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2022-12-31-accounts

ST ANDREW’S CHURCH HAUGHTON-LE-SKERNE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING (APCM)

To be held on Tuesday 18 April 2023 At 7.00pm In St Andrew’s Church Hall

ANNUAL REPORTS FROM 2022 FOR 2023 APCM

St Andrew’s Church, Haughton-le-Skerne - Information

Church Office Haughton Green, Darlington, DL1 2DD 01325 468142 office@standrewshaughton.org.uk

Church Website www.standrewshaughton.org.uk

Rector: The Reverend Mark East Associate Minister: The Reverend Sue Chew

Registered Charity No 1134791

St Andrew’s Church is part of the Deanery of Darlington and the Archdeaconry of Auckland within the Diocese of Durham.

Notes on the Reports

All the reports in this booklet cover the period January to December 2022.

Thank you to all who have contributed the reports which make up this booklet and describe the year in the life of our church. And greater thanks to all of those, named or unnamed in the reports, who have given freely of their time, effort, gifts, abilities, money and love in the service of God and his people.

Jane Teague PCC Secretary 8 April 2023

Contents

The PCC ............................................................................................................................... 2 St Andrew’s Parochial Church Council (PCC) by Jane Teague (PCC Secretary)............... 2 Coming Out Of COVID-19 ..................................................................................................... 4 COVID Planning Group by The COVID Group ................................................................... 4 Church Buildings and Grounds ............................................................................................. 5 Church Fabric and Grounds by The Churchwardens ......................................................... 5 Church Finances ................................................................................................................... 6 Finance by The Finance Committee .................................................................................. 6 2022 Financial Statement .................................................................................................. 7 Developing and Growing ....................................................................................................... 7 Shared Ministry Team by The Shared Ministry Team ........................................................ 7 Health For Growth by The Health for Growth Team ........................................................... 8 Helping the Local Community ............................................................................................... 8 Foodbank Report by Sue Robson (Foodbank Co-ordinator) .............................................. 8 Darlington (CAP) Debt Centre by The Rev’d Mark East (Rector) ....................................... 9 Christmas Afternoon Tea by Sheila Harris (Organiser) .................................................... 10 The Church Beyond St Andrew’s ........................................................................................ 11 Darlington Deanery Synod by The Rev’d Mark East (Rector) .......................................... 11 Durham Diocesan Synod by The Rev’d Mark East (Rector) ............................................ 12 Governance ........................................................................................................................ 13 Electoral Roll by Alan Wright (Electoral Roll Officer) ........................................................ 13 Safeguarding by Gillian Jones (Parish Safeguarding Officer) .......................................... 13 Some St Andrew’s Groups and Activities ............................................................................ 15 Church Coffee Mornings by Denise Hope (Organiser) ..................................................... 15 St Andrew’s Christmas Fayre by Denise Hope (Organiser) ............................................. 15 Coffee, Cake and Contemplation by Helen W Kendrick (CCC Leader) ............................ 15 Technology at St Andrew’s by Stoker Wilson................................................................... 16 Guiding at St Andrew’s by Emma Nimmo ........................................................................ 17 14[th] Darlington (St Andrew’s) Scouts by Andy Moore (Group Scout Leader/Group Manager) ......................................................................................................................... 17 St Andrew’s Church – Other People, Groups and Events in 2022 ....................................... 19 A Brief Round-Up by Jane Teague (PCC Secretary) ....................................................... 19

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The PCC

St Andrew’s Parochial Church Council (PCC) by Jane Teague (PCC Secretary)

The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the Church of England. It operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2011), and is also a charity registered with the Charity Commission with PCC members as trustees.

The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish, including deciding how the funds of the PCC are to be spent.

Aims and Purposes

The PCC has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent, the Reverend Mark East, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also responsible for the maintenance of the Grade 1 listed church building, and its grounds, as well as the Church Hall complex.

Objectives

The St Andrew’s Church Mission Statement is:

Glorifying God by: Reaching HIGHER to the Father through worship and praise. Going DEEPER in faith and relationship with Jesus and others. Growing WIDER into the community to serve and spread His word in the power of the Holy Spirit. Drawing CLOSER with others into His kingdom.

The statement can be used to check that our church groups and activities, whether regular or one-off, are in line with our purpose of glorifying God in one or more of these ways. The church seeks to put its faith into practice through organised activities and ongoing ministries, within church and out in the parish and beyond, equipping its members to be God’s people in all aspects of their daily lives.

PCC Members and Appointments

The method of making appointments to the PCC is set out in the Church Representation Rules. At St Andrew’s, the membership of the PCC consists of:

All those who attend our services regularly are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll, to attend the APCM and consider standing for election to the PCC.

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The following served on the PCC for all of 2022, or for part of it if indicated otherwise:

Rev Mark East Rector & PCC Chair Ex-Officio
Rev Sue Chew Associate Minister Ex-Officio
Rev Jay Blackburn Curate (Distinctive Diaconate) Ex-Officio Until 4 May 2022
Lesley Stegner Licensed Reader Reader Until 5 Apr 2022
Pauline Young Licensed Reader Reader Until 5 Apr 2022
Mike Bird Warden Ex-Officio
Moyra Cooper Warden Ex-Officio Until 5 Apr 2022
Rob Gormley Warden Ex-Officio After 5 Apr 2022
Sheila Harris Warden Ex-Officio
Denise Hope Warden Ex-Officio Until 5 Apr 2022
Claire Kay Deanery Synod Rep Ex-Officio
Teresa Kennedy Deanery Synod Rep Ex-Officio
Rachel Ryan Deanery Synod Rep Ex-Officio Until 31 Mar 2022
Carole Ainslie Deanery Synod Rep Ex-Officio After 5 Apr 2022
Andy Teague Lay Vice-Chair & PCC Member Elected
David Cullen PCC Member Elected
Barbara Davis PCC Member Elected After 5 Apr 2022
Gill Jones PCC Member Elected
Sarah McTimoney PCC Member Elected
Karen Padurariu PCC Member Elected
Chloe Turner PCC Member Elected Until 15 Mar 2022
Jayne Turner PCC Member Elected
Paul Ryan PCC Treasurer
& PCC Member		 Co-opted
Elected		 Until 5 Apr 2022
After 5 Apr 2022
Jane Teague PCC Secretary
& PCC Member		 Co-opted
Elected		 Until 5 Apr 2022
After 5 Apr 2022
Cath Williams PCC Member Elected After 5 Apr 2022

