2021-12-31-accounts - The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Forest Row

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Ecclesiastical Parish of Forest Row

Trustees Annual Report and Financial Report of the Parochial Church Council 2021

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Forest Row for the Year Ended 31 December 2021

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 2021 as set out on pages 19 to 30

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:

examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act,
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
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

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 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: R C Dyke

Date: 31 March 2022

Examiner’s address

17 Freshfield Bank Forest Row East Sussex RH18 5HQ

Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Notes to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2021 (continued)

12 Debtors

Income tax recoverable Prepayments and accrued income Other debtors	4,200 4,200 3,400 960 960 1,239 - - -
	5,160 5,160 4,639

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 2021 2020 Notes
	£ £ £ £ £ - - 1,609 1,609 1,763 4,875 4,875 879
	6,484 6,484 2,642

The Annual Report of the Trustees of the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Forest Row for the year ended 31 December 2021

Holy Trinity Church, Forest Row

St Dunstan's Church, Ashurst Wood

St Stephen's Church, Hammerwood (Closed)

Registered Charity no. 1132867

14 Impact of Covid-19

In accordance with Government guidelines, our activities were severely affected, and we were unable to have services or otherwise use our facilities. It is not possible to quantify with any certainty the financial impact of the pandemic. No adjustments have been made to any figures in the accounts as a result of the pandemic.

Website: www.frparish.co.uk

The Venerable Angela Martin

Incumbent:

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

Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Notes to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2021 (continued)

10 Fixed Assets

10	Fixed Assets
a	Investments
		Unrestricted	Restricted	Endowed	Total Funds	Total Funds
		Fund	Funds	Funds	2021	2020	Notes
		£	£	£	£	£
	Market value at 1 January 2021	58,903		17,074	75,978	69,454
	Disposals at carrying value
	Purchases at cost
	Net gains and revaluations	10,313		2,273	12,586	6,524
		69,216		19,348	88,564	75,978
b	Tangible fixed assets
						Freehold land
						and buildings
	Cost or valuation
	At 1 January 2021					306,983
	Additions - office equipment					-
	Disposals					-
	Revaluation					-
	Depreciation					-300
	At 31 December 2021
						306,683
	Net book amounts
	At 31 December 2021					306,683
	At 31 December 2020					306,983
	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 2021 2020 Notes
	£ £ £ £ £ 306,683 306,683 306,983 69,216 19,348 88,564 75,978 5,160 5,160 4,639 11,560 81,247 92,807 93,676 -6,484 -6,484 -2,642
	386,135 81,247 19,348 486,729 478,633

Within Unrestricted funds are Designated Funds which amounted to £36,478 at the Balance Sheet date. (2020 - £36,478.)

Notes to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2021 (continued)

Parochial Church Council of Forest Row

Trustees Annual Report for 2021

4 Missionary and charitable giving

Royal British Legion Embrace the Middle East Climate Stewards (Emissions offsetting) Church Urban Fund East Grinstead Tadpoles Staff costs Remuneration Salaries	Unrestricted Restricted Endowed Total Funds Total Funds Fund Funds Funds 2021 2020 £ £ £ £ £ 375 375 117 309 309 - 411 411 - - 400 - 400 1,095 1,095 917 10,342 10,342 8,634 10,342 0 0 10,342 8,634

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 £2,638; Water charges £640. Other expenses of the office of vicar, curate and ministry team £1,309.

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 where appropriate

The most significant piece of work that the PCC has carried out this year is to update our Mission Action Plan which is included in the report below. This has been part of a much wider Diocesan Deanery Planning project carried out during 2021. The PCC spent 6 months carefully and prayerfully working through a Mission Action Plan Tool Kit, a series of searching questions about faith, mission and church life. The result of these meetings is our new MAP (Mission Action Plan) which we hope everyone will feel able to fully participate in.

As a church community 2021 has been yet another year disrupted by the covid pandemic. It was a great joy to be able to gather together again as a worshipping congregation on Palm Sunday and in particular to sing together! Having put all the necessary measures in place we were able to enjoy worshipping together in a safe environment. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Church Wardens for their flexibility and hard work over this last year. I would also like to make a special mention of our Sidesmen. Those within our church family who volunteer to be sidesmen (and women!) are our welcomers and the first touch point for newcomers in church. It is essential that the first point of contact for anyone coming into church is a warm smile and a reassuring hello! Over the last year with new people joining our congregations this particular role has become even more important.

