Diss Team Ministry Diss ST MARY THE VIRGIN, DISS ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PAROCHIAL CIIURCH COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2023 The PCC is a registered charity No. 1134118
Administrative Information St. Mary's Church is situated in Mount Street, Diss and is part of the Diss Team Ministry in th¢ Diocese of Norwich within the Church of England and in the Deanery of Redenhall. The correspondence address is: St. Mary's Church Mount Slr¢¢t, Diss IP22 4QG Telephone: 01379 643783 Vacant Incumbent Team Vicar The Reverend John Cruse The Vicarage, 61 Roydon Road, Diss, IP22 4LW Telephone 01379 641259 Assistant Priest The Reverend Maggie Swayze 32 Croft Lane, Diss, IP22 4NA Telephone 01379 644701 Team Administrator The Parish Office, St Mary's Church, Mount Street, Diss IP22 4QG Telephone 01379 643783 PCC Members who have served from 1st January 2023 until the date this report was approved are: Team Vicar Curate Assistant Priest The Reverend John Cruse The Reverend Samuel Thorp The Reverend Maggie Swayze (ex officio) (ex officio) (ex officio) Until 23.04.23 LLMS.. Dr Sue Drake Ms Janice Cruse (ex officio) (ex officio) Wardens: Mrs Janet Blit Miss Ingrid Scheider Mr. Ronald Wheel¢r (ex officio) Until 23.04.23 (ex officio) From 23.04.23 (ex otTi¢io) From 23.04.23 Secretary: Mrs Sylvia Grace Treasurer: Mrs. Yvomie Gooch Mr. Neal Gooch Until 23.04.23 From 23.04.23 Representatives on the Deanery Synod: Ms Janice Cruse Mrs.Melanie Cowley Until 23.04.23 From 23.04.23 (Resigned Feb.23) Elected Members (until APCM 2024) Mrs Jan Fearn (until 23.04.23), Mr. Neal Gooch, Mrs Yvonne Gooch (until 23.04.23) Mrs. Janet Blight (from 23.04.23), Mrs. Lesley Morris. Miss Eleanor Parker, Miss Myra Pinnell (from 23,04.23
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Represenlalion Rules. All Church regular attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the pcc. The PCC operates norn)ally, etIng seven times during ihe year. A standing Committee is required by law, Its statulory members are the Rector, the Vicar. the two Churchwardens. the Administrator and th¢ Treasurcr. This committee has the power to transact the business of the PCC between its meetings. OBJEcfIvES AND ACTIVITIES The PCC has th¢ responsibility of co-operating with Ihe incumbent in promoting in th¢ eccl¢siasti¢al parish the whole mission of the Church. ACHIEVEMENTS AIYD PERFORMANCE Church Attendanee The Electoral Roll at the end of 2023 stood at 97. Review of Éhe Year The PCC met seven times during the year. Sylvia Grace, Secretary Churchwarden Report 2023 Two new Church Wardens were elected in 2023 but were not appointed until July 2023. We have therefoT¢ It¢mized the changes made after the appointments. The Cupola and its roof was repaired as rain leaked onto the clock mechanism and bells etc. This work cost £2,420.00 Th¢ Church roof and Church hall roof were repaired. The rear corridor in the Hall has been neglected and subsequently the outside has rotted in places. This work will be completed when the weather has dried the wood. The total cost will be £6,675.00. A well qualified builder will inspect the Church and extension (roofs) on an annual basis at a cost of £400.00. This means we no longer require a Window Cleaner to wash the roof which only blocked the guttering. This will save a cost of £1.250 annually. The clock on the Church tower has had estimates to be repaired. Subsequently fund raising was impl¢mented and a Grant was applied for. A Grant has been obtained for £8,000.00 and the other £8,000.00 has been raised and promised. The clock is planned to be repaired in 2024. A new Ricoh photo copier has been installed which is far superior to the previous model. The monthly cost is approximately the same as for the pr¢vious rnod¢l. We believe the work already carricd out and thos¢ proposed will be of ben¢fit to th¢ chUh and its financial situation and as Church Ward¢ns we look forward to serving in 2024. Ron Wheeler & Ingrid Scheider Church Wardens
