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2025-12-31-accounts

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Peter and St Paul, Leominster.

Annual Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for 2025

Registered Charity No. 1131837

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Peter and St Paul, Leominster, Annual Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31st December 2025.

Administrative Information

The Priory Church of St Peter and St Paul is situated in Church Street Leominster. It is part of the Diocese of Hereford within the Church of England. The Parochial Church Council (PCC) correspondence address is Priory PCC, The Forbury Chapel, Church Street, Leominster, HR6 8NQ. The Priory web site is www.leominsterpriory.org.uk

The PCC is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2020 and is a Charity registered with the Charity Commission, registered no. 1131837.

PCC Trustees who have served from the 1 January 2025 until the date this report was approved are:

Chairman: Revd Guy Cole, Team Rector Church Wardens: Barbara Jones Clare Cathcart Secretary: Sue Jones (not a Trustee) Treasurer: Mark Simmons until 24/06/25, Sarah Gluyas from 24/06/25

Elected PCC Representatives on the Deanery Synod:

Helen Bricknell and Ceri Hibbert (Parish Safeguarding Officer).

Ex Officio:

Revd Matthew Burns, Revd Mark Long, Revd Fiona Honeysett, Revd William Talbot Ponsonby, Kathy Bland, David Bland (lay minsters), Wendy Coombey (General Synod).

Elected PCC Trustees:

Geoff Bricknell, Rupert Fairclough, Val Gates, Ceri Hibbert (Parish Safeguarding Officer), Richard Phillips, Bill Quelch (Lay Vice-Chair), Hilary Roberts, Ken Roberts, Sarah Gluyas. Coral Lemm (co-opted).

Elected PCC Representatives on the Joint Council of the Leominster Team Ministry:

Coral Lemm and Ceri Hibbert.

Paid part-time roles:

The PCC has six part-time roles. These are PCC Secretary, Director of Music, Licensed Lay Pioneer, Project Director, Project Manager and Social Media and Website Officer.

Bankers, legal and other advisers to the PCC .

Bank of Scotland, 38 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh Lloyds Bank, 9 Corn Square Leominster

CCLA Investment Management Ltd, Senator House, 85 Queen Victoria Street, London Independent Examiner: Severn Accounting, 1 Shaw Street, Worcester, WR1 3QQ Architect: Tim Radcliffe Associates, Cambrian House, Nantmawr, Oswestry Insurer: Trinitas Church Insurance Services, Blenheim House, 1-2 Bridge Street, Guildford.

Volunteers

Thank you to all the volunteers who work so hard to make the Priory a lively and vibrant community. The support of the retired clergy has been invaluable. Also all the members of the PCC, the Choir and the Bellringers for their valuable contribution to our ministry and for keeping the Priory running. In addition there are over 60 volunteers without whom the ministry of the parish couldn’t flourish.

Structure, governance and management

The appointment of PCC Trustees is set out in the Church Representation Rules. At the Priory all church members are encouraged to register on the electoral role and to stand for election to the PCC. The membership of the PCC consists of the Team Rector, churchwardens, and members of the congregation who are on the electoral roll of the Priory plus ex-officio.

The full PCC met thirteen times during the year with an average level of attendance of 80%. Given its wide responsibilities the PCC is responsible for a number of groups, each dealing with a particular aspect of parish life. These groups include Standing and Finance committee, Social and Fundraising, Fabric, Holiday Club and Priory Arts.

On the Joint Council of the Leominster Benefice all parishes within the Team are represented, with the Priory being represented by Coral Lemm and Ceri Hibbert. The Joint Council has responsibility for the Team Accounts and for the employment of staff working at the Team Office. The Joint Council also agrees how the costs of running the Team are shared between the parishes. It meets twice a year.

