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2025-12-31-accounts

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

To be held on Tuesday 21[st] April 2026 7.00pm St Andrew’s Church Hall

ANNUAL REPORTS FROM 2025 FOR 2026 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 Curate: The Reverend Amy Gooding

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 2025.

Thank you to all who have contributed the reports which make up this booklet and describe the year in the life of our church. A total of 34 reports by 24 individuals or teams was submitted for this booklet and adds up to a busy year by (and for) a lot of people.

Thank you also to all of those, named or unnamed in the following 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) and John Kendrick 12 April 2026

Contents

900 Year Celebrations ............................................................................................................. 3 Celebrating 900 Years of St Andrew’s Church by Sarah McTimoney (Coordinator of the 900 Planning Team) ............................................................................................................. 3 The PCC .................................................................................................................................. 6 St Andrew’s Parochial Church Council (PCC) by Jane Teague (PCC Secretary) ............... 6 Leaders and Some Leadership Teams .................................................................................... 9 Our Curate by The Rev’d Mark East (Rector) ...................................................................... 9 Mission Ministry and Growth Team by John Kendrick (MMGT Member) ............................. 9 Missional Community by Lynda Gough (Co-ordinator) ........................................................ 9 Staff Team Report by The Rev’d Mark East (Rector) ......................................................... 10 Employees Report by The Rev’d Mark East (Rector) ........................................................ 10 Pastoral Team 2025 by Muriel Jones (Pastoral team member) ......................................... 11 Some Key Areas of Church Life ............................................................................................. 12 Church Services ................................................................................................................. 12 Service Planning and Delivery (including the Word Group) Report by The Rev’d Mark East (Rector) ................................................................................................................... 12 Music and Worship Group by John Kendrick (Music and Worship Group Coordinator) . 12 Prayer Ministry Team by Revd Amy Gooding (Prayer Ministry Team Coordinator) ....... 12 TRAILBLAZERS by Lynda Gough (Co-ordinator) .......................................................... 13 Mission and Outreach ........................................................................................................ 14 TeaTime Church by Lynda Gough (Co-ordinator) .......................................................... 14 Cooking 4 Life by Liz Day (Cooking 4 Life Leader) ........................................................ 14 Alpha Course by Gill Jones (an Alpha leader) ................................................................ 15 Discipleship and Training ................................................................................................... 16 Lent and Advent Groups by John and Helen Winthorpe Kendrick (Group Leaders) ...... 16 Pilgrim Course by Mike Bird and Lynn Wilson (Course Leaders) ................................... 16 Pastoral Care ..................................................................................................................... 16 Care Home Ministry by Rael Wright (member of Care Home Ministry team) ................. 16 The Bereavement Journey Course by Revd Amy Gooding (Course Host and Leader) . 16 Other Church Groups and Activities ................................................................................... 18 Coffee, Cake and Contemplation by Helen Winthorpe Kendrick (CCC Leader) ............ 18 St Andrew’s Coffee Mornings Report by Denise Hope (Organiser) ................................ 18 St Andrew’s Christmas Fayre by Denise Hope (Organiser) ........................................... 18 Christmas Afternoon Tea by Sheila Harris (Organiser) .................................................. 19 Games of Delight by Helen Mulholland (Games of Delight Leader) ............................... 19 Church Infrastructure ............................................................................................................. 20 Church Building, Fabric and Churchyard by Mike Bird and Valerie Bowman (The Churchwardens) ................................................................................................................. 20 Communications & Tech Team Report by Amy & Richard Gooding, & Dave Cullen…….20

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Church Finances .................................................................................................................... 21 Report and Summary of the 2025 Accounts by Emma Singh (Accounts Assistant) .......... 21 Church Governance ............................................................................................................... 22 Electoral Roll by Erica Mulholland (Electoral Roll Officer) .................................................. 22 Safeguarding by Gillian Jones (Parish Safeguarding Officer) ............................................ 22 Helping the Local Community ................................................................................................ 24 Foodbank Report by Sue Robson (Foodbank Coordinator) ............................................... 24 Darlington (CAP) Debt Centre by Cyndi Hughes (Debt Centre Manager) ......................... 25 Beyond this Church ................................................................................................................ 26 Deanery Synod by Mark East (Area Dean of Darlington until August 2025) ...................... 26 Ecumenical Groups in Darlington Report by The Rev’d Mark East (Rector) ...................... 27 St Andrew’s at Spring Harvest by Gill Jones and Cath Williams (Spring Harvest Organisers) ......................................................................................................................... 27 War Memorial Garden Team by Cath Williams (Team Co-ordinator)………………………27 Uniformed Organisations ....................................................................................................... 29 7th Darlington Sea Scouts by George Campbell-Wilson (Lead Volunteer, Group Manager) ........................................................................................................................................... 29 1[st] Haughton-le-Skerne Rainbows, 3[rd] H-L-S Brownies & 1sy H-L-S Guides & Rangers by Emma Nimmo (Leader Volunteer, Group Manager)………..………………………………..30

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900 Year Celebrations

Celebrating 900 Years of St Andrew’s Church by Sarah McTimoney (Coordinator of the 900 Planning Team)

For centuries going back to the Anglo Saxons, there has been a worshipping community in the heart of Haughton le Skerne. 900 years ago, in 1125 (ish!) the basic shape of the current building we worship in today opened. So, 2025 was a big year and it required a big celebration!

From 2023, a small group of volunteers began planning how we would mark this major event in our church history. Meeting every couple of months, with a plentiful supply of wine, gin and cake, the team developed a programme of events that would try to enthuse as many people as possible to engage with our church over the course of the year.

Sheila Harris and Pam Bassington designed a commemorative tea towel, which went on sale at the end of 2024, to begin to get the 900 anniversary in people’s minds. Thanks to the talented artists who gave their time and work to create the tea towel, of which there are still one or two available!

Philippa Sinclair, local historian and gifted writer, published 'St Andrew's Church - a historical guide through the centuries' remembering 900 years of mission and ministry of St Andrew's, full of fascinating facts and amazing stories. Copies of the book were sold through the Church Office and Footprints Christian Bookshop. A few copies are still available to buy!

Pam Bassington created a stunning art installation of 900 forget-me-nots entitled ‘Not Forgetting’ which was hung in the church at the front of the nave. Each flower has a name of those laid to rest in the churchyard written on the back.

On Sunday 25[th] May, we began the programme of events with a traditional ‘beating the bounds’ of the parish for Rogation Sunday. The parish boundary covers the wide and varied areas of Haughton, Red Hall, Whinfield (stretching right up through and beyond Barmpton village) and Springfield. Over the course of 10 miles, led by Ian Hardcastle, we enjoyed all 4 seasons of weather and appreciated the breadth and beauty of our local area, including some very accommodating cows.

St Andrew’s rich history of music was celebrated throughout the programme, beginning with a beautiful classical concert in June led by John Kendrick and the Boreal Wind Quintet and Friends. Later in the year we continued to celebrate the history of music in the church as Amy Gooding organised ‘Beyond the Stars’ with local professional consort Vox Populi.

A special 900 flag was designed and installed on the church flagpole – thanks to Richard Gooding and Mike Bird for their work on this.

We had 2 fabulous exhibitions over the year. The first, in June, celebrated ‘Haughton Weddings Through the Ages’, organised by Carol Atkinson. A special thank you goes to Judith Monkman who assisted Carol in the collation of a number of the dresses and associated ephemera. The range of exhibits, from dresses, to photos, to flowers and cake toppers was really something special – we were absolutely delighted when hundreds of people came to visit, sharing their stories and memories of weddings in the church. Carol Atkinson and ‘Haughton Ladies Who Knit’ also created a wedding themed display, on show around the Green, the entrance to the churchyard and inside the church itself. The second exhibition in October filled the church with photos and art entitled ‘Images of Haughton Past

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and Present’ and was put together by Sheila Harris and Pam Bassington. This ran alongside the English Heritage Open Weekend organised by Alan Wright, so our many visitors were treated to a wide range of informative and interesting exhibits. Huge thanks to all those who contributed items for both exhibitions – and to the fantastic teams of volunteers who helped Carol and Sheila create such wonderful displays and acted as stewards for visitors.

We were delighted to join together with our fellow Christian communities in Haughton from the Methodist (celebrating 200 years of Haughton Methodist Chapel) and Salvation Army churches for a wonderful Summer Celebration on Haughton Green in June. Organised by Sarah McTimoney with a huge amount of help from David Cullen, and another great team of volunteers including those enjoying wearing hi viz vests, we had stalls, music, drinks, refreshments and ice cream and spent a great afternoon enjoying the sunshine together.

