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St. Martin’s Church West Acton Parish Reference Number: 22.14 Registered Charity no. 1132976

Annual Report 2024 - 2025

ST MARTIN’S CHURCH, WEST ACTON Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for 2023

Administrative information

St. Martin’s Church is situated in Hale Gardens, Acton. It is part of the Diocese of London within the Church of England. All correspondence should be sent to: The Parish Office, Rear of Church Hall, Hale Gardens, London W3 9SQ.

The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Saint Martin, West Acton is a charity registered with the Charity Commission (registered charity number 1132976). Throughout this report the charity will be referred to as the PCC.

During the year the following served as members of the PCC: Incumbent: Interregnum Easter 2024 to February 2025. Rev George Meyrick from February 2025 Associate Priest : Revd Bryony Dean Franklin Licensed Lay Minister to the Japanese Anglican Church UK: Mrs Yuki Johnson Reader: Dr Margaret Jones Reader Emeritus: Mrs Lynne Armstrong Churchwardens: Mrs Shelley Merrick Mr Ben Mason

Representatives on the Deanery Synod:

Ms Margaret Ainsworth (from APCM 2024) Elected members*: Mrs Lynne Armstrong Mrs Elizabeth Ambridge Mr Kenneth Chan Treasurer Ms Toyosi Falade Mrs Victoria Harley Ms Olena Humeniuk Ms Yuki Johnson Ms Angela North Mrs Shelley Merrick Lay Vice Chair Mr Jack Pershke Ms Margaret Ainsworth (ex-officio member – Deanery Synod) Ms Jennifer Dudley (co-opted member; Safeguarding Officer) Mr Jonathan Jones (co-opted member)

Appointed PCC Secretary:

Mrs Lynne Armstrong (until November 2024) Ms Toyosi Falade (from November 2024)

Bank: HSBC, 31 Holborn, Holborn Circus, London EC1N 2HR

Deposit Account: CCLA Investment Management Ltd, CBF Church of England Funds, 80 Cheapside, London EC2V 6DZ

Independent Examiner

Mr Amandeep Singh Bhogal, 56 Scarle Road, Wembley, Middx HA0 4SN

Structure, governance and management

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. Members of the PCC with specific responsibilities attend training courses where appropriate. The PCC revises its Risk Assessment Policy on a regular basis.

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Checking Officers were Mrs Shelley Merrick and Revd Bryony Dean Franklin

The Safeguarding Officer was Ms Jennifer Dudley. The Children’s Champion was.Mrs Zuzana Chan The Electoral Roll Officer was Mr Michael Franks. The Stewardship Officer was Ms Kathy Oliver

Objectives and Activities

St Martin’s PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, the Revd Julia Palmer, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.

Achievements and Performance

The APCM 2024 recorded 155 parishioners on the Church Electoral Roll. The average weekly attendance, counted during October 2024, was 45 adults and 24 children and young people.

A PCC Digest follows later in this report. PCC meetings were hybrid meetings with members attending in person or via Zoom. Some business was discussed via email correspondence and decisions later ratified by the full PCC as necessary.

Other group reports contained within this booklet detail their respective achievements during the year.

Financial Review

Total receipts on ordinary restricted and unrestricted funds were £106,813 and are detailed in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA).

£155,725 was spent to provide the Christian ministry from St Martin’s Church, including the contribution to the Diocesan Common Fund (£60,000), which largely provides the stipends, pension and housing for the clergy.

The net result for the year was a deficit in income over expenditure of £48,912. After adding bank and deposit balances brought forward at the beginning of the year, the balances carried forward at 31st December for restricted and unrestricted funds totalled £508,672.

Reserves policy

It is PCC policy to maintain a balance on unrestricted funds (if possible), which equates to approximately six months unrestricted payments, to cover emergency situations that may arise from time to time.

It is our policy to invest our funds balances with the CBF Church of England Deposit Fund

Approved by the APCM on 18 May 2025 and signed on their behalf by Ms Shelley Merrick (PCC Lay Vice Chair)

………………………………………………………..

and PCC member

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St Martin’s Annual Parochial Church Meeting 2024 Clergy Report 2023 - 2024

Writing annual reports is always a time of both looking back and looking forwards – mirroring, perhaps, the Christian traditions of both active remembrance and anticipation of the future.

Looking back, the last year saw us in vacancy for about 10 months while we awaited selection of the right person to be our next vicar. I am hugely grateful to all those who helped with services during that time – our lay ministers Margaret Jones and Yuki Johnson, and visiting priests Fr David Brammer, Rev Callan Slipper and Rev Margaret Joachim among others.

In spite of being in vacancy, it has been a real joy to see that our congregation has significantly grown over the last year – it’s been such a blessing to be able to welcome so many new people, of all ages, to join us. Other highlights of the last year include our summer and Advent fayres with the latter including a nativity with live animals, the ongoing success of our Godly Play sessions for young people, many all age services including two joint services with the Japanese Anglican Church (UK), church parade services with our Brownies, Guides and Rangers, celebration of the centenary of the 4[th] Acton Guiding in December, and many very well attended and joyful services celebrating the Christmas season.

We have also continued to be proactive in our charitable giving and community outreach. We have supported the local women’s refuge, the Children’s Society, USPG and the Mission to Seafarers among others. We have also continued our local community outreach with Olena leading in supporting Ukrainian refugees who live in the area.

