2024-12-31-accounts

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING 2025

Parish of Lydgate St. Anne in the Benefice of Saddleworth

Deanery of Oldham and Ashton

Diocese of Manchester

Sunday 11th May 2025 in Church immediately after the 11.00am service

ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL

For the year ending 31[st] December 2024

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ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING 2025

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ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING 2025

CONTENTS	2
AGENDAS
2025 Annual Vestry Meetng and minutes of 2024	3
Item 3 Approval of the Minutes of the Vestry Meetng 2024	3
2025 Annual Parochial Church Meetng	3
Item 3 Approval of the APCM Minutes of 2024
REPORTS AS REQUIRED BY CHURCH REPRESENTATION RULES
Item 3 Approval of the APCM Minutes of 2024	4
Item 4 Electoral Roll Ofcer	5
Item 5 Report of theproceedings of the Parochial Church Council in 2024/5	6
Item 6 Statement of accountsyear ending31 December 2024	7
Item 7 Church Warden's Report on Fabric and Other Maters	7
Item 8 Report of the DeanerySynod	9
Item 9 SafeguardingOfcers Report	9
TEAM VICAR'S REPORT	10
Item 11 OTHER ANNUAL REPORTS
WorshipCommitee	12
Pastoral Care Team	13
Junior Church	14
Report from the Sexton	14
Eco Group	15
Team Flower Team	16
HospitalityTeam	16
Card Distributon	17
Girlguiding- Rangers,Guides,Brownies and Rainbows	17
Lydgate CommunityAssociaton	18
STATUTORY SAFEGUARDING POLICY AND STATEMENTS	19
The policy and statements will be read out at the APCM by our Safeguarding Ofcer
Mrs Kate Lockey
GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION	21

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ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING 2025

ANNUAL VESTRY MEETING 2025 AGENDA

1. Welcome

2. Apologies for absence

3. Approval of Minutes of the Vestry Meeting April 2024 - see below

4. Election of the Church Wardens for the year 2025/2026

Item 3 2024 MINUTES - FOR APPROVAL

Present:

Rev Sachin Awale (SA) in the Chair, Anne Smith, Liz Brocklehurst, Lesley Greenwood, Julie Whitehead, Jennifer Greenwood, Margaret Schofield, Kath Kershaw, John Hodgson, Simon Edge, Gordon Whitehead, Frank Boocock, Rev Pat Gillian, Al Gillian (AL), Rachel Damianou (RD), Molly Ellis, David Marshall, Vicky Stott, Katie Lockey (KL), Laura Parker, Paul Roberts, Barbara Hodgson

Apologies:

Kath Hodges, Danos Damianou, Leanne Marshall and Sue Fleming (SF).

SA opened the Vestry Meeting, welcomed everyone and offered prayers. (Barbara Hodgson volunteered to take the minutes)

SA was in possession of the correct paperwork two nominations Barbara Hodgson and Paul Roberts. SA asked if there were any other nominations. There were none. With the agreement of all present Barbara Hodgson and Paul Roberts were duly elected to serve as Churchwardens for the coming year2024-2025.

There being no other business the Vestry meeting was formally closed.

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING 2025 (APCM)

Agenda

1. Opening Prayers

2. Apologies for Absence

3. Approval of minutes of the APCM held April 2024 - see below

4. Electoral Roll Officer's Report

5. Report on the proceedings of the PCC for 2024/2025 - PCC Secretary

6. Treasurer’s Financial Report for year ending 31st December 2024

7. Churchwarden's Report on Fabric and Other Matters

8. Report on the proceedings of the Deanery Synod for 2024 - Deanery Synod Rep

9. Child Protection Report - Safeguarding Officer

10. Elections, appointments and charities

11. i Assistant Churchwardens

12. ii PCC Members - two members for three years

13. iii Deanery Synod Representatives - one member for one year

14. iv Charities to Support

15. v Independent Examiner of the Accounts

16. Other Annual Reports

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Date of next PCC meeting: Thursday May 15th 2025 Commencing at 19.00 in the Vestry ITEM 3 2024 MINUTES - FOR APPROVAL

1. SA formally opened the meeting.

2. Apologies

Kath Hodges, Danos Damianou, Leanne Marshall and Sue Fleming (SF).

3. Approval of the minutes of the APCM held on Sunday 26th March 2023.

No amendments had been requested. Therefore a show of hand formally accepted the minutes as an accurate account of the meeting.

4. Presentation of the Annual Report.

The report had been circulated prior to the meeting and hard copies were also made available.

SA thanked David Marshall for supplying the necessary documentation.

5. Treasurers Financial Report

AG highlighted a few items in his report. General Overview of Income - Fee income was down this year 2022 £6300 2023 £4500. Investments had done well. Parish Share - the parish had a request for 2024 from the Diocese £74024. Following a successful meeting with the Diocese, Treasurer and Churchwardens the figure for 2024 was reduced to £37000, 2025£ 38500 and 2026 £40800. The ongoing increase of 5% to take account of the rise in Clergy stipends. AG also shared that as part of the wider church family i.e. Saddleworth Team - Deanery - Diocese all Parishes are supported financially. Mission and Evangelism - As part of our outreach all children in Year 6 at St Anne's Primary school receive a bible and all children in Reception receive a children's bible. Whit Friday - whilst there is a cost it is also an important day when we witness our faith. Utilities - The cost of gas and electric has almost doubled since October. We need to try to minimise costs. All the lighting in church is now LED. This saves money but also reduces our Carbon Footprint. Other methods of generating power need to be investigated i.e. sun and wind. Storm Damage - Works to the church roof 2022 £3000 2023 £5000. ECO - The parish now has the Bronze and Silver Awards. Gold will be hard work and will be expensive. Expenditure - St Anne's contribution to the Team Office this year £8150. Current balances - Restricted - £104000 ( for use on the upkeep of the church and churchyard), Unrestricted - £5000.

It was proposed that the accounts be accepted. All present in agreement.

SA thanked AG for all his work in producing the annual accounts.

6. Electoral Roll Report

RD reported that as at 31 December 2023 the roll stood at 100. At the time of this meeting it is now 108.

7. Safeguarding Report

SF has now stepped down as our Safeguarding Officer. The Safe Church Policy for Children, Young People and Adults was read to the meeting by KL. KL also indicated that she would be sending out emails to those in possession of a DBS to highlight the now mandatory training that needs to be undertaken.

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8. Elections

a. Deputy Churchwardens - Two names had been proposed and seconded. Jennifer Greenwood and Anne Smith. They were duly elected to serve for the coming year 20242025.

b. PCC Members

David Marshall, Sue Willett, Danos Damianou and David Lloyd retire this year. There were also two other members who had resigned through the year Sam Lowe and Joan Mozdzierz. Six nominees all proposed and seconded were duly elected to serve on the PCC. Lesley Greenwood, Clive Barratt, Simon Edge, Vicky Stott, Laura Parker and Nick Jones. SA asked that all the new members be given support and help in their new roles.

c. Charities

It is the norm to select three charities each year. One local, one national and one international. The following were proposed. 1. Street Pastors (L), 2. NW Ambulance Service (L), 3. Crisis ( N) and 4. Smile Train (I). Following a brief discussion 1, 3 and 4 were selected.

d. Examiner of Accounts

Mike Royal was proposed , seconded and accepted as our Independent Examiner for the 2024.

AOB None

SA thanked outgoing PCC members, Churchwardens, Deputy Churchwardens PCC Treasurer and others for their support to the parish. He also thanked the Treasurer and both Churchwardens for their work with regard to the successful outcome at the Parish Share Meeting with the Diocese in March.

First meeting of the new PCC will be held in the Vestry May 16th at 7.30pm.

There being no other business the 2024 APCM closed 13.15

2025 REPORTS AS REQUIRED BY THE CHURCH REPRESENTATION RULES 2025

ITEM 4

ELECTORAL ROLL OFFICER'S REPORT

Every six years it is a legal requirement to completely revise our Electoral Roll. Everyone then needs to fill in an application to the Roll form and this has just happened. It usually results in a trimmed down roll initially. We now have 70 members ,down from 100 at the end of our last 6 year period.

