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← The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Esher

2024-12-31-accounts

PARISH OF ESHER Christ Church, Esher with St George’s, West End

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ANNUAL REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

of the

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL for the year ended 31 December 2024

Growing together in faith, hope and love

PARISH OF ESHER

Christ Church, Esher with St George’s, West End

ANNUAL REPORT & FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

of the PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL of the PARISH of ESHER

for the year ended 31 December 2024

Growing together in faith, hope and love

Rector: The Reverend Darren McCallig Honorary Assistant Priest: The Reverend Jonathan Andrew

Churches: Christ Church, Esher and St George’s, West End, Esher

Parish Office: Christ Church, Church Street, Esher KT10 8QS Bankers: National Westminster Bank plc, 73 High Street, Walton-on Thames KT12 1DW

Charity Registration Number: 1134847 Independent Examiner: Gordon Manickam CIA FCCIA

Contents

The role and membership of the Parochial Church Council Rector’s Report Churchwardens’ Report Finance Report Safeguarding Report Electoral Roll Report Parochial Church Council (PCC) Report Deanery Synod Report Children, Young People & Families Report Esher Church of England High School Report Music Report Bellringers’ Report St George’s West End Report Community & Business Outreach Report Peace & Contemplation Report Pastoral Support Team Report Fellowship Report InSpire Report Book Group Report Minutes of the 2024 Annual Parochial Church Meeting Independent Examiner’s Report

Esher PCC Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 2024

The role and membership of the Parochial Church Council, and the Church officers and officials during 2024

The overall management of the church is the responsibility of the Rector, The Reverend Darren McCallig, and the two churchwardens. The Rector was granted adoption leave for one year, starting in November 2023, and during this time the churchwardens took on a great deal of the managerial workload. Much support was provided by the Reverend Jonathan Andrew, and for the conduct of services, a rota was established, drawing primarily on local clergy, with the Rector officiating once per month.

The Esher Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of working with the Rector and churchwardens, in promoting in the Parish the whole mission of the church: pastoral, evangelical, social and ecumenical. It also has maintenance responsibilities for the two church buildings, Christ Church and St George’s, West End. Members of the PCC may be ex-officio, such as the Rector and the churchwardens, elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM), or co-opted, in accordance with the church representation rules.

Rector Revd Darren McCallig (Adoption Leave Nov 23-Nov 24)
Churchwardens Helen Coulson,Jane Tyrrell
Treasurer Martin Fuller
PCC Secretary Peter Bedford
DeanerySynod Representatives PollyJordan,Will Stevens
Elected Representatives
of the Laity on the PCC		 Teresa Allen, Michael Banks, Ann Battensby,
Martin Fuller, Andrea Lindow, Jennifer Meade,
Margaret Miller (until Sep 24), Valerie Msoka
(co-opted Nov 24),Mair Molteno,Bridget Williams

Other Parish Appointments

Other Parish Appointments
HonoraryAssistant Priests Revd Jonathan Andrew
Parish Administrator Melanie Williams
Director of Music Stuart Whatton
Assistant Organist Oliver Macfarlane
Organist Emeritus Keith Howell-Jones
Senior Organ Scholar Rowan Marshall
Junior Organ Scholar Theo Tang
Parish Bookkeeper Vacancy (covered byMartin Fuller)
Fabric Chairperson Hugh Miller(until May2024)
SafeguardingOfficers PollyJordan,Alison Mohamed
Deputy Churchwardens Andrea Lindow (St George’s Church)
William Stevens(Christ Church)
Community & Business
Outreach Coordinator		 Michael Banks
Tower Bell Captain Ann Battensby
Children, Young People
& Families Worker		 Kathryn Chapman
Flower Coordinator Carol Calvert

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Gift Aid Officer Alan Doolan
Pastoral Team Coordinator WendyTanqueray
FellowshipGroupLeader Jan Sayer
Book GroupLeader Revd Jonathan Andrew
InSpire Editor Juliet Philip

