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← The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise

2024-12-31-accounts

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St. Mark's, Kensal RiseClient name

Report and Accounts Year ended ...31 December 2024

1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk

Legal and Administrative Information

Charity Number 1132172

Working Name St Mark’s Kensal Rise Address Bathurst Gardens, NW10 5HX

St. Mark’s Church is based at the Church and Hall on the corner of Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise, and All Souls Avenue, Harlesden. It is part of the Brent Deanery, in the Willesden Area, in the Diocese of London within the Church of England.

Trustees at time Katie Barringer of writing Sue Bush Angie Hansel Deanery Synod Rep Rosabel Johnston Paul Kidner Deanery Synod Rep Church Warden

Deanery Synod Rep Appointed July 2024 Appointed May 2024

Maria Mak Vivienne McKoy-Salt Church Warden Alan Meakin Treasurer & Deanery Synod Rep

Michael Mclean Douglas Morton Latham Noble John Palmer Michelle Percharde Secretary Rev Dave Roberts Vicar & Chair Siobhan Scott Caroline Winterburn

Appointed May 2024 Appointed May 2024

Appointed May 2024

Trustees who Shantel Earl - May 2024 stood down in Gillian Thompson - May 2024 2024 Flora Dugbarty - December 2024

Safeguarding Lead

Kellie Jarret

Independent Sarah Crispin ACA Examiner Stewardship Services (UKET) Limited

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

Executive Summary - The Vicar’s view

by Revd. Dave Roberts

In 2024, we introduced a new phrase to describe what we are trying to do as a church: ‘ encouraging everyone to go deeper ’ ! The point of this phrase was not to change direction, but rather to name what God has been doing among us for generations and to help each of us to consider how we can go deeper in our personal discipleship and encourage others through our gifts, testimony, and generosity.

Encouragement is something I see in the culture of everything we do here. It shows itself in a joyful culture of invitation and welcome. It also allows Jesus’ radical teaching to hit home without leaving us feeling overwhelmed. Following Jesus is not a task to be completed, nor is it ‘done’ at baptism. Rather, we are pilgrimages together and all in need of encouragement.

We don’t, however, all have the same spiritual needs. That’s why we offer different ways for everyone to go deeper! This is part of our history as a Parish Church, but also reflects the incredible diversity. We encourage the young through school visits and outstanding children’s groups, seeing up to 75 under 18s each week; we encourage our seniors through Wednesday fellowship and the team of home-visitors; we encourage new faith at Alpha, growing faith through Lent courses, and we develop spiritually maturity through leadership within different ministries. Encouraging everyone also informs our approach to All Age worship. In February, for example, our Christingle services had baptisms, dramatic readings, craft, teaching, and an orchestra of 15 people of all ages. This is not always neat and tidy, but we believe it brings God honour and joy!

But what are we primarily invited to? We believe that we are called to more than community, self-knowledge, a moral framework, or even the healing of your body and soul. The invitation is to go deeper into the love shown in the Gospel of Jesus - personal encounters of Divine love and grace. Jesus loves you: He died for you; He asks you to trust and follow Him. A memory from this year illustrates this: at our Good Friday service, this story of God’s love was told by our kids, then meditated on in worship, silence, Bible readings, liturgy and reflections. In the last half an hour we shared the Sacrament, began to worship and then a wave of intense gratitude and love swelled and broke out all over the church as we worshipped God in the Holy Spirit. We went deeper together and it was beautiful.

The fruit of this love grows over a lifetime. This year we mourned the passing of 10 members of our parish or church, among them June Edwards and Norman Mitchell, both incredible examples of the rich, deep lives our church stands for. Mr Mitchell maintained a curiosity and depth of service that never diminished through his 104 years. June’s depth of wisdom, love, and leadership in the church is sorely missed. In heaven they now have what they sought in life - not just deep knowledge, but full knowledge of the depth of God’s love, just as they are fully known..

I hope that, whoever you are, you have been encouraged to go deeper and you know ‘what’s next’ in your walk of faith. Thank you. It is your love, time, giving, and service which makes this church happen. We look forward to going deeper in 2025 and beyond.

Revd. Dave Roberts,

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

1. Our Vision (Aims & Purposes)

St Mark’s Kensal Rise is a local church family and the parish church of Kensal Rise and East Harlesden.

We exist to KNOW and to SHOW the depths of God’s love.

We do this by encouraging EVERYONE to go deeper. This is reflected in our values:

The Church Council has the responsibility of working with the incumbent, Revd. Dave Roberts, and the staff team in promoting the mission of the Church - pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC, through prayer and discussion, seeks to discover how best to encourage the church to fulfil its mission to encourage everyone to go deeper.

Public Benefit:

When planning its activities for the year the PCC gave consideration to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit. As a church, we exist for the benefit of the whole community and look to love our neighbours as ourselves and be of service. This is what it looks like to go deeper in our community.

Practically, our projects and partnerships include:

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

2. The Ministry of St. Mark’s (Objectives & Activities)

The general functions of the PCC are stated within section 2 of the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956. In 2024, these activities manifest in the following ways:

2.1 Ministry Activities

Services:

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

Small Groups:

Life Events

As the parish church for Kensal Rise and East Harlesden, we are privileged to officiate for Life Events (baptisms, weddings, and funerals). In 2024 there was almost a funeral every month and this has been a significant ministry in the life of the church.