Also over the summer, families, children and young people could join in a treasure hunt for fish around Haughton Green – thanks to the local businesses who hosted a fish!

Over the year, huge thanks to Denise Hope and team for a regular supply of tea, coffee, cakes and biscuits at various events!

In July, Helen Kendrick offered her talent and expertise in embroidery to present a fascinating evening looking at ‘Expressions of Faith’ which journeyed through the history of the church illustrated by ecclesiastical embroidery. Raymond Jones helped to coordinate the event, which included cheese and wine. Helen’s beautiful designs proved very popular, as a full church learned about the artistry and history of these garments.

A major highlight of the programme was Norman Night in July, an evening of all things Norman as King Richard and honoured guests celebrated with food and entertainment, including the kidnapping of Maid Marian, jousting and the most magnificent boar’s head on a platter. Organised by the team that bring us Burns Night; Pam Bassington, Ken Robson, Ian Hardcastle and David Cullen went to town in customary fashion….and some spectacular costumes!

In October, we held a Quiz Night, with quizmaster extraordinaire Lee Morris. Rounds including music, film and pictures – as well as a round for those who had read Philippa’s book!

There were also special services to mark our 900 years. In June, to mark the end of the wedding exhibition, 24 couples renewed their marriage vows in a beautiful service with prosecco, strawberries and a cake baked specially for the occasion. In November, we remembered those we have loved and lost in a special Memorial Service. Both services commemorated the role St Andrew’s has played over 900 years of helping people celebrate and mark major life events.

The programme of events ended with our ‘big weekend’ of our patronal festival at the end of November. We began the weekend with the Mayor of Darlington opening our 900 Exhibition at Hopetown Museum – Raymond Jones organised this very special partnership as the museum helped the town mark 200 years of the Stockton Darlington Railway, to go alongside our own celebrations. This was particularly poignant as the route of the 1825 railway went through the old parish of Haughton (now Tornado Way). Mike Bird did the work for the faculty to enable some valuable church artefacts to be included in the exhibition. Huge thanks to Hopetown for hosting us! We held a Big Praise concert on the Saturday night, welcoming back some old faces to the worship band organised by Paul Ryan. We were delighted to have Ali Bianchi from the Diocesan Growing Churches team as guest speaker. Then, on St Andrew’s Day, Sunday 30[th] November, we drew the programme of events to a close with a wonderful service led by Rt Rev Sarah Clark, acting Bishop of Durham followed by fish and chips.

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What a fantastic year! Each event listed here was made possible by the enthusiasm and commitment of the core planning team – Carol Atkinson, Pam Bassington, Amy Gooding, Sheila Harris, Raymond Jones, Sarah McTimoney and Philippa Sinclair; but also by the enthusiasm and engagement of the church family and wider community. There are far too many people to mention here, so if you helped at an event, if you attended an event, if you bought a tea towel or a book - thank you!

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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

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.

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. In 2025 Alan Wright, the Electoral Roll Officer, produced a new Electoral Roll, as is required every 6 years.

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The following served on the PCC for all of 2025, or for part of it if indicated otherwise:

Rev Mark East Rector & PCC Chair Ex-Officio
Rev Sue Chew Associate Minister Ex-Officio
Rev Amy Gooding Curate Ex-Officio
Mike Bird Warden Ex-Officio
Valerie Bowman Warden Ex-Officio From 29 April 2025
Rob Gormley Warden Ex-Officio Until 29 April 2025
Claire Kay Deanery Synod Rep Ex-Officio
Teresa Kennedy Deanery Synod Rep Ex-Officio
Sarah McTimoney Deanery Synod Rep
Diocesan Synod Rep		 Ex-Officio
Ex-Officio
David Cullen PCC Member Elected From 29 April 2025
Liz Day PCC Member Elected
Richard Gooding PCC Member Elected From 29 April 2025
Gill Jones PCC Member Elected
Erica Mulholland PCC Member Elected From 29 April 2025
Helen Mulholland PCC Member Elected From 29 April 2025
Karen Padurariu PCC Member Elected
Andy Teague PCC Member & Lay Vice-Chair Elected
Jane Teague PCC Member & PCC Secretary Elected
Cath Williams PCC Member Elected Until 29 April 2025
Pauline Young Licenced Lay Reader Agreed by
APCM 2025

The APCM on 29 April 2025 agreed that any St Andrew’s Licensed Readers would be invited to be PCC members for the coming year.

Following the 2025 APCM, the following were appointed by the PCC to these roles:

The PCC was unable to find a volunteer to take on the Treasurer role from Paul Ryan and continued looking for a Treasurer throughout 2025. Emma Singh from Jane Ascroft Accountants continued to provide financial expertise, including helping to prepare the 2024 Accounts for examination by Matt Perry.

Alan Wright stood down as Electoral Role Officer and will mentor Erica Mulholland in the role. Sheila Harris stood down as Health & Safety Officer after several years in the role with Mike Bird stepping in.

Following the 2025 APCM, the PCC also appointed the following:

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Nick Bassington, Pam Bassington, Denise Hope and Mike Hope stood down from being sidespeople after many years of faithful service at church services.

PCC Meetings

In 2025 the PCC met six times on the third Tuesday of the month in alternate months beginning in May. In general, the first part of each meeting is led by PCC Chair Mark East, and then the Lay Vice-Chair, Andy Teague, chairs the business part.

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.

The PCC Secretary continued to produce 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.

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Leaders and Some Leadership Teams

Our Curate by The Rev’d Mark East (Rector)

Amy has been with us now for two and a half years and she is continuing to conduct the full range of priestly duties with us at St Andrew’s.

She has completed the second full year of IME Phase 2 and continues her training which involves practical training with us in the parishes alongside regular gatherings with other curates in the Durham and Newcastle Diocese.

Our part in this process is to continue to provide the opportunities as a parish for her development within the formation criteria particularly as we move towards the Assessment for End of Curacy Report (AEC) in 2026. My role as her training incumbent is to have regular supervision meetings with her and to give her opportunities to grow in confidence in the different aspects of ministry, as well as to support and advise her through this process. Alongside this we also share together to help her to theologically reflect on the experiences and opportunities that she encounters in ministry. Each year we complete together a working agreement so that she is ready for the next steps in her ministerial development.

Amy is flourishing here in our parishes – both Haughton and Sadberge – as she brings many gifts and skills to her role, and she will begin to seek God’s guidance for her future ministry in the coming twelve months.

Mission Ministry and Growth Team by John Kendrick (MMGT Member)

The Mission Ministry and Growth Team (MMGT) was formed at the end of 2023 by merging the Health for Growth and the Shared Ministry teams. The team provides strategic direction and advice to the PCC by identifying teaching and training needs for developing the work God is calling us to within St. Andrews Church.

We met seven times during 2025. Our focus was to address some of the “weaker” values that were highlighted in last year’s survey, in particular: “Speaking up against injustice with courage” and “Caring for God’s creation”. To this end we proposed a month of activity in September where the church services focussed on ecological issues and issues associated with injustice. “A Rocha” could help us find better ways of caring for God’s creation and we are exploring how to use the organisation within the church. The final Sunday in the series was a service held in the Church Hall, where around nine organisations and groups were given the opportunity to highlight their activity to the congregation, through a stall and through a leaflet. This gave the congregation the opportunity of seeing what groups within and outside the church were speaking up and acting against injustice. This also gave people the opportunity to not only see what was already happening, but also for them to get more involved if they wished.

Members of the MMGT are; Mark East, Amy Gooding, Barbara Davis, Liz Day, Cilla Hollamby, Paul Hollamby, Helen Winthorpe Kendrick, John Kendrick, and Cath Williams

Missional Community by Lynda Gough (Co-ordinator)

Missional Community is open to all and everyone is welcome to come along. Some people engage in the full programme; some come along to the Bible Studies and support Cooking for Life and TeaTime Church through prayer. The two mission arms of Missional Community: ‘Cooking For Life’ and ‘TeaTime Church’, continue to grow, both numerically & in nurturing faith and supporting people to explore and develop their gifts. Up to 18 people come to Bible studies. Numbers coming to the monthly TeaTime Church have been between 35-65 adults and children, gradually increasing over the year.

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Missional Community meets weekly on Monday evenings. The pattern across the month is: Week 1 – TeaTime Church (Sunday)

Sub-group planning meeting (Monday evening) Week 2 – Bible Study Week 3 – Planning Meeting Week 4 – Bible Study We have a termly social evening. Cooking for Life meets weekly during term time.

