The Parish Church of St John the Baptist Beeston
Serving Christ in our Community
Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council for the Year Ended 31 December 2021
Contents
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Annual Reports | 1 |
| Financial Statements | 8 |
| Independent Examiner’s Report | 12 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 13 |
| Reports from Parish Groups | 14 |
Annual Report for the Parochial Church Council for the Year Ending 31 December 2021
Administrative Information
St John the Baptist is situated in Church Street, in the parish of Beeston and the Diocese of Southwell of Nottingham. The correspondence address is Beeston Vicarage, Middle Street, Beeston, Nottingham, NG9 1GA.
PCC members who have served from 1[st] January 2021 until the date of this report are:
Incumbent Revd Wayne Plimmer Chairman Revd Rob Wiggins Revd Kirstine Buchan Revd Tracey Byrne Jem Bloomfield Lay Reader Wardens Mark Cooper Pat Atkins Deanery Synod Philip Hopkinson Representatives Christopher Gray Julie Howson Parish Safeguarding Officer Elected Members Bekkie Alexander Andrew Brazener Ian Buchan Kaye Ford (Treasurer) Pam Holland Jackie Laats Kate Lyons PCC Safeguarding Lead Kieran Phelan Vice Chair Norman Vaughton Pauline Wheelhouse
Structure, Governance and Management
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Councils Powers Measure. The PCC is a registered charity with the Charity Commission and its registered number is 1134788.
The method of appointment of the PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC.
Objectives and Activities
The PCCs objectives and operations are framed in the context of Church as a fellowship of believers whose main objective is to serve Christ in our community. This is worked out through a wide range of activities including:
-
Sunday Eucharists and Worship
-
Weekday Prayer and two mid-week Eucharists
-
Occasional offices (baptisms, weddings and funerals)
-
Pastoral work
-
Social Activities
-
Weekday and Evening groups
-
Ecumenical links.
Achievements and Performance
Church Attendance :
There are currently 131 members on the Church Electoral Roll, some of whom reside outside of the parish. This figure is 3 less than last year.
Average attendance at the 10am Sunday Eucharist from April until July, once Covid 19 restrictions were eased, was approximately 45. From the summer, attendance began to rise to average 65. By the end of the year, attendances had begun to recover significantly. In December, the average was approximately 80.
Safeguarding Review for the Year:
The House of Bishops’ Safeguarding Policy states that the Church ‘will train and equip church officers to have the confidence and skills they need to care and support children, young people and vulnerable adults and to recognise and respond to abuse”.
Parish Safeguarding Officer has now been in post for 16 months.
The Parish Dashboard is a means of ensuring we are following Church of England policy and procedure regarding Safeguarding.
Kate Lyons, PCC Safeguarding lead, Kathryn Weller and I have access to the Dashboard. No personal data is added to the Dashboard. Level 1 was completed January 2021. We are currently working on level 3 which is the last level. We just have one major item to complete relating to our use of social media. Once Level 3 is completed, then it will be a matter of reviewing and updating policies. All groups which include children and vulnerable adults are now up and running except for ABC2. Young servers will resume in 2022. The weekly Coffee Stop has resumed, and the new dementia friendly service has commenced. Many thanks to all activity leaders for ensuring we meet safeguarding requirements as required by the Diocese and Church of England.
Posters are inside and outside of the church with Safeguarding contact numbers. PSO contact number is also on the church service sheet. We have a designated mobile phone for this purpose.
Safeguarding policy notice is displayed in church. Safeguarding information is also on the Parish website.
GDPR, we have a designated filing cabinet for any safeguarding matters. Only the PSO and Vicar hold a key.
Basic Awareness Safeguarding training, C0 is now required for all PCC members, (prior to July 2019 it was simply recommended). In addition, Southwell and Nottingham Diocese ask that C1 is also completed by all PCC members.
We can now offer C0, basic awareness safeguarding training in house. PSO is qualified to do so.
Julie Howson, Parish Safeguarding Officer
PCC Review for the Year:
Each PCC meeting receives reports from our Treasurer. Deanery Synod meetings are also reported to the PCC which updates us on wider issues. Regular reports are presented by representatives of other church organisations for discussion and annual reports from all these sources are presented for consideration at the Annual Parish Church Meeting (APCM). During 2021, the PCC met 12 times, mostly in person but, due to Covid restrictions, some meetings took place online.
