2021-12-31-accounts

The Ecclesiastical Parish of All Saints, Cleadon

Annual Report 2021 and

Agenda for the 2022 Annual Vestry Meeting & 2022 Annual Parochial Church Meeting

held on 15th May 2022 at 4pm in Church

Contents

Agendas:

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(i) 2021 Vestry 3 1st Cleadon Guides 21
Meeting
(ii) 2021 Annual 3 1st Cleadon Rangers 21
Parochial Church 30th South Shields 22
Meeting Beavers
30th South Shields Cubs 22
Reporting on 2020: 30th South Shields Scouts 22
Minutes of 2020 Vestry 4 Fellowship Groups 23
Meeting
Minutes of 2020 APCM 4 Friends in Faith 23
Men’s Fellowship 23
Reporting on 2021: Mothers’ Union 23
COVID-19 Statement 5 Mission/Outreach 24
Report of the PCC for 6 Pastoral Care Group 24
2021
Administrative information 6 The Community Brew 24
Electoral Roll 6 Children’s Society 24
Safeguarding 6 Support Activities 25
Proceedings of the PCC 7 Coffee 25
PCC Membership 8 Communications Group 25
Churchwardens’ Report 8 Social Committee 26
Deanery Synod Report 9 Finance & Property Group 26
Treasurer’s Report & 1 Friends of All Saints 26
Accounts 0
Independent Examiner’s 1 Gardening Team 27
Report 7
Church Reports 2021 Gift Aid 27
Worship 1 Health and Safety 27
8
Services 1 Parish Administrator 28
8
Music 1 Shared Ministry 28
8 Development:
Home Communion 1 Partnership for Missional
8 Church
Intercessions and Readers 1
8
Children and Young People 1
9
Toddlers@All Saints 1
9
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Young Saints and Saintlets 1
9
Cleadon Church of England 1
Academy 9
1st Cleadon Rainbows 2
0
1st Cleadon Brownies 2
1
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Agenda for the Vestry Meeting 2022

1. Minutes of the Vestry Meeting 2021

2. Churchwardens Report including the Annual Report on the Terrier and Inventory

3. Election of Churchwardens

Agenda for the Annual Parochial Church Meeting 2022

1. Apologies for Absence

2. Minutes of the APCM 2021

3. Reports of the PCC 2021

4. 3.1.Electoral Roll

5. 3.2.Proceedings of the PCC

6. 3.3.PCC membership

7. 3.4.Treasurer’s Report and Accounts

8. 3.5.Deanery Synod Report

9. Group Reports for 2021

5. 2022 Elections

• 5.1. Proposal 1: to reduce the size of the PCC from 9 to 7 elected members, from APCM in 2023

• 5.2. Proposal 2: to change elected PCC members’ term of office from 3 years to 1 year, with option to serve up to 6 consecutive years, from 15th May 2022

• 5.3.Elections to the PCC 2022

6. Appointment of the Independent Examiner

7. Vicar’s Report

Minutes of 2021 Vestry Meeting & Annual Parochial Church Meeting held on Sunday 25th April 2021 at 3pm via Zoom. 16 people were present. The Annual Report for 2020 had been circulated beforehand. The Rev’d Vernon Cuthbert chaired the meeting.

1. Vestry Meeting

i) The Minutes of the 2020 Vestry

Meeting (2020 Annual Report p4) were accepted as an accurate record. ii) The Church Wardens’ report (2020 Annual Report pp 8-9) was received: it was noted that due to COVID-19 restrictions the inspection of the Terrier and Inventory was incomplete, as some items had been stored and could not be inspected, however almost all had been found to be in order. There were no questions. Jenny Grant and Marie Philpott were thanked for their hard work during the year. Marie Philpott stepped down as Church Warden after almost four years and was thanked for her service. Jenny Grant and Beverley George were elected as Church Wardens for the 2021-2022 year. This concluded the Vestry Meeting.

2. Annual Parochial Church Meeting.

i) The Minutes of the 2020 APCM

(Annual Report, pp 4-5) were accepted as an accurate record.

ii) The Reports of the PCC were

presented (pp 6-15) . It was noted that the Electoral Roll had 100 members following its revision in March 2021.

gift-aid during the year, neither of which could be anticipated in 2021. There were no questions, and the accounts were accepted.

iv) Group reports were received (pp 16-30). There were no questions or comments.

v) Elections to the PCC.

There were 3 vacancies for three years, and 1 vacancy for one year. Marie Philpott was elected to the PCC. The remaining vacancies were carried forward.

vi) Appointment of Independent Examiner

The 2020 accounts had been independently examined by Mr Peter Calvert, who was willing to continue in this role. Mr Calvert was therefore appointed as Independent Examiner for 2021-22.

vii) Vicar’s Report

The COVID-19 pandemic had brought

The COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020 continued throughout 2021 to bring disruption, as well as illness, anxiety and distress to many.

Our buildings had to close again between January and March 2021, and restrictions during public worship continued even after the church re-opened: we had to become used to wearing face coverings, socially-distanced seating arrangements, no hymnsinging, and perhaps most upsetting of all, no sharing of the common cup at Holy Communion.

However we continued to worship, pray and work together as best we could, holding meetings, services and courses through the magic of ‘Zoom’, until we COVID-19were able to meet up once again.

Because of the disruptions and restrictions we experienced throughout the year our 2021 Annual Report is once again less full than would normally be expected - although many church activities did manage to continue, to the credit of those who organised them and found new ways to operate.