In 2024, we held:

Pastoral Care

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

Caroline Winterburn

2.2 Children’s Ministry

Sunday Kids’ Church

St. Mark’s is blessed with the number of children and young people we have within our church family. Each week we average 3 little ones in the creche (18 months-3 years old), plus the babies that stay in church, 10 in the Explorer group which is Reception-year 2 (ages 4-7 ) and another 23 in our Adventurers group which is years 3-6 (ages 7-11.) We are so thankful for the energy and vibrancy they bring to our church family, and it’s our prayer that each one of these children, through attending Kids’ Church, will come to know how deeply loved they are loved by God, how each of them are unique and how God has given each of them special gifts to be used for him. Our prayer is that they will each come to accept Jesus into their lives and go on to serve him as they grow up here and then through their lives wherever they may be.

It is such a responsibility and a privilege to be teaching and nurturing our children and to lay down these firm foundations in Jesus. We have an absolutely incredible team of 30 kid’s church volunteers who selflessly give up their time to prepare and deliver exciting sessions in their various groups and who nurture and care for our children week by week. This is such an important and vital ministry and as a leadership team at St. Mark’s we are so very grateful to every one of our wonderful volunteers.

During 2024, we started a new pattern where children go into church with their parents after they have signed in, rather than heading straight into their groups. This has meant that they can be part of the worship at the beginning of the service. This was partly prompted by some of the children saying how much they enjoyed the worship and were sorry not to be in church for it. It’s been so lovely to see the children enjoying using the flags as they express themselves in worship. After the worship, usually during the Peace, they go out to their groups. On the Sundays that we have communion, the children return to church for this. Otherwise, the parents collect their children from the groups at the end of the service.

Seasonal Events

As well as our Sunday Kids’ Church sessions we ran the Light Party again at the end of October last year. We had 50 children attending, many of whom are not part of our usual congregation. It was a wonderful opportunity to have lots of fun – with massive inflatable basketball hoops, light related crafts, bouncy castle, face painting and food, but the most important part was when Jenny Erber gave a fantastic talk about Jesus being the Light of the World and how he encourages us to shine his light in the darkness around us. It’s a wonderful opportunity to share the truth of the gospel with many children and their families (many of whom stay during the party) that don’t usually come to church. We were very grateful to our friends at Hope and Anchor Church, Hackney who built us a wonderful, huge lighthouse that stood centre stage!

Christmas and Easter have also been opportunities for the children to get involved more in our main services with Carols around the Crib on Christmas Eve and at the Family Hour on Good Friday when the children and young people were involved in acting out the events of that first Good Friday. It was incredibly powerful and so encouraging to have all ages taking

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

part.

During the All Age Sunday services we have endeavoured to encourage many of the children and young people to take an active part in the service, and it’s been lovely to see many of them being keen to be part of it.

Parent & Toddler Group

Our Parent and Toddler Groups run in term time on Tuesday afternoons and Wednesday mornings. We average about 40 children per week so with their parents and carers too, the hall and church are both buzzing with the sounds of chatting and playing. There are different areas set out with different types of toys. This enables different skills to be used – fine motor skills, sharing, listening quietly to a story and joining in with the singing.

“It’s not just a toddler group” is the name of research that has shown that children who attend parent and toddler groups are so much more ready for school because of what they have learnt through being in a toddler group. Also many of the adults have said that coming to toddlers has been their ‘lifeline’ so it’s not just about providing a safe space for children to play, but a safe space for the adults where they can be encouraged, supported and if necessary signposted to other agencies that might be able to help further with a specific issue. This is a place where people are finding a community that cares about them.

Parents and Toddlers is an incredible opportunity for us to “Show the love of Jesus to our community” – the heart of our values and mission statement. There are 3 of us that volunteer on Tuesdays, and 3 on Wednesdays, and a big shout out to Pete who comes every Tuesday to help us set up and who then returns on Wednesdays to help put everything away. This is such an important part of our mission and ministry, but we desperately need more help! If you feel you can help out – even on a rota and not every week – then please speak to Sue or Caroline.

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

2.3 Youth Ministry:

by Vanessa Richards

Grounded Youth Group

The values of the youth ministry, ‘Grounded Youth’, are guided by Ephesians 3:16- 19 , which means we want our young people to ‘be strengthened by the Holy Spirit, to enable God to dwell in their hearts through faith, that they may be rooted and grounded in love.’

Our focus is for our youth to have a personal relationship with God, whilst supporting each other to know the breadth, length, height and depth of God’s love. We support them to encounter a personal relationship with Jesus, through God’s love.

What do we do and how?

Grounded Youth Group is split into Pathfinders (Year 7-9) and Older Youth (OY, year 10+).

Pathfinders meet in the upper room every Sunday morning during the service, except on All Age service weeks. This year they have stayed in the main service until after the first worship segment and then returned to the main service during the Peace for communion.This change in the format has contributed to the growth in youth participating in worship but also in other areas like sound and projection.

Pathfinders also meet every Friday from 4:30 to 6:30pm. The Older Youth meet every other Friday at 7 to 9pm, however we are seeing less of these youths once they become 18. The format of all the Friday night sessions consists of outings (for example, attending events hosted by Holy Trinity Brompton church (HTB), various activities, games and bitesize teachings and discussions with refreshments (pizza and drinks)

Average attendance on Sunday has increased compared to 2023, with 8 to 15 young people each week. Fridays can be from 10 to 23 young people in total across both groups . We saw a rise in consistent attendance from September 2024 onwards, when our new Year 7s joined Pathfinders for the first time..

