2022-12-31-accounts

Mid-wyedean Churches Annual Parochial Church Council Meeting Sunday 30th April, 2023 Photo: community art at St Saviour s, Redbrook 2022 Report

Welcome.

Friend and stranger, young and old, all are welcome here. As followers of Jesus, our journey of faith is one of love, compassion and justice for all.

Thank you.

We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in compiling this report and all your many and varied contributions throughout the year. Thanks as well to our regular congregations who are the life and soul of our churches and meeting places, newcomers who have pitched in from the start and all those who have generously contributed when attending church for weddings, baptisms and funerals or whilst passing through our beautiful area as visitors. Thanks to all our Parish volunteers, volunteers from the community including The Friends of Newland Church and our valued ecumenical partners. Coleford Baptist Church, thank you so much for being our hosts and companions in our journey of faith. Thanks to our professional contractors and specialists who have helped us look after our buildings and have themselves been generous with their time and invoicing! Thank you to Bishop Rachel, Archdeacon Hilary and Reverend Ros Greenhalgh for coming to visit, encourage, support and teach us in 2022 and 2023. Thank you to our schools, Clearwell Church of England Primary School, Redbrook C of E Primary School and St John’s C of E Primary Academy in Coleford, who allow us to use their school for Mustard Tree.

Reverend Sarah Bick and the Mid-Wyedean Churches PCC

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Table of contents

1 Executive summary......................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Charity aims and purposes............................................................................................3 1.2 Objectives and activities................................................................................................4 1.3 Highlights and challenges............................................................................................ 5 2 Parish Warden’s Report - Rosemary Ward with contributions from Local Ministry Teams.6 All Saints, Newland..............................................................................................................6 All Saints, Staunton..............................................................................................................9 St Peter’s Clearwell and the Clearwell Cemetery Chapel.................................................. 11 St Saviour’s, Redbrook.......................................................................................................14 The Good Shepherd, Broadwell.........................................................................................17 Coleford Town: Mustard Tree............................................................................................20 Coleford Town: St John's Academy....................................................................................21 Coleford Town: missional and ecumenical activities.........................................................22 3 Parish Administrator and Parish Office...........................................................................24 4 Weddings, baptisms and funerals...................................................................................26 5 Home/ community communions and visiting.................................................................26 6 Ecumenical Links - Reverend Sarah Bick.......................................................................27 7 Deanery Synod Report, Forest South Deanery - Sue Sparkes and Wendy Williams..27 8 Treasurer’s Report - Reverend Alan Wearmouth........................................................... 28 9 Hopes, Plans and Priorities for 2023...............................................................................29 10 Safeguarding Report - Mark Bick..................................................................................30 11 Mid-Wyedean Parish................................................................................................... 31 11.1 Location and legal structure......................................................................................32 11.2 Management and administration..............................................................................33 11.3 Licensed staff team (all are volunteers unless otherwise indicated).........................33 11.4 Licensed worship leaders.......................................................................................... 34 11.5 Retired clergy.............................................................................................................34 11.6 Church Officers..........................................................................................................35 11.7 Parish Administrators................................................................................................ 36 11.8 Independent Examiner..............................................................................................36

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1 Executive summary

1.1 Charity aims and purposes

The primary objective of Mid-Wyedean Churches Parochial Church Council (PCC) is the promotion of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England. The PCC has the responsibility of cooperating with the Incumbent, Reverend Sarah Bick, in promoting the whole mission of the Church within and beyond the ecclesiastical parish and working with ecumenical partners. The Anglican Communion has agreed on these marks of mission:

• To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God

• To teach, baptise and nurture new believers

• To respond to human needs by loving service

• To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation

• To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.

The Church of England is a broad church, containing within it differing views and approaches to the promotion of the Gospel. Mid-Wyedean Churches PCC has adopted a position of explicit inclusion, valuing the presence and God-given gifts of people of all ages, abilities, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations and social backgrounds. We believe this is vital to our Christian mission in the 21st Century and entirely consistent with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To support our convictions regarding inclusion, we also highly value the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. We seek to serve all the residents of our parish, whether in town, village or rural locations. Responsible stewardship of all the gifts God has given us is important in fulfilling our mission. This includes care for creation: environmental concerns such as our carbon footprint impact all our decision-making.

The PCC is also specifically responsible for the care of the five church buildings within the united Parish, and the cemetery chapel at Clearwell, and seeks the best use of those

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buildings to fulfil the mission of the church for the benefit of the communities in which they are found.

1.2 Objectives and activities

Our parish encompasses a number of distinct geographical communities, some with church buildings, but all of which we seek to serve. To fulfil our purposes as a multi-church parish, we aim to hold governance and broad strategy at the parish level but deliver mission and ministry at the community level. Rather than seeking to consolidate in the centre (known as the Minster Model), we value the presence and potential growth of worshipping communities and effective ministry in every place, facilitated by a local minister (lay or ordained) acting as a team leader in each of our congregations. The EMEP (Effective Ministry in Every Place) team forms the leadership team of the United Parish, under the oversight of the Incumbent.

Parish Review process

The Parish Review process begun in 2021 promised to be helpful in developing a forward vision for the Parish. However, the follow-up of this process has stalled at the redirection of our Bishops. In part, this is due to the ongoing Deanery Strategic Review, which it was hoped would have been completed in November 2022. That process is also taking longer than anticipated. The Parish hopes to be able to revisit the work done on the Parish Review in 2023. The circumstances that gave rise to the review have not changed. Parish finances in general are very fragile, exacerbated by the energy price hikes of the latter part of the year. Also, the lack of external funding for the administrator post that the Parish feels is so vital to our ongoing success continues to offer us a dilemma. During 2022, the PCC took the decision to aim to support that role out of parish funds if need be, until the end of 2024. However, the increase in other costs will have an impact on our ability to do so.

Volunteers and gifts in kind

Except for the Incumbent and the Parish Administrator, all ministry and community service is offered by volunteers, including all the local ministers. The time and talents they and others

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offer are invaluable and the ministry of the church would be significantly diminished without them.

St John’s Church of England Academy kindly supports Mustard Tree to meet at the school without charging for the use of the premises.

1.3 Highlights and challenges

This year, the direct impacts of Covid 19 experienced in previous years led to the aftermath. Overall, attendance is significantly down, as are visitor numbers to our open churches. That said, different communities have fared very differently. Both All Saints Churches, in Newland and Staunton, are faring very well with increased attendance and community support. St Peter’s Clearwell, which also has the issue of no heating, has done very well on special services but less well for regular worship, which took place in the summer months only. St Saviours Redbrook has been the worst hit, resulting in suspending services on a Sunday, but with community work continuing strongly. The Good Shepherd Broadwell congregation has also diminished in number, but not in heart!

We have also had the energy price inflation and cost of living crisis this year, affecting both us as Church and the communities we serve. We were much better placed to offer “cool places” in the summer heatwave than warm spaces in the mercifully not-too-cold winter! But we have teamed up with Coleford Baptist in their warm space to offer hospitality, hot food, friendship and fun.

Funding the administrator post is no longer covered by any grant and so is being covered by parish funds. This is a situation which will need to be kept under review.

In summary - our challenges are around resources: financial and human, in terms of numbers of people and therefore our finite capacity of time and energy.

Our strengths are also human (and divine)! Human, in the wonderful, faithful, servant-hearted, creative people of this parish, for whom we thank God daily.

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2 Parish Warden’s Report - Rosemary Ward with contributions from Local Ministry Teams

All Saints, Newland

Local minister: Reverend Bea Erskine, Parish Assistant Curate

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Church services

Attendance at regular services is a little higher and there have been some local baptisms and weddings over the last year and a half which have brought the community together and

1 Photo: Rachel Reeves

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helped to emphasise the importance of the church in the community. Christmas and Easter services were well attended as usual.

Sustainability

A sustainability report was received and discussed with the Diocesan Advisory Committee, Friends of Newland Church and the Architect (Toby Falconer). The Friends, in consultation with the PCC, are looking to participate in a wider vision for future projects, and the sustainability of the church and the whole community. We have made a good start. Volunteers from the wider community have helped to establish more wildflower areas, bringing greater ecological diversity to the churchyard.

