## **ST. PETER’S CHURCH, STOCKTON ON TEES**
## **CHARITY NO: 1132812**
**ANNUAL REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2023**
Incumbent:
Revd Cameron Abernethy
Bank: Barclays Bank PLC 49 High Street Stockton on Tees TS18 1AH
Independent Examiner:
Mr Paul Whitecross 28 Topcliffe Drive Acklam Middlesbrough TS5 8HZ
## **Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees**
## **Index to the Financial Statements**
## **For the Year Ended 31 December 2023**
Annual report of the PCC
Independent Examiner’s report
Statement of financial activities
Balance Sheet
Notes to the financial statements
Analysis of Property expenses and charity donations
2
## **Independent Examiner’s Report To the Trustees of St. Peter’s Stockton on Tees, Parochial Church Council**
This report on the Accounts of the PCC for the year ended 31 December 2023 which are set out on pages 4 to 12.
## **Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and Independent Examiner**
As trustees of the charity, the members of the PCC are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. They 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.
It is my responsibility to
- examine the accounts under section 145 of the Act;
- follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and
- state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **Basis of Independent Examiner’s Statement**
My 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 presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the management committee 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
1. which give 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
- to prepare accounts which accord with these accounting records
- have not been met; or
2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed ___________________________________
Date
3
**Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees Statement of Financial Activities For the Year Ended 31 December 2023**
|**Incoming Resources**
**(Note 2)**
Incoming resources from donors
Other voluntary incoming resources
Income from charitable and ancillary
trading
Income from investments
Total Incoming Resources
**Resources Used (Note 3)**
Grants
Activities directly relating to the work of
the church
Fund raising & publicity
Church management & administration
Total Resources used
Net incoming/(outgoing) resources
Balances brought forward at 1 January
2023
**Balances carried forward at 31**
**December 2023**||Unrestricted
Funds
£
56,666
12,836
16,828
1,575|Unrestricted
Funds
£
56,666
12,836
16,828
1,575|Restricted
Funds
£
2,078
32,532|Restricted
Funds
£
2,078
32,532|Total
2023
£
Total
2022
£
58,744
63,272
45,368
149,415
16,828
24,520
1,575
931|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||||
||||87,905||34,610
122,515
238,138||
||||828
166,902
110
3,712||828
1,639
24,668
191,570
237,774
110
1,420
12,844
16,556
29,056||
||||171,552||37,512
209,064 269,889||
||||||||
||||(83,647)
113,130||(2,902) (86,549) (31,751)
31,915
145,045
176,796||
||||29,483||29,013
58,496
145,045||
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## **Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees Balance Sheet As At 31[st] December 2023**
|**FIXED ASSETS**
Tangible fixed assets
Organ
**CURRENT ASSETS**
Stock
Prepayments
Cash at Bank
**LIABILITIES**
Creditors -amounts falling due within one year
**NET CURRENT ASSETS**
**TOTAL ASSSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES**
Creditors – amounts falling due after one year
**TOTAL NET ASSETS**
**FUNDS**
Unrestricted
Restricted
Prepared by
Sue Mines
Treasurer to the PCC|Notes
5
9
10|£
16,000
34,400||2023
47,216|£
16,000
36,600|£
16,000
36,600||2022
92,445|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||50,400
334
2,533
50,954
53,821|||52,600
414
2,300
90,476
93,190||||
|||(6,605)||||(745)|||
|||||||
|||
|||||97,616
(39,120)|||
|145,055
145,055|
|||||58,496|||||
|||||29,483
29,013||||113,130
31,915|
|||||58,496||||145,045|
||||||||||
Approved by the PCC on and signed on their behalf by the Chairman, Rev C Abernethy
...............................................................
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## **Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2023**
## **1 Accounting Policies**
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2011 together with applicable accounting standards and the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.
## **Funds**
General funds represent the funds of the PCC that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and are available for application on the general purposes of the PCC. Funds designated for a particular purpose by the PCC are also unrestricted.
The accounts include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body nor those that are informal gatherings of church members.