The major risks to which the PCC is exposed are identified by the PCC Trustees; this includes the monitoring of systems and procedures that have been established to manage those identified risks.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is about ensuring the safety of children, young people and vulnerable adults. At the PCC meeting in March 2025, the PCC voted to adopt the safeguarding policies as defined in Promoting a Safer Church. The Safeguarding Action lan was also approved. Ceri Hibbert was reappointed as Parish Safeguarding Officer. Key developments in 2025 were the take up of Safer Recruitment training by the PCC, and development of regular meetings of Safeguarding Officers throughout the Leominster Team for mutual support and sharing of best practice. Safeguarding is a standing item on the PCC agenda. We are working to ensure full compliance with the requirements. There are Safeguarding posters up in the Church, detailing the policy and giving contact details. If you yourself have been affected by a safeguarding issue or have concerns about someone within the Priory, please get in touch. With the Parish Safeguarding Officer.

Aim and purposes

The PCC Trustees have the responsibility to consult with the Team Rector on all matters of general concern and importance in the parish, most specifically the whole mission of the church, pastoral, ecumenical as well as deciding on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent.

Objectives and Activities

The primary object is the promotion of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England.

The PCC is committed to fulfilling this by enabling as many people as possible to worship at the Priory and to become part of our parish community. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish, working with the Rector to enable our services to involve the many groups that live within our parish. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament.

When planning our activities for the year, the Team Rector, the Team Clergy and the PCC Trustees consider the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. In particular we try to encourage and enable people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through:

In 2025 we furthered these objectives by:

The PCC meets monthly and has Finance, Church Fabric, Health and Safety, and Safeguarding as standing agenda items with other groups reporting on a cycle.

During 2025 work was begun on a risk register to monitor the identified risks. A comprehensive review of PCC policies was begun.

The PCC has vacancies and would welcome new members who would like to contribute to keeping the Priory a vibrant, developing Church, central to Leominster life.

Mission statistics

2025
Usual Sundayattendance 110
Worshippingcommunity 243
Communicants on Easter Dayand Easter Eve 141
Total attendance on Easter Dayand Easter Eve 180
Total attendance duringAdvent 1692
Total attendance at services for civic organisations and
schools		 2320
Number of communicants on Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day		 144
Total attendance on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 520
Number of Baptisms 9
Number of Marriages 3
Funerals in the Priory by clergy or at the Crematorium
includingburial of ashes and committals		 23 Priory
6 Crem

Plans for the future

Financial Review of 2025

The financial accounts of Leominster Priory report a total surplus of £170,960 for 2025 but, when one-off transactions are excluded, the underlying operational performance is a deficit of £22,053.

The sale of The Vergers House property raised net sale proceeds of £284,996. The PCC made the decision to realise the asset to fund improvements to the Priory.

The Priory Futures Project exploring the possible development of the Priory building has spanned two years, with broadly the grant funding received in 2024 and spent in 2025. It is helpful to exclude this restricted income and expenditure when reviewing the underlying financial position.

Regular planned giving through the Parish Giving Scheme and standing orders plus the gift aid claim totalled £61,843 which has gone down by 11% compared to last year. Unplanned giving including service collections, donations, legacies and fund raising events totalled £33,398 which has gone down by 19% compared to last year. Other income including fees, property rent, hire of the Priory and interest totalled £49,814 which has gone down by 19% compared to last year.

The PCC gives grateful thanks to all who have given money to the Priory. Of particular note is £1,726 raised by the shop and £12,259 raised from fund raising events. Thank you for all the hard work by volunteers to achieve this.

The overall picture is operational income has shrunk from £169,573 in 2024 by £24,518 (down 14%) to only £145,055 in 2025. A sobering and unsustainable position.

Total expenditure of £167,108 (excluding the Priory Futures Project) has reduced by 10% compared to last year in response to the ongoing financial deficits.

The largest single expense is the Parish Offer to the Diocese of £70,000 which has been reduced by the PCC by 13% compared to the previous year. Utility unit prices have reduced during 2025 and the expenditure of £13,847 has gone down by 29% compared to last year. Other expenditure items totalled £83,261 which has gone down by 4% compared to 2024.

Leominster Priory banks with Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Bank and CCLA Investment Management. Total cash funds were £583,830 including £210,057 restricted to a specific purpose. An important number is the value of unrestricted funds of £70,250 as at 31[st] December 2025 (excluding the sale proceeds of The Vergers House) which is a reduction of £46,606 compared to last year. While Leominster Priory continues to operate at a financial deficit, these unrestricted funds will continue to reduce.

