OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

2022-12-31-accounts

St Paul’s Boundary Road Annual Report For the year ending December 2022

1

The Annual Report of the Parish of St Paul’s Wilford Hill for the Annual Parochial Church Meeting held on 26[th] March 2023

St Paul’s Wilford Hill is situated on the corner of Boundary Road and Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham. It is a Church of England parish within the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham. The correspondence address is:

St. Paul’s Church, Boundary Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham. NG2 7DB

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a charity registered with the Charity Commission. Members of the PCC act as Trustees for the charity. Charity number 1133058

Structure, governance and management

  1. The method of appointment of PCC is set out in the Church Representation Rules.

  2. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll.

  3. Those on the roll can stand for election and vote at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting.

Aim and purposes

St Paul’s Parochial Church Council has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent in enabling the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical within the Parish, Deanery and beyond. The PCC also has responsibility for the facilities provided in the adjoining church halls, which are used for public and private lettings as well as church meetings.

Objectives and activities

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and become part of the parish community at St Paul’s. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament. When planning our activities, we have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the supplementary guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. In particular, we try to enable all people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through:

To facilitate this work, it is important that we maintain the fabric of the church and the hall complex.

Achievements and performance

Essentially the ministry of the church is not about achievement or performance. Spiritual life and the presence of care and love cannot be measured or judged in these ways. Worship has been provided each Sunday, usually Holy Communion (when gathered) with sermon and prayers.

2

Role Holders

Vicar Revd Tim Fox Leader of Children, Youth and Families Ministry Leslie Avendano Honorary Retired Clergy Revd Mary Griffiths, Revd Hilary Smart, Revd Ros Donovan, Revd Howard Bateson. Reader Bob Oldroyd, Fraser Sims Church Wardens Charles George and Wendy Pearce Honorary Treasurer Debbie Caine PCC Secretary Maureen Hollins Electoral Roll Officer Maureen Hollins Worship Group Leader in progress… Sacristans Mike Spalton, Margaret Oldroyd, Maureen Hollins, Ann Shepheard. Deanery Synod Andrew Little, also Lay Chair ( 3-year term to October 2023 ) Representatives

Parochial Church Council 2022/2023: the number denotes the years served since last election and term

Janet Coleman 1_(of 3-year term to 2025)_
Angela Harriss 1_(of 2-year term to 2024)_
Leia Morales 1_(of 3-year term to 2025)_
Ann Shepheard 3_(of 3-year term to 2023)_
Ann Jordan 3 (of_3-year term to 2023_)and attending Deanery Synod
Hugh Williams 3 (of_3-year term to 2023_)
Debbie Caine 2_(of 3-year term to 2024)_
Maureen Hollins 2_(of 3-year term to 2024_)
Revd Ros Donovan (co-opted by PCC 21st November 2022)
(Vacancies:- one PCC and two Synod rep vacancies.)

The PCC met nine times from April 2022 until March 2023.

Maureen Hollins PCC Secretary.

Electoral Roll 2023

This will be revised before the APCM in line with electoral rules. The final figures will be reported to the APCM. At the time of publishing the Annual Report, the Electoral Roll from 3[rd] April 2022 recorded there were 121 on the roll, a decrease of one. Since then, there have been two additions and three deletions. One person has died and two have moved to a different church. Forty six on the roll live outside the parish. There are 82 women and 39 men.

Maureen Hollins Electoral Roll Officer

3

Vicar’s Report – 2022. A journey of becoming: 2022 at St Paul’s.

2022 was the year when the long shadow of Covid-19 started to fade. For the first time since I’ve been at St Paul’s, a year was not defined by lockdowns, cancellations, and the need to learn better how to manage mixed online and inperson worship. That is not to say that 2022 was unmarked by Covid; we indeed started the year tentatively, cancelling some gathered events (such as the PCC away day) and only progressing slowly back towards something approaching ‘normal’. However, the story of 2022 has not been a story about a pandemic!

Rather, the year was defined (I would say) by a ‘journey of becoming’. What do I mean? Well, for quite a while now, the Church building has had the words ‘Your Church in the Community’ displayed to those who pass by. I would suggest, that in 2022, St Paul’s was able to embody these words more deeply than ever before, and to be truly present in and for our community.

Now, here I must pause! This is not to say that there has not been warm and generous engagement in the community for many years before - there has, of course, and that is why those words are written on the building! The ‘ Our Place’ Places of Welcome group (run by Angela) is a great example of just such an initiative. There are many more! But I do believe that in 2022 we were able to build on that history of engagement.

How so? Well, in February we launched our Community Café; the ‘Café on the Corner’ with the help of the monies we had been granted from the National Lottery in 2021. With further support from Rushcliffe Borough Council, we were able to employ a Project Coordinator (Layla) for the Café project and Social Eating events. In the months since, we have seen the projects grow, and Layla has developed links with an extraordinary number of community groups and community leaders. Do have a read of her report to see all that has been going on. St Paul’s has now become well-known for our community engagement, and as a result, other projects and opportunities have come our way, including the Community Garden (begun towards the end of the year) that aims to open in Spring 2023. A huge thank-you to all those who have volunteered, cooked, cleaned, and learnt how to make (excellent) Coffee as part of these projects.

I am delighted to be able to say that these projects have enabled us, not just to be known in our community, but to be perceived as a generous, gracious, inclusive presence. Our church vision document references certain key values that are important to us here at St Paul’s. They are:

Invitation & Grace Generosity & Celebration Inclusion & Safety

As I consider these values now, I do believe that through all that we are doing, old and new, we are able to embody the majority of them as a Church. But I do think we could do better! As I look forward, it seems to me that there is a need to consider how we better embody the values ‘Invitation’ and ‘Inclusion’.

