2022-12-31-accounts

The Parish Church of Saint Wulfram, Grantham Parochial Church Council Annual Report for the Year Ended 31st December 2022

Annual Report & Finaneial Siatements For the Year Ended 31 December 2022 St Wulfram's Church, Grantham Paroehidl Chureh Council TABIE OF CONTENrs OBJEcfIvES AND ACTIVITIFS PEOPLE 37 RESERVFS POLICY ADM￿[STRAT[vE INFORMATION 43 45 BAIANCE SHEET 46 47 INDEPENDENf EXAMINER'S REPORT 57

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.

PEOPLE

Staff

• Father Stuart Cradduck, Rector and Rural Dean of Grantham.

• Father James Clabern (Clay) Roundtree, Associate Rector of Grantham and (from 4 September) Associate Priest of St John’s Spitalgate Grantham.

We prayed for Clay, Frances and family when they moved from Harlaxton Rectory to the Vicarage of St John’s Spitalgate in early March.

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• Father James Titley, Assistant Curate (until 6 June).

We bade a formal farewell to Fr James on Sunday 5 June, before his move to be Interim TTCT Stipendiary Assistant Curate in the Loveden Deanery. Members of St Wulfram’s congregation joined members of the Loveden Deanery at Fr James’ licensing service at St Vincent’s Church, Caythorpe on 7 June.

Shortly afterwards, the Grantham Journal ‘Big Interview’ featured Fr James, as he looked back fondly on his three years ‘learning the trade’ at St Wulfram’s.

• Father Aron Donaldson, Assistant Curate (until 30 June).

We were pleased to announce Fr Aron’s appointment as Palliative Care Chaplain at the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust from 10 October.

• Mother Hannah Grivell, Assistant Curate (from 26 June).

• Mother Kate Hough, Assistant Curate (from 26 June).

• Father Yuce Kabakci, Assistant Curate (from 26 June).

• St Wulfram’s continues to benefit from the active support of local retired clergy. Mother Geraldine Pond presided for the first time at our Parish Eucharist on the Fourth Sunday after Trinity (10 July).

• We benefit from the active support of two Readers (Nick Kerry and Katy Castañeda) and several Authorised Lay Ministers (one of whom was re-authorised by the Rural Dean on 3 July and another of whom was authorised to extend her ministry at the same service).

• Mrs Anna Bolton, Vocal Coach to St Wulfram’s Choir (from 13 September) and Musical Director of ‘Singing for All’ (from 20 September).

• Mrs Melanie Brown, Project Co-ordinator (Grantham House) (until 3 January); Operations & Development Manager (from 4 January).

• Mrs Elaine Chambers, Parish Administrator. Elaine is a member of the UK Church Administrators Network (UCAN).

• Mrs Anne-Marie Kerr, Artist in Residence (until 28 February).

• Mr Carl Kettle, Grantham House Gardener (from 20 June).

• Dr Judith Muskett, Mission Facilitator and Deanery Administrator.

• Mr Steve Prendergast, Church and Grantham House Cleaner.

• Mr Clayton Stiff, Children, Youth & Families Worker.

• Dr Tim Williams, Organist and Master of the Music.

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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 2022.

PTA in church: Clare Arthur, Heather Arthur, Shaun Ashley, Daniel Castañeda, Paul Davie, Dorothy Gaughan, Michael Gaughan, Trevor Johnston, Philip Joyce, Sue Redmile, Matthew Simons, Ian Stewart*, David West.

PTA in church and out of church: Rachel Davie, Elizabeth Hill, Barbara Kime, Sheila Knight, Brenda Patten, Joanna Swinbourne, Eileen West, Valerie York.

Formerly a holder of the Bishop’s Licence to assist in the administration of the elements at Holy Communion, Katy Castañeda (Reader) has authority to administer Communion by virtue of her licence.

Due to the pandemic restrictions, no-one holding the Bishop’s Licence was able to administer the elements in church from late March 2020 and during 2021. Lay administration was reintroduced in St Wulfram’s Church in November 2022. We thank Barbara Kime, Rachel Davie, Brenda Patten and Sue Redmile, who stood down from lay administration in church at that time. The administration of the elements in homes (private houses and residential care settings) was reintroduced gradually during 2022, according to personal preferences and prevailing protocols.

Guild of Servers

2022 saw the number of servers reduce over the last year – we now have 12 active servers. However, the Guild of Servers must continue to advertise actively for new members and address any training needs those current and new members feel they need.

In the summer of 2022, the group welcomed our new Chaplain, Mthr Kate Hough.

Much work was done on the revised Guild Handbook, and this awaits approval for print from the Rector. The handbook will be distributed amongst members so that they may find instruction on all roles available to them, as well as learn more about the liturgical practices. A working copy will be available in the Vestry.

In 2022, we saw a reduction in the number of laity responsible for the Altar Linen. This is an ongoing concern, which will require additional volunteers as soon as possible to enable sufficient linen for services. A full audit of linen has recently been conducted. Some items are now damaged and will require replacement. Mthr Kate is reviewing the inventory with a view to purchasing additional linen.

C1 Foundation Safeguarding training was conducted and facilitated by our Parish Safeguarding Officer (Di Hale) for all servers under the Safeguarding Learning and Development Framework, using the Church of England’s online portal.

A Sacristan was appointed with responsibility for various items needed for the liturgies and worship of the church.

The Guild has retained sufficient members to provide for regular worship, but we would still welcome more volunteers to enable duties to be more distributed amongst the membership. The Guild is not exclusive and is open to all members of the parish, of any age

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and experience. Discussions were held on how we can recruit younger servers to initially act as Boat. The Head Server has sourced examples of suitable albs for younger servers from J&M Clothing, which would need to be ordered, once we have recruited. To that end, new members are most welcome, and training remains ongoing.

A provisional date was fixed for the next Servers’ meeting (late February 2023), at which we will hopefully align with the new handbook and, if required, conduct some training in preparation for Holy Week.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

The diminishing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

During 2022, following the gradual relaxation of Government restrictions and the adaptation of Church of England guidance, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic began to lessen on the ministry and mission of St Wulfram’s, and the health and wellbeing of our church and wider community.

With the implementation of the Government’s new guidelines in January, there was no longer a legal requirement to wear a face covering. The Government suggested that people continue to wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces, where there would be contact with people we would not normally meet. Social distancing in churches became a personal choice. We encouraged people to respect other attendees and those working who might wish to adopt a cautious approach.

Our popular weekly Coffee Morning (which began on Zoom in the Spring of 2020) moved into the church from 2 February. The event had outgrown the space in the Hall of Grantham House, but we did not want this to stop us from providing the opportunity for weekly fellowship and conversation.

The Church of England updated its guidance to churches on 3 May, and this included a statement on the reintroduction of communion wine within services. Our Rector and Associate Rector emphasised that no-one should feel obliged to receive communion in both kinds if they felt unable to do so at that time. They explained that communicant members of the church who wished only to receive the eucharistic bread should come forward to the altar in the usual way and return to their seat afterwards. On occasions such as the all-age mass, the priest stood before the nave altar flanked by chalice bearers; if congregants wished to receive the wine, they were advised to go to the chalice bearer and then back to their seats. Intinction (dipping bread into the chalice) by the communicant is not a recommended practice by the Church of England.

St Wulfram’s as an SDF Urban Resource Church

In 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. We are one of three urban resource churches in the diocese, the other two being St George’s Stamford and St Swithin’s Lincoln.

As well as continuing to serve the people of Grantham, St Wulfram’s now has a wider responsibility to the whole diocese. This necessitated a change in the Rector’s role. In recognition of this, St Wulfram’s was able to appoint a new Associate Rector from May 2021, who works in partnership with the Rector in leading St Wulfram’s mission, ministry, and pastoral care. In June 2022, we welcomed three new ‘planting curates’. Each is training at St Wulfram’s for three years in readiness to ‘plant’ (revitalise) an urban church elsewhere in the diocese (the precise locations have yet to be announced by the diocesan SDF Board).

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Along with other resource church leaders, our Rector (or Associate Rector) participates in bi-monthly SDF Board meetings at the diocesan office in Lincoln. Several members of our staff team travelled to St Swithin’s Church in Lincoln on Tuesday 8 September to share in the first networking meeting for the three churches. The next networking day will take place at St George’s, Stamford at the end of January 2023; and St Wulfram’s looks forward to hosting on 13 June 2023.

Our church planting principles are currently being ‘piloted’ through our local plant, St John’s Spitalgate, Grantham[1] to which Fr Clay, our Associate Rector, was additionally licensed in September 2022. Public consultation has been vital to developing the vision for that community church to reach new people in new ways and also for the recruitment of an initial core team of community volunteers (some of whom have been drawn from a group with a previous connection to St John’s). The outcome of local surveys and the public consultations has evidenced need for grant applications to support the initial work of hospitality around a five-morning-a-week ‘warm hub’ in the hall, followed by a weekly soup lunch on Fridays. Funding for this initiative is leading to valuable work with local partners, such as supermarkets; and there are plans to develop St John’s service to the community by instituting a community pantry scheme inside the church building, with the working title ‘Grantham Community Grocers’. High-quality choral music to support the liturgy is an historical strength of St John’s; and this has been revived by building upon a group of singers/musicians previously associated with the church. Fundamental to the developing pattern of worship at St John’s are midweek encounters: Evening Prayer on Tuesdays at 4.30 p.m. and the Eucharist at 10.30 a.m. on Thursdays. St John’s will also be a place where catholic devotional spirituality will be developed, particularly through membership within the World Community for Christian Meditation. Fr Clay has led an introduction to Christian Meditation at St Wulfram’s, and this will be replicated at St John’s. St John’s will also encourage prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and the devotional use of prayer beads for deepening personal spirituality. This provision is in addition to a monthly Choral Evensong; and thought is being given to combining the service with a meal afterwards. As part of their training, our planting curates are gradually supporting the ministry and mission of St John’s.

Worship and Prayer

Wulfram Festival, 2022

• 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.

• The following statement was issued by the Rector and Associate Rector in March 2022: ‘We hope that this very special occasion, in which we as a community celebrate our patron and our love of God, may continue to help us to grow in our faith and understanding of the God who inspired Wulfram to leave the comfort of his life as an Archbishop to show others the life and love of Jesus Christ.’

1 St John’s Spitalgate is currently part of the Trinity Parish South Grantham. It closed for the pandemic lockdown in March 2020 and did not re-open. St John’s was initially categorised as a Type 5 church exploring closure. It re-opened in September 2022 under Fr Clay’s leadership, and now aspires to be a Type 2 Local Mission Church within five years.

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• Our 2022 festival weekend included the following:

Friday 18 March

• 6 p.m. Procession through the streets of Grantham with the Relic of Wulfram, flaming torches, huge carnival images of the Wulfram narrative, musicians, and senior church representatives.

6.30 p.m. Formal Service of Reception, with all the senior clergy of the diocese. Followed by a buffet for invited guests in the Old Hall, King’s School.

Sunday 20 March (which marks the date of Wulfram’s death)

9.30 a.m. Festal Mass with Dom Christopher Ludovic, visiting preacher from the Abbey of St Wandrille.

6.30 p.m. Festal Evensong with the Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York.

• The gift of the relic (a fragment of Wulfram’s skull) was a rare privilege, not only for a Roman Catholic Community in France to recognise an Anglican church, but also a significant sign of friendship and trust in St Wulfram’s Grantham as a community of faith, a faith that goes beyond geographical and political bounds. It was only the second time in modern history that such a remarkable ecumenical act of faith, love and trust had been carried out, and so Grantham and St Wulfram’s were truly blessed. A certificate of authenticity chronicles the history of the relic.

• We were unsure how many people would come 0ut to support the procession on 18 March, but our clergy and people were moved by the numbers who were on the streets of Grantham to witness this historic event.

• We thank the many people who prepared for this special weekend. We are grateful to Mr Gary McCann (internationally renowned theatre and opera designer) for the gift of the large gold shrine, in which the relic is currently displayed. Prayers are regularly offered at the shrine. We are in discussion with the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) about the location of a smaller, permanent reliquary.

• We hope that our relationship with the Abbey of St Wandrille will continue to thrive in our common faith in Jesus Christ. We remember the community of St Wandrille every Friday in our weekly prayer intentions.

• The Rector wishes to commission a new icon of St Wulfram to mark the 1300[th] anniversary of his death and the historic gift to us of a relic of Wulfram by the Abbot and brothers of the monastery at St Wandrille in France. The design of the icon will feature a new image of Wulfram created by iconographer Tamara Penwell and shared with the parish church in Ovingdean, Brighton (the only other UK church dedicated to the saint). A grant of £7,000 towards the cost has been awarded by the Cottam Will Trust. The dimensions, means of display, and location of the icon are subject to further discussion with the DAC. The plan is that Tamara Penwell will run a related, crossgenerational community engagement programme for St Wulfram’s: the educational activities will include icon painting workshops and a series of talks on the evolution, language and use of icons.

Regular and special services

• The PCC is committed to offering a range of worship that reflects the breadth of the Anglican tradition.

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• The Parish Eucharist is the central act of worship, giving opportunity to include good choral and congregational music. 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 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 on the fourth Sunday of the month, led by the preacher after the 9.30 a.m. Eucharist. This could not be offered during the pandemic but was reinstated in January 2022.

• A Said Eucharist is held at 8.00 a.m. each Sunday, the liturgy alternating between Common Worship and the Book of Common Prayer.

• 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 Sunday Evening Prayer / Evensong and special services continue to be live-streamed to reach those who are unable to attend church in person. Broadcasting services via Facebook is a major part of our strategy for offering encouragement and welcome and sharing the good news of the Christian faith more widely. We welcomed new members to the live-streaming team this year.

• 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. A midweek Eucharist is held on a Tuesday at 12.00 noon in St Michael’s Chapel. Compline is held at 8.45 p.m. on Wednesdays (Sung Compline on the third Wednesday of the month). A weekly Exposition and Benediction is held at 12.00 noon on Fridays.