Building matters

Restoration of the internal War Memorial is in hand, with permissions and quotations in the pipeline. We are grateful for the support of the Friends and Royal British Legion representatives in this task. Our Quinquennial Inspection was completed in September and the recommended works form part of the scope of works for consideration by the Friends.

Community events

The Platinum Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II celebrations inside and outside the churchyard were very well attended throughout the day, with all the community involved. Jenny Wren Productions returned with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with an audience of approximately 120 in early August, which was a big success. The Christmas production from This is My Theatre was also well attended, despite the cold!

Newland Village volunteers and The Friends of Newland Church

The children’s play area and the flowers are now being looked after and provided by various people in the village on a regular basis. The Churchyard Spring and Autumn clear-up days continue to be very well supported, not only clearing where necessary but also helping to establish more wildflower areas and greater ecological diversity in the churchyard.

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We are extremely grateful to the Friends who have paid for:

• Regular grass cutting and raising further funds to manage the churchyard

• Wi-Fi in the church

• Extensive tree surgery works were undertaken in the church in September

The Friends are also looking to renew the tarmac paths in the churchyard and make the entrance to the porch suitable for all access needs.

Visitors

Visitor numbers seem to be holding up to pre-pandemic levels, i.e. in the region of 17K per annum.

Giving

The card reader in the church has taken approximately £750 in payments over a 12-month period. This represents a steady increase since its installation

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2 Photo: Rachel Reeves

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All Saints, Staunton

Local minister : Denise Hogan, Lay Reader

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Staunton Church seems to be going quite well now. A couple of new families have moved into the village and are coming to church. The numbers seem to be growing with a few children coming along. The children’s corner seems to please the children, which allows parents and carers to enjoy the service.

Services

On 23rd January, we tried a traditional Evensong. Twelve of us came. Betty Weaver from the St Peter’s Clearwell congregation kindly played the organ for us.

3 Photo: Rachel Reeves

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The first Pet Service of the year in July was very well attended with sixteen adults, nine dogs, one cat and a tortoise. We had tea and cake afterwards whilst Fred the dog did his tricks again, which was much appreciated. It was great fun and a lovely time was had by all who came. Many people asked when we are having the next service.

It has been rather quiet at Staunton since September. There was a poor turnout for All Souls and Remembrance Sunday. Conversely, on Sunday 27[th] November, there was a large turnout for the second Pet Service of the year - the best yet.

We stopped over the Winter, but are now offering Night Prayer in the church when it is light enough on the first Wednesday of every month. The numbers are growing slowly, but there is a lovely atmosphere.

The Benefice Service was also well attended by people from across the Parish, with Betty playing the organ once again and refreshments served afterwards.

Visitors and community

The Church is open daily with tea, coffee and cold drinks available. We do get lots of walkers and they have been glad of a rest and a cup of tea plus a chance to cool down, especially in hot weather. We are also offering a book exchange; this also seems to be going well.

Building works

A window has been blown out, but no glass has broken, it has been put back in but needs some attention.

The clock has been repaired but is still continually going wrong. However, on the last occasion, someone from the village was able to get it going again.

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St Peter’s Clearwell and the Clearwell Cemetery Chapel

Local ministers: Christine Young and Reverend Robert Simpson (Permission To Officiate)

retired)

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Services

Services resumed for the summer months of 2022. The first service at St Peter’s was on Easter Sunday. There were two services per month taking place over the summer until October. They weren't all completely on the weeks that you would expect according to the

4 Photo: Rachel Reeves

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whole Parish schedule, but this was to accommodate the dates that Robert and Chris were able to offer, whilst making sure that the church does have two services per month.

‘Open the Book’ continues to be offered by Robert and Chris to Clearwell Church of England Primary School on a Tuesday afternoon.

Clearwell had a wonderful and well-attended Remembrance Sunday service with the different branches of the Scout and Guide movements in attendance. Christmas Carols and Eucharist took place on 18th December, with some of the wider community attending.

Weddings and donations

We have had several weddings this year. St Peter’s is a popular church to get married in, due to its proximity to Clearwell Castle. Following queries at wedding services as to whether it is possible to make donations using a card, the Parish invested in a Sum-Up card reader to facilitate card donations at weddings. The machine also has other potential uses around the Parish.

Building matters

There was quite substantial damage done following February’s storms in 2022. The roof has been fixed, but there is still some water ingress damage inside the church. We are awaiting information from Toby Falconer, the architect and from Ecclesiastical Insurance about getting this finally sorted out.

Patches of the lath-and-plaster decorative ceiling have been coming down in the North aisle. Alan met up with Toby Falconer and Laura Stevens (local specialist in historic decorative restoration), to discuss the damage. For the time being, the advice received from them is that the liturgical North aisle pews should not be used to preserve public safety.

The medium-term solution would be to install netting along the length of that set of pews under the ceiling to catch any further falls. The falls are a result of natural ageing and deterioration plus possible water ingress in the past. As such, they are unlikely to be covered by insurance. As there is little prospect of Mid-Wyedean Churches being able to pay for

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restoration, and possibly not for netting either, it may be that we simply must accept that the capacity and use of the Church will be limited for the foreseeable future. The long-term solution will be a full-scale restoration which would have to be a fully grant-funded exercise at great cost and with permission from the Deanery Advisory Committee. The

storm-damaged ceiling improved as it dried out and it seems unnecessary in view of our financial and human resources to try to insist on a costly repair.

Fund-raising

A very successful fashion show raised over £800 which more than covers the insurance excess for the work on the roof. Another is planned for 2023.

Churchyard and Cemetery

At a recent Parish Council Climate Response Group meeting, some interest was shown in helping to create areas of biodiversity in the churchyard and cemetery. The missing piece of the puzzle is someone to lead on this work.

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St Saviour’s, Redbrook

Local minister: Mark Bick, Pioneer Lay Reader

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Worship and Mission

Attendance at fortnightly services dropped right down early by 2022 compared with pre-Covid levels so regular services were suspended. Festival services are reasonably well attended and meant that we could engage with some new people. For Christmas 2022, we were joined by members of the two village community choirs which worked well and we hope to repeat this for Easter 2023. Weekly school “Open the Book” sessions for Redbrook C of E Primary School are led by School Governor Mari Hutchings and retired teacher

5 Photo: Mark Bick

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Bernadette Kilty. Mark continues to engage with the Civic Parish Council Climate Group and attends one of the choirs and other activities in the village.

Building matters

The chancel arch re-plastering and painting were completed early in 2022.

Damp had been getting in around the sanctuary gable and window causing flaking paint and stonework inside. External and internal repairs are being carried out, funded by the National Churches Trust, Kempe Trust and Sabina Sutherland Trust. This includes new window protection (which will let it have a lot more light) and should be finished by June 2023.

The kitchen faculty was secured in August 2022 nearly a full year after the application and far too late for Mark to have any capacity to apply for funds to implement the full scheme. A temporary kitchen remains in place and is being used.

Legionella checks and a Fire Risk Assessment have been carried and ongoing plans are in place.

Masonry Training Weekend

Following the success of the 2021 Masonry Training Weekend, a second one was held in September, with funding from participants, Gloucestershire Historic Churches Trust and Redbrook Village Trust. We had a total of 14 people including 10 Cathedral apprentices from Durham, York, Worcester, Gloucester and Salisbury. A lot of good work was done to severely eroded masonry at ground level at the back of the church. Some trainees stayed overnight in the church. It was a success, so plans are underway to run the course again in September 2023.

Churchyard

Local volunteers have cut back undergrowth in the churchyard and repainted the shed and fence. Some of this work was linked to our involvement in the Wye River Festival.

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Repairs were carried out to the front churchyard retaining wall. Towards the end of the year, funds were secured from County Council, Diocesan Mission Fund and Redbrook Village Trust to develop the churchyard for biodiversity and outdoor education activities. While clearing undergrowth for activities with the children, partially buried asbestos tiles were found at the back of the churchyard. It is likely that they were fly-tipped many years ago from the road above. One was sent for testing and confirmed, safe disposal was arranged and a management plan is in place. That particular area (behind the school) cannot now be used by the children, which is very disappointing.