We do have challenges – these include our finances, and having enough people to support our ministry such as by serving as welcomers or helping with junior church.

First, our finances – we do rely on donations from our church members to keep afloat financially, and our income has dropped significantly over the last few years at the same time as our running costs increasing. As outlined last year, I know the rising cost of living has put huge pressure on many people, and giving to the church (or any other charity) may not be possible. But for those who can afford to contribute, please do consider how you can support us – such as by setting up a regular standing order and ensuring that this is gift-aided if you are a taxpayer. We also need to think creatively about other approaches to fund-raising – so if you have any ideas or would like to join a team to give this some thought, please do let us know!

Second, we are particularly in need of more people to serve as sidespeople (to welcome people as they arrive in church), and to support our junior church. If you feel that you can help with either of these roles, or any other roles that you feel called to, please do come and talk to one of the clergy or the churchwardens.

Looking forwards, it feels like an exciting time for us at St Martin’s. I know the whole of St Martin’s church was delighted to welcome Fr George Meyrick to join us as our vicar and chaplain of Twyford church of England High School in February 2025, and to welcome his family to our community. I am personally delighted to be able to stay

at St Martin’s to work with George, and to see what new opportunities our closer working relationships with Twyford will bring.

It is a privilege to serve as a priest here at St Martins, in a community that I love. I would like to thank all those who help in so many ways: our churchwardens Shelley and Ben, our whole PCC, our sidespeople, the choir and musicians, our hard-working parish administrator Michael, and all who play their part on our many rotas – reading the scriptures, decorating our church with flowers, leading our prayers, administering the chalice, serving coffee and leading Godly Play and junior church. All are such important parts of our ministry as we work together as the body of Christ – thank you.

I pray for God’s blessing upon you all.

Rev Bryony Dean Franklin, Associate Priest

ST MARTIN’S CHURCH, WEST ACTON PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL DIGEST 2024/25

The PCC meetings had covered the business of the church as usual, and in addition there had been some key areas of discussion.

i) Finances The treasurer informed the PCC that it was clear that we would end the year in deficit. This was due to a change in the makeup pf the congregation – some generous donors had passed on and had not yet been replaced. He felt that some of this was due to a lack of understanding of the newer church members of the church finances – for example the church heating cost over £100 per hour to run, and we did not receive financial aid from the diocese, in fact we were expected to give to the assist the running of the diocese and churches in less prosperous areas. The PCC agreed that we needed to have a fundraising drive, and discussions on the best way forward for this important initiative.
ii) Fabric and fittings of the church, the Cottage and the hall and roof. Work needed to repair the flat roof over the hall. There had been difficulties in obtaining acceptable quotes for the work to be done, and once a quote had been accepted settling a time for it to be done to fit in with the Montessori school.
iii) Security of the church and grounds including the cottage and the hall. After some discussion it was decided that we needed to have security cameras instilled, and also renew door locks and gates both for the side of the church and the cottage stairs.
iv) We also discussed the fabric of the Cottage in more detail. PJ and his flatmates had informed the Churchwardens about the problems that they were having with the cottage, in that the windows and front door were letting in water and there were signs of the roof leaking too. This was causing mould to grow around the windows. There was also an issue with the toilet flush, and with the bathroom fixtures too. (Following this discussion considerable work on the cottage was undertaken when the tenants had left, and the toilet was refurbished, repairs on windows etc undertaken, and mould removed and decorations done.)
v) Cottage tenancy Olena and her family were over in the UK as refugees, and staying in the Vicarage under a private arrangement with Julia which would end when Julia moved on. Olena had raised the question of her taking over the cottage on PJ’s departure, and this was agreed after discussion.(She was eligible to live in the cottage because she did some work for the for the church) She wanted to pay rent to the church, and as a refugee there were regulations which needed to be observed.
vi) Succession planning for Julia. Julia would be leaving in March, and the Diocese and the ArchDeacon would be in charge of the recruitment process. The post was to be combined with a part time chaplain for Twyford School, - the school

would have the chaplain for part of the week and St Martin’s for the majority of the time. The PCC discussed this, and were in agreement with this idea as the church and school were historically linked – it had been one of the parishioners of St Martin’s, Mary Sorensen, who had argued for the foundation of the school originally.

A new incumbent was selected from the candidates, and the church was delighted to welcome Fr George Meyrick in February. He and his family have settled into the Vicarage and we are already reaping the benefits of his energetic full time leadership.

vii) PJ’s contract would be ending in July, and he and his flatmates would be moving to Lancashire. He had provided lessons plans for the Junior Church to assist after he had left, and Zuzanna continued running Godly Play on a regular basis. The parents and volunteers for Junior church arranged cover until a new Junior church leader was identified.

viii) PJ gave some useful feedback during his exit interview – he felt that a clearer chain of command and guidance on areas of responsibility would have been very helpful.

Lynne Armstrong, Toyosi Falade PCC Secretaries

CHURCHWARDENS’ REPORT 2024/25 ON THE

FABRIC OF THE CHURCH

The Churchwardens are required to report to the Annual Meeting on the fabric and ornaments of the Church. We have pleasure in complying with this requirement for another year.

New architect

John Woodcock remains our new architect. We will be rearranging a meeting in the coming months with John to reprioritise projects and repairs as necessary to fulfil the necessary work from the Quinquennial Review.

