Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council of the Parish of Ribbesford with Bewdley and Dowles 1st January - 31st December 2024 Approved by the Parochial Church Council 141h May 2025 Chair Revd. Melissa Beynon Rector of Parish of Ribbesford with Bewdley and Dowles Adopted by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting 22nd May 2025 RIBBESFORD WITH BEWDLEY AND DOWLES PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES Gon•r•l Fund Not• {unr¢$tr1¢t￿I Rtstrtctsd Funds Endovlrnent Funds TOTAL FUNDS 2024 2023 INCOMING RESOURCES Voluntary Income Idlrecl givlngi 2a 81.757.00 125.00 81,882.00 79,461.00 other voluntary Income &Krants 2b 8.899.00 222648.L 231.545.00 13,128.00 Gross Income from events and acllvltles 2c 18.677.00 18,677.00 15,645.00 Olhefordlnarylncome 2d 2.753.00 2,753.00 16.00 Incomefrom Iradlng 2e 6.67S.00 5,67S.00 7,465.00 Income Irom Investment 21 2.226.00 2.806.00 5.&32.00 3,547.00 Sale ol Assets 2g I39,￿0.00 I39,9l￿.0O 0.00 (al TOTAL INCOMING RE80URCES 259,887.00 222.771.00 2.806.00 485,464.00 119,262.00 RESOURCES USED Grants and donatfjons 2,215.00 2.215.00 1.046.00 Dlreetly relallngioworkol the Church 97.123.00 19),059.00 287,182.00 95.074.06 Church rnanagoment&admlnlstratlon 3,722.00 700.00 4,422.00 4,934.05 Ibl TOTAL RESOURCES USED 103,060.00 190.759.00 293.819.00 101,054.11 NETINCOMINGIOUTGOINGI RESOURCES EFOAE TRANSFERS lal- Ibl 1¢) TRANSFERS BETWEEN FUNDS NETINCOMING IOUTGOINGI RESOURCES lal Ibl + Icl IS6.827.00 32,012.00 2,806.00 191,645.00 18.207.89 GAINS ANO LOSSES ON INVESTMENTS realised - unreallsed 0.00 3,943.00 12,260.00 3.943.00 NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS 156,027.00 32.012.00 6.749.00 195,580.00 30,467.89 Balance blf at 1st January 2024 400,138.05 {307.465.73 124.573.25 217.245.57 186,777.68 Balance clf at 31st December 2024 S56.￿5.05 {275.453.731 131.322.25 412.833.5T 217,245.57 (EoiD m Ir.f£y￿o￿J ¢Ec-DE 8888888 888 888 4 W* 888 88888888 i!11 888 88888 13 888 15111 1 888388 888 88888 RIBBESFORD WITH BEWDLEY AND DOWLES PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES Note 2024 2023 FIXED ASSETS Inventory assets Investments 3540.00 3540.00 140407.80 136464.57 143947.80 140004.57 CURRENT ASSETS Debtors CBF Deposlt Funds Cash at Bank & In Hand 13024.70 4676.00 3374.36 3374.36 259638.92 74881.90 276037.98 82932.26 LIABILITIES: amounts falllng due wllhln one year 7152.77 5691.26 NET CURRENT ASSETS 268885.21 77241.00 NET ASSETS 412833.01 217245.57 FUNDS Unrestrlcted Restrlcted: 300521.74 107915.35 Bellrlngers St.AndreWs St.Leonard's Churchyards Endowment Funds 2863.43 2256.95 212.99 212.99 145.52 145.52 715.14 715.14 108374.19 105999.62 412833.01 217245.57 ti C> •) to cvuuuu c) c) u a RIBBESFORD WITH BEWDLEY AND DOWLES PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES G8neT•I Fund Nots lunr•strkt•d) R•strlcted Endowment FundB TOTAL FUNDS 2024 2023 Funds INCOMING RESOURCES Voluntary Incorne Idlreci glvlnei 81.757.00 125.00 81,882.00 79,461.00 Olhervolunlarylncome &grants 2b 8.899.¢)0 222646.00 231,545.W 13.128.00 Gross Incorne Irom events and actlvltles 18,677.00 18,677,00 15,645.00 Other ordlnary Income 2d 2.753.(V) 2.753.00 18.00 Income Irom liadlng 5,675.00 5.875.00 7,485.00 Incorne from Investment 21 2.226.00 2.806.00 5,032.00 3.547.00 Sale olAssels i39,￿0.00 139,900.00 0,00 (a} TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 259,887.00 222.771.00 2,806.00 48S.464.00 119,262.00 RE30URCES USED Grants and donatlons 2.216.00 2,215.fy) 1.046.00 Dlfeclly ielallngto work ol the Church 97,123.00 ' 190,059.fy) 287.182.00 95,074,06 Church man8gemenl & admlnlstratlon 3.722.00 700.00 4.422.00 4,934.05 Ibl TOTAL RESOURCES USED 103,060.00 190,T59,00 293,819.00 101.054.11 NET INCOMING IOUTGOINGI RESOURCES 8EFORE TRANSFERS lal- Ibl Icl TRANSFERS BETWEEN FUNDS NET INCOMING IOUTGOINGI AESOURCES lal. Ibl + lel 156.827.00 32,012.00 2,808.00 191.645.00 18,207,89 GAINS AND LOSSES ON INVESTMENTS reallsed unreallsed 0.00 ' 0.00 3.943.00 12,260.00 3,943.00 NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS 158.827.110 32,012.00 6,749.00 195.588.110 30A67.89 Balance blf at 1st January 2024 400.138.05 {307.465.731 124,573.25 217,245.57 186.777.88 Balance clf at 31st Decembor 2024 556,965.05 1275,453.73) 131,322.25 412,833.57 217.245.5T 88888888 888 111 888 88888888 Illiiii. 888 88888 888 ¢91J 1 1115 111 1.1 141511 1 888388 118888 888 888 RIBBESFORD WITH BEWDLEY AND DOWLES PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2024 STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES Note 2024 2023 FIXED ASSETS Inventory assets Investments 3540.00 140407.80 143947.80 140004.57 3540.00 136464.57 CURRENT ASSETS Debtors CBF Deposit Funds Cash at Bank & In Hand 13024.70 4676.00 3374.36 3374.36 259638.92 74881.90 276037.98 82932.26 LIABILITIES: amounts falllng due wllhln one year 7152.77 5691.26 NET CURRENT ASSETS 268885.21 77241.00 NET ASSETS 412833.01 217245.57 FUNDS Unrestrlcted Restrlcted: 300521.74 107915.35 Bellrlngers St.AndreWs St.Leonard's Churchyards Endowment Funds 2863.43 2256.95 212.99 212,99 145.52 145.52 715.14 715.14 108374. 19 105999.62 412833.01 217245,57 ouuo 2025 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council of the Parish of Ribbesford with Bewdley and Dowles The Parish continued in vacancy from 1st January until the licensing as Rector of the Revd Melissa Beynon on 2nd June 2024. On 81h May 2025, the new electoral roll contained the names of103 parishioners, 80 of whom reside in the parish. Aims and purposes Our central aim, in common with all Anglican churches is: to co-operate with the incumbent in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical, thereby promoting the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. In November 2019, the PCC adopted three additional aims. The PCC aims to: make our buildings fit for purpose develop our engagement with children, young people and families develop our engagement with the wider community. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of St. Anne's Church, Load Street, Bewdley and St. Leonard's Church and churchyard, Ribbesford and was responsible for the maintenance of St. Andrew's Church, Button Oak until its sale in December 2024. It also has responsibility for the maintenance of Dowles churchyard. Objectives and activities The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our churches and to become part of our parish community. When planning or arranging activities, we are conscious of the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit. We are also conscious of our role as a charity for the advancement of religion and aim to put faith into practice as Kingdom People through: worship and prayer, developing and learning within a Christian community provision of pastoral care ecumenical relationships engagement with children, young people and families and engagement with the wider community To facilitate this, we need to keep the fabric of our churches in good order. An objective from November 2019 was the creation of plans to: make our buildings fit for purpose., develop our engagement with children, young people and families; develop our engagement with the wider community. Achievements and performance. Worship and prayer The pattern of Sunday worship established during the vacancy in 2023 continued from January to May in 2024. A service took place in St. Anne's each Sunday: Holy Communion on the first and third Sundays of the month and Services of the Word on the second and fourth. Holy Communion was ￿lebrated on the second and fourth Sundays at All Saints and in those months with a fifth Sunday the churches took tuins to host a single service of Holy Communion for the whole benefice. This pattern ensured that the requirement for a service of Holy Communion in the incumbency every Sunday was met. At St Leonard's, Holy Communion was celebrated on the first Sunday of the month and Matins on all other Sundays. The PCC is hugely grateful to retired clergy (Heather Flack, Mark Moreton and Simon Thorburn) and our Lay Ministry team (Licensed Lay Ministers Barbara Fauset and Robert Barbour, Authorised Lay Ministers Janet Adey, Elaine Barbour, Caroline Hall and Diane Taylor, with support from