Mike Bird has taken on responsibility for co-ordinating our Bible studies, which has been a blessing. Several people have volunteered to lead Bible studies, and Mike has offered mentoring support for those who would like it. In the summer term 2025 we met for a Bible Study series about Prayer and in the Autumn we began a series on the ‘I Am’ sayings of Jesus in John’s Gospel. Both linked with the themes for TeaTime Church.

Staff Team Report by The Rev’d Mark East (Rector)

The Staff Team at St Andrew’s is made up of the following members: The Rev’d Mark East (Rector), The Rev’d Amy Gooding (Curate), The Rev’d Sue Chew (Associate Minister), Muriel Jones, Pauline Young (LLM Reader), The Rev’d Stoker Wilson and The Rev’d Lynda Gough (both holding PTO)

The team endeavours to meet twice monthly on the first and third Tuesday mornings for Morning Prayer followed by a meeting. The parish administrator doesn't attend these meetings but is regularly involved in checking details and following up on actions. We also meet on the 2[nd] Wednesday of each month for a lunch together in the Parish Hall followed by a meeting. The parish administrator joins us for the lunch and meeting. It seeks to be a conduit to ensure there is good communication on a variety of matters.

The main function of the group is to see to practical details that need to be actioned following decisions taken by various other groups including the PCC and the Word Group etc. It doesn’t deal with any governance issues but does often action decisions taken on governance matters particularly relating to our church worship life.

In essence the Staff Team makes sure that many practicalities are effectively actioned such as organising flowers for Mothering Sunday services, deciding on plans for major festivals, discussing dynamics and practicalities for different aspects of church worship and is an arena for initial discussions about sensitive issues to do with church life and worship etc. Much of what it does goes unnoticed by many church members, but is vital for the generally smooth running of church life.

Employees Report by The Rev’d Mark East (Rector)

Parish Administrator

Our very welcoming and competent Parish Administrator is for many the ‘face of St Andrew’s’ – the person who deals with all sorts of questions, resolves many different problems ranging from drains being blocked, children to be baptised, bookings for the Parish Hall, regular decorating, cooking amazing meals for us to enjoy, complaints from disgruntled parishioners, to making arrangements for interment of cremated remains. And there’s so much more that she wonderfully caries out with great grace, and (usually) with a smile on her face. She also is a source of creativity for many different tasks, displays and occasions.

We are so grateful for all she does and really appreciate what a wonderful asset we have in her – every church needs ‘a Pam’!

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Cleaner – Tracey Bean

Tracey started working for St Andrew’s cleaning the church and the parish hall at the end of May 2024. She is contracted to work for 8 hours per week which she spreads out over a couple of mornings. She is usually working in the early hours of the day to avoid clashing with any activities or services.

We are very grateful for the diligence with which she works and for the way in which all the facilities are kept clean and ready to welcome those who use our buildings. Most of this goes unnoticed but is vital for the mission and ministry we provide through our church buildings.

Pastoral Team 2025 by Muriel Jones (Pastoral team member)

The Pastoral Team consists of three clergy: Mark East, Sue Chew and Amy Gooding, and four lay members: Claire Kay, Sue Robson, Cath Williamson and Muriel Jones. We meet about every six weeks to discuss relevant topics such as the Prayer Chain, the visits of the Care Home Team and our Visiting List. During the year the Prayer Chain has moved from phones to a WhatsApp programme and now has fourteen members who have all signed a confidentiality agreement as some requests for prayer need to be kept private. Although prayer requests are made on the Church WhatsApp chat site, the Prayer Chain is available for requests of a more private nature. The list of members is to be found on the church notice board.

The Care Home Team continue to visit the four care homes in our parish: The Grange, Oak Lodge, Riverside View and Springfield. A Songs of Praise service is offered and also Holy Communion in two of the homes.

We had serious discussion about renewing the St. Andrew’s Directory and, after contacting everyone for permission, an updated edition was welcomed this year, available to all.

Our Visiting List consists of church members with concerns, very often illness, but also church members who no longer are able to attend church services. Home Communion is offered to these people. We endeavour to keep contact by phone or in person as much as possible.

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Some Key Areas of Church Life

Church Services

Service Planning and Delivery (including the Word Group) Report by The Rev’d Mark East (Rector)

The Staff Team at St Andrew’s and the Word Group who assist the Rector are responsible for the service planning and delivery.

Those on the Word Group are anyone who preaches or leads services regularly and will either have a Bishop’s licence (i.e. clergy and LLM Readers) or have permission to preach and/or lead having completed some Diocesan accredited preparation or course.

This year the Word Group has not met regularly. This is has not been a deliberate decision, but with the work of the Mission, Ministry and Growth Team (MMGT) some of the teaching has been focussing on responses to the ‘Values’ questionnaires collated in 2024. We wanted to address the values that church members felt we did tackle well which we did in September.

During Lent alongside several Lent Bible Study Groups we focussed on the Beatitudes. In the other months alongside the various events devoted to our church’s 900[th] anniversary we followed the common lectionary themes/readings.

Music and Worship Group by John Kendrick (Music and Worship Group Coordinator) The Music and Worship Group leads our Sunday worship with a small group of dedicated singers and musicians. Currently there are about eight the group, and we are grateful for their contributions. Unfortunately, other commitments often mean the music group on a Sunday is quite small in number. We would welcome any other musicians or singers who would like to join us.

A high point in the year was the Service of Carols and Readings that took place at Christmas time. The extended group of singers who led the worship were supported by a group of musicians including; keyboard, guitar, bass clarinet, flute, cello, bass guitar, cornet, and trumpet.

Prayer Ministry Team by Revd Amy Gooding (Prayer Ministry Team Coordinator) Our faithful Prayer Ministry Team continue to offer Prayer Ministry at each regular Eucharistic service at St Andrew’s, on a rota basis. We have nine dedicated members of the team, all with appropriate levels of Safeguarding and DBS check, working in teams of two each Eucharistic Sunday, with the service leader highlighting that this ministry is available. The team consists of: Claire Kay, Mike Bird, Barbara Davis, Lynn Wilson, Karen Padurariu, myself, Lynda Gough, Cilla Hollamby and Liz Day. The rota management is currently done by myself and then given to Jane Teague for the Master Rota.

At our annual Review Meeting, we discussed who might manage the rota going forward and who might convene a meeting of the team periodically, for prayer and business. We also revisited Safeguarding principles, as is best practice, and reviewed the Special Service highlighting Prayer Ministry on 19 October, 2025. Grateful thanks to Claire and Mike for speaking at that service on the different ways people can access Prayer at St Andrew’s, following on from my sermon about Prayer: what it is, why its important; types of prayer, and the tricky issue of seemingly unanswered prayer.

In terms of take up for Prayer Ministry during services, we have found this to be sporadic. On occasion there has been a queue, and other times, the team has used the time to pray for the congregation as a whole and the work of the church, or for people we know who have asked for prayer. We would again like to encourage people to use this ministry more regularly.

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One big success is the use of the Prayer Box at TeaTime Church. Each month I am taking home around half a dozen confidential prayer requests, from adults and children. It is a privilege to pray for those asking for intercession.

Another way people can ask for prayer in a confidential manner is via the Prayer Chain. Originally a telephone-based chain, this is now a secure WhatsApp Group of intercessors made up of Alice Robson, Mark East, Cath Williams, Amy Gooding, Claire Kay, Georgine Whitfield, Denise Hope, Muriel Jones, Sue Robson and Stoker Wilson. If using this prayer service, please ensure any person you are asking for prayer for is aware. It is a good way of asking for a number of people to pray for something important or urgent. Thank you to those who serve in this way.

As Curate, I would like to reiterate that I continue to be indebted to this faithful team of intercessory pray-ers who have followed a call to serve in this ministry, and who are flexible with one another in covering rota slots as necessary and pray for each other when not on the rota. They are all determined to cover the work and the people of St Andrew’s with careful prayer, and be available, giving of themselves, listening to God, and holding those who ask for it up to God in prayer. They are a continued blessing to all of us in showing God’s love and compassion in this way.

- TRAILBLAZERS by Lynda Gough (Co ordinator)

Over 2025 we had only one child aged 3 years come to Trailblazers, but did so fairly regularly. However, we felt that meeting in the Baptistry during services was restrictive and distracting for very young children. We took the decision to move Trailblazers into the Gouldsmith Room from the beginning of February this year. This has been very successful. In addition, we now have a family of 2 young children from our TeaTime Church congregation who come regularly and are engaged and settled. We are grateful to our church wardens and subwardens who telephone us at an appropriate time in the services for us to come into church in time for the children (and us) to join with their families and the church family around the table for Communion, and to join with the congregation for prayers at the end of the Service of the Word.