• The Youth Choir sing Choral Evensong in the Lady Chapel at 5.15 p.m. on Fridays during term time. In a change to the usual service on 4 November, there was a ‘Peace One Day’ service of music and prayer for the hope of a world without war.

• We celebrated Epiphany with our ‘Epipha-nativity’ at the 9.30 a.m. Eucharist on Sunday 9 January. Our young people led and acted out the nativity and the arrival of the wise men.

• Fr Clay led ‘Christian Meditation for Beginners’, over six Thursday evenings in January/February. The sessions in church started at 6.00 p.m. and ran for one hour. Refreshments were available beforehand. It was not necessary to attend every session. All were welcome, and around 25 participants attended each time.

• We marked Inclusive Church Sunday on 13 February.

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• Three special services for St Wulfram’s and St John’s Church Manthorpe marked Ash Wednesday (2 March), the beginning of Lent. Our Lent booklet (available online) detailed all the Lent, Holy Week and Easter services, Lent Groups, Confirmation and First Communion preparations. We made available copies of the Church of England booklet ‘Live Lent, Embracing Justice’ containing 40 reflections, each for one of the forty days in Lent, plus one for Easter Day.

• On two Thursday evenings during Lent, the church was open between 7.30 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. for private prayer and quiet reflection in candlelight.

• We were invited to attend a service on Friday 4 March at St John’s Church Manthorpe to mark the World Day of Prayer 2022. The service was written by Christian women from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and all denominations were represented on the writing group. The theme was “I know the plans I have for you”.

• On 23 March (the second anniversary of the first UK lockdown), we held a service at 12.30 p.m. to mark the National Day of Reflection (started by the Marie Curie charity). We remembered the millions of people bereaved during the pandemic and reflected on the lives of those who were lost. Candles were lit and there was an invitation to sign a book of remembrance. Prayer ministry was available to anyone who wished to stay behind afterwards and talk.

• Dads and children were welcomed to prepare Mothering Sunday flowers on Saturday morning 26 March in the church. Bacon baps were served on this occasion. Later in the month, in preparation for Palm Sunday, palm crosses were made at Grantham House (30 March). Those who gathered for this dextrous task enjoyed some social time together over refreshments.

• As we approached Easter Day, our Lenten journey included the following:

• Walk of Witness on Palm Sunday (10 April, 9.30 a.m.), beginning at the white bridge in Wyndham Park.

• Holy Monday (11 April, 7.30 p.m.) – Exposition and Benediction.

• Holy Tuesday (12 April, 7.30 p.m.) – Eucharist with Stations of the Cross.

• o Holy Wednesday (13 April, 7.30 p.m.) – Healing Eucharist.

• Maundy Thursday (14 April, 7.30 p.m.) – Choral Eucharist with foot-washing and vigil until midnight.

• Good Friday (15 April, 2.00 p.m.) – The Liturgy.

• Holy Saturday (16 April, 6.00 p.m.) – The Seder Meal. The Christian observation of this ritual meal celebrates our tradition of Christ’s last supper and our own Jewish heritage that provided the context for Jesus’ institution at the Last Supper.

• On Easter Day, we celebrated the risen Christ with a Said Eucharist (8.00 a.m.) and Choral Eucharist with Procession and Children’s Easter Egg Hunt (9.30 a.m.).

• The Grantham Scout and Guide St George’s Day Parade returned this year (Sunday 24 April), starting from the bus station and culminating in a service at St Wulfram’s at 3.00 p.m. Large crowds lined the route of the procession.

• We like to hold an outdoor service (Parish Eucharist) on the lawn Grantham House once a month through the summer, weather permitting.

• The death of Her Majesty The Queen (8 September) was a huge loss to the nation, the Commonwealth, our communities and to us individually. It was with great pride that

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St Wulfram’s played a pivotal role in the local community during the period of national mourning. The church was open from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. every day as a safe and peaceful place: we invited everyone to visit, say a prayer, join us for a service or sign the formal Book of Condolence (which was staffed by South Kesteven District Council). Over 900 people signed the Book. During all these times, volunteers stewarded in the church and served refreshments.

Prayers were offered each day for the Royal Family, for Her Late Majesty and for God’s blessing on the new reign:

• Saturday 10 September, 12.00 noon – Mass of Thanksgiving.

• Sunday 11 September, 9.30 a.m. – Solemn High Mass of Requiem.

• Monday 12 September, 12.00 noon – Mass of Thanksgiving for Queen Elizabeth.

• Tuesday 13 September, 12.00 noon – Mass of Thanksgiving, praying for the King.

• Wednesday 14 September, 7.30 p.m. – Celebrating Holy Cross.

• Thursday 15 September, 7.30 p.m. – Mass of Thanksgiving, praying for the Royal Family.

• Friday 16 September, 5.15 p.m. – Sung Mass of Thanksgiving, sung by the Youth Choir.

• Saturday 17 September, 12.00 noon – Mass of Thanksgiving.

• Sunday 18 September, 6.30 p.m. – A Special Commemoration Service marking the death of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

We decided to erect a big screen in the church to broadcast The State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II from Westminster Abbey on Monday 19 September (which was declared a Bank Holiday). No-one needed to be alone to watch this important service in the life of our country: all were welcome to be with us together in love and thanksgiving. Between the hours of 9.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m., more than 100 adults and children were present.

The Rector and Associate Rector expressed their deep thanks to everyone who helped St Wulfram’s rise to the various challenges over the period of national mourning.

• 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 9 September for World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September). 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 was led by Mthr Kate and Fr Yuce 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 for anyone who wished to talk.

The nature of our service was outlined in a contribution made by Fr Stuart to the ‘Bereavement Friendly Church Case Studies’, an online resource compiled by the charity Loss & Hope to demonstrate the type of work undertaken by churches and Christian organisations on a daily basis, in keeping with the Bereavement Friendly Church Charter. The charity hoped that these case studies would inspire others to consider what they could develop in this vital area of ministry.

• We marked our patronal festival (15 October) at the Festal Eucharist on Sunday morning 16 October and a Choral Evensong and Benediction the same day.

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• The All Souls Mass, including Fauré’s Requiem, was held in church and broadcast on Facebook in the evening on Wednesday 2 November. The names of departed loved ones were included in the prayers; and an online form was available to complete beforehand for this purpose.

• Grantham paid its respects as the annual Remembrance Parade took place through the town centre on Sunday 13 November. The parade made its way to St Wulfram’s Church, where the usual Service of Remembrance was held at 10.55 a.m., followed by the laying of wreaths at the war memorial in the churchyard.

• For one hour on Tuesday evenings starting on 29 November, Fr Clay led ‘Merry Mindfulness’ sessions in the Great Hall of Grantham House. The series aimed to give people peace and quietness 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. Anyone was welcome to come along and give time for reflection and stillness.

• At 6.00 p.m. on Thursday 15 December, the Lights of Love service of carols and prayers was attended by more than 50 people supported by an 18-strong Choir. We paused to remember those whom we love but see no longer and light candles in their memory.

• On the morning of Friday 23 December, hundreds of christingles were prepared for the Christingle Crib service at 4.00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, where we followed Mary and Joseph’s journey to the stable in Bethlehem. Young people were encouraged to come dressed as a character from the nativity story. We thank the volunteers who support this very popular service by lighting christingles and keeping everyone safe.

• We held the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on the evening of Friday 23 December. Attendance was high, and people appreciated the proximity of this service to Christmas. Midnight Mass was held at 11.30 p.m. on 24 December. On Christmas Day, there was a Said Eucharist according to the Book of Common Prayer at 8.00 a.m. (in the Chancel); the Parish Mass was held at 10.00 a.m., when congregants were encouraged to bring along an unopened present to open during the service.

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 takes 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. Communion Club (as the period of preparation is known) is 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).

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, where we introduce what the Anglican Church believes and explore the essentials of the Christian faith.

Bishop Nicholas, Bishop of Grantham, confirmed 6 adult candidates from our parish at Pentecost (5 June, 6.30 p.m.).

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Occasional Offices

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

In 2022 there were 10 marriages. We conducted 35 baptisms: all children (14 under one year of age, 15 aged between one and four years old, three aged between five and 10 years old, one aged between 11 and 17 years old, two aged 18+). We have an open baptism policy and do our best to keep in touch with the families involved.

A total of 29 funerals for people in the parish were conducted during the year, of which 15 took place in church. On two occasions, ashes were interred in the churchyard.

In December 2021, the PCC’s Mission & Social Responsibility Sub-group 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. In 2022, Elaine updated the baptism card, introduced a certificate for Godparents, produced a certificate for weddings, and arranged for a series of high-quality cards to be printed (initial and ongoing costs are met by the Mission Fund). The design of anniversary cards will change year by year. Celebrating and following up life events in this way strengthens 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.

• The church’s work in this area is overseen by a Mission & Social Responsibility committee (a sub-group of the PCC). 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 2022, including £500 to The Bearr Trust and £500 to Strut Safe. £500 was also donated to Basotho Educational Trust, £500 to Age UK Lincoln & South Lincolnshire, £240 to Toilet Twinning to twin the Grantham House toilets in the same way as the church’s toilets had been twinned previously and £600 plus the cost of a 5G router (for CCTV) was allocated to the Warm Hub initiative at St John’s Church Spitalgate.

• In 2021, Shine Lincolnshire (which funds wellbeing activities for social prescribers to tap into, at our resource centre) gave St Wulfram’s three free places on a two-day Mental Health First Aid training course; these were taken by the Parish Administrator, Grantham House Project Co-ordinator, and the Children, Youth & Families Worker. Five more people trained in Mental Health First Aid in 2022: our three new curates the Associate Rector and a Pastoral Team member. The cost of two places was met by Shine Lincolnshire and the curates’ training was partially funded by the Diocese of Lincoln.

In 2022, the Mission & Social Responsibility Sub-group set aside a grant of £1,260 towards the cost of additional Mental Health First Aid training for church staff and volunteers. A grant of £2,100 was subsequently secured from the Benefact Trust under its ‘Brighter Lives’ programme. The total sum available will enable St Wulfram’s to offer training to 13 extra people in 2023 (including some from St John’s Church Spitalgate).

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• The sub-group has considered reinstating the ‘Pitch Pot’ (a micro-funding initiative for local community projects), which ran successfully for a while after its launch in 2018 but fell into abeyance in 2019 for lack of leadership. This will be taken forward in 2023. In the meantime, a small grant from the Pitch Pot Fund was allocated to purchase sturdy storage boxes for Wulfram Bear’s Baby Clothes Carousel.

• St Wulfram’s was lit purple on Holocaust Memorial Day (January), as the world remembered the horrors of the Holocaust and the millions of lives that were lost. Candles were also lit to remember victims on the 77[th] anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

• The war in Ukraine was uppermost in our minds in the spring. For several weeks, our reredos was lit in yellow and blue, the colours of the Ukraine flag, to show solidarity with Ukrainians. The following was written in our Visitors’ Book:

• Thank you for the lights for Ukraine offering peace and a place to pray.

In mid-March, the Rt Revd Stephen Conway, Acting Bishop of Lincoln, sent a letter to the people of the Diocese, encouraging prayer for a lasting ceasefire, and for peace, justice, and reconciliation, and setting out ways in which help could be given.

The PCC’s Mission & Social Responsibility Sub-group donated £500 on behalf of St Wulfram’s to a charity working in/near Ukraine. The money was to support civil society organisations in the region with their own efforts to support vulnerable groups, both through direct funding of projects and information-sharing events.

The church’s Saturday Morning Recital featuring The Winter Singers (19 March) raised money for Ukraine.

• We supported the DEC Afghanistan Crisis Appeal (January) and the DEC Pakistan Floods Appeal (September).

• There were various opportunities to donate during Christian Aid Week (15 to 21 May) to raise money to support work in Ukraine, Afghanistan and across the world. A coffee morning was held in the church on Saturday 21 May: there was coffee, cake, crafts and fun. Online donations could be made on a ‘Just Giving’ page and envelopes were available in the church on Sunday 15 and 22 May for cash donations. £207 was collected in cash including Gift Aid claimed.

• We encouraged members of the congregation to look out for Fairtrade products (such as tea, coffee, chocolate, sugar, fruit, cotton, silk etc), especially during Fairtrade Fortnight (20 February to 5 March).

• In July, there was an online opportunity to find out more about Prison Fellowship, which supports people in prison and their families.

• 2022 was an active year for The Passage with several new recruits to the teams. After the various restrictions and lockdowns, numbers are not always as high as previously, but there is a steady stream of clients with new faces often appearing. Volunteers work hard to produce a meal of soup, sandwiches and the ever-popular hotdogs. A soup appeal in Church at Harvest was very successful and our cupboards are now well stocked. Many thanks to all who contribute in so many ways.

• 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

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in church, and through soup sales when we invite members of the congregation to purchase/donate @ £1 per can. Following our service of Harvest Thanksgiving, we donated 106kg of food to the Foodbank. Also, at Harvest-time, we sold a total of 120 cans of soup for The Passage; and the profit of £126.77 was donated to the Foodbank.

• We collected new toys and gifts for the Grantham Foodbank at our Advent Sunday Parish and All-Age Eucharist. These gifts were distributed with food to ease the crisis faced by families this Christmas. During December, tinned and packet goods were collected for the Foodbank through our ‘Reverse Advent Calendar’ scheme, which ran for the second year.

• Over and above the charitable giving organised by the church community, approximately £4,000, excluding monies raised for Grantham Ark, was raised for charity through school services, funerals and other events held within the building.

• Aware of the impact of cost-of-living increases on households, we used the Community news to draw attention to valuable information on the South Kesteven District Council’s website.

• 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 spearheaded the initiative through the organisation ‘Churches Together in Grantham & District’.

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). Sadly, it was impossible to operate the night shelter in 2021 and 2022, owing to COVID-19 restrictions and health and safety concerns for both guests and volunteers.

