THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST STEPHEN, CASTLE HILL, EALING ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023
Administrative information
St Stephen’s Church is situated on the corner of St Stephen’s Road and the Avenue, West Ealing. It is part of the Diocese of London within the Church of England. The correspondence address is:
St Stephen’s Church, St Stephen’s Road, West Ealing, London W13 8HB.
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is registered with the Charity Commission (No. 1133772).
PCC members who have served in the period 1 January until 31 December 2023:
| Incumbent | The Revd Steve Newbold (Chair) | |
|---|---|---|
| Curate | The Revd Ruth Robinson | |
| Churchwardens | Mary Ann Auckland (Vice Chair) | |
| Ann Toley | ||
| Representatives on the Deanery Synod: | Liz Cooper | |
| David Gillingham | ||
| James Morrow | from 21 May 2023 | |
| Linda Rivans | to 21 May 2023 | |
| Elected members: | Alice Zhang | to 25 Sep 2023 |
| John Anniss | to 21 May 2023 | |
| James Morrow | to 21 May 2023 | |
| Sue Charlton | ||
| Jon Yarrall | ||
| Janet Sehgal | ||
| Xiaoe Li | ||
| Jen Whadcoat | ||
| (also Safeguarding Officer) | ||
| Ewen McKinnon | from 21 May 2023 | |
| Linda Rivans | from 21 May 2023 | |
| Secretary (co-opted) | Jane Maffett | |
| Treasurer (co-opted) | Sanjay Joshi | |
| And the following who is not a member | ||
| of the PCC | ||
| Associate Vicar | The Revd Caroline Newbold |
PCC of St Stephen’s Ealing Charity Number 1133772
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Structure, governance and management
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.
The PCC also appoints Trustees to the St Luke’s Hall Trust, a separate charity with the stated aim of managing the assets of the Trust ‘for use for the religious and other charitable purposes of the Church of England in the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Stephen, Ealing. ’ The Vicar is an ex-officio Trustee and Chair.
The Vicar is also, ex-officio, a Trustee of the Gurnell Grove Community Trust, active in the parish.
Objectives and activities
The PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the Vicar in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church – pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. Our Vision Statement is:
Community growing in the love of Jesus
The PCC has maintenance responsibilities for the Church buildings which include the hall and a cottage for residential use. The PCC also owns and maintains a separate house at 26 Drayton Gardens, currently occupied by our curate.
General statistics
Church membership
The Electoral Roll saw a small decrease so that on 31 December 2023 there were 180 people on the Roll. Of these 50% were resident in the parish, 63% were female and 37% were male.
Occasional offices
During 2023, there were eight baptisms but no confirmations. There were no marriages at Church. The clergy conducted the funerals of four parishioners (one of these services was at St Stephen’s).
Review of the year
The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (at which two new PCC members were elected) and the Annual Meeting of Parishioners (at which two churchwardens were elected) were held on Sunday 21 May 2023 in accordance with the Church Representation Rules and The Churchwardens Measure. The full PCC met seven times during 2023 with an average level of attendance of 80% of members.
In the autumn, a Connect Group ran Alpha. Six guests undertook the course and were committed attenders. We enjoyed lively discussions with guests who were not afraid to ask searching, deep and challenging questions! Our Holy Spirit Day was a particular highlight as we took a mini road trip to Acton and learned more about the Spirit and enjoyed delicious Lebanese food. It was a great opportunity for the members of the Connect Group to serve together as well as being a safe space for the guests to explore the Christian faith in a deeper way. All the guests continue to attend St Stephens regularly and we look forward to accompanying them further in their faith journey.
Mid-week Connect Groups continued with almost 50% of active church members attending a group. In addition the People and Planet Group and weekly TeaTimers group gathered a wider range of people, some of whom are not yet church members.
Our Pastoral Care Team, Connect Group Leaders and the Leadership Team continued to support church members through a variety of means.
There were several staffing changes during the year. Our curate Ruth Robinson was ordained as a priest in June and as a result could share in leading services of Holy Communion. In the summer, we were able to appoint Stephen Turner as our new Worship Pastor. We continued to have a vacancy for a Youth Leader, but Caroline Newbold retained responsibility for this work and led attempts to try to recruit a replacement.
Throughout the year, we continued to livestream our 10.30am Sunday morning service and there is a steady number watching the service within 24 hours of its broadcast.
A large part of our local mission is actively to support The Grove Community Church ( The Grove ) on the Gurnell Grove Estate in the Parish. This is overseen by a separate charitable trust (Gurnell Grove Community Trust). As well as direct giving by the PCC, several people have been involved in the running the weekly Sunday afternoon service. Mark Tate (leader of The Grove) continues to serve as a member of the St Stephen’s Leadership Team although because of increasing demands on The Grove attends less frequently.
PCC of St Stephen’s Ealing Charity Number 1133772
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St Stephen’s is committed to the Eco Church award process and gained a silver award in 2020. We continue to pursue an ecoagenda in the wider decisions and actions that we take. However, achievement of the gold Eco Church award is likely to be some way off as the standard is rightly demanding.
In November 2023 it was announced that after 15 years in post, Steve Newbold (Vicar) would be leaving to take up a new role in the Diocese of Oxford. As a result, work began to mark his departure and to start to plan towards the appointment of a new Vicar, hopefully in 2024.
