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← The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Holy Trinity, Horfield, Bristol

2023-12-31-accounts

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Holy trinity

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With st. Andrew and st. Edmund Horfield parish church

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Snapshots

Annual parish report 2024

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Holy Trinity Church, Horfield

Diocese of Bristol

Creating connections through the inclusive Catholic tradition in worship, welcome, and service.

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CONTENTS

APCM 2024 Agenda – APCM 12[th] May 2024

APCM 2023 Minutes of the meetings held on 30[th] April 2023

Annual Report (Snapshots) : including reports from: (from page 13)

Rector

Churchwardens

Inclusivity Deanery Synod

Stewardship

Music

Welcome Project

Safeguarding

Young People’s Pastoral Ministry

Mothers’ Union

Bell Ringers

Decibell Handbell Ringers

Horfield Families Group

Horfield Theatre Company

Welly Pre-School

Manor Farm CIC – Horfield Strollers

Financial Statement, Annual Report and Accounts

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PARISH OF HOLY TRINITY WITH ST EDMUND, HORFIELD Annual Parochial Church Meeting

Sunday, 12[th] May 2024

A G E N D A

  1. Opening Prayer and Worship

  2. Attendance and Apologies

3. The Annual Meeting of Parishioners

4. The Annual Parochial Church Meeting

5. Rector’s Report

  1. Questions

  2. Any other business

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PARISH OF HOLY TRINITY WITH ST EDMUND, HORFIELD

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF PARISHIONERS

HELD ON SUNDAY, 30[TH] APRIL 2023

The Rector, Rev’d Canon David McGladdery (Chair) welcomed everyone to the meeting and opened the meeting with a prayer.

1. List of attendees and apologies – see Appendix 1

MEETING FOR ELECTION OF CHURCHWARDENS

2. Minutes of the Meeting held on 29[th] May 2022

The minutes were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

3. Election of Churchwardens

The meeting were reminded that Churchwardens were elected every year and could stand for three years plus three. Carolyn Larcey had decided to step down as Churchwarden having done three years. Fr David thanked her for all that she had done as Churchwarden over the years.

Jen Douglas proposed that Caroline Plaice be elected Churchwarden for a further term of office, this was seconded by Helen Hinksman and unanimously agreed. Caroline Plaice was duly elected Churchwarden.

Jen Douglas proposed that Nick Stephenson be elected Churchwarden and this was seconded by Garth Baker and unanimously agreed. Nick Stephenson was duly elected Churchwarden.

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PARISH OF HOLY TRINITY WITH ST EDMUND, HORFIELD

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING HELD ON SUNDAY, 30[TH] APRIL 2023

4. Minutes of the APCM held on 29[th] May 2022

The minutes of the APCM held on 29[th] May 2022, were agreed and signed as a correct record of the proceedings.

4.1 Matters arising from the 2022 APCM - there were no matters arising.

4.2 Report of the Electoral Roll Officer

Laura Bufton, the Electoral Roll Officer, reported on the 2023 revision of the Electoral Roll as follows :

Number of people on Electoral Roll at the APCM 2022 117 Number of names removed between then and April 2023 2 Number of names added between then and April 2023 6 Number of people on Electoral Roll at the APCM 2023 121

Fr David thanked Laura for her report.

4.3 To confirm the list of PCC Members

Fr David reported that owing to the Pandemic and disruption in routine when the APCM had been held in September 2020 and then we had to hold another APCM in April 2021, those PCC members who should be finishing this year had agreed to extend their membership for a further year.

Current membership of the PCC including their specific responsibilities are :

Chair : Rev’d Canon David McGladdery, SCP : Rector and Deanery Synod Caroline Plaice : Churchwarden, Safeguarding Officer, Deanery Synod Nick Stephenson : Churchwarden, Inclusivity, Diversity and Equality Christine Bufton : Treasurer Carolyn Larcey : PCC Secretary Laura Bufton (Senior Healthcare Assistant) : Safeguarding Administrator, Electoral Roll Administrator Phil Lewis : Community Links, Welcome Project Steering Group Helen Currie : Children and Families Garth Baker : Stewardship Recorder, Deanery Synod Catherine Murdock : Bell Tower Captain

Risk Assessment, Health and Safety Advisory Team : Karen Dunmall (First Aid Lead)

In addition it was noted that Grace Douglas was the Children’s Chapel Warden.

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4.4 To confirm the list of Deanery Synod Representatives

It was reported that Garth Baker and Caroline Plaice had agreed to continue to be representatives on the Deanery Synod.

4.5 To receive the reports of individuals and Church Groups (Snapshots)

Copies of Snapshots had been made available to all members of the congregation. Fr David said that that one or two reports might have missed the deadline for publication, including the Church School, but he said that since Christmas he now had a good liaison with the school.

The report was received as a record of Church life during 2022.

Christine Bufton reported on the Accounts which had been circulated in advance of the meeting, as follows :

Total balance at December 2022, the end of the accounting year, stood at £267,233. This is £42,106 less than last year. She said that this reflects the fact that we have been busy and proactive on a number of fronts which should be seen as positive. She highlighted a few areas of expenditure :

She added that there had been a considerable increase in both church hall rental and also rental on Rosling Road as the rent had been increased to a realistic market figure, and the Council have been continuing to pay rent for our Ukrainian guests.

She said that there was some work to do on the presentation of the accounts, and the categories activity is recorded under. An example of this is the reporting of salaries, which currently appears under two headings of Church Admin and Wages and Salaries.

Caroline Plaice answered a question that had been raised regarding unrestricted funds, restricted funds and endowment funds on the balance sheet. The total is shown as £267,232.79 on both page 34 (Activities) and 35 (Balance Sheet).

She said this was an anomaly of presentation because the charitable donations and dividend income were shown as restricted funds in the income statement (historical treatment). However, these items are sitting in the main bank account so get shown as unrestricted in the balance sheet. She said this had now been amended so the only thing that is showing as restricted this year is the Bell expenditure, which means the totals in the income statement now agree with the balance sheet notes as well. She

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said it had not changed any of the overall totals – just whether things are showing as restricted or not.

The Chairman said that it had been the intention to simplify the narrative for the accounts last year but this had not happened. It was hoped that by next time the accounts would be presented with a clearer narrative.

Karen Dunmall asked whether there would be any grants available for heating. It was reported that we had received a grant of £4,700 towards the Warm Welcome Initiative and some of this money would be used for the heating. It was noted that once the lighting was changed in church to LED this should reduce the energy bill.

The Chairman thanked Nick Stephenson for getting the grant application for the Warm Welcome Initiative.

Tony Hopton raised the question of charitable donations, not just for the Children’s Society which he collected for annually, but for other charities, where money was paid directly to a charity without going through the Church Charity Account.

Following discussion, it was agreed that Tony would present a separate report each year for the Children’s Society to be included within Snapshots.

The resolution to receive the 2022 accounts as published was proposed by Tony Hopton and seconded by Dennis Hughes and carried unanimously.

The Chairman thanked Christine for her report and all that she does as the Treasurer.

It was unanimously agreed to retain the services of J F Balshaw and Company as the Independent Examiner for a further year.

5. Rector’s Report

The meeting stood in silence to remember those parishioners and others who had passed away over the past year, including Mike Rees, Rita Plaice, Hilary and Brian Blancharde, Keith Taplin, Royston Grosvenor, Priest, Stephen Purvis, Priest.

Rector’s report, as included in Snapshots.

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. ( Romans 15: 5-7. )

The word “welcome” has become a familiar one at Holy Trinity over the last year – The Welcome Project ; a Warm Welcome ; Whoever you are; where ever you are from – you are welcome here . It has also featured in our prayers, in sermons and become a recognised part of the vocabulary of our gathered community here at Holy Trinity.

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The word “welcome” has its origins in Old English “wilcuma” – means “a person whose coming is pleasing” . “Wilcumian” (verb), comes from “wil” (desire, pleasure) + “cumin” (come). All of us are pleasing to God, who shows us how to be human in a Jesus kind of way. Jesus shows us how to love unconditionally, as God loves – without judgment, only with compassion. That means to welcome all – both friend and stranger alike. I believe, that we – the gathered community of Holy Trinity, Horfield - have tried our best to be welcoming throughout this past year. We have welcomed many new people to regular worship and activity in our church and welcomed many neighbours from our local community to work in partnership with us.