The APCM on 5 April 2022 did not decide that St Andrew’s Licensed Readers would be invited to be PCC members for the coming year.

Following the 2022 APCM, the following were all appointed by the PCC to continue in their roles:

Following the 2022 APCM, the PCC also appointed the following:

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PCC Meetings

In 2022 the PCC met six times in alternate months beginning in May at in-person meetings. Given its wide responsibilities, the PCC has a number of committees or teams each dealing with a particular aspect of parish life. These committees are all responsible to the PCC and report back to it regularly with information for discussion and proposals for decisions to put before the full PCC and acted on as necessary.

The PCC agenda has provided the opportunity for regular reports to be made to it by or about the following:

In addition, the PCC addressed other matters of business as they arose. In 2022 these included a concerted look at various Policies. The PCC resumed work on the process of writing, agreeing and reviewing Policies in the key areas of Health, Safety & Security, Safeguarding, and People. Progress has been made, but there is still more work to be done in 2023.

Starting in May 2022 the PCC Secretary produced a written summary of each PCC meeting for the congregation, in an effort to keep them informed of what the PCC has done on behalf of the church.

Sabbatical Leave

The Diocese granted Mark East a period of 12 weeks’ sabbatical leave from 16 May to 7 August 2022, to take time away from his usual Parochial and Deanery responsibilities. As well as it providing for personal refreshment and renewal for Mark, it was an opportunity for him to learn more about the ideas and practices of developing Missional Communities.

- Coming Out Of COVID 19

COVID Planning Group by The COVID Group

The members of the Group - Mike Bird, Sue Chew, Mark East, Sheila Harris, Gill Jones, Muriel Jones, John Kendrick, Paul Ryan, Sarah McTimoney and Andy Teague - continued to meet monthly throughout most of 2022.

The Group retained a cautious approach to the pandemic, taking account of the age profile and vulnerability of the congregation and relaxing restrictions only after careful consideration of the risks, including a thorough risk assessment.

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The Group is grateful to wardens, sidespeople, those serving refreshments and many others who have willingly changed their practices to keep people safe and continued to serve throughout the pandemic.

Despite waves of different strains of the COVID virus, the effectiveness of the vaccine programme allowed the team, throughout 2022, to gradually relax the restrictions in services and other church events.

In March we were able to drop the requirement to wear face-coverings and increased the numbers able to take coffee to 42. From June we returned to seating in every pew and communion started to be served from the front but remained as wafers only, without wine. Finally, in October we were able to lift all restrictions; the only change to our previous practices is that wine is served by Intincture rather than using the ‘common cup’.

Throughout the pandemic, the COVID Group has given assistance to church groups and external groups in developing risk assessments as activities have restarted.

With the decision made to lift all restrictions, the COVID Group disbanded at the end of September. However, it has maintained a ‘watching brief’ over the COVID situation and has been involved in assessing the safety of events involving a high density of people such as Christmas Fayre, the Christmas Tea and the 2023 Burns’ Night.

The Group would like to thank all of the congregation for their willing compliance with the restrictions through the pandemic, which undoubtedly contributed to the safety of all who worshipped and attended other events.

Church Buildings and Grounds

Church Fabric and Grounds by The Churchwardens

The Church Buildings

A building maintenance group was formed and met twice in autumn 2022. This consists of PCC Lay Vice-Chair Andy Teague, and Wardens Mike Bird, Rob Gormley and Sheila Harris. The aim is to handle building maintenance work. The group has considered: funding, approvals for work, urgent investigations, and urgent work. The recommendations of the latest Quinquennial Survey (2021) were considered by the group and going forward a regular maintenance system of planned maintenance activities has been set up.

The Diocese recently produced a list of contractors and a list of grant providers for our use. Funds raised by the congregation were gratefully received and are being used.

A lack of routine clearing of church roof gutters for many years, resulted in blockages and rainwater leaking into the building, damaging plaster and decorations. This was addressed and, once the affected parts of the building have dried out, repairs will proceed.

Investigations of electrical faults started, along with consideration of replacement of bulbs and possibly upgrading to LED light bulbs. This may require significant modification to the lighting system to maintain the ability to dim lights in church.

Investigations were completed into why flooding had affected the church hall from time to time. The drains near the church hall being partly blocked was the main reason. The drains are mainly adopted by Northumbrian Water. Those drains, and the drains for which the church is responsible, were cleansed of blockages. With regular planned maintenance, this should alleviate or prevent future flooding.

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The Churchyard

Regulations are stipulated in faculties for specific parts of our churchyard containing buried ashes. General rules, common across the Diocese, apply elsewhere in the graveyard. These rules are set by the Chancellor, an independent High Court Judge appointed by the diocese.