Grantham Ark completed the process to register with the Charity Commission in 2020 (Registered Charity number 1190668). An article in the Grantham Journal newspaper in April 2022 encouraged local people to go along to the AGM (4 May) to find out more, and perhaps offer to serve as a trustee.

In 2022, following discussion with Grantham Ark, South Kesteven District Council agreed to set aside one property from its housing stock per year for three years to provide temporary accommodation for homeless people for up to three weeks each. The first property has been identified and viewed by Ark trustees. The new scheme will be launched formally in 2023.

• Grantham Ark organised the annual SleepOut event (Friday 2 December) in the grounds of Grantham House, 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 37 people participated: some who had done this before and lots of new faces. It rained for most of the night, which made participants think about how the homeless get dry and warm. Described as ‘a very humbling experience’, those who slept out may have been cold and uncomfortable, but they did not have to protect their belongings or fear for their safety in the safe space of Grantham House garden. Altogether, £6,000

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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 £700 worth of supermarket vouchers to several vulnerable families whom we identified through contact with two local schools.

• As usual, the collection at the Christingle Crib Service on Christmas Eve was donated to the Children’s Society.

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. Adult choristers, who are not also chaperones, no longer qualify for an Enhanced DBS check and thirtyone:eight (the organisation that provides our DBS checks) does not carry out Basic DBS clearance.

• The ASO oversees a system to ensure that all individuals with DBS clearance complete online courses relevant to their role within the church. All PCC members undertake ‘Basic Awareness’ training (level C0), the ‘Foundation Module’ (C1) and Raising Awareness of Domestic Abuse. All are available online. When PCC membership changes at the APCM, steps are taken to ensure that new members undertake the necessary training as quickly as possible.

Pastoral assistants, leaders of groups for young people or adults at risk, the Bell Tower Captain, church administrative staff, and servers also undertake C0 and C1. Licensed clergy and readers, clergy with the Bishop’s Permission to Officiate, PSOs, ASOs, and Authorised Lay Ministers are required to undertake the Leadership Module (C2). Completion certificates are sent to the ASO to update the parish records.

• Both the PSO and ASO have now completed the two-day Training for Sex Offender Management in a church context, delivered by external trainers and diocesan

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Safeguarding staff. The PSO completed the C2 Safeguarding Leadership Training in May 2022.

• During 2022, the House of Bishops extended the scope of training that church officers are required to undertake; and the PSO provided the PCC with a summary list. Subsequently, the PSO, ASO and all PCC members undertook the new online training on Raising Awareness of Domestic Abuse.

• The House of Bishops introduced new and expanded Safer Recruitment and People Management guidance in January 2022. Under this guidance, there is a requirement for all those working with children, young people or vulnerable adults to have a role description and person specification, for DBS renewals every 3 years (rather than every 5 years) and for there to be an annual review meeting. The PCC is in the process of implementing these changes, in consultation with the Diocese of Lincoln, as necessary.

• Periodically, the PSO provides the PCC with copies of reports from the Safeguarding Dashboard, our progress on which is monitored by the diocesan Safeguarding Team. All parishes start at Level 1, which contains 18 dashboard lights. To progress to Level 2, at least 12 lights must be turned green. The PSO continues work on the Level 2 actions. From time to time, the PCC reviews the list of church activities, for which minidashboards are automatically created. At its meeting in November, the PCC decided to invite the PSO to attend its next meeting (January 2023) to outline the requirements in more detail.

• 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. Introductory training sessions for volunteers have yet to be arranged.

• 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).

Our resource centre at Grantham House

• St Wulfram’s continues to lease Grantham House (opposite the church, on Castlegate) from the National Trust. Our Parish Office is located there.

• As our ‘church hall’, space is utilised on a regular basis for a range of daytime and evening meetings (PCC and several sub-groups; youth groups; Deanery Chapter, Synod and committees; Friends of St Wulfram’s; Almshouse Trustees; Grantham Ark Trustees; flower arrangers; Philip Lank Trustees). The weekly Coffee Morning takes place in the Hall, if space in the church is unavailable. The Hall is used for choir rehearsals after school three days a week, and on Thursday evenings by the ‘To Love and Serve the Lord’ course and ALM Foundation Modules taught by the Grantham and Loveden Deaneries.

• In March, South Kesteven District Council granted full discretionary charitable relief on the Grantham House Business Rates. The award runs until 31 March 2023. SKDC may invite St Wulfram’s to renew the relief from 1 April 2023.

• With a grant from NHS Lincolnshire and Lincolnshire County Council, awarded by Shine Lincolnshire, we continued a programme of activities to which local social prescribers could refer clients, the aim being to improve mental and physical health and wellbeing, and to address loneliness. Our programme complements other local

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services. At the Wulfram Centre, we are passionate about providing engaging activities open to all irrespective of socio-economic background. We don’t want inequalities to prevent adults participating and impact on their wellbeing. For this reason, we make no charge for activities or refreshments.

The programme (initially funded until 31 July 2022) included a ‘Cake and Coffee’ facilitated chat in the Hall on Fridays, and art/craft workshops on Thursdays, which halted at the end of February following the resignation of our Artist in Residence. Following an unplanned hiatus and subsequent variation in the terms of our Shine grant, we ran ‘Gardening for Wellbeing’, and ‘Coffee & Chat in the garden’, during the summer months until the end of October.

• A six-month grant from Shine Lincolnshire enabled us to offer a new wellbeing activity, ‘Singing for All’, on Tuesday afternoons, under the direction of Anna Bolton (who is also Vocal Coach to the church’s choristers). Participants don’t have to have previous singing or musical experience. It’s not a choir and doesn’t involve performance. The sessions involve relaxation, breathing and vocal exercises and then singing, just for fun. During the first session in September, staff working in the office at Grantham House were spellbound by the wonderful sounds coming from the Hall when participants sang. Through the Community news in November, we were able to share some anonymised feedback about the positive impact of this activity.

• With thanks to an eight-month grant from the People’s Postcode Lottery (Postcode Places Trust), we were able to recruit a full-time Gardener to support our outdoor activities through the Wulfram Centre for Wholeness and Wellbeing. Working together, the Operations & Development Manager and the Gardener have built an enthusiastic team of community garden volunteers, who have worked on site on Tuesday and/or Wednesday mornings since 20 July. Through a ‘Buddy’ system, they support a member of the Grantham College ‘Building Better Opportunities’ group, who helps in the garden to develop skills and enhance employability. Fruit from the gardens of Grantham House was donated to The Grantham Passage. A vegetable patch was cultivated so that vegetables can be grown and donated too at a later date.

It is pleasing that some garden volunteers have become involved in the wider activities of St Wulfram’s (for example, helping at the Vintage Festival and decorating a tree in the Christmas Tree Festival). The dedication of the garden volunteers was recognised at a festive coffee morning for the team in December.

• Once again, on Sunday afternoons in Lent (20 March, 3 and 10 April), 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.

• To mark the national ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’ (9 to 15 May), we opened the Grantham House gardens on Thursday 12 May from 2.00 to 5.00 p.m. This year, the national theme for the week was ‘loneliness’; across the country, people reflected on loneliness and how it impacts mental health and problems such as depression and anxiety. We welcomed over 50 visitors, who were able to wander in the gardens, sit and read a book, listen to birdsong, and chat. Simple refreshments were available. Our clergy and a local Community Psychiatric Nurse were on site throughout the afternoon to talk with visitors.

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• Grantham Vintage Festival took place between Saturday 30 April and Bank Holiday Monday 2 May. We were delighted that the road closure affecting the northern end of Castlegate from January[2] was finally lifted just in time to allow vehicles to enter the Grantham House site to set up for this major event.

The idea for the Vintage Festival came from Fr James, but it was necessary to postpone the event in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. In glorious weather in the grounds of Grantham House, the festival showcased an array of vintage vehicles, exhibitions and living history groups, as well as a wide range of nationally known and era appropriate entertainers who performed live on stage. Period dress was encouraged; and there was a best-dressed competition for children and adults each day. There were trade stalls, a vintage hairstylist, a vintage tea-room in the Hall and a dance on the Saturday evening. About 1,500 visitors were welcomed to this opportunity to discover our heritage in a new and immersive way. There was a great atmosphere, and we are grateful to the organising committee and the team of committed and hardworking volunteers who contributed to the success of the event.

• On Saturday 16 July, Grantham House garden welcomed nearly 60 members of the Grantham Chemosabes (a support group that reaches out to all those affected by cancer and its treatments) for afternoon tea. Julie Harrod, founder of the group, said ‘This was a fantastic afternoon in splendid surroundings and glorious weather, and an opportunity for our members to change focus for a while, to meet and talk with those on the same daunting journey and to appreciate that they’re not alone in their fight.’

• The garden is a popular venue for events. A ‘Three Ps Picnic’ (Pimms, Punch & Puddings) was hosted by the PCC Social Sub-group (3 July); and the Friends of St Wulfram held a Strawberry Tea there (25 August). At the beginning of September, the garden played host to a performance of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ by Folksy Theatre. This outdoor entertainment was attended by around 40 people, including many youngsters, who participated throughout. We hope to put on more outside theatre in the summer of 2023.

• Two Christmas wreath-making workshops were held for members of the public on Saturday 10 December (10.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m.). Almost all the places were sold, so we plan to repeat the workshops in 2023.

• For the second year running, ‘Carols in the Courtyard’ was held at Grantham House (21 December). Tickets sold out quickly. Current members of the Youth Choir were joined by some former members, including one who was the first recruit to St Wulfram’s Church Choir when Dr Williams became Master of the Music 15 years ago. Festooned with white lights and lanterns and warmed with braziers, the courtyard was a perfect setting. Mulled wine and cider and mince pies were served by candlelight in the interval.

• As in 2021, space was let to the nearby King’s School as an overflow classroom for a few weeks in July and September.

• Following a decision taken by the PCC in December 2021, exploratory conversations took place with the Diocesan Director of Finance, and Duncan & Toplis (a local firm of accountants and business advisers) about suitable models for the establishment of a trading organisation, named ‘Wulfram Enterprises’.

2 To allow work to be carried out to the roof of one of the King’s School buildings that borders Castlegate.

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• Although the PCC decided in December 2021 to take a new five-year lease offered by the National Trust, financial considerations (especially the rising cost of utilities) militated against such a lengthy commitment in 2022. The ongoing tenure is based on an extension of the original 12-month lease signed on 4 December 2020. The future of our use of Grantham House was considered by the PCC at meetings in November and December 2022, upon the advice of the Standing Committee. It was expected that a firm decision would be reached early in 2023.

Music

Introduction

• Over the past 15 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.

• 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.

• Recruitment continued well in 2022 – a large waiting list for the girls’ choir (at capacity) and the boys’ choir maintained at its existing level, with several younger members hopefully joining in 2023.

• The youth choir (SATB ensemble), 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 regular congregation attends.

• This was the first full year since 2019 unaffected by singing restrictions. Looking back, it was remarkable how much output our dedicated choir created together during lockdown, both in services and additionally in performances and digital, virtual and hybrid online output. 2022 saw the publication in the academic journal Early Music of Tim Williams’ collaborative article with Magnus Williamson (Newcastle University): ‘Rethinking early music in a time of isolation’ is about approaching early music via lockdown methods that emerged in the COVID-19 pandemic, centred on his work at St Wulfram’s especially during the third UK lockdown (early 2021).

• 2022 was a fabulous year for the choir. Highlights included filming new hymns for the Multitude of Voyces project, stunning concert performances by the choristers and youth choir, a memorable Holy Week, Easter, and then the Leighton Easter Sequence returned to repertoire by the choristers.

• The late spring and summer saw a huge build in confidence as the choir prepared to sing in Ely Cathedral and then (at very short notice) was invited to sing Choral

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Evensong in Westminster Abbey (16 July). This was a wonderful honour for the choristers. On their return from London, the choristers sang their Valediction Evensong (17 July), including Parry’s I was glad .

• The Ely Cathedral residency (1 to 7 August) was the experience of a lifetime, with the choristers and youth choir staying in beautiful accommodation at the King’s School, and everyone singing daily services to an impeccable standard throughout. During the residency, the youth choir sang a lunchtime concert at Little St Mary’s Church in Cambridge (4 August); and the boy and girl choristers sang a lunchtime concert in St Peter’s Church, Ely (5 August). Our supporters followed us on Facebook, Twitter and our YouTube Channel.

Such a residency is an amazing opportunity for our choristers to grow as musicians and develop as young people. It was a chance that this current group of choristers had missed out on over the last couple of years. Taking choristers away for a week is a massive organisational challenge and relies heavily on volunteer chaperones, who give freely of their time. It is also a massive financial commitment, the actual cost of a place on a week-long residency being £500. To ensure the opportunity is as accessible as possible, St Wulfram’s subsidises the contribution families make per chorister, so they pay £200. The choir is creative with its fundraising activities, but the COVID restrictions had a significant impact on our fundraising capabilities. Alongside various events this year (including cake sales after church services), we set up a ‘Sponsor a Chorister’ fund.

• We filmed Tallis’s Sancte Deus, sung from early notation as an experiment in performance practice. And we were acquainted with Tamsin Jones, singing her Song to bring us home (UK premiere) on the day of Pride Ely. The idea arose of a newly commissioned carol, which became reality at Christmas thanks to the Philip Lank Trust, in memory of David Brown.

• The music that the choir offered in memory of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was truly inspired.

• Thanks to a generous Cathedral Music Trust (CMT) grant, we welcomed Anna Bolton as our chorister Vocal Coach in September. Thanks to the same grant and a generous grant from the Diocesan Transformation Fund, we look forward to Tim Selman joining us in the new post of Assistant Director of Music in January 2023, and to the help and new collaborative opportunities that this development will bring. The Rector and Tim Williams are profoundly grateful for the support of CMT and the Diocese.