The PCC continues to be grateful to the St Luke’s Hall Trust for their ongoing and generous financial support.
Much of the work of the PCC is conducted in its formal subcommittee structure. The four subcommittees or teams continued: Finance, Buildings, Mission and the Children and Youth Teams.
Key activities are described in the individual reports below.
Leadership Team
The Leadership Team met regularly to support the Vicar in the day-to-day management of Church life. Most of its time was spent focusing on issues of discipleship, outreach in the local community and resourcing the Church for future growth. The Leadership Team shares with the Vicar in pastoral responsibility for the Church and regularly discusses and responds to individual situations.
Finance Team
The Finance Team – comprising the Vicar, Treasurer, a Churchwarden, Giving Coordinator, and two other PCC nominees – and the Standing Committee oversaw the financial position throughout the year. Their work included review and discussion of the annual accounts, the forecast versus actual results, and levels of planned giving income. The latter was particularly important during the pandemic when we expected – and saw – drops in giving and hall rental income. We continued to manage budgets carefully, in order to monitor more closely the Church’s finances and plan for the future. More detailed information is given below.
Buildings Team
2023 has been an eventful year. We have not made as much progress on the Entrance Improvement Project as we had hoped but we did secure a Section 106 order to remove the tree leading to granting of planning permission from the Council as well as a faculty from the Diocese to start the work. By the end of the year we were working towards Building Regulations permission. Our plan is to lay the foundations and then proceed with the much-needed relaying of the car park before the main construction of the entrance. Meanwhile some brickwork on the east side of the apex of the worship area roof fell down during a 9:00am Sunday service. The repair and replacement took longer than anticipated being a specialist bricklaying task. A main branch of one of the mature oak trees on west side of the Church Centre also fell, resulting in the tree having to be removed. This will be replaced by three small new trees in the grounds, as requested by the Council (as the old oak tree had a Tree Preservation Order). During the year we organised two ‘Sleeves Up Saturday’ events, in April and November, with many members of the Church community coming, with great enthusiasm, to help with repairs, cleaning and redecorating jobs around the Church Centre.
Mission Team
The Team managed St Stephen’s relationship with the wider world at local, national and international levels aiming to increase awareness and understanding of issues as well as providing practical and financial help. Four guest speakers from our Mission Partners were invited to speak at services through the year. The Team reviewed our six core Mission Partners, suggesting that Ealing Soup Kitchen (ESK) had good financial support from other sources. The PCC agreed we advise ESK that we end regular funds from our tithe but continue to support them with practical help. The PCC also agreed to add new Mission Partners: A Rocha UK (who manage Eco Church) and Ellie Maffett, (former member of St. Stephen's, who is working with a church in Athens through UFM). The policy of the PCC is to give 10% of our regular giving to Christian mission charities and this was divided between these core partners. Additional monies were raised by events and special appeals for other specific causes. Programmes of social action were led by members of this Team and involved people from St Stephen’s. Following the Pandemic, Ealing Churches Winter Night Shelter (ECWNS) was able to return to churches hosting homeless people. So, from mid-February to end of March we ran the Shelter for 10 men on Friday evenings/Saturday mornings with over 40 members of church volunteering. Our Christmas Fair raised £4,400 for the work of ECWNS. Money was raised in Lent for the London Diocesan Appeal for ALMA, and 78 boxed Easter eggs were donated to the Marylebone Project for Homeless Women. Christian Aid Week fundraising included a successful outdoor Fair, a Concert, delivery-only distribution of envelopes, a sponsored Freedom Walk in Central London and a Sunday service featuring the work of Christian Aid. Nine Hampers of Christmas goods were assembled by Connect Groups and delivered to individuals and families living in the Borough and engaging with Christians against Poverty. Ealing Foodbank benefitted from donations of food and money at Harvest. With the demise of Traidcraft in February 2023, the Mission Team agreed to change Fairtrade Sales from monthly to seasonal occasions and organised stalls for Fairtrade Fortnight in March, Christian Aid Fair in May, and Christmas cards and Advent Calendars at the Christmas Fair.
PCC of St Stephen’s Ealing Charity Number 1133772
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Children and Youth Teams
These Teams seek to ensure that the needs of children, young people and their families are met within the life of the Church and that the Church vision is enacted. The Leadership Team ensures that our activities are in line with the ‘children’ element of our Safeguarding Policy and that we follow the best practice processes of the Diocese and Church of England (including the identification of a ‘Children’s Champion’).
Children's activities continue to be focused on four strands: our junior Church (known as JAM); Youth group; Shining Stars midweek toddler group; and children's activities at outreach events.
JAM (Jesus and Me) – Throughout 2023 the number of children attending JAM continued to build and sessions are both exciting and engaging. We now have six leaders running two age related groups and are looking to expand our team to eventually have three age groups. Children continue to participate in church services with readings, and our children have led two full services which involved the children leading, reading, writing and delivering prayers and this year filming aspects for a service. More engagement is planned in 2024.
Our youth – Caroline Newbold has continued to cover the Youth Leader post since the last report and we are currently in contact with 18 young people in the 11-18 age group (though not all attend Sunday services at St Stephen's).
