The Parish of St Cuthbert and St Aidan, Copnor
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Annual Report 2023 St Cuthbert and St Aidan Copnor, Diocese of Portsmouth
The Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31[st] December 2023.
St Cuthbert’s Church , Lichfield Road, Copnor PO3 6DE St Aidan’s Church , The Lodge Community Centre, Sywell Crescent, Anchorage Park, PO3 5UB
www.stcuthbertandstaidan.org.uk
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Some background…
The parish of Copnor, St Cuthbert and St Aidan comprises two churches and covers a substantial area to the north east of Portsea Island. St Cuthbert’s Church is situated in the Baffins area of Portsmouth and St Aidan’s serves the community in Anchorage Park, a housing development created in the 1990s to the north of the parish.
We are Anglican churches within the Portsmouth Deanery of the Diocese of Portsmouth.
Who we are
During the year the following served as ex-officio members of our Parochial Church Council (PCC):
| Incumbent: | The Reverend Allie Kerr until 9thApril 2023 Interregnum with effect from 10thApril 2023 |
|---|---|
| Assistant Priest: | The Reverend Carol Gully |
| Deacon: | The Reverend Richard Shurmer from September 2023 |
Churchwardens:
Anne Gard (from 2016) Sally Harry (from 2020)
Deanery Synod Representatives:
Steven McDermott Sally Harry
Elected Members:
Moira Barber ( St Aidan’s rep ), Mary Bish, Jerry Brushwood, Val Clubley, Bev Hill ( Safeguarding rep ), Richard Martin, Rachel Milne, Jade Morris, Alan Phillips, Neil Piggot, Sue Walker, Sue Wells ( Safeguarding rep ).
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Co-opted Members:
There are currently no co-opted members.
Committees
The PCC was supported by the following committees:
Standing Committee Finance Team St. Aidan’s Committee Youth and Children’s Work Team Safeguarding Team Pastoral Care Team Operations Team
The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll. Members are eligible for, and invited to stand for, election to the PCC.
Aims and purposes
St. Cuthbert’s Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of working with the incumbent in promoting the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.
Objectives and Activities
Our objectives can best be summarised as follows:
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to worship God, personally and corporately;
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to make known the good news of Christ;
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to serve those in need, locally and globally;
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and to continue to grow as a loving, open Christian community, filled with the Holy Spirit.
The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community at St. Cuthbert and St. Aidan. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and makes suggestions on our services. Our
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services and worship put the Christian faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament.
When planning our activities for the year, we have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the supplementary guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. In particular, we try to enable our members to live out their faith as part of our parish community through:
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Worship and prayer; learning about the Gospel; and developing their knowledge of and trust in Jesus.
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Provision of pastoral care for people living in the parish.
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Mission and outreach work.
This being a year of interregnum for us, our main priority and focus for the year has been maintaining as much as possible of our usual activity, including outreach into the community, albeit without a priest in charge to lead us.
To facilitate this work it is essential that we maintain the fabric of the church which remains a constant challenge.
Achievements and Performance
Worship and Prayer
The PCC is keen to offer a range of worship opportunities and services during the week and over the course of the year which bring glory to God and which our community finds both beneficial and spiritually nourishing. All are welcome to attend our regular services. These include weekly Sunday services at both churches, a monthly evening service at St Cuthberts, a regular, weekly Tuesday morning service at St Cuthbert’s together with monthly gatherings for Messy Church, for children and families and Encompass, which is an informal service and social gathering, on the first Tuesday of every month, largely attended by older people.
At the beginning of March 2024 there were 122 parishioners on the Church Electoral Roll.
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Deanery Synod
The members who sit on the Deanery Synod are as stated in the details of PCC members. This provides the PCC with an important link between the parish and the wider structures of the church.
Review of the Year 2023 (Churchwardens’ report)
2023 has been predominantly a year of interregnum with the departure of the Revd Allie Kerr in April when she became the Archdeacon of Bromley and Bexhill. Her last service here was on Easter day (April 9[th] ) with a large congregation gathering to wish her and Adrian well and to thank them for their contribution to the church and community during their time here.
Allie’s departure meant that there was a considerable amount of work needed in spring and early summer to support the recruitment process for a new priest in charge, including a number of meetings with the Archdeacon and Area Dean, compiling the Parish Profile,
advertisements, consideration of the applications, and interviews. We are very pleased that this was accomplished towards the end of the year with the Revd Clive Gardner being chosen to join us from St Mark’s, Wimbledon, as our Priest in Charge to be licensed on March 11[th] 2024. We can be pleased that this was done inside of a year.
The interregnum saw a commitment to maintain as much as possible all our regular activities in both the churches to the best of our ability. This has been mostly accomplished. Our parish manager has worked very hard to engage covering priests for our services, as well as overseeing the orders of services each week. We are grateful to Carol Gully and Richard Shurmer for the significant contribution they have made during the interregnum, with Richard ordained as a Deacon in September 2023. He will be our curate for 3 years, becoming a priest in September 2024. In addition, Sam Piggot started her training to be licensed Lay Minister during the year.