Flnanclal Review 2023 was a very tough year for the parlsh. Our Bank, Barclay5. requlre5 two approvals for every transactlon. Sadly, we dropped down to one recognised signature 50 for the last few months have not been able to make transactions. We had been trying to get new signatorles approved by Barclays for many months and they have lost papeork, rejected it for mlstakes made by thelr staff and changed requirements. For example, it took 3 attempts for them to accept my identity documents. We are now making progress on re501ving this issue as I dld eventually get through to someone who had enough common sense to explain the changes in requirements Ithat were never published) and guide me through the modified requirements. These Issues are not unlque to St Marfs and have been mentioned In the national press on more than one occaslon. l also understand that other parishes wlthln the Benefice have had similar issues wlth other banks. Our maln Item5 of expendlture were utlllty bllls and Parlsh Share. The gas bllls for Wlnter 2023124 have been substantlally reduced a5 a new one-year extension to the contract wlth Britlsh Gas Lite was agreed late in 2023 at much sower rates. The rates are stlll high so heating levels must contlnue to be kept to 3 minimum. We do expect to be able secure lower rates again when the current contract explres late in 2024. The Parish Share agreed to was £67,000 for the year. By the end of October 2023, we had paid £46,200, whlch equates to 69%. Durlng the last PCC meetlng for 2023 It was agreed that we would make a flnal payment to at least 75%. Sadly, the loss of signatories with Barclays prevented thls from happenlng. Regular glvlng reduced slightly from the previous year to just short of £50,000. Thls Is slgnlfl¢antly less than our Parish Share on its own without considerlng all our other runnlng costs. New bell ropes have been ordered largely pald for my monles donated by the Bell Ringing team and the resulting Gift Aid. The bill for these wlll arrive durlng 2024. The annual accounts show an excess of Income over expenditure of nearly £12,600. This gives the wrong impression as, had we operatlonal control of our bank accounts most of this would have been pald In Parlsh Share. Even if we had paid all of this to Parish Share, we would still have been over £8C(JO short, Neal Gooch Diss PCC Treasurer Bankers Barclays Business Bankingi Barclays, Leicester, LE87 2BB Independent Examlner Mark Johnstone. Argents Reserves Pollcy It is the policy of this Church to hold in reserves the equivalent of two months general runnlng costs and an addltlonal one month's salary costs. It is also the pollcy of thls Church to hold an amount for likeEy works that may arise as a result of the next quinquennial inspection. Thls pollcy is revlewed on an annual basls. Notes for Information: I, The Charlties Act 2011 requires ¢harlties to have a purpose in holding onto money. A reseNes pollcy Shows the purpose for which reserves are held. 2. The reserves are maintained as part of St Mary's Investments held In CCW the CBF Church of England Deposlt Fund
Rlsk Analysls This note summarises the key rlsks to the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Dlss, and the steps taken to manage them. Financlal Risks The church is exposed to financial risk through its flnancial assets. The key rlsk Is the loss of flnanclal assets resulting in the Parochial Church Council becoming unable to meet its flnanclal obllgatlons necessary to maintain the Church as a viable centre of Angli¢an Worship in Diss. The Parochial Church Council during 2015 authorlsed the Treasurer to relocate all sultable financlal reserves to accounts operated under the auspices of the Central Board of Finan. The Parochlal Church Councll conslders that exlstlng Internal Controls on the management of cash collections. glfts and other similar monetary amounts are adequate to ensure that these are handled in a safe and professional manner. Ib) Statutory and Operational Risks Dlss Parochlal Church Councll manages other rlsks to whlch It may be exposed: By compliance with all relevant legislation y the purchase of adequate property and other relevant Insurance Covers through a scheme operated by the Diocese of Norwich and undenrItten by the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group By the carrying out of sultable rlsk assessments and the Implementatlon of approprlate rlsk management strategies to minimise rlsks to employees and third partles uslng the facllltles at St Mary's Church and to reduce the posslbllity of asset damage or loss, Approved by the PCC on 2024 Slgned on thelr behalf by Ingrld Schelder IPCC Chalrl Signed.................