More than 10 young people who attended on Fridays and 2 who attended on Sundays are not members of our church. The majority who attend on both Fridays and Sundays are boys.

The bi-monthly boys only and girls only groups have enjoyed trips to the park, Nando’s, discussions and creative arts sessions. There is a need to rethink, if and how to continue both groups due to volunteers’ availability and youth lack of participation.

In August 2024, we were able to take 6 youths to the Satellites Christian Youth Camp for 5 days. Accompanying the young people were 4 youth leaders with the help of a volunteer who drove a minibus with equipment and passengers. Satellites provided the opportunity for our youth to be around peers who love God and learn more about the faith whilst camping.

We are very grateful to our regular volunteers, for all their work with their young people, and for their commitment to safeguarding, including undertaking DBS checks and safeguarding training: :

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

We have also had ad hoc support from: Vicar (support), Wayne (DJ), Rosa, Carroll and Mernell (hospitality), Mary (support) and Sinitta (support).

Unfortunately, 3 of the previous 10 volunteers we had in 2023 were no longer in the position to continue supporting due to health, work and family commitments. Now we have 3 new ones.

Special thanks to our Vicar, Dave, for leading by example, Caroline andeveryone who puts the time and effort into making the youth group a pleasurable and thriving experience for all. I also want to also take this time to thank our church family for their support and love in caring for our young people.

Priorities for 2025 (Our Focus):

  1. Increase faith and leadership of young people

  2. Increase the capabilities and capacity of volunteers

  3. Safeguarding to be up to date and a priority for all

  4. Support and encourage youth by providing creative platforms to encourage a deeper

  5. faith

  6. Motivate and inspire youths to experience God through serving their church and community.

  7. Transition the new older members from Pathfinders into Older Youth

  8. Encourage the current older youth to support with leading

  9. Work alongside other churches and organisations

  10. Have a fundraising event

  11. Encourage youth to take ownership of their faith journey.

I am thanking the Lord for his grace, provisions, strength and guidance he has provided, which is very evident in the growth we are experiencing with our young people. I am very aware there is no growth without roots, so thank you Lord for the foundation that has been set. I pray we continue to pray, God will help us to keep him at the centre of everything we do. Amen

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

2.4 Partnership and Community Activities

Special Events:

Night Shelter

On Friday nights January to March, the Brent interfaith Night shelter resumed but this time in a single location in Harlesden rather than at different locations around Brent each night. Alistair led an enthusiastic team, and despite a slow start with some logistical challenges from the shelter, our support was deeply appreciated by the organisers, who had lost some teams in the change, and the guests who value consistency.

Community - schools:

St Mark’s continues to work with the parish primary school Princess Frederica, hosting services, assemblies and some RE lessons. Dave takes one assembly every two weeks, focussing on Biblical values and the gospel of Jesus. Children from Princess Frederica also came into church as a whole school 3 times and in classes for 2 lessons.

Progress supporting Kenmont school began strongly with an invitation to do a whole school assembly and host 2 year groups. However, the headteacher changed mid year and the communication has been slow since. We look forward to doing more with this relationship going forward.

Community - Audit and Food Poverty

After 2 years delivering Christmas Hampers, this year there was not the team available to build a successful Christmas food project. The PCC were sad about this, however it did allow us to ask questions about the needs in our community and how to meet these needs in a relational and sustaining way. Christmas can be a pinch point for many but it is also the focus of other charitable campaigns.

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

The PCC is interested in conducting a community audit to support fundraising efforts to meet the ongoing need for families. We hope that 2025 will be a year where we will see progress towards projects which will make a difference, and will likely include a Christmas campaign.

Mission Partners:

The PCC are continuing their commitment to supporting mission partners outside St. Mark’s and maintain the aim to grow our external giving so that we reach a figure of at least 10% of congregational giving, to that end we supported the following partners financially:

We have also pledged to join a group of churches to set up a Brent Christians Against Poverty (CAP) debt centre run from St Gabriel’s church, Cricklewood.. This will begin with a contribution of £1200 a year and provide a CAP service and opportunity for befriending in our parish.

‘Project Stork’ initiatives have continued to be well supported this year, collecting clothes and gifts – as well as Easter Eggs - for women and children escaping domestic violence.

Hall Bookings:

We continue to host partners and create income from our hall bookings. Most notably, we have a permanent tenant, the charity IntoUniversity, in our second office and classroom, as well as regular bookings from local charities, including Young Roots - a refugee youth charity, Wildfires - a children’s Christian weekly event, the dementia cafe, and two creative arts groups

IntoUniversity (IU) Brent based at St. Mark’s continues to provide educational and mentoring support for local primary and secondary school children through Focus Weeks held in the Church and Classroom, school visits, homework clubs, and university and cultural trips.

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

3. Achievements and Performance

In this section we reflect on the data processed by the Church of England, known as ‘Statistics for Mission’ and ‘environmental Audit- Financial performance is shown in section 4.

3.1 Parish Statistics

The Dashboard below shows that 2024 saw an increase in momentum in a few measures. In 2024 we saw a growth in membership of the church with many people joining the Electoral Roll and our mailing list (an excellent indicator of commitment). We also see a turnover of families leaving London and we have noticed that the growth in members is higher than the growth in attendance which implies a pattern of less frequent attendance within our members. It is also excellent to note that our growth in under 18s is faster than our adult attendance which implies our focus on All Age worship and family outreach is going well.

