THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH
OF
LINTON-IN-CRAVEN Trustees Annual Report 2023
AIMS AND PURPOSES
The Linton PCC had the responsibility of managing the Parish the during the Interregnum (until October, when the new Incumbent Rev’d Matthew Wood was appointed) and promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole vision of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.
The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of St Michael and All Angels Linton Falls, St Peters Hebden and Church House and Church House Cottage, Grassington.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at the churches and become part of the parish community. The PCC maintain an overview of worship throughout the parish and suggest how services can be made more welcoming and relevant to all age groups in the parish, including visitors to the area and new residents. Services and worship help put faith into practice through prayer, scripture, music and sacrament. Openness to all enables the development of relationships with and service of all parts of the local community.
When planning ahead, the PCC have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and advancement of religion. We try to enable people to live out their faith as part of the parish community through worship and prayer, hearing about the gospel, developing knowledge and trust in Jesus, pastoral care for people living in the parish and missionary and outreach work, creating more opportunities for growth, encompassing all ages across the parish.
In order to facilitate this work, it is important that we insure and maintain the fabric of St Michaels, St Peters and Church House.
ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE
Worship and prayer
The PCC are keen that the parish offers a range of services during each month and over the course of a year which might appeal to as broad a range of parishioners in the community as possible, such that all may find services beneficial and spiritually fulfilling.
The usual pattern of worship includes the Sunday morning Holy Communion or ‘Morning Praise’ services at St Michael’s at 11.00 am, which enables the incumbent to take earlier services at the one of the other churches, in the Benefice (which also includes the parishes of Burnsall and Rylstone) on the same mornings. Members of the congregation always remain in church long after the service has finished to enjoy fellowship with one another.
All are welcome to attend regular services as well as the special services for the annual events of the church calendar. A variety of music plays an important role in all services.
On Wednesday mornings at 10am a Holy Communion service is held in Church House jointly with the Methodists and is a truly ecumenical mid-week gathering.
On Wednesday evenings at 6pm a service of Contemplative Prayer is held at Fountaine’s Chapel, Linton providing a space for stillness and reflection. Volunteers from Scargill, Yorkshire Camps and local retired clergy also help with the services.
The PCC works in conjunction with the PCCs of Burnsall and Rylstone, and co-ordinates with them to have an integrated pattern of services across the three parishes.
The Benefice of Linton and the Benefice of Burnsall with Rylstone in the Diocese of Leeds united to become the Benefice of Linton, Burnsall and Rylstone on the 29[th] October 2019 and the area of the benefice comprises the Parishes of Linton (which includes Hebden), Burnsall and Rylstone. The individual parishes remain sovereign and have control of their own finances, but this agreement has shown commitment to working together into the future as a united benefice with one boundary and shared ministry provision.
The Licensed Lay Minister Cath Currier and members of the laity lead non-Eucharistic and family services. During the Interregnum the Parish benefitted greatly from the services taken by Rev Rod Geddes from Earby and Rev Ian Greenhalgh from Giggleswick and other visiting clergy, who ministered to all the churches in the Benefice, maintaining and uplifting the congregations during this potentially difficult time.
On the months when there are five Sundays, the fifth Sunday is a combined Holy Communion Service at different churches in the Benefice.
The Good Friday walk from St Peter’s Rylstone to Rylstone Cross and service at the top of the hill is well attended by parishioners and local families.
Special arrangements are made when Baptisms take place during Communion Services for welcoming the families who do not usually attend church. ‘Stop and Reflect’ baptism booklets have been produced for parents who are thinking about baptism, which have been well received. Service sheets including the words of the hymns and readings are printed each week which make the services easy to follow. Joint ecumenical Services are held in Grassington Town Hall in January and in the summer.
Harvest Festival is held at St Michaels, as is a ‘Remembering Loved Ones’ service around the feast of All Saints, and the annual Service of Remembrance in November.
The Annual Meeting of Parishioners and the Annual Parochial Church Meeting were held on Sunday 21 May 2023, when 23 parishioners were present. There were 62 parishioners, on the Electoral Roll with an average weekly attendance of 38 but this number increases significantly at festivals and special services throughout the year.
In addition, we are here to help the community to thank God at important milestones in the journey of life; at Baptisms we thank God for the gift of life; in marriage services public vows are exchanged with God’s blessing and in funeral services thanks are given for the life completed, friends and family can express their grief and commend the person into God’s keeping.
3 baptism of infants, 2 weddings and 1 wedding blessing were held in the year at St Michael’s. Funerals at St Michael’s, St Peter’s and the crematorium in Skipton, included 5 with burial services (1 at St Peter’s), 7 funerals followed by cremation (2 at St Peter’s), 1 burial only, 1 funeral service only at St Peter’s and 13 interment of ashes (1 at St Peter’s) and one Memorial service followed by Interment of Ashes.
