## **The Parish Church** ## **of** ## **St Mary the Virgin Davyhulme** ## **Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31 December 2023** **Presented to the Annual Parochial Church Meeting 22 May 2024** 1 ||**Contents**|**Page**| |---|---|---| |1. Address and Contact Details||3| |2. Governance||3| |3. Membership of the Parochial Church Council 2023-24||3| |4. Elected to the Deanery Synod for the Triennium 2023-26||3| |5. Elected to the PCC for 3 years||4| |6. Other Appointments and Positions||4| |7. Foundation Governors of St Mary CE Primary School||5| |8. Vision Statement||5| |9. Aims, Objectives and Activities||5| |10.
PCC Meetings||7| |11.
Risks||7| |12.
Policies and Procedures||7| |13.
Achievements and performance||7| |14.
Electoral Roll Officer Report||8| |15.
Treasurer’s Report||8| |16.
Deanery Synod Report||9| |17.
Report of Safeguarding Officer||10| |18.
Wardens’ Notes||11| |19.
Clergy Notes||13| 2 # **2023 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Davyhulme** ## **Address and contact details** **Church St Mary the Virgin, Davyhulme Road Davyhulme Manchester M41 7BU** **Postal address 13 Vicarage Road Davyhulme Manchester M41 5TP** **Telephone 0161 748 2210** **Website: https://www.stmarysdavyhulme.org/** ## **Governance** The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC of St Mary the Virgin, Davyhulme, has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. During the period of interregnum from December 2021, this responsibility was transferred to the sequestrators, namely the Area Dean, Rev Nick Watson, together with the church wardens, Mrs Fiona Jones and Mrs Yvonne Mackereth. The appointment of PCC members is governed by and set out in the Church Representation Rules 2020. ## **Membership of the Parochial Church Council 2023 – 2024** ## **Ex-Officio** Revd Dr Simon Wright Assistant Curate Mrs Fiona Jones Churchwarden, Children’s Church Co-ordinator Mrs Yvonne Mackereth Churchwarden, Vice-Chair of the PCC, representative Deanery Synod and Diocesan Synod, Chair of the House of Laity. ## **Elected to Deanery Synod for the Triennium 2023- 2024** Mrs Sue Wright Representative on Deanery Synod Mrs Yvonne Mackereth Vice- chair of PCC, Church Warden, PCC Secretary, Mrs Liz Spencer Representative on Deanery Synod, Safeguarding coordinator Mrs Viv Ward Representative on Deanery Synod Vacancy 3 ## **Elected to the PCC for 3 years** Mrs Andrea Shepherd (02/05.2023) Mrs Barbara Miller (02/05/2023) Mrs Joanne Hardy (02/05/2023) Ms Karen Iddon (02/05/2023) Mrs Niki Taylor (11/05/2022) Mrs Sue McGrane (11/05/2022) Mr Simon Orr (11/05/2022) Mr Andrew Spencer (11/05/2022) Mr Robert Brookes (11/05/2022) Ms Michelle Partington (11/05/2022) Mr Peter Williams (24/05/2021) Mr William Boxford (24/05/2021) GDPR Officer Mr Glyn Chatterton (24/05/2021) (Regular) Manager ## Church Treasurer Deputy Church Warden, Electoral roll officer Deputy Church Warden Deputy Church Warden, Church Hall Lettings ## **Other Appointments and Positions.** Honorary Assistant Curate Treasurer Gift Aid Officer Father Chris Waddleton Mrs Niki Taylor Mrs Yvonne Mackereth ## **Eucharistic Assistants** As from December 2022 Mrs Shirley Artus Mr David Shepherd Mrs Andrea Shepherd Mr Andrew Spencer Mrs Irene Hegg Mr Philip Hegg Mrs Sue Waddleton Mr Simon Orr Mrs Yvonne Mackereth Mrs Carol Davies 4 Church Organist Mr Andy Penzak Monthly Newsletter Editor Mrs Yvonne Mackereth Church Hall Lettings (Casual) Manager Mrs Angela May Church Hall Lettings (Regular) Manager Mr Glyn Chatterton Co-ordinator for Church Flowers Mrs Elsie Firth Children’s Church Co-ordinators Mrs Fiona Jones Mrs Joanne Hardy Mrs Angela May Website and ACNY Editor Mrs Fiona Jones Independent Examiner Burton and Company (Accountants) Bookkeeper Mr Colin Wilkinson GDPR Officer Mr Will Boxford Health & Safety/ Dis Access officer Mr David Shepherd ## **Foundation Governors of St. Mary’s CE Primary School** Rev Nick Watson (ex-officio), Mrs Yvonne Mackereth (Diocese), Mrs Karen Wilkinson (retired June 2023), Mr Andrew Jarman (Chair of Governors), Mrs Jennie Jones, Mrs Melanie Burden, Mr Will Boxford, Miss Karen Iddon (from November 2023), Vacancy. ## **Vision Statement** The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Davyhulme is a sacred place - of quiet for prayer and mediation - for worship - for fellowship - for community outreach - and a focal point for the community ## **Aims and Objectives and Activities** The PCC (Powers) measure 1956 states that a PCC ‘is to co-operate with the minister in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.’ The Mission Statement of this parish is to be a growing, serving and nurturing church at the heart of the local community. The PCC is committed to: - encouraging more people to become disciples of Christ, - enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church, - growing the church community across all age groups and backgrounds to become part of our parish community at St Mary - further developing links with our church school The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and makes suggestions on how our services can involve the many groups that live within our parish. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and Scripture, music and sacrament. 5 When planning our activities for the year, we have considered the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the supplementary guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. In particular, we try to enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through: - Worship and prayer; learning about the gospel; developing their knowledge and trust in Jesus. - Provision of pastoral care for people living in the parish, noting that this provision has been limited during the interregnum. - Missionary and outreach work, again limited in the past year. To facilitate this work, it is important that we maintain the fabric of the Parish Church of St Mary. This has been achieved again this year despite the increasing costs involved and the slight reduction in income from regular giving and other sources. However, through the generosity of parishioners, legacies and from grants, we have been able to renew the whole heating system in church. ## **Pastoral Care** Helping and keeping in contact with others is a demonstration of our faith. During the year we have kept in touch with many members of our church community with the support of Rev Simon Wright, Father Chris Waddleton, Area Dean Rev Nick Watson and clergy from the Mission Community. Throughout the year we have done this by: - Visits and contacts by the clergy in time of need - Monthly newsletters emailed or hand delivered. - House visits - Regular prayer - An afternoon service for those who find the morning service hard to access. - The parish website and A Church Near You web site. - Mission Community prayer group and prayer walk - Social media - Gardening group - Social activities - Home Eucharist - Children’s church through our Sunday morning worship, occasional afternoon services, Family gatherings for Good Friday, Summer Bug hunt, parish events. ## **Charity support** Throughout the year we have been able to offer our church as a collection point for donations for Stretford food bank and The Toy House, Flixton. We held a Christingle service in January with a donation of over £300 sent to The Children’s Society. Our Harvest Festival collection went to Streford food bank (we also do a weekly collection at the back of church).The donations from our Toy Service were distributed to local families by The Toy House. A huge Thank You to the many who have faithfully supported all our charitable activities during the past year. Monetary donations were also sent to Stretford Food Bank and The Christie. ## **Thank you** None of the work of this parish is possible without the help of volunteers who offer many, many hours of expertise and time to enable the church to function and grow. 6 It is not possible to name all our volunteers, but particular thanks are given to Elsie and Frank Firth for all they do, to the warden team, the PCC, the sidespeople, the gardening team, John, Glynn and many more plus Simon Orr and the gardening, lawn and icy weather gritting teams. Thank you especially to Elsie for keeping the church so clean on a week to week basis and for making sure that all everything is in order for every service. The PCC employ a company to clean the church hall on a weekly basis and rely on church hall users to clean and tidy after any individual use of the hall. ## **Risks** All risks are managed with the support of the parish Health and Safety Officer and reviewed / actioned by the PCC. The relevant Risk Assessments are reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis. Fire alarms, lightening conductor, electrical installations and boilers are inspected and maintained on a regular basis. ## **Policies and Procedures** As the PCC has ultimate responsibility for