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2024-12-31-accounts

The Parish of St Cuthbert and St Aidan, Copnor

Annual Report 2024 St Cuthbert and St Aidan Copnor, Diocese of Portsmouth

The Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31[st] December 2024.

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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Introduction: Revd Clive Gardner, Priest in Charge

Jesus said: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

“The glory of God is a human being fully alive.” (St Irenaeus)

The last year seems a bit of a blur to me - in a good way. So much has happened and so much has changed. I am so pleased that I was offered this position and made the journey from Wimbledon to Portsmouth. It has been such a pleasure to start to get to know people here, and to be on the receiving end of such a warm welcome. The care that you have shown me has been fantastic, especially when my brother was so ill last year (thankfully he is much better now).

It is hard to separate out some people for special thanks though I must mention here Sally Harry and Anne Gard. They are both first rate church wardens, and have been a wonderful support to me; we are so fortunate to have them both, who combine extraordinary dedication to their role with wisdom, compassion and kindness.

It is great to be part of a ministry team with Carol Gully, Richard Shurmer and Sam Piggot, and especially to see Richard ordained as a priest last year. Each brings different skills of Christian ministry - it feels like we complement each other well. Another special mention is to David Barker for being such a brilliant Parish Manager - we are so blessed to have him, coming as he does, with so many abilities which he exercises with skill and wisdom.

I could go on to list those who serve on the PCC, everyone who helps out at St Aidan’s, the Café, Messy Church, Stay and Play, Lunch Club, Encompass, the Bereavement Drop-In, St Aidan’s Community Café, Parish Camp, Communications Team, Music Group, readers and intercessors, flower arrangers, PSO’s, Footsteps, the Board Games Group, Men’s Club, LCA’s, Pastoral Care Team, Hymn Choosing Group, Standing Committee, Events Group, Maintenance Team, AV Team, the Evening Service Planning Group, and all the other individuals and groups that I have inadvertently not listed here.

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Perhaps you know the ‘Fanfare for the Common Man’ by Aaron Copland - an extraordinary uplifting piece; I’m thinking that there should be a Fanfare for the Ordinary Church Member, and that it should be an anthem in our church. One of the most incredible things about St Cuthbert’s and St Aidan’s is the involvement of so many people, and the care that is shown both to one another and also the wider community.

Jesus told a lot of parables about growing things - grain that grows in the soil, tiny seeds that grow into huge plants. It is my prayer that we might continue to grow in the coming year. In a world that is marked by increasing uncertainty, I pray that our church might be a place where people encounter the secure love of God for themselves, and that love might spread and spread to all we meet. The PCC has elected to put as our number one priority our work with children and families. And to that end we are intending to employ a Children and Families Worker later this year. One of their key roles will be to work with those families who are involved with Messy Church and Stay and Play - to see them grow in faith for themselves. I am hoping that this might facilitate our growth both in numbers and in depth of spirituality. It will not be without it’s challenges though - growth, by definition, involves change. And the growth that is God’s growth always leads to the abundant life of which Jesus spoke.

Revd Clive Gardner February 2025.

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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: Interregnum with effect from 10thApril 2023 – 10th
March 2024
The Reverend Clive Gardner from 11thMarch 2024
Assistant Priest: The Reverend Carol Gully
Curate: The Reverend Richard Shurmer
(ordained as Priest 28thSeptember 2024)

Churchwardens:

Anne Gard (from 2016) Sally Harry (from 2020)

Elected Members (PCC Ordinary Members):

Mary Bish, Val Clubley, Martine Hebblethwaite, Bev Hill ( Safeguarding rep ), Susan Leighton, Sheila McKeown (St Aidan’s rep), Richard Martin, Sheila Martin, Rachel Milne, Neil Piggot, Virginia Williams, Anita Woodcock

Deanery Synod Representatives (also members of PCC):

Sue Wells, Sally Harry

Co-opted Members to the PCC:

There are two co-opted members: Alan Phillips (Treasurer) and Becky Justice.

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Committees

The PCC was supported by the following meetings, teams and committees:

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 purpose

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 overall objectives can best be summarised as follows:

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 services and worship put the Christian faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament.