Figure 3.1: Church of England Parish Dashboard

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

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It is important to note that numbers are not everything!! We would like to think about how we measure depth as well as attendance. However as the parish church, we are accountable for the souls of our parish and believe that sustained numerical growth is a good indicator of our effectiveness towards our vision of encouraging everyone to go deeper:

Measure 2023 2024 change
Electoral Roll 178 199 +12%
Church membership 286 313 +9%
Attendance 91 adults
53 kids		 100 adults
55 kids		 +10%
+13%

3.2 Environmental Impact

As we modernise our buildings we are mindful of our environmental impact. In early 2024 we installed infra-red heating for our church building. This has seen a consequent reduction in our gas usage, and, combined with a green electricity tariff, our net CO2 emissions have fallen from 16 to 11.7 tonnes.

We are also seeking to improve the biodiversity of our open spaces. This has seen the removal of a large proportion of astroturf in the garden and a programme of planting, including a number of shrubs kindly donated from the Chelsea Flower Show. A beehive has also been introduced on the roof of the church hall. More recently, in early 2025, this has been supplemented with a sedum green roof together with a number of bird boxes.

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

4. Financial Review

By Alan Meakin, Treasurer

We are pleased to report a surplus of £8,811 (£8,583 in 2023). However, the picture is similar to previous years in that our regular income is not sustainably covering our running costs. This year the surplus has been driven by claiming arrears of Gift Aid as opposed to last year when we received legacy payments. We still have Gift Aid to claim from 2022 onwards, which we will use judiciously,, but this will only provide headroom for a few more years.

Total income in 2024 was £28,630 higher than 2023. This was largely due to the Gift Aid claims of £41,716 for 2021 and 2022 (£0 in 2023) substituting for the absence of any legacy gifts (£39,500 in 2023). Total expenditure, similarly, was £28,402 higher driven by the one-off cost of £17,475 for the new infrared heaters. Our congregation generously made gifts of £8,452 in 2024 toward this cost, and in aggregate this means we have raised £13,749. Once the associated Gift Aid has been claimed we will have largely funded the cost of these works.

We benefited from innovations made during the latter part of 2023. We have now had a full year within the Parish Giving Scheme which is assisting our cashflow with over £1,000 per month of associated Gift Aid recovery. Over 50% of our regular income comes through Parish Giving and we seek to encourage further take up. In addition, the card reader has made giving easier with over £9,000 received through this means.

4.1 Receipts

Total receipts were £226,514 (2023 £197,884)

Voluntary income increased to £156,282 (2023 £133,843)

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

Fundraising income from property letting was consistent with 2023 at £53,197 (2023 £53,016) with a further £1,225 collected after the year end. The IntoUniversity licence to occupy office and classroom space, expired at the end of March 2024. They have agreed to a new licence with the fee increasing from £26,072 to £28,170 p.a., but this is yet to be documented. In addition, last year we reported a deficit of £4,654 of costs associated with the interregnum, but have now recovered £4,589 of which £3,500 represents rental income.

Church activities for generating funds rose to £12,056 (2023 £10,375). This includes £3,568 of receipts from the Christmas Craft Fair, within which we are grateful to Wenlock & Taylor, the local estate agents, for sponsorship of £500. We also received £2,660 of donations towards Parents & Toddlers and there was an insurance claim of £4,486 following a break in.

4.2 Expenditure

Our expenditure totalled £217,703 (2023 £189,300)

Of this, £73,500 (2023 £70,000) was our contribution to the Common Fund to provide stipends and employment costs for the clergy and a contribution towards Diocesan costs and the costs of the wider Church. Our offer for 2025 is £76,800 which compares with the request from the Diocese of £99,980.

Staffing and contractor costs decreased to £49,208 from £51,155 following a review of working hours, partly offset by cost of living pay rises. Clergy accommodation showed a net receipt of £762 after £1,012 of reclaimed expenses arising from the Interregnum, principally a British Gas refund.

Running expenses increased to £71,679 (2023 £48,523). This is largely due to the one-off cost of £17,475 for the infrared heaters. Further to the break in, the insurance claim referred to above was fully expended on repairs and replacement equipment. Notably, on a like for like basis, we spent c. £3,000 less on gas this year, half of which is attributable to lower usage (associated with the new heaters) with the remainder due to a fall in prices.

Missionary & Charitable Giving totalled £18,776 (2023 £14,214). This includes £600 of payments out of our Hardship fund and £1,250 of Mission Partner giving which related to 2023 (left our account on 2 Jan 2024). In 2021 the PCC agreed a formula to tithe 10% of our income (after agreed deductions) to our Mission Partners.

4.2 Assets

At the year-end our Cash funds had risen to £128,805 (2023 £119,993). We have other monetary assets not yet available to us but likely to be redeemed. This totals £45,509 (2023 £81,389), including outstanding Gift Aid, estimated at £42,494, recoverable for the years 2022-2024.

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

Liabilities falling due within one year fell from £10,524 to £3,432, principally reflecting the repayment of £4,955 of overpaid legacy. We also hold £1,752 in an Agency capacity for Kensal Warm Spaces and the Harlesden Community Gospel Choir.