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We have enjoyed, and are extremely grateful for, the contribution of all the priests who have taken our services since April with many committing to ‘regular duties.’ We are especially grateful to Father John Strain who has led the Tuesday morning Communion about 3 times a month for us as well as many Sunday services at both churches and Father Ben Weitzmann who has enabled us to maintain our fortnightly 8am Sunday Holy Communion service by regularly leading that service.
Numbers attending services have been steady during the interregnum period and we have tried to maintain the ‘status quo’ in terms of the worship opportunities we offer and how they are conducted. The PCC and congregation have had discussions about whether to continue to intinct wafers in the wine at the Communion services. Most people were keen to keep this up but we will continue to keep this under review with our new priest in charge.
Many of our groups have provided updates elsewhere in this report but it is encouraging that the vast majority of our groups continue to do well. The Service@7 continues on the first Sunday each month as our latest Fresh Expression. It moved from the Bradbury Suite to meet regularly inside the church and provides refreshments from 7pm and the service of more modern worship and discussion about a variety of topics starts at 7.30pm. It has a congregation of about 25 each month.
Stay and Play is thriving, so much so that it has had to introduce a system to manage the numbers attending to 35 children each week.
Sadly our weekly Life Matters Thursday social group has wound down due to lower numbers attending. This group had met for a number of years and owed much to the input of Sue Walker and Suzanne Davis for offering another opportunity to meet for people to meet and enjoy guest speakers and other activities.
The café, open each weekday morning, is also very successful. Income is about £250 a week before costs, but more importantly is a space for lots of different people to gather for a chat and something to eat. Families from the children’s activities in the centre often pop in and
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make for a busy and friendly atmosphere. This time is an important part of our outreach into the community.
Two Bible Study courses were held. The first on the Book of Revelation and then the Lent course, based on the film The Greatest Showman. It is hoped that in the future more people will be enthused to attend.
St. Aidan’s faithful congregation continue to have their usual Sunday services, a regular prayer meeting and are a major part of the Community Café held each month in The Lodge with about 30 people from Anchorage Park joining together for a couple of hours. They have new posters and banners to help their outreach into their community.
The usual maintenance of our church building has to be attended to constantly and Eric Harry and Richard Martin have been instrumental in keeping the smaller jobs in hand.
The huge job of clearing the tower of pigeon guano (accumulated over many decades) took place this year and now it will improve access onto the roof as and when repairs are needed. Once this complex job was started it had to be completed so cost rather more than first thought but is a good job done.
Other improvements to our building include the purchase of new staging and the completion of the woodwork to match the first vestry which is a vast improvement.
The Audio / Visual equipment is still being developed with two large tv screens on moveable stands placed in church and an extra camera bought to help with the streaming of our services.
An ongoing project is to map the complexities of the plant room, with its boilers and other building management systems. The roof repairs carried out seem to be holding and will no doubt come up in the forthcoming detailed quinquennial report.
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The hoppers and flat roofs need continual clearing to prevent leakages through the church and surgery walls.
Prioritising the findings from the quinquennial report, furthering our mapping and understanding of the myriad of pipes and controls that make up our plant room, improving our signage and reviewing our building policies will all be major areas of focus for us in 2024.
The Community Centre finds bookings up, with rooms being used more for training sessions and the renting of the Poppy Room on a permanent and sole use basis to Hope into Action, a charity working with local churches to provide housing to people currently homeless. We said farewell to the Baffins Community Food Pantry in the early summer as they were able to move on to more appropriate accommodation in Tangier Road; we were grateful that we were able to play a part in helping them establish themselves in the area.
Again, ongoing administration includes policies, advertising activities, courses for volunteers, bookings etc. The Parish Manager David Barker also contacts contractors when we need more expert help as well as routine maintenance contracts for things like fire extinguishers and lifts etc. The centre management is a complex and time-consuming business. Chris Caws has now offered to be our gardener and Jade Morris continues as our part-time cleaner for the building.
Our social events have been enjoyed by many from our congregations and community outside of the churches including two fayres, several concerts and quizzes, a parish picnic in the summer and also parish camp held for many including those on the edges of our congregations. Through these, as well as a hugely, and increasingly successful, Christmas Tree Festival and some special services and other occasions we have managed to send £4,820 to a variety of charities. We celebrated the 65th wedding anniversary of Beulah and Brian Walters with one of our usual shared buffets in church. Congratulations to them from us all.
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The PCC is grateful to our Safeguarding representatives, Bev and Sue, with their continuous work to make sure we offer safe spaces to all, especially children and vulnerable adults.
It is impossible to thank everyone who contributes to the life of our churches but this year we would like to mention those who are on rotas to make our services work. Those who choose hymns, prepare the Holy Communion requirements, read lessons, say prayers, act as Lay Communion Assistants, work the audio-visual equipment and make the coffee on Sundays or run the café during the week. We are also extremely grateful to those who, often at the last moment, step in and cover things when others are unwell. Thank you for your work done with such loyalty each week.
For the future we look forward to working with Clive Gardner, our new priest-in-charge, and seeing Richard ordained priest. This will give us the opportunity to review and maybe refocus our priorities in our mission to further the depth of our spirituality, the numbers of people coming to explore our faith and welcoming and looking after anyone who comes in through our doors. .