The Finance Group supports the PCC in managing the finances of the Parish Church. It normally meets quarterly, prior to PCC meetings, reporting back to the PCC with recommendations and requests for decisions and approval if necessary. During 2021 the Finance Group met 6 times.
The Standing Committee normally meets prior to each PCC meeting to agree the draft minutes and agenda and to discuss matters and make decisions prior to full PCC approval.
They take any significant recommendations for action to the PCC. In accordance with Church Representation Rules, the Standing Committee may also ‘transact the PCC’s business between meetings of the PCC’. During 2021 the Standing Committee met 6 times.
Church meetings still looked quite different during 2021, with Covid restrictions in place for much of the year. Some took place virtually, via email and phone, but most were able to take place in a socially distanced manner in church.
At PCC meetings, the safety of both congregation and clergy were always at the forefront of minds and agendas. In consultation with guidance from the Government and the Diocese, the PCC made decisions on how to offer safe worship for everyone. The year began with worship being broadcast online and then, when it was deemed safer, limited places were made available for in person worship. The Covid restrictions were lifted by the Government in the summer and the PCC cautiously opened church further, whilst keeping many safety measures in place, which was very well met.
The PCC approved safeguarding plans of action and policies. Kate Lyons was appointment as the PCC Safeguarding Lead.
A new Church Architect, Graeme Renton, was appointed and he swiftly carried out the Quinquennial inspection. The most pressing matter to come out of this was the need to replace the cooper roof on the Chancel.
Continuous work and repairs were carried out to the lighting system in church as well as the boiler. Work was also done to the alcove housing the St John the Baptist statue, namely removing the dark wood to enable a lighter background to highlight the statue further.
The PCC approved a new monthly Dementia Friendly service in church. This began in August and has been well received.
First steps were taken to update employee contracts for the Administrator, Cleaner and Musicians.
Collection monies were gifted to Haiti, after the devastating earthquake in the summer. The PCC made up the collection with church funds to £500. £200 was also gifted to the Student Christian Movement.
Permission to Officiate was granted by the PCC to enable Reverend James Pacey and Reverend Monika Doering to preach at church services.
Kathryn Weller, Clerk to the Trustees
Chairman’s Review for 2021:
Dear Friends
2021 has been another challenging year which has seen us working alongside changing Covid guidelines and versions of lockdown. It has been a year in which many people have continued to lose loved ones to the virus or lost their jobs to the resulting economic downturn. The toll on the mental health of many as the pandemic has dragged on has been enormous. However, with or without Covid, I offer heartfelt personal thanks to my ordained and lay colleagues, Kathryn our Clerk to the Trustees, our Churchwardens, Group Leaders and PCC who have contributed so much to our common life over the past year and enabled us to go on worshipping and witnessing in extraordinary times. Among the many signs of hope for the future, it has been heartening to see so many people who have felt nervous about meeting for public worship now returning to Church alongside a significant number of new faces. I hope we can continue to strive to be a place of welcome, mission, and inclusion moving forward.
2021 saw the 'retirement' of Fr Rob Wiggins our Associate Priest but the plan is for him to return to ministry with Permission to Officiate from Jan 2022. Although the distinction will be lost on many of us, it basically means Rob can decide – in consultation with me – what he feels able to commit to rather than offering an agreed number of ‘sessions.’ I am sure you would want to join me in thanking him for his ministry thus far and rejoice with me that he and Cynthia will continue to be part of our family at St John’s.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank those of you who have continued to give so generously to St John’s both with one-off gifts or with your Planned (regular) Giving throughout 2021 - even when we have not been able to meet properly for worship. Along with many other parishes in the Diocese we have been running deficits of expenditure over income in recent years and your generosity has helped to soften the blow particularly in 2021. Nevertheless, we face further significant financial challenges in 2022 and beyond and by their nature deficits are not sustainable for ever!
Although I hesitate to single folk out for the valuable work they do, I would like to say thank you to Julie Howson who has done a great job in 2021 in getting us up-to-date with our safeguarding policies and protocols as our Parish Safeguarding Officer. We have begun to make some real progress in embedding a culture of safeguarding in our Parish. I would also like to say a special thank you to Phil Sherratt our Organist who has gone 'above and beyond' in 2021 in helping to resource our worship.