52 members are resident and 18 are non-resident in the Parish. Our new Roll is displayed at the back of church.

Anyone who is 16 or over and baptized and regularly attends worship here or who lives in the Parish is eligible. It is a good record of our church members.

It would be good to see new members joining the Roll as they get involved with our church family.

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If anyone wishes to take certain roles in the church, they should ideally be a member of the Roll, so it is important that as many people as possible are encouraged to join the Electoral Roll. After the APCM and throughout the year anyone not on the Roll is welcome to join at any point.

Rachel Damianou - Electoral Roll Officer

ITEM 5

PCC Secretary's Report on the Parochial Church Council May 2024 to March 25

Following the APCM in 2024 and for the 2024/2025 the new PCC met six times. A brief resume of which can read below. Attendance this year was much improved. Three meetings were chaired by the clergy with two meetings chaired by the VC and one by a churchwarden. From the members of the PCC for 2024/2025 attendance was four members six meetings, four members five meetings, one member four meetings, one member three meetings and two members one meeting. We had one resignation throughout the year and co-opted another member until the APCM in 2025. All meetings were held on Thursdays which was considered the best for all the members. The commencement time moved from 19.30 to 19.00, in January 2025 on a permanent basis, to facilitate the attendance of the clergy.

MAY 16 2024

Discussed. Overview of roles to be filled. Safeguarding Policy read. Bequests of Mrs D Hudson and Mr R Darlington.. Stone plaque suffragettes placement. DBS process. Subcommittees. Lychgate lights

Decisions. Officers selected. VC Mr N Jones. Hon PCC Sec Mrs B Hodgson. Hon Treasurer Mr A Gillian. (Mr C Barratt to shadow). Electoral Roll Officer Mrs R Damianou. Safeguarding Officer Mrs K Lockey. Standing Committee Incumbent, VC, Cows, Secretary, Treasurer and Mrs J Coxon. Team Council Reps CWs and Mrs E Brocklehurst. Deanery Synod Mrs E Brocklehurst (elected for three years in May 2023). CTiS Mrs L Greenwood Mrs J Coxon. Sidesmen Mr F Boocock, Mrs S Cosgrove, Mr D Damianou, Mrs R Damianou, Mrs M Ellis, Mrs L Heyes, Mrs G Morton, Mrs E Roebuck, Mrs P Thompson. Sub-committees Fabric Mr P Roberts, Mr S Edge, Mr D Damianou, Mr S Rigby. Worship Rev P Gillian, Mr A Gillian, Mrs E Brocklehurst, Mrs R Damianou, Mrs A Smith. Social and Fundraising Mr P Roberts, Mrs L Greenwood, Mrs L Parker, Mrs V Stott. Stone plaque suffragettes permission not given. Safeguarding Policy approved.

JULY 11 2024

Discussed. Fabric - works to Parish Hall Roof, electrics to Lychgate, radiator in church (north wall), lighting around church. Finance. Stewardship Campaign. Eco - next steps. MAP update. Car parking on Wednesday evenings. Pastoral Care. Planning permission Stockport Road (erection of dwelling). Dates of PCC meetings.

Decisions. Pastoral Care visits to be requested via RD and EB. Parking to be monitored. PCC to continue to meet Thursday evenings.

SEPTEMBER 19 2024

Discussed. Financial situation. Stewardship. Team Council and Parish Profile. Safeguarding Dashboard. MAP. Electrical wiring (faculty). Quinquennial Inspection (QI). Sacristan duties. Clive Barratt letter of resignation.

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Decisions . BH to review current Parish Profile. EB to arrange MAP Group. PR to plan QI and contact DAC re faculty. CB's resignation created casual vacancy pursue a replacement (coopt).

NOVEMBER 14 2024

Discussed. Fabric windows quote, radiator. Safeguarding. New Diocesan Dashboard. Love Lydgate Steering Group. Christmas Fayre. Stewardship. Sum up machine. MAP. Junior Church banner. Welcome Directory. Recruitment of Team rector process. Team issues Patronage Board, Parish Representative on interview panel. LCA Parish hall Agreement. DEC appeal.

Decisions. Windows quote accepted, agreement to look at top window. Simon Edge to be PCC rep on Love Lydgate Steering Group. Sum up machines to be taken around at the offertory. Welcome Directory agreed that St Anne be listed. BH to amend parish Profile and deliver o Team Office with form 34. Paul Roberts to be Parish Rep. EB to be Patronage Board member. Parish Hall Agreement signed and extended for 15 years. Collection for DEC (two Sundays and two Wednesdays to be announced prior) plus £50 from the PCC. JANUARY 16 2025

Discussed. Fabric. Social and Fundraising Christmas Fayre results. Stewardship Campaign seems positive. Use of QR code for giving. Trinitas Insurance renewal. Safeguarding - Code of Practice and review of policy, document storage, use of social media. MAP. Deanery Synod. Request for new rooflight in small room at the Parish Hall. Inclement weather. Decisions. QR code to be pursued. BH to be named contact for social media. Safeguarding Policy reviewed and approved in readiness for APCM. Policy for inclement weather/emergency closing of church to be brought to next PCC (March). MARCH 13 2025

Discussed. Fabric - stone bench, hall roof lantern. Finance. Stewardship. ECO. Annual accounts. Works to graveyard. Grants re radiators. Heat source pump information. Deanery - Emerging Diocesan Strategy and Focal Leader Team. Whit Friday. Fire Safety, Inclement weather/emergency policies and risk assessments. MAP. Decisions. Agreed draft annual accounts. Fire Safety Policy, Fire Risk Assessment and Inclement Weather/Emergency policies adopted.

Barbara Hodgson Hon PCC Secretary

ITEM 6

STATEMENT OF ANNUAL ACCOUNTS YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2024 - The statement of accounts can be found in a separate document.

ITEM 7

CHURCHWARDENS REPORT ON FABRIC AND OTHER MATTERS

Firstly both Paul and I wish to thank everyone who has over the last 12 months contributed in whatever way to the life of the Anglican Church here at Lydgate St Anne. We of course want our thanks to be shown to Rev Pat. Considering that she 'retired' on her 70th birthday in May and being granted the Bishop's Licence to Officiate, we have seen very little change. Rev Pat continues to serve and live out her ministry among us and among all those living, worshipping or being educated in the Parish. To Assistant Wardens, Sidesmen/women,

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Sacristan team, readers, intercessors, organists, our PCC and sub-committees, Junior Church leaders, wedding and baptism co-ordinators, vergers, the sexton, the long list of those who provide hospitality after services and special functions, to the even longer list of volunteers who deliver our Easter and Christmas cards, to all our Church Officers, Pastoral Care Team, the list goes on. A special thanks to our Electoral Roll Officer, Rachel, who this year has had the task of preparing the new roll which is required every six years. To all of you we thank you for your ministry. We thank Jane in the Team Office for being at the centre of all seven parishes here in the Saddleworth Benefice and for ensuring we have a priest to lead our Eucharist services and for being the conduit for communication team wide. To Rev Philip Brierley , Rev Chris Ford, Rev Hilary Edgerton, Rev Daniel Ramble and of course Bishop Mark for being with us this year. Lastly and by no means least we thank Rev Sachin whose workload within the team was somewhat increased this year. It takes teamwork to ensure that all that happens, all that is planned and all we achieve here. No matter the part you play we are all members of the body of Christ. To function we need you all and we are thankful to each and everyone of you.

Now to the fabric part of the report. The following work has been accomplished during the period ending 18 April 2025.

Parish Hall.

As a result of water ingress in the vicinity of the gents toilet ceiling, a significant area of the hall roof has been re-felted, some drainage issues have been addressed, potential water ingress points have been resealed, coping stones have been removed and replaced, and the facia board and guttering at the rear of the hall has been replaced at a cost of £8,388.00. Additionally two gentlemen namely Brian and Jack have repointed a significant area of the outer wall at no cost to church. Hence, many thanks to them for their generosity and time, and thank you to the LCA for their financial support regarding this work.

NB. In order to maintain the hall in a good state of repair more repointing is required on the inner faces of the perimeter walls, predominantly on the south side. The side fire doors also require some minor adjustments to the locking mechanism. Additionally blockages in the drains need attending to, and a small length of guttering above the kitchen window needs to be cleared. Steps are being taken to accomplish this work.

