Pinin9 our Cofft The Parish of Belper St Peter Incorporating the churches of St Peter'5, St Marys and St Swithun's Annual Report Year Ended 31 December 2024 Registered Charity No 1132878 Parish Church St Peter's Church Chesterfield Road Belper Derbyshire other Churches In the Parish st Mark's Church St Swithun's Church Over Lane Holbrook Road Openwoodgate Belper Derbyshire Derbyshire Correspondence should be addressed to clo The Vicarage, 6 Chesterfield Road, Belper, DE56 1 FD. Legal Status The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Belper, St Peter's is a registered charity, number 1132878 PCC Membership (Trustees) Ex Officio Members: Clergy Vacancy Charles Beresford (Vicar) Retired Priest Churchwardens David Skelton Julian Hodgson Deanery Synod Represontatlves John Hastings-Thompson Anne Clark Chris Craddy Dorothy Hunt St Peterfs St Peterfs st Peter's st Mark's Elected Members: Steve Bennett Judie Fogarty Patience Atkinson-Gregory Julian Hodgson st Peter's st Peter's St Peter's St Peter's Deputy Warden Deputy Warden PCC and St Peter's Treasurer Parish Warden and Lay Chair Margaret Goddard Tracy Drake Helen Hodgson Derek Adams Geraldine Comery Chris Gregson Linda Clark Joan Foster Christine Catherall David Fox Dorothy Hunt David Anderton Keith Wollerton Philip Thomas Barbara Anderton Tracy Comber Co-opted Sian Kellogg Charles Beresford st Peter's St Peter's St Peter's St Mark's St Mark's St Mark's St Mark's St Mark's St Mark's st Mark's st Mark's St Swithun's St Swithun's St Swithun's st Swithun's St Swithun's Deputy Warden Deputy Warden Treasurer Treasurer Deputy Warden Deputy Warden st Peter's St Mark's Retired Clergy Sue Allen Safeguarding Jane Carter PCC Secretary non-member AIMS AND PURPOSES The Parochial Church Council IPCC) has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent in promoting the whole mlssion of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic. social and ecurnenical in this ecclesiastical Parlsh. The PCC is also specifically responsible forthe maintenance of the Church House, known as St Mark's House in Openwoodgate, Belper. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES St Peter's Parish falls within the Dove and Derwent Deanery, within the Church of England Diocese of Derby and serves an a￿a with a population of approximately 18,000 adults making it one of the largest single Parishes in the Diocese. The Parish participates ecumenically through Churches Together in Belper and Hope for Belper. The Parish Mlssion Statement is "Jesus at the Centre-transforming our community.. The PCC promotes this vision and is committed to enabling people to grow in di5cipleshlp through worship and teaching and to be active in supportlng the communlty both local and worldwide and allowin8 people of all race. gender, learning level, sexuality to be an active part. The PCC maintains an overvlew of worship throughout the Parish and makes suggestions on how the services at ourthree churches can involve the many groups that live within the Parish. To facllltate the above work, it is important thatthe fabric of the churches of St Peterfs, St Marvs and St Swithun's and the church hall at St Mark's is maintained. Durlng this year each church building had a Quinquennial Survey carried out by Blair Gratton architects. The Parlsh greatly benefits from the help of several active retired clergy and three fulty trained Readers. They all assist in diffe￿nt ways in the daily life of the Church. There are currently three additional people at various levels of training. However, the bulk of the work and activities is carried out by the many layvolunteers who give freely of their time and effort and without whom nothing would be achieved to promote the Eospel, encourage people to followjesus and be an active presence within the local community. In particular Churchwardens, Deputy Churchwardens and Treasurers work tirelessly to ensure that everything runs smoothly. safely and efficiently. The Parish also has an administrative team and two cleaners who are paid employees. ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE Church Statlstics Parish Totsl St Peterfs St Marvs St Swlthun's 2024 174 2023 2024 2023 2024 2023 32 2024 19 2023 Electoral Roll Sunday attendance (adults) Baptisms Thanksgivings Weddings Renewal of WeddinE vows/Marriage blessing Funerals at Church Funera15 at Crem only Thanksgiving for life 117 125 38 23 115 116 19 65 70 35 30 15 16 13 io 17 29 29 23 21 2024 2023 Burial of Ashes St P Burial of Ashes Cem Conflrmation Admittance to HC Worship and prayer Services are held in all three churches each Sunday. The pattern of worship ensures thatthere is a communion service each Sunday within the Parish. Morning services include Common Worship, Hoty Communion and Service of the Word. At times these have been taken by Wardens and people on the Diocesan Discipleship Training Course. A more relaxed style of worship was introduced in autumn 2023 at St Peterfs led by a varied team of people. Communion is now fully available in each church. An additional Communion Service takes place on a Wednesday morning at St Swithun's Church. Main seniices at St Peterfs are live streamed vla YouTube wlth the appropriate licenses. This 15 also availablefor a small fee for weddings and funerals. There are around four Parish combined services during the year. Weekly Prayer meetings are held at St Mark's Church. Service Patterns across the Parish Week St Peterfs St Mark's St Swithun's 10.00am ,' MW with Baptism 10.00 am HC 10.00 am HC 11.00 am MW 10.00 am MW 11.00am MW i ii.00am HC 10.00 am Relaxed ' Worship HC 10.00 am MW 10.00 am 10.00 arn MW 11.00am MW Flexible 11.00 am MW may be led by Warden In addition, a fewjoint parish services in any year. Occasional Offices Thirty- eight funerals or burial of ashes orthanksgwing for a person's life were conducted during the year by clergy from the Parish, both in the Churche5 and at Markeaton or Amber Valley Crematorium. Burials take place at Belper cemetery and burial of ashes is available in the Garden of Remembrance at St Peterfs. During the last year, five weddings were conducted In the Parish. There were ten Baptisms at St Peterfs, three at St Mark's and none at 5t Swithun's. Preparation sessions are held for parents and Godparents. The parish policy is not to book baptism dates before families have attended preparation which is called 'First Steps,. Families are also expected to attend at least one worship service and a baptism or thanksgiving servlce within the Parlsh before coming to preparatlon. This period of preparation helps families to decide whether Thanksgiving for the birth of a child or Baptism is more appropriate for them. CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE'S WORK Sunday Club There is a regular Sunday Club at both St Peterfs and St Mark's. Safeguarding. clearly defined roles and rotas, a￿ well established. At St Peterfs, there are eight adults involved with Sunday Club. four session leaders and four session helpers. Young people attending in 2024 ranged from 24 months to 16 years. There are currently approximately frfteen children on the Sunday Club reeister, and most weeks average six to eight children attending. On the first Sunday of each month, St Pete¢s holds its Baptisms and there are often additional children as they are attending as guests of the baptism family. Due to limited numbers of leaders and helpers, the children are currently working as one group with the adults doing their best to differentiate the session content where appropriate. The sessions are planned using the Roots resources and follow along similar content to that which is delivered in the main sem)on each week. Overthe surnmer, Sunday Club take5 a break, however this year children were offered the opportunty to bring a parent with them to learn children's worship action sonES during the weeks spanning the summer break, which worked well. St Mark's Sunday club meets in the Vestry area and has a rota of helpers. Between O and 4 children or young people gather each week. YPF The aims of YPF are to provide a safe, accepting and fun environment Whe￿ young people from the church and beyond can feel comfortable to be themselves, make meaningful friendships and develop their relationship with God. The group meet regularly throughout the year, each Friday during school term times, in St Peterfs West End. The usual evening programme includes a bunch of silly games alongside a Bible based teaching session, with time for tuck shop and chats thrown in. Special events during the last twelve months have included the annual Christmas party with a bouncy castle, Bonfire night fireworks and the residential weekend away to the Peak Centre in Edale, bowling and a glass making workshop. The young people also enjoyed a Good Friday Walk at Black Rocks with other family members and dogs that wanted to join in. They stopped half way to reflect on the Easter story and share chocolate before heading back to Belper. It is encouraging to see numbers stay in the high teens each week wlth the young people inviting their school friends to come and join the fun. It is a genulne privilege to spend time together, creating community, discovering more about faith and watching friendships flourish. Messy Church Messy Church started at St Swithun's church in September 2014 and takes place on the second Saturday of each month {except August) from 4pm to 6pm. It is a monthly event forfamilies to come together to enjoy