the implementation of a wide range of actions. To support this policies and procedures have been developed and updated as required. These are available to view ……. ## **PCC Meetings** There were 10 meetings of the PCC in 2023. Attendance of PCC members at these meetings was good overall by the majority of PCC members. The follow were among the major issues discussed during the year: - Maintenance of the buildings including roof repairs, lighting and cleaning of gutters. - Renewal of the church heating system, faculty application and fundraising for same - Annual accounts, finance, parish share - Sharing the Common Cup at the Eucharist - Eco church - Fund raising and social events - Diocesan / deanery updates - Church hall rental - Ingress of water in church hall corridor and insurance claim - Interregnum and appointment - The local Mission Community - PCC policies ## **Achievements and performance** ## **Worship and prayer** We have been able to continue to offer worship both on a Sunday and during the week for our church community of all ages. For example, Wednesday morning Eucharist provides a quieter and reflective environment for worship. The monthly Sunday afternoon Eucharist, for those who find accessing a morning service more difficult, continues with music provided by Andy and Elaine to enhance our worship time together. We care also delighted to welcome our church school to worship with us. Key stage 2 pupils join the Wednesday morning service once a month, class by class; pupils visit for Experience Christmas and Easter and end of term worship is held in church three times a year, expertly led by Year 6 pupils. 7 Family worship has continued each Sunday, led mainly by Fiona, Angela and Joanne, thank you all. We have a small group of families who attend regularly and who delight us with examples of their learning. Our Lent and Advent groups met in church this year led by Dr Simon and Father Chris. The services at festivals, especially Easter and Christmas, have been busy. We even managed a candlelit carol service in the church hall (no heating in church!). As well as our regular services, we enable our community to celebrate and thank God at the milestones of the journey through life. Through baptism we thank God for the gift of life; in marriage, public vows are exchanged with God's blessing; through funeral services friends and family express their grief and give thanks for the life that is now complete in this world and commend the person into God's safe keeping. All this has been done during this interregnum. We offer huge thanks to Father Chris and Dr Simon for presiding at our worship, their pastoral care, leadership and faithful loving support over the past two and a half years. We have also been supported by our Area Dean, Rev Nick Watson, and local clergy to lead worship during holiday periods and to conduct funerals and weddings. We also offer our grateful thanks to our ‘music team’ of Andy and Elaine who have accompanied every service for us over the year and greatly enhanced our worship. We very much look forward to welcoming Rev Matthew, Emily and their children this spring as Rev Matthew begins his ministry at St Mary and St Clement. We continue to grow in faith as a church family and extend our love and outreach to our local community. ## **The Parish Hall** The church hall provides an important part of our outreach to the local community We offer our hall for hire for parties and additional regular users. This provides not only a very helpful source of income but forms part of the parish outreach to the community. We have seen an increase in the number of one-off church hall lettings. We would like to thank Angela May for managing the casual church hall lettings, Glyn Chatterton for managing the regular lettings and all those who open up and lock up after the weekend parties. **Yvonne Mackereth Fiona Jones Church wardens** ## **Electoral Roll Officer’s report** At present there are 224 people on the church electoral roll as of 2 April 2024, 11 of whom are not resident within the parish. Six names were added during the year and 16 were removed due to bereavement. **Sue McGrane** **Electoral Roll Officer** ## **Treasurer’s report** The accounts for the year ending 31 December 2023 show an increase of £34,124 in the General Fund, following the Independent Examination of the accounts carried out carried out by Burton and Company (Accountants) Ltd. This is a positive increase on the previous year. Income has significantly increased in many ways. Donations and Collections amounted to £78,750. Church hall rental income has increased to £19,021 for parties and regular hirers. Fees from 8 weddings, funerals and internment of ashes also increased by £6,044. Gift Aid Tax recoverable for the year amounted to £12,843, an important source of income. Many thanks to all those who maintained their regular giving. We also received £13,000 from two legacies. We received Grants totalling £8,951 towards our new heating costs. Interest on our savings amounted to £657. Expenditure on repairs and maintenance in 2023 amounted to £58,458.50, which included £54,814.50 for the new heating system. To help with the cost of the new heating system we received an interest free loan of £20,000 for 3 years from the Diocese. We also received 4 x £1,000 loans from members of our congregation which were repaid in full in December 2023. We repaid £10,000 of our interest free loan back to the Diocese in March 2024 and are due to pay the first instalment in September 2024. I would like to thank everyone who gave donations, loans and organised fundraising events for the new heating system. This year our Parish Share was set at £56,181.60, towards this sum we received £1,248.48 (incentive payment for paying share in full each quarter in 2022) from the Diocese and we were able to pay the remaining balance of £54,933.12 in full. Fund raising activities for the year amounted to £4,758. I would particularly like to thank Colin Wilkinson for doing all the bookkeeping and also thank Yvonne Mackereth for all the gift aiding and for supporting me in so many ways and to Fiona Jones for all the many things she does as well. Also, thanks to Glyn helping me every week to count the money ready to be banked. No members of the PCC have received any payments apart from certified expenses. PCC Accounts are held as follows:- Current Account and Savings Account Co-operative plc. CBF Deposit Account CCLA Management 80 Cheapside, London **Niki Taylor Treasurer** ## **Report of Deanery Synod 2023** In the Church of England a deanery is a group of parishes forming a district within an archdeaconry. This parish may have five representatives on Deanery Synod. These representatives are also PCC members. This provides the PCC with an important link between the parish and the wider structures of the Church. This parish is part of Manchester South and Stretford Deanery. Our Area Dean is Rev Nick Watson, the Lay Chair is Canon Addy Lazz-Onyenobi. St Mary parish also forms part of a Mission Community together with St Michael, St Clement, St John, Christ Church, All Saints and St Matthew parishes. During 2023 the Deanery Synod met 3 times. Items for discussion at synod included the election of deanery officers, Eco church, Energy Footprint Tool, Parish Share, closure of the Deanery bank account, ManDio Growing Faith, Dementia Friendly church and Focal Leadership. Reports were received from each Diocesan Synod meeting during the year. 9 We look forward to continuing to work alongside colleagues both in the deanery and the local Mission Community. ## **Yvonne Mackereth** ## **Deanery Secretary** ## **Report of Safeguarding Co-ordinator** Each Parochial Church Council, together with the parish priest, shares the responsibility for the duty of care of the children and young people and adults at risk in their church setting. Each PCC must be fully aware of, and work in line with, the Diocesan Policy on Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk. The Parish Safeguarding Co-ordinator is appointed by the PCC annually and is responsible for ensuring that - The Parish Policy is reviewed, updated and adopted by the PCC on an annual basis - The Parish Policy is widely available to organisations using the facilities of the church. - That all volunteers go through the appropriate recruitment process in conjunction with the PCC and parish priest; including DBS process. - That volunteers have met the requirement to undertake basic child safeguarding training, and to maintain a record of those who have completed this training. - To monitor the implementation of Parish Policy and report to the PCC any difficulties in doing so. In line with Diocesan guidance, a DBS check has been done for all members of this PCC as the PCC have overall responsibility for safeguarding within the parish. DBS clearance should be renewed every 5 years. All volunteers are required to complete