I am sure we would all love to see the worshipping community at St Paul’s grow, by inviting people to experience something of God’s great love for them, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the joy and hope of Christian community. I also am sure that there is a need in our area for a church that is able to express, clearly and confidently, how we can welcome and affirm all, including those who identify as LGBTQI+. As the Church of England debates the issues of same-sex inclusion, let us be a church that can joyfully, prayerfully, and biblically welcome those who might expect to feel excluded.

4

Part of our inclusive ethos is to continue and develop our existing welcome to Children and Young people. Here let us recall that 2022 saw the departure of a much-loved Children, Youth and Families lead in Penny Carrier. Dear Penny (and Cliff) have been part of St Paul’s for so long, I am sure it feels like they are just on loan to Clifton, where Penny is now ministering!

The story of Penny’s move is one that was connected to funding for the role she held, funding that is increasingly hard to access from external sources. However, thanks to the incredible generosity of St Paul’s congregation (expressed through our 30 for 30 campaign) and support from the diocese, we have been able to find the funds to employ another Children, Youth and Families Lead; the wonderful Leslie Avendano. Leslie brings much energy, passion, and hunger for spirituality to the role (not to mention a dash of American ‘Sass’) and we are delighted to have her join us in this crucial role. Welcome Leslie!

Finally, I would like to thank you all for your input into the life of St Paul’s. I truly believe that our local area needs a church like us, one that is inclusive and welcoming, Jesus-focused and generous. It is the support, prayer, giving and love of the congregation and community of the church that has allowed us to go on a journey of becoming in 2022. We are St Paul’s, and we are becoming more deeply ourselves!

Thank you all. Revd. Tim Fox. Vicar.

Warden's site report for 2022

As I think is largely common knowledge, one of the main responsibilities and duties of a churchwarden is maintaining the fabric of the church. At its most basic level, this involves repairs arising from the inevitable wear and tear of a site that is not only just used for church services, but by multiple community groups.

At the same time as dealing with those day-to-day issues, we are always considering how we can improve the site having particular regard to the Church of England's requirement that we move towards net zero carbon by 2030.

Last year I reported on the thorough report prepared by Ian Duce, which in effect gave us a pathway into the future - what is described as “a practical path to net zero carbon.” For now we are addressing what might be described as the easily accessible list of actions that can take us towards carbon neutrality and in Ian’s report this covered the period 2021 to 2023. I have no doubt that in future years we will address the arguably more difficult challenges and possibly more expensive ones. However, this last year there have some important improvements to the site.

The headline development, about which I provided a lot of information last year, was the introduction of a new front door with a push button opening mechanism. For this we obtained both planning permission and a faculty. The main part of the installation took part in the broiling heat of July and eventually the installation was completed by early August. I take this opportunity to commend the professional work of Window Concepts and Tormax and for the ongoing support and advice from our architect, Allan Joyce. We now have a secure and airtight entrance, which is a significant improvement for those entering our building.

While we are focusing on the foyer, another important and key development was the introduction of new signage welcoming everyone to the church and we took this opportunity to replace the carpeting in both the main entrance and into the church. Where we can we always like to support local businesses

5

and I am grateful for the good work of Homecraft Carpets. As a church we cannot thank enough all those who made financial contributions to this project. This will be of significant benefit to this church for many years to come.

Another key improvement was the replacement of all the windows in the main hall. As with other windows on site, the work was undertaken by Acorn. There was an outlay of £3675 and was authorised under List B. It does have to be said that there are other windows that require replacing, but recognising the financial constraints that are going to be in play during 2023, the current thinking is that that work will have to be delayed for a relatively short period of time. Replacing the windows highlighted that the curtains were not in the best of condition, and I am appreciative for the very fine work by my wife, Jane, in repairing and rehanging those curtains.

The other major piece of work to the buildings was the long overdue external decoration and resulting repair work that this revealed. This was undertaken by Matt Keown in September under List B at an outlay of £2441. This was good value and most necessary.

As reported elsewhere, one of the key developments to activities at the church has been the introduction of the Cafe on the Corner. One problem this highlighted was the inadequacy of the Wi-Fi connection at this end of the church complex. After something of a delay caused by shortage of requisite materials, just before Christmas electrician Martin Crew was able to install a system called Ubiquity and I like to think we will now have improved and stable Wi-Fi not only in the café, but throughout the church site.

In addition, I arranged for the replacement of the ribbed carpeting into the cafe as this was looking quite badly worn. One outstanding piece of work here is the replacement of the side door, which is showing its age. For this I have obtained List B authorisation and I hope to have it replaced in the early part of 2023.

I take this opportunity to thank Ian Duce for all he does to support maintenance of the site. The reality of the matter is that he has saved us a lot of money when we might have otherwise had to bring in plumbers and such like. He is always available at short notice and his common sense and practical approach to situations is much appreciated by this churchwarden.

While I am thanking people for their support, I am appreciative of the gardening work undertaken by both Jane George and the Shepheards, so that we keep things nice and tidy.

I like to think that in recent times the general condition of the fabric of the church and the surroundings have been kept in good order and indeed have been improved. In that regard I am optimistic that we should have a positive Quinquennial Survey, which is due to take place later in 2023. It only seems like yesterday that our architect was appraising the condition at the site, but it will in fact be five years ago when we get to September 2023!

Charles George.

Covid and services

Last year’s report looked at the impact of Covid on our service provision. One might say that in 2022 we got used to living with Covid (it has not gone away) and there has been a pleasing return to the usual service pattern, including starting the second service on Sundays at 10:30 am from 10:45 am from 6 March 2022, as we felt there was no longer a need to have extra time to sanitise between the services, nor give time for a congregation to leave the building. It was also good news for us to be able to reintroduce the cafe style at all age services.

