ST MARY'S AYLESBURY Annllal Report 2024 APCM Il" May 2025 ## **Rector’s Annual Report** It has been quite a year since our last APCM! In addition to our primary purpose of living into the Kingdom of God through our worship and work, we have seen the marvels of God in the Heavens and here in Aylesbury! In May of 2024, we began an “active” solar season, bringing rainbows in the night! How very much in keeping with the God, for whom “light shining in the darkness” is shining the Good News into the world we live in every day! We have now celebrated the 1st Anniversary of our Messy Church here at St Mary’s, as well as the 50th Anniversary of John and Shirly Bush, and the 60th Anniversary of John and Gwen Corbett! We baptized and married and buried. Mother Rainah completed her Curacy and is now our Associate Priest! Three others have been “placed” at St Mary’s for a few weeks to experience our particular expression of the faith as Liturgical Anglicans. I still marvel, ten years in, at the role I have been called to serve in the Civic capacity of this Major Parish Church. I regularly rub shoulders with the Mayor, MP and Lord Lieutenant. I also have the joy of assisting the dying, the disillusioned and those who are looking to come to or come back to faith in Jesus. We had a glorious Walk of Witness through the Town on Good Friday (Thank you to Catherine Mannion, Lisa Davis and Allison Newitt!). Our PCC had an amazing Away Day with Revd. Asa Humphries who led us in our commonly discerned desire to rebuild our Pastoral Care work as a community. It was really a God-inspired day together! I am looking forward to working with the PCC and larger congregation to make this a reality! We are also working diligently to pay our way with Parish Share, and to build our budget so we can meet all the expenses and investments involved with keeping our building in fit shape, well lit, warm and even, approaching, with God’s blessing, “Net-Zero!” I have a dream of getting rid of our Gas Bill! As a congregation, I continue to thank God for the amazing variety of people we are. Sunday by Sunday, indeed day by day I am able to see the face of God in such a variety of colours, accents and backgrounds. Thanks to our Altar Servers, Needleworkers, Flower Ladies, weekday greeters, Sunday Sides persons, Fundraisers, Bell Ringers, cooks, choristers and cleaner uppers! We are well placed to reach out to nearly anyone! We have been blessed to have Rt Revd. Graham Tomlin with us for the past two Easter Vigils, and we look forward to welcoming our new Area Bishop, the Rt Revd. Dave Bull, our new Bishop of Buckinghamshire! Right up there with the bishop are our Church Wardens Sue and Donna! We have had Kim Hopping as our Bookkeeper for the past 15 years, who has now retired. Many thanks to our Personnel Team and Kate for bringing us up to speed for our next bookkeeper. Special thanks also to Karen, for all the work she does (mostly unseen!) to keep the services and admin running so smoothly! Thank you to each one of you (especially if I have forgotten to mention you so far!) for being a member of the Body of Christ with us here! God Bless you! Fr Doug+ ## **Associate Priest’s Report** My recollection and reflection on the events that occurred in 2024 makes me want to thank the Lord God Almighty as I remember a lot of things to be grateful of. The three years of Curacy from June 2021 to June 2024 were full of experiences that incorporated tight schedules and challenges peculiar to my type of Curacy. These included completion of academic work with its own deadlines, sandwiched by Ministerial work that stretches from Parish to Health Care Chaplaincy (OHFT) roles and Zimbabwe Anglican national Fellowship in UK (ZINAFE) chaplaincy role. However, I do not regret the intense programme as it all made a positive impact on my ministry formation and prepared me for my new role as an Associate Priest. The 24th of November 2025 marked a new beginning and a new chapter in my ministerial role, which saw me being licensed as an Associate Priest at St Mary’s Church, Aylesbury. Though I am five months now into the new role, I am still learning about what this role means for me. There are questions that automatically pop into my mind for example asking myself whether I still need to continue to certain things I used to do as a Curate. The truth in all this is that, I am still in the learning process and working out with Father Doug Zimmerman on how best to support the work in the Parish of St Mary’s and the wider Church which is vital especially as we look to the future, figuring out how best we can meet the spiritual needs of all in the Aylesbury community. However, so far, it is looking good, exciting and promising to be rewarding and fulfilling. Both Herbert and I, are delighted to continue to be part of St Mary’s community as I embark in my Associate Role in my Church Family. All Glory be to God who calls. Revd Mother Rainah Madzorera Associate Priest ## **Churchwardens Report** Another busy year, our first year as an autonomous PCC. We attended the Archdeacon’s visitation at The Church of the Holy Spirit Bedgrove in June and were pleased to be invited to a churchwardens retreat with High Wycombe deanery. The retreat was a peaceful, prayer morning along with the fellowship of other churchwardens. A well-deserved thankyou to Catherin Mannion for her help with the Harves Supper and Epiphany king making supper. Thanks also to Lynn Moulds for her help with PCC minute taking. Sue Newling and Donna Riley Churchwardens. ## **Fabric: 2024-25** We are blessed to be in this Major Parish Church Building, and to also have the ability to network with other Major Parish Churches to see what other successes we can learn from! Along with the blessing of having space, Stained Glass, Musical Acoustics and the sheer glory of worshipping our Big God in this big building, we also have some liabilities. Lighting, heating, windows, roofing and plumbing are the basics. Gas Heating now has Thermostatic/scheduled controls. The boiler room pipes have been cladded (insulated). We have applied to the Diocese for a £3000 NET zero Feasibility Study via the Oxford Green Team. We have selected Mr. Contact David Gadsdon with Environmental Engineering Partnership to lead this feasibility study. It is highly likely that we will need to get 3-phase electrical hookup to use solar and/or heat pump technologies. If we can get rid of gas bills, that would be amazing! Our indoor lighting needs to be updated, as the halogen bulbs are no longer being manufactured, and will be more and more expensive to obtain. This also requires the hire of a scissor lift or scaffolding to change each year as they burn out. We need a different solution to this. We have done some work with LED bulbs in the chancel, office spaces and on the tower lights. These ought to last significantly longer and are immensely more efficient! We hope to continue with LED bulbs wherever possible! We need to have an **Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)** performed. This will tell us what work is required to be done, and I expect there to be significant changes in our wiring upon completion. We should now be looking at other similarly large church buildings that have a variety of lighting schemes. This will supplement our own historic photographs and log-book entries of what has been done here in the past (candles, gas and electric lights are all in our history here! That raises the need for a **Fire Risk Assessment.** If we need complete re-wiring, it would be worth looking into placing cables under the floor and making capacity for other wires/fibres to be placed in useful places. Our CCTV has been very useful with Live streaming our services to those who cannot physically attend. It has also provided useful for security and well-being of our staff, visitors and the building. One contractor has been asked to refund the invoice as the CCTV showed that he had not actually performed the job! It has been used to verify rough sleepers and provide footage of ne’er-do-wells for the police. DBR (after 2 years) made good the damage and repainted south transept wall, east side! Roofing Repairs needed: The Steeple, especially windows to clock room are leaking. The four Clock faces are peeling and need redecorating. On the South End, the South Transept, Chapter House, South Porch and West end Nave roof over choir room all have leaks. The Lady Chapel roof draining to the Space roof is a source of interior damp, especially around the Space roof gutters. The chancel roof gutter fall (north exposure) need adjusting. This should be done by the Church Commissioners. On a positive note, we have been blessed by the Community Christmas Lunch who have equipped our kitchen with top notch equipment (oven, dishwasher and fridge and freezer units that serve also as work surfaces. We are looking at various proposals begin using the kitchen and café again. You will begin to see, very soon, work on the churchyard wall along Parsons Fee. Buckinghamshire Council are responsible for this closed churchyard, and they will be restoring the Grade 2- listed iron gates, and the pillars, including finials too! We also now have bespoke “Fire/Emergency Grab bags” with a loud-hailer, hi-vis vests, and torch. We have our first aid kits and fire extinguishers inspected regularly. We are getting there! Fr Doug + ## **Deanery Synod Report** There were 3 meetings of Deanery Synod during 2024: March (St Mary’s, Princes Risborough) / June (Church of the Holy Spirit, Bedgrove) / November (St Mary’s, Princes Risborough). At these meetings a variety of issues were presented / discussed. These included: L A presentation given by Daniel Mbegbe from Compassion UK. The purpose of his presentation was to inform synod about the work of Compassion UK, with a view to potentially arranging follow-up meetings with individual parishes to discuss how they can support the charity. L A presentation given in response to the Diocesan challenge to parishes and deaneries on the subject of developing our work with children and young people and possible ways forward (Bishop Steven wanted every deanery to have a plan of how to develop our work with children and young people by September 2024). L A presentation given about the Aylesbury Deanery Children & Youth Plan. This plan is being formulated in response to the Diocesan challenge to parishes and deaneries on the subject of developing our work with children and young people. L Updates were also provided on: Rural Affairs / the reorganisation of parish structures in North Aylesbury / Parish Share / Deanery Finance / Deanery Mission Grants / Parish Vacancies. The Deanery Lay Chair and the Deanery Treasurer both gave notice of their intentions to step down from their roles in 2025 and volunteers to replace them have been sought. 