Church.

A leaking radiator in church has been replaced at a cost of £444.00. Three windows at the west end of church have been repointed at a cost of £760.00. The brickwork on the inner walls of the topmost level of the church tower has been repointed, which cost £1,350.00. (The contractor involved also tidied up the tower and made several other improvements which we greatly appreciate).

The church notice board was kindly replaced by Philip Clarke with no charge for his labour. So once again many thanks from us to Philip, and also many thanks to the proprietors of “The Roebuck” for providing the new blue sign housed within it.

The stone bench overlooking Manchester which was vandalised towards the end of 2024 has also been restored thanks to Al and a member of the community at no cost, so once again many thanks for your endeavours.

The electricity supply to the Lychgate was restored courtesy of “Love Lydgate” which enabled the lychgate lights to be used, and steps are currently being taken to apply for a

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faculty to enable four Holly bushes on Stockport Road to be illuminated in December 2025. Once again this will be paid for by “Love Lydgate”.

Additionally on several days working parties have tackled mainly regular maintenance needs within the church yard area especially, and members of the congregation should also be thanked for their endeavours on Saturday mornings when they have cleaned the woodwork inside church. A big thank you also to Gordon for his hard work in the graveyard, and his renovation of a small wall which he has uncovered and is currently restoring.

Quinquennial Inspection.

This five yearly inspection took place on 17[th] January, but the report has not been received to date due to the heavy workload of the Architect concerned. However we are sure that the report will indicate that the “Capronnier” stained glass windows at the east end of church will require remedial work to secure them in place. This report is vital to enable us to prioritise remedial work, and we will continue to press for its production. Additional maintenance .

We have recently noticed that the Lychgate is in need of some remedial work, as tiles have slipped or are missing, there is a build-up of algae on the woodwork, the guttering is warped and broken, and some woodwork is showing signs of rot. Appropriate steps are currently being taken to address these problems however. We also still need to repair or replace several small windows in the area of the rear kitchen and toilet extension which we will endeavour to attend to.

Barbara Hodgson and Paul Roberts Churchwardens.

ITEM 8

REPORT ON THE DEANERY SYNOD PROCEEDINGS 2024

This year has seen a focus on the church’s vision for the future in Manchester Diocese, particularly with a shift to equipping lay church members to support ordained clergy. We have discussed ‘Growing the church for all generations’, the development of Focal Leaders at churches (not necessarily an ordained person) and ‘Our Emerging Strategy’ which focuses on four areas: Growing younger, Church planting & revitalisation, Developing mission leaders and Parish Renewal. There have also been updates on Safeguarding reporting and communications and advice on moving to using the new A Rocha UK online toolkit for applications for awards. Monthly newsletters have been shared with the congregation via the St Anne’s Church and St Anne’s families WhatsApp groups.

There have been some changes to the Authorised Lay Ministry scheme to make it more easily accessible. Areas for focus are: Children & Families, Community Outreach & Social Justice, Ecology & Creation, Mission & Evangelism, Pastoral Outreach & Listening, Prayer & Spirituality, Worship & Liturgy and Youth Work. Liz Brocklehurst will be taking the Worship and Liturgy course in 2025. The Diocese also runs EQUIP courses regularly to help all develop skills for ministry. In March, Rachel Damianou and Liz attended a session about ‘Intergenerational Ministry’.

Liz Brocklehurst - Deanery Synod Rep

ITEM 9

SAFEGUARDING OFFICERS REPORT Our Safeguarding Policy Promoting a Safer Church is in line with guidance from the Diocese and is available for viewing on the notice board at the

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back of church along with the Referral Flow Chart stating what to do if there is a case of suspected child abuse.

The parish Safeguarding Handbook is on the notice board and is also available on the website along with a safeguarding statement.

Parish Dashboard

As a parish we have made good progress with the parish dashboard requirements. We have a little more work to do on the risk assessments however most actions are either complete or near completion. Thank you to everyone that has been involved in contributing to this. Child Registration details

The recommendations regarding the registration of all children attending Junior Church are in place and each parent/guardian is asked to complete a registration form for their child. All information is updated regularly to ensure the safety of the children in our care. Volunteer Details

We currently have enough volunteers to be able to run junior church every week. Youth group and crèche are currently not running.

A completed application form, two references and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate are held for each volunteer. All DBS certificates are renewed every 3 years and our current volunteers have completed online Basic and Foundation Safeguarding Training. Information on our volunteers is kept in a locked safe.

PCC members

It is a requirement that all PCC members have a DBS check completed every three years. As they are trustees of a charity overseeing work with children and adults at risk, they have safeguarding responsibilities. All existing PCC members have a valid DBS check.

PCC members are also required to complete two online learning courses about safeguarding and one about domestic abuse which need to be renewed every three years.

Katie Lockey Parish Safeguarding Officer

TEAM VICAR'S REPORT

As we journey through the year 2024, we are reminded of the continuous call to serve in unity, compassion, and faith, even in the midst of change. In the spirit of 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, we reflect on how, despite the shifts within our clergy, we remain one body in Christ, each part essential to the whole.

In June 2024, we experienced the retirement of our beloved Rector, Canon Revd. Sharon, whose years of faithful leadership continue to influence the life of this benefice. Her ministry was a testimony to the power of servant leadership, and we are thankful for the legacy she has left in our hearts and our community.

The year 2024 also brought the retirement of Revd. Godfrey Adams in December. We are deeply grateful for his many years of ministry among us and for the love and care he showed to the congregation. In addition, Revd. Mike Donmall and Revd. Pat Gillian have transitioned to serving as PTO clergy. We thank God for their continued involvement and the wisdom they bring to our shared ministry.

As we move forward, we are in a time of vacancy, and soon the process of appointing a new Rector will begin. Though we face this transition, we trust in God’s timing and provision as we seek the right person to lead us into the next chapter of our ministry. We are thankful for the support we continue to receive from the wider church, particularly from The Right

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Reverend Prof. David Walker, Bishop of Manchester, and The Right Reverend Mark Davis, Bishop of Middleton. Their leadership and guidance, along with that of Archdeacon Karen Smeeton and Area Dean Daniel Ramble, have been invaluable during this period. We are also incredibly grateful to the clergy team, including those PTO clergy from the Deanery, who have stepped in and continued to serve faithfully. Their presence has ensured that our worship life remains strong, even in the face of limited clergy availability. Our midweek services have become an even greater focus in the past year. We have introduced a common theme across all our services, creating a sense of continuity and unity in our worship. This shift has led to a slight increase in attendance at our midweek services, which has been a positive development. Our midweek service leaders and coordinators have played a significant role in this, and we are deeply thankful for their commitment and dedication. Their efforts in providing a welcoming and enriching space for prayer and reflection have truly strengthened our community.

Additionally, we have continued to build upon our intergenerational work, bringing together people of all ages in worship, fellowship, and service. I especially appreciate our volunteers and leaders who have helped to foster this connection between generations, creating opportunities for learning, support, and mutual care.

Our ministry would not be possible without the dedicated service of our Churchwardens, Assistant Churchwardens, Authorised Lay Ministers (ALMs), Sidespersons, Parish Administrator Jane Ratcliff, and our many volunteers. Their tireless efforts in ensuring the smooth running of our churches, through worship, pastoral care, and administration are deeply appreciated. Their faithfulness and commitment have been a great blessing to our benefice, and we give thanks to God for each one of them.

The apostle Paul reminds us in Philippians 1:3-6:

"I thank my God every time I remember you, in all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

This spirit of partnership in the gospel has been evident in the way we have come together as a community. We are united in our mission, serving alongside one another with joy and gratitude. Despite the challenges, we have seen the fruits of our labour in the positive and encouraging responses from our congregation.

As we continue to navigate this period of change, we are reminded of the words of Hebrews 10:24-25:

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Let us continue to support one another, to build up the body of Christ, and to press forward in the work God has called us to do.

We are grateful for each person who has played a role in the life of this benefice—whether through prayer, service, or support. Together, we will continue to grow in faith and service, always looking to Christ as our guide and strength.