Unfortunately, some families had not adhered to the regulations and the PCC had not enforced the rules rigorously, so various non-complying items had accumulated over many years. One prominent item of non-complying stonemasonry became the subject of a dispute including the family applying to the Chancellor for a faculty for the stonemasonry. This was not granted. During the dispute the Chancellor visited the churchyard and subsequently required the PCC to bring the areas for cremated remains back into compliance with the faculties.

A work party was set up to bring the newer areas for cremated remains into line with the Regulations. Several letters were written to families reminding them of the need to comply with the Regulations and asking them to remove non-complying items and signs were erected in the churchyard. The work party removed non-complying items and laid turf where the removal of items exposed bare earth. The non-complying stonemasonry was removed by a stonemason to prevent damage.

By mid-year, the two smaller areas for cremated remains were being kept in line with the regulations and were much tidier and respectful. The wardens regularly remove noncomplying items soon after they appeared. At the end of the year these areas were generally much tidier and respectful.

Several families complained and there was some press interest.

Church Finances

Finance by The Finance Committee

The Finance Committee is a sub-committee of the PCC whose members are: Paul Ryan (Treasurer), Mike Bird, Val Bowman, Mark East, Alice Sewell and Andy Teague. The team is supported by external services especially in preparing the year-end accounts.

The group provides regular updates of the current financial situation and a year-end projection to the PCC. It makes recommendations on major costs, such as the Parish Pledge and staff salaries. It also considers income streams and makes recommendation for PCC fees for weddings and funerals, hall hire rates and ways to encourage giving.

2022 saw us emerging from the effects of the pandemic. 2020 and 2021 were difficult years with expenditure significantly in excess of income. By taking some prudent action in 2022 and with increases in hall bookings and weddings and funerals, as well as the generous and committed giving of the congregation, the finances have shown some recovery.

Largely through lack of funding, maintenance on the church has been very limited, leading to some water damage. The Committee initiated a Building Fund Gift Day to start a fund to make necessary repairs.

2023 will be a challenging year with significant increases in energy and other costs. The Committee has proposed a budget reflecting that challenge but with the goal of at least breaking even.

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2022 Financial Statement

The 2022 Financial Statement and Examiner’s Report will be presented to the APCM.

Developing and Growing

Shared Ministry Team by The Shared Ministry Team

The Shared Ministry Team (SMT) was established by the PCC to support and liaise with those working in all areas of ministry within the church. The areas of ministry are divided into the following areas with a lead person or persons associated with it:

Worship (John Kendrick) Discipleship and training (Mark East and Gill Jones) Pastoral care (Cath Williams and Sue Robson) Mission and outreach (Helen Kendrick) Social (No representative at the moment)

During the year we lost Rachel Ryan who was the member responsible for social activities and Sue Robson stepped down. We thank Sue for all the work she has done for the SMT. The team was originally formed with the intention of having at least two people responsible for each area. We met six times during the year and the following is a short synopsis of each meeting.

January. We reviewed what activities were likely to restart after the Covid pandemic and looking at ways that groups might re-engage.

February. We discussed an informal survey of how people felt as part of the church before Covid and now. Only a few of the former groups had maintained their identity. In general individuals felt they might have lost touch with the groups they were part of but they were still connected to others at church. A few said they no longer felt connected to church. Communications with church members was an important area and not everyone has access to the electronic methods that are being used a lot.

May. The main theme of this meeting was a review by John of “Worship” in St Andrew’s. Discussion around this topic led to a proposal to organise a series of Sunday services exploring different styles of worship. The discipleship groups were also discussed and the group was looking at ways to re-invigorate this area of church life.

August. Helen reviewed the theme of “Outreach” within the church. Discussion around this topic led to several suggestions which have been taken up during the year such as; improving signage around the church and the hall, a book case/ leaflet stall that could be moved around from church to hall as needed and the importance of making newcomers welcome at church.

October. Gill reviewed the area of “Discipleship”. Discussion around this topic led to the suggestions that Lent in 2023 would provide a useful time to attempt to re-invigorate discipleship groups by running a Lent course on discipleship.

December. Cath reviewed the area of “Pastoral Care” within the church, looking especially at what the pastoral care team does and how we can improve pastoral care for each other within the church. The links between the church’s social activities and pastoral care were emphasized and as a result an initiative would be undertaken to try and organise social

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activities once a month during the coming year, starting with pancakes on Tuesday 21[st] February.

Health For Growth by The Health for Growth Team

Health for Growth (HfG) is just one part of the Durham Diocesan Strategy for Growth. It is an 18-month programme of gatherings in a Learning Community of churches from across the Diocese. This cohort is a ‘pilot’ group that is being used to embed the process more widely in churches across the whole diocese.

The programme consists of 10 gatherings (Learning Communities) at Cuthbert House, Durham. Each of these gatherings are held on Saturday mornings (10am – 12noon) and are led by Alistair (Ali) Bianchi (Project Manager for Church Planting). The aim of the programme is to encourage churches to discover new ways of being church, which may include planting new Christian Communities, by ensuring that the foundations of those new groups are sustainable.

The 10 sessions are themed as follows: Passionate Spirituality Empowering Leadership Intoxicating Vision Effective Structures Gift-based Ministry Need-Orientated Evangelism Inspiring Worship Services Holistic Small Groups Loving Relationships Multiplication Mindset

Between each gathering there are local gatherings for the local team to pick up on and follow through thinking and planning in the local setting. The local team here at St Andrew’s is John Kendrick, Helen Kendrick, Liz Day, Paul Hollamby, Cilla Hollamby, Sue Stabler, Barbara Davis and Mark (Rector).

As part of the follow-up, church members have been encouraged to complete short questionnaires so that we can get a feel of how we’re doing as a church in these ten areas. There are also Network Gatherings once every quarter for other churches to join and hear about what’s happening.

