2020-12-31-accounts

Ecclesiastical Parish of Forest Row

Trustees Annual Report and Financial Report of the Parochial Church Council 2020

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Independent Examiner’s Report to the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Forest Row for the Year Ended 31 December 2020

This is my report to the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish (PCC) of Forest Row on the annual report for the year ending 31 December 2020 as set out on pages 21 to 31.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The PCC members are responsible for the preparation of the annual reports. The PCC members consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Charities Act”) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

1. examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act,

2. to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and

3. to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner’s statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with 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 trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent examiner's statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention

1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements:

   • a) to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and

   • b) to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act

2. have not been met; or

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

Signed: R C Dyke

Date: 1 April 2021

Examiner’s address 17 Freshfield Bank

Forest Row East Sussex RH18 5HQ

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Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Notes to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2020 (continued)

12 Debtors

Income tax recoverable Prepayments and accrued income Other debtors	3,400 3,400 6,488 1,239 1,239 842 0 0 0
	4,639 4,639 7,330

The Annual Report of the Trustees

of the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Forest Row for the year ended 31 December 2020

Holy Trinity Church, Forest Row

13 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Deferred income Accruals for utilities and other costs Other creditors	Unrestricted Restricted Endowed Total Funds Total Funds Fund Funds Funds 2020 2019 Notes
	£ £ £ £ £ - - 1,763 1,763 360 879 879 860
	2,642 2,642 1,220

St Dunstan's Church, Ashurst Wood

St Stephen's Church, Hammerwood (Closed)

Registered Charity no. 1132867

Website: www.frparish.co.uk

Incumbent:

The Revd Angela Martin

The Vicarage, Ashdown Road, Forest Row, RH18 5BW

Independent Mr Robert Dyke Examiner: 17 Freshfield Bank, Forest Row, RH18 5HQ

Santander UK plc, Bootle Bankers: Barclays Bank plc, 17 High Street, East Grinstead, RH19 3AH

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Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Notes to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2020 (continued)

10 Fixed Assets a Investments

Market value at 1 January 2019 Disposals at carrying value Purchases at cost Net gains and revaluations Tangible fixed assets Cost or valuation At 1 January 2020 Additions - office equipment Disposals Revaluation Depreciation at 31 December 2020 Net book amounts At 31 December 2020 At 31 December 2019	Unrestricted Restricted Endowed Total Funds Total Funds Fund Funds Funds 2020 2019 Notes	Unrestricted Restricted Endowed Total Funds Total Funds Fund Funds Funds 2020 2019 Notes
	£ £ £ £ £ 53,453 16,000 69,454 57,260 5,450 1,074 6,524 12,193
	58,903 17,074 75,978 69,453
		Freehold land and buildings 306,383 900 - - -300
		306,983
		306,983
		306,383

b Tangible fixed assets

The freehold land and buildings comprise the costs of the redevelopment of the Church, hall and office at St Dunstan's Church, Ashurst Wood.

11 Net assets by fund

Net assets by fund
Fixed assets for church use - land and buildings Investment assets Current assets (except cash) Cash at bank and on deposit Current liabilities	Unrestricted Restricted Endowed Total Funds Total Funds Fund Funds Funds 2020 2019 Notes
	£ £ £ £ £ 306,983 0 306,983 306,383 58,903 17,074 75,978 69,454 4,639 4,639 7,479 12,429 81,247 93,676 105,085 -2,642 -2,642 -1,520
	380,312 81,247 17,074 478,633 486,881

Within Unrestricted funds are Designated Funds which amounted to £36,478 at the Balance Sheet date. (2019 - £36,478.)

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Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Notes to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2020 (continued)

Parochial Church Council of Forest Row

Trustees Annual Report for 2020

4 Missionary and charitable giving

Royal British Legion Church of England Children's Society St Catherine's Hospice Tear Fund Yemen Appeal Bible Society Church Urban Fund East Grinstead Tadpoles Parkinsons Disease Society Kent,Sussex and Surrey Air Ambulance Staff costs Remuneration Salaries	Unrestricted Restricted Endowed Total Funds Total Funds Fund Funds Funds 2020 2019
	£ £ £ £ £ 117 117 550 0 50 0 313 0 263 0 92 400 400 100 400 400 100 0 450 0 100
	917 917 2,018
	8,634 8,634 8,658
	8,634 0 0 8,634 8,658

5 Staff costs

6 Payments to PCC Members

The Director of Music, who is a member of the PCC, was paid £6,216 during the year.

Other payments were made to PCC members in the year for reimbursement of expenses incurred on behalf of the PCC:

Clergy support: Council tax £3,589; Water charges £774. Other expenses of the office of vicar, curate and ministry team £628.

No person received remuneration in excess of £60,000.

7 Transactions with persons related to PCC members

There were no transactions with persons related to PCC members

8 Governance

The PCC incurred no costs in connection with governance

9 Transfers between funds

All monies received during the year have been allocated to General Funds. Where legacies have been received these or part thereof have been allocated to Designated Reserves within Unrestricted Funds.

Our aims and purposes as a charity

The primary objective of Forest Row PCC is the promotion of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England. The PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the Incumbent, the Revd Angela Martin, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.

What we planned to do to achieve our charitable objectives

For our ecumenical Advent service we took the ancient theme of the Jesse Tree, reminding ourselves of the reason we have a decorated tree at Christmas. We retold the story of our journey with God so far from creation, to the prophets and finally the birth of Christ. We created 3 Jesse Trees, one for each church, Holy Trinity,

St Dunstan’s and Forest Row Baptist church. Each day of Advent each church added another decoration depicting a particular element of the journey.

What we achieved and how we affected beneficiaries‘ lives

lr2020 has been a difficult year for many, a year of highs and a great many lows. None of us could have predicted the events that unfolded as we moved from the beginning of January with the news coming in from China of an unknown virus that was sweeping through the population causing many deaths, to the historic announcement by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to close the churches as we entered our first national lockdown in March. At the time it was almost unthinkable that we would be closed for Easter but we were.

