Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for the Year Ending 31st December 2024
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Contents
| Administrative Information | 3 |
|---|---|
| Structure, Governance and Management | 3-4 |
| Safeguarding Report | 4 |
| Safeguarding Policy | 5 |
| Team Rector’s Report | 6 |
| Church Wardens’ Report | 6-7 |
| St Andrew’s School Report | 8-9 |
| Electoral Roll | 9 |
| Community Report | 9-10 |
| SALT (Sunday School) Report | 10 |
| Home Group Report | 10-11 |
| Churches Together in Eccles Report | 11-12 |
| Deanery Synod Report | 12-13 |
| Financial Review | 14 |
| Independent Examiner’s Report | 15 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 16-19 |
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The Parochial Church Council of the ecclesiastical parish of St Andrew Eccles Manchester. Registered charity number 1132836
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Parochial Church Council of St. Andrew, Eccles
Aims and Purposes
St Andrew’s Eccles PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the Team Clergy in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church - pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It also has maintenance responsibilities for the church building.
Administrative Information
St Andrew’s Church is situated on Chadwick Rd, Eccles M30 0NZ. It is part of the Eccles Team Ministry in the Deanery of Salford and Leigh and in the Diocese of Manchester within the Church of England.
The correspondence address is The Vicarage, 11 Abbey Grove, Eccles M30 9QN.
Website: www.standrewseccles.org
Structure, Governance and Management
The Parochial Church Council of the ecclesiastical parish of St Andrew, Eccles, Manchester is a registered charity (charity number 1132836). The method of appointment of PCC members and wardens is set out in the Church Representation Rules. Members of the PCC are either ex officio (being ordained clergy, members of the Deanery or Diocesan Synod or Church Wardens) or are elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting as PCC members. (Wardens and Deanery Synod representatives are also elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting). All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC.
PCC members who served during 2024
Ex officio
Rev Andrew Harper Rev Jeremy Wisdom
Rev Jennifer Lewis Kevin Walton Stephen Gibbison Richard Lewis/*
Team Vicar and Chair until end February Curate in Charge February to November, Team Rector and Chair from November Ordained Local Minister and Curate Church Warden (Lay Chair)
Church Warden and Safeguarding Coordinator PCC Treasurer
- Deanery Synod member ** Diocesan Synod member
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Elected members
Elaine Walton Karen Gibbison Jane Lowe
Reader & PCC Secretary from July Authorised Lay Minister (Children’s work) Authorised Lay Minister (Community)
Gaynor Bland Aimee Downey PCC Secretary until end June Ayoka Olibisi from June
The PCC met 9 times in 2024. The average attendance was 78%.
Safeguarding Report
Statement of Intent: The parish will follow the Church of England guidance on safeguarding children and adults at risk, per the Parish Safeguarding Handbook, Updated August 2019.
The C of E Parish safeguarding handbook can be accessed via a link within the diocesan website, Navigate to it via Support for Parishes >> safeguarding >> Policies and Guidance
~~—~~ Diocese of Manchester | Policies and Guidance (anglican.org) ~~— jj~~ If anyone would like a hard copy of the handbook, please ask the safeguarding coordinator.
The PCC reviewed and agreed to apply the Church of England model safeguarding policy on 11th March 2024. It was signed at the 2023 APCM on 21st April 2024. A signed copy of the policy is on the notice board in church and it is also published in this annual report.
Where roles require it, we are continuing to get our volunteers DBS checked and to complete the required training courses.
Over the course of 2024 many leaders have undertaken a new training module on domestic violence. The PCC receives regular updates on DBS checks and the training of church officers.