• On 9 October, we sang a Service of Celebration for the RSCM International Choristers’ Day. As autumn turned towards Advent and Christmas, the choir reached an incredible place, faultlessly singing major services from All Souls (a liturgical offering of Fauré’s Requiem ), through Remembrance, to Advent Carols, Britten’s Ceremony of Carols , and the Nine Lessons & Carols, while also beautifully singing all the other services in between. In the two weeks before Christmas, sections of the choir sang at Harlaxton College, Belvoir Castle, Grantham Hospital, Royal Windsor Care Home, Asda, and in Kitchen and Coffee.

• The pandemic significantly paused the progress of many choristers on the choral training programme at St Wulfram’s. Following that hiatus, 15 awards were achieved in 2022. Between them, the choristers have now amassed 134 RSCM awards since 2011, with many beckoning in 2023, including several potential Gold Awards.

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• The ministry and dedication that the choir offers brings beauty to many people’s lives and helps change their perceptions and experiences of the world. The choristers (broadly defined, meaning all ages) should never underestimate the lasting value of everything they bring to the choir day in, day out. This would not be possible without the support of a wonderful team. The Master of the Music pays tribute to:

• The music administrative team of volunteers for the assistance they provide, especially with communication of schedules and paperwork.

• The dedicated choir chaperoning team, which takes care of the choristers and helps with so many logistical and administrative tasks.

• The commitment and 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.

• Everyone who dedicates so much of their life to singing in the choir.

• We are grateful to Assistant Organists Rosemary Field, David Humphreys, Harry Jacques, Edward McCall, and Andrew Wyatt for their ongoing contributions to the music at St Wulfram’s.

Organ teaching school

• The musical training of young people at St Wulfram’s includes a highly active organ teaching school. Currently seven 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, with some supported by the Dr Martin Clarke Young Organ Scholars’ Trust (YOST), and by 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. In 2022, both the King’s School and KGGS were gifted a digital organ by the Royal College of Organists to support the Grantham organ teaching school, which is enabling both practice and teaching provisions in school time.

• 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

• The monthly Saturday morning recital series resumed in the church during March (but there was no recital at Easter or during the period of national mourning following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II). Entry is free and there is a retiring collection for the St Wulfram’s Church Music Fund. In 2022, we welcomed organists (Rosemary Field and Harry Jacques) and performances by various choirs (our own choristers, our Youth Choir, Bradford Cathedral Choir, U3A, the Belvoir Wassailers, and the Winter Singers). We thank Mel Brown, in a volunteer capacity, for taking on the organisation of the recitals. Organists and singers are already booked into 2024.

• Members of our own Boys’, Girls’ and Youth Choirs gave an Alternative Spring Concert (Thursday 21 April). Solo instrumental and vocal music was performed, and the concert ended with a choral performance from the Youth Choir.

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• The William Jewell College Choir (which visits St Wulfram’s once every three years) gave an evening concert on 18 May. The itinerary for the rest of the choir’s tour included Ely and Lincoln Cathedrals, St Giles’ Cathedral Edinburgh, the University Church Oxford, and Selby Abbey. At St Wulfram’s, the retiring collection was in aid of the Philip Lank Trust.

• Among the other musical highlights in the church were:

• An organ recital by David Humphreys, raising funds for Grantham Choral Society and St Wulfram’s Church (Saturday 23 April).

• Rossini’s ‘Petite Messe Solennelle’ (Saturday 7 May), sung by Grantham Choral Society accompanied by harmonium and piano, and supported by four young soloists, all studying opera at the Royal College of Music in London.

• A Promenade Concert held by Helen Winter in memory of her father Geoff, on Saturday 18 June (which would have been his 90[th] birthday). The concert raised money for Parkinson’s UK.

• ‘Tosca’ performed by Opera in a Box (Saturday 2 July).

• A concert by the RAF Air Cadets National Concert Band (Saturday 13 September).

• A concert by the Lincolnshire International Chamber Music Festival (Saturday 24 September).

• A concert in the Grantham Music Club series (Wednesday 9 November), featuring our former organ scholar Joseph Beech (now Sub-Organist at Durham Cathedral) and Sam Pierce (trumpet).

Church Community

(a) Children, Young People and Families

• 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 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 sub-group 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.

• Regular Children and Youth evenings are held at Grantham House, when leaders at St Wulfram’s can share learning and celebrate our ongoing work with children and young people. Children and Youth deanery meetings are also held regularly following the same pattern of celebration, as well as resourcing other parishes as needs arise.

• 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 original three age groups were 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.

• On the first Saturday afternoon of the month, youngsters aged between 3 and 7 years are invited to ‘Come and Sing’ with the Master of the Music and others, which includes singing, musical games and refreshments – aimed at developing a love of singing and basic musicianship skills.

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• 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.

• Wulfram Wednesdays take place during school holidays when primary-aged children and families are invited to participate in craft activities in church (or alternatively at Grantham House). The Wednesday workshops are led by Laura Cradduck (Chair of the PCC’s Children & Youth Sub-group) or Clayton Stiff (Children, Youth & Families Worker). This summer, themes included Egg Carton Bugs, Sea Creatures, Suncatchers, Origami, and Draw what you see. In October, the theme was Firework craft. Numbers of children and adults attending range from 28 to 54. Positive feedback was received from participants on each of the days:

• Thank you. We really enjoyed today. Perfect activities and right amount of instruction. Also great value for money.

• Really lovely atmosphere, lots of great ideas. We really enjoyed ourselves!

• Good activity. Suitable for a wide range of ages.

• The staff are really friendly.

• I really liked the bit where we painted the jellyfish – they are very cute.

• [Name] says it was the best! [Name] also thought it was the best thing ever!

• Lovely activity – thank you for hosting.

• We invited families to join us on Saturday 12 March for ‘Muddy Church Moments’ – a time to walk and wonder at God’s beautiful creation in the season of Lent. Participants collected an activity sheet from the church at 2 p.m. and returned at around 3 p.m. for refreshments and to share their discoveries.

• Babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers, their parents/carers, meet at Wulfram Tots, in the church at 9.30 a.m. every Friday. The aim is to have fun and share the Christian faith in an informal way through play, singing (with guitar accompaniment), Bible stories and craft activities, hopefully building some new friendships for the adults as well as the children. The sessions are led by our Children, Youth & Families Worker and members of the clergy. After the sessions, people stay for refreshments and to enjoy the children’s play area. Details are shared on the Wulfram Tots noticeboard and through Facebook.

• Wulfram Bear’s Baby Clothes Carousel was launched in September. Parents of babies can go along on the second Friday of every month, after Wulfram Tots, to donate and pick up baby clothes (ages 0-24 months) completely free of charge.

Using the weekly Community news in November, we shared some wonderful feedback from a Mum who attends Wulfram Tots and participates in the Wulfram Bear’s Baby Clothes Carousel. Some items of clothing and a pair of boots had delighted her child, and she thanked everyone who donates. The Mum wrote:

• With the cost-of-living crisis today, what we do together as a group really helps one another out. It’s the little things that mean the most: acts of kindness and generosity today proves the impact that can be had. The joy in my [child’s] face and excitement was completely priceless to me.

• 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 15 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

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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 hugely successful programme of Wulfram Family Fun Days continues on the second Saturday of the month, when families (which we recognise come in all manner of shapes and sizes) meet together for an activity. The Board Games Bonanza is especially popular: we provide games suitable for ages 6+, and the church Coffee Shop is open serving refreshments.

• There are seven Scout or Guide sections associated with the church and five regular parade services are held each year. Clergy and other members of the church are invited to go and speak to the groups. The groups also visit the church from time to time as part of their badge work and spiritual development.

Fr James Titley remains District Chaplain to Grantham District Scouts. This role is a Grantham-wide appointment.

On one evening in the summer term, the 6th Grantham (St. Wulfram’s) Guides held their meeting outdoors in the grounds of Grantham House.

• Two members of our clergy team are governors of local schools; and this number will increase in 2023. Our Rector serves on the Interim Local Board of the National Church of England Junior and Harrowby Church of England Infant School (within the Lincoln Anglican Academy Trust).

It was announced in the autumn that Little Gonerby Infant School, Harrowby Infant School, and the National Junior School would each become primary schools by September 2023. As part of this development, the National School is to be renamed the St Wulfram’s National C of E Primary School.

Members of the clergy team and our Children, Youth & Families Worker lead weekly collective worship in two church schools.

Local schools, especially the church schools and the local state nursery school make regular visits to the church to learn about the church building, about Christianity and about the church’s role in the community. 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 meet regularly to discuss the needs of the parish, of individuals and of those resident in care homes. In June 2022, we began work on a Pastoral Care Policy, which we hope to share more widely with the St Wulfram’s community in 2023.

• Those who are new to the congregation are made welcome and visited as soon as convenient. 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 the reserved sacrament is

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taken by members of the team. The pandemic continued to disrupt visits to the 10 care homes in the parish in 2022 but began to stabilise.

• Sadly, during the pandemic, it was impossible to hold the quarterly service for wholeness and healing. In 2022, a service for wholeness and healing was held in Holy Week and again later in the year. We intend to hold these services quarterly once again in 2023.

(c) Community groups

• We have a popular Sunday lunch group for people of any age who would otherwise eat alone. Members of the group visit a local restaurant or pub on the second Sunday of each month. The lunches continue to be a valuable opportunity for fellowship for congregation members and those with other connections to St Wulfram’s. Several new people joined the group this year. We are most grateful to Jane Sharp who co-ordinates the gatherings.

• Our monthly Art Group 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.

• The popular weekly Coffee Morning (which began online during the pandemic lockdowns) continues on Wednesdays in the church (or the Hall at Grantham House if there is a clash of bookings). Numbers fluctuated between 11 and 29; and average weekly attendance was 17. The gathering provides valuable fellowship for members of the St Wulfram's community. In December, members of the Coffee Morning group enjoyed a Christmas lunch at the nearby Angel & Royal Hotel.

• In February, we started to host a simple lunch of homemade soup and bread at 12.30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month, following the 12 noon Eucharist. The lunch is open to all irrespective of whether they worship at St Wulfram’s. Up to 25 attend each time. The lunch is friendly and the fellowship there can provide a lifeline for newcomers to the local community and those who are lonely and/or feel isolated. We are indebted to those who prepare the soup and bake fresh bread. There is no charge, but donations are welcome. The lunch usually takes place in the church but is held at Grantham House if the church is unavailable.

We are most grateful to Jo Castro of Shine Lincolnshire for sourcing valuable funding to support four of the soup lunches (including the cost of ingredients and church heating) during the winter months into 2023.

• In September, we started a new Craft, Fellowship & Prayer group in the church, on the second Tuesday of each month, from 2 to 4 p.m. Participants bring along their own crafts (e.g., knitting, sewing, card making, embroidery, crochet) or various small crafts are provided. They share refreshments, and also use the time for prayer in a relaxed atmosphere. The PCC’s Mission & Social Responsibility Sub-group allocated a grant of £100 to the Craft, Prayer & Fellowship Group towards the cost of Christmas centrepieces.

• The new Wulfram Men’s Group, led by our Children, Youth & Families Worker, is a positive social space for men to come together and connect with each other. Around 16 met for a BBQ Breakfast at Grantham House to launch the group (23 April). The group meets every month for breakfast, in addition to other activities at various venues through the year.

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• A new Ladies Social Group, led by Mthr Hannah and Mthr Kate, was launched on Friday 18 November. The first get-together was in Finkins in the High Street. The ladies socialised over a drink and got to know each other a little more. The group will meet every other month.

Church and Fabric

• The past year has again been very busy with one major project, other substantial repairs, routine maintenance work and planning for future projects.

Work to the West Window of the North Aisle. This was the biggest single project and was undertaken by Weldon Stone. The work involved the replacement of damaged mullions and repair of window tracery details. There were also minor repairs to the window glass but, in the event, it did not prove necessary to remove and then replace all the window glass. Stonework above and to the side of the window was repointed and sections of the parapet were replaced. The project began in February and was completed in October 2022. The total cost, slightly below the contracted price of £70,886, was £69,326 plus fees and VAT. We are grateful to the Marshall Trust for a grant of £12,000, to the Aslackby Trust for a grant of £2,500 and to the Friends of St Wulfram’s Church for a grant of £1,000.

The Crypt . Sections of water damaged plasterwork in the Crypt ceiling were replaced and repainted by Weldon Stone at a cost of £2,297. Later in the year, conservator Alexandra Carrington, ACR, undertook the cleaning and conservation of the alabaster reredos in the Crypt. The cost of £1,200 was generously offset by a grant of £950 from the Friends. Two volunteers also commenced work on applying beeswax to the wooden panelling in the Crypt.

Stonework . Damaged and weathered stonework around the West entrance doors and the South porch was replaced by Weldon stone at a cost of £11,388.

Roof work. The access ladder to the hatch over the central nave was replaced and improved by the addition of a larger platform and safety rail. This was carried out by Sycamore Building Restoration Ltd at a cost of £2,160. Two repairs were carried out by HAB Leadworks to a rainwater head and to a downpipe at a total cost of £1,306.

Energy Efficiency and lighting. Replacement of the first tranche of some 50 halogen lamps with LED lamps took place in September whilst other existing halogen lamps have been replaced as there are currently no suitable equivalent LED lamps available for our fittings. Expenditure on electrical fittings and installation has amounted to £4,506. We are very grateful to Anthony Fletcher of AF Electrical for his work in adjusting settings in the lighting control system and replacing lamps and fittings throughout the year. The PCC in July agreed to the proposed introduction of 78 solar PV panels together with battery storage units and inverters, at an estimated cost of over £56,000, plus VAT. The equipment will be located on the south-facing slopes of the nave and north aisle roofs so that panels are not visible from ground level. Planning and Faculty applications have been submitted and the outcome should be known in the spring of 2023. If approved, there will be substantial savings in our electricity usage at a time of spiralling electrical prices as well as a major step towards the Church of England’s Net Zero Carbon target pledge by 2030.

