Christ Church Flackwell Heath Annual Report 2024
Background
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of Christ Church Flackwell Heath has the responsibility, as stated in the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956, of co-operating with the Vicar, Revd James Dwyer, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church – pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It also has maintenance responsibilities for the Church and Church Centre of Christ Church, Flackwell Heath. Christ Church is a Registered Charity, as required under Charity Law, with a Charity Registration number of 1132634.
Parochial Church Council
Membership
Members of the PCC are either ex-o�cio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. In addition, members may be co-opted as necessary. During 2024 the following served as PCC members:
Ex o�cio members:
Chair: Revd James Dwyer Curate : Revd Gill Taylor Associate Minister : Revd Martin Courtney
Licensed Lay Ministers: Sue Simpson (Vice Chair) and Debbie Fox-Webb
Churchwardens : Karen Christie and Phil Simpson
Deanery Synod Representatives: Neil Bourhill, Neil Favager, Richard Chalmers and Rebecca Hawes
Elected members:
It was agreed in the APCM in 2004 that the PCC should consist of seven elected members, in addition to ex-o�cio and co-opted members, and be elected on a three-year rolling retirement. In 2024 the terms of o�ce were amended to state that members elected from that date must take one year o� after each three-year term, after which they are permitted to return to PCC. During 2024 elected members were:
Denise Herschel (until March 2024), Sylvia Bourhill (until March 2024), Reg Jaycock (until March 2024), Chris Broadbent (from 2024 APCM), Keely Hammond (from 2024 APCM), Paul Churchouse (from 2024 APCM), Meg Scullion (from 2024 APCM), Tim Franklin (from 2022 APCM), Sammy Simpson (from 2023 APCM), and Phil Bellamy (from 2023 APCM).
PCC Committees
In 2024 the PCC had six committees:
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The Standing Committee is required by law and has the power to transact the business of the PCC between its meetings, subject to any directions given by the Council.
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The Missions Committee coordinates links with the mission partners that the Church supports. It advises the PCC on mission giving.
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The Fabric Committee oversees the maintenance of the Church, Church Centre, and grounds.
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The Finance Subcommittee was formed in 2023 in response to our financial situation with the remit of stabilising our giving and providing analysis and oversight of church finances.
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The Eco Subcommittee was formed in 2024 to help take forward our endeavours as a church to improve our eco footprint and become a carbon neutral church.
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The Children, Youth and Families Subcommittee was formed in 2024 to help us strategically support our work with children, young people, and their families.
The PCC met six times during 2024, with the Standing Committee meeting five times. PCC members were commissioned on 21st April 2024 and, apart from the normal business life of the church, there was a regular focus on mission and agenda items on Safeguarding and GDPR compliance.
Church attendance in 2024
Church attendance remained stable throughout 2024, with gentle growth and a significant increase in attendance at our Christmas services. The 9am service saw an average weekly attendance of around 40-45 adults, the 10.30am of around 80-90 adults and 10-15 children and youth, and the 6.30pm a range of attendance, reflecting the varied service pattern. Average Sunday attendance across all three services is therefore around 140 people. The introduction of a second weekly communion service has led to more regular attendance, with around 15-18 people attending on average. Messy Church sees on average 45 children and their carers attend once a month.
Numbers of Occasional O�ces remained low, reflecting a concerning wider trend at a national level. In 2024 we held:
8 baptisms
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1 wedding
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19 funerals in which Christ Church clergy and LLMs were involved, either at Christ Church or local crematoriums
Electoral Roll
The Electoral Roll declared at the Annual Meeting in 2024 was 194 people, a decrease of three compared with that declared in 2023 (197). During 2024 three people were removed and three people were added. The Christ Church Electoral Roll stands, as of 1st February 2024, at 194 (122 residents and 72 non-residents).
Jackie Chalmers, Electoral Roll O�cer
Safeguarding
Throughout 2024 the PCC complied with the requirements imposed by the code under section 5A of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016. Our safeguarding culture and processes were carefully managed by Denise Herschel, our Parish Safeguarding O�cer.
Review of the Year
As a year, 2024 saw Christ Church continue to see gentle growth, both spiritual and numerical. As a church we continued to sense God’s call for us to grow deeper with one another, with Him, and with the community we serve, and this is reflected in some of the story of the year as told below. This review cannot capture everything, but is a snapshot of the year.
January 2024 started gently after a busy Christmas in 2023, giving us a chance as a church to rest and take a breath before Lent, which began only a few weeks into the New Year. We took the opportunity of a quieter few weeks to redesign the Link, the church newsletter. Prompted by the prayer of one of our church family, we started to pray for a doubling of children and young people in our church.
