ALL SAINTS All Saints Hove YEARBOOK 2024 ## CONTENTS |Elections of Churchwardens & Annual Parochial Meeting 2024 ………………………………………|4| |---|---| |Annual Parochial Church Meeting Agenda…………..………………………………………………………..|4| |Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting 2023…………………………………………………..|5| |Churchwardens’ Report………………………………………………………………………………………...…….|10| |Church Fabric and Maintenance…………………………………………………………………………………..|13| |Electoral Roll……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..|15| |Safeguarding………………………..……………………………………………………………………………………|15| |Operations and Facilities……...………………………………………………………………………………………|16| |SDF Project “Revitalising the Church, Renewing the City”………………………………………………..|17| |Music and Liturgy……….……………………………………………………………………………………………….|18| |Children and Families…………………………………………………………………………………………………..|19| |One Bread Cafe…….…………………………………………………………………………………………………….|21| |Church Garden..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..|22| The Annual Reports and unaudited Financial Statements for the Church and Hall may be found at the back of this document. 3 ## **ELECTION OF CHURCHWARDENS & ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING 2024** Meeting to be held on Sunday 19[th] May 2023 at 11.30am following the Sunday Eucharist. The election of the Churchwardens takes place before the APCM. ## **Annual Parochial Church Meeting Agenda** 1. Minutes of the last APCM held on 30[th] April 2023 2. Apologies for absence 3. Election of PCC members 4. Parish Reports: including a report on safeguarding 5. Appointment of Independent Examiner 6. Churchwardens’ Thank yous 4 ## **MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING** ## **2023** Minutes of the meeting held on Sunday 30 April 2023 at 11.30am in the Church. **Present:** Bishop Nick Holtam (Chair), the Churchwardens and approximately 40 members of the Church. Bishop Nick Holtam opened the meeting with prayer. ## **Meeting for the Election of Churchwardens** Ann Joyce and Peter Millar were elected as Churchwardens for another year. ## **Annual Parochial Church Meeting** ## **1) Minutes of the last APCM held on 15 May 2022** The minutes from the last APCM were agreed and signed. Tim Digby Roberts asked a question about the Vicar’s report from the Church Handbook relating to the various phases of the Purcell redevelopment and the plans to rehouse Danyal’s family. The family have now been rehoused and Bishop Nick Holtam said that the Purcell development would be addressed in the report. ## **2) Apologies for absence:** None received. ## **3) Election of PCC Members and Deanery Synod Representatives:** There was one vacancy on the PCC. Jon Crane’s nomination to the PCC was proposed by John King and seconded by Jamie Hancox. Luke Evans and Tanya Palmer were elected as Deanery Synod representatives for 3 years and were thanked for their work over the previous triennium. Two vacancies remain for the Deanery Synod. ## **4) Parish Reports: Including a report on Safeguarding. Music and Liturgy** Dave Stevens said that we have exceeded all targets for the development of the music programme this year. The Junior Choristers and the Community Choir are progressing well. With three choirs meeting regularly we have around 80 singers through the church doors each week. The next stage is to create a choir for 13-18 year olds which will be launched in September. 5 The Lunchtime Concert series will resume in June. We also plan to launch a new commissioning programme for composers to provide new choral music for parish choirs. Dave Stevens thanked everyone who had been involved in music at All Saints this year. Bishop Nick Holtam thanked Dave Stevens for leading the music programme this year. ## **Churchwardens’ Reports** Ann Joyce said that there was nothing further to add to the Churchwardens Report published in the 2023 Yearbook. There were no questions on the report. ## **Church Fabric Report** Peter Millar spoke about the Quinquennial Inspection and the recommendations resulting from this report. The work has been divided into four tranches – repairs to the upper south side, the lower south side, the baptistry roof area, and the west end. Peter Millar spoke about the recent inspection of the church organ. We have installed a hydrometer to measure the humidity and will continue to monitor this. The font cover has been inspected and we may need to arrange an inspection of the cable. If the inspection goes ahead a cherry picker will be hired so that the faulty lightbulbs are also replaced. Bishop Nick Holtam thanked the Churchwardens for their reports. ## **Electoral Roll** There were no further updates to the report presented in the 2023 Yearbook, but Bishop Nick Holtam urged any members of the congregation who are not already on the electoral roll to sign up. ## **Safeguarding** Sarah Henderson said that we are looking for new members to join the Safeguarding team and would welcome approaches from the congregation, particularly if they have some experience of Safeguarding in their professional life or from experience at another church. ## **Operations Manager’s Report** Sarah Henderson said that there had been an increase in venue hires which exceeds prepandemic activity and is good news for income generation. Regular activity in our spaces includes our music provision and regular hires by community organisations. We host a Ukrainian Refugee Group in the hall on Saturdays and they have recently offered to repaint the hall and purchase some benches to show their appreciation for the welcome they have received here. In response to Tim Digby Roberts’ question regarding the phases of the redevelopment, Sarah Henderson said she would be happy to share the masterplan with any members of the congregation who were interested in seeing this. In summary, the first phase of redevelopment will be the work on the vicarage. Other plans, including work on the hall and the accommodation for pastoral assistants, will be on hold until a new vicar is in post. Adrian Herbert asked whether the diocese was covering the vicarage redevelopment and Sarah Henderson confirmed that this was the case. 6 Sarah Henderson thanked her colleagues Emma Mead, Rose McDermott, Darren Beard and Emily Chantler for their work this year, and also thanked Peter Hansford for supporting with the strategic development project. Sue Tatton-Brown asked about the reference to the Ralli Hall in the Church Yearbook. Tony Mollett responded that there had been a historic link between All Saints and the Ralli Hall which is why the hall is referenced in the accounts. There is no longer a link. Bishop Nick Holtam said it was really positive to see increased use of our spaces by local community groups this year. Ann Joyce thanked Sarah Henderson for her work on the strategic development project this year. ## **Children and Families** Catherine Halloran provided some highlights on the Children and Families Ministry. The Little Fishes group meets twice a week in church, welcoming around 100 