Stephen Gibbison, Safeguarding Coordinator
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Parochial Church Council of St. Andrew Eccles Parfsh S•fw•rdlry Ilandbook (hurth of ENF•n Mod•l P•rt5h Pdlty Flnancial Staternents for the Year Ended 31st December 2024 The Parlsh of St Andres, Eccles. SAFEGUARDING POUCY PROMOTING A SAFER CHURCH RECEIPTS Unrestricted Re51r l[nO bJThJ Merrnrf u Totsl Furwjs FuThts Re51rthd OesvJnatJ 2024 Tolal The folbwini policy wa5 ayeed li the pa141 Church Council IPCCI Meeti held on Il" March 2024. In a¢¢ordarKe wilh the Churth ofEryfafid SaFe8uardin8 Polkyour churth ls¢omThMitèd to.. Voluntary rec•lpts Planned GTri 23.B6a 21.748 Promotln4 a ler envlronmeni and cullufe. S•lety recruitin8 and supportlng all ihose wrth JAY responsibility rdiied to chihlien. people •r#1 vy1Ner•ble adulls within ihe chufch. R¢spondin8 prompity ro try sèlryuarditsB COnM allwikn. Caring pastorally for vittims/syfyNois ol ibus• and oihef affected persons. C•rin8 pasiorally lof Ihose who are the subiKi ol corKerns oralgallons0I abuse •nd other aM•¢t•d Re5pondin6 10 those that m4v w5¢ • PSent risk to others. Olher glft&kledl Tu red + GASDS 2,162 2,162 2.105 125 1,768 9,452 ¢(ctIOnS (open pfatel 1.136 1.891 3a) 18.955 23,OB1 3bl 418 418 Incom• from banlr I•1tr 3,743 37 3,972 2.127 The Parlsh will,. Creai¢ J safe and pIK• fof •ll. Hive a named Parish Safe8uardln8Offtef IPSOI to work wlth lh¢ IrKurnbeni •ftd iht PCC w PleMeNt pollcy •nd procedure5. S•lely recruii. Iva5n ond sUp1n oll wilh rewonyblllty lor thlldren. youn8 Ptoplt •dullS to the conlklen(e •nd skllls to reco8nlse and rest& to abuse. Ensuie that Ihere 15 appropriate insurance co¥er for •ll a¢ihfits Imvomw ehlldren aTrJ èdulis eIke In Ihe n4m¢ ol the parish. [1s¥ In chuicb premlses and on t P•¢lth Ytsite the deuiis of whrj to COAIlCl 11 ihefe sal¥uarOh concefn5 or support needs. Llstén 10 ind tale serlously all those WN) Ii%lose abusé. T•ke sieps to protect childTr and odults wh¢n a Mfrfu•¢Oir concern ol any lnO Jrls¢s, followire House ol eishop$ 8ubJarKe, incluLliw tsotifyffl8 the Ohxesafi S•fe8u•rdin8 Advlwr IDSAI and statutory wh¢ies Immedi•iety- ¢)ffer WPPDrt io ol abuse reyrdlessof iht type ol •bus. when or where it 0rIed. Care loi and monitQf any member olthe Church community who m4v Post a fbk io chlhlrtn and adults rn•intainin8 èppiopr4te ¢onfidtrili•lily •nd the s•lety olall nl. Efi5urt ihai heilth and safet¥ Wlcy. Procedu$•nO rlsl a5se5sfflentsare Sn F4ace ind Ih•i ¢hes••re t¥d •nny•lty. Rthew Nmplemtnt41ion of the Salryuardlre Pol. Proc•dures •nd Pr4¢tke$41 least annwlty. 3cl 6,841 6,841 6.878 Oth•r Ineom• 3d) 2,171 TOTAL RECEIPTS 6,925 37 67,685 01.192 PAYMENTS ¢hurch actMtI• w88n gMrv4 3¢) 2,750 925 3.675 3.421 Dknco58n p8rf8h shAr0 17.738 17.738 17,57 2.453 Cler9y ard colts 3Q Church ruTh9 17.982 4,551 19.050 41,583 31,503 Co•ts of g•n•r•tlng frjndb 455 TOTAL PAYMENTS 41.295 5N76 19,050 65,822 55fv11 R13110 Inw•knent• 212 Transl•T5 b•t•mn frJnd¥ 15431 E•¢h peryAn who works withbn thh thur¢h COMMlIV •iret 10 •tsde ty this polKy and the 8uldellnes tablished ty thischufth. Surplus l Oefictt for the yèar 12.891 12,993 8aL4ncqs txuUghtfDtWa at 1 Janu 51.473 4.070 .978 4.179 1.698 77.705 Thls¢hur£h Ippoints Mr Stephen Glbblson as the Parish 5•fe8Y•tdire oifKef BaL8nces cartsd forward At 31 Dbr 64364 5.519 18,654 4759 93.297 90.698 IrKumbeni'. NIA Ilnierrrfnuml....--.-. Chut¢hwirden5'. Mr Kevln walton........ ..... Mr siephenGibt*son......%4/.../ZZ..' Oate.. Accounts page 1 01.08.18¥1 16
Team Rector’s Report
It’s both exciting and strange to be writing my first report as Team Rector for the Eccles churches. Exciting because I am over the moon to be living and serving the Lord in Eccles. Strange because, technically, I’m only reporting on my time in post in 2024…which is about 6 weeks. But, in reality, I’ve been part of the Eccles family since January 2024 and have much to reflect on.
Firstly, I’d like to take the opportunity to say ‘Thank You’.
Thank you to everyone for making me feel so welcome.