Use of the building

The school next door continues to use the building for PE, Open the Book and some other activities but has cut back due to budget constraints.

Kingfishers Chorus community choir continue to meet on Wednesday nights.

Jubilee Pageant rehearsals and River Festival workshops took place from April to June. We have had some great banners flying outside and colourful swallows on the newly painted mower shed.

There was an exhibition of photos on the theme of human interaction with nature - as part of the Wye Valley River Festival.

The Youth Club ran fortnightly in the first part of the year, but since Charlotte (Butcher) left we have not been able to get sufficient leaders. There is some potential funding in place.

We are developing a food-based project, including restarting family-friendly Music Nights.

We are collaborating with others to provide kindling to those in fuel poverty.

Plans for further development of the Creative Hub are on hold due to the capacity constraints of those involved.

The huge hikes in energy costs and budget restraints for the school have been substantial limiting factors in the last part of the year.

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The Good Shepherd, Broadwell

Local minister: Reverend Sarah Bick, Parish Incumbent

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Volunteer working party

In January a meeting was held by members of the Good Shepherd to discuss where to start. Our first job was to tidy out the organ cupboard and the kitchen. We set a date for a working party for 26th February and a great deal of work was achieved then.

6 Photo: Reverend Jason Bourne, Bishop’s Chaplain

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Building works

We haven’t made any progress on the repair of the Good Shepherd and we are investigating the best way to go ahead with this, although Steve Cooper did come to repair, and strengthen, and added extra locks to the Organ cupboard so now we have a safe room. Advice from a local surveyor and DAC member Simon Moore suggests that until we can make a stronger case for community use of the Good Shepherd building, a more minimal programme of repairs should be attempted in the first instance. We hope to progress this in 2023.

Activities and Fundraising

Mid-Wyedean Craft Club meets at The Good Shepherd most Thursday afternoons from 2-4 pm. Numbers fluctuate each week, but with new members this year, the average is 5-6 people. The Craft Club is an opportunity for anyone who has an interest in any craft to come and share a time of friendship, fellowship, fun, swapping of ideas, advice and practical help. The cost is £2 per session and refreshments are provided: “...all are welcome here”!

In November 2022 we held our first ever Christmas Craft Fayre at the Good Shepherd. It was a great success and approximately £400 was raised for Church funds. A further £75 was raised for Mustard Tree. It is our intention to have another Christmas Fayre on November 11th 2023.

A tea dance was held on the 4[th] of June for the Platinum Jubilee weekend.

Coffee and Chat meets at the church on the first Thursday of the month. This is a lovely event which reaches out to the local community.

Reverend Sarah started a baby and toddlers group that met once a week; this was extremely successful and well attended between April and July and in September and October. However, in the winter, numbers dwindled as the building was not warm! We will try widening the event to incorporate older folks wanting to drop in for coffee and cake. This is inspired by Sling Club who do something similar, thus heating the building once for multiple purposes. We will run this as a trial and see if it takes off. We are well aware that the

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Salvation Army just up the road is, in all honesty, better placed to offer a cafe-type drop into the local community though.

The Annual General meeting was held at the Good Shepherd on the 24[th] of April 2022 The Good Shepherd is also used regularly for church meetings attended by the PCC, committees and EMEP team.

Discipleship and services

Under our post-Pandemic worship pattern, there is a service every week at the Good Shepherd, two of which are whole benefice services with no other service offered in the parish on those weeks.

Highlights include:

• Families from Mustard Tree coming, early on in the year, to lead a service that included a baptism

• The Harvest Festival in October, which was well attended and raised £48

• Bishop Rachel came to the Good Shepherd on 6th November, which was a lovely service with participation from Mustard Tree. Bishop Rachel really enjoyed their input into the service.

Our All-Souls Service was very poorly attended this year and we did not have a Remembrance Service as the main Remembrance was held at the Clock Tower in Coleford. However, for those wishing to attend, a joint Café-style service was held at Coleford Baptist Church in the evening and this was well attended.

A Lent Course was held at the Good Shepherd on Hope and Redemption and The Greatest Showman.

Future plans

At one LCC meeting, we discussed what needed to be done for the fabric of the building and made a list of all the jobs that need doing to prioritise them. Some small tasks were completed this year, but we hope many more will be completed in 2023.

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Coleford Town: Mustard Tree

Mustard Tree meets on the third Sunday of the month during term time from 3.30 to 5.30 pm at St John’s C of E Primary Academy in Coleford.

During the summer of 2022, the meetings took place outside due to the continuation of some Covid 19 restrictions. For this reason, we asked families to bring their own picnics. We did a variety of outdoor activities, including the collection and identification of leaves, flowers etc, trail-finding and fun outdoor games. We included a Worship session based on the theme of God’s wonderful creation.

On the last meeting of the summer term, we arranged a big barbeque with games and activities at St John’s Academy, still based on the creation theme…i.e. Putting the birds in the nest in a tree instead of ‘pin the tail on the donkey’!

During the summer holidays, we kept in touch with the families by arranging ad-hoc picnics with games.

In the Autumn Term, we were able to go back into school with the full backing of the Head Teacher. Our first planning meeting of the term was extremely well attended by parents and volunteers who were glad to be able to share a meal, company and the support of each other in person. This had been really missed during the Pandemic.

The theme for the Autumn Term 2022 was ‘Love’ and the love and support of the whole Mustard Tree family are key to our following Jesus’ commandment to ‘love one another’. This love is encapsulated by our motto, ‘Family, Faith, Food and Fun’.

We have now linked up with Aunty Mary’s, which is the Baptist Church’s response to working with families and our Autumn Half Term Holiday Club was run jointly at the Baptist Church and attracted 25-30 people most days.

During the Autumn Term, Mustard Tree children took on the responsibility of welcoming the baptism families at The Good Shepherd. For the first baptism, they acted the story of

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Nehemiah and sang a welcoming song: ‘We’re all in this together’. The children also performed for Bishop Rachel’s visitation in October.

We shared a couple of Christmas celebrations with the Baptist Church, including a Christingle service and a Christmas lunch.

Training and development

During the last year, various volunteers have taken up training to help in their work at Mustard Tree, including Safeguarding, Domestic Violence and Food Hygiene. To develop our skills further, some of us have worked with Jonathan Kear on Prayer Stations and Messy Church Goes Outside at Viney Hill Activities Centre.

These performances led the Mustard Tree leaders to think about a new branch of Mustard Tree and about a play that would deliver our theme of love for everyone. We chose The Ugly Duckling and started work on it in January 2023.

Help and support

We are very grateful to our volunteers, ecumenical partners and for the ongoing support and goodwill of members of our congregations who have generously donated money and all kinds of helpful resources.

Coleford Town: St John's Academy

For the first part of the year, Reverend Sarah continued to lead school worship fortnightly via a recorded session for children and teachers to watch in class bubbles. She continues to serve on the governing body and assists with curriculum Religious Education and staff training. The school received an OFSTED inspection with a ‘Good’ rating during the year. Pam Howells, who led the school through this time as Head Teacher, retired at the end of the school year, having achieved this success with her team.

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In September, Joanne Peaper, Deputy Head and Special Educational Needs Coordinator, stepped into the role of Acting Head. Also in September, post-Covid, the school chose to re-open to external visitors. Consequently, in-person worship leading recommenced, with Reverend Sarah visiting the school fortnightly on Thursdays.

The previous ecumenical Open the Book team members were not able to return and so we are discussing the formation of a new team.

The school has been wonderfully helpful in advertising Mustard Tree sessions now that they are able to be held once again at school.