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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:

Since the arrival of our new priest in charge, Revd Clive Gardner in March 2024, we have been reviewing our mission action plan, and identifying priorities to focus on within that. This continues to have outreach as its main theme, with a particular focus on children, young people and families. 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 2025 there were 95 parishioners on the Church Electoral Roll.

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.

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Our review of 2024

Report from the church wardens

2024 was the usual busy year, welcoming our new vicar, The Revd Clive Gardner in March. Prior to Clive’s arrival, still in the interregnum, we were mostly concerned with planning his induction service together with arranging the Easter services, receiving the Quinquennial report and managing the community centre and church in its usual routine.

The PCC met 10 times during the year and the main discussions were to do with intinction at Holy Communion, service times over the whole parish, the arrangement of the chairs and altar in St Cuthbert’s for the morning services, compiling a Mission Action Plan for the future, the Archdeacon’s visitation and continuing with regular services, social events and the upkeep of the whole building.

We decided to fall into line with the Diocese and re-introduce taking wine from the common cup. Various arrangements of the chairs and bringing the altar forward were tried out to make the most of the flexible worship space we enjoy. The final conclusion is to have various layouts of the chairs in different seasons of the year.

One of the main activities of the PCC during the year was to form a Mission Action Plan. The PCC spent a day away considering where the churches are at present and what was needed to spread the gospel in our parish. Out of this, our first priority is to concentrate on work with families, children and young people.

To this aim we are hoping to employ a Family Parish Worker to help bridge the gap between Stay and Play and Messy Church, where we have many contacts, and where people come to faith. A plan to raise money for this and increase our income generally is being formed. The second priority is in our worship where we aim to have regular all age worship services and hold an Alpha course to help us deepen our discipleship. We also hope to start a Sunday School. We are looking forward to seeing these plans increase our numbers and depth of spirituality.

We tried to involve everybody from both churches in the discussions about how to change the times of services so that one member of the

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clergy could conduct both services on a Sunday morning without rushing from one to the other and yet giving both congregations enough time and attention.

After a survey, seeking views on options for several different times, and much deliberation, we are now worshipping at 9am at St Aidan’s and 10.45am at St. Cuthbert’s.

During the year Clive Gardner has run two courses entitled ‘The Wisdom of the Christ – an introduction to Christian Spirituality’ They have been appreciated greatly by about twenty people who have attended. Another one is due to start in 2025.

The Archdeacon’s visitation took place in September and after a lot of preparation went well with a good report. The inventory, registers, silverware and church building are all inspected as part of this review.

The quinquennial report from our architect was studied carefully and our Operations and Fabric Group was tasked to prioritise the maintenance that needs doing. Some smaller jobs have been completed, and others will follow as and when we can do them ourselves, get a professional in and be able to afford it.

The ongoing managing of the centre and church continues to be a very time consuming, sometimes complicated, and always requiring a lot of work. As landlords to the East Shore GP surgery, we are duty bound to react quickly to any issues that arise from there. A regular meeting with the practice staff has now been arranged to keep in touch.

The church roof continues to leak in various places depending on which way the wind blows. This can cause some minor disruption and are managed accordingly – the main issue being access to the roof at height to put things right.

Decoration is needed now as well as the ever-constant problems that arise with plumbing, electricals etc in a building of a certain age. We are most thankful to Eric Harry and Richard Martin for helping us with a lot of maintenance jobs. Thank you also to Chris Caws who looks after the garden which is vital as the first thing that people see when they come to church.

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The centre is managed by David Barker, and we are forever thankful for all he does to manage trades people, servicing contractors, unending paperwork as well as compiling the church orders of services and creating posters, arranging publicity for our activities and arranging groups who hire the centre rooms and always looking out for new interested customers. Our future aims include following up on the Health and Safety and Fire inspection reports as well as making sure risk assessments are in place.

The old organ is still being stored on the balcony and plant room. After some enquiries and advice from the diocese the PCC voted to try and dispose of it as it would be very expensive to install it back to working condition and then employ an organist.