Pat Prosser and Jim Ineson) for all their efforts in enabling this regular pattern of worship to continue during the vacancy. We are also grateful for the support of Fr. Canon Tim Williams, Area Dean, and from senior clergy from the Di0￿san team. We welcomed our new Rector Revd Mel Beynon at the service of installation led by Bishop Martin on 2nd June in a full church. This was a joyous occasion with welcomes offered by representatives of other churches in the town as well as the wider community. This service pattern at St. Anne's changed a little following the ariival of Mel, with three Communion services and one Service of the Word. This is only sustainable with the continued help of the Revd Simon Thorburn and occasional help from elsewhere. Mark Moreton is no longer ministering due to declining health. We owe our thanks to him for his many years of ministry to us. At St Leonard's we are embracing our tradition of using the Book of Common Prayer with one Communion and three Matins services each month. This is beginning to bear fruit, with a trickle of new visitors seeking prayer book services, and the developing connection with the Prayer Book Society (PBS). On 12th April 2025, St Leonard's hosted the annual service for the Worcestershire branch of the PBS, which was a well-attended and inspiring occasion. St Anne's Wednesday Morning Prayer services continued through 2024. The first Wednesday of each month took the form of a Communion service for the Mother's Union, led by our retired or visiting clergy, until the arrival of Mel who now leads this service. Attendance for this monthly Communion service was around twenty. The Mothers, Union celebrated Advent at the December service. On all other Wednesdays of the month a service of Moming Prayer led by Barbara Fauset, Pat Prosser and Janet Adey was held. Elaine Barbour led the service when there was a fifth Wednesday. Average attendance for this service is around eight in church and two on Zoom. The service was changed and adapted according to the season, and each new version was emailed out for the benefit of those at home who can join in via Zoom. From July 2024, Mel trialled morning prayer every Thursday at 9.00am in St. Anne's church. Very few people attended so, from 1 Oth December, this was moved to Zoom, which immediately proved much more popular. From 9th January, this was extended to twice weekly. These half hour gatherings are a fruitful prayer time and a chance to discuss the day's readings together. During Lent an ecumenical service took place each Sunday evening in the churches of the town, with St Anne's hosting on the fifth Sunday. These servi￿5 were well-attended and a similar series of services was repeated in 2025. On Maundy Thursday 2024 a Holy Communion service was held in St Anne's. On Good Friday an ecumenical service took place in Jubilee Gardens and then worshippers walked to the crosses where a short ecumenical service was held. On Easter Day about twenty three participants attended the dawn service at St Leonard's. As always this was a joyous event with the Easter fire and candles as we read the history of the people of Israel, leading up to the resurrection story as the light grew and the birds accompanied our celebration with their singing. Various services with a particular theme were held in 2024, including Taizé (in September and Advent). Racial Justice Sunday in February, and Sustfest in April were marked with a Service of the Word. Members of our congregation attended the Deanery Servi￿ at Hartlebury Castle on July 7th On each Sunday in September we based our services on Creation, drawing attention to climate change and our care for God's earth, as well as focusing on the great gift of creation itself. on the 29th a service to celebrate World Rivers Day was held. We celebrated Harvest in October. One of our LLMS led a service with the Beavers group in Wribbenhall which was enjoyed by everyone. The All Souls, service was held at St Leonard's on November 3rd, which was well attended. An evening of Advent reflection and a 'Blue Christmas, service were held at St Leonard's. The children from St Anne's Primary school visited and took part in a number of Sunday services in 2024, sometimes as a choir but they participated in other ways too. Year 6 attended their leaving service and seTvices were held for Christmas, Easter and the end of the school year. We were also pleased to welcome Bewdley Primary school and the Bewdley School for services during the year. There were no services at Button Oak and Pound Green in 2024, partly owing to problems with booking the Hall. It is hoped to resume services at Pound Green Village Hall in 2025. Zoom continued for services at St Anne's to allow members of our worshipping community to join in worship in their own homes if their circumstances prevented their attendance in person. The Zoom congregation averages three people each week. Margaret Ashmore and Elaine Barbour have taken a Service of the Word to the residents of Hernes Nest House care home on the first Tuesday of the month throughout 2024. This is an established part of their programme and much enjoyed by residents and staff alike. We have a very simple liturgy, with a bible reading or story, feely bags, candles and flowers, prayers and hymns. Janet Adey joins us for the Holy Communion service at Summerdyne Nursing Home each month on the following Tuesday. This is more traditional with hymns and a Bible reading along with the simplified Communion liturgy. Numbers in both homes vary but it is usually around 10 residents and one or two careis, with family members on occasion. We held a special short carol service at Hernes Nest, helped by choir members and friends and also sang carols at Summerdyne. Singing carols resonates hugely with these old people. Despite dementia issues the sense of worship at our services is tangible. with all of us deeply aware of "God with us., Baptlsms, Weddings, and Funera18 In addition to regular worship, we aim to enable our wider community to celebrate and thank God at the milestones of their journey through life. Numbers of requests for Baptisms continues to be low despite our very open policy. Mel is hoping to build this up through closer links with the primary schools. There were three Baptisms in 2024 all at st Leonard's Church. As well as the infant Baptisms, one of our adult members was Baptised and Confirmed at Worcester Cathedral where he was supported by a number of the congregation from the Parish. We celebrated four church weddings in 2024 (compared with three in 2023), one in St. Anne's and three at St. Leonard's. A total of fifty two funerals, burials and memorial services took place in the Parish in 2024.Three funerals and three memorial SeNi￿S took place at St. Anne's, eleven funeral services and two memorial services at St. Leonard's and thirteen funeral services at Wyre Forest Crematorium. Twenty burials took place in St. Leonard's churchyard: three of bodies in existing graves and seventeen of cremated remains. Of the burial of cremated remains, ten were in new plots The churchyard no longer has space for new plots for the burial of bodies but has sufficient Spa￿ for the burial of cremated remains to meet the likely needs of the parish in the short term. In addition, the parish rninistry team officiated at nine committals at Wyre Forest Crematorium, a committal at Stourbridge Crematorium and two burials of bodies in other locations, one in the churchyard at st. Giles, Heightington and one on private land. The support of the bereaved remains a strong part of our parish ministry and, until the arrival of Revd Beynon, relied heavily on the commitment of retired clergy (Heather Flack, Simon Thorburn and Mark Moreton) and of Lay Funeral Ministers Barbara Fauset and Elaine Barbour. These ministers also conducted funerals and burials within the Benefice at All Saints, church. The PCC is very grateful for this generous commitment to funeral ministry. These life events remain important avenues for our Christian outreach and the PCC is grateful to all those whose ministry or administrative efforts allow this to continue. Worshlp support As a parish we continue to benefit from the