At the beginning of 2021 the Bishop of Chichester invited me to become one of the Acting Archdeacons for Horsham and on the 4[th] July I became the new Archdeacon of Horsham. This meant a change in role for me and the parish. The decision was taken to stay in Forest Row and the Vicar alongside my new role as Archdeacon of Horsham. This meant that the parish did not go into vacancy and there would also be a reduction in the expected pledge for Parish Ministry Cost, something the parish has struggled with for many years now. Although this means I spend a great deal of time outside of the Parish carrying out my duties as Archdeacon it also means that the life of the Parish has been able to continue in much the same way with just a few adjustments. One of those adjustments has been to the working life of the Parish Office and in particular our Parish Administrator Saskia Schuit. Saskia has taken on, and continues to take on, more of the administrative elements of parish life. Our aim is to make the Parish Office a hub for first contact and for all

arrangements of occasional offices, in other words ensuring that proper records are kept of the funerals, weddings and baptisms which happen across the parish. I would like to note my thanks to Saskia for all that she does to support me in my role as Vicar and the parish.

As part of these changes, we now have regular clergy support from the Parish of St Swithun with Revd. Canon Julia Peaty and Revd. Karen Higgs coming along once a month to cover a Sunday service. This is not only a great support to me as Archdeacon, enabling me to visit the parishes across my Archdeaconry throughout the year but it is also a great joy to our regular worshipping community as they have a varied diet of leadership for the Eucharist and in preaching. I am very grateful for the support and fellowship extended to us in this way by Julia and Karen and the Parish of St Swithun.

As part of our MAP we have also seen the beginnings of a new Worship Group. This we hope will be expanded and enable more lay-led worship within the parish extending our breadth of worship styles leading to possible numerical growth. The PCC have agreed to the proposal that we endeavour to organise a non-Eucharistic family style service for the 5[th] Sundays in the year. If you are interested in joining this group please contact Julie Martin.

Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Notes to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2021 (continued)

Mission Action Plan

This Mission Action Plan was prepared by the Standing Committee for Forest Row PCC on 20.1.2022 from the results of the Mission Audit tool as agreed by the PCC at the December 2021 meeting. This was the culmination of 6 months’ work that the PCC had prayerfully undertaken to consider the questions posed in the Mission Audit document which forms part of the Diocesan Deanery Planning exercise. After completing the 8 questions in the audit document the PCC felt called to focus on Qu7 of the mission audit.

“Qu7; A growing church is likely to nurture disciples, encouraging people to explore and deepen their faith and live it out in their daily lives.”

The PCC when answering this session, gave to 7 out of the 8 questions posed an answer of ‘NO’. The conclusion drawn from this was that the way we bring people to faith and grow in our own faith journey, our Bible study, our prayer life and our relationship with the Holy Spirit was the area we most needed to focus on.

The PCC authorised the Standing Committee to meet and develop the final MAP.

The aims of the Standing Committee were to complete our Parish MAP which needed to be SMART and in line with the Diocesan Strategy of the ‘Four Mores’; More Open, More Converted to Jesus Christ, More Generous, More Engaged. These are linked to the words of the Creed - One, Holy, Apostolic and Catholic church.

S pecific

M easurable
A chievable
R ealistic
T ime limited

Specific aim :

To raise the spiritual temperature of the regular worshiping community.

As a family of faith we are a gathered community of Christians committed to Sunday worship. We know that theological thinking must be built on a combination of Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience. Amongst our church family we have some understanding of our Christian faith but not a deep level of understanding neither on a personal and/or a corporate level. By learning to balance the elements of Scripture, Tradition and Reason and Experience our aim is to grow in faith and raise the spiritual temperature across the parish.

Measurable aim:

Simply by recording the scope and number of people who engage with this process.