The Cottage

Much time this year has been on work required to ensure the cottage is habitable.

The roof had some work done to temporarily repair it however this year the whole roof was replaced.

Additionally, as the old tenants had left and with new tenants moving in, the cottage was renovated including painting throughout, fixing the toilet, repairing rotting window frames and painting all window frames, fixing the front door, fixing all the cracks in the walls and laying new carpets.

The Church

During 2020 the Quinquennial Review of the fabric was carried out by the then church architect. The review mentioned the need for some maintenance work on the church roof and repairs to a window in the Holy Spirit Chapel. This work has yet to be commissioned, as work to repair/replace both the Cottage roof and the toilet block roof has taken priority. In addition to this the electrical circuits in the choir/clergy vestry area needs replacing.

The Church Hall

The Quinquennial Review 2020 had highlighted the need to replace the roof over the toilet block. Estimates for the work to be carried out had been obtained in 2021, and again in 2024, but so far it has not been possible to put the work given the urgency of the fixing the cottage roof and renovations. As the estimates are now out of date new quotes are now being obtained, with the hope that the work can be carried out in the summer of 2025.

The Church Grounds

The gardens continue to be maintained in good order. Our garden contractor continues to provide an excellent service, and the grounds provide a very pleasant outlook.

We have had to make several repairs gates around the church and had to ‘evict’ a homeless person from the shed, who had been hoarding things in there, to ensure the safety of the new tenants in the cottage, making sure they understood what was happening and had the chance to relocate their things and had a place to go.

Overall

A huge thanks to Michael again for maintaining the church fabric by sorting out smaller projects.

Finally sincere thanks to everyone who in their own way has helped to keep St Martin’s in very good order over the past year, and particularly to Ben Mason, who has managed most projects and undertaken a lot of the work himself. In addition a special thanks to Bryony, Margaret, Christine, Camilla and Liza who all did so much to clean up and make sure the church looked spectacular for George’s induction service.

Shelley Merrick

Ben Mason

JAPANESE ANGLICAN CHURCH (UK)

We have continued to meet about once a month at St. Martin’s and also online for bible study. We have a small congregation and about half are non-Christians. I published 7 newsletters throughout last year, which are also circulated by post and email more widely through this country and Japan.

We held The Community Café 7 times in 2024, and it continues to grow in popularity, not only amongst the Japanese community but also local people. On one occasion more than 150 people attended, with unprecedented views on our social media feed. As a consequence, more people want to take a stall, or bring their music performances. Those who come seem to find it to be a good opportunity to meet others and support each other. And at the same time, more people get to know about St Martin’s.

We held a short service, immediately after the Café, on two occasions. One was to commemorate the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in March. The other was for All Souls in November, as a memorial for loved ones who had died.

I continue to spend time with the Miyabi Nursery. For the first time the children visited St. Martin’s, in three separate groups, with Miyabi staff and some parents. It was a part of their ‘outing’ programme, which they all seemed to enjoy. I particularly talked to them about the stories shown in the stained glass. I also visited the children on two occasions, to share with them some bible stories, including for their Christmas show. Most speak Japanese, but not all. So I need to speak in English and Japanese.

Being LLM at St Martin’s remains my priority. But in addition, as the only commissioned lay minister to the wider Japanese Community (commissioned by the Bishop of Edmonton), I led prayers during two memorial services at Hendon Cemetery, once in the Spring and the second in the Autumn, organised by the Japanese Association in the UK. On 10th August, to mark the anniversary of the nuclear bombing, I joined a peace event at Finchley, with local Japanese people, and led prayers.

As the only Japanese lay minister in the Diocese I very much appreciate your continuing support. Thank you.

Yuki Johnson Licensed Lay Minister to the Japanese Anglican Church UK

SAFEGUARDING REPORT

This report covers both the Safeguarding for St Martin’s Church and for the Japanese Anglican Church UK.

In line with the Diocese of London Safeguarding Policy, we review its implementation and all associated procedures and good practice annually. Copies of the full policy are kept by The Parish Office, Jennifer Dudley and with the Church Log Book; a copy is also available on the Diocese of London website. A summary of the policy is available on the notice boards in the church porch and in the church hall. The Safeguarding Policy requires that a full annual report be presented to the parochial church council (PCC) by the Church Safeguarding Officer, at the first PCC each year after the Annual PCC meeting. Below is a brief summary of the key points:

There have been two alerts raised relating to the safeguarding of children or vulnerable adults.
Both cases have been closed.
The annual Safeguarding Audit required by the Diocese has been completed during the year, with no actions outstanding.
The website is monitored to ensure that the correct profile of our Safeguarding Policy is visible to all.
The Diocese Safeguarding Policy requires that each Parish appoint a Safeguarding Officer, a Children’s Champion and one or more evidence checkers for those applying for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Jennifer Dudley is currently our Safeguarding Officer and Zuzanna Chan our Children’s Champion. Shelley Merrick and Bryony Dean Franklin are nominated evidence checkers.
All staff of the church are up to date with safeguarding training and have the required DBS checks as needed.
All the current active Junior Church volunteers have the required DBS checks, volunteer agreements and all associated paperwork.
All the current PCC members have the required DBS checks.