families each week and generating a steady income through donations. Over the Easter weekend we had 42 children attending services, and we have contact with around 46 children through the Sunday School with children attending on average twice a month. Our Messy Church programme has expanded over the past year, but new volunteers are needed. Catherine appealed to members of the congregation to volunteer to help with this group. We’ve seen increased numbers of children being baptised this year, and 8 children participated in the First Holy Communion programme. £200 of donations was raised by the recent Clothes Swap. Catherine ended her report by thanking the congregation for their support and welcome of new families. ## **Hospitality** There were no further updates from the report in the 2023 Yearbook. Birgit Miller asked whether it would be possible to introduce a Pay It Forward scheme for the café. Bishop Nick Holtam said that this idea would be passed on to Andrew James for consideration. Catherine Halloran commented that the café was being used by families with young children each day, and that this was bringing more people into the church during the week. ## **Apostolic Partnerships** Fr Lee Chantler said that in his apostolic partnership work there had obviously been an increased focus on All Saints during the vacancy. Once a new incumbent is in place, he will be able to increase the level of work towards meeting SDF project commitments to resource other churches in Brighton and Hove. The Sanctuary group, which provides a welcoming space for refugees, continues to meet weekly at All Saints. We won’t have a pastoral assistant for next year. This is due to ongoing difficulties in recruiting pastoral assistants across the diocese, partly due to the cost-of-living crisis. Going forward the Diocese is looking at a more joined up strategy for recruitment of pastoral assistants and we will be able to contribute to this. We’ve had a positive ‘green’ report from the Strategic Development Team highlighting the growth in our church groups and community projects. 7 ## **Church Garden and Church Flowers** We are looking to recruit more volunteers to help Krzysztof Szydelko in the Church Garden. We now have a separate budget line to support flower provision for festival days, but we will be giving the congregation the opportunity to sign up and contribute to flowers to commemorate a loved one on a particular date. Having this calendar system in place will support the costs of flower provision across the year. ## **Finance Report** Tony Mollett shared a summary of the Profit and Loss in comparison to last year’s figures and reported an operating loss of £92,000. The sale of the parsonage should be completed by mid-May and we are hoping for £900,000 which will be used for strategic development projects. Tony Mollett flagged up that All Saints has a deficit of around £40k each year and this has been the case for the last 5-6 years. He highlighted that part of the expenditure on the café development should have been accounted for in last year’s accounts so this would make the deficit £40,000 last year. Our energy bills have increased but we have received a grant towards these costs from the Church of England. We do need to keep the church buildings within a reasonable temperature range to ensure that the spaces are warm enough for our church and community groups. **Income:** External hires of the church and hall are bringing in more income. Brighton Festival hires are also a source of funds. The management fee from the hall brings in around £30,000 each year which covers staff time in coordinating hires. Tony Mollett said that the management fee will be increased to £36,000 for 2023-24. We’ve received a grant of £5,000 from St Ann’s Trust (other grants), and the Hove Trinity Trust loan of £11,312 has been converted from a loan to a grant. The café has more or less broken even which is better than expected, however Tony Mollett said that we are unable to measure the increase in electricity costs. Our investment income has dropped this year mainly due to necessary repairs to the church building. **Expenditure:** Staff wages have increased but this has largely been paid for by the Strategic Development Fund. The SDF also supports our work with children and families, and the development of our music programme. The Church building costs a significant amount in terms of repairs and maintenance. There is a net increase in Total Funds of £83,000 at 31/12/22 but Tony Mollett flagged that this is largely in terms of assets not cash. Tony Mollett ended his report by asking each member of the congregation to consider increasing the amount they donate to All Saints so that as a congregation we can work 8 towards decreasing the deficit and aim for a breakeven budget in 2024. He emphasised that the money from the Strategic Development Fund will reduce over time and All Saints needs to be able to resource staff costs going forward. This is something that the PCC will be looking at. In response to Tony Mollett’s report, Birgit Miller asked whether All Saints could consider joining Eco Church. There was also some discussion about Solar Panels and the possibility of installing draught excluders for the doors. Tony Mollett said that there was a plan to complete an energy audit. The PCC would be considering the implications and logistics of solar panels, and it was agreed that the idea of joining Eco Church would be explored. In response to a question about the increase in the parish share, it was confirmed that the Parish Share has gone up by 2% to £81,600. This is 100% of the contribution requested. Jane Downie asked whether All Saints had a Friends Organisation as this could be a way of connecting with local neighbours and businesses who have an interest in the building redevelopment. Birgit Miller said that the music programme could potentially be used to reinvigorate a Friends organisation. Tony Mollett responded that the PCC could look at this when the new incumbent was in post. At this point in the meeting Santhosh Varghese was formally thanked for his work as Treasurer in the previous year. Bishop Nick Holtam thanked Tony Mollett for the clear reporting and recommended the Eco Church initiative, encouraging the PCC to progress with this. ## 5) **Appointment of Independent Examiner** Dominic Hill were reappointed as independent examiners for All Saints. Peter Millar then spoke about the recruitment process for the new vicar. Bishop Will is leading on recruitment and interviews will take place on 10 May. ## 6) **Churchwarden’s thanks** Ann Joyce thanked Bishop Nick Holtam for steering the ministry team, Fr Lee for rising to the challenge, Fr John for stepping in where needed, and Fr James for his support. She thanked Peter Millar for his support as her fellow Churchwarden during the vacancy. Ann thanked Glo Boughton for her service as PCC Secretary over the years, supporting the parish through 3 vacancies. Ann said that Glo is making good progress through her rehabilitation. Bishop Nick Holtam closed the meeting at 12.55pm with The Grace. 