However, the doors of our buildings may have been closed but the work of the church continued. We quickly put in place a prayer chain, organising a list of volunteers to call those who were on their own or vulnerable, to ensure that even though we would be apart physically, we would remain in contact as a church family. My thanks to all those who have volunteered and not given up! The weekly eBulletin was established, again to keep as many of us informed and in contact as possible. The circulation for the bulletin grew from 75 to almost 150 over the course of the year, and again my grateful thanks to those who every week have printed off the bulletin and delivered it to those who are not on the internet. We created a Parish YouTube channel to enable us to post recordings online for all to see. Our Parish Facebook page came into its own as a means of sharing our weekly recorded reflections, bible readings and of course when were able to return to live church services briefly at the end of the summer, it also became a vehicle to share our service recordings. As you might expect this has been a steep learning curve and there have been some teething problems along the way, one being that our live-streaming hasn’t always been as successful as we might have hoped. However, even this turned into a blessing with over 1000 hits as we streamed our entire service on its side! The Lord moves in mysterious ways his wonders to perform.

The other great addition to communication in 2020 has been the development of our new Parish Website with grateful thanks to ChurchPages who worked throughout the first lockdown to produce this for us. We purchased a licence to share recorded music online along with our ZOOM registration which has allowed us to pray together, to study together and to meet as a PCC throughout 2020. And, of course, we have also employed a new Parish Administrator Saskia Schuit who started in September. With the retirement of Keith Stacey as our PCC Secretary at our ACPM in October the PCC decided that this role should be taken on by the new Parish Administrator. As the Vicar I am indebted to Keith Stacey for his depth of knowledge and understanding, as well as the selfless amount of time he has spent in his role as PCC Secretary. He is definitely going to be a very hard act for Saskia to follow and I will miss him sat at my side during PCC meetings offering quiet words of advice. Thank you Keith for all you have contributed to Parish life as our PCC Secretary and many thanks for continuing to play an integral role as our Treasurer at St Dunstan’s church.

The Lows - 2020 has been a year of loss. Loss of loved ones, made harder by the lack of social contact and in many cases not being able to be with our loved ones at the end of their life. The pain

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of not being able to attend a funeral, not being able to gather and share memories and support each other in these life-changing events. Loss of contact has come at a high price, and that price is loneliness and great sadness. As a family of faith we must work hard in the future to bring healing into our community by acts of kindness, love, compassion and of course through prayer. Hospitality lies at the very heart of our faith, we are called to gather around the Lord’s table to be fed and nourished, hospitality is the way we will be able to feed and nurture ourselves and those around us back to health. Many have lost their jobs, and those who were furloughed have been living on reduced means for almost a year now, while living costs have stayed the same. Our children and young people have perhaps lost out the most without social contact and living with the underlying fear of the effects of the virus. Younger children in particular have been worried and concerned, even anxious, about life in a world of pandemic. Many parents have struggled to continue to work at home and keep up with the demands of home-learning for their children. Teenagers have missed out on a year of social interaction and personal formation as they grow into young adults.

The highs - But the year hasn’t been without its high points too. We have all learnt to become more savvy with the technology around us. We have zoomed, facetimed, WhatsApp’ed, and livestreamed, we have formed new social networks with neighbours, family and friends. Many have been able to access church for the first time through social media. Able to drop into a service and join in without having the worry or awkwardness of stepping through the church doors for the first time. I hope those who have been joining in with our virtual and recorded services will feel more comfortable about joining us in person in 2021. We have become mini film makers and presenters, recording readings, prayers and music. We have rediscovered the importance of being together. We have continued to support our local food banks, and many more people have become volunteers, some for the first time. 2020 hasn’t been all bad.

Revd Angela Martin - Vicar

Statutory Reports

Fabric Goods and Ornaments

Holy Trinity Church

During the last year we have only been able to deal with a small number of necessary repairs and issues. My grateful thanks to Graham Bedford and Gareth Martin who have very kindly met various contractors while work was being done.

The clock has had some maintenance during the year.

The two notice boards either side of the main door have been greatly improved and repaired after bad weather caused some damage.

Scotts did their annual services on both boilers for the church and the hall.

Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Notes to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2020 (continued)

3 Analysis of expenditure

Unrestricted Restricted Endowed Total Funds Total Funds Fund Funds Funds 2020 2019 Notes

Special appeals costs (adverts, brochures etc) Cost of raising funds Charitable grants and donations Diocesan parish share Clergy and other persons' expenses Salaries and NI Upkeep of services Church running costs Church maintenance and repair Upkeep of churchyard and garden Governance Cost of charitable activities Church hall running costs Cost of other trading activities Total expended on all funds

£ £ £ £ £ 0 79 0 0 0 0 79 917 917 2,018 57,162 57,162 58,464 4,991 4,991 6,550 8,634 8,634 8,658 1,571 1,571 3,886 11,360 11,360 17,814 6,282 6,282 6,089 130 130 622 0 0 0 91,048 91,048 104,101 1,279 1,279 1,555 1,279 1,279 1,555 92,327 92,327 105,735

Lighting in the chancel and security lighting around the church hall were improved in the early part of the year.

Substantial work has been done on the side porch doors. These have been repaired after break-in damage and in the process, security has been improved.

The organ has been tuned once during the year. There have been no tunings for the piano, which

can hopefully be rectified in 2021.

The church hall continues to cause concern. This has become a storage area during the year with all kneelers, books etc having been removed from the church due to the pandemic. Again we are keen to make some progress in making this a more welcoming area during the next year.

The sound system is still under review and is an ongoing scenario.