6

3 key elements remain from what one might describe as the heavily risk assessed Covid times; namely, administering bread and wine simultaneously as opposed to using the common cup, the wearing of face coverings by those actively participating in the provision of holy communion and the increased spacing between rows of seats. The first two of these will no doubt be reviewed as 2023 progresses, but as it stands the chair layout is one that we intend to continue (it is not as cramped as when we had all the chairs out) - at least until we have a nice decision to make around introducing more chairs due to increased numbers for which we are always praying.

I think it is fair to say that congregation levels have now largely returned to those that existed before Covid made its mark in early 2020, save for on Wednesdays where numbers have reduced for essentially health reasons. However, it is valued by all who attend and in the main is led by our wonderful retired clergy. I believe that the “can do” approach to service provision during the height of the pandemic and providing as safe a space to worship as possible are important reasons for avoiding a drop off in attendance.

It seems appropriate to reflect on the Christmas services. While it is the case that there was full provision in 2021, this year certainly felt more like normal, especially for such as the always popular Christingle Services. While it was necessary to ensure we were not oversubscribed, there was not a need to restrict numbers and it was lovely to see a return of the range of generations from the community filling the church. Indeed all services had attendance levels that were noticeably increased from recent years. We will remember with pleasure the carol service with a choir to help us raise the roof, the reflective and gentle nature of Midnight Communion and an uplifting Christmas Day Communion. Having said that Covid undermined the planned Christmas Concert in early December, but hopefully we will not be denied this additional offering in the future.

The reading rota is running well, although it would be good for there to be an increase in those participating. As to sides persons, this is one area where we have not felt it necessary to return to former practices, but under Vicky Larkin’s thoughtful guidance we have introduced a welcome team on Sundays, and we look forward to that developing further.

Finally, I would like to thank Mike Spalton, as lead sacristan, with the assistance of Maureen Hollins, Margaret Oldroyd and Ann Shepheard, for ensuring the sacristy is in safe hands.

Charles George. Warden.

Deanery Synod Report – 2022

Deanery Synod met three times in 2022. At St Mary’s Clifton in March which inspired our “30 for £30” campaign (James 4: v2 “You do not have, because you do not ask”), June at St Wilfrid’s when Liam O’Boyle spoke about supporting refugees in our Diocese; and October at St Paul’s where we heard from Robert Cleave around being an Eco Church and James Halstead on the School of Discipleship.

We were well underway with our actions to gain the first level Bronze Award for EcoChurch by October and the talk helped us get “over the line” a month or so later.

7

Safeguarding

Ann Shepheard writes “I am very pleased to report that 2022 has, more or less, been a ‘normal’ year as far as the ongoing role of Parish Safeguarding Officer is concerned. In January the House of Bishops’ ‘Safer Recruitment and People Management guidance’ came into force. Fortunately for St Paul’s our procedures were already robust. With the re-emergence of various volunteer roles within the Church, post-Covid, Tim (mainly) and I did spend some time defining roles and drawing up volunteer contracts to ensure we fully complied.

With grateful thanks to Tim, it was good to focus on issues around ‘safeguarding’ in a couple of services in November, when ’Safeguarding Sunday’ fell, affirming its importance within the Church of England and recognising that safeguarding is everyone’s concern.

I thank all of you who continue to serve at St Paul’s, for those who are new to roles, those who have undergone DBS checks, those who have engaged in safeguarding training, those who have completed forms for me, those who have done all of the above. To the best of my knowledge, everything is in order.

Special thanks go to Tim, Penny, Leslie and members of the PCC for their continued support.” Ann Shepheard – February 2023, 'Parish Safeguarding Officer and Lead Recruiter'.

We said in our previous report, in reopening following Covid – “… we see this as a once in a decade opportunity to appraise our impact within our community. A task which is just beginning...”. That fairly reflects our approach to 2022, not unlike the feeling of “putting your foot down and accelerating.”

Here’s the story of what St Paul’s enables.

Leslie Avendano leads our Families, Children’s and Youth Ministry . After nearly five years with us, Penny Carrier took up a full-time position in Clifton early in June. Naturally, it’s difficult to sustain all activities at the same level and pace, without someone in role. It’s been great to see Leslie carefully pick up the various threads, ensuring that continued discipling of our youngsters was the start point.

Leslie writes – “I started my role as the Child Youth & Family Lead at the end of September 2022 with the intention and goal as directed by the vicar to employ more prayer and scripture into our groups. The children and youth have been a pleasure in getting to know and have welcomed the direction of our groups through active participation and through discussion. We are currently running Sunday morning groups during our 10:30 Family Service for all ages. We have three groups in total which include our Sparklers, ages 3-5, Shine, ages 6-10, and Infinity group, ages 11-17. Volunteers help to facilitate the groups to work separately in three different spaces so that content can be geared to where the youth feel most comfortable amongst peers. We currently only have 1-2 toddlers at most on a given Sunday so often Shine and Sparklers may combine age groups in these circumstances. Similarly, over Christmas half-term when numbers are low because families are away on holiday, age groups are combined to be able to carry out activities planned for the day.

With a focus on scripture and prayer, the youth are encouraged to lead in opening and closing prayer when appropriate and partake in reading the scripture during our sessions followed by reflection and discussion. The sessions involve everything from seated craft activities to interactive activities that require problem solving to help to gain the most from each lesson in a way that is fun and engaging while still being educational. The group topics are based on the scripture being preached and reflected in the service by the Vicar for a particular Sunday so that families can have a cohesive learning experience to elicit a foundation to build on at home once they have left the church.

8

We continue to run our Infinity Youth Group twice per month on Saturdays from 7-9pm with an average of 10 children. Our sessions include milk shakes and snacks, opening activities followed by reflection and discussion that is facilitated by the leaders which at this time includes Tim and myself. Our goal is to again pray with the youth and allow them to feel more comfortable in reading and discerning what the scripture means and how it can apply to their life experiences now. Our next big event is on the 24[th] of February, which is a Sleep Out that they requested. Dates were based around National Sleep Out Week where the youth will be sponsored to sleep out and raise money that will be donated to The Friary.