4.3 Reserves Policy

In 2021 we reviewed our Reserves Policy and this provides that we should aim to sustain 5 months of expenses (based on a 5 year rolling average) and never dip below 1 month of expenses except in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the PCC. On agreement of the PCC Reserves can be utilised but must aim to be replenished thereafter from all sources of income until the threshold is again reached, with the aim of replenishing not later than 3 years from utilisation. We currently seek to maintain reserves of £66,751 (2023 £78,875) and to not go below £13,350 (2023 £15,775). This reduction arises as a pre-Covid year falls out of the calculation. General unrestricted funds total £81,562.

4.4 Risk Management

Our Financial Control Procedures have been reviewed and were formally adopted by the PCC in July 2024. Revenue budgets are prepared in the autumn prior to each financial year and care is taken to limit contractual commitments to one year. Within the Church building, we have paid particular attention to risks of fire and escape routes, and the appropriate insurance is in place. At the beginning of 2024 our electrical systems were given a thorough overhaul.

4.6 Finance and Treasury team

We are grateful to our Finance and Treasury team – Alan Meakin, who assumed the role of Treasurer in 2021 and Sinitta Falconer who continues to work diligently as our part-time bookkeeper.

5. Structure, Governance and Management

St Mark’s is led by the Parochial Church Council, among whom are two appointed church warden’s, treasurer, secretary, and the Vicar who make up the Standing Committee.

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All church attendees who consider themselves as belonging to the worshipping community of St. Mark’s are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll. All those on the Electoral Roll may stand for election to the PCC. The council should reflect the diversity of the church community.

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

5.1 Electoral Roll:

The electoral roll - the formal voting members of St. Mark's Church - now stands at XX. This year was a reset year for our roll. Last year’s roll stood at 199.. The Electoral Roll Officer is Kellie Jarrett

5.2 PCC members (trustees)

Ex Officio Members (Ordered Alphabetically)

5.4 Staff:

Kellie Jarrett – Church Administrator with a special focus on bookings and community partnerships.

This year, Kellie moved from a 20-hour a week permanent contract plus a 12-hours a week fixed term temporary contract to a single permanent contract of 26 hours a week. This was agreed to be a good balance of the church’s needs now a vicar is in post and has proved to provide a good rhythm for the team and for Kellie. Outside her core job description she has supported many events at the church including a Womens’ Breakfast and introducing flagging and liturgical dance which have greatly enriched the life of the church.

Vanessa Richards – This year Vanessa transitioned from a 34-hours a week fixed term contract as Youth Pastor to a 26 hour a week role of Youth Pastor and Children’s Coordinator. This represented a review of the church’s needs, especially in supporting Caroline in her volunteer role as Children’s lead. The fruit of Vanessa’s more focused work has been wonderful this year, seeing the number of teenagers engaged in church and youth group increase dramatically across 2024.

We are incredibly grateful to Kellie and Vanessa for their commitment to church life and love for those they serve. We are very blessed to have their humour, prayers, and passion at St Mark's both within their respective roles and also as members with other great gifts!

5.5 Volunteers

The church operates because a large group of people give their time and money as an act of love and worship. At the start of the year, we held a joyful volunteer celebration evening hosted by the PCC, and were surprised to see that 90 people were on the invitation list! This represents thousands of hours committed to God through this community in a vast number of ways ranging from the intensely practical tasks of caring for our building through to the

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

pastoral care of housebound members. We are seeing our young people more engaged in this volunteering too and getting excited to be part of this active community.

There are many people who go above and beyond in such roles and who serve in significant ministries in the parish. Our Church Wardens, Viv and Paul, and Treasurer Alan make a huge impact, largely behind the scenes. Paul and Viv’s contribution to pastoral care and homegroups has brought love to many, and Alan has consistently and quietly pushed us forward in making our church more environmentally friendly and a home to all sorts of animal neighbours!

Sue and Caroline should be especially recognised for their years of support for families and children at St Mark’s. The Parent’s and Toddlers group is a gift to our community and a resource for many and Caroline continues to lead our Children’s work and teams while we consider how we can resource paid support in this area. It is a huge testimony to her gifting and passion that any future employee would have a strong team and curriculum to use!

Finally, this year was a landmark for Andy Bush, who has been recognised by the Bishop of London as a Licenced Lay Reader. This is an important role in the church through which a member steps into leadership in a different way. Andy’s preaching is a great blessing and we look forward to working with Andy in other arenas of ministry at St Mark’s

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

6. Administrative Information

5.1 Safeguarding:

Safeguarding is a vital foundation for all that takes place at St. Mark’s. We have a number of procedures, policies and risk assessments as an outworking of our church Safeguarding policy. To show the importance of this area, we have appointed Kellie as our Parish Safeguarding Officer and so these tasks are part of her paid portfolio.

We have taken big steps in making St Mark’s safer and communicating how we do so. We hope to build a safeguarding culture at our church and as such we want to see more people trained, and empowered to report concerns they might have.

St. Mark’s also has a Children’s Champion, Sue Bush, whose responsibility is to make sure children are nurtured within the worshipping life of the church.

5.1.1 Parish Dashboard

Our safeguarding actions and requirements are recorded on the Diocese Safeguarding dashboard which is copied below

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

This dashboard has improved greatly over the last year, moving from 21% completion to 51% and addressing all ‘red’ issues. The actions that will move us forward include targeting 3 specific volunteers to complete their advanced training, and addressing the “Church Activities” section which includes producing a complete set of Risk Assessments for all activities.