Our biggest welcome was to offer safe accommodation to our three Ukrainian friends, Ana, Natalia and Yulia seeking refuge from their native country torn apart by a brutal war imposed upon them. We in turn have been blessed to be welcomed into their friendship and trust – it is a gift and a privilege to have them living among us. The process of refurbishing the parish property in readiness to welcome them was a wonderful team effort and helped us to welcome members of our neighbourhood community, who joined in to help with the repairs, painting and furnishing of the house, which we renamed “Raphael”, which means God heals.

The next “welcome” to feature in our parish life is the “Welcome Project” – our initiative to refurbish and redevelop our parish hall to enable us to welcome all from our local community to a space in which to celebrate; to learn; to support and to enjoy. This means a radical redevelopment to make the property a fitting community resource which we can use to provide a welcome and support, especially for those in need. I wish to thank on your behalf our Welcome Project Steering Group, who have worked steadily and hard, this past year, to conduct community surveys; commission an architect well-experienced in community resourcing; and to prepare a business plan in readiness for grant-funding application. Please hold them in your prayers as we aim to be in a position to begin the building work in January, 2024. We have also been able to welcome a partnership with the John Frost Society to raise the profile of the Chartist leader who is buried with his wife and son in our churchyard. John Frost and his campaign for social and political justice inspires our own generation to support the vulnerable and those who have no voice to speak for themselves.

And then there was the “Warm Welcome” – an initiative to welcome any who wished, into our church as a warm and welcoming space, for free hot drinks, cakes and ‘phone-charging during the colder winter months. Our welcoming profile was raised as we featured on the local BBC news. The initiative was hosted by regular volunteers from our parish congregation, to whom I am most grateful. We did not set out to provide a large café kind of experience – simply an assurance that if needed our doors were open to anyone in need of company in a warm and hospitable space. It was a good opportunity to meet new people from our neighbourhood; to engage in pastoral and theological conversations and provide much needed supplies from our food pantry – another initiative which has been as well supported in donations as in providing food to those in need.

The Warm Welcome initiative and the Ukrainian part of the Welcome Project has helped us to focus our minds, prayerfully, on how we may join in with the work of God in Horfield, by offering what gifts we have to give, including our own selves for the serving of others. We have come to be aware of what offering “welcome” really means.

The gift of generous, unlimited welcome was best modelled for us by our dear friend and Assistant Priest, Mother Hilary Blancharde, who – along with Brian, her husband – was welcomed into eternal glory in August, 2022 (Brian followed four months later). We shall forever be indebted to them both for teaching us how to welcome all God’s people into the fold of our church community, whoever they were and from wherever they came. We miss both Hilary and Brian so

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very much, and yet we must be for ever grateful for the warmth, wisdom and love which they so willingly shared with all of us over the years.

As part of our ministry of welcome, we have held a Year of Outreach, where we have begun, or strengthened, our relationships with many local organisations, including our church school, nursing homes and hospitals, other churches and various charitable organisations and Bristol City Council (with our refugee project). Working together, by welcoming others on board, is a good way to achieve results. Jon Crow, our Director of Music continues to broaden our links musically with other choirs, musicians and singers, not only working with our small and very dedicated core choir for the Sunday Mass and holy days and festivals, but staging a variety of musical events during the year, which enables us to welcome our neighbours into our beautiful sacred space to enjoy wonderful live music of different kinds. Katy, our Tower Captain, has also been welcoming new bell-ringers this year. There is a waiting list to join her ringing tutorials on Wednesdays and Fridays. It is another way we have created relationships with the community through the gift of welcome. The quality of our ringing is excellent and our bells have featured on BBC Bristol.

Rob Brace has played a huge part in the welcoming ambience of Holy Trinity. He is on site for around twenty-five hours a week doing much needed maintenance and repairs work. Not only is the quality of his workmanship exceptionally high, so is the quality of his welcoming of all who pass by. We have made many new local friends because of Rob’s warmth and generosity. Having our own site manager has, also, saved us many thousands of pounds in call out and labour costs. Thank you, Rob and your team of Andrew and Olivia.

I would like to thank, on your behalf, our hard-working and gifted church wardens, Caroline and Carolyn; our PCC members, who with great wisdom and cheerfulness initiate, oversee and evaluate the work in making the vision and mission of Holy Trinity take shape. We are one of a very few churches to have established a PCC lead for Inclusion, Diversity and Equality. Nick Stephenson has been most helpful in guiding us to takes steps to ensure that as a church we really do welcome all, whoever they are and where ever they come from.

There were no items of any other business or questions.

Fr David welcomed and introduced Jenny Goss, the appointed Architect for the Welcome Project, and her husband, for their presentation for the Welcome Project.

Presentation by Jenny Goss

Jenny said that she had designed two local Church Halls in the area, Henleaze and Redland. Members of our Welcome Project had been to visit these halls. These developments were welcoming spaces, with reception areas, café areas, flexibility of meeting spaces being one of the key things using sliding partitions. She showed pictures of these developments.

In drawing up the initial plans for our new Hall she had taken the following requirements into account which had been key factors in the initial consultation with hall users :

Carbon neutral and ecologically and environmental friendly

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Kitchen facilities for small and large scale catering Welcoming and inviting, accessible to all Flexible spaces, small and large Landscaping and nature

She said that at the moment the hall was not a welcoming space, there were problems with heating, lighting and the roof leaks, the building needed a 21st century makeover. She said they had done a survey of the hall and surrounding garden and one of the key issues was all the different levels of the building.

She said that she had presented various proposals to the Steering Group. One option was looking at no extensions, another with some extensions and a third with bigger extensions. She said she had had a lot of feedback from the group and they were now taking forward a design concept which she explained as follows :

To build a new extension, round the back and sides of existing building, to include counselling rooms, new welcoming entrance, café type area, toilets including disabled, and disabled shower and a big new kitchen. She said she had a Kitchen design person already looking into this.

She said the proposals for the existing building would be to turn the office and store into one room bringing the floor level enabling walk through. The existing kitchen would be stripped out and turned into a store, remove stage and turn into a store – demountable staging could be stored there and brought out as required. All this she said would provide plenty of storage. The design proposed included demolishing the rooms at the back. The main hall would be sub-divided with sliding partitions to make two separate rooms. The new kitchen and toilets would be off the corridor and accessible to both halls.

The existing building would be refurbished to include new heating, lighting and

The existing building would be refurbished, with new heating, lighting and possibly a new insulated roof. The plan included turning external walls into internal walls, all exposed walls would be insulated and the whole building would be more sustainable.

Jenny concluded by saying that she felt the proposed design plan had ticked all our boxes, and would be very carbon neutral.

The question of planning consent was raised and Jenny said that it was early days and any application for planning could wait, adding that there was a current shortage of planning officers.

Fr David added that it is a Diocesan requirement to move towards carbon neutrality and we would be doing this with the redevelopment of the hall.

With regard to the telephone mast currently on the site, it was agreed that the appropriate firm would need to be consulted.

Father David thanked Jenny for her presentation. He said that the Steering Group were currently putting together the business plan which would be needed in order to apply for a grant. He said a lot of work was being undertaken by the Steering Group and they would be inviting more people with different areas of expertise as the project moved on. He thanked Jen Douglas for getting the grant application underway.

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As a final thank-you, Geoff Stock on behalf of the whole congregation, expressed his gratitude to the “Team” at Holy Trinity for steering the Church through a difficult year.

Fr David thanked all for their prayers, wisdom and support.

The meeting closed with the Grace.

