2023-12-31-accounts

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Holy Trinity Church Formby Annual Report for 2023

20[th] May 2024

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, FORMBY – ANNUAL REPORT - 2023

I. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Postal address: Holy Trinity Church, Rosemary Lane, Formby, Liverpool L37 3HA. Email: [e-mail] | Website: www.holytrinityformby.com Official correspondence should be sent to the Church Office at the above address.

From the beginning of 2023, the following personnel have served as PCC members for the whole of the reporting period unless stated otherwise:

Vicar		Reverend Mark Stanford
Curate		Reverend Julie Butcher
Churchwardens		Mrs Jan Outram
		Mrs Jenny Hays
Deanery Synod Representatives Mrs Val Skinner – until Feb ‘23
		Mr John Paton (Reader) until Apr ‘23
		but remaining on PCC
		Ms Jenny Hays (Churchwarden) from Apr ‘23
		Ms Anne Hothersall from Apr ‘23
Other Members		Mrs Vicky Sime (Reader)
		Mr Duncan Wylie (Reader) – until Apr ‘23
		Mrs Vicky Higgins
		Mrs Margaret Paton
		Mr Brian Thorne (Reader) – from Apr ‘23
Other Ministers		Ms Sylvia Beardsell (Reader)
		Ms Sue Raby (Reader)
		Mrs Ruth Woodward (Reader)
Honorary Treasurer		Mr Phil Crow
Honorary PCC Secretary		Mr Peter Hitchcock
Bankers	Barclays Bank PLC, 265/267 Lord St, Southport PR8 1PD
	CAF Bank Ltd, 25, Kings Hill Ave, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent. ME19 4JQ
Accountant		Mr Phil Crow
Independent	Examiner	Ms Simone Meme (Sefton CVS)

Day-to-day management of the Church is exercised by the Vicar and the Churchwardens, who can be contacted via the Church Office: 01704 878913.

The Reverend Mark Stanford is Vicar of both Holy Trinity Church, Formby, and the Church of St Michael and All Angels, Altcar, which form a United Benefice. The Reverend Julie Butcher is Curate of Holy Trinity and of St. Michael’s also. She was Priested at Liverpool Cathedral on 10[th] June, 2023.

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HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, FORMBY – ANNUAL REPORT - 2023

II. STRUCTURE, MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE

A. General

Holy Trinity United Benefice incorporates Holy Trinity Church in Rosemary Lane and the Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Altcar. The 6 Readers listed in Part I, together with the 2 Churchwardens, form the Ministry Team.

Holy Trinity PCC is a body corporate and operates under the Parochial Church Council (Powers) Measure 1956. The PCC is registered with the Charity Commission, and all elected members of the PCC are registered as Trustees. Our Charity Number is 1131722.

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All church members are encouraged to register for the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. Elected PCC Members serve for a three-year term and one third are eligible to retire each year by rotation. The PCC is represented on the governing body of Trinity St Peter's Primary School and we aim to hold at least one meeting each year at the school.

The PCC operates with five committees and a number of officers and representatives as listed below (effective following the APCM of April 2023).

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Standing Committee Required by law to transact any business between PCC meetings
Vicar (Chair), two Churchwardens, Hon Treasurer, Hon Secretary, one
PCC representative
Fabric Committee (now Responsible for all buildings belonging to the Church
Incorp into Std Cttee) Vicar, two Churchwardens, Hon Treasurer
Finance Committee Responsible for budgets and control of finances
Vicar (Chair), Hon Treasurer, two Churchwardens, Ann Urmston (Parish
Giving Officer), one PCC representative
Parish Hall Committee Runs and maintains the Parish Hall
Accountable to Fabric Cttee Philip Eastwood (Chair), Ann Urmston (Treasurer)
Workshop Committee Runs and maintains the Workshop
Accountable to Fabric Maggie Flodman (Chair), Jan Outram (Treasurer), Alison Stennet
Committee
Churches Together Vicar, Helen Davies
Stewardship Officer Ann Urmston
Health & Safety Officers Vicky Sime, Jenny Hays supported by Jan Outram - Churchwarden
Safeguarding Officer Phil Eastwood
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Minutes of each PCC meeting are available for inspection in the church office after they have been approved at the preceding meeting.