Thank you to the church officers for their continued support. Thank you for all who volunteer and serve in our churches.
Thank you for your grace when I make mistakes.
And thank you for your support as I’ve come to terms with both a Cancer and Type
1 Diabetes diagnosis in my first year. The timing has not been ideal. Thank you all.
Much of my time has been spent trying to understand the challenges we face as a group of churches. There are many. Congregation numbers are far lower than we like, buildings require constant maintenance, finances are challenging and our church officers, and volunteers, are stretched to their limit. On the face of it, not a very hopeful situation. However…
…I have great hope.
At St Andrew’s, in particular, we have talented church officers, active volunteers and ministries/activities that bring many into the church each week. The relationship with St Andrew’s school continues to deepen and I’ve always felt wonderfully welcome when I do assemblies there. Plus, we have a warm and welcoming building. Never take that for granted!
Over the coming year, we will need to think creatively about how our four churches do ministry and mission. We’re going to have to do things differently. But, we have some great people, keen to see God’s kingdom come in Eccles. I am confident that we will see revival and growth in the coming years.
God Bless,
Jez
Rev Jez Wisdom, Team Rector
Church Wardens’ Report
This is Kevin’s twelfth report and Stephen’s third as Wardens and looking back over the reports we’ve written, quite a number of them have started with the words ‘this has been a busy year for St Andrew’s’. So what’s different in 2024? Nothing actually, this has been a very busy year.
In January Rev Jeremy P Wisdom (Jez) arrived as Curate-in-Charge for the parishes of St Mary the Virgin Eccles and St Paul Monton. This was a very welcome
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additional staff resource to what was to become the Eccles Benefice, later in the year. At the end of February Rev Andrew Harper retired as Team Vicar of St Andrew’s and Christ Church Patricroft. In November Rev Jez Wisdom was installed as Rector of the Benefice of Eccles with pastoral oversight for the four parishes in the Benefice. During the year Jez has re-established strong links with St Andrew’s School and Branwood School, where he visits on a term basis to take assemblies. However, we wish to place on record, on behalf of the PCC and the congregation, our thanks to Rev Jenny Lewis for her service to St Andrew’s during this transitional year and the work she continues in the residential homes in the parish.
It will come as no surprise to learn that the average weekly attendance at Sunday worship has declined in 2024. Whereas our Salt group maintained an attendance of 5 young people per week, our adult attendance declined to 25 per week. St Andrew’s has an aging congregation which has inevitable effects and therefore we ask the question, are we the last generation to worship here?
On a more positive note our mid-week activities have been better supported than in previous years, as other reports will reflect, showing that there is a need for the outreach we are undertaking to provide for the community, especially our Carer and Toddler group, as well as the Art and Craft group, which has had referrals from other agencies.
Maintenance of the building is a never ending task for the wardens and we have seen the pigeon deterrence installed on the tower, the repair/ replacement of tower windows, pointing of the west boundary wall (which had become unstable and posed a risk to Public Health and Safety, so urgent work was required) and the flag pole was painted. The Quinquennial Inspection was completed, which brought to the PCC’s attention a number of expensive areas of work that needed to be completed within the next five years and beyond. The PCC commissioned our Inspecting Architect to prepare a plan of phased repairs to the south aisle and porch. It is important to note that, despite the repairs recommended, St Andrew’s Church is in a good state of repair and planning repair and restoration in manageable packages is a prudent way of ensuring the fabric remains in good condition.
Finally, we would like to thank all those who have helped us maintain our worship during 2024 and those who, by various means, have been undertaking the pastoral care of our community throughout the year.
Kevin Walton & Stephen Gibbison, Church Wardens
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St Andrew’s School Report
2024 was another busy year for the school.
Our year 6 attainment figures (SATS) were below national average levels, especially in Mathematics. Our children have made good progress during their time with us, but many start at a disadvantage, particularly those who arrive in the junior years with little or no English or understanding of the way to behave in school in the UK. There were seven “arrivals” amongst the 30 children who took KS2 SATS in 2024. The school suffered with a lot of staff absence/illness at the end of 2024 which put strain on the remaining staff as they had to adapt to cover other classes and activities. Unfortunately, this meant it was not possible to do some of the Christmas assemblies and church visits.
As described in last years report the boiler fire in February 2023 left us needing new boilers. A temporary boiler supported the school over winter and a new boiler and full heating system was installed over the 2024 Summer Holidays and Autumn Half term. The original Victorian radiators and pipework have been replaced by more efficient replacements and the school has been much warmer with the new system running well towards the colder end of the year. There was some disruption, and no heating during the first half of the Autumn term, and the staff, especially the site manager, worked hard to get everything working and make sure everything remained safe.