Lent began on the 14th February and as well as Ash Wednesday, we marked the opening of our Lent Prayer Room, which picked up on the gardens theme we looked at in our sermon series. Our Lent Course was LICC’s On Purpose , five sessions helping us to think about what it means to live purposeful lives wherever we are. Along with the wider Diocese, we were shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Bishop Alan.
In March we held our APCM, giving thanks for the past year and looking ahead into the year to come. In particular we spoke about our need to invest in our work with children and families, and announced that thanks to funding from the Diocese of Oxford, we were able to advertise
for a Children’s Minister later in the year. Many from the church family joined the celebrations at the wedding of Rachel Franklin to Chris Entwisle. Our Holy Week and Easter services included a Walk of Witness for the first time in some years, and our Easter Trail in partnership with the Methodist Church and Residents’ Association.
In April we were privileged to welcome Revd Dr Ajith Kumar, General Secretary of the Church of North India, to Christ Church. He spoke at our morning services and was treated to a famous Christ Church bring and share lunch. It was a special moment for us to hear more about God’s church in India. At the end of the month, around 60 members of Christ Church went to High Leigh Conference Centre for our Church Weekend Away, where we reflected on God’s call to be his disciples. Those who didn’t go on the weekend enjoyed a joint service at Christ Church, with God’s people meeting together bound by the Spirit.
In May we joined others from the village in celebrating the long-awaited arrival of a new minibus for the Nancie Ross Centre, which Christ Church made a financial contribution towards. We held a preaching workshop for our preachers and enjoyed our annual Plant Sale as part of Christian Aid Week. We started a process of reviews of our Mission Partners, and the advert for our Children’s Minister position was published.
In June we joined thousands of other Christians from across Wycombe for Love Wycombe on the Rye. Our LLMs attended the annual LLM conference, and we attended the licensing and first service of the new chapter at St Mark’s Bourne End. We celebrated Gill’s priesting both at her ordination service in Amersham, and then a church family lunch the Sunday after, when she had presided at her first communion.
In July we were again part of Heath Fest, the village music festival. We held our annual Tea Dance for those living with dementia, and welcomed Rebecca Hawes to the team as our new Children’s Minister. A group from Christ Church went to New Wine, back in Shepton Mallet, and at the end of the month our service pattern changed to joint 10am services for the summer holidays. To make the church more accessible to the parish, we started keeping the building open during the week.
August was a quiet month, with some members of Christ Church helping at Lighthouse in Loudwater. Holiday Co�ee Stop gave a point in the week for people in our community to come together throughout the summer.
In September we began our autumn sermon series, looking at Mark’s Gospel, and at the end of the month welcomed Azita Jabbari to our Alpha Supper where she gave a moving and powerful talk. We were able to attend Afternoon Tea celebrations at The Cherries and Nancie Ross Centre, and held a prayer meeting for our schools. A team from Christ Church did rather well at the annual village quiz!
In October we celebrated Harvest, with our food collection once again being shared between One Can Trust and the Community Pantry. Some of Christ Church had an evening with two guests from India who were visiting James, and got to hear about the school system and
challenges faced by the churches there. We hosted a Deanery Confirmation Service, with 15 candidates from across the Deanery being baptised and/or confirmed. The Quinquennial inspection took place, with a comment in the feedback that we were perhaps the “best kept church in the Diocese of Oxford.” We welcomed Paulin, our Mission Partner from Albania, to our services at the end of the month, and a number of the congregation stayed for a lunch with Paulin and his wife Luli. On 31st October we hosted a Bright Party to the delight of all who attended.
In November Christ Church hosted BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions as a live broadcast, with a packed church filled with people from the community. It is believed to be the first time Radio 4 has come live from the village! Our Charities Fayre was a good opportunity to showcase local charities, and our Memorial Service was as always a moving opportunity for people to remember those they have loved and lost. Christmas began early, with Christmas on the Heath taking place on 29th November – Christ Church played a key part in the short service that takes place during the event.
December saw us engage in a whole host of Christmas events, both inside and outside the church. The weather didn’t stop us, and we saw an encouraging number of people encounter the Christmas story. We had new opportunities to be part of Christmas celebrations in the village, including at The Cherries and Nancie Ross Centre, and welcomed schools into church as well as sharing the Christmas story in assemblies.
Throughout the year, the church Safeguarding Policy was kept up to date and overseen by the Parish Safeguarding O�cer.