In these pages you will find reports from church organisations, perhaps somewhat briefer than usual, as well as the usual information on the governance and finance of the church - our financial position for the year, and the proceedings of the PCC.

Reports for 2021

Report of the PCC

for the year ended 31 December 2021

Administrative information

All Saints’ Church is situated in Cleadon Lane, Cleadon, Sunderland, SR6 7UU. It is part of the Church of England’s Diocese of Durham. The correspondence address is c/o All Saints’ Parish Hall, Sunderland Road, Cleadon, Sunderland SR6 7UR.

Aims and Purposes

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It has responsibilities for the maintenance of the Church building, the Parish Hall and the Old School Room.

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament. In particular, we try to enable all people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through:

• Worship and prayer; learning about the Gospel; and developing their knowledge and trust in Jesus.

• Provision of pastoral care for people living in the parish.

To facilitate this work it is important that we maintain the fabric of the All Saints Church and its associated buildings.

Public Benefit

Our worship is open to all regardless of faith or affiliation. The resources available to the PCC are used to further its aims and

purposes. The PCC takes as wide an interpretation of the ‘whole mission of the Church’ as possible to enable community use of its buildings, whilst retaining the right to not allow use that is contrary to this mission.

Structure, governance and management

The PCC is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC is a registered charity No. 1132228 with the title “The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of All Saints Cleadon”.

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC.

Electoral Roll

A new Electoral Roll is compiled every 6 years, with a revision in the years in between. The Roll compiled in 2019 was revised in 2021, and at the end of the year our Electoral Roll stood at 88.

Robina Lawson

Safeguarding

• Mission and outreach work.

Michael O’Brien Safeguarding Officer

This year there have been no incidents or referrals to report to the diocese. However, we are not complacent and members of the PCC, myself and those who work with children and vulnerable young people and adults on behalf of our church have undergone appropriate training and DBS clearance in order to comply with the Church of England Safeguarding requirements.

In November of this year, I undertook training and then gave a presentation to the PCC on the newly introduced Safer Recruitment Policy which we would need to implement if we were to appoint people to work on our behalf. In relation to this, I believe that it is important that we also set out a series of role expectations for some of the roles within the church. It is vital that as new people take up these roles we offer support to assist them in carrying them out: by doing so, we will avoid awkward situations whereby confusion thwarts job satisfaction and effectiveness.

With effect from 2024 the cycle of DBS renewal with be over a period of three years and not, as currently, five years. This means that anyone due to renew their DBS certification in the coming two years will then move onto the three-year cycle.

The PCC has recently updated our Lone-Working policy which applies to anyone carrying out jobs on their own in the church or hall, and is intended to ensure their safety when working on their own. If anyone carries out such a role then they should follow the guidance in this policy.

Proceedings of the PCC

The majority of PCC meetings in 2021 took place via Zoom, although we were able to meet face-to-face for three meetings in the Autumn.

PCC business focused on making decisions in response to COVID restrictions, monitoring our financial position, and planning services etc for special occasions: Harvest, Remembrance, and Christmas. Income to the church was a constant worry, as attendance had fallen during the pandemic, but bills still had to be paid and repairs carried out. We were unable to increase our Parish Share pledge to the Diocese of £32,000, but we did manage to honour this pledge by the year end.

Access to the church via the vicarage steps had been closed during the pandemic, and following discussion it was agreed that, as coffee after services would be served from the Chapter House, and people with mobility difficulties could now park on Cleadon Lane with level access to the church, there was no longer a need for people to move to the Hall/OSR for refreshments after services. Closing this access route would give the vicarage family privacy, so it was agreed that the vicarage gate and door should remain locked, with access to the church from Cleadon Lane only. On rare occasions when an event involving use of both the church and the hall required travel between the two via the vicarage steps, this would be negotiated and agreed beforehand.

At the APCM in April it was only possible to recruit one new PCC member, leaving four vacancies. This is a worrying situation for the future, if people continue to be unwilling to offer service to the church in this way.

Members of the PMC team, on behalf of the PCC, undertook a review of the church’s committees and fellowship groups, to make sure that they continue to be effective and responsive to current needs. The results showed that fellowship groups remain active and purposeful, but ‘working’ groups are in serious need of new members to help carry the load.

The Church of England has set a target to be carbon-neutral by 2030. The PCC considered how we might work towards achieving this target: an ‘Eco-Church’ survey will enable us to audit our position in a number of key areas, potentially leading to a ‘Eco-Church’ Gold, Silver or Bronze award. It was agreed that we would assess our position annually and look for lowcarbon options at appropriate times.

The PCC once again recorded its indebtedness to Jenny, Marie and Beverley our Churchwardens, and Shirley our Administrator, who continued to work with Vernon to ‘keep the show on the road’ when other volunteers weren’t able to help.

Cathy Barnes PCC Secretary

PCC Membership

Vernon Cuthbert* Priest-in-charge/ Chair

Jenny Grant Churchwarden Beverley George Churchwarden Keith Higgin Deanery Synod to 30.06.23 Diocesan Synod to 2024 Cathy Barnes Deanery Synod to

30.06.23/ Vice

Chair Elected until APCM 2022 Anne Hudson Helen Belsham Rob Lawson Elected until APCM 2023 David Scrafton (resigned 15.07.21) Jill Rowden Elected until APCM 2024 Marie Philpott (* denotes an ex-officio member of the council by way of their post).