2 volunteers were also sought to be Deanery Lay Representatives at Diocesan Synod. Further meetings of the Deanery Synod were planned for 2025 in March, June and November. Jeremy Sampson, Deanery Synod Representative ## **Parish Office** As I look back over the 2024 diary, I can see the ebb and flow of church life, new arrivals and departures, joyful events and the sad ones too. While all the time the day-to-day tasks are carried out by so many volunteers in their own quiet ways, whether that be in person welcoming our visitors during the week, polishing the brass or at home practising for the choir or making chutney for the next craft fair, to name but a few! For my part, I answer the phone, reply to emails, arrange appointments for Fr Doug, produce the weekly service sheets and large print booklets, sent out the emailed notices, fill in the registers, update our diary on ‘A Church Near You’, input the data given to me by the numerous people who produce rotas for the services onto iKnowChurch, plus a few other bit and pieces! Thank you to all who assist me in getting everything together for each Sunday service and all the extra services throughout the year, plus all the information given to me regarding the various groups and fundraising events, it makes life so much easier. May God continue to bless us all on our journey of faith. Shalom. Karen Baker, Parish Administrator ## **Baptism Report** During 2024 we celebrated 18 baptisms and look forward to continuing to support them in their journey with Jesus. We hope to welcome many more new children, adults and their families into the family of God as they come forward for baptism. Karen Baker, Parish Administrator ## **Weekday Welcomers** I think we would all like to say a big thank you to our small, but dedicated, team of weekday welcomers. They ensure that the church doors remain open Monday to Friday between 9.30am and 12pm. This allows people a place for private prayer and sanctuary with a friendly welcome and information for visitors from farther afield. If you feel able to give one morning a week to help, please contact me in the parish office t: 01296 437641 e: enquiries.stmarysaylesbury@gmail.com Karen Baker, Parish Administrator ## - **Sides people Report** Since being elected as Senior Sides-person at the AGM in 2021I have had the pleasure of getting to know the sides-people who have been doing this at St Mary’s for a number of years and learn from their previous experience. I have also recruited some new to the role. After many years of being part of the team, Christine Jennings has decided to step back. Thanks Christine for all you have done in this regard. James Gray has also stepped away as he is invariably to be found up in the Choir loft filming the service. Another “thank you” is well deserved. Alison Newitt and more recently Maame Esi have joined us but it would be good if we could further expand the team. If you would like to join us, please talk to me and I will let you know what our duties are. Thank you to all the team, from me and the congregation of St Mary’s. I think we all agree that is a privilege to welcome people to the Services and particularly to help put new-comers at their ease in a building often new to them and to our ”St Mary’s ways”. May I ask that the following be elected as Sides-people: Maame Esi Baffoe ,Terry Bloxham, Heather Cotman, Helen Mitman, Alison Newitt, Sue Newling, Margaret Nyambo, Jenny Parkinson, Wendy Prestage, Janet Sampson, Jeremy Sampson and Brigid Sargent. Wendy Prestage Senior Sides-person ## **Junior Worship Annual Report** It has been a good year for St. Mary’s Junior Worship. There have been many new attendees to replace a few who have moved on to the choir or serving. On average there about 6-8 children weekly. Ages have ranged from 2-14 years. Sermon Skippers has recently re-started to cater for the older children. The group name was changed from Sunday School to Junior Worship as attending is a choice and it is our young people worshipping. Activities have encompassed crafts, outdoor games, drama reenactments, prayer and reflection on the Bible as it relates to children’s everyday life. The children recount their learning during the session to the congregation. This has empowered the children and given them confidence. It has also helped to bring all ages together. The Nativity in December 2024 was a success and very popular. Children were able to join in without rehearsals as the play was narrated with carols in between. Participants received a certificate at the end, signed by Father Doug. Kenton supplied the music and Junior Worship leaders (Jeremy, Janet and Nicolette) synchronised the running of the Nativity, the characters, props/scenery and costumes. Junior Worship now runs every week except for the first Sunday of the month which is reserved for Family Worship. There are now 4-5 leaders who lead Junior Worship on specific Sundays. As well as bringing more variety in skillsets, it has afforded more flexibility in the case of illness/necessary absence. They all have up-to-date Safeguarding certificates. ## Nicolette Rushmere ## **Fundraising Report** This year the Fund-Raising Team have enjoyed running a programme of fund raising and social events that were new as well as the old favourites. Most have been well received which has enabled us to exceed the budget expectation. Social events have included a D-Day afternoon tea and Quiz night. Raffles, Smarties @ Lent, Craft Fair and Advent draw are among the other activities that have been carried out. We would welcome anyone that would like to join the team or be a supporter for us to call on. If you have any ideas, connections or can volunteer please speak to one of the team. Last of all we have been successful because of the continued support from St Mary’s congregation and we thank you. ## Jo Hodgson ## **Julian meetings Report** The Julian Meetings group numbers have remained about the same as when we began to meet in The Lady Chapel ten years ago, although some of our members have moved away or died. Two new members joined us this year from Princes Risborough and Berkhamsted and in March we celebrated our tenth anniversary with tea, sandwiches and cakes after our time of silence and enjoyed our friendship together. Although it is not easy for some people to be still and quiet for half an hour, for others there does seem to be a desire to have a time of contemplation in our evermore noisy world. It is so peaceful in the chapel and we leave feeling refreshed. Long may we continue to meet! ## Heather Cotman ## **Bellringers Report** 1st Jan 2024. Visiting band Hatfield 15th March 2024. Visiting band. East Anglia. 24th March 2024. Visiting band. Marlow. 27th April 2024. Tower outing. Pershore area. 2nd June 2024. Quarter Peal. Waddesdon. 22nd June 2024. Wedding. Waddesdon. 10th August 2024. Wedding. Aylesbury. 7th September 2024. Heritage Day. 40+ visitors. 16th September 2024. 5th wheel removed by Whites of Appleton for repair. 21st September 2024. Branch Outing. Oxford area. 9th October. 5th Wheel reinstalled. 12th October 2024. Orchard Cup. 7 teams entered. Aylesbury won. 4th December. Click service. 10th December 2024. Tower Christmas Dinner. Grant Edney Bell Tower Captain ## **St. Mary’s Altar Servers** You may remember that in my last year’s report, I was rejoicing that we had gained a record number of eleven new Servers during the year: well, during THIS year, we have welcomed three 7 more: Joe O’Neill, Alex Williams and Ayden >, Kunaka [which has further helped reduce our age LA profile quite significantly], and it also means that during the rota period July - September 2024 we had a record 26 names on that particular rota – the highest number on any one Rota, than at any other time, in all the 50+ years I’ve been preparing the Rota! The only downside this presents, is that because we have more people, the frequency of times each person is called upon to serve is reduced, which makes it more difficult for new recruits to memorise the routines, than if they served more often! We have been pleased to welcome back Lesley Divers to Administering the Sacrament, and Donna Riley to Serving and Administering the Sacrament. We are sorry to have lost Katy Roberts, Shankar and Kim Walter. We thank them for their service and hope that we may see them able to return at some point in the future. We have been very pleased to receive as a generous gift, five new cassock albs, donated with some of our younger servers in mind. This will help no-end in ensuring they have something to wear, and also, allow for there to be more available for them to grow into! Also, our grateful thanks to Charles Boot for crafting a new light-weight wooden processional cross, which has given wider scope for a greater number of people to lead our processions. In recent times, our number of people with experience in the role of thurifer, has dwindled, so I am preparing to arrange a training session. We are not planning to use incense during our worship more frequently than in the past – just ensuring that our usual times are able to be maintained. Our rotas during the year have included: John Bush*, Shirley Bush*, Norah and Tadiwanashe Chawarika, Alex Chichera, Humphrey and Lucia Chitsike, Lesley Divers*, Tony Divers*, Neil Esslemont*, Joy, Nyasha and Taffy Gombera, Ayden Kunaka, Herbert Madzorera*, Nathan Mathee, Beauty Mlizani*, Sophia Murove, Joe O’Neill*, Chris Parkinson*, Donna Riley*, Katy Roberts, Bev Russell*, Pam Russell*, Shankar*, Mike Sharp*, Kim Walter* and Alex Williams [*denotes those with permission to administer the sacraments]. Serving brings new friendships, new skills and insights into the Christian faith, as well as the ability to trust others and work as a team to the glory of God. People join us for different reasons and at different times of their faith journey. I hope this service will bless and encourage them on their way. I am extremely grateful to my wife Shirley for assisting me in the training of our new servers, and to all our servers and administerers of the sacrament, for the time, dedication and devotion, they give. John Bush April 2025 ## **The Community Christmas Lunch held at St Marys, Aylesbury December 25[th] 2024** On the 25[th] December 60 dedicated volunteers met at St Marys Church to put on a special Christmas event. That event is the annual Community Christmas lunch. In reality the event planning and volunteer recruitment actually starts in September and goes on up to Christmas day. Christmas eve is a very busy day as this is when guests presents are wrapped, areas in the church are set up ready for the event, vegetables are prepared and turkeys are pre-cooked. In fact 60 kg of brussels and carrots were peeled and cut up and 26kg of high quality turkey was cooked. On Christmas day the chefs arrived at 8.00 to start the meal and at 11.00 the volunteers converted the Church into a Christmas venue with seating for 140 people. Guest also started coming in at 11.30 and headed for the welcoming tea and coffee area. Entertainment was provided by a local ukulele band and a ladies choir singing festive carols. The guest took their place at the festive tables and the meal was served at 13.00. Soup and roll, full Christmas turkey dinner or veggie / vegan and gluten free alternatives followed by traditional Christmas pudding with custard, mince pies or fresh fruit salad. After setting 140 places we actually served 148 meals by far the largest event we had ever put on – a sign of the difficult times maybe. Seconds were offered to guests along with meals in take away boxes for people to enjoy over the holidays so nothing was wasted. After the lunch Father Christmas arrived and gave all the