Synod then broke into Mission Community Groups and a wide ranging discussion around these four topics ensued.
At the November Synod meeting the main topic of discussion was Emerging Diocesan Strategy and Synod heard a presentation from Bishop Matthew and Helen Platts (the Diocesan Chief Operating Officer). The strategy comprised four themes. Growing Younger, Church Planting and Revitalisation, Developing Mission Leaders and Parish Renewal.
Following the presentation Synod broke into its Mission Communities to consider two questions:
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1 God is calling us to go and make disciples. In the context of your parish, how do you see the emerging strategy supporting your growth plans?
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2 In the light of the emerging strategy and the hope it offers you and the church, what bold and courageous prayer would you pray to God?
There then followed a plenary session which perhaps posed more questions.
Kevin Walton & Stephen Gibbison, Deanery Synod Representatives
The Boiler/heating replacement was funded directly by Salford City Council.
We were the subject of a SIAMS Inspection in April 2024. We received an excellent report from the inspectors who were able to see the great work our staff do to support every aspect of our children’s development.
The Inspection confirmed we were living up to our foundation as a church school, with the inspector making the following comments:
St Andrew’s is a truly transformational Church school, serving a richly diverse area. Leaders are dedicated to ensuring individuals develop their gifts and flourish. The Christian vision serves both the community and God. Staff recognise the uniqueness of pupils and work hard to empower them to use their gifts. This reflects the values of love, honesty, respect and forgiveness. These are not merely aspirational, they are actively integrated into the school's ethos. St Andrew's works effectively with families to dismantle barriers that might limit life chances. The impact of the vision can be seen in leaders’ rapid, decisive and supportive actions after a fire and flood. This inclusive approach ensures the flourishing of pupils, staff and the community.
The full SIAMS inspection report is available on-line or I can provide a printed copy.
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Three Men’s Breakfasts at the Rugby Club with interesting speakers and the World Day of Prayer held at Eccles Congregational Church and repeated at Monton Methodist Church, also come under the Churches Together banner, and these times of sharing faith were much enjoyed. Eccles Street Pastors continue to patrol at weekends and are looking for more pastors and trustees.
Jenny Lewis (CTE Chair)
Deanery Synod Report
Deanery Synod met three times during 2024, in March, July and November.
At the March Synod meeting the topics for discussion were: Diocesan Finance, Net Zero and Establishing and Growing New Expressions of Church.
Diocesan Finance. Deanery Synod was informed the Diocesan Draft account showed a deficit of £511K despite the amount of Parish share collected being £100k more than that collected in 2022. Of the 36 parishes in the Salford & Leigh Deanery 25 paid in full, achieving 87.8% of the amount asked for by the Diocesan Board of Finance. The Board of Finance reiterated its commitment to maintaining the level of Stipendiary Clergy at 175 until 2027.
Net Zero. Synod heard a presentation by Nick Hardman and noted the CofE aim to reach Net-Zero by 2030. Attention was drawn to the Eco-Church Awards which should energise churches to be practical and then to formalise their achievements. Establishing and Growing New Expressions of Church. A presentation by Rev Jack Shepherd. Synod was advised Leigh Mission Community would be starting the CofE ‘Greenhouse’ initiative to help establish and grow new (‘fresh’) and existing expressions of church. Greenhouse is a CofE initiative to equip teams of people to design, grow and cultivate fresh expressions of church. In Wigan, it has also been used to ‘refresh’ existing expressions of church.
At the July Synod meeting the major topic for discussion was the Diocesan Transformation Programme. After 3 years of the programme, it is time to take stock. Colin Pearson (Area Dean) wanted to listen to the views from synod as to its effect and impact to date. Diocesan priorities for the journey ahead have been reframed around four key missional headings:
Growing Younger – includes children and young people, but we also want to grow in the younger adults age groups.
Growing Church, Church Revitalisation and Planting.
Developing Missional Leaders, Lay and Ordained.
Missional Renewal – supporting and helping parishes and continued development of the Deanery Mission Action Plan.
We are pleased that following his appointment as Rector of Eccles, Rev Jez Wisdom has agreed to take up the ex-officio foundation governor role. He has already visited the school and lead assemblies a number of times. The three foundation Governors are:
Ex-Officio Jez Wisdom Diocesan appointment Stephen Gibbison PCC appointment Derek Smith (Pastor of Kings Church, Bolton)
As of November 2024, the school is almost full with 226 pupils: 122 boys and 104 girls. 122 children (54%) speak English as an additional language. 97 children (43%) are classed as disadvantaged, and 44 are vulnerable.