Thank you to everyone who has supported us, Sally and Anne, your Church Wardens, during this year.
Anne Gard and Sally Harry Church Wardens
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Reports from our Groups
To provide some additional flavour to what we do at St Cuthbert’s and St Aidan’s here are some reports from some of our church-led groups and communities…
St. Aidan’s (report from Debbie Bridger)
We’ve had a very positive 2023; our congregation numbers have maintained a steady 10-18 each week and we were very grateful to have had a variety of visiting priests, alongside Carol and Richard. We enjoyed the interesting and stimulating worship they all offered. They all expressed their appreciation for joining St Aidan’s on a Sunday.
Our Harvest Festival service was led by Father John Strain and for the first time we linked up with the community champion in Morrisons supermarket to donate our harvest food offerings to their food bank appeal. Father John was delighted to bless our empty supermarket trolley and was amazed when we filled it with all our donations. Morrisons were very grateful too.
Christmas services were well attended, 29 at the carol service, led by Debbie Bridger, 45 from Anchorage Park sang carols and songs in the Compass Rose and 14 attended the Christmas Eve service, led by Carol. The monthly silent prayer group sees 3-5 people come together in prayer, in order to hear God’s voice and to ask for His blessing on St Aidan’s Church.
Following concerns about fire safety all St Aidan’s services are now lit by battery-powered LED candles and we have found this to be liberating and positive move. We could put our T-lights together during the Candlemass service to make our light shine brighter without any spilt wax and our carol service was much less stressful but still as atmospheric.
During the year, we have purchased a new Christmas Tree, candles and batteries but still have approximately £400 in the bank and petty cash. Our CD player may need to be replaced during the year.
The monthly Saturday café, organised by members of St Aidan’s is appreciated and still well attended – 25-30 local neighbours and friends, plus our councillors. There were fundraising events in July for The
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British Heart Foundation and in October for The Alzheimer’s Society with entertainment from the Ukes of Wallington. Thanks are given to Joan Needham and Irene Woolgar for their hard work. Tuesday afternoons sees 6 to 10 people from the church and community coming together for drinks and chat in the Compass Rose.
Thanks to Lynn May for publishing our events on the Anchorage Park Facebook page. We intend to use this method more in the future. We have two members of St Aidan’s who are willing to be PCC members and others ready to attend as observers. We are hoping to resume the St Aidan’s meetings presently.
A ‘Funeral Thoughts’ session was held on 3rd March with 14 attendees, a Covid Memorial Service is planned for April and it’s hoped to plan and advertise a community-based Harvest Festival in the Autumn. St Aidan’s continues to be a flexible, accepting and forward-thinking church that God calls us to be.
Finally, we’d like to say a big thank you to June Parkyn for being our main liaison and communicator with St Cuthbert’s, to Barry Day for providing all our music CDs so diligently, to David Barker for all his support and prompt communication and to Alan Philips and Min Wright who kept us solvent over the past year. We also thank the PCC who paid for publicity banners and posters used throughout the year.
Sunday @7 (report from Natalia Kerr)
Sunday@7 is an informal lay led service on the first Sunday of every month. We start with food and drinks at 7pm and then start our time of worship at 7:30pm. The structure is flexible and changes but most months we have some sung worship, a talk, discussion time and interactive prayer. The numbers for this service fluctuate between 20-30 attendees.
We look at challenging topics and last year we worked through the different areas of the inclusive Church themes such as Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexuality, Ethnicity and others. This year we are looking at different topics around free will, evolution and creation,‘are miracles real?’ and prayer for persecuted Christians.
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Stay and Play (report from Becky Justice)
Stay and Play meets on a Wednesday morning between 9.30-10.30am. We are set up with various toys including soft play blocks, role play areas, a sensory tray and weekly craft. We have 45 minutes of free play and then end with a story and songs. We plan each half term around a theme such as kindness, important people, creation and colours which includes either a bible or secular story to guide our craft and sensory activity. We end every session with our goodbye song which summarises our ethos – ‘goodbye everyone, God bless you, we’ll be thinking of you, all week through.’
In the last year, we have continued to go from strength to strength. We have bought new age-appropriate bible stories to ensure they are engaging with our young children and most recently a new ball pit (a second hand bargain!) We pride ourselves on having good quality, working and clean toys for every session and being able to make weekly changes.
As a product of our own success, last April we had to limit our numbers. This was decided with a heavy heart but vital for everyone’s safety. We have a number system where we can have up to 35 children (and their grown ups!). Most weeks we are full with occasions where we have had to turn families away – but often the numbers are self-managing. However, for the last 6 months we have stopped a lot of our social media posting or advertising to prevent a surge in numbers. We have learnt there is a high need for these type of groups in our parish.
Most important are the relationships that we have created with our families. We have over 60 families on our register meaning that they attend regularly, and we have over 250 members on our Facebook group. We have been moved by the connections we have made and the comments that have been shared by our families – every week at least one parent reaches out for support or guidance. We have been honoured that parents have confided about issues ranging from extreme low mood, loneliness, partner’s incarceration, post-natal depression, to poor child and parental mental health. We have provided care packages to four families to show our love when their child has been hospitalised or in a particular period of concern. Families have commented that they know they can attend even when feeling low to feel our kindness and support.