Church life
The Fabric Committee
The Church and Centre continued to benefit from a small but dedicated team of volunteers, led by the churchwardens, particularly the monthly Grounds Working Party. Energy bills continued to be carefully monitored, and a church declutter continued to keep the Church and Centre maintained and e�cient. The Church and Centre continued to be cleaned to a high standard, professionally and by volunteers. In July 2024 we started keeping the church building open during the week, with steps taken to ensure the building and valuable items were secured.
Worship
Christ Church is blessed by a talented team of musicians, singers, and technical support teams, complemented by Bible Readers, intercessors, and the flower team. In person services continue to be complemented by a livestream (10.30am only), managed by some superb volunteers. Services at Christ Church continue to o�er a variety of styles, both traditional and modern. A second midweek communion service was introduced in the summer, meaning there are now two midweek services each month (on first and third Thursdays).
Discipleship
Growing deeper as disciples of Jesus continued to be a key part of Christ Church’s mission.
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Sue Simpson continued to coordinate home groups at Christ Church, with groups encouraged to follow a church-wide teaching pattern of using the sermon series from September-Easter, and then choosing their own subjects
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Preaching continued to be a rich source of discipleship, led by Revd James Dwyer, Revd Gill Taylor, Sue Simpson, Debbie Fox-Webb, and Helen Broadbent as well as Phil Bellamy and Cheryl Dwyer (Authorised Preachers). Series included Gardens of Scripture, Philippians, Mary’s Song, and Samuel
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Sharon Howard and Bridget Wiseman continued to oversee Junior Church, supported by a fantastic team of volunteers. In July 2024 Rebecca Hawes, our Children’s Minister, joined the team. Engagement within schools was grown throughout the year, with an increasing number of assemblies in school and visits to church by the children. Junior Church started moving towards following the same sermon series as used in services Cheryl Dwyer continued to oversee Thrive, our youth group. Members of Thrive are involved across church life, including the co�ee rota, All Age Worship, and more Messy Church continued to flourish, meeting monthly and welcoming an average of 45 children and 24 carers each month for craft, games, Bible stories, and dinner. Messy Church is overseen by Cheryl Dwyer and Rebecca Hawes, with support from a brilliant team
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Leonie Cowlard continued to facilitate Play Café and YouNique, creating small but significant gathering spaces for families in our community
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We held a Deanery Confirmation Service in October, with 15 candidates being baptised and/or confirmed
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A Church Weekend Away in April o�ered the chance for 60 members of the church family to spend time together and with God, deepening faith and growing in discipleship A new Growing Deeper session was started by Helen Broadbent, running on the third Thursday of the month before the midweek Holy Communion service
Prayer
Overseen by Jane Franklin, prayer continued to be a core value of Christ Church, including:
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Creative ways of praying were continued, including a much-valued Prayer Room in Lent picking up on the theme of Gardens of Scripture
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Daily Prayer (Mon-Fri) was held in the Rotunda, along with monthly parish prayers online and an emergency prayer chain and team of confidential intercessors
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Community Prayer regularly gathered leaders from nine local churches to pray for one another and our area
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Prayer takes place formally and informally during the week, in services, within prayer groups, and pastorally
Prayer meetings for local schools
Pastoral Ministry
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The Pastoral Team, under the leadership of Sue Hill, continued to provide excellent pastoral support and develop pastoral care at Christ Church. The Bereavement Visiting
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Team continued to minister to those in the days after loss
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Oasis, our self-help bereavement group, continued to meet three times a month as well as for social events and holidays throughout the year. Oasis regularly welcomes new members and spent some of 2024 preparing to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2025 Prayer for Healing continued to be o�ered at the 9am service on third Sundays, and prayer ministry at the end of the 10.30am service remained a key point of prayer and support. Prayer for Healing and Anointing was introduced on second Sundays at the 10.30am service
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Fellaship (men’s ministry) and Sister Act (women’s ministry) met regularly throughout the year, welcoming a range of speakers from both within and outside the church
Outreach and Evangelism
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The Flackwell Heath Community Pantry continued to be well resourced by donations from the church family and wider village
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We provided 45 School Starter Packs to families with children starting at Carrington and Juniper Hill Schools in September