The Standing Committee

consists of the Priest-in-charge, the Churchwardens, and the Vice Chairman, Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Secretary of the PCC. It meets on an occasional basis when urgent business needs to be transacted by the PCC.

Churchwardens’ Report for 2021

The year began with all services and meetings online but since Easter we have restored our regular pattern of twice weekly services in church and have gradually relaxed social distancing. As people gained confidence, numbers gradually increased but are still way below those of 2019. We started serving coffee in church after services in the autumn, which allowed much needed social interaction. During the year we had three funerals, one wedding and five baptisms in church and two of our members were confirmed by

the Bishop of Durham at St George’s, East Boldon.

The monthly Sunday afternoon café church by Zoom was stopped due to lack of support and a meeting was held with Young Saints families to determine the best way forward. Sadly many families have not returned to regular worship so this is still a work in progress.

In April, we acknowledged the death of the Duke of Edinburgh by displaying his photograph and using the special service provided by the Church of England. Two year-groups from Cleadon C of E primary School came to ‘Experience Harvest’ in October. In November, there was a wellattended All Souls Memorial Service and we took part in the Remembrance service at the War Memorial. We provided bacon rolls between the church and village services which were very popular.

In December, we were actively involved in Carols Round the Tree where over 200 people took part. Christingle in the hall was well attended and we were delighted to welcome some from the scout organisation. Instead of our usual packed family carols on Christmas Eve we set up a walk-through nativity around the church which allowed families to attend and experience the Christmas story whilst maintaining social distance. The midnight Christmas service was very poorly attended and is unlikely to happen again here.

The internet has been very useful to us. As well as services, it allowed us to run a Lent course (whilst forbidden to meet in person) and to keep in touch with regular

newsletters until things opened up in June. The APCM was also held on Zoom. At that time Marie Philpott resigned as church warden after four years, Beverley George was elected for the first time and Jenny Grant was re-elected. The

Archdeacon’s Visitation also took place on the internet. We have continued to support the Key2Life foodbank with special efforts in Lent and before Christmas. Thanks go to Marie, Cathy and Janet who transport the donations for us.

There have been no major works carried out this year and many of the minor repairs and maintenance jobs have been carried out by volunteers for which we are extremely grateful.

Jenny Grant and Beverley George

Deanery Synod Report

Jarrow Deanery consists of 14 parishes (22 churches) spread across Hebburn, Jarrow, South Shields, the Boldons, Cleadon and Whitburn. The Deanery Synod is made up of clergy and elected lay representatives from each parish in the Deanery, whose role is to act as a link between individual parishes and the Diocese as a whole, and to discuss issues relating to mission and ministry in the local area. Deanery Synods are elected every three years – a new Synod was elected in December 2020. Everyone on a church electoral roll is entitled to vote for members of their local Deanery Synod.

In 2021 there were two meetings of Deanery Synod: in January elections took place to the Standing Committee, and in September a full meeting of Synod

was held at Hebburn St John. The Deanery Standing Committee met twice more, to review and update the Deanery Plan.

These appear on pages 10-17 following.

Keith Higgin

Keith Higgin & Cathy Barnes

Treasurer’s Report and Accounts

Fin

ancial Review

In accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and in particular the 5th Edition PCC Accountability, the Annual Accounts are presented adopting the Receipts and Payments basis.

Total Receipts into Unrestricted Funds are down at £58,050 (2020 £70,874), but this is not surprising given the situation during 2021. Planned Giving has held up well at £29,504 (2020 £30,422 )and Hall Lettings are up at £10,566 (2020 £7,219). The other major changes in receipts are from Gift Aid £7,044 (2020 £17,413) where last year’s claim included £12,000 from previous years. We had no social events, but the contribution from magazine advertisements increased. We also continued to benefit from the government Job Retention Scheme.

Payments from Unrestricted Funds have reduced to £61,427 (2019 £73,412). There have been reductions in Utility bills because of closure of the buildings. We met our Parish Share pledge in full at £32,000, a decrease of £8,000 on the amount paid in 2020.

This annual report was adopted by the PCC on 27/04/2022 and signed on their behalf by the Rev’d Vernon Cuthbert, PCC Chairman.

The end result is an excess of payments over receipts of £3,377.27 on the General Account for the year, but transfers between funds reduced this deficit to £1,556.02.

The Friends Designated Account shows a surplus of £448.17 and the Repair Fund Restricted Account a deficit of £1,978.64, reducing the Total Funds deficit to £3,086.49.

Reserves Policy

It is PCC policy to endeavour to maintain a balance in Unrestricted and Designated accounts

equivalent to 3 months payments, to cover cash flow and emergency situations that may arise. The balances totalling £10,236.31 are below this requirement.

Investment Policy

It is the PCC policy to invest any surplus fund balances with the CCLA Central Board of Finance Church of England Deposit account.