During the year the church has had three ‘spring’ cleans and my thanks to those who have helped on these occasions. Our grateful thanks to Jeanne and Bob Dyke who work extremely hard in the garden and to Jeff Horner and his team for grass cutting during the year. It is always so wonderful that people enter our church, when open, and the garden so regularly and that they have the opportunity to enjoy such welcoming environments.

My thanks to all members of the congregation who continue to make our church such a special place in the lives of the community.

Finally, my thanks to Angela, Alison and then June, my co-wardens and Sue my deputy warden for all their support throughout the year.

Simon Morris – Churchwarden

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Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Notes to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2020 (continued)

2 Analysis of income and endowments

	Unrestricted Restricted Endowed Total Funds Total Funds Fund Funds Funds 2020 2019 Notes
Planned giving (excl tax refunds) Collections at services Gift days and donations Fetes, bazaars and other fund-raising events Gift aid recoverable Legacies Government grants Grants (other) Donations and legacies Fees for weddings and funerals Charitable activities Lettings etc Other trading activities Dividends and interest Investments Total income and endowments on all funds	£ £ £ £ £ 41,869 41,869 50,702 4,241 4,241 10,301 11,830 11,830 14,097 0 6,288 5,520 5,520 10,003 5,000 5,000 500 3,634 3,634 0 0 0 4,000 72,094 0 0 72,094 95,891 2,196 2,196 5,892 2,196 2,196 5,892 2,651 2,651 6,177 2,651 2,651 6,177 621 621 783 621 621 783 77,561 0 0 77,561 108,743

St Dunstan’s Church

The annual servicing of the fire extinguishers and the hall boiler have taken place.

The steps to the undercroft have been rebuilt and the handrail at the front has been stabilised. The bin store has been repaired.

Peter Pollard has continued to maintain the grass and hedges. Alison has had several garden days to maintain the rest of the garden.

The scruffy area at the entrance was cleared at the beginning of the year and a contract has been awarded for excavating the roots, removing the soil, laying a permeable membrane, levelling the area, installing the grass guard grid system and finishing with granite chips to provide an additional parking area. The work will be undertaken shortly.

Investigations into the best solution for replacing the church heating system are continuing.

June Spoor Churchwarden

St Stephen’s Church, Hammerwood

The churchyard at Hammerwood continues to be lovingly cared for by Graham Bedford and his team. This wonderful space within our parish was used in the summer for the out-door Eco-Church service recording this year. This service was also the Diocesan service at the end of August. We hope to do the same in 2021. The church building is in the process of being sold after its formal closure in 2016.

Revd Angela Martin - Vicar

Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults

We continue to update training and records for all P.C.C. members and any other adults, who have dealings with children and vulnerable people. This is to be made a priority once the next A.P.C.M. has taken place. There are various items in both churches, with contact details of whom to contact, if there are concerns about abuse of children or vulnerable adults.

Marilyn Morris

Music and Worship

Over the last year, music has very unfortunately had to take rather a ‘back seat’ as an important part of our worship due to the pandemic restrictions. Back in January, our year started with a Taize service for Epiphany. The whole parish and wider community were looking forward in anticipation to the February visit of Chichester Cathedral Choir with the Bishops, Archdeacons and Cathedral Chapter. Very sadly, this was cancelled literally on the day due to Storm Dennis. We do hope in the future that we will be able to reorganise this very special occasion. Our Parish services up and down the hill have continued when we are open, and continue to be popular with both congregations. Mothering Sunday was to be the first of our new All Age Worship services which we had agreed would fall on 5[th] Sundays during the year. After much organising and meetings with a core group, this was cancelled due to the first lockdown. Angela bravely started to do weekly services on social media, as we all began to get to grips with Zoom, Facebook, Microsoft Teams, Facetime and Skype etc. Services were streamed from her garden, office and living room and these all worked well. Pentecost and Trinity Sunday were celebrated in Church and it was a joy for everyone to see the inside of the buildings after so long, even if it was online. Apart from a Wedding and Diamond Wedding celebration in July, there were no public services at all.

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Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Notes to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2020 (continued)

In August, we had the real joy of returning to Church for services. They were very different, being said, with only C.D’s being played for music, before, during and after communion and after the service, and obviously with all the rules of the pandemic in place. Our pattern of services continued with 8am and 10am alternating as always. At the beginning of October, as it was Harvest Thanksgiving, Hymns were played using Organ and C.D. music were played, which was a real joy with the congregation humming along behind their masks. Soon after this, I was released from ‘Furlough’ so could start to play the organ again. Voluntaries were played as well as hymns which again started to make the services feel a little more like normal.

November was another real blow, with plans for Remembrance being changed a number of times and being all prepared for our maximum number of people in church, when we had our second lockdown. The Remembrance service planned was recorded at Holy Trinity and was well received by many who viewed it. In December, we were able to reopen in time for Christmas. A cancelled Wedding was inserted and the Parish Carol Service was recorded. All the readings were read from home and sent in and a small socially distanced choir was gathered at Holy Trinity to record the Carols and Canticles. Our Crib / Nativity services were again recorded on Zoom. All other Christmas services through to Epiphany took place in church.

My grateful thanks for the support I have been given by Angela and all the congregation, not forgetting the choir when we are together, who give such a commitment, throughout the year. Again the choir had their New Year meal, this time at Java and Jazz, which was enjoyed by those who attended.

1 Accounting policies (continued)

Fixed Assets (continued)

Depreciation

Depreciation is calculated to write down the cost of tangible fixed assets, excluding freehold

properties over their expected useful lives. The rates generally applicable are: Fixtures and fittings 25% Computer equipment 33%

No depreciation is provided on freehold buildings as the useful economic life of these assets exceeds 50 years and residual values are so high that potential depreciation would be immaterial. It is the PCC's policy to maintain these assets in a continual state of sound repair. Resulting from regular impairment reviews, provision will be made if there has been any permanent diminution in value.

Investments

At both churches, my thanks to Ann Woodard who has played the organ for services and also to Chris Harris who often helps with weddings and funerals, if I am unavailable. Unfortunately, our annual Charity Concert was cancelled. We hope to be able to resurrect this in the future.