We meet every week, but in discussion together and with parents, we have made the decision that going forward we will not meet on 1[st] Sunday of the month when there is TeaTime Church.

We presently have 9 volunteers all of whom have Enhanced DBS checks and Safeguarding at the relevant level for their role. All have been through Safer Recruitment in line with St Andrew’s Church policies for volunteers working with children and youth.

There are always 2 volunteers with the children on a rota basis. We have 5 leaders who have Paediatric First Aid Level 3, and the rota is arranged so that a leader with First Aid is always with the group. Every term we have a meeting for volunteers to feed back to one another and pray for Trailblazers.

Thank you to all the volunteers who are still committed despite the present low uptake, and have faith that we need to continue for any families with young children who may wish to come in the future.

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Funding

The PCC agreed a start-up budget for resources of £100 in February 2025

9 February 2025 children’s table and chairs
Beginners Bible TOTAL (reclaimed) £102.63
9 February 2025 Other start up craft resources TOTAL (donated) £136.80
March/April 2025 Other resources TOTAL (donated) £ 60.74
TOTAL FOR 2025 £300.17

Mission and Outreach

- Spring and Summer Terms 2025: Theme Prayer

Sorry, Thank You, Please, and Praise Prayers. We then also linked these with relevant lines from The Lord’s Prayer to familiarise children with the Lord’s Prayer and understand the words we say.

Autumn Term 2025 – Easter 2026: Theme - The ‘I am’ sayings of Jesus in John’s Gospel The children began a new collage for the Church Hall, adding images to represent the sayings month-by-month.

Significant developments

Various people have led prayers (responsorial and interactive) in our All-Age worship time; People have shared testimony in the adult breakout group. Pauline Young, Ruth Jemison and Erica Mulholland now take responsibility as leaders of the various activities. Ruth Jemison organised and led a Summer Party in August 2025 which was well attended and enjoyed by all who came along. Laurina Scott & Ruth Jemison are booked for Paediatric First Aid Course Level 3 in January 2026; Barbara Davis & Lynda Gough are also trained in Paediatric First Level 3. Baptism families & godparents are now invited to TeaTime Church for the newly baptised to be welcomed into the church family at St Andrews and receive their Baptism cards.

We have a dedicated team of 18 volunteers, Leaders and Helpers – a big thank you to everyone who contributes so much. We are also grateful to Ian Hardcastle for his continued Tech support.

Funding

Donated food & crafts - £826.20

Reclaimed expenses from the Youth & Children’s Funds for food & crafts = £649.77. Total expenses for period January – December 2026 = £1485.97

Cooking 4 Life by Liz Day (Cooking 4 Life Leader)

What Cooking 4 Life (C4L) is

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In its third year, January to December 2025, C4L continued to run as a term-time, weekly missional hospitality outreach from the Missional Community (MC). It ran every Wednesday morning, 9.30am – 12.15pm, providing cooking and reflective opportunities for guests who may be seeking to consider who God is and his ‘recipe’ or design for life. The team continued to respond to the call in Matthew 25:34-40 to ‘welcome the stranger’ and ‘feed the hungry’ and guests were invited to, ‘together beat the bite of the cost of living’. A different theme each month was welcomed e.g. November: Keeping Well with Herbs and Spices, involving budgeting, learning and sharing new skills and tips, asking questions on nutrition, where to shop and sharing how to save money on food. Some guests also opted to work in the Life Group: Exploring Proverbs and, from September, Exploring Psalms. One or two leaders facilitated this gentle focus on the difference building your life on scripture and talking with God can make. An excellent Eden resource was used to stimulate quiet reflection, discussion and prayer. Lively conversations and debate often ensued! Yet, as a team we recognised the need to intentionally listen to guests, to engage and be available as needed.

Prayer and Sharing Life

A highlight of every session was a shared, light meal 11.30am – 12.00pm, which increasingly felt like a diverse family sharing food, life issues and with good humour. While in the preparation time, the team continued to intentionally ring-fence 15 minutes prayer 9.15 am – 9.30 am, for one another as well as for guests, this led to gradually growing as a team inside and outside of the weekly session. In September, a new prayer request box was introduced for guests and was well used as they knew their requests were confidential and would be prayed for every day for at least one week. In a very natural way, prayer was also offered and sometimes asked for during a session.

Guests

In 2025, there were 10 different guests, with numbers attending each week gradually growing from 4 to 6 to 5 to 7 by September and up to December. A hallmark of growing relationships and friendships was sharing testimony with guests to help make real what knowing and following Jesus is like. As relationships grew, one C4L guest attended a Missional Community Bible Study, for interest, and other guests came to Tea Time Church, to Coffee Mornings, Coffee, Cake and Contemplation and occasionally, Alpha.

The Team

In July, the team undertook a review of C4L using a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threat) analysis which was useful in confirming what was going well but also helped to sharpen our focus for September e.g. a new prayer box. In late December, four of the team were available to spend a relaxed morning together over a shared breakfast followed by enjoying a walk in Brinkburn Nature Reserve.

Many thanks to the great team of Barbara Davis, Carol Devlin, Patience Matanhike , Sue Stabler and Cath Williams.

Alpha Course by Gill Jones (an Alpha leader)

On Wednesday evenings in the autumn of 2025, we ran a shortened Alpha Course in the Gouldsmith Room. We continued to be blessed to see lives changed and people encouraged in their faith by attending Alpha. At each Alpha session, there is always the opportunity for discussion, learning and sharing in a safe setting.

Written on behalf of the Alpha team (Mike Bird, Barbara Davis, Mark East, Rob Gormley, Jeremy Horner, Sue Stabler, Cath Williams, Lynn Wilson and Stoker Wilson).

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Discipleship and Training

Lent and Advent Groups by John and Helen Winthorpe Kendrick (Group Leaders) The theme for our Lent course this year was focussed on The Beatitudes and used a booklet from the Pilgrim Course, which included topics such as openness to God, thirsting for what is right, transparency, peace-making, and Kingdom citizenship. The course was also used as the theme for sermons on Sunday which gave further cause for discussion. Groups met during the week. These Lent groups gave us the opportunity to share our thoughts about being a Christian and allowed us to get to know one another better in a friendly and supportive group.

During Advent the two groups followed a four week course in the lead up to Christmas. We looked at four ‘songs’ from the New Testament: Mary’s song (Magnificat); Zechariah’s song (Benedictus); Simeon’s song (Nunc Dimittis), and the Angel’s song (Gloria).

Pilgrim Course by Mike Bird and Lynn Wilson (Course Leaders) For some time, people had been asking what might follow on after the Alpha Course. Pilgrim is a course written by the C of E for new Christians and enquirers, so we thought this would be suitable and began by praying and then planning to run an initial 6-week programme, in January and February 2025, in a similar way to Alpha - in the same venue and on the same day of the week.

We invited people from Alpha as well as the wider congregation. Around 16 people began the course by reading, praying and discussing the topic of the Lord's Prayer - a good place to start. The discussions were quite deep and sometimes people had to wrestle (in a good way) with the questions and the ideas raised. Members of the course developed relationships and learned from each other.

It was encouraging when almost everyone signed up to continue for a further 6 weeks on The Beatitudes, through March and April, and then for a further 6 weeks on The Ten Commandments in May and June. Further studies are available on other topics for the future, but the decision was made to run an Alpha Course in Autumn 2025.

Pastoral Care

Care Home Ministry by Rael Wright (member of Care Home Ministry team) We are a group of thirteen volunteers divided into four groups who, each month, visit the Care Homes in Haughton: - Riverside, The Grange, Oak Lodge and Springfield. We offer a short praise service of about 25 minutes which consists of hymns, a bible passage and prayers. The Care Homes always give us a very warm welcome and appreciate the time and effort that we put into these visits.

I would like to say a very big thank you to the team for their faithfulness and dedication to this ministry. If anyone else would like to join this ministry please contact Rael.

The Bereavement Journey Course by Revd Amy Gooding (Course Host and Leader) The Bereavement Journey is a nationally recognised, established, seven week course, developed for use by churches, designed by Holy Trinity, Brompton. It is a series of structured sessions based around videos which look at the journey of grief, allowing people to work at their own pace to understand more about, and begin to process elements of bereavement and loss. The videos are written by clergy and people qualified in grief counselling, with personal experiences of loss. The first six sessions are general; the seventh (optional) session looks at faith questions. Each session is facilitated locally by a host, group leaders and helpers and includes two videos, a welcome, group times and a

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coffee break. There is a helpful course manual that is worked through and has space for notes for the participants.