Attendance is growing slightly although inconsistent from one Sunday to another. Special events where I have become involved include - Messy Church, Christingle services and the Christmas Experience with Jesse Grey School, have helped to make more people aware of the presence of St Pauls in the community and slowly starting to spread amongst families locally by both word of mouth and social media.

The goal for the upcoming year is to further spread the word in the community of St Paul and its presence and real participation in the community. We have already started to see some small growth and are positive that it will continue. With our café we are planning a Milk Shake “drop-in” with our collaboration to help facilitate awareness of our presence and the plans for the youth that attend our church. We will continue to foster the relationship with Jesse Grey School and Chris Belton, Head Teacher to work in collaboration with RE and provide experiences that allow for education of values that are cohesive to the education being provided at school and further elaborate as needed.

This December we invited Jesse Grey pupils into St Paul’s and over 4 days, were blessed with participation from around 410 children/ youth. We not only had them carry out a Nativity while incorporating song and dance but the lovely baubles they made while here helped to decorate the church for the season. A beautiful decorative contribution to our church. We are looking forward to facilitating a similar experience with them this upcoming March for the Easter Season.

There is discussion of starting up a football camp again later in the year to again provide further outreach into the community. We hope for to be a place that brings youth together and allowing it to be a place where they can simultaneously explore their faith.

Our primary goal during 2023, is to truly try to continue in growing our Sunday morning groups by all the things that St Pauls has to offer in the community. Our current groups are slowly starting to gain momentum and would not be possible without our amazing volunteers. One limiting factor to date has been the low number of volunteers. In recent weeks this is gaining momentum as the congregation are more aware of the challenges. The volunteers allow us to ensure that the children and youth not only have content that is appropriate for their age and the benefit from intergenerational teaching but also allows us to insure safeguarding protocols are managed appropriately. As our Sunday groups grow so will the need for our volunteer pool to make sure they are run effectively.

I am looking positively into the future as I know that the mission of St Paul’s is one that is geared at building presence in the community. With the many contributions it is currently making, I look forward in doing my part to continue to build our children and youth group, while providing the support necessary, for it to be a program that continues to be both fun and educational. A place where the children and youth feel comfortable and supported while building their relationship and faith in God.” Leslie Avendano CYFL.

At the heart of St Paul’s are our Small Groups (Life and Welcome Groups.). Vicky Larkin has an overview of the diverse groups and writes – “At a Life group leaders meeting in June 2022, it was good to hear that all 5 groups had survived the complications of covid and were up and running. Equally pleasing was noting how varied the groups were, there really seems to be something for everyone.

9

We felt it was time to advertise the groups and so arranged an after-service event in September, which we laughingly called “speed-dating”. Each group was represented and folk could go round and ask about each one. This proved a successful recruitment strategy and all groups are now a good size. We are also in the process of setting up a new group.”

The Pastoral team has had a busy year.

Hazel Little writes – “goodness, where has the year gone? Thank you, as always, to my lovely team of Jenny Daxter, Maureen Hollins, Betty Rootham, Lyn Lygo, Ann Jordan and Jill Warsop. As a team we have shopped for, chatted with, transported to appointments, “dropped in” on and shared communion with many members of our church. All whom for various reasons have found themselves more in their home than they might wish. We’ve provided gifts at Easter and Christmas for our friends who find it difficult to get to church.

Jenny and I have met with Pastoral leaders from other churches to discuss care within West Bridgford and to coordinate activities such as warm spaces, memory cafe and toddler groups within our churches. I do know that, as a church, we are continuing to care for one another. Hospital visits, home visits and doctors appointments are all being facilitated by our church members for other church members and for that we are truly blessed. However, we cannot become complacent and we need to continue to look out for one another. If you haven’t seen someone in church for a while, please let us know. We try our best to make sure our family are all ok but sometimes we know that people can be overlooked. If you would like us to pray for you, please see us in church or email us on st.paulschurchpastoral@outlook.com .

As before - I’ll finish by quoting the wonderful St. Teresa of Avila – the words that inspire our pastoral work.

Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks with compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

We, as a congregation, are all called to be part of the pastoral team. May we all together look after one another.”

Outside of St Paul’s, seeking to extend our reach into the community , Messy Church has been organised by Jenny Daxter. Jenny writes – “It's been a great year for Messy Church, we have been able to return to our usual way of running Messy church with our craft tables and food returning. We have seen a steady increase in the numbers of children and their families attending.

Our January 2023 Messy, saw us have 30 children which is our highest number for some time. We have some families who are becoming regular attenders and it's been lovely getting to know them, forming friendships and becoming a community.

We made some changes with the departure of Penny and the service part is now led by myself and Camilla Gilmore. We've had an appearance from Eddie the donkey too! We introduced Leslie to the families last month and look forward to her being a part of the Messy family!

As a team and are trying a few new things, one being our advertising and have recently started using Eventbrite for families to register, although if you haven't registered, we don’t turn anyone away!

10

My thanks as always to the team of volunteers who help run Messy church, without them it couldn't happen, especially Maureen Hollins who is amazing at cutting our resources for me!”

Inside our church complex , a range of community groups are based within our halls , hiring our facilities. Our facilities are hired with the purpose of encouraging our community and for meeting socially. It also provides an important income stream. You can embroider, improve your knowledge of plant care, rehearse opera, dance (salsa and ballet) and discuss current topics. One Guide and one Rainbow pack (both heavily subscribed) continue to use our facilities.

Willow Pre-school continue to thrive with ten sessions (half day) during the week. Our halls are occupied almost fully across term-time weeks, with a few spaces left for additional regular weekly/monthly activities.

We established “Café on the Corner” early in 2022, after trial sessions late 2021.

Our vision for what the Cafe can be...

"… a place to stop; to rest; to have a coffee; to reflect; to nibble on cake or to chat - a vision for a welcoming space that will open doors to a wide-ranging network of people across our local community.