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We have seen our children move into other areas of the church including family services, Messy Church and parish camp. They have been grateful to be included on prayer lists and have attended Christmas services for the first time. We would definitely recommend a focus on offering a way to explore Christianity in a way that is accessible to these parents as a priority for St Cuthberts.
Here are just a few comments from our parents:
“Every volunteer goes above and beyond to me feel so welcome, included and feel as though I had to a place to go when I became a mum for the first time. Forever grateful to each and every one of you”
“I feel truly blessed and lucky to have such lovely support from you all, who said you can’t pick who your family are!”
“Can’t say enough praise for the stay and play group along with the volunteers. You all go above and beyond for all the parents and children. It’s very hard to find a group that accept myself as a childminder but you have all welcomed me with open arms and have been super supportive. I thank you with all my heart for providing a safe space.”
“I didn’t want to leave the house today, but I knew you would be kind, make me cry and support me. Thank you.”
A massive thank you to the Stay and Play team – Jennie, Bev, Pip, Jess, Mikey and Sue.
- Bereavement Drop In (report from Revd Richard Shurmer)
Providing Comfort and Compassion: we are deeply grateful to our dedicated volunteers who offer solace to those journeying through grief, providing support for them to speak openly. The Bereavement Drop-In is a safe haven, where individuals can freely share their feelings and concerns. It is our hope they will find strength in shared experiences. Mostly two or three people join us each month. Some come once, others return for further time together.
Monthly sessions, held on the third Tuesday from 2 to 3:30 PM, provide a nurturing space for reflection and healing. While formal counselling isn't provided, our focus is on empathetic listening and mutual support.
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Participants share what is happening, gaining insights and solace from others' personal experiences and understanding.
We gather in our church's worship area. Attendees often comment on a sense of peace in this place. Simple elements like tea, cake, and heartfelt conversation round a table foster warmth and connection.
Individual chats are welcome, though group discussions often bring deep understanding and encouragement. Each meeting ends with an invitation to light a candle for a moment for personal reflection or prayer.
Confidentiality is key, as participants share tender stories of the present and relate them to significant parts of their life-story. Gentle reassurance is given, especially in moments of raw emotion. Reassurance happens naturally as similar experiences are shared about times of bereavement, along with supportive suggestions based on what others have found helped them to cope better.
People arrive at our door through ‘Bereavement Care Portsmouth’, GP suggestion, and word-of-mouth. We collaborate with nearby groups like ‘Milton Village Community Association’. We also ensure everyone knows about provision from ‘Help in Bereavement’.
The positive appreciation of our participants speaks volumes. Each visitor has voiced thanks for a warm welcome, caring support, and genuine understanding. Together, we offer comfort and companionship during the challenges of personal loss.
St Cuthbert’s Lunch Club (report from Beulah Walters)
This Club started its life back in the 1960s and is as relevant now as it was then. It meets every Thursday in the Wells Smith Room and at present has 47 people on the register whose ages range from one lady born in 1920 to the youngest born in 1962. We consider the joy of this club to be 50% good food and 50% social enjoyment.
There are eleven volunteers five of whom work every week, while the others work either every other week, or once a month. As is often the case in the voluntary sector, the age range of the helpers often tends to be on the older side, so we are always ready to welcome anyone who would like to join our very happy band of helpers.
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All the food is freshly cooked and tends to follow the pattern of a roast every other week, interspersed by a variety of meals well loved by older people, especially their favourite, meat pie! This, with a dessert, tea or coffee and biscuit, for £5, we consider to be good value. We also offer a free fish and chip meal once a year and a free Christmas meal with all the trimmings
The meal is served at 1230pm but by midday the room begins to fill up and is buzzing with happy laughter which is a delight to hear. At the moment we have reached our capacity for how many we can have on the books but we are always willing to put any names on the waiting list.
- Encompass (report from Gina Sanzen Baker)
Encompass is a group of adults who meet in the afternoon on the 1st Tuesday of each month in the Church. We are totally inclusive. There is a good team of helpers who provide food and drink, play games and support each other.
Visitors are greeted with a warm welcome and a drink. Name badges are worn for everyone to get to know each other. A quiz is put out for those who wish to participate or people can just chat. There is a theme each month and the quiz, talk and short service follow the theme. There is a fun activity/game connected to the theme.
We have a selection of board games, cards, dominoes , jigsaws etc to play.
Following the answers to the quiz a short service is held with a talk and hymn.
After the service we have another drink and food eg sandwiches, crumpets and cake and people spend time chatting and getting to know each other.
We were recently visited by Langstone Junior School with their teachers and had a very successful afternoon playing balloon tennis and discussing school today and how it was in the past.
Encompass provides warmth, friendship and a lot of fun and laughter.