ministry of the large number of individuals who contribute to worship in addition to the Rector, retired clergy and Lay Ministry team. We are grateful to Sheila Limbrick for her duties as sacristan, to Elaine Barbour who produces service sheets in liaison with whoever is leading worship, to Janet Bishop and her team and the St. Leonard's flower arrangers for their care and skill in decorating our churches with flowers. The PCC recognises that worship only takes pla￿ smoothly thanks to those who organise the following rotas: welcome, chalice assistants, coffee after services and lesson readers, and a big thank you to all those who willingly volunteer to take on these duties. The PCC is grateful to James Hickson, organist and musical director for his contribution to worship and to the choir for its musical contribution to worship at services in St Anne's - even coping well with the German in some Bach anthems. In early 2025 the choir were able to sing for the Worcestershire Prayer Book Society service in St Leonard's. The choir is a low profile choir sitting at the back of the church, and its aim is to continue singing music that enhances the Anglican liturgy and to lead the congregation in ensuring that hymns are sung musically and enthusiastically. The PCC is also grateful to Jim Ineson, Barbara Fauset, Elaine Barbour and Ken Hadley (the St Anne's music group) for their contribution to music in worship. The PCC is also grateful to the Bellringers for their weekly ringing for Sunday services at St Anne's as well as for ringing for civic events and other special occasions. Our weekly Network newssheet continued to be a key part of Parish communications and the PCC is very grateful to Peter Kirk for his efforts in producing it week in and week out. Network, which includes the week's readings and the service sheet are emailed to a wide distribution list each week. The PCC is also conscious of the use of our Church Near You and social media as means of reaching out beyond our regular worshipping community. This is something which it is intended to review in 2025, The PCC is grateful for the small team who operate the sound desk and Zoom sessions from St Anne's. These facilities, along with the service sheet either emailed or dropped through letterbox, allow those who are unable to come to church to join in worship and is much appreciated. Development and learning Several small groups meet regularly. The Saturday Morning Group meet each Saturday via Zoom at 8.30am for worship and prayer. It follows lona liturgy and each week the needs of the church are a focus for prayer. The house group based in Sabrina Drive continued to meet fortnightly for worship and prayer, led by Robert Barbour and supporting those who are housebound. A Bible Reading Fellowship group continues to meet monthly using the New Daylight course of readings and reflections to prompt discussion as a house group of five. During Lent Diane Taylor led three sessions on the Epistle to the Ephesians. Parishioners were also encouraged to attend the Sunday evening services held in different churches in Bewdley, whose theme was faith inspired by the Arts. Robert Barbour ran a course over three evenings in August for the benefice entitled How Green is my Bible,, a repeat of a course run for the wider community in May. The Eco justice group met on three occasions. Mothers, Union continues to meet monthly for a communion service, with the occasional speaker and sometimes time for a deeper reflection. Prayer and worship are keystones of Mothers, Union members. During 2024 we found time for peace and reflection at a Quiet Day in the beautiful setting of Uncllys farm. The day was led by Barbara Fauset on the theme of meditation on our own journey and how we use the gifts God has given to us. We also used the natural surroundings to reflect on a selection of Psalms on that theme. The Mothers, Union annual Advent service is well supported and provides a time of prayer and reflection in the busy time before Christmas. During Lent the MU central resources provide many ideas for prayerful activities. We raise money for overseas projects particularly for health and literacy programmes. Future plans include providing toiletries for the women's refuge. We have been joined by two members. In July our parish had a stall for children's activities at the Party in the Park where all the churches in Bewdley gathered in the sunshine in Jubilee Gardens to pray, sing, share food and fellowship. During October, Black History Month was marked by a book group reading 'Tarry Awhile, by Selina Stone. This took place over five Monday evenings in All Saints, Church. 12 people attended representing each of our benefice churches and the activity was written up for the Diocesan website. During Advent we revived our Advent lunches in the Narthex at St Anne's with teaching on Centering Prayer, Praying with Psalms and sacred Space. Soup and bread were provided by generous volunteers and we were pleased to begin this tradition again, experiencing different ways of praying. An Advent Reflective Evening was held at St Leonard's in December. The Lent course in 2025 was about hearing God's voice through Pictures, Collage and Nature. Provision of pastoral care The Pastoral Group, a group of eight lay members and Mel, co-ordinates, where appropriate, those who visit the sick, needy, elderly and housebound of our parish and community. The group met formally four times in 2024 to update each other on the individuals on our list of concerns, list also used for prayer. Emails are used to share significant news between meetings. Many others not in the group look after church folk and their neighbours offering a wide variety of help. Housebound people are visited with home communion or a Service of the Word. Simon Thorburn also supports this ministry. The PCC is very grateful for the commitment of the Pastoral Group to their sensitive and prayerful ministry. St Anne's Coffee Bar is open to visitors from 10.00am to 2.00pm each Friday and from 11.00am to 1.00pm on Saturdays. This facility, which operates in the Narthex at the rear of the church, is located in the heart of the town and attracts members of the congregation and the public alike. Thursdays are promoted as the 4Cs; a place for Coffee, Cake, Company and Conversation between 10.30 and 12.30. On Fridays, Bewdley Ches8 Club meets there alongside any visitors that day. The church offers an active welcome to visitors whether for a hot drink, a walk around the building or to spend some quiet time in prayer. The PCC is grateful to the team led by Sue Perrin which includes members of the wider community. Additional volunteers to help with this element of our ministry would always be warmly welcomed. Development of our mission of outreach to visitors to SL Leonard's churchyard continues. We know that many people from the community and from much further afield visit for remembrance and solace or pass through on the footpath and are moved by the beauty and the spirit of this corner of the Wyre Forest. Thanks to three generous donors, we have installed new benches, beautifully made by Wyre Community Land Trust. Where possible, the benches are arranged to encourage companionship and shared time for people who may be feeling vulnerable or lonely. We believe there are more opportunities for outdoor worship, to involve folk who may be shy of the perceived fomialities of church and hope to expand from the two services, at Easter dawn and for 'Blue Christmas, held in 2024. Prayer feels to be in the air in this place, and we pray for God's blessing on all who find it. In preparation for Holy Week, a team delivered a card and palm cross to 120 households in the church community. Delivery was often accompanied by a visit. The message included a greeting with news of Holy Week and Easter services, a postcard and a hand-sized palm cross. The postcard contained a picture of the Matisse stained glass window in the Rosaire Chapel, Tree of Life, and some reflections by Meister Eckhart. The giving and receiving of a tangible symbol of God's love were appreciated. Ecumenical relationships The annual Bewdley Passion is a product of Bewdley Churches Together- an