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← Westbury-On-Trym Baptist Church

2024-12-31-accounts

Westbury on Trym Baptist Church

DEEPER CLOSER FURTHER

Annual Report For the year to 31[st] December 2024



Our Church Constitution states that the Minister(s) shall, ex officio, be President(s) of all Societies and Organisations of the Church.

1
CONTENTS
Contents
`
Page 1
1st section
Annual Charity Reports of Westbury-on-Trym Baptist Church
Page 2
Statutory Information
Page 3
Trustees Report
Page 4 -6
Independent Examiner’s Report
Page 8
Finance - Statement of Financial Activities
Page 9
Balance sheet at 31stDecember 2023
Page 10
Notes to the accounts
Page 11 - 17
Expenditure analyses
Page 18 -19
Connected Accounts
Page 20
Funds Income
Page 21
2nd section
Annual Reports from Groups and Organisations of
Westbury-on-Trym Baptist Church
Page 22
Mission Commitment
Page 23
Minister’s Report
Page 24
•
Focus Teams:
Children, Youth & Families
Page 25
Safeguarding
Page 26
Pastoral Care
Page 27
Premises
Page 27
Administration & Finance
Page 28
Prayer Team
Page 28
Tuesday Together
Page 29
Tuesday Together Lunch team
Page 30
Social Justice
Page 31
Environmental Group
Page 31
• Activities:
Monday Prayer Group
Page 32
Musicians
Page 32
Singing Group
Page 32
Café Refresh
Page 33
Creative Group
Page 33
WoT’s Tots
Page 34
TableTalkers
Page 34
‘Happy Days’ Memory Café
Page 35
Pre-school
Page 35
•
Uniformed Organisations:
167thScout Group overview
Page 37
167thBeaver Colony
Page 38
167thCub pack
Page 39
167thScout Troop
Page 39
Explorer Scouts - STEAMA
Page 40
195thBrownies
Page 40
28thBrownies
Page 40
28thGuides
Page 41
Membership
Page 44
Additional Notes
Page 45

Annual Charity Reports

of Westbury-on-Trym Baptist Church

2

Westbury-on-Trym Baptist Church Statutory Information

Registered Address

Reedley Road Westbury-on-Trym Bristol BS9 3TE

Charity Registration Number

1132392

Trustees

Dr James Watson (Minister) Mrs. Jan Morris (Church Secretary) Mrs. Ruth Davies (Treasurer) Mr. Ian Dawson Mrs. Moira Nicoll Mrs. Sarah Brain Mrs. Linda Gilmour Mrs. Alison Heard Mr. James Thorp

Property Trustees

West of England Baptist Trust Company (West) Ltd Little Stoke Baptist Church Kingsway Little Stoke Bristol BS34 6JW

Bankers

Lloyds Group plc 15 High Street Westbury-on-Trym Bristol BS9 3DA

Independent Examiner Josh Kingston BSc ACA Burton Sweet Ltd. Chartered Accountants

3

ANNUAL REPORT 2024

TRUSTEE REPORT

The Trustees present their Annual Report and financial statements for the twelve months to 31[st] December 2024.

Structure, Governance and Management

Westbury-on-Trym Baptist Church is a charitable unincorporated association governed by its constitution. The Church is led by the Minister and a team of Deacons and Officers.

The Deacons, Secretary and Treasurer are elected for a 3-year term. The election is dependent on the support of two thirds of the members present and voting at the Church Meeting. Deacons meetings and Church meetings are held monthly with the exceptions of August and December. Three Church meetings per year are held following morning worship once per term. The Church has policies on Health and Safety, Safeguarding and Financial reserves and accounting disciplines, plus other policies relating to both employees and volunteers. The major risks to which the charity is exposed are being further identified by the trustees, and reviewed. The Trustees are seeking to increase donations to the church, whilst managing the expenditure to increase free reserves over time.

Objectives and activities

The principal purpose of the Church is the advancement of the Christian faith according to the principles of the Baptist denomination. The Church may also advance education and carry out other charitable purposes in the United Kingdom and/or other parts of the world.

Our vision is to be a Christian community at the heart of our neighbourhood and our mission is to form followers of Jesus for the glory of God and the good of his world.

In fulfilling the above purpose, vision, and mission the Church will engage in a range of activities either on its own or with others that will vary from time to time with activities being initiated, expanded, or closed, as appropriate.

The activities may include but are not restricted to:

Below are further explanations of these activities and the ways they have been carried out in the past year.

Public benefit

We have complied with the duty in Section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission.

4

Ministerial Team

James Watson, our minister, has been in situ since 2019. His Godly leading and teaching is a great blessing to us all. He brings many prayerful gifts through pastoral care and guidance through the many managerial tasks.

He was joined in January 2024 by Gavin Ball, our newly appointed Children, Youth and Family worker. His enthusiasm for Christ, young people, making community links and fresh ideas for all ages enhances our worship and community life.

Church Property

The Church maintains a house, No. 8 The Dell, previously used as the Manse and which has now been let for several years. We currently pay rent to James Watson, our minister, and his wife for the use of their house as the Manse.

In 2024 it underwent major refurbishment, and was re-let in September under the agency of Bristol Property Centre. This was overseen by the West of England Baptist Union.

Worship at Westbury

A strong emphasis is placed on weekly prayer, sung worship, Bible preaching, and Bible teaching. We have different styles of music and have a regular group of instrumentalists. Our worship services are open to anyone and provide ways for people to discover more about our beliefs and values.

Church Membership

The Church practices open membership and communion and has members from a wide variety of traditions and backgrounds. The current membership stands at 81.

Pastoral Care

This is coordinated by our Pastoral Care team comprising 4 church members including the minister and is a priority for our church. All those associated with the church are visited or contacted by members of the team. However, it is also an integral part of the church-based activity groups which are led by church members.

Church life

Activities led by church members include:

5

story, singing and music making. It is a positive meeting place for parents and carers to relax and talk with team members and other parents while their children play.

Other community involvement – other groups using the premises:

Further information

Please see our annual report for further information about all of our church groups.

Achievements and Performance:

List of trustees January 2024 – December 2024

James Watson - Minister Jan Morris – Church Secretary Ruth Davies – Church Treasurer, elected April 2024 James Thorp Helen Potter - stood down April 2024 Jeremy Colbran - stood down April 2024 Moira Nicoll Alison Heard Sarah Brain Linda Gilmour Ian Dawson

6

FINANCE PAGES

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH Charity No. 1132392 Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees

YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 December 2024 Set out on pages 9 - 17

Responsibilities and basis of report

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

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 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 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 which gives me cause to believe that in any material respect:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination

to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed:

Date: 17 April 2025

Josh Kingston BSc ACA Burton Sweet Ltd The Clock Tower Farleigh Court Old Weston Rd Flax Bourton Bristol BS48 1UR

8

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

Notes Unrestricted Designated Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment 2024 2023
General Funds Fund Fund
 Fund
£ £ £ £ £ £
Income and endowments
Donations and legacies 2 125410 11406 136816 128921
Investment income 3 9926 9001 18927 32976
Charitable activities 4 27270 8309 35579 34808
Total incoming resources 162606 17310 11406 0 191322 196705
Expenditure
Raising Funds 5 1307 1161 2468 4451
Charitable Activities 6 179204 15883 11406 5355 211848 185890
Other expenditure 7 22983 22983 19928
Total Expenditure 203494 17044 11406 5355 237299 210269
Net income before gains on
investments -40888 266 0 -5355 -45977 -13564
Loss on investment value -3236 -3236 -760
Net Income for the Year -40888
 -2970 0 -5355 -49213 -14324
Transfers between funds 17-19 32188 -32188 0 0
Net movement in Funds -8700
 -35158 0 -5355 -49213 -14324
Total Funds brought forward 44943 322468 803 396559 764773 779097
Total Funds carried forward 36243 287310 803 391204 715560 764773

Comparative figures for each fund are shown in the notes to the accounts.