5.1.2 Goals for 2025

Key Safeguarding Priorities

Church and PCC priorities

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

Buildings and Maintenance:

St Mark’s has stewardship over the site on Bathurst Gardens, including the church, hall (with kitchen and stage room), classroom, upper room, and two offices. We also have stewardship of the ‘Curates House’ property at 82 Herbert Gardens which is currently occupied.

Fabric & Church Warden’s Report

This report covers the period Jan 1st – Dec 31st 2024

Since Paul Kidner’s appointment as Churchwarden at the last APCM, he has been actively involved with the Vicar in reviewing the state of the buildings and supporting him and the ‘buildings group’ in applying for grants and raising funds towards improvements to the heating system and the garden.

The main achievement this year was the installation of infrared heaters. The PCC signed off a motion to apply for permission to hang these in the main church building to address the generational problems we have had for many years with low Winter temperatures. Having taken appropriate advice that the existing heat delivery method of radiators was insufficient for the space we have obtained the necessary permissions and installed sixteen heater units in the church. In future we aim to use the electric heaters with the gas boilers for backup in very cold weather.

We have been awarded £3,500 to safeguard and diversify our Church Garden. This is an exciting way to relaunch interest in this space this year and we are very grateful to Brent Towards Net-Zero for the funding

We had a burglary in November and have since the year-end had two more - although nothing significant has been stolen it has highlighted lapses in our security systems - these have now been reviewed and money has been and will be spent to avoid recurrence.

Paul has joined with the Vicar, John Palmer, Kellie Jarrett and Sue Bush on the building group during the year. We continue to seek advice from Glenn Ford and from Ann Katrin Koester on various matters including developing sustainable solutions to heating and maintenance.

City Bridge Trust Eco-Audi t: In November we heard that our application for an ‘Eco-Audit’ from the City Bridge Trust had been accepted and we were, therefore, eligible for a professional environmental audit and then to apply for funding to fulfil the recommendations of this audit. We look forward to receiving this document to shape our future building maintenance and use.

The quinquennial (5 yearly) inspection of the Church was carried out in March 2023. Besides ongoing maintenance tasks a number of the items highlighted in the report have now been attended to. We plan this year to have the Church Hall refurbished and attend to deficiencies in the flooring in the church and chancel. A number of areas on the roof were noted as being in need of attention so we intend to address these and hope that the occasional leaks we have been experiencing will reduce.

22

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

We continue to have our hall well used by the community on a rental basis and have the classroom and one of the offices let to Into University during the weekdays. These provide useful additional income. Viv and I would like to thank the PCC for all their hard work and support over the last year.

Since the arrival of Dave and Rachel in July 2023 we would like to acknowledge and thank them both for the enormous amount of hard work they have both put in. Dave has been full of energy and enthusiasm and has exhibited strong leadership in all areas of the life of our church. It has been a pleasure to work with them.

Paul Kidner and Vivienne McKoy – Salt Churchwardens

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The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

5.3 Wider Church Affairs

St Mark’s church is part of the Church of England, which, in turn, is part of God’s one Holy Church! We try to engage with the Church at a Diocese level (we are in London Diocese) and at Deanery level (we are part of Brent Deanery)

It has been a difficult, and somewhat damaging year for the Church of England as an institution. The publication of the Makin Report into the historic abuses of Lay Reader John Smyth has caused the resignation and discipline of leaders including the Archbishop of Canterbury in a time when the church is divided on issues of doctrine and pastoral issues of sexuality. We must prayerfully lament this division and abuse.

At the same time, on the parish level, we are seeing something of a different story - church attendance in the Church of England grew 6% this year, a trend of growth that we are seeing in our own church. In the period between 2021 and 2024 sales of Bibles have doubled, with much of that growth coming from Millenials and Gen-Z. We must learn the lessons about humility and accountability while prayerfully offering hope to this rising generation.

5.3.1 London Diocese Update

by Oliver Holme, General Secretary of London Dioceson Synod

The Diocese of London is the largest and most diverse in the Church of England. We have over 500 churches and 750 licensed clergy. We are able to have a church in almost every community, supporting the vision for every Londoner to encounter the love of God in Christ. In 2024, 50 new deacons were ordained and early draft statistics indicate that Average Weekly Attendance in London grew by 7.5% to over 60,000.

During 2024, we have continued working towards our priorities of becoming a younger, safer and more racially just Church. For example:

The breadth of parishes and Bishop’s Mission Orders in London nurtured confident disciples, compassionate communities and creative growth in an amazing variety of ways. They also contributed over £23m in Common Fund, an increase of almost £1m. Alongside £13.2m income raised by the London Diocesan Fund (LDF) and £3.6m from LDF reserves, this paid to provide ministry and support parishes across the Diocese.