Jennifer Dudley, Parish Safeguarding Officer, 4[th] May 2025

JUNIOR CHURCH AND GODLY PLAY REPORT APRIL 2025

Junior Church is run entirely by a dedicated team of volunteers. We typically hold three sessions each month, one of which is Godly Play , a special session that takes place once a month.

Currently, we have 6 volunteers who lead Junior Church sessions, though one of them is on maternity leave. In addition, there are 7 volunteers who assist the leaders. We ensure that at least two adults are on the rota every Sunday. Recently, we were pleased to welcome an additional helper to the team.

There are currently 60 children on the Junior Church register. While not all attend at the same time, attendance has been steadily increasing. In September, the average attendance was around 21 children; this has now risen to approximately 26 – 30 children each week. Due to the larger numbers, we have recently begun dividing the children into two groups during Godly Play Sundays to better manage the sessions and provide more focused engagement.

Godly Play is held once a month, with two sessions: one during the morning service and a second in the afternoon on the same day. Afternoon sessions are typically attended by 5 to 10 children.

Given the steady growth in attendance, it would be beneficial to have more volunteers to support this important ministry.

Zuzana Chan

4[TH] ACTON BROWNIES, GUIDES AND RANGERS

At risk of repeating myself, but it is always true, we have been incredibly active and have earned our usual mountain of badges!

This year a second new record was set, this time one of our Brownies was the first in the county to achieve her Gold Award and then pass all the interest badges in the Badge Book by July 24. This too was an amazing achievement she has her story in our magazine. From last year you know that individual young members don’t usually have their own entries and this has only happened once before that was a 4[th] Acton Guide. This amazing young member is now in Guides and we look forward to even greater achievements as she continues on her Girlguiding journey.

At the moment we have a few Brownie vacancies as those on the waiting list are not yet seven. Several of our girls are due to go to Guides this year so we are hoping to recruit some more girls this term. The Guide Unit is still full having pulled in some Girls from the waiting list we will make room for those coming up from Brownies but others will have to join the waiting list. Some members of our Guides will be joining the Rangers during the next year but at the moment our four Ranger have made a brilliant start during this first year. We expect the numbers to grow slowly mainly increasing as Guides get to the right transfer age. We will still recruit for our units as usual.

Throughout the year we have run our usual full and exciting programme for the Brownies, Guides and the Rangers. Obviously, we can only give you a brief snapshot of some items we cover as we work through our guiding year.

Looking at the Guides first, one of our members attended the County Awards Evening to be presented with her Jack Petchey Award which was presented by the deputy Major of Ealing. He was really impressed by the girls achievements and is interested in seeing lots more. Bronnie, Margaret and Margaret Ainsworth were all awarded with County Thanks Badges at this event. This is awarded is for work above and beyond usual meetings.

The Rangers, Guides and Brownies worked on the last two Peer Education Badges “Think Resilient” and “Safe the World”. The trainers for this badge are our county younger leaders and they were really impressed with the amount of knowledge and understanding that our girls showed.

The Brownies worked on their Jobs Badge which included parents coming and talking about their careers. We are very grateful to the five parents who gave up their evening to talk about a range of careers, some out of the ordinary like being an historic fabric conservator.

The Guides have worked on a fascinating badge whereby they whittle various objects one of which is a carrot into a whistle. We did this in the autumn and I have to say our girls did not manage a tune like the King did recently but most of them did get a sound out of their carrot whistles. After all this knife work the Guide leaders breathed a sigh of relief that all fingers were intact and the Guides got the Whittling Badge.

Our Rangers have made a brilliant start to their programme achieving interest badges as well as some first aid skills builders and Allergy Awareness which all three units did to their level. This week our Rangers have been given tickets to the VE

concert due to take place on Thursday 8[th] May and they are looking forward to this unique evening.

This year the county was given a grant to run an Adventure Day. This took place in September at the Southall Activity Centre (SAC). We hired adventures including an inflatable assault course, a portable but very high climbing/abseiling tower, a caving experience and mini golf. In addition to this we set up our own crafting, wide games, challenges and competitions. Over 250 attend this day, the weather was great and by the end of the day everyone went home happy and thoroughly exhausted. Obviously you know us, the 4[th] could not leave it there. So instead of turning up on the Saturday our girls rocked up to SAC on Friday and stayed until Sunday afternoon. During this time both the Guides and Rangers achieve badges and had a great time. The leaders were pretty exhausted by the end of Saturday and there are no words to describe how tired we all were all were by Sunday afternoon. We left a few hours after the girls having scrubbed and cleaned the building. Our adventure will continue this year when we return to PACCAR in October – so watch this space for the next instalment.

As you are aware, we celebrated 100 years of the 4[th] Acton during the past year. The Guides reached this particular milestone during 2020, but we could not celebrate then due to the COVID restrictions. The Brownies reached this grand anniversary at the end of 2024, so we celebrated both in style. With grateful thanks to Bryony for adding it into the Christingle service, which culminated in a wonderful cake for all to share. We also took the opportunity to carry the County Standard to commemorate my time as County Commissioner, and to have the new Ranger flag dedicated.

Jennifer Dudley Brownie (Brown Owl) Guide (Squirrel) and Ranger Leader 4[th] May 2025

COMMUNITY SUB-COMMITTEE

The subgroup currently has 4 active members, covering:

Social Events
Supporting our congregation and Community

The group committed a lot of time and effort last year delivering a full schedule of community and fundraising events.