The notes on pages 11 to 17 form an integral part of these accounts

9

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

BALANCE SHEET YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

Notes 2024 2024 2023 2023
£ £ £ £
Tangible Fixed Assets 11 439254 452828
Current Assets
Stocks 12 0 0
Debtors 13 6890 6321
Investments 14 248303 298698
Bank & cash 15 22876 11173
278069 316192
Current Liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling due
within one year 16 1763 4247
Net Current Assets 276306 311945
Net Assets 715560 764773
Charitable Funds
Endowment 17 391204 396559
Restricted 18 803 803
Designated 19 287310 322468
Unrestricted 20 36243 44943
715560 764773

The notes on pages 11 to 17 form an integral part of these accounts

These accounts were approved by the Trustees on 17 April 2025 and signed on their behalf by:

R Davies Treasurer J J Morris Secretary

10

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH
11
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
1
Accounting Policies
a
Basis of preparation
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the historical cost convention (except
for investments which have been included at fair value and in accordance with the Statement of
Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance
with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued in
October 2019 and the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic
of Ireland (FRS102) and the Charities Act 2011 and UK Generally Accepted Practice as it applies from 1
January 2019.
The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared to give a ‘true and fair’ view and have departed from
the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a ‘true and fair
view’. This departure has involved following Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of
Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial
Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued in October 2019 rather
than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April
2005 which has since been withdrawn.
Westbury Baptist Church is a registered charity no. 1132392 and meets the definition of a public benefit
entity under FRS102.
b
Income recognition
All income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is legally
entitled to the income after any performance conditions have been met, the amount can be
measured reliably and it is probable that the income will be received.
c
Donations
Donations are accounted for gross when received.
d
Legacies
Legacies are accounted for at the earlier of the Estate accounts being finalised and notified
and the legacy being received.
e
Investment income
Investment income is included in the accounts in the year in which it is receivable,
f
Expenditure recognition
All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis. Expenditure is recognised where there
is a legal or constructive obligation to make payments to third parties, it is probable that
settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
g
Costs of raising funds
The church does not make formal appeals for funds, and expenditure on these items is
therefore not material. However, investment and letting fees are now treated as costs of
raising funds.
h
Grants payable
The church makes grants to other organisations whose charitable objects complement its work.
They are accounted for when the recipient has been notified of the grant and payment is
unconditional.
I
Support costs
Support costs are those that assist the work of the church but do not directly represent
charitable activities and include office costs and governance costs. Where support costs cannot
be directly attributed to particular headings, they have been allocated to the cost of raising
funds and expenditure on charitable activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
This represents direct expenditure on the governance of the church. Most of the management
is carried out without charge by volunteers. This intangible cost is not included in the
SOFA since there is no measurable cost to the volunteers for their service.
j
Fixed Assets
Tangible fixed assets are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year and cost at
least £1000. They are initially recognised at cost, or for donated assets, at a reasonable
estimate of their value on receipt.
k
Depreciation
Depreciation is provided on all fixed assets, other than freehold land, to write off the cost on
a straight-line basis over their expected useful life, at the following rates
Buildings 1%
Furniture and fittings10%-15%
Computer and electrical equipment
20%

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

1 Accounting policies - contd

l Investment Assets Investments are initially stated at cost. Subsequently they are measured at fair value with changes recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities if the shares are publicly traded or their fair value can otherwise be measured reliably. All other investment assets are shown at cost less impairment. m Funds Unrestricted funds are those funds that the church is not legally bound to use for any particular purpose. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the Trustees for a special purpose. The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements. Restricted funds are those which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for a particular purpose. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements. Endowment funds represent those assets which must be held permanently by the charity, principally the church buildings. Income arising on the endowment funds can be used in accordance with the objects of the charity and is included as unrestricted income. n Employee benefits The charity operates a defined contribution plan for its employees. A defined contribution plan is a plan under which the charity pays fixed contributions into a separate entity. Once the contributions have been paid the charity has no further payments obligations. The contributions are recognised as an expense when they are due. Amounts not paid are shown in accruals in the balance sheet. The assets of the plan are held separately from the charity in an independently administered fund. Prior to 2012 pension provision was made through multi-employer defined benefit scheme. In November we received notification that the Baptist Pension Scheme’s Defined Benefit Plan had been transferred to “Just Retired Limited”. The nominal £1 per month contributions to the Defined Benefit Plan ceased after the October contribution and we no longer have any further responsibility towards this Plan.

12

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS- contd YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

Unrestricted Designated **Restricted ** Endowment 2024 2023
General Funds Fund Fund Fund
£ £ £ £ £ £
2. Donations and Legacies
Offerings & Donations 89241 89241 97095
Charity Donations 9253 9253 7512
Tax refunds 20485 2153 22638 24314
Legacies 15684 15684 0
125410 0 11406 0 136816 128921
3. Investment Income
Rent received from 8 The Dell 9800 9800 21290
Bank & investment interest 126 5613 5739 8502
Dividends from invested funds 3388 3388 3184
9926 9001 0 0 18927 32976
4. Income from charitable activities
Trading income
Rents and room hire 27270 27270 25934
Refresh café 2247 2247 2275
Fair trade 0 17
Other organisation income
Flower Fund 433 433 379
Tuesday Together 1196 1196 1873
Lunch Club 3567 3567 3337
WotsTots 866 866 993
27270 8309 0 0 35579 34808
5. Raising funds
Investment management costs 1161 1161 1385
Letting fees for 8 The Dell 1307 1307 3066
1307 1161 0 0 2468 4451
6. Charitable activities
Ministry 57347 57347 54150
Mission - external donations 12000 658 11406 24064 30464
Mission - other expenditure 32635 7006 39642 8651
Establishment 77222 8219 5355 90796 92625
179204 15883 11406 5355 211848 185890
7. Other expenditure
Support Costs 22983 22983 19928
Other Costs 0 0
Governance costs 0 0
22983 0 0 0 22983 19928

13

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS- contd YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

Pension costs
Unrestricted Designated Restricted
£
£
£
Endowment
£
8. Grants payable
BUGB Home Mission
6000
BMS World Mission
6000
A Rocha
742
BMS Birthday Fund
709
Bournville Christmas Gifts
531
Bristol Baptist College
715
Bristol Dementia Action Alliance
466
Christian Aid
1718
Christian Solidarity Worldwide
992
Crisis Centre (In Hope)
816
European Baptist Federation
883
European Baptist Federation Appeals
From Bristol to Ukraine
Lawrence Weston Christmas Gifts
531
Network Counselling
804
Sixty One
586
Tearfund
1545
Universities & Coll. Christian Fellowship
368
Other Grants
658
12000
658
11406
0
9. Support costs
Administrator
14051
Admin costs
3371
Church telephones/internet
983
Miscellaneous
4578
22983
0
0
0
10. Staff costs and Trustee expenses
Salaries
Social security costs		 6847
5007
2024
£
2023
£
6000
9000
6000
9000
742
601
709
683
531
626
715
598
466
514
1718
1307
992
642
816
516
883
443
0
625
0
100
531
626
804
421
586
568
1545
737
368
332
658
3125
24064
30464
14051
13009
3371
2753
983
785
4578
3381
22983
19928
58974
55972
0
0
65821
60979

The average number of employees during the period was 5 (2023:4).

No employee received emoluments in excess of £60000 during the period (2023: nil).

No sums were reimbursed to the Trustees for their work as Trustees (2023: nil).

As allowed by the constitution, James Watson was renumerated £32,464 for his work as Minister (2023: £30,081). The former Manse at 8 The Dell has been rented to a third party since September 2017. The rent from 8 The Dell has been partly used to rent another property for the Minister.

The church pays pension contributions for its Minister to the Baptist Ministers' Pension Fund,

a defined contribution scheme, which is not contracted out of the State second pension. The pension cost to the church was £4008.

Other employees are offered a Stakeholder pension scheme or a defined contribution scheme with the Baptist Union. The pension cost to the church was £2829.

In addition a final £10 was paid on the previous defined benefit scheme. There is no further liability. Further details of the Baptist Ministers' Pension scheme are shown in Note 21.