Coleford Town: missional and ecumenical activities

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Holy Week and Easter

We held a series of ecumenically hosted and supported events over the long weekend, beginning with a ‘Last Supper’ meal on Maundy Thursday evening, hosted by Shalom Network and held at Coleford Baptist Church. The Good Friday Walk of Witness began at St Margaret Mary RC Church and gathered at the Clock Tower for a dramatised reading of the Passion and a time of worship. We had hoped to put on an Easter Vigil concert on the Saturday evening, however, planning and rehearsal time ran away with us, so that was shelved for this year. However, we did go ahead with the Easter Egg Hunt and family activities held at Bells Field and led by Reverend Phil from the Mount of Olives with contributions from the Mustard Tree team. We hope to build on this for next year.

Civic Events

The now regular events of the St George’s Day and Remembrance Sunday Parade and Service took place in April and November respectively, with a much more deliberately coordinated ecumenical presence - and notably Anglicans and Baptists taking leadership roles. In addition of course, the respective celebration and commemoration of HM Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II were also significant events held at Coleford Clock Tower in concert with the Mayor Nick Penny and Coleford Town Council. These events were tremendously well attended by local people. Indeed, even residents of other Forest towns came along. We are very fortunate to have a Mayor of Coleford when putting on such events, as even at short notice he was willing to take part.

Music festival

A Coleford + Christians Together worship band took part in the Music Festival this year, with players and singers from Mid-Wyedean, Christchurch, Coleford Baptists and apologies from a member of the Mount of Olives who suddenly found himself in New York at the time of the event! The impromptu band offered a programme of mixed sacred and secular music related to love and belonging. We had a slot on the Sunday afternoon at 1 pm before the

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official start at 2 pm. It seemed to go down very well with those who heard! Thanks again to Nick Penny for facilitating this by asking his backstage crew to work an extra hour.

Warm space

Energy prices and general cost of living hikes have prompted all sorts of organisations including churches to look at offering warm spaces and hot meals to local communities. We don’t have a warm space (!) but we can do hot meals, so we teamed up with Coleford Baptist Church to offer a night of board games and films, hot food and friendly chat on Fridays 5-7 pm, sometimes later. The Baptist Church offers the warm space, we cover food costs and volunteer time is shared. There is a small (but faithful) crowd accessing this service across the whole age range.

3 Parish Administrator and Parish Office

Parish Administrator

This post continues to be of significant importance to the Parish as the means of releasing those in leadership and ministry to focus on the mission of the church. The post-holders have managed the tasks of operational efficiency within the parish and facilitated communication between our geographically-spread groups and congregations. They have given direct administrative support to the large number of volunteers in middle leadership roles within the Parish, in particular, the EMEP team and the wardens and have supported our welcoming ethos and communication with the wider community.

Unfortunately, the grant funding that supported this post was discontinued in 2021, and hoped-for solutions to this loss have not transpired, so the ongoing possibility of maintaining this crucial post is currently subject to the fragility of overall parish finances. Charlotte Butcher, who was appointed in 2021, continued in the post until September 2022 and Rachel Reeves was recruited to fill the post.

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Rachel says:

I was appointed in October 2022, taking over from Charlotte, who kindly agreed to come in for a hand-over after she had left. Originally a research scientist, I am well-acquainted with the voluntary sector, having volunteered since my student days and worked for several charities. I have training and skills in web and graphic design, disability support and awareness, community outreach and ecology and habitat management. Putting the latter to good use, I have equipped our sunny office with new plants to grow on the windowsill for fund-raising; hopefully providing a calm, welcoming space for visitors at the same time.

Parish Office

The office is in central Coleford, above the Public Library and has the advantages of a lift to the first floor, accessible toilets and level access to the building, so from a community point of view, it is ideal. It is one of several offices, some permanently rented out and some available for hire so there is always an interesting, productive and cooperative atmosphere - yet the office also offers a private space within the hub of the Coleford Community Enterprise Centre. Parish prayers are held here and it has proven a convenient place for people to call into. The office core hours are 9 am to 12 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. It is often open until 3 pm, but we advise people to phone first as things need attending to around the Parish and the afternoons (especially Fridays) are reserved for this if needed.

Phone: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

Address: Office 2, Coleford Community Enterprise Centre, The Main Place, Old Station Way, Coleford GL16 8RH

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4 Weddings, baptisms and funerals

These figures were prepared by Parish Warden Rosemary Ward and Rachel Reeves.

Church	Baptism	Baptism	Baptism	Weddings	Funerals	Funerals
	Infants	Children	Adults		Church or crematorium	Interment only
Broadwell	4	3	1	0	26	0
Clearwell	1	1	2	12	6	2
Newland	1	2	0	1	2	1
Redbrook	0	0	0	0	0	0
Staunton	0	0	0	0	0	1

St Peter’s in Clearwell remains our most popular church for weddings. Baptisms are generally carried out on the second Sunday of the month at The Good Shepherd, Broadwell, but in 2022, St Peter’s, Clearwell and All Saints, Newland also hosted families for baptism.

5 Home/ community communions and visiting

Communions have resumed at the Coombs Care Home, led by Denise Hogan, Lay Reader, and assisted by Fred Meek. Home communions have started to build up again slowly. We now have a pastoral team comprising Jane Kidger, Denise Hogan, Wendy Williams and Marian Ivens, though people have been slow at taking up the offer of home visits post-Pandemic, whether for chat, prayer or communion.

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6 Ecumenical Links - Reverend Sarah Bick

We continue to value our close links with Coleford Baptist Church, who have generously hosted events for us and support our work as well as hosting a shared service once a month, twice-weekly prayers, a joint Bible study with communion and lunch, Lent courses, a Mustard Tree holiday club, a meal reflecting on the Passover and the Last Supper, some of which made part of a wider ecumenical programme of events. (See Coleford Town entry above for events specifically around the Easter Weekend.)

Looking to the future, discussions have been taking place in an ecumenical context, especially with Coleford Baptists and the Forest RC Parish, regarding the possibility of working more closely together and sharing a church building. We are in the early stages but anticipate further developments in 2023. We said goodbye to a valued colleague in Father Barnabas Page this year and welcomed Father Frank Wainwright to Coleford as the new RC parish priest.

A Franciscan group regularly meets at The Good Shepherd, as does the Shalom Network.

7 - Deanery Synod Report, Forest South Deanery Sue Sparkes and Wendy Williams

There has been only one Deanery Synod meeting since our last APCM in 2022. It took place on October 18th 2022 at St James Church Centre in Bream. The attendance was very good with representatives from all the churches across the Forest South Deanery. Due to the fact that there is nobody currently in post as Area Dean, the meeting was chaired by Chris Witham, Lay Chair of the Deanery Synod. The focus of the meeting was the status of the Deanery Strategic Plan, the development of which has stalled since Covid-19.

27

Chris introduced Keith Elford, who has been appointed by Church House as a facilitator to work with four deaneries in the Gloucester Diocese including Forest South. Keith set out the process he intended to follow to speed up the development of the Plan. Previously, several rounds of discussion have taken place, but with Forest South still in the early stages of development, Keith was keen to find out what the main aims of the plan were and what obstacles stood in the way.

Small group discussions revealed that some common aims were:

1. To engage more with our communities and to serve them better. There are many communities in need in Forest South.

2. To share best practice across the deanery, something we are not very good at

3. To promote work with young people

4. To find more volunteers to step into the shoes of our ageing congregations

5. To develop our prayer groups

6. To share resources by opening up our buildings for community use if appropriate.

Following this discussion Keith outlined the next steps which included the formation of a steering group. A survey for parish priests and leaders would be sent out to gather views from the parishes. He hoped the Plan could be in place by May 2023.

The next meeting of Forest South Deanery Synod will take place on May 4th 2023 when the Deanery Strategic Plan is the main topic on the agenda.

8 Treasurer’s Report - Reverend Alan Wearmouth

During 2022 the Policies regarding finance, fees and spending authorities were all revisited and, where appropriate, amended. The church accounts were kept using the Diocesan cashbook and were independently examined by Wildin & Co of Lydney. The accounts are presented for your inspection, having been adopted by the PCC at a meeting in 2023.