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Appendix 1

Attendance at the APCM – 30[th] April 2023

Fr David McGladdery, Chair Caroline Plaice Carolyn Larcey Christine Bufton Julienne Trotman Nigel de Bray Nigel Moore Jen Douglas Grace Douglas Vera Seaman Celia Wells Karen Dunmall Judy Lee Bryan Plaister Garth Baker John Ware Helen Hinksman Eleanor Costeloe Nicky Stanton Jon Crow James Brown Nick Stephenson Dennis Hughes Christine Hopton Tony Hopton John White Mary White Robert O’Leary Jenny Goss Donald Wainwright Laura Bufton Alison Ellis Timothy Ellis Phil Lewis Jane Lewis

Apologies for absence received from : Fergus and Helen Currie, Gill Wilding

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THE RECTOR’S REPORT – APCM, 2024

Flourishing Like a Tree -

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. ( 2 Jeremiah, 17:7-8 )

Just like a tree by the water, thriving and green, this verse reminds us that putting our trust in the Lord leads to flourishing. When we anchor our lives in faith, we won't fear the heat of trials or the drought of difficult times. Our lives will bear fruit, reflecting the steadfastness of our trust in God. This image of a thriving tree teaches us the beauty of reliance on God, promising a life that overcomes challenges and blooms in every season.

That image of a flourishing tree is an appropriate one for us to describe the past year here at Holy Trinity, Horfield. Trees flourish when they can tap into life giving water. A church community flourishes when it taps into the life of the risen Christ through prayer, worship and engaging in God’s work of reaching out to all.

What are the signs of flourishing at Holy Trinity? What living water has enabled such flourishing?

Worship & Liturgy

The pattern of worship at Holy Trinity has settled since the upheaval of the Covid-19 virus. Sunday worship focuses on the Parish Mass at 10 am, which is celebrated with the richness of traditional dignity inherited from previous generations, giving glory to God and lifting hearts and minds in prayer and song to the Lord. I am grateful to Jon Crow, our Director of Music , for establishing three easy to sing Mass settings for our use during the liturgical year – the joyful Mass of St. Thomas by David Thorne throughout the year, apart from the Missa de Angelis (Mass of the Angels) in Advent and John Merbecke’s Missa per Arma Justitiae ( Mass Embracing Justice ). I wish to thank the loyal members of our small and committed choir who lead the singing of the Mass each Sunday and on festive occasions.

A wonderful innovation this past year has been the inclusion of volunteers from the wider congregation to form a larger choir for Christmas, Holy Week and Easter services. Not only did we have a larger choir for these highlights of the liturgical year, but in keeping with our pledge to encourage and nurture one another’s God-given gifts, we benefitted from the talent with we our church community is blessed. Similarly, our serving team has grown to embrace new volunteers, which help enhance and facilitate the beauty and flourishing of worship at Holy Trinity.

Another sign of flourishing is the growth of the weekday Masses. Numbers attending have gradually increased and we welcome between 25 to 30 regulars and visitors to these services. I am grateful to our loyal team of readers and intercessors who quietly and reliably lend their support. Growing out of the weekday Mass flourishing, we have for some months been praying the Rosary for Peace on the first Saturday morning of the month and offering a simple, reflective Mass with Anointing for Healing on the last Saturday of the month. We have just started a regular Holy Hour of silent prayer and contemplation before the Blessed Sacrament on the last Sunday of each month at 4 pm.

I am grateful to our Licensed Lay Minister Emeritus – Helen Hinksman, who has offered some profound spiritual reflections during Advent and Lent and during the Parish Masses at Christmas and Easter.

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Children, Youth and Families

Over the past year, our outreach and faith nurturing of children and families has been restructured, reenergised and is beginning to flourish. To support Geoff and to hour the great gift of his initiative of almost 50 years ago, we have recruited new Friday Young People’s Club helpers – young adults from our own congregation who give their time and experience to run the Friday club offering games, craft work and spiritual reflection. Numbers have peaked recently at 22 attending. Many thanks must go to Grace and her mum, Jen, who work hard to publicise Club and Messy Church in our Church of England primary school.

The Children’s Messy Church , which takes place on the third Sunday of the month is doing well and new families – parents and children have been welcomed. Messy Church always ends with Holy Communion being taken from “Adult Church” to the “Children’s Church” to witness to the bond we have as we offer worship across the generations. This year, for the first time in three years we blessed pets on a Sunday afternoon close to St Francis’ Day; and once again, we welcomed large numbers attending the Christingle service on Christmas Eve in support of the work of the Children’s Society.

I am immensely grateful to our Children, Youth and Families Pastoral Team , who lead, encourage and nurture our young people.

Welcome & Outreach

It is the charism (holy gift) of Holy Trinity to reach out and be there for our neighbourhood community in “holy welcome”. We continue to support Ukrainian refugees by welcoming those in need to the peace and safety of St. Raphael in Rosling Road. We said goodbye to Ana and Natalia (who have returned to Ukraine) and Yulia (who is lodging nearer the city centre), and we welcomed Radmyla. We have been blessed with such wonderful, gentle and inspiring guests.

Holy Welcome has taken many forms. For a second year, we offered a Warm Welcome from October (2023) to March (2024). I want to thank those regular volunteers who served hot drinks and biscuits to over 500 individuals throughout the winter months.

The Food Pantry is always available, in church, for those who need such support. I thank all who regularly donate provisions for this source of caring outreach; it is used regularly. I have noticed that there are now more people who call into church regularly from our own congregation to join an increasing number of regular neighbours and visitors who call by for a moment of silent prayerful reflection. It is so important that a welcoming church has people present on hand for a friendly chat or simply to show that we are a living community.

I was pleased to be able to commission the Social and Hospitality Team - to act as core coordinators when we need refreshments, food and drink served at parish functions – do please offer your help to this team as they work hard to support and resource a variety of social and fund-raising events.

The Welcome Project is not just the name given to the parish hall re-development scheme, it relates to the whole way, we at Holy Trinity, link with our local community. As one wise member of the steering group said recently – “the Welcome Project is not just about a nice new hall; it has become the way we have learnt to live here at Holy Trinity.” Such an understanding has deepened the commitment to re-develop our hall as a place which will help to serve our local community in ways that will help us to live the Gospel in practical ways that will, hopefully, make a difference. I wish to thank the members of the Welcome Project steering group, who are working harder than ever behind the scenes to refine the details required for the project and to secure the funding.

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Charity fundraising : Over the course of the year we have supported a number of charities, including: St Mungo's, Christian Aid, The Children’s Society and Emmaus, Bristol , through appeals especially at Christmas and during Lent and Easter.

Building, fabric and maintenance

The appointment of an Estates Manager on a permanent, part-time basis has proved a valuable innovation. I want to thank Rob Brace, on behalf of all of us, for undertaking a programme of repairs and improvements to the church and hall buildings; some of which are planned, some which arise as emergencies. Rob completes work to a high standard and has come to know how our buildings work and what is needed to best maintain and improve them. The clearing of the church yard of large areas of bramble wilderness has been much appreciated. We can now see memorials we had long forgotten about.

Leadership and Governance

I would like to thank the members of Holy Trinity PCC for all the work they undertake during the year. For at least three years we have benefitted from a re-modelling of our PCC to be a body which is representative of specific areas of church life. Each member is responsible for coordinating and reporting back to the council on certain areas of responsibility together with providing oversight and delegation associated with those areas. The forming of policies and strategies to regulate the work of the church in terms of its mission and ministry form a key part of their work. We are the first PCC in the diocese to have appointed a Lead for Inclusivity, Diversity and Equality. Consequently, we were recognised as one of the first Dementia Friendly churches in the diocese.

I wish to thank both our Church Wardens, Caroline and Nick for all they do to enable, facilitate and encourage all of us in our collective work for God’s Kingdom at Holy Trinity. Our weekly Trio Meetings (Rector and Wardens) are a valuable method of providing the level of oversight and decision making which is helping Holy Trinity to flourish in many ways.

I commend this report to the church community I have the privilege to serve.

The Revd. Canon Dr. David McGladdery, SCP Rector of Holy Trinity Horfield May, 2024

CHURCHWARDENS REPORT

2023 was a year of transition in Holy Trinity. We began moving from a necessarily reactive and cautious approach through the pandemic and eighteen months of staged ‘opening-up’, to one of actively developing our strategic plans for the future. The context of this has, however, been against the backdrop of a very challenging financial position, in common with many churches.

Firstly, we reviewed the staffing needs of the church, using an evidence-based approach and carrying out desk-top research to inform our planning. Our recommendations to the PCC, which were adopted, was that a parish administrator post was no longer an essential role and would be made redundant. Secondly, that our pilot year of employing an estates manager be translated into a permanent post. Whilst challenging, these staffing decisions were essential to allow us to move forward. They have in turn led to a review of the buildings and our plans for maintenance and enhancement of the church estate. We were able to present these plans at the Triennial Review, carried out with the Co Area Dean for the City Deanery, Lizzie Kesteven, in the summer.