Peter Bedford Honorary Secretary

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Rector’s Report

Let’s praise the man who goes to light The church stove on an icy night. Let’s praise that hard-worked he or she The Treasurer of the P.C.C. Let’s praise the cleaner of the aisles, The nave and candlesticks and tiles. Let’s praise the organist who tries To make the choir increase in size, Or if that simply cannot be, Just to improve its quality. Let’s praise the ringers in the tower Who come to ring in cold and shower. But most of all let’s praise the few Who are seen in their accustomed pew Throughout the year, whate’er the weather, That they may worship God together. These, like a fire of glowing coals, Strike warmth into each other’s souls, And though they be but two or three They keep the church for you and me.

Those words from John Betjeman’s poem ‘Septuagesima’ are very much on my mind as I write this contribution for our Annual Report. As the one-time Poet Laureate reminds us, parishes are sustained by the numerous acts of love and service performed by those who rarely get the recognition or the thanks they deserve. So, let me try to put that right by using this opportunity to thank most sincerely all who – in whatever way – contribute to the maintenance and mission of the Parish of Esher. Please know that all you do is valued and appreciated.

In the following pages you can read about much of that work. The individual reports cover everything and everyone from – in Betjeman’s words – ‘the hard-worked he or she / the Treasurer of the PCC’ to ‘the organist who tries / to make the choir increase in size.’! Moreover, I’m glad to be able to say that their labours are bearing much fruit in terms of a parish which is growing in terms of numbers, depth and impact. We can, I believe, be justifiably proud that in times of great turbulence, both in the national church and on the international stage, the Parish of Esher continues to shine as a beacon of faith, hope and love for everyone in our community.

I also want to thank all those who carried significant extra burdens of responsibility and work-load during the time of my adoption leave. We are, all of us, blessed by the extraordinary dedication and commitment of our parish leaders, clergy, staff, volunteers, members and supporters. Together they show what can be achieved when the various parts of the Body of Christ work together for the furtherance the Kingdom.

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Finally, as I said, we live in times of unprecedented change and challenge and I know this can, understandably, cause anxiety about the future. In response, I can only echo the wise words of Wales’s patron Saint David when – in his final ever sermon – he reminded his hearers of what truly matters: ‘Be joyful, keep the faith and do the little things well.’ Amen to that!

God bless,

Darren

The Revd Darren McCallig Rector of Esher

Churchwardens’ Report

Human nature being as it is, it is all too easy to focus on things that have not gone well, on things that are hard for us, on things that are sad, on things that challenge us - we all do it and we need to be reminded just how many good things have happened, the things that have been a success, the things we should so rightly celebrate from this last year.

We must start however, by acknowledging the sadness in our Parish at the loss during 2024 of so many beloved long-standing members of our congregations. Whilst we without doubt miss them, we can remember how much they meant to us, how much they each contributed to and were an invaluable part of our church community - we can celebrate and give thanks for their lives with us.

It is true to say that last year was a challenge for us both, not least as we endeavoured to keep the ‘show on the road’ in Darren’s absence as he and Annilese settled in to becoming parents and enjoying family life. As we waded through the seemingly endless emails on all manner of subjects, it certainly demonstrated to us just how hard he works and how much he puts into all aspects of our Parish. However, there was so much to celebrate during that time. Let’s not forget how tirelessly Jonathan worked for us all, how many clergy, particularly William, were willing to help us out and how we enjoyed so much of their input to our worship in Esher. We are also extremely grateful for the work of Melanie, Kath, Stuart and Oliver who assisted in the running of the Parish and our services during the year. The PCC meanwhile continued to graft away in the background, extremely supportive of what we were doing and as always, contributing hugely to everything that happens in our Parish.

We are extremely grateful too for all the support we personally had, and indeed continue to have, from both our congregations. The running of our two churches and our wider efforts in the community, relies almost entirely on volunteers, volunteers who consistently and continually work so hard for our Parish in many ways. We should all be very proud of what we achieved together last year; how we did more than just holding things together, we actually made progress in many areas - cause for celebration for sure. Cause for celebration too when Darren returned to be with us in November - we are so glad to have him back!