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Co�ee Stop continued as a registered Warm Space, providing a place of comfort for those struggling with the cost of living. Co�ee Stop remained a key part of Christ Church’s outreach in the community, running weekly during term time and on Wednesdays during school holidays (including the Christmas break)
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Play Café and You-Nique provided regular contact points for families in the wider community, and o�ered a safe space
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Alpha courses were run in partnership with Flackwell Heath Methodist Church Christ Church members were involved with local ministries, including One Can Trust, Wycombe 24/7 Prayer, Wycombe Youth for Christ and Wycombe Homeless Connection. Christ Church continued to support Christian Aid through collection and the plant sale. Our Christmas Gift Service collection went to Wycombe Homeless Connection At the start of 2024 Christ Church was committed to four Mission Partners: Jubilee
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Society (Mongolia), the Albanian Christian Centre (with New Beginnings Children’s Home), Wycombe Youth for Christ, and a ministry in East Africa. During 2024 the ministry supported in East Africa ended, meaning our support for the ministry would need to change. It was agreed to keep some support going into 2025, but at the end of 2024 Christ Church had three ‘active’ Mission Partners. The Mission Partner reviews, undertaken during the year, provided a good platform from which to ask the question ‘what next?’ The mission noticeboard was maintained all year
Other community involvement
Christ Church continued to be an active presence in the life of the community, including:
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Welcoming the parish in for occasional o�ces
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Opening the church building during the week
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Holding the annual Memorial Service in November
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Holding a variety of Christmas services, including the village Christmas on the Heath celebrations
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Leading the village Remembrance Service
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Being an active presence in village schools
Welcoming the Girl Guides, Brownies, and Rainbows for their Christmas service, and hosting Girls Brigade events
Financial Review
With total incoming resources of £241,960 and expenditure of £197,305, the net financial result for the year was excess of receipts over payments. The hard work of stabilising our finances in 2023 was rewarded by a good year in 2024. Major outgoings were the Diocesan Parish Share and the salaries for, by the end of 2024, three members of sta�. All general income was tithed and supported the work of our mission partners.
Reserves Policy
In November 2024 the PCC reviewed the current level of reserves and were happy with the reserves held at around £110,000, which is designed to cover the equivalent of two months’ general running costs and other anticipated expenses. Our reserves policy states our reserves must be no less than £40,000.
Revd James Dwyer
Chair of the Parochial Church Council 24th February 2025
Parochial Church Council of Christ Church, Flackwell Heath Statement of Financial Activities
| for the year ending 31 December | 2024 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | TOTAL FUNDS | TOTAL FUNDS | |||
| Funds | Funds | 2024 | 2023 | |||
| Note | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| INCOMING RESOURCES | ||||||
| Incoming resources from donors | 2(a) | 163,639 | - | 163,639 | 167,166 | |
| Other voluntary incoming resources | 2(b) | 2,483 | 2,483 | 5,003 | ||
| Incoming resources from operating activities: | ||||||
| to further the Council's objects | 2(c) | 12,816 | 12,816 | 16,237 | ||
| to generate funds | 2(d) | 240 | 240 | 120 | ||
| Income from investment | 2(e) | 7,096 | 7,096 | 1,511 | ||
| Other ordinary incoming resources | 2(f) | 24,337 | 31,349 | 55,686 | 34,208 | |
| TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES | 210,611 | 31,349 | 241,960 | 224,245 | ||
| RESOURCES EXPENDED | ||||||
| Grants | 3(a) | 17,316 | 4,956 | 22,272 | 19,708 | |
| Activities relating to the work of the Church | 3(b) | 139,868 | 15,242 | 155,110 | 137,240 | |
| Church Management and Administration | 3(c) | 19,923 | 19,923 | 17,933 | ||
| TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED | 177,107 | 20,198 | 197,305 | 174,881 | ||
| NET MOVEMENTS IN FUNDS | 33,504 | 11,151 | 44,655 | 49,364 | ||
| Balances brought forward at January 1 | 170,148 | 15,131 | 185,279 | 135,915 | ||
| Balances carried forward at December 31 | Balances carried forward at December 31 | 203,652 | 26,282 | 229,934 | 185,279 |
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Statement of Assets and Liabilities at 31 December
2024
==> picture [498 x 121] intentionally omitted <==
----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023
£ £
Monetary Assets
HSBC Current Account 6,689 5,424 2,500 6,006 -6,013
Barclays Account 3,849 4,317 0 5,110 1,175
HSBC Deposit Account 20,216 71,508 104,981
1 year bond 120,000 85,000 85,000
90 day notice account 62,000
Cash 94 310 136
229,934 185,279
----- End of picture text -----
Debtors
There are no debtors.
Creditors
There are no creditors
Liabilities
There are no liabilities
Moveable Church Furnishings
Moveable church furnishings are valued at £0.00 for accounting purposes.