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In other areas of strategic development, our Environmental Policy is in draft form and will include consideration of our heating system (our largest expenditure) and churchyard maintenance. Our lighting has been much enhanced, and is more environmentally friendly. A by-product is that our use of electricity in the church has reduced significantly. For example, in January 2023, we used 1352 kWh whilst in January 2024, this figure reduced to 337 kWh. In the first quarter of 2023, our bill was £1398 for electricity in the church. The first quarter of 2024 saw the figure reduced to £448.

We are working hard to implement a Digital Strategy whereby we have clearer communications and an enhanced website to respond to those making contact with us, and to promote our plans and activities to the wider community.

We actively welcome new people to help with this work – the bottom line is we can’t make these plans a reality without more assistance. Please come and speak with one of us if you can offer your time and talents in any of the areas mentioned above, whether that be joining our Green Gym to tend the churchyard, looking after the grassed areas of the Hall and Helliwell Room, putting your ideas into marketing what we do and planning future events, offer technological expertise, or to help with backroom tasks like clearing up after events. Thank you in advance.

In other news, the parish conference, which took place in the autumn, was a key event in looking forward, and we intend that a conference will be an annual event, to build on progress and energise us, as the gathered community at Holy Trinity, for the next liturgical year.

Welcome and partnerships were two other key themes in 2023. We welcomed many people into our church through the Art of Welcome exhibition, through the Warm Welcome initiative and the HTH Pantry, and were delighted to have Radmyla a new friend from Kyiv, Ukraine, come to live in the church house. We said goodbye to Nataliia, Ana and Yuliia, all of whom remain dear friends. Our Festive Cheer event in December brought together folks from the local scouts to sell Christmas trees, and the wonderful Port of Bristol Shanty Crew, as well as hospitality and carols in the church. We are looking to build on this event in 2024.

As we look to the future, we thank Fr David for all he gives to Holy Trinity, and to you for your love, prayers and support. It is a privilege to serve.

Caroline Plaice and Nick Stephenson Churchwardens

INCLUSION, EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY 2024

“How will someone, whether churched or un-churched, unused to our tradition, feel included in worship and in wider church life and activities?”

This question is one I hold before every PCC meeting as we make decisions about the work and future of Holy Trinity Church. It’s one I regularly ask of you all as a congregation. Over the past year I have noticed a change in the ensuing conversation; we have moved from ‘are we allowed to…?’, a position where we feel uncertain and that we may be doing something wrong, to ‘how can we…?’ a liberated and spirit led position of wanting to make a positive difference.

In this last year we were presented with the first Diocesan Dementia Friendly church award and are continuing to build on that work. We have been continually improving access to the Church, most notably in changes to the toilet (still a work in progress!). Our weekly communication in the pewsheet is now consistently using our agreed standards, including large print, and our website is gradually being updated to make its presentation consistent and easier to understand.

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Once again, we ran Warm Welcome through the winter months – this has challenged us to think about how we can make the church less drafty and consistently warm – not an easy task given our ageing boilers and drafty windows. The Welcome Pantry continues to be regularly used and remains one of only a few places where anyone can come to get free food without being referred or limited in how many times thy can use this ministry. Thank you to everyone who supported both these projects over the last year. Please keep donating to the Welcome Pantry – it is, sadly, needed throughout the year. Our work of inclusion will continue over the coming years as we continue to ask ‘how can we...?’; I look forward to our joyful response being demonstrated through the many aspects of the Welcome Project.

Finally, it is my aspiration that the paths through the churchyard will be re-laid this year, making them safe whilst also improving access to the church.

Nick Stephenson Inclusion Lead, PCC.

DEANERY SYNOD

Deanery Synod acts as a conduit of information and counsel between the Bishop/Diocese and the ‘person in the pew’. Members have the opportunity to consider the wider aspects of Church life beyond the confines of individual Parishes, and from time to time wider attendance is encouraged from those with a particular interest in the matter being discussed.

Your representative attended two meetings in 2023. In February we explored he need in all activities for bravery, openness, generosity and creativity, exploring practical examples of each of these. We also discussed the need for hospitality, listening and the spreading of good practice to enhance the work of each Parish and the Church as a whole. In June, we heard about the Diocesan ‘Marketing Strategy’, and the need to adjust the presentation of our message to suit the various parts of our audience (whilst not diluting our basic message of Good News). Whilst this was recognised as right in principle, many of us felt that the intended practice involved an undue amount of stereotyping of people into categories, and fed these thoughts back to the Diocese.

That is the good part. Unfortunately, Synod seems to have locked itself into a pattern of poor communication and lack of inclusivity in its sharing of information, thus detracting from its potential for good. The normal pattern of meetings would suggest there might have been one in November, but if there was one then your reps were left in blissful ignorance thereof. Synod needs to improve on this, and probably needs new blood to achieve this.

When I wrote this piece last year, I said in good faith that it was Election Year in the three-year Synod cycle, but later the Diocese in its wisdom decided to postpone the elections for a year. So this year is Synod Election Year. We in this Parish have been running short of our allocation of lay seats for some time, so you may wish to consider becoming the new blood which Synod needs and get yourself nominated. Perhaps what Synod most needs is YOU!

Garth Baker Deanery Synod Representative.

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STEWARDSHIP

I am conscious that I have been writing this piece for quite a few years, and I have probably written much the same each time, but I am consoled by the thought that (a) few of you will remember what I wrote before and (b) the basic message of Stewardship does not change. Nonetheless, I thought I should try a slightly different approach.

So what is Stewardship? The dictionary would suggest that it is mainly about looking after something for somebody (the subsidiary meanings relating to taking part in organising ceremonies need not concern us here). I am reminded of the words (which we currently do not use here) from Common Worship, “all things come from you and of your own do we give you,” and that the “you” in this is indeed God. So whether we are looking after the environment or looking after the church, we are looking after something which belongs to God and on God’s behalf. The environment is a subject for another time (and author), but how do we ‘look after the church’?

‘Looking after the church’ can take many forms, and each of us has to consider in the light of our own circumstances what part we can play in the task. I can only offer a few thoughts. Is there a church task which you feel you could undertake, and do the people currently doing it seem a little tired? Offering help would be good Stewardship. Have you been doing your current church task for many years and sense that you cannot do it quite as well as you did? To indicate that you wished to step down in the near future and encourage others to think about replacing you would be good Stewardship. (It is called succession planning and as a church we are not very good at it.) Yes, I know there are many pressures on everyone’s time, children to be brought up and careers to build, but do we believe that our predecessors in the Middle Ages built the great cathedrals because they had nothing else to do?

Our predecessors also provided the money for those cathedrals (you all knew I would get on to money eventually). Our church may point towards a better world, but it needs to function in this one, and doing that needs money. Many of you have pledged to give a certain amount of money each week/month, and such knowledge of a reasonably steady income helps us plan. Some of you who are newer may not have done this yet; feel free to talk to me about it. Those of you who pay UK Income Tax have the opportunity to enable us to benefit from the Gift Aid scheme, and many of you have indeed done so. Now comes the hard bit. When did you last review the extent of your regular giving? Whilst inflation is thankfully lower than this time last year, that just means that prices are going up more slowly. Our last major Stewardship campaign was in Autumn 2019, and we may have some type of stewardship event this Autumn, but why wait for that? If you pledged £10 in Autumn 2019, the Consumer Price Index suggests that is now only worth a fraction over £8. (The faster-moving Retail Price Index would suggest nearer £7). Thank you to those who have revised your giving since 2019, others may wish to consider if they can do likewise. That would be good Stewardship. To look at this once a year, without my prompting, would be even better!

I must come back to Gift Aid. I have to write this piece before the Budget, but if the rumour of a cut in Income Tax rates is indeed true, it would be good Stewardship if all Gift Aiding givers considered the effect of such reduction on the amount we can recover, (I can explain the maths if needed), and adjust their giving (taking advantage of the Chancellor’s ‘generosity’). Finally on Gift Aid, as one of our numbers has discovered, if you pay insufficient tax to cover the amount we and perhaps other organisations claim in Gift Aid, then HMRC may notice and take the appropriate action. Be careful out there!