The PCC have also made some progress in beginning to establish a clearer set of priorities for the future and formulating a clearer vision. However, as 2021 ends there is considerable further work to do. Our hope is that we reach a point where our decision making about a whole range of things is better informed by our values and priorities.
Finally, we are blessed in so many ways by our lovely Parish Church Building and we can now begin to capitalise on it again as an asset as we begin to meet together more often for worship and hospitality. Nevertheless, there is still important work to do to it. Although the building is in good condition overall, with the help of our Architect Graeme Renton, we are looking to replace the roof covering to the Chancel. We think it is approximately 100 years old and is nearing the end of its life. We hope that this work can be undertaken in 2022.
Every blessing as we seek to build the Kingdom of God
Fr Wayne Plimmer (Vicar)
Churchwarden’s Review and Fabric Report for the Year:
At the time of the 2021 APCM Covid restrictions were still in force. During the past year they have been gradually relaxed and the usual services are being reintroduced as are social events like Coffee Stop.
On the recommendation of our recently appointed architect Mr Graeme Renton, we decided to renew the chancel roof. The preparatory work is in hand and it is hoped that work can start in the early summer.
Routine maintenance has been carried out as usual. This year it has included repairs to the sensors on the roof, a replacement tile on the roof above the kitchen and a new tap in the boiler room. In addition Mark Cooper and Andrew Brazener have replaced light bulbs as necessary and done some maintenance work on the north aisle wall, for which we are all very grateful.
As always, it has been a pleasure to work with many members of the congregation. We are especially grateful for the help received from the Finance Group and for the support of the Vicar and PCC.
Pat Atkins, Churchwarden
Deanery Synod Review for the Year:
This year we have said goodbye to Rev’d Henry Curran (Wollaton Park), Rev’d Mike Forsyth (Chilwell), Rev’d Hannah Hall (St Saviour’s), Rev’d Naomi Hill (Sneinton St Christopher), Rev’d James Pacey (Carrington), Rev’d Dr Megan Smith (Lenton) and Rev’d George White (Trinity). We have welcomed Rev’d Toby Artis (Attenborough) and curates Rev’d Beau Brumley (Trinity), Rev’d Lynda Blakeley (Sneinton St Stephen) and Rev’d Amy Hughes (Trinity) to our Deanery. We were also pleased to congratulate Rev’d John Blakeley and Rev’d Naeem Bahadur on their appointments as Priests in Charge in Sneinton St Stephen with St Matthias and Radford All Souls and St Peter respectively. Rev’d Colin Bourne also retired as Vicar of Toton, but remains as Area Dean.
The Deanery Leadership Team has continued to meet during the year to plan Synod and to discuss ways to support parishes in the Deanery – particularly those in vacancy.
Due to the COVID restrictions two of our Deanery Synod meetings were held online and one in person. On 9 February we met remotely with the aim of encouraging one another to look outwards in mission. We exchanged ideas and experiences, looking honestly at things that encouraged and discouraged us and then prayed together.
On 14 July we again met remotely for our Synod. We were joined by Rev’d Peter Huxtable who shared about his role as Bishop’s Advisor Urban for Estates Mission and how he could work with our parishes. Rev’d Dr Megan Smith and Rev’d Dr Richard Davey then shared about their work as University Chaplains.
On 18 November we met at Christ Church, Chilwell and were joined by Rev’d James Halstead who, as Diocesan Lead for the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith initiative, explained the best ways of engaging with the range of resources which are available to parishes and facilitated discussions around experience of using these.
At this meeting we also confirmed the re-appointment of the following members of the DLT:
-
Ex-officio Members:
-
Rev’d Colin Bourne (Area Dean), Kirsty Cowley (Deanery Administrator)
-
Lay Chair: Elaine Hinchliffe
-
Deanery Secretary: Peter Horne
-
Deanery Treasurer: Gary Stephenson
-
DLT Members: Rev’d Clive Burrows and Rev’d Tom Gillum.
This leaves two lay vacancies on DLT. In accordance with our local Rules, Synod also voted to allow DLT to co-opt two further lay and two further ordained members.