As we have moved through the year, we are being encouraged to prayerfully discover what new opportunities there are for us to plant and try new ways of being church in our context. In 2023 we are planning to launch at least one of these for St Andrew’s. Keep watching!

Helping the Local Community

Foodbank Report by Sue Robson (Foodbank Co-ordinator)

St. Andrew's foodbank provides emergency food for those going through times of hardship or crisis. We are open every Thursday in the church hall between 1-30pm and 2-30pm. We offer free refreshments which are enjoyed by many who attend.

We make up the food bags before the session. We make up different sized bags. These are bags for single people, single + bags for a household of two and family bags.

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During 2022 we have seen a significant rise in the number of people attending foodbank. Numbers began to climb in June 2022 and have continued to do so. There has also been a much higher proportion of family bags distributed. High fuel bills and the general rise in the cost of living has taken its toll.

Total number of bags distributed in 2021 – 1068 Total number of bags distributed in 2022 – 1555

Record numbers of people attending have continued into 2023.

Christmas week foodbank saw 55 people attending. This included 24 people collecting bags for their family. Each were given their usual food bag, a bag of Christmas treats and a meat voucher. Grateful thanks to all who donated extra money and food at this time.

We are so thankful for the donations of food and money which make foodbank provision possible. These have come from St. Andrew's church members, Haughton Chapel, other local churches, folk in our community, schools, organisations, companies and Darlington Borough Council. Huge thanks to Catherine Poskitt, Community Champion at Morrisons and to Morrisons customers who provide us with a full trolley of donated food each week. Grateful thanks to Joanne, Community Champion at Asda, for donating to us monthly and for securing us a grant. Thanks to King's Church for sharing donations with us when requested.

We have been fortunate to have Councillor Nick Wallis regularly attend foodbank to offer advice and support to our clients. Grateful thanks also go to Carol and Christine who bring lovely second-hand clothes for adults and children. Clients can take these away free of charge.

Huge thanks go to the foodbank team who are reliable, enthusiastic and great company. Thanks to Moyra Cooper, Jean Taylor, Lynne Cullen, Marilyn Sykes, Gill Moore, Rita Hogg, Elaine Barnett, Marilyn Hare, Karen Horner, Vicki Connor, Terry Connor, Tim Francis, Pat O'Donogh and Ken Robson.

We were so sad at Pauline Hall's death last year. Her enthusiasm with foodbank bag packing was wonderful. Grateful thanks to Pippa Foddering who has followed on to help pack our food bags. Thanks also to Claire Kay, Lynda Gough and Sahar who have helped pack bags while Pippa recovers from surgery.

It remains a great privilege to be able to offer this foodbank support. The huge rise in numbers at St. Andrew's foodbank is reflected in foodbanks throughout the town. St. Andrew's foodbank is blessed with the donations we receive but we still need to shop weekly to replenish stock and the rising cost of basic items is very evident. We pray and trust in God that we will be able to continue to provide this support for our neighbours in need.

Darlington (CAP) Debt Centre by The Rev’d Mark East (Rector)

2022 was a very tough year, not just for St Andrew’s Church, but especially for the Darlington (CAP) Debt Centre, with the very sad illness and death of its Manager, Rachel Ryan, in March.

As a result, the services of the Darlington Debt Centre were temporarily suspended from March to November 2022. All clients whose cases weren't fully 'set up' were transferred to other Debt Coaches across the North East to continue that process. This totalled 12 clients. Those already set up by Rachel continued with the support of CAP Debt Advisors at Head Office - this was by email/phone.

In May the Centre put out an advert for a new Debt Centre Manager (DCM). There were two applicants shortlisted and then interviewed in September and the successful applicant, Cyndi

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Hughes, was appointed and started her employment at the beginning of November. The recently introduced, detailed and very thorough CofE Safer Recruitment process was followed throughout.

Since the centre reopened in November, the first 5 weeks were taken up with the training of the new DCM who successfully qualified as a Debt Coach. The remaining part of the year was a period of familiarisation with the role, renewing contact with local agencies and rebuilding links with local churches.

The group of CAP Pray-ers met to pray on a monthly basis for the work of CAP from September 2022 onwards, once the new DCM was appointed.

As of July 2022, Julia Wilthew (CAP North-East Regional Manager) provided us with a brief summary of clients and their progress as follows: 39 clients have been referred to Centre since July 2020

6 clients became debt free by February 2022 while the centre was open

18 clients did not progress beyond the ‘set-up’ process

15 clients currently going through process to become debt free

12 clients supported in the ‘set-up’ process by other NE Debt Centres following suspension of Darlington Centre. 11 of these are working with CAP to become debt free. 4 clients supported by CAP HO

New clients will be taken on from the beginning of 2023.

In early 2022 the DDC received a grant from the William Leech Charity, and then a second very generous grant from the Ballinger Charitable Trust was offered and gladly accepted later in the year; both are to be used for ongoing running costs. We continue to receive regular donations from Darlington Baptist Church and from individuals, as well as one-off contributions.

The Darlington (CAP) Debt Centre is extremely grateful to the individuals, churches and funding bodies who are continuing to support this vital work and enabling it to continue through their financial, practical and prayerful support.

Christmas Afternoon Tea by Sheila Harris (Organiser)

The Christmas Afternoon Tea was held on the afternoon of Saturday 10[th] December 2022. Pam Bassington and other volunteers spent some time decorating the hall and Gouldsmith Room and this was appreciated not only by the guests, but by other groups using the hall over the Christmas period.

28 guests attended and were seated in the main hall, where they enjoyed catching up over a glass of mulled wine, and a quiz. This was followed by a lively sing-song with Rael Wright on piano and plenty of carols and Christmas songs. We also sang a special ‘Happy Birthday’ to Audrey Pearson, who had reached 90 earlier in the week.