14

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS- contd YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

11. Tangible Fixed Assets

Freehold Fixtures, Fittings Total
Property & Equipment
£ £ £
Cost
At 1 January 2024 535545 276872 812417
Additions 0 0 0
Disposals 0 0 0
Adjustment 0 0 0
535545 276872 812417
Depreciation
At 1 January 2024 138986 220603 359589
Charge for the year 5355 8219 13574
On Disposals 0 0 0
144341 228822 373163
Net Book Value at 31 December 2024 391204 48050 439254
at 31 December 2023 396559 56269 452828
Insured
Freehold valuation Date Cost Value
£ £
Land at Reedley Road 1945 2200 0
Church buildings at Reedley Road 1951/68/94/2009/17 523919 4950000
8 The Dell, Westbury on Trym 1947 3776 496387
1 Brainsfield, Westbury on Trym 1970 5650 312728
535545 5759115
All the fixed assets are used for charitable purposes.
2024 2023
12. Stocks £ £
None 0 0
0 0
13. Debtors
Tax recoverable 6890 5244
Prepayments and other debtors 0 1077
6890 6321
14. Investments
Stock Exchange portfolio at market value 111202 112210
Loan to Baptist Union 137101 186488
248303 298698
15. Bank & cash balances
Lloyds Bank 18521 7462
Connected Organisations 4355 3711
22876 11173
16. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Other creditors 0 0
Accruals 1763 4247
1763 4247

15

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS- contd YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

17. Endowment Funds
Freehold property
Freehold property		 1.1.2024
Incoming
Resources Gains and
Transfers
31.12.2024
resources
expended
Losses
£
£
£
£
£
£
396559
-5355
391204
1.1.2023
Incoming
Resources Gains and
Transfers
31.12.2023
resources
expended
Losses
£
£
£
£
£
£
401914
-5355
396559

The endowment funds are shown as fixed assets in the Balance Sheet

18. Restricted Funds
Compassion fund
Raised for other causes
Compassion fund
Raised for other causes		 1.1.2024
£
Incoming
resources
£
Resources
expended
£
Gains and
Losses
£
Transfers
£
31.12.2024
£
803
803
0
11406
-11406
0
803
11406
-11406
0
0
803
1.1.2023
£
Incoming
resources
£
Resources
expended
£
Gains and
Losses
£
Transfers
£
31.12.2023
£
803
803
0
9239
-9239
0
803
9239
-9239
0
0
803

The compassion fund was formerly the communion fund, which is no longer topped up. The majority of money raised for other causes is derived from charity donations given through the church accounts.

19. Designated Funds
Legacy Fund
Fixed Assets
Refresh Café
Flower Fund
Tuesday Together
Lunch Club
Wots Tots
Legacy Fund
Fixed Assets
Refresh Café
Flower Fund
Tuesday Togetherand Lunch Club
Wots Tots		 1.1.2024
£
Income
£
Expenditure
£
Other
Items
£
Transfers
£
31.12.2024
£
262488
9001
-1161
-3236
-32188
234904
56269
-8219
0
48050
1392
2247
-1952
1687
172
433
-402
203
225
1196
-798
623
964
3567
-3539
992
958
866
-974
850
322468
17310
-17045
-3236
-32188
287309
1.1.2023
£
Incoming
resources
£
Resources
expended
£
Other
Items
£
Transfers
£
31.12.2023
£
253000
11633
-1385
-760
262488
21785 25000
-4337
13821
56269
8499
2275
-1248
-8134
1392
227
379
-434
172
1503
5210
-5524
1189
899
993
-934
958
313196
45507
-17423
-760
-18052
322468

The Legacy Fund is used to fund the Family Worker and has been invested. The Legacy Fund has been adjusted to reflect the change in value of the Investments. £32188 has been transferred from the Legacy Fund to the General Fund for the Family Worker Fixed Assets represents the net book value of Fixtures, Fittings & Equipment. Refresh Café - these are the funds relating to the operation of the church café. Flower Fund - donations for flowers to mark occasions or to remember someone.

The fund supplies flowers for example on Mothering Sunday and for the Easter Cross.

Tuesday Together funds utilised in bringing senior members of the church and community together to share coffee, chat and fellowship.

Lunch Club provides lunch for senior members of the church and community. It takes place after the Tuesday Together meeting. Wots Tots provides term-time sessions for toddlers & their parents/carers to play, share, chat and be supported if necessary.

16

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS- contd YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

20. Analysis of net assets by fund
2024
Endowment Funds
Restricted Funds
Designated Funds
Unrestricted Funds
 Fixed
Assets
£
Net
Current
Assets
£
Total
£
391204
391204
803
803
48050
239259
287309
36243 36243
439254 276305 715559
Analysis of net assets by fund 2023
Endowment Funds
Restricted Funds
Designated Funds
Unrestricted Funds		 Analysis of net assets by fund 2023
Endowment Funds
Restricted Funds
Designated Funds
Unrestricted Funds		 Fixed
Assets
£
Net
Current
Assets
£
Total
£
396559
396559
803
803
56269
266199
322468
44943 44943

452828
311945 764773

21. Pensions

The Church is an employer participating in a pension scheme known as the Baptist Pension Scheme ("the scheme") which is administered by the Pension Trustee (Baptist Pension Trust Ltd.) The scheme is a separate legal entity and the assets of the Scheme are held separately from those of the Employer and the other participating employers. For any month, each participating employer in the Scheme pays contributions as set out in the Schedule of Contributions in force at that time.

The scheme is considered to be a multi-employer scheme as described in Section 28 of FRS 102.

This is because it is not possible to attribute the Scheme's assets and liabilities to specific employers and means that contributions are accounted for as if the scheme were a defined contribution scheme.

The pensions costs charged to the SOFA in the year are contributions payable towards benefits and expenses accrued in that year, plus any impact of deficiency contributions (see below).

The Minister and some members of the church staff are eligible to join the Scheme,

From January 2012, pension provision has been made through the Defined Contribution (DC) Plan within the Scheme. In general, members pay 8% of their Pensionable Income and employers pay 6% of members’ Pensionable Income into individual pension accounts, which are operated and managed on behalf of the Pension Trustee by Legal and General Life Assurance Society Limited. In addition, the employer pays a further 4% of Pensionable Income to cover Death in Service Benefits, administration costs, and an associated insurance policy which provides income protection for Scheme members in the event that they are unable to work due to long term incapacity. This income protection policy has been insured by the Baptist Union of Great Britain with Unum Limited. (Members of the Basic Section pay reduced contributions of 5% of Pensionable Income, and their employers also pay a total of 5%.)

In addition, there is also a live scheme with Standard Life.This is the Westbury Baptist Church, Group Stakeholder Pension Plan making fixed monthly Employers and Employees contributions.

22. Related Charities

Baptist Union/West of England Baptist Association

The custodian Trustee of the church is the Baptist Union Corporation Ltd which is charity number 249635, and which is controlled by the Baptist Union Council.

The church is also a member of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the West of England Baptist Association. The church made donations to the Baptist Union Home Mission Scheme of £6000 in 2024.

Westbury Baptist Pre-School

The pre-school is a separate charity (registered no.1097997) which makes its accounts up to 31 July each year. The pre-school paid rent to the church during the period to 31 December 2024 of £16000 for use of its premises.

The following pages are non-statutory and do not form part of financial statements covered by the Examiner's Report

17

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

EXPENDITURE ANALYSES YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

EXPENDITURE ANALYSES
YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
General Designated Restricted Endowment 2024 2023
£ £ £ £ £ £
Ministry
Minister & expenses 36980 36980 34580
DB Pension deficit contribution 10 10 12
Pulpit Supply 830 830 1180
Rent & Council Tax - 76 Westbury Lane 19527 19527 18378
57347 0 0 0 57347 54150
Mission
Family Worker 32188 32188 0
Family church/youth work/other 447 447 75
BMS/Home Mission 12000 12000 18000
Donations to other causes 0 658 11406 12064 12464
Refresh Café 1584 1584 1041
Fair Trade 0 1061
Flower Fund 402 402 434
Tuesday Together 508 508 1637
Lunch Club 3539 3539 3469
Wots Tots 974 974 934
44635 7665 11406 0 63706 39115
Establishment
Light, heat & water 11171 11171 16087
Premises including repairs 8592 8592 7298
Cleaning including materials 16866 16866 16378
Depreciation - buildings/fittings 8219 5355 13574 9692
Insurance 4551 4551 4486
8 The Dell 18237 18237 1909
Caretaker 11568 11568 10785
1 Brainsfield 2753 2753 22741
Groundsman 3484 3484 3249
77222 8219 0 5355 90796 92625
Support costs
Administrator 14051 14051 13009
Admin costs 3371 3371 2753
Church telephones/internet 983 983 785
Fees 1307 1161 2468 4451
Bank Charges 91 91 100
Other Adjustments 0 0
Miscellaneous 4487 4487 3281
24290 1161 0 0 25451 24379
Total expenses 203494 17045 11406 5355 237300 210269