The Deanery has again paid a large percentage of its giving for ministry allocation (94.9% in 2021, compared to 87.9% in 2020). Every parish is to be thanked for their faithfulness in paying for the ministry received in this deanery, particularly in these difficult times.
We are looking forward to 2022 and hope to continue to meet in person!
Rev’d Colin Bourne (Area Dean) and Elaine Hinchliffe (Lay Chair)
Financial Review
A large part of 2021 has been spent struggling to recover from lockdowns and other Covid restrictions but, we have been very fortunate that our “planned givers” have remained loyal and continued to support St John's. Although we lost a few of our givers during the year we fortunately added some new ones to our numbers.
We were also very grateful to receive a generous legacy from Teresa Downing.
Sadly, one of the consequences of Covid has been the lack of opportunities for fund-raising. The only event we were able to stage was the Bell Ringers' Quiz night. This was a very successful and enjoyable evening and resulted in a welcome £114 donation being made to Church funds.
We continued to miss out on the income from Sunday morning coffee as we were not able to re-introduce this until 2022. Similarly, the absence of Concerts and other events that hired our Church premises pre-Covid was reflected in the reduction in income.
With regard to Expenditure, we had our Quinquennial inspection which made a number of recommendations which the PCC will be addressing in the near future. The most major of these being the state of the Chancel Roof. This matter will be a significant project to be undertaken in 2022 and for which appeals will be made to help with funding.
We made some improvements to Church lighting with the move to LED lights and this project will also continue into next year.
The PCC decided to review the way in which we dealt with our donations to other charities with the result that no allocations were made at the end of 2021 and a revised format will be decided on for future years. This will hopefully lead to greater direct involvement with selected charities during the year.
We did manage to pay our Giving to Ministry share in full which was much appreciated by the Deanery and the Diocese.
Our financial position at the year end was better than we anticipated when we put together the Budget for 2021. Our year end deficit was just over £10,000 rather than the £17,000 we had predicted. While this was encouraging it is not a situation that can be continued for the long term.
Income generation must remain our prime objective as we have very little scope to reduce our expenditure – especially with the warnings of substantial increases in fuel costs. Finance Group and the PCC are acutely aware of our decreasing balances and plan that 2022 will hopefully see us able to reintroduce some of our popular fund-raising events as well as the consideration of a Promise Programme sometime in the spring/summertime.
In the meantime, thanks must go again to all those who continue to support St John's with their regular giving and I want to personally thank the Finance Group for their support and Michael Gillie for his invaluable assistance with the payroll and HMRC.
Kaye Ford – Hon. Treasurer to the PCC
Planned Giving
January – December 2021
| January– December 2021 | January– December 2021 | January– December 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Visitors (open plate) | 604.55 | |
| GiftAid (to claim) | 150.00 | |
| Pledge | 4516.00 | |
| CAF (includes Gift Aid) From April‘21 |
2315.82 | |
| Loss of 4donors | 2776.00 | |