During the year a defibrillator has been purchased and put on the outside of the church in Lichfield Road to be accessed by the whole community. We have been given training given on how to use it. This was funded by Pennies for Heaven, a very successful, and much admired and supported, scheme to collect loose change, run by Beulah Walters.

Different groups continue to meet in the ongoing life of our churches and reports from some of these are documented below. Unfortunately, the Youth Group had to be disbanded as we did not have the required young person to adult ratio, that is needed in our building for acceptable safeguarding for everyone. A new Men’s Club was started and now meets twice a month. A link is being formed with Roof Breakers which is concerned with being totally inclusive with those who have disabilities.

Festivals and social events continue to play a huge role in the life of the parish, and are always wonderfully supported. We are so thankful to have a dedicated band of amazing volunteers who do so much to develop, prepare and support them. Christmas was particularly busy in 2024, with the Christmas Tree Festival, concerts, nativities and special services all being well attended. This enabled us to support HomeStart Portsmouth and the Connors Toy Library, two very important charities working for families in the city.

We have no doubt that worship, services, social events, group meetings etc. etc will continue to grow and develop into 2025 and we are very

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grateful to our clergy, Clive, Carol and Richard who was ordained as priest in September and Sam who is training as a Lay Licensed Minister. Thank you also to everyone who volunteers in the church and centre, giving up precious time and using their skills in the work of our church. We pray for the new initiatives that are planned for the forth coming year and trust in God to guide us through.

Anne Gard and Sally Harry Church Wardens

St. Aidan’s report

The past year has seen some quiet changes and growth at St Aidan’s.

We welcomed the arrival of Revd. Clive Gardner and greatly enjoy his challenging and interesting sermons. We were delighted to be part of Richard Shurmer’s training and ordination journey and are pleased that Sam Piggot is now bringing her reader training into our services. We walked alongside Carol Gully as she went through the process of redundancy and retirement and are delighted that she is able to give more of her free time to support and direct St Aidan’s. Our worship in 2024 has been varied and thought-provoking and we are grateful for all who lead us in worship.

The congregation seems to have grown during the year and we regularly have between 15 and 20 attending each week.

The Christmas services were well attended too, with the carol service seeing 35 people and the midnight service 17, where six were visitors.

A full shopping trolley of foods and goods was donated during the Harvest Festival service and given to Morrisons for their chosen Food Bank.

St Aidan’s 32[nd] Patronal Festival was well attended and the bank of donated flowers was distributed to the congregation; a practise that will continue into 2025.

The community café had another successful year, seeing 30-50 people attending each month. Thanks must go to Joan and Irene and all who assist to make this a happy and fun afternoon. At the February café, a

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63[rd] wedding anniversary was celebrated and blessed in a very special service by Clive, making it a joyous occasion for the family and friends of Doug and Shirley.

Also in February, the marriage of Moira and Roger was blessed by Richard and the congregation, in a beautiful service that we were all happy to be part of. Sadly, the church has been shocked by the passing of Moira shortly afterwards and we are grateful to the worship team for supporting Roger and the whole congregation at this sad time.

The St Aidan’s meetings are now held regularly and we look forward to new plans for the consolidation and growth of St Aidan’s during the coming year.

Debbie Bridger

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…

Messy Church

Messy Church runs on the first Saturday of the month (2-4pm) except for August and December, when it’s the school holidays and Christmas tree festival. It runs for two hours, during which time we welcome an average of 40 people, at least half of these will be children.

Children join in with various crafts, activities, food craft, games and play. We then sit together and share a short story based on our Bible theme, often with a song and a prayer. This is led by Clive or a member of the clergy team. After that we all share refreshments together.

It takes a lot of work to get the Church ready(and tidied away again) for Messy Church and we are lucky to have a small team of amazing volunteers -although we can always do with more!

Rachel Milne

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Stay and Play

Stay and Play continues to meet 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 have now created a two year rolling programme to lessen the amount of work for our team. 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 pride ourselves on having good quality, working and clean toys and finding age appropriate and engaging bible and secular stories. We are full most weeks but this is largely self-managing although there remain occasions where we have had to turn families away – we are so grateful of the cafe to be able to provide a play area when we are full. We do not publicise with any new members growing by word of mouth.