This year, because of increased commitments, we only ran one Bereavement Journey Course, during September- November (with a break for half term). We run on Monday afternoons 2-4pm, in the Gouldsmith Room. The team again consisted of Revd Amy Gooding (Host and Group Leader), Cath Williams (Group Leader) and helpers Stuart Baker and Gill Jones. The team is supported by an external qualified Counsellor-Advisor, which in our case was again Ben Bourne, the Bereavement Co-ordinator at St Teresa’s Hospice, to whom we could go for advice if necessary. The team revised their training for the course, with regard to the specific role profiles and session outlines and felt we had embedded our learning from the previous pilot course. We had good take up for the course, with six guests of varying ages, circumstances and length of time bereaved (the maximum we can take being eight). The guests were either invited by a leader, saw an advert in church, registered through word-of-mouth or were socially prescribed by Social Workers or GPs (who recognise this nationally valued course as helpful for all bereaved people).

Feedback from the group was excellent, and indicated that all guests found the course helpful and appreciated the opportunity to be in a safe space with people who understood a little of what they were feeling and going through, whilst understanding that each person’s grief is different. Attendance was very good, and all our guests opted to come to the faith session at the end of the course. It was a privilege to walk alongside our guests, and support and pray for them, for this seven week period of their journey.

At the instigation of team members, we have begun a drop-in session with the aim of catching up and supporting one another, available to anyone who has ever been on a St Andrew’s Course, on a Monday afternoon once a month, in the Gouldsmith Room, when the course is not running. This is very well supported by all groups, as are supportive activities organised by attendees for each other. All of our guests also receive an invitation to St Andrew’s Memorial Service in October, to which around half came. From the team’s perspective this year’s group were particularly open and honest, respected each person’s situation and feelings, and have become a source of support for one another. The team itself works extremely well together as a supportive group.

We intend to offer the Bereavement Journey course again, as it has proven to be so helpful for people, but it is to be noted there may need to be additions to the team and potential new roles in terms of succession management.

The team is grateful for the support of the PCC and the prayers of the church for the course. I am personally indebted to the team for their thoughtful contributions, prayer and care for the guests, and their support of me as the host. We continue to pray for the guests who have attended all our courses.

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Other Church Groups and Activities

Coffee, Cake and Contemplation by Helen Winthorpe Kendrick (CCC Leader) Thank you to those who bake us lovely cakes! We spend the first hour consuming them and catching up with news. The second hour is for our ‘contemplation’ and there is always much fun and laughter throughout our time together. There are up to 19 of us getting together on the third Tuesday of the month between 1.00-3.00pm. Anyone is welcome to come and join us.

Our year is split into two halves as we start a new topic in September which carries through to July the following year. For the first half of 2025 we were looking at women from the Bible and the characteristics which they showed. January: Mary & Martha

February: Self image March: The first woman April: The meaning of the cross May: Ruth June: Servanthood July: Abigail

In September we began a series in which each month we started our time with a sketch and then discussed the issues that arose from it.

St Andrew’s Coffee Mornings Report by Denise Hope (Organiser)

St Andrew’s Church holds a coffee morning in the church hall on the third Saturday of each month. These mornings provide a very welcome opportunity for local people to come together to chat and catch up in the warm friendly environment. They are well attended by some, but not all from St Andrew’s and the Methodist Chapel.

As well as serving refreshments including homemade cakes there are usually some stalls selling bric-a-brac, cakes and homemade cards. Most months the money goes to general church funds, but from some coffee mornings each year they are given to specific charities. In 2025 £320 was donated to Hands and Voices Choir, £272 to the Royal British Legion and St Andrew’s Memorial Garden, £100 donated to Hands and Voices for entertaining us at the Christmas Coffee Morning.

There is a very good team of volunteers who help make these events happen by a regular well drilled group including Pam Bassington, Pippa Foddering, Audrey Gray, Claire Kay, Judith & Ken Monkman, Alice Sewell and Mike Hope.

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

St Andrew’s Christmas Fayre took place on 22 November 2025. It was well supported by the local community as well as church folk. It is a great event to meet up with people, as well as to find a bargain or two.

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 all the hard work. A fantastic amount of about £1500 was raised for general church funds.

The small army of helpers included Pam Bassington, Val Bowman, Moyra Cooper, Vince Elsbury, Pippa Foddering, Audrey Grey, Sheila Harris, Mike Hope, Claire Kay, Judith, Ken and Lee Monkman, Karen Padurariu, Sharon Philips, Sue and Ken Robson, Alice and Beth Sewell, Linda Spruce, Sue Stabler, Jean Taylor, Sandra Thompson and Rael and Alan

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Wright (with apologies to anyone missed out). A great big thank you to everyone who helped with this annual event.

Christmas Afternoon Tea by Sheila Harris (Organiser)

Our Annual Afternoon Tea was held on Saturday 6[th] December at 2.30 pm. A larger than usual number of guests at 42 applied for tickets and Pam Bassington and I decided that we could manage to accommodate everyone. Jane Teague, David Harris and I spent Friday afternoon preparing for the event by washing all the crockery, which had been stored for a year, decorating the hall and setting the tables in the Gouldsmith Room. There was the usual hive of activity on the morning of the afternoon tea, with Pam baking scones and helpers preparing the food.

The time passed quickly and guests soon began to arrive. The main hall was buzzing with the sound of chatter as people caught up with friends old and new, and eventually got down to the business of the quizzes. Prizes were awarded to the top 3 teams.

Peter Linney played a variety of Christmas songs and carols on the piano and everyone joined in with the singing. Guests then moved into the Gouldsmith Room and were served with sandwiches, scones, cakes and tea or coffee. Everyone had a good time and volunteers were thanked for their efforts by many of the guests. Before leaving each guest collected a goody bag and card.

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped in various ways: baking and preparing food, setting up and decorating the hall, entertainment, serving the tables, washing up and giving lifts - Pam Bassington, Jane Teague, Peter Linney, Lynne Kalandra, Lynda Gough, Carol Devlin, Liz Day, Barbara Davis, Nick Bassington, David Harris and Muriel Jones.

Games of Delight by Helen Mulholland (Games of Delight Leader)

Games of Delight, which started in September 2024, is a monthly meet-up for people aged 18 to 35 where we play board games, eat food and socialise. We have Christian background music playing and take available opportunities to share our faith/talk about other church activities.

There is a donation pot each month for contributions towards food and new games. We have bought some games which have proved very popular. We now meet twice a month, on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, unless numbers are very low but numbers have generally been between 7 and 12. We serve hot food on the second Sunday and snacks on the fourth Sunday.

Erica Mulholland is responsible for advertising via Instagram and Facebook and we are now looking at ways to increase numbers further.

I would like to thank Dominic, Tom and Erica Mulholland for their continued work and commitment to making this group a success.

Following Spring Harvest, we are also prayerfully considering how we can better share our faith within the group.

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Church Infrastructure

Church Building, Fabric and Churchyard by Mike Bird and Valerie Bowman (The Churchwardens)

Buildings

The window guards on the south side of the chancel were renewed. The roof flashing on the east side of the south transept was replaced.

Stone masonry on the south side of the church and at the west door was renovated using a generous anonymous donation.

The external lights at the west door were renewed. Solar powered motion sensor activated lights were installed on low posts along the south side of the church.

A report from 2019 came to light, highlighting the poor state of the church organ.

Churchyard

The churchyard was generally kept in line with the rules and few issues arose with families complaining about the rules. At Christmas several families brought wreaths but hung them on metal spikes so the spikes had to be removed.

A very large branch from the large chestnut tree collapsed in the lower area for Burial of Cremated Remains and this was expertly dealt with by Darlington Borough Council. The Council also cleared weeds from the west part of the churchyard and maintained the areas containing graves to a good standard.

Communications & Tech Team Report – Amy Gooding, Richard Gooding & Dave Cullen

Amy – General

A new office computer was bought in September for the church office, with a bigger screen, since the previous one ran on Windows 10 which stopped being supported by Microsoft. After some teething problems, we are pleased to report this is now fully operational, running on Office 365, with all functionality working correctly.

Our Social Media platforms are going from strength to strength, ably managed by Sarah McTimoney (Facebook) and Erica Mulholland (Instagram). Our Facebook Profile has over 1000 followers and engagement is up generally. These posts feed into the new website to keep it current.

