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2021-12-31-accounts

SAINT MARK’S PARISH CHURCH ALMA ROAD, REIGATE, SURREY

(Registered Charity No. 1134121) www.stmarksreigate.co.uk

DIOCESE OF SOUTHWARK CROYDON EPISCOPAL AREA ARCHDEACONRY OF REIGATE

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR 2021

INDEX TO PAGES

Vicar’s Letter ........................................................................................................... 1 The Parochial Church Council Report ......................................................................... 3 The Church Accounts Statement of Financial Activities ........................................................................... 6 Balance Sheet .................................................................................................... 7 Notes to the Financial Statements ........................................................................ 8 Church General Fund – Income and Expenditure Account ..................................... 12 Hall General Fund – Income and Expenditure Account ......................................... 13 Independent Examiner’s Report ......................................................................... 14 The Readers .......................................................................................................... 15 Sustainability at St Mark’s ....................................................................................... 15 Electoral Roll ......................................................................................................... 16 Music at St Mark’s .................................................................................................. 17 Parish Magazine ..................................................................................................... 17 Knitting and Spirituality Group ................................................................................. 17 Youth Work T-Time Tales .................................................................................................... 18 Messy Church ................................................................................................... 18 The Parish Office ................................................................................................... 19 Parish Safeguarding ............................................................................................... 19 Saint Mark’s Overseas Aid Trust (SMOAT) ................................................................ 19 Saint Mark’s Afternoon Retirement Team (SMART) .................................................... 20 Other Activities Foodbank ......................................................................................................... 21

THE VICAR’S LETTER

Dear Friends,

After the unique experiences of 2020, we might have been forgiven for thinking that 2021 would be more straightforward. In one sense, yes it was, but 2021 was another challenging year because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

We started the year as we had ended 2020 in lockdown. Our Sunday services were online only, either accessed via our YouTube channel or on Zoom on Sunday morning. Unlike the lockdowns of 2020, we continued with our Thursday Iona Communion Service principally for those who could not access our online services. We could do this as we were not required to close for worship by the Government or Church authorities but we chose, along with the majority of churches across the country, to voluntarily suspend Sunday worship gatherings to protect the vulnerable in our community. This continued until Easter but each week we grew in optimism as more and more people were vaccinated. And then on Easter Sunday we celebrated by holding our Easter Sunday morning service in Church and streamed live on YouTube. Since then every Sunday we held services in Church except for 26 December when we only offered an online service.

In June we restarted the 8.00am BCP Communion Service on Sundays and Family Services in Church on the 1[st] and 3[rd] Sundays at 4.00pm. Church life was starting to open up again and a sense was growing that things were getting better. In July we held a Family BBQ with activities to herald the fact that Messy Church would be restarting in September. In the event, we did restart Messy Church but with restricted numbers, and as the autumn went on and numbers of infections were increasing particularly in young people, we cancelled the December Messy Church which would also have been our Christmas Party. We held all our other Christmas Services in 2021 in person but with reduced numbers at each service and adjustments to make them Covid secure.

During the year we installed and upgraded our Audio-Visual equipment to make it easier to livestream our services and to make it more stable. It is extremely complex to record and/or livestream a service and on some Sundays technical issues had the better of us – apologies to all the long-suffering individuals who now regularly tune in. We are getting better all the time and the webcast and recording of the Christmas Carol Service was particularly good.

As services were once more in person we started to introduce more music. For our online services at the beginning of the year, members of the St Mark’s Singers recorded their parts individually at home for the Sunday hymns and I edited them together to form a “choir”. At Easter when we returned to church we continued this practice as live singing was still not allowed, but at least we could sit and listen to pre-recorded hymns. We also used some recordings made by St Martin-in-the-Fields which could be freely used by parishes. In the autumn we reintroduced live singing, though the congregation had to sing with masks. The church choir and the St Mark’s Singers came together to lead the singing with a practice before the service on the Sunday which was directed either by Terrence Hancock or Toby Garrood. My thanks to both of them for doing this and for the singers in agreeing to come together.

The Parish Office was kept very busy and Alexia Hartman worked flexibly partly in the office and partly from home. Thus communications were kept open – the office mobile being a great advantage. In the Spring we were a centre to help people in the community fill their Census forms online. We helped a number of people but we were never that busy. The church received payment for offering this service which was very highly rated by those who used it. We used some of the IT equipment that we had received at the end of 2020 for this purpose. We have also helped individuals with IT and loaned out equipment to help them get themselves connected digitally.

Pastoral work has continued in mixed mode over the year with at times being more focussed in-person and at others on the telephone or Zoom etc. Various meetings have remained online and we have been very cautious in resuming physical meetings. At the APCM in May we had several new members of the PCC and Louise Wallis and Ben Read were elected again as Churchwardens.