9 ## **PARISH REPORTS** ## **Churchwardens Report** Well, again we have had a fulfilling year and an eventful one. Where to start?? I think we have to start with saying farewell to our Associate Priest, Fr Lee Chantler and his lovely wife and family – Helen, Rose, Rowan and William. He was asked by the Bishop of Southwark to accept the parish of Christ Church, Blackfriars. Fr Lee contributed so richly to the life of All Saints. A few of us went to his induction, a very happy service. We wish Fr Lee all happiness in his new church. This left us with our amazing team of extremely efficient people carrying everything, led so ably by Sarah Henderson, our Operations Manager, and by her side our invaluable Administrator, Emma Mead. Together with Dave, Catherine, and Patrick, these dedicated people have all ensured our church is as flourishing as it is, with growing congregations, baptisms and adult confirmations. Catherine has continued doing wonderful things week by week with the Little Fishes and with children and families. Dave has led our Sunday music with the choir, he also did wonderful work at Christmas with a magnificent concert as well as the Nine Lessons and Carols. In September it was so good to welcome Patrick from our congregation, to take on the role of manager of the One Bread Café, he is doing a fabulous job (the team members have all written their reports.) I would like to take this opportunity to wish Sarah and Luke every blessing for the forthcoming birth of their baby in August. It’s such wonderful news. Sarah will set out her plans in her report. What we are unable to do is operate without priests - Bishop Nick has been a great strength to the team and to Peter and me. He has led the team meeting every week and been their support; he has presided and preached twice a month and been a sounding board through the process of appointing a new priest for the parish. I must also say a big ‘thank you’ to Fr John, my husband, for presiding and preaching once a month on a Sunday as well as the Mass on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. He and Adrian Herbert also take communion to our brothers and sisters unable to get to church in their homes. Incidentally John also keeps our altar linen looking spotless and assists Dave Stevens with proof reading of Orders of Service. We are grateful too for the help that Fr James McMahon has given us. I must also express deep gratitude to Archdeacon Martin Lloyd Williams: he has been a constant strength to us, he has, on occasions, presided and preached for us, he has chaired our PCC meetings and our Standing Committee and indeed will be chairing our APCM. On your behalf I would like to wish Archdeacon Martin well as he begins a well-deserved Sabbatical on 20[th] May. I’m only sad that he won’t be involved in the licensing of our new Vicar. I must now speak about the delight we have in welcoming our new priest, Catriona Cumming, to All Saints, in June. As most of you know she comes to us from York Minster where she has been Succentor for the past 6 years and before that a curate in Melton Mowbray team parish. She will be living in a house rented by the diocese until the Vicarage has been updated. She has all the attributes we need at All Saints: Bishop Will, Archdeacon Martin, Peter, Sarah and I were all of the same mind after the interview process was completed. It is a joy and, frankly, we can’t wait!!! 10 We had a wonderful Holy Week and Easter, Bishop Nick led the procession from Palmeira Square and guided us through Palm Sunday; Bishop Martin presided and preached on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Bishop Nick presided and preached at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday and at the Mass with baptisms on Easter morning, assisted by Fr John. A few more ‘thank you’s’: We wished Andrew and Synne, David and Else well as they left us to go to the theological college at Cuddesdon for him to begin his training for the priesthood. Andrew did so much for us as our first Hospitality Minister and in setting up the One Bread Café. Some of us have very happy memories of his delicious curries served after Come and Sing Evensongs. We said goodbye and thank you to Luke Brennan, our Pastoral Assistant, who left us in September, although we still see him regularly as he accompanies Sue TB to church. It was a joy that he was among those confirmed by Bishop Nick on Sunday 28[th] April. That day saw six members of our community confirmed and Benji Li baptised too. We must express special thanks to Anne Bawden and David Jewell for the restoration of the icon of Our Lady in the Spirit Chapel, it is absolutely beautiful. Thank you to Sue and Mowle Atkins for their dedication to All Saints for well over 45 years and their constant care of the Sanctuary and attending to the needs of the clergy and training of the servers. Their work for the church and in scouting was recognised by their being awarded the Order of St Richard. Bishop Ruth presented them with their medal in September at a service in Chichester Cathedral. During the course of the year Glo Boughton felt she had to resign from being the PCC Secretary because of ill health. She has served us with dedication for more years than she or I can care to remember. There is nothing she didn’t know about the inside working of the diocese and All Saints. Glo, we are so indebted to you. Thank you to Sarah Crompton for very kindly taking over from Glo Boughton as PCC Secretary at short notice, she has been invaluable, but she is unable to continue because of pressure of work. Matt Barrett has generously offered his services as the new PCC Secretary; we are so grateful. Thank you to our flower team for enriching our services with beautiful floral creations and Jon Crane for the Christmas Crib and Leslie Holland for the Easter Garden. Thank you also to Krzysztof and Leslie for re-establishing and planning our memorial garden. I cannot believe that our caretaker, Darren Beard, has, in the last few weeks, celebrated 10 years of keeping us clean and tidy. Thank you, Darren. Dave Stevens, in his report, will mention the lunchtime concerts but I would like to thank Peter Morris for always being available to assist with the lunchtime concerts together with Adrian Herbert and Martin Drennan. 