| 3 new donors (over next 12 months) |
600.00 | |
| Giving with Gift Aid (Direct Debit) |
50294.00 | |
|---|---|---|
| GiftAid (to claim) | 12500.00 | |
Open plate is down from before the pandemic. In 2020 we received £900 In 2019 we received £2300 We have lost 4 donors which is a loss of £2776.00 Church is now fully open, but we are not circulating the open plate. There is a plan to trial an electronic “giving devise” CAF has been introduced and its income helps to balance the loss from the 4 donors
Julie Howson, Parish Funding Secretary
| Parochial Church Council of St John the Baptist, Beeston, Nottingham | Parochial Church Council of St John the Baptist, Beeston, Nottingham | Parochial Church Council of St John the Baptist, Beeston, Nottingham | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2021 | |||||
| 1 | Accounting Policies | ||||
| See attached document – model set of accounting policies | |||||
| 2 | Incoming Resources | Unrestricted Funds | Restricted Funds | Total Funds 2021 | Total Funds 2020 |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| 2a | Incoming Resources | ||||
| Planned Giving | |||||
| Covenants/Gift Aid | 56387.61 | 56387.61 | 50858 | ||
| Tax Returned on Convenants | 13641.99 | 13641.99 | 16581 | ||
| Unconvenanted | 4021.00 | 4021.00 | 4281 | ||
| Collections All Services | 2936.40 | 2936.40 | 2775 | ||
| SundryDonations | 1379.66 | 1379.66 | 494 | ||
| 78366.66 | 78366.66 | 74989 | |||
| 2b | Other Voluntary | ||||
| Incoming Resources | |||||
| Donations,Appeals etc. | 0.00 | 424.76 | 424.76 | 1212 | |
| Legacies | 1000.00 | 1000.00 | 0 | ||
| FundraisingEvents | 114.00 | 114.00 | 47 | ||
| 1114.00 | 424.76 | 1538.76 | 1259 | ||
| 2c | Income from Charitable | ||||
| and Ancillary Trading | |||||
| Candle Sales | 9.10 | 9.10 | 50 | ||
| PCC Fees | 4076.00 | 4076.00 | 1359 | ||
| Booklets/BRF etc. | 55.00 | 100.25 | 155.25 | 151 | |
| 4140.10 | 100.25 | 4240.35 | 1560 | ||
| 2d | Other Ordinary | ||||
| Income Resources | |||||
| Coffee Fund | 181.76 | 181.76 | 250 | ||
| Use of Premises | 442.60 | 442.60 | 393 | ||
| Gifts | 0.00 | 305.00. | 305.00 | 0 | |
| Misc. Income | 10.00 | 10.00 | 0 | ||
| 634.36 | 305.00. | 939.36 | 643 | ||
| 2e | Income from Investments | ||||
| Dividends/Interest | 18.62 | 557.44 | 576.06 | 793 | |
| CBF Investment Interest | 99.24 | 0.00 | 99.24 | 96 | |
| 117.86 | 557.44 | 675.30 | 889 | ||
| 2f | Insurance Repayment | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6399 |
| 2g | Vicar's Discretionary Fund | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 501 |
| Total Incoming Resources | 84372.98 | 1387.45 | 85760.43 | 86240 |
| Parochial Church Council of St John the Baptist, Beeston, Nottingham | Parochial Church Council of St John the Baptist, Beeston, Nottingham | Parochial Church Council of St John the Baptist, Beeston, Nottingham | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2021 | |||||
| 3 | Resources Used | ||||
| Unrestricted Funds | Restricted Funds | Total Funds 2021 | Total Funds 2020 | ||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| 3a | Grants | ||||
| Relief and Development | |||||
| Agencies | 240.00 | 500.00 | 740.00 | 740 | |
| Home Missions and | |||||
| other Church Societies | 200.00 | 80.00 | 280.00 | 1532 | |
| Clergy/Other Gifts | 0.00 | 305.00 | 305.00 | 206 | |
| 440.00 | 885.00 | 1325.00 | 2478 | ||
| 3b | Activities Directly Relating | ||||
| to the Work of the Church | |||||
| Ministry- | |||||
| Givingto Ministry | 54540.00 | 54540.00 | 54540 | ||
| ClergyExpenses | 1120.87 | 1120.87 | 1351 | ||
| Church - | |||||