Mel Crighton took over as Treasurer from Brian Rowbotham on 1 January 2021, although Brian saw the 2020 accounts through to completion. My thanks to Brian for his many years of faithful service as Treasurer and at the APCM in May we made a presentation to him in thanks for all his work. Mel has put our accounts onto computer using a Church Accounting Package and more transactions are being done online.

During the year a small “Eco” group started looking at how St Mark’s could move forward to meet the General Synod’s target to be net-zero Carbon by 2030. In a short space of time various proposals were put forward including putting solar panels on the Hall roof and holding some services in the Hall rather than the Church in the winter months. The PCC embraced this report and in December 2021 we signed a contract to install 70 Solar Panels in the first quarter of 2022 and to trial some “Green Sundays” in early 2022 to discover the impact this change might make to inform future decisions.

I commend this Report to you all. Everyone at St Mark’s has an invaluable role, some are more public than others, and I want to thank each and every one of you for the part you play at St Mark’s. Looking to the future there will be many challenges, not least how our buildings can be more efficient as we look seriously at our impact on the world.

With my best wishes

THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF SAINT MARK REIGATE - ANNUAL REPORT

Those who served as Trustees since 1 January 2021 were: Chairman: The Reverend Martin Colton Assistant Curate: The Reverend Reginald Grant Vice Chairman: Mrs Louise Wallis Readers: Mr Ian Archer, Mrs Sarah Cousins, Mrs Susannah Dyde Churchwardens: Mr Benjamin Read, Mrs Louise Wallis Deputy Wardens: Mrs Jane Artis, Mr Timothy Warren Deanery Synod Mrs Suzanne Baker-Hedge, Mrs Sara Johnson and Mrs Sarah Walker Representatives: Elected Members: Mr Terrence Hancock, Mr Malcolm Toye (until April 2021), Mrs Patricia Bird, Mrs Melanie Crighton, Mr Nigel Perkins (From May 2021), Mr Brian Rowbotham (from May 2021) Mr Paul Selvadurai (until April 2021), Mrs Helen Starmer

Co-opted Member: Mr Brian Rowbotham (until April 2021)

The Trustees of the church present their Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2021. The accounts are prepared in accordance with the Accounting Regulations set out under the Charities Act 2011, and with the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing accounts in accordance with FRS102 effective 1 January 2015.

STRUCTURE GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of Saint Mark, Reigate, known as St Mark's, is a registered charity - number 1134121. The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll, to take part and assist in the activities and to stand for election to the Council.

The following committees report to the PCC:

Standing; Finance and Buildings; Spirituality and Worship, Inclusivity, Community Outreach, Sustainability.

PARISH SAFEGUARDING

The PCC has complied with the duty under Section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, fully recognising its duty to have due regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

PUBLIC BENEFIT

The PCC has embraced the Charity Commission's guidance on Public Benefit. It aims to promote religion within the parish. The church is open during daylight hours for all to enter and is used by local schools for their services. The hall is available to church groups, local associations and others.

OBJECTS AND ACTIVITIES

The PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the Incumbent to promote within the parish the whole mission of the church - pastoral, evangelistic, ecumenical and social. It also has responsibility for the maintenance of both the church and hall and to provide the physical and financial resources to achieve the mission of the church in general and the parish in particular.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

The PCC strives to offer a range of services that attract all age groups from our community who find attendance both beneficial and spiritually fulfilling. Families are attracted to our church through T-Time Tales, Easter Club, the monthly Family and Messy Church services, and the weekly Parent and Toddler group. Due to the Coronavirus some of these groups have not been able to meet, but a number of Family services were held via “Zoom”.

On 1 January 2021 the number of names on the Electoral Roll was 159. During the year nine names were added and four removed so that as at the end of the year the total number on the Roll was 164. Of this figure, 99 are resident within the parish and 65 are outside the parish boundary.

Holy Communion has been taken to those at home or in hospital either by the clergy or by Mr Ian Archer who, as a Reader, has permission to officiate.

MEETINGS

During the past year the PCC has met via Zoom on seven occasions and the average attendance rate was 63%. The various committees manage and develop the various activities and their reports are discussed by the Council and authority given where necessary. The Standing Committee, which comprises the Chairman, Churchwardens, Secretary and Treasurer, meets when necessary to deal with any urgent matters which may arise between ordinary meetings of the Council. The composition and responsibilities of committees are kept under review in order to create better control and an improved reporting system.

RISK MANAGEMENT

The PCC is aware of its responsibilities for assessing and managing this church’s risks and continues to implement plans to deal with these.

The principal risks financially and to continuity are the buildings. The church is over 160 years old and built of Reigate stone. The hall is over 50 years old. The quinquennial inspection of the church (but not the hall) was carried out during 2021 by a diocesan approved Architect.

Terrorism has been considered by the Council to be of minimum risk and has not been insured.

Succession and temporary cover of officers is discussed.

