2025-12-31-accounts - The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Stockton-On-Tees St Peter

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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 2025

Incumbent:

Revd Cameron Abernethy

Bank: Barclays Bank PLC 19-23 Wellington Square Stockton on Tees TS18 1NA

Independent Examiner:

Mr Paul Whitecross 31 Grange Crescent Marton Middlesbrough TS7 8EA

Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees

Index to the Financial Statements

For the Year Ended 31 December 2025

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

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 2025 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

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
to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed _____

Date

Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees Statement of Financial Actvites For the Year Ended 31 December 2025

Unrestricted Funds £ 56,274 16,565 17,315 70,878	Restricted Funds £ 183 7,870	Total 2025 £ Total 2024 £ 56,457 63,829 24,435 203,342 17,315 21,410 70,878 2,253

161,032	8,053	169,08 5 290,834
1,622 77,180 1,731 6,348	9,532 2,980	1,622 965 86,712 279,135 1,731 1,477 9,328 43,766
86,881	12,512	99,393 325,343

74,151 1,601	(4,459) 22,386	69,692 (34,509) 23,987 58,496
75,752	17,927	93,679 23,987

Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees Balance Sheet As At 31st December 2025

£ - 30,000	2025 30,000 63,679	£ 16,000 32,200	2024 48,200 30,517
324 2,784 62,275		513 2,559 33,575
65,383		36,647
(1,704 )		(6,130)

	93,679 -		78,717 (54,730)
	93,679		23,987
	75,752 17,927		1,601 22,386
	93,679		23,987

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 2025

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.

Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2025

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. It is acknowledged by the PCC that this policy has been breached during the year.

Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2025

Unrestricted Funds £ 40,850 10,887 4,537	Restricted Funds £ 183	Total 2025 £ 40,850 0 4,537	Total 2024 £ 43,258 14,372 6,199

0	183	0	63,829
9,034 3,829 1,240 314 1,898 250	4,370 3,500	9,034 8,093 8,199 14,057 1,240 1,338 314 462 1,898 1,750 3,750 177,642
16,565	7,870	0 203,342
5,581 4,003 5,610 513 1,288 - 320		5,581 7,428 4,003 3,053 5,610 5,610 513 100 1,288 1,299 - 3,344 320 576
0		0 21,410
620 70,258		620 2,253 70,258 -
0		70,878 2,253
161,032	8,053	169,085 290,834

Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees

Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2025

3 Resources Used Grants Charites Actvites directly relatng to the work of the church Diocesan quota Clergy expenses Staf wages Church services & books Fees Choir Youth Sundry expenses Property expenses Traidcraf Café Church Catering Mission Shepherds Dene ESOL Depreciaton Loan Interest Repayment Fund raising & publicity Stewardship Fundraising Church management & administraton Postage & statonery Telephone Bank charges Professional fees Total resources used		Unrestricted Funds £ 1,622	Unrestricted Funds £ 1,622	Restricted Funds £	Restricted Funds £	Total 2025 £ 1,622	Total 2024 £ 965

			35,000 125 6,294 1,881 3,555 - - 430 21,295 1,454 30 117 360 - - 2,200 4,439		35,000 44,000 125 117 6,294 5,936 1,881 4,666 3,555 5,141 - - 523 523 685 430 280 6,514 27,809 199,179 1,454 1,338 30 59 117 357 360 288 - 3,061 2,495 2,495 6,488 2,200 2,200 4,439 5,340
			77,180		9,532 86,712 279,135
			- 1,731		- 100 1,731 1,377
			1,731		1,731 1,477
			754 5,170 339 85		754 880 5,170 5,170 339 341 2,980 3,065 37,375
			6,348		2,980 9,328 43,766
			86,881		12,512 99,393 325,343

Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees

Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2025

4 Staff costs

During the year the PCC employed an organist, a cleaner at All Saints and a Parish Administrator who were paid £6,294 (2024 £5,936); 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 was included at historical cost. It was sold for the sum of £90,000 during 2025. All Saints Church, Hartburn Village is also an asset of the PCC; however it has not historically been valued in the accounts.