3 Analysis of expenditure

	Unrestricted Restricted Endowed Total Funds Total Funds Fund Funds Funds 2021 2020 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	£ £ £ £ £ 250 250 0 250 0 0 250 0 1,095 1,095 917 41,200 41,200 57,162 4,587 4,587 4,991 10,342 10,342 8,634 1,828 1,828 1,571 11,938 11,938 11,360 10,022 10,022 6,282 150 150 130 0 0 0 81,163 81,163 91,048 1,852 1,852 1,279 1,852 1,852 1,279 83,265 83,265 92,327

Unrestricted Restricted
Endowed
Total Funds
Total Funds
Fund
Funds
Funds
2021
2020
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

£
£
£
£
£
250
250
0
250
0
0
250
0

1,095
1,095
917
41,200
41,200
57,162
4,587
4,587
4,991
10,342
10,342
8,634
1,828
1,828
1,571
11,938
11,938
11,360
10,022
10,022
6,282
150
150
130
0
0
0

81,163
81,163
91,048

1,852
1,852
1,279
1,852
1,852
1,279

83,265
83,265
92,327

Achievable aim:

How to achieve this and the ideas explored to offer the opportunity for everyone to engage and grow in depth of faith.

Sermon series .

To use well known and accessible materials during the sermon slot on a Sunday at the main act of worship as a teaching tool. It was suggested that we begin by using resources from the ‘Christianity Explored’ course including the videos narrated by Rico Tice. To then encourage the congregation to use the time at coffee after the service for discussion. This would begin at the start of Lent.

Men’s Breakfast .

To arrange an opportunity for men to gather and talk about their faith and life. While encouraging diversity we must also acknowledge that we all have a slightly different perspective and that there are fewer men within the worshiping community than there are women. There are also already well established groups that, although not advertised as exclusively for women, on the whole are only frequented by women. (Quilting group, Knit & Natter, Interim)

Book Club.

To encourage people to read a particular book over the period of 6 months and to gather monthly to discuss the content. A suggestion for the first title is ‘The Bible - the story that makes sense of life’ written by Dr Andrew Ollerton.

Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 j Notes to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2021 (continued)

Supper Club.

This would be a social group to offer people the opportunity to get to know one another on an informal level. During our preparations we recognised that to be able to have a frank and open conversation about your faith we all need to feel comfortable with each other and confident that we are in a safe space. The aim of the Supper Club would be to build trust.

2 Analysis of income and endowments

	Unrestricted Restricted Endowed Total Funds Total Funds Fund Funds Funds 2021 2020 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	£ £ £ £ £ 39,634 39,634 41,869 5,739 5,739 4,241 13,143 13,143 11,830 0 0 5,775 5,775 5,520 6,000 6,000 5,000 1,583 1,583 3,634 0 0 71,874 0 0 71,874 72,094 4,226 4,226 2,196 4,226 4,226 2,196 2,350 2,350 2,651 2,350 2,350 2,651 325 325 621 325 325 621 78,774 0 0 78,774 77,561

Pubs.

Our first task is to grow spiritually but looking ahead we need to be thinking about building on this and reaching out to become more open. We felt that it is also important to encourage engagement in the community and particularly gathering in our local pubs. This seems like an odd thing to encourage but within our small Parish we have several pubs, each attracting different cross-sections of our village communities. If we are to be successful in our outreach we must first get to know those who we are reaching out to. Pub quizzes and regular meetings, possibly book club held in our pubs will be part of our mission moving forward.

Church Family events.

Christian Quiz - this could be a fun event held at our regular Saturday morning Café Quiet/Away Day - we have had 2 successful Quiet days over the past 7 years. It is proposed that we aim to arrange a Quiet day of reflection open to all.

Pilgrim Courses .

Distinctive short, led courses based on various themes all relating to different aspects of faith and church life. The proposal is that these can be run in small house groups.

New Daylight .

New Daylight is a popular and well-loved book with daily devotional scripture readings and related reflections. We propose that this book be encouraged as a daily discipline and a regular group set up (revived) to meet monthly to discuss the readings and reflections. There had been just such a group in existence and the hope is that this can be gathered again.

Realistic aim.

To only carry out a few of our ideas and not to try to do them all! We felt that the following would be achievable.

Sermon series New Daylight Book Club Men’s Breakfast Supper Club - summer months

The hope is that as we move through the year we may find we have also been able to begin some of the other ideas.

Conclusion.

The element of the Four Mores we are concentrating on in phase [i] 2022 is More Converted to Jesus Christ.

