Reference and Administration
Vicar, Assistant Curate and Churchwardens:
Rev. A. Laird, The Rectory, Northside. Patrington, East Yorkshire, HU12 0PB Rev. J. Sharp, 3 Ringrose Cottages, Northside Rd, Hollym, East Yorkshire, HU19 2RS Mrs. A. M. Hamilton (to 24 May, vacancy thereafter), 21, Saffron Garth, Patrington, East Yorkshire, HU12 0RF
Mr. C.J. Unwin, 32, Station Road, Patrington, East Yorkshire, HU12 0NE
The Parochial Church Council
Members are ex officio, elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, or co-opted, in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. At the 2017 Annual Parochial Church Meeting, it was resolved that the elected lay membership of the PCC should be no lower than nine; and ex officio members, officers and lay PCC members (elected en bloc) at the delayed 2020 Annual Meeting were:-
Rev. A. Laird (Chairman) 01964 630327 Rev. J. Sharp (Assistant Curate) Mrs A. M. Hamilton (Churchwarden to 24 May, Secretary & Verger) 01964 630631 Mr. C. J. Unwin (Churchwarden & Deanery Synod representative) 01964 630313 Mr. M. G. Price (Treasurer) 01964 622399 Mrs. R. Pate (Electoral Roll Officer) 01964 630145 Mrs. M. J. Anstruther, Mr. B. Bonnard, Mr. W. Hamilton (Deanery Synod representative to 24 May), Mr. A. C. Pate (to 19 October), Mrs. M. Stansfield, Mr. M. Watkinson.
The above were re-elected at the 2021 Annual meeting which took place on 24 May, holding office to stated dates. There is one lay vacancy at the time of producing this report. There were 5 PCC meetings held in the year, with an average attendance of 9. The management of the church’s affairs between meetings was conducted by the Standing Committee, in accordance with the Church Representation Rules.
Church Electoral Roll
There are 31 people on the Electoral Roll, 27 resident in the parish and 4 non-resident.
Professional Advisers
These are listed on the front cover page.
Website
Our website is www.stpatrickspatrington.org, where there is much more information about the church and its activities. Our Facebook page is St Patricks Church Patrington – authentic page
Structure, governance and management.
The Parochial Church Council.
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a corporate body established by the Church of England. Its governing documentation and objectives are those adopted by the Church of England, which require it to promote in the Ecclesiastical Parish the whole mission of the Church. It is required to comply with all relevant statutes and regulations, including the Charities Acts, Health & Safety, Equalities and Child Protection legislation. It is also a separately registered charity (registration no. 1132801). PCC members have trustee status and are required to act accordingly.
Subsequent to the 2014 pastoral reorganisation, St. Patrick's is part of a benefice comprising six parishes running for some twenty miles along the northern bank of the Humber Estuary (Keyingham, Ottringham, Winestead, Patrington, Welwick, and Easington & Skeffling in west to east order). The benefice is within the Deanery of South Holderness in the Diocese of York. Patrington is a rural village with some 2,000 population, located some sixteen miles east of Kingston-upon-Hull.
There are two independent charities associated with the church (the Patrington Church Lands Charity, registration no. 223274; and the Friends of Patrington Church, registration no. 507331) in which the PCC has no role. Donations received from either are restricted income.
The Standing Committee and Working Groups
The Church's Standing Committee, which under the Church Representation Rules conducts the business of the church between PCC meetings, comprises the Rector, the Churchwardens and Secretary, the Treasurer, Messrs. Pate (to 19 October) and Watkinson, with Mrs. Stansfield co-opted. The PCC has two working groups to relieve PCC agendas of administrative and detail issues, one covering Outreach and Social matters (chaired by Mrs, Stansfield) and one covering Building Management and Marketing (chaired by Mr. Price to 24 May and Mr. Unwin thereafter). Both groups are required to include at least one member of the Standing Committee, to carry out their delegated remits within PCC policy and to report regularly to the PCC. The Treasurer must be consulted upon any financial issues which may arise. Group membership may be drawn from the wider community and is not restricted to church members.
Objectives and activities.
The Parochial Church Council (Powers) Measure 1956 states that the PCC is to cooperate with the Minister in promoting in the Parish the whole mission of the Church; pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.
This, already a far from easy task, remained as in 2020 compromised by restrictions imposed in response to Covid19 and successive lockdowns of varying complexity and duration. That these often had a less than consistent rationale, and that advice from the
Bishops Recovery Group was somewhat variable, did not ameliorate these difficulties. By God's grace, we are blessed with church members capable and willing to participate in non-ordained ministry - leading worship, communion assistants, intercessors, readers, sidespeople, organists and choristers providing the music which (in normal times!) enriches our services, or carrying out the many administrative and practical tasks which are required. They are, however, few in number with an average age over 70. We need (with increasing urgency) replacements to carry out these vital tasks into the future.
Lay effort cannot, however fully substitute for or satisfy the vital need for the pastoral care and spiritual guidance of an ordained priest in our community. When clergy are few, inevitably illness or changes in appointments have a disproportionate impact, despite the support of the retired clergy living locally. We maintained holding Sunday services (when permitted) at 10.30, but inevitably in a shortage of ordained clergy there was a much greater proportion of non-Eucharistic services There has not been any recovery in church membership or Sunday attendances overall, rather the reverse, but to what extent this is a result of the pandemic remains to be seen. To safeguard the future of St. Patrick's, we need to be reaching people we currently do not, moving to growth and establishing stable finances (to quote Diocesan objectives): we are far from achieving any of them. Our hope that we could begin addressing these issues in 2021 was unfulfilled and, as there are two stipendiary clergy posts vacant out of four serving the Deanery and it is understood the Diocese of York will not fill one until 2023 and the other may be left vacant, it is at best a very tenuous hope that we will see any substantial remedial action in the foreseeable future.