CLERGY AND READERS

The Vicar (The Reverend Martin Colton) is supported by an Assistant Curate (The Reverend Reginald Grant). The licensed Readers are Mrs Sarah Cousins and Mrs Susannah Dyde. Mr Ian Archer is also a Reader with Permission to Officiate.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The Financial Statements and notes to the accounts are set out on pages 6 to 11 followed by the detailed income and expenditure accounts of the Church and Hall on pages 12 and 13. Despite the restrictions of the Covid 19 pandemic the results for the year show a surplus of £23,665 on unrestricted funds (2020: surplus of £18,210).

Significant figures are as follows:

Income

Expenditure

Grants

Outside giving totalled £4,784 of which £1,933 was from special appeals and £2,851 from church funds as follows:

Forecast for 2022

With a return to more regular services following the pandemic, together with the continuation of live streaming, the Council anticipates that the level of donated income can be maintained with lettings income getting back to pre-pandemic levels. We have considered the Church’s assets and reserves and have therefore concluded that the Church has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Consequently, the financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis.

Reserves Policy

It is Council policy to maintain the unrestricted funds by breaking even over a five-year period, thus spreading any exceptional operating income and expenditure.

Unrestricted funds at 31 December 2021 were £452,382 (2020: £428,717) of which £350,000 is represented by the value of the investment property. Thus, liquid reserves are £102,382 at the balance sheet date. The day to day running expenses of the Church is expected to be covered by planned giving and rental income from the investment property and the liquid reserves is to be utilised for making up for any shortfalls and therefore considered sufficient.

Future expenditure

The Council has committed to the Church of England target to be Carbon Neutral by 2030 and is actively engaged in researching projects to meet that target. In February 2022 a Solar panel system was installed at a cost of £26,500. The use of electricity to heat the church is also being considered in preference to gas. The quinquennial inspection carried out in 2021 highlighted a schedule of works to be carried out over the next five years which is currently being costed but not considered to be significant. In addition, work will be required on the organ and the heating systems in future years. Grants will be obtained where possible and fundraising carried out to meet costs arising.

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 30 March 2022 and signed on its behalf by:

The Reverend Martin Colton Chairman

The notes on pages 8 to 11 form part of these accounts

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 30 March 2022 and signed on its behalf by:

The Reverend Martin Colton Chairman

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Terrence F Hancock
Secretary
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The notes on pages 8 to 11 form part of these accounts

THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF SAINT MARK, REIGATE Notes to the accounts For the year ended 31 December 2021

1 Accounting Policies

The Parochial Church Council is a public benefit entity within the meaning of FRS 102. The financial statements have been prepared under the Charities Act: 2011 and in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 governing the individual accounts of Parochial Church Councils, and with the Regulations' 'true and fair view' provisions, together with FRS 102 (effective 1 January 2015) as the applicable accounting standards and the 2016 version of the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP (FSRS 102)).

The Financial Statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant notes to the accounts.

The Parochial Church Council has taken the exemption available in paragraph 7.18 of FRS 102 and has not prepared a cash flow statement.

The Financial Statements are prepared in Sterling, which is the financial currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to whole pounds.

Going concern

Subsequent to the year end and in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Trustees have considered whether the use of the going concern basis is appropriate and have considered possible events and conditions that might cast significant doubt on the ability of the Church to continue as a going concern. The Trustees have made this assessment for a period of at least twelve months from the date of the approval of these financial statements. In particular, the Trustees have considered the Church's assets and resources. After making enquiries, the Trustees have concluded that there is a reasonable expectation that the Church has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. The Church therefore continues to adopt the going concern basis in preparing its financial statements.

Income

Income is recognised on a receivable basis. Voluntary services are not included. Legacies are recognised once there is sufficient evidence that receipt is probable and the amount of the legacy receivable can be measured reliably. Where entitlement to a legacy exists but there is uncertainty as to its receipt or the amount receivable, details are disclosed as a contingent asset until the criteria for income recognition are met. When making wills, donors are requested to leave the application of a legacy to the needs of the church, applying the donor's name as appropriate.

Grants and donations are recognised when any preconditions preventing their use by the Parochial Church Council have been met. For collections and planned giving this is on receipt. Gift aid recoverable in relation to donations received is recognised at the same time as the donations to which they relate.

Expenditure

Liabilities and the resulting expenditure are recognised in the period in which they are incurred and are accounted for gross of irrecoverable VAT. All costs are allocated between expenditure categories on a basis designed to reflect the use of the resources. Costs related to a particular activity are allocated directly. Support costs are apportioned on an appropriate basis. These are costs which assist the work of the church but do not directly represent charitable activities and include office costs and governance costs.

Fixed assets

Consecrated and benefice property is not included in the accounts in accordance with S.10(2)(a) and (c) of the Charities Act 2011. No value is placed on the moveable church furnishings held by Churchwardens on special trust for the Parochial Church Council and which require a faculty for disposal since the Parochial Church Council considers this to be an inalienable property. All expenditure incurred during the year on consecrated and beneficial buildings and movable church furnishings, whether maintenance or improvement is written off. Investment properties are initially recognised at cost and subsequently re-measured at fair value at the reporting date.