guests a small gift and then a free raffle was ran. At the end of the event we invited all guests to take a carrier bag and help themselves to donated goods that were arranged in a ‘shop’ The guests come from all walks of life and some come for the company, some because they can’t cook for themselves, others for the warmth of the church and some due to their financial circumstances. Being an open door event we have no idea until the day who will arrive but we did (with the help of a local transport company TWK) transport 15 guests that physically could not make it to the church. The who event is free of charge for all guests thanks mainly to the generosity of some local businesses (in particular Waitrose and Helping Hands Community Fund) and individual donations along with fund raising events. Finally we must pay tribute to our team of willing volunteers that give up their Christmas day to help others that are less fortunate than themselves in the community. These volunteers include meet and greeters, chef and cooks, hairdressers, servers, waiters and waitresses, clear up team, washing up team and many more. Without these amazing volunteers the event could not go ahead. ## Paul Walter ## **St Mary's Bloomers** 2024 was again a busy year for the Bloomers with the usual weekly arrangements, as well as wedding and celebrational flowers. As usual at Easter we offered people the opportunity to buy a lily in remembrance of a loved one. This helped to provide the Easter displays which seem to be appreciated by everyone. The harvest festival displays In October were as usual enhanced by all those who supplied vegetables and props for the displays. Some of the contributions went towards making jars of chutney which were sold at the Christmas Fair, all the proceeds from which went towards St Mary’s. In November the Church was once again decorated for Remembrance Day with various handmade poppies courtesy of the Needlecraft Group. The Bloomers were asked to help run a fund-raising event in December, in aid of the Christmas Lunch, by holding a Christmas wreath making class in St Mary’s. Over 20 people attended, and we have been asked to repeat this event in 2025 plus the addition of a Spring wreath making class. A number of Christmas wreaths were also made, on request, for Members of the Congregation which together with the sponsor a rose opportunity, helped to pay for the Christmas flowers. The Bloomers had a couple of ‘days out’ to visit garden centres and flower wholesalers, enjoying lunch on the way while making plans for future events. I would like to thank my fellow Bloomers – Donna, Margaret, Andrea, and Kim for their unstinting dedication in giving their skills, time and money to make sure there are always flowers in the Church. Our thanks also to the members of our own congregation for all those generous donations towards the Easter Lilies, Harvest and Christmas arrangements - it is only with your support that we can make sure that there are always flowers in Church to be enjoyed by the congregation and visitors alike. Bev Russell ## **Aylesbury Lunchtime Music** With the sad death of Janet Frost in March 2024, the Friends of St Mary’s also lost a valuable trustee and champion of the concerts and the Friends. The two remaining trustees were unable to continue in the role. To preserve the lunchtime concerts, a meeting was held with the trustees, concert volunteers and representatives of St Mary’s to agree a way forward. It was decided that the remaining trustees would wind up the Friends of St Mary’s charity. The concerts were to continue as a not-for-profit community organisation with a small committee. The funds in the Friends of St Mary’s accounts and investments to be placed in a restricted fund managed by the Church for the restoration of the reredos after money related to the concerts was moved to a new account. Aylesbury Lunchtime Music (ALM) was launched in September 2024 with a new committee and bank account. Ian Stewardson agreed to take on the role of treasurer, Lynda Stewardson, secretary, Trevor Dawe Chair, Jane Turner, programme planner supported by Caroline Turner, who manages the website and publicity. Trevor organises a rota for concert days. We meet the musicians at the station and offer them refreshment after the concert. Alan Frost provides a home-made cake. Dave Piggford volunteers to help on concert days. Linda Florentin helps with distribution of publicity flyers. 45 concerts were arranged during the year. There is a break in August and December. ALM continues to promote young and up coming musicians and has regular contributions from Royal Academy of Music students as well as local talent. Musicians often return to play and the standard of music is magnificent. Over 70 musicians have played this year. Now in the 44th year, the Thursday lunchtime concerts of live classical chamber music continue to attract a regular audience of 60 – 70 people. We are delighted to welcome several disabled people and their carers to the audience. Over 2000 people have attended concerts this year. The popularity of the concerts has meant that the admission fee remains at £7 and still enables donation to the church and a moderate performance fee for the musicians. Jane Turner ## **Choir Report** The past year has been a busy one for the choir, with many highlights and developments. As always, we have supported the regular mayoral services and annual events such as Remembrance Sunday. In addition, we were honoured to take part in a special civic service this year. It’s heartening that we continue to play an active role in the Aylesbury community. Over the year, we have welcomed a few new members. However, despite receiving more applications than in previous years, we have struggled to retain newcomers, and our numbers have slightly declined. We currently have 13 regular attendees. Nevertheless, we are optimistic about the choir’s future, with some exciting new initiatives already underway. You may have noticed that we’ve been fortunate to welcome visiting choirs to join us on certain Sundays. This is part of a new outreach initiative aimed at boosting membership and inspiring greater involvement in the choir. While recruitment has been challenging in the past— particularly in connection with our affiliated school—we are seeing encouraging signs of progress. In particular, Bedgrove School Choir, under the direction of longtime friend of the choir Kate Warner, joined us for a “Be a Chorister for a Morning” event, which was a great success. We have now also established links with another local school and hope they will participate in future services. Much of this progress is thanks to Tamara Zimmerman, whom we hope to appoint as a Youth Choir Coordinator. We are deeply grateful for her enthusiasm and the valuable support she has already provided. Another area of growth has been our Evensong services, which have seen increased attendance—especially during festival days. A special highlight was the Evensong for Mthr Rainah’s licensing service in November, which was warmly received. Now that the choir is becoming more familiar and confident with the format, we hope to develop these services further. We are exploring opportunities to collaborate with, or even host, other choirs for these occasions. Building on her excellent work last year, we formally created the role of Choir Librarian to accelerate the cataloguing and digitisation of our music library. This role was taken up by longstanding chorister Libby Hough, who has done a tremendous job. We look forward to seeing the project completed by the end of the year. In addition, we’ve benefited from the help of her Dad, Jonathan Hough, who has been updating our database systems behind the scenes. Both have been invaluable—not only as singers, but as key contributors to the wider life of the church. Libby, especially, will be greatly missed when she heads off to university in Birmingham this autumn. Finally, following approval from the PCC, we have begun preliminary investigations into the Hill, Norman & Beard organ located at the back of the church. A visual inspection of the instrument—both inside and out—has been completed, and we have contacted several experts to gather further information and discuss a potential way forward. Our aim is to assess whether this historic organ can be restored and brought back into regular use, potentially becoming the only fully functioning pipe organ in a church in Aylesbury. We hope this will lead to new connections with local organists and music groups who may wish to play the instrument or feature it in concerts. In the longer term, we are exploring the possibility of securing funding to restore and improve the organ(s) to full working order. We feel incredibly fortunate this year to have so many new opportunities for the choir and for the wider musical life of St Mary’s. As always, thank you to everyone who continues to support the choir in its ministry. This includes, but is by no means limited to: Fr Doug, Karen, Sue, Catherine, Charles, Mike, Kim, and Wendy. Your encouragement, time, and contributions make a real difference and enable the choir to do what it does best. Please know how deeply appreciated your support is by all of us. Kenton Brigden Director of Music ## **Space (Aylesbury) - Trustees Annual Report** ## Charity number: 1177979 ## **Trustees** Hafeezah Ameen Kate Lawton Malcolm Abbott Mark Bateman (Chair) Christine Frost Robert Taylor ## **Structure & Governance** In response to our growth and to make our structure more robust, Space, became registered with the Charity Commission on 17 April 2018, registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Our Trustees are listed above. Our constitution is in line with Charity Commission guidelines. We were sorry to say goodbye to Kate Lawton (Project Manager) and would like to thank her for all her hard work over the years. ## **Objectives and Activities** Our objectives are: To promote and protect good physical and mental health of people in Buckinghamshire who are experiencing relationship breakdowns, loneliness, bereavement, homelessness, unemployment, ill health, isolation or other mental or emotional stress but not exclusively by: - Providing weekly drop-in groups offering a listening service - Providing a safe place and opportunity to meet with others going through difficulties - Providing an affordable one to one counselling service - Providing signposting to other relevant organisations for specialist support. We mainly achieved these objectives through this weekly schedule of activities: - Monday – short walks, starting 11am - Monday – Art Group, at St. Mary’s 1.30 to 3pm - Tuesdays – drop-in & food distribution at St. Mary’s, 10.30 to 12 noon - Wednesday – Mindfulness Colouring at Queens Park Arts Centre, 2 to 3.30pm - Thursday – Southcourt drop-in, 10.30am to 12 noon - Fridays – drop-in & food distribution at St. Mary’s, 10.30am to 12 noon - Saturdays – quarterly self-help webinars - Sundays – drop-in at St. Mary’s at 1.30pm - 22 hours of affordable one to one counselling – in-person & virtually - Staffing an office for 30 hours a week to manage & administer the above During 2023/24 we have also provided the following: - Weekly mindfulness sessions - Taster sessions with Bucks