Our magnificent church building, dating from the early 14[th] century, is listed Grade 1 and is deservedly classified as one of the highest quality English parish churches, in normal circumstances attracting many visitors. The PCC has a major and continuous responsibility for maintaining this architecturally exceptional building whilst enabling its use for modern worship within the constraints of its listing. In June 2018 we were notified that St. Patrick’s had been designated as a Major Parish Church and accordingly is subject to the guidance (which has statutory force) provided by the Church Buildings Council, including the preparation of a Conservation Management Plan (CMP). Progressing the CMP has been effectively impossible in 2020 and 2021 and it now needs review.
In the first five months of 2021, major repairs to the high level stonework on the south and west elevations of the church, the Lady Chapel and some windows were carried out. The church was closed for their duration, except for funerals. The works cost over £360,000 and we are very grateful to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for their generous assistance totalling just under £290,000 and to Allchurches Trust for a further £8,000. This will still leave over £500,000 to be found to finance other repairs identified in the 2017 Quinquennial Inspection Report, plus the costs of carrying forward the CMP enhancements. The next Quinquennial Inspection is due at the time of writing this report and it highly unlikely that other repairs will not be discovered.
Achievements and performance.
Services and attendances.
In 2021 we held:-
11 Sunday services of Holy Communion, with an average attendance of 17.
15 Sunday services of Morning Prayer led by laity, with an average attendance of 12. 7 special services – two in the churchyard whilst restrictions remained (average 20), a Thanksgiving Service for the repairs to the church (40), two Harvest Festivals for the church (17) and the school (300), a Remembrance Service (112) and a Carol Service (59). 3 baptisms (32), 2 marriages (40), 8 funerals (45).
Some of these services were affected by government restrictions on attendance.
Care of assets.
The PCC has a trustee responsibility to ensure the structural integrity and physical preservation of the St. Patrick’s Church building and, where possible, to improve its utility for its purpose within the constraints of its Grade 1 listing. This also extends to all other church assets, which are maintained as far as possible in a sound state of repair. This is becoming increasingly difficult as financial pressures intensify
By virtue of s.215 of the Local Government Act 1972, Patrington Parish Council is statutorily responsible for maintenance of the churchyard.
Events and functions.
These events are in normal times a key feature of Parish life, serving to improve the church’s finances and providing a crucial interface with the local community which St. Patrick’s is there to serve. The diversity of these events, ranging through concerts, sales, lotteries, harvest auctions, cream teas, quizzes, markets and lunches reaches equally diverse elements of our community. Their success was a major contributor to church finances and the dominant feature of our outreach in 2019. 2020 was and 2021 is a very different story, with most of them cancelled. We hope our events will bounce back now Covid restrictions are ended, but we cannot predict the adverse impact of the protracted lockdowns upon the local economy and upon the mental health of participants.
We hope to continue to utilise the church hall as a service to community groups, youth organisations and charities, providing a relatively inexpensive venue for community events and functions, but this will depend crucially on operating costs, particularly energy costs. The hall did receive government subventions of £16,097 during the year to compensate for restrictions on usage.
Charitable outreach.
Total charitable donations in 2021 were £222 including collections at funerals shared with charities nominated by bereaved families.
Voluntary Income and Public Benefit.
We continue to receive substantial income from our committed congregation and supporters, much of which is gift aided. Without such support, we would struggle even more to maintain St. Patrick’s. It is an indication of the value our community places upon
its Church and the benefit they derive from it. This is (usually!) supported by the many positive reactions from individual visitors recorded in our Visitors' Book; and from the popularity of Open Days and events.
This Trustees' Annual Report and the accompanying financial statements were approved by the PCC on 8 May 2022 and by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting on 23 May 2022.
…………………………………………….. Chairman
…………………………………………….. Churchwarden
Patrington Parochial Church Council
| Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2021 | |
|---|---|
| 2021 | |
| Fixed assets | |
| Church Hall | 50000 |
| CBF fxed units | 19929 |
| CBF investment units | 12862 |
| Total fxed assets | 82791 |
| Current assets | |
| Bank balances | 57473 |
| Cash in hand | 25 |
| Total current assets | 57498 |
| Liabilities | |
| Amounts due in year unpaid | |
| Net current assets | 57498 |
| Net total assets | 140289 |
| Represented by | |
| Tangible assets | 50000 |
| Investments | 32791 |
| Unrestricted balances | 31608 |
| Restricted balances | 25890 |
| Church funds | 140289 |
2020
50000 21347 11253 82600
86884 75 86959
86959 169559
50000 32600 38514 48445
169559
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Parochial Church Council of St. Patrick’s Church, Patrington.
I report on the financial statements of the PCC for the year ended 31 December 2021 as set out on the attached pages.
Respective responsibilities of the PCC as trustees and the Examiner.
The PCC as trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts and consider that an audit is not required under s.144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) Act and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:-
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examine the accounts under s.145 of the 2011 Act;
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follow the procedures laid down in the general directions given by the Charity Commission under s.145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act ;
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state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of Independent Examiner’s Report.
My examination was carried out in accordance with the general directions given by the Charity Commission. It includes a review of the accounting records kept by the PCC and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently I do not express any audit opinion on the view presented by the accounts.
Independent Examiner’s Statement.
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention which
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gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements: to keep accounting records in accordance with s.130 of the 2011 Act; or
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to prepare accounts which accord with these accounting records have not been met; or
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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.