2021-12-31-accounts

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The Parish Church of Saint Wulfram, Grantham

Parochial Church Council

Annual Report for the Year Ended December 2021 31[st]

Annual Report & Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2021 St Wulfram’s Church, Grantham Parochial Church Council

AIM AND PURPOSES	1
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES	1
PEOPLE	2
THE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 PANDEMIC	3
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE	5
FINANCIAL REVIEW	32
RESERVES POLICY	36
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT	38
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION	40
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES	41
BALANCE SHEET	42
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS	43-52
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT	53

AIM AND PURPOSES

St Wulfram’s Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish of Grantham the whole mission of the Church, in daily worship of God, in matters pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical to serve the people of the town and all who come to the church building.

The detail of this programme of mission is managed severally by the sub-groups (sub committees) of the PCC on its behalf. Their minutes and resolutions are available. From time to time, ad hoc working groups may be established to report to the PCC.

Full details of the PCC membership and officers are listed under ‘Administrative Information’ below.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The PCC has the overall responsibility to make available to as many people as possible the ministry offered by the living Church based at St Wulfram’s, and to welcome the same people to the church building. We communicate the Christian faith and exercise Christian ministry in the worship of the church through the ministry of word and sacrament. We seek to meet the needs of a variety of people in the wide range of worship and activities offered. Our church building is sufficiently flexible that we can manage occasions sacred and secular on a large or modest scale.

When undertaking their programme of activities, the staff and PCC have taken seriously the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, and in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. It is our express aim to be a community of Christians in the town and, according to the Anglican understanding, to be available to every single person in the town and parish. We seek to help the people of the town to live out their Christian faith through:

Participation in the worship of the church and the practice of their own prayers at home, growing in confidence in their grasp of their faith through preaching, teaching and study together of scripture and Christian writings;
Provision of pastoral care for the people of the parish and town; and
Initiatives and ongoing work that express the love of God towards all people and reach those who are not regularly in touch with the life of the church.

To make all this possible the PCC has a prime responsibility to maintain the fabric of St Wulfram’s.

In the Spring of 2020, St Wulfram’s was designated an ‘urban resource church’, a strategic development funded in part by the Church Commissioners and in part by the Diocese of Lincoln. As well as continuing to serve the people of Grantham, St Wulfram’s has a wider responsibility to the whole diocese. This has necessitated a change in the Rector’s role. In recognition of this, St Wulfram’s was able to appoint a new Associate Rector, who works in partnership with the Rector in leading St Wulfram’s mission, ministry, and pastoral care. As one element of the strategic development funding, the Diocese of Lincoln made available two years’ funding for a new full-time Children, Youth & Families Worker, whose role at St Wulfram’s extends into the Grantham Deanery.

On Saturday 25 September, a Parish Vision Day was held in church from 10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. Under the leadership of our new Associate Rector (see below) and the Archdeacon

of Boston, we explored and discerned what God was calling our church to be, and prepared a strategy for future work.

PEOPLE

Staff

Father Stuart Cradduck, Rector and Rural Dean of Grantham.
Father James Claybern (Clay) Roundtree, Associate Rector of Grantham (from 4 May).

Fr Clay (who was born and raised in Oklahoma) moved with his family to Grantham from North Yorkshire, where he served for 14 years as Vicar at the St Francis of Assisi Church, Ingleby Barwick, Stockton on Tees.

Mother Mel Parkin, Assistant Curate (until 30 June).

We bade a formal farewell to Mthr Mel and family at an open-air service in the grounds of Grantham House on 9 July, before their move to Bristol where Fr Jonnie took up the post of Canon Missioner at the Cathedral in August.

Father James Titley, Assistant Curate.
Father Aron Donaldson, Assistant Curate (who transferred from the Corby Glen benefice, following a placement at St Wulfram’s over the summer).
St Wulfram’s continues to benefit from the active support of local retired clergy (one of whom is designated our ‘Community Chaplain’).
We also benefit from the active support of several Authorised Lay Ministers (four of whom were newly authorised by the Rural Dean in July) and two Readers (Nick Kerry, who was re-licensed in October; and Katy Castañeda, who was licensed by the Bishop in October).
Mrs Melanie Brown, Project Co-ordinator (Grantham House) (from 8 June).
Mrs Elaine Chambers, Parish Administrator. Elaine is a member of the UK Church Administrators Network (UCAN).
Mr Simon Chesters Thompson, Project Co-ordinator (Grantham House) (from 1 March to 7 June).
Mrs Anne-Marie Kerr, Artist in Residence (from 1 March).
Dr Judith Muskett, Mission Facilitator and Deanery Administrator.
Mr Steve Prendergast, Church and Grantham House Cleaner.
Mr Clayton Stiff, Children, Youth & Families Worker (from 1 September).
Dr Tim Williams, Organist and Master of the Music.

Holders of the Bishop’s Licence

Those licensed by the Bishop to assist in the administration of the elements at Holy Communion in the parish (some within church and others within and outside church) are listed below. The asterisk denotes individuals for whom permission was granted or renewed by the Bishop during 2021. Due to the pandemic restrictions, no-one holding the Bishop’s Licence was able to administer the elements in church during 2021.

PTA in church: Clare Arthur, Heather Arthur, Shaun Ashley, Daniel Castañeda, Katy Castañeda, Paul Davie, Dorothy Gaughan, Michael Gaughan, Sue Redmile*, Georgina Stewart, Ian Stewart, David West.

PTA in church and out of church: Susanne Graham, Elizabeth Hill, Barbara Kime, Sheila Knight, Shirley Leverett, Brenda Patten, Joanna Swinbourne, Eileen West, Valerie York.

Guild of Servers

Issues and anxieties around the pandemic saw the number of servers reduce over the last year. However, the Guild of Servers continued to actively advertise for new members and address any training needs those current members felt they needed. In late 2021 the group gathered for the first time since before the pandemic for a training session for server’s roles and duties, and this was delivered by the Chaplain and the Head Server. At this time, it was decided that the Guild Handbook would be rewritten and distributed amongst members so that they may find instruction on all roles available to them, as well as learn more about the liturgical practices.

The Guild have retained a suitable membership to provide for regular worship but would still welcome more volunteers to enable duties to be more distributed amongst the membership. To that end, new members are most welcome, and training remains an ongoing concern. The guild is not exclusive and is open to all members of the parish, of any age and experience.

THE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The COVID-19 pandemic continued to impact the ministry and mission of St Wulfram’s in 2021. As in 2020, we followed Government restrictions and Church of England guidance on the implications for our work and the health and wellbeing of our church and wider community.
On 5 January, the UK Government announced the third national lockdown for England, with the message ‘Stay at home’. Schools across Grantham closed after just one day of lessons. St Wulfram’s continued to provide a beacon of light and hope at this time. The Government chose not to suspend public worship and we followed the guidance to ensure that St Wulfram’s remained as safe as possible (with safety precautions such as hand sanitizer available for all, 2m social distancing, the compulsory wearing of face coverings except for those exempt, participation in ‘Track and Trace’). The guidance emphasised that those attending a place of worship must not mingle with anyone outside their household or ‘support bubble’. In the circumstances, we recognised that some would feel it was better not to attend in person, and our daily offering of online worship continued. St Wulfram’s remained open for private prayer (9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.) as well as a limited number of services. Our office remained closed with staff working remotely. We prayed especially for those on the front line of our public services, as well as the isolated and lonely at this anxious time.

On Tuesday 26 January at 8.00 p.m., our Tower Captain rang the tenor bell halfmuffled (as for a funeral) for 10 minutes to pay respects to those who had died of COVID-19, after 100,000 deaths were recorded in the UK.
In late February, while the nationwide vaccination programme continued, the Prime Minister set out a ‘roadmap’ to the lifting of restrictions. The timeline gave us provisional dates to work towards. The country reached ‘Step 1’ on 8 March. Schools re-opened for all students. The number permitted to attend funerals remained at 30, while the number permitted to attend weddings and wakes remained at 6.
The first anniversary of the first national lockdown was commemorated on 23 March by the broadcast of a special service entitled ‘1 Year On’ from St Wulfram’s in partnership with the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust. The service of reflection and hope for the future, which was inclusive of all faiths and none, was attended by a small number of healthcare colleagues and streamed at 6.00 p.m. on the ULHT intranet sites and on Facebook.
Further restrictions eased on 12 April when ‘Step 2’ was reached. For St Wulfram’s, this meant that the different choir clubs could meet in person to rehearse and that more members of the choir could sing at our services. The number of people permitted to attend a wedding or wake increased to 15.
The Government moved to ‘Step 3’ on Monday 17 May. The ‘Rule of 6 or 2 households’ that had applied hitherto only outdoors then applied indoors. We opened the Parish Office at Grantham House on 17 May.
Five weeks later, on 21 June, the country reached ‘Step 4’ and legal limits on social contact, life events and large events were removed. Following further guidance from the Government and Church of England in late July, we reviewed the implications for our life at St Wulfram’s. We strongly encouraged everyone to continue to wear face coverings and continued to encourage social distancing by placing chairs and groups of chairs at a minimum distance of 1.5m. We continued our practise of not physically exchanging The Peace. Members of the congregation were asked to come up to the Quire Screen step to receive the Sacrament, and we continued to share only the bread of the Eucharist, not the Common Cup. From 1 August, refreshments after the Parish Eucharist began again: we collected refreshments and took them outside the west end of the church following the service. We continued to produce paper orders of service, which were posted online for those joining services broadcast on Facebook.
With the emergence of the Omicron variant of Coronavirus, the Government moved England to ‘COVID Plan B’ on 9 December. Face coverings became mandatory again in places of worship. The Parish Office remained open and St Wulfram’s announced that all Christmas services would proceed as planned.
Once again, the clergy thank the whole community who continued to make significant sacrifices this year. The team is incredibly proud of who we are as a family and thank God that, despite the many challenges of 2020 and 2021, St Wulfram’s moves from strength to strength. Particular gratitude is expressed once again to Elaine Chambers (Parish Administrator) who worked immensely hard behind the scenes to maintain the flow of information to and from members of the St Wulfram’s community and, with colleagues, to ready the Parish Office at Grantham House for opening in May; and to Dr Tim Williams (Master of the Music), who enabled the choir to continue to share in community, sing, produce music for Sundays and send out a positive message to the church family and beyond in challenging and unsettling times.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Worship and Prayer

Introduction

The PCC is committed to offering a range of worship that reflects not only the breadth of the Anglican tradition but includes worship based on traditions from the Taizé Community and the Abbey on Iona in Scotland.
The Parish Eucharist is the central act of worship, giving opportunity to include good choral and congregational music. In normal times, children from the Sunday Club (which includes those aged 0 to 11) are actively included in this service and lay people read the lessons, lead the intercessions and assist in the administration of the Sacrament. All are welcome to participate in this service; and, in normal times, welcome stewards are at the door each Sunday. Visitors and newcomers are welcomed and contacted in due course at home.
The service pattern differs on the first Sunday of the month. All Age worship, or Parade Services for the scout and guide groups, take place at 9.30 a.m., supported by the St Wulfram’s band of instrumentalists. These services continue to attract a cross-section of people young and old in the congregation. The All Age worship or Parade Service is followed at 11.00 a.m. by a traditional Choral Eucharist, the style of which attracts regular members of the congregation, as well as worshippers from other churches and newcomers.
‘Extra Half Hour’ is an informal monthly Bible study after the 9.30 a.m. Eucharist. This could not be offered in 2021, but there are plans to reinstate it in January 2022.
Choral Evensong is sung at 6.30 p.m. most Sundays during school term times. Outside school term and on the first Sunday of each month, Evening Prayer is said at 6.30 p.m.
The Sunday Parish Eucharist and Evening Prayer / Evensong continued to be livestreamed to reach those who are unable to attend church in person.
In contrast to the parish communion and choral evensong, the evening and midweek services are quieter and more reflective. Morning Prayer is said daily in the Crypt, and broadcast online; members of the congregation attend on an occasional basis. The number of views indicate that in broadcasting the Office online St Wulfram’s meets a real spiritual need.
We resumed midweek services in September. The midweek Eucharist held on a Tuesday at 12 noon in St Michael’s Chapel resumed on 7 September. Choral Evensong with the Youth Choir in the Lady Chapel at 5.15 p.m. on Fridays resumed on 17 September. Exposition and Benediction at 12 noon on Fridays resumed on 24 September. One of our Readers broadcasts Compline from home on a Saturday.

The pattern of worship and prayer in 2021

Although it was impossible to meet in person for the World Day of Prayer (5 March), we invited members of our community to mark this using a booklet available from www.wwdp.org.uk and at home at 10 a.m. to use prayers written by the Christian women of Vanuatu, whose chosen theme was ‘Build on a Strong Foundation’.

Three special services for St Wulfram’s and St John’s Church Manthorpe marked Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The prescribed safer way of anointing with ash this year was to sprinkle above the forehead, avoiding any physical contact.
Lit only by candlelight, St Wulfram’s was open for an hour on four Thursday evenings during Lent for private prayer and reflection.
On 25 March, St Wulfram’s marked the Annunciation of our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary with a livestreamed Solemn Choral High Mass at 7.30 p.m.
It was not possible to have our Walk of Witness on Palm Sunday (28 March); but we encouraged members of our church community to decorate a door, gate or window with a ‘palm’ branch and we shared a link to a video showing how to make a palm cross. We shared photos of our creations on social media.
We welcomed the Revd (Sqn Ldr) Andrew Chapman, Station Chaplain, Royal Air Force College Cranwell as our visiting speaker at the services held at 7.00 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week.
We posted a specially designed Easter postcard (bearing seasonal photographs) to all members of our church community, wishing them well and announcing the dates and times of services on Easter Eve and Day.
A special exhibition for Easter entitled ‘The Same Boat. 21[st] Century Street Cultures meets 8[th] century Legacy’ (funded by the Arts Council England and SKDC) was on display at St Wulfram’s from 29 March to 30 April. The concept was inspired by the story of St Wulfram and the Stations of the Cross, and acknowledged the extraordinary collective experience that we had all lived through in the preceding 12 months. Against this background, Fr Stuart chose five words to inspire the project’s installations: betrayal, suffering, vulnerability, hope and courage. The exhibition consisted of four initial art installations (created by participants from local educational establishments, who worked with local artists, including our Artist in Residence). A fifth and final installation was created ‘live’ by internationally renowned Islamic street artist Mohammed Ali, with music provided by award winning composer and musician Cleveland Watkiss, with members of the St Wulfram’s Youth Choir. As restrictions prevented the live event being open to the public, it was filmed and streamed on 27 March. Fr Stuart made a series of short films offering reflections on the art works. Visitors to the exhibition were encouraged to write a reflection on a post-it-note to be stuck to the side or back of the image created by Mohammed.
We gathered together at St Wulfram’s and online at 7.30 p.m. on Thursday 15 April for a Solemn High Mass of Requiem for His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The celebrant was Fr Stuart, and the choir sang the Requiem by Gabriel Fauré.
The Scout and Girlguiding movements celebrated St George, their patron saint, on Sunday afternoon 25 April with a service broadcast online.
Outdoor Parish Eucharists were held at 10.00 a.m. in the garden of Grantham House on the first Sundays in June and July. These enabled the congregation to sing aloud at a time when pandemic restrictions did not allow singing indoors.
In the year of COP26, we participated in the Climate Sunday initiative on 4 July with a special service led by Mthr Mel Parkin: we reflected on God’s creation and encouraged

people to commit to greater action to address climate change. Packets of wildflower seeds were distributed. A link to online resources was shared immediately afterwards.