Excavating Test Pits and drainage. A CCTV survey of several existing drainage runs and soakaways confirmed that many are blocked or damaged owing to tree roots. The Faculty application for the test pits was delayed pending the results of the CCTV survey but was granted on 30 December 2022. The results of the test pit investigations can

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then be used to help determine the future design of a modified drainage system which can incorporate modifications to the west entrance to improve access to the church.

Clergy Vestry . The PCC has agreed plans for refurbishing the clergy vestry to incorporate more storage space. The Faculty application completed its public notice period in January 2023 and is with the Chancellor.

Monuments. Fundraising to cover the costs on work to conserve nine further monuments in the Lady Chapel and Corpus Christi Chapel (the Faculty for which was approved in 2022) has continued with over £2,000 pledged by the end of December 2022 towards the total of £4,770 needed. It is anticipated that this conservation work will begin in February 2023.

Trigge Library. Nine volumes which had furniture beetle activity had been deep frozen and have been monitored by conservator Bridget Warrington, ACR. Plans have been approved for further conservation work and for a new display cabinet to be installed in 2023.

• Clearly, the work on repair and maintenance 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 everyone who helps with routine weekly cleaning and with the arrangement of flowers. Additional volunteers are most welcome. 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.

• Towards the end of the year, access from Swinegate to the church building (for the disabled, contractors and deliveries) was impeded by a Church Trees neighbour, who took the view that the route is a footpath not a road. In an effort to resolve the dispute (which was covered in the news and letters pages of the local press, and also reached the national press), a meeting took place in December between the Rector, the neighbour, and the county councillor who holds the executive portfolio for highways. A compromise was reached, and the conversation was to continue in the Spring 2023.

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 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 at Easter and Christmas.

Ringing at St Wulfram’s

• This year has seen us resume ringing in a more normal fashion, following the ending of Covid restrictions. The Grantham Band is in the process of re-building but is still heavily reliant on support from the local Belton Band.

• David Braunton’s predecessor as Tower Captain, Neville Sharpe, passed away on 30 May 2022. He had suffered from and been treated for Leukaemia for several years, but following catching Covid in early 2022, never managed to recover. He was a ringer at

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St Wulfram’s, Grantham (1970) and St James’ Skillington (1968), over 50 years’ service. On 25 June a Quarter Peal of Grandsire Caters was rung at St Wulfram’s to celebrate the life and service to bell ringing of Neville.

• On 6 February our team of ringers rang at nine local towers - Barkston, Belton, Colsterworth, Denton, Grantham, Harlaxton, Honington, Skillington and Stoke Rochford - to mark the 70[th] Anniversary of the Accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne.

• On 20 August an ARTS Foundation Course (Association of Ringing Teachers) for bell handling was held at St Wulfram’s with 12 attendees of which 9 or so were locally based meaning we now have a development team of teachers to train new recruits, to address the shortage of ringers at present.

• In September, with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, our team rang the bells fully muffled in accordance with Operation London Bridge, starting 9 September through to the funeral on 19 September.

• In the later stages of 2022, we gained five new learners: this promises to be a big boost to numbers of Grantham Ringers after such a steep decline in numbers, but more recruitment will be key to ensuring the oldest recreation group in Grantham (1781) flourishes once again. With our new team of teachers, we can train greater numbers and run ‘have a go’ events.

• Over the course of the year there have been 12 Quarter Peals and three successful peals, one of which was rung of Bristol Surprise Maximus of 5,088 changes to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, on 3 June.

• Looking forward, there is work to do on improving the sound of the bells both inside for the ringers and outside to make the bells louder for special occasions, as well as maintenance work to keep this fine peal of bells in good and safe condition. Since the bells were installed in 1947, there has not been a major assessment/overhaul of the bells.

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. The building is open for private prayer or to sit in quiet reflection, from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from 10.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on Sundays.

• Government regulations affecting the hospitality sector caused the Coffee Shop to close in mid-March 2020 and to remain closed for much of 2021. The opening hours and

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staffing of the Coffee Shop remain under careful review. In the meantime, the Coffee Shop opens for Saturday morning recitals, during the Heritage Open Day, the Beer Festival, and the Christmas Tree Festival, and for interval drinks at concerts (when alcohol and soft drinks are also on sale). We are grateful to Jan Burrows for organising the refreshments at recitals and to Di Hale for the significant work in overseeing the provision of refreshments (including recruitment of volunteers from organisations beyond St Wulfram’s) for major festivals.

• 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. Although this strategy continues to be largely unproblematic, St Wulfram’s experienced some antisocial behaviour in the church this year, about which we were in discussion with relevant authorities.

Pre-COVID, we tried to have stewards on hand to welcome visitors each Saturday morning and during the ‘visitor season’ (from the end of March to end of September). With fewer visitors, we have yet to reinstate a formal rota for stewarding.

• The number of visitors to St Wulfram’s increased this year, after the pandemic lockdowns. Inscriptions in our Visitors’ Book are overwhelmingly favourable. Visitors enjoy the history and architecture, for example:

• Amazing. Loved it and so much to see. The info boards were welcome.

• What a find! Beautiful and so interesting.

• Stunning cathedral. Beautiful stained glass. Fantastic font.

• Lovely church. Will come again.

• A stunning church. We are so lucky to have something so beautiful on our doorstep. Thank you.

• Fantastic to finally have a good look around this wonderful church and even nicer to hear the choir practice while we were here.

• A beautiful building. Love the children’s area.

Visitors also appreciate the welcome offered by stewards and the hard work of those who keep the building in good order, for example:

• Thank you. Warm welcome and very beautiful.

• Beautiful church, very welcoming.

• Very lovely and magnificent church. Thank you very much to those who keep it in such great condition.

• What a beautiful church, so full of history, serene and being looked after well.

• Wonderful warm welcome and a spontaneous 5-minute tour offered and received with gratitude.

• Beautiful, Awe-inspiring. Thank you to John for all his insight.

Visitors are also grateful for the peace they find in our church, for example:

• My first visit to light a candle to my beloved who went to his final journey on [date]. I now reside here in Grantham. A beautiful town and church. I feel at peace here.

• Peaceful in a world of war and sadness.

• I have visited a few times, always beautiful and serene.

• I’ve recently come into Christianity, so this was a lovely visit. Simply amazing.

• As in previous years, it was planned to open both St Wulfram’s Church and Grantham House and gardens as part of the 2022 Heritage Open Days. The sad death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II two days before led to the church being used to house a Book of Remembrance for the parish and town of Grantham on behalf of South Kesteven District Council; and the Heritage Open Day at the church was cancelled accordingly. A more muted Open Day was held in Grantham House Gardens on the

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Sunday afternoon and visitors could sit and reflect on the end of Her Majesty’s long reign as well as partake of refreshments. 312 visitors including at least 25 children were counted. Comments this year included:

• Gardens enjoyable, lovely surroundings.

• Loved everything.

• Enjoyed the cakes.

• As part of the Reinvent Project sponsored by Lincolnshire One Venues (LOV), the launch of the Grantham History Arts Trail (October) showcased 13 silk banners that local school children had produced for display in shops and businesses around the town, including at St Wulfram’s. Grantham Arts led the session in the church to create our banner which told the story of the building. Alongside the banner was a QR code allowing visitors to find out more.

• Near the west door of the church, we have a sales unit that displays postcards, guides and souvenirs of the church, together with assorted greetings cards (including the popular Friends of St Wulfram’s Christmas cards).

• Peregrines first nested at St Wulfram’s in 2007 with the last successful fledging in 2012. Surveillance cameras were installed in December 2020, funded by the Lincolnshire Bird Club. The peregrines are sighted around St Wulfram’s all year. In the spring of 2022, they showed initial interest in the nest trays but did not then attempt to nest.

Trigge Library

• Due the lifting of COVID restrictions in 2022, it has been possible to open the Library for the complete season, weekly from April to the end of September, on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. The number of recorded visitors increased from 413 in 2021 to 434 in 2022, a 5% growth. This was remarkable given that, owing to the death of HM The Queen, the Library was closed over the Heritage Open Day and for much of the following fortnight, as the church was the location of the Book of Condolence for the parish and the district of South Kesteven. In 2021, over 100 visitors had been welcomed to the Library in September, but only 37 in 2022.

• It was also remarkable that, in 2022, the number of visitors from outside Grantham and the county (94) were greatly exceeded by those from other parts of the UK (206), compared to 2021 when 203 came from Grantham and the county. A total of 206 visitors came from the rest of England compared with 126 in 2021, an increase of 63.5%.

• There were significantly more overseas visitors in 2022 (70), compared with 2021 (17). This is an increase of 311%. Clearly this reflects the easing of travel restrictions postCovid but it does indicate just how St Wulfram’s Church and the Trigge Library is becoming known as a place to visit. Thirty of the visitors from overseas were from the USA, some admittedly were in small groups from the University of Evansville’s Harlaxton campus, but many were individuals or families visiting the UK. Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Poland accounted for 17 out of 26 visitors from Europe. Visitors from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, and Sri Lanka were also welcomed to the Library in 2022.

• 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. Nine of these were returned to the Library during

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the year, but one was retained for further conservation. This was Henricus Moller’s commentary on the Psalms, printed in Geneva in 1591. The front and rear wood boards were replaced and various repairs to the text block were completed. This book will be returned to the Library early in 2023.

• A new project was initiated in 2022, involving raising funding to (a) commence the extensive programme of conservation and repair of the first volume of Conrad Gesner’s Historia Animalium , and (b) the purchase of a replacement exhibition case to meet current standards for the display of heritage items. Successful applications were made to The Friends of St. Wulfram’s Church and ChurchCare, which provided £20,000 in total for the project. A further application has been made to the Aurelius Trust.

• 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, with the contents being replaced periodically. The Fabric Committee has agreed to fund the addition of casters to the legs of the cabinet, which will allow for more flexible presentation.

• Dr John Manterfield kindly undertook the analysis of visitor statistics for 2022, for which Brian Stagg, Custos, is grateful.

Archive

• There have been no further acquisitions of material in the course of 2022, other than hard copies of The Magazine . The Interim Curator (John Manterfield) has not had any enquiries during the year.

• Regarding storage of the archives in the Vestry and elsewhere in the church, the proposals for refurbishment of the Clergy Vestry (including a dedicated secure Archive cupboard) have been submitted as a Faculty application.

Learning opportunities

• Starting in late January (with A for Alb) and ending in July (with Z for Zucchetto), our clergy took it in turns to provide weekly information sheets about miscellaneous items that are part of our church life and services. The series was called the ‘A to Z of Church Tat!’

• A new weekly fellowship group led by Fr Aron on Zoom on Monday evenings began on 17 January 2022. Inspired by Hebrews 10:24-25 (‘Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another’), this was an informal small group that met to encourage one another, to read scripture, ask questions, and pray for each other.

• Our Lectio Divina in the Lenten Season took place on Wednesday evenings at St John’s Church Manthorpe. This contemplative way of reading the Bible dates back to the early centuries of the Christian Church and was established as a monastic practice by St Benedict in the 6[th] century. The resources for this course were available online through the church website and in paper form, so participants could use the material on their own or through the Lent Groups. Fr Aron’s Bible online Study continued throughout Lent on Monday evenings.

• In March, eight students finally completed the second iteration of the 16-session diocesan course entitled ‘To Love and Serve the Lord’. Two ALM Foundation Modules

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were subsequently offered for those whose calling to Authorised Lay Ministry had been discerned.

• A third joint deanery ‘To Love and Serve the Lord’ course began on Thursday 8 September and will run until March 2023. Among the group of tutors from the Grantham and Loveden Deaneries are five members of the St Wulfram’s ministry team. Three members of St Wulfram’s congregation are following the course. Following a period of discernment, ALM Foundation Modules will be offered after Easter 2023.

• Towards the end of the year, we began to advertise ‘Being With’, a new 10-session course to explore more about the Christian faith, using material developed by St Martin in the Fields and HeartEdge. The course, aimed at people who had recently started coming to church or had questions about the Christian faith and life, was due to start on 11 January 2023.

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.

• Members of our congregation were invited to attend a Day Conference ‘Exploring Calling and Ministry’ at The Salthouse, Lincoln (Saturday 14 May), run by the diocesan Vocations Team.

• In partnership with the Loveden Deanery, Grantham Deanery runs the diocesan ‘To Love and Serve the Lord’ course. This meets several 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.

One of our ALMs followed the 2021-22 course as a refresher, prior to reauthorisation at a joint deanery service on Sunday 3 July.

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, and how to best engage in service to the community.

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.

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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 reports are made to the PCC.

• On Good Friday, following a two-year absence due to Covid-19 restrictions, members of our congregation and clergy were able to participate in the Walk of Witness, organised by CTiG, from the Market Cross to St Peter’s Hill (where Fr Clay led prayers).

• We encouraged members of St Wulfram’s to attend the Churches Together service for One World Week (30 October) and Carol Service (21 December), both at ChristChurch, Finkin Street.

• We continue in a supportive relationship with ChristChurch, our Methodist/URC neighbours. We continue to publicise each other’s services and events, through the respective monthly parish magazines and weekly pew-sheets.

Lincoln Diocesan Synod

• St Wulfram’s is represented on Diocesan Synod by the Rector, Fr Clay Roundtree and Paul Davie (who also serves on the Bishop’s Council of Diocesan Trustees). Fr Stuart continues to serve on General Synod, as a representative of the diocesan House of Clergy.

• 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.

• Much time continued to be devoted in the Diocese of Lincoln and at Diocesan Synod to the implementation of ‘A Time to Change – Together’ (TTCT). This is foundational to the diocesan vision for our shared future, which involves collaborative partnerships, relationships of generosity and growth. Nine new Deanery Partnerships (DPs) are roughly mapped to the nine local authorities and follow existing deanery lines for the most part. Deanery Partnership Steering Groups have been tasked with supporting the initial development of the nine areas, including agreeing with parishes the boundaries for the Deanery Partnership and supporting the planning of Local Mission Partnerships (LMPs). These groups involve a range of local and external, lay and ordained representatives. They are short term bodies but may well develop into some longer-term responsibility as seen fit. With the likely constraints on the total number of stipends, there was likely to be between one and four LMPs per DP. In many ways, Local Mission Partnerships (LMPs) will be the most important part of the new ways of working together. Defining and establishing these partnerships was the big task in 2022. Like DPs, they do not replace benefices, groups or parishes, but join these together to create missional working communities of churches, worshippers and ministers. Wherever possible, LMPs will have at least three stipendiary ministers.