Recelpts and Payments Account Dlss Parochlal Church Councll- l January 2023 to 311)e¢ember 2023 %8088QI=8%88-88888-88 8 828 %8&8%¢0£9)8&8888PS8 8 8¥28 u) UJ D) c cr cr cc c ccc cc ttc &&&&&&&BIg9" 5611111125liiEz&'lll I Ill 32 JJ JJ? II£££££££ &rtiL)UUUUU¢JUUC)U ZQCL %8t288Qh2888888-&-8 m 888%83 ¥1 £è":I"lE5I-1 lJ&g8££- 08888£488888888-8888-& g 8%888*-88-8 g-a8&: &8= % È888%&kk¥l{I" r ¢0 ( ¢J>m r r(NO L)OUQÉ2o888QlLLL LL
Statement of Assets and Liabilitles Cash Funds Barclays Current Account Barclays BPA Fabrlc Barclays Restrlcted Funds Unrestrlcted Restrlrted 16,703.63 Total 16,703.63 1,884.59 2022 10519.60 1760.25 1,884.59 Bells Flowers Organ Cholr Robes 1,119.60 1,057.95 6,840. 12 375.55 295.05 1168.29 7036.24 372.01 9,393.22 5,728.24 75,658.09 0.00 8871.59 5,550.36 70,069.51 0.00 96771.31 CBF Rector & Churchwardens CBF Vlctorfa Hall * Re¢eivables net 5,728.24 75,658.09 0.00 98,089.96 11,277.81 109,367.77 * Includes £5,000 held for vestments (from restrlcted legacy) As at 31 December 2022 nve5tments CBF Investment Fund (Victoria Hall) CBF Investment Fund (Fabrlc Shares) CBF Flxed Interest Fund (Old Churth Hall) Land at Roydon Fen Unrestrlc ed Restricted Total 120,893.14 120,893.14 3,917.50 3,917.50 7.141.36 7,141.36 21,500.00 21,500.00 28,641.36 124,810.64 153,452.00 2022 110,414.27 3,577.93 6,739.76 21,500.00 142,231.96 See Notes 2, 8 and 6 The attached notes form part of these flnanclal statements Total Fund Vnrestrlcted Restrlcted Total 126,731.32 13&088.45 262,819.77 2022 239,003.27 Movement on Re5eThes Openlng Reserves Surplus of Income over Expendlture Increase in Value of Inve5tment5 239.003.27 12,596.48 11,220.04 262,819.79
Approved by the PCC on 2024 Slgned on their half by Ingrid Scheider IPCC Chairl and Mr Neal Gooch IPCCTreasurerl I have revlewed the accounts and notes presented to me for the year ended 31 December 2023 and have agreed them to the underlying records of The Church of St Mary the Vlrgln Mark Johnstone, Argents Note5 l. Flnan¢lal SteMentS The financial statements of the PCC have been prepared In accordance wlth the Church Accounting Regulatlons 2006 uslng the Recelpts and Payments ba515. 2. Vl¢torla Hall Endowment Fund The Endowment Fund, from the sale of Vlctorla Hall, must be retalned as a Capital Fund and shares may not be sold, but the income Is for ordinary church purpose5. It Is invested In the CBF Church of England Investment Fund and the value as at 31 December 2023 was £ 120,893, an Increase of £ 10,478 sin 31 December 2022. 3. Payments to PCC Members None 4. Dlss Team Mlnlstry Wlth effect from I" September 2013, a new account was created whl¢h Is not a55oclated with Diss PCC but arts as a '¢learln8 house, for funeral and wedding costs, Offi costs and the Parish Admlnistrator's salary. Money received for these purposes is distributed between all the churches in Dlss Team Ministry Ifee51. Norwlch Diocese Ifees) and the Dlss Team Admlnlstrator lsalaryl, The account5 are therefore cost neutral. 5. Mlsslonary and Charltable Givlng PCC payments were made to Diss and District Churches Together {£120}. 6. Roydon Fen This is land just under 3 acres located in the mlddle of a fleld at Roydon Fen. It was valued at £21,500 in 2006 and no subsequent valuatlons have tsken pla¢e. Rent 15 received on this a55et. 7. Equlpment Pollcy Any equlpment purchased during the year is shown as an expense and Is not ¢apitali5ed.