18

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

EXPENDITURE ANALYSES; GRANTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

EXPENDITURE ANALYSES; GRANTS
YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
General Designated Restricted 2024 2023
£ £ £ £ £
BUGB Home Mission 6000 6000 9000
BMS World Mission 6000 6000 9000
Compassion fund gifts 0 0 0
Connected organisations giving 658 658 3125
12000 658 0 12658 21125
Raised for other causes
A Rocha 742 742 601
BMS Birthday Fund 709 709 683
Bournville Christmas Gifts 531 531 626
Bristol Baptist College 715 715 598
Bristol Dementia Action Alliance 466 466 514
Christian Aid 1718 1718 1307
Christian Solidarity Worldwide 992 992 642
Crisis Centre (In Hope) 816 816 516
European Baptist Federation 883 883 443
European Baptist Federation Appeals 0 0 625
From Bristol to Ukraine 0 0 100
Lawrence Weston Christmas Gifts 531 531 626
Network Counselling 804 804 421
Sixty One 586 586 568
Tearfund 1545 1545 737
Universities & Coll. Christian Fellowship 368 368 332
0 0 11406 11406 9339
Total 12000 658 11406 24064 30464

19

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

CONNECTED ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

Income
Sales
Subscriptions
Donations
Lunches
Transfer from Church
Raised for other causes
Expenditure
Purchases
Lunches
Equipment
Training
Speaker/events
Rent to church
Donations to other causes
Surplus
b/f assets
b/f stock
b/f debtors (creditors)
b/f cash
b/f fund bank account
c/f assets
c/f stock
c/f debtors (creditors)
c/f cash
c/f fund bank account		 Refresh
Café
Flower
Fund
Tuesday
Together
Lunch Club Wots Tots
Total
£
£
£
£
£
£
2247
2247
921
866
1787
313
313
3567
3567
120
120
275
275
2247
433
1196
3567
866
8309
729
402
408
361
1900
2864
2864
355
375
136
866
0
100
252
352
500
300
225
1025

368
290
658
1952
402
798
3539
974
7665
295
31
398
28
-108
644
0
0
0
510
172
225
964
61
1932
882
897
1779
1392
172
225
964
958
3711
0
0
0
308
203
623
992
184
2310
1379
666
2045
1687
203
623
992
850
4355

20

WESTBURY-ON-TRYM BAPTIST CHURCH

FUNDS INCOME YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

Main Fund
Offerings
A
Raised for other causes
F
Tax refund
B
Rents and room hire
I
Rent 8 The Dell
I
Dividends
D
Loan Interest
G
Legacies
E
Other Income
C
Ministry fund
C
Other Organisations
Sales
H
Subscriptions
C
Donations
C
Raised for other causes
F
Total
Combined
Offerings
A
Tax refunds
B
Donations etc
C
Dividends
D
Legacies
E
Raised for other causes
F
Investment interest
G
Trading activities
H
Rent
I
Total		 General
£
Designated
£
Restricted
£
2024
£
2023
£
89241
89241
97095
9253
9253
7512
20485
2153
22638
24314
27270
27270
21290
9800
9800
25934
3388
3388
3184
126
5613
5739
8502
15684
15684
0
0
0
0
0
5814
5814
6327
1787
1787
1776
433
433
379
275
275
392
162606
17310
11406
191322
196705
89241
89241
97095
20485
2153
22638
24314
2220
2220
2155
3388
3388
3184
15684
15684
0
275
9253
9528
7904
126
5613
5739
8502
5814
5814
6327
37070
37070
47224
162606
17310
11406
191322
196705

21

Annual Reports from the Groups and Organisations of Westbury-on-Trym Baptist Church

22

MISSION COMMITMENT

We seek to be:

ACHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AT THE HEART OF OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD OFFERING:

In these ways we seek to be true to our calling to follow Jesus, developing our personal relationships with God and together expressing the presence of God’s kingdom in the world.

We are a member of the WEBNET, and support many mission partners, including BMS World Mission, Christian Aid and Tearfund.

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MINISTER’S REPORT 2024

God has truly been very kind to us during 2024. The year started positively with Gav Ball joining the staff team as our full-time Children, Youth, and Family Leader. In February we formed the Financial Review and Opportunities Group (affectionately known as FROG). The purpose of FROG was to help us address our financial deficit and offer some creative solutions. The team was led by Fiona Garry and was hugely beneficial. We also looked at a series on giving rooted in the generosity and grace of God, which took place in the spring. The wider church responded positively and generously to this and to the ideas generated by FROG.

We had several guest speakers join us during the year, including the inspirational Bart Gee arranged by Gav. Gav also led us in participating in The Noise during the May Bank Holiday. The church was packed as we hosted a community fun day. Gav also organized opportunities to watch various football matches during Euro 2024, which brought in several guests, and he led us in hosting a community quiz to raise money for Tearfund . Easter was also an exciting time, and it was great to see large numbers of people joining us for our services.

Administratively, Jan Morris continued to do an excellent job in the role of Church Secretary, and Ruth Davies took up the role of Church Treasurer. I am hugely grateful to both, and for the work Jeremy Colbran had done previously as Treasurer. In fact, there are so many people who I feel grateful to God for, including all our Deacons, volunteers, Administrator, Annie Somerville, Caretaker, Hillary Jones, and Grounds Keeper, James Harding. As you read through this report you will hear about many of these amazing people and the work they do!

During the summer we pursued the possibility of partnering with Westbury Welcome and using the manse to host a refugee family from Afghanistan. For various reasons, this plan did not come to fruition, which was disappointing.

During the Autumn, we held a Church Weekend Away in Lee Abbey in North Devon. This was a very special time for all who went, so much so, we have booked to go again in 2025. During this term we also began to talk more about mission and evangelism. At the Deacons Away Day in September, we felt called to encourage greater openness and confidence in sharing the Gospel and talking about Jesus, both with those in the church and those outside the church. This led to us using projects like Try Praying and looking to begin Christianity Explored in 2025.

As we moved into Advent and Christmas, God gave us many opportunities to invite friends and family to church services and social gatherings. We saw large numbers coming and engaging, and we pray we will be able to build on this going into the new year.

“And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ…” Colossians 4:3

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• FOCUS TEAMS:

CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES

Well, it was a very varied and exciting year last year! I have felt very supported and empowered in my role and want to say a big thank you to the youth leaders who have support me and Pastor James and the diaconate as well. Also thank you to the whole church for your support and putting faith in me.

On Sunday mornings in family church, we began the year looking at the book of John. We also looked at prayer in detail over several weeks. The group has had fluctuating numbers, but a core group that come most weeks. We have also had a number of varied wild ‘worship sessions’ both in and outside of the building including, making food, creating Minecraft Bible stories, running 5K for charity, scavenger hunts around Westbury and many more.

On Sunday evenings we have been running a monthly worship contemporary service called ‘Deeper’. It has been well supported and we have had a variety of excellent guest speakers. The informal and free style has helped people of all ages to enjoy the service.

I have loved being part of WotsTots on a Thursday and we have really seen the group grow in number and in openness to Christian stories and singing Christian songs. I have been inspired and challenged by one speaker who said, ‘if you want to see revival, start with the toddler group’. I have kept in regular contact with the preschool here at WBC and have helped out with summer sports day, Christmas events, Easter events and also have regularly gone in to sing songs and tell stories. The preschool is a wonderful place where children and their parents come.

I have been in regular contact with the uniformed organisations and have been in to teach about lent and done a number of music workshops with the cubs, scouts and brownies.

I have been involved with a local group called open the book and have been into several schools delivering assemblies on Bible stories such as Elmlea, Westbury C of E school and Henleaze infants. This is a joint venture with people from other local churches, which is wonderful to see different people from the same faith coming together.

We had some brilliant one-off events, such as the noise event in May, where we had a very well supported and well attended fun afternoon for the community with bouncy castles, face painting, football and even an appearance from Darth Vader!