A Note and Tribute must be made here to Mrs Jean Raybould who passed away suddenly on 12 Sep 23. She had been a loyal and trusting servant of Holy Trinity for much of her life and was Hon. Secretary of the PCC for 7 years – 2014-2021. Jean was a true Christian and her dedication, thoroughness, friendly personality and a willingness to help others before herself was her trademark and she will be

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HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, FORMBY – ANNUAL REPORT - 2023

remembered by her legion of friends in the community for many years to come. A Service of Thanksgiving was held at Holy Trinity with a Memorial Service on 27 Sep.

B. Risk Assessment

The PCC ensures that health and safety legislation is complied with. Procedures are in place for recording accidents. Lists of first-aiders are kept at Rosemary Lane. All assets are insured; cover is reviewed annually and approved by the PCC. During the year, no accidents were recorded and there was no cause to employ any legal adviser on behalf of the PCC. [See also para D, below].

C. Safeguarding Our Safeguarding policy continues to be displayed in the Church and its implementation is overseen by the PCC. The safeguarding Officer is Mr. Philip Eastwood who is also the Children’s advocate. The PCC and officers continue to ensure that every person working with children and/or vulnerable adults has a current DBS check. The Policy is reviewed annually and was updated in Jan 2024; only one small incident was brought to the attention of the relevant officers during 2023 and this was promptly dealt with internally.

D. Health & Safety

Following a complete H&S review last year, Vicky Sime (officer i/c) supported by both Wardens, the Parish Hall officer and Mr. Stephen Griffiths, undertook a comprehensive review of risk and H&S factors in both the main church building and the Parish Hall as well the Workshop during 2023. All fire exits were assessed for functionality and conformity to regulations; any chemical fluids used for cleaning, surplus to requirements, were disposed of with the remaining items kept under lock and key and clearly marked. In the interests of minimising any fire risk, work is on-going to reduce the amount of equipment stored in the Parish Hall. Daily monitoring is automatically undertaken by the Churchwardens.

E. Serious Incidents

The PCC is unaware of any serious incident during the year which resulted or could have resulted in a significant loss of funds or a significant risk to the charity’s property, work, beneficiaries or reputation. The PCC minutes for the year stand as a record that no such serious incident has occurred.

III. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The Parochial Church Council (Powers) Measure 1956 states that the PCC ‘is to cooperate with the minister in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social, and ecumenical’. When planning activities for the year, the PCC gives consideration to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance to charities concerned with the advancement of religion.

Our vision is that we may be living proof of Jesus Christ and lead others to believe in Him, offering worship and a welcome with God’s love as central in the heart of Formby. We are a church wanting to draw out a living faith in people of all ages, working as partners to this aim with the other churches in Formby. Our objectives below are testament to our efforts to draw more people into our growing Church.

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HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, FORMBY – ANNUAL REPORT - 2023

Fit for Mission. The first of at least 5 major HT objectives in 2023 was the continuation of Archbishop’s Pete’s aims of last year; namely, introducing people to Jesus; developing/growing Christian leaders, deepening discipleship, and, working for justice. Although our Deanery has been earmarked for Phase 3 of this undertaking, (2025 involvement), the Vicar is, and always has been, keen for HT to embark on this objective and ‘get ahead of the game’, so to speak. An excellent example of this, mentioned in the last report, was the Alpha course held in Nov 22. Also, this year, Mark introduced to parishioners Robin Gamble’s book ‘Jesus 100’ whereby everyone possible was urged to read 5 chapters per week which he reinforced by relevant explanations during Sunday services. Over 60 books were sold and the word is spreading. The Vicar is very passionate that, at HT, we keep spreading the word and inviting and encouraging people to learn a bit more about the Church, the Word and exuding friendship; hence, the coffee mornings held in both the Church and the Workshop with the overarching ambience of a ‘Welcome In’ to the community.