11 My thanks go to the Sunday morning coffee team who provide us with coffees and teas on Sunday morning and we cannot forget to thank Shirley who provides wonderful cakes etc. week after week - so very much needed and appreciated. My thanks, as always, go to Tony Mollett, our Treasurer, for keeping our finances in such good order. We mustn’t underestimate how much time and energy is needed for this, and together with Rose McDermott, our finance officer, working closely with him, they keep us in line. Peter’s Churchwarden’s report tells us about all the challenging things that have been going on in and around the church. I am so grateful to him for all he does and appreciate the vast amount of his time it has taken him this year. He and I work really well together and, as I said last year, we always agree on big decisions. Peter and I would like to thank all our fantastic helpers without whom we could not function. Ann Joyce Peter Millar _Churchwardens_ 12 ## **Church Fabric and Maintenance** **Maintenance Work:** Since the last APCM there have been no significant maintenance works required. Regular checks and maintenance to the Church roof have kept the roof in satisfactory condition. The crypt stair lift failed totally so was replaced by a secondhand lift. Last year I noted a potential problem with damp in the organ loft, but repairs to the roof steel covering have fixed this. We obtained a hygrometer to ensure we can keep the humidity in the organ loft between 55 & 65%, a demanding target. **North Side Main Drain Blockage:** Two periods of heavy rain in November led to significant flooding in the basement and the crypt, with rainwater from the roof forced back into the basement drains and toilets by a collapse of the main drain on the north side of the Memorial Garden. This necessitated closing the basement to all use, requiring us to use the toilets in the hall block until we installed the Portaloos outside the north entrance to the Narthex. Investigating the cause of the blockage took a while; it was caused by the roots of the large flowering cherry tree in the Memorial Garden (which had to be removed for access for repair work) partially collapsing the original 120 year old drains for both the north side rainwater and the basement. Being 4 metres deep the repair has taken a while to finish. The resulting necessity of removing the flooring in the basement and crypt, sanitising the whole area, and replacing the flooring should be completed soon. **Font Cover:** Early last year our insurers required us to have the Font Cover inspected by an engineer annually to maintain the insurance. This led to two inadequate inspections, and the realisation that to undertake this every year would cost in the order of £5,000, and while reassuring us about the safety of the lifting mechanism, could not give any assurance that the bolt fastening the lifting cables to the very thin top of the Font Cover was secure after 100 years of supporting the full weight of the Cover. It became apparent that visual inspection of the wood at the top of the Font Cover could never provide assurance that there wasn’t a risk of failure at any given moment. So the PCC decided that the risk of a collapse could not be either assessed or accepted, whether insured or not. Hence the immediate decision to stop using the Font and to prevent access to the baptistry area. The process of getting approval for the removal of the Font Cover (to be put on display in the Baptistry) and its replacement with a smaller decorative hand-movable cover is underway. **Church Lighting:** We still have some bulbs to replace but are considering this in light of the requirement to reduce energy usage in our lighting (for cost and zero-carbon reasons), potentially by replacing bulbs with low energy versions. However, this is not straightforward whilst retaining an adequate level of illumination. The temporary festoon lights on the main aisle side pillars have either to be removed or made permanent as part of our considerations. Minor repairs to the computer controlling the lights were required. **Church Repairs:** There was no major repair work to the Church building undertaken in 2023 after last year’s APCM; our plans following the Quinquennial Inspection 23 remain as I reported last year. **Spirit Chapel Rainwater Hopper:** For some time this has been overflowing with rainwater leaking into the main south side pillar in the Spirit Chapel (easily visible) as its wooden supports are rotting 13 and allowing the hopper to settle below the drain in heavy rain. This ingress of water into the stone work is very damaging in the long term, so 18 months ago we starting planning a repair, obtaining a grant of £1,800 from Benefact towards the cost of over £12,000, the work to be undertaken by Clarkes Roofing of Eastbourne, church roof specialists. The scaffolding to do this went up and the work started on 22 April. Initial work has discovered there is a problem with the age of the lead on the roof and the original fastening method. It is necessary to remove totally about half the lead on the south side of the pitched roof to be able to remove the lower set of boards supporting it, so that we can then get at the gutter and the hopper to make the repair. The state of the lead, with old repairs etc, means that it cannot be re-used, although it is good thick lead; the replacement modern lead (to the same thickness) has to be fastened sheet-to-sheet using a circular cross section rod to wrap the adjoining sheets around to make a weather proof and secure join, and the old sheets aren't wide enough or in good enough condition to permit this. Overall, it means that we have to have new lead sheets, which has increased the cost of the repair by £11,000. This is particularly sad as the lead roofs on All Saints are particularly sound and long lasting. Peter Millar _Churchwarden_ 14 ## **Electoral Roll** The total number on our electoral roll is 135, a net increase of 21 since last year. We believe that this number still does not represent the full community that are associated with All Saints, and we will continue with regular drives to ensure everyone who considers themselves part of our church community is represented on the roll. Our Parish Administrator, Emma Mead, has now taken on the role of Electoral Roll Officer. If you would like to be added to the roll, please contact the Parish Office or speak to one of our Churchwardens. ## **Safeguarding** The PCC and employed team continue to work hard to ensure that All Saints is a safe place for everyone and that we are following safeguarding best practice. Whilst All Saints has been without a Vicar, we have been grateful to receive excellent professional support from the Diocesan safeguarding team where we have needed advice and guidance. Our current Parish Safeguarding Officer, Sarah Henderson, took on the role temporarily two years ago. As Sarah will be giving up the role to go on maternity leave in July 2024, we are delighted that Stephanie Kittow will be soon taking on the position of Parish Safeguarding Officer. Stephanie has been a member of our church community for some time, and regularly volunteers with Catherine to support our children and families ministries, so is well placed to take on this important role. In addition, our Parish Administrator Emma Mead will take on additional duties around safeguarding administration, including DBS checks. With these changes in personnel, and the arrival of our new Vicar in June, in the coming months we will be undertaking a review of our current safeguarding policies and practices and ensuring everything is in place for this new team to manage this very important area of work within our parish. 