Adult Learning – crafts, budgeting, cooking on a budget - An occasional barber - Information and awareness sessions All our services and activities are planned to be for public benefit. ## **Additional details of objectives and activities** We continue to be grateful to all those who help to fund our activities with grants, including the following: - Buckinghamshire Council - Thomas Hickman’s Charity - Aylesbury Town Council - Rothschild Foundation - Heart of Bucks - Fairhive - Lotto Community Fund - Garfield Weston - Kop Hill Challenge - Localgiving (Magic Little Grants, Peoples’ Postcode Lottery) We are also grateful to all those kind individuals that donate generously, regularly & on an ad hoc basis towards the ongoing cost of our services. We are thankful to St. Mary’s Church, Queens Park Arts Centre, Church of the Good Shepherd & Holy Trinity Church & their staff for the continued use of their spaces at preferential or no cost. Thank you for allowing our groups & sometimes chaos into your buildings. We have worked hard to increase our internal income by contributions from service users at drop-ins and counselling and with our own internal fundraising, overseen by the Management Committee. This year, bake sales, Rock Choir fundraisers, a craft stall and sale of Space art group calendars. We have continued to engage with online income generation platforms such as Localgiving, Give as You Live & Amazon Smile. During the last year our project has had 2 part-time employees, 5 sessional workers and over 40 volunteers. It is the volunteers that make our project tick, staffing groups, counselling, helping in the office, accountancy, bookkeeping, fundraising, making endless hot drinks, giving a warm welcome and much more. Huge thanks to them all. Between them these volunteers give 300 hours of their free time per month to the project. This is a powerful resource. ## **Main achievements and significant events during the last 12 months** - During 2024/2025 we had 3199 interactions with 346 beneficiaries with 55 unique clients • Our monitoring for the first 9 months of 2024/25 indicates we experienced a similar level of interactions to the previous year and have identified different client groups approaching us, for example, those who may be seeking asylum or who are experiencing financial hardship. • We are pleased to see a continued increase in the number of different faces we are supporting & also the rise in new serviceusers. - We have continued to consolidate our regular programme of services. • We continue to develop inter-agency working with partners from the Oasis Partnership, Buckinghamshire Council Adult Education and the Wildlife Trust. • The redistribution of surplus food at our Tuesdays & Friday drop-ins remains a popular addition to our schedule & we are looking at ways to develop this. - Our greatest challenge is to effectively address our increased footfall & demand with a limited increase in resources. • The cost-of-living crisis has affected our service-users disproportionately. • Receiving confirmation of the King’s Award for Voluntary Service was a huge honour and a reflection of all the hard work and dedication shown by all those who have given so much of their time to Space over the years. ## **Financial review** We are fortunate to have received grant funding, a legacy & fundraising income during the year. We are encouraged by our success at recent internal fundraising activities. However, we currently have financial resources to keep our project running for seven months at current levels of activity. The current economic situation makes us cautious about future funding and we are constantly looking for future funding opportunities. ## **Conclusion** There is a clear demand for our services and feedback shows we are making a difference to client’s overall mental wellbeing. We have responded well overall to the cost-of-living crisis. We need to keep on keeping on & work to secure more resources to continue to provide support and care for those in our community who are finding life difficult. Claire Paine Project Manager Space (Aylesbury) ## **Readers and Intercessors** Our worship is enhanced by the number and variety of readers and intercessors, who regularly take part in our Sunday service. Readers also take part in services at Christmas time and Easter time. The service of nine lessons and carols at Christmas time and at easter time there is the Easter Vigil and the dramatic reading of the passion narrative. We also welcome new readers and intercessors and there is help available if you are nervous about putting intercessions together help is available. A huge thankyou to all who have taken part in this ministry over the past year . ## Sue Newling ## **Messy Church** Messy Church has been running for a year now. We had our first birthday party in April 2025. We are slowly building up the numbers of children and families attending. Some families are returning regularly. We have a good structure to the sessions, starting with prayer and lighting a candle. A video clip of a bible story is shown, followed by working together to create something to illustrate the story that we have heard. We then have tea and fellowship together around the table, ending with the Lord’s prayer, the grace and blowing out our candle. On average we have 2-3 families, some include grandparents and other relatives. There are usually 5-7 volunteers from St Marys. Messy Church is usually the last Saturday of the month. Sometimes this is changed to the 3[rd] Saturday if there is an event on the last Saturday. I would like to thank all the volunteers that make Messy Church work. Your ministry is much appreciated. Thank you all for a very good year. If you would like to be a part of Messy Church ministry, please contact me. ## Catherine Mannion ## **Good News Breakfast** Good news breakfast continues on the last Saturday of the month, 9.30 – 11.30am. A wide selection of food is given to cater for most people’s idea of ‘breakfast or brunch’. It runs on a ‘bring and share’ or donation basis. It continues to meet the needs of different groups of people, those who just ‘drop in’, some from the congregation and some from Space. We have helpers from the congregation and Space who turn up to set up, serve and clear away. Thank you to all who make this important, much needed ministry work. ## Catherine Mannion ## **‘New Horizons’ Bereavement Cafe** New Horizons is a small group open to anyone who has been bereaved recently or a while ago. We meet on the last Wednesday of the month between 10 and 12noon, for coffee, tea, cake and cookies, to chat or listen in a quiet space. It is an easy-going informal atmosphere of likeminded people. At the moment we have just been chatting but there is scope to play games, have quizzes, crosswords or to share poems photos etc if the participants would like to do this. There are usually 6 or 7 of us meeting regularly at the moment. Come and join us! ## Catherine Mannion ## **Pioneer Youth Ministry Report** ## **Homegroups** The 5:00-6:30 and the 6:30-8:30 Thursday Discipleship Homegroups at The Rectory continue to do well. We are adding young people to each group, and the first one is at capacity, and the second one has room for one or two more (by invitation). We have 10-12 young people at the first one, Years 7-9, and are working our way through the brand new Alpha Youth teaching series. We have begun to start with worship, and always make sure to leave plenty of time for group building games, and small group prayers. The later group has 6-10 young people from Years 8-12 and continues to be a safe and successful time. We are currently looking at a chapter of Acts every week and enjoy games and small group prayer. Amelia Godden, Oaks Youth Minister, is our second DBS checked adult, with Katie Fallows, St Peter’s parent and volunteer, as our substitute as and when needed. ## **Second Sunday Sermon Skippers** I have offered to start leading a youth Sermon Skippers session on Second Sundays in the Lady Chapel, for years 7-13, with year 6 leavers being invited to join from half way through the school year. This was going to start in March, but due to illness in our family, this has been postponed until this month. Naomi Rushmere will join this session on alternate months, enabling her to continue to help Nicolette for half of these months. ## **Pop-Up Cafés** These are continuing to be a successful monthly second Sunday cross-parish offering where young people from Aylesbury are gathering to enjoy group games, worship, food, a 5 minute Pinpoint teaching and prayer. We have 60 children registered, with 30 present at the March one at The Church on Fairford Leys. A reliable and very supportive cross-parish volunteer team has grown around this event, which makes it even more safe for the young people to attend. Out of this event a Youth Band has been formed, who now lead the worship segment before the Pinpoint talk. This talk is either given by a youth minister/ minister from the host church or by me. ## This year, 2025, so far Pop-Up Cafes are hosted by: January StPA February St. Mary’s March The Church on Fairford Leys April StPA May Oaks Coffee Shop June Holy Trinity July St. Mary’s ## **Amplify Adventure July 11-13[th] 2025** We have a group of 30 young people from this cross-parish youth community registered to go to this Diocesan Youth Festival in Clanfield, and I have had to close bookings for Aylesbury, to hold space for other churches to participate. This is a weekend filled with fun, mainly outdoor activities, including zorbing, plus three main talks about Christianity and worship sessions. ## **Aylesbury Youth Choir Network** Working with Kate Warner at Bedgrove Elementary School and Kenton, we are continuing to build an emerging Aylesbury Youth Choir Network, which will bring youth choirs to St. Mary’s periodically, and offer a range of social events for these children to engage with. We have two more primary schools who are interested in engaging with this new network and will be meeting with their head teachers in the coming weeks. From this community, we hope to in time, over the next three years, reintroduce the Voice for Life program and add this youth presence element back to our main choir. These children will be invited to join in with the Pop-Up Cafes and signposted to youth opportunities. We had our first Youth Choir Network event in December with 16 children attending, and another one on March 16. After the Gospel and until The Lord’s Prayer, these visiting young people go to the Lady Chapel for a Sermon Skippers session, at which their safeguarding chaperone joins with us for this. We have had very good feedback from the young people who attended. We are in the planning stages for a July Youth Choir visit and are hoping to include them in the November 11th service in Market Square. Building upon this foundation, we are now able to let other schools know about this already existing opportunity, and hopefully they will be interested in joining the network, and it will build over time. Tamara Zimmerman Pioneer Youth Minister ST MARY THE VIRGIN AYLESBURY Financial Statements Of St Mary's District Church Council (now known as St Mary's Parochial Church Council) Year ending 31112124 Contents Statement