Financial Investments

Cash and cash equivalents include cash at bank and in hand and in short term deposits with a maturity date of three months or less.

Funds

The accounts include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the Parochial Church Council has overall responsibility. They do not include the accounts of other church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body.

Unrestricted Funds

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Parochial Church Council in furtherance of their charitable objectives unless the funds have been designated for other purposes. The fund which is unrestricted is the General Fund which comprises the Church and Hall accounts.

Restricted Funds

Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Tax status

As a charity the Parochial Church Council is exempt from paying Corporation Tax but does have to pay Value Added Tax.

THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF SAINT MARK, REIGATE Notss to the xcounts For the year emded 31 D0￿mber 2021 2021 lknrestrrta Restritt8J Rjnds Funds 2020 Unre5trictd R&tntt Funds Fun Income Total Tot 2A Donations Planned Giwng- ]nduding tax rernverab COll￿10￿- induding tax rffJverable Gift Day- induding tax recoverable rx)nations- indudwig tax remverable Legacie5 Grants Spwal Appeab Otherkb'vitie5 81,322 4,434 27,519 2,382 io,ooo 81,322 4,434 27,519 6,257 10,000 2,700 1,933 81,358 6,688 35,441 1,319 81,358 6,688 35,441 1,319 3,875 2,700 1,933 9,146 9,146 1,553 1,553 137 525 146 033 135 966 137519 2B CharitleArtNitles m￿3￿ne 657 660 17,397 640 26,523 657 660 17,397 640 26,523 520 1,027 12,502 520 1,027 12,502 Hall Lettings Churth Letbngs Qr Parf( Rent Iminiration Servl 25,750 25,750 ZC InveStn￿nts Interest R￿￿able Property Rent 24 25 192 13 2D5 13 TDta fnoJme 201906 210 415 191 57 193 123 2D Propty Rent R&)t 13,200 13,200 13,200 13,200 A5 t out in note 5, the property to a tenant guarante8J by Ragate Banstead Borough cou￿1 at a bdDW maloet The diff¥￿￿ is b8.ng treabj as a dDnatDn and inr1ud￿ in dir* (Dsts in rK>te 3 2021 Unre5tri(ted R&trKt&l Funds Funds 2020 Unrestrirted Restricted Funds Jnds Totrdl Total Expenditure 3A tharitable Artivities- DIr￿t Costs a)uroh &)(ieties Other charrti Total Direct Costs 304 304 1,300 277 1,577 3B SuppDrt Costs Parisl support fvnd aergy expen Organist J)d Organ urd) running expen Offitr admin and stationery &)vemano. Independent examinats.on &Jilding mintenan EqUipM￿t (ind [naintenan￿) (hurch Operating Expg)drture HJI Running cv5ts Hall Building and Renovation Total Support Costs 111,132 1,329 2,700 12,331 19,579 I,ioo 2,769 111,132 1,329 2,700 12,331 19,579 I,ioo 2,769 lQ8,948 1,166 2,003 12,488 16,220 1,090 3,160 108,948 1,166 2,003 12,488 16,220 1,090 3,160 153 088 16,851 158 675 I6￿51 14,968 14,968 175 390 180 977 Total Expermliture 178 241 185761 173 347 174 900

Deferred income relates to rent and lettings income received relating to the following year.

THE PARQCHIAL CHURCH COUNaL OFTHE ECCLESIASTICAL PAIUSH OF SAINT MARX, REIGATE Notes to the accounts For the year ended 31 Detsrnber 2021 10 Fund Detsils ails of individual fund mov&nents during the year are ag fomows.. Unrestricted Fund At l January 2021 SurplLts for the year At 31 D￿rnber 2021 428,717 410,507 452 382 428 717 Restricted Funds Buyl Kent Fund At l January 2021 Surplus forthe year At 31 t)￿rnber 2021 3,111 3,098 13 Audio ￿SUal Equipment Fund At l janu￿ 2021 Surplus for the year At 31 t*mber 2021 988 988 Total restricted Funds 7he restriot￿ funds hdd at the end of the year are the Be￿ Kent Fund to be us& for 9entral ￿ligiouS purpo￿ and the Audio Visual EqUiP￿nt Fund for equipment to enhanTr worthip both in thurd) and online. 11 Maintenance of Church Bulldlngs The (hurch Counal is respons￿e for the Maintenan￿ of the ￿Urth and Hall and a Finan￿ & Buildings Q)mmittee exists to ensure that the necessary work is under constant review. A quinqu￿￿1al inspection of the thurth building wa5 effettd by a Ll'ocEan approved ard)ite(t during 2021 highlightr'ng necessary repairs to be effected over the next five yeats. The Parochial (hurth G)unol is c0mmftl￿j to towards blroming carbon 'net zero, by 2030 in aCcord￿Tr wth t￿et$ set by the Church of England'5 General Synod in 2020. The Parod)ia Churd) Counol has commitled to expendffcure of £26,500 in 2022 on solar pand& 12 Accumulatlon of ReseNes The acwmulatson of wrpluses in the Ljnrestricted fund exists only lo the extent that resources are needed hr the ongoing ￿￿[k of the churth and for the rna1n￿an￿ and improvements referred to in note 11. 13 Detsiled Income anil Expenditure Attounts '1& income and expenditure a(XDunts are provid&1 on the following pages. li

THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF SAINT MARK REIGATE Detailed Income and Expenditure ac￿Unt For the year ended 31 December 2021 Year end8J 31-tEc-21 Year end&J 31-￿-20 Income Plann￿ G￿ing - including tax r￿Verable Coll*(ions- induding tax ￿Verable 81,322 4,434 27,519 6,257 io,ooo 81,358 6,688 35,441 1,319 •• Gift Day - induding tax r￿0Verable tX)nations- indudlng tsx r￿Verable Legacy ri:: Grants Appeals Other Attivities Church Lettings Magazine 2,700 1,933 11,868 640 657 660 9,146 1,553 2,014 520 1,027 Administration Servi Totsl Operating Income 150 870 139 066 Expenditu Missionary and d￿ritable giving Churth Running costs Parish support ftjnd aergy exp￿ Sanctuary costs Organist and Organ Insuran Gas and d&trioty Building maint￿an Equipment (ind maintenan￿) Other running costs aiurth Operating Expenditure 111,132 1,329 722 2,700 3,912 3,524 2,769 7,735 4,173 137 996 108,948 1,166 832 2,003 3,803 3,540 3,160 9,604 137,369 offi￿ administration and stationery G0Veman￿ Independent examination 19,579 16,220 1,090 Total operating expenditure 163 459 159 932 (￿Urth operating defiot for the y&ir Hall operating surplus/(defiat) for the ypar Building and Renovation Projels Propty R￿t Total Operating Surplus Interest R￿Vable Total Surplus for the Year (12,589) 546 (5,451) (20,866) (2,466) 24,629 25 24,654 18,018 205 12

THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF SAINT MARK REIGATE Detailed Income and Expenditure account- Hall For the year ended 31 Deomber 2021 Year ￿ded 31-Dec-21 Year a)d 31-fkc-20 Income Letting Fe Expenditure Insuran Water Gas & El￿triOty Ckaning Repairs and malntenan Rause Administration op￿ating Expenditure 1,068 3,950 9,816 1,299 718 1,056 4,496 6,975 1,714 667 60 Hall operating surplusl(defi(itl Hall building works Hall defi(it for the year 546 (2,466) 4,905 2,466 13

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF SAINT MARK, REIGATE For the year ended 31 December 2021

I report on my examination of the accounts of The Parochial Church of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Mark, Reigate for the year ended 31 December 2021.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

Your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the ICAEW, which is one of the listed bodies.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Ian Matthews ACA ICAEW For and on behalf of Moore Kingston Smith LLP

Chartered Accountants, Betchworth House, 57-65 Station Road, Redhill, Surrey RH1 1DL

Date: 1 April 2022

THE READERS

Readers are lay people who are licensed by a bishop to teach the faith, enable mission, and lead in church and society. As people who daily move between the worlds of work, home, social networks and church, they have a distinctive gift, bridging those worlds and bringing theology to bear on everyday life. They work together with their incumbent or chaplain, and may preach, lead (non-Eucharistic) worship, and participate in pastoral care and funeral ministry, and exercise many other aspects of leadership in church and society.

Readers are volunteers – they receive no payment for their ministry. Many also have secular careers, and this often helps in relating the Gospel and the Christian life to the lives of the members of their congregations. Others are retired from secular employment and take the opportunity of the extra time which retirement offers to expand their ministry. We are fortunate to have not one but three Readers at St Mark's.

During this strange year of partial lockdown and services not always taking place in church, the Readers continued to work behind the scenes. All three continued to preach, either in church or recorded in advance.

Ian Archer had an interrupted year because he had to have a heart operation. However, during lock-down he was able to keep in touch by phone with those he would have been visiting and since October he has been able to resume his visits with Holy Communion to those housebound or in Care Homes.

Sarah Cousins continued on the preaching rota, updated her mandatory Safeguarding for Leaders registration, and continued to ensure that members of SMART were contacted regularly in lieu of live meetings until December, when they were able to restart as a live group.

Susannah Dyde recorded several online Family Services and, when we were allowed back in church, ran extra Family Services with Fr. Martin instead of Messy Church, as this was deemed safer. Instead of a Christmas party we ran a very successful ‘Instant Nativity’ as an interactive service. The Home Group continued throughout both lockdowns on Zoom only, the members benefitting from the mutual support of regular Bible reading, discussion and prayer together. We held our second virtual Christmas Party on Zoom with crackers, jokes and bubbly.