15 ## **Operations and Facilities** The past year has presented some challenges for the team and operations here at All Saints with a much reduced clergy team, so I want to start by saying thank you to the staff team, Ann, Peter, Tony, Fr John and Bishop Nick (plus numerous other volunteers) who have worked so hard to keep things running smoothly. It has been fantastic to see All Saints so well used by our local community over the past year. Our venue hire activity continues to increase, which is a vital income stream for All Saints. Over the past year, we’ve hosted concerts from Brighton Festival, London Film Music Orchestra, Sussex Symphony Orchestra and many local choirs. We’ve also hosted special events including The Makers’ Fair and Brighton Coffee Festival, which collectively have brought thousands of people through our doors and raised our profile in the local area. We continue to make our facilities available to some of the most vulnerable people in our community, through our ongoing partnership with The Choir With No Name (a choir for people who have experienced homelessness) who rehearse here every Monday, and our regular sessions in the Parish Hall for refugees, in partnership with the Network of International Women. Meanwhile, our Parish Hall continues to be well used by regular hirers including Tumble Tots, Amity, Schooling for Dogs and more, and the Parish Room hosts more than 10 Anonymous groups for people struggling with addiction. A big success in the past year has been the growth and expansion of One Bread Cafe, now open 5 days a week, 9am - 4pm, enabling many more people to visit All Saints each week for prayer and reflection, friendship and fellowship or just to enjoy our beautiful building. As you will have seen from Peter Millar’s Buildings report, the past 12 months have thrown up plenty of challenges to the smooth running of the building - from broken boilers to flooded toilets and plenty more in between. Despite this, the operational team here at All Saints, in particular our Administrator, Emma Mead and Caretaker, Darren Beard have kept things going and worked incredibly hard to ensure regular users of the building have been able to continue their activities. In terms of the long-term strategic development of All Saints, our vision to transform our site, restore our church building and replace our Parish Hall with new facilities to better serve our community has not changed, but progress has been paused over the past 18 months or so whilst we have been in vacancy. However, we are pleased that the redevelopment of the old Vicarage should soon be underway, funded and led by the Diocese of Chichester. This first phase of redevelopment will fully renovate the Vicarage into a home for our new Vicar, Catriona, who will live in rented accommodation nearby until it is ready. As well as Catriona’s arrival, there will be further changes ahead in the coming months as I will be going on maternity leave for an expected 12 month period from mid-July. My role will be covered by a new part-time Events Coordinator, with other aspects of my role being taken on by existing team members. I look forward to continuing to be involved as a member of the congregation, but taking a break from my Operations Manager duties for a while! Sarah Henderson, _Operations Manager_ 16 ## **SDF Project - “Revitalising the Church, Renewing the City”** As many of you will know, in 2021, All Saints was awarded £765k over a 5 year funding period from the Church of England Strategic Development Fund (SDF) as part of the Diocese of Chichester’s “Revitalising the Church, Renewing the City” project, in partnership with St Peter’s, Brighton, who also received significant funding. The broad aim of the project was for All Saints to see growth in numbers, depth and impact as well as becoming a Resource Church supporting other parishes in a catholic tradition across Brighton and Hove. The grant consisted of capital funding towards the construction of One Bread Cafe, and enabled us to take on a number of new staff members to help grow new ministry areas at All Saints. We have seen significant impact from the project so far, including the launch and subsequent success of One Bread Cafe, the growth of our Children and Families ministry, and the expansion of our Music programme. All of these areas have contributed hugely to the life and mission of our church and have helped to increase the number and diversity of people who join in with church activities each week, which has been wonderful to see. However, following the departures of our Vicar, Fr Ryan, our Curate Fr Pete and our Associate Vicar, Fr Lee, as well as other unforeseen challenges such as the financial pressures of energy price inflation, some aspects of the project have not yet had a chance to progress as originally planned. Therefore, with the support of the Diocese of Chichester, and with Catriona once in post, over the coming months we will redesign the remainder of the project to best use the resources we have been given to continue to grow our ministries and congregation here at All Saints, and support other churches across Brighton and Hove. We look forward to involving the wider church membership in plans as they develop. ## Sarah Henderson _Operations Manager and SDF Programme Board Representative for All Saints_ 17 ## **Music and Liturgy** Although the absence of full-time clergy has slowed development somewhat, musical activities have been consolidated and expanded in line with current capacity. The biggest addition to the calendar was a revamped Christmas concert, now organised entirely in-house, which brought in an audience of 420 people, with several turned away at the door. At our Remembrance concert in November we welcomed around 60 singers for a 'Come and Sing' performance of Faure's Requiem, hosted by our community choir partner, Brighton Voices. Our lunchtime concert series also welcomed an increased number of audience members, and we began a new arrangement with the Royal Academy of Music whereby some of their best students perform in our series on the third Thursday of each month. This year's programme will continue a month longer, to the end of November. Peter Morris continues to organise the jazz element of the series, for which I'm very grateful. Needless to say, these concert activities generate income, and we've begun consultation with other Brighton-based arts organisations regarding how we might expand our concert offering to generate further income. Liturgically, the parish choir continues to offer an expanding and well-sung repertoire, and I'm extremely grateful for all the hard work and time that they offer to the church's life. Particular highlights for me have been an increase in renaissance repertoire, the Paul Halley mass setting at Easter and the Chilcott Jazz Mass at last October's Pet Service. The Junior Choristers have continued to grow in confidence and ability, with notable achievements in their