Looking ahead to 2026, the PCC has set a financial budget anticipating planned giving will increase by 5% but also costs will increase with inflation. This forecasts a continuing deficit in 2026 of £24,500. It is a priority for the PCC to turnaround this financial situation as soon as possible.

Sarah Gluyas

Treasurer, PCC of Leominster Priory

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Investment Policy - It is PCC policy to invest our fund balances with the CBF Church of England Deposit Fund. This policy is reviewed annually.

Reserves Policy - It is PCC policy to maintain a balance on unrestricted funds which equates to approximately 6 months unrestricted payments, to cover day to day running requirements and emergency situations that may arise from time to time. The balance of £355,246 of unrestricted funds at the year-end exceeds this target.

Accounting Policy - The financial statements of the PCC have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting regulations 2006 and SORP 2015 using the receipts and payments basis.

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.

Fixed assets - The freehold land and buildings comprising 10 The Meadows in Leominster is included at a deemed cost being its cost on purchase. The PCC Trustees consider the freehold land and property to be worth considerably more than the net book value stated in the accounts.

Equipment used within the church premises is depreciated on a straight line basis over 4 years. Individual items of equipment with a purchase price of £1,000 or less are written off when the asset is acquired.

Investments are valued at market value.

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.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds which are set aside at the discretion of the PCC Trustees for specific purposes.

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 or unrestricted funds depending upon the purpose for which the endowment was established.

Unrestricted funds are general funds which can be used for PCC ordinary purposes.

Disclosure of payments to trustees:

During the year, the PCC paid trustee David Bland for mission pioneer services, and trustee Kathy Bland for mission pioneer & website & social media services, and trustee Rupert Fairclough for project director services. This was approved by the Board of Trustees in accordance with the charity’s governing documents.

Small expense claims are reimbursed but are not of a material value.

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT

To the Parochial Church Council of the Priory Church of St Peter and St Paul Leominster On the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2025

Respective responsibilities of trustees and the examiner

The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner’s statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent Examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

Signed A. Jaw Date 18 February 2026

A Jaw Severn Accounting, 1 Shaw Street, Shaw Mews, Worcester, WR1 3QQ Association of Accounting Technicians Association of Chartered Certified Accountants

PCC OF LEOMINSTER PRIORY

Statement of Financial Activities

For the period 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS

Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment Total funds Last year

Donations and legacies
Parish Giving Scheme
Standing Orders
Service Cash Collections
Contactless Giving
Gift Aid Recovered
Pillar Box
Donations
Legacies Received
Charity Collections
Income from charitable activities
Priory Arts
Funeral & wedding fees
Holiday Club
Fund Raising Events
Other trading activities
Bookshop Sales
Hire of Priory
Investments
Interest and dividends
Rented Property
Surplus on Sale of Assets
Other income
Grants
Priory Futures
Other Income
Income and Endowments Grand Total		 36,106
0
0
0
36,106
41,126
10,820
0
0
0
10,820
13,205
8,833
0
0
0
8,833
10,136
4,195
0
0
0
4,195
3,538
14,917
0
0
0
14,917
15,443
2,846
0
0
0
2,846
4,469
1,365
0
3,900
0
5,265
24,154
0
0
0
0
0
1,000
0
0
120
0
120
2,485
79,082
0
4,020
0
83,102
115,556
0
0
0
0
0
55,394
4,754
0
0
0
4,754
5,893
0
0
5,568
0
5,568
5,010
12,259
0
0
0
12,259
16,158
17,013
0
5,568
0
22,581
82,455
1,726
0
0
0
1,726
1,127
6,737
0
0
0
6,737
1,696
8,463
0
0
0
8,463
2,823
3,762
0
11,076
0
14,838
17,907
10,795
0
0
0
10,795
15,620
284,996
0
0
0
284,996
0
299,553
0
11,076
0
310,629
33,527
4,201
1,000
0
0
5,201
9,677
0
0
51,475
0
51,475
98,680
75
0
0
0
75
929
4,276
1,000
51,475
0
56,751
109,286
408,387
1,000
72,139
0
481,526
343,647