Supporting the local community, with a welcoming space and a warm offer of delicious, locally sourced produce, in hope that in return we reap the benefits, of a happy, thriving community.

We want the "Cafe on the Corner" to be a place where community and church can connect - and where we can point people towards the hope that comes from knowing Jesus.”

Layla Anderson, manages this project and writes – “Just under a year ago we set up a community café in hope that we could reach out to those who may need a friendly face, a hot drink or maybe just a place to sit. Our Hub, that begins at St Paul’s, is about bridging the gap between church and community and being St Paul’s open arms: allowing us to be a church that sees no boundaries and welcomes everyone.

On a weekly basis we welcome families with young children, elderly people, lonely and isolated residents, local police, people with additional needs, primary and secondary school students and many more.

Our objectives for 2023 are related to consolidation and mission:

Over the last year we have gained connections with ASDA, Morrisons, Coop, local residential homes, Mencap, our local councillors and council, social prescribers linked to surgeries and head teachers at 2 local primary schools.

When we launched the project in Spring 2022, we were reaching approximately 50 people each week from the community. This has grown to approximately 200 people per week coming to St Paul’s; either to our community run café projects (open 6 days per weeks at varying hours per day), or our community kitchen that is predominantly on a Friday (offering free/donation led hot meals).

11

In addition to this, we now also host larger social eating events every couple of months with the aim of supporting those in our community who would benefit from eating together/access to donation led food. Attendance of these events has ranged from 80-120 people per event.

Our plan over the next year is to expand our Mind, Body and Spiritual Hub with a focus not only a warm space for people to be in but to also have range of projects that our community can engage with. Many of our community tell us that for their wellbeing they like to be actively engaged in activities rather than being passive recipients and we are enthusiastic about growing this side of our work, to respond to this request.

Our work so far has developed by listening to our community, the network of people we are working with and managing our volunteers sensitively and closely.

We currently host the following activities from the Café hub .

Grief café (for those who are bereaved), Lego café (families), Memory café (dementia), Coffee and Chill (Christian) meditation, Beat clinic (local police), Book lounge .

In response to the energy/cost of living crisis, we also operate a Warm space, warm Welcome each Friday afternoon, offering a free meal and hot drinks.

We subscribe to “Fareshare” and the “ Social Supermarket ” (through our relationship with Meet, Greet and Eat) visits us every Monday with value priced produce for our community, working with adults with additional needs.

There are several other St Paul’s coordinated groups within our complex; we’ll start at the younger end with Wednesday Toddler Group (10.15-11.30am, term time). Ann Shepheard leads the group and writes – “2022 has been a good year for the Toddler Group as it continues to be part of our Church in the Community. Each week we welcome some regular families as well as those who pop in now and then. Since September we have seen a small increase in regular attendees which I hope will continue into 2023. We offer a welcome to all who come valuing the opportunity to get together for a drink, a chat and a play. Parents/carers and children benefit greatly from the facilities offered by the Church and the opportunities provided by the wide-ranging group activities that take place here.

Particular thanks go to Penny (until she left) for always being the friendly face of welcome and to Jenny for being willing to set up tea and coffee for us every week. We also extend our welcome to Leslie who pops in for a chat when she is able.

Wednesday is a popular day for other St Paul’s Groups . Coffee and chat, Art Group, and Friendship group. Coffee and chat follows our Wednesday morning service.

Art Group and the Friendship Group meet on alternate weeks. Maureen Hollins in the Friendship group writes - “ we meet on alternate Wednesday afternoons at 2:00 pm to share fellowship, together with a hot drink and a chocolatey treat when we take a break from playing tabletop games or crafting – knitting, beading, tapestry, embroidery, whatever your preferred hobby is. We were very happy to donate £40 to the special Youth Fund in July. Numbers attending vary, but there is always a regular core. We would love to see you, so please come along, you will receive a warm welcome.”

12

Women’s fellowship meets on Thursdays and is back stronger then ever. Lyn Lygo and Maureen Hollins write – “Women’s Fellowship continues to meet on the 1[st] and 3[rd] Thursdays at 2.30pm varying our venue from the Café, Hall or Church dependent on the subject of the day. We are delighted to have welcomed some further new members and have a total of 36 with 9 of these

from the local community. We have been very fortunate in having members of our congregation who have been willing to talk to us on a variety of subjects ranging from their jobs, holidays and passions.

We all enjoyed an afternoon tea in June celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and Women’s Fellowship’s Diamond Anniversary (missed in 2020 due to covid) In December the Café on the corner provided a very tasty meal for us and Jane George played the piano so we could sing carols.

A cheque for £397.50 was sent to the Chemotherapy Day Case unit.

Angela Harriss has led Our Place (a “ Place of Welcome”) from inception in 2019, where folk beyond our congregation, who are often on their own, can gather for free refreshments and a hearty welcome. Angela writes - “ Our Place’ , the free cafe that is part of the Places of Welcome initiative and meets every Monday morning, entered a new phase in March 2022.

With the launch of our own Cafe on the Corner, we elected to continue in the lounge alongside the cafe. We weren't sure how this would work out, but the merger has proved very successful indeed on both sides. We have seen our membership grow to a regular dozen and recently welcomed fifteen members.

Often, members stay to enjoy lunch and drinks from the church cafe and any lone visitor to Cafe on the Corner is invited to join us. Some of our members have also benefited from the ‘signposting’ we give to the other groups available at St Paul’s such as the Memory and Grief Cafes and the Warm Space facility. ‘Our Place’ has evolved into a truly integral part of our church and community and long may it continue.

Many thanks to all the volunteers on the ‘Our Place’ rota and also to the church Cafe staff who are always there to help.”

Christians Against Poverty (CAP) operates nationwide and in late 2017, West Bridgford and South Nottingham Debt Centre came into being.