online training and attend a training update. This has been delivered locally within the deanery. In addition all clergy are required to have a DBS check completed by the Diocese and attend regular safeguarding training. As part of good practice, safeguarding of both children and adults who may be at risk, is a standing item on the PCC agenda. In this way the PCC are kept up to date with any issues or policy and document changes such as recruitment procedures and training. The Diocese of Manchester, in line with best practice, has a Safeguarding Board. Details of this can be found on the Diocesan website. The Safeguarding board develop policies and procedures for safeguarding children and adults and promote a safe church. However, safeguarding is not just the business of the PCC or the Diocese, it is the role of all of us to help to safeguard everyone who attends or is connected with this church. I am always happy to answer questions related to policy and practice and any safeguarding issues should be brought to the direct attention of myself. Once again, I would like to thank all those helpers who willingly complete the required DBS formalities and any required training. This is a further indication of the seriousness that is placed on Safeguarding within this church and the wider church. There have been no child protection issues at St Mary during the past year. A list of relevant contact names and address for Safeguarding may be found on notice boards in church and in the church hall. Safeguarding posters in the Church have recently been updated as have contact details for external agencies who can offer support. **Liz Spencer Safeguarding Coordinator** 10 ## **Warden’s notes 2023** Throughout the year the wardens and team have continued to work together with the PCC and many other volunteers to care for the building and fabrics of the church and grounds. The inventory, including photographs, was checked and edited during the year. PAT testing, lightning conductor tests, fire extinguishers checks, electrical wiring and heating safety checks were all carried out. The Quinquennial inspection was revisited in September 2023 ( follow up to the November 2022 report that wasn’t completed by the Architect). Various issues were raised, grouped into immediate and in the future. The immediate issues were the roof repairs, which were already aware of, and the planned work. In addition some emergency roof works both on the hall gable above the fire exit and play garden area and broken tiles on the vicar’s vestry roof. These repairs were done in December 2023. Quotes for further roof work have been obtained and funding / grants will be sought in 2024 to complete this work. There was a major ingress of water in the hallway entrance during a storm in June. Work was carried out on the flat roof and insurance assessors worked with us for both drying out and internal decoration which is scheduled to be completed in Spring 2024 Some maintenance work to the roof and gutters was done. Lighting has been upgraded in the hall and vestry; lights are being replaced with LED units wherever possible. The two vicar’s vestries were re painted. A new fridge was purchased for the kitchen. Our major project in 2023 was the new heating system for the church. In May 2023 the PCC agreed to the replacement of the 20 year old church boiler and the Victorian heating system with a new Eco Friendly system. Yvonne led funding grants and appeals with the support of the PCC in this major decision, and coordinated contractor research, Faculty application and liaising with the many people involved. We are very grateful for all her work. Many people helped this project with their support, prayers and financial contributions. Much extra cleaning was done by Elsie to get ready for each Sunday as the work was in progress. The work took place across September and October, and we welcomed many to a warm church for services and events in November and December. Very many thanks to all involved in any way in this project. We are always grateful for the extra help that our congregation members bring. Many small jobs are quietly carried out over the year both inside the building and outside. Cleaning, tidying, recycling, ordering of service and stationery items and more. A thank you to all those helping when they can behind the scenes. In the church grounds we are grateful to a volunteer who relaid paving bricks near the front door. In October we had a donation to buy a new lawnmower, so desperately needed for our large grass areas. Another member donated the gritting salt for those cold frosty mornings. We thank Andy and Elaine who continue to add a musical spiritual side to our worship. We enjoyed the formation of a pop up choir for our Carols by Candlelight service and thank them for their wonderful contribution that evening. Hopefully they will be with us at more services in the future. Throughout 2023, during this period of Interregnum, Elsie and Frank have ably supported services, cleaned the church regularly including the silver and brasses. They do a significant amount of ‘back-room’ work for which we thank them enormously and which has helped navigate the continuing interregnum smoothly. Our sides-people have welcomed our congregation and visitors to regular and life event services and often wear more than one hat being on tea duty, transport lifts, epistle reading and intercessions. Thank you to all who help in any way in all these roles. We are fortunate to have large grounds surrounding our church, but these take some looking after. Our thanks to the 2 or 3 volunteers who help with gardening (more volunteers always welcome), and to Elsie and Frank who keep the Garden of Remembrance grounds so neat and 11 tidy. Our thanks to Simon Orr who organizes the gritting and lawn mower teams. Thank you to Martin who comes to the rescue when the lawn mower breaks down. All these rotas and maintenance helpers enable the grounds to be kept neat and safe for visitors. Each week sees visitors walking through the grounds for quiet reflection and visits to the Garden of Remembrance. In addition the small vegetable and fruit area is enjoyed by The Earlybirds nursery, our young families and then by anyone who gets fresh produce from it in the growing season. Our outside display shed has been reroofed by a volunteer and has seasonal displays and notices. Thanks to the young families who have helped set it up for events such as Easter, Coronation, Harvest, Christmas. Throughout 2023 we ran a Warm Welcome space event most Thursday afternoons. This was appreciated by those who attended, and we were joined once a month by local councillors. However numbers were very small and were mainly from our regular congregation. By the end of 2023 the PCC felt it was difficult to continue as it was not meeting the needs we had planned for. Those who have come are part of our network and will continue to be included in other activities. Glyn brought the sessions to a lovely close with a 4 course Christmas dinner. Out thanks to him and his daughter for a wonderful meal and friendship time. Our social gatherings this year brought together friendships and the wider community in fundraising for the heating works plus a charity event for Ukraine with our Band in Residence, The Sweet Rhythm Big Band, and other social gatherings this year. March - coffee morning; May - Eurovision party in the pews for the heating appeal and Ukraine appeal; Coronation picnic June - Summer music evening with Andy and Elaine; September - Gala dinner evening and ‘Hymns and Hers’ music evening. October - we supported Sue in her half marathon run for our heating fund. October- fabric sale and coffee morning with thanks to Bridget for all her fabrics November -Christmas Fair organised by Elsie and her team. The hall is used very regularly and Glyn (regular bookings) Angela (casual bookings) work hard to ensure all bookings are carefully managed covering insurance and Health and Safety requirements. We thank them both for all their hard work. The cleaning of the hall is by paid for cleaners (covered by church hall income). The heavy use the hall receives shows on wear and tear, but our volunteers keep a check that all is are safe for public use. We are delighted to announce that just before Christmas we were awarded the Silver Eco Award. So many people have worked towards this at home and in the church community. The research and coordination of our heating project has resulted in us halving our carbon footprint and our parish energy is from a green supplier. We bank with the Co-op, an ethical bank, our grounds continue to be cared for with native plants, fruit trees and vegetables with a small team, donations of plants and our children’s and uniformed groups helping with bug hotels and bird feeding. A congregation member took part in a climate consultation with Trafford, and we have links with our church school Eco team . All