5.3.2 Deanery Synod Report 2024

by Alan Meakin

The Deanery Synod is an elected group from all the Church of England churches in Brent. As a church we are allowed up to 3 members on the Deanery Synod, plus any Clergy who sit ex

24

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Kensal Rise Bathurst Gardens, Kensal Rise NW10 5HX - Charity number 1132172

stmarks KENSAL RISE GO DEEPEQ officio. It meets 3 times a year, usually to address a particular theme. Our current representatives are Paul Kidner, Alan Meakin and Angela Hansel. The three meetings this year covered the work of the Mothers, Union, Climate Action and Safeguarding. On 23rd January Pauline Mccalla, who is the Willesden Area representative for The Mothers, Union (London Diocese), presented an overview of the work of the Mothers, Union in supporting families, prisoners. and refugees in the Area. While we are not engaged with the Mothers, Union, the nature of their work and ambitions are reflected in activities at St Mark's. including working with women's refuges and foodbanlE. It also highlighted how we can work with other churches in our neighbourhood, not necessarily under the auspices of the Mothers. Union. to address areas of need. On12th June we heard about Brent Council's response to Climate Action in the Borough, and how churches can act responsibly in their stewardship of God's creation, with tips from a church awarded an Eco Church Bronze Accreditation. A Faith Climate Action Plan has been launched by Brent's Faith Climate Action Group as a resource for places of worship in Brent to use and help promote greener behaviours and sustainable ways of living. The plan focuses on key areas where faith organisations and places of worship can have a long-term environmental impact. a5 well as saving money (e.g.on energy bills) and promoting a healthier lifestyle for their congregations. Our progress in this area is detailed in Section 3.2 of thi5 report. On 29th October Angela Colman, the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer for the Willesden Area led us in a Biblical reflection on safeguarding, and spoke about howwe can all make our churches safe spaces for everyone. Using Biblical passages, Angela highlighted safeguarding scenarios, including identification of victims and appropriate courses of action. Significant progress has been made in the Willesden area over the last couple of years to improve the culture with emphasis on compliance with procedures and best practice. As a result of increased diligence, there has been an increase in Safeguarding referrals. Our progress in this area is detailed in Section 5.1 of this report. Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 28° April 2025 Signed on their behalf by Revd Dave Roberts (Chair) and Paul Kidner (Church en) 25 The Pavochial Church Council olthe Ecclesia*iol Parfsh o15airt MaTk, Kensal Rise Bathurst G¥rdens. Ken5al Rise NWIO 5HX- Charity number 1132172

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT

TO THE TRUSTEES OF

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St. Mark's, Kensal Rise

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mark, Kensal Rise ('the charity') for the year ended 31 December 2024 on pages 27 to 31 following.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the charity, the members of the PCC are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 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 accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.

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

Sarah Crispin

Sarah Crispin (May 15, 2025 14:15 GMT+1)

Sarah Crispin ACA

Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB

Date: May 15, 2025

26

THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARK, KENSAL RISE

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

Notes
Income receipts
Voluntary receipts
2(a)
Fundraising income
2(b)
Church activities
2(c)
Investment income
2(d)
Total receipts
Payments
Church activities
Common Fund
Clergy and staffing costs
3(a)
3(b)
4
6
Total payments
Transfers between funds
7
Net movement in funds
Cash funds as at last year end
Cash funds at this year end
A
Net of receipts / (payments) before transfers
Mission giving and donations
Repayment of legacy
Church running expenses		 General
Designated
Funds
Funds
£
£
146,391
1,219
53,197
-
10,118
1,861
1,480
-
211,185
3,080
211,185
3,080
73,500
-
49,805
-
52,302
750
175,607
750
17,456
720
193,063
1,470
-
4,955
-
4,955
193,063
6,426
18,122
(3,346)
(4,041)
-
14,081
(3,346)
67,481
46,162
81,562
42,816
Unrestricted Funds		 Restricted
Funds
£
8,672
3,500
77
-
12,248
12,248
-
(1,012)
18,626
17,614
600
18,214
-
-
18,214
(5,965)
4,041
(1,925)
6,350
4,426		 Total
2024
£
156,282
56,697
12,056
1,480
226,514
226,514
73,500
48,792
71,679
193,971
18,776
212,747
4,955
4,955
217,703
8,811
-
8,811
119,994
128,805		 Total
2023
£
133,843
53,016
10,375
650
197,884
197,884
70,000
56,564
48,523
175,086
14,214
189,300
-
-
189,300
8,583
-
8,583
111,411
119,993

The notes on pages 29 - 31 form part of these accounts.

27

THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARK, KENSAL RISE STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

A Cash funds
Cash at bank with immediate access
Petty cash
B Other monetary assets
Gift aid due to charity
Loan
Amount recoverable for interegnum expenses
Other debtors
C Liabilities
Falling due within one year
Other creditors
Fee for Independent Examination
Agency creditor
Accrued expenses		 General
Designated
funds
funds
£
£
81,562
42,816
(0)
-
81,562
42,816
42,494
-
1,790
-
-
-
1,225
-
45,509
-
-
-
1,680
-
1,752
-
-
-
3,432
-
Unrestricted Funds		 Restricted
funds
£
4,426
-
4,426
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Total
2024
£
128,805
(0)
128,805
42,494
1,790
-
1,225
45,509
-
1,680
1,752
-
3,432		 Total
2023
£
119,706
287
119,993
74,185
1,790
4,589
825
81,389
5,962
1,590
1,318
1,653
10,524

The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Dave Roberts

Dave Roberts (May 15, 2025 13:09 GMT+1) _____Revd Dave Roberts May 15, 2025 Date: __

The notes on pages 29 - 31 form part of these accounts.

28

THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARK, KENSAL RISE

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

1 Accounting policies

The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity's receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity's assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a 'true and fair' view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to present) a 'true and fair' view of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs.

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the PCC in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the PCC for particular purposes. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects.