In line with our aim to mark certain ‘awareness days’ in the national calendar, we held a service in church at 6.30 p.m. on Friday 10 September for World Suicide Prevention Day. This was an opportunity to remember a loved one, to show support for suicide prevention and for the survivors of suicide and the families and friends affected. The service, attended by more than 20 people, was led by Fr Aron Donaldson and sung by the adult choir. All were invited to light a candle of hope during the service. A collection was taken for the Samaritans. Clergy were available afterwards to speak to anyone who wished.
The Order of Service for the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity (12 September) was the final printed service sheet; and on Sunday 19 September, we started to use hymn books and service booklets in church again.
The Bishop of Grantham led our Harvest Thanksgiving services at 9.30 a.m. and 11.00 a.m. on Sunday 26 September. The services were held under Luke Jerram’s GAIA installation [see ‘Grantham Deanery’ section below.] Issued with the Community News was a list of items required by the Foodbank and we encouraged the congregation to bring donations to the services. At 9.30 a.m., we welcomed members of the Scouts and Guides, choristers and our band.
We marked Safeguarding Sunday at the Parish Eucharist on 10 October. A special Choral Evensong was held on Sunday 10 October to celebrate the Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem, after which a new support vehicle was dedicated outside the church.
We marked our patronal festival (15 October) at the Parish Eucharist on Sunday 17 October and with a Patronal Evensong and Benediction the same day. The services were held in church and broadcast on Facebook.
On the first Saturday afternoon of October, November and December, we reintroduced ‘Come and Sing’ with the Master of the Music and others. The activity, for youngsters aged between 3 and 7 years, includes singing, musical games and refreshments, and is aimed at developing a love of singing and basic musicianship skills. The activity took place in Grantham House due to a clash with events in the church, but would normally be held in the church.
The All Souls Mass, including Fauré’s Requiem, was held in church and broadcast on Facebook in the evening on Sunday 7 November. The names of departed loved ones were included in the prayers; and an online form was available for this purpose.
Grantham paid its respects as the annual Remembrance Parade returned on Sunday 14 November. The usual Service of Remembrance was held at 10.55 a.m. in St Wulfram’s.
For one hour on the four Thursday evenings before Christmas, Fr Clay led ‘Merry Mindfulness’ in the Great Hall of Grantham House. The series aimed to give people space in a time that can be busy and stressful. The evenings explored the themes of Advent, with silence, live ambient guitar music and an opportunity to light a candle. Simple refreshments were offered. We looked forward to a ‘Meditation for Beginners’ course on six consecutive Thursday evenings starting on 6 January 2022.

On the morning of Wednesday 22 December, hundreds of christingles were prepared for the Christingle Crib service at 4.00 p.m. on Christmas Eve. We express gratitude to the local Morrisons supermarket for donating oranges and other items. All the donations received at the service were given to the Children’s Society.
Towards the end of the year, we issued members of the congregation with copies of the booklet entitled ‘At the heart of Christmas’ by Archbishops Justin Welby and Stephen Cottrell and guests. The booklet contained 12 days of stories and meditations to use from Christmas Eve until 6 January.

Preparation to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and Confirmation

Since January 2014 the PCC has allowed children from the age of those in school Year 3 to receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist, following a period of preparation. This would usually take the form of a five-week period of preparation, undertaken in Lent, with the young people receiving the Sacrament for the first time, with their family, on Easter Day.

After not running in 2020 owing to pandemic restrictions, Communion Club resumed over Zoom in 2021, with five meetings led by Fr Stuart and Mrs Laura Cradduck.

The Youth Confirmation Group is aimed at young people in school Year 8 upwards. Its usual format is a six-month programme, with monthly meetings, with the Confirmation service in the centre, and a confirmation retreat over three days where a significant amount of the pre-confirmation course content is covered (led by clergy). This year, over Zoom, we ran nine sessions for confirmation preparation.

Adult confirmation preparation is open to all who wish to recognise their personal development in faith. The usual format is meetings held on six consecutive Sundays, with the Confirmation service held in the centre of the course. This year, adult confirmation preparation was conducted over Zoom by Fr James.

Bishop David, Bishop of Grimsby, confirmed 2 adults and 11 children from St Wulfram’s parish at a service on Holy Saturday evening (3 April).

Occasional Offices

The occasional offices continue to be an important point of contact and ministry within the wider community.

In 2021 there were eight weddings. More weddings were expected (13 in total booked for the year plus 2 wedding vow renewals) but due to COVID-19 restrictions seven services were moved to 2022.

The Grantham Journal published an article on the first couple to say ‘I do’ in St Wulfram’s (5 June) after the easing of restrictions. Fr Clay conducted the wedding ceremony under COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines, with 30 guests, who all wore facemasks inside the church. The bride said to the Journal : ‘Getting married at St Wulfram’s was a dream come true. It was a shame that we couldn’t have had more of our family and friends there, but everyone understood.’

We conducted 15 baptisms: all children (four under one year of age, nine aged between one and three years old, two aged between six and seven years old). We have an open baptism policy and do our best to keep in touch with the families involved.

A total of 15 funerals for people in the parish were conducted during the year, of which 11 took place in church.

At their meeting in December, the PCC’s Mission & Social Responsibility Subgroup welcomed Elaine Chambers to speak about her ideas for celebrating and following up life events, as part of her Authorised Lay Ministry. The Life Events Diary software in use in the Parish Office enables reminders to be set up for the anniversaries of weddings and baptisms. Elaine subsequently updated the baptism card, introduced a certificate for Godparents, will be producing a certificate for weddings, and arranged for a series of high-quality cards to be printed (the initial and ongoing costs being met by the Mission Fund). The design of anniversary cards will change year by year. Celebrating and following up life events in this way will strengthen the mission of St Wulfram’s in the local community.

Mission and Social Responsibility

St Wulfram’s continues to take seriously its calling to be a living witness to the gospel at the heart of the town. In many of the activities detailed in this report there is effective contact with a substantial number of people of all ages beyond the congregation.
St Wulfram’s supports a range of mission and charitable organisations, giving away 5% of its pledged income to these each year. We were pleased to add some new causes to our list of beneficiaries in 2021. Further details are included in the financial statements.
In addition, we supported Di Hale who did a 5km Walk for Hunger in March to raise funds for the Trussell Trust, and Thomas Cradduck who walked 26 miles along the Wye Valley in September to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.
A Macmillan Coffee Morning was held at Grantham House on Friday 17 September. Thanks were expressed to all who made and donated cakes, helping us to raise £249 including Gift Aid.
In September, St Wulfram’s was an overnight stop for more than 30 cyclists who rode the route of the 12 Queen Eleanor crosses and raised £25,000 for a homeless charity, The Connection at St Martin-in the-Fields, London. The cyclists enjoyed a trip to The Blue Pig pub and slept on the stone floors of the church.
It was impossible to run the usual Christian Aid events in May. However, an online community fundraising page was set up, which raised £640 including GiftAid. A further £62 was collected in cash including Gift Aid claimed.
We encouraged members of the congregation to look out for Fairtrade products, especially during Fairtrade Fortnight (22 February to 7 March).
St Wulfram’s worked with Rotary and other partners across the town and district to respond to the immediate needs of Afghan refugees staying in the local area. We received an incredible outpouring of generosity in the form of clothing, shoes, blankets and toys. The appeal was paused just days after opening, while donations were sorted and delivered. Following a meeting of Churches Together, our Mission & Social Responsibility Sub-group agreed to purchase items (such as trainers, jackets and underwear) to support two Afghan refugees at the Urban Hotel in Grantham. The total cost was £173.90.

This was a busy year for the Passage working with Grantham Poverty Concern. The year started with around 200 deliveries made every week to many vulnerable families and individuals. As lockdown restrictions eased, it was possible to resume the provision of daily meals in the various Passage locations including St. Wulfram’s on a Thursday lunchtime. Over the summer we provided take away sandwich lunches and from September have been able to provide soup and hot dog meals again from the base at St. Mary’s Church, thanks to our dedicated teams of volunteers, including several new helpers.
Tins, packets, jars and bottles of food/drink and household toiletries are donated regularly to the Grantham Foodbank and The Passage through collection boxes located in church.
We collected new toys for the Grantham Foodbank at our Advent Sunday Parish Eucharist; and, during December, approximately 220kg of tinned and packet goods were collected for the Foodbank through our ‘Reverse Advent Calendar’ scheme, run for the first time in 2021.
Over and above the charitable giving organised by the church community, in excess of £5,000 was raised for charity through school services, funerals and other events held within the building.
Sadly, over the last few years, there has been an increase in the number of people who are homeless, sleeping in tents or sofa-surfing in the locality. At present, there is no emergency provision in the district; so, the only response that clergy and The Passage volunteers can make in an emergency is to send people to Lincoln, Nottingham, or Peterborough to access emergency accommodation. In 2019, an important step was taken by ‘Grantham Ark’, a group comprising representatives from churches across Grantham (including St Wulfram’s), to ameliorate the challenges faced by those in the locality lacking a permanent home. Fr Stuart led the initiative through the organisation ‘Churches Together in Grantham & District’. Grantham Ark completed the process to register with the Charity Commission in 2020 (Registered Charity number 1190668). In 2020, through the efforts of the Grantham Ark, three churches (including St Wulfram’s) took it in turns, one or two weeks at a time, to open their doors during the harshest winter months (January to March) to those who needed shelter overnight (referred by relevant authorities/organisations). After considerable work for Grantham Ark in the autumn 2020, the sad conclusion was reached that it would be impossible to operate the night shelter in the early months of 2021, owing to COVID19 restrictions and health and safety concerns for both guests and volunteers.
Grantham Ark organised the annual SleepOut event in December 2021 in the grounds of Grantham House (by kind permission of the National Trust), to raise awareness of the challenges faced by the homeless and to raise funds towards a permanent emergency night shelter in the town. A total of £2,734 was raised and collected via the church in sponsorship and donations including Gift Aid.
We revived the fund begun in 2020 to assist families needing some extra help at Christmas time. Under the banner ‘Christmas Cheer’, we raised further money and gave a total of £600 worth of supermarket vouchers to several vulnerable families whom we identified through contact with a local church school.

Safeguarding

The PCC continues to take extremely seriously the safeguarding of young people and adults at risk of harm. The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the

Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (that is, the duty to have regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and adults at risk of harm).

The Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) or Assistant Safeguarding Officer (ASO – our Parish Administrator) make regular written reports to the PCC; and the PSO attends PCC meetings to report in person as necessary. Each March, the PCC conducts an annual review of our safeguarding policy statement, which is signed by the Rector (as Chair of the PCC) and displayed in the church.
We routinely supply our safeguarding policy statement and practice guidance to external trusts and organisations that fund our wellbeing activities run in our resource centre at Grantham House.
The ASO continues to process applications for DBS clearance. In line with recruitment practices set out in the Church of England’s Guidance Safer Recruitment and diocesan policy, our Churchwardens and all PCC members are DBS checked upon appointment/ election. All other staff and volunteers (e.g., in the music department and lay pastoral team) are also DBS checked upon taking up roles. In addition, all adult choristers, including Youth Choir members who turn 18 years of age, go through the DBS checking process. We carefully monitor periods for which clearance is granted and apply for renewal, as appropriate.
The ASO oversees a system to ensure that all individuals with DBS clearance complete online courses relevant to their role within the church. It was established during the year that all PCC members should undertake ‘Basic Awareness’ training (level C0) and that churchwardens, pastoral assistants, leaders of groups for young people or adults at risk, the Bell Tower Captain, church administrative staff, and servers should undertake the ‘Foundation Module’ (C1, as well as C0). Licensed clergy and readers, clergy with the Bishop’s Permission to Officiate, PSOs and Authorised Lay Ministers are required to undertake the Leadership Module (C2). Completion certificates are sent to the ASO to update the parish records.
The ASO completed the C2 Safeguarding Leadership Training (that for the PSO is due in 2022). The PSO and ASO (as the Lead Recruiter for St Wulfram’s) undertook Safer Recruitment Training. The ASO completed Training for Sex Offender Management in a church context in 2021 and the PSO is due to undertake this training in January 2022.
Certificates were issued by St John Ambulance to a total of ten people (certain volunteers who work with children and young people, and selected members of staff) who completed a Paediatric First Aid course (online training followed by a one-day inperson training session, which we arranged at Grantham House). The cost of this was met in part by a ‘Tier 1’ grant from the Diocese of Lincoln Transformation Fund. Mental Health First Aid training was completed by our Parish Administrator (the ASO), Children, Youth & Families Worker, and our Project Co-ordinator. The cost of their places was met by Shine Lincolnshire (which funds wellbeing activities for social prescribers to tap into, at our resource centre).
The PSO continued work on the Level 2 actions arising from the online audit of Promoting a Safer Church . One action concerned the training of PCC members; and the PCC was notified in September that all individuals had completed the (e-learning) training at the prescribed level. Another action concerned identifying the list of activities provided for those under 18 years of age and for adults at risk of harm. The PCC formally acknowledged the change of name of two such activity groups during the year.

In line with national safeguarding requirements, the PSO continued to draw up a full register of volunteers (aged 18 and over) attached to church activities and to ensure the names are recorded correctly on the diocesan register of volunteers. In the autumn, the PSO met with the church’s (voluntary) HR Advisor to discuss the process; and they planned a series of introductory training sessions for volunteers in 2022.
The PSO met with the Children, Youth & Families Worker in the autumn; and together they ensured that all groups involving children and young people are covered by upto-date risk assessments, and that volunteers have current DBS clearance and have completed the correct level of safeguarding training. A generic COVID-19 risk assessment can be used by all groups.
The PCC uses a step-by-step process (adopted in 2018) for approval of all off-site activities (e.g., by the Choir and Youth Group), delegating certain powers to the Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO). Unfortunately, the pandemic continued to prevent many Choir and Youth Group activities taking place this year.
A trip to Coventry Cathedral by the Choir in the October half-term break resulted in a minor coach incident on the return journey. We were grateful that no participant was injured. The Master of the Music and the chaperones were praised by the PCC for their prompt action and care of the choristers. A de-brief meeting was held in November to discuss learning points.

Our resource centre at Grantham House

As reported last year, the National Trust granted St Wulfram’s a 12-month lease from December 2020 on the ground floor of Grantham House at 45 Castlegate (directly opposite the east end of the church). Due to pandemic restrictions, our use of the building was severely curtailed in the early months of 2021.
In February, St Wulfram’s applied to South Kesteven District Council for planning permission for change of use from residential to office and storage space. The application was granted on 8 April 2021. As a charity, St Wulfram’s was granted substantial relief on Business Rates; and in the autumn we applied to SKDC for discretionary relief on the remaining portion of the Rates. A decision is awaited.
With thanks to external funders (Allchurches Trust, the Evan Cornish Grassroots Fund and the diocesan Transformation Fund), we were able to recruit a part-time Project Co-ordinator and a part-time Artist in Residence as we developed our presence on site and activities through the Wulfram Centre for Wholeness and Wellbeing. The announcement of the appointments from 1 March was accompanied by short introductory videos from the appointees. Members of our community were invited to email their ideas for things they would like to see happen at Grantham House.
On four Sunday afternoons in Lent, we welcomed a great number of people to the tranquil surroundings of the Walled Garden for ‘Stations of the Cross’, a self-guided prayerful walk recalling the last journey our Lord took on his way to his crucifixion. With the help of a specially prepared booklet, we stopped at each cross to read the story, offer prayer and meditate on the themes. This was a personal and moving experience for individuals and families, in accordance with pandemic restrictions. We were greatly indebted to Elaine and Mick Chambers for both the construction and the remarkable numbering of the beautiful crosses.

In readiness for the opening of the Parish Office on Monday 17 May, a team drawn from our church community kindly cleaned Grantham House on Friday 14 May. We are grateful also to the decorating party who worked through the summer months on the pool house.
To mark ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’ (10 to 16 May), we opened the Grantham House gardens on Thursday 13 and Friday 14 May from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m., in partnership with the National Trust. The theme of the week was ‘Nature’. Research into the impact of the pandemic restrictions on mental health had shown that connecting with nature in green spaces was an important coping strategy. We were grateful to Amy Hazard (National Trust Gardener at Grantham House) and her band of volunteers, and to the Head Gardener at Belton House for making these open days possible. We welcomed over a hundred visitors. Many had never seen the wonderful gardens before. All spoke of what a treat it was to enjoy wandering in this oasis of calm close to the town centre.
Also in May, ‘Grantham Trump Cards’ were launched at an event in the garden of Grantham House. The cards (on sale at £4.99 per pack, or free to schools and community groups) were created through the Heritage Action Zone project funded by Historic England working in partnership with InvestSK, Grantham Civic Society and Heritage Lincolnshire. The cards highlight 62 of the architectural treasures found in Grantham, including Grantham House and St Wulfram’s Church.
Our Artist in Residence started a series of popular school holiday workshops in the early summer. In the first of these, participants enjoyed making bird boxes and bug hotels in the Grantham House courtyard, using recycled wood and other found materials. Subsequent workshops included a garden treasure hunt, making suncatchers and mini lanterns, glass painting and pinhole photography. Participants took inspiration from the grounds of Grantham House. A mixture of ages took part: from children and parents, to retired people. Everyone enjoyed being creative and feedback was extremely positive:
A wonderful garden and very peaceful! A lovely place to spend a quiet moment during Mental Health Awareness Week.
Saw a lot of the garden we did not realise was here. An oasis of calm in the middle of a town.
On Saturday 10 July, St Wulfram’s Church and Grantham Vintage Festival presented an evening of entertainment in the garden of Grantham House by ‘The Shirt Tail Stompers’, London’s top vintage swing and jazz band. There was an on-site gin and Pimms bar and a variety of other refreshments, and vintage dress was encouraged. This event was part of the run-up to the Grantham Vintage Festival, postponed until 2022 (30 April to 2 May) due to the pandemic.
With a grant from NHS Lincolnshire and Lincolnshire County Council, awarded by Shine Lincolnshire, we began a programme of activities to which local social prescribers could refer clients: the aim was to improve mental and physical health and wellbeing, and to address loneliness. The programme (funded until 31 July 2022) included a ‘Cake and Coffee’ facilitated chat on Fridays, and art/craft workshops on Thursdays led by our Artist in Residence.
We bade farewell to Amy Hazard in November, when the National Trust moved her to the team of gardeners at Belton House. We plan to appoint our own gardener early in 2022 to care for the 7.5 acre site. An appeal will be made for garden volunteers.