Leading your Church into Growth (LyCiG). A major objective which manifested itself in 2023 was LyCiG – a 2 year process in which the United Benefice Church Councils agreed to participate and engage. It is a process which invites and potentially involves all parishioners and has, within it, 6 aims which are well known and do not need repeating here. But, our end objective is to pray and work towards Growth within our own church community and to ensure our Joint Benefice is an inviting and welcoming body. A National initiative in itself, the local devolution is to the Diocese Parish Development Minister, the Reverand Neil Short, Vicar of St. Michael’s, Blundellsands, and Mark invited him to a HT PCC meeting on 10 July to explain the concept to members and how it would work including the timescales of future progress meetings. The next stage involved Mark, our Vicar, Jenny Hays and Vicky Sime (Churchwarden and Reader respectively and both PCC members) and Sue Taylor from St. Michael’s and All Angels, Altcar, attending a 3-day LyCiG conference in Derbyshire in Nov 23 as an instruction and grounding of what to strive for in our Parish over the next 2 years and to effect the missions aims. Then, at a joint PCC in Dec, Vicky gave a 2-way presentation concentrating on Church Growth. The ongoing intent is to hold these joint meetings 2-monthly to focus on specific aims and carry them forward. Mark is also forming a smaller working group to help in this task. The Curate has already attended this course before the pandemic so has been able to offer considerable advice and valuable ‘steers’.

Network of Kindness. In May, the Curate introduced parishioners to the ‘Network of Kindness’ initiative which essentially examines what churches are able to offer in terms of projects/events to make a difference to the community. She produced a chart of deanery church activities to identify any areas of gap or overlap. The ‘cuppa and a chat’, the prayer evenings and the ‘Loft’ (men’s gathering) are examples of trying to unite, uplift and help the local community.

Eco Church. Mid-year, Julie also took up the reins from our previous Curate of the Eco Church objective. Already, some of the youngsters in Pizza Eaters and the Scouts/Guides are involved and Julie has capitalised on their enthusiasm in creating a more environmentally friendly church surrounds such as: bee-attracting wild flowers, bird/bat/hedgehog boxes, bug hotels. Some of these ideas are now in place so thinking is expanding to helping with beach clean-ups and utilising more Fairtrade commodities and starting bird-watching census days. It is an evolving mission.

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HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, FORMBY – ANNUAL REPORT - 2023

Supporting Tanzania (UK) Trust. For some years now, initially through the work of Laura Neilson, a former HT parishioner, HT has supported the Tanzania Trust in their vision of strengthening support for the Capital Christian Centre Church in Dodoma and introducing more followers into the faith, encouraging the Tazama na Tunza Health centre in best practice and, very importantly, assisting both financially and physically in a new build Health Centre at Nduli. In the last year, the latter task has gone from a field to a well-built outer structure already. Accordingly in March, Mark flew out to the area with some members of the (UK)Trust to see the work for himself and assist in whatever way he could while he was there. He also briefed the Benefice before he went refreshing everyone on this Charity work and its future aims. He started a fundraising campaign to not only support the health centre build but also raise funds for our own Parish hall boiler system which needed upgrading. As ever, support was instant and overwhelming and, in Dec 23, the HT Treasurer was able to send £6961 to the Tanzania (UK) Trust and a further £11,311 towards the boiler replacement.

Other Activities.

• a. King Charles III Coronation. The new Monarch’s Coronation, of course, was a major National event into which HT wholly immersed itself. On Fri 5[th] May, 2 vigils of prayer and readings were held at St. Maichael’s and All Angels followed by one at HT. On Sunday 7[th] , services were held at both churches and an additional Parade Service held in the afternoon at HT. Also, that same morning, HT put on a special monthly ‘breakfast’ for churchgoers in the Parish Hall offering celebratory “bubbly” and croissants in addition to the usual cooked meal.