Richard – Website

A new strategy for online media has called for a new style website which will house the essential information about our church and facilitate communication – a shop window for the church which aligns more closely with the way people use websites in a social media age. This new website is planned to launch on Easter Sunday and will run alongside Social Media posts which will be used for more immediate and up to date information. The website has been created by Richard Gooding and will be maintained by Sarah McTimoney and Erica Mulholland. Very grateful thanks to Stoker Wilson for his pioneering work and management of the original church website.

Dave – Church ICT

The Tech Team are honoured to serve St. Andrews in this way. It is both:

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This year, we have developed the capabilities of the technology we use and how we use it– and the skills and competencies of the team to do so. We have also been blessed by an increase in team numbers, through Dom and Erica playing a greater role alongside Helen, Sarah, Ian and David.

We have also AV support for Teatime Church and various outside events including Remembrance, Party on the Green, etc.

We have suffered some technical difficulties as well; most being resolved ‘at the time’ but others requiring more effort. In particular, management of the fibre broadband connection and repair of the mixing desk; the latter costing an unbudgeted £500.

We have plans to improve service quality further:

We still need 2 or 3 more volunteers, as we will be able to provide a much more powerful ministry by having 2 people per service; one to run the ‘live’ production for the church environment and other to focus on producing a good broadcast production for streaming. They are two different things and difficult to hold in any ‘one head’ – especially if any problems occur as well!

Church Finances

Report and Summary of the 2025 Accounts by Emma Singh (Accounts Assistant)

These notes are to accompany the Year End Accounts. Income for 2025 totalled £176,616 compared to 2024 of £176,254, there has been an increase in unrestricted income of £20,607 and a decrease in restricted income, this is most likely due to significant fundraising activities in the year. Restricted income has reduced by £21,245 with approximately half the reduction being in terms of donations and the remainder in charitable activities.

Expenditure in the year has reduced by £7,956, unrestricted costs have increased in comparison to last year but given the expenditure on significant fundraising activities such as the 900 anniversary this is to be expected. The expenditure on restricted funds has reduced in line with the reduction of income.

Overall, there has been a deficit of £5,312 in the year, a reduction from £12,630 in the previous year. Unrestricted reserves of the church stand at £74,990 as at 31/12/25 with an additional £72,903 which is restricted to the following:

CAP - £50,634 Crafts At St Andrews - £210 Food Bank - £7,896 Funerals & Weddings - £18,743 Vicars Emergency Fund - £1,128 Youth - £5,761 3rd party charity - £1,284

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The balance sheet shows good liquidity with £99,971 cash in the bank and liabilities of £6,422.

Given the significant change in the chart of accounts within the bookkeeping software, I believe going forward comparison of Income and expenditure will be more consistent and readily available to the PCC and with the addition of a budget for 2026, the PCC will be able to actively monitor the church’s finances.

Church Governance

Electoral Roll by Erica Mulholland (Electoral Roll Officer)

A new Electoral Roll is in place from 6th April 2025. This is operative for the period 20252031.

The total number on roll, at 10.04.2026, as reported to the APCM 2026, is 107.

Male Female
Resident in the Parish 18 51
Non-resident in the Parish 14 24
TOTAL 32 75

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. I can thankfully report that there have been no incidents that have needed outside action since the last report to the APCM.

The PCC has complied with the duty to have ‘due regard’ to the House of Bishop’s Guidance in relation to safeguarding.

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

We continue to display in church and the church hall the following documents. These are

also on the church website where required.

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During 2025

Priorities for the coming year:

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When I attend meetings, there is a lot of talk from other PSOs about their struggles to get people engaged with safeguarding practices. I am always singing the praises of our church family and want to thank everyone who makes my role so much easier.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding safeguarding and thank you again for your support and encouragement in this important area of church life.

Helping the Local Community

Foodbank Report by Sue Robson (Foodbank Coordinator)

St Andrew’s Foodbank takes place every Thursday afternoon between 1.30pm and 2.30pm in the Church Hall. We provide a bag of food for anyone going through a time of financial hardship or crisis. We offer free refreshments to all attending.

We make up the food bags into 3 sizes. There are bags for single people, a single + bag for a household of 2, and a family bag.

It has been another busy year for foodbank. In 2025 we distributed 1,915 food bags. Family bags accounted for 866 of these. In comparison, in 2024, we distributed 1,911 food bags, with 841 family bags.

Christmas foodbank saw 52 people attending. All were given a basic food bag, a Christmas treat bag and a present. Every child in every family received a selection box. Grateful thanks to all for their generosity at Christmas.

We are always grateful for much needed donations and have been blessed by the many who support us. Morrisons and their customers continue to give us a trolley of donations each week. Our church, Sadberge, Haughton Methodist and other local churches all regularly donate. We have had generous donations from nurseries, schools and Darlington College. Darlington Rotary once again gave us a generous donation. The Darlo Runners have provided generously on their foodbank runs. We are also so grateful to the many individuals who give regularly and generously. Darlington Borough Council funded stock free of charge for us to collect through The Bread and Butter Thing. This was for a limited period but was a huge benefit. The RSPCA regularly support us with some pet food.

Another very positive move this year has been a regular meeting arranged by Churches Together for the Darlington foodbanks. The meetings have been chaired by Vicki Thompson from Darlington Baptist Church. It has been great to share experiences together and discuss how we move forward. A WhatsApp group has been set up for the foodbank leaders where we can share information such as when any of us have surplus stock to share. We still need to shop weekly to replenish stock.

We are grateful to Cllr Nick Wallis, who holds a regular surgery at foodbank, and for visits by Cyndi Hughes to promote CAP.

Carol Devlin and Christine Gregg retired at Christmas from running second-hand clothes stall each week at foodbank. They collected clothes, washed and ironed them and transported them to and from foodbank each week. They offered them free of charge to foodbank clients. It was a wonderful service which they provided for 3 years. They go with our love and huge thanks.

The foodbank team are reliable, committed, hard working and great company. Thanks to Pippa Foddering who packs bags each week. We have been pleased to welcome 2 new

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members to the foodbank team in Maria Greenwell and Jill Drinkall. Thanks go to the rest of the team who are Jean Taylor, Moyra Cooper, Lynn Cullen, Gill Moore, Marilyn Sykes, Marilyn Hare, Karen Horner, Elaine Barnett, Terry and Vicky Conroy, Tim Francis, Pat O’Donagh and Ken and Sue Robson.

Demand for our foodbank, and for foodbanks across the town is still high. Please pray for the people who need to attend foodbanks and that donations of both food and money can continue to meet their need.

Darlington (CAP) Debt Centre by Cyndi Hughes (Debt Centre Manager)

In December 2025 we marked the sixth anniversary of the Darlington Christians Against Poverty (CAP) debt centre partnered with St. Andrew’s Church. Almost two hundred clients in the DL1-DL5 post code area have been referred to us over that period and nearly a million pounds worth of debt has been lifted from their shoulders- either through CAP repayment plans or debt cancellation.

Our core purpose is to offer client home visits to provide debt support, however, over the past 12 months, we have also assisted clients with applications for household support, requests for paperwork from GPs, housing enquiries, letters to Magistrates court, emails to bailiffs, and have sign-posted clients to other services, as and when required.

Our referrals continue to come from GP surgeries, social prescribers, the Department for Work and Pensions, churches, Connect (the one-stop shop for voluntary organisations in the town centre), Learning & Skills, Darlington First Stop, Citizens Advice and word-of-mouth.

We continue to distribute emergency food supplies with the help of the St. Andrew’s foodbank and the now regular monthly food donations (of only slightly out of date tinned products) from the Women’s Refuge to those clients who would otherwise go hungry. We also continue to refer clients to King’s Church Foodbank, the Community Grocery Store and the Bread and Butter Thing.

This year, two new befrienders have joined our team of CAP volunteers, bringing additional experience and capacity to our work. Every befriender has remained in compliance with safeguarding and training certification (with grateful thanks to Parish Safeguarding Lead, Gillian Jones for her diligence and attention to this requirement). The befrienders from St. Andrew’s who have given generously of themselves over the past year include Claire Kay, Peter King, Paul Hollamby, Priscilla Hollamby and Barbara Davis. Grateful thanks to these prayerful, resilient, kind people with hearts for the poor who along with the other befrienders from churches across Darlington, make the debt centre’s work possible.

During the period 1[st] January 2025 to 31[st] December 2025:

This year, thanks to Jane Teague and Rev. Mark East’s advocacy, The Ballinger Charitable Trust renewed its financial commitment to supporting the debt centre’s work. Additionally, much needed and appreciated regular donations from churches and individuals were also received. Thanks to the generosity of all who financially support us, the debt centre was able

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to cover its usual running costs and also purchase a new laptop and mobile phone, enabling us to comply with newly improved CAP security and data protection requirements.