In the past year, thanks to a committed team of volunteers, we have been able to increase the number of sessions that we offer and there is a youth session during the 10:30 service most weeks as well as regular social events at St Stephen's and elsewhere. Attendance is variable at our Sunday morning sessions as family events, sporting fixtures and schoolwork sometimes take priority, but we persevere because it's so important to encourage and inspire our young people as they grow into their own personal faith in Jesus and play their part in the life of the church. It's certainly been encouraging to see young people serving in ministries such as Music and Welcome and playing a role in services in different ways and we were delighted when three young people were baptised over the past year. We hope that a Confirmation service with our Bishop can be arranged in the near future.
Shining Stars – is a Tuesday morning Christian group led by members of our staff and congregation for toddlers and their parents/carers. Each session begins with free-play and the children have a variety of toys, ride-ons or craft to entertain them. We charge £1 per child to cover over-head costs enabling the replacement of broken toys, end of term/year parties and purchase small gifts at Easter and Christmas. Fresh tea and coffee are provided for the adults giving adults a time to relax and chat with each other as well as the team. A Bible Story and action songs finish each session, and this ensures a strong Christian focus. Parents and carers are regularly invited to events or services at church and the team prays weekly for those who attend. Shining Stars continues to be a very popular toddler group with many commenting how friendly the team is and how clean and tidy the toys and venue are.
Other events – in the spring we again ran a Children’s Party with 23 attendees. We did not run a Light Party in 2023 as we had a shortage of volunteers and there were several other local churches running similar events at the same time. On Christmas Eve we held our popular Carols, Nativity and Christingle service with almost 200 people in attendance.
Safeguarding
The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, in relation to having due regard to the House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. We have also adopted the Diocesan safeguarding policy, and continue to review, and where necessary strengthen, our processes to ensure the safeguarding of vulnerable people (children, young people and vulnerable adults) whilst at the same time trying to avoid too much bureaucracy in our various ministries. Key to all decisions is the assessment of risk and the core adherence to our policy.
Outreach
Outreach and mission are integral to all aspects of Church life throughout the year. We participated in a prayer stall at Light up the Lane but sadly have not re-established our Community Fete in Cleveland Park (last run six years ago), as we are rebuilding our core church base from which we draw volunteers and need to think how this fits our mission plan. Outreach also includes the streaming of services, enabling a wider audience to join with us from home and from overseas.
TeaTimers, our Friday afternoon drop-in café aimed at the over 60s continues and is much appreciated by those both inside and outside church membership.
Deanery Synod
The Ealing Deanery and its Synod met three times in the year. The first meeting was in-person with an online option and subsequent ones were in-person only. In February the focus was on school governors with Penny Roberts Director of Education at the London Diocesan Board of Schools speaking about the Board's purpose, vision & challenges. The Chair of Governors from Ada Lovelace School spoke of her experience in the role & emphasised that governors are critical friends. At the July meeting Deanery Mission bids from nine churches were announced and the Synod voted to grant money to all. Most of the October meeting concerned the Bishop of Willesden's Roadshow where he and other senior leaders in the Area presented the 2030 Diocese of London's Vision.
PCC of St Stephen’s Ealing Charity Number 1133772
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Financial review
A formal budget process was again followed during the year to assist with financial planning. Full details of the accounts are provided in the independently examined and signed-off Financial Statements.
Total receipts on ordinary unrestricted funds were £245,166, similar to last year: a small 2% reduction in Regular Giving (Stewardship) and giving at services (including Gift Aid) was offset by an increase in one-off donations. Hall rentals up nearly £4,000 compensated for £5,000 loss of rental income due to the fact that the house in Drayton Gardens is now occupied by our curate.
In the autumn, as usual, the Church asked all donors to review and update their giving pledges and encouraged new givers. And the ability to donate by card or on the website has been increasingly helpful.
Total unrestricted expenditure amounted to £222,784 was marginally higher than last year. This provided the Christian ministry of St Stephen’s Church, including the contribution to the Diocesan parish share which largely provides the stipends and other clergy overheads (including housing for the clergy). And in our share we contribute a higher % than the amount requested in order to support less ‘well-off’ parishes. It includes the costs of two employee roles: Premises Manager and Communications Manager.
The St Luke’s Hall Trust continued with their very welcome annual donation into the St Luke’s Restricted Fund (SLRF) – the expected £40,000. This Fund had expenditure of £35,172 including:
-
An annual grant of £7,500 to The Grove Missional Community
-
the costs of our Children’s Worker and our Worship Pastor from August
-
the costs of our Associate Vicar, covering the Youth Pastor vacancy for the whole year
The Worship Pastor (8 months) and Youth Pastor (all year) roles were partially / fully vacant leading to lower than expected salary costs in the SLRF so the PCC has agreed that £15,000 of the year-end balance is still earmarked for the planned car park repair project.
A new restricted fund was opened in 2022 for the special donations from St Luke’s Hall Trust for the Entrance Improvement Project (SLPRF).
Lent, Harvest and Christmas Appeals continued and were generously supported, as was the Christmas Fair raising charity funds. And we made it a priority to continue to tithe 10% of regular giving to our Mission Partners. Together these led to the church giving over £41,000 in missionary and charitable giving to other organisations, exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
Overall expenditure during 2023 was £290,379, almost the same as the previous year, with circa £20,000 project costs replacing the essential spend in 2022 of £22,000 on the cottage (so the Premises manager could move in) and the property in Drayton Gardens (so the Curate could move in).
The loan raised for our 2018 buildings project was finally paid off during the year, also a loan from a congregation member of £5,000.