## **Incoming resources**
## **Voluntary income and capital sources**
Collections are recognised when received by or on behalf of the PCC. Planned giving receivable under covenant is recognised only when received. Income tax recoverable on covenants and gift aid donations is recognised when the income is received. Grants and legacies to the PCC are accounted for when received.
## **Other ordinary income**
Rental income from the letting of the church premises is recognised when the rental is received.
## **Income from investments**
Interest is accounted for when received. No provision is made for accrued interest.
## **Other ordinary incoming resources**
Any amounts under this heading are accounted for when received.
## **Resources Used**
## **Grants**
Grants and donations to charities are accounted for when paid over, or when awarded, if that award creates a binding obligation to the PCC.
## **Activities directly relating to the work of the church**
The diocesan quota is accounted for when paid.
6
## **Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2023**
## **1 Accounting Policies (continued)**
## **Fixed Assets**
## **Consecrated land and buildings**
Consecrated and beneficed property is excluded from the accounts by section 10(2)(c) of the Charities Act 2011.
No value is placed on moveable church furnishings held by the churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal since the PCC considers this to be inalienable property.
All expenditure incurred during the year on consecrated or benefice buildings and moveable church furnishings, whether maintenance or improvement, is written off as expenditure in the SOFA and separately disclosed.
## **Other fixtures, fittings and office equipment**
Equipment used within the church premises is depreciated on a straight line basis over its estimated useful life. Individual items of equipment with a purchase price of £1,000 or less are written off when the asset is acquired.
## **Investments**
Investments are included at historical cost.
## **Current Assets**
Amounts owing to the PCC at the year end in respect of fees, rents or other income are shown as debtors.
Cash at bank and in hand includes deposit accounts and short term deposits with CCLA Investment Management Limited on behalf of the CBF Church of England Funds or at the bank.
## **Reserves**
The PCC has agreed to hold the equivalent of three months’ general running costs as a reserve. The distribution of surplus reserves is subject to agreement by the PCC during the course of the financial year.
7
## **Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2023**
|**2 Incoming Resources**
**Incoming resources from donors**
Planned giving
Income tax recovered
Collections
**Other voluntary incoming resources**
Autumn Fete & fundraising
Donations & bequests
Tuesday Working Party
Toddler & Friday Praise
Cafe Church
Grants
**Income from charitable and ancillary**
**trading**
Fees
All Saints rent
Curates house rent
St Peter’s rent
Traidcraft
Shepherds Dene
Other income
**Income from investments**
Interest received
**Total Incoming Resources**||Unrestricted
Funds
£
41,272
10,872
4,522|Unrestricted
Funds
£
41,272
10,872
4,522|Restricted
Funds
£
2,078|Restricted
Funds
£
2,078|Total
2023
£
41,272
12,950
4,522|Total
2022
£
40,204
19,874
3,194|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||||
||||56,666||2,078|58,744|63,272|
||||5,310
3,982
1,055
739
1,250
500||11,383
21,149|5,310
6,941
15,365
21,796
1,055
952
739
919
1,250
550
21,649 118,257||
||||12,836||32,532|45,368 149,415||
||||4,059
5,120
5,270
710
984
685|||4,059
9,780
5,120
3,176
5,270
5,100
710
2,348
984
1,263
685
2,853||
||||16,828|||16,828
24,520||
||||1,575|||1,575
931||
||||87,905||34,610|122,515 238,138||
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## **Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2023**
|**3 Resources Used**
**Grants**
Charities
**Activities directly relating to the work of**
**the church**
Diocesan quota
Clergy expenses
Staff wages
Church services & books
Fees
Choir
Youth
Sundry expenses
Property expenses
Traidcraft
Café Church
Catering
Mission
Shepherds Dene
ESOL
Holiday Club
Depreciation
Loan Interest Repayment
**Fund raising & publicity**
Stewardship
Fundraising
**Church management & administration**
Postage & stationery
Telephone
Bank charges
Professional fees
**Total resources used**||Unrestricted
Funds
£
828|Unrestricted
Funds
£
828|Restricted
Funds
£|Restricted
Funds
£|Total
2023
£
828|Total
2022
£
1,639|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||||
||||54,000
143
6,593
2,442
3,616
1,000
699
1,371
90,457
1,135
349
730
2,200
2,167||54,000
75,298
143
587
6,593
5,456
2,442
1,853
3,616
5,992
1,000
500
699
995
1,371
2,191
22,415 112,872 137,244
1,135
1,459
67
231
349
348
730
2,253
2,253
2,448
905
2,200
2,200
2,167|||
||||166,902||24,668 191,570 237,774|||
||||12
98||12
98
1,420|||
||||110||110
1,420|||
||||955
2,489
268||955
1,131
2,489
1,578
268
243
12,844
12,844
26,104|||
||||3,712||12,844
16,556
29,056|||
||||171,552||37,512 209,064 269,889|||
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**Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2023**
## **4 Staff costs**
During the year the PCC employed an organist, a cleaner at All Saints and a Parish Administrator who were paid £6,593 (2022 £5,456); the organist and Parish Administrator are members of the PCC. No other PCC members received any remuneration during the year.