The SMART aims are;

S To raise the spiritual temperature
M The record of the number of people who engage with the process
A To work with the suggestions offering opportunities for people to grow in faith
R Only do a few of our ideas
T Phase [i] Ends Dec 2022 - phase [ii] in 2023 - More Open

Report prepared by Forest Row PCC Standing Committee

Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Notes to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2021 (continued)

Statutory Reports Fabric Goods and Ornaments

Holy Trinity Church

During the last year we have been able to fulfil a number of necessary repairs and issues. My grateful thanks to Graham Bedford who has taken control of our fabric maintenance and also reports to the D.C.C. through the year.

The Quinquennial has been completed and we await the report for this.

Roof repairs have been completed. All Gutters have been cleared during the year and Church Hall roof checked for leaks.

The Clock has had ongoing maintenance throughout the year and at last seems to be working well in February 2022!! We received a grant from the Parish Council to cover the majority of this work. A fallen ‘carved label stop’ near the Chanel Window was replaced. Also stained glass windows repairs in the nave and porch are under consideration.

Scotts did their annual services on both Boilers for the Church and the Hall.

Toilets have had various repairs during the year and the Toilet Macerator is to be serviced.

The Organ and Piano have been tuned once during the year. The Organ Blower has been serviced, for the first time since 1962. The Organ trumpet stop needs work at some point as there is a high level of dirt, dust and grit which does not help the tuning. When money allows we hope this could be rectified, although some form of cover may be needed to avoid this happening again as it is close to the archway.

The main Church Notice board opposite Freshfield Hall is in a bad state of repair and the possibility of replacing this is under consideration.

The font has a leak in it when being emptied and various options are being considered avoiding too much expense. The Church Hall continues to cause concern. We again 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 being looked at by Pete Caruana during the early part of 2022 and in March is certainly a great improvement.

The Bell Rope in the main porch was purchased and replaced.

During 2022 we are planning to apply for a grant towards the Spire Lighting running costs. During the year the Church has had some ‘spring’ cleans and

my grateful thanks to those who have helped on these occasions. Our thanks also go 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 and Garden so regularly and that they have the opportunity to enjoy such welcoming environments. My special thanks go to Pamela Bainbridge and Carol Holden who have very kindly opened and locked the Church since the National Day of Reflection on 23[rd] March 2021 and have helped to keep our Church open 7 days a week.

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 exceeds50 years and residual values 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

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.

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, June, my co-warden and Sue my deputy warden for all their support throughout the year.

Simon Morris – Churchwarden

St Dunstan’s Church

The annual servicing of the fire alarm system, fire extinguishers and kitchen security shutters took place. The smoke detector sensor in the Gathering Space had to be replaced. The hall boiler was serviced. The control panel for regulating the heating and hot water had to be replaced. Minor safety work in the meter cupboard to satisfy gas regulations was undertaken.

Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Notes to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2021 (continued)

1 Accounting policies (continued)

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

A fault with the hearing loop amplifier was rectified. The annual organ tuning took place. The light bulbs in the globes were replaced to improve the level of lighting.

The grass and hedges continue to be maintained by Pete Pollard. Alison takes good care of the rose garden. The undercroft hedge has been trimmed. The entrance to the car park has been renovated and has provided another car parking space.

The investigations into the renewal of the church boiler have been ongoing. It has been decided, in principle, to replace the

old gas boiler with some form of electric heating which would be more cost effective and environmentally friendly. Alternatives are still being explored.

June Spoor Churchwarden

Dividends and interest are accounted for as they are received.

All other income

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

Gains and losses on investments

Realised gains are recognised when the investments are sold.

St Stephen’s Church, Hammerwood

The churchyard at Hammerwood continues to be lovingly cared for by Graham Bedford and his team. The church building is in the process of being sold after its formal closure in 2016.

Ven. Angela Martin - Vicar

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.

Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults

Throughout the year various members of our congregations have had their D.B.S. renewed, to enable them to continue with Open the Book, Sunday School and taking Holy Communion to the housebound, therefore extending our outreach to the wider community. There are various items in both churches, with contact details of who and where to contact, if there are concerns of abuse in children or vulnerable adults.

Marilyn Morris

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.

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.