sight-singing and theory abilities, as well as their singing - they all took part in this year's Springboard Festival to great acclaim. Currently, whilst a Sunday afternoon service on hiatus, they sing at the morning Eucharist, which has been an interesting and delightful change. I'm grateful to them and their parents for making their contribution possible. Outreach activities have continued apace - I have been able to advise a number of churches on various music-related issues, and have assisted with the production of musical resources for other churches. In Holy Week Brighton Voices hosted a 'Come and Sing' Stainer's Crucifixion at St. Mary's in Kemptown, to help re-start one of their traditions that had fallen away since COVID. David Stevens _Director of Music_ 18 ## **Children and Families** Our Children and Families ministry continues to thrive at All Saints. Since last year’s report, we have welcomed 14 new families to our Sunday congregation, growing new friendships and relationships within our parish community. A highlight for All Saints Children and Families Ministry has been the Baptism of two Children on Easter Sunday morning! Our Little Fishes playgroup takes place twice per week and has grown significantly over the past year, often welcoming over 150 families each week, and generating a growing income via donations. Together we play, read, dance, and sing, forming friendships within our vibrant community. Our playgroup takes place within our wonderfully spacious church, allowing all ages to explore and enjoy our beautiful heritage building. Increasingly, families with young children are coming into the church every day when the café is open, making use of our ‘Stay and Play’ children’s area. Furthermore, the number of children and families using the café has increased greatly with the support of the café’s growing options for snacks and refreshments available to children. We have continued to run semi-regular Messy Church sessions this year. The fun takes place on Sunday afternoons, with arts and crafts, games, music, prayer, bible stories, and journeying through the liturgical year. Messy Church is a fantastic way in which people of all ages can come together and explore the Christian faith and the Church. Our Messy Church congregation has been gradually growing over the past year. Since re-starting Children and Families Ministry post-covid, we have been working hard to start up and experiment with what works best for cementing the pathway towards growing our Sunday congregation. We are continuing to try new activities and provisions and have had to reduce the frequency of Messy Church whilst we re-frame this ministry to make it more fruitful and sustainable. Children’s Church on Sunday mornings has also continued to grow. We explore bible stories and themes and learn about the signs and symbols in the liturgical year. At the greeting of peace, we return to Mass and spend time together with our families in the Children and Families pew area. We have books, toys, puzzles, activities, prayer tools, godly play, and other Mass items to explore through play. We also have an amazing team of young servers, readers, welcomers, and element deliverers who regularly take part in the Mass. All of these activities have built relationships which have led to an increase in baptism requests, which is fantastic to see. We will be commencing our First Holy Communion programme on 2[nd] June, taking place on Sundays during mass. The children will be received for their First Communions on Sunday 7[th] July. We will be preparing children for Confirmation in the autumn, with some children receiving their First Communion in June as part of their Confirmation preparation. Although All Saints does not have any direct links with schools, we have positive relationships with a number of local schools including Brunswick Primary, St Andrew’s CE Primary, St Christopher’s Prep School and Brighton Girls GDST who all use All Saints as a venue for Christmas carol services and school visits. We welcomed Brunswick Primary School’s Year 1 pupils for their annual school 19 trip at the end of April. These school trips have been a fantastic triumph, and Brunswick are keen to form stronger links with accessing support with their teaching of Christianity within their Religious Studies modules. Since last year, we have been able to access some additional SDF funding to employ support for Little Fishes, Messy Church, and Children’s Church, which has made a tremendous impact on our ability to meet the needs of the growing engagement from children and families in the community. Catherine Halloran _Children and Families Minister_ 20 ## **One Bread Cafe** One Bread Café has now been operating for two and half years. I was appointed as Manager 7 months ago, to build on the work of Andrew James who launched the cafe back in 2021. Since then, we have been reviewing how things are currently working and making changes to increase the customer base, financial sustainability and social impact of the cafe. Working closely with Little Fishes and other activities has been a priority to create a warmer environment and place where people want to be. A new coffee machine, new cups, and a new coffee supplier have all been implemented, which have been well received by customers and are saving money in the short to medium term. We now own all our coffee equipment and will start rapidly saving compared to the leasing cost. The café has developed into a successful social enterprise, acquiring a reputation as a place to meet, to socialise and get involved in activities and classes. The café is also growing successfully by catering for events taking place in All Saints, including running as a bar for concerts and special events. One Bread is now open five days a week, with longer opening hours in the afternoon, and is often also open at weekends for events. We have seen a steady increase in our customer base and a more diverse clientele. Our commitment and hard work is now bearing fruit: 2023 has seen an increase of 86% in sales compared to the previous year and an increase of 106% for 2024 so far. We are working on new ways to increase our revenue (birthdays, parties, seminars, baby yoga classes …..). We are pleased that since opening we have now trained and employed over 10 café staff, some of whom previously faced barriers to employment, and several of whom have been able to use One Bread as a steppingstone into further education or employment. One of the highlights of each week is our partnership with Little Fishes, which is a great opportunity for parents and guardians to interact and grab a coffee whilst they attend the playgroup. As summer is around the corner, we are looking forward to the start of the lunchtime concerts season and offer the option to have a bite to eat to those attending concerts. The cafe is also a crucial part of the life of our church congregation; meeting for tea and coffee after the midweek Eucharists and after Mass on Sundays. Having our church open