- Victorla Hall Endowment Fund121 The Church is entitled to receive income from thls investment but has no entitlement to manage or draw down on the capltal sum. Divldends from thls investment are unrestricted. For the purposes of these accounts. the investment has been included ID the Restrlcted Funds column
- Former Heywood School Fund The PCC Treasurer also administers the Former Heywood School Fund, a charltable fund for educatlonal purposes. This is separate to and not included in the above account5.
THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND Diocese of Norwich Independent Examiners Certificate Report lo the tru8tee81 momber8 Of: On accounts for the year ended: Charity no Ilf anyl: 113*llt I report lo the trustees on my examlnatlon of the accounts of the above charlty { the Trusf} for the year endedJi i IL 123 R8spon$lbllltles and ba818 of report As the charity's Irustsos, you are responsible for the preparallon of Ihe accounts In accordance with the requiremènts of the Charities Act 2011 1"Ihe Acl.). I report in respect of my examlnatlon of the Trusys account6 carried out under $e¢tion 145 of th8 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the 8ppll¢able Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 1451Sllb) of the Act. Indèpgndent examlneV$ Statement I have completed my examlnatSon. I confirm that no material matters have ¢ome to my altention In connection with the examination (other than that dlsclosed below.) lCh gives me Cause to believe that In, any malerial respe¢l: . the accountlThJ records were not kept in accordance wlth section 130 of the Charities Act,. or . the accounls dld not accord wth the 8ccounllng records., or • the accounts did not comply with the applicable roqulrements concerning the forn and ntent of accounts set oul In the Charities (Accoun15 and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirfjment th81 the accounts gfve a'tNe and fairf vlew which18 not a maller con8idered a8 part of an independent examlnation. I have no con¢ern9 and have como across no other mattors in connectlon with the examination to whlch attention should be drawn In thls report in order lo enable a proper understanding of the account8 to be reached. ' Ple88e delet8 the WO1$ In the btack8ts if they do not apply. Signed.. Date.. Isli Name.. .Jr4FI trJSTD OÉ IER Oct 2018
Relevant professional quallficatlon{s} or boLIy lif any) Address: I C4ÉJ IS P4L*CÉ g-oéÉr OtlvJiL14 rts Sectlon B D18cIo8ure Only complete If the examiner needs to hlghllght materlal matters of concernlsee CC32. Independent examination of charity accounts: dlrections and guidance for examlnersl. Glve here brief detalls of )utrJÉ any Items thatthe examlnev wlshes to dlsc105e IER Oct 2018
ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, DISS - REPORTS FOR 2024 GROUP REPORTS FOR ANNUAL MEETING 2024 AGENDA ITEI M 4 DEANERY SYNOD REPORT REDENHALL DEANERY SYNOD. Synod met 3 times during 2023, only twice since the last APCM. Topics covered included: 8 February: Paul Dunning, Diocesan Director of Education & Jonathan Richardson from the Children, Youth & Families team came to speak about "Your Church and your school" Synod members were urged to make the most of conta¢t with local schools, especially Church of England schools (in our case Diss Junior School), to encourage regular contact and the provision of "Chaplains" (not necessarily clergy) for each. 6 July: This meeting had no outside speakers as it was mostly concerned with Deanery business, I l October: John Bryden, a member of General Synod but speaking in a personal capacity, came to speak about his backing for the "Save the Parish" group who were calling for a greater emphasis by the Church on the importance of presence and witness in each parish, especially in rural areas, There were questions and comments aplenty after his talk which had touched some raw nerves! Unfortunately our Deanery Synod Representative, Mrs, Melanie Cowley, has been unable to attend any meetings since her appointment at our 2023 APCM. AGEI¥DA ITEM 4 MISCELLANEOUS REPORTS ST, MARY'S DISS, TOWER CAPTAIN'S REPORT Ringing at Diss at present Is full of difficulties. We are very short of ringers as not all returned after covid and without the help of ringers from the villages, the bells would be silent. We still manage to ring every Sunday, but I doubt if many of the congregation hear us. Since the times of the services have ¢hanged, we have had to finish ringing 15 minutes before the services at Diss