EXPENDITURE

Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment Total Funds Last year

Raising funds
Stock for Shop
Expenditure on charitable activities
Parish Offer to Diocese
Charity PCC Donations
Organists & Choir Expenses
Mission
Leominster Team Payments
Holiday Club Expenses
Organ Tuning & Repairs
Cleaning, Repairs & Maintenance
Church Insurances
Service Expenses
Church Flowers
Treasurer & Secretary Expenses
Printing Materials
Sundry Expenses & Membership Fees
Utilities
Use of Forbury
Priory Arts
Priory Futures
Other Projects Costs
Charity Collections Paid
Rented Property Expenses
Other expenditure
Losses on investment assets
Fund raising costs
Expenditure Grand Total
TOTAL SURPLUS/(DEFICIT )		 321
0
0
0		 321
242
321
0
0
0
70,000
0
0
0
1,109
0
0
0
10,301
0
1,000
0
8,754
0
7,365
0
18,932
0
0
0
0
0
5,250
0
1,265
0
0
0
4,496
0
1,517
0
5,947
0
0
0
1,254
0
0
0
656
0
132
0
2,333
0
0
0
2,173
0
0
0
2,166
0
0
0
13,847
0
0
0
726
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
143,458
0
318
0
0
0
0
0
1,609
0
3,729
0
0
0		 321
242
70,000
80,527
1,109
550
11,301
13,149
16,119
16,470
18,932
17,500
5,250
4,562
1,265
50,919
6,013
5,146
5,947
6,215
1,254
671
788
0
2,333
2,456
2,173
761
2,166
3,195
13,847
19,621
726
228
0
37,866
143,458
36,689
318
0
1,609
4,803
3,729
8,013
148,006
0
160,331
0
0
0
0
510
1,398
0
0
0		 308,337
309,341
510
0
1,398
1,563
1,398
0
0
510
149,725
0
160,331
510
258,662
1,000
(88,192)
(510)		 1,908
1,563
310,566
311,146

170,960
32,501
Transfers between funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward		 238,390
1,000
(67,920)
(510)
170,959
116,857
17,527
277,976
130,419
542,779
355,246
18,527
210,056
129,909
713,738

PCC OF LEOMINSTER PRIORY Statement of Assets & Liabilities

As at 31 December 2025

Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment Total funds Last year

Fixed Assets
Priory Property 0 0 0 102,090 102,090 102,090
Bateman Memorial Fund Endowment 0 0 0 27,819 27,819 28,329
0 0 0 129,909 129,909 130,419
Current Assets
Bank of Scotland 12,910 0 0 0 12,910 50,017
Bank of Scotland - Savings account 284,996 0 0 0 284,996 0
Bank of Scotland - Futures Project 0 0 2,077 0 2,077 73,789
CBF Legacy 13,972 0 0 0 13,972 13,238
CBF General Funds 41,885 0 0 0 41,885 52,387
CBF Fabric 0 0 136,085 0 136,085 130,627
CBF Young People 0 0 10,854 0 10,854 17,430
CBF Heating 0 0 32,454 0 32,454 31,048
CBF Projects:
- Projects general 0 0 8,456 0 8,456 7,801
- Flowers 0 0 0 0 0 92
- Leominster Asylum Seeks Support 0 0 740 0 740 2,229
- Priory Arts 0 18,527 0 0 18,527 17,527
CBF Music:
- Music Fund 0 0 7,432 0 7,432 6,993
- Bevington Organ 0 0 539 0 539 539
- Main Organ 0 0 3,025 0 3,025 0
Lloyds Bank Choir 1,483 0 0 0 1,483 1,214
Lloyds Bank Holiday Club 0 0 1,299 0 1,299 981
Bateman Memorial Fund Income Account 0 0 7,096 0 7,096 6,447
355,246 18,527 210,057 0 583,830 412,360
Liabilities 0 0 0 0 0 0
NET ASSET SURPLUS 355,246 18,527 210,057 129,909 713,739 542,779