Both church organs have been tuned during the year. Hopefully the work needed on Holy Trinity’s may happen when funds allow. Due to the pandemic the piano did not receive tuning this year but we hope this will be rectified in 2021.

Social activities have been put on hold until we all feel it is safe to travel to London, which I know many will look forward to.

Investments are stated at market value as at the balance sheet date.

Current Assets

Amounts owing to the PCC at 31 December in respect of fees, rents or other income are shown as debtors, less provision for amounts that may prove uncollectible.

Short term deposits include cash held on deposit with either the CCLA or at the PCC's bank accounts.

I look forward to continuing music-making throughout the Parish during the next year.

Simon Morris

Children’s Work

Open the Book

The Open the Book Team continued to tell Bible stories monthly at Ashurst Wood School until Lockdown in March when the schools were closed. We accessed web assemblies for the school from The Bible Society web-site (www.openthebook.net) to assist in their RE lessons.

The St. Dunstan’s Team continues to be: Rosie Hewson, Richard Gooderson, Tom Hewson, Keith Major, Lin Smith and Gwenda Kirk and Jacqueline Gosnall.

The team have persisted in working hard to keep our storytelling in top form. Into early October we met occasionally in the garden to plan our contact with the school. We made posters for the hallways and teachers’ room with photos of the team and encouraging words and prayers. We made at least one batch of goodies to keep the teachers knowing we care about their predicament.

At Christmas this year, the church enabled us to buy the story book of the Nativity by Bob Hartman which was so expertly produced by the Bible Society. Rev Angela videoed Keith Major reading the story – complete with props! – to give to the school for their Christmas OtB Assembly. A fine bit of work on all counts I must say!

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Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Notes to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2020 (continued)

Rosie Hewson

I continue to stress the importance of this ministry. Our Team is in close contact and are waiting for the next possible time we will be allowed into the school.

1 Accounting policies (continued)

Sunday School

Other trading activities

Trading activities are where income is receivable in return for selling goods or providing services. Income from trading is recognised either: a) when received, or b) in the case of other activities, for the year in which the event occurs, irrespective of the date of receipt. Moneys received in advance are included in creditors until the event has taken place.

Rents received from hall lettings are recognised when due.

Investment income

Dividends and interest are accounted for as they are received.

All other income

During this difficult lockdown time I have been very grateful to Angela and all of those involved with the Church online bulletin- this has enabled the children of the Parish to have access to some interesting topics and activities via the Roots children’s resources.

When the children are in church, we always focus on a creative activity-making something small that the children can take home. Early in the year we discussed the parable of the lost sheep and the children made the most delightful cotton-wool sheep with little black faces and legs. In another session we planted out little baby spider plants in small pots. It is a great pleasure supporting our youngsters and I am always proud of their achievements especially when they help one another. When they re-join the congregation at the end of the service they are always a source of joy for the grownups!

Natasha Crawford

All other income is recognised in accordance with the above overall policy.

Schools

Gains and losses on investments

Realised gains are recognised when the investments are sold.

Unrealised gains and losses are accounted for on revaluation as at 31 December.

Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised when there is evidence of entitlement, payment is probable, and the amount can be measured reliably.

Grants

Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over, or when awarded when the award creates a binding obligation on the PCC.

Church Activities

The diocesan parish contribution is accounted for on an annual basis, reflecting the allocation set by our Deanery. Any parish contribution unpaid at 31 December is provided in the financial statements as an operational (though not a legal) liability and is shown as a creditor in the Balance Sheet.

Our schools have been working very hard this year caring for the children and ensuring that they are kept safe and that their education doesn’t suffer too much. This past year has put a great deal of pressure on teaching staff and in particular Headteachers, as they have had to navigate through a year of sudden change and detailed planning with complex risk assessments which are updated almost every other week. Due to the 1[st] national lockdown many teachers did not have an Easter or half term break as they worked hard to put online learning in place, as well as keep the schools open for the children of key workers. Teachers spent time preparing lessons in new and creative ways, keeping in contact with the children and their parents. As the children went back to school in September there was some catching up to do and more importantly the need to ensure the children’s wellbeing. For the majority of children, going back to school was a great joy, to see their friends and their teacher but for some going back to into an environment with so many others after being at home on their own was difficult. Thanks to the skill of the teachers in the schools across the Parish our children are in good hands.

We have lost one school in the parish this year due to a decline in numbers and the effects of Covid19 as Ashdown House closed its doors on 1[st] June 2020. At Forest Row Primary the Vicar became the Chair of the Governor Board in March 2020 after the resignation of Mike McNally.

Revd Angela Martin - Vicar

Fixed Assets

Tangible fixed assets Consecrated and benificed property of any kind is excluded from the financial statements by s.10 (2) of the Charities Act 2011.

Movable church furnishing is held by the Vicar and Churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal, are accounted as inalienable property unless consecrated. They are listed in the church's inventory which can be inspected but are not included in the financial statements. For other property acquired prior to 2000 there is insufficient cost information available and therefore the cost of such assets is not stated in the financial statements.

All expenditure on consecrated or beneficed buildings and individual items costing under £1,000 is written off in the year in which they are incurred.

Mission

Study Groups

This year our Lent course began at the beginning of March but was interrupted by the National Lockdown as we all began to learn how to do things in a different way. Our study book was ‘Saying Yes to Life’ by Ruth Valerio, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book choice for 2020. It was a good read and I think we will return to this book at a later date.

Our Advent course was via ZOOM and we followed ‘Lights for Christ’, a course produced by Sheffield Diocese. We gathered on a Tuesday afternoon to reflect on the light of Christ in the world and the themes of Distance, Safety, Trust and Normal as we reflected on the effects of the pandemic. The notes for the course were circulated on the weekly e-Bulletin and could be used on your own or by joining the zoom group.This year we have also had the addition of a weekly Home Reflection sheet attached to our e-Bulletin for both adults and the children.