We have already held a few events this year including an amazing post service reception for George’s induction service and a VE Day 80[th] Anniversary celebration Street Party.

If you feel you could contribute with ideas or would like to help with this group in any way as we are short of volunteers particularly to organise events, please contact Shelley.

Social Sub-committee: Highlights

St Martin’s social events are run by a small team, headed up by Camilla and Shelley. A huge thanks to all the team and the many volunteers who make these events possible and such fun.

In March Julia’s leaving party gave her a great send off, with many people bringing food for a sharing lunch to bid farewell to her.

PJ also left us this year and we held a farewell party for him in July.

We held a harvest bring and share lunch instead of a barn dance this year.

Both the summer and Christmas fairs were great fun, with support as always from the Japanese church.

The Christmas fair delivered the magic again of a live nativity which attracted in many new families and was a great success

We raised £5422.44 from the fairs.

We continue to have up to date testing and insurances in place for our bouncy castle which can be used for our own events as well as hired out.

Events from 2024

Japanese Community Café run throughout the year

March Mothering Sunday Flowers

March Julia’s leaving lunch March Easter Sunday egg hunt June Summer Fair July PJ leaving party October Harvest Bring and Share lunch December Christmas Bazaar

Shelley Merrick, Community Sub-Group Co-ordinator

SUPPORT TO THE UKRAINUAN COMMUNITY

I organize regular after-school art classes for both children and adults from the Ukrainian community. The classes take place every week and are free of charge. I provide all the necessary materials for participants. The funding for these classes comes from grants that I have successfully applied for. I continue to apply for new grants to ensure that the project can continue next year.

These classes have shown very positive results. Children have developed their creativity and formed strong social connections. Many now meet outside of the classes. Parents also share important information and support each other. Adults benefit by exchanging useful advice, especially those who have recently arrived from Ukraine.

Each week, the sessions run for two hours for children and two hours for adults.

In addition to the classes, I am an administrator and organizer of a large Telegram group for Ukrainians in Ealing, with more than 200 members. Through this platform, I help people communicate, share useful information, and stay connected. I am also an organizer and administrator of a Facebook group for Ukrainians, where members can exchange information and learn about events happening at St. Martin’s Church and the Japanese congregation at St. Martin’s.

This year, I also organized an exhibition at St. Martin’s Church, showcasing both children’s and adults’ art works. I prepared a small presentation where I spoke about the activities of the art class and thanked the parishioners for their support of Ukrainians in Ealing.

I hope that my ongoing efforts to secure funding and provide support will help the Ukrainian community to grow even stronger.

Olena Humeniuk

ECO CHURCH SUB-COMMITTEE

The eco church sub-committee is tasked with reducing the church carbon footprint and identifying areas in which there are opportunities for taking greater care of God’s creation. St Martin’s has already achieved the Eco Church Bronze Award from A Rocha, but there much more to do.

In the past year:
We have revisited the Eco-Church Bronze Award data form, with a view to improving our score, but since then the application survey has changed, and we now need to start again from scratch, in the hope that we can achieve success at the Silver Award level.
We have started using recycled printer paper for the bulk printing that is done for church activities (service sheets, flyers etc). The difference in cost is minimal, and will contribute to improving our score when redoing the survey.
At present all cleaning and hygiene materials are purchased from Viking , with whom the church has an account. These products are not necessarily the most environmentally-friendly products. Changing to more environmentally-friendly cleaning products may well have cost and supplier implications. We are also looking at the monetary and environmental cost implications of using recycled paper toilet rolls.
We discussed the feasibility and suitability of using Far Infra-Red heating panels in the church, hall, parish room and office. There is potential for significant on-going savings in heating costs once installed. However, their suitability for use in the church needs further investigation. Both the Lady Chapel and the Holy Spirit Chapel may well benefit from their use but the main body of the church is a different matter. A different option to be considered is under-pew heaters for the main body of the church. The Eco-Church group are working with Ben Mason to evaluate the feasibility of the various options as well as the cost implications.
We also discussed options for reducing heat loss in the church Hall. The planned replacement of the roof over the toilet block, which will include much improved/upgraded insulation, will address some of the heat loss issues. We ae also looking for potential contractors who would be able to give estimates for installing double or secondary glazing in the hall itself.

Liza Ambridge, Jennifer Dudley, Bryony Franklin, Mike Robinson, Margaret Ainsworth

Parish of St Martin's West Acton Parish Reference: 22.14 Registered Charity No: 1132976 Financial Statements of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31 December 2024

Parish of St Martin's West Acton Hale Gardens, London, W3 9SQ Parish Reference: 22. 14 Registered Charity No: 1132976 (Registered as The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Martin, West Arton) Website: Email: stm Incumbent: Fr George Meyrick Parish Office Rear of church hall Hale Gardens London W3 gSQ Bank: HSBC 31 Holborn Holborn Circus London ECIN 2HR Deposit Account: CCL4 Investment Management Ltd CBF Church of England Funds Senator House 85 Queen Victoria Street London EC4V 4 Independent Examiner: Mr Amandeep Singh Bhogal 56 Scarle Road Wembley Middlesex HAO 4SN