St Michael’s has been open all year and the visitors book records the benefit experienced by visitors who have access to the building for quiet contemplation and prayer, many make use of the prayer board. The pattern of daily reflections shared by email in the pandemic is still continuing, as are the Facebook posts and the Benefice facebook page and website. In these ways the reach of the church has expanded and developed, which has been greatly appreciated by the parishioners in their homes and many more people online who do not usually attend church. Posters outside Church House also inform the community of events. St Peter’s Hebden has also been open daily.
Deanery Synod
One member of the PCC usually sits on the Skipton Deanery Synod linking the parish to the wider church. The representative reports back to the PCC the contents of these meetings.
St Michaels
The Church is open to the public every day thanks to a rota of parishioners who lock and unlock daily. The buildings are generally in a sound condition. There were some damp issues in the vestry. Expenditure has been limited to routine essential maintenance. The fund raising for the Scheme for the renewal of the kitchen and toilet with disabled access is still on going, now all planning approvals are in place. Grants are being applied for, but the pandemic and resulting pressure on the building trade meant work has not been started. The electric organ has ceased to work and is beyond economic repair. A replacement is being sought. Jane Sayer, Joyce Milner and Patrick Baker have skillfully accompanied services on the piano.
St Peters
The building is generally in sound condition and necessary repairs are being carried out. Volunteers help with the upkeep of the fabric and contribute financially. The graveyard is maintained by volunteers. St Peter’s is not open for regular services, but there have been four funeral services and one interment of Ashes, village carol singing and the Joint Benefice service on Christmas Eve was held there. The church is always open and accessible for quiet reflection and prayer, and for visitors to the area. The village community support the retention of the church in the village and the responsibility for ensuring there are sufficient funds to maintain the fabric of St Peter’s has now been passed to the village residents who will fund raise. The PCC will be responsible for the new churchyard costs.
Church House
Church House Committee manages the property including the public rooms. The self-contained flat above and adjacent Church House Cottage are let to private tenants. PCC approval is given for necessary maintenance work on the property which is widely used by the general community of Grassington and surrounding area. An upper room in Church House has been converted to an office for the use of the parish administrator, Lucy Hasledine. Work has been done to increase the ventilation of the building. There has been considerable expenditure for renewing and upgrading the electrics to current standards. A small area of land at the rear has been sold and
the proceeds will be used for the development of an accessible rear entrance. The public rooms are used for the joint ecumenical service every Wednesday morning, by the Toddlers Group run by volunteers every Thursday Morning and a Children’s Praise Service at 4pm on the first Sunday in the month. Coffee mornings held every Saturday raise funds for many Charities.
P astoral Care
When parishioners are ill or infirm and in need of support home visits are arranged and Holy Communion can be celebrated when requested. Two members of the parish are Eucharistic Lay ministers and Cath Currier is a Licensed Lay Minister. Volunteers visit those who are sick and unable to leave their homes to keep them in touch with church life.
Mission and Evangelism
Helping those in need is a demonstration of our faith. Helping neighbours with kindness during times of enforced isolation and ever since has benefitted the whole community. Church House is used for fundraising events. The PCC has four Mission partners to whom regular giving is donated: these are CMS mission partners Ben and Katy Ray for their work in Tanzania at the Neema Crafts Centre; Craven Schools Partnership for actively promoting the gospel in local schools by assemblies, plays, RE days, and worship workshops; Centre Point the youth homelessness charity, giving young people a future; and the Anglican Church in Sudan as part of the wider Diocesan link.
There is a food bank collection point in St Michael’s for the growing need. Volunteers deliver the food collected to the Skipton Foodbank co-ordinated at the Skipton Baptist church.
The parish magazine is a good resource for connecting with non-churchgoers and generates goodwill, giving information as to events in the villages as well as important matters effecting the church. It is distributed monthly to parishioners and schools, B & Bs and hotels, and available at The Hub community centre in Grassington for villagers and visitors. Parishioners are encouraged to become blood donors and to support refugees locally in Craven. The decision to move to voluntary contributions has resulted in the magazine being more widely read.
Musical concerts when held in St Michael’s and organ recitals in St Peter’s attract people who would not normally enter the church, so they can enjoy the buildings and meet parishioners.
Schools ministry is going well. Clergy work closely with the local schools, leading Collective Worship for the whole school community. Grassington and Threshfield Schools have held Harvest festival services in St Michael’s and end of term services.
‘Table for two’ marriage preparation sessions have been very popular and provided a great opportunity to share fellowship across the parishes as we served the couples getting married in our churches. Volunteers from Burnsall, Rylstone and Linton parishes helped to run these, before the Interregnum.
The Church Website provides information about the parish at https://linton-burnsall-rylstone.com and there are both parish and benefice Facebook pages which promote the life of the whole church. The development of the mailchimp email accounts readily reach an increasing number people, over 400. Around 130 people open our Reflection emails every day.
Ecumenical Relationships
The parish is part of Churches Together in Upper Wharfedale cluster of churches which usually hold a joint service in January and in June.