We continue to develop our 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 280 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. We have been honoured that parents have confided about issues ranging from extreme low mood, loneliness, post-natal depression, and sadly this year a couple of children who have experienced very poor health. The families have been thankful for our offer to put them on the church’s prayer list.

We have seen our children move into other areas of the church including family services, Messy Church and parish camp. It would be lovely this year to have something to offer our parents who may be wishing to explore their own faith. A massive thank you to the Stay and Play team – Jennie, Bev, Pip, Jess, and Sue.

Becky Justice

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Bereavement Drop-In

Bereavement Drop-In is where people coping with loss have a safe space to talk in confidence. The meeting takes place in St Cuthbert’s church on the third Tuesday of every month, from 2-3:30pm. Those who come comment on feeling a sense of peace here, and they voice appreciation for the opportunity to meet.

Over a hot drink and cake, attendees find connection through conversation and mutual support. Sharing personal experiences fosters understanding, with volunteers and participants offering invaluable insights. For example, at the December meeting, one person said how much she was helped by a discussion on coping during Christmastime.

Though not a formal counselling service, the focus is on listening, empathy, and shared support. Our aim is to create a space for reflection that aids the journey toward well-being. Many thanks to our faithful volunteers who offer their time and care to this ministry.

Each month, two or three people attend - some just once, others returning for ongoing support. We offer the opportunity to talk . individually, most prefer group discussions The meeting closes with an invitation to light a candle for personal reflection or prayer.

People find out about us via communications from St Cuthbert’s, GP referrals, word of mouth, also from Bereavement Care Portsmouth. The nearest Bereavement Care group meets at Milton Village Community Centre 1.30 to 3.30 on the 3[rd] Thursday of every month. We sign-post this group, Help in Bereavement, and other services.

If you're interested in joining this bereavement ministry, please do speak to me.

Revd. Richard Shurmer

St Cuthbert’s Lunch Club

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 43 people on the register. This is slightly down from last year as a few of our members have moved, but rest assured those places will soon be filled. The thing is that once people join they never

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want to leave! 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.

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! And, of course, the lovely roast potatoes. This, with a dessert, tea or coffee and biscuit, for £5, we consider to be good value. This year on VE day we will be putting on a free street party {in the usual room } and, as always, their free Christmas dinner in December.

The meal is served at 12.30pm but by midday the room begins to fill up and is buzzing with happy laughter which is a delight to hear. The few places we have vacant will hopefully soon be filled but we are always willing to put any names on the waiting list.

Beulah Walters

Encompass

Encompass continues to meet in the afternoon on the 1[st] 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 offer 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.

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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.

We support both the Church Fayres with a Pound Stall each year and also the Christmas Tree Festival by decorating a Christmas Tree.

Encompass provides warmth, friendship and a lot of fun and laughter.

Gina Sanzen-Baker

Footsteps

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 grotty weather.

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. 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 Wednesday of every month at 7.30 and would be delighted if anyone else would like to join us.

Sue Wells

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Men’s Club

We are a small group who meet fortnightly for an evening of fellowship, and people are encouraged to bring along a craft project; we have had models in various media; painting, sewing and needlework as examples. Numbers are usually between six and eight on any given evening, however, twice that number have attended in the months since we started in late autumn. Probably half the numbers are from people outside the church, so it is an opportunity to invite them into the building, and this does lead to conversations.

We may look to group projects in the future, depending on interests; a fair number like (for example) model rail, and there has been discussion in the past (2023) about having a rail exhibition in St Cuthberts.

Neil Piggot

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. Since last year we have also been delighted to host office space for Hope into Action, Portsmouth – a Christian charity supporting homeless people in the Portsmouth area.

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Financial Report 2024

This report supports the Financial Statements for the year as presented at the APCM on 23[rd] March 2025 (following approval by the PCC at its meeting held on 10[th] February 2025).

Financially 2024 and 2023 were quite similar in terms of the end result. Unfortunately for both years this was a deficit. For 2024 this was an amount of £22,266. Whilst 2023’s result was largely due to one event, namely the restoration/renovation of the Tower, 2024 was due more to a general spread of costs. It can be mentioned however that there were 2 items in 2024 which will not occur again for some time – these were the Quinquennial Inspection/Report (£5,100) and the 5 year Electrical Safety check (£3,700).