ecumenical grouping of all the churches in Bewdley (Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Elim and Quakers). Each year Sin￿ 2013, the churches have organised joint programmes to celebrate and bring to the townspeople the events leading up to Easter. On Sunday evenings throughout Lent, the churches came together to worship and listen to a presentation about Art, Music, Video, Poetry, or Artefacts that connects us with Lent and the Easter story, chosen and presented by the host minister. Good Friday saw our usual programme of events, beginning with a traditional "Stations of the Cross" at Holy Family Catholic Church, followed by an informal service in Jubilee Gardens and then our pilgrimage to the foot of the cross at Bewdley's own Golgotha, where we also held a short service. On Friday evening in St. Anne's Church, the Bewdley Passion team presented performance of Stainerfs "Crucifixion" performed by Bewdley Camerata under the direction of Alastair Elliott. St. Anne's C of E Primary School 2024 saw the fruits of the increasingly close links between our congregations and church school, St. Anne's C of E Primary School with a programme of church and school activities and visits. News from the school is shared in Network and the school is a regular PCC agenda item. Mel, and other church members, write regularly for the school newsletter. The Headteacher, Jo HaNey, finds these two perspectives helpful and it means that parents hear frequently from church. The PCC is very grateful for the Headteacher's firm commitment to strengthening the school's relationship with church. Since her arrival in the parish, Mel has become a part of the community at St Anne's school. This has led to some baptism and wedding enquiries. She regularly leads Collective Worship and goes to school most Mondays to chat with parents and carers at home time. In April 25 we took Easter to them, with a large team from church and helpers from the school Faith Crew, a group of ten to twelve older pupils with a particular interest in Christianity. The children had a fantastic day exploring the Easter story in crafts, songs and an interactive Easter trail, following the story of Jesus from Palm Sunday to The Resurrection. Mel is also meeting with the Faith Crew regularly and aims to get them involved in leading worship at school and in church. During the year, there have been numerous school visits to church. and various school services. Members of the school choir joined specially prepared Sunday morning services in St. Anne's church in 2024. The church building is becoming more familiar to the pupils. Parents and families have come to support their children and have been given a warm welcome by the congregation. The PCC is particularly grateful to the Lay Ministry team for their leadership and to Jim Ineson who has been visiting the school regularly with his guitar to teach worship songs to the children. During the year, the whole school and staff, accompanied by parent helpers, walked down to St Anne's Church for a special ser￿iCe at Easter, Harvest and Christmas. These services are an inspiration and much enjoyed by children, staff, congregation members and those parents who attend. The children particularly enjoy singing together in such a large space, accompanied by James on the organ and Jim on his guitar. Diana Sutherland leads Collective Worship in St Anne's School Nursery with a weekly reflection for the older nursery children based on the school values. This worship, supported by members of the Faith Crew, usually contains a story or visual illustration, Bible references, a song and a prayer. Throughout 2024, eighteen members of St. Anne's congregation have been involved in presenting Bible stories regularly each week to the children at St. Anne's through Open the Book. An extended programme was created to tell the Easter story, culminating in the school experiencing the Resurrection story through a service in Church. These assemblies are popular with the children who enjoy recognising the team when they come to visit church. Year 6 pupils took part in a church-based pilgrimage in July organised by LLM Barbara Fauset and ALM Diane Taylor to mark their transition from one stage of education to another. The pupils visited different areas of the church and learned about their significance. Each child was given a 'passport', like the ones used on more formal pilgrimages, and created a response at each area. The children were full of questions and interest. Caroline Hall and Richard Rundell now represent the church on the Board of Governors. They were joined by Mel following her licensing in June. Their 'Foundation' role involves oversight of the school's delivery of the RE curriculum and the way in which the school shows evidence of its Christian ethos, spirit and values. However, as Governors they have wider responsibilities - Caroline on the Curriculum, Achievement and Progress Committee and Richard on the Business (Finance) Committee. The Foundation Governors have been delighted to experience the flourishing of the RE curriculum, the enthusiasm of the children for the subject and under the leadership of the Rector and the Headteacher the further development of an enthusiastic partnership between school and church. Staff, pupils, parents and the church community are thoroughly enjoying the many facets of this burgeoning relationship. Termly meetings with the Curriculum Leader for RE have given the Foundation Governors a thorough insight into how the curriculum and staff training are being led expertly and with deep commitment. The Religious Education Audit by the Diocesan Advisor in November, including an in depth meeting with Richard Rundell and Caroline Hall, was extremely positive and constructive. The monitoring visits are an inspiration and a pleasure and confirm that the curriculum and its professional delivery foster the religious education of every child and gives every child an understanding of the meaning of faith and of living in faith. Displays throughout the school are creative and vibrant evidence of how both classroom teaching, individual conversations and whole school activities, including assemblies, promote the Christian ethos and values of the school communily. The Foundation Governors wish to record their thanks to the leadership and whole staff of the school for their dedication and hard work. Many members of the congregation volunteer in other areas of school life including reading, sewing and the creation of wall displays. The PCC is grateful to those members of the church community who are engaged with pursuing our mission to the school and to the school leadership who are actively encouraging this. Church care and maintenance We continued to carry out all ne￿SSary regular maintenance in our three church buildings. This work included regular planned safety maintenance covering fire extinguisher testing, portable electrical appliance testing, roof maintenance and lightning conductor testing at St Anne's and St Leonard's, and boiler maintenance at St Anne's. In 2024 we spent £2,611 on routine fabric maintenance at St. Anne's (£3,541 in 2023). This work excludes the external stonework repair work which is described below. We spent £7,647 on maintenance work in St Leonard's church (£3,916 in 2023). The work at St Leonard's included taking down an insecure wall memorial (£1.440) and the replacement of the overhead heating elements (£4,819). We received a grant from the DI0￿Se of £2,000 towards the heating replacement. St. Andrew's continued to be mothballed with regular checks to satisfy insurance requirements. During the year, there was no expenditure on Maintenan￿ at St Andrews. Volunteer working parties carried out clearing of vegetation and clearing of gutters. The building was cleared prior to its sale in De￿rnber 2024. Dowles churchyard is disused but remains the responsibility of the PCC. A volunteer working group continued to make excellent progress in tidying the churchyard to reveal rnore of the gravestones. Two trees were identified by the District Tree Officer as posing a risk to walkers and these were felled with financial support from the Civic Society. The PCC is very grateful to the Civic Society for its valuable support of this special place. The care of St. Leonard's churchyard is reported in more detail under the heading of Pastoral Care on page 6. We have continued with work by professional churchyard gardeners supplemented by scything done by the 'Caring for God's Acre, organisation. The churchyard also benefited from the efforts of volunteer working parties. In 2024 we spent £10,457 on churchyard maintenance (£5,094 in 2023). This year's expenditure does include approximately £3,000 on repairs to the boundary wall which we were subsequently able to claim on our insurance. We continue to keep a close eye on energy usage in our churches. All our electricity is from renewable sources. 