learning about God through craft activities, 8ames and stories and by eating a meal together with friends. The first hour of each session is spent on a variety of craft activities around that month's Bible theme. We have a team of helpers who asslst with the craft activities. Afterthe craft activities, we have a time of celebration during which we sin& have a Bible story and pray. Then we sit down to eat a hot meal together. The number of attendee5 varies considerably from month to month- averaging between 10 and 20 children plus adults and helpers. St Mark's Messy Church began in February 2022 and takes place on the fourth Saturday of each month (except August) from 4pm to 6pm. Each session follows a similarfomiat to the one at St Swithun's. Attendance similarly varies with an average of 6 to 16 children plus adults and helpers. Littlo Church and Prams and First Shoes These meet at St Peterfs and St Mark's respectivelyfor pre-schoolers and their parents one morning a week duringterm time. School links The Vicar, until her retirement in October, plus two additional members of the congregation - Patience Atkinson- Gregory and Rachel Kenning, are elected by the PCC as Foundation Governors at St John's Primary School and Nursery. The Foundation Governors meet regularty in addition to fullww•rwianeetings to encourage and support the spiritual life of the school and to pray regularly. The school regularly visits the church for worship. learning and musical activities. Up until October, the vicar provided a weekly online Collective Worship and a faceto face one on a half termly bas15. Pottery School came to St Peter's fortheir annual Christmas service. Herbert Strutt School attends St Swithun's for their Christingle and Nativity services. PCC SECRETARY'S ANNUAL REPORT PCC Mo•llng PCC March 24 APCM 23fd March 24 PCC 1PJune24 PCC 20th August 24 PCC 15th August 24 PCC December 24 PCC 18th March 24 AtterKlance 20 15 19 20 16 PCC meetings this yearwere all in person. All members attended at least one meeting. Patience Atkinson-Gregory continues In the role of PCC Treasurer. One PCC Away Day has been held duringthe year to look at strengths and weaknesses in the Parish and work was started on the Parish Profile in preparation for interviewing potential new incumbents. Individual churches held many concerts. Concerts included: Explosive Light Orchestra, Alcherny, Andy Kind, St Agnes Fountain, Fab 4, Desperados, Fleetwood Bac, Barbara Dickson, Cloudbusting and the Bohemians. Outside spaces have again been utilised. The trees at St Peterfs ￿gUlarlY being covered in thought provoking attire. The Woollen Woods were again in St Peter's churchyard, and an Easter Garden has become an annual event. Indoor events or meetings are flourishing: craft evenings, board game5 afternoons, warm spaces. Summer fairs and Winter markets. Operation Orphan knitting groups, Harvest supper5, Holiday at Home. St Mark's hosts Prams and First Shoes and rnany others. John Hastings-Thomson edits our magazine 'Three In One.. Our online newsletter 'Enfold 'via ernail, is edited by Pamela Gough. Both have kept people infomied and included throughout the year. Jane Carter- PCC Secretary ST PETER'S PARISH FABRIC REPORT All churches now have maintenance schedules drawn up so that no activity is missed during the year. Qulnquennial surveys were carried out during the year and the urgent work Identified addressed. No major problems were found at any of the three churches. All three churches had a minor electrical work carried out and some remedial work done. All three churches had their annual PATtests done on appliances. The fire extinguishers were Serviced at all the churches. St Swithun's Gullies cleaned out to help drainage. Part of guttering had to be replaced. St Swithun's garden is undergoing restoration work to make it more green A new water heaterwas fitted overthe kitchen sink. The electric cooker was replaced with a second hand one. A new microphone was purchased. Keith Wollerton, Deputy Warden. St Swithun's St Mark's (Comprising church, vestry, church hall, kitchen and outside play area} Church Qulnquennial report- remove weeds from roof areas-4.01, 4.02. Completed again February 2024. Quinquennial report - refix loose / dlslodged slates - 4.02, 7.01. Loose slates flxed. Quote being obtained to review coping stones Quinquennial report- check metal windows, make good putty where necessary then palnt. Paint sills- 10.01. Very large job- not yet commenced. Quinquennial report- check stain patches / flaking paint to the Nave. identify causes and re-paint with damp proof paint- 14.01, 18.03. Boarded and painted at same time as ceiling. Church ceiling painted. Metal roof ties repainted and crumbling old plaster replaced