Keith Higgin

All Saints' Church Cleadon - Receipts and Payments Account For the period from 01 January 2021 to 31 December 2021

Analysis of Receipts and

All Saints' Church Cleadon - 1132228 Payments for the period: 01 January 2021 to 31 December 2021

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Otlxr expenditur• Cthurch Gas uich BectrKty urch Ktster urch hsurance BG ￿￿[ch repws Church aeaniw w Upkeep ol &r¥￿eS Worshp nElenals Govern￿ce1Fees to txese FrEnds expeThJrture Hal Runniry eypenses & Adfflnistrat￿n Hal Caniry Hal Uts&tEs Gas Hal Ee¢trKIy Hal Water Ckanng Thdenals and ￿f￿Se Hal InSUra￿e TephoTre StatKrery l￿d postajes Hal FknLffjne repaYlno1rt'¢e O S RRoul repairl￿rtce (Id hool f)omGas (Jd &hool Fl)omEkntrKty (Jd School F&oM￿er Transfers 1.41061 593 45 1.41061 593 45 1,396.03 645 27 9803 2,ffi0 61 2,885 92 923.(X) 843.27 70 CM) 1.4131 247 39 394 01 2,634 02 2,898 74 987 948 23 1048 1.617 (Kl 2,634 02 2,998 74 987 948 23 1048 1,617CKI 532 31 3c￿.78 532 31 3Tr) 78 3,951 98 569 18 530 20 670 69 1,￿759 1,317 (M) 78148 762 87 965 43 3,951. 569 18 530 20 670 69 1,087 59 I,317C￿l 78146 762.87 965.43 3,e81 1,393 70 509 32 790 51 439 08 1.330 31 746 83 702 22 289 78 51582 546 233 31 167 20 11.832 71 432 24 21204 160 82 30￿) 432.24 21204 16082 Othr exp•ndltur• Totals r2,957 70 532 31 23,490 01 34 284 58 Payments Grand tcrtols 61.427 73 $32 31 3.37 82.823 41 81,332 59

All Saints' Church Cleadon – 1132228 Balance Sheet as at: 31 December 2021

Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31st December 2021

Accounting Policies

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and the PCC Accountability 5th Edition. The Charities Act 2011 is a consolidation of previous Acts but did not introduce new legislation. The financial statements have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and under the historical cost convention. The financial statements include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body, nor those that are informal gatherings of church members.

Funds

Endowment Funds are funds, the capital of which must be maintained; only income arising from investments of the endowment may be used either as restricted or unrestricted funds depending upon the purpose for which the endowment was established.

Restricted Funds represent (a) income from trusts or endowments which may be expended only on those restricted objects provided in the terms of the trust or bequest, and (b) donations or grants received for a specific object or invited by the PCC for a specific object. The funds may only be expended on the specific object for which they were given. Any balance remaining unspent at the end of the year must be carried forward a balance on that

fund. The PCC does not usually invest separately for each fund.

Unrestricted Funds are general funds which can be used for PCC ordinary purposes.

Incoming Resources

Planned Giving, collections and donations are recognised when received. Grants and legacies are accounted for when the PCC receives the amounts due. All other income is recognised when it is received. All incoming resources are accounted for gross.

Resources Expended

Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over, or when awarded, if that award creates a binding or constructive obligation on the PCC. The Diocesan Parish Share is accounted for when due. Amounts received specifically for mission are dealt with as restricted funds. All other expenditure is generally recognised when it is incurred and is accounted for gross.

Assets Retained for Church Use

Consecrated and benefice property is not included in the accounts in accordance with the Charities Act 2011.

Movable church furnishings held by the vicar and churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal are inalienable property, listed in the church’s inventory, which can be inspected at any reasonable time. For anything acquired prior to 2000 there is insufficient cost information available and therefore such assets are not valued in the financial statements. Subsequently no individual item has cost more than

£5,000 so all such expenditure has been written off when incurred.

Equipment used within the church premises is depreciated on a straight-line basis over four years.

Individual items of equipment with a purchase price of £1,000 or less are written off when the asset is acquired.

Vernon Cuthbert

Church Reports 2021

Home Communion

Worship

Services

At the beginning of the year we were able to offer worship through ‘Zoom’ as we were prevented from on-site worship by the third national lockdown for Covid-19. We resumed services on site on Easter Day, praise be.

Home Communion is normally available to any baptised Christian within our parish who is unable to get to church, although due to COVID restrictions our Home Communion offer has been limited, especially as we have been unable to enter care homes. If you would like Home Communion please contact Revd. Vernon Cuthbert.

Robina Lawson

With the resumption of on-site worship there was not the capacity to continue offering worship via zoom, although for a while the sermon was recorded to enable it to be incorporated into a recording for transmission via our church website and our dial-in facility.

Worship in the building was able to happen with appropriate mitigations, the most significant of these being the continued distribution of bread only, with only the priest receiving wine for hygiene reasons.

Vernon Cuthbert

Music

Sadly, without an organist, our singing is to the accompaniment of CDs. We sing on Sunday during our 9.00am service, but not during the Thursday 10.00am service, to provide an option for those not wishing to sing. This will be kept under review, as with all other mitigations put in place for Covid19.

Intercessions and Readers

Reading from the Bible, and leading God's people in prayer, are important ministries in the Body of Christ. A small but loyal group of people fulfil these roles: we have a rota of Bible readers at Sunday and Thursday services, and another group who lead the Intercessions on Sundays.

The teams have reduced in number over the last two years due to the effect of the pandemic – anyone who would like to join either team would be warmly welcomed. Readings and prayers are provided well in advance, and guidance/training can be given. Cathy Barnes

We would still like to appoint an organist if possible, so if you know someone who might be willing to offer this important ministry to the church please get in touch.

been maintained with Easter

Children and Young People

Toddlers@All Saints

During the initial part of 2021 the stories on facebook and craft pack collection from the pond continued, until March when story and craft inspiration ran out. Both seemed well received and looked forward to.