With gratitude and blessings, Revd. Sachin S Awale

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ITEM 11 OTHER ANNUAL REPORTS

WORSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT

The worship committee is a sub-committee of the PCC and focuses on the worship and services at St Anne’s. Membership is not restricted to the PCC, and it would be fruitful if members of the congregation joined to give a wider perspective on our worship. We encourage the children to be involved in the services by taking part with readings and intercessions. We are always looking for more people to volunteer to lead the prayers and to read the weekly readings for us so please give it some thought and volunteer. Service of the Word is held on the first Sunday of the month and we now have three lay leaders Al, Rachel, and Liz who between them lead these services on a rota basis. We are always on the lookout for other people who after some training would be able to join this team leading services.

This year we have been able to take Home Communion to two ladies at Old Mill House and it was nice to hear while visiting that they have family connection with St Anne’s school (grandchildren/great grandchildren attending). We also take “Home Communion” to others in our community on a regular basis but please let us know if there are any other people who would like us to call.

We have continued with the Diocesan Initiative of Belonging, Believing, Becoming, and the information collected from our congregation was used to form our Mission Action Plan (MAP) which shows the way we see our parish moving forward in the coming weeks, months, and years. Our progress is reported back to our congregation on a regular basis during a Sunday service.

January saw us attend the annual CTIS Service and this year it was held at Christ Church Friezland.

We held the Team Ash Wednesday Service at St Anne’s which was well attended by all churches.

Our Lent Appeal this year was for Water Aid and the Junior church children helped Launch the appeal during the Sunday morning service.

In June we said good-bye to Sharon who retired, and a Team Service and celebration was held at Holy Trinity Church and School in Dobcross.

In July we held a service to celebrate “St Anne” our patron saint and as per “our tradition” flowers were taken out by members of our congregation to members of our community who were housebound, bereaved or just needed cheering up.

We also held our annual All Souls service which was well attended, and our Pastoral Group were there talking and handing out information cards to the families that attended.

In November we held a “Safeguarding Service” as requested by the Team and a big thank you must go to our Safeguarding Officer Katie and our churchwardens Barbara and Paul for their contribution passing onto us information about Safeguarding and how important it is. In December we went out Carol Singing and sang inside Old Mill House with residents joining in with us. Again, it would be lovely if more people could join us, it’s an enjoyable experience and nice to see so many smiling faces. We were also asked by Springlees Court in

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Springhead if we could go Carol Singing there for the residents, but the request came rather late in the day to arrange but we promised we would make arrangements to go in 2025. Again, this year we held a Combined Carol and Crib Service, and it was a great success with lots of families joining our regular Sunday congregation. The children acted out the Nativity story while the adults read the readings, and we all sang the hymns/carols. We also changed our Christmas Eve Service (Midnight Mass) from 11.30 pm to 8 pm and we found more people attended and comments we received indicated people thought this was a better time for the service to be held.

Our weekday service goes from strength to strength with an average attendance of 136 people. This year as a Team we decide to not hold the weekday services during the month of August to give clergy a well-earned break and because lots of families go away for their summer holidays. We all felt this worked well and the services started up again in September.

Our participation in School Collective Worship, Experience Church and Faith Explorers is going from strength to strength. We also now have a Eucharist service at school once a term which the children enjoy and participate in.

We also welcomed two new Child Bishop’s at School and Bishop Mark came along to install them. The Child Bishops help lead collective worship in school and help with school church services by leading prayers and reading.

We have also managed to hold End of Term Services along with a very successful Christingle Service and Harvest Service with the food from the Harvest service, brought by the children, being delivered to Oldham Foodbank, Bible presenting services to Year 6 and Reception. Pat was asked this year by one of the school governors if she would go along to their Nursery for their Harvest and Christmas celebrations and Pat was pleased to do this, and to explain a little about the celebrations.

So, you can see we are thriving at St Anne’s in so many ways, but are always open to new ideas and helpers so please get in touch if you have ideas to share.

Al Gillian

PASTORAL CARE TEAM

At St Anne’s we are very fortunate to have a good congregation who look out for each other. We now also have a team of six who regularly meet to see how best we can help those who are brought to our attention as in particular need and to pray for them. Pastoral care may take the form of a regular visit for companionship, a visit after an illness, a bunch of flowers, a text or email to reach out, a listening ear or delivering one of our “ thinking of you” cards. Care can be in an individual’s home or at school or a visit to hospital, a care home or Old Mill House. Home communion is also possible. We have also helped with the delivery of flowers in the community on St Anne’s day and Mothering Sunday and invited those recently bereaved to our Harvest and All Souls services.

If anyone sees someone is suddenly missing from church for a few weeks or feels someone would welcome some pastoral care for whatever reason, please speak to Rachel, Liz or Pat. Also, if anyone feels they would like to help with the ministry of Pastoral Care, please speak to Rachel, Liz or Pat.

Rachel Damianou

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JUNIOR CHURCH

Junior church meets every Sunday in the parish hall and starts just before the 11am service giving parents time to walk across the road into church. The children spend about 35 to 40 minutes at Junior Church and then come across to join their parents round about the beginning of Eucharistic prayer.

The children's ages range from 5 to 11. We also make available the Vicar's Vestry for babies and younger children should they become restless and need a time out. There is a sound speaker in the vestry so parents can still feel part of the church service. There are toys in the vestry and also we provide a few bags which can be handed to parents and the bags contain soft toys and also scripture related books.

We have a group of about six ladies who give of their time and very ably prepare lessons and activities for Junior Church whose leader is Rachel Edge.

The lessons prepared are usually based on the gospel reading of the day. They start by reading the gospel and use a children's bible so that it can be more easily understood by the children. They then talk about the gospel, children are encouraged to talk about what they have listened to and learned and can ask questions.

Following the discussion there is either a craft activity, which is also based on what they have talked about or another activity. For example a few weeks ago some of the children made relay batons and wrote on them words associated with the parable of the fig tree. They than had a race passing the batons from one to another. Another group created a fig tree out of paper, colouring it and again on each of the leaves words such as patience and repentance.

The teachers really do come up with some amazing visual crafts which the children when they join the main congregation always proudly display. They are also asked what they have learned and quite often give the adults a very simple yet meaningful response. They manage to learn such a lot in such a short space of time and for that we thank the volunteers very much.

Rachel Edge - Junior Church Leader

REPORT OF THE SEXTON

Our work in the churchyard continues to be focussed on creating a place of peace where people can spend time remembering their loved ones; it needs to be well-kept to ensure the safety of visitors; it needs to provide a place where we can provide a bio diverse facility which recognises the need to reverse the damaging impact of the Climate Crisis. As one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world we owe it to those that come after us to do what we can to help nature in this valuable green space in our Parish. I will cover this in more detail in my ECO Report in this document.

Thank you to all those that helped with our working parties during the year, something that we need to expand in 2025.

Remembering that this is an important working churchyard, here are the numbers for its use in 2024:

3 Burials

5 Interments of Ashes

9 Memorials, plaques or additional inscriptions were added

Al Gillian

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ECO GROUP

As you will see from my Sexton’s Report there is much to do if we are to achieve our three aims for the churchyard of (1) A Place of Peace (2) A Safe Ground (3) A Bio diverse Facility. Equally important, we must incorporate our work with the church and hall buildings to obtain our Gold A Rocha ECO Award.

Why is this important? The answer is that it is an indication that we recognise the damage that humans have done to our planet and it’s the only one we have. How are we leaving it for future generations? Will there be a habitable planet? It’s never too late to step back from the brink and we pray that everyone will play their part to:

Reduce our Carbon Footprint with the aim of reaching Net Zero by 20230.

Provide a haven for wildlife to flourish (Britain is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world – what a reputation to have).

Repeat the process in our homes and gardens.

Change our lifestyles to recognise that we are part of the problem, but need to become part of the solution.

If we take responsibility God will help us, but if we need any evidence of the Climate Crisis, look at the wildfires, the melting Polar ice, the storms and the many other ways in which an over-heated planet is reacting. And closer to home we are feeling the effects. We’re only a small group that wants to do big things and we welcome Laura and Lola, Helen and Jacob and Paul Roberts to our Group. There is space for anyone else that would like to be involved, so come and give us your ideas.