Overall we report a net surplus for the year, across all accounts, of £28,462 (£21,815 unrestricted and £6,646 restricted). Income has held up well during a cost of living crisis and with well managed expenditure resulted in a surplus that will enable us once again to start ‘saving’ for essential building work ahead – a real blessing.
After adding reserves brought forward at the beginning of the year, the balances carried forward at 31[st] December totalled £308,122 (£155,477 Unrestricted, £57,868 Restricted and £94,777 Endowment).
The PCC reports that we continue to operate as an ongoing concern:
-
Our reserves position is strong, although we will need to use some of these for essential building work
-
We also continue to be prudent in our expenditure
-
Our regular income is steady, rental income has increased and St Luke’s Hall Trust grant of £40k continues
-
We continue to monitor finances closely on an ongoing basis
-
The Entrance Improvement Project, still at planning stage, is proceeding with the committed financial support of the St Luke’s Hall Trust
-
The PCC is confident that we can continue to meet our critical commitments.
Reserves policy
The PCC aims to maintain a balance on free reserves of around two months’ worth of average unrestricted expenditure, which is currently equivalent to £37,130 and with our general reserve at £155,477, (of which £93,144 is not designated for specific future spend) we are comfortably in excess of this. Appropriate reserves will continue to be set aside in anticipation of future spending on the Church buildings, through the Maintenance Reserve.
PCC of St Stephen’s Ealing Charity Number 1133772
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Conclusion
For the first time since the Covid pandemic, 2023 provided a full year without any social restrictions or particular concerns about the virus. Throughout the year church life looked like it had before March 2020 although like most churches St Stephen’s had a slightly smaller congregation, and a weakened volunteer base. Our aim is that in 2024 we will see new opportunities to share the good news of Jesus with our community and to enable our Vision Statement to be enacted as fully as possible.
Mary Ann Auckland Acting Chair (Lay) September 2024
PCC of St Stephen’s Ealing Charity Number 1133772
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Parochial Church Council of St. Stephen, Castle Hill, Ealing
(also known as St Stephen's Ealing PCC)
ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR 2023
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Page No. CONTENT
1 Statement of Financial Activities for the year 2023
This shows a summary of the year's income and expenditure.
2 Balance Sheet at 31 December 2023
This shows the assets and liabilities at the end of the year
and the position of funds, both restricted and unrestricted.
Notes to the Accounts
3 Note 1 - Accounting Policies
4 Note 2 - Income and Endowments
5 Note 3 - Expenditure on Charitable Activities
6 Note 3 - Expenditure on Charitable Activities
7 Further Notes
8 Further Notes
9 Independent Examiner's Report to the PCC
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St Stephen's Ealing PCC Registered Charity No. 1133772
Parochial Church Council of St. Stephen, Castle Hill, Ealing
Accounts Page 1 of 8
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES For the year ended 31 December 2023
----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment TOTAL FUNDS
Note Funds Funds Funds 2023 2022
£ £ £ £ £
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM
Donations & legacies 2a 203,176 68,704 0 271,879 272,254
Other trading activities 2b 37,763 4,971 0 42,734 38,324
Income from investments 2c 171 0 0 171 5,099
Income from church activities 2d 4,056 0 0 4,056 4,491
TOTAL INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS 245,166 73,675 0 318,841 320,169
RESOURCES EXPENDED ON CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
Missionary & Charitable Giving 3a 22,483 19,077 0 41,561 36,181
The Work of the Church 3b 110,610 552 0 111,162 114,512
Church Management & Adminstration 3c 89,690 47,966 0 137,656 142,339
TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 222,784 67,595 0 290,379 293,031
NET INCOMING/EXPENDITURE 22,382 6,079 0 28,462 27,138
NET TRANSFERS -567 567 0 0 0
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS 21,815 6,646 0 28,462 27,137
BALANCES BROUGHT FORWARD
AT 1 JANUARY 2023 133,661 51,222 94,777 279,660 252,522
BALANCES CARRIED FORWARD
AT 31 DECEMBER 2023 155,477 57,868 94,777 308,122 279,660
Previous year
TOTAL
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES Unrestricted Restricted Endowment FUNDS
For the year ended 31 December 2022 Funds Funds Funds 2022
£ £ £ £
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM
Donations & legacies 204,585 67,669 0 272,254
Other trading activities 34,089 4,235 0 38,324
Income from investments 5,099 0 0 5,099
Income from church activities 4,491 0 0 4,491
TOTAL INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS 248,265 71,904 0 320,169
RESOURCES EXPENDED ON CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
Missionary & Charitable Giving 18,720 17,461 0 36,181
The Work of the Church 112,409 2,103 0 114,512
Church Management & Adminstration 86,650 55,688 0 142,339
TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 217,779 75,252 0 293,031
NET INCOMING/EXPENDITURE 30,486 -3,348 0 27,138
NET TRANSFERS -3,000 3,000 0 0
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS 27,486 -348 0 27,137
BALANCES BROUGHT FORWARD
AT 1 JANUARY 2022 106,175 51,570 94,777 252,522
BALANCES CARRIED FORWARD
AT 31 DECEMBER 2022 133,661 51,222 94,777 279,660
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St Stephen's Ealing PCC Registered Charity No. 1133772
Parochial Church Council of St. Stephen, Castle Hill, Ealing
Accounts Page 2 of 8
For the year ended 31 December 2023