Music and Worship

2021, apart from celebrating the Epiphany on the first Sunday in January, started with us in lockdown through to the end of March. Continuing our daily practice of Morning Prayer on Zoom we held a regular Sunday service. This became quite popular, with sometimes between 25 and 30 attending. After the initial weeks we even sang a hymn to end. As Holy Week approached at the end of March we were able to return to services in Church. We decided to have joint services for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, basically said but starting and ending each service outside with a hymn. The remainder of Holy Week was marked by daily Morning Prayer. After this, we returned to our normal pattern of services up and down the hill, with our main services said. At Holy Trinity the Choir sang shortened versions of the hymns with the final hymn sung outside at both St Dunstan’s and Holy Trinity. By the end of July we were back to hymn singing at both churches. Towards the end of August Mass Settings were reintroduced. With some new orders of service the musical settings were streamlined, so we would be singing the same music at both churches in Ordinary Time and Penitential seasons and each Church would keep to its main setting for Christmas/ Epiphany and Easter.

With the return to hymn singing we were able to resurrect the Church Choir and I am pleased we have 11 regular members, with others I can call upon to help out. We meet each Sunday when at Holy Trinity and had main Choir Practices on Fridays before Harvest, Remembrance and leading up to Christmas. At the end of July we were able to have Songs of Praise followed by Cheese and Wine.

My grateful thanks for the support I have been given by Angela and all the congregation, not forgetting the Choir, who give such a commitment, throughout the year. At the end of July the Choir

Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Notes to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2021 (continued)

were invited to the Vicarage for a social gathering which was greatly appreciated. At both churches, my thanks to Ann Woodard who has played the organ for services and also to Nicholas Smith and Chris Harris who often help with Weddings and Funerals, if I am unavailable.

Both Church Organs have been tuned during the year. Hopefully the work needed on Holy Trinity’s may happen when funds allow. The Piano also was tuned having not been tuned since 2019. Unfortunately, our annual Charity Concert was cancelled again. We look forward to our Platinum Jubilee Charity Concert on Saturday 11[th] June. 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.

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

Simon Morris (Parish Director of Music)

Children’s Work

Open the Book

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

We resumed assemblies in September this year, opting for monthly stories as we are all finding it a bit challenging to produce two assemblies a month. The school continue to be grateful for everything we can do. Due to Covid, we had to omit Christmas, but began January with the Three Star Watchers, which was very well received.

Rosie Hewson

Sunday School

As you can imagine, it has been an unusual year for the youngsters at Holy Trinity. We managed to have a small project nurturing butterflies remotely. I was able to keep in touch with small groups of children and sent photographs of the butterflies that we bought online.

It was such a wonderful thing to see the caterpillars metamorphosising into chrysalises and then into painted lady butterflies. Sadly, the inclement weather meant that they emerged a little too early to release outside on the chosen date. I kept them in the warm conditions of our snug which made a great lepidopterarium. They were released a couple of weeks later.

The children also looked after individual plants that were especially attractive to butterflies and planted these in their gardens.

Throughout lockdown periods, Angela was able to include activities from “Roots” in the weekly electronic bulletin. I’m sure many families found this interesting and helpful.

We took a break after this time but restarted just before Christmas with the children back in the church. The children worked so beautifully to roll and cut out clay stars which they hand painted and these were hung on their little Christmas tree with lights and entered in the Christmas Tree Festival. The real tree was later replanted and is flourishing in St. Albans!

Since Christmas our little saplings have made small white paper doves suspended on twigs to celebrate the Baptism of Christ and remind us of the Holy Spirit.

They have baked a fruit cake to represent the Holy Trinity and the unity of the church remembering that everyone is like an ingredient in a cake and together we combine to become a wonderful church family. The cake was enjoyed by members of the congregation after the service! In February the children drew and cut out little Valentine hearts which they gave to each member of

1 Accounting policies

Basis of preparation

The PCC is a public 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

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

Donations and legacies are generally recognised when received. Where a donation is received for a particular purpose it is recognised in the appropriate accounting year.

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.

Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2021

the congregation. Written on each heart was the message- with love x

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

	Total Funds Total Funds 2021 2020 Notes
Intangible Assets Tangible Assets Endowed invest- ments Investments 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	£ £ - - 375,899 365,886 19,348 17,074
	395,247 382,96010,11
	5,160 4,639 12 92,807 93,676
	97,967 98,315 12
	6,484 2,642 13
	486,729 478,633
	19,348 17,074 11 81,247 81,247 386,135 380,312 11
	486,729 478,633

This Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2021, including the notes following, was approved by the PCC and signed on its behalf by the Venerable Angela Martin, PCC Chairman:

……………………………….. Angela Martin

on 31 March 2022

We have three little families with groups of siblings who come to Little Saplings intermittently and we are overjoyed to have them joining the congregation. They are always a delight and bring real joy to all the congregation.