Post lockdown in May it was decided that given the short number of weeks before the summer break it would make more sense to restart in-person Toddlers in September. The numbers were small but given the lack of social interaction that most of these children had had since birth it was a nice number. It has been a joy to see them begin to grow less shy and more confident.

We went to church to Experience Harvest, adapting the tasks at each station. The children loved it, one even asked the following week when could we go up to church again! Sadly, we didn’t manage it at Christmas, but we did sing happy birthday Jesus in the hall and enjoy birthday cake and candles.

Thank you to Janet Birchall for joining us on Wednesdays to make our refreshments and help generally. It’s really great to have a regular helper who is enjoying getting to know the children and their carers.

Janet Cuthbert

Young Saints and Saintlets During 2021 contact with the youngsters and their families has

chocolate and mothering Sunday flowers being delivered to their homes. Unfortunately we have only had a small number of the children actually make it to the 9 o’clock Sunday service. Some of this may be having got out the habit, some of it may be sporting activities clashing with the change of service times. We have seen a few children coming along and enjoying time in the chapter house. Many of them did attend the Christingle service. Young Saints has been available most Sundays since September and will remain so if children appear.

Janet Cuthbert

Easter Trail 2021

Due to the continuing restrictions, it was decided that the best way to get the Easter story into the community was to use QR-coded eggs laid out round the village in the form of a story walk. The final code was back at church where the youngsters could collect an Easter garden kit, including a small chocolate egg and a copy of the bible society Easter story they had followed round the village.

A number of people completed the trail.

Thanks to Helen and Niamh for sorting out the QR coded eggs, planning the route, creating an online map to follow and putting the laminated eggs out.

Janet Cuthbert

Cleadon Church of England Academy

It has certainly been a very difficult and unsettled time for all of us, and staff, pupils, families and our wider community have all been

significantly affected in one way or another by the COVID pandemic. We have found that missed learning and opportunities for social interaction especially affected our pupils and we are immensely grateful to the hard work of our parents and carers; who worked in partnership with our dedicated school staff to ensure that children’s academic progress could still be built on during the lockdowns.

Throughout this time of uncertainty, it has been especially important to ensure that school remains a safe, stable and secure place for all of our pupils; where they are able to thrive academically but also grow in their SMSC (Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural) skills and knowledge. Pupils’ social emotional and mental health continues to be high on our priorities and is centered on our school values.

On returning to a “new normal” we were able to appoint a School Counsellor, Mr Chris Ampeliotis, who has provided support to individuals and small groups of pupils with social, emotional or mental health needs, working collaboratively with parents to support pupils.

Dress to Express Day, for Mental Health Week, was a great success and helped everyone to celebrate their uniqueness. The wellbeing of pupils and staff was also enhanced through the presence of Maggie, the school dog, who brought lots of happiness to all during a difficult time. Maggie is now having some “down time” at home with Mrs Gray, but it has been great to

welcome two new members of the school family – Tim and Jerry guinea pigs, who have proved very popular with all and particularly our more vulnerable pupils, who find them a calming influence.

After such a long time of not being able to welcome visitors into school, or being able to make visits, it has been wonderful to be involved in working with the Laing Art Gallery, through class workshops at the gallery and visits to school by the Educational Officers. This partnership has really helped support cultural and spiritual growth, through the experience of studying and creating works of art. Year 5 pupils had a wonderful residential visit to Thurston and Year 3 pupils have loved being back at the swimming pool. We look forward to providing further exciting experiences through future visits and visitors to the school.

In this technological age of computers, mobile phones and other devices, the humble book can feel like a long lost friend. However, the launch of the School Library, in a central area of the school building, has been met with great enthusiasm and excitement by both children and staff. The story book character murals have added to a magical reading environment and will help nurture our pupils’ love of books that hopefully will stay with them for life.

May I take this opportunity to thank Reverend Vernon, those involved in governance and the members of All Saints Church, for their support and prayers, as well as their kindness in providing wonderful experiences

for the children through Experience Christmas and Experience Easter. I look forward to continuing to work in partnership with you as we move forward to the next exciting chapter in the life of the school.

Gary Scott, Headteacher

1st Cleadon Rainbows

We met in the park for one week at the end of the summer, we made nests for the birds. We then had a week at West Hall in September before returning to the Church Hall. It was lovely seeing the girls again after so long apart, we had a couple of meetings before the older girls moved up to Brownies. The girls have been working towards their Theme Awards, some have completed Interest badges. We joined units from South Shields at the Customs House to see Rapunzel in December, they all had a great time. We ended the year with a Christmas party in the hall. I’d like to thank Rachel and Katherine for all their help and support at the weekly meetings, without them Rainbows wouldn’t have been able to open.

Lisa Nesworthy

chose the First Aid activities, others chose the Feel Well ones. We joined units from South Shields at the Customs House to see Rapunzel in December, they all had a great time. We ended the year with a Christmas party in the hall. I’d like to thank Emily, Alice, Emily and Millie for all their help and support at the weekly meetings. Congratulations to Emily Davies for completing her Leadership Qualification.

Lisa Nesworthy

1st Cleadon Guides

During the first part of 2021 the Guides (and often the Rangers too) continued to run via Zoom usually every other week with usually around 9-12 girls taking part. We did a combination of online games and activities, including cooking and crafts which were fun, and we also had a lady from a hedgehog rescue centre Zoom visiting with some of her hedgehogs to give us a talk. Just before the school summer holidays, we did manage to go to West Hall Scout site at Whitburn to run a couple of outdoor evenings which was a lovely opportunity to meet face to face.