| Note FIXED ASSETS 26 Drayton Gardens 1 Missional Housing Bond 1 CURRENT ASSETS Debtors & prepaid expenses 5 CBF Deposit Fund Bank balances 6 LIABILITIES (less than one Year) Amounts falling due within one year Diocesan Interest Free Loan Congregation Loan Creditors & accrued expenses 7 NET CURRENT ASSETS LIABILITIES (over one Year) TOTAL NET ASSETS FUNDS Unrestricted Funds General Fund Designated Funds: Mission Fund Maintenance Reserve Fund Special Purposes Fund Support to People In Need 8 Restricted Funds Mission Fund St Luke's Fund St Luke's Project Fund 9 Endowment Fund Drayton Gardens Property TOTAL FUNDS |
2023 £ 94,777 5,000 99,777 19,539 5,440 187,292 212,271 0 0 3,926 3,926 208,345 0 308,122 93,144 3,430 31,415 26,905 583 155,477 734 57,133 0 57,868 94,777 308,122 |
2022 £ |
|---|---|---|
| 94,777 5,000 99,777 25,598 5,271 166,372 197,240 4,000 5,000 8,357 17,357 179,883 |
||
| - 279,660 |
||
| 84,329 4,576 17,714 27,043 - 133,662 117 52,305 -1,200 51,222 94,777 279,660 |
Notes on pages 3 to 8 form part of these accounts
Mary-Ann Auckland Acting Chair and Churchwarden
Ann Toley Churchwarden Date
St Stephen's Ealing PCC Registered Charity No. 1133772
Parochial Church Council of St. Stephen, Castle Hill, Ealing
Accounts Page 3 of 8
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For the year ended 31 December 2023
1 ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation and uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:
Basis of preparation
Basis of preparation needs to be updated to - The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011 and UK Generally Accepted Practice as it applies from 1 January 2015.
The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared to give a ‘true and fair’ view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a ‘true and fair view’. This departure has involved following Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued on 16 July 2014 rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 which has since been withdrawn. St Stephens meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).
Going Concern
The PCC have considered the resources available and current plans. St Stephen's is well placed to meet these activities and have adequate resources for the foreseeable future. Accordingly the PCC continues to adopt the going concern basis in the preparation of the financial statements.
Incoming Resources
Incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) when:
- the PCC becomes legally entitled to the benefit of use of the resources; 2. their ultimate receipt is virtually certain; and 3. the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability. Funds raised by the Fair and similar events are reported gross.
Grants, donations and legacies 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.
Gift Aid and other tax claims are included in the SOFA at the same time as the cash donations to which they relate. Rental income from the letting of church premises is recognised when the rental is due. Investment income is accounted for when receivable.
The value of any voluntary help is not included in the accounts but is described in the annual report.
Expenditure and Liabilities
Liabilities are recognised as soon as the legal or constructive obligation arises.
Grants and donations are recognised when a commitment has been made externally and there are no pre-conditions still to be met for entitlement to the grant which remain within the control of the PCC. The costs of clergy (Vicar and Curate) are accounted for in the payments made to the London Diocese Fund. The London Diocese is responsible for paying the stipend and housing costs of both individuals, as is standard practise in the Church of England.
Fixed Assets
Consecrated and benefice property of any kind is excluded from the financial statements by Sections 10(2) (a) and (c) of the Charities Act 2011. All expenditure on such property, whether improvement or maintenance, is written off in the year it is incurred. The buildings and contents are insured for £6,650,000. Such buildings include the Church, Church Hall (both) and Church Cottage (buildings only).
No value is placed on any movable church furnishings that cannot be disposed of without a faculty, and which are regarded as "inalienable" property held on special trust on behalf of the PCC, and forming part of the consecrated property excluded from the financial statements by the Charities Act 2011.
Other tangible fixed assets may be capitalised if they can be used for more than one year and cost at least £5,000. They are otherwise written off in the year of acquisition. All significant items are included in the Church's inventory.
The house in Drayton Gardens is usually occupied by a curate and is a freehold property valued at its purchase price in 1992. It is not depreciated as its estimated residual value is not less than its carrying value and it has an expected useful life in excess of 50 years, so any depreciation charge would be immaterial. It is maintained in good order and is insured for a rebuilding cost of £437,795.
During 2022, the PCC agreed to rollover a sum of £5000 for a further 3 years with the Missional Housing Bond Fund. The issue is unsecured but believed to be relatively low risk given the nature of the underlying assets (London housing stock). The Bond is operated by Affordable Christian Housing, (“ACH”) a Christian housing association with over 20 years’ experience in providing affordable housing to key Christian workers. It is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority and has charitable status. ACH followed FCA guidance in determining how to issue the bond. As an Industrial and Provident Society, ACH did not require FCA approval to issue the Bond.
Funds
Unrestricted funds 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 assets for its own use, or for spending on a future project and which are therefore not included in its "free reserves" as disclosed in the Annual Report.
Restricted funds are income funds that must be spent on restricted purposes and details of the funds held and restrictions provided are shown in the notes to the accounts.
Charitable Giving
The PCC has a long standing policy of allocating 10% of regular income (stewardship, tax refunds, cash collections and gift aid donations in church), for giving to charity. See Note 11 for further details.