Towards the end of 2021, we were notified that two further grant applications had been successful: these related to our community gardening project to be launched in the Spring of 2022 and will meet the cost of our new gardener for a year.
Former choristers and youth choir members sang at an open-air Christmas concert on 21 December in the courtyard of Grantham House. Festooned with white lights and lanterns and warmed with braziers, the courtyard was a perfect setting despite the chilly weather. Mulled wine and mince pies were served by candlelight in the interval.
By the end of the year, space in Grantham House was being utilised on a regular basis for a range of activities including the church’s weekly coffee morning, our funded wellbeing activities and committee meetings (for example, PCC; deanery; flower arrangers; Friends of St Wulfram’s; Almshouse Trustees). The Dining Room was let to the nearby King’s School as an overflow classroom for a few weeks in June/July.
In November 2021, the PCC held a special meeting to discuss the long-term future of the Grantham House site; and the decision was to take a five-year lease from the National Trust on the whole site. The PCC also decided to establish a trading organisation to be called ‘Wulfram Enterprises’ from the tax year 2022-23.

Music

Introduction

Over the past 14 years, Organist and Master of the Music Dr Tim Williams, FRCO (DipCHD) has achieved notable success in the recruiting and training of young members of the choir, drawing on relationships with local schools and other music contacts. Choristers are not auditioned, and all members share a remarkable commitment and professionalism in their approach to music. The standard of the children’s sections of St Wulfram’s Church Choir is one of the success stories of the church music programme.
We are grateful to Assistant Organists Rosemary Field, David Humphreys, Harry Jacques, Edward McCall and Andrew Wyatt, and former organ scholar Matilda Johnson, for their ongoing contributions to the music at St Wulfram’s.
Choir club for boys is on Tuesday afternoon after school and for girls on Wednesday afternoon. Choristers join from the age of 7 upwards, without a formal audition process. New recruits are given their own introductory sessions. The children’s choirs continue to be a very significant part of our outreach through schools, drawing in many young people and their families, who would otherwise not have been part of our church community.
The youth choir, which meets on Monday afternoon, responds to the choristers as they graduate from the boys’ and girls’ choirs. This school year, there are five ‘choral scholars’ supported by the Philip Lank Trust, and two senior choral scholars supported by St Wulfram’s (through the endowment gifted in 2019 by the Friends of Cathedral Music). Most Fridays during term time, the youth choir sings Choral Evensong in the Lady Chapel at 5.15 p.m., supported by our portable box organ; a small regular congregation attends.

The narrative of 2021 – a year in which the goalposts kept shifting

As 2021 began, the choir sang for one Sunday service, and then a long lockdown was announced. We were very conscious of how hard these times were, especially for our choristers and youth choir who were accessing education remotely. For three long months we were only allowed a single cantor to sing in worship. Choristers continued to access choir via Zoom, but we decided not to request a high quantity of virtual output from the younger choristers. The approach was training-first, seeking to get this remarkable and committed group of choristers back into the best place for future inperson singing.
In the meantime, the youth choir, a few of the senior choristers and a dedicated group of adult singers set a new benchmark for lockdown sacred choral music. In collaboration with academics, including Professor Magnus Williamson (University of Newcastle), we created a virtual project for the Feast of Candlemas in February, experimenting with digital methods in plainsong and chant, and reconstructing elaborate polyphony as remote virtual singers. We went further for Ash Wednesday, and we were (to our knowledge) the only choir in the UK to produce a virtual Allegri Miserere for this day. This was shared widely, and our determination as well as methodology was acclaimed. Further lockdown projects followed, with our most elaborate undertaking at the end of March. By that time, we had won the attention of the internationally renowned choir, the Gesualdo Six, who wrote on our YouTube channel: ‘What you've managed to achieve during lockdown is nothing short of remarkable.’
As Easter arrived, a staggered return to choral singing at church became possible, but with further restrictions – initially trios only, and then when larger choirs were allowed, it was with the caveat that was a bombshell to us: no choral singing which involved the mixing of under-18 choristers from different schools. Even so, we adapted, and each Holy Week service was sung with a group of choristers from one of our individual feeder schools. Nevertheless, returning choral music to church after all this time was a great feeling. On Easter Day, a small group of singers sang in church; but our only way of singing fully ‘together’ as a choir with the restrictions was to produce a virtual Easter anthem, for a Facebook and YouTube premiere on the evening of Easter Day. We hoped that this would be our virtual swansong, and that a brighter world for in-person singing was on the horizon as the vaccination programme advanced.
Moving forward from there was still fraught with complication. For a while, more generous rules followed, and the choristers could meet together again. In services, it was necessary to keep 2 metre distancing, which enabled a maximum of 16 singers to participate in any one service in the chancel. The first such service was the Requiem for HRH Prince Philip.
As not all singers in the adult choir were ready to return to in-person singing, the Master of the Music was keen to try and find a new means for all members to sing and produce together when some were in the same building and others were accessing choir remotely. This led to an experiment in the production of a hybrid choir, as part of his project with Professor Williamson to reconstruct a Tudor hymn for Ascension. It came together well, and we created more digital output from it, a dawn broadcast for Ascension Day.
As the rest of the world moved towards less restricted times, in the middle of May amateur adult singers were suddenly faced with extreme restrictions: a maximum of six singers inside, no matter how big and ventilated the space was. Unlike the Easter rules, which restricted children and teenage singers more than adults, this time our

children’s and youth activities could continue. But we continued singing. The church’s resource centre at Grantham House enabled summer evening garden rehearsals outside for the adults (unless it rained, and we switched to six singers inside, Zoom streamed). Choral evensongs were sung with choristers and a teenage back row. The ruling threatened to scupper a Corpus Christi project, but our hybrid method came into its own.

In June, we welcomed the Gesualdo Six to St Wulfram’s. They had worked with our choristers on Zoom in March, and we were all excited for this visit. Initially the plan had been for them to give performances in church and at Grantham House, but as restrictions did not ease fully at the time it was not viable to go ahead with these concerts. But we had a fabulous two days of workshops, for the children, teenagers and adult choir. On the Friday evening, the youth choir filmed alongside the Gesualdo Six and created beautiful output. It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but it was in fact the beginning of what we hope will be a much longer collaboration. The concert happened on St Wulfram’s Day in October, with some of our senior choristers and youth choir participating – and the Gesualdo Six stayed on the Saturday to deliver sensational workshops with the full choir. This collaboration also led to a further collaboration with the Multitude of Voyces project – an initiative supported by the PCC. A donor bought us full sets of all three MoV anthologies of music by female composers, and we were able to start to get some of the music in repertoire in the autumn.
The roadmap from lockdown arrived at its destination on Monday 19 July; and there were suddenly no singing restrictions, just a requirement for local assessment of risk. We sang our valediction evensong that day with 48 singers, spaced throughout the chancel towards the altar, and with a contingent of 11 new choristers (recruited since lockdown) and their families in the congregation.
In the summer, we were able to take a weekend away to sing in Beverley Minster. This was a wonderful residency. The choir sang at a very high level and impressed many people. The choristers and youth choir were able to reconnect, staying at Beverley YHA. By the end of the weekend, the choir was singing at its highest level. We were able to create properly in-person choral output. Our film of Palestrina’s Sicut cervus is now our most viewed YouTube video, with over 1.5K views (in addition to many more on Facebook).
On Sunday afternoon 19 September, we celebrated the RSCM’s International Chorister Day, inviting youngsters aged 7 to 11 to experience being a church chorister. The day culminated in a closing act of worship in church at 6.30pm, featuring Joanna Forbes L’Estrange’s anthem ‘The Choristers’ Prayer: Bless us O Lord, us thy servants’ (a special commission for International Chorister Day).
In the October half-term we visited Coventry Cathedral, and sang a beautiful evensong, and created a film of Byrd’s Ne irascaris Domine ready for Remembrance in the most poignant setting with the old cathedral ruins visible in the background. We also produced two further pieces of digital output for the days of Remembrance with a small ensemble in St Wulfram’s. St Wulfram’s Choir has now sung at a total of 24 Anglican cathedrals in England/Wales; and we look forward to a residency in Ely Cathedral in August 2022.
Without restriction, the choir was able to enjoy a fairly normal autumn term. We have become acquainted, since June, with Grantham House as the space for our after-school choir clubs, while still rehearsing on Fridays in church.

Choir recruitment continued well – a large waiting list for the girls’ choir (at capacity); a steady build with the boys’ choir (needing further attention in 2022); and the youth choir thriving as an SATB ensemble. The youth choir has returned to the routine of singing Friday evensongs. We were also able to reinstate some of our most elaborate Sunday repertoire from pre-pandemic days in worship.
The choir sang Fauré’s Requiem during the All Souls Eucharist on 7 November. The Advent Carol Service featured the choir at its polished best; the boy and girl choristers totally smashed their liturgical performance of Britten’s Ceremony of Carols ; and, despite the worries of the advance of the new Omicron wave, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was truly magical, beautifully and impeccably sung. As well as carol singing around town at Downtown and at Belton House, the choristers prepared an outreach video for those in care homes and hospitals, which was shared widely.
The pandemic has significantly paused the progress of many choristers on the choral training programme at St Wulfram’s. Despite the many challenges, the programme in 2021 yielded 4 Royal School of Church Music awards – one Gold Award, one Bishop’s (Silver) Award, and two Dean’s (Bronze) Awards. Between them, the choristers have now amassed 119 RSCM awards since 2011.
Looking back, it is remarkable how much output our dedicated choir have created together, both in services, and additionally in performances and digital, virtual, and hybrid online output. The Master of the Music spent many lockdown hours creating our digital output and learnt a huge amount in the process. In the most difficult and adverse times for church choirs, we reinvented ourselves as a choir in how we produce and create music; and we all learnt a huge amount in the crisis of these times. This equips us well for the future.
The Master of the Music is enormously grateful to:
The music administrative team of volunteers for the assistance they provide, especially with communication of schedules and paperwork.
The chaperoning team, which takes care of the choristers and helps with so many logistical and administrative tasks, and even doubles as a film crew on many occasions.
The dedication of choir parents. Despite all the wonderful opportunities the choristers have together, it requires a huge amount of time and care to get the choristers to all of the places we require.

Organ teaching school

The musical training of young people at St Wulfram’s includes a highly active organ teaching school. Currently six young scholars are learning to play the organ under the tutelage of Rosemary Field, FRCO (former Head of Organ Studies, RSCM) and Dr Tim Williams FRCO, supported by the Philip Lank Trust, the Dr Martin Clarke Young Organ Scholars’ Trust (YOST), the Royal School of Church Music, the Ouseley Trust, and the Royal College of Organists. The digital organ (on loan) is a practice facility for the organ students who can use it with headphones while the choir rehearses. Our portable box organ (housed in the Lady Chapel) is also a valuable resource for the organ scholars.
The organ scholars have achieved notable success in ABRSM examinations this year, and three are now working at or above Grade 5 level.

Wider music programme

In May 2020, the Master of Music launched ‘Hymns with Tim’, half an hour of hymn singing for members of the congregation at 12 noon each Friday via Zoom. The weekly event continued until July 2021 (by which time congregational singing was allowed again in church), with Jo Gardner stepping in to lead the virtual hymn singing on the few occasions Tim was unavailable. ‘Hymns with Tim’ had a loyal following of up to 15 people each week, and often included children during school holidays.
In normal times, recitals are held in the church on the third Saturday morning of each month. Entry is free and there is a retiring collection for the St Wulfram’s Church Music Fund. The recital series resumed in the autumn and appreciative audiences attended the recitals given by Elaine Bishop (mezzo soprano) and Tim Williams (piano) (September), Dr Martin Ennis from the University of Cambridge (organ) and The Winter Singers (December).
After the removal of all pandemic restrictions, the first major event in church was a Community Concert (organised by Grantham Choral Society, Grantham Music Club and Grantham Music Festival) on Friday evening 30 July. The ‘feelgood’ programme featured St Wulfram’s Choir, Jake Muffett (baritone), Agatha Parkin (violin), Dr Tim Williams (piano and organ) and the Winter Singers. All performers gave their time for free, and the proceeds (£600) were split between the NHS charity and St Wulfram’s Church.
The Band of the Coldstream Guards performed a fundraising ‘Concert of Hope’ in church on 22 October, with an appearance by Chelsea Pensioner and Korean war veteran Colin Thackery (winner of the ITV show Britain’s Got Talent in 2019). The concert raised about £6,000 for the Army Benevolent Fund.
Grantham Choral Society and the Eboracum Baroque performed Handel’s ‘Messiah’ in the church on the evening of Saturday 11 December to a large and appreciative audience.

Church Community

(a) Children and Young People

Children are welcomed at St Wulfram’s and involved in the life of the congregation at every opportunity. This key aspect of our work is overseen by the ‘Children & Youth Sub-group’ established by the PCC and our newly appointed Children, Youth and Families Worker (CYFW), who was appointed in September 2021 on a two-year contract (funded by the Diocese of Lincoln as part of the SDF programme). The subgroup meets regularly and includes in its membership several individuals who do not serve on the PCC. It hears reviews on each aspect of the church’s work with children and young people (including safeguarding); and it also discusses the church’s involvement with church schools in the parish. It celebrates achievements and discusses challenges and points for action. In particular, the sub-group recognises that more work needs to be undertaken to enhance the profile of children’s activities in church (through the church website and social media, and hopefully using ChurchDesk); and this is at the forefront of the newly appointed CYFW’s job description and agenda.
A Children and Youth evening was held at Grantham House at 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday 6 October. This was for anyone previously involved in this ministry or for anyone new

who wished to make initial enquiries about how to become involved prior to the relaunch of Sunday Club and our youth provision.

The Sunday Club meets every Sunday during term time at the same time as the Parish Eucharist. Due to COVID-19 and lack of regular attenders, the three age groups have been condensed down to one; however, they still enjoy a full programme of teaching, prayer, music and activities. They re-join parents/carers at the Parish Eucharist during the Lord’s Prayer and then show and tell the congregation what they have been doing at the end of the service. There is a very dedicated team of volunteers (including three young people who are growing in confidence to plan and lead their own sessions).
In normal times, our Children’s Area continues to be well used during services and throughout the week as a ‘Stay and Play’ resource for families with young children who want a place ‘to be’ with their children.
To coincide with the start of Lent, St Wulfram’s launched a three-week challenge to recreate parts of the Easter story with Lego®. The idea came from a member of the congregation and was an accessible activity for all ages and talents. Families shared photos of their creations on social media.
Wulfram Wednesdays resumed during the summer holidays when children and families were invited to participate in activities in church (or alternatively at Grantham House). The Wednesday workshops were led by Laura Cradduck or Anne-Marie Kerr, Artist in Residence, and featured glass painting, Cyanotype printing, nail & string art, making suncatchers and a garden treasure hunt. Positive feedback was received from participants:
We enjoyed the workshops and hope that there will be more in the future!
Organisers very friendly and helpful.
Today was very fun and creative. I really enjoyed it.
The ‘Rhyme Time’ singing and activity group for babies, toddlers, pre-schoolers, and their parents/carers was re-named Wulfram Tots to celebrate its distinctiveness within the town and to capture the vision and values of St Wulfram’s. It continues to meet for an hour in church each Friday morning during term-time, where numbers are steadily increasing after a two-year break due to COVID-19.
Our two Youth Groups have developed into three, with a change of year groups/cohorts. We now also offer a programme for children in school years 6-8. They meet on a Friday evening at Grantham House and consist of around 10 members with a mixture of young people some of whom also attend the choir. Our two other longstanding groups usually meet on the first Sunday evening of the month. The group for those in Year 9 and above meets at Grantham House and consists of 20+ members (a mixture of youth choir and non youth choir members). An older cohort has been identified for those young people who have moved away to university and meet when they return home for vacations. The young people have been instrumental in designing the programme and members enjoy a range of activities. They are encouraged to invite their friends to join.
Our CYFW also launched a new initiative called Wulfram Family days. These are on the second Saturday of the month where families (which we recognise come in all manner of shapes and sizes) meet together for an activity. The first two consisted of a Photo Treasure Hunt and then a Breakfast Morning held inside St Wulfram’s.