Everyone then gathered in the Gouldsmith Room to be served sandwiches, cakes, mince pies and scones, washed down with plenty of tea or coffee. It was good to see people mixing together with new and old friends. All things must come to an end. Goody bags and cards were given out and guests departed at around 4.30.

Grateful thanks to all volunteers without whom this event could not have taken place – Pam Bassington, Jane Teague, Sue Chew, Jean Taylor, Paul and Cilla Hollamby, Rael Wright, Muriel Jones, Claire Kay, Dave Harris.

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The Church Beyond St Andrew’s

Darlington Deanery Synod by The Rev’d Mark East (Rector)

The Deanery Synod Lay Representatives for St Andrew’s Church in this current triennium are Claire Kay, Teresa Kennedy and Carole Ainslie.

Three Deanery Synod meetings were held in 2022 - 10[th] February (at St Cuthbert’s Hall), 3[th] June (at St Columba’s) and 10[th] November (at St Cuthbert’s Hall).

The main topics discussed during the year were:

St Cuthbert’s Strategic Development Fund Bid

The Rev’d David Tomlinson spoke at the February meeting to inform the Deanery about the bid that is proposed for St Cuthbert’s to both develop the church building for wider use and to build in opportunities it has as a town centre church in missional and music activity.

At that meeting parishes were also encouraged to engage with the Living in Love and Faith process.

Dementia Friendly Communities and Alzheimer’s Society

At the June meeting Belinda Williams & Kathryn Hardwick outlined the work they do within the town with activities such as:

Dementia Café – held monthly at AgeUK .

Singing for the Brain - held fortnightly at St. Teresa’s Hospice.

Dementia Information Card – giving details of other organisations that may be able to help a sufferer or carer.

Dementia Friendly Darlington aims to give people with dementia a voice within their community. As part of this initiative the organisation can offer a free walk-through check on buildings around the town to make sure they are Dementia Friendly eg churches. Faith Communities can play a very crucial role for people suffering from dementia as they cover all ages.

The Travelling Community

Mr Billy Welch gave a fascinating presentation at our November meeting about the history of Travellers and Gypsies and the way in which they have been forced to move around the Middle East and Europe throughout their history.

Interregna in the Deanery

There were two at the beginning of the year (Riverside Parishes & St Herbert’s) but in April the Rev’d Tony Roache took early retirement and in the autumn The Rev’d Paul Baker took up a new post in Gosforth in the Diocese of Newcastle. So, we now have four parishes in vacancy – Riverside Parishes (4 churches), St Herbert’s, St Columba’s, St John’s & St Mark’s (8 churches in all). This puts quite a strain on the Deanery Clergy and individual PCC’s.

St John’s church PCC has made the decision to start the process of closing the church down. A Pastoral Scheme has been drawn up that will, if agreed, mean that the St John’s will join with parish of St Herbert’s and this will become the parish church for both parishes.

Deanery and Diocesan Finances

Within parishes finances have been depleted during COVID. On top of that the cost of living and energy have increased. Together these have had the impact of leaving a £0.75M black hole in Diocesan Finances. As a result, all future appointments have been suspended.

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Deanery Enabling Teams: Enriching Discipleship, Children & Young People, Tackling Poverty & Care for the Environment

Deanery Synod is encouraging passionate synod members and others from the churches to get involved in these four areas to help us tackle the challenges of growth for the future. If churches have people who would like to get involved in any one of these four teams, they are to let their Deanery Synod representatives know as soon as possible.

The Christmas Journey

This was promoted throughout the year as a Deanery Wide project to present the Christmas story for Year 2 (6- & 7-year-old) junior aged children. Every primary school was invited and nearly all the schools in Darlington took part; and it was well received by the children and the staff. The volunteers to enable this to happen came mainly from St. Matthew’s & St Luke’s (host church), St. Michael’s and All Saints’, but it proved to be very successful. It’s growing by the year and it is hoped that even more volunteers will enable it to expand next year.

Durham Diocesan Synod by The Rev’d Mark East (Rector)

There were two Diocesan Synods held in 2022 on 15[th] May at Durham Johnson School and 12[th] November at The Venerable Bede Academy, Ryhope, Sunderland.

The main items of business for the year were as follows:

Diocesan Transformation

Doing nothing means the decline of many churches. The Diocese is seeking Strategic Transformation Funding (STF) to help make changes that will challenge the status quo and deliver our Diocesan Priorities in order to bring growth and a stronger church. How will parishes and the Diocese as a whole respond to this challenge? Pruning and planting will need to be seriously considered because doing nothing is never God’s way!

Duncan Podbury gave a presentation about the need for the STF application due to the decline by 20% in church attendance figures in the Diocese from 2014-2019 and the current Diocesan financial situation. The diocese is looking to find ways in which we can fulfil what we are called to be as a church.

The Church Commissioners have set aside £45M for Dioceses who want to focus on growth and sustainability. Durham Diocese wants to respond to this challenge, but we need to focus not on just what is ‘above the ground’ growth. There also needs to be a focus on the ‘below the ground’ solutions to promote growth. What we do will need to be Ambitious, Astute and Authentic for our Diocese.

Gypsy, Romany & Traveller (GRT) Communities

Mr Billy Walsh gave a moving and informative brief history of the GRT ancestry.

There has been a significant change brought about by the recent Act of Parliament which is now law, making it illegal to trespass. Although this is not focussed specifically on the GRT community, it will have a significant impact on their way of life.

‘Sanctuary Stopping’ is negotiated stopping places and enables the travelling community to have agreed safe places and to work with the Diocesan GRT Chaplain and local authorities to help facilitate and support this.