The Parochial Church Council of St Martin's West Acton Treasurer's Report for the year ended 31 December 2024 Introduction I am pleased to present the Treasurer's Report for the year ended 31 December 2024. On behalf of the PCC, I extend my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for your unwavering support of St Martin's. Income Grant ReiVed - Restricted 10/0 Mlsttllaneous 2% Fund Raising Receipts other Voluntary Receipts - Restrlcted iv/0 Other Giving Tradin9 Receipt5 Glft Ald Recovered Planned Giving 34% Continued Decline in Donations and Legacies Total income from donations and legacies fell further to £57,252 in 2024, down from £68,106 In 2023. Excluding one-off legacies and focusing solely on Planned and Plate Giving, we have seen an average decline of 200/0 and 50 % , respectivelyi since COVID. In cash terms, Planned Giving previously averaged around £45,000, while Plate Giving stood at £15,000. Compared to pre-COVID years, St Martin s income has dropped by approximately £17,000. As both reductions directly impart Gift Aid recovery, the actual shortfall is even greater. Stable Income from Charitable and Trading Activities Since securing a five-year lease for the Hall in 2022, Trading Income has remained steady as anticipated. It is now the norm for income from Trading Activities to surpass that of Planned Giving. Fundraising Receipts Fundraising income primarily came from the Summer Fair and Christmas Bazaar, trf)th of which were hugely popular with the congregation and local residents.

The Parochial Church Council of St Martin's West Acton Treasurer's Report for the year ended 31 December 2024 Expenditure Miscellaneous Mlsslons & Other Funds 2% Common Fund 39% Tradlng & H311 Cost 29% Clergy & Staff Cost 130/0 Church Running Cost 16Q/o Significant increase in Total Expenditure Totsl expenditure rose to £155,725 in 2024, up from £126,135 in 2023. This increase was primarily driven by costs associated with the new r(x)f and refurbishment of St Martin's Cottage, as well as a higher contribution to the Common Fund. Key details are as follows: Common Fund: Our contribution to the Common Fund increased to £60,000 in 2024 from £56,800 in 2023 following an agreement with the Diocese of London. This amount was adjusted to reflect our Vicar's part-time role. Notablyi this is the first time SIn I became Treasurer that the total income from donations and legacies has not fully covered our Common Fund contribution. The"Commitment Gap"_ the difference beeen Planned Giving and our Common Fund obligation - is now at its widest. Missions and Other Funds (Note 6): Despite a decline in income, we have maintsined charitsble giving and mission-related spending at levels similar to last year. We continued running regular Café and Art Classes for Ukrainian refugees, which were well attended. This initiative was made possible through your generous support, grants from other charitsble organisations and the dedicated efforts of our fellow PCC member, Olena Humeniuk. Clergy and Staff Cost (Note 9): A decrease in expenditure was largely due to savings on payments for the Youth Worker Apprenticeship Scheme and the Organist Stipend. This was made possible by Mr. Tony Legg, who graciously took on the Director of Music role on a pro bono basis. These savings were partially offset by costs related to Vicarage rates and advertising for our new Vir.

The Parochial Church Council of St Martin's West Acton Treasurer's Report for the year ended 31 December 2024 Result for the year The consolidated decrease in funds for 2024 amounted to £48,912, compared to a £7,254 decline in 2023. This includes a deficit of £48,994 in unrestritted funds, offset slightly by a £82 surplus in restritted funds. Going Concern We anticipate that donation income will remain at a redutrd level in 2025. Our budget for the year ending 31 December 2025 projects a £15,000 deficit for recurring exFenses, which will be covered by the General Reserve. Non-recurring expenses, such as capital expenditures, are funded through Restricted Reserves established in previous years. Consequentlyi the PCC has adopted the going concern basis of accounting. Reserves policy The PCC'5 reserves policy aims to maintain sufficient free reserves, ideally equivalent to six months, unrestricted payments, to safeguard against unforeseen financial challenges.

The Parochial Church Council of St Martin's West Acton Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2024 Unrestrtted Restrtted Funds Funds Totsl 2024 Total 2023 Notes Income from Donations and Legacies PLanned Gvng Other Gmng other Gmng - Japanese Angkan Church other Voknntary Recepts Gft AKJ Recovered 36,418 7,084 1,393 36,418 7,084 1,393 1,212 11,145 57,252 38,894 7,302 270 7,350 14,290 68, 106 1,212 11,145 56,040 1,212 Income from Charitable Activities Grant Recewed PCC Fees Agency Fees 1,500 1,500 580 510 2,590 2, 772 582 1,504 4,858 580 510 1,090 1,500 Irtcon from Other Tradi ng Activities Fund Rasng Recepts Trading Recepts 6,150 40,780 46,930 6,150 40,780 46,930 5,947 39,946 45,893 Investment and Other Income Depost Interest Recemed 41 41 41 41 24 24 Total Incoming Resources 104, 101 2,712 106,813 118,881 Expenditure Common Fund chaiitab GNng MssDns and Other Funds Cost of Fund Rasng Church Runnng Cost CrgY and Staff Cost Govemance Agency Fees Tradllig and Hal Cost Total Expenditure 60,000 60,000 105 3,728 745 24,946 20,690 400 510 44,601 155,725 56,800 51 3,499 1,149 27,789 24,286 350 1,504 10,707 126,135 105 1,525 2,203 745 24,946 20,690 400 510 43,601 153,095 10 11 12 1,000 2,630 Net Movement Fund Bak3nce as at l January 2024 Fund Balance as at 31 December 2024 (48,994) 493,342 444,348 82 64,242 64,324 (48,912) 557,584 508,672 The notes on Page 8 to 14 fomi part of these fnancEI statements.