There are seven Scout or Guide sections associated with the church and five regular parade services a year are held, with all age worship to involve the children in every way. Over the last year, owing to national restrictions by the respective organisations, sections have been unable to be with us as often as previously. However, since the Autumn, uniforms have once again been welcomed and in attendance at all age services.

Clergy and other members of the church are invited to go and speak to the groups, but again this has been limited during the pandemic. The groups also visit the church from time to time as part of their badge work and spiritual development.

Fr James is District Chaplain to Grantham District Scouts. This role is a Grantham-wide appointment but includes regular purposeful visits to the sections of the 2nd Grantham (St Wulfram’s) Scout Group. In 2021, the group celebrated its centenary year with a special service planned and lead by Fr. James at St. Wulfram’s. This service welcomed many people, both past and present, who had been associated with the group.

At times in the past year, the 6[th] Grantham (St. Wulfram’s) Guides were once again resident within the church grounds when they held several of their unit meetings at Grantham House.

Three members of our clergy team are governors of local Church of England schools; and our Rector also serves on the governing body of the Priory Ruskin Academy in Grantham. Our PCC was consulted when specific vacancies are filled on the Board of the Harrowby/National Academy Trust.

On 1 November, the National Church of England Junior School became a member of the Lincoln Anglican Academy Trust (LAAT) family of schools (bringing the total number of schools in this Multi Academy Trust to 20).

Members of the clergy team and also our CYFW lead weekly collective worship in two church schools. During the pandemic, the team prepared videos for the schools instead.

Local schools, especially the church schools and the local state nursery school usually make regular visits to the church to learn about the church building, about Christianity and about the church’s role in the community. In normal times, local schools also use the church for services throughout the year, including carol services and services to mark the end of the school year. The neighbouring grammar school uses the church building for its annual Founder’s Day Service and Speech Night.

(b) Pastoral Care

The clergy and lay pastoral support team are available to any person in the parish who asks for their support or help. The team welcomed some new members this year. Once in-person meetings became safe, the team made efforts to meet regularly to discuss the needs of the parish, of individuals and of those resident in care homes.
Those who are new to the congregation are made welcome and visited as soon as convenient. In normal times, those who are ill, housebound, or too frail to attend church are visited regularly. Likewise, in normal times, residential and nursing homes, and a local sheltered housing development are visited monthly and Holy Communion is celebrated or the reserved sacrament is taken by members of the team. The pandemic continued to disrupt visits to the 10 care homes in the parish.

Sadly, during the pandemic, it was impossible to hold the quarterly service for wholeness and healing.

(c) Community groups

We have a popular Sunday lunch group for people of any age who would otherwise eat alone. Until March 2020, it had been our practice to visit a local restaurant or pub on the second Sunday of each month. Continuing the practice begun in 2020, around half the group gathered virtually by Zoom video conference for an hour or so on the second Sunday of the month in the first half of 2021 to enjoy a wide-ranging chat. The group was consulted about restarting the lunches in the summer. Although the pandemic was still with us, members had all had the opportunity to be double vaccinated, we could wear face coverings except when eating, and the pubs/restaurants had adjusted to being COVID secure, as far as possible. We enjoyed a reunion at the Angel & Royal Hotel in August and continued to meet in person for the rest of the year. We are most grateful to Jane Sharp who continues to co-ordinate the gatherings of this group, whether in-person or online.
Our monthly Art Group, which had not able to meet since the first lockdown in March 2020, resumed its activities in church in August and now meets on the first Wednesday of each month. If there is a clash of events in the church, the meeting takes place in Grantham House. Members hope to find some inspiration in the Grantham House garden next year.
Sadly, the Nativity Knitters group has not met since the pandemic lockdown in March 2020. The connection with the local hospital and care homes has been lost as the Grantham Dementia Support Group no longer exists. This is due to the pandemic, age, and other circumstances. We thank everyone who belonged to the group – it was fun!
Through pandemic restrictions until 21 July, we continued to offer fellowship through a Virtual Coffee Morning via Zoom on Wednesdays at 11.00 a.m., with a loyal following of between 14 and 18. After consultation and an experimental ‘hybrid’ gathering, the Coffee Morning shifted in August to an in-person gathering at Grantham House, sometimes in the garden, then indoors in the Great Hall. Numbers fluctuated between 12 and 24. On 18 August, the Coffee Morning was hosted in the Great Hall by the Friends of St Wulfram’s and over 50 attended.

Church and Fabric

Virtually no maintenance work took place between January and mid-April, but an extensive programme of maintenance works was undertaken by Weldon Stone and other contractors following the successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Culture Recovery Fund (Round 2), submitted to a tight deadline and stringent conditions and to be spent by 30 June. The Culture Recovery Fund was announced by DCMS to safeguard cultural and heritage organisations across England from the economic impact of COVID-19. The Fund supported organisations to transition from the challenging months of lockdowns and social distancing to resume business activity and welcome visitors back to the country’s diverse heritage sites, of which St Wulfram’s is one.
Regarding the items approved in the grant, progress was as follows (figures to nearest £100): Cleaning of hoppers/gutters/downpipes (£2,900) – completed by HAB Leadworks during May and June;

Cleaning & repainting of external gates in churchyard (£1,800) – undertaken by P A G Construction and completed in June;

Cleaning & repair of gutters above North Porch Visitor Centre (£1,800) – completed by HAB Leadworks in April;

Internal work to ensure safe access on stone floors (£8,100) – completed by Weldon Stone in early June;

Electrical safety inspection and remedial work – completed by AF Electrical in May (£750); completed by Engineering Inspectors in June – fee £320);

Refurbishing internal & external noticeboards (£1200) – completed by Viking Signs and P A G Construction in May/June;

Cleaning & re-oiling of Visitor Centre doors in North Porch (£3,500) – completed by Weldon Stone in May;

Deep cleaning of floors & sanitizing coffee shop area (£700) – completed by Demon Cleaning in June once other internal work had been completed; Redecoration & cleaning of Trigge Library (£3,550) – work by Weldon Stone completed in June;

Service of two Hoval boilers (£550) – completed in June.

SUB-TOTAL £24,850. Where eligible, VAT has been recovered under the Listed Places of Worship VAT recovery scheme.

Other necessary work has also taken place in 2021:
Repair of the two leaks in the central heating system (one adjacent to the font and the other adjacent to St Michael Chapel). This involved exposing the damaged pipe, pinpointing the leaks, replacing several sections of pipe, re-construction of brick ductwork underground and backfilling. Weldon Stone re-laid the floor slabs in the affected areas. The total cost was over £35,000 with VAT recovered. The impact of the repairs has been felt this winter with most areas significantly warmer, including the crypt.

Alternative heating is needed in the Clergy Vestry and will be considered as part of the Vestry Refurbishment project.

Re-fixing the brass plaque memorial to William Wagstaffe on the south wall of the church adjacent to the steps to the Lady Chapel. This minor repair, which required a Faculty, was completed in November.

Replacement of roof access ladders involved two pairs of ladders (on the Corpus Christi roof and the main nave roof) and was undertaken by Sycamore Construction and completed in October 2021. The design for the separate ladder to access the hatch in the nave was finalised with the architect and relevant parties and a List B Application approved by the Archdeacon in December 2021. The ladder should be installed in March 2022.

Repointing to the Trigge Library chimney and stonework around the South Porch roof. Work was needed to re-bed the capstone to the chimney and repoint associated joints. This was completed by Weldon Stone at a cost of some £1,500 plus VAT.

West window of North Aisle – The tender report (1.11.21) from Peter Rogan recommended acceptance of the tender in the sum of £70,886 from Weldon Stone for the repair of damaged mullions with Lincolnshire Stained Glass as the principal subcontractor for the glazing work to de-glaze and re-glaze the window. The Faculty for the work was applied for in 2021 (but not granted until January 2022) with work scheduled to commence in February 2022.

Excavating test pits within the churchyard to ascertain drainage absorption rates preparatory to a scheme to be finalised and agreed to improve the west end entrance and associated drainage. A specification for this has been drawn up by our Inspecting Architect, Peter Rogan. A Faculty application was underway.

Repair of table tomb to the Huthwaite family in the churchyard. Owing to subsidence caused by tree roots and dry weather at the start of 2021, this very fine tomb (1752-60),

by sculptor Christopher Staveley, had begun to collapse. The repairs were completed in December and were funded by South Kesteven District Council.

Clearly, the work on maintenance and repair of the Fabric of St Wulfram’s Church, which has a surface area in excess of one acre has been constant but successful. We should like to thank members of the Fabric Sub-group for their input and attendance. Thanks are also expressed to all who help with routine weekly cleaning and with the arrangement of flowers. All help to make St Wulfram’s a warm and welcoming church.
We are greatly indebted to John Manterfield for his dedication in chairing the PCC’s Fabric Sub-group and overseeing all its work.

Church flowers

Throughout the year and especially at liturgical festivals, we benefit from the dedication of our band of flower arrangers (led by Val York), whose skills enhance the beauty of our church. We welcomed some new flower arrangers in the latter part of the year. We are grateful to the arrangers who have arranged flowers for many years but are no longer part of the team.

We express gratitude to all those who contribute towards the costs of flower arrangements throughout the year: many such donations are in memory of loved ones and an ‘In Memoriam’ list is displayed at the west end of the church and online at Easter and Christmas.

Change ringing

We are grateful for the leadership of David Braunton (Tower Captain) and his team in maintaining change ringing at St Wulfram’s during the most challenging circumstances.
Bell ringing was very limited this year, with the bells being rung by a team from May until December, when we paused again due to rapidly rising cases and the Omicron variant and the environment of the ringing chamber.
The local band has suffered greatly as a result of the pandemic. Whereas before, a regular local band of up to 16 ringers could be relied upon, we are now down to three regular ringers and approximately three more, from time to time. To keep the bells ringing, we are heavily reliant on the new band from Belton and ringers from Harlaxton to join with us. Without them our bells would have been mostly silent this year.
During the late spring/summer, Evensong ringing was mostly undertaken by a youth band, made up of ringers from Barrowby, Harlaxton and Grantham in readiness for the Young Ringers Striking Competition held at Worcester.
We had five successful quarter peal attempts at the tower this year: two on 24 July to celebrate the end of the Lockdown, with ringers from all over the country; on 3 October two couples of the Belton Band rang their first quarter peals (Howard and Rose Pell and Sue and Simon Syddall); on 23 October a band made up of ringers from mostly Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire rang the final Quarter Peal for 2021.
Due to the nature of teaching bell handling (face-to-face and handling the same rope) within close proximity of learner and teacher, there is not really any ‘safe’ way to do so in the light of COVID. Hopefully, if the virus continues to weaken in its severity, teaching will be able to be undertaken in the near future.

We are faced with a major rebuild of the band, if we are to keep the bells ringing at St Wulfram’s for the future. As before, this is something where we will need to encourage and recruit from a wider population than that of the Church itself. This is something that is faced across the towers of the Southern Branch of the Lincoln Guild. As a result, we are looking to organise training for teachers of bell handling and then a recruitment drive to bolster the number of ringers in the area.

Hospitality for Pilgrims and Visitors

St Wulfram’s, a landmark medieval parish church restored by Gilbert Scott (1866-75), is Grade I Listed (1062501) and of nationally recognised significance. Set back from main roads and surrounded by old buildings, the area has the feel of a cathedral close. The chained Trigge Library (established in the church in 1598) is of exceptional significance as the earliest in England for public use, and attracts local, national and international visitors and scholars. The church plays a dynamic role in attracting visitors to the town and district. The church and churchyard are a focal point of South Kesteven District Council’s (SKDC’s) Grantham Town Conservation Area. They lie within the ‘Grantham High Street Heritage Action Zone’, which celebrates the town’s built, social, cultural and natural heritage and is funded by Historic England to restore historic properties and regenerate public realm areas.
Consistent with our ‘sacred space, common ground’ strategy, we encourage everyone in the community to see St Wulfram’s as their parish church, a building open for prayer or a place to come and sit in quiet reflection.
In ‘normal times’, each Saturday morning and during the ‘visitor season’ (from the end of March to end of September), we try to have stewards on hand to welcome our visitors. Government regulations affecting the hospitality sector caused the Coffee Shop to close in mid-March 2020 and to remain closed for much of 2021. It opened during the Heritage Open Day, Metanoia Climate Festival, the Beer Festival, the Christmas Tree Festival and for Saturday morning recitals when they resumed in the autumn. At the end of 2021, we expressed thanks to Di Hale for her time, skill and dedication in managing the Coffee Shop over recent years. We are grateful that she will continue to oversee the provision of refreshments (including recruitment of volunteers from organisations beyond St Wulfram’s) for major events such as the Christmas Tree Festival. As we begin to plan for the 2022 visitor season, the opening hours and staffing of the Coffee Shop are under careful review.
In 2017, with fewer volunteers and a policy of no ‘lone working’ in church, the PCC took the decision (on the advice of the Diocese and Ecclesiastical Insurance) to leave the church open unattended at certain times. This strategy continues to be largely unproblematic.
St Wulfram’s had fewer visitors this year, so there were fewer inscriptions in our Visitors’ Book. The comments written are overwhelmingly favourable. For example:
Amazing church and obviously being used well.
We love this place so much. Very elegant.
Beautiful and full of life and memories to me!
Really calming and pretty. We are definitely coming back!
As mentioned earlier, in accordance with guidance from the Government and Church of England and following a detailed risk assessment, the church building was open for private prayer (9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. Monday to Saturday; 10.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. on

Sundays). Automatic hand sanitizers were placed at the entrance and exit and within the church; the wearing of facemasks was required; and posters encouraged social distancing.

St Wulfram’s participated in the annual nationwide Heritage Open Days event in September. In total, around 220 adults and 40 children visited the church between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday 11 September; and a record 530 adults and 50 children visited Grantham House gardens on Sunday afternoon 12 September between 2 p.m. and 4.30 p.m., when tea and home-made cakes were served. The event in the church included a ‘DIY Evensong’: an opportunity to be part of an ad hoc choir. Positive feedback was received from visitors to both venues. Comments included:
A magnificent building, of almost cathedral-like splendour. Thank you for making the library and tower available to view.
The volunteers were very knowledgeable and enhanced the experience.
Well organised. Excellent cakes. And lovely to have no entrance fee.
Near the west door of the church, we have a sales unit that, in normal times, displays postcards, guides and souvenirs of the church, together with assorted greetings cards (including the popular Friends of St Wulfram’s Christmas cards). Unfortunately, stock had to be removed at the start of the pandemic; but we thank John Manterfield for his efforts to continue to sell items in imaginative ways and for returning a limited range of items towards the end of 2021.
Our Traidcraft account has been closed. Sales were very slow before lockdown and stopped completely during 2021. Thank you to everyone who helped to support Traidcraft through our sales unit over the years.
Peregrines first nested at St Wulfram’s eight years ago. At the end of 2020, Chris Skipper from the Cromer Peregrine Group installed new state-of-the-art cameras and monitoring systems, funded by the Lincolnshire Bird Club. The new equipment monitors all four walkways of the church tower and the peregrines’ nest tray using a zoom, pan and tilt facility operated by the peregrine team. There is 24/7 virtual access to the peregrine’s nest tray via our YouTube channel. The adult birds could occasionally be seen perching during the winter. A screen in the church was live during the breeding season.