• As part of TTCT, every ordained and lay minister holding the bishop’s licence was invited to a vocational conversation - an opportunity to reflect on her/his ministry. The intention was to listen, to support and to discern ways forward, for individuals and for the whole diocesan family of ministers.

• Towards the end of 2022, a series of archdeaconry Vision Days was planned. All ordained and lay ministers holding the bishop’s licence were invited to attend the gathering for the Boston Archdeaconry to be held early in January 2023.

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• A Partnership Dean was appointed to oversee the new South Kesteven Deanery Partnership comprising the deaneries of Beltisloe, Grantham, Loveden and Stamford. The four Deanery Synods were to come together for their first joint meeting in January 2023. The Partnership Dean’s role includes guiding plans for the formation of Local Mission Partnerships.

• As part of the TTCT process, St Wulfram’s agreed a financial pledge to the diocese for the support of ministry for the period 2023-25.

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).

• St Wulfram’s currently has three elected lay representatives on Deanery Synod (Jan Burrows, Paul Davie, and Val York) and we thank them for their service. There will be elections for lay reps in 2023. Reflecting the increase in the size of St Wulfram’s Electoral Roll in the last couple of years, there will be an opportunity to elect four lay reps for the next triennium.

• 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.

• A pastoral reorganisation is in progress in the deanery in line with the agreed Deanery Plan. The schemes are as follows:

• Following the retirement of the Revd Peter Hopkins from the united benefice of All Saints, Barrowby and St Sebastian’s, Great Gonerby and of the Revd Stephen Harrop from a half-time appointment in the Harlaxton Group of Parishes (Denton, Harlaxton, Stroxton, Woolsthorpe by Belvoir, and Wyville with Hungerton), a pastoral scheme is underway to establish what is termed the West Grantham Group of Villages. At the end of April 2022, in anticipation of this reorganisation, the Revd Sarah Tierney was licensed as parish priest for the seven parishes of the new group.

• A separate pastoral scheme has been proposed to dissolve the Trinity Parish, South Grantham and create two separate parishes, styled St John’s Spitalgate with Earlesfield (where there ceased to be a place of worship several years ago) and St Anne’s New Somerby (into which St George’s Church Stamford will plant in 2023 as part of the Strategic Development Programme).

• A third scheme under discussion at the end of 2022 is to hold in plurality the benefices of St John’s Manthorpe, St Wulfram’s Grantham, and the proposed new Parish of St John’s Spitalgate with Earlesfield, thus forming a central grouping within Grantham Deanery, consistent with the Deanery Plan.

• During 2022, Deanery Synod heard talks from the Revd Jackie Johnson (Diocese of Lincoln) on the ‘Living in Love and Faith’ project (March); from Clayton Stiff on Children, Youth and Families Work (July); and from Peter Middleton (Ecclesiastical’s Church Insurance Consultant for the Diocese of Lincoln) (October).

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• At a special meeting of Deanery Synod in September, agreement was reached on a motion to form a Local Mission Partnership with the Loveden Deanery. Deanery PCCs were consulted on this proposal in the autumn and asked to respond by January 2023.

• 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.

• From time to time, Grantham House hosts evening meetings, led by our Children, Youth & Families Worker, when those who work with children and young people in deanery churches gather to share learning and celebrate their ongoing work. There are plans to start a ‘Youth Alpha’ course in 2023. Deanery parishes are also supported with a monthly newsletter forwarded by the diocesan Children & Youth Mission Enabler.

• We joined fellow Christians from around the deanery for a Deanery Ascension Day service at the Church of the Ascension, Edinburgh Road, Grantham at 6.00 p.m. on Thursday 26 May. The service was followed by refreshments.

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. The website suffered some technical problems in May, but was soon up and running again. 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.

• The ChurchDesk software is used daily in the Parish Office and enables us to send out weekly newsletters and information on forthcoming services and events. By the end of 2022, we had accumulated 3,387 contacts, more than three times the number recorded pre-Covid (i.e., in 2019). This total includes members of the community of St John the Evangelist, Manthorpe, our sister church. ChurchDesk (based in Denmark) offers online and telephone support from their office in London. The software package is a great asset to how we work and our outreach to our parish and wider community.

• The Sunday Community sheet updates the congregation, with news of services and activities. Continuing the practice started during the pandemic, it is shared with a weekly Friday email from the Parish Office. Printed copies are available in church 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, we have made the Magazine available online through the church website. Printed copies are available in the church and are mailed out to those who subscribe.

• Continuing our long-standing practice, we paid to advertise full details of weekday and Sunday worship at St Wulfram’s each week in the local newspaper, the Grantham Journal . However, when the 2023 General Fund Budget was set in the autumn, it was

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decided to save money by discontinuing this practice, relying instead on other methods to advertise services, such as social media.

• 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.

• The churchwardens encourage members of the congregation to contact them by email or telephone with any comments or questions. The [e-mail] email address is advertised through the weekly Community news.

• 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 a place we can call home where we can gather as a community – and God is amid 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-today life. Our challenging events (Christmas Tree Festivals, Flower Festivals, Beer Festivals, 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. A Tai-Chi group meets weekly in the church.

• The St Wulfram’s community began a year of social events with our annual Family Quiz with fish and chip supper in the church on Saturday 5 February. Teams of up to 8 people gathered for a fun-filled evening with rounds of questions set by the clergy. A ‘Three Ps Picnic’ (Pimms, Punch & Puddings) was hosted by the PCC Social Sub-group (3 July). A Harvest Supper took place in the church on Saturday evening 1 October.

• The Queen’s Commonwealth Baton Relay came to Grantham on Monday 11 July. The Grantham leg was part of the baton’s 294-day journey across the Commonwealth before arriving in Birmingham for the start of the Commonwealth Games on 28 July. The 2.2 km route started and finished at the Visitor Centre in Wyndham Park and passed Grantham House and St Wulfram’s Church in its journey south along Castlegate.

• After a delay of two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat was staged by MJH Productions in the church in 2022. This was the first time that The Really Useful Company, that owns the rights to the production, had granted permission for an amateur company to use a mixed cast. Between Tuesday 5 and Saturday 9 April, the cast of more than 50 gave seven performances.

On 17 November, MJH held a production launch for Oliver! that will be staged in the church in 2023. This was an opportunity for people to hear about the plans ahead.

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• We marked Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee over the weekend of 4-5 June. ‘The Party at the Palace’ was livestreamed on a big screen in the church on the Saturday, with food and a bar available. A ‘Street Party’ was held inside the church on the Sunday, between 12.30 p.m. and 4.30 p.m. We took our own food and drink and had a wonderful time.

• Our three new curates (Mthr Hannah, Mthr Kate and Fr Yuce) were ordained Deacon at Lincoln Cathedral on Sunday morning 26 June. Following Choral Evensong at St Wulfram’s, we had the opportunity to welcome them and their families, over a bringand-share supper.

• The Beer Festival ‘Land of Hops and Glory’ (run jointly with the Grantham branch of CAMRA) opened on Thursday 20 October and ran until Saturday 22 October, with live music during the evenings (Latino Sound, Friday and Groove Cartell, Saturday). The Mayor of Grantham and SKDC Chairman attended the launch event, which included a performance by Morris dancers. People visited from the town and from far and wide. As well as different real ales on offer, there were also ciders, perries, and mead, and the popular Gin Bar. The event, now a permanent feature in the Grantham calendar, was deemed a huge success. We extend thanks to all who helped to make the festival such a wonderful and safe event.

The Journal published a letter from Fr Clay during the Beer Festival. He reflected in the letter on his experience of the 2021 Beer Festival, when hospitality had been offered to visitors, conversations with them had been enjoyed, and the atmosphere was convivial and respectful. He remarked that only a couple of Grantham residents had said to him over the last year that they did not think such a festival should be held in a church. He commented that many arguments for and against beer festivals in churches are rolled out with the accompanying beer barrels. Based on his experience in 2021, he said that comments about the beauty of the building led to conversations about deeper things, when people were ready to open up about the place of faith within their lives, which Fr Clay found very humbling.

• As part of the celebrations to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, we arranged a five-mile Parish Walk and lunch (Thursday 2 June) from and back to The Green Man pub at Ropsley. A five-mile Parish Walk was also arranged on the August Bank Holiday Monday, from and to The Cholmeley Arms pub at Burton-le-Coggles.

• The Christmas Tree Festival with skating rink ran from Thursday 24 November to Advent Sunday, 27 November. Thursday’s opening ceremony began with a candlelit procession from the Market Place at 6.00 p.m. and the formal switching on of the lights in the church followed; the festival was then open until 9.00 p.m. Far more people took part in the procession 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. A record number of trees was entered 150. 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 we sold 216 mince pies, 15 stollen, 18 packets of shortbread fingers, 7 trays of flapjack, 110 sausage rolls, and used 30 bottles of mulled wine, 44 pints of milk and made over 500 cups of hot chocolate! We were rapidly running out of stock by Saturday evening and by Sunday afternoon everything had gone.

Once again, 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

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positive mental health through meaningful activities. As usual, a large Prayer Tree was set up in the Lady Chapel.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

• The Finance Sub-group set a General Fund budget deficit of -£5,312 for 2022 in November 2021. The final outcome in 2022 was a General Fund deficit of -£32,048. The large increases in utility costs that occurred during 2022 had mostly been included within the budget, so the primary reasons for the large General Fund deficit were the inability to generate sufficient net events income due to steep increases in cost inflation, particularly those relating to staging, lighting and production, and also two events that had been included within the budget did not take place. Furthermore, in 2021, the Cultural Recovery Fund for Heritage grant was used in part to cover some General Fund salary costs, but no such help was available during 2022. However, General Fund running costs that benefitted the fabric of the building (£14.1k) were once again allocated to the Fabric Fund and this mitigated the size of the eventual 2022 General Fund deficit a little.

• For 2023, budgeted net events income expectations have been scaled back in response to the 2022 realised outcome. However, gas & electricity costs are expected to remain elevated, even after budgeting for anticipated electricity cost savings from the second half of 2023 onwards, due, hopefully, to the installation of solar panels on the church roof, the cost of which will be covered by the Fabric Fund. Consequently, the General Fund budget deficit set for 2o23 in November 2022 was even higher at -£35,603. At the time the 2023 General Fund budget was set, the PCC was aware that action would likely be required during 2023 to restore the General Fund reserve balance back into positive territory by the end of the year, hopefully to a level that met its current reserves policy of covering at least three months’ budgeted General Fund expenditure. Despite the financial challenges, Grantham St Wulfram PCC is still considered to be a going concern on the basis that should sufficient unbudgeted donations, grants or legacies not be received during 2023, then action will indeed be taken to restore the General Fund reserve balance back to a position that allows the church to continue its day-today activities in the furtherance of its charitable objectives. This is likely to involve the church selling assets to improve liquidity and, where necessary, the prioritisation according to importance, and possible delay in the commencement of, some of the larger projects relating to the fabric of the building, and the seeking of further grants and/or match funding to reduce net cash outflows.

• During 2022, the resource centre (Wulfram Centre for Wholeness and Wellbeing) at Grantham House has continued to develop and grow. At the start of the year, there was a -£4.4k deficit in this designated fund. By the end of 2022, that had grown to -£28.9k. Grant funding is constantly being sought to support expenditure and a number of grants were secured in 2022, including £6.6k from Shine Lincolnshire (Singing For All) and also £10.6k from South Kesteven District Council, which was to cover some setup costs. £5.7k income was allocated from a Shine Lincolnshire grant received in 2021. Hire and other income has not yet reached a level to enable income and expenditure to be matched, so additional funding, primarily via business and charitable donations, is being sought to reach a position of financial sustainability. Grantham House expenditure mostly composed salary costs of the Operations & Development Manager (£3.7k of which were covered by Shine Lincolnshire (restricted income fund) grants), gardener salary and some gardening expenses from the middle of the year (£13.2k allocated to the Postcode Places Trust grant – a restricted income fund), heat and light costs (£3.9k of which were also allocated to the Postcode Places Trust grant), website design costs, insurance and other costs (£3.7k of which related to the Shine Lincolnshire project costs and so allocated to those funds). Further

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information is available within Notes 2 and 3. During 2023, it is expected that the two Grantham Land adj. Harrowby funds (as listed in Note 10) will be sold and the balances used not only to boost cash levels, but also to eliminate the deficit on the Grantham House fund as it stands at the time those two funds are sold.

• Planned Giving income in 2022 of £62,008 was lower compared to last year (2021: £66,661) continuing to reflect the impact of 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. In late September at Harvest Festival the church launched a Stewardship campaign with the aim of significantly reducing the General Fund deficit. The church is immensely grateful for all the donations, grants & funds from congregational giving that it receives and an uplift of approximately 8% in Planned Giving is hoped for and included within the General Fund 2023 budget.

• Fundraising income improved on 2021, though not by as much as hoped for. Church and Grantham House hire raised £6,443 and £3,465, respectively. The Coffee Shop raised £2,528, St Wulfram’s share of lottery income was £895 and the Sales Unit generated £1,449. With regards to the larger events, the Vintage and Beer Festivals both raised significantly less than budgeted for. Indeed, the Beer Festival posted a loss, once adjustment for actual receipts from CAMRA relating to the 2021 festival compared to the provision included within last year’s accounts is included. Higher than expected costs largely account for the lower net income levels. It’s thought that there may be some scope for efficiency savings at future Beer Festival events. The everpopular Christmas Tree Festival, however, did contribute meaningfully to church funds, generating a net £7,786. Events Bar income also contributed a useful £1,724. Overall, net fundraising income of £25,332 was higher than last year’s £17,767, but much lower than budget expectations of £46,230.