2024 saw a programme of repair work to the hammers and action of St Anne's Broadwood grand piano, costing nearly £5,000. This was enabled by a generous grant from the Helen Mackaness Trust with support from Bewdley Choral Society and the Civic Society. The piano is occasionally used as musical accompaniment in worship and for choir practice, but is now being used for concerts by local young musicians, by the Bewdley School and for concerts and recitals in aid of church and charity funds. This is helping us to further our engagement with the wider community in the town. Use of our church buildings 2024 at St Anne's was a year of much increased community engagement in the building. The central location of St Anne's provides an easily accessible location in which community events can take place. The report on page 11 includes community activities that have taken place in St. Anne's church. The regular use of St. Anne's coffee bar and narthex is reported on page 6. The PCC'S long term aim to re-order the interior of St Anne's is discussed elsewhere in this report, but central to that re-ordering will be the need to improve the usability of the building for these and other community events. Despite the cramped uncomfortable pew& and the cost of keeping it warm, St. Anne's church building has one big asset. It is very good acoustically and, with that in mind, Heather Fairs and Tony Redstall continued with plans in 2024 to provide short Saturday midday concerts. These aimed to give local musicians and students opportunities to perform, allow visiting musicians to perform for us, attract people into St Anne's who are not regular worshipers, and collect donations for church funds. Several students from Bewdley School gave piano recitals, some of them playing their own compositions. Then Gregory Steward, tenor, entertained us with accompaniment from backing recordings in April. Church organist James Hickson gave an organ recital in September. In early 2025, Anna Downes and Tony Bridgewater played violin and piano in January, and a trio from Sinfonia Stellaris performed in February. There was a hugely successful 'Pianofest' in March with local pianists aged 8 to 88, celebrating the restoration and return of the Broadwood grand. In May, Angela Cattanach Chell and friends from All Saints, Wribbenhall delighted us with singing and hand bells from mothers and small children. a small adult choir, and Angela playing the organ, We are very fortunate to have such a large number of gifted musicians of all ages in our community who have drawn good crowds of visitors and locals into our church. Meanwhile, we provide St Anne's as venue for 'Music for Sanctuary,, raising funds for homeless people under the leadership of Anna Downes. Again, these are ticketless and rely on generous donations. Plans were put in place in 2024 for a programme of concerts which began in 2025. So far, we have heard Hagley Community Orchestra in March, Music for clarinet and piano in April, and the Capriccio Ensemble in May. Plans for future Saturday Midday Concerts continue alongside Sunday afternoon concerts by Music for Sanctuary. Margaret Ashmore creates posters and makes a photographic record of these events, Despite being surrounded by scaffolding, St.Anne's flung open its doors for the town's switching on of the Christmas Lights. Once again, St.Anne's proved an excellent venue for our Chri8tmas Llghts Market, by providing fifteen high quality stalls of locally produced goods and interests, tasteful festive decorations and large amounts of tealcoffee and cake. There was a real festive air in the church as a constant stream of visitors filed through well after the lights were switched on.The large footfall and generous donations certainly made it a memorable afternoon. A huge thank you to all our congregation who volunteered muscle power, decorated the church, made and served tea and cakes and helped clean up the church ready for worship the next day. St Anne's is available for hire by organisations in the wider community. 2024 saw the establishment of the Bewdley Dementla Support Group by Sharon Harvey. This group now meets in St Anne's on the third Wednesday of each month in the narthex Wann Space. Sessions have included dan￿ and a session looking at WVV2 memorabilia (with help from the museum) which triggered stories and memories. The Cltlzen's Advice Bureau has operated from St Anne's on three occasions in early 2025. In 2024 St. Anne's again provided a regular rehearsal venue for Bewdley Choral Society and was used as a concert venue for the Choral Society, Kidderminster Choral Society Young Voices and Bewdley Festival. We were delighted when St. Anne's was hired out to Bewdley Civic Soclety, which, as a major part of their 80th anniversary celebrations, organised a concert over two nights in September. In collaboration with local world-famous musician, Robert Plant, a variety of music and poetry was offered to the general public. On the Friday impressionist Alastair McGowan headlined the evening with a virtuoso perf0rrnan￿ of mimicry and music. He was supported by the fiddle player, Ruth Angel and the folk singer songwriter, Deborah Rose. On the Saturday night, Robert Plant and his band, Saving Grace, featuring Suzi Dian, played to a sold-out audience. They were supported by a musical trio from London called Buir Island. It was good to see that there was no seat left available that evening which was universally held to be a sensational occasion. Thanks to Robert's generosity in his support for the event, the cOn￿rt raised £9,500 which was donated to various local charities. 10 St. Anne's remains popular for Bewdley's schools to hold special events. In October both St Anne's and Bewdley Primary schools held their Harvest services in St Anne's church. In December the church welcomed St. Anne's and Bewdley Primary schools and the Bewdley School for their Christmas services and Christmas end of term celebrations. The children particularly enjoy singing in the large space. The Bewdley School also held a Christmas service in St. Anne's. St Leonard's is open to visitors every day from dawn to dusk from Easter onwards via the time- controlled lock. Visitors include those who wish to find peace and tranquillity for private prayer, those who wish to admire this historic building, walkers passing by on the Worcestershire Way and those visiting the churchyard. Making our buildlngs fit for purpose 2024 saw significant progress in working towards our goal of adapting and changing our buildings to align with our mission needs. The following lists the progress made against the future plans set out in last year's Annual Report: St Andrews 2024 Obtain possessory title - COMPLETE Pursue disposal of the land - COMPLETE (net proceeds approximately £135,000, currently being held for future capital projects) St Anne's 2024 Start work on the major exterior repairs and renovation - INITIAL PHASE COMPLETE - over £220,000 was spent on substantial repairs to the East elevation and the West half of the South elevation. This was funded by grants from various charities and a significant grant from the Government's Shared Prosperity Fund. Engage with the congregation and wider community to establish the needs for the building - COMPLETE - Two well-attended public consultation sessions were held in July 2024 run by Communion Architects our appointed feasibility architects. Work towards the development of a feasibility plan for St Anne's