• Income

This increased from £175,033 to £178,691 – an increase of £3,658 or 2.1%. The main areas of income remained:

Planned Giving: £63,521 – pretty much the same as 2023’s figure (£63,492). This item includes money given by Standing Order; by Envelope; by service collections and also sundry donations made during the year. This continues to be an essential source of income and the regular contributions help to make financial planner more straightforward and reliable.

The Community Centre: £53,299. This welcome support was again, much in line with the previous year but continues to be a significant asset to Church finances as well as in so many other ways. There are 2 notable elements to this source of income – a) Room Hire at £40,601 (£39,135 in 2023); and b) The Café at £12,198. Both areas reflect continuing success in our aim to maximise room hire income and, via the Café, to provide food and drink at affordable prices coupled with a warm & welcoming environment.

Fundraising: £19,184. Through the hard work of many the excellent result for 2023 was maintained in 2024. 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.

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Other Income Resources: £12,493. This area covers a wide range but essentially most of the income here relates to payments made by the Surgery for a) Gas supply – the Church pays the bill for the whole building but recovers the Surgery share; b) A contribution by the Surgery for our insurance costs – this ensures that protection is afforded to the Surgery as well as to the Centre and Church.

Surgery Rent: This is a fixed/agreed sum and does not vary year on year.

• Expenditure

Expenditure showed a small reduction – from £201,037 to £200,958 – a decrease of £79.

The main areas of Expenditure were:

Church Ministry: £50,811 (from £46,535 in 2023). In reality this was largely due to “Parish Share” at £45,922 – an increase from 2023 of £2,179 or in % terms, just under 5%.

Church Running and Maintenance: £46,130 (from £62,482 in 2023). Please note here that whilst the reduction does reflect the fact that 2023 included the Tower work, the figure for this area has also been “refined” from previous years accounts – some more of the costs have been assigned to the Community Centre – to try and show a more accurate picture. Those costs are £5,765 (£356 in 2023), making an overall cost of £51,895 for all building maintenance work. Not unexpectedly, the major source of Expenditure for the Church was “Utilities” ie Gas, Electric and Water which combined account for nearly £16,000 of expenditure.

Community Centre: £33,381 (from £25,315 in 2023). Again, as with the Church most of the increase here relates to “Utilities” mainly the cost of Gas and Electricity.

Church Admin: £31,420 (29,560). An increase of £1,860 or 6.3%. This mainly reflects the increase in Employee salaries (including Tax and National Insurance costs).

Charitable Giving: £5,600 – as always, a decent sum was given to a number of charities. These include, Connors Toy Library; Home-Start Portsmouth; Bishop’s Lent Appeal; MacMillan Charitable Support;

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Hampshire & the Islands Historic Churches Trust (via “Ride & Stride”); The Children’s Society (Christingle); and Christian Aid amongst many.

• Loan

Our Loan with Allica Bank continued to reduce as monthly payments were made but progress was again slowed due to regular bank interest rate increases. As at 31[st] December 2024 the outstanding loan is £93,539.96 - down from £112,676 in 2023. This latest sum includes approx. £8,400 for what is termed by the bank, a “balloon payment”. In real terms this reflects the fact that our monthly gross payments of £2,150 do not reduce all of the principal amount outstanding – which means a balance builds up over time. The anticipated final payment date is now “mid 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

As mentioned in the introductory notes, approximately £8,800 of Expenditure should not reoccur in 2025. However, with a building aged over 110 years, there is always the possibility of unforeseen maintenance work.

In addition, much of our Expenditure is somewhat out of our control and here we can think in particular of our Gas and Electric bills where we have contracts that will run for another year or two with no guarantee of lower prices being available at the end.

With that in mind we will need to turn our focus to Income as an area which we can in many ways influence. A team has been formed to participate in the Church of England’s “Cornerstone” project – a pragmatic approach to fundraising where our aim is to use those funds primarily to pay for a Children’s/Family worker.