every weekday has been a great success for All Saints and helped us make a name for ourselves in the local community. We anticipate that 2024 will be an even greater year for One Bread Café and are looking forward to continuing to work closely with everyone within All Saints. Patrick Hebrard _One Bread Cafe Manager_ 21 ## **Church Garden** For the last 12 months I carried out the upkeep and maintenance of All Saints gardens with Leslie Holland’s help and advice on occasions. My work is performed voluntarily and free of charge. As a contribution to All Saints, l am supporting most of the running cost including plants, bulbs, fertiliser etc… Last year I concentrated on maintaining the memorial garden and the south garden. The wishing well has been painted, and it will be redone this summer. In autumn I planted again many spring flowering bulbs like tulips and daffodils. The garden was continuously deweeded, edges cut, roses pruned. The garden has been frequently cleared from debris, leaves, and rubbish. Fertiliser has been applied and some new perennials planted; including 2 forsythia, 12 Spirea and other plants. This year was very challenging for the memorial garden. The beautiful cherry tree has been removed as its roots damaged the church drainage. Hopefully to be replaced soon as residents, congregation and customers are very keen on a new tree being planted. I would like to thank Leslie’s big involvement in his initiative to restore the memorial garden and the grass area as well as Peter Millar (Churchwarden) and people who kindly donated. The memorial garden is a work in progress right now but looking already so much better. We are waiting now for a quotation and contractual work to be undertaken (compost, grass which will blend with our current one). I believe the PCC will decide which tree to plant later this year. To enhance the overall look of the memorial garden, I have planted 6 colourful hydrangea alongside the wall (being charged at a reduced price to the church). I am planning to add up white flowering rockery plants and 2 climbing Virginia Creeper. A big concern of mine, that we will have to address sooner rather than later, is the rusty metal railing surrounding both gardens. It is in urgent need to be repainted. It is getting more and more damaged and presents a risk for health and safety. I believe Peter Millar is looking into it and for some suitable paint. Volunteers to help with the painting would be a great help physically and financially and a chance for our congregation to spend time together and have a fun day. Looking forward to seeing the result of our hard labour in the next weeks and months to come. Krzysztof Szydelko _Church Gardener_ 22 REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1134601 REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 FOR ALL SAINTS CHURCH- HOVE Dominic Hill Associates Limited Archer House Brrtland Estsle Northbourne Road Easlbourne BN22 8PW ALL SAINTS CHURCH - HOVE CONTENTS OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 Page Roport of the Tru8tses 1 to 7 Independ•nt Examlnerfs Roport statamfjnt ol Fln•ncl•l Actlvlllo• Balanco Sh•et 10 Note8 to tho Flnanclal Statem•nt• 11 to 16 Detall•d St•tom•nt of Flnan¢l•l A¢tlvltl•• 17 ALL SAINTS CHURCH - HOVE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 The trustees present their ￿pOrt with the financial slaternents of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2023. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Chanties.. Statement of Recommended Practi￿ applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS 1021 leffeclive 1 January 20191. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES The primary objective of All Saint'5 PCC is the promotion of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctnnes and practices of the Church of England. The PCC has the responsibility of collaborating with the resident clergy in promotion in the eccleslaslical parish the whole mission of the Church pastoral, evangelisb'c, social and ecumenical. Page 1 ALL SAINTS CHURCH- HOVE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE Review of the year 1. The full PCC met 6 limes during the year. Commillees met behNeen meetings and details of these were received by the full PCC and discussed where necessary We were grateful for the support of Archdeacon Martin Lloyd-williams who has chaired the PCC this year whilst we do not have a Vicar in post. 2. The year began with All Saints in vacancy, following the departure of Fr Ryan. It was also decided that our Curate, Fr Pete Leilh, would move temporarily lo Sl Nico12s Church, Brighton, lo continue his curacy owing lo the lack of Training Incumbent al All Saints, This move was then made permanent in July. The Right Reverend Nicolas Hollam, former Bishop of Salisbury, joined us from January as our Interim Minister, leading services regularly al All Sain15 and supporting the Ministry Team lo deliver their work. Our Associate Vicar, Fr Lee Chanller and our Associate Priest, Fr John Joyce both stepped up lo take on additional priestly duties al All Saints during the period of vacancy. Rounds ol recruilmenl continued throughout the year for a new Vicar, however we ended 2023 without having made an appointment. 3. Despite the reduction in staffing capacity following the departure of Fr Ryan and Fr Pete, 2023 was a successful year for All Saints in terms of the expansion of our community partnerships and venue hire. with venue hire income up almost 400fi on the year before. We continued strong partnerships with local charities including Team Domenica and The Choir With No Name, hosted concerts from Brighton Festival, Sussex Symphony Orchestra, London Film Music Orchestra and others, as well as hosting other speGial events such as Brighton Coffee Festival. We also continue lo host and support a wide range of community groups. including a number ol inilialives supporting refugees living In Hove. 4. During Holy Week and Easter, we were pleased lo be joined by The Bishop of Chichester, who preached and presided al Palm Sunday, and The Bishop of Lewes, who preached and presided al the rest ol our Holy Week and Easter servic85. Over 200 people allended oui Easter Sunday service, which also included baptisms. 5. In May, the PCC agreed the sale of an investment property, the Old Parsonage. Of thé £900,000 proceeds, the PCC agreed lo ringlence £700,000 as a designated reserve towards our futurè building redevelopment project. Professional fees for the sale of the Parsonage had not been budgeted for. leading to higher than expected professional and consulting fees contributing lo the year's financial deficit. S, Our One Bread Cafe continued to go from stren9lh lo strength, with sales income more than doubling from 2022. to £65.000. Following the departure of our Hospilalily Minister, Andrew James, in July, we look on new Cafe Manager. Patrick Hebrard, in September. Undef Patrick's laadership, the cafe has continued lo grow Its customar base, and currently employs 6 part-lime staff. 