interior re-ordering - IN PROGRESS - Our architects have presented their ideas on how to meet the requirements identified by the congregation and wider public through the consultation sessions. These continue to evolve as we now start initial discussions with the Diocesan Buildings Officer prior to making a Faculty application. Continue with grant applications and fund-raising activities - IN PROGRESS - this activity continues under the very capable leadership of Rob Smith. St Leonard's 2024 Complete the Faculty Application process for the installation of toilets and kitchenette - IN PROGRESS - The retirement of our former church architect Rober Kilgour caused a delay. A replacement church architect has been appointed (Stephen Oliver) who has now picked up the project and is engaging with the Diocesan Advisory Council ready to submit detailed designs. Compete the replacement of overhead heating units - COMPLETED Install router with intemet access capability - COMPLETED 11 Engagement with children, young people and families A report on engagement with the children at St. Anne's C of E Primary School is on page 7. Sunday Gang Children are always welcome at Sunday services although numbers are very low. In St. Anne's, a well equipped toy and activity corner is available. During 2024, the Sunday Gang helpers have continued to ensure that there is something for young children to do, such as colouring or a simple activity. An updated role description and activity risk assessment are in place. There is a rota, so that there is always somebody on the 'lookout' for children. During the year, families have only attended when there has been a baptism or when the school is visiting. The Sunday Gang helpers feel that it is important that any children attending will feel welcome. Communication with the Baptism families occurs at Advent, Easter, August (about the Special Sunday picnic), and they are all asked if they would like to receive the weekly Network and they usually say yes to this. The families are also invited, by email, to services if the school is involved. Children who have been Baptised receive a Birthday card from the Church until they are five. For many years Josette Pearn has fulfilled this ministry as the Mother's Union Representative and is looking to pass the role on now. Thank you, Josette, for all the many, many cards you have sent out. The families very much appreciate receiving the cards. Once again, we opened up the Special Sunday Picnlc in the Nursery grounds and orchard to all St. Anne's Nursery children as well as the baptism families. The PCC is grateful to Headteacher Jo Harvey and Nursery Lead Teacher Sam Strand for their support of the event. The families that came enjoyed the treasure hunt and the music activity led by Angela Cattanach - Chell from All Saints, Church as well as spending time together and meeting Rector Mel. For the past 30 years, St. Anne's Church has held a very popular traditional nativity service on Christmas Eve for the wider community. The 2024 service was well-attended by more than 200 adults and 45 children. Activities of the Open the Book team are reported on page 7. The PCC is pleased that this ministry to children is so well estsblished. Engagement with the wider community Some activities that engage with the wider community are included in the use of the building report on page 9. Clvic events The Mayor's service in August 2024 was Mel's first introduction to St Anne's civic duty to the town. It was enjoyable and well attended, and a great chance to network afterwards. St Anne's played a prominent role in the marking of Remembrance Sunday. Mel considered it an honour to lead an act of worship for so many people. A service for D-Day was held on Thursday 6th June led by Mel with support from Area Dean Fr CanonTim Williams. The Christmas light switch on was a wonderful event, especially with St Anne's being open and bustling with the Christmas Fayre. Mel was honoured to help the Mayor, Mayoress and Mayorette (the Mayor's Granddaughter) with the switch on itself. She also launched the Town Nativity Trail which was a small pilot, but went down very well. She is hoping to extend it in 2025. It was wonderful to have a huge banner up outside about the fayre and the trail. The Civic Carol Service was another significant community event at st Anne's in 2024. 12 We continue to support the Black Country Food Bank in Stourbridge and donated large quantities of food and household goods such as duvets and cooking equipment. The need for household goods is growing as more families and individuals lose their means of earning, lose their homes and are unable to provide for their families. Heather and Alan Fairs organised special collections in their area at Christmas, Hatvest, which were very gratefully received. Many of our congregations continue to support the Food Bank with regular financial donations, both by direct debit and with cash. The PCC once again applied to Wyre Forest District Council for a grant to support the use of St. Anne's Narthex as a 'Warm Spaca,. Under this scheme we were able to continue promoting St. Anne's coffee bar as a place of warmth and welcome for all. A grant of £1,000 was received which was spent on additional heaters, a contribution towards the energy costs, some promotional activity and the replacement of the broken microwave. The coffee bar operates on the morningsllunchtimes of Thursday, Friday and Saturday each week, with volunteers co- ordinated by Sue Perrrin. The average daily attendance was 12 to 22 people each session. In the period April 2024 to March 2025 there were 1,575 visits to our Warm Space. This was 50 % more than was recorded in 2023, the first year of operation. We also worked with Officers of the District Council to host two Over 50s Showcase Events. The first event was held on Thursday 25th April 2024 from 1 Oam to 12 noon. The objective of the event was to showcase the help and support available to over 50's in the town. A total of seventeen different organisations had stalls at the event and around 120 people visited. A second event was held on 1 Oth October with similar success. A more recent follow-up event has been a Community Groups Showca80, again organised by the District Council. This was held on 13th March 2025 and was well attended. Whilst restricted by the pews many local groups were able to network, sign up new people and become better known in town. With support from WFDC and flood defences contractors, Jacksons, a regular monthly Community Litter Pick was initiated. Volunteers were recruited, given a short health and safety briefing, were equipped with high vis jackets, gloves, litter pickers and a sack and then went out around the town for about an hour. On their return to the church they were greeted by the team and given tea or coffee and cake. It proved to be good fun and a further opportunity for social contact. The flood defence contractors, Jacksons, have sponsored a Communlty Notlceboard located in the coffee bar area of the church to advertise community events. This is all aimed at widening participation in these events leading to improved mental health and targeting loneliness. The Ecology Justice Group met three times during the year. A course, How Green is my Bible, devised and led by LLM Robert Barbour in St. Anne's in May 2024 was publicised as part of SustFest, a two-week sustainabilily festival in Wyre Forest district. The course was attended by thirty-one people, many of whom have no church links with St Anne's. The parish Facebook page is administered by Janet Adey and keeps the community abreast of current and upcoming services and events. During Advent and Lent, daily content from the Diocese, a mix of poems, readings and stories, was posted. The number of followers has slowly increased over the last two years. 