Future Little saplings dates are: Sunday 27[th] February Sunday 27[th] March Mothering Sunday Sunday 17[th] April Easter Sunday Sunday 8[th] May

Natasha Crawford

Schools

We have continued to support our local schools as far as possible during another very difficult year. Open the Book was not allowed in for much of the year but delivered assembles when it was allowed to. As Vicar I continued to support the school in Forest Row as Chair of Governors and doing assembles when restrictions allowed. There has been no contact with our local independent schools this year. Ashdown House sadly closed its doors to students. We have had no contact with Michael Hall and Greenfields except through the Christmas Tree festival when Greenfields once again entered a very creative and beautiful tree. Brambletye School have now employed Revd. Karen Higgs as their School Chaplain and Chapel is no longer on a Saturday. These changes have meant that even the limited contact we did have has diminished further. Our joy is that we still have strong ties with Brambletye school through Revd. Karen Higgs.

Ven Angela Martin - Vicar

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’s 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. The Eco Church Group has met about once per month during the year. We have incorporated care for creation in aspects of worship. A Sea Sunday service in July 2021 featured sustainability of the oceans and how, for example, sustainable fishing is important. The 2021 Harvest Festival Service in September was also our Climate Sunday service when we considered how climate change is affecting people’s lives around the world and prayed for a good outcome at the November 2021 UN climate change conference. Caring for creation has also regularly featured in some other weekly services, in Ven. 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 estimated the sources of annual “carbon” emissions, contributing towards climate change, from both Holy Trinity and St Dunstan’s churches to see how they could be reduced. The combined, total emissions from both churches in 2020 was estimated at around 18 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is more than twice as much as the average UK household produces in a year. 80% of those emissions come from the natural gas used in heating of both churches. We are investigating new, lower carbon heating for St Dunstan’s and Holy Trinity, particularly to replace the aging heating system for the Worship Space at St Dunstan’s.

Our ambition is to reduce our carbon emissions to as low as possible. In the meantime, we “offset” the carbon emissions produced in 2020 so that they do not contribute towards climate change. We did this by supporting projects where the carbon that we produced is absorbed or reduced somewhere else. This was by donating £411 to the Climate Stewards Christian charity for projects that help poor people in countries of Africa or Asia, as well as reducing carbon emissions. You can find out more about Climate Steward projects at climatestewards.org.

We continue to work with other local organisations that also care for the environment. As in previous years we organised a Forest Row village litter pick for the first time and participated with the Friends of the River Medway in a clean-up of parts of the river in Forest Row.

We are looking forward to continuing our work in the coming year so that we continue to care for God’s precious and fragile creation.

Gareth Martin

Churches Together

Covid-19 continued to affect our ability to organise joint activities.

In place of the normal walk of witness on Good Friday Venerable Angela and Mary McLachlan prepared jointly an on-line meditation for Good Friday.

In the summer we said farewell to Mary McLachlan. She left her position as Minister at the Baptist Church in July. Mary and David returned to run Dormansland Church for a fixed term of two years while they plan for their future. It was sad to say goodbye to Mary as it had been a joy to work with her.

The usual combined service was held on Remembrance Sunday.

The two churches continued to meet together and will hopefully be able to organise more joint events in 2022.

Keith Stacey

Parochial Church Council of Forest Row registered charity number 1132867 Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2021

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	Unrestrict- ed Restricted Endowed Total funds Total funds Notes fund funds funds 2021 2020 £ £ £ £ £ 71,874 71,874 72,094 4,226 4,226 2,196 2,350 2,350 2,651 325 325 621 0 0 0
	78,774 78,774 77,562 2
	250 250 0 81,163 81,163 91,048 1,852 1,852 1,279 0 0 0
	83,265 83,265 92,327 3
	10,313 2,273 12,586 6,519
	5,823 0 2,273 8,096 -8,246

Transfers between funds

Interim

At the moment we have seventeen people attending the group on the second Tuesday of the month at Holy Trinity Church Hall of which two are men.

Not a great deal happened in 2021 due to several lockdowns and people being nervous of meeting up. We started up again in October with most people returning.

Early in December fifteen had a lovely Christmas meal at The Swan in Forest Row. We also put a tree in the Christmas Tree Festival.

