297 11,561 149,176 Cash at bfirt in INqThJ 188.265 160,737 Liabililies Ciedors'. thoLrts lalin9 in c￿￿ ye 12.016 Plot a5￿ts bBss cuwrent liabditi•5 173,961 14&721 Tota ass•ts1oss cwr•N liabiliiies 173.981 148.721 Tota nol assots ss lidiii•s 173,981 1W721 R•pro9•rtod by UNosthctsd. Genoral furb 157.213 De5ignated- ST MM Car Pwk [￿Ignal0￿. Mis5￿ Pro￿ tknignat@d. Parish 1(K) Club fksignaie(J. Trust 14661 3.879 4.367 156 RegrKted. 8dlsfwKt Resrnued. Grarts Fund 1.132 1.149 Restritiod. Sl Marys Flowu Fund Re5rnaed. Parish CharrtsfU￿1 Rostrthd. Pwbh Fartlty Fwbj Re￿￿ed. Prom Pratse 318 307 1.332 6,705 173,981 1W721 Thw• may b• mlTr)r+str•part Inthl tthl# Y th• P￿¢ *•

Not￿ to Acc(%nyny th• Accounts 2025 1. The finanrial stslemenls of Ihe PCC have been prepared in ac(tthnct V•ilh the Acc(wnbryJ Regulalions 2006 and SeCtic￿ 133 01 the Charibe5 Act 2011. Agency monies hebd are also shown as o Lyedrtor. These a￿ detailed bebw Ity infom)ath￿. 2. The PCC holds 199.49 CBF accumulation shares whose mathet Value was £12,374.28 fcff December 2025 (£12520.43 fw c￿ern￿er 20241 3. In •ddition the PCC Ihe fc4lwing non sacred buildirwJs: St Ma￿S house Insurance valuation C￿￿￿T 2025 £273,355 St Thomas Church Hall Insurancè valuabon December 202S, £1.216,4S3 4. The PCC has a Reserves PolScy and heid £25,C(#) ￿serveS Sn 2025 5. Litue Sunbeaffo is an ecumenicd p￿Y group njn frcwn Sl Mary Magdalene by Parish Klunteer5. The PCC approved a request from them to rn￿age tslr moni85 through our banknng and ￿COUnts syslem. 8. The movemtrrts in designatsd aThJ restricted frjnds during the year %%we.' Bal blfvid R•e•iptg P•ym•nts Tr8nsf•rn B1 Clfvld D•slgnat•d lund lunr•strkt•dl Visranihi Trust 3981 3825 Mission Proied Si Mary Ma9dalene Car Park lund 3879 46S 3897 3909 4367 628 .14 115 Total 3414 7768 R•Jtrict•d Fund Charities 1331 12664 12985 1652 War graves Flowtrs Parish Family lund Gain on investment assèt 1148 217 233 1132 307 395 1355 318 7086 1764 28 6705 Bells Fund 1632 1162 491 2303 Tot1 11504 3129 15536 13013 12110 Mgmorandurn analysis Church acting as an ag•nt Diocesan fees lor weddings and funer￿3 Other fees. vewl oryanisUd)oir Bal blfvid R•c•ipts 4941 Pa￿0n￿ Bal Cl fwd 467S 83S 1101 21S 2507 2462 Totsl 1361 Charlty Ag•n¢y Summary Chester Cler9y Familie5 Bridgevralei Churthes T(wJether Chn5ban Aid Ga 501 $01 Christian Ald My8nm8r Children's society roodbank Present Ad 409 409 792 1174 792 1174 223 880 70 453 293 934 Macmillan Caneer Support USPG 776 778 771 771 Littbe Sunbeams 2698 2698 Total 1901 7450 4869 Total A9oncy fund 6230

CHARITY COMMISSION Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinèr s Report Ch•rtty no •rty) 1131459 l rnp(xl to trusl688 on t)ry exanNnalion of the K£ounls ofth at Rosponslbifdg• and basls of report As the tharilys trustees, yw are TesFQMt4e for Ihe prepar'on ofthe x¥)unis in ￿)￿la￿e ith the roqulroft￿ts ol thè Chits Act 2011 undef ae(on 145 ￿ the 2011 Ad aThJ in ¢wrying out my ex￿inal￿n, I haw IcAl(y￿$ all the awlKabl8 Threclions the Charity Cornmium ur#Jef 1451SXb) rA the A Cau￿ to ￿leve Ihal in. any material re8lXt'. the Chanbes Art. r the acx>)wrt8 dmj r•YI ¥x￿d ith tho Of the actounts did not cimwy vthh the app4ut4e requir¢nxnts (x)rrAming the form c£)ntent of set Crtrt in the Char￿8 (Accthrrts and ReF￿rts) Rogulalions 2008 tXh8r than any rtyuirnmont that the aLrourts 8 Irue f•.¢ vie which is nol a matter MlérfAI as part af ￿ indeydent e￿￿￿'On. with the exarination to which nts"on sPthbd be dr•*n in ttms rep￿1 in R•l•¥ant prnfHslonal quallficatlonlsl or body Illany): FCA

The Parochial Church Council of St Thomas ’ and St Mary Magdalene ’ s Churches Charity Number 1131459

DRAFT: Minutes of the Vestry Meeting for the year January 1st to December 31st 2024 held on Sunday 11th May 2025 at St Thomas ’ Church at 10:45am

The number present at the meeting was 82

Minutes of the Vestry Meeting for the year 2024

The minutes of the Vestry meeting held in 2024 were reviewed and accepted as a true and accurate record.