28

I would like to thank all those who have maintained and sometimes increased their giving in these difficult times. It remains the case that regular giving through the Parish Giving Scheme is the solid base of our income and I urge anyone reading this who can do so to join that scheme with its benefits in terms of ease of administration, effortless reclaiming of tax if gift-aided and reliable regularity of income. Our income gained through parochial fees (for weddings and funerals) is irregular and unreliable and this, although much higher than in the time of the pandemic, appears to be reducing from pre-pandemic times.

Our expenditure is hugely impacted by the number of church buildings for which we have responsibility with little external support. In 2022 the total spent on maintaining, preserving and using our buildings came close to £40,000 despite cost-saving measures including avoiding heating wherever possible by reducing services in the winter months. Insurance alone comes to around £10,000.

The PCC took the decision to maintain the post of Parish Administrator and to reduce the amount paid in Parish Share. The trend seen in 2022 implies that a further reduction in Parish Share will be necessary following 2023 – possibly a 100% reduction.

9 Hopes, Plans and Priorities for 2023

Some hopes and plans in each of our settings have been referenced above in each section, by local leaders. On a Parish-wide scale, and as themes across the different settings of the parish, we continue (post-Covid) to have the task of deepening the discipleship of our faithful church members. We seek to respond to community needs where we have the vision and resources ourselves, or in partnership with others. Underpinning everything we do is the need to be realistic about the human and financial resources that we have. An unending spiritual resource is ours! But that doesn’t mean it is a given that, at any time we need them, material and human resources are equally abundant. We need, with God’s help, to make discerning decisions about what we can do within our capacities of energy and money.

Whilst we are still subject at parish level to decisions made at other levels of our organisation, some possible priorities for 2023 include:

29

• growing back a programme of discipleship and social gatherings, for adults and families

• developing Friends groups for those of our churches that do not already have them

• making a case within our communities for their help in supporting basic running costs of our buildings

• seeking new funding for the parish administrator post

• pursuing further developments of sharing a church building with ecumenical friends in Coleford.

10 Safeguarding Report - Mark Bick

Safeguarding Officers

The Safeguarding Officer is Mark Bick who can be contacted on 01594 836418, 07815 459468 or by email: [e-mail]. The deputy officer is the Vicar, Rev Sarah Bick who can be contacted on 01594 835476 or via email: [e-mail]. Should alternative assistance be desired, direct contact with Gloucester Diocese safeguarding team can be made:

https://www.gloucester.anglican.org/about-us/safeguarding/.

The PCC has adopted the national Church of England safeguarding policy statement. Guidance, adapted to the needs of our parish, was adopted on Feb 26th 2020.

The new Parish Safeguarding Dashboard has proved challenging as we are now being asked to do a lot of extra things, not all of which are very useful e.g. all PCC members are supposed to do three different lots of online training! The system will not show me what is needed at the top level until we have completed the lower levels. I don’t have the capacity to progress this or to do further updates to our policy.

30

Online training

The online training can be accessed at https://safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org. You will then need to create a new account and receive an email to access the training.

Reporting concerns

Two safeguarding concerns were reported to Mark or Sarah in 2022, they were both reported to the Diocesan Safeguarding Team.

11 Mid-Wyedean Parish

Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/vxt9WWEqGm6jZVAQ6

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7
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7 Map: Ink Squirrel www.inksquirrel.uk

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11.1 Location and legal structure

The Parish of the Mid-Wyedean Churches is part of the Diocese of Gloucester within the Church of England and serves the town of Coleford in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire and many of the surrounding villages on the western side of the Forest and East of the border with Wales. Under the pastoral scheme that created our United Parish, the formal name of the parish is:

“The Parish of The Mid-Wyedean Churches of All Saints Newland and Staunton; Good Shepherd, Broadwell; Saint John, Coleford; Saint Peter, Clearwell and Saint Saviour, Redbrook”

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. However, in March 2019 the Bishops Council authorised an amendment to the interim constitution, changing the rules that had stood for the first 5 years of us being a united parish. Each congregation is now able to be better represented on the PCC. All church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC if they are over 16 years of age. Relevant officers attend Diocesan training events for Church Wardens and Treasurers.

The Mid-Wyedean PCC has a Standing Committee and a Finance Committee. Membership of the Standing Committee comprises the Incumbent, Parish Church Warden and Assistant Wardens, PCC Secretary, and Treasurer. The Finance Committee includes the same members and two additional representatives, nominated by local congregations and ratified by the PCC.

Each congregation has an EMEP Local Minister (lay or ordained), a Local Warden and an informal LCC (Local Congregation Council) who can feed in information and raise issues to the PCC. They can also receive suggestions and requests from the PCC for consideration or action - reflecting our commitment to a local expression of Christian community.

32

11.2 Management and administration

Locations

Church of the Good Shepherd, Church Walk, North Road, Broadwell, GL16 7BN

(https://goo.gl/maps/2biCZDCryRFHMALb8)

St Peter, Church Street, Clearwell, Coleford, GL16 8LF

(https://goo.gl/maps/YDunqoUKqqTHRJau5)

All Saints, Almshouse Road, Newland, Coleford, GL16 8NL

(https://goo.gl/maps/ywE8M6EQKbAnwuKb7)

St Saviour, Redbrook Road, Redbrook, NP25 4LY (https://goo.gl/maps/48ky2YFyjVTn7HEJ8)

All Saints, Staunton Road, Staunton, Coleford, GL16 8NU

(https://goo.gl/maps/98bB4z7qEukNEuSQ7)

Cemetery Chapel, High Street, Clearwell, Coleford, GL16 8JS (closed)

(https://goo.gl/maps/SaWWtoKP1Tt2F2Je6)

Mustard Tree meetings are held at St John’s Church of England Primary Academy, Bowen Hill

Road, Coleford, GL16 8DU (https://goo.gl/maps/YCgj85WWfvNYP2DK6).

Registered Charity Number

Our Registered Charity Number is 1132171.

11.3 Licensed staff team (all are volunteers unless otherwise

indicated)

Vicar (stipendiary)

Reverend Sarah Bick

33

Parish Assistant Curate (non-stipendiary)

Reverend Bea Erskine

Lay Readers

Mark Bick (Pioneer Reader) and Denise Hogan

EMEP team

Reverend Sarah Bick - Coleford & Broadwell

Mark Bick - Redbrook

Denise Hogan - Staunton

Chris Young - Clearwell (Licensed Lay Leader, under EMEP scheme)

Reverend Robert Simpson - Clearwell

Reverend Bea Erskine - Newland

Wendy Williams - Mustard Tree (Licensed Lay Leader, under EMEP scheme)

Pastoral Team

Jane Kidger, Denise Hogan, Wendy Williams and Marian Ivens.

11.4 Licensed worship leaders

Fred Meek, Wendy Williams, Margaret Winter and Chris Young.

11.5 Retired clergy

The Parish is supported by Reverend Barry Coker, Reverend Robert Simpson and Reverend Alan Wearmouth, retired with PTO (permission to officiate from the Bishop of Gloucester).

34

11.6 Church Officers

Parish Warden

Rosemary Ward

Assistant Wardens

Susan Simmons - Staunton

PCC Secretary

Marian Ivens

Parish Treasurer

Reverend Alan Wearmouth

Church Representatives

Daphne Baulcomb - Clearwell (elected 2019)

Betty Weaver - Clearwell (elected 2019)

John Simmons - All Saints, Staunton (elected 2019)

Daniel Kidger - St John's, Coleford (elected 2019)

There are currently two elected member vacancies.

Deanery Synod Representatives

Susan Sparkes and Wendy Williams

35

Electoral Roll Officer

Susan Sparkes

11.7 Parish Administrators

The Parish Administrators during 2022 were Charlotte Butcher from September 2021 to September 2022 (paid staff, funded by grants and PCC funds) and Rachel Reeves from October 2022 (paid staff, funded by the PCC).

11.8 Independent Examiner

Our Independent Examiner was Lucy Clutterbuck of Wildin & Co (paid).