## **5 Fixed assets for use by the PCC**
The curate’s house at 55 Kensington Road, Stockton on Tees is included at historical cost. All Saints Church, Hartburn Village is also an asset of the PCC; however it has not historically been valued in the accounts.
||**Curate’s**|**Organ**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**House**|**£**|||
||**£**||||
|Cost|16,000|66,099|||
|Depreciation at start of year|0|29,499|||
|Charge for year|0|2,200|||
|Depreciation at end of year|0|31,699|||
|Net book value|16,000|34,400|||
|**Analysis of Net Assets by Fund**|||||
|**Unrestricted Funds**
**£**||**Restricted**
**Funds**
**£**||**Total**
**£**|
|Fixed Assets|50,400|||50,400|
|Current Assets|24,808|29,013||53,821|
|Total Liabilities|(45,725)|||(45,725)|
||**29,483**|**29,013**||**58,496**|
## **6 Analysis of Net Assets by Fund**
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**Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2023**
## **7 Fund Details**
Restricted funds are made up as follows:
|Way Forward Project
ESOL
Holiday Club
Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage
Sunday School/Youth
All Saints’
**Total**|£
£
21,026
5,427
1,507
120
633
300|
|---|---|
||**29,013**|
## **8 Reserves**
The PCC recognises its obligation to use Reserve Funds in an appropriate manner and has therefore set a Reserves Policy (Note 1)
## **9 Creditors – amounts falling due within one year**
|Accruals
Diocesan loan repyable
Total|£
995
5,610|
|---|---|
||6,605|
## **10 Creditors – amounts falling due after one year**
|Diocesan loan repayable
Total|£
39,120|
|---|---|
||39,120|
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## **Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2023**
## **Schedule of Property Expenses for the Year Ended 31 December 2023**
|Water Rates
Gas
Electricity
Insurance
Maintenance
Capital Project
Total
2022 Total|St.
Peter’s
£
All Saints
£
55 Ken
Rd.
£
430
277
3,343
2,067
2,898
380
3,676
730
599
14,492
6,345
9,450
80,957|Vicarage
£
207|2023
Total
£
2022
Total
£
914
555
5,410
3,773
3,278
1,760
5,005
4,678
30,287
9,735
80,957
116,743|
|---|---|---|---|
||105,796
9,799
10,049|207|125,851
137,244|
||||137,244|
||132,830
2,293
2,024|97||
## **Schedule of Donations to Charity – Year Ended 31 December 2023**
|Christmas Collections
Safe Families
Children’s Society|**£**
414
414
828|
|---|---|
||828|
## **St Peter’s Church Choir Accounts**
There are two bank accounts in the name of St Peter’s Church Choir which are held and managed by the choirmen, for the benefit of the choir’s musical activities.
The current account balance at 31 December 2023 was £2,694.38 (2022 £2,964.48).
The reserve account was set up to receive donations from local Charities and Trusts, to pay for young people to undertake singing engagements both in the United Kingdom and abroad, as part of the choir. It has enabled many choristers to take part in the highly successful educational/singing trips to Northern Europe. No monies from this account are ever used for the adult choirmen to travel, they fund their places on the trips from their personal monies. The balance at 31 December 2023 was £4,624.67 (2022 £4,581.06).