Trigge Library

Due to the restrictions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic it was not possible to open the Library before 16 July, 2021. However, after that date the Library was opened weekly on Wednesday and Saturday mornings until 29 September, and thereafter monthly on Saturday mornings. The number of recorded visitors increased from 83 in 2020 to 413 in 2021, which compares favourably with the full-year figure of 687 recorded in 2019.

During the six-month period to year’s end, small groups from Grantham U3A, Grantham & Kesteven Rotary Club and Gonerby Hill Foot WI were also welcomed to the Library.

The busiest days for visitors were 11 September during the Heritage Open Day, and 2 October during the Gaia festival, which together accounted for about 150 visitors.

Only 21 visitors from just four countries outside the UK visited the Library in 2021, of which none were from Europe. This reflected the travel restrictions imposed on foreign visitors to the UK during this period.
During 2021 the Library was redecorated using funding from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage grant; and minor repointing was carried out to stonework on the south porch roof. Several items of artwork from the Library were reframed and/or repaired. It is hoped that, in due course, it will be possible to replace the two exhibition cases in the Library, which are now in poor condition.
Our conservator, Ms Bridget Warrington, continued work on the 10 books requiring urgent attention to disinfest them from attack by furniture beetle, with their transfer to Harwell for deep-freeze treatment. This seems to have worked following further freezing treatment, and these books will be returned to the Library when complete disinfestation has been confirmed. Other repair and conservation work is in progress and will continue in 2022. We are awaiting a grant payment from the Institute of Conservation (ICON) for some of this work and a further bid to ChurchCare will be made for additional funding for other urgent conservation work on other high priority items.
A new book – entitled The Trigge Library, St Wulfram’s Church, Grantham: A Guide – by Brian Stagg, with photographs by Roger Sleigh, was published in March 2021 with generous financial assistance provided by the Friends of St Wulfram’s Church. Copies of the guide were sold through The Grantham Civic Society and, by the time the Library reopened in July, most of the design and printing costs had been recovered. The Friends kindly gifted the remaining stock to the Church which will continue to be sold in aid of the Library repairs fund. There have also been several generous casual donations made by visitors.
The ‘rolling’ exhibition of books in the south aisle using the case donated to the church by The National Trust continues to attract interest. This serves to introduce visitors to the types of books in the collection. The contents are replaced periodically.
It is hoped that during 2022 it may be possible to further develop the display in the north aisle to include an audio-visual introduction to the Library.

Learning opportunities

Our Lent study course (led solely via Zoom) focused on vocations. We looked at how God called certain people within the Bible and throughout the history of the Church, and how their acceptance of God’s call affected them and those around them. The course was designed to be inclusive, challenging and equipping, as we all seek our place within God’s Kingdom.

In March, five members of our congregation completed the diocesan course entitled ‘To Love and Serve the Lord’, which Grantham Deanery ran under the leadership of the Revd Canon Geraldine Pond (former Director of Vocations, Diocese of Derby). The 16-session course, taught via Zoom by a mix of ordained and lay ministers (including three from St Wulfram’s), meets a number of needs: it is appropriate for those who simply wish to learn more about their faith; it provides a discernment process for those exploring a possible call to authorised lay ministry and the initial module for ALM training; and it’s also appropriate for existing ALMs who wish to do a refresher course.
A second ‘To Love and Serve the Lord’ course ran from June until November. All four of our clergy participated in the delivery (again via Zoom). One of our ALMs followed the course as a refresher.
We look forward to the start of a weekly fellowship group to be led by Fr Aron on Zoom on Monday evenings from 17 January 2022. This will be an informal small group that meets to encourage one another, to read scripture, ask questions, and pray for each other.

Ministry training

Members of the congregation continue to take a full part in the licensed ministry of the church and new volunteers are trained and introduced on a regular basis to share in leading worship and exercising pastoral ministry.
Katy Castañeda was licensed as a Reader at Lincoln Cathedral on Saturday 9 October, following her training at the Lincoln School of Theology (LST). The cathedral broadcast the service through its Facebook page. Katy has now embarked on the master’s programme through LST. One further member of our congregation was pursuing Reader training through the LST.
Three members of our congregation (Elaine Chambers, Sharon Evans, and Joanna Swinbourne), who completed ‘To Love and Serve the Lord’ in March, were discerned to have a call to ministry. Along with an ALM transferring from elsewhere in the diocese (Sheila Knight), they pursued a four-session ALM Foundation Module (in Mission & Evangelism or Pastoral Visiting) and were authorised for lay ministry by the Rural Dean at an outdoor service in July.
In partnership with the Loveden Deanery, Grantham Deanery ran a second ‘To Love and Serve the Lord’ course (June to November), which one of our ALMs completed as a refresher. This course (also taught by Zoom) was led by a team including all four members of the St Wulfram’s clergy.

Major Churches Network

St Wulfram’s is a member of the Major Churches Network; and we are in regular contact with other large churches to benefit from information about good practice in areas of administration, fabric, mission, outreach, how to best engage in service to the community and the COVID-19 response.

Inclusive Church Network

St Wulfram’s continues as a member of the Inclusive Church Network endorsing the statement of belief:

We believe in inclusive Church - church which does not discriminate, on any level, on grounds of economic power, gender, mental health, physical ability, race or sexuality. We believe in Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.

Ecumenical relationships

St Wulfram’s continues to play a full part in Churches Together in Grantham (CTiG), in hosting or assisting in the major events of the ecumenical year. Representatives of our congregation attend regular CTiG meetings and report back to the PCC.
A Carol Service for Churches Together was held at St Wulfram’s on Tuesday evening 7 December.
We continue in a supportive relationship with ChristChurch, our Methodist/URC neighbours. Prior to the pandemic, we worshipped together on the fifth Sunday of each month, with the combined services (mostly in the evening) alternating between St Wulfram’s and ChristChurch. There also used to be quarterly meetings to arrange joint events and worship. We continue to publicise each others’ services and events, through the respective monthly parish magazines and weekly pew-sheets.

Lincoln Diocesan Synod

Until July, St Wulfram’s was represented on Diocesan Synod by the Rector, Mthr Mel Parkin and Paul Davie. A new triennium began on 1 August and, following elections by Deanery Synod, St Wulfram’s is now represented on Diocesan Synod by the Rector, Paul Davie and Fr Clay Roundtree. In November, Paul Davie was elected by the House of Laity of Diocesan Synod to fill a vacancy for the Boston Archdeaconry on the Bishop’s Council of Diocesan Trustees; he will serve a three-year term.
In October, the House of Clergy elected Fr Stuart to General Synod. He serves for a term of three years (from 16 November 2021).
After each Diocesan Synod meeting, the PCC receives a Digest of Proceedings, as published on the diocesan website; and, from time to time, the PCC receives communications from the Diocese of Lincoln, for example concerning Parish Share.
During the year, the bishops, their chaplain, and the Diocesan Secretary continued to be in regular correspondence by email with incumbents and parish officers to share advice and provide the latest guidance on the response to COVID-19.
Early in 2021, the Diocese reported back on the series of Zoom consultation meetings that it hosted (September to November 2020) on ‘Resourcing Sustainable Church’; and in May, Diocesan Synod approved a 71-page report detailing the 15 recommendations and 15 commitments (under the themes of growth, ministry, parish share, costs and assets) that became ‘A Time to Change – Together’ (TTCT). A two-page document summarising the process and principles underlying the TTCT proposals was circulated after Synod in May. Later in the year, all diocesan churches were asked to participate in the Church Types survey, answering the question: ‘What type of church do we believe God is calling us to be?’ The diocese provided resources to support the thinking and next steps to help churches to flourish in their identified types. By the end of the year, more than 90% of churches had responded to the survey; and the diocese made

available a map of church types by Deanery Partnership (based predominantly on local authority areas for the time being).

Discussions at our Parish Vision Day on 25 September and at PCC led to St Wulfram’s identifying as one of 19 as ‘Key Mission Churches’ (Type 1) in the diocese and one of four in the South Kesteven Deanery Partnership.
In due course, St Wulfram’s will have to agree a financial pledge to the diocese for the support of ministry. Also, as part of the TTCT process, every ordained and lay minister holding the bishop’s licence is invited to a vocational conversation - an opportunity to reflect on her/his ministry. The intention is to listen, to support and to discern ways forward, for individuals and for the whole diocesan family of ministers.

Grantham Deanery

Through its elected and ex officio representatives, St Wulfram’s continues to take a leading part in shaping and implementing deanery policy. Our Rector, Fr Stuart Cradduck serves as Rural Dean, supported by Judith Muskett (our PCC Secretary) as Deanery Administrator (for 6 hours per week).
A pastoral reorganisation is under way in the deanery in line with the agreed Deanery Plan. During the vacancy in the western group of churches (to be designated the West Grantham Group of Villages), St Wulfram’s clergy regularly led worship and conducted occasional offices in All Saints Barrowby, St Sebastian’s Great Gonerby, St Mary and St Peter’s Harlaxton, St Andrew’s Denton, and St James’ Woolsthorpe by Belvoir. A parish profile was drawn up and the post was advertised in the summer. An interview day took place in the autumn. The Diocese subsequently announced that the Revd Sarah Tierney had been appointed Interim Priest in Charge of the group. She is due to be licensed in late April 2022.
We currently have three elected lay representatives on Deanery Synod (Jan Burrows, Paul Davie and Val York) and we thank them for their service.
During the year, Synod heard talks on vocations, championing the environment and the work of Covenant Pastors in the diocese. A significant item of business from the diocese throughout 2021 was ‘Resourcing Sustainable Church: Time to Change - Together’ (see above). Through Deanery Chapter, Grantham clergy have begun to work collaboratively with Loveden Deanery clergy. For its part, Grantham Deanery Synod began to discuss patterns of collaborative working across its deanery churches.
All deanery PCCs are provided with regular written reports on Synod business; and a summary of Deanery Synod business is provided for Annual Parochial Church Meetings.
The deanery was successful in its bid for funding (£5,000) from the Diocese of Lincoln Transformation Fund towards the cost of staging the Metanoia Climate Festival in St Wulfram’s (Friday 1 October to Sunday 3 October 2021). Over 5,000 visited the festival, the highlight of which was Luke Jerram’s GAIA art installation.
On Sunday evening 29 August, we joined our fellow Christians at St John’s Church Manthorpe for an outdoor Songs of Praise. Then on Sunday 31 October, at 5.00 p.m., we joined them for the service of dedication of their re-ordered church and completion of the new Community Hall in the presence of Bishop Nicholas, Bishop of Grantham.

Communication

The Parish website (www.stwulframs.org.uk) is a prime contact point for people wishing to know more about the parish church, its people and activities. Regular postings of information by the Parish Administrator keep it fully up to date. The home page offers the opportunity to sign up to our mailing list. Contacts and requests continue to increase in number. We make full use of social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) to involve members of our church community and of the wider community in the life of the church; social media is especially valuable in attracting visitors and audience members to our special events and engaging them in online conversations at those times. The Church of England ‘A Church Near You’ website directs those who view to our own website and social media.
During the second week of January, our Parish Administrator took part in the ‘Church Comms Challenge’ run by Digital Church Toolkit. Each day this involved a live training session via Facebook between 8 and 9 a.m. when a challenge was posed; followed by an opportunity to post feedback from 3 p.m.; and another live session from 4 to 5 p.m., which was a Q&A responding to queries and comments posted. The daily themes included how to align digital comms with the church’s unique vision, mission, and values; identifying the church’s target audience; what platforms the church should be on and how it should use them; how to develop a regular rhythm of posting and management; and how to execute your strategy. Elaine subsequently shared feedback with the staff team and the PCC.
The ChurchDesk software package enables the Parish Office to send out weekly newsletters and information on forthcoming services (including orders or service and hymn sheets), all of which have been immensely valuable during the pandemic. By the end of 2020, we had accumulated over 1,000 ‘Contacts’, almost twice the number recorded in 2019. This total includes members of the community of St John the Evangelist, Manthorpe, our sister church. Passing the threshold of 1,000 contacts necessitated an upgrade to the ChurchDesk subscription, which the Finance Sub-group approved in March 2021.
The Sunday Community sheet updates the congregation each week, with news of services and activities. Since the start of the pandemic, it has been shared with the weekly Friday email from the Parish Office; and this practice continues. From midSeptember printed copies were made available in church again on Sundays.
The full-colour monthly Magazine continues to provide high quality and varied content in information and articles. Brian Buttery (Editor) belongs to the Association of Church Editors, whose secretary sends out a monthly bulletin of useful tips. Since the start of the pandemic, an online version of the Magazine has been available through the church website; and printed copies have been mailed out to those who subscribe. We hope to resume issuing printed magazines early in 2022.
Continuing our long-standing practice, we pay to advertise full details of weekday and Sunday worship at St Wulfram’s each week in the local newspaper, the Grantham Journal . We have good relations with the Journal (whose office is near St Wulfram’s); and articles about our community life and outreach activities are included in the newspaper on a regular basis.
Notice boards outside the church are well used. Our two chalk A-boards display daily information outside the west door and welcome visitors.

Once again, our churchwardens were unable to hold any of their usual wardens’ surgeries during the year. A new ‘churchwardens@stwulframs.com’ email address was launched through the Community sheet, and the wardens encouraged members of the congregation to contact them by email or telephone with any comments or questions.

Special Events (including those for fund raising)

Over recent years, we have enhanced our engagement with people in the town. We strongly believe that the sacred space of St Wulfram’s is common ground for all – a place where we can challenge each other, celebrate all that is good in our community, and be a place we can call home where we can gather as a community – and God is in the midst of this, in the everyday. Community use of the building is essential to our sustainability and recaptures the medieval use of the space in ways that celebrate the joy of day-to-day life. Our challenging events (Christmas Tree Festivals, Flower Festivals, annual Beer Festival, etc.) underpin our ‘sacred space, common ground’ strategy. Each event attracts significant numbers and at the same time raises useful funds for the church.
With its flexible space and seating, the church is a well-used venue in normal times for large and smaller events and concerts, attracting regular bookings from local and county organisations. The local U3A holds monthly coffee mornings in St Wulfram’s Church; and the U3A art group also meets monthly in the church. These in-person activities resumed in September and August respectively.
The St Wulfram’s community began a year of social events with ‘The Great British Bump Off’, an online murder mystery evening on Saturday 9 January. Our annual Quiz followed on Saturday 6 February; this time the event ran on Zoom, but was just as much fun as usual, with rounds of questions set by the clergy. The ‘Wulfram’s Arms’ opened for business again on Mondays 8 March, 12 April and 10 May: this is a social evening on Zoom when we invite members of the church community to pour themselves their favourite drink and join a friendly chat from the comfort of their own home.
The Beer Festival ‘Land of Hops and Glory’ (run jointly with the Grantham branch of CAMRA) opened on Thursday 4 November and ran until Saturday 6 November, with live music during the evenings. A record number of people visited from the town and from far and wide. As well as different ales on offer, there were also ciders, perries, gin and mead. The bar was drunk dry. The event was deemed a huge success and is fast becoming a permanent feature in the Grantham calendar.
An amazing ‘Festival of Angels’ launched on Friday 19 November and remained in the church until 6 January 2022. This community art project, funded as part of the High Street Action Zone by the Arts Council, Historic England, SKDC and the Heritage Lottery, had been in the pipeline since 2019 and was originally to form part of the Wulfram 2020 celebrations, but was postponed owing to the pandemic. The project was led by our Artist in Residence, Anne-Marie Kerr, who devised and designed the angels. With the help of artists Claire Carrington and Dawn Wesselby, Anne-Marie worked with individuals and community groups over several weeks to construct and decorate the eight sculptures (including Gabriel and Michael); they ranged in size from two metres to a staggering seven metres high. Messages of hope and thanksgiving were written on the sculptures, recognising the efforts of all those who had been an angel over the previous 18 months of the pandemic. Portraits of participants by Emilie Nunn were also displayed: these were a legacy of their involvement and a celebration of what can be achieved when a community comes together. We were taken aback by the response to the opening night. So many people found the experience deeply moving.

The following comments are examples of those written at the time in our Visitors’ Book:

The angels are breath-taking.
The angels – so amazing!
The silence was spectacular. The angels so very moving. It provoked a very emotional response – tears at their beauty. Well done to everyone who made this beautiful festival of Angels happen. It was a delight. Thank you.
Angels – wonderful. A real help to prayer. Thank you.
During the Festival of Angels, the Christmas Tree Festival with skating rink ran from Thursday 25 November to Sunday 28 November. The opening ceremony began with a candlelit procession from the Market Place at 6.00 p.m. and the formal switching on of the lights followed; the festival was then open until 9.00 p.m. Far more people took part this year and filled us with hope for the weekend to come. The festival opened from 10.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m. on the Friday and Saturday, and from 12 noon to 4.00 p.m. on Advent Sunday. As a celebration of the wonderful work and talents in the town, the Christmas Tree Festival is the best annual event that we hold at St Wulfram’s.