None of us want a repeat of the last two years, but there is no doubt that we learnt a lot and became more technologically proficient, and we will appreciate our new-found freedom all the more.

Ian Archer, Sarah Cousins and Susannah Dyde

SUSTAINABILITY AT ST MARK’S

The Sustainability Committee members are: Sophia Oliver, Melanie Crighton, Helen Starmer, Timothy Warren, Jane Artis, and Elizabeth Davis. It was preceded by the Eco Committee, which was formed in early 2021 and had three members (Sophia, Helen, Elizabeth Warren). The Sustainability Committee was established in its present form in the autumn.

Eco Church status

The first priority for the committee was to secure Eco Church status for St Mark’s, demonstrating commitment to the agenda set by the General Synod and taking on a leadership role locally.

Eco Church is an initiative to support churches to reach sustainability goals in five categories: buildings management, land management, worship, lifestyle, and community and global engagement. The Committee assessed St Mark’s against the criteria for each category and applied for, and received, a bronze award in June.

2030 Net Zero goal for the Church of England

The Committee simultaneously considered the Archbishop of Canterbury’s target for all churches to reach net zero by 2030. St Mark’s has a carbon footprint of around 45 tonnes a year, which is high compared to most churches, and most of which is due to energy use.

The Committee looked at a range of options for reducing carbon emissions, including ground and air source heat pumps, electric pew heaters, solar energy and behaviour change. Options were proposed to the Parochial Church Council (PCC) and described in a report in the Parish Magazine.

Detailed proposals for two of the options were then developed: solar energy and behaviour change. Opinions were invited from the congregation. In November the PCC decided to proceed with buying 70 solar panels through a Surrey Council backed collective purchase scheme, at roughly half market cost, to generate 75% of the energy required for electricity in the church and hall and save nearly 5 tonnes of carbon a year; and to trial ‘Green Sundays’ once a month for the first three months of 2022, holding services in the hall and enabling heating in the church to be switched off, reducing energy use for church heating by about 5% over the year and saving about 1.5 tonnes of carbon. A third option - replacing the church heating with pew heaters - is still under consideration.

Other sustainability measures

The Committee also considered other measures to improve sustainability during 2021 and started to put some of these into practice or to research options, including meat free Messy Church meals, using choice of plants to improve biodiversity in the gardens, and moving towards a zero waste operation in the kitchen.

Sophia Oliver

ELECTORAL ROLL

People whose names are on the Electoral Roll are entitled vote at the Annual Parish Church Meeting and in this way feel much more part of St Mark’s Church. Once you reach your sixteenth birthday you are eligible to make an application and the only stipulation is that you have been baptised, and not necessarily confirmed. You need to live in the parish to go on the Roll immediately, (please ask me if you have any doubts about where the parish boundaries lie) or have habitually worshipped at St Mark’s for six months if you live outside the parish. You can apply by filling in the simple, self-explanatory form available from me or from the Parish Office. Completed forms should please be handed to either myself or to the Parish Office.

The Roll is normally on display in the church and contains only names. It is open until two weeks before the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, when it will be closed for revision.

So as to keep the Roll as up-to-date as possible I would be grateful to be told of any changes in address, or people moving away from the parish, as I do not always hear of these details immediately.

Terrence Hancock Acting Electoral Roll Officer

MUSIC AT SAINT MARK’S

In normal times music plays a significant part of our worship, especially at the weekly sung Eucharist. However, 2021 was far from “normal times”.

Until the latter part of the year singing was not allowed. Through the combined efforts of Fr Martin and Toby Garrood with St Mark’s Singers many hours were spent recording hymns which were used at appropriate times during services and “live” organ music was played both before and after services. Although we were not able to sing the various parts of the liturgy, Fr Martin used recordings of the choir of St Martin-in-the Fields singing the Gloria and Agnus Dei of the St Thomas Mass.

Once some of the restrictions imposed by the Government had been relaxed it was once again possible to allow singing. Some of St Mark’s Singers joined the choir each Sunday and this enabled us to provide an un-robed choir to lead the singing of hymns whilst still using the recorded parts of the liturgy. We were also able to provide a Carol Service in December.

Unfortunately, it has not been possible to have the choir of St Mary’s, Reigate along to sing Choral Evensong during the year.

Terrence Hancock Organist & Choirmaster

SAINT MARK’S PARISH MAGAZINE

The Parish Magazine continues to be a predominately online publication with some paper copies being distributed upon request. In the last year the magazine has secured two new advertisers and one of our existing advertisers, Abbeyfield, has taken a larger, colour advert.

The magazine continues to benefit from regular contributions from Ian Archer and Harry Ingram, thanks to both for their ongoing support. Thanks also to the other members of the Parish team who regularly support the magazine with proofing, advertising and distribution.

The format of the magazine hasn’t changed much over the past year. It continues to champion environmental news and views as well regular updates about what is happening in the church, SMOAT and the wider Church of England. Looking forward in 2022, the magazine will continue to support the church’s mission action plan.