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Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Notes to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2020 (continued)

Caring for God’s precious planet and creation is part of our Parish mission. We have a responsibility to care for the Earth and God’s creation - using its resources wisely, and protecting them for future generations.

The Holy Trinity and St Dunstan Eco Church Group is encouraging action that cares for the environment and stops the harm that affects people and nature in our own community, and further afield.

1 Accounting policies

Basis of preparation

The PCC is apublic benefit entity within the meaning of FRS102. The financial statements have been prepared under the Charities Act 2011 and the Church Accounting Regulations 2006, in accordance with applicable accounting standards and the current (2016) Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities, (SORP (FRS 102)).

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention as modified by the inclusion of investments at market value. The financial statements include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of groups that owe their affiliation to another body, nor those which are informal gatherings of church members.

Funds accounting

This includes looking after the environment in our local gardens, streets and countryside. It also means considering the global effects of our actions, such as climate change which threatens all aspects of creation and if left uncontrolled will affect everyone, with the most vulnerable people at home and abroad suffering most. There are direct actions we can take in church and in our personal lives, for example by reducing waste, being efficient in the use of electricity, gas and vehicle fuels, and buying food and products responsibly.

Despite the Covid restrictions the Eco Church Group has continued to meet virtually on a monthly basis, although there was a gap of a couple of months from April 2020. We have continued to consider how we can all improve our environment, and despite periods of lockdown this has also involved the wider church community.

We have incorporated care for creation in aspects of worship. Before the March 2020 Covid lockdown the Parish 2020 Lent Course was based on the Church of England’s environment-themed “Saying Yes to Life” Lent Book based around the days of Creation. In August we held both a physical and virtual eco-themed service, during a period when we were able to gather in church. The recorded service was used as the Parish’s turn to produce the on-line service for the Diocese, which meant we

could spread the word even wider than our own Parish. Over the coming year we plan to host some external speakers to improve our understanding of how we can care for God’s creation. Caring for creation has also regularly featured in some other weekly services, in Revd Angela’s weekly bulletin and in the Parish News.

As well as in our worship and teaching, we continued with other Eco Church themes of reducing the environmental footprint of our buildings, using our church lands wisely for nature, reaching out to the wider community, and considering what we can all do to reduce the environmental impact of our lifestyle choices. We have produced some “Eco Tips” to help people make changes that reduce their environmental impact, such as by reducing food and other waste, and saving energy.

Funds held by the PCC are:

Unrestricted funds - general funds which can be used by the PCC for ordinary purposes. Designated funds - monies set aside by the PCC out of unrestricted funds for specific purposes or projects. These allocations are a proportion of the Unrestricted Funds, and may be released back to non-designated Unrestricted Funds by agreement of the PCC.

Restricted funds - a) income from trusts or endowments which my be expended only on those restricted objects provided in the terms of the trust or bequest; b) donations or grants received for a specific object. The funds may only be expended on the specific object for which they were given. Any balance remaining unspent at the end of the year is carried forward as a balance on that fund.

Endowment funds - funds for which the capital must be maintained; only income arising from the investment of the endowment may be used, either as restricted or unrestricted funds, depending on the purpose set out in the terms of the original endowment.

Income and endowments

All income and endowments, accounted for without deduction for any costs of receivability, are recognised when there is evidence of entitlement, receipt is probable, and the amount can be measured reliably.

Donations and legacies

Collections are recognised when received.

Planned giving receivable is recognised when there is evidence of entitlement, receipt is probable, and the amount accords with the Gift Aid declaration or other record of intention to donate. Gift aid recovered is recognised when the income to which it is attached is recognised. Grants and legacies are recognised when the formal offer in writing of the funding, is received by the PCC.

Charitable activities

Statutory fees for weddings and funerals are recognised when the office occurs.

We have identified ways in which we can reduce the “carbon footprint” of our church activities as a contribution to reducing climate change, such as through changes to the church heating systems and recycling more. We aim to implement some of those actions in the coming year.

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Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2020

In October we organised a successful Forest Row village litter pick for the first time and in September we participated in a clean-up of parts of the River Medway in Forest Row. We plan to organise similar activities in the coming year that we hope will also involve people from outside our own church community.

Our financial position and summary of funds at the year end were

	Total Funds Total Funds 2020 2019 Notes - - 365,886 359,837 17,074 16,000 382,961 375,837 10,11 4,639 7,479 12 93,676 105,085 98,314 112,564 12 2,642 1,520 13 478,633 486,881 17,074 16,000 11 81,247 81,247 380,312 389,632 11 478,633 486,879
Intangible Assets Tangible Assets Endowed iInvestments Total fixed assets Debtors Cash at bank Total current assets Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year Total net assets The funds of the charity: Endowment funds Restricted funds Unrestricted funds

This Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2020, including the notes following, was approved by the PCC and signed on its behalf by the Reverend Angela Martin, PCC Chairman:

We are planning to encourage local wildlife such as by promoting the use of bird boxes and bird feeders on our church land and by other people. We are blessed that St Stephen’s churchyard in Hammerwood is a natural haven for some of the local wildlife.

Although this was a challenging year, the Eco Church Group has continued to try and improve our environment and the nature around us. We are looking forward to being able to get together again so that collectively we can continue to care for God’s precious and fragile creation.

Gareth Martin - Chair of Eco Church group

Churches Together

The group continued to meet throughout the year to pray with and for each other. However, apart from the annual World Day of Prayer service, our plans for coming together for joint services and events were thwarted by the lockdown. This service at the beginning of March was organised by representatives from the Baptist Church and Holy Trinity and St Dunstan’s and was held at Holy Trinity.

The lockdown prevented us from joining together for the annual Walk of Witness on Good Friday.