Refreshments were served daily by a large band of volunteers organised by Di Hale, who calculated that, over a total of 30 hours, we sold 200 mince pies, 19 stollen, 12 packets of shortbread fingers, 72 bundles of lebkuchen, 25 ham salad rolls, 25 cheese salad rolls, 110 sausage rolls, 45 pork pies, and used 1,000 cups, 36 bottles of mulled wine and 48 pints of milk!

Our own huge Christmas tree, positioned at the west end of the church, was adorned with around 200 wooden decorations crafted by people at the woodworking project Outwood CIC, which supports and promotes wellbeing and positive mental health through meaningful activities.

We had looked forward with excitement to 2020, a year of great significance in the history of our church as an ancient site of pilgrimage and prayer, when several special events had been planned to mark the 1300[th] anniversary of the death of our patron saint, Wulfram. These were postponed due to the pandemic. In October 2021, we were able to announce that members of the community of St Wandrille in France would visit Grantham in March 2022 for the 1302[nd] anniversary of the death of St Wulfram and would present us with a relic of Wulfram as a gift. A service to mark the reception of the relic is being arranged for Friday 18 March 2022.
In May, the PCC discussed how St Wulfram’s might mark the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen next year. There will be a national celebration over a four-day bank holiday weekend (2 to 5 June 2022). Fr James searched parish magazines for 1952 and 1953 looking for references to the Accession and Coronation; and this revealed some significant events in the life of St Wulfram’s Church in that period (for example, the dedication of the Corpus Christi Chapel). Members of the church community were encouraged to contact Fr James with suggestions for how St Wulfram’s might mark the Jubilee.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The Finance Sub-group set a General Fund budget surplus of £192 for 2021 in November 2020. The final outcome in 2021 was a deficit in the General Fund of £907. When the budget for 2021 was set, the expectation was that COVID-19 restrictions would have largely ended beyond Easter 2021 and that it would be possible to profitably hold fundraising events once more, albeit concentrated mostly in the second

half of the year. Unfortunately, planned activities in 2021 were impacted more significantly by COVID-19 than expected so additional sources of income were sought once again to offset the loss of events income. A Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage grant covered approximately £9.8k of General Fund salary costs and Transformation Fund grants, totalling approximately £5.5k, were received from the Lincoln diocese to cover some of the Metanoia Climate Festival costs (£5k) and first aid training costs (£480). The General Fund was also aided by multi-year banking fees rebates relating to our two main bank accounts of £5.1k, plus an additional £3.2k interest (accounted for as other income from church activities). General Fund running costs that benefitted the fabric of the building (£8.8k) were once again allocated to the Fabric Fund, although this support will be scaled back in 2022 and beyond as events income returns to more normal levels. For 2022, despite the expectation of a much higher level of net fundraising events income, increased gas and electricity costs, and higher salary costs, in part due to increased working hours, resulted in a General Fund budget deficit set for 2022 in November 2021 of -£5.3k. Should the final outcome for 2022 not exceed budget expectations, it’s likely that the PCC will need to review its current reserves policy of covering at least three months’ budgeted General Fund expenditure. At present, this is not considered to be a serious concern as available reserves are judged to be more than sufficient.

Slightly lower Planned Giving income in 2021 of £66,661 versus last year (2020: £68,324) was impacted by the sad loss of a small number of generous Planned Givers. With significant amounts of our income dependent on the congregation and their giving, a constant review is maintained of those giving and how to maximise this through tax efficiency and regular giving in order to increase the proportion of regular income. The church regularly holds Stewardship campaigns in order to improve Planned Giving levels and the church’s membership of the Parish Giving Scheme should also help, particularly if most donors allow inflationary increases to be applied to their donations annually.
Fundraising income improved in 2021 from a very low base. Church and Grantham House hire raised £2,868 and £5,029, respectively. The coffee shop raised £1,540, St Wulfram’s share of lottery income was £923 and the Sales Unit generated £0.7k. Unfortunately, the Vintage Festival was postponed again in 2021, although the related Shirt Tail Stompers event managed to generate a small surplus once net bar takings (included within Events Bar income) were taken into account. The most financially successful events in 2021 included the Beer Festival, which is expected to raise at least £5.3k (excluding £1.8k Facilities Fee included within Church Hire income), and the Christmas Tree Festival, which raised £5.9k. Events Bar income was £1.6k net. The Metanoia Climate Festival, which was not intended to be primarily a fundraising event, cost £4.3k net, before receipt of a £5k Transformation Fund grant from the Lincoln diocese. There were other fundraising events, including the Gesualdo Six concert, which also managed to generate small surpluses. Other fundraising costs were a little higher than expected also due to the purchase of PA system, projector & screen and lighting equipment for approximately £2.6k that was expensed, but will be used for future events held at Grantham House. Overall, net fundraising income was £17.8k compared with budget expectations of around £43.7k. However, this still compared favourably with the £2.4k raised in 2020.
Other donations and grants of £148,279 (2020: £89,762) included £29,908 grants to help fund projects at Grantham House, £39,100 Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage grant, £28,314 of Strategic Development Funding and Lincoln Diocesan Trust & Board of Finance funding from the Lincoln Diocese, £20,850 from SKDC to part-fund the Festival of Angels project (£15,850) and the Same Boat/Wulfram Spring 2020 project (£5k), the remaining 10% (£1,450) grant from Arts Council England to part-fund the

Same Boat/Wulfram Spring 2020 project and a £1,250 Institute of Conservation grant for the Trigge Library. Large donations included £2k from The Friends of St Wulfram’s Church towards the cost of the equipment to enable broadcast of services online, £624.10 from Grantham Choral Society, £500 from Buckminster Estates and £250 from Machine Gun Corps. Old Comrades Association. There were many other donations from individuals, schools and societies gratefully received. Legacies of £8,869, all for the Fabric Fund this year, were also received in 2021 (2020: £3,500 total).

As referred to above, there were two main arts projects funded during 2021. The Festival of Angels project costs totalled £26,976. Unfortunately, the grant received was not sufficient to cover the full cost, mainly due to higher-than-expected equipment hire and installation costs. Efforts are being made to source additional income for this project, but should they prove to be unsuccessful, the remaining £6.1k deficit on the Festival of Angels fund will be covered by other available funds, in addition to the £5k already allocated to the General Fund this year. The Same Boat/Wulfram Spring 2020 project was completed this year, with the overspend of approximately £0.5k also allocated to the General Fund.
St Wulfram’s Church encourages giving to support not only the church, but also the wider community, and will continue itself to make local, national & international donations via the Mission & Social Responsibility Sub-group for as long as it is financially able to do so. Happily, the amount given was restored to 5% of pledged giving in 2021. Mission & Social Responsibility Sub-group 2021 allocations included those to Church Mission Society, Oxford Mission, St James’ Church, Woolsthorpe by Belvoir, £173.90 in support of Afghan refugees and others. In addition, local families in need were helped by the St Wulfram’s Church Christmas Cheer Appeal, via the Mission & Social Responsibility Sub-group, in the form of supermarket vouchers to the value of £600. Donations (including £300 from Grantham Poverty Concern) for, and expenses incurred by, St Wulfram’s Passage, which provides meals for the homeless and others in need, were also managed by the Mission & Social Responsibility Subgroup.
St Wulfram’s Church continued to receive grants and donations on behalf of Grantham Ark during 2021. A further £3,234 was received in 2021, outlined further in Note 9. £12,999 was paid by the church to Grantham Ark during the year. SleepOut 2021 monies collected of £2,734 were owed to Grantham Ark as at year end.
Heating and lighting costs were up compared to last year due to the large increase in gas and electricity prices in the second half of 2021. Further increases are expected and were hopefully fully factored into the 2022 General Fund budget, although the situation with regards to future energy cost increases remains uncertain. The amounts attributed to Grantham House (designated funds) and the church (General Fund and restricted funds (Fabric)), can be clearly seen within Note 3a. The cost of annual insurance premiums was £14,584 for the church and £3,746 in relation to Grantham House. Half of the cost of insurance of the church building was charged to the Fabric Fund in line with previous years pre-COVID-19.
Total incoming resources to the General Fund amounted to £155,389 (2020: £111,624) and total resources expended amounted to £156,296 (2020: £109,865) resulting in a deficit for the year before transfers of £907 (2020: £1,759 surplus). After transfers of £nil (2020: £nil) from other funds, General Fund reserves now amount to £41,186.
The balance sheet position had reduced by £52,624 as at 31st December 2021. There was an unrealised gain in the value of the investment property of £13,304 (2020:

£10,116) but unrealised losses in the value of financial investment assets of £7,558 (2020: £6,764 gain). A majority of the investment securities are held with the Central Board of Finance (CBF) of the Church of England. The largest holding is in the CBF Fixed Interest Securities Fund whose unit value decreased by 6.6% in 2021. £90,000 were sold during the year, so the total amount held in the fund decreased by 32.8%. Overall, our financial investment portfolio made a negative capital return of -1.7% (i.e. excluding income received) in 2021 (2020: 4.1% gain), and the overall value decreased by 22.9% to £344,821 (2019: 271.6% increase to £447,176). Cash on deposit and with the bank increased by £7,561 (2020: decrease of £321,144) during the year.

In order to maintain the income from investments while taking a conservative approach to the financial risk associated with these investments, the church regularly reviews the performance of these investments in order to ensure the value of the asset over the longer term is maintained. Investments that do not relate to endowments may have to be liquidated at short notice, so a large weighting in bonds and cash is necessarily maintained despite the fact that these assets are expected to yield lower returns over the longer term. Endowments, however, are typically invested wholly in equities where expected returns over the longer term are expected to be higher, as there is typically no need to sell them at short notice.
The church faces all the usual risks of any organisation involved with handling cash and maintaining its security and proper accounting. To enable this wherever possible, a good segregation of duties and rigorous documentation of all income is maintained. All new volunteers are made aware of the requirements and these are reviewed on a regular basis. The physical security of money is also taken very seriously and regular reviews of access to cash are made and restrictions put in place when necessary. All cash is held in accordance with our insurance requirements. During the COVID-19 pandemic, more remote working was necessary. Therefore, it became necessary to authorise more invoices for payment via email rather than via a visit to the Parish Office. Nevertheless, all payments continue to require two cheque signatures with the exception of prepayment card spending by the Parish Office Administrator, who provides receipts for all spending incurred that are then examined before being recorded in the accounting system.
Over time there is an increased reliance on making the church building pay for itself by both holding large events such as the Ball, Beer and Christmas Tree Festivals and by hiring it out as a venue. The large Festivals do have significant financial risk and these are under constant review to find as many ways as possible to minimise fixed costs and manage cashflow. Where possible, events are held in collaboration with organisations such as CAMRA to spread the risks and gain outside expertise. A process of review is undertaken after each event to ensure all lessons learned are carried forward.
During 2021, the resource centre (Wulfram Centre for Wholeness and Wellbeing) at Grantham House has grown in scale. Costs associated with this and the relocation of the Parish Office has meant that the allocated resources within the Development (Grantham House) have been exhausted. Currently, there is a £4.4k deficit in the fund. Grant funding is constantly being sought to support expenditure and a number of those were secured in 2021 which are included within restricted income funds (Note 10). The increased financial risk to the PCC has been recognised. Consequently, it is planned to set up a financially separated organisation, called “Wulfram Enterprises”. A paper was presented to the PCC during 2021 which projected income and expenditure during the early years of its operation. Working capital will be required at least in the early years, and it is expected that St Wulfram’s will provide this, most likely in the form of a loan or loan facility, underwritten by two of its available funds (the Harrowby funds as listed

in Note 10). The working capital requirements as outlined in the paper were well within the current valuation of the two Harrowby funds, however, it is recognised that actual income and expenditure could vary substantially from projections, so careful cash management and spending will be required to give the project the best chance of success.

Five of Grantham St Wulfram PCC employees are members of the Church of England Pension Board’s Church Workers Pension Fund, which complies with the Government Auto Enrolment requirements.
The PCC cooperates with the “Friends of St. Wulfram’s Church, Grantham” which is a separately registered charity (registered charity number 1066896), chaired by the Rector.

RESERVES POLICY

General Funds

The policy of the PCC in respect of General Fund reserves is to maintain a balance sufficient to cover for emergency situations equivalent to 3 months’ expenditure. Faced with huge deficits in the past, the PCC now tries to avoid setting large deficit budgets and looks to reduce costs wherever possible, to help maintain General Fund reserves at a level that will enable the PCC to plan for the future with confidence, knowing that there is sufficient to meet future emergency situations. The average quarterly expenditure in 2021 was £39,074 (2020: £27,466), but was £30,803, excluding fundraising costs (2020: £26,883). General Fund reserves at the end of 2021 were £41,186 (2020: £42,093). Whilst they are lower than the PCC would like, they do currently exceed average quarterly budgeted General Fund expenditure for 2022, excluding fundraising costs. General Fund surpluses are needed once the Covid-19 pandemic has fully ended to restore reserves to a more comfortable level, if possible, otherwise a review of reserves policy will be required. Currently, it is expected that General Fund reserves will fall below the current policy threshold by the end of 2022, but not by an amount large enough to threaten St Wulfram’s financial stability.

Designated Funds

A revaluation reserve to account for increases and decreases in the valuation of the investment property asset has been set aside as a designated fund as this can only be used if the asset is sold.
Collections at funeral services for the benefit of St Wulfram’s are designated of use to purchase fixtures, fittings and other items in memoriam.
A development reserve earmarked for potential works relating to the “Sacred Space, Common Ground” project.
A designated fund for religious, charitable and education purposes included retrospectively from 2018 in 2019’s accounts.
Mission & Social Responsibility Sub-group money awaiting distribution to charities and profits made on the church Traidcraft stall are kept for charitable purposes.

Fabric Fund

The balance on the Fabric Fund is for use to cover repairs and maintenance of our huge church building. A proportion of the balance has been earmarked to meet programmed repair costs.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the revised Church Representation Rules which came into effect on 1 January 2020. At St Wulfram’s the membership of the PCC consists of the incumbent, curates, lay Deanery Synod representatives, churchwardens, readers, and lay members elected by those who are on the electoral roll of the church. There is provision in the rules for the PCC, if it so wishes, to make co-options on an annual basis.
In accordance with the Church Representation Rules , the number of elected lay representatives serving on the PCC and the number of co-options is governed by the number on the Electoral Roll. This increased in 2020, so there was an opportunity to elect additional lay representatives at the Annual Parochial Meeting in 2021 and to coopt up to three members on an annual basis, if the PCC desires.
The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish including decisions on how PCC funds will be spent.
The full PCC conducted business on 12 occasions during the year. The Church Representation Rules 2020 (M29) allow for business to be conducted by correspondence; and three of the 12 meetings were conducted in this manner.

Following the first national pandemic lockdown, the Church of England issued guidance about online PCC meetings: this included the advice that decisions requiring a formal resolution of the PCC should be put into written form after a virtual meeting and circulated for formal approval under rule M29 (which, under rule 76, can be conducted by email). The PCC has followed this guidance for the six meetings held via Zoom video conference in 2021. On two further occasions, Zoom enabled a member to participate in in-person meetings. For safety reasons, the meeting on 13 July 2021 was held outdoors at Grantham House.

The average level of attendance for the nine meetings in 2021 was 84% (as compared with an average of 87% in 2020).

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) was conducted by Zoom on Sunday 25 April.
The rules governing the PCC Standing Committee changed with the introduction of the revised Church Representation Rules 2020. Although the Standing Committee has power to transact the PCC’s business between meetings, it may not discharge a duty of the PCC, nor exercise a power of the PCC which is subject to the passing of a resolution by the PCC.

The committee comprises the Rector and Churchwardens ( ex officio ) and two further members (elected by the PCC). John Manterfield served on the committee throughout 2021; Jane Sharp served until 25 April, at which point Stuart Jackson was elected a member of the committee. The Treasurer and PCC Secretary are attendees. Written reports from the committee are submitted to the PCC at the subsequent meeting.