A Rocha have changed their marking schedule and there are many more categories to aim at, although the headings remain the same. We have converted our existing work, so that we do not lose it. Here’s what we have been up to in 2024:

Worship and Teaching – We are still rated as ‘Gold’ according to our assessment in January 2025. Areas we could improve still further are as much about frequency; in terms of ‘Caring for God’s Earth’ we could choose to focus the frequency of more services, hymns and Junior Church lessons on creation. Have you been following the weekly ECO Tips on the weekly sheet which have continued throughout the year? More importantly, have you put any into practice, or will you?

Buildings – We are still currently at ‘Silver’ but, because of the need to heat church and hall both with gas boilers, we get a low score. We may need to look at whether we can move to greener tariffs, but that might come at an increased cost. We have already taken steps to reduce consumption by better time and temperature management. We have converted all remaining lights to LED. We have plans for improving recycling (see ‘Plans’ below). Land – We are ‘Silver’ and made some further work on improving biodiversity. There are certain areas of the churchyard that are encouraged to stay wild, although invasive plants, such as ivy, brambles and holly, have to be reigned in. Further new habitats have been added and bird feeders and boxes bolstered; another hedgehog house built and there are other plans.

Community and Global – We need to make some greater progress on this section which, although ‘Silver’ is our weakest section. We had achieved some good things in 2023, such as Twinning both church toilets (through Tear Fund) (see posters on the inside of the toilet doors) and starting a ‘car-sharing’ scheme. The section could be better supported and is a

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challenge again for 2025 along with a more robust support for environmental organisations and engagement with local leaders on environmental issues. These are all elements discussed in our weekly ECO Tips.

Lifestyle – This is ‘Silver’, but remains the section which we could improve the most – if everyone in our community works together and seeks to tread more lightly on God’ Earth. We continue to encourage families to measure their Carbon Footprint, at least once annually but, having measured the footprint, we need to encourage families to make lifestyle changes that reduce those carbon emissions; to consider ethical investments; to implement some of the ‘Top Tips’. As a church community, we need to undertake a lifestyle audit from which we can set targets for improvement.

Plans for 2025 – Although this is a look back at 2024 we would be remiss if we did not consider what we want to do in 2025. The ECO Group has been expanded, as detailed above, and the group will meet shortly to make clear plans for management of the churchyard that seek to achieve our three aims. There is excitement about ideas coming out. We are looking at creating a ‘Recycling Hub’ in church; Lola wants to set up a Junior ECO Council from church youngsters, working parties will be tasked with ECO work, not just keeping things tidy, and it may be possible to meet one Saturday and one weekday evening each month. Please Support Us! Many thanks.

Al Gillian

FLOWER TEAM

The Flower Team has again had another busy year and we hope everyone has enjoyed the floral tributes created for church. We would like to thank those members of the congregation who continue to sponsor the flowers at the altar to commemorate an anniversary or act of remembrance and those members who donate money to the open plate for the larger arrangements at Christmas, Easter and Harvest. Your support is much appreciated as are the positive comments we have received – thank you.

There is just one of us on the Flower Team as I write this – Tracey Manifold although Joanne Coxon has been persuaded to come out of flower team retirement on a couple of occasions during the year to produce lovely displays.

I would be very grateful if anyone would like to join the team or to help out at Christmas, Easter or Harvest. Just a love of flowers needed! Get in touch and I can gladly talk you through what is involved.

There are a few weeks when we don’t have a sponsor, so please get in touch if you would like to remember an event, date or person in your life by sponsoring a flower arrangement at the altar. Flowers are initially arranged to be displayed by the altar and as flowers generally last at least two weeks, they are then moved to be displayed by the curate’s chair or to the memorial table in the porch.

Tracey Manifold

HOSPITALITY TEAM

Coffee and tea are usually served after every 11 am Sunday service thanks to our dedicated team of volunteers. This year we have raised just over £800 for our three charities, Smile Train, Crisis and Saddleworth Street Pastors.

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Coffee is served in the Parish Hall in the back room and more and more folk do seem to be enjoying a sit down and natter after the service. The hall is now also regularly used for parties which is a great source of income towards continuing to renovate the hall. It does however mean that coffee needs to be served at the back of church if the hall is in use. Some people find this more convenient for a quick coffee after the service, some find it too crowded. It remains a moot point as to where is best but hopefully the combination goes some way to accommodate everyone.

Thank you to everyone who has, brewed up, cleaned up, donated biscuits, collected and counted our donations, shared a cuppa and donated!

Rachel Damianou

CARD DISTRIBUTION TEAM

An estimated 2775 cards were distributed at both Easter and Christmas by the team of 40 volunteers. Once again distributions included St Anne’s school in Lydgate, and the Care Homes / elderly accommodations at The Old Mill House, Hood Square and Lido House, all in Grotton.

With regards to the volunteers who deliver the cards, we now have two vacancies available with the likelihood of a further vacancy before Easter 2025. It is my intention to recruit new volunteers in April 2025 with attendees at the Wednesday night services targeted. Special thanks to William (aged 7) and Elsie (aged 9) for their superb card designs at Easter and to Willow Roberts ( aged10 ) for her wonderful Christmas artistry and of course to all the children who assisted.

Once again both the Easter and Christmas cards were received in good time and a BIG thank you to the Production Team for their efforts. Continued thanks to Chris at Colormania for the service he provides in printing the cards.

A reminder that we do have a list for deliveries to people living outside the Parish and any new contacts will always be welcomed.

Richard Buckley 07805 970799 [e-mail]

GIRLGUIDING - RANGERS, GUIDES, BROWNIES AND RAINBOWS 20[th] Oldham (Lydgate) Guides

Lydgate Guiding has four units: Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers. We cater for girls between the ages of 4 and 18. We have approximately 65 girls at the moment and all units meet at the Parish Hall on Thursday nights.

The girls follow programmes set out by the Girl guides Association and we plan our own activities, too. The scheme has six parts, including ‘Have Adventures’, ‘Express Myself’ and ‘Skills for My Future’. Each unit takes its girls on trips outside the unit, locally and nationally. We participate in sports activities and camping and adventure holidays each year.

The girls enjoy working together to complete badges, play games, undertake challenges and take part in national events such as UK Parliament Week, International Women’s Day and Thinking Day.

We are very pleased with the growth of the units in the last few years and are now actively seeking new volunteers to help run them. Lisa Carter - Guide Leader

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LYDGATE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

It might be helpful to remind the congregation, who Lydgate Community Association are and what we do. It was formed as a charity in 2019 to…..

‘further or benefit the residents of Lydgate and the neighbourhoods – in a common effort to advance education and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare or recreation and leisure time with the objective of improving the conditions of life for the residents. To establish and secure the establishment of a community centre and to maintain and manage – such a centre for activities promoted by the charity to the furtherance of the above objectives.’

That community centre could have been anywhere but when it was clear that St Anne’s were finding it difficult to find volunteers and time to manage the Parish Hall as well as the church, the LCA approached the PCC to suggest a mutually beneficial working relationship. In 2020 a Management Agreement was agreed for 5 years. St Anne’s is still responsible for the structure of the building and the LCA are an autonomous body, maintaining the hall, keeping it safe, clean well decorated and well used. THE LCA is a charity and totally nonprofit making, and every penny raised goes back into the maintenance of the hall and improving facilities. As a goodwill gesture, church activities and Junior church are free of charge and church fund raising activities are charged rental at a significantly reduced cost mainly to cover heating.

There is a good working relationship between the church and the LCA and the Management Agreement was reviewed, amended and agreed for a significantly longer period, earlier this year.

The LCA has 10 Trustees, one of them Simon Edge is also on the PCC and Al Gillian is Church Treasurer so communication is regular and open.

The Trustees are committed to being as efficient as possible and recently implemented a Health Check on their organisation.

All policies and documentation are reviewed annually and necessary electrical and building checks are implemented. We are grateful to Anne Smith, the certificated First- Aider from Church who checks all our first aid boxes annually.

The hall is well used on a regular basis. There is a wide range of activities for all age groups from 5 to 95. On average 250 people use the hall every week, 10,000 over a 40 week year. We also hold several birthday parties, community celebrations and other events.

