2021-12-31-accounts - The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of St Mary, Ashwell

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PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL

OF

ST. MARY THE VIRGIN

ASHWELL, HERTS.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2021

Registered Charity Number: 1134776

109 High St, Ashwell

Baldock, Hertfordshire SG7 5PQ

Bankers:

Barclays Bank plc

23 High Street

Royston, Hertfordshire

SG7 6PY

Independent Examiner:

Jackie Pritchard

6 Mill Street Ashwell SG7 5LY

jpritchard1001@gmail.com

	Contents
		Page
Independent Examiners Report		2
Structure and Role of PCC		3-5
Annual Report		6-7
Statement of Financial Activities		8
Balance Sheet		9
Accounting Policies		10-11
Supporting Notes and Break Outs		12-21

Pages 1 to 8 form the formal statutory Accounts for the PCC

Pages 9 to 18 are supporting notes which provide the detail supporting the

Statement of Financial Activities and the Balance Sheet

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS.

Independent Examiner's report to the PCC of St. Mary the Virgin, Ashwell, Herts.

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS.

ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2021

Administrative Information

St Mary's Church is situated in Mill Street, Ashwell, Baldock, Hertfordshire. It is part of the Diocese of St Albans within the Church of England. The correspondence address is: 109 High Street, Ashwell, Baldock, Hertfordshire. SG7 5PQ

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary, Ashwell, became a registered charity on 10 March 2010.

Membership of the Parochial Church Council (PCC)

During the 12 months to 31 December 2021, the following served as members of the PCC.

	The Revd Christine Campbell from 29th
Rector	September 2021
Vice Chair	David Richards
Churchwardens	Sarah Talks
	Bernard Allen
Reader	Dr Mark Eaton
Representatives to
the	Dr Mark Eaton
Buntingford		Deputy Church Warden
Deanery	Jo Adams	and Safeguarding Officer
Synod
	Dr Mark Eaton
	Hon Treasurer
Elected
members	Julia Mitchell	Hon Secretary
	Mike Taffs	Deputy Church Warden
	Rose Cooper
	Stephen ten Hove
	Ruth ten Hove
	Susan Greenbank
	Guy Mackenzie
	Neil Inskip	From May 2021

Donations by the Trustees

Total donations by the trustees and those closely connected to them in 2021 amounted to £14,850

Reimbursement of Personal Expenditure

No trustees received any reimbursement of personal expenditure in 2021. The PCC pays the telephone and broadband costs for the Rectory directly.

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS.

ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2021 - Continued

Structure, governance and management

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules 2011. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC.

Objectives and activities

St Mary's PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the Rector, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It also has maintenance responsibilities for St Mary's Church and 8 Swan Street and management responsibility for the separate trust covering the Parish Church Room.

Achievements and performance

New Rector

It was with great pleasure that we welcomed the Revd Chris Campbell and her family to the benefice as our new rector with effect from 29th September 2021. The PCC is also extremely grateful to all those who took on additional responsibility during the vacancy, particularly the Church Wardens and to the Revd Canon Lindsey Dew who led most of our services to considerable effect.

Church attendance

There were 96 parishioners on the Church Electoral Roll in April 2021, compared with 90 at the same time in 2020. Before Covid-19, the average weekly adult attendance was around 70. In the period from January to April 2021, the PCC took the decision to suspend public worship to protect members of the congregation. Services took place online via Zoom with an average weekly participation of around 50. Once services in church resumed in May, average attendances were around 40, rising to 55 by the end of the year. Services continued to be available on Zoom to those who were shielding, with a further 10 or so participating on line. These numbers increased at festivals and Christmas services.

PCC Meetings

The full PCC met 13 times during 2021. The meetings were chaired by the Vice Chair, David Richards, although the meetings on 18 May and 21 September which were chaired by Bernard Allan as Church Warden. The Rev Chris Campbell chaired the meetings on 19 October and 16 November. A number of meetings were held online via Zoom due to restrictions over meeting in person due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

These Accounts were approved by the PCC on 8 March 2022 and signed by the Rev Chris Campbell as Chair.