start, as the ringers who kindly come and help have commitments at their own churches. Anyone listening will have noticed we only ring the front six bells. This is b¢¢ause the ropes keep breaking and despite lan Grandfield's efforts there comes a time wheii there is no rope left to splice. The lenor bell, which weighs 22 /1 cW(, has been silent a long time now. the reason being if the rope on that bell broke while ringing full ¢ircle it would put the ringer and everyone else in danger, as the rope would be flying round the ringing Ghamber free to hook round the guides or ev¢n a ringer. The reason for the ropes breaking is obviously use and age but the fact that the tower roof has been leaking badly for a number of years now hasn'¢ helped. Constant wet and dry will rot the natural fibres. Thanks to some very generous donation5 we have been able to order a new set of ropes which we very much hope will arrive in time for Palm Sunday, which is the 40, anniversary of the restoration of the bells, when we hope to ring a quarter peal to celebrate. Our worry now is that if the tower roof is not fixed by then, the considerable cost of buying the ropes will be wasted as the new ones will deteriorate very quickly. The
damage being done by the damp is not just restricted to ropes, it is affecting the steel frame, the bell fittings and the bell wheels and the timber floors and joists below the bells and in the sound chamber. I would therefore, ask you please to put "tower repair" at the top of your'to do" list. The bells are probably the most valuable items in the church and as such should be looked after better than ihey are at present. I know funds are Short but I wonder if other things have taken priorlty over th¢ bells as "out of sight, out of mind" could be part of the reason for the delay in making the repairs. 40 years ago a huge amount of money was raised by th¢ inhabitants of Diss to restore our bells and we owe it to all who contributed by way of funding or help to look after our inheritance. Please don't let the bells become silent again. Betty Baines St. Mary's Diss Tower Captain DISCOVER We held a Lent Course entitled Experiencing God's Love. This course, written by Bishop Steven CrotL was based on passages from the Psalms and St. John's Gospel - how they might transform our experience of God, and increase and deepen our faith. Sue Drake FRIDAY COFFEE MORNING The coffee morning Continues to be a place to meet friends and enjoy fellowship. There is a good mtx of church members and towns people and occasional visitors. We took part in the Macmillen coffee morning in September and raised £82. Most weeks church funds receive between £25-£35. Besidgs coffee and biscuits we have cards, books and jigsaw puzzles for sale. My grateful thanks to all those who help keep the coffee morning running week by week. Linda Curtis SACIUSTY Many thanks as always to Maria for all her hard work in the vestry and the church and to Sandra for her help after the service. We also thank our head server, Gerry, and all our team of servers. If any one would like to join us please see Gerry. Thank you to all the peopl¢ who help me clear up at ihe Wednesday service. Kathy Vincent has been training to serve the priests at Wednesday services at l 0.45. Well done Kathy and many thanks to Jane Mould and Linda Curtis for making teas and coffee after the service. Many thanks to Revd. John and all our Éeam of priests and it is lovely to have Sandy back. Thanks also to the ¢hur¢hwardens. Janet Ransome SERVERS What remains of servers are'bumping along the bottom" This would conclude my report if it was not the fact that I need to explain more. When I first became a server here 20 years ago there was a slrong team of servers in place, but as time went by the word "multi-skilling" crept in where servers were asked to do other jobs on a Sunday morning leaving us short. I have more servers doing just that now, so I have decided to step back having served in the Church of England around ihe country for 54 years. Thanks to all who have served with me at St. Mary's, Diss, and special thanks to sacristan, Janet Ransome, for always stepping in when we are short. l am not leaving the church, so see you all around in a different way. 0£ bless. Gerry Hosking