| RunningExpenses | 11281.14 | 11281.14 | 13119 | ||
| Repairs and Maintenance | 3272.64 | 3272.64 | 2113 | ||
| CleaningFees | 1482.20 | 1482.20 | 1501 | ||
| Upkeepof Services | 785.07 | 785.07 | 1128 | ||
| Religious Education inc. BRF | 46.78 | 128.25 | 175.03 | 982 | |
| Salaryof Organist(s)/ | |||||
| Choir Leader | 3140.28 | 3140.28 | 2791 | ||
| Choir Expenses | 197.65 | 197.65 | 246 | ||
| Chancel Carpet | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6574 | ||
| LightingImprovements | 2072.04 | 2072.04 | 0 | ||
| Roof Alarm | 746.76 | 746.76 | 573 | ||
| Sound/Projection/Video | 349.97 | 349.97 | 200 | ||
| ChaplaincyWork | 195.00 | 195.00 | 195 | ||
| Mission Opportunities | 454.51 | 454.51 | 0 | ||
| Architect/Quinquennial | 1622.59 | 1622.59 | 0 | ||
| 81307.50 | 128.25 | 81435.75 | 85313 | ||
| 3c | Fundraising and Publicity | ||||
| Costs of FundraisingEvents | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0 | ||
| 3d | Church Management | ||||
| and Administration | |||||
| Print,Statnry,Phones,Pstgs | 3572.84 | 3572.84 | 4031 | ||
| Parish Secretary | 8587.76 | 8587.76 | 7839 | ||
| Misc. Expenses | 81.85 | 81.85 | 47 | ||
| Marketingand Publicity | 1097.22 | 1097.22 | 1674 | ||
| Audit Fee | 160.00 | 160.00 | 150 | ||
| 13499.67 | 13499.67 | 13741 | |||
| 95247.17 | 1013.25 | 96260.42 | 101532 |
----- Start of picture text -----
Parochial Church Council of St John the Baptist, Beeston, Nottingham
Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2021
2021 2020
£ £
Fixed Assets
Investment Assets Ca pital 1535.00 1535
Interest 6063.32 5506
7598.32 7041
Current Assets
Debtors /Paid in Advance 14690.00 14292
Short Term Investments 60764.09 60745
Cash at Bank 7746.04 18981
83200.13 94018
Liabilities: Amounts Fall Due Within One Year -2131.31 -1892
Net Assets 88667.14 99167
Represented by Funds
Unrestricted 74724.52 85023
Restricted 12407.62 12609
Endowment 1535.00 1535
88667.14 99167
Analysis of Net Assets by Fund
Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds Endowment Funds Total Funds
£ £ £ £
Fixed Assets 0.00 6063.32 1535.00 7598.32
Current Assets 76096.83 7103.30 0.00 83200.13
Current Liabilities -1372.31 -759.00 0.00 -2131.31
74724.52 12407.62 1535.00 88667.14
It should also be noted that the following balances were held by Church groups at 31.12.2020 :-
ABC2 TBA
Bell Ringers £2,045.55
The market value of Endowments held at 31.12.2021 was as follows:-
Beeston Warmen £2,248.14
Beeston Percy Fund £1,662.69
Beeston Chancel Fund £21,849.09
----- End of picture text -----
The market value of the CCLA Investment Fund A/C 2 at 31.12.2021 was £31,075.24 (£25,000 was invested in this fund and is included in the Short Term Investment fi gure).
parbIal Church CtyJrKil of St John the B3ptlst, Beeston. Ilottir¥ham UrKe5tricted FUtts Restritted Funds Endowment Fd$ Total 2021 TrAal 1020 1mIng Reswrces DonètlOn5 & Legacies 2379.66 424.76 2804.42 1212 81875.46 405.25 82280.71 77239 Investments 117.86 557.44 675.30 889 Insurance Repayment Other Income 0.00 6399 000 0.00 501 84372.98 1387.45 0.00 85760A3 86Z40 Resources Used RaisingFunds Charitable Activities Other 95165.32 708.25 95873.57 101279 81.85 305.00 386.85 253 95247.17 1013.25 0.00 96260.42 101532 Net ItKomlngllOutBoir41 Re5L¥Jrces -lQ874.19 374.20 0.00 .10499.99 -15291 Balance b/fwd @ I lan 2011 134795.35 -37163.22 1535.00 99167.13 114459 Balance 1Wd @ 31 Dec 1021 1239ZI.16 .36789.02 1535.00 88667.14 99167 Account5 prepared by.. Kaye Ford- FMAAT Treasurerto the P.C.C. Accounts Approved by the P.CC On 31 March 2022 JfU(/ Revd. W. Plimmer Vicar and Chair of the P.C.C.