Sub Committees and Action Groups have met between meetings and notes of their deliberations were received by the full PCC and discussed where necessary. The Rector is an ex officio member of each committee or group.

Standing Committee

The Parish has a Standing Committee comprising the Rector, The Vice Chair, the churchwardens, and the Safeguarding Officer

Worship Group

Considers services and music and church matters relating to worship. The membership comprises the Rector, the Reader (Mark Eaton) the Director of Music (Bene't Coldstream) and the organist (John Rowlands) During the vacancy the Revd Canon Lindsey due stood in for the Rector. During the Pandemic the remit of this group was extended to review and make recommendations on how best to conduct worship in church in the most Covid responsible manner and how to emerge for the pandemic in the most expedient way and the membership was expanded accordingly.

Music Committee

Looks creatively at ways to maintain and develop the tradition of music at St Mary’s to support worship and to encourage wider participation by the community. The membership comprises the Rector, Mark Eaton (Reader), Bene't Coldstream (Director of Music) John Rowlands (Organist), Susan Greenbank (Chair) and Ruth ten Hove.

Finance Committee

Provides financial oversight for the PCC, though responsibility for the PCR Trust’s and PCC’s finances is shared by all members of the PCC. The membership comprises the Rector, the Mark Eaton (Treasurer), Susan Greenbank and Stephen ten Hove.

Youth and Sunday School Action Group

Deals with all matters relating to the young people of the parish. The membership comprises the Rector, Joe Adams and Sarah Talks.

Fabric Action Group

Considers repairs and improvements which need to be carried out to the church property. The membership comprises Mike Taffs (Chair), David Richards (PCC Vice Chair), Mark Eaton (Treasurer), Graham Chandler (Health and Safety Officer), Sarah Talks (Church Warden).

The Tower Restoration Group

Formulates plans for major restoration work on the Tower and for fundraising to undertake this work. Membership comprises Mike Taffs (Chair), Mark Eaton (Treasurer) Graham Chandler, Julia Mitchell (Secretary), Anne Mason (Consultant), Sarah Talks (Church Warden), Bernard Allen (Church Warden), Iain Frearson (Architect), David Richards (PCC Vice Chair), Stephen ten Hove, Ailsa Keightley.

Faith Development Group

Champions the sharing the love and life of Christ through our teaching. The Group oversees the House Groups and the Lent Course. The membership comprises The Rector, Mark Eaton (Reader) Rose Cooper (Chair) and Guy Mackenzie.

Communications Group

Champions the effective communication of the parishes mission and activities and the promotion of outreach though various media. It also oversees the Parish Website and the production and distribution of Ashwell Village News. The membership comprises The Rector, Guy Mackenzie (Chair and Website lead), Mark Eaton, Sarah Talks (AVN Editor), Bernard Allen, and Jo Adams.

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS . ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2021 - Continued

Financial Review

In the year ending 31st December 2021, the PCC had a surplus of £15,115 in unrestricted funds. In restricted funds there was a deficit of £170,875. This largely came about because of expenditure of £182,201 on the Reordering of the North West Corner which was well covered from reserves in this fund carried forward of £167,394, which included a substantial donation from a parishioner (£100k plus gift aid), and by the £61K due to us from the sale of the Old Rectory. We were also able to recover the VAT of £32,689 on most of the invoices under the Listed Places of Worship scheme (LPOWS)

There was expenditure of £32,149 from the Restoration Fund principally on specialist reports to support the Tower restation project. This was again covered from reserves caried forward including a grant for this work for Historic England received in late 2020.

It is particularly gratifying to see the growing surplus on the general fund after several years of decline. The principal reasons for this turnaround are (1) the continued support of the congregation (2) grants of £10,000 in 2020 and £13,000 in 2021 from North Herts District Council under the Covid-19 small business support scheme, and (3) the contribution from Ashwell Village News of £6,186.