• b. Sweet Friday’s. Throughout the year, Sam Stanford, the vicar’s wife, has organised a series of social gatherings for the ‘women of the community’ to gettogether for fun, friendship and cake. Five events were held in 2023 providing a relaxing, social union amongst friends, old and new.

• c. Burn’s and Trafalgar Nights. Two dinners were held in the Parish Hall organised by the Vicar and Sam: Burn’s Night on 20 Jan – with Piper - and Trafalgar Night on 20 Oct. The organisers did all the arranging and cooking and both occasions were extremely enjoyable and unifying.

• d. Musical Events. By request, several musical events were held during the year in the Church which helps bring the wider community into HT. Both the Liverpool Male Voice Choir and Formby Choral Society sang again as did the ‘Pearl of Africa’ gospel choir (Ubuntu) in concert with Formby High School. In the Summer, a 9-year old pianist played a concert in aid of Sudan, for charity. The events possibly plant seeds of thought in folk about visiting again on a more regular basis.

IV. ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

A. Number on the Electoral Roll and Sunday Attendance

i. Electoral Roll

The number on the electoral roll as at the APCM in 2023 was 159 (162 in 2022).

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HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, FORMBY – ANNUAL REPORT - 2023

ii. Sunday Attendance

The average service attendance was as follows: 8.30am Holy Communion - 32 adults + 2 children (28 adults in 2022) 10.00am Family Worship – 21 adults + 5 children (17 + 5 in 2022) 11.15am Morning Worship - 44 adults (34 in 2022)

B. Pastoral Care and Service to our Community

Below are reports on some of the activities through which we exercise our mission in the church and in our local community.

Bible Study Groups

Pizza Eaters continues to meet once a month, usually on the first Wednesday, 6.30 to 8pm and have 11 regular members. We have been creative, using our talents to decorate the windows of the Church, according to the seasons. We have taken on some ecological ideas, such as composting and wormery, for the Church grounds. We have taken part in several services, and some of the young people are proficient at ‘manning’ the sound and power point desk. This year, many of our members started their GCSE year, and we have been praying for them to be able to cope and not be too stressed. We continue to try to have fun and friendship, supporting each other and above all, drawing closer to Jesus.

The Bible Study Group who meet fortnightly on Tuesday afternoons, at Elisabeth’s house, have been studying: firstly the end of the book Jesus 100, then Colossians, then Joel. We are a very small group and would be delighted if other people would like to join us.

The Bible Study Group who meet 3 weekly on Sunday evenings, at various homes, have been following the different sermon series subjects throughout the year. We are another small group, many people unable to attend because of work and family commitments. But we still keep in contact and give prayer and support when problems arise.

The Prayer Group who meet on Thursday evenings at 7pm to 8pm, were given the name Prayer Club by a relative of one of the attendees, which has stuck. During the winter months we met in each other’s homes, but mainly we meet in the Prayer room. We pray for whatever is needed that week, nationally, internationally, locally, or simply church matters. All are very welcome to just drop in, and stay as long as they like. Sylvia Beardsell

For more info about any of these, please ring Sylvia on 07872 314103

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HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, FORMBY – ANNUAL REPORT - 2023

Little Tiddlers/Toddler Group We have pleasure in submitting our report on the Toddler Group during 2023. It is pleasing to note that we still attract a large number of children, parents, grandparents and carers to our Monday morning meetings. We provided a Christmas party for 51 children which again included a visit from Father Christmas. Once again, Caroline Collins has been providing crafts on a regular basis and also leading our Christmas Eve Toddler Service. Our year has taken the usual format with Easter, Harvest and Christmas being celebrated. Thanks are due to Sue Robertson who has kindly joined us and to Margaret and Simon Johnson and Sue Murray, our ace “packer-uppers”. Thanks are also due again to our band of Tea Ladies. Thank you, all of you. We could not manage to run the Group with the numbers we attract without you. On a very sad note, we were extremely upset to lose Jean Raybould. Jean was a great friend to us, both personally and to the Toddler Group. We miss you very much, Jean.