During the summer we were advised by the Bishop to prepare to hold our Remembrance Sunday service outside. A lot of thought was put into how we could hold a joint service outside and plans were well advanced but, in the event, even an outside service was not permitted.

Attendance at the Annual Ecumenical Advent Service at 4pm had generally been fairly poor over the years and before the lockdown it had been agreed to try holding this at 10am as the main service for both churches. Once it was known that we would not be able to meet in Holy Trinity, discussions took place about holding this in the open air but again this did not prove possible. However, Revd Angela and Baptist Minister Mary McLachlan recorded a service with readings, reflections and prayers at Holy Trinity that was made available on-line.

When it was realised that it would not be possible to hold the Annual Carol Service in Holy Trinity, discussions took place about holding an ecumenical carol service in Holy Trinity Garden. That did not prove possible either.

The fact that we did not have more joint events was not due to a lack of trying!

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……………………………….. Angela Martin

On ……………………………

Interim

Keith Stacey

I don’t have anything to report over the last year. Member numbers are the same. We did meet in January and February in the church hall just for coffee and a chat. We had planned to go in March to Dunnings Mill for lunch, but too many members were anxious about doing this because of the Covid threat. I have phoned members during this difficult time to catch up with them. There is no plan to start up again at the moment.

Lin Smith

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Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2020

Outreach

Support for Charities

For several years now, regrettably, it has not been possible to tithe 10% of our income. However, we have endeavoured to support charities through fundraising events and special collections. The lockdown meant that it was not possible to hold the fundraising events that have become part of our annual calendar. In addition, there was not the same opportunity for people to hand in their collecting tubs which we use to support a nominated charity.

We did, however, donate £117 to the Royal British Legion. Also, in January 2020 £400 each was donated to East Grinstead Tadpoles and the Church Urban Fund. This was part of the 2019 giving, but the money was not sent until after the end of the financial year.

It is to be hoped that the lockdown will ease during 2021 and that we will be able to undertake some fundraising.

Keith Stacey

100 Club

2020 proved a difficult year for us all, though that hardly needs to be stated. Despite this however, I am pleased to say that we have now slightly increased our take-up of tickets to 106. This means that we now have a monthly prize fund of £265.00. The tickets belong to 40 members due to multiple ticket ownership

It is not possible to overstate how important the funds generated for our churches in the two villages are to our finances. So if you will bear with me, I would like to re-iterate our plea for more ticket sales. If you know anyone who would enjoy joining in, please use the opportunity to encourage them to do so. As a source of revenue it is extremely helpful, currently bringing in £3,000 to our funds.

Keith Major

Community Cafe at St Dunstan's

This is the 2020 annual report for the Community Café, a year blighted by Covid-19, and which, from 24 March, saw the seated Café service close and a delivery to door provision installed in its place for the most vulnerable customers. The heroic endeavours of the cooks, drivers and, particularly the Co-ordinator, Joy Munro, should be commended. It was pleasing to note that Joy herself was awarded a certificate by the High Sherriff of West Sussex for her endeavours, a Special Recognition Volunteer Award, which she generously accepted on behalf of the whole team.

During 2020 the Café served 1,286 (1,759) customers over 11 weeks of sittings and 38 weeks of deliveries. In total 797 (1,147) soups, 1,270 (1,688) mains and 1,033 (1,307) puddings were cooked and sold. Total income from sale of meals, including some gratuities, totalled £7,288 (£10,015), expenditure on meals was £3,492 (£5,631). The figures in brackets show the 2019 equivalent. The weekly rent to the Church was £50 per week, reducing to £25 per week after 17 March, as from that date the kitchen was only used for preparation purposes. Prices of starters, mains and puddings were respectively £1.50, £3.50, and £1.50 still unchanged from the Café’s inception in August 2010.

During 2020 the café was able to award a charitable donation of £250 to the East Grinstead Foodbank. A matching sum was awarded to St Dunstan’s Church.

As of 31 December 2020, the balance in the café’s accounts shows as £3,420 (£2,944). The accounts have been independently examined by Mr George Stoker who found everything to be in good order.

The Café closed until further notice at the end of 2020. It is hoped that it will re-open in the future when COVID-19 restrictions are much reduced, and we can revert to the traditional seated Café arrangement. It will be necessary before then to recruit new volunteers as a number of people have now retired, and replacements will be required across all disciplines.

The financial effect of our activities during the year can be summarised as follows:

Income and endowments from: Donations and legacies Charitable activities Other trading activities Investments Other receipts Total income Expenditure on: Raising funds Charitable activities Other trading activities Other expenditure Total expenditure Net gains/losses on investments Net income Transfers between funds Other recognised gains/losses Gains/(losses) on revaluation of fixed assets Other gains/(losses)	Unrestrict- ed Restricted Endowed Total funds Total funds Notes fund funds funds 2020 2019 72,094 72,094 95,891 2,196 2,196 5,892 2,651 2,651 6,177 621 621 783 0 0 0
	77,561 77,561 108,743 2
	0 0 79 91,048 91,048 104,101 1,279 1,279 1,555 0 0 0
	92,327 92,327 105,735 3
	5,445 1,074 6,519 12,193
	-9,320 0 1,074 -8,246 15,201

Reconciliation of funds:

Net movement in funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward	-9,320 0 1,074 -8,246 15,201
	389,632 81,247 16,000 489,879 433,976
	380,312 81,247 17,074 481,633 449,177

Unrestricted funds include £36,478 allocated to Designated funds for particular purposes.

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Chris Rolley

Knit and Natter at Holy Trinity

The Knit and Natter group met in January, February and March but this was then curtailed due to the Pandemic. We hope to restart this on the 1[st] Tuesday of the month in Holy Trinity Church Hall, once restrictions have been lifted. We look forward to welcoming everyone, including new members, for a cup of coffee or tea, maybe biscuits or cake and a lot of talking, while hopefully some knitting, crocheting and needlework is undertaken.