of this has been alongside worship, hymns and prayer in services , shared on line and in newsletters and in family eco activity days. A particular thanks for the 'fiddly recycling' when we keep items separate at our after church tea / biscuit times and after functions and then take it home to our own bins, for the car sharing, candle recycling, walking and cycling and all each of you do in your own way to care for God’s World and in helping nature to re build for the climate for generations to come. All our efforts for Eco work also help us monitor the fabric and condition of the church buildings and grounds too. This past year has been a huge team effort. Our very special thanks are extended to Father Chris and Dr Simon who have led ministry and worship during the year. Not just our Wednesday and Sunday mornings but also the monthly Sunday afternoon Eucharist services, the afternoon Christingle service in January, the prayer walk in September, the afternoon children’s services in June (Eco), the early evening crib service in December and study groups for Lent and 12 Advent . We look forward with hope and faith as Rev Matthew Carlisle and his family join us in 2024. This has also been a challenging year from a financial perspective but very positive as we end the year. Our grateful thanks are extended to Niki Taylor who has supported us in managing the financial affairs of the church, including the move to the Co-operative Bank. So much work goes on behind the scenes and especially as we have continued to negotiate the interregnum and we are grateful for the support of our Area Dean, Rev Nick Watson. Thank you, each and every one of you for your part in continuing the work of our parish. New faces have joined us throughout the year, and we also have special memories of longstanding faithful members who have made their last special journey to ‘Rise in Glory’. Thanks to all of you, our parishioners and friends, worshipping together and supporting each other be at home or in church under the loving arms of our Lord. As we move forward in new times in 2024 may we all continue to pray and work together to reach out as a mission community to the wider world. ## **Fiona Jones Yvonne Mackereth Churchwardens** ## **Clergy Report.** We can look back on the last year with a certain amount of satisfaction. Although we remained in vacancy, we maintained all our services, had our usual Lenten and Advent courses, and of course renewed our heating system. The majority of the services were led by Chris and me. Speaking personally this have been a great honour and a joy and I know Chris feels the same. We have been very ably helped by the laity especially Yvonne and Fiona the church wardens and their excellent teams. Chris and I would like to thank all of you for your continued support and help. Also thank you to Elsie and Frank who make the vestry run smoothly despite my best efforts. We have been well supported by local clergy, but I think special mention should go to the Rev Debie Blair and Rev Nick Watson. Also, thanks to Andy and Elaine for their continuing contribution to our music at St Mary’s, both sacred and secular. We held another confirmation service during the year and look forward to strengthening our relationship with our school. Children’s church is growing and their special events-the Eco-service, Christingle etc have been very well attended. We have a lot to look forward to in the coming year. A new incumbent, a confirmation service, our increasingly green approach in our daily parish life, a growing children’s church, a thriving music and social scene and a feeling of welcome and generosity generally. Let’s enter the next phase of our joint pilgrimage with true Christian hope, giving God the Glory. ## **Rev Dr Simon Wright Father Chris Waddleton** 13 Assistant Curate Honorary Assistant Curate 14 ## _**Parish of St Mary the Virgin Davyhulme Parochial Church Council**_ _**Annual Parochial Church Meeting 2024**_ ## _**Accounts**_ _**For the Year Ended 31st December 2023**_ ## **The Parochial Church Council of St Mary The Virgin Davyhulme** ## **Accounts for the Year Ended 31st December 2023** ## **CONTENTS** ||**PAGE**| |---|---| |Accountant and Independent Examiner's Report|1| |Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31st December 2023|2| |Balance Sheet as at 31st December 2023|3| |Notes to the Accounts|4-9| |Appendix 1|10| |Appendix 2|11| ## **The Parochial Church Council of St Mary The Virgin Davyhulme** ## **Accountant and Independent Examiner's Report** ## **Accounts for the Year Ended 31st December 2023** We report on the accounts of the church for the year ended 31st December 2023, which are set out on pages 1 to 10. The trustees of the church are responsible for the preparation of the accounts and accounting records. The church's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 (2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. ## **Independent Examiner's Report** It is our responsibility to: a) Examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act b) Follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act c) State whether particular matters have come to our attention. Our examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts prepared with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures made in the accounts, and seeking explanations concerning any unusual matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently we do not provide an opinion as to whether the accounts show a true and fair view. The report is accordingly limited to the matters set out in the statement below: In connection with our examination, no matters have come to our attention which: - a) Give us reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with s130 of the 2011 Act, or to prepare accounts which accord with these accounting records and comply with the 2011 Act have not been met. - b) To which, in our opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. **Burton and Company (Accountants) Ltd 76 Davyhulme Road, Urmston, Manchester. M41 7DN 22/03/2024** 1 ## **The Parochial Church Council of St Mary The Virgin Davyhulme** ## **Accounts for the Year Ended 31st December 2023** ## **Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31st December 2023** |**2022**
**£**
**INCOME**
**Note**
73,083
Voluntary Income
2a
3,353
Activities for generating funds
2b
57
Income from Investments
2c
28,420
Church Activities
2d
2,270
Other Income
2e
107,183
**TOTAL INCOME**
**EXPENDITURE**
355
Grants and Charitable Giving
3a
101,669
Church Activities
3b
102,024
**TOTAL EXPENDITURE**
5,159
**NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) FOR THE YEAR**
Transfer between funds in the year
38,303
**TOTAL FUNDS BROUGHT FORWARD**
**43,462**
**TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD**|**2023**
**£**
91,593
4,758
657
25,065
21,951
144,024
2,487
107,412
109,900
34,124
48,527
**82,651**|**General**
**Funds**
**£**
89,602
4,758
657
25,065
21,951
142,033
907
107,008
107,915
34,118
6
48,527
**82,651**|**Restricted**
**Funding**
**£**
1,991
-
0
0
0
1,991
1,580
405
1,985
6
(6)
0
**0**| |---|---|---|---| 2 **The Parochial Church Council of St Mary The Virgin Davyhulme** ## **Accounts for the Year Ended 31st December 2023** ## **Balance Sheet as at 31st December 2023** |**2022**
**Total**
**£**
5,000
0
4,961
15,060
21,153
3,555
39,768
(1,202)|**Note**
**£**
**FIXED ASSETS**
8
Land and Buildings
Heating System
Fixtures and Equipment
9,961
**CURRENT ASSETS**
Short Term Deposit
9
Other Cash and Bank Balances
9
Debtors and Prepayments
10
**CURRENT LIABILITIES**
Creditors and Accruals
11
38,566
**NET CURRENT ASSETS**
**48,527**
**TOTAL NET ASSETS**
**TOTAL FUNDS (UNRESTRICTED)**
12/13
48,527
General Fund (Unrestricted)
**48,527**|**2023**
**Total**
**£**
5,000
59,623
4,395
15,736
17,892
3,463
37,091
(23,458)|**£**
69,018
13,633
**82,651**
82,651