Once a month Love Lydgate holds its Monday Talk and raises funds for the hall. Since May 2024 they have raised just over £900 for which we are very grateful. They have also raised funds for lighting to go on the outside of the hall at Christmas Time. The LCA paid for an outside junction box to facilitate this.

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Our Membership scheme is our only other regular fund raiser. For £12 you can become a member and support us with just £1 a month!

It is donations like these and a commitment to securing grants that have allowed us to install Broadband and added to the shelving for Love Lydgate’s Library. This is popular, well used and well organised, now that Love Lydgate have a qualified librarian free of charge. A large and unanticipated increase in gas bills knocked us for six in January. We have involved all users in trying to reduce our usage whist keeping the hall safely and comfortably warm for activities. We have also installed a remote-controlled monitoring system, so we have more immediate control over setting temperatures. This is an ongoing concern and we now have a small working group addressing it. At the moment the hall breaks even, we cannot afford another big hike in outgoings.

Sadly, the increase led to us having to make the hard decision to put up rent charges. Users were informed in last October and the increase was implemented in January.

Another big worry was the water ingress from the flat roof at the back of the building. This was damaging rooms that had been newly decorated. This was a structural issue and there was a concern that the church would not have funds to sort it. Fortunately, the PCC came to the rescue with contractors and funding and the problem seems to have been solved. The building is nearly 130 years old so there is always going to be jobs to do. So far we have been able to keep on top of things. We are well supported by the community and often residents will volunteer to do jobs that would otherwise cost us money. Thank you to anyone who has supported us over the last year.

Jennifer V M Greenwood Chair of LCA.

SAFEGUARDING POLICY AND STATEMENTS

The following policy was agreed at the Parochial Church Council (PCC) meeting held on 16[th] January 2025.

In accordance with the Church of England Safeguarding Policy our church is committed to:

Promoting a safer environment and culture.

Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children, young people and vulnerable adults within the church.

Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation. Caring pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons.

Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons.

Responding to those that may pose a present risk to others.

The Parish will:

Create a safe and caring place for all.

Have a named Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) to work with the incumbent and the PCC to implement policy and procedures.

Safely recruit, train and support all those with any responsibility for children, young people and adults to have the confidence and skills to recognise and respond to abuse.

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Ensure that there is appropriate insurance cover for all activities involving children and adults undertaken in the name of the parish.

Display in church premises and on the Parish website the details of who to contact if there are safeguarding concerns or support needs.

Listen to and take seriously all those who disclose abuse.

Take steps to protect children and adults when a safeguarding concern of any kind arises, following House of Bishops guidance, including notifying the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser (DSA) and statutory agencies immediately.

Offer support to victims/survivors of abuse regardless of the type of abuse, when or where it occurred.

Care for and monitor any member of the church community who may pose a risk to children and adults whilst maintaining appropriate confidentiality and the safety of all parties. Ensure that health and safety policy, procedures and risk assessments are in place and that these are reviewed annually.

Review the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy, Procedures and Practices at least annually.

Each person who works within this church community will agree to abide by this policy and the guidelines established by this church.

Review date: January 2026

POLICY STATEMENT ON CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND THE CHURCH - This statement must be read out to at least one PCC meeting each year, where progress in implementing it will be monitored.

As members of this Church, we commit ourselves to the nurturing, protection and safekeeping of all, especially children and young people.

It is the responsibility of each one of us to prevent physical, sexual and emotional abuse of children and young people and to report any abuse discovered or suspected.

Our Church is committed to following the Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk Manchester Diocese Handbook of Policy and Procedures.

Each worker with children and young people must have a clear Disclosure and Barring Service Certificate, undertake diocesan Safeguarding training, know the guidelines and undertake to follow them. Each shall be given a copy of the Parish’s agreed procedures and good practice guidelines. They shall also have an interview with the Church Wardens before commencing their role.

Our Church is committed to supporting and training those who work with children and young people and to providing supervision.

As part of our commitment to children and young people the PCC has appointed Mrs Katie Lockey to be the Parish Safeguarding Officer.

The parish’s agreed procedures and good practice guidelines can be viewed by asking the Churchwardens or the Parish Safeguarding Officer.

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Children and young people are an important part of our Church today. They have much to give as well as to receive. We will listen to them as we nurture them in worship, learning and in community life. We will respect the wishes and feelings of children and young people.

Review date: January 2026

POLICY STATEMENT ON SAFEGUARDING OF ADULTS - This statement must be read out to at least one PCC meeting each year, where progress in implementing it will be monitored.

We recognize that everyone has different levels of vulnerability and that each of us may be regarded as vulnerable at some time in our lives.

As members of this parish we commit ourselves to respectful pastoral care for all adults to whom we minister.

We commit ourselves to the safeguarding of people who may be vulnerable, ensuring their well-being in the life of this church.

We commit ourselves to promoting safe practice by those in positions of trust.

The parish commits itself to promoting the inclusion and empowerment of people who may be vulnerable.

It is the responsibility of each of us to prevent the physical, emotional, sexual, financial and spiritual abuse of vulnerable people and to report any such abuse that we discover or suspect.

We undertake to exercise proper care in the appointment and selection of those who will work with people who may be vulnerable.

The parish is committed to supporting, resourcing, training and regularly reviewing those who undertake work amongst people who may be vulnerable.

The parish adopts the guidelines of the Church of England and the Diocese. Each person who works with vulnerable people will agree to abide by these recommendations and the guidelines established by this church.

Review date: January 2026

GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

STANDING COMMITTEE

This is the only committee required by law. It has powers to transact the business of the PCC between its meetings subject to any directions given to it by the Council.

Its members are: Team Rector, Churchwardens, PCC Vice-Chair, PCC Secretary, Treasurer, and one other PCC member.

FABRIC AND BUILDINGS COMMITTEE

To maintain the fabric and grounds of the church buildings within the finance available. To consider and recommend improvements to the economic use of the buildings and grounds.

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To consider and recommend how the buildings and grounds might be altered to the benefit of the various uses of them.

To organise any repairs, improvements or alterations when agreed by the PCC. To arrange the use of the Parish Hall to the mutual benefit and enjoyment of all the users.

WORSHIP COMMITTEE

To explore the nature of our worship, the service we hold and the liturgy and music they contain.

To consult the congregation on matters of worship and discuss findings with the Team Rector.

To discuss changes were appropriate.

SOCIAL AND FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE

To organise social activities within the life of the Church. To organise fundraising activities for the benefit of the Church and Parish Hall.

TASK GROUPS

These are set up for specific purposes and then disbanded.

THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL - OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The primary object of St Anne's Parochial Church Council is the promotion of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England. It also has responsibility for co-operation with the Team Rector in promoting throughout the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the church pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.

PCC MEMBERSHIP SINCE APCM 2024 :

Rev Sachin Awale (Team Vicar Chair from September 2024) Mr Clive Barratt (resigned 19 September 2024) Mrs Elizabeth Brocklehurst

Mrs Joanne Coxon Mr Simon Edge Mr Al Gillian (Treasurer) Rev Patricia Gillian (Ex Officio Member) retired May 2024 Mrs Lesley Greenwood Mrs B Hodgson (Ex officio Churchwarden and PCC Secretary) Rev Canon Sharon Jones (Chair) vacant from end of June 2024 Mr Nick Jones (Vice Chair) Mrs Laura Parker Mr Mark Rathbone (Co-opted at November 2024 until the APCM) Mr Paul Roberts (Ex officio Churchwarden) Mrs Vicky Stott

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CHURCH SERVICES

The following services were held in St Anne's Church during the year from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024:

		2024	2023
			Comparison
Sunday Services	Eucharist	38	38
	Service of the Word	12	12
Weekday Family Service		46	51
Other Weekday Services		9	10
Baptsm Services		41	23
Marriage Services	Including a renewal of vows	6	5
Burial & Funeral Services		5	6
Internment of Ashes		5	10
Total of all Services		151	143

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Parish of St Anne, Lydgate Charity Registration Number: l 132948 Financial Statements for the Year ended 31 December 2024