The PCC has so far weathered the Covid-19 storm relatively well because most of our supporters donate by standing order and we are less dependent on plate collections which have dropped due to people not attending services in person. In addition, a number of donors have made significant top up donations to help the church through this difficult period. The church is extremely grateful for the generosity of all its donors.

After a sharp fall in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, fee income from weddings and funerals recovered well in 2021, due in part to a number of postponed weddings.

The Flea Market and the Music Festival had to be cancelled in 2021 as a result of the Covid pandemic but we were able to have a very successful Christmas Fair. We were also able to recommence Sunday Teas in the Parish Room. The Gift and Card stall run by Marjorie Fitt and Sheelagh Bennett also brought in some very useful incremental income as did the Ashwell Calendar organised by Julia Mitchell

Efforts continue to contain utility costs, shopping around for the best deals on gas and electricity. Gas costs were also down in 2021 as we received a large refund of £3,000 from British Gas, due to overpayment in prior years, when we switched to Total Gas and Power in April. We now have a fixed price gas contact for four years which protects us from much of the recent steep rise in energy costs.

Our strategy to secure funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to provide for the large amount of work required on the Tower to conserve the stone-work and halt rainwater ingress remains frustrated by the change to their funding criteria as a result of the Covid pandemic. We did however secure a £10,000 grant from Historic England to progress preparatory work mainly in the form of reports needed from various specialist consultants which constitutes most of the expenditure on the restoration fund in 2021.

During 2021, work was completed on the reordering of the North West corner of the Church to provide better toilet and kitchen facilities and a draft-reducing inner lobby to the North Door. This has been largely funded by a generous donation from Eric and Audrey Gurney in memory

of their daughter Claire. The church is now benefitting from the improved facilities albeit there have been limited opportunities to serve refreshments after services due to the need to be minimise the risk of spreading Covid-19. There remains a balance of £17,882 in the fund.

Because of the ongoing pressures on the General Fund, the PCC continues to focus donations to external charities on funds specially collected for such purposes, for example by the "Charity of the Month" approach. Such fundraising has however been frustrated by the pandemic. External donations increased a little in 2021 from a low in 2020 mainly as a result of charity collections taken at memorial services. As a service to the local community, the PCC also provides accommodation for the mobile post office in the Parish Room for 8 hours per week with only a nominal charge to the operators. If the full rent were charged this would amount to £5,616 per annum. The Parish Council contributes £1,000 to support this service The PPC considers the balance as part of its charitable giving as a service to the local community.

The Parish Share remains the Church's most significant item of expenditure. This pays for our priest, and all employment, housing and training costs, including training costs for new priests and Readers. It pays for the support the Church receives from the Diocese and also helps to support those Parishes in the Diocese in need. The fact that all three parishes in the benefice have regularly paid their Share in full stood us in good stead regarding a successor to the Rev Robert Evens on the same basis of ministry.

In 2020, the PCC became aware that in 1971, the PCR had been set up as a separate trust with members of the PCC as the managing trustees. Following guidance from senior members of the diocesan finance team as to the implications of this, in 2020 the PCC transferred the PCR into a separate restricted fund. The PCC retains responsibility for the financial operation of the PCR which is in deficit in most years. In 2021, a transfer of funds (£1,250) from the General Fund was necessary for the PCR fund to conclude the year with a zero balance. The capital value of the PCR of £85,000 was transferred to a restricted fund in 2020.

Over the years the PCC has received a number of modest legacies from grateful parishioners who have passed away for which we are very grateful.

The Church remains heavily dependent on the services of the many people who offer their time voluntarily to support and facilitate its mission and activities and the PCC would like to thank all those who offer their service and time in so many ways.

The PCC has a safeguarding officer (Jo Adams) and maintains a safeguarding policy in line with the recommendation of the church of England. No incidents were reported in 2021. All Church Officers and PCC members have a DBS check as required by the Church of England.

Taking the above into account the available (unrestricted) funds at 31 December 2021 stand at £50,929 compared with £35,814 at the close of 2020. This is a much healthier position.

On behalf of the PCC

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2021

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS.