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8
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• 8 Platinum Jubilee celebration cake photo by Reverend Sarah Bick

36

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1132171

Report of the Trustees and

Unaudited Financial Statements

For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

for

Mid Wyedean Churches

Wildin and Co Accountants

& Statutory Auditors Kings Buildings Lydney Gloucestershire GL15 5HE

Mid Wyedean Churches

Contents of the Financial Statements For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

		Page
Report of the Trustees	1	to	2
Independent Examiner's Report		3
Statement of Financial Activities		4
Statement of Financial Position		5
Notes to the Financial Statements	6	to	10
Detailed Statement of Financial Activities	11	to	12

Mid Wyedean Churches

Report of the Trustees For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

The trustees present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31st December 2022. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Objectives and aims

The promotion of the Christian faith and provision of Anglican worship within the area of the Mid-Wyedean Parish and providing appropriate support of and for parishioners.

Main activities

Providing religious services (including Baptisms, Funerals and Weddings and online services and activities), providing spiritual and administrative support to Parishioners and potential visitors and engaging in activities to support those in need (eg, Coleford Community Meals).

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Financial position

The charity generated a surplus of £29,307 this year. While the deficit in the previous year due to a significant amount of major church repairs.

Total income decreased in the year, as not so many grants were received. However income from church activities increased now that Covid restrictions have passed.

Available cash is being quickly used up by the Parish Administrator role that is no longer grant funded by the Diocese. The search for replacement funding is ongoing.

Reserves policy

The charity aims for a reserve balance in excess of 25% of the normal annual expenditure.

Where there are substantial reserves of restricted funds, it will be the policy to attempt to use them for the purposes for which they were restricted, with the mission and ministry of the Church being always the main consideration.

Going concern

The unrestricted funds of the churches stands at only £25,303 as at 31st December 2022 but the Trustees consider that a going concern basis is appropriate as funds required to cover future unrestricted costs are anticipated to be sufficient.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust and constitutes an unincorporated charity.

Recruitment and appointment of new trustees

Trustees are selected according to their knowledge and experience, which must be relevant to the specific needs ot the charity at the time of recruitment.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Charity number

1132171

Principal address

Office 2, The Main Place Old Station Way Railway Drive Coleford Gloucestershire GL16 8RH

Page 1

Mid Wyedean Churches

Report of the Trustees For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

Trustees

D Baulcomb M Bick S Simmons S Sparkes D J Hogan B Erskine S Bick J Simmons B Weaver Dr D J Kidger R A Ward L S Hayward W Williams E Ivens (appointed 24.4.22)

Independent Examiner

Carla Preece FCCA Wildin and Co Accountants & Statutory Auditors Kings Buildings Lydney Gloucestershire GL15 5HE

Approved by order of the board of trustees on 28th February 2023 and signed on its behalf by:

S Bick - Trustee

Page 2

Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Mid Wyedean Churches

Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Mid Wyedean Churches

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of Mid Wyedean Churches (the Trust) for the year ended 31st December 2022.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act').

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under Section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's statement

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

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

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

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

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

Carla Preece FCCA Wildin and Co Accountants & Statutory Auditors Kings Buildings Lydney Gloucestershire GL15 5HE

28th February 2023

Page 3

Mid Wyedean Churches

Statement of Financial Activities For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

Unrestricted funds Notes £ INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Donations and legacies 34,071 Charitable activities church activities 25,364 Other trading activities 2 1,325 Investment income 3 31 Other income 3,034 Total 63,825 EXPENDITURE ON Charitable activities church activities 59,451 Other 6,619 Total 66,070 NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) (2,245) Transfers between funds 7 (3,334) Net movement in funds (5,579) RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward 30,882 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 25,303	Restricted fund £ 67,590 - - 537 2,928 71,055 24,196 15,307 39,503 31,552 3,334 34,886 111,269 146,155	31.12.22 31.12.21 Total Total funds funds £ £ 101,661 140,254 25,364 17,611 1,325 - 568 81 5,962 10,757 134,880 168,703 83,647 123,346 21,926 63,478 105,573 186,824 29,307 (18,121) - - 29,307 (18,121) 142,151 160,272 171,458 142,151

The notes form part of these financial statements

Page 4

Mid Wyedean Churches

Statement of Financial Position 31st December 2022

Unrestricted Restricted funds fund Notes £ £ CURRENT ASSETS Cash at bank 25,303 146,155 NET CURRENT ASSETS 25,303 146,155 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 25,303 146,155 NET ASSETS 25,303 146,155 FUNDS 7 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds TOTAL FUNDS	31.12.22 Total funds £ 171,458 171,458 171,458 171,458 25,303 146,155 171,458	31.12.21 Total funds £ 142,151
		142,151
		142,151
		142,151
		30,882 111,269
		142,151

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 28th February 2023 and were signed on its behalf by:

S Bick - Trustee

The notes form part of these financial statements

Page 5

Mid Wyedean Churches

Notes to the Financial Statements For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements of the charity, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Charities Act 2011. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities on a receipts basis.

Expenditure

Expenditure is accounted for on a payments basis under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Taxation

The charity is exempt from tax on its charitable activities.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

Church workers pension fund

The Mid-Wyedean Parish participates in the Pension Builder scheme of the Church Workers Pension Fund. The scheme is administered by the Church of England Pensions Board. Further information is available in a separate document.

2. OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES

		31.12.22	31.12.21
		£	£
	Fundraising events	1,325	-
3.	INVESTMENT INCOME
		31.12.22	31.12.21
		£	£
	Dividends & Interest	568	81

Page 6

continued...

Mid Wyedean Churches

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

4. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31st December 2022 nor for the year ended 31st December 2021.

Trustees' expenses

Trustees expenses of £102.15 were paid to D Hogan during the year (£221.70 - 2020)

5. STAFF COSTS

The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:

6.

		31.12.22	31.12.21
Admin		-	1
No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000.
COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL	ACTIVITIES
	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total
	funds	fund	funds
	£	£	£
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM
Donations and legacies	46,153	94,101	140,254
Charitable activities
church activities
	17,467	144	17,611
Investment income	40	41	81
Other income	8,155	2,602	10,757
Total	71,815	96,888	168,703
EXPENDITURE ON
Charitable activities
church activities
	58,229	65,117	123,346
Other	1,791	61,687	63,478
Total	60,020	126,804	186,824
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)	11,795	(29,916)	(18,121)
Transfers between funds	993	(993)	-
Net movement in funds	12,788	(30,909)	(18,121)
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward	18,094	142,178	160,272
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD	30,882	111,269	142,151

continued...

Page 7

Mid Wyedean Churches

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

7. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS

Unrestricted funds Unrestricted fund Designated Fund Restricted funds Restricted Fund TOTAL FUNDS Net movement in funds, included in the above are as Unrestricted funds Unrestricted fund Designated Fund Restricted funds Restricted Fund TOTAL FUNDS Comparatives for movement in funds Unrestricted funds Unrestricted fund Designated Fund Restricted funds Restricted Fund TOTAL FUNDS	At 1.1.22 £ 19,284 11,598 30,882 111,269 142,151 follows: At 1.1.21 £ 8,082 10,012 18,094 142,178 160,272	Net movement in funds £ (2,259) 14 (2,245) 31,552 29,307 Incoming resources £ 62,642 1,183 63,825 71,055 134,880 Net movement in funds £ 10,209 1,586 11,795 (29,916) (18,121)	Transfers between At funds 31.12.22 £ £ (3,334) 13,691 - 11,612 (3,334) 25,303 3,334 146,155 - 171,458 Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (64,901) (2,259) (1,169) 14 (66,070) (2,245) (39,503) 31,552 (105,573) 29,307 Transfers between At funds 31.12.21 £ £ 993 19,284 - 11,598 993 30,882 (993) 111,269 - 142,151

continued...