Stephen Gibbison, Foundation Governor & Vice Chair of Governors
Electoral Roll Report
On 31st December 2024 there were 34 names on the Electoral Roll. During the year we welcomed one new member in May, Ayoka Olabisi, and, sadly, lost two members who died, Emma Harper and Serita Williams.
Jenny Lewis (Acting Electoral Roll Officer)
Community Report
During the year St Andrew’s continued to host a distribution centre for the Salford Foodbank , which is part of the Trussell network of foodbanks, on Monday afternoons and Thursday mornings. Foodbank volunteers (some from Eccles Team churches and others from the wider community) served refreshments and gave out bags of food to people who came with vouchers issued by professionals or voluntary organisations. Advice was provided by advisors from St Anthony’s Centre and Salford Citizens’ Advice.
Toddler Group for preschool children accompanied by an adult continued to take place on Tuesday mornings. Children had the opportunity to play with a variety of toys, listen to a Bible themed story and have a go at a craft activity based on the story.
The Art and Craft workshop continued to run on Tuesday afternoons led by a professional tutor providing an activity and a chance to socialise for mainly (but not exclusively) older members of the community. We were blessed in that when our grant from the National Lottery ran out in the summer we
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were able to secure a further year’s grant from the Manchester Diocesan Council for Social Aid.
The Community Café on Friday mornings also continued to attract members of the local community, as did the dementia friendly sessions for older sports fans run by the Sporting Memories Foundation while the cafe is open.
It is our hope that all these activities, as well as meeting local needs in a variety of ways, will help us increase our links with the local community and show people the love of Jesus. I would also like to express my gratitude to all those who give up their time to help run these activities.
Jane Lowe, ALM (Community)
SALT (Sunday School) Report
During the year the children have attended faithfully, bringing their enthusiasm and willingness to join in and try different activities as we continue to learn together.
We start with a game then a story. Sometimes they act out the story or we read it together then we pray together using different methods such as blowing bubble prayers, then we have a craft activity, all on the same theme.
During the year we have explored the story of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah and Jacob and Esau. We also looked at Joseph's story and made him a special coat. We also learned about Samuel and King David.
We spent time looking at the Easter story and the Christmas story and we joined in with the church Nativity with the part of the Wise star gazers, after which we had a party.
We display our work on the noticeboard then it goes into scrapbooks. Please continue to pray for us and ask us what we are learning about.
Kate and Karen, Salt Leaders
Home Group Report
The year began with four sessions from a study book called ‘Promises, Promises’, which focused on God’s promises, linked to the first to fourth weeks after Christmas in the church calendar.
Lent group since the Covid pandemic, which she both led and hosted at her home. A good number of people from several churches in Eccles attended and appreciated the time spent together.
After Easter we spent five weeks looking at the letters 2 Peter and Jude, then one week with a study found online called, ‘Renewing my Faith: Worship’ to round off the half term. After the half term holiday 8 weeks were focused on discussing Sabbath. It was interesting to go into this subject in so much detail, learning how there's so much more to observing Sabbath than just not working on a specific day of the week.
Due to Rosemary Grovestock’s move to Norfolk, we needed to find a new home for the group to meet after the summer break. Tony Wood from Christ Church kindly offered his home and made us very welcome.
Throughout the autumn term up to Christmas our studies were based on the book of Hosea, entitled ‘God’s Persistent Love’. Although this prophet’s book is a hard read, ultimately its message speaks loudly that God’s love is indeed persistent, and is the constant that we can rely on and which continues to give us hope.
Elaine Walton, Home Group Coordinator & Reader
Churches Together In Eccles Report
St Andrew’s enjoys working collaboratively with the other Trinitarian churches in Eccles. In 2024, we started with the Service of Christian Unity held at St Paul’s Church, Monton. Our own Home Group members joined in the joint Lent Group which studied Bible reflections from the Holy Land about living in hope with God. At Easter there was a Walk of Witness on Good Friday from Monton to St Andrew’s carrying a cross and we hosted a short time of worship together. The summer event was a Creation Celebration for children held at Eccles Parish Church and St Andrew’s contributed the interactive prayers, some of the crafts, and helpers. Children and adults alike appreciated meeting lots of animals from Curious Critters. (Well, perhaps not the snake and tarantula in some cases!)
Remembrance Services at the Cemetery with schoolchildren and at the Cenotaph led by Rev Jez Wisdom, were very well attended. Despite windy weather the Carols Round the Cross was very joyful, with Eccles Borough Band leading the carols.
As the chair of Churches Together in Eccles, Jenny organised the first ‘in person’
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