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FOOTSTEPS (report from Sue Wells)
We are a group of women who meet every month to enjoy each other’s company. Originally we were the ‘Young Wives Group’ but many years ago we realised that many of our group were neither wives or necessarily young and we therefore changed our name to Footsteps which stands for Friendship, Outings, Ordinary people, Treasure hunts, Suppers, Trust and talks, Entertainment, Prayer, Serious (sometimes).
This year our activities have included a trip to the Spring Theatre, a meal out at the Marina Café, and a visit to Anita’s for coffee and nibbles after our planned walk along the seafront was cancelled due to torrential rain. We enjoyed a lovely ‘quiet evening’ at Anne’s where we had time to reflect quietly together at a number of stations around her house and garden.
We have met at the Church and shared quiz evenings, and general chats and catch ups while preparing for our contributions to the various fayres and of course also the Christmas Tree festival. We have also enjoyed a talk from Sue Walker about the history of Baffins which was very interesting. The year always ends with our Christmas gathering for drinks and nibbles and our infamous ‘Grotty Raffle’. This is a lucky dip of the tackiest Christmas gifts we can find.
We meet on the fourth Wednessay of every month at 7.30 and would be delighted if anyone else would like to join us.
Other groups/external hirers
As well as our own church-led groups and activities we continue to host a number of other groups within our building, all of whom are muchvalued and long term hirers.
These include groups for children such as Jiggy Wrigglers and Connors Toy Library, activities and exercise including yoga for adults, martial arts for school age young people and chair based exercise for older people or those less mobile. Two other churches, the Church of Christ and the Church of Pentecost meet weekly in some of our community centre rooms and we also work with the Society of St James to facilitate training sessions for their staff and volunteers.
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Financial Report 2023
This report supports the Financial Statements for the year as presented at the APCM on 24th March 2024 (following approval by the PCC at its meeting held on 15[th] February 2024).
Financially 2023 proved to be a mixed year. Overall, whilst there was a deficit of just over £26,000, nonetheless, Income showed an increase of approximately £13,900. In more detail:
Income
This increased from £161,134 to £175,033 – an increase of £13,899 or 6.8% from 2022.This was, in the main, down to two areas – the continuing success of the Community Centre, where income rose by £13,600 and also the very well managed Fundraising events which increased by £9,500 in round terms. The Community Centre increase reflects the growth in room hire (up by £10,150), and also the café (up by £3,461).
In terms of Fundraising, there were a number of successful concerts as well as our ever popular Fayres and Christmas Tree Festival. In addition there were a number of supporting fundraising activities, such as the “Pennies for Heaven” initiative, the “200 Club”, Sue Walker’s Quizzes, “Ride & Stride”, Board Games and the sale of preserves and books, amongst others.
Income in respect of Planned Giving, the associated Gift Aid and Service Collections, showed a small decrease but still brought in over £63,000 – an essential source of income and the bedrock of our church life.
Expenditure
Expenditure increased from £144,433 to £201,037 – an increase of £56,604 or 39.2% compared to 2022. Whilst at first sight this may seem cause for alarm, the background detail is more comforting.
By far the major cause of this increase in Expenditure was “Church Running and Maintenance” which increased by £41,056. Much of that figure was as a result of the work carried out to repair and restore the tower. This was a long overdue project and has seen the removal of the pigeons and their guano as well as structural repairs and improvements.
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Another area which shows an increase is that in relation to “Salaries” which went up by £18,503. This mainly reflects the appointment of a Parish/Centre Manager for the whole 12 months of 2023. Associated costs include Tax and National Insurance. It must be borne in mind that “professional” staff merit suitable remuneration. Also, it is worth noting that the Community Centre brought in over £52,000 in 2023.
As always, charitable giving again reflected the generosity of our congregation. The Accounts will show that in 2023 over £6,500 related to Charitable giving. Some of the worthy causes included “Solent Mind/Remind” (our 2022 Christmas Charity – much of the money being banked in early 2023); the Rowans Hospice; Hope into Action; the Earthquake Appeal for Turkey/Syria; Macmillan Cancer; The Children’s Society and The British Heart Foundation amongst many.
Otherwise, most areas were broadly in line with 2022 as regards Expenditure.
Loan
Our Loan with Allica Bank continued to reduce as monthly payments were made but progress was slowed due to regular bank interest rate increases. As at 31[st] December 2023 the outstanding loan is £112,676 (down from £131,436 in 2022). The anticipated final payment date is “late 2028/early 2029” – this may improve if interest rates reduce. There is always the possible option of making a lump sum payment at some time in the future if the loan reduces sufficiently for that to be feasible.
Future
Looking to the future, we have now received our latest Quinquennial Report. As expected this shows many areas where work will be required, particularly in regard to the roof. We will set up a working team to oversee the implementation of the report and to consider the options for financing (but ensuring our financial stability is maintained). Under the guidance of our new priest in charge we will also look to promote further Planned Giving – our costs continue to rise (gas, electricity, Parish Share etc) and maintaining a prudent financial base will provide a sound foundation for this anticipated extra expenditure.
Finally, it can be confirmed that the Accounts have been approved by the PCC and also certified by the Independent Examiner.