We have been pleased to do our bit as a kind of “outreach” for young Mums, grandparents etc of the community who can find it quite isolating looking after children on their own. Barbara Smith and Joyce O’Connell

Mothers’ Union As usual, the Mothers’ Union held a full programme of events during 2023 including our coffee morning in the Workshop and our strawberries and ‘bubbly’ afternoon in July. We had some very interesting speakers, covering a wide range of topics. As we have no official leader, we are working as a committee of 6 with the Vicar. This seems to be working out well. Sadly, we have lost some of our long standing members but we have been recently pleased to welcome some new members. Joyce O’Connell

Holy Trinity (4[th] Formby) Scouts The last year has seen a bounce back in numbers, the Scout Association Census in January saw us reporting a total of 49 young people, however that figure has grown since, with a waiting list for spaces in Beavers.

Our Adult numbers have remained quite stable but with an increase in the numbers on our Trustee board. For the third year in a row, we have a former Scout stay on as Leader as he turned 18, after helping with our Beaver section as a Young Leader. I have high hopes to repeat that again for the coming year too.

As reported last year, one of our younger Leaders did attend the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea as a member of the Support Team and yes, it was as wet as shown on the news.

Looking back across the year at all of the activities our Young People have been involved in it’s difficult to know where to start. All three sections have attended District and County events throughout the year and some of the activities they have tried have been sailing, bowling, shooting air rifles, throwing tomahawks, paddling dragon boats, with taster sessions of fencing and golf.

Our Scouts entered two Teams in the annual Great Escape competition at Tawd Vale, placing well in the overall standings with one team winning the Best Team Spirit award. We also fielded a Team in the Beavan Challenge, who again fared well.

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HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, FORMBY – ANNUAL REPORT - 2023

Cubs have entered Swimming, Athletics and Skills competitions, placing 4[th] in he District Pack of the Year. Beavers participated in many events too.

We also took a group of Cubs for a sleep-over at the Catalyst Museum in Widnes, whilst it may not sound like a good trip out for 8-10 year olds, it was actually a great trip. Sleeping in the viewing gallery at the top of the museum, with a 360 degree panorama was probably the highlight. The view being surprisingly picturesque considering its location.

Many of our Beavers came along for a visit to the Police Helicopter at the National Police Air Service base at Hawarden airport, where we were very well looked after. The Beavers also attended the Liverpool University Science Jamboree, where they spent the time experimenting and having fun.

Our Group Camp in late June at Tawd Vale was a success. Due to COVID, many of our Young People had not camped before, so the Leaders decided to set up on the Friday evening, for the Young People to arrive Saturday morning for a slow time day of pitching tents and introduction to camp duties and Scouting skills. And of course, it was on the Friday evening that it rained. It was wet, very very wet!

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Sefton North Scout District organised a Cub hike around the dunes and woods at Ainsdale, with 180 Cubs attending which produced some unusual photographs.

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HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, FORMBY – ANNUAL REPORT - 2023

The Scout Christmas Post was a success again this year, as was the fund-raising Tombola stall at the Christmas Light switch on. John Carr

Holy Trinity Guides and Brownies NTR Helen Gillon

Fell Walking Club 2023 was a challenging year for the club. We had good walks in the following venues: Ambleside, Llangollen, Grassington, Ingleton, Coniston, Sedbergh, Llanberis, Grasmere and Conwy. Unfortunately, the number of members on the coaches was below what we needed to break even. This resulted in a shortfall in our account. Fortunately, it was not necessary to draw on our reserves. We are addressing this issue with greater publicity and in raising the subs. We hope for more consistency in attendance during the coming year, Our festive Meal was again taken in the Parish Hall, it was a happy occasion catered for by Martin. This has been my first year as Chairman and I have a good team of Committee members to support me. We are a friendly group and welcome new members. Pat Guy