• Total donations (ex. Planned Giving) and grants of £175,339 (2021: £164,060) included £17.2k grants, to help fund projects at Grantham House, from South Kesteven District Council (£10.6k) and Shine Lincolnshire, Singing For All (£6.6k). General Fund grants included a £2.6k heating support grant and a £0.5k MHRA training grant from the Lincoln diocese. A £0.5k SKDC Ward Member grant was received for the Choir Fund, £22.3k from the Cathedral Music Trust & £20k from the diocesan Transformation Fund was received mostly to fund an Assistant Director of Music for 2 years, Fabric Fund grants of £2.5k from the Aslackby Trust and £12k from Marshall’s Charity were received towards window repairs and £48.6k Strategic Development and restricted income fund grants were given by the Lincoln diocese in support of some salary costs. Donations included £1,950 from The Friends of St Wulfram’s, £1,000 from The Machine Gun Corps. Old Comrades Association, £1,023 from The Philip Lank Trust, £500 from the Rothwell Lee Charity, £250 from Grantham U3A, £200 from The Grantham Civic Society and £150 from The Tollemache (Buckminster) Charity. There were many other donations from individuals, schools and societies gratefully received. A legacy of £1,000, allocated to the General Fund this year, was also received in 2022 (2021: £8,869 total).

• As reported in 2021, there was an outstanding deficit in the fund relating to The Festival of Angels project as at the end of 2021. No additional funding was secured

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towards the project, so £6,076 was released from the Grantham Land adj. Harrowby designated fund to cover the shortfall.

• 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. Mission & Social Responsibility Sub-group 2022 allocations have been outlined earlier within the Annual Report on page 11. 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 £700. Donations 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 Sub-group. Details of collections for other charities can be seen in Note 13.

• St Wulfram’s Church banked sponsorship monies on behalf of Grantham Ark during 2022. £3,622 was received in 2022, outlined further in Note 9. £3,243 was paid by the church to Grantham Ark during the year. SleepOut 2022 monies collected of £3,102 were owed to Grantham Ark as at year end.

• Heating and lighting costs were up compared to last year due to another increase in gas and electricity prices during 2o22. The government support scheme from October has helped a little, but the costs are still substantial. 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 £16,021 for the church and £3,750 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 £179,162 (2021: £155,389) and total resources expended amounted to £211,210 (2021: £156,296) resulting in a deficit for the year before transfers of -£32,048 (2021: -£907 deficit). After transfers of £nil (2021: £nil) from other funds, General Fund reserves now amount to £9,138.

• The balance sheet position had reduced by £171,320 as at 31st December 2022. There was an unrealised gain in the value of the investment property of £7,427 (2021: £13,304) but unrealised losses in the value of financial investment assets of -£42,779 (2021: -£7,558 losses). 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 13.5% in 2022. £50,000 were sold during the year, so the total amount held in the fund decreased by 36%. Overall, our financial investment portfolio made a negative capital return of -12.4% (i.e., excluding income received) in 2022 (2021: -1.7% loss), and the overall value decreased by 30.4% to £239,985 (2021: 22.9% decrease to £344,821). Cash on deposit and with the bank decreased by £87,072 (2021: increase of £7,561) 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.

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• 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.

• Six 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, unless absolutely necessary, 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 2022 was £52,803 (2021: £39,074), but was £40,904, excluding fundraising costs (2021: £30,803). General Fund reserves at the end of 2022 were £9,138 (2021: £41,186), which is now well below the level the PCC would like, as they are currently inadequate to cover average quarterly budgeted General Fund expenditure for 2023, excluding fundraising costs. As stated earlier, it will be necessary to restore General Fund reserves in 2023, probably via asset sales.

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.

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• 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 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 Church Representation Rules 2020 (as amended). At St Wulfram’s the membership of the PCC consists of the incumbent, associate rector, assistant curates, retired clergy with permission to officiate, a reader, lay Deanery Synod representatives, churchwardens, and lay members elected by those who are on the electoral roll of the church. The number of elected lay representatives serving on the PCC and the number of co-options on an annual basis are governed by the number on the Electoral Roll.

• The Electoral Roll is the basic list in every parish of all those entitled to vote in Church of England elections. Those entitled to have their names on this roll must be 16 years of age or more and reside in the parish or be regular worshippers in the church whose roll they wish to join. The Roll is renewed every six years (the next time will be 2025). Joining the Roll opens the way for greater involvement in the life of our church, at deanery, diocesan and national levels, as well as being entitled to vote at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting.

Regular invitations to join the Electoral Roll are included in the weekly Community news. At least six months before our annual meeting, we encourage members of our community to register on the Roll, so they can play a full part in our governance, and are eligible to stand for election to the PCC, as a churchwarden or to Deanery Synod.

• 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 11 occasions during the year. The Church Representation Rules 2020 (M29) allow for business to be conducted by correspondence; and the PCC conducted business in this manner on two occasions in 2022.

The average level of attendance for the nine in-person meetings in 2022 was 74% (as compared with an average of 84% in 2021).

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• The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) was conducted in the church on Sunday 8 May. This was the first time since the pandemic restrictions that a full inperson meeting had taken place.

At the APCM 2022, it was announced that the number on the Electoral Roll had risen to 224.

• 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, Associate Rector, and Churchwardens ( ex officio ) and two further members (elected by the PCC). John Manterfield served on the committee throughout 2022; Stuart Jackson served until 31 March, at which point Paul Davie became 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 three times this year (21 October, 8 November and 8 December. Its business concerned the future of Grantham House.

• 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. Currently, all clergy serve on all sub-groups. 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 2022 were: Jo Counsell (Mission & Social Responsibility); Laura Cradduck (Children & Youth); Paul Davie (Licence Management); Mel Fletcher (Social); Frances Roundtree (Creation Care, from 14.7.22), who took over from Gillian Kendon; John Manterfield (Fabric); Paul Davie (Finance, initially on an interim basis from 25.1.22), who took over from Stuart Jackson (who first stood back for personal reasons, and then resigned 31.3.22).

• From time to time, the Rector may gather 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.

• Gratitude is expressed 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.

Sincere gratitude is expressed to our churchwardens: Jan Burrows, Andrew Gregory (who completed his term of office at the APCM 2022) and Michael Knight (elected at the APCM 2022).

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After stepping down, Andrew told the congregation how much he had enjoyed being Churchwarden. He thanked everyone for supporting him during his term of office. Andrew had stated that he needed no gift to mark the end of his role: it had been an honour to hold the position. But Fr Stuart arranged to use money to twin a toilet on Andrew’s behalf. Andrew wrote: ‘I am touched that he should take the time to do this, and I am happy that this gift will benefit others. I am passionate about clean water and sanitation being available to all the citizens of the world, so really appreciate this gesture.’

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

St Wulfram’s Church is situated in Grantham, Lincolnshire and is part of the Diocese of Lincoln within the Church of England. The address for correspondence is: The Rectory, Church Street, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 6RR.

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a charity registered with the Charity Commission, charity registration number 1131575, as “The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Wulfram, Grantham.”

The PCC Treasurer is Stephen Howe. The PCC Secretary is Judith Muskett (who undertakes this role on a voluntary basis alongside the salaried post of Mission Facilitator). Neither the Treasurer nor the Secretary is an elected member of the PCC.

PCC members who served at any time from 1 January 2022 until the date this report was approved are set out below. Five vacancies for elected members were unfilled at the APCM on 8 May 2022.

Name	Post	Date if part year
Ex officio members
Father Stuart Cradduck	Incumbent, PCC Chair, Rural Dean, Diocesan Synod,	General Synod
Father Clay Roundtree	Associate Rector, Diocesan Synod
Mother June Rowland	Bishop’s Permission to Officiate; Community Chaplain
Mother Geraldine Pond	Bishop’s Permission to Officiate	(from 8.5.22)
Father Aron Donaldson	Assistant Curate	(until 30.6.22)
Father James Titley	Assistant Curate	(until 7.6.22)
Mother Hannah Grivell	Assistant Curate	(from 26.6.22)
Mother Kate Hough	Assistant Curate	(from 26.6.22)
Father Yuce Kabakci	Assistant Curate	(from 26.6.22)
Katy Castañeda	Reader	(from 8.5.22)
Andrew Gregory	Warden and Vice-Chair	(until 8.5.22)
Jan Burrows	Warden, Vice Chair (from 8.5.22), Deanery Synod
Val York	Deanery Synod
Paul Davie	Deanery Synod, Diocesan Synod
Elected members
Jason Bloomfield
Jo Counsell		(from 8.5.22)
Cherry Edwards
Melanie Fletcher
Marie Jackson		(until 8.5.22)
Stuart Jackson		(until 31.3.22)
Sheila Knight
John Manterfield		(until 8.5.22)
Lucille Pritchard		(from 8.5.22)
Jane Sharp
Brian Stagg	Reader Emeritus & Custos of the Trigge Library	(until 8.5.22)
Ian Stewart		(until 8.5.22)
Joanna Swinbourne		(from 8.5.22)
David West		(from 8.5.22)

43

Eileen West {frorn 8.&22) Co4)pted members Jo C4)unsell Chris Impey Philip Joyce John Manterfield (until 8.5.22} {from 8.5.22} (from 8.5.221 (from 8.5.221 Banker In%rstment Managers HSBC Bank plc. Westgate. GranthaTn. CCIA Investment Manasement Limilsl. 84 Queen Virtoria Stttet. iDDdou. Fxclesiasticai Insurante Group. Gloucester. ewton Fatloweu. 68 Hish StreeL Grdntham. Streets LLP. Wijth House, ￿ Busille&s ParL IA)Dg Bennington. IJLsurer5 i*tting Agents IndepeDdeDt E¥ami Approved by the PCC on and signed on their behalf, Father Stuart Cradduck 23 April 2023

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

For the year ending 31st December 2022

Note INCOMING RESOURCES Voluntary income 2(a) Activities for generating funds 2(b) Income from investments 2(c) Church activities 2(d) TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES RESOURCES EXPENDED Church activities 3(a) Fund-raising costs 3(b) Investment management costs 3(c) Governance costs 3(d) TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED NET INCOMING RESOURCES/(OUTGOING) RESOURCES BEFORE TRANSFERS Transfers between funds 11 NET INCOMING RESOURCES/(OUTGOING RESOURCES) BEFORE OTHER RECOGNISED GAINS & LOSSES Gains/(losses) on investment assets: 6(b) on revaluation NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS BALANCES BROUGHT FORWARD 1st JANUARY BALANCES CARRIED FORWARD 31st DECEMBER	General Designated £ 95,830 16,021 67,579 5,818 4,882 49 10,871 604 179,162 22,492 161,886 58,877 47,595 2,267 1,129 (35) 600 - 211,210 61,109 (32,048) (38,617) - (335) (32,048) (38,952) - 11,554 (32,048) (27,398) 41,186 104,099 9,138 76,701 Unrestricted Funds	General Designated £ 95,830 16,021 67,579 5,818 4,882 49 10,871 604 179,162 22,492 161,886 58,877 47,595 2,267 1,129 (35) 600 - 211,210 61,109 (32,048) (38,617) - (335) (32,048) (38,952) - 11,554 (32,048) (27,398) 41,186 104,099 9,138 76,701 Unrestricted Funds	Restricted Funds £ 126,496 2,468 9,380 9,660	Endowment Funds 2022 2021 £ £ £ - 238,347 239,590 - 75,865 57,963 - 14,311 16,623 - 21,135 14,311 - 349,658 328,487 - 433,096 343,435 - 50,533 40,196 - 1,397 2,687 - 600 540 - 485,626 386,858 - (135,968) (58,371) - - - - (135,968) (58,371) (9,384) (35,352) 5,747 (9,384) (171,320) (52,624) 69,727 596,423 649,047 60,343 425,103 596,423 TOTAL FUNDS
	179,162	**22,492 **	148,004	-
	161,886 47,595 1,129 600	58,877 2,267 (35) -	212,333 671 303 -	- - - -
	211,210	61,109	213,307	-
	(32,048) - (32,048) -	(38,617) (335) (38,952) 11,554	(65,303) 335 (64,968) (37,522)	- - - (9,384)
	(32,048) 41,186	(27,398) 104,099	(102,490) 381,411	(9,384) 69,727
	**9,138 **	76,701	278,921	60,343

The notes on pages 47 to 56 form part of these accounts

45

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF sr WULFRAM, GRAwfHAM BALANCE SHEET As at 3iSt DeCeME￿ 2022 Notes FIXED ASSETS Tangible a&sets Investments a) flb) 4,134 388,878 393.012 5.973 8h,286 494359 CURRENf ASSErs Debtors Short terni de[￿lts & cash at èAnk and in hand 61,636 52,3(4 75.172 152.977 LIABILITIFS CreditO￿- amounts falEiDg due in one year 43.081 4&&3 NET CURRENT ASSErs 34091 104164 TOTAL NET AssErs 596, PARISH FUNrxs Unrestricted General Fund Designated Funds 9.138 76,701 85,839 41,186 io 145,285 Rethtricted io Z7&921 fA>a43 3&AII 69,7r/ io ,io 96 Approval by the Par{￿bla1 Chureh Couneil on wd AprAI 2023 and on its behalf by Father Stuart Cradduek (PCC Chairnian) The ￿￿¢$£*) Pa8e$47 1056 f(rm part ¢4the32accouuts 46

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2022

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.

47

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2022

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”.