with boardinE where old organ loft had been. Gaps properly sealed at internal roof apex sides Carpet cleaned • Church windows cleaned Church vents checked to ensure remain free of obstructions PAT testing conducted throughout building Fire extinguishers serviced throughout building • Ceiling fans regularly checked Vestry Carpets cleaned Gutters to north side cleared Boiler seNiced Defibrillator regularly checked Church Hall / Kltchen New vinyl flooring laid overthe wooden flooring Toilet doors adjusted to new flooring height. Hinges replaced on basement hatch doors • Carpet cleaned • Internal door lock workings replaced Boilers serviced Damp proof paint applied to hall and kitchen walls Outside • Quinquennial report- replace cracked manhole cover-6.04. New manhole cover fitted February 2024. Quinquennial report - re-fix weather drip to bottom of kitchen exit door- 9.03. Completed and painted January 2024 Drains regularly checked and kept clear Gutters and roof checked and cleared Garden, planters and borders kept weed free, bark chip replenished on south bed of church Hedges bordering the car park and front path of the church significantly reduced in height Paths pressure washed Some paths and lower wa115 treated with algae remover Gates, fences and shed painted Play area cleaned • Steps in church yard repainted • Handrail in church yard repainted • Gate replaced to kitchen access • Perspex replaced in external noticeboards •Outside windowsills painted Derek Adams & Geraldine Comery- Deputy Wardens St Mark's St Peter's The guttering and down pipes were cleaned out. A leak on the South side ceiling was identified as slipped slates which were repaired. Other loose slates on the roof were replaced/put back The gullie5 and downpipe5 were cleaned out A tree which was growing in the drain above the North choir vestry was removed. The flat roof was inspected and found to be ok with no leaks. New drive lights were fitted. The slabs outside the rnain door were power washed. The notice boards in the West End were taken down. cleaned and the walls repainted with damp proof paint. The fire extinguishers were seniiced. All the equipment was PAT tested. The doorplate in the door leading to the toilets came adrift, a mobile ramp has been made to be put in place for major events. Quotes were being sought for repair/replacement of the North side choirvestry window as per the Quinquennial Inspection. A new dehumidifier was purchased for the vestry to help combat damp. David Skelton- Parish Warden St Marks House St Mark's House, a property owned jointly by St Peterfs Parish and the Derby Diocesan Board of Finance. Following completion of remedial work, a new tenant moved in on 2nd Feb 2024. Thls tenant gave notice at the end of 2024 and left on 13 Jan 2025, A new tenant moved in on 28th Feb 2025. The rental Is managed by Matthew Thomas Residential and with church oversight by Patience Atkinson-Gregory. From 2025 the property is being let for about £IIOO/month with a net income to the church of £994.40 /month. Patience Atkinson-Gregory HEALTH AND SAFETY REPORT Accidents and Near Misses All three churches carry out Health and Safety inspections and have accident books. Completed forms are retained securelv. St Peterfs A full H & S walkabout was done along with regular checks Over the year there were four reported minor accidents A new H & S procedure was introduced for concerts The kitchen underwent a deep clean at least twice duringthe year The flre extinguishers were serviced All the equipment was PAT tested Risk assessments were done for all events 5t Marvs Play area cleaned Flre extinguishers Serviced No accidents reported All equipment PAT tested Rlsk assessments were done for all events St Swithun's Church There were two accidents at St Swithun's, both were reported in the accident book PATtestin8 has been done, and fire extinguisher checks carried out by O'Heap fire service Regular check5 carried out by the wardens SAFEGUARDING OUR CHURCH FAMILY This is a large and very busy parish comprising three churches. and we have many activities for children, young people and some adults who may be considered to be vulnerable. We provide a Sunday Club on most Sundays for children under 16 in two of our churches. When there is baptism during the service, we offer a welcome to all visiting children and provide the approprlate number of qualified Sunday Club staff. We also hold a monthly Messy church in two of the churches and two activities weekly in term time for the under-55. In addition, we have a Young People's Fellowship one evening weekly in term time. The Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSOI is based at St Peterfs: there are Safeguardlng Llnks at St Mark's and St Swithun's. In 2024 we also appolnted a DBS Administrator. 