12
## **Parish of Stockton-on-Tees St Peter Annual Report of the PCC for 2023**
## **Administrative Information**
St Peter’s Church is situated on Yarm Road, Stockton on Tees. It is part of the Diocese of Durham within the Church of England. The correspondence address is 5 Reeth Road, Hartburn, Stockton on Tees, TS18 5HB
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is registered with the Charity Commission – _The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Stockton-on-Tees St Peter._ The Charity Commission number is 1132812.
PCC members who have served from 1[st] January 2023 until the date this report was approved are:
|_Incumbent:_|Revd CP Abernethy|From 3rdSeptember 2023|
|---|---|---|
|_Associate Priest:_|Revd Daniel Ackerley||
|_Wardens:_|Jane Neal||
||David Lawson||
|_Representatives on Deanery Synod:_|Ruth Hicks|Lay chair|
||Elizabeth Stout|Until 5thJuly 2023|
||Jane Neal||
||Linda Harding||
|_Elected Members:_|George Barber||
||Amith Paul||
||Sandra Hauxwell||
||Rebecca Dodd||
||Carol Horsley||
||Sue Mines||
||David Pickup||
||Michael Short||
||Bakhtyar Rashid||
||Elizabeth Akomolafe||
||Margaret Roberts||
## **Structure, governance and Management**
The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC.
**Officers** _**Lay Chair:**_ **Ruth Hicks** _**Secretary:**_ **George Barber** _**Treasurer:**_ **Sue Mines** _**Electoral Roll Officer:**_ **Michael Short** _**Stewardship Officer:**_ **Vacant** _**Safeguarding Officer:**_ **Ruth Hicks** _**All Saints Hall Manager:**_ **Carol Horsley** _**Parish Administrator:**_ **Sue Mines** _**Director of Music:**_ **George Barber** _**Sunday School Superintendents- St Peters:**_ **Claudia Ackerley**
13
## _**Toddler/Friday Praise Leader:**_
## **Sue Barber**
## **Objectives and Activities**
St Peter’s PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent or churchwardens in vacancy in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish of the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It also has the maintenance responsibilities of All Saints in Hartburn Village and 55 Kensington Road.
## **Committees**
Several committees meeting between full PCC meetings, support the PCC.
## _**Standing Committee:**_
This is the only committee required by law. It has power to transact business of the PCC, subject to any decisions made by the PCC. It monitors church finance, properties and PCC agendas.
## _**Way Forward Group:**_
To co-ordinate ideas and present them to the PCC and congregation on the way forward for this parish.
## _**St Peter’s other groups include:**_
The Tuesday Working Party, Prayer Group, Baptism Team, Toddler and Friday Praise and Cafe Church groups, the church flower teams, the parish breakfast team, servers, the vergers and those who care for laundry and sacristy needs.
## _**Choir:**_
The worship at St Peters is enriched by the choir including the junior choir.
## **Achievements and Performance**
## _**Church Attendance**_
There are 170 parishioners on the Church Electoral Roll. The average weekly attendance, counted during October, was 130 and this number increased at festivals. At Easter, there were 151 in the congregation and over 750 people attended the various Christmas services.
During 2023 there were 22 baptisms in church and 1 wedding. There were also 7 funerals with a further 5 held at the crematorium.
## _**Review of the year & Incumbent’s report**_
It was good to join you all in September and begin our ministry together. I feel very settled here at All Saints’ and St Peter’s. May I offer a very heartfelt thanks to the retired clergy who assisted Rev Daniel Ackerley and the churchwardens during the vacancy, and those who continue to give so generously of their time and talents. It is very much appreciated. The Ven Ken Good made the decision to step back from active ministry, thanks was offered for all he has given to the parish over the years.
I have been amazed at the dedicated volunteers co-ordinating and serving across a number of different ministries. Our work with young people continues with Sunday School, Toddler Praise, Friday Praise and the Post Confirmation group. The ESOL café continues to serve the needs of our local asylum seekers and refugee. Café Church continues to offer a warm welcome to all on a Thursday, with a real sense of community being built through such generous hospitality. The work of the Way Forward group continues apace with the installation of the internal glass doors and new kitchen happening in the next few weeks. This will be the culmination of a significant amount of behind the scenes work by the group, ably led by Mike Short. It has been very good to reestablish the monthly care home Communion Services at White House and Park House care homes. The residents clearly value this service, and it offers a chance for me to get to know the residents and the staff.