Independent examinor's report to the PCC of St John the Baptist, Beeston This report on Ihe financial slalements of the PCC for the year ended 31 December 2021, which are set out on pages 1 to is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 1"the Regulations.) and seclion 43 of the Charities Act 19931'lhe Acr). Respoctive responsibilities of the PCC and the examiner As members of the PCC you are responsible for Ihe preparation of the financial statements. You consider that the audit requirement of Ihe Regulations and section 43121 of the Act do nol apply. It is my responsibility to issue this port on Ihese financial statements in accordance with the terms of the Regulations. 8asis of this Report My examination was Caled out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 4317llbl of the Act and to be found in the Church Guidance, 2006 edition, issued by the Finan Division of the Archbishops, Council. That examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the PCC and a comparison of the accounts wsth those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations from you as trustees conceming such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequentty I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. Independent examin¢r's statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention.. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordan with section 41 of the Act", and to prepare financial statements, which accord with the accounting records and comply with the requirements of the Act and Regulations have not been met" or {21 to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts lo be rea¢hed. Deborah Whitaker MAAT 11 Old Road, Suttortr-in-Ashfield 8° March 2022
For the year ended 31 December 2021
1. Accounting Policies
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 together with applicable accounting standards and the SORP 2005 and SORP 2015.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention except for the valuation of investment assets, which are shown at market value. The financial statements 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, nor those that are informal gatherings of church members.
Funds
Endowment funds are funds, the capital of which must be maintained; only income arising from investments of the endowment may be used either as restricted or unrestricted funds depending upon the purpose for which the endowment was established.
Restricted funds represent (a) income from trusts or endowments which may be expended only on those restricted objects provided in the terms of the trust or bequest, and (b) donations or grants received for a specific object or invited by the PCC for a specific object. The funds may only be expended on the specific object for which they were given. Any balance remaining unspent at the end of each year must be carried forward as a balance on that fund. The PCC does not usually invest separately for each fund. Where there is no separate investment, interest is investment, interest is apportioned to individual funds on an average balance basis.
Unrestricted funds are general funds which can be used for PCC ordinary purposes.
Incoming Resources
Planning giving, collections and donation are recognized when received. Tax refunds are recognized when the incoming resource to which they relate is received. Grants and legacies are accounted for when the PCC is legally entitled to the amounts due. Dividends are accounted for when receivable, interest is accrued. All other income is recognized when it is receivable. All incoming resources are accounted for gross.
Resources Expended
Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over, or when awarded, if that award creates a binding or constructive obligation on the PCC. The diocesan parish share is accounted for when due. Amounts received specifically for mission are dealt with as restricted funds. All other expenditure is generally recognized when it is incurred and is accounted for gross.
Fixed Assets
Consecrated and benefice property is not included in the accounts in accordance with s.96(2)(a) of the Charities Act 1993.
Moveable church furnishing held by the vicar and churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal are inalienable property, listed in the church’s inventory, which can be inspected (at any reasonable time). For anything acquired prior to 2000 there is insufficient cost information available and therefore such assets are not valued in the financial statements.
The Parish Church of St John the Baptist Beeston
Serving Christ in our Community
Reports from Parish Groups 2021
Bellringers
As you’ll probably have heard on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, things are almost back to normal in the bell tower. We started 2021 ringing a limited number of bells for the Sunday morning service, restricting bands to members of the same household or family where possible to reduce the risk of COVID transmission. Restrictions eased as we progressed into late spring, allowing us to recommence normal ringing and practice nights from mid-May onwards.
We’ve been slowly expanding the repertoire of methods rung, aiming to get back to the same range of complexity and interest as before lockdown. We’re almost there, but it’s definitely been a challenge to try to remember things we used to know well. The youngsters, who have increased in numbers, are making good progress which is great to see. The first half of our practice night is largely focused on allowing the youngsters and others to learn simple methods, before moving on to more complex things as the evening goes on.
In April, along with most towers around the UK, Beeston tolled the tenor bell to mark the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, and again a week or so later on the day of his funeral. We also marked Rob Wiggins’ retirement with a quarter peal at Beeston, our first since March 2020.
In September, we had our first outing of the year visiting towers in South Derbyshire and North Leicestershire, with some of the more energetic members of the band cycling from Beeston to the towers and back. We followed this up with a quarter peal day in November, ringing at towers in the Burton-upon-Trent area. This included a first quarter peal for Harry and Lucy, two of the youngsters in our band and another quarter for Ethan.
The social side of ringing has also sprung back to life. As well as our Wednesday evening après ringing visits to The Crown, we’ve enjoyed pizza evenings and barbecues, as well as our Christmas party which this year had food loosely linked to Greek letters in honour of the looming Omicron variant. It was a pleasure once again to be able to organise the church quiz, and it was great to see the church full with people enjoying the evening. We’re always happy to see welcome visitors to the tower, whether that is to simply see what we do or to try your hand at ringing. Please contact Bridget Eickhoff, Brian Walton or Alistair Smith if you’d like to come along.