of Financial Activities Balance Sheet- Church of England Fund Movement Summary Analysis of Income & Expenditure Page J St Mary's DCC Financial Statements for the year ending 31 St December 2024 Basis of preparation The financial statements have been prepared in accordance wrth the Church Accounting Regulations 2006, the Charities Act 1993, accounting standards and the Statement of Recommended Practice "Accounting and Reporting by Charities. (revised 2005 & 2008), using Financial Coordinator Sofvare designed specifically for this purpose. Accounting Policies Funds Unrestricted funds are general funds available for the general objectives of the church. Designated funds are unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the DCCIPCC for a particular purpose. Restricted funds can only be used for the purpose for which they have been given, within the objectives of the PCC. Endowment funds are restricted funds, which are held permanently, and the capital maintained while the income is restricted. Incoming Resources All incoming resources are included in the SOFA when the church becomes legally entitled to the income. Collections are recognized when received by, or on behalf of the PCC. Planned giving is recognised only when received. Income Tax recoverable on gift aid donations is accounted for when the tax refund is claimed. Resources Expended Expenditure is included on an accruals basis and is recognized when there is a legal or constructive obligation to pay for goods or seNices. All expenditure is shown inclusive of VAT. Endowment and Income Funds held at CCLA are held in the name of'Aylesbury St Mary Rector and Churchwardens, and include the following funds listed in these Accounts Income Funds - Dixey Bequest, Woodward Bequest, PCC1, Millennium Appeal Endowment Funds - Bequests, Dixey Investment, Grinnell Bequest, Roscoe, Tuffney Bequest Page 2 Statement of Financial Activities Unrestricted funds Restr5cted Endowment funds fynds Total funds Prior ytar total fuDds Incomlng resources Incoming resources from generated funds Voluntary income Activities for generating funds Inv8slmenl income Incoming resources from chanlable activities Other incoming resources Total Income 66,356.70 34,565.89 2,270.70 2,250.81 31,251.01 136,695.11 66,356.70 35,606.99 23,935.26 2,250.81 31.251.01 159,400.77 62,377.23 29,011.95 23,215.75 3.577.96 59,362.27 177,545.16 1,041.10 21,664.56 22,705.66 Resources used Cost of generating funds Fundraising trading cost of goods sold and other cosls Inveslmenl management costs Charitable aclivlties Gov¢rnanc6 costs Other resources used Total expenditurg 4,482.37 5,616.98 4,482.37 5,616.98 3,774.25 8,425.49 466.03 117,361.59 514.50 15.257.49 143.698.96 466.03 128.604.02 514.50 15631.67 155,315.57 381.77 157.707.50 489.50 18 326.95 189,105.46 11.242.43 374.18 11,616.61 Gains I losses on inveslmenl assets Nat income I laxpèndlturel resoureès bèforè transfer 18 802.05 18,802.05 18 802.05 22,887.25 70 626.45 59,066.15 17.003.851 11.089.05 Tran$f8rs Gross Iransfers between funds - In Gross transfers between funds - out Othèr r•cognls•d galn$ I los$•s Gains on revalualion, fixed assets, charity's own use Net mov•mgnt In fund8 10,600.00 12,550.00) 450.00 18,500.001 11,050.00 38,050.53 (11,050.001 138,050.53} 1,046.15 3.039.05 18.802.05 22.887.25 59,066.15 Total funds brought forward 15.054.88 46,555.93 821,718.57 883,329.38 824,263.23 Total funds Carrled fonvard 16,101.03 49,594.98 840,520.62 906,216.63 883,329.38 Roprosented by Unro$tri¢led General fund WoodwardBeque$l-CB3040833-001-Income- C83031062-001 8.583.58 1,325.15 8,583.58 1,325.15 7,889.87 1,725.60 Doslgnated Memorial Garden Messy Church Mission Partner Support Fund Small Gifts Skiplon Account Video Equiplmenl 1,914.99 1,095.41 1,470.43 1,711.47 1,914.99 1,095.41 1,470.43 1,711.47 1,914.99 1,362.95 2.161.47 Restricted Dixey Beques1-CB3040834￿o1-IncDMe- CB3012053-001 Flower Pedestals Skiplon Account Milennium - CB3D31061-001 PCC1 - CB3031060-001- Income-CB3011579-001 Relief of Ihe Poor Skiplon A¢¢ounl Resloralion Project Tuffney Skiplon Admin by Rector & ChurchwaTdens 7,427.80 7,427.80 5,134.93 143.83 0.99 468.80 266.18 19.547.90 21,739.48 143.83 0.99 468.80 266.18 19.547.90 21.739.48 143.83 0.98 767.65 266.18 18,772.48 21,469.88 Page 3 Endowment Beouesls - 627154002S Receiving accounl 777400001 D Dixey Invest- 127002682S Receiving alc 7774000020 Grinnell Bequest- 127001269S Re¢ 81c 627154001D Roscoe -273740001T Receiving Account 0100448640PCC Tuffney Bequest - 127002761F Rec alc Sklpton 60.865.19 60,865.19 59,503.25 358.310.75 358.310.75 350,293.09 22,151.55 22,151.55 21,655.88 19,887.43 19,887.43 19,448.10 379,305.70 379,305.70 370,818.25 Page 4 Balance sheet Total funds Prior eAr fvud5 Flx•d ass•ts Inveslments 840.520.62 840,520.6Z 821.718.57 821,718.57 Current assets Cash ai bank and in hand 65 696.01 65,696.01 61610.81 61,610.81 N•1 ¢urr•nl &•$•ts l•is Gurr•nt Habllltl•• 65.696.01 61,610.81 Toto14$$•ts l•$s curr•nt liabiliti•8 906,216.63 883,329.38 Total net assets le$$ Ilablllll•s 906.218.63 883.329.38 R•pr••ont•d by Unrestrlcted General fund WoodwardBequesl-CB3040833-001.Income.C83031062-001 Johnson Skipton Admin by Rector & Churchwarden 8,583.58 1.325.15 7.889.87 1,725.60 D••lgn•t•d Srnall Gffts Sklplon Account Memorial Garden Messy Church Mission Partnef Support Fund VitJo0 Equipment 1,711.47 1.914.99 1.095.41 1.470.43 2.161.47 1,914.99 1.362.95 R•8trlct•d Restoration Pfole¢l Dlxey Bequesl-C83040834-001-Income-CB3012053-001 PCC1 CB3031060-001- Incorne-CB3011579.001 Millennium- CB3031061-001 Tuffney Skiplon Admin by Roclor & Churchwor¢J¢n$ Rèlièl ol the Poor Skipton Account Flower Pg¢Jgslab Skiplon Account 19,547.90 7,427.80 468.80 0.99 21,739.48 266.18 143.83 18.772.48 5.134.93 767.65 0.98 21,469.68 266.18 143.83 Endowm•nt Grinnell Beque81- 127001269S Rec alc 627154001D Tuffn¥y Bequest - 127002761 F Rec alc Skiplon Dlxey Invest- 127002682S R￿[vIng alc 777400002D Bequests- 627154002S ReceiviTrJ 8G¢ounl 777400001 D Ro8co8-273740001T Rocgiving Account 0100448640PCC 22.151.55 379,305.70 358,310.75 60,865.19 19,887.43 21.655.6B 370.818.25 350,293.09 59.503.25 19,448.10 Funds of th• church 906 216.63 B83 329.38 Page 5 Statement of assets and liabilities General Desl Daled Restrlcted Endowment Tbls ear Last eAr Flx•d assets - InvèBtmtnt¥ CCLA EndowTnent Inveslrnent$- 840 520.62 840,520.62 840 520.62 840.520.62 821718.57 B21.718.57 Totsls Current •S8•ts - Ca8h at bank and In hand Bank CCLA - Skipton Building Sodely Bank PCC- Bank Holding Bank Covenant - Bank Pelty CBsh- 1,325.15 7.896.92 33.553.96 3,392.99 4,751.11 9,222.07 39,175.67 12,081.21 S,215.93 1.00 0.13 65,696.01 7,628.49 36.840.68 15,918.85 1,221.66 1.00 0.13 61,610.81 5,621.71 1393.821 964.41 9.082.04 1499.591 1.00 0.13 9,908.73 Totsl• 6,192.30 49.594.98 Gr•nd total 9 908.73 6 192.30 49 594.98 840 520.62 906 216.63 883 329.38 Page 6 Fund movement by type eDin Incomin Out oin Tr*n$fers Gainsllo$$e$ Closi Glftskp . Small Glfts Sklplon D8sign8t8d 2,161.47 2,161.47 450.00 1450.001 1711.47 1.711.47 Sub40ts1 for Glltskp M•morSklp - Mfrmorlal G•rd•n Désignated 1,914.99 1,914.99 1,914.99 1,914.99 Sub4otal for M•morSklp Me$sy- Mèssy Church Designated 1267.00 1.267.00 171.59 171.59 1095.41 1,095.41 Sub.tot¥l for M•s•y Ml••lon - Ml•B5on Partn•r Supp Designated 1 362.95 1,382.95 6 985.48 6.985.48 6 878.00 6,878.00 1470.43 1,470.43 Sub4otal for Mls$lon RESTRSKIP- R••toratlon Prol•ct Restricted 18 772.48 18.772.48 1479.60 1.479.60 450.00 450.00 19 547.90 19,547.90 Sub4otal for RE8TRSKIP 1.154.16 VIDEO . Vldeo EquSptment Designated Sub.1ots1 for VIDEO Woodward- Wo00￿4rd6•qu•8I¢e3o Unreslricl¢d 1 725.60 1.725.60 2 100.0 12,100.001 1325.15 1,325.15 Sub40tsl for Woodward 1.699.55 Dlx•y- Dlx•y Boqu••t4B3040 Reslrl¢ted 5 134.93 5,134.93 9 892.87 9,892.87 7 600.OD 17,600.001 7 427.60 7.427.80 Sub-tof•l for Dlxey PCC - PCC1- CB30310604101 Restricted 767.65 767.65 601.15 601.15 900.00 1900.00) 468.80 468.80 sub.total lor PCC Mll•nnlum - Mll•nnlum - CB303106 Restricted 0.98 0.98 0.01 0.01 0.99 0.99 Sub4otal for Mll•nnlum Tuffnoyskp - Tuffnèy SkSpton Adml Restricted 21 469.88 21,469.88 10 732.03 10,732.03 10462.43 10,462.43 21739.48 21,739.4B sub.total for Tuffneyskp R•ll•fSkp - R•ll•l of the Poor S Restricted 266.18 266.10 266.18 266.18 Sub4otal for R8llefSkp FlwP•dsSkp- Flow•r P•d•8tals Sk5 Reslricled 143.83 143.83 143.83 143.83 Sub-total for FlwP•dsSkp General - Ggneral fund Unrestrfcled 7 889.87 7,889.87 126,743.06 126,743.08 136.649.37 136.649.37 10 600.00 10,600.00 8 583.58 8.583.58 Sub4ot•l for Gèneral Grlnnell . Grlnnell Bequest. 1 End¢)wm•nl 21 655.88 21,655.88 495.67 495.67 22 151.55 22,151.55 Sub-total for Grlnn•ll Tuffn¢yb¢q- Tuffn•y Bequ•¥t- 12 Endowmenl 370 818.25 370.818.25 8 487.45 8,487.45 379.30S.70 379,305.70 Sub4otal lor Tuffneybeq Dixey2 - Dlxey Inv•$t- 12700 Endrmmenl 350 293.09 350,293.09 8 017.66 B,017.66 358,310.75 358,310.7S sul￿tOtal for Oixey2 Page 7 B•qu•sts - 8•quesls - 6271S41)02 Endowmenl 59,503.25 59.503.25 60 865.19 60,865.19 Sub40ts1 for B•qu•sts 1.361.94 Roscot . Ro$co•-273740001T R Endowment 19448.10 19,448.10 439.33 439.33 19,887.43 19,887.43 sub.total for Ros¢o• Grand total 883 329.38 159 400.77 1 $5 315.57 1B 802.05 906 218.63 Page 8 Analysis of income and expenditure Total ear nrestrl¢ted D I nated Restricted Endowment This LAst ear INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS Incomlng resources from generated funds - Voluntary income 1000 - Pledges Yellow Envelopes 1.747.50 1001 Planned Gift Aid Envelopes 1002 - other Gift Aid Envelopes 1003 - Cash Offerings Sunday Plate 1003A- Cash Offeiings Mission Partners Fund 1004 - Offerings Charitable Collections 1005 - Donations General 1 OOSA - Donalions Messy Church 1006 - Pledges Standing Orders 1007 - Cash Offerlngs Other Services Plate 1008 - Gift Aid refunds 1009- Payment for Trainingmorkshopslsemlnars 1012 - Grants 1013- New Legacy 1,747.50 1,020.00 471.00 5,890.30 471.00 5,890.30 1,985.48 865.32 5,031.97 1,542.13 1,985.48 1.761.85 1,761.85 1,344.81 13,903.38 14.60 25,905.56 1.801.78 13,903.38 1,281.60 25,905.56 1.801.78 7,562.35 1,267.00 25,582.71 1,461.07 11,423.34 184.91 11,423.34 184.91 6,836.95 100.00 11,029.92 Tol81 63,104.22 3,252.48 66,356.70 62,377.23 Incomlng rosources from gonerated funds - Actlvltles for genoratlng funds 4001- Sunday Tea & Collee 632.02 Donallon$ 4001A- Good News Aclivllles 4002 Fundraising Aclivilies 4003 - Magazine Adverts 4005 - Refeclory Income 4005A- Refectory Events Income 4005B - Bookshoplcafe 4006 - Community Centre Concerts 4007 - CommunSty Cenlre Bulldlng Hire 4008- Photocopying 4009- Organlsts Fees 4013 - Merchandise Sales 4014 - South Porch Cafe 632.02 569.29 611.88 3,983.60 611.88 3,983.60 546.04 3.182.19 197.29 10,639.76 973.81 4,680.30 8,082.82 9.785.99 1,168.60 5,850.00 12,253.30 9,785.99 1,168.80 6,891.10 12,253.30 1,041.10 2.00 240.Crt) 38.50 2.00 240.00 38.50 120.00 20.45 Total 34.565.89 1.041.10 35,606.99 29,011.95 Incoming resources from generated funds - Investment Income 2002 - Bank Interest 2006 - Income from Trusts & Bequ&sls 2007 - Gain lo Endowment Investment 2,270.70 21,664.56 23,935.26 23,215.75 Total 2.270.70 21,664.56 23,935.26 23,215.75 Incomlng resourcès from charitable actlvltles 3001- Flowers 770.81 3002 - Fees 1.480.00 3004 - Magazine Sales & Subscriptions 