SILENT PRAYER We have met throughout thts year on most Tuesdays in the church hall. However, in January we have been meeting at Rosemary Boutet's house. We usually take breaks at rnajor fe5tiva15 and in August. There are regularly four to six of us and we have readings, music and about 40minutes silence. We are eager to expand our group and new members and seekers are very welcome. Midge Davidson STREAMING We use YouTube to stream our Sunday Eucharists to those who are not able to attend. We have a link on the Diss Team Ministry website that goes straight to the service, which goes live at around 10;55am. The stream requires two laptops to operate, two cameras for two different angles, one television monitor so the operator ¢an see what is happening on both cameras, variou5 cables and other equipment. Every Sunday morning, we have anywhere between 5 and 13 people watching the stream, many of whom are unable to attend in person for whatever reason. These numbers do not Consider the amount of people who watching, only the single device being used to watch the stream. For example, two people could be watching on one laptop, but only one person will be counted. Until recently, Neal Goo¢h and I have been the only people to set up the stream. Before his departure, Samuel Thorp understood the streaming setup and could help if needed. Now it is only me. There are some who know how to operate the stream during the service. These people can also help pack up the equipment after the service ends. l am grateful to all who have been involved past and present. It is my belief that our streams are a servic¢ to our parishioners and should not end. l am willing to do all that I can to ensure it Continues. The only issue is that someday I may be unable to Come to Church. My hope is that I can form a small team of people that collectively have the knowledge to set up the streaming equipment. A team that I can train over time, have them help me before or after services and they can be called upon later to set up the stream for me when l am unable to. Ellie Parker Sgfegvardlng Officer's Report Annu&l Parochial Church Meetings ofthe Dtss Team Ministry 2024 The aim of our Safeguarding policy is to promote a culture of care where everyone feels welcome, safe, and respected. Our strapline "Welcome, Safe, Respected" is a summary of what we are trying to achieve in our church communtties. We have adopted the Church of England guidance 'Promoting a Safer Church" as the basis for our saf¢guarding policy and use the Parish Safeguarding Handbook as our reference. The Benefice Safeguarding Officer takes an ov¢rvi¢w and advises PCCS and the Team Council OYJ policies and procedures as necessary. She liaises with the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisers and is available to deal with any concerns or allegations and provide confidential advice to church members. Implemenlation of the policy is the responsibility of the PCCS. Each PCC has appointed a member to act as the Safeguarding Link. Safeguarding ts a standing item on each PCC agenda. Accurate i'ecords are kept using the Safeguarding Log to ensure that we have a list ofkey workers together with the necessary checks and training. We musl not overlook the fact that safeguarding principles apply equally to our Mit)istry Team members as to our congregations. This is especially important during the period of the vacancy whilst resources are so stretched. This links with the Covenant for Clergy Care and Wellbeing.
We have continued to receive excellent support from Sue Brice, Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser, and her team, particularly for advice on individual concerns. Several matters have been discussed with the Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser and we have a¢ted on her advice. Unfortunately, it has been harder to engage other support services when we have felt it necessary. For most people Safeguarding training is now PAvailable As an online course via the Church of England website. This is proving challenging for many of our members who are not comfortable with computer- based work. The material is not so easy to access even for the computer literate. Regarding the safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults, th¢ biggest concern continues to be financial abuse. Scams and fraud are targeted on older age groups, particularly those Ilving alone. The scarns are becoming in¢rea5ingly sophisticated, and we all need to be aware of the risks and support our most vulnerable members. l am looking to retire from the post in the coming year and am hopeful that a new Benefice Safeguarding Officer can be recruited. Gill Abbott Safeguarding Otyicer for the Diss Team Ministry