**82,651**| |---|---|---|---| Mrs N Taylor Hon Treasurer 3 ## **The Parochial Church Council of St Mary The Virgin Davyhulme** ## **Accounts for the Year Ended 31st December 2023** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS** ## **1. STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTING POLICIES** ## **Accounting Policies** The financial statements have been prepared under the Charities Act (2011) and in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006, Financial Reporting Standard 102, and the 2016 Charities Statement of Recommended Practice. ## **Funds** General funds represent the funds of the PCC that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and are available for application to the general purposes of the PCC. Restricted funds are income funds and reserves that must be spent on restricted purposes and details of those funds are provided in the notes to the accounts. The accounts include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of other Church groups that owe their affiliation to another body or those that are informal gatherings of Church members. ## **Income** Collections, donations and legacies are recognised when received by or on behalf of the PCC. Planned giving receivable under Gift Aid is recognised only when received. Income Tax recoverable on Gift Aid donations is recognised when the income is recognised. Funds raised by fundraising events are accounted for gross. Rental Income from the letting of Church premises is recognised when received. Income from grants is recognised, where possible, in the same accounting year as that for which any related expenditure is payable. Interest and investment income is recognised when received. ## **Expenditure** Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over, or when awarded, if the award creates a binding obligation on the PCC. The Diocesan Parish Share is accounted for when paid, such payments reflecting relief under the Encouragement Scheme. 4 ## **The Parochial Church Council of St Mary The Virgin Davyhulme** ## **Accounts for the Year Ended 31st December 2023** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED)** ## **FIXED ASSETS** ## **Consecrated Property and moveable Church Furnishings** Consecrated and beneficial property of any kind is excluded from the accounts by s10(2)(a) and (c) of the Charities Act 2011. Moveable Church furnishings held by the Vicar and Church Wardens on special trust for the PCC, and which require a Faculty for disposal are accounted for as inalienable property unless consecrated. They are listed in the Church's inventory, which can be inspected at any reasonable time. For inalienable property acquired prior to 2000 there is insufficient information available and therefore such assets are not valued in the accounts. Items acquired since 1 January 2000 have been capitalised and depreciated in the accounts over their currently anticipated useful economic life on a straight line basis. Depreciation is charged at the following rates to write the fixed assets off over their estimated useful economic lives: Church Hall 5% per annum to a minimum book value of £ 5,000 Heating System 10% per annum on the reducing balance basis Fixtures 15% per annum down to a minimum book value of £ 5 Equipment 25% per annum down to a miminum book value of £ 5 5 ## **The Parochial Church Council of St Mary The Virgin Davyhulme** ## **Accounts for the Year Ended 31st December 2023** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED)** ## **2. INCOME** |**2022**
**£**
**2a) Voluntary Income**
50,427
Regular Giving
5,682
Collections at Services
3,971
All Other Giving and Voluntary Receipts
-
including Special Appeals
13,003
Gift Aid Recovered
73,083
Total Voluntary Giving
**2b) Activities for Generating Funds**
3,353
Fund raising activities (note 6)
**2c) Investment Income**
57
Interest received
**2d) Church Activities**
8,192
Fees retained by the PCC
20,228
Trading Activities
28,420
**2e) Other Income**
2,270
Insurance Claim Received
0
Grants
0
Legacy
2,270
**107,183**
**TOTAL INCOME**|**2023**
**£**
39,894
5,126
33,730
-
12,843
91,593
4,758
657
10,006
15,059
25,065
0
8,951
13,000
21,951
**144,024**|**General**
**Funds**
**£**
39,894
5,126
31,739
-
12,843
89,602
4,758
657
10,006
15,059
25,065
0
8,951
13,000
21,951
**142,033**|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**£**
0
0
1,991
-
1,991
-
-
-
-
0
-
-
-
0
**1,991**| |---|---|---|---| 6 ## **The Parochial Church Council of St Mary The Virgin Davyhulme** ## **Accounts for the Year Ended 31st December 2023** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED)** **----- Start of picture text -----**
3. EXPENDITURE
General Restricted
2022 2023 Funds Funds
£ £ £ £
Costs of Generating Funds
0 Costs of Fundraising Activities 0 0 -
0 0 0 0
Church Activities
355 3a) Mission Giving and Donations 2,487 907 1,580
61,150 3b) Diocesan Share 56,182 56,182 -
10,972 3b) Salaries, Wages and Honoraria 11,621 11,621 -
1,946 3b) Clergy and Staff Expenses 0 0 -
3b) Church Expenses
6,028 Church Running Expenses 7,291 6,886 405
8,358 Church Utility Bills 20,236 20,236 -
2,175 Costs of Trading 4,681 4,681 -
3b) Major Capital Expenditure
5,388 Major Repairs to the Church Building 0 - 0
1,260 Major Repairs to the Church Hall 0 0 -
875 Depreciation 7,402 7,402 -
-
3b) Other Expenditure
3,516 Other Expenses not already listed 0 0 -
-
-
- - - -
102,024 109,900 107,915 1,985
102,024 TOTAL EXPENDITURE 109,900 107,915 1,985
**----- End of picture text -----**
7 ## **The Parochial Church Council of St Mary The Virgin Davyhulme** ## **Accounts for the Year Ended 31st December 2023** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED)** ## **4. EMPLOYEES AND EMOLUMENTS** During the year the PCC paid a cleaner, musician and a support worker for sevices rendered. PCC members were directly reimbursed for expenses incurred on its behalf but did not themselves receive any remuneration from Church funds. There was one employee during the year. ## **5. LEGACIES** - In 2023 a legacy was received for the sum of £ 13,000. ## **6. SUMMARY OF FUND RAISING ACTIVITIES** A detailed list of amounts raised is provided as an appendix to these accounts. ## **7. MAJOR REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE** There were no major repairs and maintenance costs incurred in the year. There was a major project in upgrading the heating system, and the costs of this were capitalised and included in the Balance Sheet as capital expenditure. ## **8. FIXED ASSETS** |**Fixtures and**
**Church Hall**
**Equipment**
**Actual/Deemed Cost**
At 1st January 2023
157,123
30,164
Additions
210
Disposals
At 31st December 2023
157,123
30,374
**Depreciation**
At 1st January 2023
152,123
25,203
Charge for the year
776
Eliminated on disposals
At 31st December 2023
152,123
25,979
**Net Book Value at 31st December 2023**
5,000
4,395
**Net Book Value at 31st December 2022**
5,000
4,961|**Heating**
**System**
**Total**
0
187,287
66,249
66,459
66,249
253,746
0
177,326
6,626
7,402
6,626
184,728
59,623
69,018
0
9,961| |---|---| 8 **The Parochial Church Council of St Mary The Virgin Davyhulme** ## **Accounts for the Year Ended 31st December 2023** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED)** |**9. CASH AND BANK BALANCES**
CBF Church of England deposit fund
Co-op Current Account
Cash and Other Bank Balances
**10. DEBTORS AND PREPAYMENTS**
Unrestricted Funds:
Income Tax Recoverable
Insurance Paid in Advance
Sundry debtors and prepayments
**11. CREDITORS AND ACCRUALS**
Sundry Creditors and Accruals
Loan from MDBF|**2023**
**£**
15,736
15,362
2,530
17,892
**2023**
**£**
2,740
0
723
3,463
**2023**
3,458
20,000
23,458|**2022**
**£**
15,060
19,299
1,854
21,153
**2022**
**£**
3,095
0
460
3,555
**2022**
1,202
0
1,202| |---|---|---| 9 ## **The Parochial Church Council of St Mary The Virgin Davyhulme** ## **Accounts for the Year Ended 31st December 2023** ## **SUMMARY OF FUND RAISING ACTIVITIES - 2023** ## **Appendix 1** £ |Proceeds from Marathon Run
Other Music and Social Evening Fundraising
Gala Dinner
Christmas Fair
Other Sundry Fundraising
Less: Costs|1,075
495
2,070
2,545
63
6,248
(1,490)
4,758| |---|---| _These figures are shown for information only and do not form part of the Accoun_ 10 **ST MARYS PCC ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2023 APPENDIX 2 PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT** |**Income**
Donations and Collections
Legacies
Grants
Tax Recoverable
Fund Raising Activities
Interest Received
Fees
Church Hall Income
**Expenditure**
Flowers
Insurance
Donations Paid
Diocesan Parish Share
Communication Costs
Heat, Light and Water
Minor Repairs
Salaries and Honoraria
Cost of Services
Poastage, Stationery, Sundries and IT
Church Hall Running Costs
Total Professional Fees
Bank Charges
Depreciation of Fixed Assets
**Surplus for the Year**|**£**
405
4,144
2,487
56,182
1,024
15,069
3,644
11,621
2,013
423
4,258
1,139
89
7,402|**£**
78,750
13,000
8,951
12,843
4,758
657
6,044
19,021
144,024
(109,900)
**34,124**| |---|---|---| _These figures are shown for information only and do not form part of the Accounts_ 11 ## **The Parish Church** ## **of** ## **St Mary the Virgin Davyhulme** ## **Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31 December 2023** **Presented to the Annual Parochial Church Meeting 22 May 2024** 1 ||**Contents**|**Page**| |---|---|---| |1. Address and Contact Details||3| |2. Governance||3| |3. Membership of the Parochial Church Council 2023-24||3| |4. Elected to the Deanery Synod for the Triennium 2023-26||3| |5. Elected to the PCC for 3 years||4| |6. Other Appointments and Positions||4| |7. Foundation Governors of St Mary CE Primary School||5| |8. Vision Statement||5| |9. Aims, Objectives and Activities||5| |10.
PCC Meetings||7| |11.
Risks||7| |12.
Policies and Procedures||7| |13.
Achievements and performance||7| |14.
Electoral Roll Officer Report||8| |15.
Treasurer’s Report||8| |16.
Deanery Synod Report||9| |17.
Report of Safeguarding Officer||10| |18.
Wardens’ Notes||11| |19.