From the autumn we have run a fortnightly housegroup for parents and have been looking at prayer and being grateful. This has been a great way for me and Jo to build relationships with others.

Prayer points:

In his name, Gav Ball

25

SAFEGUARDING

Safeguarding roles at WBC:

Safeguarding is the protection of adults and children from harm, abuse, or neglect. Safeguarding promotes each person’s right to be safe.

Safeguarding includes making and maintaining safe environments for all, supporting everyone involved, having processes to follow and guidance should something go wrong.

We are all responsible for safeguarding those around us. Through our active engagement with safeguarding, we demonstrate our mission as “a Christian community at the heart of the neighbourhood.” At its heart, safeguarding is about having a real and active concern for people, especially the most vulnerable in society, and ensuring that we create environments that are safe.

Safeguarding activities during 2024:

We are all responsible for ensuring the safety of those around us or who we come into contact with. Whilst our Safeguarding Policy is in place to help us all, if you are ever concerned or unsure about any situation, trust your instinct and make contact.

Thank you for your support of this important work. Helen.Potter@westburybaptist.org.uk

26

PASTORAL CARE

“Praise be to God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” 1 Corinthians 1:4

Our care for each other in the life of the church is a privilege and is motivated by our love for our Lord, and our love for each other, manifesting itself in many ways.

James Watson, Liz Dawson, and Linda Gilmour meet termly to watch over pastoral care and to explore ways to bring people together and share life’s experiences.

In our welcome of new folk who have started to attend services in recent months, we extended an invitation to share a Sunday lunch with them, and enjoyed getting to know them and each other, and to share something of our church life with them.

There have been opportunities for sharing communion with those unable to attend worship.

We do not underestimate the time and thoughtfulness shown by so many people in the life of our church who often unknown to others, are just quietly and faithfully fulfilling our Lord’s command to “share each other’s troubles and problems” and we are grateful.

Premises Team

Team members: Terry Wright (Chair), Hillary Jones, Jeremy Colbran, David Hughes and Tim Gilmour. Tim Gilmour took on the role of chair from November 2024.

The team have continued to serve the church throughout 2024. They have worked to maintain our church buildings so that they are fit for the present and for the future.

A significant amount of effort has gone into refining the use of the air-to-air heat pumps in the Sanctuary and the Foyer. This system was installed in 2023 and draws heat from outside (even in cold weather) and turns it into usable heat inside. Experience has shown that the heaters are very good at heating up the space quickly but are more difficult to control so that the temperature remains constant afterwards. Further work is needed to solve this problem but the team have worked hard to keep the Sanctuary and foyer at a comfortable temperature for worship on a Sunday morning. Plans are being made to extend air source heating into other parts of the building so that eventually we will not need to rely on our ageing gas boilers.

27

Following replacement of the roof of our caretaker’s house at 1, Brainsfield in 2023, some water ingress occurred associated with the flashing around the chimney stack. The flashing was repaired by the roofing contractor but damage had occurred to the interior walls and décor which needed remedial work paid for by the building insurance company.

Following completion of remedial work on 8, The Dell, a proposal was put forward by the Westbury Welcome team that the property might be suitable for housing a larger family seeking asylum from Afghanistan under a scheme administered by the UK government. Significant work was carried out by the Premises Team and Westbury Welcome to enable this to happen but unfortunately a suitable family was not available within the time period available. The property was finally let for a period of 12 months to a local family in September.

Recent changes in the so-called Feed in Tariff have meant that the solar panels installed on the roof of the Tyndale Hall in 2022 can now generate significant income for the church as well as helping us use less power from the grid during daylight hours.

The church has continued to benefit from the ongoing work on the outside spaces by James Harding and the gardening team creating a lovely and peaceful environment for our local community to use. Premises are looking forward to serving the church in 2025 and finding out where God will lead us as we seek to show his love to the local community.

ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE TEAM

Team Members: Annie Somerville, Jan Morris, Ruth Davies (April 24) Jeremy Colbran, James Thorp

The team deals with the management of administrative matters & church finances with the aim of ensuring that different aspects of these responsibilities are managed & co-ordinated. Most of the Church’s financial transactions are conducted online and our systems continue to function efficiently.

James Thorp now operates the system for recording Gift Aid donations and claiming appropriate tax refunds.

The composition of the team is such that each member can contribute distinctive gifts. Church documentation, including many new policies, was reviewed and updated, including implementing a new room bookings policy & the valuable website and weekly Church News ensure that developments and news are available to our community.

PRAYER TEAM

Team members: Sheila Cooper, Rachel Hall, Eveline Johnstone, Marcia Needs, Bob Pinnock.

We have continued to produce Lent and Advent prayer booklets to help us pray together and to mark the seasons of the church year. It is good to hear that people like to pass these on to friends and neighbours in Bristol and further afield. It is encouraging to see how these love small seeds of hope spread and may bear fruit in unexpected ways.

The Lent booklet was entitled ‘Watch and Pray’. Thinking about Jesus’ words to his friends on the garden of Gethsemane, we explored themes of darkness, silence, change, exile, healing and lament as we moved through Lent, watching and praying with each other and drawing closer to God.

28

For Advent, we thought about waiting, preparation expectation and anticipation. We concentrated on some topics – dwell and rest, watch and wait, ask and announce, seek and save. We linked these with the very real issues we all face day by day as we committed ourselves to walking with Jesus. It was very helpful that the services in December picked up on these themes, as did the Advent ‘stations’ Rachel created in the sanctuary.

In both of the booklets we included a number of thoughtful reflections from members of the congregation and we are grateful to them for their efforts.

The prayer ministry team continues to offer prayer on Sunday mornings. We currently have a team of about 10 people who offer this ministry week by week. We are always there after the service if you have something or someone on your mind or if you simply want to thank God for something.

In addition, some of the team, and one or two others, have been able to contribute intercessory prayers on some Sunday mornings. It is good to have different voices in the services and we are grateful to those people who prepare prayers so thoughtfully and helpfully.

Tuesday Together

Team members: Sheila Cooper, Liz Dawson, Fiona Garry, Rachel Hall, Marcia Needs, Margaret Pinnock, Carol Symes, Janet Taylor, Jenny Witts

(Jenny decided the time had come for her to retire from the team in September. She had been a loyal and hardworking team member, and a faithful visitor of the sick since Tuesday Together started in October 2015. She still attends our meetings.) Meeting time: Alternate Tuesdays during term time 10.30am – 1.45pm Place: Church Foyer and Sanctuary

Numbers attending: We have 52 on our register of whom 44 are regular attenders. Sadly, ill health or entering residential care has prevented some members from attending. We make every effort to keep in touch, letting them know they are not forgotten.

We have continued to meet in our usual pattern, gathering from 10.30 for coffee and biscuits and chat. At 11.00am we have some form of entertainment for 3/4hour. Our mornings conclude with a Thought for the Day led by a team member or James our minister. We then move into the Carey Hall for a delicious lunch prepared alternately by our two lunch teams headed up by Pat Clark & Rachel Hall. (See separate report)

Each term we have a speaker from a different chosen charity - this year we have supported Meningitis Trust, Street Pastors and Vision Action . At the end of each session, we pass around a charity box for loose change donations. This year our folk gave a very generous £220 in all and we were delighted to divide it between our three chosen charities.

Our Pre-school children made their annual visit to give us a joyous preview of their Christmas Nativity songs and throughout the year we were entertained by a variety of talented musicians. We decided to increase our suggested donation from £1 to £2 in September, enabling us to make a substantial donation to the Church towards heating etc.

Our programmes also included ‘in house’ entertainment - quizzes, holiday memories, first aid, home safety and bulb planting. We enjoyed watching a video of the Easter and Christmas stories …...

29

and much more! At Christmas we gave everyone an individual Christmas cake , made and decorated by team members, and a lovely Christmas card made by the Church Creative Group . We decided not to have an outing this year as coach travel was becoming difficult for too many of our members. So, we held a Cream Tea at the beginning of the summer break. It was a great success and was enjoyed by all 50 who attended.