13 Mel is developing a strong social media presen￿ locally with a new Facebook page St. Anne's Church Makeover. This keeps followers and readers up to date with news about the building project and other events and has opened communication with members of the community. Once again, more than fifty people took part in the project to deliver a professionally printed Christmas card to more than 4,500 houses and businesses in Bewdley and Wribbenhall. The card was produced by Margaret Ashmore and included a Christmas greeting from our Benefice churches with information about the various Christmas ServI￿S that took place. The card was well received. The PCC is grateful to Simon Thorburn and Linda Thursfield who led the church walking groups in 2024. The Stumblers walking group, which is rooted in church life but has an open membership, organised nine walks on Saturdays during 2024. Things don't always go according to plan! The walk planned for March was cancelled due to bad weather, the October walk was postponed for a week and took place in November and the one planned for late November was cancelled through lack of numbers. Two of the walks were quite local to Bewdley but there were trips further afield with the walks varying in length from about 4 and up to about 8 miles. The e rnailing list contacts over 40 people although the number present on any given walk varied from half a dozen on a couple of occasions into the high teens on others. We try to car share as much as possible. Planning and leading of the walks was shared between 6 people and the starting points included Far Forest village hall, Severn Valley country park Highley, Tuckhill, Oak Grove st. John's Road, Knighton visitor centre, Martley church, Hanbury and Ludlow. Walks are advertised well in advance together with a brief description of the likely ups and downs and are usually included in Network, the parish weekly notice sheet. We also offered mid-week walks, usually even more local and shorter led by Linda Thursfield which usually took place on the 1st Tuesday of the month. During the year the small number of those taking part in this decreased and it was decided not to continue into 2025. Thank you to all for your companionship and we look forward to welcoming others. Future plans Support for Mlssion and Ministry Appoint a Benefice administrator Expand and improve communications. particularly use of social media and A Church Near You website Worship and prayer Develop more opportunities to pray together for our Parish, our mission and ministry Continue to provide opportunity to deepen our engagement with scripture and to relate this to faith and life Plan to resume services at Pound Green Village Hall to seNe the Button Oak and Pound Green community. Engage with partner churches to continue joint events such as Taizé services, the Good Friday service in Jubilee Gardens and the programme in Lent 2025 Review forms and patterns of worship 14 Making our buildings fit for purpose St Anne's: Finalise the design for St Anne's reordering and obtain cost estimates Submit a Faculty Application Develop a funding strategy Submit grant applications Realising our ambitions for the building is a longer term aim St Leonard's: Complete the detailed design for the toilets and kitchenette Complete the Faculty Application process • Explore grant funding opportunities Develop detailed design drawings and obtain competitive tenders Make a start on the toilet and kitchenette project Developing our engagement with children, young people and families Baptism: Provide a warm welcome Keep in touch, including invitations to special services Hold a Special Sunday family event in 2025 Open the Book: Continue Open the Book Encourage Bewdley Primary School to resume Open the Book Continue to recruit new participants, with training if necessary St. Anne'8 School: Continue to provide opportunity to celebrate Christian festivals and other events with the church family Hold a Forest Church school event in June 2025 Host a leavers, event in church July 2025 Contribute articles regularly to the school's newsletter, advertising particular church events Continue to invite a variety of groups, including the school choir, to take part in church services, Children from the school will contribute to a special service about ecology and rivers on 15th June Include representatives from the parish in diocesan training for collective worship Hold services at St Anne's school, inside or outside. relevant and appropriate for children and parents. Start an exchange of prayers and prayer requests between church and school Involve the school Faith Crew in leading worship at school and in church. Plan and work with St. Annes, school to achieve bronze, silver and gold Church School Partnership Awards Involve the school in July's Flower Festival 15 Involve some older children in Courageous Advocacy as part of the Christian distinctiveness of the school Developing our engagement with the wider community Encourage support for the Black Country Foodbank Engage with partner churches with the aim of reactivating Bewdley Christian Forum Work on actions needed to achieve Gold Ecochurch standard for St. Anne's Develop plans for activities following the installation of toilets and kitchenette at st. Leonard's such as school and community eco activities, bereavement support and activities aimed at the churchyard community Hold a flower festival in St, Anne's church in July 2025 Develop opportunities for outdoor worship in the churchyard to include people from the wider community, building on the Easter dawn and Blue Christmas service held in 2024. Develop the Town Nativity Trail, piloted in 2024. St. Leonard'8 churchyard: Continue with the plan to improve biodiversity Develop our mission of outreach to visitors to the churchyard Financial Review Income l)rg11 lftMffi• fmm•¥irt• Int•m• froJnlJ*Y 41b IrA¥n•l￿MIfft1¥1m•n1 cth•1¥￿14ry Iolb Inconie V¢lvrW In¢•rn• Idh¢t 16 Total income for year ended 31st December 2024 (excluding grants for St Anne's building activity and the sale of St Andrews) was £126,365. which was £4,590 more than in 2023. A breakdown is shown in the chart above: £139,900 has been received for the sale of St Andrews and £219,199 in grants for the building work and St Anne's community hub. These are not included in the above figures. Income notes: Direct giving increased by a little over 30/0 compared to 2023 other voluntary income includes grants, donations and appeals and legacies. If the St Anne's building project grant revenue is excluded this income was down on 2023. Other ordinary income for 2024 includes an insurance claim for repairing the churchyard retaining wall at St Leonard's. Events and activities are from wedding and funeral fees and increased by some £3k compared to 2023 Income from trading is from the hire of the church and St Anne's centre sales and donations The table below shows how the income for each section has increased or decreased compared to 2023. IIILI LILISL)l (lec:io,1SL'. 11111)coIIILi foi 2024 cuii)iJ,)Ic'cl tu 2023 Oilici b)Idli)*ii¥ Iiicoiiic G105% Inc.oni¢ Ipown cvcnl" .LiJ) Expenditure Expenditure for year ended 31st De￿rnber 2024 (excluding St Anne's project work) was £121,775 which is £20,721 more than 2023. A break down is shown in the chart on page 18: 17 C￿￿￿h 2V4 Ch4rEhmwi•mth ••d ExpLiiidiliirc LYD•e•an q¥oi• Ind o4•ryy '.(i./.? li.:/. *.