Clergy Notes||13| 2 # **2023 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin, Davyhulme** ## **Address and contact details** **Church St Mary the Virgin, Davyhulme Road Davyhulme Manchester M41 7BU** **Postal address 13 Vicarage Road Davyhulme Manchester M41 5TP** **Telephone 0161 748 2210** **Website: https://www.stmarysdavyhulme.org/** ## **Governance** The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC of St Mary the Virgin, Davyhulme, has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. During the period of interregnum from December 2021, this responsibility was transferred to the sequestrators, namely the Area Dean, Rev Nick Watson, together with the church wardens, Mrs Fiona Jones and Mrs Yvonne Mackereth. The appointment of PCC members is governed by and set out in the Church Representation Rules 2020. ## **Membership of the Parochial Church Council 2023 – 2024** ## **Ex-Officio** Revd Dr Simon Wright Assistant Curate Mrs Fiona Jones Churchwarden, Children’s Church Co-ordinator Mrs Yvonne Mackereth Churchwarden, Vice-Chair of the PCC, representative Deanery Synod and Diocesan Synod, Chair of the House of Laity. ## **Elected to Deanery Synod for the Triennium 2023- 2024** Mrs Sue Wright Representative on Deanery Synod Mrs Yvonne Mackereth Vice- chair of PCC, Church Warden, PCC Secretary, Mrs Liz Spencer Representative on Deanery Synod, Safeguarding coordinator Mrs Viv Ward Representative on Deanery Synod Vacancy 3 ## **Elected to the PCC for 3 years** Mrs Andrea Shepherd (02/05.2023) Mrs Barbara Miller (02/05/2023) Mrs Joanne Hardy (02/05/2023) Ms Karen Iddon (02/05/2023) Mrs Niki Taylor (11/05/2022) Mrs Sue McGrane (11/05/2022) Mr Simon Orr (11/05/2022) Mr Andrew Spencer (11/05/2022) Mr Robert Brookes (11/05/2022) Ms Michelle Partington (11/05/2022) Mr Peter Williams (24/05/2021) Mr William Boxford (24/05/2021) GDPR Officer Mr Glyn Chatterton (24/05/2021) (Regular) Manager ## Church Treasurer Deputy Church Warden, Electoral roll officer Deputy Church Warden Deputy Church Warden, Church Hall Lettings ## **Other Appointments and Positions.** Honorary Assistant Curate Treasurer Gift Aid Officer Father Chris Waddleton Mrs Niki Taylor Mrs Yvonne Mackereth ## **Eucharistic Assistants** As from December 2022 Mrs Shirley Artus Mr David Shepherd Mrs Andrea Shepherd Mr Andrew Spencer Mrs Irene Hegg Mr Philip Hegg Mrs Sue Waddleton Mr Simon Orr Mrs Yvonne Mackereth Mrs Carol Davies 4 Church Organist Mr Andy Penzak Monthly Newsletter Editor Mrs Yvonne Mackereth Church Hall Lettings (Casual) Manager Mrs Angela May Church Hall Lettings (Regular) Manager Mr Glyn Chatterton Co-ordinator for Church Flowers Mrs Elsie Firth Children’s Church Co-ordinators Mrs Fiona Jones Mrs Joanne Hardy Mrs Angela May Website and ACNY Editor Mrs Fiona Jones Independent Examiner Burton and Company (Accountants) Bookkeeper Mr Colin Wilkinson GDPR Officer Mr Will Boxford Health & Safety/ Dis Access officer Mr David Shepherd ## **Foundation Governors of St. Mary’s CE Primary School** Rev Nick Watson (ex-officio), Mrs Yvonne Mackereth (Diocese), Mrs Karen Wilkinson (retired June 2023), Mr Andrew Jarman (Chair of Governors), Mrs Jennie Jones, Mrs Melanie Burden, Mr Will Boxford, Miss Karen Iddon (from November 2023), Vacancy. ## **Vision Statement** The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Davyhulme is a sacred place - of quiet for prayer and mediation - for worship - for fellowship - for community outreach - and a focal point for the community ## **Aims and Objectives and Activities** The PCC (Powers) measure 1956 states that a PCC ‘is to co-operate with the minister in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.’ The Mission Statement of this parish is to be a growing, serving and nurturing church at the heart of the local community. The PCC is committed to: - encouraging more people to become disciples of Christ, - enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church, - growing the church community across all age groups and backgrounds to become part of our parish community at St Mary - further developing links with our church school The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and makes suggestions on how our services can involve the many groups that live within our parish. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and Scripture, music and sacrament. 5 When planning our activities for the year, we have considered the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the supplementary guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. In particular, we try to enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through: - Worship and prayer; learning about the gospel; developing their knowledge and trust in Jesus. - Provision of pastoral care for people living in the parish, noting that this provision has been limited during the interregnum. - Missionary and outreach work, again limited in the past year. To facilitate this work, it is important that we maintain the fabric of the Parish Church of St Mary. This has been achieved again this year despite the increasing costs involved and the slight reduction in income from regular giving and other sources. However, through the generosity of parishioners, legacies and from grants, we have been able to renew the whole heating system in church. ## **Pastoral Care** Helping and keeping in contact with others is a demonstration of our faith. During the year we have kept in touch with many members of our church community with the support of Rev Simon Wright, Father Chris Waddleton, Area Dean Rev Nick Watson and clergy from the Mission Community. Throughout the year we have done this by: - Visits and contacts by the clergy in time of need - Monthly newsletters emailed or hand delivered. - House visits - Regular prayer - An afternoon service for those who find the morning service hard to access. - The parish website and A Church Near You web site. - Mission Community prayer group and prayer walk - Social media - Gardening group - Social activities - Home Eucharist - Children’s church through our Sunday morning worship, occasional afternoon services, Family gatherings for Good Friday, Summer Bug hunt, parish events. ## **Charity support** Throughout the year we have been able to offer our church as a collection point for donations for Stretford food bank and The Toy House, Flixton. We held a Christingle service in January with a donation of over £300 sent to The Children’s Society. Our Harvest Festival collection went to Streford food bank (we also do a weekly collection at the back of church).The donations from our Toy Service were distributed to local families by The Toy House. A huge Thank You to the many who have faithfully supported all our charitable activities during the past year. Monetary donations were also sent to Stretford Food Bank and The Christie. ## **Thank you** None of the work of this parish is possible without the help of volunteers who offer many, many hours of expertise and time to enable the church to function and grow. 6 It is not possible to name all our volunteers, but particular thanks are given to Elsie and Frank Firth for all they do, to the warden team, the PCC, the sidespeople, the gardening team, John, Glynn and many more plus Simon Orr and the gardening, lawn and icy weather gritting teams. Thank you especially to Elsie for keeping the church so clean on a week to week basis and for making sure that all everything is in order for every service. The PCC employ a company to clean the church hall on a weekly basis and rely on church hall users to clean and tidy after any individual use of the hall. ## **Risks** All risks are managed with the support of the parish Health and Safety Officer and reviewed / actioned by the PCC. The relevant Risk Assessments are reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis. Fire alarms, lightening conductor, electrical installations and boilers are inspected and maintained on a regular basis. ## **Policies and Procedures** As the PCC has ultimate responsibility for the implementation of a wide range of actions. To support this policies and procedures have been developed and updated as required. These are available to view ……. ## **PCC Meetings** There were 10 meetings of the PCC in 2023. Attendance of PCC members at these meetings was good overall by the majority of PCC members. The follow were among the major issues discussed during the year: - Maintenance of the buildings including roof repairs, lighting and cleaning of gutters. - Renewal of the church heating system, faculty application and fundraising for same - Annual accounts, finance, parish share - Sharing the Common Cup at the Eucharist - Eco church - Fund raising and social events - Diocesan / deanery updates - Church hall rental - Ingress of water in church hall corridor and insurance claim - Interregnum and appointment - The local Mission Community - PCC policies ## **Achievements and performance** ## **Worship and prayer** We have been able to continue to offer worship both on a Sunday and during the week for our church community of all ages. For example, Wednesday morning Eucharist provides a quieter and reflective environment for worship. The monthly Sunday afternoon Eucharist, for those who find accessing a morning service more difficult, continues with music provided by Andy and Elaine to enhance our worship time together. We care also delighted to welcome our church school to worship with us. Key stage 2 pupils join the Wednesday morning service once a month, class by class; pupils visit for Experience Christmas and Easter and end of term worship is held in church three times a year, expertly led by Year 6 pupils. 