Finally, a dedicated group of CAP supporters, led by Rev. Mark East continue to come together to pray monthly for the work of CAP, our clients, volunteers, funders and staff. Rev. Mark also circulates prayer points to a wider network of people who continue to pray for us. The monthly prayer gathering reminds us of the wider circle of concern and care being offered up in Jesus’ name.

The Darlington (CAP) Debt Centre is grateful to all who support our vital work.

Beyond this Church

Deanery Synod by Mark East (Area Dean of Darlington until August 2025)

Deanery Synod is a group of elected lay members who represent their individual parishes at regular meetings of the Deanery (the group of churches across the Darlington area). St Andrew’s elected representatives are Claire Kay, Teresa Kennedy and Sarah McTimoney. There are 3 meetings per year, chaired by Rev Mark East in his role as Area Dean. Sarah McTimoney also sits on Deanery Mission and Standing Committee, the group which sets the agenda for Deanery Synod, and has been elected as a Darlington representative to the House of Laity of Durham Diocesan Synod.

2025 has been an exciting year as Deanery Synod looked at the challenges of energising and engaging the congregations of the Deanery in a new Deanery Strategic Plan against a backdrop of an increasing number of churches in vacancy. Whilst there are still several vacancies in parishes, we have been blessed over the past couple of years with four curates who have brought energy and extra support to the Deanery. Mark took the decision to stand down as Area Dean in August in order to focus on the two parishes for whom he is incumbent, before he retires in 2026. The Rev’d Damon Bage, vicar of St Mary’s, Cockerton has now been licensed as Area Dean of Darlington.

It has been really good news to have the very long vacancy of the parish of St Herbert and St John now filled by the Rev’d Emma Harte who is bringing enthusiasm and renewed ideas to the mission and ministry of the parish. The parishes that are still vacant are All Saints, Blackwell with High Coniscliffe and Piecebridge, St Matthew & St Luke’s, St Michael’s Heighington, St Columba’s, & St Mark’s. All of these posts have gone out to advert, but currently there have been no successful applicants.

Despite this rather depressing picture, Darlington Deanery is recognised in the Diocese as having energy, commitment and resources to enable growth in discipleship. The Diocesan Growth Team is investing heavily in Darlington Deanery as a pilot to work alongside parishes across the deanery over an 18 month period focussing on Maturity, Mission and Ministry (3M’s). The first focus of Maturity has been completed and the second is due to start in early 2026.

The Deanery held the annual ‘Christmas Journey’ experience for children, and this year nearly 1000 took part. It was held in St Matthew and St Luke’s, superbly led by a team of committed volunteers, following Lissa’s retirement in early 2025.

The ‘Tackling Poverty’ group was also active throughout the year, working with CAP, CAB and other organisations to understand issues of poverty across the town.

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Huge thanks to the Deanery Synod reps from our PCC for their continued willingness to represent our church.

Ecumenical Groups in Darlington Report by The Rev’d Mark East (Rector)

Churches Together in Darlington (CTiD) and One Voice Darlington have now become one group. The details are still being finalised about the name.

During this past year there were several key events that churches and individual church members were invited to join together in. The first of these was the Good Friday Act of Witness at the Pease Monument on High Row which had about 500 people present supported by a live band from across the churches and marked a very significant opportunity for the churches to witness to all that Jesus has done for us in his death and resurrection.

Church leaders are continuing to join together for a monthly prayer gathering to pray for Darlington and God’s blessing on our town. The number is increasing each month to pray together for our town, to listen to God and to seek to respond to how He leads us in bringing hope and light to our town and borough.

More locally in Haughton we have held a joint Palm Sunday Service with the Methodist Chapel and the annual Remembrance Sunday Service was also shared with the Methodist Chapel and the Salvation Army Church, being accompanied by the Salvation Army Band. The Churches Together in Haughton has been formally disbanded, not because of any issues, but because the ongoing working together is happening more naturally with sharing of services and events on a regular basis.

St Andrew’s at Spring Harvest by Gill Jones and Cath Williams (Spring Harvest Organisers)

Last April, a group of 15 people, (2 for the first time) went to Spring Harvest at Skegness for a Monday to Friday time away. The theme for Spring Harvest 2025 was ‘NO GREATER STORY.’ In a year of national and personal tragedy, Isaiah had a vision of God that was greater than he, or those around him, had yet grasped. Isaiah’s view of who God is, his readiness to embrace the story of God and his willingness to step into his part in that story, changed everything. The teaching around this, gave us a view of the Greater Story of God: creation, fall, redemption and perfection. We came away with a fresh vision of God and what part we play in this story.

As always, we enjoyed great fun and fellowship.

In 2026 the theme is God’s Great Commandment which by the time you read this will have been completed. If you would like to go to Spring Harvest in 2027, please do speak to Cath as soon as possible as booking is completed a year in advance.

War Memorial Garden Team by Cath Williams

WOW what a year St Andrews Church Haughton Le Skerne had in 2025.With the 900 years anniversary celebrations in mind our designs for the War Memorial Garden particularly for the summer of 2025 were forefront in our teams thinking.

Every year there are two designs prepared, one for the Summer planting in June, the second for the October planting in time for the November Remembrance Day service. Plants are ordered months in advance through Darlington Borough Council who place an order with their stockist. Each order is for approximately 2,000 plants.

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The War Memorial Garden Team is a movable feast from year to year. Some team members from 2024 were unable to help out in 2025 but new members were keen to join the team. The most noticeable time you will have seen the team members is during planting days. Working from 9.00 a.m we had staggered starting times to enable delivery, sorting and planting to the prepared design. As we have a keen team working on the day we do manage to finish just beyond lunchtime. This year with team members completing up to 5 hrs or so each. This summer was the first very wet start to planting, fortunately this eased during the morning.

During the year, there is a lot more work completed by groups of 2 or 3 at a time or by individuals in the clearing of the areas, weeding , watering, up keep, mowing and maintenance. During the summer, following the June planting we had a flurry of excitement. The search was on through The Northumbria in Bloom to track down who they should contact from the team for us to apply for a RHS It's Your Neighbourhood Award 2025. After telephone calls, emails, photos and an interview with one of the assessors we awaited more details and an invitation to their Northumbria In Bloom award ceremony.

Jumping forward to the result in September 2025, Cath W, Margaret B and Judith V were presented with the It's Your Neighbourhood award of Outstanding, this was presented to them for the work of the whole team.

Regularly we were able to update the St Andrews congregation through the St Andrews Chat Room What's App group.

Taking a significant amount of time this year was the repair and painting of the ceramic poppies. Many hours work completed by Stuart and Carol Baker. We are extremely grateful to them. Also grateful thanks to St Andrews Coffee Morning team workers, supporters and donators as they generously gave a donation to the team towards the costs of items other than plants for example compost, tools and paint.

Leading the way again with their expertise were Ken Robson and Mike Hope. They put more hours in during a year in addition to planting times and you were likely to see them every week in the summer months, maintaining the grass, watering the area depending on the weather. Helping with watering and weeding also you may have regularly seen Cath Williams Margaret Britton, Dawn Raper, Gill Jones, Bryan Jones and Mike Bird.

Regularly also on the planting team along with those mentioned above are Alan Wright, Peter Sinclair, Judith Vinton, Mark East and new team member Jerry Horner.

Completing work around the border and outskirts of the church wall throughout the year you will have seen Vince E clearing leaves regularly.

Many thanks to all mentioned above.

We are also very grateful for the kind comments from church members and the community showing their appreciation including members of the Royal British Legion.

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Uniformed Organisations

7th Darlington Sea Scouts by George Campbell-Wilson (Lead Volunteer, Group Manager)

2025 has been a strong year for Scouting in Haughton. After the upheaval in 2024 the group continued to go from strength to strength in 2025.

We ran a total of 12 camps across the year, a joint camp with Middleton St George at Great Tower in the Lakes, and a few of our members, myself included, spent a week at Camp Naaldenveld, Zaandvort in the Netherlands with 60 members of Darlington District. While camping we partake in a large number of activities, fire lighting, pioneering, and orienteering to name but a few. Getting the young people out into the open is one of our top priorities.

We awarded over 400 badges for achievement in 2025, and 15 of our members achieved the top awards for their section, resulting in invites to a prestigious award ceremony to be presented with badges and certificates by the Lord Lieutenant of Durham.

The group as a whole continues to flourish with a fantastic leadership team and we have 15 camps planned at our site on the Raby Estate this year.