10 We had no specific safeguarding incidents In 2024. Our congregation is, however, very committed to maintaining good safeguarding practices and raises possible concerns if necessary. These are dealt with appropriately and tactfully. When necessary, these can be escalated to the diocesan safeguarding advisors for more expert advice. All written documentation relating to concerns is securely stored on the office pc. After two very busy p05t- Covid years DBS applications and renewals fell slightly in 2024 to 19. Thls number will rise significantly when the 3 - year renewal cycle ends in 2025. The total numberof non- clergy with DBS certificates was over 50. AII PCC members and majority of activity leaders have a current DBS certificate and have completed online Basic and Foundation online traininE courses. If required, they have also attended other courses i.e. Dome5ticAbu5e and Leadership. Every member of the Pastoral Group who visit those in their own homes because they can no longer attend 5ervlces in person has a current DBS certificate. The Parlsh Safeguarding Policy v7 was issued in May 2024. The policy, plus photos and contact details of the safeguardlng contacts, is displayed on notice boards in the three churches. A Safeguarding File is located in a prominent place in all three churches. This contains blank coples of the followlng forms: Incident record form Registration forms for all regular children's activities e.g. Sunday Clubs and Messy Church. Registration forms for occasional children's activities Reference forms for new activity leaders and helper5. Completed copies of forms, which are confidential, are given to the PSO and are scanned, stored on the parish office pc and the originals then shredded. The PSO supplies a safeguarding report for every PCC meeting. In 2024 our Safeguarding Parish dashboard attained the highest level {Level 3) with 97% at its highest. Maintaining this level is always a challen8e. Sue Allen Parish Safeguarding Officer 15 April 2025 11 FINANCE REPORT Accounts for the individual churches may be found at each church. The accounts for St Peter's Parish are made up of the funds of the PCC and those of the three individual churches. Within the Parish accounts the funds of each church are shown as a restricted fund for that particular church, although they may be made up of several separate funds, both restricted and unrestricted, within the accounts of the individual church. During 2023 a piece of land which was held in a trust was jointly owned bythe Diocese of Derby and St Peterfs Parish was sold at auction for£70,524 net. This money was placed in a high interest account operated via Insignis. The income from this is to be used as per PCC resolution 13. This resolution requested that the Derby Diocesan Board of Finance (the Custodian Trustees forthe land): Sell the land Authorise the use of income from the proceeds to be used for essential maintenance, upkeep and improvement of . St Marks church St Mark's House Mi5sional work forthe whole parish of Belper St Peter Operational Matters The expenses of Parish ministry continue to be shared among the three churches uslng a formula based on attendance and electoral roll to contribute to the Diocesan Common Fund and Parlsh expenses. St Peterfs and St Mark's make use of contactless givlng via Sum Up and donations can be made using the Ilnked Give a Little account. Donations and payments can also be made using a Pay Pal account. During 2023 the PCC agreed that money that arose due to the rental of the St John's Car Park should be used for Children and Famlly work across the Parish. During 2024 £1600 was used from the fund to pay toward5 one teacher from Stjohn's School vlsltlng Scot Lane School in Kolkata ljanuary 2025). ReseNes Policy ReseNes are held In the Church of England Deposit Fund which is regularly reviewed to ensure that the best possible interest rate is being obtained. In addition, the PCC agreed that money be deposited in Derbyshire Communjty Bank, in line with the mission of the church as allowed by the Charity Commi55ion. The Parish seeks to find the hlghest return for resenies. The sale money from the Allotment land is being invested via Insignis which has a variable high rate of interest and easy access. As shown in the balance sheet on page 20, the total funds for the PCC at the end of the year amounted to £178,861 with a further fixed asset in St Marws House valued at £265,000. The house, following the completion of the refurbishment and was let until January 2024 at £IOOO/month, a further tenancy started on 28th February 2025 at £IIOO/month, and the rental is handled by Matthew Thomas Residential as our agent. The St John's land