7 Family worship has continued each Sunday, led mainly by Fiona, Angela and Joanne, thank you all. We have a small group of families who attend regularly and who delight us with examples of their learning. Our Lent and Advent groups met in church this year led by Dr Simon and Father Chris. The services at festivals, especially Easter and Christmas, have been busy. We even managed a candlelit carol service in the church hall (no heating in church!). As well as our regular services, we enable our community to celebrate and thank God at the milestones of the journey through life. Through baptism we thank God for the gift of life; in marriage, public vows are exchanged with God's blessing; through funeral services friends and family express their grief and give thanks for the life that is now complete in this world and commend the person into God's safe keeping. All this has been done during this interregnum. We offer huge thanks to Father Chris and Dr Simon for presiding at our worship, their pastoral care, leadership and faithful loving support over the past two and a half years. We have also been supported by our Area Dean, Rev Nick Watson, and local clergy to lead worship during holiday periods and to conduct funerals and weddings. We also offer our grateful thanks to our ‘music team’ of Andy and Elaine who have accompanied every service for us over the year and greatly enhanced our worship. We very much look forward to welcoming Rev Matthew, Emily and their children this spring as Rev Matthew begins his ministry at St Mary and St Clement. We continue to grow in faith as a church family and extend our love and outreach to our local community. ## **The Parish Hall** The church hall provides an important part of our outreach to the local community We offer our hall for hire for parties and additional regular users. This provides not only a very helpful source of income but forms part of the parish outreach to the community. We have seen an increase in the number of one-off church hall lettings. We would like to thank Angela May for managing the casual church hall lettings, Glyn Chatterton for managing the regular lettings and all those who open up and lock up after the weekend parties. **Yvonne Mackereth Fiona Jones Church wardens** ## **Electoral Roll Officer’s report** At present there are 224 people on the church electoral roll as of 2 April 2024, 11 of whom are not resident within the parish. Six names were added during the year and 16 were removed due to bereavement. **Sue McGrane** **Electoral Roll Officer** ## **Treasurer’s report** The accounts for the year ending 31 December 2023 show an increase of £34,124 in the General Fund, following the Independent Examination of the accounts carried out carried out by Burton and Company (Accountants) Ltd. This is a positive increase on the previous year. Income has significantly increased in many ways. Donations and Collections amounted to £78,750. Church hall rental income has increased to £19,021 for parties and regular hirers. Fees from 8 weddings, funerals and internment of ashes also increased by £6,044. Gift Aid Tax recoverable for the year amounted to £12,843, an important source of income. Many thanks to all those who maintained their regular giving. We also received £13,000 from two legacies. We received Grants totalling £8,951 towards our new heating costs. Interest on our savings amounted to £657. Expenditure on repairs and maintenance in 2023 amounted to £58,458.50, which included £54,814.50 for the new heating system. To help with the cost of the new heating system we received an interest free loan of £20,000 for 3 years from the Diocese. We also received 4 x £1,000 loans from members of our congregation which were repaid in full in December 2023. We repaid £10,000 of our interest free loan back to the Diocese in March 2024 and are due to pay the first instalment in September 2024. I would like to thank everyone who gave donations, loans and organised fundraising events for the new heating system. This year our Parish Share was set at £56,181.60, towards this sum we received £1,248.48 (incentive payment for paying share in full each quarter in 2022) from the Diocese and we were able to pay the remaining balance of £54,933.12 in full. Fund raising activities for the year amounted to £4,758. I would particularly like to thank Colin Wilkinson for doing all the bookkeeping and also thank Yvonne Mackereth for all the gift aiding and for supporting me in so many ways and to Fiona Jones for all the many things she does as well. Also, thanks to Glyn helping me every week to count the money ready to be banked. No members of the PCC have received any payments apart from certified expenses. PCC Accounts are held as follows:- Current Account and Savings Account Co-operative plc. CBF Deposit Account CCLA Management 80 Cheapside, London **Niki Taylor Treasurer** ## **Report of Deanery Synod 2023** In the Church of England a deanery is a group of parishes forming a district within an archdeaconry. This parish may have five representatives on Deanery Synod. These representatives are also PCC members. This provides the PCC with an important link between the parish and the wider structures of the Church. This parish is part of Manchester South and Stretford Deanery. Our Area Dean is Rev Nick Watson, the Lay Chair is Canon Addy Lazz-Onyenobi. St Mary parish also forms part of a Mission Community together with St Michael, St Clement, St John, Christ Church, All Saints and St Matthew parishes. During 2023 the Deanery Synod met 3 times. Items for discussion at synod included the election of deanery officers, Eco church, Energy Footprint Tool, Parish Share, closure of the Deanery bank account, ManDio Growing Faith, Dementia Friendly church and Focal Leadership. Reports were received from each Diocesan Synod meeting during the year. 9 We look forward to continuing to work alongside colleagues both in the deanery and the local Mission Community. ## **Yvonne Mackereth** ## **Deanery Secretary** ## **Report of Safeguarding Co-ordinator** Each Parochial Church Council, together with the parish priest, shares the responsibility for the duty of care of the children and young people and adults at risk in their church setting. Each PCC must be fully aware of, and work in line with, the Diocesan Policy on Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk. The Parish Safeguarding Co-ordinator is appointed by the PCC annually and is responsible for ensuring that - The Parish Policy is reviewed, updated and adopted by the PCC on an annual basis - The Parish Policy is widely available to organisations using the facilities of the church. - That all volunteers go through the appropriate recruitment process in conjunction with the PCC and parish priest; including DBS process. - That volunteers have met the requirement to undertake basic child safeguarding training, and to maintain a record of those who have completed this training. - To monitor the implementation of Parish Policy and report to the PCC any difficulties in doing so. In line with Diocesan guidance, a DBS check has been done for all members of this PCC as the PCC have overall responsibility for safeguarding within the parish. DBS clearance should be renewed every 5 years. All volunteers are required to complete online training and attend a training update. This has been delivered locally within the deanery. In addition all clergy are required to have a DBS check completed by the Diocese and attend regular safeguarding training. As part of good practice, safeguarding of both children and adults who may be at risk, is a standing item on the PCC agenda. In this way the PCC are kept up to date with any issues or policy and document changes such as recruitment procedures and training. The Diocese of Manchester, in line with best practice, has a Safeguarding Board. Details of this can be found on the Diocesan website. The Safeguarding board develop policies and procedures for safeguarding children and adults and promote a safe church. However, safeguarding is not just the business of the PCC or the Diocese, it is the role of all of us to help to safeguard everyone who attends or is connected with this church. I am always happy to answer questions related to policy and practice and any safeguarding issues should be brought to the direct attention of myself. Once again, I would like to thank all those helpers who willingly complete the required DBS formalities and any required training. This is a further indication of the seriousness that is placed on Safeguarding within this church and the wider church. There have been no child protection issues at St Mary during the past year. A list of relevant contact names and address for Safeguarding may be found on notice boards in church and in the church hall. Safeguarding posters in the Church have recently been updated as have contact details for external agencies who can offer support. **Liz Spencer Safeguarding Coordinator** 10 ## **Warden’s notes 2023** Throughout the year the wardens and team have continued to work together with the PCC and many other volunteers to care for the building and fabrics of the church and grounds. The inventory, including photographs, was checked and edited during the year. PAT testing, lightning conductor tests, fire extinguishers checks, electrical wiring and heating safety checks were all carried out. The Quinquennial inspection was revisited in September 2023 ( follow up to the November 2022 report that wasn’t completed by the Architect). Various issues were raised, grouped into immediate and in the future. The immediate issues were the roof repairs, which were already aware of, and the planned work. In addition some emergency roof works both on the hall gable above the fire exit and play garden area and broken tiles on the vicar’s vestry roof. These repairs were done in December 2023. Quotes for further roof work have been obtained and funding / grants will be sought in 2024 to complete this work. There was a major ingress of water in the hallway entrance during a storm in June. Work was carried out on the flat roof and insurance assessors worked with us for both