The summer holidays can be difficult for our senior friends, particularly those living alone. So, for the past 9 years we have held a day at the church that we call AUGUST TOGETHER. We offer a variety of activities and space to sit and chat. Other members of the church join our team to help on these occasions. Our time together concludes with a lovely lunch and then we all go home for a well-earned rest! 24 guests joined us for the day - a great time was had by all.

The Tuesday Together teams aim to declare the love of Jesus through all we do. Two team members attended a training led by WEBNET on Faith in Later Life.

Most of our attendees live alone and greatly appreciate the warm welcome we provide. The appreciation works both ways because the team gain so much through sharing in the life journeys of our Tuesday Together friends each week as they offer us their trust and friendship too – a privilege for us all. Sheila Cooper

Tuesday Together (Lunch team)

Cooks: Pat Clarke, Tim Gilmour, Rachel Hall, Tessa Taylor, Gill Kirk (vegetable prep), Alison Heard, (serving and coffee) Jenny Farmer, Anne Macfarlane, (waitresses) Louise Storrie, James Harding, (setting up and clearing tables), Washing up: Steve Clarke, David Hughes, Dot and David Taylor, Wendie and Terry Wright, Jane and Steve Ryan, Bob Pinnock, Ruth Davies, Hilary

2024 proceeded in much the same way as 2023! We have a good reliable core of helpers, however for various reasons we are lower in numbers, which means that our helpers appear more frequently on the rota! We usually have enough people no matter if availability changes at the last minute! We value their help and support and could not function without them!

We are still providing lunches to about 50 people, although numbers have dropped to an average of 45, which includes helpers. It is essential to book for lunch as 50 is the maximum for space as well as catering and clearing. Most people are from Tuesday Together, although there may be a small number who find the meeting plus lunch is too long for them, however this is generally discouraged. We try to produce a 2-course tasty meal with coffee each time and are managing to keep the cost at £5 per person, even in these days of rising prices.

We made a donation to the North Bristol food bank as well as chocolate reindeer and bunnies to “In Hope” at the appropriate times of year!

This year we were also able to provide a cream tea in July to about 50 guests and helpers. This was in place of the annual outing which many find too challenging for a variety of reasons. The tea was very well received including sandwiches, cakes and scones, mostly homemade, with tea served in china cups. This event will take place again in July this year too.

A lot of time and effort goes into shopping, cooking, serving, and clearing away afterwards, but we are so blessed to have such a willing team of helpers and it’s an opportunity for us to catch up on news with each other and share in a meal together. We still enjoy being able to provide a meal for Tuesday Together and all helpers in friendship and fellowship. Long may it continue. Pat Clarke (on behalf of Tuesday lunch team)

30

SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE

Chair - Ruth Davies.

Team members - Heather Colbran, Graham Cooper, Margaret Pinnock.

Andy and Jenny Saunders joined us for a service and meal in February when they shared about their 10 years in Nepal – how God had guided and used them, what they had learnt, times of frustration but also times of amazement at God’s provision and timing. The beauty of the country itself also filled them with awe at God’s creation.

Andy and Jenny have now retired from BMS and are settling back into the UK. The Douglas family have also finished their time with BMS.

We have learnt a lot about Nepal from having had several Mission Partners working there over the years, each brought different insights.

Having Mission Partners working abroad opens our eyes and hearts to God’s work worldwide; however, the role has changed. These days, many Mission Partners are native or more local to the country where they work so they would not be visiting the UK although video meetings can be set up. Others work in countries where, because of the political regime, it is difficult to give details of their activities while they are still in country although they could visit when in the UK.

We need to rethink how we can support Mission Partners.

WBC Environmental Group

Team members: Moria Nichol, Sarah Brain, Liz Dawson and Lee Hall.

The core aims of the group are as follows:

During 2024 regular Environmental issues and Campaigns were conveyed to the fellowship through articles within the church news magazine. The main Campaigns covered were as follows: Tearfund's Rubbish Campaign to take action against plastic pollution and its harmful impact on people living in poverty.

Arocha presence at the COP 16 UN Biodiversity Conference promoting the 30 x 30 Target: To protect 30% of nature on Earth by 2030 Christian Aids campaigning at COP29 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The key area was funding to help lower-income countries and communities, recover from climate damage, adapt to current climate impacts and build resilient, low-carbon futures.

31

• ACTIVITIES:

MONDAY PRAYER GROUP

Leader: Revd Eveline Johnstone

A small group normally meets regularly for prayer on Monday evenings at 7.30pm. The group usually meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month (see Church news for exact dates).

This is a space for quiet prayer and contemplation; we think of this time as ‘A Breathing Space’ where we can meet with God and each other.

We often use a psalm or other reading to lead us into prayer which will include prayers of praise and thanks as well as prayers for the world, the church and individuals.

MUSICIANS

Leaders – James Thorp (Keyboard and vocal) Rachel Hall (Piano and vocal).

Members: Allan Macfarlane (bass guitar), Mary Neave (recorder), John Todd (vocal), Gavin Ball (guitar & vocal), Jo Ball (vocal), Sheila Cooper (clarinet), Margaret Johnstone (vocal)

The group’s primary purpose is to lead the sung worship on a Sunday morning. We aim to help people praise, worship, encounter and learn more about God through music and singing. We generally meet at 9.30 on a Sunday morning before the service to run through the songs and sometimes add extra rehearsals for more special services such as the Carol Service.

As well as the regular members mentioned above, we are occasionally joined by Heather Colbran (organ), Mary Hughes (bassoon), Janet Taylor (piano) and Helen Paynter (bassoon), especially for the Easter and Christmas services.

It is a joy and a privilege to lead the sung worship and to be able to help the church congregation worship God in song together. We pray that we can continue to enable the church to worship and encounter God through song.

SINGING GROUP

Leader: Rachel Hall 11 members

Meet - Monday evenings 6.30pm in Carey Hall, term time.

The group met regularly throughout term times. We have been able to lead sung worship sometimes during the Sunday morning services, especially during the Festivals of Easter, Advent and Christmas where we were joined by a few other singers, enabling us to be a little more adventurous with our part singing.

Taking part during each Advent Sunday service was again wonderful and much appreciated by the congregation. We enjoy our times singing together and are a close, supportive group ending each session with a short time of prayer for each other.

32

As has become a regular habit we have met twice socially, once for a fish and chip supper and once for our Summer Garden Party, both hosted by one of our regular members. We hope to be able to continue singing together and helping to introduce new songs helping to create a broad spectrum of worship song styles.

We enjoy our times singing together and are a close, supportive group ending each session with a short time of prayer for each other. My own musical style is very fluid and the group is very patient with my interpretation of the music which is not always what is written!

As usual we have met twice socially, once for a fish and chip supper and once at our now regular Summer Garden Party, both hosted by regular members.

CAFÉ REFRESH

Team: Pat Clarke, Tim Gilmour, Alison Heard, James Harding, David Hughes, Dot Jenner, Linda Jolly, Martha, Tessa Taylor and Billy Watson. We were grateful to Carol Symes and Moira Nicoll for their help in busy periods.

We were glad that Martha, Billy and James joined our team during the year.

The café was held between 10 and 12.30pm in the church foyer on alternate Saturday mornings in term time.

The café has grown increasingly popular over the year and we were pleased to welcome customers from within and outside the church congregation. It has been good to see a number of people make the café their venue of choice for Saturday morning refreshments and fellowship and also good to have a few families with young children joining us.

The café menu has developed during the year and now includes a range of sweet treats and some savoury items such as ham and cheese croissants, cheese scones and, on occasion, bacon rolls. We were happy to support the annual Christian Aid Big Breakfast in May and the Family Christmas Craft event in December.

We look forward to welcoming new people and families in 2025 alongside our existing customers. We will do our best to ensure that they feel warm and welcome and trust that they will unexpectedly find something of God’s love as they enjoy pastries and coffee.

Creative Group

Team: Dot Jenner (on behalf of all involved in the Creative Group: Pat Clarke, Heather Colbran, Sheila Cooper, Liz Dawson, Alison Heard, Linda Jolly, Margaret Pinnock and others on the Creative Group mailing list.

We have continued to enjoy meeting together, supporting and encouraging one another as we’ve thought about different ways of making use of our skills and talents to engage with those who pass by the Church, sharing something of our faith and beliefs. For Lent we created a new banner reflecting the themes from the Lent Booklet and another new banner for Easter Day. As Remembrance Day approached, many people knitted poppies resulting in an impressive wreath of poppies which were displayed in the window for a few weeks over that period.