A motion presented to Diocesan Synod was “that this Synod resolves, in relation to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people, to (1) work to enact the 2019 resolution of General Synod (GS2123), (2) actively work against prejudice and discrimination experienced by them, (3) encourage Churches and Institutions within the diocese to participate in Sanctuary Stopping Places as required and where possible.” This was agreed unanimously.

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Caring for God’s Creation

This is one of the four Diocesan priorities, and a presentation was given to encourage the Synod and the churches within the Diocese about ways of meeting the carbon zero target by 2030 – both practically and creatively.

Financial Statements

The financial statement for 2021 was presented at the May meeting and agreed by Synod and the budget for 2023 was presented at the November meeting. The Diocese will be operating with a £0.5M deficit in 2023.

The Diocese has received a grant of £440,000 from the National Church to be shared out across the parishes to help with the rising cost of energy bills. Each church was urged to respond quickly in order to receive this grant.

Other items discussed during the year were:

Challenging poverty – especially energy poverty.

Total Returns Policy

This allows the DBF to draw up to 5% of the average value of the Stipends Capital Fund across the three previous balance sheet dates as income to be included within the Diocesan Board of Finance for the forthcoming year. The remainder is held as capital.

New Diocesan Boards Education Measure

Diocesan Synod unanimously agreed to the motions presented by the Board of Education to become a Statutory Committee of the Durham Diocesan Board of Finance.

Ukraine

As the war was developing and the refugee situation was increasing, churches were urged to link with other organisations giving support and advice about asylum seekers, and to give support to families in any way possible.

Governance

Electoral Roll by Alan Wright (Electoral Roll Officer)

The total number on the Electoral Roll, at 15 March 2023, as reported to the APCM 2023, is 117.

117.
Male Female
Resident in the Parish 22 57
Non-resident in the Parish 16 22
TOTAL 38 79

Safeguarding by Gillian Jones (Parish Safeguarding Officer)

Safeguarding is the action the Church takes to promote a safe culture and the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. The safeguarding policies adopted by the PCC seek to prevent abuse, to protect those at risk and to respond well to issues and concerns raised.

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St Andrew’s church continues to take safeguarding seriously and it is an item on the agenda at every PCC meeting and the PCC continues to adhere to Diocesan policies and practices, including:

We continue to display in church and the church hall the following documents, and on the website where required:

During 2022:

There have been no safeguarding incidents since the last report to the APCM and advice continues to be sought from the Diocese about any Safeguarding issues or queries raised.

Priorities for the coming year:

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding safeguarding and thank you again for your support in this important area of church life, especially to those who have filled in forms, made applications and undertaken training during 2022.

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Some St Andrew’s Groups and Activities

Church Coffee Mornings by Denise Hope (Organiser)

St Andrew’s Church holds a Coffee Morning in the Church Hall on the third Saturday of each month. This was one of the first activities to resume as soon as the pandemic restrictions were reduced, and the Coffee Mornings ran throughout 2022.

The mornings provide a very welcome opportunity for local people to come together to chat and catch up in a warm friendly environment. There are well attended by often more than 30 people, some, but not all, from St Andrew’s or Haughton Methodists. As well as serving refreshments including lovely homemade cakes, there are usually some stalls selling bric-abrac, cakes and handmade cards.

Most months, the money raised goes into general church funds, but twice a year the proceeds are given to a charity. In 2022 about £500 was donated to the Ukraine Appeal and over £200 to the Pakistan Flood Appeal.

There is a very good team of volunteers who help make these events happen, and regularly include Pam Bassington, Pippa Foddering, Claire Kay, Judith and Ken Monkman, Audrey Pearson and Alice Sewell.

St Andrew’s Christmas Fayre by Denise Hope (Organiser)

The pandemic meant that it was not possible to hold the annual Christmas Fayre in 2020 or 2021, but it was held again in November 2022, and was very well supported by the local community. In order to reduce close contact, there were fewer stalls than usual and Father Christmas did not appear.

A great deal of preparation and organisation went into the event - collecting items for stalls, advertising it, recruiting a team of helpers (all decked out in Christmas jumpers) and setting up the Hall. It was a busy but very enjoyable day and worth the hard work. A fantastic amount of about £1750 was raised for general church funds.

The small army of helpers included Carole Ainslie, Pam and Nick Bassington, Val Bowman, Ann Carnelley, Moyra Cooper, Barbara Davis, Pippa Foddering, Sheila Harris and two granddaughters, Mike Hope, Claire Kay, Judith and Ken Monkman, Dominic and Tom Mulholland, Audrey Pearson, Sharon Phillips, Elsie Roberts, Sue and Ken Robson, Alice Sewell, Sue Stabler, Jean Taylor and Rael Wright (with apologies to anyone missed out). Most enjoyed helping so much that they have already signed up for next year!

Coffee, Cake and Contemplation by Helen W Kendrick (CCC Leader)

Meetings take place on the 3[rd] Tuesday of the month in the Church Hall from 1.00pm – 3.00pm and everyone is welcome to come along. We start with a chat, in small groups, over a cuppa and some delicious cake which is made for us by members of the group. We had started looking at the Gospel of Mark towards the end of the previous year and continued this into 2022 reaching the climax of the Gospel at around Easter time. We then went on to look at 2 Corinthians. It was decided in the Autumn to change what we did and to explore a range of emotions, how they affect us and how those emotions are seen in the Bible. More on this in 2023.

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Technology at St Andrew’s by Stoker Wilson

The church website at www.standrewshaughton.org.uk continues to provide a source of lots of useful information about the church.