drying out and internal decoration which is scheduled to be completed in Spring 2024 Some maintenance work to the roof and gutters was done. Lighting has been upgraded in the hall and vestry; lights are being replaced with LED units wherever possible. The two vicar’s vestries were re painted. A new fridge was purchased for the kitchen. Our major project in 2023 was the new heating system for the church. In May 2023 the PCC agreed to the replacement of the 20 year old church boiler and the Victorian heating system with a new Eco Friendly system. Yvonne led funding grants and appeals with the support of the PCC in this major decision, and coordinated contractor research, Faculty application and liaising with the many people involved. We are very grateful for all her work. Many people helped this project with their support, prayers and financial contributions. Much extra cleaning was done by Elsie to get ready for each Sunday as the work was in progress. The work took place across September and October, and we welcomed many to a warm church for services and events in November and December. Very many thanks to all involved in any way in this project. We are always grateful for the extra help that our congregation members bring. Many small jobs are quietly carried out over the year both inside the building and outside. Cleaning, tidying, recycling, ordering of service and stationery items and more. A thank you to all those helping when they can behind the scenes. In the church grounds we are grateful to a volunteer who relaid paving bricks near the front door. In October we had a donation to buy a new lawnmower, so desperately needed for our large grass areas. Another member donated the gritting salt for those cold frosty mornings. We thank Andy and Elaine who continue to add a musical spiritual side to our worship. We enjoyed the formation of a pop up choir for our Carols by Candlelight service and thank them for their wonderful contribution that evening. Hopefully they will be with us at more services in the future. Throughout 2023, during this period of Interregnum, Elsie and Frank have ably supported services, cleaned the church regularly including the silver and brasses. They do a significant amount of ‘back-room’ work for which we thank them enormously and which has helped navigate the continuing interregnum smoothly. Our sides-people have welcomed our congregation and visitors to regular and life event services and often wear more than one hat being on tea duty, transport lifts, epistle reading and intercessions. Thank you to all who help in any way in all these roles. We are fortunate to have large grounds surrounding our church, but these take some looking after. Our thanks to the 2 or 3 volunteers who help with gardening (more volunteers always welcome), and to Elsie and Frank who keep the Garden of Remembrance grounds so neat and 11 tidy. Our thanks to Simon Orr who organizes the gritting and lawn mower teams. Thank you to Martin who comes to the rescue when the lawn mower breaks down. All these rotas and maintenance helpers enable the grounds to be kept neat and safe for visitors. Each week sees visitors walking through the grounds for quiet reflection and visits to the Garden of Remembrance. In addition the small vegetable and fruit area is enjoyed by The Earlybirds nursery, our young families and then by anyone who gets fresh produce from it in the growing season. Our outside display shed has been reroofed by a volunteer and has seasonal displays and notices. Thanks to the young families who have helped set it up for events such as Easter, Coronation, Harvest, Christmas. Throughout 2023 we ran a Warm Welcome space event most Thursday afternoons. This was appreciated by those who attended, and we were joined once a month by local councillors. However numbers were very small and were mainly from our regular congregation. By the end of 2023 the PCC felt it was difficult to continue as it was not meeting the needs we had planned for. Those who have come are part of our network and will continue to be included in other activities. Glyn brought the sessions to a lovely close with a 4 course Christmas dinner. Out thanks to him and his daughter for a wonderful meal and friendship time. Our social gatherings this year brought together friendships and the wider community in fundraising for the heating works plus a charity event for Ukraine with our Band in Residence, The Sweet Rhythm Big Band, and other social gatherings this year. March - coffee morning; May - Eurovision party in the pews for the heating appeal and Ukraine appeal; Coronation picnic June - Summer music evening with Andy and Elaine; September - Gala dinner evening and ‘Hymns and Hers’ music evening. October - we supported Sue in her half marathon run for our heating fund. October- fabric sale and coffee morning with thanks to Bridget for all her fabrics November -Christmas Fair organised by Elsie and her team. The hall is used very regularly and Glyn (regular bookings) Angela (casual bookings) work hard to ensure all bookings are carefully managed covering insurance and Health and Safety requirements. We thank them both for all their hard work. The cleaning of the hall is by paid for cleaners (covered by church hall income). The heavy use the hall receives shows on wear and tear, but our volunteers keep a check that all is are safe for public use. We are delighted to announce that just before Christmas we were awarded the Silver Eco Award. So many people have worked towards this at home and in the church community. The research and coordination of our heating project has resulted in us halving our carbon footprint and our parish energy is from a green supplier. We bank with the Co-op, an ethical bank, our grounds continue to be cared for with native plants, fruit trees and vegetables with a small team, donations of plants and our children’s and uniformed groups helping with bug hotels and bird feeding. A congregation member took part in a climate consultation with Trafford, and we have links with our church school Eco team . All of this has been alongside worship, hymns and prayer in services , shared on line and in newsletters and in family eco activity days. A particular thanks for the 'fiddly recycling' when we keep items separate at our after church tea / biscuit times and after functions and then take it home to our own bins, for the car sharing, candle recycling, walking and cycling and all each of you do in your own way to care for God’s World and in helping nature to re build for the climate for generations to come. All our efforts for Eco work also help us monitor the fabric and condition of the church buildings and grounds too. This past year has been a huge team effort. Our very special thanks are extended to Father Chris and Dr Simon who have led ministry and worship during the year. Not just our Wednesday and Sunday mornings but also the monthly Sunday afternoon Eucharist services, the afternoon Christingle service in January, the prayer walk in September, the afternoon children’s services in June (Eco), the early evening crib service in December and study groups for Lent and 12 Advent . We look forward with hope and faith as Rev Matthew Carlisle and his family join us in 2024. This has also been a challenging year from a financial perspective but very positive as we end the year. Our grateful thanks are extended to Niki Taylor who has supported us in managing the financial affairs of the church, including the move to the Co-operative Bank. So much work goes on behind the scenes and especially as we have continued to negotiate the interregnum and we are grateful for the support of our Area Dean, Rev Nick Watson. Thank you, each and every one of you for your part in continuing the work of our parish. New faces have joined us throughout the year, and we also have special memories of longstanding faithful members who have made their last special journey to ‘Rise in Glory’. Thanks to all of you, our parishioners and friends, worshipping together and supporting each other be at home or in church under the loving arms of our Lord. As we move forward in new times in 2024 may we all continue to pray and work together to reach out as a mission community to the wider world. ## **Fiona Jones Yvonne Mackereth Churchwardens** ## **Clergy Report.** We can look back on the last year with a certain amount of satisfaction. Although we remained in vacancy, we maintained all our services, had our usual Lenten and Advent courses, and of course renewed our heating system. The majority of the services were led by Chris and me. Speaking personally this have been a great honour and a joy and I know Chris feels the same. We have been very ably helped by the laity especially Yvonne and Fiona the church wardens and their excellent teams. Chris and I would like to thank all of you for your continued support and help. Also thank you to Elsie and Frank who make the vestry run smoothly despite my best efforts. We have been well supported by local clergy, but I think special mention should go to the Rev Debie Blair and Rev Nick Watson. Also, thanks to Andy and Elaine for their continuing contribution to our music at St Mary’s, both sacred and secular. We held another confirmation service during the year and look forward to strengthening our relationship with our school. Children’s church is growing and their special events-the Eco-service, Christingle etc have been very well attended. We have a lot to look forward to in the coming year. A new incumbent, a confirmation service, our increasingly green approach in our daily parish life, a growing children’s church, a thriving music and social scene and a feeling of welcome and generosity generally. Let’s enter the next phase of our joint pilgrimage with true Christian hope, giving God the Glory. ## **Rev Dr Simon Wright Father Chris Waddleton** 13 Assistant Curate Honorary Assistant Curate 14