Parish of St Anne, Lydgate INDEX Page A3 Financial Report Page A5 Independent Examiner's Report Page A6 Statement of Financial Activities Page A7 Statement of Financial Activities 2023 Page A8 Balan￿ Sheet Page A9 Notes to the Financial Statements Page A10 Incoming Resources Page A11 Incoming Resources (Continued) Page A11 Resources Expended Page A12 Resources Expended (Continued) Page A13 Net Position, Transfers, Revaluations & Total Balan￿S Analysis of Funds Page A14 Analysis of Fixed Assets Current Assets & Liabilities Page A15 Funds Statements Page A18

Parish of St Ann& Lydgate Stewardship Report What does Stewardship mean? "Stewardship is a concepi deeply rooted in biblical ieachip7gs, embodying the responsibility that individuals have lo manage the resource3 and ￿fi$ beslom'ed upon them b)J God. In essence, slewardship goes beyop7d mere managemenl," it encompasses the idea ofcaringfor God's creation, using one's lalents wisely, and fostering a spiril ofgenerosity. This principle 15 Hjoven throughout Scripiure, highlighting our role carelakers ofihe Earih and ils inhabilanls, ds well as our spiritual gfts andfinances. Why am I staning my report with these words. well the highlighting is mine and I believe that it's important to understand the word correctly: not in the way" the Church seems to use it- it's not all about money and is a message to take with us in our home and work life as well ! That is why my report is about more than money and only needs one word - Stewardship not something different to finance or ECO. So, Stewardship is about how we use all of our skills and talents in the followinTr way ". l ) Managing the churchyard grounds for the benefit of all God's creatures, not just humans. 2) A brief look back at how we fared with our finances in 2024. 3) More importantly, a look forward to how we are going to use our resources in 2025 and beyond. Managing the Churchyard - We have a large area of land and we have two choices to make - it can be a pristine, probably sterile, area ￿'1th nothing ali¥e in it (that's not meanl to be a punl) or it can be shared w ith all God:s creatures. Yes, we need to be able to access areas for obfvious reasons: but we could leave parts to grow wild for the benefit of others and, done carefully, will provide habitat for birds, bees, insects and small animals such as field mice, hedgehogs and others. I would suggest we need to." a) Develop the semi-circular garden in the new part with bee, bird and insect friendly plants and add a pond, with a suitable safety net or gri(L and aquatic plants. We could add a Hibernaculum nearby. b) The banks adjacent to the stone walls could be left uncut along with anv other unused margins with care to prevent growth of other invasive species such as Himalayan Bal￿ which we must eradicate each year before it seeds. c) The triangular are4 in which the bug house resides, can continue to be left to wild (with care to prevent the brambles and ily running rampant). d) Along the Stockport Road wall we need to find a way to keep the holly and ivy under control and the introduction of small shrubs might help with this. e) The hedge separating the new area from the top terrace could be allowed to have 'scrub' undergrowth as a haven for small mammals. Our Finances in 2024 - In these Wdges you will find all you need to know about income, expenditure, our reserves and much more, so do take time to look through the numbers. On this and the next page I have tried to draw out in wordb, the most importsnt aspects, but there will be much I havenl mentioned, so do please look for yourselves. a) Our income for the year totalled £74.904.54 and ive spent £81,828.62, but within this was £9.738 spent on the Parish Hall roof and Tower repairs, met from our restricted reseTres. After revaluation of our investments the deficit for the year was reduced to £1,899.28. Our reserves (excluding the nominal value of the Parish Hall) remain sig]ificant at £107:166.51. The distribution of those reserves across the various Unrestricted, Designated and Restricted Funds Can be seen at Pages A8 and A15 to A17. a) It remains too early to assess the success of the GÉving Campaign, but there are definite signs of income growth (see pages AIO & AI E): (i) Standing Orders are up by 50/0 (£1,171) for the whole year. (li) Envelope giving has fallen by £85? (iii) Gift Aid tax recovered is up 13% (£1,146). Continued on page A4

Continued from page A3 (iv) Plate cash is up £801. Iv)There have been big increases in Other Planned Givin& Donations and Baptisms. (vi) Card giving is up sharply (the £5 pre-set is working well), but we need to be more pro-active in taking the card machines around during the collection hynn (do the sidespeople know to do this?). (vii) Although Christmas Fayre profit was down a bit the 2 fashion shows helped fundraising to grow by 420/0 (up £2,153). We also received £730 from May Queen Olivia's fundraising. (viii) Fees fell slightly with a small reduction in Occasional Services. b) Looking now at expenditure (see pages A I l & A12): (i)The cost of generatino funds increased slightly due to more use of card machines and fundraisino costs. {ii) Our charitable giving fell by a quarter to £642. Although this does not take account of other charitable giving, such as FocdbanL The Children's Society, Lent and Advent appeals, which have all been very successful in 2024, we might like to ask the questiorL do w¢ give ai%'ay a suitable proportion of our church income? Some churches make a S￿¢￿fiC poinl of giving awav l 00/0 and that would be around £7,500. (iii) The revised Parish Share was £3,000 less than we paid in 2023 and was paid in fijll at £37,000. (iv) Team costs are spread over Working Expenses, Housing Costs, AssisLqnt Staff, P&storal Care, Team Adtninistrator Salary and .1 eam Administration. At a totsl of £8.IH6 the cost was slightly lower than 2023, calculate(l as always, using the Parish Share formul& (v) Our Mission & Evangelism cost us £617 more than in 2023, but was mostly covered by matching donations. Our sh are of Whil Friday costs ros¢ from £700 10 £800. (vi) Inevitably the cost of gas was up £5.121 {24(P/o up) following the end of the very favourdble tariff we experienced for 3 years. This should reduce as the gas tariff is scheduled for revision later this year. (vii) Electricity costs were higher a5 well at £1,469 an increase of £642 or 770/0 for the same Feason. (viii) The repairs to the Parish Hall cost £8:388 substantially less than we had budgeted. (ix) Having Danny Parker as a contractor is proving very beneficial and his Tower repairs cost £1,350. a) Where are our Reserves (pages A15 to A17): (i) We have £100: 024 in restricted funds. which means that we can only spend them on certain things. (li) The largest restricted fijnd is Bequesi & Donations with £88,246 the remaining funds from the Muriel Wills Bequest reslricted to the parisK so that is available and needs to be used wisely (see next section of report). (iti) Th purpose of other restricted funds will be obvious from the fund names: but we have a balance of £477 in the Audio-visual Fund, unchanoed for many years and maybe lye should be lookin. at using this in some way. Using our resources in 2025 and the years to come: a) Nancy Gale left us a bequest for the maintenance of the churchyard and Garden of Remembrance and there is still £1,722 remaining. We should use this to help with the ECO Plan referred to at l ) above. b) We also need to factor in the Quinquennial Inspection, completed Tecently, and almost certain to have cost implications when the report is received" some immediate, others medium or long-tenn. c) As part of the Church of England we are tasked with working towards Net Zem by 2030 and that's in less than 5 years. What are we going to do to reduce our Carbon Footprintg d) We have over £90,000 in reserves and, yes, it's good to have reserves for a rainy day. but pointless if we don't use them when it's raining! I would sa), that the present Climate Crisis is a 'rainy day, and we need to take an urgent look at how li'e can reduce our Carbon Footprint on both our church and hall buildings. Al Gillian. Parish Treasurer A4

Independent Examiner's Report to The Parochial Church Council of St Anne's Church, Lydgate report on the financial statements of the Charity for the year ended 31 December 2024, which are set out in the accompanying pages. Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner As PCC members you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements. The PCC members consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act)) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: examine the accounts (under section 145( R Xa) of the ?01 l Act)" to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charit), Commission (under section 145{iXb) of the 201 l Act). to state whether particular matters have come to my attention Basis of independent examiner's report My examination was carried out in accordance with the Genernl Directions gI￿¢n 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 you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. Independent examiner's statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to m). attention". ( l ) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with srftion 130 of the 201 l Act" to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 ACL have not been met: or (2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Mr Michael Royle BA FCA Chartered Accountant 15 Burnedge Fold Road Grasscroft Oldham OL4 4EE I lth May 2025 AS