48

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2022

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 Performances at Church 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 £ £ 44,362 11,090 5,056 9,094 3,104 10,646 6,601 12,633 5,220 2,890 155 1,000 95,830 16,021 3,755 41 6,443 3,465 1,340 895 3,047 22,190 - 10,374 16,891 975 1,669 2,312 67,579 5,818 4,766 (151) 116 200 4,882 49 235 5,125 604 5,511 - 10,871 604 179,162 22,492 Unrestricted Funds	Restricted Funds £ 1,200 300 113,112 3,418 7,805 661 126,496 220 1,720 64 464 2,468 1,305 8,075 9,380 7,703 1,957 - 9,660 148,004	Endowment Funds £ - - - - - -	2022 2021 £ £ 45,562 48,175 11,390 12,044 5,056 6,442 9,094 6,143 126,862 126,352 3,418 - 6,601 5,629 25,658 21,927 3,706 4,009 1,000 8,869 238,347 239,590 3,796 2,116 9,908 7,897 1,560 855 895 923 3,047 2,455 22,190 - - 2,032 10,374 18,751 16,891 13,994 1,720 899 975 - 64 181 4,445 7,860 75,865 57,963 5,920 5,938 8,391 10,685 14,311 16,623 235 302 7,703 3,314 7,686 6,656 5,511 4,039 - - 21,135 14,311 349,658 328,487 TOTAL FUNDS

49

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2022

3 RESOURCES EXPENDED General Designated £ £ 3(a) Church activities Missionary and charitable giving (note 13) 3,675 738 Ministry Diocesan parish share 36,748 Other ministry costs 9,773 Church/Grantham House running & maintenance Heating, lighting & water 22,158 7,704 Insurance 8,011 3,750 Rates (686) Maintenance and other costs 5,055 6,898 Upkeep of services 6,011 282 Music & choir 31,146 Choir Trips Children and young people 1,516 Printing, stationery & other office costs 8,319 6,318 Trigge Library - Parish magazine costs 489 Legal & professional fees 323 Bank charges 721 Training & Development 949 198 Festival of Angels project costs (part grant funded) - Other sundry expenses 3,138 5,455 Other church activities costs 831 3,681 Wulfram Centre for Wholeness & Wellbeing activities - 80 Administration and support costs 23,023 24,459 161,886 58,877 3(b) Fund-raising costs Coffee Shop 1,167 101 Sales Unit stock 111 Events Bar 1,323 Vintage Festival 21,435 Gaia (Metanoia) Climate Festival - Beer Festival 12,730 Christmas Tree Festival 9,105 Performances at Church 141 Choir Trips - Other fund-raising 1,583 2,166 47,595 2,267 3(c) Investment management costs Investment property insurance and repairs 555 (17) Investment property management fees 574 (18) ~~1,129~~ ~~(35)~~ 3(d) Governance costs 600 - TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 211,210 61,109 Unrestricted Funds	Restricted Funds £ 1,583 7,771 8,011 111,415 1,875 6,608 13,271 30,408 4,121 151 1,328 3,372 22,419 212,333 209 7 455 671 149 154 ~~303~~ - 213,307	Endowment Funds £ - - ~~-~~ - -	2022 2021 £ £ 5,996 5,129 36,748 37,029 9,773 6,955 37,633 22,716 19,772 18,330 (686) 3,161 123,368 82,549 8,168 6,815 37,754 30,715 13,271 4,573 31,924 10,331 14,637 12,024 - 2,193 489 2 4,444 6,345 721 (4,455) 1,147 1,519 - 26,976 8,744 18,433 5,840 3,870 3,452 1,372 69,901 46,853 433,096 343,435 1,477 576 111 167 1,323 831 21,435 - - 6,353 12,730 13,468 9,105 8,065 141 - 7 - 4,204 10,736 50,533 40,196 687 1,975 710 712 ~~1,397~~ ~~2,687~~ 600 540 485,626 386,858 TOTAL FUNDS

50

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2022

4 STAFF COSTS & EXPENSE PAYMENTS 4(a) Staff costs Wages and salaries: Gross pay Employer's NI and Pension Contributions	2022 2021 £ £ 127,252 76,227 11,833 4,638 139,085 80,865

The full-time equivalent number of staff was 5.0 (2021 - 3.1) 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:

1. the Defined Benefits Scheme

2. the Pension Builder Scheme, which has two subsections;

3. a. , a deferred annuity section known as Pension Builder Classic, and,

4. 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 Statement of Financial Activities in the year are the contributions payable (2022: £5,492; 2021: £3,173).

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 10.1%, following improvements in the funding postion over 2022. 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.

51

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2022

4(b) Payments to PCC members

3 members of the PCC were reimbursed a total of £5,645 expenses in relation to their work at St Wulfram's that was unrelated to their additional duties as PCC members. These were for travel/mileage (£4,307), phone costs (£680), meals/subsistence (£308) & other charitable expenses (£350). A small immaterial portion of the expenses paid to the Rector may have related to his services as chairman of the PCC.

AF Electrical Installations was paid a total of £7,860 during 2022 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.

Life In Action Ltd, of which Jason Bloomfield is a director, was paid £315 for counselling services in 2022.

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

NET INCOMING RESOURCES FOR THE YEAR

5

2022 Net incoming resources for the year are after charging: £ 1,839 600 FIXED ASSETS a) Tangible assets Gardening Office Equipment Photocopier £ £ Cost or deemed cost At 1st January 2022 1,950 3,990 Additions - - Disposals - - At 31st December 2022 1,950 3,990 Depreciation At 1st January 2022 1,008 3,990 Charge for the year 390 - Disposals - - At 31st December 2022 1,398 3,990 Net book value At 31st December 2022 552 - At 31st December 2021 942 - Depreciation of computers & gardening equipment (lawnmowers) Independent Examination of the Annual Report & Financial Statements GENERAL FUNDS

2021 £ 1,839 540 DESIGNATED TOTAL FUNDS FUNDS Office Computers £ £ 7,245 13,185 - - - - 7,245 13,185 2,214 7,212 1,449 1,839 - - 3,663 9,051 3,582 4,134 5,031 5,973

6 FIXED ASSETS

52

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2022

6 b) Investments Market value 1 January 2022 Additions Disposals Revaluation (loss)/gain At 31 December 2022* Historic cost as at 31st December 2022	Investment property £ 141,465 - - 7,427 148,892 68,768	Investment Total securities investments £ £ 344,821 486,286 965 965 (63,021) (63,021) (42,779) (35,352) 239,986 **388,878 **

*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 2021 to Q4 2022.

The market value at 31st December 2022 represents investments for:

General funds Designated funds Restricted funds Endowment funds	£ 9,138 80,124 59,630 - 148,892 Investment property	Total investments £ £ - 9,138 - 80,124 179,643 239,273 60,343 60,343 239,986 388,878 Investment securities

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 £80,124. 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	2022 2021 £ £ 9,154 5,487 - 591 9,578 6,706 42,904 39,585 61,636 52,369 2022 2021 £ £ 80 20,080 13,456 80,528 - - 13,536 100,608

53

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2022

9 LIABILITIES Amounts falling due in one year Accruals for utility costs Accruals for other costs Deferred income Grantham Ark (Registered Charity No. 1190668)*	2022 2021 £ £ 6,628 5,131 24,815 27,486 8,536 13,462 3,102 2,734 43,081 48,813

*Deferred income includes Parish Magazine income relating to 2023 (£104), monies held for future choir trips (£5,836), advance income relating to cancelled events (£1,570) & Employment Allowance 2022/3 received (£1,026) to be allocated against the Jan.-Mar. 2o23 period. 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	2022 2021 £ £ 13,462 12,662 4,523 2,805 (9,449) (2,005) 8,536 13,462

**St Wulfram's Church still occasionally receives income on behalf of Grantham Ark, which is registered with The Charity Commission (number 1190668). This is largely due to difficulty the charity has been experiencing in operating a bank account. Below is a brief summary of income and expenditure for 2021 & 2022, 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 Leaflets re. SleepOut 2021 Payments made to Grantham Ark Balance as at 31st December	£ - 3,622 (11) 2022	£ £ £ 2,734 12,499 500 2,734 3,622 3,234 - (11) - (3,243) (12,999) 3,102 2,734 2021

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

Office Equipment (photocopier)	< 1yr 850	1-5 yrs > 5 yrs 2,088 -

54

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2022

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 Cathedral Music Trust & Transformation Fund Music Chained (Trigge) library [Books] Chained (Trigge) library [All Purposes] Choir Fund Clarkes Charity 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 Shine Lincolnshire grant - Singing For All Shine Lincolnshire grant - Soup Lunch South Porch & Garden of Remembrance Strategic Development Funding (SDF) / LDT&BoF 5050 booklet appeal A Pinchbeck fund AG Hardy fund books for lay readers Book of Remembrance Cathedral Music Trust & Transform ation Fund Music grants Chained (Trigge) library Choir Fund Clarkes Charity Downton bequest Fabric fund Festiv al of Angels 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 grants (ex. Singing For All) Shine Lincolnshire grant - Singing For All South Porch & Garden of Remembrance Strategic Dev elopment Funding (SDF)	As at 1st Jan 22 £ 4,531 23,745 7,547 (4,421) 72,697 104,099 Collections at funer Accumulated inco Rev aluation reserv As at 1st Jan 22 £ 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 Funds for the colou Income to be applie Income to be applie Donation from the Grants from CMT a Book restoration an Income from collec Beautify ing the ch Rector & churchwa Income from beque SKDC grant - Gran Purchase of flowers Income from endow Capital for religiou Discretionary fund Saturday Morning Vestments for serv Grantham House g Grantham House w Shine Lincolnshire Donations for upke Strategic Dev elopm	Incoming Resources £ - - 6,901 17,126 - 24,027 al serv ices for the be me from restricted in e for the inv estment Incoming Resources £ - - - - 42,287 610 19,640 - - 35,625 - 1,926 - - - - - - 9 6,584 608 - 48,633 155,922 r guide to the church d for use by the serv e d to reader ministry . Machine Gun Corp fo nd Lincoln Diocesan d upkeep of Trigge L tions at music recital urch. rdens discretionary sts, legacies and othe tham High Street He funded by donations ment for St.Wulfram s, charitable & educa for distribution to po music and other don ers and clergy . ardener (£1 5k), G.H. ellbeing classes & so Managed Care Netw ep of the South Porch ent Funding from Li	Resources Expended £ - (3,945) (7,637) (51,146) - (62,728) nefit of St Wulfram de come fund of same na property at 8 Ly tham Resources Expended £ - - - - (1,172) (3,851) (579) (20,509) - - (128,678) - (1,892) (500) - - - (16) (17,084) (3,806) (3,583) - - (48,633) (230,303) . rs. r preserv ation of the Trust & Board of Fina ibrary funded by dona s, grants, sales of CDs fund. r donations for preser ritage Action Zone - C for the purpose. 's Music for Choral Sc tional purposes in par or. ations to meet the run utilities (£3k), garde me G.H. salary costs. ork (MCN) Wav e 1 2 g and Garden of Remem ncoln Diocesan Trust	Investment Gains/(Losses) £ (522) 965 - 3,768 7,427 11,638 signated for use to purcha me, plus interest. Close. Investment Gains/(Losses) £ (138) (221) (227) (37) - - (150) (328) (33) (1,399) (22,708) - (225) 662 (3,192) (289) (14) (118) - - - (27) - (28,444) Book of Remembrance. nce for 2 y ears Assistant D tions for the purpose. and donations for choir an v ation of the church fabri ultural Consortium Progr holarships. ish. Income to designated ning costs of the organ an n tools/seeds (£1 k) & G.H. Also Soup Lunch grant cov rant for Wulfram Centre f brance. & Board of Finance.	Transfers £ - (6,076) - 5,741 - (335) se fixtures, fittings Transfers £ - - - - - - - - - - - 6,076 - - - - - - - (5,741) - - 335 irector of Music sala d music expenditur c. amme. fund of same name. d expenses of v isitin rates. ering meal prov isio or Wholeness & Well	As at 31st Dec 22 £ 4,009 14,689 6,811 (28,932) 80,124 76,701 and other items 'in memoriam'. As at 31st Dec 22 £ 1,062 1,962 2,461 279 41,115 - 1,145 2,516 968 10,747 178,279 - 1,730 1,044 24,046 3,907 111 905 2,824 - 3,001 608 211 - 278,921 ry costs, plus Vocal Coach. e. g organists. n costs, Dec. 2022 - Mar. 2023. bing: Singing for All.

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PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST WULFRAM, GRANTHAM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS As at 31st December 2022

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 22 Resources Expended Gains/(Losses) 31st Dec 22 £ £ £ £ £ £ 1,133 - - (161) - 972 3,086 - - (438) - 2,648 3,062 - - (435) - 2,627 149 - - (21) - 128 20,112 - - (2,357) - 17,755 30,198 - - (4,489) - 25,709 2,706 - - (384) - 2,322 8,564 - - (996) - 7,568 516 - - (74) - 442 201 - - (29) - 172 69,727 - - (9,384) - 60,343 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 income funds, £6,076 was transferred from the Harrowby Land fund to cover the unrecovered shortfall within the restricted income Festival of Angels fund existing at the beginning of the year. Within restricted income funds, £5,741 grant income from Shine Lincolnshire was transferred to the designated Development (Grantham House) fund to help cover Shine Lincolnshire activities expenditure at Grantham House.

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 The Philip Lank Trust Macmillan Samaritans Grantham Foodbank Vouchers for families via local schools	Fixed Assets £ 9,690 83,706 239,273 60,343 393,012 General £ 3,675 - - - - - - 3,675 Unrestrict	Current Assets £ 12,391 - 62,781 - 75,172 Designated £ - - - - - - - 38 700 738 ed Funds	Liabilities £ (12,943) (7,005) (23,133) - (43,081) Restricted Funds £ - 674 483 207 205 - 14 1,583	Total £ 9,138 76,701 278,921 60,343 425,103 Endowment Funds 2022 2021 £ £ £ - 3,675 3,875 - 674 169 - 483 96 - 207 62 - 205 - - - 249 - 14 78 38 - 700 600 - 5,996 5,129 TOTAL FUNDS

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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 2022, which are set out on pages 45 to 46.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with

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.

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 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.

21 April 2023

Chris Hubbard, FCA

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

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