Trustees and related party Remenuration & Expenses
No remenuration or other benefis from employment with the charity or a related entity were received by the Trustees. Caroline Newbold, wife of Steve Newbold (the Vicar and Chair of the PCC) was employed directly by the PCC for the year, as the salaried Associate Vicar, in the absence of a Youth Worker. See Note 12.
There have been no other related party transactions in the reporting period.
Normal expenses incurred on church activities were reimbursed to clergy, trustees and church workers.
St Stephen's Ealing PCC Registered Charity No. 1133772
Accounts Page 4 of 8
Parochial Church Council of St. Stephen, Castle Hill, Ealing
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31 December 2023
| Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds £ £ 2 2a Regular Giving 156,316 - Collections at Services 3,271 - 36,209 - Cash Collections at Services 993 - Sub-total (Note 11) 196,789 - Mission Collections 6,984 Legacies Special Donations 6,387 - St. Lukes Hall Trust 61,720 203,176 68,704 2b Other Trading Activities Christmas Bazaar/Craft Fair - 4,971 Hall Lettings 37,763 - 37,763 4,971 2c Rent from 26DG - - CBF interest 169 - Housing Bond and Bank Interest 2 - 171 - 2d Fairtrade Stall 775 - Social Events, Courses & Other Activities 611 - Shining Stars 485 - Banns, Funeral Fees, Verger Fees 346 - Rebates and one-off 1,839 - 4,056 - Income from Church Activities Donations and legacies Income from Investments Gift Aid Recovered (Note 4) |
Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds £ £ 2 2a Regular Giving 156,316 - Collections at Services 3,271 - 36,209 - Cash Collections at Services 993 - Sub-total (Note 11) 196,789 - Mission Collections 6,984 Legacies Special Donations 6,387 - St. Lukes Hall Trust 61,720 203,176 68,704 2b Other Trading Activities Christmas Bazaar/Craft Fair - 4,971 Hall Lettings 37,763 - 37,763 4,971 2c Rent from 26DG - - CBF interest 169 - Housing Bond and Bank Interest 2 - 171 - 2d Fairtrade Stall 775 - Social Events, Courses & Other Activities 611 - Shining Stars 485 - Banns, Funeral Fees, Verger Fees 346 - Rebates and one-off 1,839 - 4,056 - Income from Church Activities Donations and legacies Income from Investments Gift Aid Recovered (Note 4) |
TOTAL FUNDS | TOTAL FUNDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 £ 156,316 3,271 36,209 993 196,789 6,984 - 6,387 61,720 271,879 4,971 37,763 42,734 - 169 2 171 775 611 485 346 1,839 4,056 |
2022 £ 162,820 1,070 36,020 493 200,403 6,173 4,183 61,496 272,254 4,235 34,089 38,324 5,000 68 31 5,099 1,422 753 719 1,522 75 4,491 |
||
| TOTAL INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS | 245,166 73,675 |
318,841 | 320,169 |
St Stephen's Ealing PCC Registered Charity No. 1133772
Parochial Church Council of St. Stephen, Castle Hill, Ealing
Accounts Page 5 of 8
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31 December 2023
| 3a Amos Trust Christian Solidarity Worldwide Church Army Ealing Soup Kitchen Ealing Christians Against Poverty LAMB Health Foundation Tearfund Ealing Churches Winter Night Shelter Lent Project - Diocese of London Bible Society Christian Aid Ealing Foodbank Support to People in Need A Rocha UFM MacMillan Cancer Support The Grove Missional Community 3b Diocesan Fund Vicar's Expenses Outside Speakers Curate's Expenses Associate Vicar's Expenses Training / Staff Training / Retreat Children Youth Discipleship Music & Copyright Licensing Outreach Outreach - Children Categories Publicity Fairtrade Stall Social Events Community Fete Costs Covid-19 Emergency Shopping Christmas Bazaar + Cost of Raising Funds Craft Fair Play Expenses Refreshments Gifts Flowers Communion & Worship Costs Diocesan Fees Worship Minister Expenses Youth Worker Expenses Ministry Assistant Expenses Families & Children's Worker Expenses EXPENDITURE ON CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES Missionary and Charitable Giving CARRIED FWD TO NEXT PAGE The Work of the Church |
Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds £ £ 2,800 - 2,800 - 2,800 383 2,800 - 2,800 - 2,800 - - 2,269 266 5,444 - 1,256 - - - 729 - 1,326 1,418 - 2,000 - 2,000 - - 171 - 7,500 22,483 19,077 98,000 - 644 - 56 - 456 - 155 - 1,222 - 458 - 322 135 3,195 - 580 - 542 - 747 - 213 - 794 - - - - 141 326 - - - - 748 - 607 - 369 - 760 - 466 - - 90 - - 136 - - 110,610 552 133,094 19,629 |
TOTAL | 2022 £ 2,800 2,800 2,800 2,800 2,800 2,800 1,704 837 1,713 - 489 2,920 147 - - 166 11,405 36,181 96,000 1,101 105 134 439 567 1,008 3,748 861 806 825 1,360 1,295 - - 330 - - 508 1,427 476 781 1,044 950 200 238 68 114,512 150,693 FUNDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 £ 2,800 2,800 3,183 2,800 2,800 2,800 2,269 5,710 1,256 - 729 1,326 1,418 2,000 2,000 171 7,500 41,561 98,000 644 56 456 155 |