The PCC are committed to financially supporting Project REVERB which ran the youth group for local 8 to 14 year olds after school club. Rev Tom Lusty the Vicar of Upper Wharfedale and Littondale has chaired the Reverb group during the Interregnum and the post of Youth Worker is to be advertised again to find a new person to be appointed to that important role.
We also support the Toddler Group which welcomes new families, is open in the holidays and includes older siblings, Families are welcomed at the Children’s Praise Service, Collective Worship committees in schools, and a Re-wind to Christmas event at Netherside Hall for year 5 pupils from 5 local schools.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The PCC follow the budget set by the finance committee. The income comes from planned giving, collections, donations, fees and legacies. Gift Aid claimed quarterly to assist cash flow total was £6765 in 2023, £4687.73 on standing orders and gifts in envelopes plus £2074.14 under the Gift Aid small donations scheme, plus £3.23 interest. Linton parish is part of the Diocese of Leeds. The Diocese’s newer model for calculating the parish share places a massive burden upon Linton parish. The last few years have been financially difficult and 2023 has not been much better. The Diocesan share request was £42622 and again it has not been possible for this to be paid in full. The older established members of the congregation who formed the financial backbone of the church are diminishing in number and as a result the income has reduced significantly. This has been made worse by the closure of the churches during the pandemic and subsequent reduced numbers attending services. Parishioners are encouraged to set up standing orders to assist with regularity of giving and to review their giving in line with the Diocesan assumption of 5% giving of gross income on the basis that giving should not be borne out of guilt but out of faith and thanksgiving.
The time of the new incumbent will be divided between the three Parishes of Linton, Burnsall and Rylstone in the single Benefice. The PCCs for each parish held joint meetings with the Archdeacon regarding the appointment of the new incumbent. In order to maintain the pattern of services relief clergy were required and the cost is paid by the parishes according to the number of services they each hold.
The General and Church House accounts work in conjunction, and any surplus from the Church House account is transferred into the General account. Church House Flat and Cottage produce rental income. Income and outgoings for Church House Flat and Cottage are as detailed in the Church House accounts. The No Two account receives and distributes the Restricted Funds with a final balance of £91,354 as shown in the financial statement. A significant part of Restricted Funds balance has come from the fund raising for the disabled toilet facilities and kitchen/servery in St Michael’s due to be built early in 2024.
Reserves Policy
It is the policy of the PCC to maintain Diocesan Reserves for emergency and unforeseen expenditure, currently £56034 for St Michaels and St Peters.
Volunteers
We thank all volunteers who work hard to make both the churches the welcoming communities they are for residents and visitors, in particular the Church Warden Mark Ludlam and the Sidespersons and all other members of the PCC and congregation for their valuable contribution to the ministry and for keeping the church running, particularly during the period before the new incumbent was appointed.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The members of the PCC were the new incumbent Rev’d Matthew Wood from October, the Church Warden, the Licensed Lay minister, Deanery Synod representative and members elected by the members of the congregation who are on the Electoral Roll. All who regularly attend church services are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election.
The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish including deciding how funds are spent. A standing committee of the Rector, at least one Warden, two elected members, Treasurer and Secretary can be called upon for specific issues as and when necessary. The PCC set out four clear objectives for this year, Focus on Ministry, mission and outreach; opening of church buildings; agreement of the works and plans for the back of Church House and development of the toilet and kitchen project at St Michael’s.
The full PCC met at least 6 times during the year. Joint meetings are held with the PCCs of Burnsall and Rylstone regarding issues which affect all three parishes in the Benefice. The PCC has a number of individuals dealing with particular aspects of parish life, for Pastoral, Fabric, Finance, Communications and Social all of whom report back to the full PCC for discussion.
St Peter’s has a committee of parishioners.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2006) and a charity registered with the Charity Commission.
PCC members who served during 1[st] January 2023 to 31[st] December 2023
Ex officio Rev’d Matthew Wood (Chair) – from October 2023
Churchwarden Mark Ludlam
Licensed Lay Minister Cath Currier
PCC Secretary Richard Cook
Deanery Synod Rep VACANT
Treasurer Neil McCormac
Elected Members Betty Hammonds Jane Sayer Sylvia Rowena Leder Susan Arnett
Report to 31-12-23
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ST MICHAEL’S LINTON
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF LINTON IN CRAVEN PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL
This report on the accounts of the Church Council for the year ended 31December 2023, which is set out on the attached pages, is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
Respective responsibilities of the Church Council and the examiner
As members of the Church Council you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts; you consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
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examine the accounts (under section 145 of the 2011 Act);
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to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act); and
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to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of this report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. That examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Church Council and a comparison of the accounts with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
Independent examiner’s statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
| (1) | which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the |
|---|---|
| requirements | |
| - to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Act; |
|
| and | |
| - to prepare the accounts which accord with the accounting records and |
|
| comply with the requirements of the Act have not been met; or | |
| (2) | to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper |
| understanding of the accounts to be reached. |
Signed: Simon Hart Dated: 10/06/2024 Simon Hart (FCCA)