Page 8

Mid Wyedean Churches

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

7. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued

Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Unrestricted funds Unrestricted fund Designated Fund Restricted funds Restricted Fund TOTAL FUNDS	Incoming resources £ 69,547 2,268 71,815 96,888 168,703	Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (59,338) 10,209 (682) 1,586 (60,020) 11,795 (126,804) (29,916) (186,824) (18,121)	Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (59,338) 10,209 (682) 1,586 (60,020) 11,795 (126,804) (29,916) (186,824) (18,121)
			11,795 (29,916)
			(18,121)

A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined position is as follows:

Unrestricted funds Unrestricted fund Designated Fund Restricted funds Restricted Fund TOTAL FUNDS	At 1.1.21 £ 8,082 10,012 18,094 142,178 160,272	Net movement in funds £ 7,950 1,600 9,550 1,636 11,186	Transfers between funds £ (2,341) - (2,341) 2,341 -	At 31.12.22 £ 13,691 11,612
				25,303 146,155
				171,458

A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Unrestricted funds Unrestricted fund Designated Fund Restricted funds Restricted Fund TOTAL FUNDS	Incoming resources £ 132,189 3,451 135,640 167,943 303,583	Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (124,239) 7,950 (1,851) 1,600 (126,090) 9,550 (166,307) 1,636 (292,397) 11,186	Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (124,239) 7,950 (1,851) 1,600 (126,090) 9,550 (166,307) 1,636 (292,397) 11,186
			9,550 1,636
			11,186

continued...

Page 9

Mid Wyedean Churches

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

7. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued

The Parochial Church Council has been using the cashbook system provided by the Diocese of Gloucester which allows the Treasurer to track by bank account, income/expenditure code but also by Parish Fund Code (PFC). The use of the PFCs makes it possible to track a range of restricted and designated funds that may be held within one or more bank accounts. The PFC balances should equal the bank account balances. The accuracy does depend on the correct categorisation of ever transaction as Unrestricted, Designated or Restricted.

8. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES

The following related party transactions ocurred during the year:

E Weaver Organist Fee's £990 (£685 - 2021) Reverend B Erskine Minister's Fee's £260 (£169 - 2021) D Hogan Minister's Fee's £1,387 (£1,142 - 2021) M Bick Running various projects £469 (£950 - 2021) S Simmons Verger's fee Nil (£25 - 2021) D Baulcomb Verger's Fee's £375 (Nil - 2021) W Williams Food Costs £142 S Sparkes Food Costs £35 R Ward Keys £40

Page 10

Mid Wyedean Churches

Detailed Statement of Financial Activities For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

	31.12.22	31.12.21
	£	£
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS
Donations and legacies
Tax efficient planned giving	21,346	22,043
Donations	21,537	19,217
Gift aid	4,252	5,503
Grants	54,526	93,491
	101,661	140,254
Other trading activities
Fundraising events	1,325	-
Investment income
Dividends & Interest	568	81
Charitable activities
Income from properties	-	24
Hall Lettings	1,065	216
Bookstall & magazine	455	500
Parochial fee income	23,844	16,871
	25,364	17,611
Other income
Other income	3,838	8,574
Insurance claims	2,124	2,183
	5,962	10,757
Total incoming resources	134,880	168,703
EXPENDITURE
Charitable activities
Wages	12,815	24,761
Fund raising costs	453	74
Donations & Grants	481	994
Church running expenses	2,387	5,405
Churchyard maintenance	5,267	4,402
Mission & Evangelism	6,415	31,540
Clergy expenses	4,697	3,831
Parochial Fees	9,744	6,571
Child/Youth work	1,618	1,311
Parish share	18,000	24,508
	61,877	103,397
Other
Major church repairs	7,686	50,651
Carried forward	7,686	50,651

This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements

Page 11

Mid Wyedean Churches

	Detailed Statement of Financial Activities
	For The Year Ended 31st December 2022
		31.12.22	31.12.21
		£	£
Other
Brought forward		7,686	50,651
Routine maintenance		14,240	12,968
		21,926	63,619
Support costs
Other
Rates and water		264	209
Insurance		10,117	9,488
Light and heat		3,237	3,202
Music costs		725	720
Cleaning		1,430	1,478
Administration costs		4,497	3,211
		20,270	18,308
Governance costs
Accountancy and legal fees		1,500	1,500
Total resources expended		105,573	186,824
Net income/(expenditure)		29,307	(18,121)

This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements

Page 12

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1132171

Report of the Trustees and

Unaudited Financial Statements

For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

for

Mid Wyedean Churches

Wildin and Co Accountants

& Statutory Auditors Kings Buildings Lydney Gloucestershire GL15 5HE

Mid Wyedean Churches

Contents of the Financial Statements For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

		Page
Report of the Trustees	1	to	2
Independent Examiner's Report		3
Statement of Financial Activities		4
Statement of Financial Position		5
Notes to the Financial Statements	6	to	10
Detailed Statement of Financial Activities	11	to	12

Mid Wyedean Churches

Report of the Trustees For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

The trustees present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31st December 2022. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Objectives and aims

The promotion of the Christian faith and provision of Anglican worship within the area of the Mid-Wyedean Parish and providing appropriate support of and for parishioners.

Main activities

Providing religious services (including Baptisms, Funerals and Weddings and online services and activities), providing spiritual and administrative support to Parishioners and potential visitors and engaging in activities to support those in need (eg, Coleford Community Meals).

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Financial position

The charity generated a surplus of £29,307 this year. While the deficit in the previous year due to a significant amount of major church repairs.

Total income decreased in the year, as not so many grants were received. However income from church activities increased now that Covid restrictions have passed.

Available cash is being quickly used up by the Parish Administrator role that is no longer grant funded by the Diocese. The search for replacement funding is ongoing.

Reserves policy

The charity aims for a reserve balance in excess of 25% of the normal annual expenditure.

Where there are substantial reserves of restricted funds, it will be the policy to attempt to use them for the purposes for which they were restricted, with the mission and ministry of the Church being always the main consideration.

Going concern

The unrestricted funds of the churches stands at only £25,303 as at 31st December 2022 but the Trustees consider that a going concern basis is appropriate as funds required to cover future unrestricted costs are anticipated to be sufficient.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust and constitutes an unincorporated charity.

Recruitment and appointment of new trustees

Trustees are selected according to their knowledge and experience, which must be relevant to the specific needs ot the charity at the time of recruitment.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Charity number

1132171

Principal address

Office 2, The Main Place Old Station Way Railway Drive Coleford Gloucestershire GL16 8RH

Page 1

Mid Wyedean Churches

Report of the Trustees For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

Trustees

D Baulcomb M Bick S Simmons S Sparkes D J Hogan B Erskine S Bick J Simmons B Weaver Dr D J Kidger R A Ward L S Hayward W Williams E Ivens (appointed 24.4.22)

Independent Examiner

Carla Preece FCCA Wildin and Co Accountants & Statutory Auditors Kings Buildings Lydney Gloucestershire GL15 5HE

Approved by order of the board of trustees on 28th February 2023 and signed on its behalf by:

S Bick - Trustee

Page 2

Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Mid Wyedean Churches

Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Mid Wyedean Churches

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of Mid Wyedean Churches (the Trust) for the year ended 31st December 2022.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act').

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under Section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's statement

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

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

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

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

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

Carla Preece FCCA Wildin and Co Accountants & Statutory Auditors Kings Buildings Lydney Gloucestershire GL15 5HE

28th February 2023

Page 3

Mid Wyedean Churches

Statement of Financial Activities For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

Unrestricted funds Notes £ INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM Donations and legacies 34,071 Charitable activities church activities 25,364 Other trading activities 2 1,325 Investment income 3 31 Other income 3,034 Total 63,825 EXPENDITURE ON Charitable activities church activities 59,451 Other 6,619 Total 66,070 NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) (2,245) Transfers between funds 7 (3,334) Net movement in funds (5,579) RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Total funds brought forward 30,882 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 25,303	Restricted fund £ 67,590 - - 537 2,928 71,055 24,196 15,307 39,503 31,552 3,334 34,886 111,269 146,155	31.12.22 31.12.21 Total Total funds funds £ £ 101,661 140,254 25,364 17,611 1,325 - 568 81 5,962 10,757 134,880 168,703 83,647 123,346 21,926 63,478 105,573 186,824 29,307 (18,121) - - 29,307 (18,121) 142,151 160,272 171,458 142,151

The notes form part of these financial statements

Page 4

Mid Wyedean Churches

Statement of Financial Position 31st December 2022

Unrestricted Restricted funds fund Notes £ £ CURRENT ASSETS Cash at bank 25,303 146,155 NET CURRENT ASSETS 25,303 146,155 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 25,303 146,155 NET ASSETS 25,303 146,155 FUNDS 7 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds TOTAL FUNDS	31.12.22 Total funds £ 171,458 171,458 171,458 171,458 25,303 146,155 171,458	31.12.21 Total funds £ 142,151
		142,151
		142,151
		142,151
		30,882 111,269
		142,151

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 28th February 2023 and were signed on its behalf by:

S Bick - Trustee

The notes form part of these financial statements

Page 5

Mid Wyedean Churches

Notes to the Financial Statements For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements of the charity, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Charities Act 2011. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities on a receipts basis.