Alan Phillips - Treasurer
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Registered Charity No.1132140
ST CUTHBERT’S CHURCH, COPNOR WITH ST. AIDAN ANCHORAGE PARK
Balance Sheet as at 31st December 2023
| Balance Sheet as at 31st December 2023 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Note FIXED ASSETS Tangible Assets CURRENT ASSETS Debtors 6 Long Term Debtor 10 Cash at bank and in hand 5 Liabilities Creditors : amounts falling due within one year 8 Net Current assets / [Liabilities] Long Term Liability - AIB Loan 10 Total Net Assets Capital and Reserves General Funds Endowment Funds Restricted Funds 8 |
31-Dec-23 £ £ 0 10,308 86,096 46,791 143,195 19,580 123,615 -95,876 27,739 19,121 0 8,618 27,739 |
31-Dec-22 £ £ 0 3,732 106,711 74,779 185,222 16,843 168,379 -114,636 53,743 46,544 0 7,199 |
31-Dec-22 £ |
| 0 | |||
| 168,379 -114,636 |
|||
| 53,743 | |||
| 46,544 | |||
| 0 7,199 |
|||
| 53,743 |
Approved by the Parocial Church Council on
and signed on its behalf by
Registered Charity No.1132140
ST CUTHBERT’S CHURCH, COPNOR WITH ST. AIDAN ANCHORAGE PARK
Statement of Financial Activities
For the year ending 31st December 2023
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Endowment | TOTAL | FUNDS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | Funds | 2023 | 2022 | ||
| Note | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| INCOMING RESOURCES | ||||||
| Voluntary Income | 2 [a] | 58,663 | 4,829 | 0 | 63,492 | 70,147 |
| Activities for Generating Funds | 2 [b] | 16,969 | 2,974 | 0 | 19,942 | 10,361 |
| Income from Investments | 2 [c] | 97 | 0 | 0 | 97 | 47 |
| Income from Church Activities | 2 [d] | 3,599 | 0 | 0 | 3,599 | 1,101 |
| Other Incoming resources | 2 [e] | 7,809 | 0 | 0 | 7,809 | 12,987 |
| Community Centre Income | 2 [f] | 52,440 | 0 | 0 | 52,440 | 38,825 |
| Surgery rent | 10 | 27,655 | 0 | 0 | 27,655 | 27,666 |
| Total Incoming Resources | 167,231 | 7,802 | 0 | 175,033 | 161,134 | |
| RESOURCES EXPENDED | ||||||
| Church Activities | ||||||
| Missionary & Charitable giving3 [a] | 2,852 | 3,704 | 0 | 6,556 | 5,100 | |
| Ministry | 3 [b] | 46,444 | 91 | 0 | 46,535 | 45,764 |
| Church Running & Maintenanc3 [ci/ii] | 60,355 | 2,127 | 0 | 62,482 | 21,428 | |
| Magazine and Bookstall | 3 [ciii] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Upkeep Churchyard/Grounds | 3 [d] | 934 | 290 | 0 | 1,224 | 1,752 |
| Church Administration | 3 [e] | 29,560 | 0 | 0 | 29,560 | 14,235 |
| Fundraising Costs | 3 [evi] | 1,120 | 591 | 0 | 1,711 | 2,091 |
| Community Centre Expenditure | 3 [f] | 25,315 | 0 | 0 | 25,315 | 26,396 |
| Interest on AIB/Allica loan | 10 | 7,040 | 0 | 0 | 7,040 | 3,450 |
| Deferred charge - surgery rent | 10 | 20,615 | 0 | 0 | 20,615 | 24,216 |
| Total Resources Expended | 194,235 | 6,802 | 0 | 201,037 | 144,433 | |
| Long Term Debtor | ) | |||||
| Previous Year Adjustment | ) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS | -27,005 | 1,000 | 0 | -26,005 | 16,701 | |
| Balances brought forward | 45,125 | 8,618 | 0 | 53,743 | 37,043 | |
| BALANCES AT YEAR END | 18,120 | 9,618 | 0 | 27,739 | 53,743 |
ST CUTHBERT’S CHURCH, COPNOR WITH ST. AIDAN ANCHORAGE PARK Registered Charity No.1132140
Notes to the Financial Statements
For the year ending 31st December 2023
1 Accounting Policies
The financial statements of the PCC have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 together with applicable accounting standards and the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice [SORP] 2005.
Funds
General funds represent the funds of the PCC that are not subject to any special restrictions regarding their use and are available for application to the general purposes of the PCC. These include funds designated for a particular purpose by the PCC but which are not otherwise restricted.
Restricted funds represent donations and grants received for a specific object or invited by the PCC for such and they may only be expended for that object. Any balance at the end of each year is carried forward.
The accounts include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of other Church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body, nor those that are informal gatherings of Church members.