The Parochial Church Council of St Martin's West Acton Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2024 Total 2024 Total 2023 Notes Fixed Assets Tangib FD(ed Assest: Buikjings 13 402,656 402,656 Current Assets Debtors and Prepayments Cash at Bank Cash at CCLA Depost Account Cash in Hand 14 23,347 95,700 819 8,090 161,674 777 13 170,554 119,872 Current Liabilities Credftors and Accrua15 15 13,856 15,626 15,626 13,856 Net Current Assets l (Liabilities) 106,016 154,928 Net Assets l (Llabllltles) 508 672 Funds Unrestrtted Funds Restrrted Funds Fund Balan as at 31 December 16 16 444,348 64,324 508 672 493,342 64,242 557 584 The notes on Page 8 to 14 form part of these fnanck31 ststements. Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 18 May 2025 and signed on its behalf by the Chairman, Fr George Meyrick, and the Treasurer, Mr Kenneth Chan. FrG rge Meyrick (Chairman) MrK neth Chan asurer)

The Parochial Church Council of St Martin's West Acton Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 Basis of Preparation These financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transattion value unless otherwise stated in the relevant notes to these financial statements. The financial statements have been prepared under the Charities Att 2011 and in accordan with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 governing the individual accounts of Parochial Church Councils, and with the Regulations" true and fair view" provisions, together with FRS 102 (2016) as the applicable accounting standards and the 2016 version of the Statement of Recommended Practi. Accounting and Reporting by Charities (FRS 102 SORP). The Parochial Church Council of St Martin's West Acton (PCC) constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. There has been no offsetting of assets and liabilities, or income and expen*s, unless required or permitted by the FRS 102 or FRS 102 SORP. 1.1 Income Incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) when the PCC becomes entitled to the resOurs. it is more likely than not that the trustees will receive the resources. and the monetary value can be measured with sufFicient reliability. 1.2 Recognition of Income and Endowments Fundraising Costs: Funds raised from events and trading attivities, e.g. Summer Fair and Christmas Bazaar, are reported gross in the SOFA - i.e. before any related costs that may have b&n deducted from the gross proed$. Grants and Donations: Grants and donations are included in the SOFA when any pre-conditions preventing their use by the PCC have been met. For collections and planned giving this is when the funds are received. Tax reclaims on Donations and Gifts: Gift Aid receivable is included in income when there is a valid declaration from the donor. Any Gift Aid amount recovered on a donation is considered to be part of that gift and is treated as an addition to the same fund as the initial donation unless the donor or the terms of the appeal have specified otherwise. Volunteer Help: The value of any voluntsry help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the trUstS, annual report. Rental Income: Rentsl income from the letting of the church is recognised when the rental is due. Investment Income: This is the interest from the CCLA Deposit Account and is included in the accounts when receivable.

The Parochial Church Council of St Martin's West Acton Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 1.3 Expenditures and Liabilities Liabilities: Liabilities are recognised as soon as there is a legal or construttive obligation and settlement is probable and quantifiable. Governance Costs: Include costs of the preparation and examination of statutory accounts, the costs of trustee meetings and cost of any legal advi to trustees on governan or constitutional matters. 1.4 Assets Consecrated and Benefice Property: In so far as consecrated and benefi property of any kind is excluded from the statutory definition of "charity" by Section 10(2) (a) and (c) of the Charities Act 2011 such assets are not capitalised in the financial statements. Moveable Church Furnishings: These are capitalised at cost and depreciated over their useful economic life other than where insufficient cost information is available. In this case the item is not capitalised, but all items are induded in the Church's inventory in any case. Tangible Fixed Assets for Use by Charlty: No depreciation is provided on buildings as the currently estimated residual value of the properties is not less than their carrying value and the remaining useful life of these assets currently eXedS 50 years, so that any depreciation charges would be immaterial. An impairment review is carried out on a regular basis and any resultsnt loss identified included in expenditure for the year. 1.5 Funds Unrestricted Funds: These represent the remaining income funds of the PCC that are available for spending on the general purposes of the PCC, including amounts designated by the PCC for fixed as*ts for its own use or for spending on a future project and which are therefore not included in its 'fr reserves, as disclosed in the trustees, report. Restricted Funds: These are income funds that must be spent on restritted purposes and details of the funds held and restrittions provided are shown in the notes to the accounts. 1.6 Paid Employees The PCC did not have any paid employees during the year. 1.7 Transactions with PCC Members During the year under review, the following payments were made to PCC members for services provided: Mr Ben Mason: £4,200 for decoration work related to St Martin's Cottage. Ms Olena Humeniuk: £4,208 for church deaning and £2,925 for Hall cleaning.