14
The church also offered a number of other events over this past year including the annual Advent Fair along with a number of very successful concerts. Reflecting upon the past few months, I wanted to highlight just a few specific areas of growth.
## Worship
It has been good to see attendance at the Sunday morning service at St Peter’s continue to grow, with new people joining our worshipping community. It has been a joy for me to officiate at Choral Evensong for the first time, I am indebted to George Barber and the choir for their support. The 9.45am service at All Saints’ is well attended and I have very much enjoyed getting to know the congregation. Morning Prayer has been offered on Mondays and Tuesdays at St Peter’s with members of the congregation joining me to pray. The Tuesday prayer group has also begun to meet again after TWP.
## Schools Ministry
The connection to our local primary schools has been strengthened greatly in the past few months. St Peter’s welcomed Bowesfield Primary School for a whole school Harvest Service in October and a Christingle Service in December. Year 1 and Year 2 came to learn about Christian Baptism and asked a number of great questions. These classes returned in December for the ‘Experience Christmas’ event, an interactive re-telling of the Christmas Story. In March, Year 3 came for ‘Experience Easter’ to consolidate their learning in school about the Easter Story.
As in past years, Year 3 from Oxbridge Lane Primary school had their Christingle Service at St Peter’s and performed a nativity for their families and friends. It was a delight to welcome Year 6 to Café Church for their Community Learning Project, with the pupils serving refreshments, doing the dishes, tidying the church grounds and talking with the participants.
At Hartburn Primary school, I have regularly led school assemblies on topics such as Advent, Lent and Pentecost for Early Years, KS1 and KS2 children. School Christingle services for Year 2 and Year 5 were held at Greens Lane Methodist Church and led jointly by Rachel Williams, the Methodist Minister and myself. This term, I have been invited into all three schools to meet the RE Lead teachers and offer ways the church can support the curriculum further.
A new link with Rosedene Nursery has been established with a small group of children visiting St Peter’s on Monday mornings to learn about the Christian faith and explore a bible story together. Discipleship
It has been very encouraging for a good number of people to engage with the Growth Group sessions offered over the past few months. The sessions have explored the Lord’s Prayer, the Book of Isaiah and Advent hymns, the Gospel of Mark and art images during Lent and the Acts of the Apostles. There has been a lot of good discussion during these sessions and the feedback from participants has been very positive.
Quiet Mornings have been held with folk coming from parishes across the deanery. These mornings have offered a space for quiet prayer and reflection.
Prayer resources for use at home have been offered to support people’s engagement with the church year across St Peter’s, All Saints’ and St John’s, Elton. People have found these simple resources beneficial and a way to deepen their prayer life.
As I look to the coming year, I am thankful for the newly convened PMC (Partnership for Missional Church) group as we review our current mission and explore how we might better learn from and serve our parish. Please do continue to pray for the ongoing mission and ministry of our church and consider where you might wish to offer your time and talents as a volunteer.
## _**Financial Review**_
15
Total receipts on ordinary unrestricted funds were £87,905 with a further £34,610 received to restricted funds. This is detailed in the Financial Statements. 55 Kensington Road continues to be let providing a gross income of £6,200.
£128,107 was spent to provide the Christian Ministry from St Peter’s, including the contribution to Parish Share of £54,000, which largely provides the stipends, housing and training for the clergy. £80,957 was spent on the works in church for the Way Forward project.
The net result for the year was an excess of payments over receipts of £86,549. The balances carried forward at 31[st] December for unrestricted funds totalled £29,483 and for restricted funds it is £29,013.
## _**Reserves Policy**_
It is PCC policy to maintain a balance on unrestricted funds which equates to approximately 3 months running costs.
It is our policy to invest our funds in with the CBF Church of England Deposit Fund.
Approved by the PCC on and signed on their behalf by the Chairman, Rev CP Abernethy
...............................................................
16