2
a) Voluntary income
Planned giving
Collections
Legacies
Other grants
Other donations
Gift aid recovered
b)
Fundraising income
Property lettings
c)
Church activities
Church events & activities
PCC fee income
d)
Investment income
Interest from cash deposits		 Unrestrict Designated
funds
£
420
299
-
500
-
-
1,219
-
-
1,861
-
1,861
-
-
ed Funds		 Restricted
Funds
£
250
-
-
-
8,422
-
8,672
3,500
3,500
77
-
77
-
-		 Total
2024
£
101,047
4,267
-
500
8,751
41,716
156,282
56,697
56,697
10,377
1,679
12,056
1,480
1,480		 Total
2023
£
General
funds
£
100,377
3,968
-
-
330
41,716
146,391
53,197
53,197
8,439
1,679
10,118
1,480
1,480
78,070
3,957
39,500
3,500
8,816
-
133,843
53,016
53,016
9,363
1,012
10,375
650
650

29

THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARK, KENSAL RISE

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

3
a)
Clergy and staffing costs
Cost of payroll
Running costs for clergy accommodation
Clergy expenses		 Unrestrict Designated
funds
£
-
-
-
-
ed Funds		 Restricted
Funds
£
-
(1,012)
-
(1,012)		 Total
2024
£
49,208
(762)
347
48,792		 Total
2023
£
General
funds
£
49,208
250
347
49,805
51,155
5,210
199
56,564

Revd Dave Roberts (who is a clergy member of the PCC) receives a stipend from the Diocese; the cost of this stipend is not included in the above payroll cost however it should be noted that some of the Parish share is used to help pay the stipend. Revd Dave Roberts was provided with accommodation (which is customary for clergy) and the cost of this accommodation is disclosed in the above note, along with expenses incurred whilst serving as clergy. In the year, a refund for utility costs was received which is why the running costs is showing as a negative amount.

b)
Church running costs
Ministry expenses
Insurance
Independent examiner's fee
Printing, postage and stationery
Telephone, internet and IT
Church light and heat
Church running expenses
Church repair & maintenance
4
Mission giving and donations
Mission partners
Social & development
Hardship		 8,274
6,653
1,590
6,433
4,204
8,443
5,216
11,490
52,302
16,400
1,056
-
17,456		 750
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
750
-
720
-
720		 336
-
-
-
-
-
382
17,908
18,626
-
-
600
600		 9,361
6,653
1,590
6,433
4,204
8,443
5,598
29,398
71,679
16,400
1,776
600
18,776		 7,415
4,456
1,542
4,674
2,879
12,484
6,913
8,160
48,523
9,264
3,680
1,270
14,214

5 Acting as agent

On occasion the charity receives money on behalf of other charities or community groups, which it banks and then pays out to these organisations. This income is received as agent for these other organisations and the income, and the related payments, are excluded from the Receipts & Payments account and from the cash reserves. Any money that has not been distributed by the year end is noted as a liability in the Statement of Assets & Liabilities.

During the year the charity acted as agent for Kensal Warm Spaces and, in that capacity:

a) paid £59 (2023: paid £354)

During the year the charity acted as agent for Diocesan fees and, in that capacity:

a) received £1,116 (2023: received £672)

b) at the year end the charity owed £484 (2023: £672) to the London Diocesan Board of Finance

During the year the charity acted as agent for Harlesden Community Gospel Choir and, in that capacity:

a) received £1,192 (2023: received £nil)

b) at the year end the charity owed £1,000 (2023: £nil) to the Harlesden Community Gospel Choir

30

THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARK, KENSAL RISE

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

6 Return of legacy payment

The PCC received a substantial legacy in 2023. Notification was later received that the legacy had been overpaid and £4,955 was returned in 2024.

7 Movement on designated, restricted and endowment funds

General funds
Designated funds
Legacy fund
Youth & children's work
Parent & Toddler fund
Restricted funds
Love Christmas fund
Hardship fund
Wednesday Fellowship
Vicarage Interregnum
Garden Fund
Heating system fund
Total funds		 Opening
balance
£
67,481
39,500
2,861
3,801
46,162
1,307
520
381
(4,654)
3,500
5,297
6,350
119,994		 Receipts
£
211,185
-
420
2,660
3,080
-
220
-
3,577
-
8,452
12,248
226,514		 Payments
£
(193,063)
(4,955)
-
(1,470)
(6,426)
(336)
(600)
-
1,012
(814)
(17,475)
(18,214)
(217,703)		 Transfers
£
(4,041)
-
-
-
-
-
-
65
-
3,976
4,041
-		 Closing
balance
£
81,562
34,545
3,281
4,991
42,816
970
140
381
-
2,686
250
4,426
128,805

Restricted funds

Love Christmas fund - a specific fund to collect donations to be expended on providing Christmas hampers to people within our community who are experiencing hardship.

Heating System Fund - the cost of installing a new infrared heating system and donations from the congregation specifically for this purpose. Hardship fund - collection and dispersal of mones for the practical support of individuals/ families in the community who are experiencing hardship. Wednesday Fellowship fund - Subscriptions collected from our Over 60s group that meets on Wednesday afternoons, for use on any group activities/outings

Vicarage interregnum fund - To record expenses incurred on the vicarage during the course of the interregnum which are subsequently recoverable. Income to cover this deficit was received in 2024 and the fund will no longer be used going forward.

The Garden fund - In 2023, a grant of £3,500 from Brent Council to improve the biodiversity of the church garden.

31