33

Again, Christmas cards were made for those who are part of the Tuesday Together/Lunch meetings; Elmlea School pupils were involved with creating the pictures for the Advent Calendar display and the separate Advent window display reflected the themes in the Advent booklet.

Thanks to Tim Gilmour and Annie Sommerville for the support they give to facilitate many of these displays. We are always open to new people and new ideas.

Dot Jenner (of behalf the Creative Group mailing list)

WOTS TOTS

Team: Gavin Ball, James Harding, Trish Hart, Anne MacFarlane, Jan Morris. Sue Perry, Sarah Shelley, Tessa Taylor, Wendie Wright.

Treasurer: Terry Wright

We were delighted to welcome Gavin to the group who quickly became an important member of the team. We meet fortnightly and welcome approximately 20 families each time. We use several rooms for our toys large and small, a separate room for our babies and story time, plus space for a variety of toys encouraging imaginative play – i.e. the well - loved ‘kitchen’, and construction toys. There is also a wide variety of crafts for practising fine motor skills and having relaxed conversations.

Our families appreciate the welcome, the coffee, time to play with their children and share their experiences with others. Our wonderful team enjoy playing and chatting with them, offering a listening ear, giving support and encouragement where it is helpful. The families are also very supportive of our Church Harvest and Gift Services.

Everyone takes part in the tidying away and our sessions finish with a Bible story from Gavin, singing, finger rhymes and dancing with fun instruments!

We are grateful for the prayerful support of the Church.

TABLETALKERS

Coordinator - Ian Dawson , assisted by Stewart Jolly.

This is a group where some of the WBC retired or semi-retired men (or men finding themselves free at lunch-time) meet in a local pub approximately once a month to eat together and to discuss current news events from a Christian perspective. We usually meet at the beginning of each month on either the first or second Tuesday or Wednesday dependent on whichever the majority can attend.

This year we’ve had all our meetings at the White Lion, including a Christmas meal together which was a first for the Tabletalkers.

To stimulate (or at least kick-start) our discussions, we choose blogs and articles primarily from various Christian sources such as Care or Premier Radio. They are normally comments on news items from recent weeks. As we only meet monthly, we take a vote to choose one of the topics from the intervening month’s selection and off we go! There’s no guarantee we’ll stick to the subject, but we have an enjoyable ramble, good fellowship, and a pleasant lunch together.

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The numbers attending vary from 4 to 12 each time. We always seem to have a good discussion no matter how many are able to come.

The topics we have tackled during this last year have ranged from Richard Dawkins’ claim to be a “cultural Christian”, the importance and consistency of RE teaching in schools these days, the riots that followed the tragic murders in Southport, Assisted Suicide, and various topics around the outcomes of the UK and US elections.

If you think you would be interested in joining us for lunch please speak to Ian Dawson or Stewart Jolly.

‘Happy Days’ Memory Café

Leader: Tony Hall

Happy Days is “Alive and Well” and growing! As well as the two Happy Days Memory Cafes we have at Westbury Baptist, we have now set up another three in the last year, with a fourth on the way.

We also run two carers support groups for carers caring for someone with dementia:

If you know of anyone who may find any of these groups helpful to them, or if you’d like any more information, please let me know on 07849 403018 or chair@bdaa.org.uk

- Westbury Baptist Pre school

Preschool Manager: Angie Loughlin Deputy Manager/SENCO: Lorraine Edmonds

Early Years Practitioners: Jayne Dymianczuk, Sintija Murniece, Sue Webber Administrator: Carla O’Sullivan

Trustees: Helen Thorp (chair), Moira Nicoll, Tim Gilmour Treasurer (not a trustee): Steve Summerbee

The preschool is open to children from 2 years and 10 months to 5 years of age. Although individual session lengths vary the preschool is open 9am-3pm Monday-Thursday and 9am-1pm on Fridays. The staff work hard to provide a stimulating, safe and nurturing environment and to prepare the children for school. They also provide experiences that enrich each child’s social, emotional, spiritual, physical, intellectual, and creative abilities and interests.

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In January 2024 there were 35 children on the preschool register. This rose to 41 in the summer term. In the first term of the 2024-25 academic year there were 22 children on the register and we expect this to increase over the school year. April-July 2024 was a particularly busy time for the preschool. The preschool has a small but dedicated staff team that have been willing to work flexibly to cover the fluctuating child numbers throughout the year. The number of children on the preschool register fluctuates significantly from year to year. There are also changes to the way early years hours are funded by the government. The administrator, manager and trustees need to keep a close eye on how these factors impact the preschool.

The preschool was inspected by Ofsted in April 2024 and was pleased to receive an overall good rating and a very positive report with plenty of praise for the staff. This year the preschool has enjoyed park visits and picnics, forest school, sports day, leavers and Christmas parties as well as the nativity play. The children also enjoyed contributing to the Church Easter Garden and singing with Tuesday Together. The Church Children, Youth and Families Leader has visited to share stories and join in with activities. The parents have been included in maths workshops and singing sessions. The preschool is planning to further develop their outside space in 2025 to provide additional opportunities for outside play and environmental awareness.

There have been four formal meetings of the trustees, the manager, the administrator and the treasurer over the course of the year. The formal committee meetings take place virtually however there have been other meetings with the trustees and staff members throughout the year which are usually face to face.

It is a requirement that the preschool has at least three trustees who are members of WBC and are elected to this role at the Church AGM. The preschool could benefit from more trustees whether Church members or not. The treasurer is leaving his work at the preschool in January 2025. Although some support will be given until the end of the academic 2024-25 year this is a further challenge for the preschool in terms of the level of the support that is available.

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• UNIFORMED ORGANISATIONS

167[TH] BRISTOL SCOUT GROUP OVERVIEW

Group Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is a small group of volunteers who have overall responsibility for the running of the 167[th ] Scout Group. The Exec are like a driving committee to represent the parents and get the best for their kids within the parameters of scouting. They look after the finances, membership records, policies and charitable activities. They are ultimately responsible for Health and Safety – though the section leaders take responsibility for risk assessing all activities.

The Exec performs a similar function to the Governors of a school or the Trustees of a charity. Setting vision, holding responsibility, and being a supportive critical friend to the leaders who deliver scouting.

Every year we hold an annual general meeting where members of the charity executive committee (our board of trustees), are appointed or elected.

The GSL supports all the volunteers, and particularly the Section Leaders, in the delivery of the scouting programmes that we provide.

We have 3 popular sections, for children aged 6 to 14, in our Scouting group.

The Beavers meet on Wednesday evenings during term time. We are the youngest section of the Scout Group offering a wide ranging programme for boys and girls aged between 6 and 8.

The Cubs meet on Monday evenings during term time. We welcome boys & girls aged between 8 & 10. Focus is on fun, friends, camps and badges.

The 167th Scouts group meet once a week on Tuesday during term time. We cover a huge range of activities, in all weathers and throughout the year. We camp at every opportunity: in January, June, July and September.

The emphasis is on having a balanced life: open to learning new things, meeting people from different backgrounds and experiencing what it means to be part of a world wide vibrant organisation. If you want to go on the waiting list please use the contact listed: jo.savery@blueyonder.co.uk

Explorers are a group of young people, aged between 14 and 18. Explorers meet every Wednesday during term time.

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Like the Scout section, the Explorers plan their own programme which is only limited by imagination (and some Scout rules). However, we have previously taken part in local, national, and international activities. We have done various activities from scavenger hunts around our local area and some have even gone as far afield as Africa! While Explorers have adult leaders they do not “lead” the unit evenings, the Explorers themselves do that. The “leaders” are on hand to help and support the Explorers achieve the programme that they want.

If you want the fun, excitement and adventure get in touch we’d love to welcome you.

167[TH] BEAVER COLONY

Leader: Nimisha Birmingham ,

Assistants: Adrian Rogers, Jacob Cox (replaced Nathan Parrot who has moved up to Cubs part way through the year) and Nicky Taylor, with two young leaders also helping each week - we did have 3 but one left in September to concentrate on GCSEs.

Numbers : We have 16 children in our colony and most attend every week.