770.81 1.480.00 1,506.96 2.071.00 Page 9 3005- Community Centre St Mary'$ Tols 3007 - PCC & other churches 3008- ODBF Refvnds of Ministry Cosls Total 2.250.81 2,250.81 3.577.96 Other Incomlng resources 1012A- Loans 2008 Cubb Field Rent 3001A- Flow6rs - Speciallprivate orders 3006- Mid Bucks IAyl8sbury Foodbankl Payroll 3009 - Church of Good Shepherd Payroll 3010 - Sl Pete¢s Payroll 4015 - Chrlstmas Hampers Donations 5001 - Sundry 5002 - Cash for Petty Cash 5003 General Refunds 5004 Paymenl for Trlpsloullngs Total INCOME TOTAL 5,897.65 100.00 5,000.00 10.897.65 100.00 6,324.21 9,762.78 9.762.78 9,462.78 2,272.24 2,272.24 3.186.22 1,049.89 1.049.89 12,279.29 6,474.29 694.16 26.251.01 128 442.63 6,474.29 694.16 31251.01 159 400.77 28,109.77 5 000.00 8 252.48 59 362.27 177 545.16 22 705.66 Page JO EXPENDITURE Cost of generatlng funds 6001- Fundraisers expenses 6002 - Community Centre Events 6004 - Community Centre Tols 6006 Cost of giving materials 450.69 4,031.68 450.69 4,031.68 341.00 3,433.25 Total 4,482.37 4,482.37 3,774.25 Cost of generating funds - Fundraising Irading cost of goods sold and other costs 9001 - Refeclory 118.98 9001A- Refectory Events Cosls 5,498.00 9001 B - Bookshop-cafe 9003A - Merchandise Invoices 118.98 5,498.00 1,511.15 4,728.59 2,185.75 Total 5.616.98 5,616.98 8,425.49 Cost of generating funds - Investment management costs 8001- Bank Charges 466.03 466.03 466.03 466.03 381.77 381.77 Total Charltable actlvltles 7001 - Payments lo Misskn Partners 7001A- Charity Collection5 Not Kepl By STM 7002- Gas 7003 - Electriclty 7004- Wal8r 7005 - Repalrs Mlnof 7006 - Cleanlng-mainlenance 7007 Insurance 7008 Caretaker 7009 - Administrator 7010 - Organist 7011- Music 7011A - Choir Leader 7012- Organ-Piano 7013 - Upkeep of Sèrvicés 7014 - FIow8r expenses 7014A - Flowers - Special Order5 7015 - Office Supplies, Equipment, Software 7015A- IT Hardware 7016 - Office TelephoneiPostsge 7017 - Photocopying 7018- Clergy & Staff Expenses 7018A- Supply Clergy Expenses 7018B - Ministry - Youth & Children 7018C Ministry - Communications 7018D - Ministry- Small Groups & Discipleship 7018E - Ministry - Pastoral Care 7018F - Other Ministry Related Costs 7018G- MSnistry- Messy Church 7019- Parish Share 7020- Petty Cash 7021 PCC & olher churches 7023 - Magazine Expenses 7025 - Training-seminars-workshops 7026 - Grants made 7027 - Annual Non Music Subscriptions-Licenses 6,878.00 6,878.00 1,553.73 4,750.00 941.57 1.553.73 17,863.14 8.594.32 652.22 1,268.20 5,590.74 7,519.36 6,552.00 ,454.75 17,883.14 8,594.32 652.22 1,268.20 5,590.74 7,519.36 6,552.00 ,454.75 5,374.50 1,035.42 3.795.50 275.00 1,164.11 1,226.73 98.05 503.17 38,830.13 6,707.29 709.30 2,332.16 6,998.10 6,947.11 6,552.00 8,009.64 5,273.00 1,110.73 3,703.00 1,225.00 770.01 1,370.98 5.374.50 1.017.43 3,795.50 275.00 17.99 1,164.11 1,226.73 98.05 503.17 1.095.39 530.93 1,024.59 1,958.22 222.40 530.93 1,024.59 1,958.22 222.40 12,568.42 981.75 1.864.93 211.49 194.89 194.89 17.60 319.C 17.60 319.06 171.59 35,850.00 3.50 314.65 171.59 35.850.00 17,750.66 220.90 220.90 808.88 808.88 1,251.68 Page 11 7028- Operation5 Manager 7032 Repairs - major 7034 - Restoration Costs 8,106.02 8,106.02 7,937.20 780.00 11,242.43 780.00 128,604.02 17,497.81 157.707.50 TolaS 110,312.00 7,049.59 Governance costs 8003 - Auditing Costs 514.50 514.50 514.50 514.50 489.50 489.50 Total Other resources used 7026A- Loans Repaid 7030- Church ofTh& Good Shepherd Salaries & T 7031 Mld Bucks (Aylesbury F¢)odbankl Tax & NIC 7031A- Sl Pelevs Salary & Tax 9004- Sundry Expenses 9005 - Church TripslOulin9S 9006 - Christmas Hamper Invoices Total EXPENDITURE TOTAL 2,593.68 2,593.68 3,314.96 9,751.74 ,751.74 9,840.60 2.182.07 730.00 374.18 2,556.25 730.00 5,171.39 15.257.49 136,649.37 374.18 11 616.61 15.631.67 155 315.57 18,326.95 189 105.46 GRAND TOTAL 8.206.74 1 202.89 11,089.05 4,085.20 11 560.30 Notes to the accounts Berryflelds Church Whilst Berryfields Church now have their own bank account, Ihey are not currently able to administer their own Gift Aid Claims, so this is still being administered by St Mary's. Income & Expendlture relatlng to Church of the Good Shepherd Since 2014, the payroll for CGS has been calculated and administered by Kim Hopping, Payroll Administrator from St Mary's Parish Office. Salaries and payments to HMRC are made by St Mary's and CGS reimburses these amounts to St Mary's as notified. Income line 3009/expenditure line 7030. Income & Expenditure relating to Aylesbury Foodbank Since 2015, the payroll for Aylesbury Foodbank, has been calculated and 8dministered by Kim Hopping, Payroll Administrator from St Mary's Parish Office. Payments to HMRC and Nest are made by St Mary's and the Foodbank reimburses these amounts to St Mary's as nolified. The Foodbank will be taking over its own payroll from April 2025 Income line 3006/expenditure line 7031 Page J2 Endowment Funds All the endowment funds recorded gains during 2024. No shares were sold in 2024. In addition to the Endowments listed in these accounts, St Mary's is the beneficiary of the Clock & Chimes Charity. The income from the charity is used for the upkeep and repair of the clock and bells at St Mary's and in certain circumstances, can be used towards the upkeep and repair of the fabric of St Mary's or for furthering the religious and other charitable work of the Church of England in the Ecclesiaslical Parish of St Mary, Aylesbury. Legacies There were no new legacies in 2024. 4 Cubb Field St Mary's has a 47.64f/*o interest in 4 Cubb Field, HP19 7SH. Using the value as provided by the Oxford Diocese of £406,319.00, St Mary's share is valued at £193,570.37 (Information provided by the Oxford Diocese on 07102125) During 2021 it was agreed that £1,250 from each rent payment would be sent to the North Aylesbury Team as part of our Mission Giving. Income Line 2008/Expenditure Line 7001 St Mary's Bookshop For four months in 2023 (July-octoberl, St Mary's agreed to sell books and other items on behalf of St Andrew's Bookshop, Princes Risborough. This allowed us to reopen the café to sell drinks, cakes, and our own merchandise. It was agreed that St Mary's would pay the salary of the person running the Bookshoplcafé,. that it would get 20 % commission on all sales of St Andrew's stock and thal St Andrew's would unde￿rIte the salary of employee. The Bookshop did not operate in 2024, however the money due from St Andrews did not arrive until 2024. Income Line 4005B/Expenditure Line 9001B Deblt Card In June 2024, one of the Church debit cards was stolen. It was reported immediately but because it happened at the weekend, we didn't know until the Monday that the card had been used five times to make purchase under £100 each. The transactions amounted to £155.28. This was repaid to us by the bank. Income Line 5003/Expenditure Line 9004 Page 13 Analysis of Income & Expenditure Income Line 1012 - No grants were received in 2024 Income Line 1004 - Charity Collections are classed as Restricted income. Income line 1008- Grft Aid refunds are now being claimed on all qualifying donations. Income Line 2006- Income from Trusts and Bequests. No shares were sold in 2024 Income Line 4005A - Refectory Evenls refers to Bar takings from Jazz Nights. etc., and payment for refreshments provided for other events and church hirers. Income Line 4006 - Community Centre Concerts. As well as payments from Aylesbury Lunchtime Music for each lunchtirne concert, a memorial concert was held for Janet Frost. The income received from this was in respect of Ihe Reredos Fund. Funds received have been allocated to the Restoration Fund and ring fenced for the Reredos. Income Line 5001- Sundry income is made up of a card payment made in respect of Fees, which was transferred to the Fees Account (see Sundry Expenditure) Income Line 5003 - Two General Refunds for VAT £6,064.52 and £155.28 refunded by the bank for fraudulent transactions. Income Line $004 - Trips Ioutings. Payments towards the Parish visit to Walsingham. Expenditure Line 6002 - Community Centre Events. This is PPLPRS Fees for all concerts and Jazz events held at St Mary's. Fees are recovered from outside hirers and shown under Income Heading 4007. Fees for Friends Concerts are taken from the money paid to us under Income Heading 4006 Expenditure Line 7002 - Gas. Our gas bill rose by 36.2 % in 2023. As a result of the dispute and poor service received, our Gas and Electricity accounts were moved in September 2023, which reduced our bills by just over £2,000. Expenditure Line 7005 - Minor Repairs- this covers the cost of repairs to the plumbing, boiler. drains. toilets, locks and to put in a new electrical socket. Expenditure Line 7011 Music- this heading includes the cost of music licenses and new books for the choir. Expenditure Line 7006 - Cleaning & Maintenance includes payments for Roof Alarms, PAT Testing, Fire Safety Check and the cost of changing light bulbs. Expenditure Line 7015A - IT Hardware refers to spending on a new iPad and sum up machine. Expenditure Line 7019- Parish Share. We paid £35,850.00 towards out Parish Share in 2024. In addition, Fairford Leys Church contributed £3,000 towards our share, bringing the total to £38,850.00 or 73.930/. Expenditure Line 7034 - Restoration Costs RWA Consulting Engineers £780.00 Page J4 Expenditure Line 9001A- Refectory Events refers to the cost of bar stock for Jazz Nights etc. and for refreshments provided for other evenls and church hirers. Expenditure Line 9004- Sundry expenditure includes the Fees payment transferred to the Fees Accounts, the fraudulent transactions made when a Debit Card was stolen (£155.28). A payment transferred to the Christmas Lunch Fund {balance of the grant they obtained from Aylesbury Town Council in 2016 lo refurbish the kitchen. This heading also covers new tables we bought for the Christmas Lunch Fund. They will repay us in 2025. Expenditure line 9005 - Church Tripsloutings. The amount her is the cost of the coach for the Parish trip to Walsingham. This report dated: 71h March 2025 Agreed on Signed by Rev Doug Zimmerman Donna Riley, Churchwarden Sue Newling, Churchwarden Kate Lawton, Treasurer Signed Accounts available on request Page 15 Church on Berryfields 28 Domino Way, Aylesbury, Bucks HP18 OFZ Annual Report and Accounts For the year ending 31 December 2024 Vicar: Revd Gareth Lane Treasurer: Chris Farrant Treasurerfs Statement And Declaration - Year Ending 2024 The financial statements for the year ended 31" December 2024 are attached and include details of st Receipts and Payment5 for the year, Bank Reconciliation as at 31 December 2024 and Treasurerf5 Notes to the Accounts. The church continued to grow which resulted in the brilliant outcome of approximately 20% higher income in 2024 than 2023. Expenditure rose approximately 8% and there was a small surplus at the end of the year. 2025 will see a large increase in parish share, the church's largest single expense, presenting the challenge of income needing to continue to increase. Name: Chris Farrant Treasurer Signature: Date: 2210412025 Independent Examinerfs Report- Year Ending 2024 I report on the financial statements of Church on Berryfields for the year ended 31 December 2024 which are set out overleaf. 