Helen Starmer

KNITTING AND SPIRITUALITY GROUP

Because of the Coronavirus regulations we were unable to meet in person for most of 2021. We kept in touch with each other by fortnightly ‘round robin’ phone calls. Towards the end of the year we managed to meet on one or two occasions, but had to stop as the infection numbers rose again. We now hope to reinstate the regular monthly meetings.

We welcome new members Jenny Linnell, Catherine Rodgers and Dorothy Piejus.

We would be delighted to include more new members. We don’t limit ourselves to knitting: crochet, sewing, embroidery, or any craft that can be carried out on a lap will be very welcome. Please inquire from Cherith Baldry (01737 221955) or Sarah Cousins (01737 789943).

Cherith Baldry Sarah Cousins

YOUTH WORK AT SAINT MARK’S

T-TIME TALES

T-Time Tales is a short after-school service for young children and their parents or carers. The children come into church on their way home from school on Wednesday afternoons for a drink and a biscuit and half an hour of singing, teaching and fun. I am assisted by Keith Dyde, and Fr Martin supports the singing with his excellent piano playing. T-Time Tales did not run for most of last year, but we did have two sessions just before Christmas to whet peoples’ appetites for the coming year.

Susannah Dyde

MESSY CHURCH

In 2021 Messy Church activities continued to be significantly impacted by the pandemic. As in many other parts of our lives, the Messy Church team became experts at tackling last minute changes to regulations and making the best of whatever situation they were in. Enormous thanks to the wonderful group of enthusiastic volunteers who gave their time and creativity.

Whilst we were unable to get together for any Lent activities, children were able to share their ideas during a zoom service, with many children promising to give something up or make a positive change during this time. Activity sheets were also emailed out to all families.

At Easter time, children’s activity packs were produced so that they could be collected from the church for a small donation. Activities included a DIY Easter garden and make your own palm cross. There was also an Easter card included for children to decorate. These were then distributed to other members of the congregation along with a bunch of daffodils. Children were also invited to come to the church in their own time over the Easter holidays to complete a treasure hunt which told the Easter story. We received lots of positive feedback from families who participated.

In April an online survey was sent to all families to collect their thoughts on how they could return to church safely. The results were very encouraging and informed plans for face-to-face Messy Church later in the year. Another positive result was that many responders offered to help with future Messy Church activities and meal preparation.

On 18 July we were able to safely meet for our Summer party. We had glorious weather, a delicious BBQ thanks to Timothy Warren and Keith Dyde, and some fun activities for the children to enjoy. Families brought their own picnic rugs and it was great to see everyone together.

From September we were finally able meet in the hall again, which we did with some agreed protocols. As COVID cases began to rise again towards the end of the year, plans changed and unfortunately, we had to cancel our planned Messy Church Christmas celebration.

Instead, we held a more COVID safe pop-up nativity performance for the first time. Susannah Dyde did a fantastic job with the script and was a wonderful narrator. Despite the disappointment of the cancelled party everyone very much enjoyed the nativity experience.

Thanks again to all those who made Messy Church activities possible in 2021.

Rachel Potter

THE PARISH OFFICE

As we all know, the year started off with another lockdown. Thankfully, I was able to carry out my usual daily tasks with few limitations as Parish Administrator when working from home. The Parish mobile has been a great resource in helping to keep in touch during this time and beyond.

The pandemic brought about some changes as to how we communicated with the congregation. Most of our communication moved online via email. The Parish Magazine was and still is being posted out to those that have requested this. These changes brought about a reduction in our overall printing costs. We are also offering our printing services (at a cost) to a few local churches.

With the easing of restrictions, we also saw an increase in hall bookings. It was agreed to keep the numbers of attendees limited and implement extra procedures which ensured a safer (COVID) environment was provided for all hall users. These measures were greatly appreciated by many hirers. By the end of the year most Saturdays were booked.

I am very grateful to have had (and to continue to have) Fr. Martin’s support over what was another unusual year. I am now glad that to be back in the office and if there is anything you need, please let me know as I am always happy to help where I can.

PARISH SAFEGUARDING

After undertaking the appropriate training, I have been appointed the Parish Safeguarding Officer. My aim is to continue to provide an environment that is welcoming and respectful and enable any safeguarding concerns to be raised and responded to openly, promptly and consistently. All PCC members will also be undertaking safeguarding training and undergoing DBS (disclosure and barring service) checks.

Alexia Hartman Parish Administrator

SAINT MARK’S OVERSEAS AID TRUST (SMOAT)

2020 and 2021 were hard years for all of us. For the most part it was impossible for us to hold live events and we had to get our thinking caps on to reinvent our fund-raising methods. During the last two years we have held SMOAT@home events, where we have run events which have enabled people to take part from the safety of their own homes. This has meant that rather than fading into the background, we have been able to keep a presence in the community and spread a little happiness whilst doing so!