is also owned bythe Parish but there is no corresponding asset fund as this asset is fully depreciated and has a 'nil" book value. It is held in trust jointly by the Derby Diocesan Board of Finance and the Church Commissioners of the Church of England on behalf of the Parish, who have now been appointed the managing trustees. The land is now leased to Belper Town Council for use as a car park. The rent wa5 reviewed in 2023 to £8021/yearwith a review due in 2028. The PCC agreed that this income should be rin8 fen￿d for use on Children, Young people, families and schools work across the Parish. Funds held by the individual churches are treated a5 restricted funds forthe purposes of the particular church within the context of the Parish accounts. Reserves at St Peter's Church amounted £51660. £40358 is in the general fund, £3654 is in the belfry fund, £133 designated to Pop UK for October 2023, during 2024 this fund was transferred to the ring fenced 5t John's Car Park fund. £7645 is restricted for future work on the organ, the Church Fabric fund has been zeroed following competition of the boiler and electrical works. 12 Reserves at St Mark's Church amounted to £19610, the Church Hall designated fund Is £4146, the music fund is £155. Reserves at St Swithun's Church amounted to £14000. St Swithun's Is supported by the Hanson Trust an independent Trust Fund established by the founder Mrs Hanson to malntain a Chrlstian presence In the area of 'Cow Hlll, Belper. This Trust contrlbutes to major repalrs and renovations and pays the annual Insuran￿ on the building. Noted in the accounts as recurring grant. Note to accounts- PCC resolution 13 The Parochial Church Council of the Parish of Belper St Peter, as Administrative Trustees of the trusts established by a Conveyance dated 26th November 1942 ( the 1942 Conveyance,) in relation to piece of land situate at Openwoodgate in the parish of Belper St Peter and more particularly described in a Conveyance dated 31st December 19121'the 1912 Conveyance,) hereby resolve to request the Derby Diocesan Board of Finance Limited, as Custodian Trustees: l. In accordance with the authority and subject to obtaining the consents set out in clause 2lb) of the Schedule to the 1942 Conveyance, to extend by means of a formal Deed of Variation of Trusts the trusts set out in clause I of the said Scheduleto incorporate also". a. essential maintenance, upkeep and improvement of the building and curtilage known as St Marys Church, Openwoodgate b. the maintenance, upkeep and Improvement of the property known as St Mark's House. 11 Openwoodgate, Belper, DE56 OSD and c. missional work as defined by the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 forthe benefit of the whole of the parish of Belper St Peter including, but not exclusively for, the district of St Mark's Openwoodgate which is part of the parish of Belper St Peter. 2. To Sell the land comprised in the 1912 Conveyance which Is presently used as casual allotments and which is edged green on the plan now presented to the PCC and attached to this resolution 3. To authorlse the use of the net capital proceeds of sale of the land referred to at 21 of this resolution in accordance with the trusts set out in clause l of the Schedule to the 1942 conveyan￿ as will be extended by a Deed ol Variatlon of Trusts of the 1942 Conveyance The original conveyance indlcates that Income should be used for the purpose of insuring both the church and the house at 11 Openwoodgate. Churchwardens, Acknowledgements: APCM 2025 The past twelve months have been a time of conslderable change forthe Parish of St Peterfs. This tlme last year we were still comfortable knowing that Revd Anne Stratton had everything (well most things) well under tontrol. Energies were put into making the last few months of her tenure memorable and planning for the 200th Anniversary of the opening of St Peterfs Church. The service on 29th September, which coincided with Anne's last Sunday, was a wonderful occaslon and a fitting start to the acknowledgements that David and I want to record in this report. I believe we gave Anne a good send off, but it would not have been possible without the good will and enormous efforts of everyone working behind the scenes to make it go smoothly. The parssh showed yet again what it can do when everyone pu115 together. And this has been the theme throughout the vacancy. which David and I believe stands us in good stead while awaiting the next Priest in charge to arrive. I said that Anne had most things covered but it was only after she had left that we began to realise just how much she had been doing which Davsd and15uddenly had to get our heads around. Who knew how complicated a heating controller could