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How you react to all the above is of course for each of you to judge in accordance with your own circumstances. It would be quite wrong for me to try to do that for you. Still, food for thought I hope.

Garth Baker

Stewardship Recorder

MUSIC AND CHOIR REPORT FOR SNAPSHOTS – 2024

Among highlights of the year 2023/24 were a wonderful Advent and Christmas Season, a brilliant Burns Concert and Supper and an uplifting Holy Week sequence. In addition I enjoyed visits to the holy island of Patmos (my late father’s favourite island), to Bamberg in Bavaria and the BDOA organ event to Peterborough & Oundle district.

I was thrilled to have strong support for the choir at Christmas and Easter which allowed us to sing some beautiful music. Particular highlights were Felicity singing the solo in Stille Nacht in Deutsch, Jen singing the solo in Howard Goodall’s setting of Psalm 23 (Vicar of Dibley), John singing the solo “The Road to Bethlehem” and David singing the Exultate. The rendition of “Blessed art thou Mary” was most moving and beautiful, and much commented on. There is a lot of potential and it is encouraging to see things developing and moving forward. I am already preparing music for this year’s Advent and Christmas season.

I particularly wanted to put on a Burns Concert and Supper in what is my 60[th] year and this was achieved in January 2024. The concert was based on Hebridean songs, some of which were my own composed over many visits to the Hebrides. The principal soloists Sophie Kirk-Harris and Rachel Gray with flautist Sue Juggins were magnificent. The Burns Supper went far better than I expected with over 70 present.

2023 also saw my first visit to the Orkney islands for my nephew’s wedding on Westray. Passing the Old Man of Hoy on the ferry on a magnificent day was a sight to behold, especially as it was something my father always wanted to see but the weather was never good enough. I stayed on Hoy which is something of a ghostly island given its importance as a principal naval base in both World Wars, all that infrastructure is now in a sad state of decay. Seeing the setting sun through one ruin was particularly haunting.

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Hoy
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This year I will be joining the BDOA in an organ visit to organs in Exeter and Devon. I will also be returning to Islay and Jura for the first time in almost 10 years again to mark my 60[th] birthday.

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Whenever I have opportunity, I enjoy returning to Germany to visit the beautiful churches there. The organs in particular are among the best in the world (as my photos hopefully demonstrate!). I am still on a personal mission to visit the Bach towns in the north, last year I visited Mulhausen which means I only have one left to visit – Kothen (north of Halle-Leipzig).

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This year is actually the 300[th] anniversary of the first performance of Bach’s St John Passion, written during his first year at Leipzig, which must rank as one of the finest pieces of choral music ever written. The opening chorus “Herr, unser Herrscher” (Lord, our Lord) is sublime while the penultimate chorus “Ruhl wohl” (Rest well) is simply gorgeous. (Incredible to note the melody “Jesus Christ Superstar” uses the same notes).

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Organ at Munich Dom

My plans for this year, now that Holy Week is over, include an organ recital in the summer. I also plan a music festival in the autumn looking at the history of choral music which will include singing music across the centuries, from plainchant to polyphony, from Lutheran chorales to Wesleyan hymns, concluding with Taize and Iona. This will be open to everyone.

Now that the piano has been tuned, I would like to make greater use of it. In addition, it would be good to enrich worship with other instruments, and I have spoken to folk about this and hope to move forward on this.

As stated last year, my guiding belief is that music is divine and can inspire and comfort us along our journey of life. That is my experience which I seek to share. Thank you.

Bamberg Dom

Jonathan Crow Director of Music

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THE WELCOME PROJECT

Whoever you are; wherever you come from, everyone is welcome here

2023 was a busy year for The Welcome Project, which aims to inform all we do as a church community by making our facilities and resources welcome and accessible for all. As well as the Warm Welcome Initiative, Warm Pantry, Art of Welcome exhibition and ongoing welcoming of our Ukrainian friends, a major emphasis has been a bold and ambitious project to re-furbish and update our existing church hall into a flexible community space.

At the APCM, we welcomed Jenny Goss from architects O’Leary Goss (OLG), who enthused us all with indicative plans for the re-imagined hall. We are looking to employ OLG as we move forward, and funds for the build (approx. £1 000,000) are raised.

Our business case which will be submitted to major grant funders, was completed following a huge amount of research. Copies of the business case are available at the back of church, or a digital copy is available on the website. The hub of the Welcome Project Steering Group now has a number of spokes: A stakeholder reference group includes a number of current hall hirers, and a finance group, with other workstreams in the planning phase. A significant contribution to the finances will be the selling of our local church property, and following a business case to the Diocese, the sale has been approved and the property went on the market in December.

As well as grants and the sale of the house, we also launched a pledge scheme at our autumn Parish Conference -inviting the church community, working in partnership with friends and neighbours, to pledge fund-raising ideas. We have set an ambitious target of £100,000 for this strand of funding.

The Welcome Project Steering Group ask for your prayers, and practical support, as we move forward.

Caroline Plaice

On behalf of the Welcome Project Steering Group

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SAFEGUARDING REPORT

Statement of commitment to Safeguarding

The parish of Holy Trinity is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk.

Parish Safeguarding Officer: Caroline Plaice Administrative Officer: Laura Bufton

Policies

The Safeguarding policy was reviewed in November 2022.

Activities

The PCC oversees the following activities for Children and Young People : Messy Church and Horfield Young People’s Club

Safer Recruitment & DBS

The PCC is responsible for the safe recruitment of people wanting to work with vulnerable groups through the activities mentioned above. During the year, the PCC has recruited the following numbers of people to support those groups.

Youth Group – 7 individuals work with this Group, of which three new people were recruited this year. In addition, two members of the PCC are ‘on call’ for any last minute need for the Youth Group. Messy Church – a new group, started in June 2023. The same people work with Messy Church as with the Youth Group.

DBS Checks

As part of the safer recruitment process, where eligible, volunteers working with vulnerable groups have been DBS checked at the level appropriate to the role. Because the parish provides activities for vulnerable groups, the PCC members are also eligible for an enhanced DBS Check.

There are eighteen volunteers /PCC members who require a DBS check for their role and all of them have a current check (i.e. the check has been completed within the last 3 years).

Training

Safeguarding training at different levels is a requirement for all roles, the current situation in terms of meeting the requirements in the parish is as follows:

Basic Awareness

Number in
Role		 Number completed training in last 3
years		 Number with no or expired
training
17 15 2 being undertaken. Due for
completion 310524
**Foundation Safeguarding **
Number in
Role		 Number completed training in last 3
years		 Number with no or expired
training
17 13 4 being undertaken. Due for
completion 310524

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Leadership Safeguarding

Number in
Role		 Number completed training in last 3
years		 Number with no or expired
training
3 3 0

Domestic Abuse

Domestic Abuse
Number in
Role		 Number completed training in last 3
years		 Number with no or expired
training
10 9 1 being undertaken. Due for
completion 310524

Reporting to the PCC

The PCC was updated about Safeguarding matters in the parish at each meeting. It is a standard item on the PCC agenda. During the year there was one safeguarding matter which were reported on to the Diocesan Safeguarding Team.

Action Plan

The PCC has an action plan created by the Parish Dashboard. Progress is reported to the PCC meetings and current progress on our Parish Dashboard is 74% at Level 3.

Caroline Plaice 19[th] April 2024

YOUNG PEOPLE’S PASTORAL MINISTRY

The last year has seen young people’s ministry in the parish continue to develop and flourish. We now have monthly ‘Messy Church’ sessions which are providing fun and reflective times for children whilst also enhancing links between young people and the rest of the congregation. Friday Club, which has been running in the Church Hall for decades now under the inspired leadership of Geoff Stock, has been relaunched with a new team of leaders to support Geoff.