1st Cleadon Brownies

We met for one week at the end of the summer at West Hall, then again in September before returning to the Church Hall: we made minibeast mansions and thought about how to get out of sticky situations.

It was lovely seeing the girls again after so long apart, we had a couple of meetings before the older girls moved up to Guides. The girls have been working towards their Theme Awards, some have completed Interest badges and made their Promise. Some girls

We returned to the church hall from late September and continued to meet face to face for the rest of the year running a mixture of activities whilst trying to keep the girls a little more spaced from one another. We ended our term with a Christmas outing to the temporary ice skating rink in Sunderland.

Our numbers went up a little in September to 17 with some new starters, but sadly we then lost some Guides mainly due to a

changed dancing timetable clash so we went into 2022 with 12.

We continue with 2 leaders, 1 part time leader and a unit helper.

Lynne Carr & Val Cram

1st Cleadon Rangers

Since we only have 4 Rangers, during the first part of 2021 we continued to run some occasional Ranger-only Zoom meetings, but generally we continued to join in with the Zoom meetings being held with the Guides which were every other week.

engaged in a variety of activities from cooking to a night learning about reptiles from a specialist.

After Easter we then returned to face-to-face Scouting. We ran our sessions outside as much as we could so we could have a wide range of activities: Beavers had the opportunity to cook outside, compete in a mini-Olympics, making bird feeders and many more activities. In the Autumn we had our Halloween party and our big Christmas dinner with a visit from Santa.

Georgia Purvis-McGinn

We did a combination of online quizzes, games and activities including crafts and cooking together and had a visit on Zoom by a lady from a hedgehog rescue centre. Along with the Guides, the Rangers attended the 2 outdoor evenings we ran at West Hall Scout site at Whitburn just before the school summer holidays.

We returned to the church from mid-September and starting meeting separately from the Guides once more, on a fortnightly basis upstairs. We have done a range of crafts and a few food related activities which always go down well with their age group (age 14-16 at present)!

We did join the Guides for Ice Skating in Sunderland on the last night before Christmas.

Lynne Carr

30th South Shields (Cleadon): Beavers

Beavers spent a mixture of the year both in person and online due to covid. To start the year Beavers ran via zoom, while doing this they

30th South Shields (Cleadon): Cubs

Cubs had to adapt to a mixture of online and face-to-face meetings. While online our Cubs had visits from Liz Million where they learnt to draw, looked at the blue cross and learnt all about the war planes in our history.

Finally, face-to-face Scouting arrived, and our Cubs took part in many outdoor activities. They ranged from surfing to litter picking on Cleadon hills. In our Autumn term we moved indoors and took part in some intriguing and interesting activities such as dissecting owl pellets and visiting the Buddhist temple.

At Christmas time our Cubs were planning and rehearsing for their Nativity however due to COVID this was cancelled, they all worked extremely hard and are looking forward to having the opportunity to do it again this year.

Our Cub section also had their first section camp after 2 years at West

Hall, and had cookery camp where they learnt all the basics of cooking and made some incredible meals. Victoria Purvis-McGinn

30[th] South Shields (Cleadon): Scouts

Our Scouts also had to adapt to mixing between face-to-face and online Scouting. To start the year, they were online and had visits from Northumbria police where they learnt all about knife crime, they also learnt how to cook a cake using a mug and microwave.

scenes walk through the forest when it was shut.

In November we went to Hawkhurst where the youngsters spent the weekend participating in water activities, climbing, den building and obstacle courses. We look forward to this coming year hopefully with no COVID interruptions, allowing us to give our children the best experiences and giving us the opportunity to get back in the local community and bring us all together.

Glyn Purvis-McGinn

When we were able to return to face-to-face scouting, we spent lots of time outside lighting fires and cooking, even learning how to cook a rabbit from scratch. The Scouts have also been on many hikes including their incident hike, where they learnt essential skills along the way.

When they returned in the Autumn term, they did lots of first aid, cooking, and even ventured into discussing and looking at gender equality and how they felt about this.

Phillip Jordan (Scout Leader)

30[th] South Shields (Cleadon): Group

Despite the complications COVID caused our children were resilient and adapted well to the circumstances and made the most of the opportunities they were given. We were able to organise two group camps where all of our sections came together. Our first one in September was our first camp back in two years, safe to say everyone was very excited. We spent the night at Beamish and even got to get a behind-the-

refreshments, and some time of fellowship. Margaret Robson

Fellowship Groups

Friends in Faith

Friends in Faith have resumed their meetings on the third Monday of each month. We are a group of men and women from All Saints congregation who meet to listen to speakers, to discuss topics related to our faith and to socialise. If you would like to join us or have further information please contact Robina on 01915373119

Robina Lawson

Men’s Fellowship

We meet on the last Monday of the month, and were able to resume our meetings from September 2021.

We continue to meet monthly, with entertainment from members’ talks or DVDs which we all enjoy. Our meetings have moved from the Upper Room to the Old School Room to accommodate members who had difficulty with the stairs.

Gordon Coxon

Mothers’ Union

Our regular members have been pleased to be joined by Linda Ferries from Hebburn, one of the Diocese Vice Presidents.

We continue to meet in the Chapter House on the second Thursday of the month at 2pm. On the first Thursday some of our members join with other members of the church family for Holy Communion.