During 2021 we gave away £19,830 to nine projects in six different countries. This includes £10,040 given to the Christmas Appeal 2020. I am amazed and very proud that we were able to give this much money away, despite being very limited in our fund raising and it highlights once again the importance and generosity of our regular givers.

The only event that we were able to run in 2021 was our Grow your Own Sunflower competition. We envisaged it being a very small fund raiser but it proved to be enormously popular and we raised just over £700 – more than we had ever imagined. It caught people’s imagination and there was some quite stiff competition for top prize! We were able to give £750 to Bees for Development who are working with beekeepers in Ethiopia to set up Village Savings and Loan Groups, teaching them to save a small portion of what they earn. Built on a tried and tested procedure these informal, small groups enable people to save and borrow without having to deal with institutions which reject them for being too poor and illiterate. Members save just a small portion of what they earn and this can serve as a building block of financial security. Savings accrue and are used for more significant investments later and the groups give loans. In an emergency, members can go to the group to get money, so providing a cushion against adversity and misfortune.

All other money given away was funded by regular giving and supported the following projects:

We gave £1,040 to Kaloko Trust to enable them to build latrines in a large primary school in Luansobe, Zambia.

We gave £1,000 to Simien Mountains Mobile Medical Service, which funded mobile clinic outreach teams in some of the very remotest parts of Ethiopia. This money was given as part of the Big Give Christmas Challenge, which meant that the money we gave was match funded and therefore doubled.

We also gave £1,000 to WorkAid as part of the Big Give Christmas Challenge. Again, that amount was doubled through match funding and the donation went to a Train the Trainer project in Zambia to increase the ability to service and repair sewing machines sent to them by WorkAid. Separately, we gave a further £1,000 to part fund a container going to Sierra Leone, where a community is being built on the outskirts of Freetown to replace slums washed away in floods.

We gave £2,000 to Bridge2Aid to fund dental trainees in the Kamuli District in Uganda. This will enable 15 dental staff to be trained in how to deliver oral health promotion in a country where there are only 600 dental staff to a population of over 40 million.

We gave £2,000 to Freedom from Fistula which will cover the cost of three screening trips to identify and screen fistula patients in rural parts of Madagascar. Fistula is a debilitating but treatable illness following traumatic childbirth and women suffering from fistula are often shunned, isolated and despised by their communities.

Finally, we gave £1,000 to Zambia Orphan Aid to fund reusable sanitary pads, which will enable female students in two particularly disadvantaged rural communities in the northern province of Zambia to remain in school.

I would like to thank everyone who has supported us during what has been an unusual and most trying time for us all.

Barbara Perkins Chairman

SAINT MARK’S AFTERNOON RETIREMENT TEAM (SMART)

SMART is a social group for older people to meet and enjoy a varied monthly programme, in the church hall or on occasional outings. Smart is open to all aged over 65 in the community, so you do not have to be a member of St Mark’s to come. Smart is run by Sarah Cousins, a Reader at St Mark’s, and a part time NHS mental health chaplain.

Throughout 2021 there was a frequent, heartfelt question, “When will we meet again”? Frances Wood and I kept in regular contact with people by telephone, something that I believe was appreciated by nearly all members. At long last we restarted in December with a most enjoyable happy meeting, seeing old faces and renewing friendships, whilst singing carols and sampling delicious Christmas fare.

I would like to give my personal and warmest thanks to Hilary Hobbs who after her wonderful entertainment at last year’s Christmas Carols and Tea is now retiring. Hilary has been an incomparable compère and loyal dependable contributor to our Christmas meetings for years.

Without her unique and talented contribution, we would not have had such a jolly time each December.

SMART could not happen without the help and staunch support of Frances Wood and Marion Wall who give generously of their time and are always available ensuring that all the essential things get done. My thanks also go to Susan Hill Smith who joined us at the end of the year and to everyone who gave lifts to bring folk to the meeting.

Sadly, we said a final goodbye to Beryl Sign and David Barrell both of whom contributed to the life of Smart in their individual ways. May they rest in peace and rise in glory.

We are always welcoming new members. If you would like to help with giving lifts for our occasional outings, or are interested in any aspect of SMART, please come and have a chat!

Sarah Cousins

OTHER ACTIVITIES

FOODBANK

St Mark’s has supported St Matthew’s Food Bank for many years. In 2020, during the first lockdown, the collection point was moved from inside the church to the Vicarage doorstep where it has remained ever since. In this position many members of the local community as well as the Church community have been donating on a regular basis and overall the number of donations has increased.

The demand for the Food Bank in the last year has grown considerably but unfortunately the donations have not kept pace – in fact donations have dropped over the year.

The next year it is forecast that demand will continue to increase so please support the Food Bank as much as you can. Only non-perishable foods are acceptable (ie tins, etc) and not fresh produce or out of date items. Basic toiletries can also be donated, but please no candles, etc. For a full list of what is needed including shortage items, please go to the St Matthew’s Food Bank web site. All donations are gratefully received.

Fr Martin