Expenditure

Expenditure is accounted for on a payments basis under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Taxation

The charity is exempt from tax on its charitable activities.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

Church workers pension fund

The Mid-Wyedean Parish participates in the Pension Builder scheme of the Church Workers Pension Fund. The scheme is administered by the Church of England Pensions Board. Further information is available in a separate document.

2. OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES

		31.12.22	31.12.21
		£	£
	Fundraising events	1,325	-
3.	INVESTMENT INCOME
		31.12.22	31.12.21
		£	£
	Dividends & Interest	568	81

Page 6

continued...

Mid Wyedean Churches

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

4. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31st December 2022 nor for the year ended 31st December 2021.

Trustees' expenses

Trustees expenses of £102.15 were paid to D Hogan during the year (£221.70 - 2020)

5. STAFF COSTS

The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:

6.

		31.12.22	31.12.21
Admin		-	1
No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000.
COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL	ACTIVITIES
	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total
	funds	fund	funds
	£	£	£
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM
Donations and legacies	46,153	94,101	140,254
Charitable activities
church activities
	17,467	144	17,611
Investment income	40	41	81
Other income	8,155	2,602	10,757
Total	71,815	96,888	168,703
EXPENDITURE ON
Charitable activities
church activities
	58,229	65,117	123,346
Other	1,791	61,687	63,478
Total	60,020	126,804	186,824
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)	11,795	(29,916)	(18,121)
Transfers between funds	993	(993)	-
Net movement in funds	12,788	(30,909)	(18,121)
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward	18,094	142,178	160,272
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD	30,882	111,269	142,151

continued...

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Mid Wyedean Churches

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

7. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS

Unrestricted funds Unrestricted fund Designated Fund Restricted funds Restricted Fund TOTAL FUNDS Net movement in funds, included in the above are as Unrestricted funds Unrestricted fund Designated Fund Restricted funds Restricted Fund TOTAL FUNDS Comparatives for movement in funds Unrestricted funds Unrestricted fund Designated Fund Restricted funds Restricted Fund TOTAL FUNDS	At 1.1.22 £ 19,284 11,598 30,882 111,269 142,151 follows: At 1.1.21 £ 8,082 10,012 18,094 142,178 160,272	Net movement in funds £ (2,259) 14 (2,245) 31,552 29,307 Incoming resources £ 62,642 1,183 63,825 71,055 134,880 Net movement in funds £ 10,209 1,586 11,795 (29,916) (18,121)	Transfers between At funds 31.12.22 £ £ (3,334) 13,691 - 11,612 (3,334) 25,303 3,334 146,155 - 171,458 Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (64,901) (2,259) (1,169) 14 (66,070) (2,245) (39,503) 31,552 (105,573) 29,307 Transfers between At funds 31.12.21 £ £ 993 19,284 - 11,598 993 30,882 (993) 111,269 - 142,151

continued...

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Mid Wyedean Churches

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

7. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued

Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Unrestricted funds Unrestricted fund Designated Fund Restricted funds Restricted Fund TOTAL FUNDS	Incoming resources £ 69,547 2,268 71,815 96,888 168,703	Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (59,338) 10,209 (682) 1,586 (60,020) 11,795 (126,804) (29,916) (186,824) (18,121)	Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (59,338) 10,209 (682) 1,586 (60,020) 11,795 (126,804) (29,916) (186,824) (18,121)
			11,795 (29,916)
			(18,121)

A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined position is as follows:

Unrestricted funds Unrestricted fund Designated Fund Restricted funds Restricted Fund TOTAL FUNDS	At 1.1.21 £ 8,082 10,012 18,094 142,178 160,272	Net movement in funds £ 7,950 1,600 9,550 1,636 11,186	Transfers between funds £ (2,341) - (2,341) 2,341 -	At 31.12.22 £ 13,691 11,612
				25,303 146,155
				171,458

A current year 12 months and prior year 12 months combined net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Unrestricted funds Unrestricted fund Designated Fund Restricted funds Restricted Fund TOTAL FUNDS	Incoming resources £ 132,189 3,451 135,640 167,943 303,583	Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (124,239) 7,950 (1,851) 1,600 (126,090) 9,550 (166,307) 1,636 (292,397) 11,186	Resources Movement expended in funds £ £ (124,239) 7,950 (1,851) 1,600 (126,090) 9,550 (166,307) 1,636 (292,397) 11,186
			9,550 1,636
			11,186

continued...

Page 9

Mid Wyedean Churches

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

7. MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued

The Parochial Church Council has been using the cashbook system provided by the Diocese of Gloucester which allows the Treasurer to track by bank account, income/expenditure code but also by Parish Fund Code (PFC). The use of the PFCs makes it possible to track a range of restricted and designated funds that may be held within one or more bank accounts. The PFC balances should equal the bank account balances. The accuracy does depend on the correct categorisation of ever transaction as Unrestricted, Designated or Restricted.

8. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES

The following related party transactions ocurred during the year:

E Weaver Organist Fee's £990 (£685 - 2021) Reverend B Erskine Minister's Fee's £260 (£169 - 2021) D Hogan Minister's Fee's £1,387 (£1,142 - 2021) M Bick Running various projects £469 (£950 - 2021) S Simmons Verger's fee Nil (£25 - 2021) D Baulcomb Verger's Fee's £375 (Nil - 2021) W Williams Food Costs £142 S Sparkes Food Costs £35 R Ward Keys £40

Page 10

Mid Wyedean Churches

Detailed Statement of Financial Activities For The Year Ended 31st December 2022

	31.12.22	31.12.21
	£	£
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS
Donations and legacies
Tax efficient planned giving	21,346	22,043
Donations	21,537	19,217
Gift aid	4,252	5,503
Grants	54,526	93,491
	101,661	140,254
Other trading activities
Fundraising events	1,325	-
Investment income
Dividends & Interest	568	81
Charitable activities
Income from properties	-	24
Hall Lettings	1,065	216
Bookstall & magazine	455	500
Parochial fee income	23,844	16,871
	25,364	17,611
Other income
Other income	3,838	8,574
Insurance claims	2,124	2,183
	5,962	10,757
Total incoming resources	134,880	168,703
EXPENDITURE
Charitable activities
Wages	12,815	24,761
Fund raising costs	453	74
Donations & Grants	481	994
Church running expenses	2,387	5,405
Churchyard maintenance	5,267	4,402
Mission & Evangelism	6,415	31,540
Clergy expenses	4,697	3,831
Parochial Fees	9,744	6,571
Child/Youth work	1,618	1,311
Parish share	18,000	24,508
	61,877	103,397
Other
Major church repairs	7,686	50,651
Carried forward	7,686	50,651

This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements

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Mid Wyedean Churches

	Detailed Statement of Financial Activities
	For The Year Ended 31st December 2022
		31.12.22	31.12.21
		£	£
Other
Brought forward		7,686	50,651
Routine maintenance		14,240	12,968
		21,926	63,619
Support costs
Other
Rates and water		264	209
Insurance		10,117	9,488
Light and heat		3,237	3,202
Music costs		725	720
Cleaning		1,430	1,478
Administration costs		4,497	3,211
		20,270	18,308
Governance costs
Accountancy and legal fees		1,500	1,500
Total resources expended		105,573	186,824
Net income/(expenditure)		29,307	(18,121)

This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements

Page 12