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31st DECEMBER

Note FIXED ASSETS Tangible fixed assets 4(a)(i) Tangible fixed assets - investment 4(a)(ii) Investments 4(b) CURRENT ASSETS Short term deposits Cash at bank and in hand CURRENT ASSETS NET ASSETS (see page 18) FUNDS 5 Unrestricted Restricted Endowment	£ 970 92,455	2021 £ 85,000 194,434 17,990	£ 970 248,214	2020 £ 85,000 194,434 15,707
		297,424 93,425		295,141 249,184

		390,848		544,325
		245,363 122,266 23,219		230,248 293,141 20,939
		390,848		544,325

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS.

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2020

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 1997 as amended by the Church Accounting (Amendment) Regulations 2006 together with applicable accounting standards and the Charities SORP. The Accounts are prepared on a receipts and payments basis.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention except for the valuation of investment assets, which are shown at market value.

Funds

General Funds represent the funds of the PCC that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and are available for application on the general purposes of the PCC. Funds designated for a particular purpose by the PCC are also unrestricted.

The accounts include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body or those that are informal gatherings of church members.

Incoming Resources

Voluntary income and capital sources.

Collections are recognised when received by or on behalf of the PCC.

Planned giving receivable under Gift Aid is recognised only when received.

Income tax recoverable on Gift Aid donations is recognised when the income is received.

Funds raised by social and fund raising events are accounted for gross.

Sales of books and magazines from the church bookstall are accounted for?? nettnet.

Gains and losses on investments

Realised gains or losses are recognised when investments are sold. Unrealised gains or losses are accounted for on revaluation of investments at 31st December.

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS.

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2020

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)

Resources expended

Grants

Grants and donations are accounted for when paid.

Activities directly relating to the work of the Church

The diocesan parish share is accounted for when paid.

Fixed Assets

Consecrated property and moveable church furnishings

Consecrated and beneficed property of any kind is excluded from the accounts by s.96(2)(a) of the Charities Act 1993.

Movable church furnishings held by the Rector and Churchwardens on special trust for the PCC, and which require a faculty for disposal, are accounted as inalienable property unless consecrated. They are listed in the church's Inventory which can be inspected (at any reasonable time). For inalienable property acquired prior to 2000 there is insufficient cost information available and therefore such assets are not valued in the accounts. Items acquired since 1 January 2000 have been capitalised and depreciated in the accounts over their currently anticipated useful economic life on a straight line basis.

Other fixtures, fittings and office equipment

Equipment used within the church premises is depreciated on a straight line basis over 5 years. Individual items of equipment with a purchase price of £2,500 or less are written off when the asset is acquired.

Investments

Investments are valued at market value at 31st December.

Current assets

Short-term deposits include cash held on deposit with the CBF Church of England Funds or at the bank.

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2021

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS.

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2021

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS.

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2021

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE IRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31st December

6 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES - RESTRICTED FUND ANALYSIS 2021

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS.

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS.

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31st December

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS.

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2020

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS.

GENERAL FUND SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2021

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS.

RESTRICTED FUNDS SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2021

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST. MARY THE VIRGIN, ASHWELL, HERTS.

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31st DECEMBER

2021 £ £ 85,000 194,434 6,651 11,339 297,424 970 50,929 41,526 93,425 93,425 390,848 245,363 122,266 23,219 390,848	2021 £ £ 85,000 194,434 6,651 11,339 297,424 970 50,929 41,526 93,425 93,425 390,848 245,363 122,266 23,219 390,848	2020 £ £ 85,000 194,434 5,807 9,900 295,141 970 35,814 212,400 249,184 249,184 544,325 230,248 293,141 20,936 544,325	2020 £ £ 85,000 194,434 5,807 9,900 295,141 970 35,814 212,400 249,184 249,184 544,325 230,248 293,141 20,936 544,325
	297,424 93,425		295,141 249,184
93,425		249,184

	390,848		544,325
	245,363 122,266 23,219		230,248 293,141 20,936
	390,848		544,325