- 40 Expendlture notes: Grants and donations were charitable payments to Church Charities and other gifts and increased in 2024 compared to 2023. Church building expenses are utilities bills and insurance premium (£11,666 compared to £10,520 in 2023), repairs and maintenance. and St. Leonard's church cleaning. The cost includes £7,647 spent on St Leonard's which included replacement of the overhead heating system and memorial repairs. Other running expenses are the wedding and funeral fees, costs of events (Good Friday in Jubilee Gardens and performance of Stainer's Crucifixion) and organists, music etc. St Anne's expenses are for the telephone, broadband and photocopier. IIlLIL'£lSL,l (ILClQ¢lsQ Iii cxi)e.i)(litLiie foi 2024 C<)1111)E1rc(I to 2023 Cliiii¢h ni biiiaiDrn)eiil.iii{ Oik)scei•n fjiiolil cltFr.v expen*•e GrillllS & iloii*ltions Li4llU 18 In summary: for 2024, excluding the substantial grant income and expenditure associated with the St Anne's building project and excluding the income from the sale of St Andrews, our overall income exceeded expenditure by £4,590. This small surplus is less than we enjoyed in 2023. The PCC is very grateful to Treasurer Ken Hadley and to Bookkeeper Britta Flegg for their careful stewardship of the parish finan￿S. Reserves Policy It has been the practi￿ of the PCC to hold any surplus funds in a deposit account. During 2024, at least £15,000 of these funds were held in reserve. At the end of 2024, this reserve remained intact. Volunteers The PCC would like to thank the many volunteers who work to promote the mission of the church in the parish. Referen￿S have been made throughout this report to this work. Particular thanks are owed to Worship Leaders and Churchwardens for their commitment and care during the vacancy. Safeguarding The PCC has complied with the duty to have due regard to the House of Bishops, Guidance in relation to safeguarding and to keep safeguarding at the heart of what we do. The PCC and incumbent accept that it is a joint responsibility. Safeguarding & Safer recruitment is a standing agenda item at each PCC. In September 2024 the PCC fully accepted and implemented the Policy Statements of the Church of England - Promoting a Safer Church, as the policy statement for this Parish and commended The Parish Safeguarding Handbook for use within the Parish. Signed copies of the policies are displayed in the St Anne's Narthex, St Anne's Tower and St Leonard's. The Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO Britta Flegg) has ensured that all DBS certificates are up to date. At the end of 2024, no DBS were more than three years old. Nine DBS checks were carried out during 2024. There is a total of thirty four volunteers requiring a DBS; DBS checks for clergy and LLMS are carried out by the Diocese. The PSO has encouraged all volunteers to complete and renew the required safeguarding training. During 2024, four volunteers completed the Leadership course and nine volunteers have done the Foundation course. The PSO regularly attends the PSO network meetings and through that and through mailings from the Diocesan team is being kept up to date with any changes to policies. The two PSOS in the benefice also work together to ensure there is a consistency across the benefice. The Parish Dashboard is the tool used by the parishes and diocese to monitor Complian￿ with Safeguarding policies. The Parish Dashboard is kept up to date by the PSO, while the Incumbent, Churchwardens, Vice Chair and PCC Secretary have access to view and to check what items are outstanding. Church activities listed on the Dashboard are Pastoral Visiting, Open the Book and Sunday Gang. Role descriptions are kept up to date for volunteers for these activities. No new volunteers were recruited during 2024 for roles with significant contact with children, young people or vulnerable adults. 19 During 2024 Worcester Diocese was audited by the INEQE Safeguarding Group, who have been commissioned by the Archbishop's Council, to conduct an intensive and comprehensive review of safeguarding at each diocese and cathedral in the Church of England. They visited Worcester in July and highlighted examples of good practi￿ throughout their report, with particular note made of the trauma informed support offered to victims and sU￿1VOrS. The Diocesan Website is a good source of safeguarding information: https:Ilwww.cofe- worcester.org.uk. The Parish Safeguarding Handbook is also a valuable resource, which can be downloaded from the website. Diocesan Synod This met three times. Finance was a continuing theme. The dI0￿san budget is stable, but largely because of the high number of clergy vacancies. Discussion was held on human sexuality. While differing views are held, it is notable that clergy and laity continue to work together in our diocese without the trauma being experienced in other dioceses. Deanery Synod This met three times. In March there was a presentation by Roger Latham who is the Diocesan Director of Mission and Ministry. This team is responsible for providing Ministry pathways into various kinds of ministry, in service training opportunities, and deepening Christian discipleship. The July meeting was held at Rowberry garden centre when awards were given to people who deserve special recognition for the work they do for the kingdom of God. In October there was a presentation on Spirituality by Mary Flitcroft who is an artist in the field of ceramics. She brought with her some of her porcelain representations of the stations of the cross. There was discussion on spirituality without words. of which art is a good example. Structure, governance and management The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC is a Registered Charity, number 1132968. The appointment of PCC members is governed and set out in the Church Representation Rules. All those who attend our services are encouraged to register on the electoral roll and stand for election to the PCC. All members of the PCC are required to comply with the safeguarding requirements described in the Safeguarding section of this report and attend relevant training courses. All PCC members are trustees. The PCC is responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish, including deciding how funds are to be spent. The PCC met 7 times in 2024.. January, March, May, July, September and November and for a short meeting after May's Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM). From 1 st January 2024 while the parish was in vacancy, all PCC business was conducted under the aegis of the Area Dean and Archdeacon until Revd Melissa Beynon was licensed as Rector on 2nd June 2024. The PCC has a Standing Committee with membership and functions according to the Church Representation Rules, including agenda setting for PCC meetings. Other committees 20 responsible to the PCC are the Property Group and other groups set up from time to time for specific purposes. Richard Rundell, Caroline Hall and Revd Melissa Beynon, since June 2024, are Foundation Governors on St. Anne's CE Primary School Governing Body. As well as attending meetings of the Board of Governors and other committees of which they are members, Foundation Governors have a programme of twice termly activities in school. Foundation Governors have a particular responsibility in taking the lead in upholding and promoting the deeply Christian character of a Church school. A key responsibility is to regularly monitor and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the school's Christian vision, values and ethos on the life and work of the school community. The PCC is particularly grateful to the lay Foundation Governors for their commitment to meeting these obligations during the vacancy. Six members of the PCC sit on the Deanery Synod, four elected for a three year period at the APCM and two who also sit on the Diocesan Synod. Membership of these bodies provides the PCC with a valuable link between the parish and the wider structures of the church. Administrative information The Parish of Ribbesford with Bewdley and Dowles is part of the Diocese of Worcester within the Church of England. The correspondence address is St. Anne's Church, Load Street, Bewdley, Worcestershire DY12 2AE PCC members who have served at any time since 181 January 2024 until the date this report was approved are: 1st January to 22nd May 2024 Vice Chair. Richard Rundell Treasurer. Ken Hadley Secretary.. Gill Warnett Ex officlo: Incumbent: Parish in vacancy Licensed Lay Minister. Barbara Fauset Wardens: John Adey, Diane Taylor, John Iles, Paul Warnett Assistant Warden: Betty Nicholas Deanery Synod.. Ann Capell, Susan Price, Yvonne Rundell, Gill Warnett Diocesan Synod.. Janet Adey, Robert Barbour Elected Lay momber8: Alan Fairs, Heather Fairs, Ken Hadley, Caroline Hall, Trevor Hockin, Richard Perrin, Richard Rundell, Angela Williams 22nd May 2024 to 14th May 2025 Vice Chair.. Richard Rundell Treasurer. Ken Hadley Secretary: Gill Warnett Ex officio: Incumbent.. Revd. Melissa Beynon (from 2nd June 2024) Licensed Lay Minister. Barbara Fauset Wardens: John Adey, Diane Taylor, John Iles, Paul Warnett, Deanery Synod.. Ann Capell, Susan Price, Yvonne Rundell, Gill Warnett, Diocesan Synod: Robert Barbour, Diane Taylor Elected Lay members: Alan Fairs, Heather Fairs, Ken Hadley, Caroline Hall, Trevor Hockin, Richard Perrin, Richard Rundell 21