Cost brought forward Net Sale Proceeds Surplus on Sale Cost carried forward Depreciaton brought forward Charge for year Depreciaton carried forward Net book value	Curate’s House £ Organ £ 16,000 66,099 (86,258) 70,258
	- 66,099
	- 33.899 - 2,200
	- 36,099
	- 30,000

6 Analysis of Net Assets by Fund

Fixed Assets Current Assets Total Liabilites	Unrestricted Funds £ Restricted Funds £ Total £ 30,000 30,000 47,456 17,927 65,383 (1,704) (1,704)
	75,752 17,927 93,679

Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees

Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2025

7 Fund Details

Restricted funds are made up as follows:

Way Forward Project ESOL All Saints’ Sunday School/Youth Others Total	£ £ 8,075 5,294 1,000 1,558 2,000
	17,927

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 Total	£ 1,704
	1,704

10 Creditors – amounts falling due after one year

Diocesan loan repayable Total	£ 0
	0

Parochial Church Council of St. Peter’s, Stockton on Tees

Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2025

Schedule of Property Expenses for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

Water Rates Gas Electricity Insurance Maintenance Capital Project Total 2024 Total	St. Peter’s £ All Saints £ 55 Ken Rd. £ Vicarage £ 2025 Total £ 2024 Total £ 594 301 281 1,176 958 4,645 861 5,506 4,785 3,008 407 3,415 3,593 4,211 807 645 5,663 5,434 3,333 200 2,452 5,985 19,863 6,064 6,064 164,546
	21,855 2,576 3,097 281 27,809 199,179
	183,470 3,482 11,817 310 199,179

Schedule of Donations to Charity – Year Ended 31 December 2025

----- Start of picture text -----
£
Christmas Collections
Safe Families 560
NSPCC 561
St
965 Peter’s
Church
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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 2025 was £2,250.07 (2024 £1,933.82).

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. The balance at 31 December 2025 was £3,247.48 (2024 £3,205.29).

Parish of Stockton-on-Tees St Peter Annual Report of the PCC for 2025

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 2025 until the date this report was approved are:

Incumbent: Revd CP Abernethy Assistant Curate: Revd Emily Carling Associate Priest: Revd Daniel Ackerley Wardens: Jane Neal David Lawson Representatives on Deanery Synod: Ruth Hicks Lay chair Jane Neal Linda Harding Elected Members: George Barber Amith Paul Sandra Hauxwell Rebecca Dodd Carol Horsley Sue Mines Michael Short Margaret Roberts Viktor Odoh David Pickup Until May 2025

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

fcers
*Lay Chair:*	Ruth Hicks
*Secretary:*	George Barber
*Treasurer:*	Sue Mines
*Electoral Roll Ofcer:* *Stewardship Ofcer:*	Michael Short Vacant
*Safeguarding Ofcer:*	Ruth Hicks
*All Saints Hall Manager:*	Carol Horsley
*Parish Administrator:*	Sue Mines
*Director of Music:*	George Barber
*Sunday School Superintendents- St Peters:*	Claudia Ackerley
*Toddler 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 which was sold in December 2025.

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 Praise, Warm Welcome, Warm Space, Youth group, 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 113 parishioners on the Church Electoral Roll. The average weekly attendance, counted during October, was over 100 and this number increased at festivals. At Easter, there were over 170 in the congregation and over 750 people attended the various Christmas services.

During 2025 there were 10 baptisms in church, but no weddings. There were also 11 funerals with a further 5 held at the crematorium.

Review of the year & Incumbent’s report

The life of the parish continues to be a full and busy one as we seek to respond to God’s invitation to love God and to love our neighbour as missional disciples of Jesus Christ. I am deeply grateful for the ministry of Revd Daniel Ackerley as our Associate Priest. I continue to give thanks for the support of my retired colleagues, Revd Phillip Bishop and Revd Graham Benzies, as well our churchwardens, Jane Neal and Dave Lawson. It has been a real blessing to me and the parish for us to be joined by The Revd Emily Carling and her family as we support her through curacy. Thank you for the many ways you have made Emily feel at home and have supported her during her Diaconal year.

As I mentioned in last year’s report, one of the real strengths of our parish is the way so many people work together as they serve Christ. However, the pool of those able to offer assistance to maintain our ministry and mission has decreased in these past 12 months. A smaller and smaller group of people are shouldering more and more; this is not sustainable. At the end of 2025, the decision was made to pause Friday Praise - the after school group for young people. This necessary decision was influenced by the lack of those willing to lead the sessions. Do consider and pray where you might be able to put your faith into action by serving on one of our ministry teams.

Like many churches, finances are an area of concern. As reserves continue to be stretched further, there are some significant questions for us as a parish. The quinquennial reports for our two buildings – St Peter’s and All Saints’ – highlighted a number of issues which require our attention. This is especially true for the building of All Saints’ Church. Thank you to those who generously

support the parish financially. We continued with the Year of Thanksgiving with a different monthly event being offered to help raise funds for the parish. These events are continuing in 2026. Many thanks to Jane Neal and Lesley Batty for their organisation and please do support these events by coming along and inviting family and friends. Thanks also to those who worked so hard to organise and help with our summer and Christmas Fayres. Further work will need to be done to improve our financial position.

Following on from conversations at PCC, a faculty granting permission to create a Garden of Remembrance in the rear garden of St Peter’s has been received. Works will begin shortly and further information will be shared with the congregation and wider parish. I would also like to acknowledge the significant work carried out by Gareth Neal in looking after the church grounds, along with Glyn John’s contribution. The well-maintained church grounds are often commented upon by those passing by.