|||
| 1,222 458 322 135 3,195 580 542 747 213 794 - - 467 - - 748 607 369 760 |
|||
| 466 | |||
| 90 | |||
| - 136 - 111,162 |
|||
| 152,723 |
St Stephen's Ealing PCC Registered Charity No. 1133772
Accounts Page 6 of 8
Parochial Church Council of St. Stephen, Castle Hill, Ealing
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31 December 2023
| BROUGHT FORWARD FROM LAST PAGE 3c Printing, stationery & Postage Salary Costs Recruitment Computing & Website Payroll & Accounting Software Subscriptions, Licences etc PCC/Leadership Independent Examiner Fee Centre Running Costs Water, Light and Heat Telephone, Broadband Insurance Council Tax Cleaning Maintenance Costs Maintenance Costs (Project) Cottage Maintenance Drayton Gardens Maintenance Church Management & Administration Church Management and administration for running of charitable activities |
Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds £ £ 133,094 19,629 2,646 - 34,504 25,127 2,319 3,419 - 644 - 552 - - 360 - 42,125 27,446 17,393 - 8,710 - 527 - 3,740 - 3,299 - 1,252 - 34,921 - 11,846 - - 20,520 798 - - 12,644 20,520 89,690 47,966 222,784 67,595 |
2023 2022 £ £ 152,723 150,693 2,646 1,784 59,631 47,717 2,319 - 3,419 1,975 644 640 552 1,144 - - 360 360 69,570 53,620 17,393 10,631 8,710 9,692 527 633 3,740 3,434 3,299 2,112 1,252 5,149 34,921 31,650 11,846 12,088 20,520 22,696 798 16,823 - 5,461 33,164 57,068 137,656 142,339 290,379 293,031 290,379 293,031 TOTAL FUNDS |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 £ 152,723 2,646 59,631 |
||
| 2,319 3,419 644 552 - 360 69,570 17,393 8,710 527 3,740 3,299 1,252 34,921 11,846 20,520 798 - 33,164 137,656 290,379 |
||
| TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED | 222,784 67,595 |
290,379 |
St Stephen's Ealing PCC Registered Charity No. 1133772
Parochial Church Council of St. Stephen, Castle Hill, Ealing
Accounts Page 7 of 8
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31 December 2023
4 Gift Aid Recovered
In addition to the tax reclaims disclosed in note 2a, relating to planned giving, other voluntary donations include tax reclaims in their totals:
| reclaims in their totals: | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tax reclaims on planned giving | (2a) | 2023 £ Unrestricted 36,209 |
2023 £ Restricted - |
2023 £ Total 36,209 |
2022 £ Total 36,020 |
|
| Tax reclaims on other voluntary | donations | - | - | - | - | |
| 36,209 | - | 36,209 | 36,020 | |||
| 5 | Debtors & prepaid expenses | 2023 | 2022 | |||
| Prepaid expenses - Insurance | £ 3,756 |
£ 3,434 |
||||
| Tax refunds due on gift aid donations | 11,876 | 17,711 | ||||
| Sundry debtors * | 3,908 | 4,453 | ||||
| 19,539 | 25,598 | |||||
| * Includes £3,858 which is long | outstanding and | being investigated | ||||
| 6 | Bank balances | 2023 | 2022 | |||
| Current account | £ 187,287 |
£ 166,367 |
||||
| Stewardship account | 5 | 5 | ||||
| 187,292 | 166,372 | |||||
| 7 | Creditors and accrued expenses | 2023 | 2022 | |||
| Charitable payment accruals | £ 2,286 |
£ 8,357 |
||||
| Sundry year-end expense accruals | 1,640 | - | ||||
| 3,926 | 8,357 | |||||
| 8 | Unrestricted Funds | |||||
| Designated Funds | Brought Forward £ |
Additions Income £ |
Transfers £ |
Amounts Used £ |
Carried Forward £ |
|
| Mission Fund | 4,576 | - | 19,654 | (20,800) | 3,430 | |
| Maintenance Reserve Fund | 17,714 | - | 15,000 | (1,298) | 31,415 | |
| Special Projects Fund | 27,043 | - | - | (138) | 26,905 | |
| People in Need fund | - | 2,000 | - | (1,418) | 583 | |
| 26 Drayton Gardens | 49,333 94,777 |
2,000 - |
34,654 - |
(23,654) - |
62,333 94,777 |
|
| General Fund | 84,328 | 243,166 | (35,221) | (199,130) | 93,144 | |
| Total Unrestricted Funds | 228,438 | 245,166 | (567) | (222,784) | 250,254 |
The Mission Fund represents Tithes based on planned giving designated for nominated charities (see Notes 1 and 11).
During 2023, in line with the stated aim of the PCC to allocate 10% of charitable giving to tithe, £19,654 was transferred into the Fund.
The Maintenance Reserve Fund represents funds designated for spending on long term maintenance and improvement of the church buildings.
The Special Projects Fund represents excess General Funds designated for future projects, as yet unspecified.
The People in Need fund represents a donation designated for assisting individuals in need of financial support towards specific expenses, as approved by the Vicar.