The Standing Committee met once this year, in September. Its business concerned PCC policies and it was advised on that occasion by Damien MacdonaldBloomfield (Senior Human Resources Business Partner, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust), who assists the PCC in such matters, on a voluntary basis. A

suite of policies (Bribery; Complaints; Conflict of Interest; Equality & Diversity; Disciplinary; Grievance; Health & Safety), a Prevent Strategy Statement and a code of conduct was subsequently approved by the PCC on 21 September, upon the recommendation of the committee. The policies etc will be reviewed on a regular basis.

Given its wide responsibilities the PCC has several sub-groups (Children & Youth, Creation Care, Fabric, Finance, Licence Management [to meet obligations under the Premises Licence granted from 2018], Mission & Social Responsibility, and Social), each dealing with a particular aspect of parish life. Roles and responsibilities are set out in terms of reference adopted in 2020.

PCC members are expected to sit on at least one sub-group. Members of the congregation are also invited to join sub-groups. Each sub-group includes at least one member of the clergy team and either one or both Churchwardens. Minutes or written reports of sub-group deliberations are received by the full PCC and discussed as necessary.

We are immensely grateful to those who chair our sub-groups for the time they devote to their role and for the dedication and knowledge that they bring to our governance. The chairs in 2021 were: Jo Counsell (Mission & Social Responsibility); Laura Cradduck (Children & Youth); Paul Davie (Licence Management); Mel Fletcher (Social); Gillian Kendon (Creation Care); John Manterfield (Fabric); Stuart Jackson (Finance, from 25 April), who took over from Gary Moment (who resigned on 16 March).
From time to time, the Rector gathers Sub-group Chairs and ‘Heads of Department’ (Director of Music, Head Server, Verger, Parish Administrator, PCC Officers) to discuss strategy concerning St Wulfram’s mission.
Sincere gratitude is expressed to our two churchwardens (Jan Burrows and Andrew Gregory) and to our Treasurer (Stephen Howe) and Secretary (Judith Muskett) for the time they each devote to their voluntary roles and for the dedication and knowledge that they too bring to the governance of St Wulfram’s Church.

St Wulfrato's Church is situated in Grantha] Lillcolnshire and is part of the Diocese of Lincoln withÉn the Church of England. The address for Corresponden is: The Rectory, Church Street, Grantham, Lincolnshire. NG31 6RR The Parochial CELurch Council {PCC) is a charity resistered with the Charity Commi&8ion. charity registration number 1131575, as'The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastieal Parish of St Wu]fram, GranthanL" The PCC Treasurer is Stephen How& The PCC Secretary is Judith Muskett (who undertakes this role on a voluntary basis alongside the saIaried p)st of Mission Faci]itator). Neither the Treasurer nor the Secretary is an elected member of the PCC. PCC members who served at any time from i January 2021 until the date this report was approved are set outbelow. Five vacancies for elected members were unfilled at theAPCM on 25 April 2021. Name Ex offiao nwnbers FatherSttrt Cradduek Incurnbent, PCC Chair. Rura] Dea Diocesan Synod & (from i0.11.22) Genern] Synod ociate Rector Bisbop's PeTrniSSiOa to Officia. C4mmuttity Cbaplai Assistant Curate Assistant Curats & Di(waD Syllod Assistant (aarate Reader Warden andwice-chair Warden & IknerySyDod DeaDery Syllod Deanerysynod Father Clay Roundtree MotherJune Rowland (from 4.5.21) FatherAron DonaldsoD Mother Mel Parkin FatherJamesTitley Trlick Kerry Andrewcregory Jan Burrows Val York Paul Davie (from September) (until 30.6.21) {until 3.8.21) Electedmembers Jason Bloomfield Jo Counsell Cherry Edwards Melanie Fletcher Marie Jackson Sknart Jackson Sheila Knight John Manteffield Gaiy Moment Jane Sharp Brian Stagg Stewart (until 2&4.21) (from 25.4.21) {from 2&421) (from 25.4.21) {from 25.4.2 (until 16.3.21) (frofft 254.21) Reader Emer1$ &Llt0$ of the Trigge Lllsrary opted members Jo Counsell Melailie Metcher J&lle Sharp (from 254.21) (until 254.21) {uThtil 25A.21) Bankers InY&stmentMaD&sers HSBC Bank ple, We5tgate, Grdlltha. CCtA Investment Management Limtted, 84 Queell Virtoria StreeL IA)lldoD. Elasti{41 Insuran Group. Gloucester. Newton Fallowell. 24 Market P]ace. Grantham. Streets LLP. WiDdsor Hollse. Bu5ine&T Park. Long Bennington. Insure LettingAgents Independetjt Examiner& Approved by the PCC on and signed on their behalf, Father Stuart Cradduek 3 April 2022 40

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

For the year ending 31st December 2021

General Designated £ 94,632 8,092 46,861 6,140 4,806 710 9,090 1,014 155,389 15,956 120,536 41,045 33,086 3,649 2,134 - 540 - 156,296 44,694 (907) (28,738) - - (907) (28,738) - 13,299 (907) (15,439) 42,093 119,538 41,186 104,099 Unrestricted Funds	General Designated £ 94,632 8,092 46,861 6,140 4,806 710 9,090 1,014 155,389 15,956 120,536 41,045 33,086 3,649 2,134 - 540 - 156,296 44,694 (907) (28,738) - - (907) (28,738) - 13,299 (907) (15,439) 42,093 119,538 41,186 104,099 Unrestricted Funds	Restricted Funds £ 136,866 4,962 11,107 4,207	Endowment Funds 2021 2020 £ £ £ - 239,590 170,339 - 57,963 4,986 - 16,623 14,341 - 14,311 11,491 - 328,487 201,157 - 343,435 250,849 - 40,196 2,625 - 2,687 1,193 - 540 510 - 386,858 255,177 - (58,371) (54,020) - - - - (58,371) (54,020) 7,084 5,747 16,880 7,084 (52,624) (37,140) 62,643 649,047 686,187 69,727 596,423 649,047 TOTAL FUNDS
155,389	15,956	157,142	-
120,536 33,086 2,134 540	41,045 3,649 - -	181,854 3,461 553 -	- - - -
156,296	44,694	185,868	-
(907) - (907) -	(28,738) - (28,738) 13,299	(28,726) - (28,726) (14,636)	- - - 7,084
(907) 42,093	(15,439) 119,538	(43,362) 424,773	7,084 62,643
41,186	104,099	381,411	69,727

The notes on pages 43 to 52 form part of these accounts

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM. CRANfIIAM BAIANCE SHEEr As at 31st December 2021 2021 2020 Notes FIXED ASSETS Tang]le assets Invesknents 6(a) 5*973 486.286 494259 7,812 575.337 583,149 Debtors Short terni dewssits & cash at bank and in hand 54369 100.608 152.977 16,484 93,047 109.531 LIABILITIES Creditors- amountsfaIiing due in one year 4&&3 4&633 NET CURRETrrf SETs 104164 659898 TOTAL NET ASSETS 596,423 649,047 PARISH FUNDS Unrestricted General Fund Designated Funds 41,186 104,099 145,285 42,093 119,538 161,631 io Restricted io io 3&AII 69.727 4¥,773 6£643 596A23 649,047 Approved by the Par0th1 Church Council on 3rd Aprll 2022 and bwed on its behalf by Father Stuart Cradduck (PCC Chairman) Thenote54x) pase543 to52 for part fAtheseaccounts

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2021

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2011, the Charities Act 2011, and the Statement of Recommended Practice Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK (Charities SORP (FRS 102)).

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention except for the valuation of investment assets, which are shown at market value. The financial statements include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body, nor those that are informal gatherings of church members.

Funds

Endowment funds are funds, the capital of which must be maintained; only income arising from investment of the endowment may be used either as restricted income or unrestricted income funds depending upon the purpose for which the endowment was established (see note 10).

Restricted funds represent (a) income from trusts or endowments which may be expended only on those restricted objects provided in the terms of the trust or bequest, and (b) donations or grants received for a specific object or invited by the PCC for a specific object. The funds may only be expended on the specific object for which they were given. Any balance remaining unspent at the end of each year must be carried forward as a balance on that fund. The PCC does not usually invest separately for each fund. Where there is no separate investment, income from investments is apportioned to individual funds on an average balance basis (see note 10).

Unrestricted funds are general funds which can be used for PCC ordinary purposes. Of the unrestricted funds, designated funds represent the valuation gain on investment property which can only be realised on sale, a fund for collections in memoriam, a fund designated for potential development, a deposit fund designated for religious, charitable and educational purposes comprised of accumulated income and interest, and a reserve of unrestricted funds held separate from general funds (see note 10).

Incoming resources

Planned giving, collections and donations are recognised when received. Tax recoverable on Gift Aid donations is recognised when the donation is recognised. Grants and legacies are accounted for when the PCC is legally entitled to the amounts due. Dividends are accounted for when receivable, interest is accrued. All other income is recognised when it is receivable and is accounted for gross.

Resources expended

Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over, or when awarded, if that award creates a binding or constructive obligation on the PCC. The diocesan parish share is accounted for when due. Amounts received specifically for mission are dealt with as restricted funds. All other expenditure is generally recognised when it is incurred and is accounted for gross.

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2021

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

Fixed assets

Consecrated and beneficed property is not included in the accounts in accordance with s.10(2)(a) of the Charities Act 2011.

Movable church furnishings held by the vicar and churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a Faculty for disposal are accounted for as inalienable property unless consecrated. They are listed in the church’s inventory, which can be inspected (at any reasonable time). For inalienable property acquired prior to 2005 there is insufficient cost information available and therefore such assets are not valued in the financial statements. All expenditure incurred in the year on consecrated or beneficed buildings, individual items under £1,000 or on the repair of movable church furnishings acquired before 1st January 2005 is written off.

Depreciation of Tangible Fixed Assets

Depreciation on tangible fixed assets costing more than £1,000 is calculated to write off the cost of each asset over its expected useful life by equal annual instalments at the following rates, (% p.a. on cost):

Office equipment - 20% straight line basis. Computer equipment - 20% straight line basis. Gardening equipment - 20% straight line basis.

Fixed asset investments

Investment property is valued at 31[st] December, with reference to movements in a regional house price index, from the date of acquisition (see note 6).

Investment securities are valued at market value at 31[st] December.

Connected charity

The PCC cooperates with the “Friends of St. Wulfram’s Church, Grantham” which is a separately registered charity (registered charity number 1066896), chaired by the Rector.

The objects of the Friends of St. Wulfram’s are:

“to preserve and beautify the Church of St Wulfram, Grantham, its fabric, fixtures, fittings, monuments, ornaments and other chattels”.

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2021

2 INCOMING RESOURCES 2(a) Voluntary Income Planned giving: Gift Aid donations Tax recoverable Other Collections (open plate) Grants Other donations and appeals Choir Trips Donations box Other donations, appeals, etc. Tax recoverable Legacy income 2(b) Activities for generating funds Coffee shop Hire of church /Grantham House Sales Unit Lottery Events Bar Vintage Festival Gaia (Metanoia) Climate Festival Beer Festival Christmas Tree Festival Choir Trips Parish Magazine Advertising Tax recoverable Other fund-raising 2(c) Income from investments Rent from land & buildings Dividends and interest 2(d) Income from church activities Parish Magazine Choir Trips Other income from church activities Fees paid to PCC for weddings & funerals Insurance claim TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES	General Designated £ £ 46,975 11,744 6,442 6,143 5,480 5,629 9,025 7,909 3,194 183 94,632 8,092 1,935 181 2,868 5,029 777 923 1,913 - 2,032 18,751 13,994 - 1 3,667 930 46,861 6,140 4,715 91 710 4,806 710 302 4,749 1,014 4,039 - 9,090 1,014 155,389 15,956 Unrestricted Funds	Restricted Funds £ 1,200 300 120,872 4,993 632 8,869 136,866 78 542 899 180 3,263 4,962 1,223 9,884 11,107 3,314 893 - 4,207 157,142	Endowment Funds £ - - - - - -	2021 2020 £ £ 48,175 48,163 12,044 12,041 6,442 8,120 6,143 3,416 126,352 69,026 - - 5,629 2,274 21,927 20,736 4,009 3,063 8,869 3,500 239,590 170,339 2,116 1,013 7,897 840 855 598 923 916 2,455 - - - 2,032 - 18,751 515 13,994 - 899 43 - 150 181 - 7,860 911 57,963 4,986 5,938 5,225 10,685 9,116 16,623 14,341 302 326 3,314 36 6,656 601 4,039 934 - 9,594 14,311 11,491 328,487 201,157 TOTAL FUNDS

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2021

3 RESOURCES EXPENDED General Designated £ £ 3(a) Church activities Missionary and charitable giving (note 13) 3,875 Ministry Diocesan parish share 37,029 Other ministry costs 6,955 Church/Grantham House running & maintenance Heating, lighting & water 12,065 5,137 Insurance 7,292 3,746 Rates 3,161 Maintenance and other costs 1,820 7,768 Upkeep of services 4,414 985 Music & choir 22,542 Choir Trips Children and young people 284 Printing, stationery & other office costs 8,043 2,762 Trigge Library Parish magazine costs 2 Legal & professional fees 302 508 Bank charges (4,455) Training & Development 1,519 Festival of Angels project costs (part grant funded) 5,000 Other sundry expenses 1,747 2,291 Other church activities costs 252 15 Wulfram Centre for Wholeness & Wellbeing activities 998 Administration and support costs 11,850 13,674 120,536 41,045 3(b) Fund-raising costs Coffee Shop 574 2 Sales Unit stock 167 Events Bar 555 Vintage Festival - Gaia (Metanoia) Climate Festival 6,353 Beer Festival 13,468 Christmas Tree Festival 8,065 Choir Trips Other fund-raising 3,904 3,647 33,086 3,649 3(c) Investment management costs Investment property insurance and repairs 1,568 Investment property management fees 566 2,134 - 3(d) Governance costs 540 - TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 156,296 44,694 Unrestricted Funds	Restricted Funds £ 654 5,514 7,292 72,961 1,416 8,173 4,573 10,047 1,219 2,193 5,535 21,976 14,995 3,603 374 21,329 181,854 276 3,185 3,461 407 146 553 - 185,868	Endowment Funds £ - - - - -	2021 2020 £ £ 4,529 2,161 37,029 29,849 6,955 7,187 22,716 11,448 18,330 13,867 3,161 - 82,549 92,110 6,815 10,289 30,715 26,388 4,573 - 10,331 360 12,024 8,847 2,193 4,032 2 300 6,345 2,766 (4,455) 332 1,519 79 26,976 - 19,033 14,535 3,870 1,271 1,372 - 46,853 25,028 343,435 250,849 576 373 167 355 831 - - 122 6,353 - 13,468 17 8,065 100 - 43 10,736 1,615 40,196 2,625 1,975 566 712 627 2,687 1,193 540 510 386,858 255,177 TOTAL FUNDS

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2021

As at	31st December 2021
4	STAFF COSTS & EXPENSE	PAYMENTS	2021	2020
			£	£
4(a)	Staff costs
	Wages and salaries:	Gross pay	76,227	46,021
		Employer's NI and Pension Contributions	4,638	2,017
			80,865	48,038

The full-time equivalent number of staff was 3.1 (2020 - 1.9) and no employee received remuneration in excess of £60,000. No wages or salaries were paid to PCC members during the year.

Grantham St Wulfram PCC participates in the Pension Builder Scheme section of the Church Workers Pension Fund (CWPF) for lay staff. CWPF is administered by the Church of England Pensions Board, which holds the CWPF assets separately from those of the Employer and other participating employers.

CWPF has two sections:

the Defined Benefits Scheme
the Pension Builder Scheme, which has two subsections;
a. , a deferred annuity section known as Pension Builder Classic, and,
b. , a cash balance section known as Pension Builder 2014.

Pension Builder Scheme

Both sections of the Pension Builder Scheme are classed as defined benefit schemes.

Pension Builder Classic provides a pension, accumulated from contributions paid and converted into a deferred annuity during employment based on terms set and reviewed by the Church of England Pensions Board from time to time. Discretionary increases may also be added, depending on the investment returns and other factors.

Pension Builder 2014 is a cash balance scheme that provides a lump sum which members use to provide benefits at retirement. Pension contributions are recorded in an account for each member. Discretionary bonuses may be added before retirement, depending on investment returns and other factors. The account, plus any bonuses declared, is payable, unreduced, from age 65.