Marilyn Morris

Pop-in Café at St Dunstan’s

With special thanks to Eskie and Penny for their reflections on our Pop-in Café for this report, it’s great to hear from those who have enjoyed going along.

As many of you will know the Pop-in Café was an inspired initiative started and run by Lin Simmons who sadly lost her battle with cancer as we were writing this report. Lin was an integral part of our church family, working quietly behind the scenes doing all the jobs no one else wanted to do. She was deeply committed to the community of Ashurst Wood and the life of the church. In short, she was, and remains an example of faithful Christian living to us all and she will be much missed by everyone both young and old.

Dear Angela

I really loved going to the Thursday coffee morning so did Jensen he cheered everyone up. I loved the community aspect of it and chatting to everyone hearing about their life stories, sadly some of the people have passed away now but because of the coffee mornings I got to know them more than I would have done otherwise and I'm so grateful for that. I have missed the coffee mornings a great deal as it was something to look forward to and an activity for me to do and we didn't just sit around chatting. We did quizzes, crafts and just had a nice friendly time, there were never any arguments and it gave some people the chance to actually see people and talk to others which they might not normally have and gave them something to talk about and sadly they don't have this now with the coffee morning being shut. I know that reopening the coffee mornings would really help some of the residents not to feel so alone in the village as a lot of people have lost loved ones and they need somewhere to go to take their mind off whatever troubles they may have. I look forward to future news on the coffee mornings restarting.

Yours sincerely

Eskarina Samantha Middleton

Dear Angela

hello thank you for message about cafe I would like to see it reopen, it was so nice to meet everyone it would be nice to get more people involved. I hope when all this covid clears maybe it will be able to get going again. Love Penny

Eskarina Samantha Middleton, Penny & Revd Angela

Social and Fundraising

Holy Trinity

At the beginning of the year, we continued to have a social gathering and time of fellowship after all main services. Unfortunately, this has been curtailed since the first lockdown, due to social distancing, caused by the pandemic.

The middle of February would have seen the Chichester Cathedral Choir coming to Holy Trinity, which was due to bring many people from the surrounding area as well as the Parish and Deanery. This could have been a great social occasion for the Parish after the service, but unfortunately was cancelled literally on the day, due to the arrival of Storm Dennis.

At the end of February we held our first Jumble Sale in the Church and the hall. This was an experiment which went extremely well, and was a very sociable occasion raising much needed funds. This was to have been repeated at the beginning of April, but sadly was cancelled due to the

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pandemic lockdown.

All other Social and Fundraising events were cancelled due to the ongoing Pandemic In September, the annual ‘Ride and Stride’ took place, raising money for our own Church as well as Sussex Historic Churches Trust. Our thanks to those who rode and to those who sponsored them. During the Autumn, Christmas Cards were sold after services. The Christmas Hamper raffle and ‘brain teasing’ Quiz were made available. Our thanks to Ken Farrar for producing the quiz, which is always a talking point amongst many. The weekend before Christmas, the now annual ‘Christmas Tree Festival’ took place, which again brought many organisations and the community into the Church. 15 trees were displayed which was really lovely, as we had wondered whether the event would actually take place. Our grateful thanks to Gareth Martin who kindly organised this event again. On the Saturday in Forest Row and Sunday in Ashurst Wood, Carol Singing took place around the villages, bringing the congregations and communities together.

The Annual Financial Report

of the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Forest Row for the year ended 31 December 2020

We are ever hopeful that during 2021 we will be able to resurrect some of our social and fundraising occasions.

Simon Morris

Holy Trinity Church, Forest Row

St Dunstan's Church, Ashurst Wood

St Dunstan’s

The Saturday coffee mornings were held at the beginning of the year, but none since March.

We had a successful quiz in February which raised £249.

St Stephen's Church, Hammerwood (Closed)

Registered Charity no. 1132867

Alison's sale of jam and marmalade has continued and raised £110 in 2020.

Rachel’s handmade Christmas cards were again successful and raised £192

CONTENTS

We have achieved quite a lot considering the difficult conditions.

June Spoor

Page

21 Statement of Financial Activities

Ride & Stride for Sussex Historic Churches Trust

Keith Stacey, Roger Collins (a Ride & Stride stalwart from St Swithun’s, East Grinstead) and I set out on a mild September Saturday for an unofficial local ride, to fundraise for the Sussex Historic Churches Trust. From the shade of the Forest Way we emerged into full sunshine at St Mary’s, Hartfield. The sun accompanied us for most of the day, but, despite that, the temperature was pleasant. It allowed us to really take in the idyllic setting of St Michael and All Angels, Withyham and the sequestered peace at St Thomas’s in Groombridge. Thanks to

Keith’s map-reading skills, we were able to avoid the gruelling Groombridge Hill by taking a footpath that led to the top, where we took a pleasant coffee break at the nearby Groombridge Farm Shop, before pressing on to All Saints, Langton Green.

After St Paul’s in Rusthall (which was open for business as the Kent Ride and Stride was operating fairly normally) we sped past the United Reformed Church in Rusthall and then – following our instincts and the directions of several horse riders – arrived at St Mary’s, Speldhurst, remarkable for its Burne-Jones and William Morris stained-glass windows. After hurtling downhill to St John the Baptist in Penshurst we had worked up an appetite, so stopped for lunch at the Bottle House pub. Refreshed, we headed for home by way of St Mary Magdalene, Cowden, and back to St Dunstan’s (bypassing St Peter’s Holtye and St Stephen’s Hammerwood). That added up to 29 miles of enjoyable company and pedalling (except for a few pesky hills on the way back!). Thanks to the generosity of all our sponsors, we have raised over £350, half of which will go to the Trust and half to our parishes.

----- Start of picture text -----
Patrick and Keith at St Mary’s
Speldhurst
----- End of picture text -----

22 Balance Sheet 23 - 30 Notes to the Accounts 31 Report of the Independent Examiner

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Patrick Crawford Conclusion

Due to the pandemic there have been very limited opportunities to raise much needed funds this year. The PCC is very grateful to everyone who continues to contribute towards the mission and ministry in this place.