St Paul’s is a partner church . Debbie Caine writes – “St Paul's has continued to support the Christians Against Poverty (CAP) West Bridgford & South Nottingham Debt Centre both financially, and with a trustee board member, (myself), who was appointed Chair during 2022. St Paul's was one of the 9 partner churches when the centre was formed in 2017, recognising the need to give practical support to those facing issues with debt as an outworking of Christian compassion, and since then has given financial and practical support to the charity.

Following the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, when activities were mainly suspended due to the difficulties of meeting those in need of assistance, and a subsequent change in personnel, the WB&SNDC is relaunching in 2023.” Our support for CAP has been one of the key threads of our charitable giving.

13

Traidcraft and EcoChurch are an important part of how we care for creation. Wendy Pearce writes - “In August St Paul's achieved the Places of Worship Award for promoting fair trade from the Fair Trade Foundation. We have had steady sales on the weekly stall in spite of the reduced range of fair trade goods on offer from Traidcraft and the supply issues. In the latter months of 2022, it became apparent that Traidcraft plc was in financial difficulty. It has now reported that the Administrators have been called in and all accounts have been closed. It is sad that after 30+ years we will no longer have the weekly stall in church. We will always continue to promote Fair Trade.

Eco Church is a scheme run by A Rocha UK equipping churches to care for creation through worship, buildings, land, community engagement, and individual lifestyles. In November 2022 St Paul’s achieved the Bronze Award .

At the end of 2022 there were 1155 Bronze Eco churches in England. The aim now is to work towards the Silver Award. The Church of England is encouraging churches to engage with these issues as an important sign of our mission to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.”

Our Flowers are provided fortnightly by individual, personal gifts. Lyn Lygo writes – “ The flowers for the church pedestal are made possible by members of the congregation giving generous donations in memory of a loved one or a significant anniversary or simply as a thanksgiving for God's amazing creation seen in the beautiful colours and variety of flowers. I hope our congregation and visitors get pleasure from them. Please ask me for details if you would like to contribute".

Our final note turns back to our work within our community . In the late autumn, we “broke the ground” as we started to establish the “no boundaries” Community Garden.

There is a quadrant of space at the junction of Boundary Rd, just beyond our car park, that is mowed by the council and otherwise left to its own devices. The Council graciously agreed that we could establish a small community garden. (With thanks to local councillors for small grants towards our soil and planning costs).

Aided by local expert Penny Poyzer-Schalom and a small group of volunteers, four raised beds and a path have been created, ready for planting up in April 2023. We will involve different folk within our community as this develops.

14

Financial Review

The PCC met 9 times during the year and as part of those meetings processed and agreed the financial business of the church.

The annual accounts follow this review and below is a summary of the main points of interest.

General Fund

Committed giving and regular donations reduced by approximately 4% as compared with 2021. Lettings have increased by over 35% as a result of the further relaxation of government restrictions in respect of Covid-19.

The increase of approximately 65% in church running costs as compared to 2021 was mainly due to the repairs and maintenance carried out during the year, some of which had been deferred from prior years, and increases in gas and electricity costs.

The overall result was a deficit for the year of £654 (2020 surplus £6,932) leaving a balance to carry forward of £25,879.

Designated Funds

Leader of Children, Youth and Families Ministry (LoCYFM) Fund – this fund was originally created in 2013 by re-designating funds from the Mission Fund, and subsequently from the setting aside of monies from the General Fund by the PCC in order to meet future costs associated with the employment of a Leader of Children, Youth and Young Families Worker. As the restricted funds received originally in respect of this role were fully expended in 2020, this fund has now been utilised. The fund balance stood at £0 at the year-end (2021 £12,439).

Charity Fund – Designated – the opening and closing balance was £58, after accounting for all amounts collected for and then paid out to charities.

Community Fund – an amount of £360 was designated from the general fund as part of the giving decisions by the PCC in 2021 and the same amount in 2020. This is available to meet local charitable needs as they arise, with decisions regarding expenditure to be made by the leadership team, subject to a monetary cap above which decisions will require the approval of the PCC. During the year part of the Fund was allocated to meet some of the set-up costs associated with the Community Garden, leaving a balance to carry forward of £252.

Restricted Funds

There are a number of restricted funds, which arise from amounts given to the church for specific purposes, as follows:

Memorial Fund - income mainly from donations associated with the book of remembrance and the sale of cards. Currently the fund requires the incumbent to give instructions for its use. The fund has been utilised to purchase a new projector, and additional funds have been added from specific donations towards this and a second replacement projector purchased in early 2022. In accordance with existing policy the new equipment is being written off over 3 years. The year-end balance was £3,451(2021 £4,390), which included £1,395 in respect of the written down value of the projectors purchased during the year and in the previous year.

15

Barnabas Fund – established in 1994 to assist in the spiritual direction of individuals. This was originally an endowment fund, with the capital and tax recovery total sum of £1,400 being preserved and therefore any expenditure being made out of interest. However due to the recent low rates of interest the donor has since removed the endowment condition, to allow the capital to be expended in line with the fund purposes. The year-end balance was £1,517 (2021 £1,511).

The Flower Fund – is maintained by donations received specifically for the provision of flowers in the church, often in memory of loved ones as noted in the main report. The year-end balance of the fund was £15 (2021 £26).

Charity Fund – Restricted - specific collections and payments received for charities and charitable events are allocated to this fund. The individual charities supported are listed at the end of the accounts. The year end balance of £775 (2021 £643) was comprised of a balance of £452 re the 2020 Hamper Appeal and £323 of donations from refreshments to be used towards coffee supplies in 2023.

Social Eating & Café Fund – during the year a grants totalling £24,086 were received in respect of the ongoing social eating project and café. A summary of the income and costs in included on Page 8 of the accounts. The balance at the year-end stood at £22,664, of which £5,034 relates to the written down value of equipment, being written off over 3 years.