be, an empty and then not so empty a vicarage. or that a faulty socket at the front of the church could blow a fuse for the organ at the back? A steep learning curve and we no doubt muddled through on more than one occasion. A blt like so many good partnerships, David and I soon worked out each otherfs strengths and as such we have been able to cope with most things that have arfsen with little need to seek 8uidance from the Area Dean or the Archdeacon. A personal thanks has to go to David who has taken on the majority of tasks while I have been at work in the week. Thank you, David, foryour patience too as I have got up to speed. I still don't think that I fully understand facultles, but I do know that they are needed for almost every suggestlon 13 that we have to discussl The parish was and still is in a good financlal position and thanks to Patience as she• probably more than most, has had to learn quickly how the accounting actually worked. A huge thankyou is needed for Tracy and Mary in the office. I have had the privilege of supporting the office staff since September and have seen at first-hand how dedicated they are and how much they do forthe runnlng of the parish, often beyond their contractual hours, either to support events orjust to get a particular piece of work completed on time. This is even more remarkable given that Mary only started in the summer and had been with us just a matler of weeks before having to coverTracy's leave. Thanks too for the response to the plea made by David and I when the office was getting swapped wsth requests forthings that lay outside of their duties. Whtle always willing to help, Mary and Tracy needed some protection to allow them to get on with theirtasks. Thanks to the Church - watch volunteers who have assisted in responding to visitors or undertaking simple tasks that have freed up the office staff to better prioritise their work. Another example of the willingness of everyone to pull together. As mentioned, Maryjolned the staff in the summer after replacing Julie Meredith who retired after nine years of service. While we said farewell to Julie at the time, it is right to thank herfor her hard work and dedication over the years. and we wish her and her husband David, well in their retirement. Our Mission is to spread the Gospel Message wlth Jesus at the centre of our community and that would not have been possible without Services running so smoothly. I think it is an amazing achievement that the SeN1￿ patterns across the three churches have remained unchanged and only one service had to be altered when we had a Baptism but no member of clergy able to take the service. Had it not been due to Illness, l am sure the service leader5 would have been able to come up with an alternative, but there was Just not enough tlme. All those who have led services have malntained their commitment to the rotas and whlle not wanting to point out individuals, it is Important to congratulate, and thank, Helen, Linda and Patlence for completing their Licenced Lay Minlstry (Reader) training. We also welcome Revd Phllip Waller as a new retlred member of clergy who has been granted Permisslon to Officiate. This stands us in good stead for the coming year as we thank Jonathan Tlllin who has retlred as a Reader after over 35 falthful years of seNice at both 5t Peterfs and mostly at St Swithun's. As we look to the future, we hope to build on the work and fellowship that has been established over the past few years. The sense of community established over the variety of different gatherings w511 stand us in good faith as we Journey. We have already booked the next parlsh weekend away {July 20261 after yet another successful visit to Wydale in June 2024, where we were able to explore what it rneant to be living fruits and vines of the tree of lrfe. The last seven months have been a hive of activity. We set ourselves an ambitious target of getting the Parish Profile completed by the end of February. There was some slippage here, but the docurnent is now with the Diocese for final editing and approval by the Archdeacon and Bishop, prior to the vacancy being formally advertised. The profile group worked really hard to pull together a document that reflected and celebrated the different traditions within St Peterfs, St Mark's and St Swithun's, while still retaining a unity of purpose and commitment to togetherness. This has been illustrated in the formation of the social committee to organise and coordinate soclal events across the three churches, so that each can support the efforts of the others. While still learning and formin& this is an important group and one which exemplifies our commitment to SUPPOrtinE and caring for each other: a huge thanks to all