Incoming Resources
-
Collections are recognised when received by or on behalf of the PCC
-
Planned giving receivable under covenant is recognised only when received
-
Income tax recoverable on covenants and gift aid donations is recognised when the income is received
-
Grants and legacies to the PCC are accounted for when received by the PCC
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Funds raised by fete,garden party and similar events are accounted for gross
-
Sales of books and magazines from the bookstall are accounted for gross
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Rental income from the letting of the doctor's surgery has been recognised as a provision against the loan as this is assured
Resources Expended
-
Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over, or when awarded, if that award creates a binding obligation on the PCC
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The diocesan quota or parish share is accounted for when payable. Any quota unpaid at 31st December is
-
provided for in these accounts as an operational (though not a legal) liability and is shown as a creditor in the balance sheet
Fixed Assets
Consecrated and Beneficed property is excluded from the accounts in accordance with s.96(2)(a) of the Charities Act 1993
No value is placed on movable church furnishings held by the Church Wardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal since the PCC considers this to be inalienable property. All expenditure incurred during the year on consecrated or benefice buildings and movable church furnishings, whether maintenance or improvement, is written off as expenditure in the SOFA and separately disclosed.
The Church considers that it holds no fixed assets though the capitalisation policy is held. Individual items of equipment with a purchase price of £1,000 or less are written off when the asset is acquired. Current Assets
Amounts owing to the PCC at 31st December in respect of fees, rent, or other income are shown as debtors less provision for any amount that may prove uncollectable
Short-term deposits include cash held on deposit either with CBF Church of England Funds or at a bank.
Notes to the Financial Statements
For the year ending 31st December 2023
2 Incoming Resources
| [a] Voluntary Income Planned Giving: i Gift Aid Donations ii All Tax Recovered iii Other Giving iv Collections of cash at Services v Gift Days & Sundry Donations [b] Activities for Generating Funds Fund Raising [c] Income from Investments i Dividends and Interest [d] Income from Church Activities i Fees for Weddings/Funerals etc ii Bookstall [e] Other Incoming resources i Administration/ Utility Charge ii Contribution towards Insurance iii Messy Church iv Other Income [f] Community Centre Income i Community Café ii Room Hire iii All Other 3 Resources Expended [a] Church Activities Missionary & Charitable giving i Overseas: ii Home Mission iii Secular Charities [b] Ministry i Diocesan Parish Share Other Ministry Costs ii Upkeep of Services iii Working Exps of the Incumbent iv Assistant Staff v Support Costs [c] Church Running & Maintenance i Church running expenses ii Church Maintenance |
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Funds Funds Funds 2023 2022 £ £ £ £ £ 36,785 0 0 36,785 40,695 10,113 0 0 10,113 11,166 4,926 0 0 4,926 4,426 2,890 1,509 0 4,399 5,762 3,949 3,320 0 7,269 8,099 TOTAL FUNDS |
|---|---|
| 58,663 4,829 0 63,492 70,147 |
|
| 16,968.52 2,973.50 0.00 19,942 10,361 |
|
| 97 0 0 97 47 |
|
| 97 0 0 97 47 |
|
| 3,587 0 0 3,587 1,101 12 0 0 12 0 |
|
| 3,599 0 0 3,599 1,101 |
|
| 4,049 0 0 4,049 3,522 2,926 0 0 2,926 2,601 165 0 0 165 0 669 0 0 669 6,865 |
|
| 7,809 0 0 7,809 12,987 |
|
| 13,305 0 0 13,305 9,844 39,135 0 0 39,135 28,981 0 0 0 0 0 |
|
| 52,440 0 0 52,440 38,825 |
|
| Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Funds Funds Funds 2023 2022 £ £ £ £ £ 0 440 0 440 2,100 2,612 1,430 0 4,042 445 240 1,834 0 2,074 2,555 TOTAL FUNDS |
|
| 2,852 3,704 0 6,556 5,100 |
|
| 43,743 0 0 43,743 43,743 366 91 0 457 844 236 0 0 236 708 1,963 0 0 1,963 340 137 0 0 137 128 |
|
| 46,444 91 0 46,535 45,764 |
|
| 19,564 607 0 20,171 16,154 40,792 1,519 0 42,311 5,274 |
|
| 60,355 2,127 0 62,482 21,428 |
Notes to the Financial Statements
| For the year ending 31st December 2023 iii Magazine and Bookstall 0 0 0 [d] Upkeep of Churchyard/Grounds 934 290 0 [e] Church Administration i Wedding/Funeral Fees 948 0 0 ii Diocesan Loan Charges 0 0 0 iii Church Administration - Other 986 0 0 iv Expenditure for St Cuthbert's Trust 0 0 0 v Salaries - Payroll Expenses 27,627 0 0 29,560 0 0 vi Fundraising Costs 1,120 591 0 [f] Community Centre Expenditure i Community café 5,414 0 0 ii Centre running expenses 10,699 0 0 iii Centre maintenance 356 0 0 iv Utilities 8,846 0 0 25,315 0 0 4 Extraordinary Items 5 Cash at Bank and in Hand Current Account - CAF Petty Cash 6 Debtors Surgery Gift Aid claim Other Debtors 7 Creditors : Amounts falling due within one year Other Creditors Charitable Organisations AIB/Allica Loan |
0 0 0 |
0 0 |
|---|---|---|
| 934 290 0 |
1,224 1,752 |
|
| 948 0 0 0 0 0 986 0 0 0 0 0 27,627 0 0 |
948 774 0 0 986 4,337 0 0 27,627 9,124 |
|
| 29,560 0 0 |
29,560 14,235 |