Maundy Fund – is administered by the incumbent. Income arises from Maundy Thursday collections and the fund may be used to relieve hardship or to enable members of the congregation (especially younger ones) to take up specific opportunities to engage in mission or grow in their faith. The balance at the year-end was £822 (2021 £727).

Music Fund – income is from donations towards the purchase of music equipment for the worship band.

The balance at the year-end was £107 (2021 £243).

Tech Grant – during the year a legacy of £2,000 was received for the purposes of sound and vision equipment. The cost of this, together with equipment purchased in the previous year is being depreciated over 3 years. Therefore, the balance of £2,026 includes £1,825 of expenditure already incurred.

Refurbishment Fund – following the very successful fund raising in the past couple of years, and a partial designation of a legacy received during the year, the fund was utilised in 2022 to purchase and install a new front door for the church premises, as well as carpeting and new foyer signage. The cost of the door (but not the carpet and signage) is being written off over 10 years and therefore the balance at the end of 2022 stood at £10,979 (2021 £11,088).

Reserves policy

The PCC’s policy is to invest fund balances with the CBF Church of England Deposit Fund which bears interest. At the year-end £21,278 (2021 £40,985) was held in this fund.

16

17

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST PAUL'S, WILFORD HILL

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

Note
Income and Endowments from
Donations and legacies
2 ( a )
Other voluntary incoming resources
2 ( b )
Charitable activities
2 ( c )
Other income
2 ( d )
Investments
2 ( e )
Total Income
Expenditure on
Giving and Donations
3 ( a )
Charitable activities
3 ( b )
Raising funds
3 ( c )
Total Expenditure
Net Income/expenditure
Transfers between Funds
Net movement in funds
Balances brought forward at 1 January 2022
Balances carried forward at
31 December 2022		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Funds
Funds
2022
2021
£
£
£
£
81,868
23,792
105,660
94,267
350
26,762
27,112
10,343
31,513
15
31,528
23,872
75
22,869
22,944
36
147
147
294
32
113,953
73,585
187,538
128,550
4,628
1,831
6,459
6,233
122,886
39,737
162,623
116,529
-
-
-
-
127,514
41,568
169,082
122,762
(13,561)
32,017
18,456
5,788
-
-
(13,561)
32,017
18,456
5,788
39,750
28,076
67,826
62,038
£26,189
£60,093
£86,282
£67,826
Total Funds

18

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST PAUL'S, WILFORD HILL

BALANCE SHEET AT 31 DECEMBER 2022

Note
Fixed Assets
Tangible fixed assets
4 ( a
Current Assets
Debtors
5
Stocks
Short term deposits
Cash in hand
Cash at bank
Liabilities : Amounts falling due
within one year
6
Net Current Assets
Liabilities : Amounts falling due
after one year
Net Assets
7
Funds
8
Unrestricted
Restricted		 2022
2021
£
£
)
19,358
6,349
1,977
2,677
516
21,278
40,985
21
21
52,031
26,162
75,823
69,845
8,899
8,368
66,924
61,477
-
-
86,282
67,826
26,189
39,750
60,093
28,076
86,282
67,826

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 13[th] March 2023 and signed on its behalf by:

19

Parochial Church Council of St Paul’s Church, Wilford Hill. Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2022

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements have been prepared under the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Charities Act 2011. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

Funds

General funds represent the funds of the PCC that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and are available for application to the general purposes of the PCC. Funds designated for a particular purpose by the PCC are also unrestricted.

The accounts include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible by law. They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their affiliation to another body nor those that are informal gatherings of church members.

Incoming Resources

Collections, planned giving, grants and legacies are recognised when received by or on behalf of the PCC. Income tax recoverable on gift aid donations is recognised on income received in the year ending 31 December 2022. Funds raised for summer and Christmas fairs and similar events are accounted for on a gross basis. Rental income and income from investments are recognised on receipt.

Resources Used

Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over or awarded if the award created a binding obligation on the PCC.

The parish share is accounted for when payable, with any amount unpaid at the year end being provided for as an operational liability and shown as a creditor in the balance sheet.

Giving to charity is calculated on Total Incoming Resources from Donors (Unrestricted Funds). The PPC make the majority of specific beneficiary decisions relating to this amount shortly after the year end, and therefore this amount is included as part of the Restricted Funds at the year end and payments to the beneficiaries are included in creditors.

Fixed Assets

Consecrated and beneficial property is excluded from the accounts by s10 (2)(a) of the Charities Act 2011. No value is placed on moveable church furnishings held by the church wardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal since the PCC considers this to be inalienable property. All expenditure incurred during the year on consecrated of benefice buildings and movable church furnishings, whether maintenance or improvement, is written off as expenditure in the SOFA and separately disclosed.

Equipment used within the church premises is depreciated on a straight-line basis over 3 years. Individual items of equipment with a purchase price of £300 or less are written off when the asset is acquired.

Current Assets

Amounts owing to the PCC at the year end in respect of fees or other income, which are expected to be collected are shown as debtors in the balance sheet.