Election of Church Wardens:

Nominated Proposed Seconded Approved
Katharine Emery Sue Burke Sheila Barton Unanimously
Simon Goodchild Melanie Wilson Peter Banyard Unanimously

Church Warden Remarks & Giving of Gifts

Sheila Barton looked back on her six years as Churchwarden at St Thomas’ with a moving poem that captured the "highs and lows" of her term. She spoke candidly about the difficulties of the pandemic and her own health journey with cancer, alongside more hopeful moments like the successful integration of new technology into worship and the refurbishment of the church clock. She expressed joy in welcoming Ruth, Lee, and Keiko to the team and asked for the church's prayerful support for her & Mel’s successors as they take up their new responsibilities.

Mel Wilson shared a reflection on her six years at St Mary Magdalene’s, also recalling the resilience required to lead through the pandemic and the achievement of the fundraising and construction of the new car park. She was pleased to report a thriving congregation of 35 regular worshippers and noted what a privilege it has been to serve the church. Mel closed her remarks with a simple, faithful assurance: “God looks after us.”

Rev Michael Ridley thanked both Churchwardens for their dedication and hard work as they were presented with gifts from the incoming wardens.

The Churchwardens also presented gifts to Revd Michael & Joanne Ridley, Curate Ruth Gray, Margaret Hindle who is retiring from the pastoral committee, and retiring bell captain Sarah Downes, who introduced her successor Sarah Fegan.

The Terriers and Log Books

MR explained the contents of the Terrier and Inventory, detailing the church property and silverware—along with the Log Book of maintenance works. These were confirmed as up-todate and were signed by the relevant parties.

The Vestry meeting closed at 11:05 am.

The Parochial Church Council of St Thomas ’ and St Mary Magdalene ’ s Churches Charity Number 1131459

DRAFT: Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting for the year January 1st to December 31st 2024 held on Sunday 11th May 2025 at St Thomas Thomas’ Church at 11:05am

The number present at the meeting was 82

Minutes of the 2024 APCM

The minutes of the previous meeting held in 2024 were reviewed and accepted as a true and accurate record.

Chair’s Remarks

Ministry & Volunteering: Revd Michael Ridley offered his sincere thanks to all who have shared in the ministry of the parish over the past year. He extended an invitation for others to consider stepping up into various roles in the coming year, noting the ongoing need for volunteers to sustain church life.

A Shared Journey: Revd Ruth Gray shared a reflection using the metaphor of geese flying in a V-formation. She explained how this symbolises that spreading the Word of Jesus is a collective effort and the responsibility of the whole church family, rather than just a few.

Future Training: To encourage this shared ownership of worship, several upcoming opportunities were highlighted, including:

Electoral Roll

KG (PCC Secretary) reported on behalf of Simon Hutt that the Electoral Roll stood at 203 names at the time of closing on 13/04/2025. (Since then, a further 6 names had been added, bringing the current total to 209).

MR noted that although this is a small reduction on the previous roll, the parish is in a fortunate position, as these numbers show stability compared to the general decline seen in many other parishes across the Diocese.

Annual Reports and Financial Statements 2024.

The Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ending 31st December 2024 were distributed prior to the meeting.

Sue Burke presented the accounts via a pre-recorded video, celebrating the parish's achievements and emphasising the necessity of maintaining robust financial foundations for future mission. There were no questions from the floor. The 2024 accounts were formally accepted by the meeting.

Appointment of Independent Examiner

MR confirmed that Geoff Bruce has kindly volunteered to continue as the Independent Examiner for the 2025 financial year. MR expressed his gratitude for Geoff’s meticulous work in ensuring the accuracy and compliance of the parish finances.

Deanery Synod Report

Jenny Corroboy provided an overview of the history and function of the Great Budworth Deanery. She updated attendees on the topics discussed at the quarterly meetings. It was noted that there is currently one vacancy for a representative from this parish to join the Deanery Synod.

Safeguarding Report

Dorothy Carter (Safeguarding Officer) explained the vital importance of safeguarding within the parish.

The parish uses the Diocesan Dashboard to ensure close adherence to Church of England safeguarding policies. We are currently at Level 2 and actively working toward Level 3. DC confirmed that there were no reported safeguarding concerns during 2024. There will be a Safeguarding Sunday service on November 16th 2025.

DC concluded by reminding all present that safeguarding is a collective responsibility, with every member of the congregation playing a vital role in keeping the church a safe and welcoming space for all. She expressed her sincere thanks to the parish for their ongoing vigilance and support in these efforts.

Elections of PCC Members

Thanks were expressed to all members of the PCC for their loyal input. Seven candidates had been proposed and seconded:

Peter Banyard Jackie Shaw Sarah Downes, Elaine Smith Kirsty Gill Peter Speed Lynda Heesom

The meeting approved their election unanimously. This brings the PCC to a full complement of 15 elected members.

It was noted that Sheila Barton and Mel Wilson will be co-opted onto the PCC for a period of one year to ensure a smooth transition and the sharing of their significant experience with their successors. The congregation expressed unanimous support for this arrangement, which will be formally ratified at the next PCC meeting.

There is one current vacancy for a Deanery Synod representative. No volunteers came forward, the position remains open.

Sidespeople

It was confirmed that there are currently 21 sidespeople serving at St Thomas’ and 11 at St Mary Magdalene’s. Their formal re-appointment will take place at the next PCC meeting on 20th May.

MR emphasised the critical importance of first impressions and the "ministry of welcome" within the church. He encouraged anyone interested in joining the team of sidespeople to speak with the newly appointed Churchwardens.

Any Other Business & Closing

The floor was opened for questions from attendees; no further matters were raised.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 12:10 with The Grace.