In March this year we had an interesting talk by Mr Jim McAtamney on his life working for Sainsburys.

Other recognised gains/losses

Gains/(losses) on revaluation of fixed assets Other gains/(losses) Reconciliation of funds:

Lin Smith

Outreach

Support for Charities

The opportunities to support charities through fundraising events and special collections have continued to be limited during the pandemic. Nonetheless donations totalling £1,095 were made to the following charities in 2021:

Net movement in funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward	5,823 0 2,273 8,096 -8,246
	380,312 81,247 17,074 478,633 433,976
	386,135 81,247 19,348 486,729 425,730

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

Royal British Legion £375 Embrace the Middle East £309 Climate Stewards (Emissions offsetting) £411

The donation to Embrace the Middle East was money raised through the collecting tubs. Late in the year we started collecting for our next charity “Spotlight UK” which supports children who have mental issues, have experienced domestic abuse or are in care and affected by loss or separation.

The donation to Climate Stewards was to support projects that help to reduce carbon emissions by an amount equivalent to the emissions unavoidably generated by the parish.

In addition, Ven Angela, Gareth Martin and Patrick Crawford participated in the Sussex Historic Churches Trust ‘Ride & Stride’ cycle ride. This raised £475, half of which went to the Trust and half to our churches.

Keith Stacey

100 Club

2021 proved a stable year for the club, partially due to Covid restrictions no doubt. During the course of the year we suffered one retirement but gained a new member thus balancing our membership at 106 tickets. This meant that last year we gave out £3,175.00 in prizes and raised almost the same amount for the Parish. Now that we are crawling out of the Covid crisis we must try and expand the membership with the aim of doubling the size of the members. Sounds fantastic? Not a bit of it!

Keith Major

Community Cafe at St Dunstan's

This is the 2021 annual report for the Community Café, a second year blighted by Covid-19. As a result of lockdown, the Café only opened for the year at the start of July.

2021 saw the Café under new leadership of Frances Down who, with the valuable support of her colleague volunteers – cooks, assistant cooks, waiting staff, drivers, caretaking, and administration/ finance support - did wonderfully well to maintain this much valued community service in Ashurst Wood.

During 2021 the Café served 697 customers over 23 weeks of sittings. In total 425 soups, 654 mains and 606 puddings were cooked and sold. Total income from sale of meals, including gratuities, totalled £4,173.35, while expenditure on meals, excluding central supplies, was £2,385.54. The weekly rent to the Church was £50 per week, which reflects both preparatory work in the kitchen on Mondays and use of the halls and kitchen on the Tuesdays. 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, though these three categories will each increase by 50p in 2022.

No charitable donations were made in 2021 due to uncertainty associated with Covid. It is anticipated that such donations will be possible again from later in 2022.

As of 31 December 2021, the balance in the café’s accounts shows as £3,359.31, only a small amount down compared with the previous year when it stood at £3,420.09. The accounts have been independently examined by Mr Brian Rugg who found everything to be in good order, and that ‘the accounts show a fair and balanced view of the transactions for 2021’.

C J Rolley, Honorary Treasurer

Knit and Natter at Holy Trinity

The Knit and Natter group, restarted on the 6[th] October and we have continued to meet on the 1[st] Tuesday of each month, since then. Although not meeting, everyone had been busy either knitting squares, children’s clothes, adult hats and gloves for Charity. 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, needlework is undertaken.

Marilyn Morris

Coffee Mornings at St.Dunstan’s Church

Since June 2021 we have resumed hosting our monthly Coffee Mornings on 2[nd] Saturdays at St. Dunstan’s. We have many regular attenders and welcome new people where hopefully there is an opportunity to get to know others in the villages.

We miss Rachel Hutchinson with her table of used gifts and homemade cards and thank her for all her hard work over the last few years and wish her well in her recovery. Sales of marmalade, jam and chutney and cakes are popular.

On March 12[th] we combined the Coffee Morning with the Village Litter Pick. It was good to see so many families and children taking part and staying for refreshments afterwards.