The most visited pages are the permanent ones, and the top pages are the same as they were in 2022 The five most visited pages are the same as last year (readings recorded on 27/2/2023), the pages being created in 2015. The Welcome page had on average some 30 visits per day, that represents some 30 people wanting info about the church each day.

Page Title Cumulative Visits Since Last year
1) Welcome page 36377 11448
2) Contacting us 21746 3037
3) Sadberge Parish 17706 3105
4) About us 16601 4013
5) Food Bank 16329 2588

The transient pages, advertising passing events, are also useful, usually attracting some hundreds of visits during the time they are up. For example: -

Page Title Cumulative Visits Since
Life worth living course 1146 8/12/2022
Amy Gooding 256 10/11/2022
Ukraine Conflict 889 8/3/2022

The church Facebook pages continue to give more immediate news about what’s happening in the church, as well as providing a forum in which people can ask questions when they need help on things relating to St. Andrew’s. Social media are the medium of choice for the younger generation so it’s important to keep the pages going. Many thanks to the moderators and contributors of Facebook.

The church YouTube pages have arguably been less useful during the last year since the discontinuation of our online services, but our presence is still maintained there.

We still do not have a reliable fast internet connection into the church so the services which were broadcast on Facebook and YouTube until July 2022 have not restarted.

The WhatsApp social media messaging system is used by many folks in church to keep in touch, share information and prayer requests. There are currently two WhatsApp groups. One is used mainly by the folks who go to Spring Harvest to share information. The other more general group shares information on a daily basis, and is very useful in getting news out around the church quickly. Do let us know if you’d like to join this group.

Sound equipment and Tech team. There has been no change in the equipment this last year. Thanks to our tech team who make possible the use of all this equipment. We are always on the lookout for new members of the team. Please ask if you would like more information.

Resources provided by the church Dropbox account, Google calendar account and other IT matters are in good state and contribute well to the efficient running of the church. E-mail continues to play a vital part in the running of the church.

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Guiding at St Andrew’s by Emma Nimmo

This report covers the activities of:

1[st] Haughton-le-Skerne Rainbows

3[rd] Haughton-le-Skerne Brownies

1[st] Haughton-le-Skerne Guides

1[st] Haughton-le-Skerne Rangers

We have continued to grow our groups this year, welcoming new members in each group.

Rainbows have enjoyed activities such as cheerleading, making dens, toasting marshmallows and water games. They also went to see the Stepps performance of Alice in Wonderland. We were very excited to award our first Rainbow Gold Award in November.

Brownies have taken part in lots of activities in the meeting place, their favourite being making kites and playing parachute games. They also enjoyed climbing at rof59 and Shrek the Musical at the Hippodrome, especially meeting Shrek and Donkey afterwards. Three Brownies completed their Gold Award, and each organised an evening for the other Brownies as their last challenge for the Gold Award.

Rainbows and Brownies went on their first Division fun day since Covid, which had a circus theme; they made slime, learned circus tricks, lit a fire and toasted marshmallows finishing with a circus show. They also celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee by completing a challenge badge, making crowns, learning traditional skills, completing 70 good turns and making cards to send to the Queen.

Guides worked on team building in their new patrols, competing for patrol points to win the unit shield. They also learned some basic first aid, organised a party for the mocktail badge, tried outdoor cooking on stoves and learned how to use the Kelly kettle to heat water. They went climbing at rof 59, attended the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee event in the town centre and had great fun at their first sleepover since Covid visiting the ice trail in the town and going bowling.

All of our groups took part in community activities over the year going litter picking, making birthday boxes, the foodbank, collecting gifts for the Salvation Army toy appeal, giving out candy canes as random acts of kindness, painting kindness rocks, making Christmas cards for care homes and outdoor carol singing at Riverside Care Home. We also went to see the special Girlguiding showing of Matilda the Musical at the cinema in December and were excited to get a sparkly badge afterwards.

None of this would have been possible without the commitment of our leaders Ruby, Ivy, Brown Owl and Lucy, our young leaders Flamingo, Unicorn and Lucy and our Guide Helper Dragon, as well as all of the parent helpers that make guiding possible each week. We are also grateful for the support of the Church with our meetings in the church hall and making it possible to hold a sleepover in the hall at the end of the year.

14[th] Darlington (St Andrew’s) Scouts by Andy Moore (Group Scout Leader/Group Manager)

2022 has been a transitional and transformational year for our group.

Firstly, I’d like to place on record out thanks to Tony, Anne and Graeme Baldock who were the core team in the group prior to the leadership change.

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Since the change of management, we have several new leaders who have come into the group with a fresh perspective and ideas. The adults involved in our group are:

Andy Moore - Group Scout Leader (also regularly found at scout section meetings) Maureen Moore – Chairperson Treasurer - Situation Vacant Secretary - Situation Vacant Scout Leader - Lorraine Copeland Scouts sectional assistant - Steph Hamilton Cub Leader - Tia Hans Cubs assistant leader - James Harkin Cubs sectional assistant - Gaviun Dobson Cubs Sectional assistant - Emma Barker

I have come from a group which was small when I took over as group scout leader and by the time I left three and a half years later we had 2 beaver colonies, two cub packs, 2 scout troops and a vast array of facilities, as a leadership team it is our aim to emulate this with the 14th.

It's fair to say the group was in a poor state in terms of youth members when we arrived with only one cub (8-9 Y/O) and four scouts (10-13 Y/O). We began with advertising our group via social media and by the first cub meeting after our arrival the one had become eight children, cubs now standing at fifteen young people. We began with four scouts and are now standing at seven young people.

We have begun a search for people to lead a beaver section (6–7-year-olds) and we have interest from a few people so we hope this will become a reality shortly, as the village and Darlington generally is underserved for beaver spaces. We anticipate as soon as this is launched, we will be at capacity of about 18 young people.