St Stephen's Ealing PCC Registered Charity No. 1133772
Accounts Page 8 of 8
Parochial Church Council of St. Stephen, Castle Hill, Ealing
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31 December 2023
9 Restricted Funds
| Mission Fund St. Luke's Fund St Luke's Project Fund (SLPR) Total Restricted Funds |
Brought Additions Transfers Amounts Carried Forward Income Used Forward £ £ £ £ £ 117 11,955 567 (11,904) £734 52,305 40,000 - (35,172) £57,133 (1,200) 21,720 - (20,520) £0 51,222 73,675 567 (67,595) £57,868 |
|---|---|
The Mission Fund represents donations for missionary and charitable giving as disclosed in Note 3a.
St. Luke's Fund reprsents a set donation from the St. Luke's Trust.
St. Luke's Project Fund represents a set donation from the St. Luke's Hall Trust for a specific Entrance Improvement project and is segregated from the main St. Luke's Fund.
10 Analysis of Net Assets By Fund
| Fixed Assets: 26 Drayton Gardens Missional Housing Bond Net Current Assets Total Net Assets |
Unrestricted Restricted Total 2023 2022 £ £ £ £ 94,777 - 94,777 94,777 5,000 - 5,000 5,000 208,345 57,868 266,213 231,105 308,122 57,868 365,990 330,882 |
|---|---|
11 Payments to Mission Partners from Tithe
Per Note 1, the PCC has a long standing policy of allocating 10% of regular giving to charity.
During 2023, charitable payments were made to the following charities from regular giving:
| Amos Trust Ealing Soup Kitchen Church Army Ealing Christians Against Poverty LAMB Health Foundation Christian Solidarity Worldwide A Rocha UFM |
2023 2022 £ £ 2,800 2,800 2,800 2,800 2,800 2,800 2,800 2,800 2,800 2,800 2,800 2,800 2,000 2,000 - 20,800 16,800 |
|---|---|
Tithe payment in 2023 includes payments of £4,000 from the 2022 surplus (£2k each to new mission partners A Rocha and UFM).
12 Related party relationships and transactions
During the year the following Trustees were also Trustees of related entities (see below for details):
Related organisation or party
Revd Steve 1 - ‘Ex-officio’ Chair of Trustees of St Luke’s Hall trust (charity number 1069790) Newbold 2 - ‘Ex-officio’ Trustee of Gurnell Grove Community Trust (charity number 1174906)
3 - Revd Caroline Newbold (wife) was a part time paid employee, as Youth Pastor (whole year) and Associate Minster (first half of the year) of St Stephens Ealing. Her salary (including pension) for the year was £10,710, and she claimed expenses of £155. She continued as paid Youth Pastor, but has reverted to her previous unpaid role as non-stipendiary minister
Jane Maffett Trustee, and Treasurer of Gurnell Grove Community Trust (charity number 1174906). (Also since 19 May 2024 Treasurer of St Stephen's.)
Transactions - During the year the following either made payments to or were in receipt of payments from or St Stephen’s Ealing PCC:
St Luke’s Hall Trust (SLHT) : St Luke’s Trustees agreed the following grant payments to St Stephen’s Ealing PCC:
•£40,000 to support the work of the church and parish
•£21.720 for the project for improving the Entrance of the Church Buildings
Both are routed through separate Restricted funds.
(The history here is that St Luke’s in the early 20th century was a church plant from St Stephen’s on the edge of the parish. After that church closed, a Trust was set up for its church hall, which was still in place, to be used mainly for community activities, then set up with the Charity Commission in the 80s. When that building was sold in 2015, the proceeds were invested by the Trust, and the trustees have been making annual donations of circa £40k to the PCC from the income.
The Trust is written for the benefit of the geographic parish, and here is an extract from their 2020 accounts:
The objects of the Trust are to use the permanent endowment assets of the Trust for the religious and other charitable purposes of the Church of England in the Ecclesiastical Parish of St. Stephen, Ealing .)
In accordance with its constitution the Trustees of SLHT are appointed by the PCC of St Stephen’s Ealing.
Gurnell Grove Community Trust (GGCT) : grant payments totalling £7.500 were made by the PCC to GGCT for the work of The Grove Community.
(The Grove Community was a church plant initially from St Paul’s Ealing with the support of St Stephen’s Ealing, then run independently under its own charity from October 2016 - St Stephens’s has been making donations from the start. The annual donation is just one of many from churches and individuals . There are 4 trustees, with the vicar ‘ex-officio’ and currently 1 other from St Stephen’s – the other trustees have no links to St Stephen’s and the PCC has no power over the appointment of Trustees.)
St Stephen's Ealing PCC Registered Charity No. 1133772
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
| Report to the trustees On accounts for the year ended Set out on pages Responsibilities and basis of report |
Char Parochial Church Council of St. Stephen, Castle Hill, Ealing ity Name |
Char Parochial Church Council of St. Stephen, Castle Hill, Ealing ity Name |
Char Parochial Church Council of St. Stephen, Castle Hill, Ealing ity Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 December 2023 | Charity no (if any) |
1133772 | |
| 1-8 (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets) |
|||
| I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 December 2023. As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. |
Independent The charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 and I am qualified to examiner's statement undertake the examination by being a qualified member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales .
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
-
the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
-
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
-
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning 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 fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and 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 understanding of the accounts to be reached.
- Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Signed: Date: 05 September 2024 Name: Valerie Steward
Oct 2018
1
IER
Relevant professional BSc BFP FCA FCCA FRSA qualification(s) or body (if any):
Address: Greenfield Farm 23 West Street Hibaldstow DN20 9NY
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of None any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
Oct 2018
2
IER