those involved. The profile will shortly be returned for us to consider along with the advert, and David and I wanted to thank 311 those who contributed to the formulating of that document, partlcipating in the exercises with the Archdeacon. completing the various questionnaires and actively praying forthe process at each stage. Truly a team effort that has brought us closer as a church family in the Process. As a parish with three TLC'S reportlng to the one PCC, we work together well, desplte the occasional disagreement or hiccup, which is only to be expected in any large family. David and I have shared the chairing of the TLC'S, and we want to thank the deputy wardens in each of the three churches who help run the buslness slde of the parish. Making sure that everything 15 Teady for whoever is leading the seNices, countlng the money, maintenance issues reported in the Fabrlc Reports to namejust a few of the tasks, all done In people's own time, often done un-noticed, until of course when someone is not 14 there to do it. Thankfully there have been no signiflcant issues and each of the churches continues to be a part of the local communlty. Across the parish there are a wealth of activitles that the church organi5es, foryoung childreni youth, the elderly, and further afield into our communlty providing care and practical support for initiatpies like the Food Bank, where we have an opportunity to live out the Gospel message. Thank you all forthe different parts you play in the life of the parish. And finally, a personal thanks from David and l as your parish wardens. I have been overwhelmed bythe number of people who have come up to me and checked out that we are alright and to saythey have been praying for us. Thank you and keep the prayers coming. The next year will be challenging and exciting as we journey on in God's time to see the next vicar appointed. We will continue to do our best but that is made all the more manageable knowing people are supporting us through prayer. Julian Hodgson Parish Warden Administrative and other statutory inforniation The Parish of Belper St Peter is made up of the churches of St Peter's, St Mark's and St Swithun's. It forms part of the Deanery of Dove and Derwent In the Diocese of Derby. It is a member of Churches Together in Belper. The PCC is a body corporate established by the Church of England and is the actual governing body withln the framework of the Parish and Is a registered charity. Representatives from the PCC form the Trustee Local Committee for each Church; the PCC delegates the day to day declsion making of the Indlvidual churches to those TLCS. The PCC Is also required to operate under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure 1956 as amended. This Measure states that the PCC Is to co-operate wfth the minister in promotlng the whole rnisslon of the Church. pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical" The property of St Swlthun's Church Is owned by the independent charity'st Swithun's Church or Mission Hall (reglstered charity no. 217994), also previously known as the "Hanson Trust" This Charity also makes grants to the St Swithun's Church TLC for major repairs and alterations in the Church and exists to serve the "soclal. spiritual and educational needs of the people of Cow Hill" Ex-officio members of this trust are the Vicar and the two Churchwardens of St Peter's Parish. Under Charity Law and Church Accounting Regulations, the PCC is required to present an Annual Report together with a set of Consolidated Accounts for the whole Parish, prepared on an accruals basis and examined by an Independent Examiner. PCC members who have served during 2024 and at the date this report was approved. aTe as shown in this booklet. Will be approved by the PCC on 6th May 2025. PCC Sec Slgnature PCC Lay Chair 15 pcc Consolidated Financial Statement For year endéd 31 December 2024 16 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND A14D WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Report to the trusteesl membors of St Peteffs Partsh. Belper On accounts for the year ended 3161 De￿mber 2024 Charity no (if anyl 1132878 Set out on pages 19-27 As the charity's truslees, you are responsible for the preparation of Ihe acGounts in accordan￿ with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Acf) I report in respect of my examination of the Trusys accounts carrled out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the app15cable Directtons given by the Charity Cornmlssion under section 145{6)00 Specilic co51ections ond donations ore treated as agency funds and go directly lo the chorfty or organiy)lion for which they are intended ond Iherefore do not form port ol the Parish income or expendilvre. 27