Parish Breakfast The tradition continued throughout 2023 with steady average attendances of about 33 parishioners on the 1st Sunday of each month. Two volunteer teams, under the respective helmsmenships of Steve Griffiths and myself, took turn and turn about each month to prepare, cook and serve the meals. Afterwards, some of the guests always help with the washing up! During the year, some 360 meals were served, the biggest turnout by far – over 60 - being for the special Coronation celebrations over the May 6/7[th] weekend. A special meal was laid on which included, over and above the usual trimmings, black pudding, croissants and Prosecco/OJ. The Parish Hall was suitably decorated with Union Flag bunting with table coverings and napkins to match. The monthly breakfasts will continue next year and, if any reader has an inclination to volunteer and join a team, please feel free to contact either Stephen Griffiths or Peter Hitchcock via the Church Office.

Peter Hitchcock

The Workshop In 2023, as in the previous 23 years at The Workshop, we have aimed to provide a safe and pleasant meeting place for both Holy Trinity and the wider community. Our regular groups, who hire the hall and provide us with the income to maintain the building, offer Yoga, Pilates, U3A, Conquest Art and Zest for Life. WOW is Holy Trinity’s own twice monthly Knit & Natter Group. In December we were able to transfer £1,000 to the PCC.

From Holy Trinity, throughout the year, we have our uniformed organisations using The Workshop and often its surrounding grounds. The Workshop was originally constructed for the use of those thriving youth groups and their dedicated and loyal leaders.

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HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, FORMBY – ANNUAL REPORT - 2023

Our biggest and most important outreach into the community is our Saturday Coffee Morning. Our aim is to provide a warm and friendly place for refreshments and where everyone in the community will feel welcome and included.

We encourage organisations from outside Holy Trinity to share the weekly Saturday Rota so that we can be open each and every Saturday during the year. In 2023 we had bookings from "Formby Squirrels”, The Walton Centre and Inner Wheel. From our own Church community we were hosted by Mothers Union, St Michael’s Church and our Scouts.

We are so grateful for the small band of very hardworking volunteers without whom we could not keep our Saturday Coffee Mornings going. We would welcome with wide open arms anyone who would like to join the teams.

We are extremely grateful to our lovely, friendly, regular customers who make it all worthwhile. Maggie Flodman

Parish Hall The Parish Hall has had another successful year during 2023. The Hall is a real asset and is now used practically constantly throughout the week by a wide range of different groups and is truly a part of the local community of Formby as well as the church. Karate, Formby Choral Society, Formby artists, British Legion, Scottish dancing, several line dancing groups and fitness classes are among some of the regular weekly bookings together with the popular monthly markets and many one off bookings for parties or social events.

As usual the Hall has been the centre of the churches social activities and outreach. Monday mornings see Mums and Toddlers meet and the monthly Parish Breakfasts are as popular as ever. During 2023 it has also been lovely to continue to welcome ‘Sweet Fridays’, the regular ladies evening hosted by Sam. A number of other church social events including the Burns Night supper have also been hosted in the hall.

Throughout 2023 we have continued to maintain and refurbish the hall so as to keep the overall fabric of the building, which is now well over 100 years old, in good order. Historically our largest challenge has always been the aging heating system which was extremely inefficient and very expensive to run. The boiler finally gave up, after many years’ service, in late winter and we were without heating for a number of months. However, following a fund-raising effort across church as well as some reserve funds held by the hall, a replacement boiler was able to be funded and this was fitted during the Autumn. We are already seeing savings in the heating bills for the hall as the new boiler is much more effective, efficient and reliable. We would like to thank all those who supported the boiler project whether financially or practically by being part of the working group put together to manage the works.

In summary, during 2023, the Parish Hall continued to be a well-used and valued asset for both community and church use and we are sure that the building will continue to be at the centre of Formby and church life during 2024. Future plans for the coming year include an upgrading to the electrics including the emergency lighting and the potential purchase of some new seating. Philip Eastwood

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HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, FORMBY – ANNUAL REPORT - 2023

V. CHURCHWARDENS’ REPORT INCLUDING FABRIC The Church Wardens again have had another busy and demanding year partly due to the need for another Deputy Church Warden and being particularly busy with events. Thank you to all who have helped and supported us throughout the year and taken up so many duties. This does ease the pressure.