Our first Messy Church took place last June, run by Jen Douglas and Helen Currie. We wanted to create the relaxed, inclusive atmosphere of the Junior Church sessions that used to run every week during Mass and to enable our young people to feel part of the congregation whilst also having their own space. We also wanted to create opportunities for families with young children to come along and have a taste of who we are at Holy Trinity Horfield. The decision was therefore made to run the sessions during Mass in the Parish Hall once a month and for the congregation to join the young people in the hall for coffee after Mass. This would allow for a sharing of fellowship (and, since Messy Church goers love baking, often a sharing of biscuits) and would be an opportunity for new families to meet other members of the congregation.

Our first Messy Church session was a lot of fun although numbers were small. We decided, however, to keep going following our initial experiment. Messy Church was relaunched in October and has run every third Sunday of the month since with increasing numbers attending. These children have been at the heart of parish activities such as Stir-Up Sunday and Christingle making. We have children who are regular attenders at church coming along as well as children who have heard about the sessions through Friday Club or through Jen Douglas’s excellent marketing at Horfield C of E School. The children seem to love the physical space of the hall, the opportunity to play, to bake, to make and to

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pray. We all enjoy the moment at the end of each session when Fr David and the serving team join us in the Hall for communion and the Messy Church blessing.

In September Friday Club recommenced after a pause of a few months. Geoff Stock, the Club founder and inspiration to us all, is still very much involved in running the Club but a group of new helpers have also stepped up to give their time, energy and creativity to the group. Thanks to Jack and Chae, Brian Wilson, Alison Ellis and Jen Douglas for all their support and for giving us your precious Friday evenings! The Club runs from 6.15 - 8pm every Friday of term time and is open to young people age 7 – 11. We have been delighted to receive regular visits from our Police Community Support Officer Tristan and we have also been so pleased to receive a grant of £300 from the Quartet Community Foundation thanks to this connection .

As well as regular meetings where we tend to have between 12 – 20 young people, we have had a Christmas party complete with bouncy castle, an anniversary party and a craft evening.

The enormous success of Friday Club has left us in need of more helpers. If anyone feels they can volunteer as a helper on a regular or occasional basis at Friday Club or Messy Church, please contact Helen Currie or Jen Douglas who would be glad to give you more information.

Helen Currie

MOTHERS’ UNION

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We had a varied programme during 2023, starting with the Annual General Meeting when I agreed to take on the role of Branch Secretary. In February the Rev. Canon Paul Denyer came and talked about a pilgrimage he and his son had done from Chippenham to Santiago de Compostela in 1997. Some of you may remember Paul from his days at Holy Trinity. Val Ellis was enrolled as a member of MU at this meeting as well. Jacky Fredrickson, the Diocesan President visited us in March and St Peter’s Filton had been invited as well. At that meeting Jacky formally enrolled me as the Branch Leader. Marianne organised our April meeting on the subject of caring and nurturing. Marianne supplied everyone with a pot, some soil and a couple of little plants to pot up so we could take them home and look after them. Everyone enjoyed that activity.

Helen Hinksman led one of her Café Style worships in May, we always love welcoming Helen; and in June the Reverend Judy Lee who is one of the Mother’s Union regular speakers, came and gave a talk on the Holy Land with slides.

In June the Deanery Festival Service was held at St Peter’s in Filton, sadly not as well attended as usual, but it was a well thought out service with lots of lovely hymn singing.

On 20[th] July Fr David came to talk about Images of Mary. He bought with him various statues of Mary which can be seen in Church. This was very enlightening.

We hosted the Deanery Lunch on the 10[th] August which was a lovely event and very well attended. We were very grateful for all the help we received from members of the Family Group at this event. They were absolutely brilliant, as were our own members as well. Sadly we were without Marianne at the helm of this event but thanks to her for her pre-organisation. We raised over £100 for funds at this event, so grateful thanks to all who attended.

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The Wave of Prayer Service had to be rearranged in September as Fr David and myself were on pilgrimage to Walsingham on the scheduled date. We held a lovely service on the 14[th] September, thanks to Margaret Johnston, my friend for coming to play the piano so we were able to sing some hymns as well.

In October Marianne organised a crafty afternoon but I think most people just enjoyed to have a good chat. In November we watched Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Marianne’s house. Donald kindly made us all tea.

On the 13[th] December several of us went to St Peter’s, Henleaze for the Deanery Advent Service. This was a lovely service with lots of lovely readings and Advent Carols

Our last event of 2023 was our Christmas lunch which Marianne organised. We were joined at this by Nikki and her support worker, so we were 9 in all. We had a lovely lunch and I had borrowed one of my grandchildren’s games, called the Sock Game and I think this went down very well. We currently have only 9 members, and three indoor members.

Mothers Union supports many projects in the Bristol Diocese and if you would like further details please do contact me. A reminder that donations of tea and coffee are always needed in the children’s hospital for Friends for Parents, also toiletries, new underwear, knitted items, and of course money. We can always pass things on to the different projects. Thank you for your continued support.

Carolyn Larcey Branch Leader, MU

THE DECIBELLS HANDBELL TEAM

During 2023 the Decibells handbell team continued to meet in the church most Wednesday afternoons to practise playing the handbells - which were donated to the church in the late 1980s by Betty Topham in memory of her husband Derek.

We had four varied opportunities to play for others in 2023. The first was in May at Westbury Methodist Church Women’s Fellowship Group. As it was just after King Charles’ Coronation, we included one of the Pomp and Circumstance pieces that was played at the Coronation and the audience enthusiastically waved flags as we played – as you can see from the photo.

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In October we went to Downend to a Trefoil Guild annual meeting where we played some of our repertoire and small groups of the retired Guiders there were able to have a go at playing the bells themselves – for some it revived memories of playing handbells on previous occasions but for most it was a new experience.

In November we visited Granville Lodge in Shirehampton where it was lovely to have Phillada and Father John Ware as part of the audience listening to us. December gave us the chance to play our Christmas music as people were arriving at church for the evening service of Nine Lessons and Carols.

It has been a full and interesting year and If anyone would like to experience having a go at playing the handbells do let us know.

Gill Wilding

HORFIELD FAMILIES GROUP

Horfield Families Group have a membership of around twenty ladies. We are a very welcoming group with a range of interests and views. Our programme provides a mixture of speakers and activities, both indoor and out. Families and friends are always welcome to join us at meetings.

In 2023 we enjoyed indoor curling and line dancing. These two evenings are always good fun though I can’t say that that we are making much improvement in the skills required!

Our speakers included a talk on the SS Great Britain, the work of the Life Skills Centre, where some of our members are volunteers, and a presentation by a family run business called “Goats of the Gorge” This is a business specialising in making goat’s milk and skin lotions, which are helpful for skin conditions, apart from the lovely products it was the story of how the business was started and the family involvement which made this a very interesting evening. Recently they have appeared on the “Dragon’s Den.” They didn’t receive any investment but were given business advice and have since seen an increase in interest in their products. We also heard from two ladies who spoke about the creation of the Bristol Tapestry.

The highlight of the year must be our 70[th] anniversary celebration in June. We hired a room at the Beehive. The weather was lovely and members old and new chatted and reminisced prompted by the photographs of past events on display. It was a lovely afternoon, rounded off with a cream tea and cake.

We returned to the Beehive in December for our Christmas lunch, our December meeting saw us making Christmas crackers along with our usual Christmas quiz with mulled wine and mince pies to refresh the brain cells!

Each year we select a charity to support and in 2023 it was research into Motor Neuron Disease, and we donated the sum of £300 to their representative in October. At Christmas we also donate tea and coffee supplies to Friends for Parents at the Children's hospital which is led by Gill Wilding, one of our long-standing members. At the December meeting we also collected donations for the North Bristol food bank. Another of our regular commitments is providing the Church Porch flowers.

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One of the main strengths of the group over and above our speakers and activities is the friendship and support we give one another. The opportunity to keep in touch with old friends and to make new ones.

Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of the month in the Parish Hall, starting at 8pm if you are interested in knowing more about our events, they are also listed on the Church Pew sheet. Guests are always welcome at any of our meetings.

Christine Payne HFG Secretary

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Horfield Family Group Christmas Cracker Making 70[th] Celebrations Cake

70[th] Celebration Photo Display

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Our 2023 programme kicked off in February with two one-act plays by David Tristram from the ‘Little Grimley’ collection, ‘ Last Tango in Little Grimley’ and ‘ The Fat Lady Sings in Little Grimley’ directed by Caroline Fielding, this was followed up in October by ‘ Curtain Up on Murder’ , an end-of-the-pier mystery, again directed by Caroline. Both shows were very well received and have continued the trend of bringing in new cast and crew with an ever-changing and diverse audience.