|
| 1,120 591 0 |
1,711 2,091 |
|
| 5,414 0 0 10,699 0 0 356 0 0 8,846 0 0 |
5,414 3,493 10,699 16,440 356 246 8,846 6,217 |
|
| 25,315 0 0 |
25,315 26,396 |
|
| 2023 2022 £ £ |
||
| 0 0 |
||
| 31-Dec-23 31-Dec-22 £ £ 46,712 74,616 78 163 |
||
| 46,791 74,779 |
||
| 31-Dec-23 31-Dec-22 £ £ 6,914 0 2,473 2,697 921 1,035 |
||
| 10,308 3,732 |
||
| 31-Dec-23 31-Dec-22 £ £ 63 43 2,717 0 16,800 16,800 |
||
| 19,580 16,843 |
Notes to the Financial Statements
For the year ending 31st December 2023
| 8 Restricted Funds Church Roof Ride & Stride Memorial Garden Charitable Giving Puppet Theatre Flower Arrangements/ Festival Messy Church 200 Club Parish Camp Youth Work Bishops Lent Appeal Alternative Worship Gift Day Cooker Wells-Smith Kitchen St. Aidan's Stay & Play PFH Projects |
Balance Balance 01-Jan-23 Income Expenditure Transfer 31-Dec-23 £ £ £ £ £ 1,018 501 1,519 0 0 0 348 348 0 0 0 250 150 0 100 742 2,217 2,959 0 0 14 0 0 0 14 24 210 99 0 135 38 0 0 0 38 3,438 1,384 591 0 4,231 687 0 0 0 687 403 3 85 0 322 0 397 397 0 0 119 0 0 0 119 6 0 0 0 6 0 1,500 75 0 1,425 462 0 106 0 356 0 655 262 0 393 240 841 286 0 794 |
|---|---|
| 7,190 8,305 6,877 0 8,618 |
Restricted funds are wholly represented by cash reserves of the charity. Charitable giving - during the year specific charitable collections are made for identified charities Memorial garden - this arises from a special appeal for funds to maintain the memorial garden.
9 Paid Employees
| loyees Salaries (Inc. NI/Tax) Pension Costs |
31-Dec-23 31-Dec-22 £ £ 27,627 8,571 0 553 |
|---|---|
| 27,627 9,124 |
No employees earned £60,000 or more during this accounting period. The PCC operates a PAYE scheme though some payments are made on a self-employed basis.
| some payments are made on a self-employed basis. | |
|---|---|
| Management and Administration Sanitation The number of persons employed, analysed by function was: |
1 1 1 1 |
| 2 2 |
No payments were made to PCC Members during the financial period. No material transaction took place between the Church and a PCC Member or any person connected with them.
Notes to the Financial Statements
For the year ending 31st December 2023
10 Long Term Liabilities and Debtors
| ng Term Liabilities and Debtors | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Long Term Liability-AIB/Allica Loan | |||
| Accumulated Loan and interest b/f | 131,436.42 | 153,787 | |
| Interest accrued in Year | 7,040 | 3,450 | |
| Repayment made in year | -25,800 | -25,800 | |
| Accumulated Loan and interest c/f | 112,676 | 131,436 | |
| Due for payment within one year | 16,800 | 16,800 | |
| Longterm Liability c/f | 95,876 | 114,636 | |
| Long Term Debtor-PCT Surgery Renta l |
|||
| Rental debtor to meet accumulated Loan and interest | 106,711 | 130,927 | |
| Received and held in bank | 20,615 | 24,216 | |
| Temporary Cash flow loan in bank | |||
| Long Term debtor remaining | 86,096 | 106,711 |
Rental Income from the development is contractually assured and has previously been provided for in the accounts. The income is held in a separate bank account and earmarked for the payment of the loan and accumulating interest.
11 Reserves Policy
The PCC have considered the level of reserves they wish to, and are able to, retain as appropriate to the needs of the Church.This is based on the size and level of commitments and an operating balance of approximately £3,000 in the current account is maintained for cash flow purposes and to fulfil operational commitments.
Independent examiners report to the PCC of St Cuthbert’s, Portsmouth on the Accounts for year ended 31[st] December 2023
The report on the financial statements of the PCC for the year ended 31[st] December 2023, which is set out in the Annual Report, has been carried out in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 and s.43 of the Charities Act 1993.
Respective responsibilities of the PCC and Examiner
As members of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of financial statements and you consider that the audit requirement of the Regulations and s43(2) does not apply. It is my responsibility to issue this report on those financial statements in accordance with the terms of the Regulations.
Basis of this report
My examination has been carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under s.43(7)(b) of the Act and to be found in the Church guidance dated 2006. That examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the PCC and a comparison of the accounts with the records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations from you as Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence in an audit, and consequently do not express and audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
Independent examiners statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the requirements;
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To keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act; to prepare statements which accord with the accounting records and comply with the requirements of the Act and the Regulations; have not been met.
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● Or to which to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.