11 is now open every weekday as well as opening for concerts and special events. The Cafe plays a key role in enabling All Saints lo be a welcoming presence at the heart of our community. 7. Our Children and Families ministry flourished in 2023, with our Little Fish8s playgroup wularly welcoming more than 90 children and their parents and carers al each session and our monthly Messy Church sessions growing in popularity. The growth of our childien's ministry was particularly evident al Easter, as we welcomed more than 30 children lo our Easter Day service. We have also had a number of baptisms during the year. 8. During the ¢our$e of the year, we experienced a number of unexpected repair and maintenance costs, including the removal of extensive pigeon guano from inside the baplislry lower, the replacement of the crypt slairlifl. the replacement of the core programming mechanism for our church lighting system and purchase of emergency additional lighting, and the urgent repair of loose stonework In an upper clerestory window. This resulted in our repairs and maintenance and major buildings expenditure being considerably higher than planned, conlribuling to our financial deficit In November, very heavy rains combined with a collapsed drain led lo the flooding of the entire crypt level of the church wilh conlaminaled water. This incurred further significant repair and maintenan¢e costs in 2023, with more expected in 2024. 9. Our Associate Vicar, Fr Lee Chanller, left 811 Saints on 1 Oth December to lake up a new position as Rector of Christchurch, Blackfriars in the Diocese of Soulhwark. Page 2 ALL SAINTS CHURCH- HOVE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 10. Our Music programme tonlinued lo grow and flourish in 2023, with the expansion of our th￿ choirs (Parish Choir, Brighton Voices Community Choir and Junior Chorislers} and our popular lunchtime concerts programme The year ended with all of our choirs coming together with the Vaughan Williams Sinfonia for our inaugural Christmas by Candlelight concert, which was a big Success, selling out of tickets and raising funds to support our ministry projects. Our ehoirs also sung al our Advent and Christmas services, which saw high allendance in line with the previous year. Page 3 ALL SAINTS CHURCH - HOVE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 FINANCIAL REVIEW Flnanclal revlew Income 1. The total income received during 2023 was £433,101, a decrease of £13,820 from the £446,921 in 2022. The main sources of income were as follows., 2023 90,266 1,050 43,586 70,566 119,010 43,515 65,108 433,101 2022 89,061 1.359 31.572 74,508 186,492 33,165 30.764 446,921 Donations and legacies Charitable activities Other trading activities Investment5 Grants Other incoming resources Gafe Sales Total 2. Overall there has been a slight decrease in lolal income Income from donations, legacies and investments has remained consistent. whilst income from grants has decreased and cafe sales have increased. 3. Charitable activities rep￿ent fees and donations received in respect of baptisms, weddings and funerals. This income is consislenl with last year. 4.Other trading activities largely relate lo venue hire, this was stsll recovering from lockdowns in 2022, but has since returned lo normal histori¢ levels in 2023. 5. The maiorily of grant funding received was from the Church of England Slral8gic Development Fund for the "Revilalising the Church, Renewing the City" project. This was the third year of funding in a five year grant from 2021 2026, which is primarily allocated lo staffing costs in key areas of the church's mission and ministry. 6. Income from investments has decreased overall with rental income decreasing from the prior year and investment fund dividends increaslng. The Iruslees believe th81 with the support of the congregation and the Diocese, the charity is able lo operate as a going concern for the foreseeable future. Ex 1. The total expenditure during 2023 was £533,720 a decrease of £5,334 from the £539,054 in 2022. The main areas of expenditure were as follows., 2023 86,165 49,016 232,898 81,979 83,662 2022 98.634 120.520 184,654 80,916 54,330 Church running expenses Church maintenance and r8pairs Staff costs Diocesan parish share Other costs Total 533,720 539,054 2. In 2023, the staff costs have continued to increase. but al the slower rale than the year before. 3. Church maintenance costs were higher la51 year, partly due to the building and fi'tting out costs of the One Bread Cafe in 2022. 4. Church running expenses have increased due lo the legal costs in ￿latiOn to the disposal of the Holy Trinty Parsonage House. Net cost of activi 1. The overall operating loss in 2023 was £100,619 compared with a def￿11 in 2022 of £92,133. After revaluation of investments, the net movement in funds funds was a deficit of £62,445. Page 4 ALL SAINTS CHURCH . HOVE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 Assets 1. The resources available lo the PCC al the close of 2023 lotalled £1,517,481 1£1.579,926 in 2022) The main assets were as follows., 2023 2022 900,000 550,000 129,926 Properties Investments Current nel assetslliabililies 550,000 967.481 Total 1,517,481 1,579,926 2. The propety was disposed of in the year, and the proceeds were invested into the investment aocount increasing the net assets. 3. The value of the investmen15 for 2023 is £550,000 representing the current mark&t value of the Martello Loft Flats, Re8erves pollcy 11 Is PCC policy lo maintain a balance on the general unrestricted funds {excluding Fixed Assets) or "Free R95erves" which equates to at least 6 months. worth of unreslricled payrnents as Contingency against unforeseen events and to covef any èmergèney building maintenanc& work. This policy will be reviewed annually. Golng concern The charity believes that it can continue lo operate and the￿ is no sign as to why il would need lo cease trading or inlenlion lo cease trading. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Governlng do¢ument The charity is controlled by ils governin9 document. a deed of trust and conslitules an uninccrporaled charity. Page 5 ALL SAINTS CHURCH- HOVE REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 STRUCTURE. GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Organisational structure During the year the following served as members of the Parochial Church Council.. Vicar.. Vacant The Revd Lee Chantler (Resigned 10 December 20231 Associate Vicar.. Assistant Curate.. Father Pete Leilh IResigned 21st July 20231 Church Wardens.. Ann Joyce Peler Millar Representstives at Deanery Synod., Luke Evans Tanya Palmer Elected Members.. Matthew Barrell (Co-opted 4th September 20231 Jon Crane (Appointed 30th April 20231 Sarah Cromplon land Secretsry from 15th May 20231 Alice Harnson Richard Latham (Resigned 26th June 20231 Tony Mollett land Treasurer) Secretary.. Glo Boughlon (Resigned 15th May 20231 Membership of the PCC Is determined under the Church Representation Rules and consists of certain ex