Our meetings consist of a short prayer and praise service followed by a speaker, and we always conclude with tea, light

Mission/Outreach

Pastoral Care Group

We now have ten members who meet each month at 11 Laburnum Grove. They are Audrey Bolam, Jean Higgin, Anne Hudson, Margaret Robson, Jan McGill, Linda Ross, Ellen Smith, Val Wallbank and Margaret Westerberg, plus our Methodist representative, Kathleen Robinson. We also have two honorary members, Janet Birchall and Robina Lawson.

The group met in person in September and November to pray and share thoughts with each other. However, during the rest of 2021, we kept in touch, either in person, by telephone or by e-mail. Each member has a designated Care List which covers all those on the electoral roll and on the Parish Network. We are committed to be in touch with them at least once a fortnight.

There were three baptisms at which a member assisted. Unfortunately, we have not been able to visit the families beforehand as in previous years. This is a vital part of pastoral care which will, hopefully, restart in 2022. Happily, however, baptism, wedding and bereavement anniversary cards have still been sent by Ellen, Linda and Val respectively.

Gifts of bowls of hyacinths were again sent to ten sick or lonely people at Christmas, thanks to George Wilson. Intercessions and request lists were sent out each week to those who had requested them. Invitations to the All Souls’ service were delivered or e-mailed. The service was well attended.

We hope we have been able to respond to those in need in 2021, always with God’s help and grace. Jean Higgin

The Community Brew

After much heartache, we decided that trying to keep this facility open, especially during the Covid scares, was not sustainable: however we haven’t given up completely. The Thursday meeting is still running after the 10am service in the church and people seem to appreciate the socialising that it enables.

A once-a-month meeting is also served by the Community Brew workers on Wednesdays in the Chapter House, which is a clear link with those who use our facilities; this is something we hope we can continue and perhaps build up gradually.

We are also ready to set up the whole procedure again if and when it seems appropriate to do so. None of our buildings lend themselves to a regular coffee shop because we are on the outskirts of the village and we would have to have something really special to offer the community – but the thought is always there. Can I say how grateful I am to all of those people who have worked for Community Brew in the past and now and I know I will be able to call upon them if the situation should change.

Lesley Smith

Children’s Society.

Throughout 2021 supporters of The Children’s Society have helped the charity in 3 ways:

During the summer months, with the co-operation of approximately 30 box holders, it was possible to collect and empty the boxes, to find that over the year an amazing total of £653.13p had been raised in this way.

In September, supporters gathered in The Old School Room for coffee , social time and chat. Proceeds from this happy event totalled £135.

On Sunday 12th December, the Parish Hall was filled with families and friends for a Christingle Service. Christingle collection-box candles had been available earlier and were either brought along on the day or left in Church at a later date. £74.28p was collected.

I want to emphasise again just how thankful everyone at The Children’s Society is for your support. With your continued help they are confident they will be able to reverse the damaging effects of recent times and have young people feeling happier and more hopeful for the future.

Anne Hudson

Support Activities

Coffee

We now serve coffee in Church following the 9.00am Sunday and 10.00am Thursday services. Pews in the south aisle have been rearranged to accommodate four small tables providing ample space for coffee and chat. We continue to use ground coffee served from flasks and it is ideal that the coffee can be prepared prior to the service.

On a Sunday Helen, Marie, Jenny and I have taken on the role of making and serving of coffee and washing up afterwards; on Thursdays, Lesley kindly looks after refreshments.

All donations received from coffee and biscuits go to Church funds.

In 2021 we held two Saturday coffee mornings for Church funds; one in October and one in December. Val McIntosh, Margaret Laws, Lesley Smith and I set up the Old School room and welcomed guests to an enjoyable morning.

A further five Saturday coffee mornings are programmed to take place in 2022.

It is good that we offer hospitality within our community while at the same time helping to raise Church funds. However, for this to be sustained more willing volunteers are needed.

Anne Hudson

Communications Group

The group’s members continue to be Brian Bage, Allan Bailey, Gordon Coxon and Keith Higgin. We

managed to produce a ‘Courier’ magazine each month, although two editions in 2021 were websiteonly, rather than being delivered.

Printing the magazine is carried out by Shirley Newton and Gordon Coxon and it would be good to have a couple of others to help with this. The collation team includes Allan Bailey, Margaret Laws, Walter Carr, Ken Oley and Anne Hudson, who also maintains the distribution lists and collects the subscriptions. Additionally, Anne is Advertising Manager, collecting the money due and seeking new advertisers. If you know of anyone who may wish to advertise, please let Anne know.

We were also able to produce a Christmas card for distribution village-wide, letting everyone know of the services that we and the Methodist Church were offering.

The 30th edition of the Information Booklet was compiled at the end of the year, but won’t be available until early 2022 as our duplicator became inoperative and had to be replaced.

We would very much like to have: more people submitting articles for possible inclusion in the Courier; more people offering to help with printing, collation or distribution. No need to come to our meeting, but you will be very welcome if you wish to attend as we are always on the look-out for new ideas and content.

Keith Higgin

Finance and Property Group

The group did not meet during 2021, but the treasurer has continued to monitor the income

and expenditure, including payment of the Parish Share pledge of ££32,000.

The churchwardens have looked after property repairs where possible and Walter Carr carried out other relatively minor work when necessary. It is hoped that meetings will re-commence in 2022.

Keith Higgin.