Reflecting upon the last year, I wanted to highlight just a few specific areas.

Worship

It is a blessing to see the numbers attending our regular Sunday morning worship have not only been maintained but have grown very slightly. The Easter Day Eucharist had almost 170 people worshipping God together as they greeted the Risen Christ with joy. People are seeking out worship which has depth and beauty. I am deeply grateful to George and the choir for the way they help to lead us in worship. I would encourage people to come and conclude their Sundays with the service of Evensong so beautifully sung by the choir.

I wanted to draw your attention to a couple of the findings contained in the 2022 survey of children and youth provision across the whole Diocese. In our Diocese, only 5 churches have 5 or more teenagers regularly in Sunday worship and over 60 churches have no children of any age regularly in Sunday worship. It is a very different story at St Peter’s as we are blessed with a significant number of children and youth who regularly attend and participate in our Sunday worship. This is a real strength to be cherished and nurtured further.

Emily and I continue to lead a monthly service of Holy Communion at our local care homes – White House and Park House. This service is appreciated by residents and staff alike. If you would like to join this service, please do speak to one of us.

All Saints

The 9.45am service at All Saints’ continues to very well attended with a strong sense of fellowship present. With the addition of Revd Emily to the team, the Friday morning service has included Morning Prayer on some weeks. It has been encouraging to note the return of the very successful Warm Space, run by Stockton Council, being held at All Saints’ on Wednesday mornings.

Schools Ministry

We continue to have very strong links with our local schools. We welcomed Bowesfield Primary School for a whole school Harvest Service in October and a Christingle Service in December.

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. Revd Emily and a group of volunteers welcomed the Reception class to St Peter’s and helped the children learn a little about the church building and the Christian faith.

At Hartburn Primary school, I have regularly led school assemblies on topics such as Advent and Lent for Early Years, KS1 and KS2 children as well as leading a whole school Harvest service. A Christingle service for Year 5 was held at Greens Lane Methodist Church and led jointly by Revd Kundai Katiyo, the new Methodist Minister and me. It is good to have such ecumenical links.

At the beginning of September, I presided and preached at the opening Eucharist, held in St Peter’s, for the new school year for the staff of Ian Ramsey school. Revd Emily has strengthened our link with Ian Ramsey school by leading assemblies during the year and leading an after-school group. It is exciting to have the opportunity to support the development of the Christian character of this school.

Across the Deanery

With the installation of the Revd Nicholas Green to Christchurch Parish (St John the Baptist’s, Durham Road and St Chad’s, Ragworth) in January 2026, I finished my work with St John the Baptist’s CE Primary School in December 2025. It has been a real delight to work with the staff and pupils by leading assemblies, taking school Eucharist services, preparing children for Admission to Holy Communion and supporting learning.

Following a review of my commitments, I have now stepped back from presiding at the fortnightly Celtic Communion Service at St Cuthbert’s, Redmarshall. It has been good to get know the very dedicated congregation there and worship with them. It was a privilege to lead the ‘Remembering loved ones at Christmas’ service on 11th December at St Peter’s, Bishopton. I would invite you to continue to hold Stockton Country Parish during this time of vacancy.

Concluding remarks

On a personal note, the past few months have not been easy, and I am deeply grateful for the prayers and support offered by many in the parish. This is the first time I have ever needed to step back from work due to being unwell. It has been a real learning experience and prompted me to very carefully review the commitments I undertake. I have already stepped back from a number of commitments and will continue to keep this under review.

I am deeply thankful for the many faithful and dedicated volunteers who lead and support our mission and ministry. 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.

With the appointment of The Venerable Rick Simpson, Archdeacon of Auckland to the role of Bishop of Durham, this will be a time of change for the Diocese. Bishop-Elect Rick is encouraging parishes to explore what it means to be fruitful in their own context. This question of what fruitfulness looks like and how it can be encouraged is one I will be inviting us as a parish to reflect upon and explore over the next few months as we listen for God’s guidance and inspiration.

Financial Review

Total receipts on ordinary unrestricted funds were £161,032 with a further £8,053 received to restricted funds. This is detailed in the Financial Statements.

£86,881 was spent to provide the Christian Ministry from St Peter’s, including the contribution to Parish Share of £35,000, which largely provides the stipends, housing and training for the clergy.

During the year, the property, 55 Kensington Road was sold for the sum of £86,258 and from the proceeds the Diocesan loan was repaid. The amount including interest was £64,169.

The net result for the year was an excess of receipts over payments of £74,151 on general funds and on restricted funds there was an excess of payments over receipts of £4,459. The balances carried forward at 31[st] December for unrestricted funds totalled £75,752 and for restricted funds it is £17,927.

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

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