With the prospect of major changes taking place in the hall we have had to be flexible in deciding future shows based upon availability but we look forward to continuing to put on great shows for all the community to enjoy.

We have continued to attract personnel both on and off stage and hope to go forward in the future, embedding further into the local community.

We continue to welcome anyone who may be interested in any aspect of theatre, we are a friendly bunch and are happy to share our knowledge, whether their interest lies in acting, directing, technical, costume or backstage activities, a place will be found for all.

I would like to thank the church and church hall committees for their continued kind support for our group.

Bob Derrick

Chair, Horfield Theatre Company

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HORFIELD WELLY PRE-SCHOOL AND THEIR STAY AND PLAY ‘TODDLERS’ GROUP Academic Year 2022-23

Horfield Welly Pre-school is a registered charity and not-for-profit making organisation. We are proud to have been serving the local community for over 20 years. Wellies has 7 dedicated staff members and a committee made up of volunteers from families who attend Wellies. During the academic year 2022-23, the Pre-school ran Tuesday-Friday mornings, caring for children aged 2-4 years old, and providing a nurturing and stimulating Early Years curriculum. It also provided a stay and play group for babies upwards and their carers on a Monday morning.

For every session, the hall is set up with different engaging activities and themes. The staff follow the children’s interest in each key group, meaning each member of staff will plan different activities for their group depending on what the children have been interested in and enjoying, whilst also tailoring everything to the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. A huge range of topics have been covered, with the children learning all about themselves and the world around them. We have shared our favourite books on World Book Day, made

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smoothies in healthy eating week, planted seeds in spring, learnt about historical figures during Black History month and enjoyed singing together in nursery rhyme week, to name a few! Use of the garden alongside the hall was a great way for children to extend their play and learning. They have used the garden to get stuck into sensory messy play, take part in lively games and observe nature. The garden was also used as a lovely setting for our Father’s Day event in June 2023, where dads and grandads were invited into Wellies to take part in some forest school activities and have a picnic with their children. Family engagement events such as these are an important way to get our families involved and create the warm family environment Wellies is known for.

Our stay and play group, Welly Toddlers, re-opened in February 2022 and ran for the entirety of the 2022-23 academic year. It ran in the hall on a Monday morning, led by Jordanna and Laura, two members of our Pre-school staff. They set up a variety of toys and activities for children to take part in alongside their parents and carers and always ended with some songs. We were lucky to be supported by some fantastic volunteers, who helped with the craft activity, drinks and snacks. Welly Toddlers does not currently run, due to our move, but we have hopes to restart it again in the future as it was always well-received by local families.

With the progressing Welcome Project anticipating building work would commence during our next academic year, in 2023 we began looking for a temporary Wellies home. Happily, for our staff and families, we were able to remain local to our community, moving just across the road to Manor Farm Boys Club. They were very happy to accommodate the pre-school. Moving over the summer holidays has minimised disruption to our families and helped us to settle children into our new venue effectively.

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In September 2023, we welcomed many new families to Wellies, as 24 children who had finished Wellies began their first school year in their respective reception classes. We are proud to be a part of their Early Years journey.

Since our move, we have been gradually enriching the space for our children; you may have noticed a new fenced outdoor area alongside the churchyard for children to enjoy during our sessions.

We were happy to be able to hold another wonderful nativity in December 2023 and invite our parents and extended families in to watch the show and take part in some festive activities with their children. This was also a great fundraising opportunity for Wellies, raising money to create our outdoor area for the children to play. We are thankful to the local businesses who donated prizes for our raffle. Plus, of course, we are thankful for our wonderful Wellies community; the families who support us throughout the year, the dedicated and talented staff team and our curious, fun-loving children!

Leah Browning Pre-school Chair of Trustees

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MANOR FARM CIC - HORFIELD STROLLERS REPORT FOR SNAPSHOTS 2023-24 – BY JULIENNE TROTMAN

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Thornbury – Streamside Walk

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Severn Estuary, Severn Beach

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Stoke Park

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Clevedon – Dial Hill

The accompanying photos taken during walks organised by members of the Horfield Strollers Walking Group give only a brief indication of the variety of walks that take place throughout the year at two weekly intervals on a Tuesday morning. I have to confess that due to overload I have not managed to organise a proper church walk for the last 12 months. Something will have to be done about this. I’m thinking of planning a walk in commemoration of John Wesley.

Julienne Trotman

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Bluebell Walk in Priory Woods, Portbury

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Bluebell Walk in Priory Woods, Portbury

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE PARISH

OF HOLY TRINITY, HORFIELD

I report on the accounts of the parish of Holy Trinity, Horfield for the year ended 31 December 2023.

Respective responsibilities of PCC and examiner

As members of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’). I report in respect of my examination of the accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Basis of independent examiner's report

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 you as 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

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

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

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

Name: Kathryn Hodgkiss FCA Date: 26[th] April, 2024 Relevant professional qualification or body: ICAEW

Address: J F Balshaw & Co, 20 Old Kiln Lane, Heaton, Bolton. BL1 5PD

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Parochial Chwch CothKII ol T￿nIty, Horf Rqgqrod ChanwND lik￿13 Statement otFindKial Activibe5 LIN&thctyd Ro5brd EndowThnt T￿¥2023 Fw Tola20 N£ I￿OMING RESOIJRCES Vdurtary IrK(Nne 21al Actsvites from wernb"TrJ fvntt5 21bl IncorTE frrxn invèstsmènts 21rl Church acivthes and anulLirytraJit¥J 2ldl InccmiThJ rescxX￿S 21el 74.892.70 13.[40 e4 e.198 $3 e2.398.46 74.8@27D eo.e4B.05 ie.oe7 10 6.037.86 e7.584.ID 81￿8.4e TOTAL INCOMIMG RESOVRCES 157,430.85 0.00 157,430.85 1%.311.11 RESOVRCE$ EXPENDED Fun&rai51ng costs Ch￿￿ xfivities 3(b} o.oo 0.00 3.782.97 1e7 s58￿6 19B.528.5T 19q 528_57 TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 19B.528.57 0.00 198.528_57 171.34lJY tr4ET INCOMING RESOURCES BEFORE OTHER RECOGNISEO GAINS AND LOSSES 41.097.73 -41,097.T3 -lJ.1123.42 Gain¥llossesi w o¥a￿a￿0ft Invesinitnt asse S(b) 0.00 18.139.11 18,839.11 -27.0830) NEI MOVEMENT 114 FUNDS 41.1Tr97.73 0.00 18.839.11 -22,298.62 42.IVS47 FUNOS OROVGHT FORWARO JANUAR Y 31 137.$9 6 972.41 229 122.79 267.232.79 FUNDS CARRIED FORWPRD DECEAIBER 31 4960.14 6.972.41 247.961.siJ 244.57l17 267,232_79 noteson pays3 to 8 fDnn pBrt oftheje accounts. Pag• I 35

PwrKhld ChuY¢h Coun¢ll d Hoty Trlnlty, H￿fi•Id Ra>slwod Ch￿ty140. 1132013 B￿a￿• SI￿1 at 31 2023 FiXEDAS￿8 Tangit IrY4•slm￿I 2023 5(a) 2,f)M S(b) 2.554.(K) 223.43188 lo4￿3.74 CURRENT A55ETS SkKk 0.00 7.91&42 1002,89 o.c 27.231.88 5,002 S￿rt lerm depos Cash ￿ har#J aKI ai y)￿k 22291.32 64589.06 LIABILMES Crèthtorn lallw 7 due wthln OM y NET CURRENT ASSETS I LIA81LrriES TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES TOTAL NET ASSETS 700.fpj 1.950.LI) 21,641.32 62,83B.05 24497417 267,232.79 PARI>1 FUNDS UrYegtrkX8d Rgstrthd Endowm•ni 17,602.91 6,492.41 878. 244,974.17 58,7CQ 64 6.492.41 287332.T9 by ￿ P¥r(thlal C4)uNiI on 4• y 2024 ANI ￿lMOd on kn b￿￿1 by Re￿1. Dr. DI￿￿ IkGl&Jdwy, SCP (PCC Cl'r)