The Parochial Church Council of St Martin's West Acton Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 Unrestited Restrtied Funds Funds Total 2024 Total 2023 2. Other Voluntary Receipts Occasi)nal DonatDns One-off Gfts St Martn's Cottage Refurbshment Church Heatiig CampaKJn Chiklren's SocEty Chrtn Ail Refugee Fund Ckvnova M5SDn to Seafarers 1,011 3,000 1,000 1,000 700 90 20 958 1,520 51 7,350 107 107 105 1,212 105 1,212 3. Fund Raising Receipts Summer Fair Cake Sa Chrstmas Bazaar Street Party Barn Dance 2,627 2,627 1,680 128 3,107 662 371 5,947 3,523 3,523 6,150 6,150 4. Trading Receipts Rental - Ha Rental - Church Rental - St Martn's Cottage / Parsh Room Magazine 31,868 6,912 2,000 31,868 6,912 2,000 31,385 8,340 200 21 39,946 40,780 40,780 io

The Parochial Church Council of St Martin's West Acton Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 Unrestrited Restrited Funds Funds Total 2024 Total 2023 5. Charitable Giving MssK)n to Seafarers 105 105 105 105 51 51 6. Missions and Other Funds JunDr Church var'S DscretDnary Fund CitEens UK Ukrainban Cafe / Art & Craft Cbss 978 10 1,215 978 10 1,215 1,525 3,728 642 1, 168 1,689 3,499 1,525 1,525 2,203 7. Cost of Fund Raising Chrstmas Bazaar Summer Far 625 120 745 625 120 745 949 200 8. Church Running Cost RequSeS Organ and PBno Tunng FbEr5 Par6h Offre Church and Churchyard Upkeep Repairs and Maintenance utIfS Insurance Lrence and Fees 237 864 100 4,528 3,983 737 6,499 6,613 1,385 24,946 237 864 100 4,528 3,983 737 6,499 6,613 1,385 24,946 374 1,986 105 4,963 3,575 1,399 7,474 6,550 1,363 27,789 li

The Parochial Church Council of St Martin's West Acton Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds Total 2024 Totsl 2023 9. Clergy and Staff Cost Clergy Expenses Apprenticeship Scheme Youth Worker Choir Director Organists Parish Office Administrator Verger Vicarage Cost St Martin's Cottage Cost Sundry 333 333 354 6,000 4,945 1,030 11,500 3,655 11,500 200 2,367 301 2,334 20,690 3,655 11,500 200 2,367 301 2,334 20,690 337 120 24,286 10. Governance Account Examination Fee 400 400 350 350 400 400 11. Agency Fees. Service Fees for LDF 510 510 510 1,504 1,504 510 12. Trading and Hall Cost Legal and Professional Fees Cleaning Repairs and Maintenance Utilities Refurbishment Licence and Fees 1,020 2,800 320 5,564 2,925 14,540 15,656 9,226 1,254 43,601 2,925 14,540 15,656 10,226 1,254 44,601 1,000 1,004 10,707 1,000 12

The Parochial Church Council of St Martin's West Acton Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 Total 2024 Total 2023 13. Tangible Fixed Assests Buildings BaLince Brought Forward Addith)n Disposal BaL3nce CarrEd Forward 402,656 402,656 402 656 402 656 14. Debtors and Prepayments Trading & Hal Cost - utilfcEs Church Running Cost - Parsh Offe Church Running Cost - Lrence & Fees Gft Recovered Due From HMRC 17,265 5,006 137 939 23,347 8,090 8, 090 15. Creditors and Accruals UncL4wned Expenses serVe Fees for LDF Account Examinath)n Fee Apprentreshp Scheme Parsh Fee Rent due to LDF 120 9,666 750 120 9,156 350 6,000 3,320 13,856 15,626 13

The Parochial Church Council of St Martin's West Acton Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 16. Church Funds Baknce b/f Balance c/f Income Expendture Unrestricted FUlS General 32.5k Fund DesiJnated - St Martn's Mus£ SocEty DesiJnated - St Martn's Pkyers DesiJnated - Stsy & PLay DesiJnated - Vtarfs DscretDnary Fund Totsl Unrestrited Funds 466,513 25,105 79 784 155 706 493,342 104,101 (139,585) 431,029 (13,500) 11,605 79 784 155 10 696 (153,095) 444,348 104, 101 Restricted Funds Chibjren's SocEty Refugee Fund PoppES Chrst&3n Ak New Sb3nage St Martn's Cottage Refurbtshment MssDn to Seafarer5 Godty Pky Dijcesan Lent Appeal Guinea Fund MssK)ns Fund Fabrr Fund RNLI Projector Grant Women's Refuge Tots l Restrrted Funds 786 1,840 27 20 972 107 1,500 893 1,815 27 20 972 (1,525) 1,000 105 (1,000) (105) 3,000 80 37 17,000 40,000 30 190 260 64,242 3,000 80 37 17,000 40,000 30 190 260 (2,630) 64,324 2,712 Totsl Church Funds 557 584 106 813 155 725 508 672 14

The Parochial Church Council of St Martin's West Acton Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees / Members I report on the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 which are set out on pages 6 to 14. Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 C'the Charities Att'j and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: examine the accounts under settion 145 of the Charities Att, to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basis of Independent Examiner's Statement My examination was carried out in accordan with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidenTr that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair, view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent Examiner's Statement In connection with my examination, no material matters have come to my attention whlch gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: the accounting records were not kept in accordan with section 130 of the Charities Att. or the accounts did not accord with the acccsunting records. or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements Conrning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fairf view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understsnding of the accounts to be reached. Mr Amandeep S Bhogal 56 Scarle Road Wembley Middlesex HAO 4SN 15 May 2025 15