5t Respective Responsibilities The Church Treasurer is responsible for the preparation of the accounts. It is considered that an audit under Section 144{2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts (under Section 43(31{a)) of the Act and to state, based on procedures specified in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under Section 145llllal of the Act, whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basls of Independent Examinerfs report My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions of the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Church and comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations 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 financial statements. Independent Examlnerfs statement In connection with my examination of the Church funds, nothing came to my attention which gave me cause to believe otherwise than that the financial statements accord with the accounting records of the Church and that those records satisfied the requirements of the Act. l am not aware of any matter to which attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached. Name: Jane Darbon Independent Examiner Signature: Date: 2310¥/2oLS Income~ Current Account Receipts 2024 Category Group Category Detail Actual Income Donations at Gatherings 2,118.82 November Gift Day 2,087.00 Grants 0.00 Church Giving One Off Gifts 6,140.88 Regular Donations 38,634.79 Total 48,981.49 Gift Aid 7,011.75 Gift Aid Total 7,011.75 Bank Interest 1,059.02 Church Activities 400.00 Other Income Fundraising Events 0.00 Total 1459.02 TOTAL INCOME/RECEIPTS £57,452.26 Expenditure- Current Account Payments 2024 Category Group Category Detail Actual Expenditure 420.79 Finance Software Fundraising Fees for Card MC. Online MarketinyJAdvertising Print Promotion 47.36 83.99 0.00 Recruitment costs 0.00 Admin Safeguarding DBS and Training Song Licensing Stationary Website/Email/Domain Total 87.95 296.00 631.34 40.34 1,607.77 407.45 Capital Expenditure CAP Lifeskills 774,00 Children's Ministry Expenses COB Core Leadership Training Discipleship Trainin&lBooks/Courses Discretionary Fund Events Costs {Christmas/Light Party) Gifts for 8uests/people Hospitality (for church gatherings) Sunday Gatherings Worship Team Youth Work Expenses Total 349.71 146.48 665.56 385.00 Church Activities 2,249.77 350.59 546,83 564.55 741.01 381.02 7,561.97 Church Giving Mission Giving 2,674.00 Total 2,674.00 490.67 Insurance Parish Share Contribution Fixed Costs 20,000.04 5,025.75 Rent Total 25,516.46 Expenditure continued overleaf.... Expenditure continued Book5 65.64 Expenses- Communications Expense5 - Travel Hospitality (for staff) Salaries: Youth & Childrens & Families Staff tax 349.91 534.10 Staffing 66.89 15,884.30 267.64 Training Total 530.00 17,698.48 Total Expenditure/Payments £55,058.68 Current Account Summary Current Account 20,879.31 Balance brought forward Fixed Term Deposit Petty Cash Total 20,000.00 st l January 2024 44.60 40,923.91 Total Income 2024 £57,452.26 Total Expendlture 2024 £55,058.68 Current Account 7,852.14 Fixed Term Deposit 0.00 Account Balance 31" December 2024 Notice Savings Accounts Petty Cash 35437.32 28.03 Total 43,317.49 Balance Carried Forward to 2025 £43,317.49 ## **Fairford Leys L.E.P** **The Church on Fairford Leys, Hampden Square, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP19 7HT** - www.fairfordleyschurch.org.uk/donate here **Annual Report and Accounts For the year ending 31[st] December 2024 Adrian Lloyd Church Treasurer** Fairford Leys LEP ## **CONTENTS** |**CONTENTS**|| |---|---| |Contacts|3| |Treasurer’s Statement|4| |Independent Examiner’s Report|4| |Current Account Receipts|5| |Current Account Payments|6| |Current Account Summary|7| |URC Held Funds|7| |Treasurer’s Notes to the Accounts|8| |Declaration|10| 2 Fairford Leys LEP ## **CONTACTS** ## **Minister** Rev Anthony Howells Coldharbour Farm House Swallow Lane Fairford Leys Aylesbury HP19 7HW ## **Secretary** Mrs Emma Allen Fairford Leys Aylesbury ## **Treasurer** Mr Adrian Lloyd BSc 3 Viney Lane Fairford Leys Aylesbury HP19 7GR ## **Church Administration Team** Mrs Shwetha Bandari Mr Nathan Bandari Berryfields Aylesbury ## **Independent Examiner** Mrs Deborah Smith 80 Lomond Drive Linslade Leighton Buzzard LU7 2XH 3 Fairford Leys LEP Fairford Leys LEP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2024 TREASURER'S STATEMENT The financial slatemenls for the year ended 3111 December 2024 are atlached and include detsils of Receipts and PayThEnls for the year, Bank Reconciliation as at 31 st De￿rnber 2024. TreaSu￿¢S Notes to tts Accounts and a S￿teff￿nI of fuThJs held centralty by the United Refomied Church (URC). Name". Adrian Uoyd Signatwe: Dale: 5 ￿ri12025 INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT I report on the financaal statements of Fairfor(l Leys L.E.P for the year ended 31 De￿rnber 2024 ich are set out overfeaf. Res￿¢t￿O rnsponslbllltlos The Church Treasurer is reSp￿sIble for the p￿parall0n of the accounts. It is considered Ihal an audit uTrJer Seclion 144(2) of the Charit*s Acl 2011 (the Acl) does not appty. It is my responsibility lo examine the accounts (under Section 43(3>(a)) of the Act and to stale. based on procedures specified in tt* General Directions given by the Chanty Commissioners urKJer Seclion 145(1){a) of the Act. whether particular matters have come lo my attention. Basls of Indopondent Examlnees report My examinab.on vrds carried out in accordance v￿th ts General Direclions of the Charity Commissloners. An examination indudes a ￿VIeW of the accounlirKJ records kepl by the Church and a comparlscm of Ihe accounts p￿sented with those records. 11 also indudes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in Ihe financial slatements and seekirYJ explanab.ons conoming any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that woukl be required in an audit arKJ consequenuy I do nol express an audit Opini￿ on Ihe view given by the financial statements. Independent Examlnorfs statwnent In cOn￿￿10n wth my examinalim of the Churth funds. r￿thIng came lo my attents.on vthich gave me cause to belie￿ otherwise than that the financial ststemenls accord wilh the accounliTrJ ￿ cords of the Churth arKI thal those records satisfied the requiren*nts of the Acl. l am nol aware of any matter to vthich attenlion shoiAd be drawn in order to enable a proper uThJetstsn(*'ng of the finarKaal slatements lo be reached. Name: Debbie Smith Dale: S ￿ri12025 Fairford Leys LEP ## **CURRENT ACCOUNT RECIEPTS** |**Name**|**Details**|**2023**|**2024**| |---|---|---|---| ||Standing Order
Easyfundraising
Donation Box
Parish Giving Scheme
Card Reader
Cheques
Gift Aid|16,643.05
224.19
1,830.15
4,293.56
676.45
476.93
6,340.34|16,627.00
168.66
968.70
4,672.20
635.13
0.00
6,024.42| ||URC Drawdown|3,000.00|6,000.00| ||Total|33,484.67|35,096.11| |Property|Disraeli Square Rent
Woodmans Croft Rent
Church Buildings Lettings
Solar Panels|6,500.00
9,943.08
17,486.75
2,270.69|12,500.00
9,891.84
16,577.00
2,302.55| ||Total|36,200.52|41,271.39| |Donations|Donations for Storehouse
Other Donations|427.00
0.00|585.00
1,411.05| ||Total|427.00|1,996.05| |Other|Minister Refunds
Weddings, Funerals, Christenings
Lunch Club
Books
Youth Work
Miscellaneous|1,080.00
0.00
0.00
104.26
0.00
316.43|1,080.00
829.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
3,478.00| ||Total|743.44|5,387.00| |**Total Receipts**||**71,612.89**|**83,750.55**| 5 Fairford Leys LEP ## **CURRENT ACCOUNT PAYMENTS** |**Payee**|**Details**|**2023**|**2024**| |---|---|---|---| |Ministry|URC M&M Fund
Ministers Travel Expenses (including Car Allow)
Ministers Phone / Internet
Ministers Books / Courses
Youth Work
Hospitality
Older People
Lunch Club|18,465.00
1,380.60
1,111.61
120.00
867.45
0.00
0.00
0.00|18,465.00
1,380.60
1,183.56
300.00
1,904.82
755.62
0.00
0.00| ||Total|21,944.66|23,989.60| |Admin|Photocopier
Stationary/Printing
Copyright
TV Licence
Treasurer Expenses
Office Equipment
Bank Charges
Digital Costs
Weddings, Funerals, Christenings|1,252.33
0.00
214.00
0.00
179.22
291.52
126.22
327.00
0.00|0.00
76.86
229.00
238.50
0.00
63.23
112.85
3,791.92
978.94| ||Total|2,390.29|5,165.07| |Property|Farmhouse Council Tax
Farmhouse Oil
Farmhouse Electricity
Farmhouse Water
Farmhouse Rent
Farmhouse Maintenance/Garden
Woodmans Croft Maintenance, Fees & Insurance
Disraeli Square Maintenance & Insurance
Church Insurance
Church Gas
Church Electricity
Church Water
Church Phone
Church Repairs, Maintenance & Security
Church Furniture
Church Garden
Church Security
Church Cleaning
Village Square Fees|3,179.00
2,507.02
2,919.07
424.00
5,076.00
0.00
604.87
628.25
3,677.36
2,831.51
1,748.97
692.12
977.35
5,826.08
0.00
0.00
360.00
4,999.45
1,311.74|3,337.31
1,069.87
2,988.12
505.00
5,076.00
538.34
673.00
0.00
4,942.49
5,588.13
1,033.75
5,299.74
726.27
2,485.43
0.00
0.00
360.00
6,938.78
1,289.70| ||Total|37,762.79|42,852.72| 6 Fairford Leys LEP |Other|Catering
Communion Wine & Candles
Books
Church Flowers
Miscellaneous|919.17
125.99
443.81
192.66
625.00|0.00
70.75
0.00
300.67
218.00| |---|---|---|---| ||Total|2,306.68|589.42| |Donations|Storehouse/Water Aid
M&M Anglican
M&M Methodist
Other Donations|1,124.00
1,950.00
1,950.00
0.00|969.00
2,000.00
2,000.00
0.00| ||Total|5,024.00|4,696.00| ||||| |**Total Payments**||**69,803.37**|**77,891.25**| ||**CURRENT ACCOUNT SUMMARY**|||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Balance Brought forward 1 January 2024
6,823.84
8,683.36
Total Receipts 2024
71,612.89
83,750.55
**Total**
**76,436.73**
**92,433.91**
Expenditure in 2024
69,803.37
77,891.24
Bank Account Balance 31 December 2024
8,633.36
14,542.66
**Total**
**76,436.73**
**92,433.91**|Balance Brought forward 1 January 2024|||| |||6,823.84|8,683.36|| ||Total Receipts 2024|71,612.89|83,750.55|| ||**Total**
Expenditure in 2024|**76,436.73**|**92,433.91**|| |||||| |||69,803.37|77,891.24|| ||Bank Account Balance 31 December 2024|8,633.36|14,542.66|| ||**Total**|**76,436.73**|**92,433.91**|| ## **FUNDS HELD IN TRUST BY URC** |Payee|**31/12/2023**|**31/12/2024**| |---|---|---| |Current Account
Withdrawals|84,856.45
3,000.00|90,724.31