During the summer break of 2025 we decorated the main hall as it was looking old and dated. Massive thanks to Russell Stein, Jo Tunstall and my son who is in Cubs and gave up weekends to do the hard work on this. Work is still continuing and 2026 will see improvements outside as well.

We have created a small allotment area at the bottom of the garden and, during 2025, our younger members grew a vast amount of tomatoes, a slightly less impressive amount of courgettes, and unfortunately the cabbages got ravaged by caterpillars. We have also installed a hedgehog house along the back fence, with more to be added in 2026, working in conjunction with the Holmedale Nature Network, and Barningham Parish Council.

The shed at the back of the hall has been emptied and is now awaiting demolition to free up more space. It was due to go in 2025 but time got the better of us; we are after all volunteers, so time is precious.

As a group we continue to grow, and are now the largest group in Darlington District with 92 members overall, including our Explorer provision for 14-18 yr olds.

Squirrels – 12 Beavers – 18 Cubs – 24 Scouts – 23 Young Leaders/Explorers – 15

The adults directly involved in our group are as follows along with group meeting times.

George Campbell Wilson - Lead Volunteer (always somewhere to be found on a Wednesday)

Scouts Wednesday 7.50 – 9.10pm Wednesday George Campbell Wilson - Scouts Section Team Leader Scouts Team Members - Anth Gibson, Russell Stein, Andy Moore, Christopher Ong

Cubs 6.25-7.45 pm Wednesday Jo Tunstall - Cubs Team Leader

Cubs Team Members - Lee Hetherington, George Campbell Wilson, Neal Harper

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Beavers 5.00-6.15pm Wednesday Lisa Spence - Beavers Team Leader Beavers Team Members - Emma King, Gemma Venn, Jessica Lewis, Claire Bainbridge

Squirrels 5-6pm Monday Michaela Frazer – Squirrels Team Leader Squirrels Team Members - Claire Bainbridge, Mel Lucas, Paul Frazer

1[st] Haughton-le-Skerne Rainbows; 3[rd] Haughton-le-Skerne Brownies and 1[st] Haughtonle-Skerne Guides and Rangers by Emma Nimmo (Lead Volunteer, Group Manager)

Rainbows have welcomed new members and have said goodbye to Rainbows moving up to Brownies. Rainbows completed the winter badge at the beginning of the year by, holding a winter Olympic games, learning how to keep warm, and building a winter town. Rainbows learned about other rainbows around the world for Thinking day and received a Thinking Day badge. Rainbows also completed the spring badge, going on a bug hunt, making a spring wreath, playing games and learning about Easter. Our Young Leader Dragon has worked on getting the Rainbows involved in choosing how Rainbows runs as part of her leadership award, Rainbows have chosen the song to end their meetings, planned a games evening and have chosen activities. Rainbows got out of the meeting place going on a colour wheel walk, taking part in flag day at Beamish, going to clip and climb and to see Moana 2 at the cinema. Rainbows helped their community by helping at home as part of the helper badge, donating to the food bank and the Salvation Army toy appeal. Rainbows particularly enjoyed making dens and toasting marshmallows this year and our Christmas disco.

Brownies have taken part in lots of activities in the meeting place; their favourite being making gluten free Brownies. Brownies earned their space badge, learning about the planets, making new stories for the constellations, designing a space suit and trying exercise routines to get them fit for space. Brownies planned and held their own Easter fayre with each six organising a game for their six to run and they invited friends and family to come along and take part. Brownies made their own golf course, had a spa evening, played parachute games, practised putting up tents and held an indoor campfire with s’mores. Brownies helped in the community this year by collecting for the foodbank, litter picking and learning first aid. They also completed the kindness badge by painting kindness stones, becoming a ‘book fairy’, making pocket hugs, planting spider plants as gifts and completing good turns. Brownies got out of the meeting place, with a trip to see Moana, attending Flag Day at Beamish and playing games outside. We celebrated the end of term with a joint Christmas disco with Brownies.

Guides started the year with a trip to the Centre of Life in Newcastle and ice-skating. The girls took charge this year with Patrols organising an evening every term, with themes such as Galentine Day, National Sleep Day and 90s Disco. We celebrated International Women’s Day making thank you gifts for inspirational women in our lives. The girls also took part in an civil engineering challenge completing activities like bridge building and building flour towers. Guides got out of the meeting place taking part in Flag Day at Beamish, building shelters, litter picking, making fires, taking part in the Girlguiding cinema events, creating trails around the village and taking part in a monopoly challenge in Newcastle. Our gold award Guides organised two events over the year to complete their final challenge, the first being a trip to an escape room in Newcastle (they completed it quickly enough to go on the leaderboard!) and the second a trip to the flow rider at Redcar. Guides helped their community by completing acts of kindness, making birthday boxes for the foodbank, going on a litter pick, taking part in the Salvation Army toy appeal and decorating a tree for the local Christmas tree festival. We finished the year with our annual alternative Christmas dinner and present swap game.

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Rangers welcomed five girls moving up from Guides at the end of the year and have started planning for activities in the coming year. Creating new ground rules and perhaps most importantly setting up a biscuit rota! Rangers took part in the Remembrance Church Parade, Monopoly challenge and cinema trip to Moana. Favourite activities so far have been upcycling toys for an adoption fundraiser at the Christmas fayre and baking an apple crumble.

None of this would have been possible without the commitment of our leaders and young leaders, 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.

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CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Sl An;Ire'i'J Haughtoii-Le-Skerii& Charity No lif .-Inyl Annual accounts for the 1134791 eriod 0110112025 Perilxl end date 3111212025 Section A Statement of financial activities Restricted income funds Recommended Categories by activity Unrestricted funds Endowment funds Prior year funds Tolal fullds Incoming resources (Note 3) lrt¢¥ne and erylowments fr¢)rn: F01 F02 F03 F04 F05 S01 100,326 16.921 23.834 117,247 26.944 124,476 38,762 13.016 traSrVJ￿hvltseS 27.131 Sqrtmthia itwn dirKLYne Total S07 17 556 176,254 Resources expended (Note 6) EX￿￿11￿￿* on: RasirofuTh 15.943 105.875 15,943 164,829 156 13.371 174.798 715 58,954 156 Slo S11 Total S12 121,818 180,928 188.884 Net incomel(expenditure) before investment gainslllosses) Netganslll(wl Net incomel{expenditure) Extraordinary items Trdnsfers between funds Other recognised gainsl{losses}: S13 8.749 8,372 S14 S15 8.372 S16 S17 5.023 Gar￿ Ic6ses rwJt&iwdfix&la￿elsfcrtre clwity'8thvn OtyHganslllc6sesl Net movement in funds S18 $19 22,144 Reconciliation of funds." Tow S21 92,975 70,831 153.205 144.833 165 835 153 205 Total funds carried fonvard 74.002

Section B Balance sheet Restrlcted Income funds UnTestrlcted funds E[￿ow￿enI Total this tunds year Totsl last year Fixed asse.oe Intangible assets Tangtble assets Heritage assets lTrve5tments F01 F02 F03 F04 F05 (Note 15) (Note 14) (Note 161 (Note 17) Total fixed assets 50.000 50.000 50,000 Current assets stocks (Note 181 Debtors (Note 191 Investments (Note 17.4} Cash at bank and in hand (Note 241 Total current assets 13.140 14.424 86,831 86,831 99,971 101,255 92.194 104,930 B10 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (Note 201 B11 6.422 6.422 1,769 Net Gu￿ent assets/(liabilitiTes) B12 8.002 86.831 94,833 103,161 Total assets less cuffent liabilities B13 58.002 86,831 144,833 153 161 CredÈtors: amounts falling due after one year {Note 20) Provisions for liabilities B14 B15 Total net assets orliabilities B16 86,831 144.833 153 161 Funds of the Charity Endowment funds (Note 271 Restrided In￿Me funds INote 271 Unrestricted funds Revaluation reserve B17 B18 70.831 74.002 92.975 B19 74.0(r2 Total funds 74,002 70.831 144.833 153205 Si9ned by one or trustees on behaw of all the tru*ees Date of approv81 ddltnrTVyyyy nabJTe Pritrt Name Mcfi Mek¥ 65 CC17a (EX￿1) 1910512026

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Andrew, Haughton Le Skerne

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Andrew (the charity) for the year ended 31[st] December 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

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

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

Independent examiner’s statement

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

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

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records.

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

Signed: Name: Matt Perry

Address: Giraffe HR, 41 Belle Vue Road, London, E17 4DQ

Date: 20th May 2026