Social Committee

Most social occasions were

curtailed because of Covid so very little happened during the year. However we decided to try to end 2021 with the Big Band Concert which turned out to be a really special occasion. It was the 14th visit of the Customs House Big Band at the beginning of the Christmas period and this year was quite special, since we had had very little social contact over the year. The evening was full of excellent music, some with a Christmas feel, and the whole atmosphere was one of joy. We also managed to make a profit which was given to church funds and the promise that the band would return for Christmas 2022.

Since then the committee has

made some plans for the 2022 year which include a Valentine’s Quiz, a concert by Compass Acapella and the Christmas concert by the Big Band. We meet fairly regularly and have grown in size, but we welcome anyone with ideas to keep us all socially together, either just for the ideas or to come and join the committee. Many thanks for the work of the present committee in all ways. You are all appreciated.

Lesley Smith

Friends of All Saints

The membership of the Friends at the start of 2021 was 62 adults and 9 children. We purchased 328 copies of the Cleadon Courier, at a cost of £164.

As we no longer have an organist the Friends purchased a set of CDs with hymn music so we could resume singing during the services. These cost £189.29.

Again we were unable to sell any plants and jams in the church hall, so with the help of Ron Richardson we managed to sell items for The Friends through Boldon Auction House, making a total of £70 for the group. We also sold plants at the door and made £20.

Our trip to Whalton had to be cancelled again which was most disappointing.

We wish to thank our ‘Friends' for their help and support. Anyone interested in joining The Friends please contact us at 5 Woodlands Road.

Helen and Ernie Belsham

Unfortunately we have lost to illness one of our original members, Derek Bage, but we are pleased to welcome David Herbert and Amy Milburn to join our happy band. As we are all growing older new volunteers are always welcome (gardening experience is not required!) and we will resume our activities in April.

John Byers

Gift Aid

Thank you to everyone who has signed up to gift-aid their giving to the church. This means we can claim back an extra 25% on their donations from HMRC. In the year 2020-2021 we reclaimed just over £7000 in this way which provided more than 10% of our income for the year.

We currently have 25 people donating regularly with Gift Aid, either through the Parish Giving Scheme or the bank, and a few more who use the weekly envelopes for their giving. If you are a UK taxpayer and feel able to do this in future, please speak to either the treasurer or me; this extra income is critical to our church.

Jenny Grant

Gardening Team

The Garden Team continued to meet every alternate Monday morning. Respecting social distancing, we managed to maintain the church garden and keep it tidy.

As restrictions eased we were able to hold a Coffee Morning in September to help finance our future expenses, and we thank all who supported us.

Health and Safety

Despite Covid, Health and Safety checks were carried out at a safe distance in the Church, Chapter House, Parish Hall, and Old School Room and there were no issues to report.

The first aid boxes have been checked and are all up to date.

The church grounds and outbuildings were inspected and all appears to be in order. However,

the car park is in need of some repair as the surface is cracked and uneven in places.

Health and Safety is everyone’s responsibility, so if anyone observes anything untoward please report it to me and it will be noted and addressed.

Helen Belsham

Parish Administrator

The beginning of 2021 was difficult for everyone due to COVID and the restrictions it imposed on us.

However after a lot of uncertainty all the original groups were finally starting to return and we all so welcomed several new ones.

The groups here at All Saints have been amazing, working to the new rules and regulations to not only keep themselves safe but also other users.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the groups for adapting and working to the new systems now in place.

Shirley Newton

Shared Ministry Development Team: Partnership for Missional Church

At the start of 2021, with the lockdown still in place, our work in Partnership for Missional Church crept forward slowly. In February, as a small “Thankyou,” Jenny and Marie visited all the businesses in the village with biscuits, and took cake to the staff of Busy Bees Nursery and Cleadon Academy – just a token to show our appreciation of their on-going service to our community.

The Steering team continued to meet regularly via Zoom and attended virtual cluster meetings with other church groups throughout the third year of the programme. We have continued to use “Dwelling in the Word” at the start of all our meetings. We have also explored with our congregation how to celebrate and share where we see God at work in the world through the strategy of “See it, Say it, Share It!”

The focus of Partnership for Missional Church is to join in “where God is at work in our community” and 2021 raised important issues related to God’s creation, the environment and climate change. In June, we met with a group of local residents who are interested in creating a Community Forum and the possibility of developing the Oakleigh Gardens site as a community green space with a community orchard, wild flower garden and improved facilities for local sports. There will be an open meeting to discuss this further on 24th May 2022 and we are looking forward to attending and hearing how we might join in with this initiative.

On three Saturday mornings in August we were delighted to help out by providing refreshments for families with pre-school children who met in the Parish Hall, to enable them to get to know each other a little before starting school.

In September the COP 26 conference took place in Glasgow, and thanks to our improving IT and social media skills we were able to

put daily prayers for the success of the conference on Facebook.

As restrictions were lifted more of the community groups that use our facilities were able to return to face-to-face meetings and we hope to strengthen our partnerships with them over the coming year. As a starting point we asked Cubs, Rainbows and Brownies to our Christingle service and it was lovely to see the parish hall full again.

As the formal programme for Partnership for Missional Church finishes in March 2022, we spent some time towards the end of the year considering where and how God might be directing us to focus our energies as we move forward. We revisited our 2030 Strategy document to discern the areas that God was drawing our attention to and we are looking forward to sharing these with the PCC and the wider congregation in 2022.

Marie Philpott