There has been one major repair necessary to the fabric. A glass panel in the front porch canopy of the Church was damaged and had to be replaced. The work was completed as an insurance claim.

Minor work. The exit door at the North Side of the Church has been repaired. The bolt on the LH door was broken. A push bar has been fitted on both doors for easy exit and to make the door secure.

The 5-year legal electrical Inspection required by Ecclesiastical Insurance across the site commenced in the Autumn 23. This has now been completed in all buildings. All remedial work in Church, Workshop and Parish Hall has been done to required legal standards and certificated. The inspection took much longer than expected, particularly in the Church as there were many wires and extensions that were not connected or in some cases not earthed. These had to be tracked down from the fuse boxes to source and determined whether still required, sealed off if not and made legal if still in use. A long process. Certificates will now be issued.

The Health & Safety Officer supported by Church Wardens has been reviewing existing risk assessments and writing new ones where applicable. Fire Risk Assessments highlighted some issues in the Parish Hall that are being addressed. An initial inspection was carried out in July 23 with our Fire Safety Officer and Church Wardens plus Phil Eastwood. Several issues were raised, the major one being testing the fire alarm that wasn’t happening. The system was tested by an outside contractor and found to be in good working order. The system should be tested weekly, but this is proving to be difficult due to the high usage of the Parish Hall and the number of people available to do it. Fire doors were assessed for easy existing of the building.

Hatching to stop parking in front of the fire doors outside is required along with signage. A thorough assessment and removal of unwanted items from the stage area is needed. A team effort is required to achieve this. There is a query over existing fire doors as to whether they meet current fire regulations. Advice has been requested from the Diocese, and we are waiting for a response. Jenny Hays

VI. FINANCIAL REVIEW

The accounts for 2023 and the report of the Independent Examiner are set out in the enclosed Annex.

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HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, FORMBY – ANNUAL REPORT - 2023

VII. VICAR’S REPORT In 2023, we continued to shape our life around Diocesan Rule of Life: to pray, read, learn and tell, serve, give. In particular:

• Church members read Jesus 100 by Robin Gamble between Christmas and Easter which was accompanied by daily online devotionals on the Benefice YouTube channel and a sermon series. The engagement with this material was strong with over 60 members reading the book for themselves.

• In the Summer, we joined with the Bishop’s Bible Challenge to read the Book of Acts focussing on Paul’s missionary journeys in our preaching.

• Autumn saw a focus on Creation and the Environment in our worship as we utilised the “A Time for Creation” material recommended by the House of Bishops.

• To focus on stewardship, we followed this material with the Diocese material, Generous Harvest.

In the Autumn, both PCC’s committed to joining the Leading your Church into Growth programme, two members of Holy Trinity PCC accompanied the Vicar and we are now well into the process of delivering this across the church.

Other memorable highlights from the year included:

• Our inaugural Burn’s Night Supper

• Special services praying for and celebrating the coronation of King Charles III

•  Attending the cathedral to witness Julie’s ordination to the priesthood, this was followed by a memorable joint benefice service when we were joined byn guest preacher Rev. Dr. Cannon Michael Leydon, principal of Emmanuel Theological College.

• Trinity Sunday gift day which successfully raised significant funds to enable the replacement of the Parish Hall boiler and contribute to the building of a health centre in Nduli, Tanzania, following my mission trip in the Spring.

• The Trafalgar Night Supper.

As always, my thanks go to all those who work behind the scenes to make Holy Trinity such a vibrant place to belong, where increasingly everyone is Invited, Included and Important. Finally, I want to recognise the contributions to our parish Life of Bill Douglas, Ron Whitehead and Jean Raybould as we commend them to God with confidence.

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