Alison Harman

Social and Fundraising

The Annual Financial Report

of the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Forest Row for the year ended 31 December 2021

Holy Trinity Church, Forest Row

St Dunstan's Church, Ashurst Wood

St Stephen's Church, Hammerwood (Closed)

Registered Charity no. 1132867

Holy Trinity

At the beginning of the year as we were in lockdown, our social activities were curtailed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until August that we reconvened a social gathering and time of fellowship after all main services, although we had our Cheese and Wine social at the end of July after our annual Songs of Praise. At Holy Trinity we returned this to the back of the Church, which has been greatly appreciated by all the congregation.

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. Our grateful thanks to Gareth Martin who kindly organised this event again. On the Friday in Forest Row and Saturday in Ashurst Wood, Carol Singing took place around the villages, bringing some of the congregation and community together.

As I write this, we look forward to the visit of Chichester Cathedral Choir to sing Choral Evensong on Sunday 20[th] February, followed by a social for all our visitors in the Freshfield Hall. We are ever hopeful, that during 2022 we will be able to resurrect some of our social and fundraising occasions.

CONTENTS

Page

21 Statement of Financial Activities

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

Simon Morris

St Dunstan’s

Covid-19 restricted our ability to organise activities at the beginning of the year. However, we were able to resume the monthly coffee mornings in May. As usual this one included extra stalls – plants, books and bric-a-brac – and raised £266. The coffee mornings then continued through the rest of the year and these coupled with the sale of Alison Harman’s popular home-made marmalade and jam (and mincemeat) raised £658.

We were again able to provide the mulled wine and other refreshments at the Ashurst Wood Christmas Market and this raised £257.

Keith Stacey

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

Ven. Angela Martin - Vicar

Financial Review

The continuation of the Covid pandemic into 2021, and long periods of reduced activity have undoubtedly had a negative effect on our finances, although it is impossible to measure this with accuracy. As noted in the 2020 report, we offered to the Diocese a Parish Share of £40,000 for 2021. We did increase our monthly contributions in the summer but were unable to sustain this. We continued to furlough staff where possible, and we acknowledge Government support to the extent of £1,583. Once again, we were fortunate to receive a legacy. This was £6,000 from the estate of Maureen Watson. We are most grateful for this.

The final financial results for 2021 show a deficit of £4,491 after the legacy referred to above. The underlying deficit is therefore over £10,000 and is clearly not sustainable. Given the current high rate of inflation, costs are likely to continue to rise. Therefore, we need to increase our regular income whether by regular giving or by fund-raising.

Early indications are that there is still a deficit running currently. There will be a large increase in energy costs for 2022. The gas and electricity prices for Holy Trinity have increased by 112% and 60% respectively due to general energy price increases in the UK, and could also have been affected by the supplier for Holy Trinity going into administration. We have taken action to reduce energy costs by more closely monitoring and controlling the heating and subsequent gas consumption at Holy Trinity, and we are investigating an alternative supplier. Fortunately, St Dunstan’s has a fixed price contract running to the autumn of 2022, but the price of gas and electricity can be expected to increase after that time.

Forest Wood Lottery continues to support our finances and we gratefully acknowledge their donations.

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 2022.

Ian King

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:

Ex Officio members

Incumbent: The Venerable Angela Martin. Chairman Wardens: Simon Morris Vice Chairman June Spoor Secretary: Saskia Schuit Elected Members Ian King (until 2022) Jeremy Kirk (until 2023) Keith Major (until 2023) Fay Margo (resigned 07/21) Julie Martin (until 2022) Sue Walter (until 2023) Timothy Leeney Fiona Rogers Two vacancies

Elected Members

Deanery Synod

To ensure that sufficient time is devoted to mission, every endeavour is made to arrange business so that alternate meetings are devoted to mission. The mission meetings were for a large part devoted to putting together the Mission Action Plan as included in this report.

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, Holy Trinity DCC and St Dunstan’s DCC only met on two occasions

This Trustees Annual Report was approved by the PCC and signed on their behalf by the Ven. Angela Martin, PCC Chair

Signed: …………………………………...

Ven. Angela Martin

Date: 31 March 2022

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 April there remained vacancies for three members of the Holy Trinity congregation and for three members of the St Dunstan’s congregation. The resignation of Fay Margo in July 2021 increased the Holy Trinity vacancies to four. Members of the two congregations are warmly encouraged to consider standing for election to the PCC and we try to ensure a balance of skills and experience where possible.

Parochial Church Council

The PCC met six times during the year. The first two meetings were conducted via Zoom due to the lockdown.