Non-Monetary Assets
Assorted gardening implements and shed – valued at £0.00 for accounting purposes. The PCC owns assorted dvds, books and office equipment – valued at £0.00 for accounting purposes
| Funds Statement Balance Restricted Funds Relief 490 Community Pantry 23,102 Designated Funds Hardship Fund 878 Schools Support 1,963 Oasis 11,674 General Fund 109,868 Development Fund 81,959 Total 229,934 0.00 Represented by :- HSBC Current Account 6,006 Barclays Account 5,110 HSBC Deposit Account 71,508 1 year bond 85,000 90 day notice account 62,000 Cash 310 Total 229,934 |
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Parochial Church Council of Christ Church, Flackwell Heath Notes to the Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2024
In previous years Designated and Restricted Funds were shown in a combined column. As Designated Funds are unrestricted they are now shown in the Unrestricted column
| 2 INCOMING RESOURCES Unrestricted Funds 2(a) Incoming resources from donors £ Planned giving: Gift Aid donations 108,584 Other planned giving 7,864 Income tax recoverable 30,070 Loose plate collections 5,441 Other Gift Aid donations 7,396 Other donations 4,284 163,639 2(b) Other voluntary incoming resources Donations to costs/expenses 1,483 One off Grants 1,000 Legacies - 2,483 2(c) Incoming resources from operating activities: to further the Council's objects Bible Notes & Events 3,300 Church Centre lettings 9,220 Fees for weddings etc 296 Other - 12,816 2(d) Incoming resources from operating activities: to generate funds Other funds generated 240 240 2(e) Income from investment Bank and deposit account interest 7,096 7,096 2(f) Other ordinary incoming resources Special collections - Community Pantry Schools Support 3,310 Use of photocopier 126 Oasis 13,673 Cash Floats (eg. Coffee Stop) 7,228 24,337 Total Incoming Resources 210,611 |
Restricted Funds £ - 5,606 25,743 - 31,349 31,349 |
2024 2023 108,584 88,956 7,864 8,200 30,070 30,602 5,441 6,827 7,396 25,263 4,284 7,318 163,639 167,166 1,483 1,003 1,000 - - 4,000 2,483 5,003 3,300 6,145 9,220 8,972 296 1,120 - - 12,816 16,237 240 120 240 120 7,096 1,511 7,096 1,511 5,606 1,638 25,743 23,285 3,310 126 198 13,673 1,735 7,228 7,352 55,686 34,208 241,960 224,245 TOTAL FUNDS |
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| 3 RESOURCES EXPENDED 3(a) Grants Missionary societies Relief and development Home mission Special collections Other 3(b) Activities relating to the work of the Church Ministry: Diocesan Parish Share Clergy expenses Sanctuary Music Junior Church/Youth Materials/books/services Childrens Minister Church running expenses Church repairs/maintenance Church Centre costs Bible Notes & Events Cash Floats (eg. Coffee Stop) Oasis Community Pantry Schools Support Training Families/Parenting Improvements 3(c) Church Management and Administration Printing and stationery Administrator salary & related costs Office/administration TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED |
Unrestricted Funds £ 16,716 - 600 - - 17,316 83,917 2,568 251 854 671 1,091 5,257 8,870 2,301 6,243 2,231 5,647 5,993 3,347 80 9,321 1,226 139,868 2,677 15,409 1,837 19,923 177,107 |
Restricted Funds £ - - 4,956 4,956 15,242 15,242 20,198 |
0 2024 2023 16,716 17,470 - - 600 600 4,956 1,638 - - 22,272 19,708 83,917 86,488 2,568 1,475 251 345 854 667 671 648 1,091 383 5,257 8,870 8,904 2,301 1,755 6,243 6,214 2,231 2,177 5,647 6,179 5,993 657 15,242 9,370 3,347 80 34 9,321 11,465 1,226 479 155,110 137,240 2,677 3,325 15,409 13,373 1,837 1,235 19,923 17,933 197,305 174,881 TOTAL FUNDS |
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Independent examiner's report to the PCC of Christ Church, Flackwell Heath
This report on the financial statements of the PCC for the year ended 31st December 2024 which are set out on pages 1 to 4 is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with the Church Account Regulations 2006 ("the regulations") and section 43 of the Charities Act 1993 ("the act").
Respective responsibilities of the PCC and the Independent Examiner
The PCC is responsible for the preparation of the accounts and considers that an audit is not required for this year and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to issue this report on those financial statements in accordance with the terms of the regulations
Basis of this Independent Examiner's Statement
This examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. It includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the PCC concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in a full audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts
Independent Examiner's Statement
In connection with my examination, no matters have come to my attention:
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which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements • to keep accounting records
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to prepare accounts which accord with these accounting records have not been met;
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to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached
Mr Ian Bickerstaffe 17 Ash Close Walters Ash High Wycombe HP14 4TR
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