More routine expenditure will of course still remain and here we will look to enhance our fundraising and also encourage personal giving.

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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Information about us

Join us for our weekly services

Every Sunday – Holy Communion

9am at St Aidan’s

10.45am at St Cuthbert’s

1[st] Sunday of Every Month – Evening Service

6pm for 6.30pm at St Cuthbert’s

Every Tuesday – Holy Communion

9.30am at St Cuthbert’s

Contact Information

St Cuthbert’s Church

Lichfield Road, Portsmouth PO3 6DE

St Aidan’s Church

The Lodge Community Centre, Sywell Crescent, Portsmouth PO3 5UB

Parish phone number: 07765 337820 www.stcuthbertandstaidan.org.uk

For children and families:

Annual Report 2025: Parish of St Cuthbert and St Aidan, Copnor

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Registered Charity No.1132140

ST CUTHBERT’S CHURCH, COPNOR WITH ST. AIDAN ANCHORAGE PARK

Balance Sheet as at 31st December 2024

Balance Sheet as at 31st December 2024
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
7
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-24
£
£
0
243
65,105
33,664
99,012
16,800
82,212
-76,740
5,472
2,257
0
3,216
5,472		 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		 31-Dec-23
£
0
123,615
-95,876
27,739
19,121
0
8,618
27,739

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 2024

Unrestricted Restricted Endowment TOTAL FUNDS
Funds Funds Funds 2024 2023
Note £ £ £ £ £
INCOMING RESOURCES
Voluntary Income 2 [a] 59,795 3,726 0 63,521 63,492
Activities for Generating Funds 2 [b] 14,132 5,052 0 19,184 19,942
Income from Investments 2 [c] 57 0 0 57 97
Income from Church Activities 2 [d] 2,552 0 0 2,552 3,599
Other Incoming resources 2 [e] 12,493 0 0 12,493 7,809
Community Centre Income 2 [f] 53,229 0 0 53,229 52,440
Surgery rent 10 27,655 0 0 27,655 27,655
Total Incoming Resources 169,913 8,779 0 178,691 175,033
RESOURCES EXPENDED
Church Activities
Missionary & Charitable giving3 [a] 290 5,337 0 5,627 6,556
Ministry 3 [b] 50,669 142 0 50,811 46,535
Church Running & Maintenanc3 [ci/ii] 43,449 2,682 0 46,130 62,482
Magazine and Bookstall 3 [ciii] 0 0 0 0 0
Upkeep Churchyard/Grounds 3 [d] 1,074 200 0 1,274 1,224
Church Administration 3 [e] 31,416 4 0 31,420 29,560
Fundraising Costs 3 [evi] 75 4,585 0 4,660 1,711
Community Centre Expenditure 3 [f] 32,150 1,232 0 33,381 25,315
Interest on AIB/Allica loan 10 6,664 0 0 6,664 7,040
Deferred charge - surgery rent 10 20,991 0 0 20,991 20,615
Total Resources Expended 186,777 14,181 0 200,958 201,037
Long Term Debtor )
Previous Year Adjustment ) 0 0 0 0
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS -16,864 -5,402 0 -22,266 -26,005
Balances brought forward 18,120 8,618 0 27,739 53,743
BALANCES AT YEAR END 1,256 3,216 0 5,472 27,739

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 2024

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

Resources Expended

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 2024

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
2024
2023
£
£
£
£
£
38,695
0
0
38,695
36,785
8,655
0
0
8,655
10,113
4,636
0
0
4,636
4,926
2,424
1,047
0
3,471
4,399
5,385
2,679
0
8,064
7,269
TOTAL FUNDS
59,795
3,726
0
63,521
63,492
14,132
5,052
0.00
19,184
19,942
57
0
0
57
97
57
0
0
57
97
2,359
0
0
2,359
3,587
192
0
0
192
12
2,552
0
0
2,552
3,599
8,290
0
0
8,290
4,049
2,837
0
0
2,837
2,926
0
0
0
0
165
1,366
0
0
1,366
669
12,493
0
0
12,493
7,809
12,198
0
0
12,198
13,305
40,601
0
0
40,601
39,135
431
0
0
431
0
53,229
0
0
53,229
52,440
Unrestricted
Restricted
Endowment
Funds
Funds
Funds
2024
2023
£
£
£
£
£
0
241
0
241
440
50
1,590
0
1,640
4,042
240
3,506
0
3,746
2,074
TOTAL FUNDS
290
5,337
0
5,627
6,556
45,922
0
0
45,922
43,743
576
0
0
576
457
2,883
0
0
2,883
236
1,231
0
0
1,231
1,963
58
142
0
200
137
50,669
142
0
50,811
46,535
28,695
2,682
0
31,376
20,171
14,754
0
0
14,754
42,311
43,449
2,682
0
46,130
62,482