We have had to make significant repairs due to the previously dangerous state of the electrical wiring in the building, we took the opportunity to replace the lighting inside and out along with our heating. We have replaced the aged windows with much more secure and thermally efficient double glazing.

We have also renewed our group stock of tents, catering equipment and even purchased a trailer to enable us to take our members camping on a regular basis at a modest cost to members families. We believe strongly that spending time outdoors is a core part of scouting and a great place to teach life skills.

We have produced clear information for our members and their families on membership of our group including costings, when we meet financial procedures etc and we have implemented a behaviour policy which shows our operating procedures in a clear and transparent way along with our anti bullying and inclusion document. We have also started a uniform/outdoor gear stock/exchange to enable those who are facing financial hardship to fully participate in our activities along with our hardship fund.

I met with Mark East, the Rector, recently to discuss our hope for engagement in the wider community and our hopes to work with the church’s foodbank and possibly contribute to maintaining the war memorial etc.

I hope that in next year's report we will be able to tell you about the success of our group and its many adventures we will undertake this year and our growth in terms of people served directly and through community engagement.

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’ – St Andrew s Church Other People, Groups and Events in 2022

A Brief Round-Up by Jane Teague (PCC Secretary)

Here is a brief round-up of some activities that went on at St Andrew’s in 2022, which are not mentioned elsewhere in the Annual Report, and some of the people who were involved in making them happen.

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CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WAiES St Andrew trlaughion-L&Skeme Charity No (if anvl 1134791 riod Annual accounts for the P¢riod gnd date 0110112022 To 3111212022 Section A Statement of f inancial activities Ro•trl¢t•d R￿0mmOnd¢d ¢at•gorlM by 4 Unrn8trlct•d Incomo Endowrn•nt a¢llvlty fund• fund• fund• Prlor y•ar funds Tolal fun Incomlng r•sourcM (Nots 3) Incom• •nd •nd(hvm•nts fr¢m: Donolkn* Itga Chorllatts aclMba8 F01 F02 F03 F04 F05 $01 78.130 5,799 14.139 273 78,403 45,604 14.218 79 Sopor•t• rnotwknl tt•m ol ￿￿orn• 525 142 425 rotal R￿Q￿rGe¥ •xpend•d {Not• 6) Exp•ndltur• on: 98 068 138 225 388 4.594 116 133 c￿r[￿bIl •¢t 130 618 8•pw•t• m•t•rknl hm 01 •w Other 810 811 225 97.263 1.482 25,171 1.707 122.434 834 138,146 Total 812 before Investment galnsl(1088•s) 813 805 14,986 15,791 4,279 gain81llouul on 814 Not Incomellexpondliur•) Extraordlnary Items Transfer4 between funds Other rgcognlsed 815 805 14,986 15.791 4,279 818 817 for Ihe thorWI own Ott￿r gatrffjl(k)BMsI Net mov•ment In funds S18 819 805 14,986 Recon¢Hlatlon of funds." Total brw lryward Total funds c•rrled lonvard 57,683 58,488 85.784 80.770 123.467 139.258 119,188 123467

Section B Balance sheet Unrn8trtcled Incom• Endovnrnnt Tot•1 th1• Tot•1 kn•t fund• fund# fund• Flxed assets Intanglble assets T•nglble assets Hfrrltago asMt• Investments F02 F03 F04 F05 {Not• 13) {Note 14) (Not• 161 (Nots 17) rot•1 ffx•d •ss•ts 50.000 50.000 Curront a880ts Slock• INot• 18) D•btorn (Not• 191 Invostrnent• {Note 17.4) Cash at bank and In hand (Note 24) Total cumt •ss•t8 B10 3.562 3,582 8.011 82,197 90,208 19.985 76.127 96.112 Credltorn: amounts lalllng du• wlthln one y•ar {Note 201 18,741 Net ¢Ufrwrt••8eW(Il•bllld••) 812 13,131 6.127 89.258 73.467 T¢)t•l •H•ts Cunwrt Il•blllll•• 013 123.467 Cr•dltor•: falllng du• •ft•r on• y•ar {Not• 20) Provlslom for Ilabllltles B15 Total net assets or Il•bllllles Funds of the Charity Endowm•nt funds (Note 2n R••trlct•d Incorn• fund• {N(rt• 271 Unrn•trlct•d funds Rwaluallon re••rv• 818 63,131 76,127 139,258 123,467 B17 818 80.770 80,770 65.784 57.683 B19 58.488 Tot•1 lunds 921 80.770 13 ,258 123,487 Signgd by ono or Iwo trustfjej on bghaif of ￿1 the trust Oate of approval ddlmml Signatur• Print Name CC17a IEx¢o11

Independent Examiner's Report to the members/trustees of St Andrew’s Church Haughton Le Skerne, Darlington, Parochial Church Council.

I report on the accounts for the year ended 31[st] December, 2022 which are set out attached.

Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and Independent Examiner

The Church of England statement on PCC accountability, which forms an essential part of both the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 and the Charities Act 2011 establishes clearly that the members of the PCC are trustees and are the ‘persons having the general control and management of the administration of the (church) charity’ (Charities Act 2011, s177).

As trustees of the charity, the members of the PCC are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. They consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to

Basis of Independent Examiner's Statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the management committee concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in a full audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.

Independent Examiner's Statement

In connection with my examination, no matters have come to my attention

  1. which give me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements • to keep accounting records in accordance with s.130 of the 2011 Act; or

  2. to prepare accounts which accord with these accounting records have not been met; or

  3. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Christine Marsh ACMA

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER 30/03/2023