20

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST PAUL'S, WILFORD HILL

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

2
Income & Endowments
2 ( a )Donations & legacies
Planned Giving:
Gift Aid donations
Income tax recoverable on gift aid donations
Collections (open plate)
Sundry donations (including charity)
Legacies
2 ( b )Other voluntary incoming resources
Events for charity
Grants
2 ( c )Charitable Activities
Lettings
Parochial fees
2 ( d )Other income
Other
Café/Social Eating income
2 ( e )Investments
Interest from short term deposits
Total Income		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Funds
Funds
2022
2021
£
£
£
£
63,151
17,059
80,210
65,430
13,455
3,340
16,795
15,314
469
-
469
280
1,053
132
1,185
12,243
3,740
3,261
7,001
1,000
81,868
23,792
105,660
94,267
-
-
-
-
350
26,762
27,112
10,343
350
26,762
27,112
10,343
31,094
15
31,109
22,670
419
-
419
1,202
31,513
15
31,528
23,872
75
3,900
3,975
32
-
18,969
18,969
75
22,869
22,944
32
147
147
294
36
£113,953
£73,585
£187,538
£128,550
TOTAL FUNDS

21

3
Expenditure
3 ( a )Giving and Donations
Collections or events, and PCC decisions,
during the year
Giving decisions by PCC at year end
3 ( b )Charitable activities
Ministry : Parish share
Ministry expenses
Upkeep of services
Insurance
Sundries
Heat, light and power
Rates and water
Maintenance
Cleaning
Grounds upkeep
Events
Christian education
Gifts
Flowers
Mission
Employee salary NI & pension
Employee expenses
Stationery, office, telephone
Café/social eating costs
Honorarium
Bank charges
Depreciation/Loss on sale
3 ( c )Raising funds
Funding programme
Total Expenditure		 Unrestricted
Restricted
TOTAL FUNDS
Funds
Funds
2022
2021
£
£
£
£
3,038
1,831
4,869
3,453
1,590
1,590
2,780
4,628
1,831
6,459
6,233
69,444
69,444
66,240
1,610
1,610
923
2,180
136
2,316
2,039
1,743
1,743
1,693
85
85
931
8,872
8,872
4,974
628
628
206
14,917
3,872
18,789
9,198
2,995
2,995
2,505
468
250
718
225
-
-
1,054
1,054
316
229
229
446
885
885
800
818
818
957
12,945
20,171
33,116
18,315
-
1,114
2,662
2,662
2,532
8,495
8,495
1,173
1,500
1,500
-
320
320
336
416
5,928
6,344
1,606
122,886
39,737
162,623
116,529
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
£127,514
£41,568
£169,082
£122,762

22

4 Fixed Assets for use by the PCC

4 ( a ) Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets
Equipment
Cost
At 1 January 2022
Additions
Disposals
At 31 December 2022
Depreciation
At 1 January 2022
Charge for the year
Disposals
At 31 December 2022
Net Book Value at 31 December 2022		 £
30,206
19,353
-
49,559
23,857
6,344
-
30,201
£19,358

4 ( b ) Investment Assets

The PCC holds no investment assets. All surplus funds, outside of normal day to day requirements, are held in a Central Board of Finance ( CBF) Deposit Fund.

5 Debtors

Unrestricted
Restricted
Funds
Funds
2022
2021
£
£
£
£
1,095
377
1,472
1,311
-
-
-
1,103
505
505
263
-
-
-
-
£1,600
£377
£1,977
£2,677
TOTAL FUNDS
Other debtors - HM Revenue & Customs
- Windows deposit
- Other
- Funeral Fees

6 Liabilities : Amounts Falling Due within one year

Amounts payable to suppliers etc
Amounts payable to charities, collections etc
7
Analysis of Net Assets by Fund
Fixed Assets
Current Assets
Current Liabilities
Fund Balance		 3,916
2,183
6,099
3,794
1,590
1,210
2,800
4,574
£5,506
£3,393
£8,899
£8,368
126
19,232
19,358
6,349
31,569
44,254
75,823
69,845
(5,506)
(3,393)
(8,899)
(8,368)
£26,189
60,093
86,282
£67,826

23

8 Fund Details

Summary of transactions in Restricted Funds

** Social Tech
Memorial Barnabas Flower Charity* Eating/Café Maundy Music Grant CYFM Refurb Total
£ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £
Opening Balance
at 1 January 2022 4,390 1,511 26 643 8,196 727 243 1,252 **11,088 ** 28,076
Income :
Interest - 6 - - 66 - - - 75 - 147
Other 26 - 874 1,964 45,747 95 - 2,000 18,524 2,947 72,177
Funds Transfer - - - - - - - - 1,261 1,261
Total Income 26 6 874 1,964 54,009 822 - 3,252 18,599 **15,296 ** 73,585
Expenditure 965 - 885 1,832 31,345 - 136 1,226 862 4,317 41,568
Closing Balance
at 31 December 2022 3,451 1,517 15 775 22,664 822 107 2,026 17,737 **10,979 ** 60,093

Summary of transactions in Unrestricted Funds

at 1 January 2022
Income
Interest
Other
Total Income
Expenditure
at 31 December 2022
Note: Movement in year
General Fund Transfer
General Fund Transfer
Other		 General
LoCYFM
Charity
Community
Total
Social Eating/Café Fu
£
£
£
£
£
at 1 January 2022
26,533
12,439
58
720
39,750
Sales/Donations
Cost of sales
147
-
-
147
4,628
4,628
Interest
114,470
597
-
-
115,067
Grants
114,617
597
4,628
-
119,842
Salaries
-
Other costs
5,889
-
-
-
5,889
Depreciation
109,382
13,036
4,628
468
127,514
25,879
-
58
252
26,189
at 31 December 2022**
(654)
(12,439)
-
(468)
(13,561)		 nd
19,004
5,356
19,310
4,162
2,517		 8,196
13,648
47
26,762
40,457
25,989
22,664

24

CHARITABLE GIVING YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

Collections or Events during the year

Children's Society
Friary Drop-in
Night Shelters (Emmanuel House)
OEC
Toy Appeal
Sub Total
Giving decisions by PCC
Christians Against Poverty (West Bridgford & South Notts)
Cecily's Fund
Church Mission Society
Crossteach
Friary Drop-In
Refugee Roots (formerly Nottingham Rainbow Project)
Ambassadors Football
Sub Total
To be allocated
Total Giving per accounts		 2022
£
723
150
486
192
280
-
£1,831
960
600
978
500
£3,038
£1,590
£6,459		 2021
£
395
431
559
-
408
-
£1,793
1000
500
600
220
1500
620
£4,440
£6,233

25