Notes to the Financial Statements

For the year ending 31st December 2024
iii
Magazine and Bookstall
0
0
0
[d]
Upkeep of Churchyard/Grounds
1,074
200
0
[e]
Church Administration
i
Wedding/Funeral Fees
873
0
0
ii
Diocesan Loan Charge
0
0
0
iii
Church Administration - Other
363
4
0
iv
Expenditure for St Cuthbert's Trust
0
0
0
v
Salaries - Payroll Expenses
30,180
0
0
31,416
4
0
vi Fundraising Costs
75
4,585
0
[f]
Community Centre Expenditure
i
Community café
4,975
4
0
ii
Centre running expenses
10,419
591
0
iii
Centre maintenance
5,129
636
0
iv
Utilities
11,628
0
0
32,150
1,232
0
4 Extraordinary Items
5 Cash at Bank and in Hand
Current Account - CAF
Savings Account - Redwood Bank
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
1,074
200
0		 1,274
1,224
873
0
0
0
0
0
363
4
0
0
0
0
30,180
0
0		 873
948
0
0
366
986
0
0
30,180
27,627
31,416
4
0		 31,420
29,560
75
4,585
0		 4,660
1,711
4,975
4
0
10,419
591
0
5,129
636
0
11,628
0
0		 4,979
5,414
11,010
10,699
5,765
356
11,628
8,846
32,150
1,232
0		 33,381
25,315
2024
2023
£
£
0
0
31-Dec-24
31-Dec-23
£
£
23,582
46,712
10,000
0
82
78
33,664
46,791
31-Dec-24
31-Dec-23
£
£
0
6,914
0
2,473
243
921
243
10,308
31-Dec-24
31-Dec-23
£
£
0
63
0
2,717
16,800
16,800
16,800
19,580

Notes to the Financial Statements

For the year ending 31st December 2024

8 Restricted Funds
Church Building
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-24
Income
Expenditure
Transfer
31-Dec-24
£
£
£
£
£
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
100
100
200
0
0
0
4,192
4,192
0
0
14
0
0
0
14
135
186
321
0
0
38
63
0
0
101
4,231
1,279
4,587
0
922
687
0
142
0
545
322
32
0
0
353
0
697
697
0
0
119
0
0
0
119
6
0
6
0
0
1425
0
1,425
0
0
356
55
129
0
282
393
81
208
0
265
794
1,011
1,190
0
615
8,618
7,694
13,097
0
3,216

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-24
31-Dec-23
£
£
30,180
27,627
0
0
30,180
27,627

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 2024

10 Long Term Liabilities and Debtors

ng Term Liabilities and Debtors
2024 2023
£ £
Long Term Liability-AIB/Allica Loan
Accumulated Loan and interest b/f 112,676 131,436
Interest accrued in Year 6,664 7,040
Repayment made in year -25,800 -25,800
Accumulated Loan and interest c/f 93,540 112,676
Due for payment within one year 16,800 16,800
Longterm Liability c/f 76,740 95,876
Long Term Debtor-PCT Surgery Renta
l
Rental debtor to meet accumulated Loan and interest 86,096 106,711
Received and held in bank 20,991 20,615
Temporary Cash flow loan in bank
Long Term debtor remaining 65,105 86,096

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 2024

The report on the financial statements of the PCC for the year ended 31[st] December 2024, 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;

Douglas Sanders CPFA (Retired) 33 Elderfield Close, Emsworth, Hampshire, PO10 7QW

1st February 2025