6,000.00| |Total|81,856.45|84,724.31| |Investment Account|170,537.51|175,217.31| |Balance carried forward|**252,393.96**|**253,941.62**| 7 Fairford Leys LEP ## **TREASURER’S NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS** ## **1. Accounting policies** The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011, section 144 (2), receipts and payments to small charities. They follow the “Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice” (SORP) 2005 and the guidance notes as issued by the United Reformed Church, November 2006. ## **2. Church Assets - approximate total £1,034,433** 20 Woodmans Croft, Fairford Leys £340,000 (approx. valuation) 3 Disraeli Square, Fairford Leys £420,000 (approx. valuation) URC held funds £259,900 as at 31/12/2024 Lloyds Bank Current Account £14,553 - Property values are estimations only based on Zoopla valuations. - URC funds are subject to investment performance fluctuations which can go up and down are not guaranteed ## **3. Church Giving - total £29,096.11** Standing Order £16,627.00 Parish Giving Scheme £4,672.20 Donation Box £968.70 Easyfundraising £168.66 Card Reader £635.13 Gift Aid £6024.42 Gift Aid is from the annual Gift Aid from donations made in financial year 2023/2004 from donations made direct to Church or collected via the Parish Giving Scheme. ## **4. URC Drawdown - total £6,000** The Church Council has taken the decision to drawdown the income element of our URC centrally held funds to bridge the gap between income and expenditure. The plan was to drawdown £3,000 from Quarter 3 of 2023 and quarterly throughout 2024. However, this source of income will cease by the end of Quarter 1 of 2025, as the income element of the investments is likely to be exhausted. However, this plan changed at end of Quarter 2 in 2024 as it was not actually needed. ## **5. Property Income - total £41,271.39** Woodmans Croft Rent £9,891.84 Woodmans Croft Maintenance, Fees & Insurance (£673.00) Disraeli Square Rent £12,500.00 Disraeli Square Maintenance & Insurance (£0.00) Solar Panels £2,302.55 Church Lettings £16,577.00 Church Maintenance, Fees, Security & Insurance (2,485.43) Our premises are hired to various health and wellbeing groups serving the local community, several music groups and choirs and our community choir. We also support the AA Group to provide a Friday safe space on their Aylesbury circuit. 8 Fairford Leys LEP **6. Farmhouse Utility Bills and Rent Costs – total £12,976.30** Farmhouse Rent £5,076.00 Farmhouse Utility Bills £7,900.30 Farmhouse Maintenance £0.00 Ministers Refund (£1,080.00) **7. Church Utility Bills, Maintenance - total £27,374.59** Church Gas £5,588.13 Church Electric £1,033.75 Church Insurance £4,942.49 Church Cleaning £6,938.78 Church Maintenance £2,485.43 Church Broadband/phone £726.27 Church Security £360.00 Church Water £5,299.74 Church Insurance claim re Water Leak/High Water Bill (£3,045.00) **8. Donations to Outside Causes - total £969.00** Storehouse £384.00 WaterAid 585.00 **9. M&M Donations - total £22,465** Donations made as part of our Ecumenical Partnership were as follows: URC £18,465.00 Anglican Church £2,000.00 Methodist Church £2,000.00 The Church Council agreed not to increase the donations to the both the Anglican and Methodist Church to stabilise our own Church finances and will look to restore MM obligations in 2025. ## **10. Signatories** **Church Bank Account** - Adrian Lloyd, Alan Lambourne and Roy Rogers. **Cheques** - all cheques written by the Treasurer and counter signed by second signatory. **Online payments** – all payments made by the Treasurer and authorised online by a second approver. **Debit Card** – The Treasurer is authorised by the Church Council to use the Church Debit Card for when payments cannot be made by the above payment methods ## **11. Debtors** – N/A 9 Fairford Leys LEP ## **TREASURER’S STATEMENT AND DECLARATION 2024** _Church Finances have remained stable in 2024 despite the Cost of Living and Energy Crisis. This is mainly due to the generosity of Church members, rental income from our two properties and increases in demand for Church Lettings._ _The challenge to the Church Council is to think about our continued commitment to Church Giving. Overall there is a continual decline in Church Giving over recent years. We also need to consider if we continue our full commitment to MM donations._ _That being said we are truly a financially fruitful Church where reserves are available for the benefit of the Church family and the Church community. We have focused on general maintenance costs this year following the recent Quinquennial Review and building survey including staining exterior windows and the ceremonial doors. We have also changed our Fire Safety compliance company and renewed all fire safety equipment where required._ _We have had several successful musical concerts at Church over the year and have received interest in more events going forward. This is due to the desired acoustic space the main Church offers and the availability of a grand piano._ _Thank you all for your continued financial support throughout these unprecedented times. I would also like to thank Alan Lambourne and Deborah Smith for their assistance with Church finances._ ## _**Adrian Lloyd, Church Treasurer, 5 April 2025**_ 10 StPA whoieness . hope StPA ACCOUNTS 2024 ## Parish of Aylesbury ## St. Peter's Church Quarrendon |R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R|2023
£
35,086.00
8,057.89
0.00
378.38
387.50
200.00
8,500.00
4,838.60
0.00
3,250.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
74.90
0.00
79.63
2,439.48
1,309.00
**64,601.38**|Code
101
102
103
104
100R
105
201
203
402|Receipts
£
Covenants and Gift Aid
34,173.00
Income tax recovered
8,828.05
Uncovenanted giving
1,740.00
Loose collections
385.93
Restricted Income
Special Projects
Building Project
Donations
Grants & Legacies (part restricted)
Mid Bucks. Assoc. : Building
0.00
Mid Bucks. Assoc. : Garden
0.00
Legacies
100.00
Mid Bucks. Assoc. : Wes salary
3,413.80
Bucks nCouncil meals project
3,500.00
Thomas Hickman security cameras
1,000.00
Aylesbury Deanery
5,000.00
Aylesbury Food Bank
0.00
Fund Raising
Misc. Sales of Items
Bank Interest
216.20
Hall letting
1,291.00
Statutory Fees
1,772.00
Total Receipts to December 31st 2024|Receipts
£
Covenants and Gift Aid
34,173.00
Income tax recovered
8,828.05
Uncovenanted giving
1,740.00
Loose collections
385.93
Restricted Income
Special Projects
Building Project
Donations
Grants & Legacies (part restricted)
Mid Bucks. Assoc. : Building
0.00
Mid Bucks. Assoc. : Garden
0.00
Legacies
100.00
Mid Bucks. Assoc. : Wes salary
3,413.80
Bucks nCouncil meals project
3,500.00
Thomas Hickman security cameras
1,000.00
Aylesbury Deanery
5,000.00
Aylesbury Food Bank
0.00
Fund Raising
Misc. Sales of Items
Bank Interest
216.20
Hall letting
1,291.00
Statutory Fees
1,772.00
Total Receipts to December 31st 2024|2024
£
45,126.98
0.00
13,013.80
3,279.20|2024
£
45,126.98
0.00
13,013.80
3,279.20|Page 1/ 4
Restricted
£
7,106.00
120.00| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||||||| ||**64,601.38**||||**68,645.98**||| ## Parish of Aylesbury St. Peter's Church Quarrendon |2023
Code
£
13,272.93
2001
2,250.00
953.60
214.63
78.48
324.04
0.00
0.00
0.98
254.70
245.65
1,190.00
1,213.87
2004
355.82
2002
2005
1,083.99
6,797.15
44.39
2006
222.31
543.18
2007
717.83
2,720.15
32,483.70
32,483.70
2010
393.79
3,770.08
1,323.03
2,721.34
2,260.04
4000
586.58
1,219.72
766.54
160.00
7,756.32
392.16
0.00
387.97
10.35
**54,231.62**|Payments
£
Diocesan Parish share
17,519.04
Mission Partnerships
2,026.00
Outreach Activities
872.97
Revelation Wellness
317.86
Pastoral Care
37.19
Youth & Children
782.63
Gro outdoors
318.85
Play & Gro
250.94
Brownies/Cubs
6.00
Other Ministry Related expenses
566.99
Discretionary Poverty Fund
58.80
Diocesan Fees/Costs
1,036.00
Clergy & Staff Exp.:travel
1,418.75
Clergy & Staff Exp.:other
172.97
Church Running Expenses
Insurance
1,110.34
Heating/Lighting
2,929.54
PA system/Lighting/AV
432.13
Church Maintenance
Minor Fabric repairs
935.05
Maintenance Contracts
476.83
Upkeep of services
Copyright licence/Subscriptions
941.98
Miscellaneous
2,922.53
c/f
b/f
Hall running costs
Water
398.18
Lay Worker-Community Café
3,841.36
Cleaner & Cleaning Materials
1,521.73
Major Works
Community Garden Project/Facilitator
4,389.84
Planned ongoing Bldng. & Devlpmnt. Costs
8,763.39
Church administration
Office Administration Costs
380.76
Office Telephone/Internet
1,250.50
Communications
776.53
PCC/Staff Training/Conferences/Retreats
92.60
Administrator
8,719.56
Office Furniture/Items
163.95
Petty cash
34.74
Special Projects
309.95
Bank Charges
6.47
Total payments to 31st December 2024|Payments
£
Diocesan Parish share
17,519.04
Mission Partnerships
2,026.00
Outreach Activities
872.97
Revelation Wellness
317.86
Pastoral Care
37.19
Youth & Children
782.63
Gro outdoors
318.85
Play & Gro
250.94
Brownies/Cubs
6.00
Other Ministry Related expenses
566.99
Discretionary Poverty Fund
58.80
Diocesan Fees/Costs
1,036.00
Clergy & Staff Exp.:travel
1,418.75
Clergy & Staff Exp.:other
172.97
Church Running Expenses
Insurance
1,110.34
Heating/Lighting
2,929.54
PA system/Lighting/AV
432.13
Church Maintenance
Minor Fabric repairs
935.05
Maintenance Contracts
476.83
Upkeep of services
Copyright licence/Subscriptions
941.98
Miscellaneous
2,922.53
c/f
b/f
Hall running costs
Water
398.18
Lay Worker-Community Café
3,841.36
Cleaner & Cleaning Materials
1,521.73
Major Works
Community Garden Project/Facilitator
4,389.84
Planned ongoing Bldng. & Devlpmnt. Costs
8,763.39
Church administration
Office Administration Costs
380.76
Office Telephone/Internet
1,250.50
Communications
776.53
PCC/Staff Training/Conferences/Retreats
92.60
Administrator
8,719.56
Office Furniture/Items
163.95
Petty cash
34.74
Special Projects
309.95
Bank Charges
6.47
Total payments to 31st December 2024||,2024
£
25,384.99
4,472.01
1,411.88
3,864.51
35,133.39
£
35,133.39
5,761.27
13,153.23
11,735.06
65,782.95|Page 2/ 4| |---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||||
Restricted| ||||||£
0.00
£
0.00
0.00| |||398.18
3,841.36
1,521.73|||| |||4,389.84
8,763.39|||| |||380.76
1,250.50
776.53
92.60
8,719.56
163.95
34.74
309.95
6.47|||| ||||||| |**54,231.62**||||**65,782.95**|| St. Peter's Church Quarrendon Page3/4 ## Parish of Aylesbury ## Note to Accounts. |Bank balances reconciliation
Opening balances as @ 1.1.2024
Main Account
Building/development Account
Reserve Account
Other
Add: 2024 total receipts
Less: 2024 total payments
**Closing Balace**
Represented by:
Closing Balances as @ 31.12 2024
Main Account
Building/development Account
Reserve Account
Other|£
35,208.33
7,147.66
8,061.86
757.80
68,645.98
65,782.95
40,463.36
4,714.60
8,157.88
702.84|£
51,175.65
2,863.03
**54,038.68**| |---|---|---| |||**54,038.68**| ## ACCOUNTANT'S REPORT I have examined the above accounts and, in my opinion, they represent a true and fair view of the income received and expenditure incurred by St. Peter's Church, Quarrendon, Aylesbury for the financial year ended 31 December 2024. ## P.F.Phillips FCMA/CGMA A signed copy of these accounts is available on request. To the Church Wardens of St Ma the Vir in Church Council. Examinerfs Report This report is regarding the Financial Statements for yearend 31 December 2024, which are attached, Responsibility of the Independent Examiner The District Church Council (DCC) has agreed that that an Independent Review is required in accordance with the Charities Act for the above year. It is my responsibility to carry out this review in order to- a) confirm that the Accounts comply with the relevant Acts, b) ensure the procedures as laid down by the Acts are followed, and c) report any matters which have come to my attention during this examination. Basis of Independent Examiners Report This review was in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission and included a review of records kept and maintained by the DCC. It also included an examination of supporting evidence for the Accounts, to confirm the figures. This process is not a full audit and therefore this report does not express an Audit opinion on these Accounts. Examiners Ststement l am pleased to report that there are no major matters of concern that have been identified during this review and can confirm records comply with the 2011 Act. Therefore there are, in my opinion no matters which need to be raised from these Accounts. Follow up Items No follow up items. S. Marks, FMAAT. 22. April 2025 File Ref St Mary Cert2024.