Personally I think one of the themes running throughout this year for those of us who regularly go to church is tthat we have not been allowed to sing. I think Simon has expressed this in his music report. We did record a Carol Service with a small choir which was a great joy and we did run 2 outdoor Carol Singing events in both villages, again this was a great joy for all those who attended. I hope the fast from singing and being together will encourage us to treasure this aspect of our worship more and instead of saying ‘I can’t sing’ we hear more people saying ‘I’d love to join you for a good sing!!’ When we sing we gather together in a very particular way, we breathe together and speak together as we praise and worship God, giving thanks for every blessing. My prayer for 2021 is that we re-energise our singing voices and raise the church roof in wonderful worship.

Revd Angela Martin - Vicar

Stewardship

At the end of 2020 at the budget meeting the PCC took the difficult decision to reduce the financial contribution we make to the Diocese towards our full ministry costs. This was with the hope that in 2021 we can once again begin to encourage giving and increase our offer. The raw facts of this decision are that if we are unable to raise the necessary funds to bring us back to a point where we can offer an amount closer to the full cost of ministry here, we may have to re-imagine the shape of that ministry in the future. My thanks go to our Treasurers Ian and Keith for all they do to prepare financial statements for the DCC’s and the PCC and for keeping us all on the straight and narrow during this difficult year. In particular I would like to thank Ian for also taking on board responsibility for Holy Trinity finances after the resignation of Margaret Keen in January, in addition to his Parishwide responsibility.

A great way to contribute to the work and ministry of the Parish is by using our QR code.

Revd Angela Martin - Vicar

Financial Review

Financially, 2020 has been a turbulent year for the PCC. When we were forced to lock down in March 2020 because of the Covid Pandemic, our incoming resources were severely hit. Donations and most regular sources of income, including fees from weddings and funerals and lettings were reduced, whilst the expenditure on looking after our obligations did not reduce to the same extent. The PCC took action to reduce expenditure. Application was made to the Diocese to reduce the Parish Share payments for three months. This reduced costs by £3,054, and we are grateful to the Diocese for their consideration in this matter. We furloughed staff when possible, and applied for Grants under the Government’s Job Retention Scheme. This resulted in grants of £3,634 being received. We were extremely grateful to the late Alison Bellac who left us a legacy of £5,000. Without these contributions the position would have been significantly worse. The final position for the year on normal activities was a deficit of almost £15,000 compared with a surplus of just over £3,000 in 2019.

In late 2020, we took action to reduce our Parish Share in 2021 from just over £57,000 to £40,000.

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ensure a balance of skills and experience where possible.

We undertook to review this after three months, but this will probably need to be deferred. We continue to receive donations from the Forest Wood Lottery and we are grateful for this support. We were unable to maintain the previous level of Charitable Giving. The PCC will carefully monitor the position going forward, but is currently running a significant deficit in 2021.

Ian King

Reserves Policy

It is PCC policy to hold surplus general funds over and above working balances, representing six months of current expenditure, thus allowing for large and unanticipated expenditure to be easily dealt with. This has not been possible, and our cash resources have continued to decline in the first few months of 2021.

Structure, governance and management of the charity

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is registered with the Charity Commission as required by the Charities Act 2011. Its governing document is the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956.

During the year the following served as members of the Parochial Church Council. Due to the lockdown caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, the APCM was delayed until October. Consequently some members served for a slightly extended period:

Ex Officio members

Parochial Church Council

The PCC met seven times during the year. All but two of the meetings were conducted via Zoom. To ensure that sufficient time is devoted to mission, every endeavour is made to arrange business so that alternate meetings are devoted to mission. Of necessity, during 2020 most meetings were devoted to essential business. However, in January 2020 the meeting concentrated on “Vision for Growth”, the Diocesan Strategy document encouraging us to look at our strategic plan for the next 5 years. In January 2021 the meeting received a presentation from the Eco-Church Group and discussed steps that we could take to look after God’s planet.

The Standing Committee took decisions between meetings. These were generally on matters of a non-contentious nature and the decisions were subsequently endorsed by the PCC. There is no separate Finance Committee, but the Parish Treasurer monitors receipts and payments, produces budgets and other financial data and makes regular reports to the PCC. There is a District Church Council at each church with delegated authority to deal with some aspects of worship, mission and the maintenance of the fabric of the buildings. With the lockdown, there was no real reason for Holy Trinity DCC to meet in 2020 and St Dunstan’s DCC only met on two occasions, specifically to discuss concluding a contract for some groundworks.

This Trustees’ Annual Report was approved by the PCC and signed on their behalf by the Revd Angela Martin, PCC Chairman

Signed: Revd Angela Martin

Date: 19 March 2021

Incumbent: The Revd Angela Martin Chairman Wardens: Alison Harman until October 2020) Simon Morris Vice Chairman June Spoor (from October 2020) Secretary: Saskia Schuit Elected Members Richard Gooderson (until 2021) Colin Keen (until 2020) Ian King (until 2022) Jeremy Kirk (until 2023) Keith Major (until 2023) Fay Margo (until 2023) Julie Martin (until 2022) Pippa Pease (until July 2020) June Spoor (until October 2020) Sue Walter (until 2023) Deanery Synod Timothy Leeney Fiona Rogers Two vacancies

Membership of the PCC is determined under the Church Representation Rules and consists of certain ex-officio members (the incumbent/priest-in-charge, curate, lay readers licensed to officiate in the church), the churchwardens and members of the Deanery, Diocesan or General Synods and 12 members of the church who are elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM). Following the APCM in October there remained vacancies for three members of the Holy Trinity congregation and two for members of the St Dunstan’s congregation. Members of the two congregations are warmly encouraged to consider standing for election to the PCC and we try to

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