Not•s to th Financial Stat•mrbls Unre5tri¢ted Restricted Endcwrnent Funds Fvnds Total 2023 Fvré5 2DZ2 2 INCOMING RESOURCES 21al VoluTrtary Income PL7Dned gmng.. Gift Ahd D¢natJTrs raA rc¢￿rable Olhèr 45.173.33 11.293.35 2.896.24 ,273.15 3,811.38 0.00 0.00 45,173.33 11.293.35 2,896.24 8.273.15 3.811.3B 0.00 4B.438 75 12.IDP 89 4.W23 1.410 44 0.00 0.00 o_oo o_oo Open plate Sundry donation5 LègatiÈS Votye candle5 ood I￿Jh￿Tr9 0.00 o_oo o_oo 0.00 3.445.25 0.00 127 91 3.445.25 74.892.70 0.00 74,892.70 $6.649.05 21bl A¢tivbties for uÈnÈr•tsng fvnds Events irwrne Spocrdl and appéa Rwlal inyyne Vo￿a￿￿e mast Grants recewed 4,351.ty) 3.BOO.00 0.00 o_oo o_oo 0.0 o_oo 4,351.00 3.800.00 t).00 5.789.86 13.940.86 13.940_86 21¢) Income fvom iThveslmeTht DNidènds and diStnbutM)ns Deposit acGvunt In[e￿5t 6.114_66 o_oo 6.114_£6 .OD4J3 6,198.83 0.00 6,198.83 .037A6 21dl Income from chuTch charitsble activi(￿5 and Jncillary tradino Fee5 fryrn we¢Jdings etc. InccAme from In5uraD¢e Church hall Income Ren¢from Curate'5 House 4.fOQ.QO 6,597.12 46.631.34 o_oo 0.00 o_oo 4,100.00 6,597.12 4£.631.34 4.0973) SD.3￿ 37 62.398.46 0.00 1,398.46 7.564 10 21el Other Incoming re5ource5 Dep05 0.00 TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 157.430.85 157,430.85 140.31I P•ge 3 39

UMe5trictsd Re5trKtÈd Endrf•rnefflt Tow 2D23 Funds F￿ld5 Funds 2022 RESOURCES EXPENDED 31al Church AGtivitiQ5 Missionary and ¢hJriiable Royal Bm15h L@gion Poppyaw 0.00 0.00 Other organ15alon5 BnTrsh Foutidaty)D Save The Children Chhsts3n Aid ChildTeTrS Society Lular K Taplin BqquSt North Bnstrl Adv￿￿ Centre Rqd c￿55 Ukrnin SISWS ofthe Poor Si ¢)Iher o.Do 101.15 314.24 342.68 230.0 3.750.00 0.00 314_24 342.68 230.00 3.750.00 o.Do O_DO o_oo o.Do o_oo 0.00 SJlJ)D 700 0.00 1x0.00 198.00 o.Do 198.110 klini5try Dkxesan Parish sha umbent expen5eS Non PCC funds 80.000.00 0.00 o_oo 0.00 60,000.QO 72.C(OOD $7.37 0.00 Chtsr¢h and srYiCèS R￿tin@ ehurch Main￿nance o_oo o.oo 0.00 29.351.1Tr11 5,897.24 19.015.88 1.379.46 0.00 0.00 1.783.80 303.65 39#.32 0.00 29.351.00 5.897.24 19.015.89 1.379.46 13.W723 5.37TA4 5.7W 50 1.48820 kn5urance watsr 0.00 o_oo o_oo 0.00 o_oo 0.00 sxristy C￿5￿￿al Otgan15t 9an aré Pianos IIu5K and Choir Fl¢th C1w￿Y￿rd mayrtènantte eel 1.783_80 3113.65 398_32 88 7D.43 OD o.oo Chur¢h Admini%tratiO Adrninistratirn and cojts Adrnin15TrabDn 5alans LegJ and fees A¢c¢yJnts 2f.212.f6 26.785.48 9.033.OQ 750.00 O_DO 0.00 o_oo o_oo 11,212.16 26 7es.48 9.033.lJQ 750.110 .SJTn2 20.5082S nooo Other ordinary expthsts Hall ex￿ndAure CwAle'S h04&* upkeep 16.604_44 1,078.07 o_oo 0.00 16.6O4.44 1,078.117 2D.2M41 190,528.57 0.00 198,528.57 3{bl FutsdraiSin# ¢tssts eventcosty Traidcraft o_oo 0.00 o_fyo 0.00 0.0 3.78297 J.7BZJ7 TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDEO 90 528.57 198 $28.57 Pago 4 40

UNestrKtsd Funds Restncied Endowment FuDd5 Fund5 Tot￿ 2023 T0>12022 STAFF COSTS 41al Wagès and Salariès Nl 2£.785.48 o_oo o_oo o_oo 26,785_48 o_oo 26.785_48 26.7B5.48 20.56B25 S FIXED ASSETS Sla) TaThgib￿ Assets 2Q23 2Q22 Curate's House 31 R051ing Road The net t•)ok value of Ro￿1n￿ Road 15 baxd UP￿ the PLYthase wst 2.SY.OD 2.$54OD Total tsngik4e fixed assets The PCC ttd¢J ￿J1￿ing5 and conten15 tn5urance with tre Ecde5ia5tical Insura1￿e Group f¢r a ¥alL4e of £7.700,043 Thè pitspèrty ts duè tts bè valuÈd In thè nèar ffuknrè. And thè y￿U￿0n obts1￿￿ ill bè rèfl￿1￿d nl nèxl at￿uThts 2.5X 2.554.00 {bl knve5tmtrbtS tharse 2023 2022 Chantswe CBF Fime Interest Fund 3597 vnrts 5206 86 .913.86 Gon•ra Chartsbl• CBF 5388.78 In¥e5tment Fund CBF In¥￿tment FuTrd CBF InvèstrTriènt Fund units IU.475.25 121.814 99 11 l.J39.74 Chancel rnpaKs 448 units 870. 10.127 17 9250.31 Pothial purposes 3704 units These invesbnents a￿ at Ihe current marker Value 45 at 31 Decernl￿ 18.839.11 220.878.85 202.m.74 Th5 in¥•skn4nts ar• hhl in trust ilh th4 iTht4rasi payabl• to Ih ¢knur<h exh ￿ar. The ¢awtal r5 not a¥aAabkt 10 5p4nd. 20rJ 2022 1laret Value 01 January RevJluaoon gain rket Value 31 Decernbe 202.039_74 18839.11 220.878.85 229.122.7 202.0￿.74 Th• mark valu• ai 31 DOc•m￿r 2023 r•prnsontS investrnnts torth• CBF endowment hjnd whith LS resrricted in use. 6 DEBTORS IVNRESTRICTED FVNDSI 2023 2022 Tax Recoverable 27￿188 27231.61 Total 7.914_42 Palle 5 41

L￿BIL[￿Es 2023 2022 Audrto¢5 750 OQ 0.00 7s0.oo Totsi 1.9501VJ FVIIDS Ftsnd Movernem Fund at 31st D¢ 2D Ftsnd at 31st 2022 o_tso o_oo 0.00 0.00 O_DO 1 4B2_55 423_35 368 75 1 05801 1,359_68 1.4& 55 423 35 30e 75 1.058 08 Choir Robè Fund eeéiework Fur Spcthc donaton5 Chaneel Rèpair fvnd bJfvJ Total 0.00 6.492.41 6.492A1 Endo¥JTh•llt Fur 220.B7B_IS 202.￿.74 ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BY FUND A•51ric*•d Endowrnont Funds Fund Totsl F￿d￿ 2D23 Total Funds 2022 F￿ndS Tan￿￿1@ a55•15 knvesfrnèMfiAèd asgets Current assets Lia￿l￿be5 2.554.00 2 s54.tsts 220,B78_85 22.291.32 750.00 244?7&17 2.554 ry) .039 74 589 05 O_00 220.878J5 6,492.41 0.00 6.492_41 220.878J5 15.798.91 750.00 1T.602.91 Tolal I61￿.19 PaBe O 42