Under starry skies and around crackling campfires, our Beaver Scouts explored a world of adventures this year. They cycled safely around the church car park, learned about constellations and space, whipped up delicious treats at Christmas, and even developed their green thumbs by growing towering sunflowers.

Beyond badges, they built friendships, discovered kindness, and served their community. From joining the district campfire at Woodhouse Park to participating alongside other uniformed groups in the Armistice parade, they left their mark.

Christmas carols brought smiles to residents at a local retirement home, while collected food warmed the hearts of families in need as part of the Church collection. The money raised from selling their sunflowers helped support essential needs for the group, ensuring even more exciting adventures for future Beavers.

Five beavers graduated to Cubs, each proudly clutching their Chief Scout's Bronze Award. As they embark on new challenges, we celebrate their spirit and the countless others who learned, grew, and made a difference this year. The future of Scouting shines bright, thanks to the boundless curiosity and kind hearts of our Beaver Scouts.

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167[TH] CUB GROUP

Section Leader: David Jeanneret (Baloo)

The 167[th ] Cub Pack meets on Monday evenings during term time. We welcome boys & girls aged between 8 & 10½. Focus is on fun, friends, activities that build towards badges and preparing for camps!

The Cubs’ section is the second section in the Scout Group following on from Beavers and leading up to Scouts. Cub packs first met in 1916 as the younger brothers of Scouts wanted in on the action. Cubs are members of the global family of Scouts.

Our programme of weekly term time Cub Pack Nights and regular Pack Camps prepare young people with skills for life. In amongst the fun and adventure they will gain a sense of achievement in the badges that they are awarded.

167[TH] SCOUT GROUP

Leaders: Thomas Jenkins (Quarter Master)

Playing our part

Pleased to report another successful year of Scouting at the Baptist church. Currently numbers are hovering around 25 or so, without young leaders and leaders.

Helping other people

Scouts and the 167[th ] continue to help those around them.

Growing strongly

Pleased to report, that year on year, Scout numbers are up, and are only due to increase

Celebrating achievement

At Scouts we are continuing to hand out lots and lots of activity and achievement badges. During the term we encourage the young people to share in their interests, particularly outside of the Scouting world. I remember when I was young being fascinated by the hobbies of my peers, and eventually giving some of them a try for myself!

Transforming futures

As well as new starters coming thick and fast, we also have a steady stream of leavers moving into the next chapter of their Scouting journey - Explorers and/or young leadership within the 167[th] . I am pleased to report that the Explorers are busier than ever, running an annual summer camp with lots of opportunities for our ever more adventurous young people.

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- CABOT DISTRICT EXPLORER GROUP STEAMA

Leader: Matthew Routledge

Explorers are a group of young people, aged between 14 and 18. Explorers meet every Wednesday during term time

Like the Scout section, the Explorers plan their own programme which is only limited by imagination (and some Scout rules). However, we have previously taken part in local, national, and international activities. We have done various activities from scavenger hunts around our local area, and some have even gone as far afield as Africa & Nepal!

While Explorers have adult leaders they do not “lead” the unit evenings, the Explorers themselves do that. The “leaders” are on hand to help and support the Explorers achieve the programme that they want.

28[TH] BROWNIE PACK

Leaders: Ellen Tweney, Jo-Anne Hewitt. Young helpers: Catie Clark, Lucy Powell and Ella Armstrong . 22 girls

It was another busy and varied year for 28[th] Brownies.

In January we embarked on the Space badge learning about the solar system, the life of astronauts at the international space station, tried space food, learnt about the moon phases and made a calendar to track the moon. It culminated in a visit from Space Dome. We had a theatre trip in February to see Wicked.

In the Summer term we celebrated all things Olympic related ahead of the Paris 2024 games. We gained the Oh la Lympics badge! We learnt about the origins of the games, had a Greek evening tasting food and learning some phrases. We tried different sports and it culminated in a Sports evening inviting 195[th] Brownies. In addition, in our Sixes we did the Languages badge, the girls either learnt French, Italian or Spanish words and phrases.

We said goodbye to Clare our adult helper at end of summer term.

In the autumn term, we covered lots of activities for our Local History badge, learning how to read maps, and seeing how our area has changed. We had a visit from an expert at Local Historic England, who took us on a walk into Westbury where we spotted architecture and features and saw the village in a new light!

We joined Girlguiding members from across the County in September for a day at the Aerospace Museum. This included a coding workshop and activities so that the girls gained their aviation badge.

We marked Remembrance Day making our annual poppy wreath that a group of us took on the parade in Westbury village. We also had a trip to see Mary Poppins at the Hippodrome in November.

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195[TH] BROWNIE PACK

Brown Owl: Alison Heard Young leaders: Niamh Chivers, Ruby Lewis until July ’24, Georgie Dayus from September ‘24 Plus, one parent helper each week. Time: Thursdays during school terms from 5.45 – 7.15pm Between 10 and 16 girls aged 7 – 10.

We have enjoyed four joint activities with 28[th] brownies this year: a visit to see Mary Poppins at Bristol Hippodrome, a ‘Wonderdome’ in�latable planetarium experience in the Tyndale Hall, an Easter party and a sports evening.

We welcomed six new brownies in April and we have worked for badges including: feel good, grow your own, communicate, network, in�luence, express myself, be well and performing.

We made the mothers’ day posies to be given out in church and in the run up to Christmas we learned carols and their chime bar accompaniment and gave a concert for our families.

We have also enjoyed crafts, singing and games.

28TH GUIDES

Leader - Emma Jennings, assisted by Georgina Bowyer and others

The church was pleased to have 28th Guides using the facilities for a full and varied programme. They also meet at various external locations especially in the summer and always fully support the Harvest and Toy services.

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– MEMBERSHIP CHANGES: 1[ST] JANUARY 2024 31[ST] DECEMBER 2024

Summary:

During the year there have been the following additions and deletions: -

ADDITIONS DELETIONS
By profession of faith 2 To death 1
By baptism To resignation 9
By transfer 3 To transfer 6
TOTALS 5 16

Details:

Additions

By profession of faith: - Ruth Davies, James Easter

By transfer: - Gavin Ball, Helen Paynter, Stephen Paynter

Deletions:

Death – Brenda Parsons

Resignations – Tom Colbran, Steve Conway, Jackie Crisp, Neil Firth, Neil Kirk, Matilda Mudariki, Claire Nicoll, Ian Roberts, Louise Tidley

Transfers – Graham Clarke, Becca Finamore, Steve Finamore, Alison Peck, Tony Peck, Jean Smith.

Church membership on 1[st] January 2024 – 95 Membership on 31[st] December 2024 – 84

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ADDITIONAL NOTES:

MISSION AND OUTREACH:

Flower Rota & Distribution: Alison Heard, Heather Colbran, Pam Merriott

BMS Birthday Scheme: Sheila Cooper Website administration: Annie Somerville

SUNDAY WORSHIP:

Welcomers’ rota : John Todd Contribution to worship rota: David Ploss

Sound and Technology: Tim Gilmour (coordinator), Lee Hall, Robin MacLeavy, Malcolm Neave, Stewart Jolly

CHURCH YOUTH POLICY:

Designated Person for Safeguarding: Kath Conway / Helen Potter DBS organisation : Annie Somerville

ADMINISTRATION:

Church Administrator: Annie Somerville Church Secretary: Jan Morris

Gift Aid: James Thorp Treasurer: Ruth Davies/Jeremy Colbran Membership Secretary: Davis Hughes Church Archivist: Steve Clark

CARE OF CHURCH PROPERTY:

Premises Chair: Terry Wright/Tim Gilmour Caretaker: Hillary Jones Property Steward: Jeremy Colbran Health and Safety Officers: Hillary Jones/Terry Wright Gardening team: Linda & Tim Gilmour, Gay Wale, Janet Taylor Coffee supplies: Ian Dawson

REPRESENTATIVES:

Christian Aid: Graham Cooper Tear Fund: Heather Colbran

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DEEPER CLOSER FURTHER

Visit

the Church’s website

www.westburybaptist.org.uk

44

Audit Trail

Document Details

Title
Westbury Baptist Church Annual Report 2024.pdf		 Title
Westbury Baptist Church Annual Report 2024.pdf
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Westbury Baptist Church Annual Report 2024.pdf
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