The Ringers
Church Flowers
Thank you to everyone who has given donations for flowers. Flowers give a lot of pleasure to the congregation. Thank you again.
Pauline Wheelhouse
Coffee Stop
The Coffee Stop was re-started on October 21[st ] 2021 with Emily Bennett and Fr Rob running it. All the necessary Safeguarding items have been complied with, by both. The first couple of weeks were slow but the numbers picked up and now the average is about 20 people visiting. One or two stay for the duration of the time just enjoying the interaction and chance to chat. There are those that just ‘pop’ in for a drink but nearly always get involved in a conversation and stay a little longer.
Sadly, Falcon House is not able to return due to internal problems, but Sue has been in to explain the situation.
During our opening hours there has been people coming in and asking if they can light a candle and say a prayer.
With me being there I am also able to meet people wanting to look around prior to booking the church for concerts. Because Kathryn knows we will be there she tells them to come in during Coffee Stop times and ask for me.
We took a break over the Christmas period and, because of Covid, Emily was getting over it and I was still positive, did not start again until mid-January 2022. All-in All it proved a positive return and people have said they missed it.
Father Rob Wiggins
Messy Church
This report covers the year January – December 2021 Due to the pandemic, Messy Church was unable to run for most of the year. The first one held was in October when we celebrated by having our first Messy Baptism. All of the activities were centred on water and the celebration part was the baptism itself. All the guests were treated to a lovely afternoon tea provided by the family. It was a truly joyous occasion and enjoyed by all.
We were also able to hold an Advent and Christmas Messy Church which was well received and well attended.
Although we only managed to run 2 Messy Church sessions in 2021, it was lovely to see so many returning families and some new ones too.
We give thanks to all those who help and make each session possible and also to all those people who attend.
Pam Holland
Mothers’ Union
There are now 23 full members in the Branch, with 2 IMPC members and 3 Honorary Life Members. We record with sadness the death of Carolyn Hobson after a long illness, but with gratitude for her contribution to the life of the Branch.
2021 was another strange year. We began in lockdown, so no New Year lunch, no AGM and no meetings until August. Instead there was a monthly mailing to each member and the March one included a Lenten meditation from the Rev Tracey Byrne.
In August and September we were able to worship together again, keeping Mary Sumner Day in August and holding the traditional service in September. For this occasion we used material supplied by Mary Sumner House for the centenary of Mary Sumner's death. The Wave of Prayer was observed by members in their homes because of difficulty in getting to church at our allotted time.
The October and November meetings were held as planned with talks on adoption and fostering by the Revd. Wendy Murphy, and Father Rob Wiggins talking about his Franciscan vocation and how it has enhanced his ministry. At the December meeting we finished the year with Christmas carols and readings chosen by members.
We were also able to make the usual donations to Midlands Women's Aid, including a cheque at Easter to provide Easter eggs for the children at the refuge. Members also contributed individually to the diocesan Lent Count your Blessings.
Thanks are due to Sheila Allton who has kept the accounts, organised the mailings and masterminded the transfer of our bank account from HSBC to NatWest; and to the Committee who have helped keep members in touch with each other and the branch. We should also all like to thank the Vicar for chairing the AGM and for his support and encouragement during the past year.
We have planned a programme for 2022 and I hope that this time we won't have to cancel anything!
Pat Atkins
Sunday School
Sunday school was ‘closed’ for the first part of the year due to the pandemic but we were able to keep in contact with families and ran a few socially distanced family services on Sunday afternoons during the year. This started with some of the families making voice recordings of key Bible passages for Holy Week that was included in a YouTube presentation of Easter reflections and readings. This was followed in May, June and September with the Sunday afternoon services where we had activities and reflections on Pentecost, The Church and Harvest.
The Sunday School was started up again in October with 1 leader and 4 ‘helpers’. The room was slightly re-arranged to ensure social distancing between families. We have seen most of our families return to Sunday School since and hope that this continues. Our thanks to all those who offer their time and help and those who come along.
Pam Holland