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Parish of St Anne, Lydgate Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2024 2024 2023 Notes Fired assets 5A Tangible assets 5B Investments 90,000 97.272 90,000 102 097 Total fixed assets 187272 192,097 Currenl a&sets 6 Debtors 7 Cash at bank and in hand 3,635 8.862 3,289 5,572 Totsl current assets 12,497 8,861 Current liabililies 8 Amounts falling due within one year Nel curren¢ assets 9J95 6,969 Total assets 197,167 199,066 4 Funds Unrestricted Funds 9 Designated Funds Restricted Funds 9 Endoivment Funds 2,358 4,785 190,024 2,703 2,336 194,026 Tolal Funds 197.167 199,066 Approved by the Parochial Church Council on I lth May 2025 and signed on its behalf by: Revd Sachin Awale Mr Paul Roberts Mr Alastair Gillian The notes on pages A9 to Al 9 forni part of these accounts A8

Parish of St Anne, Lydgate Notes to tbe finsneixl statements for th¢ yegr ended 31 December 2024 I ACCOUNTING POLICIES a) Basis of accounting The financial statements have been prepared under the histori¢al cosi convention as modified by the revaluation of certain fixed &ssets and Tn accordance iTrith the Church Accounting Regulations ?006 together wilh applicable accounting standards and the FRS102. The financial S￿ernents include all tran￿etIonS, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. The). do not include the accounts of chur¢h groups that owe their main affiliation to another body, nor those thal are infornial gatherings of such members. b) Funds Endowmentfvndl are funds. the capitsl of which musi be mainlained. only income arising from investment of the endoHrynent may be used either a5 restricted or unrestricted funds dependin? upon the purpose for which the endowmeni was estsblished. Reslrictedfynds represent (a) income from trusts or endowments whtch may be expended only on those restricted objects provided in ihe tenns of the trust or bequesi and (b) donations or grants received for a specific object or invited by the PCC for a specific obje¢t. The funds may only be expended on the specific object for which they were given. Any balance remaining unspent at the end of each year must be carried forward as a balance on that fund. The PCC does not usually invest separately for each fund. Where there is no separate investment. interest is apportioned to indiiidual funds on an avewe balance basis. D¢signatedfvnd¥ ar¢ general fund5 which have b¢¢n reserved by the PCC for specific purposes indi¢ated in the fund iitle. linreslriciedfvnds are general funds whtch ¢an be used for PCC ordinary purposes. c) Incoming resources Planned givin& collections and donations are recognized ￿ffien recei¥'ed. T&i Ttclaimed und¢r Gift Aid is recogniz¢d iN'hen rec¢ii."ol Grants and I￿a¢1e$ are aceounted for i%lJ¢n the PCC is legailN' entitled to the amounts due. Di%'ideniJs and interesi are accounted for ￿hen receii'ed and is attributed io eaeh fimd on the basis of the amount invesied and the age of the inktstmenL Unrealised In￿'eStment gains are account&1 foron tevaluation of invest¥nent bfjs￿ on mid-market prices at 31 D¢c¢Tnber. All other incoTn¢ is re￿￿1Zed it is received. All incoming reScA￿teS are ac¢¢xknt¢d for gr05S. d) Resources Expended Grants and dol￿tIonS are ac£ounted for paid over, or wthen a￿"ardelL if that a￿7rd crea(es a binding or ¢onstru¢tive obligation on th¢ PCC. Payn¢nts io the dI￿¢s8n cotnm(bn fi]TrJ are accou¥bted for wthen paid. AmounLS received specifically for mission are deali Mith as restricted fuft￿-. Uftrealised initstm¢nt lo5￿S are accounted for on revalualion of ini'estment based on mid-market prices at i l December. All other eXp￿d[lure is genernlli. recogniz¢d ith¢n it is incurred and is accounted for gross. e) Fixed Assets Consecrated and benefice property is not included in the accounts in accordance with s. l 0(2Xa) of the Charities Act 2011. MoN'able church furnishings held b). the Nicar and ChUrch￿ardenS on special trust for the PCC and ￿hICh require a faculty for disposal are inalienable property.. 115ted in the church's inventory, which can be inspected Equipment used within the church premises is depreciated on a straight-line basis over four vears. Individual items of equipment with a pur¢h&se price of £ 1.000 or le55 are written off when the asset is acquired. It is the Trustees policy not io under¢3ke a fonnal revaluation of land and buildings and no depreciation is provided in their respect as the currently estimated residual value (discounted for monetary inflalion since capitalisation) is not less than the carrying value and the remaining useful life of this asset currently exceeds 50 >'ears. so that any depreciation charge ￿'OUld be immaterial. If, in the future. the carrying value of the building should I￿)k greaier than the current value on this basis an impai￿ent review will be carried out and any resultant loss included in expenditure for that )'ear. Investments Investments are valued at market value based on mid-market prices at 31 December. A9

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Parish of St Anne, Lydgate otes to the finaneial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 ' S ANALYSIS OF FIXED ASSETS 5A Tangible Assets Freehold Land & Buildings Furnitsre & Equipment IDvestments Totsl 2024 Totsl 2023 Cost or Valuation On I sl Jiatkllilry AdditionslRevaluation Gain(Loss) Disposals On 31st December 90.000 102.097 5,025 9.850 97 72 192,097 5,025 9,850 187 72 191,550 11,547 11,000 192,097 Dtpreciation: On I st January Charge for the Year Deduct for disposals On 31st December Net Book V8lu¢: On I st January On 31st December 90.000 102,097 192.097 191,550 90.000 97272 187372 192,097 The freehold land & building is the Parish Hall. ￿'hICh is owned b> Mi 2n¢hester Diocesan Board of Finance and held in trust for the Parish. It was last valued in 1999. but the PCC is of the opinion that there is no benefit in incurring the Cost of revaluation at this time, although this is likely to be considerabl). in excess of the figure quoted. Equally there is not deemed to be any need to make a proN'ision for depreciation (see more detailed comment on page A9). The church building is a ¢onse¢rated property and is excluded from the financial statements by virtue of section 10(2)(a) of the Charilies Act 2011. The church buildings and contents were insured for 20?4 by Trinitss Church Insurance Serviees for £6,663,071 [building] and £173,425 [contents]. The Parish Hall insurance was transferred to Trinitas Church Insurance Services from renewal on 24th June ?020 and is insured for £1,053,194 (buildings) and £21.490 (contents). The cost of indemnity insurance for the Truslees of Lydgate Cornmunity Association CIO {LCA) is now being paid for by the LCA. SB Investment Assets 2024 2023 CBF Church of England Investment Fund Income Shares CBF Church of England Investment Fund Accumulation Shares 1.873 95.399 10,045 92,052 97272 102,097 6 Debtors 2024 2023 Debtors 3,635 3,635 3,289 3,289 7 Casb at Bank and in Hand 2024 2023 Cash Flower Fund Cash HSBC Current Account CBF Deposit .4ccount Natwest 200 Club 23 103 14 164 2.8?8 ?,471 94 335 8062 5.572 Creditors 2024 2023 Amounts falling due within l year Agency collections 1,7?0 883 619 1274 1.892 ?M)3 A14

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Independent Examiner's Report to The Parochial Church Council of St Anne's Church, Lydgate I report on the financial statements of the Charity for the yeaT ended 31 December 2024, which are set out in the accompanying pages. Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner As PCC members you are r¢sponsible for the preparation of the financial statements. The PCC members consider that an audit is not required for this )ear (under section 144 of the Charities Act 20] I (the 2011 Act)) and that an independent examination ts needed. It is my responsibility to: examine the accounts (under section 145( I Xa) of the 201 l Act); to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the ?01 l Act). to state ￿'hether particular matters have come to my attention Basis of independent examiner's report My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by th¢ charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in th¢ accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procediires undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. Independent examiner's statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: { l ) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to k¢¢p accounting records in accordanc¢ with section 130 of the 2011 Act; to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 201 l ACL have not been met. or (2) to ivhich, in my opinion, attention should be drdwn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Mr Michael Royle BA FCA Chartered Accountant 5 Burnedge Fold Road Grasscro Oldham OL4 4EE I Ith May 2025 AS