There is no sub-division of assets between employers in each section of the Pension Builder Scheme.

The scheme is considered to be a multi-employer scheme as described in Section 28 of FRS 102. This is because it is not possible to attribute the Pension Builder Scheme’s assets and liabilities to specific employers and means that contributions are accounted for as if the Scheme were a defined contribution scheme. The pensions costs charged to the SoFA in the year are the contributions payable (2021: £3,173; 2020: £2,017).

A valuation of the Pension Builder Scheme is carried out once every three years. The most recent valuation was carried out as at 31 December 2019. The next valuation is due as at 31 December 2022.

For the Pension Builder Classic section, the valuation revealed a deficit of £4.8m on the ongoing assumptions used. At the most recent annual review, the Board chose to grant a discretionary bonus of 3%, following recent improvements in the funding postion over 2021. There is no requirement for deficit payments at the current time.

For the Pension Builder 2014 section, the valuation revealed a surplus of £5.5m on the ongoing assumptions used. There is no requirement for deficit payments at the current time.

The legal structure of the scheme is such that if another employer fails, Grantham St Wulfram PCC could become responsible for paying a share of the failed employer’s pension liabilities.

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2021

4(b) Payments to PCC members

5 members of the PCC were reimbursed a total of £4,746 expenses in relation to their work at St Wulfram's that was unrelated to their additional duties as PCC members. After adjusting for less than expected 2020 expenses claimed in 2021, the net expense for 2021 was £3,939. These were for travel/mileage (£2,973), phone costs (£673), meals/subsistence (£318) & other charitable expenses (-£25). A small immaterial portion of the expenses paid to the Rector may have related to his services as chairmanof the PCC.

AF Electrical Installations was paid a total of £937 during 2021 for repair work done. Melanie Fletcher is married to the owner of the firm, but is not a member of the PCC Fabric sub-group that selects the contractors to undertake repair & maintenance work.

No other expenses, except those listed above, were paid to any other PCC member, persons closely connected to them or related parties.

5 NET INCOMING RESOURCES FOR THE YEAR

2021
Net incoming resources for the year are after charging:
£
1,839
Independent Examination of the Annual Report & Financial Statements
540
FIXED ASSETS
a) Tangible assets
Gardening
Office
Equipment
Photocopier
£
£
Cost or deemed cost
At 1st January 2021
1,950
3,990
Additions
-
-
Disposals
-
-
At 31st December 2021
1,950
3,990
Depreciation
At 1st January 2021
618
3,990
Charge for the year
390
-
Disposals
-
-
At 31st December 2021
1,008
3,990
Net book value
At 31st December 2021
942
-
At 31st December 2020
1,332
-
Depreciation of computers & gardening equipment (lawnmowers)
GENERAL
FUNDS

2020
£
1,155
510
DESIGNATED
TOTAL
FUNDS
FUNDS
Office
Computers
£
£
7,245
13,185
-
-
-
-
7,245
13,185
765
5,373
1,449
1,839
-
-
2,214
7,212
5,031
5,973
6,480
7,812

6 FIXED ASSETS

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2021

6 b) Investments Market value 1 January 2021 Additions Disposals Revaluation (loss)/gain At 31 December 2021* Historic cost as at 31st December 2021	Investment property £ 128,161 - - 13,304 141,465 68,768	Investment Total securities investments £ £ 447,176 575,337 707 707 (95,504) (95,504) (7,558) 5,746 344,821 486,286

*An estimate of the increase in value of the investment property is obtained using the Nationwide House Price Calculator for properties in the East Midlands region from Q4 2020 to Q4 2021.

The market value at 31st December 2021 represents investments for:

General funds Designated funds Restricted funds Endowment funds	£ 41,186 72,697 27,582 - 141,465 Investment property	£ £ - 41,186 18,824 91,521 324,733 352,315 1,264 1,264 344,821 486,286 Investment securities Total investment

The allocation of the assets to the funds above reflects how the income is currently apportioned, with the exception of the designated investment property reserve of £72,697. Rental income relating to that part of the investment property is allocated to General funds. The type of asset actually used by a particular fund is ultimately dictated by liquidity needs - a fact that will aid the understanding of Note 12 also. Total fixed asset investment securities are within the United Kingdom and are all unlisted. They are intended to be held for longer than one year although can be sold at short notice, thereby ensuring sufficient liquidity.

7 DEBTORS Prepayments: Less than 1 year More than 1 year Tax recoverable Other debtors 8 CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND Short term deposits Cash at bank and on hand Other	2021 2020 £ £ 5,487 3,043 591 427 6,706 9,556 39,585 3,458 52,369 16,484 2021 2020 £ £ 20,080 40,080 80,528 52,967 - - 100,608 93,047

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2021

9 LIABILITIES Amounts falling due in one year Accruals for utility costs Accruals for other costs Deferred income Grantham Ark (Registered Charity No. 1190668)*	2021 2020 £ £ 5,131 2,195 27,486 16,277 13,462 12,662 2,734 12,499 48,813 43,633

*Deferred income includes Parish Magazine income relating to 2021 (£89), monies held for future choir trips (£4,253) & advance income mostly relating to cancelled events (£9,120). The movement in deferred income is analysed below:

Balance as at 1st January Amounts added in current period Amounts released to income from previous periods Balance as at 31st December	2021 2020 £ £ 12,662 5,302 2,805 8,018 (2,005) (658) 13,462 12,662

**St Wulfram's Church continued to receive income during 2021 on behalf of Grantham Ark, which is registered with The Charity Commission (number 1190668). This was largely due to difficulty the charity had been experiencing in opening a bank account. Below is a brief summary of income and expenditure for 2020 & 2021, which has been recorded separately from the church's income & expenditure, and the net cash amount owed by St Wulfram's Church to Grantham Ark for net income received on its behalf at the end of those years.

Balance as at 1st January Income Grants received on behalf of Grantham Ark Donations (inc. Gift Aid) & fundraising income Expenses Portaloo hire (allocated expense relating to 2019) Night shelter expenses Accommodation expenses for homeless people Payments made to Grantham Ark Balance as at 31st December*	£ 500 2,734 - - - 202	£ £ £ 12,499 8,865 3,103 3,490 3,234 6,593 (234) (915) (1,810) - (2,959) (12,999) - 2,734 12,499 1 2020

*No other expenses were paid to any other Grantham Ark trustee, persons closely connected to them or related parties.

9b OPERATING LEASE

The charity has future liabilities under non-cancellable operating leases as follows

	<	1yr	1-5 yrs	> 5 yrs
Office Equipment (photocopier)		878	3,633		-

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2021

10 FUNDS Designated Funds Funeral collections "in memoriam" Grantham Land Adj Harrowby School (Income) Mission & Social Responsibility Development (Grantham House) Revaluation of investment property Funeral collections "in memoriam" Grantham Land Adj Harrowby School (Income) Rev aluation of inv estment property Restricted Income Funds 5050 booklet appeal A Pinchbeck fund AG Hardy fund books for lay readers Book of Remembrance Chained (Trigge) library [Books] Chained (Trigge) library [All Purposes] Choir Fund Clarkes Charity Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage Downton bequest Fabric fund Festival of Angels (SKDC) grant Flowers Friends of Cathedral Music Grant Grantham Land Adj Harrowby School (Capital) Langwith Charity Organ Fund P Burdett bequest Postcode Places Trust grant Shine Lincolnshire grant South Porch & Garden of Remembrance Strategic Development Funding (SDF) / LDT&BoF Wulfram Spring 2020 Arts Council England grant	As at 1st Jan 21 £ 5,407 10,078 4,399 40,261 59,393 119,538 Collections at funer Accumulated inco Rev aluation reserv As at 1st Jan 21 £ 1,233 2,213 2,680 325 4,782 851 3,901 947 - 12,484 358,411 - 1,959 784 23,814 4,098 128 1,068 - - 245 - 4,850 424,773	Incoming Resources £ 235 (673) 6,007 7,659 - 13,228 al serv ices for the be me from restricted in e for the inv estment Incoming Resources £ - - - - 1,279 538 13,092 - 43,800 - 17,431 15,900 1,431 - - - - - 19,908 10,000 - 28,314 6,950 158,643	Resources Expended £ (985) (1,367) (2,859) (37,464) - (42,675) nefit of St Wulfram de come fund of same na property at 8 Ly tham Resources Expended £ - - - - (2,103) (90) (13,176) - (43,800) - (74,125) (21,976) (1,416) (660) - - - - - (462) - (28,314) (11,800) (197,922)	Investment Gains/(Losses) £ (126) 707 - 123 13,304 14,008 signated for use to purcha me, plus interest. Close. Investment Gains/(Losses) £ (33) (30) 8 (9) (107) (35) (104) 54 (338) (7,677) - (53) 758 3,424 98 (3) (29) - - (7) - - (4,083)	Transfers £ - 15,000 - (15,000) - - se fixtures, fittings Transfers £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	As at 31st Dec 21 £ 4,531 23,745 7,547 (4,421) 72,697 104,099 and other items 'in memoriam'. As at 31st Dec 21 £ 1,200 2,183 2,688 316 3,851 1,264 3,713 1,001 - 12,146 294,040 (6,076) 1,921 882 27,238 4,196 125 1,039 19,908 9,538 238 - - 381,411

5050 booklet appeal Funds for the colour guide to the church. A Pinchbeck fund Income to be applied for use by the serv ers. AG Hardy fund books for lay readers Income to be applied to reader ministry . Book of Remembrance Donation from the Machine Gun Corp for preserv ation of the Book of Remembrance. Chained (Trigge) library Book restoration and upkeep of Trigge Library funded by donations for the purpose. Choir Fund Income from collections at music recitals, grants, sales of CDs and donations for choir and music expenditure. Clarkes Charity Income - 1 /3rd to orphans, 2/3rds to beautify ing the church. (£1 ,650 spent 201 8 on Altar Frontal. £825 still to be applied to orphans). Culture Recov ery Fund for Heritage grant Culture Recov ery Fund for Heritage grant (Project no. OM-20-06042, The National Lottery Heritage Fund). Downton bequest Rector & churchwardens discretionary fund. Fabric fund Income from bequests, legacies and other donations for preserv ation of the church fabric. Festiv al of Angels grant SKDC grant - Grantham High Street Heritage Action Zone - Cultural Consortium Programme. Flowers Purchase of flowers funded by donations for the purpose. Friends of Cathedral Music Grant Income from endowment for St.Wulfram's Music for Choral Scholarships. Grantham Land Adj Harrowby School (Capital) Capital for religious, charitable & educational purposes in parish. Income to designated fund of same name. Langwith Charity Discretionary fund for distribution to poor. Organ Fund Saturday Morning music and other donations to meet the running costs of the organ and expenses of v isiting organists P Burdett bequest Vestments for serv ers and clergy . Postcode Places Trust grant Grantham House gardener (£1 5k), G.H. utilities (£3k), garden tools/seeds (£1 k) & G.H. rates. Shine Lincolnshire grant Grantham House wellbeing classes & some G.H. salary costs. South Porch & Garden of Remembrance Donations for upkeep of the South Porch and Garden of Remembrance. Strategic Dev elopment Funding (SDF) Strategic Dev elopment Funding from Lincoln Diocesan Trust & Board of Finance. Wulfram Spring 2020 Arts Council England Grant Grant from Arts Council England for Wulfram Spring 2020 project (No. ACPG-002097 7 1 ; 90%). Interrupted due to Cov id-1 9.

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2021

10
FUNDS (continued)
Endowment Funds
A Pinchbeck fund
A G Hardy fund
Clarkes Charity (REGISTERED)
Donal charity (REGISTERED)
Fabric fund
Friends of Cathedral Music Endowment Grant
Hodds bequest
Langwith Charity (REGISTERED)
Miss Harrison bequest
P Barnes Fund
A Pinchbeck fund
A G Hardy fund
Clarkes Charity (REGISTERED)
Donal charity (REGISTERED)
Fabric fund
Friends of Cathedral Music Endowment Grant
Hodds bequest
Langwith Charity (REGISTERED)
Miss Harrison bequest
P Barnes Fund

As at
Incoming
Resources
Investment
Transfers
As at
1st Jan 21
Resources
Expended
Gains/(Losses)
31st Dec 21
£
£
£
£
£
£
1,194
-
-
(61)
-
1,133
3,254
-
-
(168)
-
3,086
3,229
-
-
(167)
-
3,062
158
-
-
(9)
-
149
17,584
-
-
2,528
-
20,112
26,118
-
-
4,080
-
30,198
2,854
-
-
(148)
-
2,706
7,496
-
-
1,068
-
8,564
544
-
-
(28)
-
516
212
-
-
(11)
-
201
62,643
-
-
7,084
-
69,727
Income to be applied for use by the servers.
Income to be applied to reader ministry.
Income to be applied one third to orphans and two thirds to beautifying the church.
Discretionary fund for distribution to the poor - income transferred to the general fund.
Income to be applied for church fabric - income transferred to the fabric restricted income fund.
Income for St.Wulfram's Music for Choral Scholarships allocated to restricted income fund of same name.
Income transferred to general funds to set against cost of verger, bellringers, servers and choir.
Discretionary fund for distribution to poor.
Income transferred to general funds to set against cost of choir, music etc
Income to be applied for the children of parish - transferred to general funds to set against cost of Sunday Club & other children's ministry expenses.

11 TRANSFERS BETWEEN FUNDS Transfers between general and restricted funds normally represent a one-off transfer of incoming resources applied to restricted funds where resources expended for the same purpose have previously been met from general funds. Within designated funds, a £15,000 Hope Beyond grant from Allchurches Trust, received in 2020, was reallocated by agreement to meet visual streaming equipment costs.

12 ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS by fund General funds Designated funds Restricted funds Endowment funds 13 MISSIONARY & CHARITABLE GIVING Mission & Social Responsibility Other charitable giving The Children's Society DEC (Various appeals) Christian Aid Grantham Foodbank Macmillan Samaritans WaterAid	Fixed Assets £ 42,128 96,552 283,852 69,727 492,259 General £ 3,875 - - - - - - - 3,875 Unrestricte	Current Assets £ 17,385 12,531 123,061 - 152,977 Designated £ - - - - - - - - - d Funds	Liabilities £ (18,327) (4,984) (25,502) - (48,813) Restricted Funds £ - 169 96 62 - 249 78 - 654	Total £ 41,186 104,099 381,411 69,727 596,423 Endowment Funds £ - - - - - - - - -	TOTAL FUNDS 2021 2020 £ £ 3,875 1,500 169 54 96 - 62 - - 298 249 - 78 - - 309 4,529 2,161

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT

To the Trustees of The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Wulfram, Grantham

I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Wulfram, Grantham (the Trust), for the year ended 31 December 2021, which are set out on pages 41 to 42.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011(‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trustee’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

(1) accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
(2) the accounts do not accord with those records; or
(3) the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view’ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

31 March 2022

Chris Hubbard, FCA

Streets LLP Windsor House A1 Business Park at Long Bennington Nottingham NG23 5JR

The Parish Church of Saint Wulfram, Grantham

Annual Report & Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2021 St Wulfram’s Church, Grantham Parochial Church Council

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AIM AND PURPOSES

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

PEOPLE

Staff

Holders of the Bishop’s Licence

Guild of Servers

THE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 PANDEMIC

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Worship and Prayer

Mission and Social Responsibility

Safeguarding

Our resource centre at Grantham House

Music

Organ teaching school

Church Community

(a) Children and Young People

(b) Pastoral Care

(c) Community groups

Church and Fabric

Church flowers

Change ringing

Hospitality for Pilgrims and Visitors

Trigge Library

Archive

Learning opportunities

Ministry training

Major Churches Network

Inclusive Church Network

Ecumenical relationships

Lincoln Diocesan Synod

Grantham Deanery

Communication

Special Events (including those for fund raising)

FINANCIAL REVIEW

RESERVES POLICY

General Funds

Designated Funds

Fabric Fund

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Funds

Incoming resources

Resources expended

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

Fixed assets

Depreciation of Tangible Fixed Assets

Fixed asset investments

Connected charity

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

Pension Builder Scheme

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

4(b) Payments to PCC members

5 NET INCOMING RESOURCES FOR THE YEAR

6 FIXED ASSETS

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

The market value at 31st December 2021 represents investments for:

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

9b OPERATING LEASE

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT

To the Trustees of The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Wulfram, Grantham

Responsibilities and basis of report

Independent examiner’s statement