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Glancing through our InSpire Newsletters and our weekly pewsheets, it is incredible to reflect on just how many activities and events take place in our two churches and in our wider community. Again, this illustrates what an amazing army of volunteers with a huge variety of skills we can muster when needed, to serve each other and those in our Parish.

One of the highlights to celebrate is the building of our links with the Lower Green Community Centre - achieved in so many ways through our support of the Pay it Forward Scheme, their Emergency Foodbank and the hugely successful Crazy Crafts events held at the Centre. Our thanks to all involved in this invaluable outreach work.

The inaugural Peace & Contemplation evening was held in July last year, with the theme of Love - a new initiative to celebrate. This proved popular and the team involved has continued to develop these evenings with subsequent themes of Peace and Hope. A huge amount of work goes into the choices of readings, music and visuals for each theme and we are blessed in having so many talented and dedicated individuals involved, each contributing to the team effort - without doubt another cause for celebration.

Other regular events continue to flourish, including, (in no particular order), the May Fair, West End Flower Show, Christmas Tree lighting, Music on the Green, Book Group, Fellowship Group, Lent Group, Sunday School, Youth Group and our work with our two Church Schools, through our governors and trustees - the list goes on. Again, none of these could take place without people willingly volunteering their time and effort to help make these a success.

On a practical, more mundane but essential note, we continued to maintain the church buildings. As is always the way with old buildings, this is a never-ending process which requires both time and funding, both of which are given solely by our congregations. The need for regular income is an ever-increasing issue, as costs rise. All donations are of course always gratefully received, but it is a commitment to regular giving which enables us to budget and to plan more efficiently.

In addition to the day-to-day needs, there are additional bigger projects. We completed the successful installation of CCTV in August as an invaluable enhancement to our church security. This could not have happened without the generous giving from many members of our congregation - all the funding was raised via the Lent Appeal, for which we are extremely grateful.

Our Advent Appeal in 2024 was for The Eikon Charity, who work with children and young people in Surrey, helping them to feel safe, heard and supported. Understanding and giving early support for challenges in their lives can help prevent problems from getting bigger. Between us we raised nearly £2000, which will go a long way towards providing this much needed support for several families in Surrey. Thank you again for your generosity.

We completed the refurbishment of Cranbrook Drive and the property is now let and generating income to the Parish. We still have many challenging projects to fund but know that with your support we will be able to achieve these.

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Lastly, but certainly not least, on a personal note we would like to express our thanks again for all your support over these last few years. It has been a privilege to serve in our capacity as Churchwardens; during this time we have worked alongside so many of you with the added benefit of getting to know each other better. What a great team we are!

Thank you all.

Jane Tyrrell & Helen Coulson Parish Churchwardens

Finance Report

The Parish had an income in 2024 of £211,524 (£257,340 in 2023) and spent £264,183 (£273,187 in 2023), leaving a deficit for the year of £52,659. In broad terms, therefore, it costs about £5,000 a week to keep the Parish’s two churches functioning. No funding is received from central church or diocesan sources.

The main source of income was regular giving by standing order from our congregations (£95,219), whose generosity is much appreciated. This was, however, some £11,000 less than in the previous year, mainly because the number of people subscribing had fallen, from 116 in January 2024 to 89 by January 2025. We also received fewer donations and bequests. Helpfully, however, once we had completed the extensive refurbishment of the curate’s house had been completed and a tenant found by Spring of 2024, rental income of over £22,000 was generated.

The biggest item of expenditure was the Parish Share: the Parish’s share of the overall costs of the Diocese. This came to £93,575, a little less than in 2023, reflecting both efforts by the Diocese to keep costs down and lower attendance at our services. Repairs and maintenance of our two church buildings and the curate’s house came to £55,737, the largest element, just under £37,000, being the remaining cost of the curate’s house refurbishment paid in the year. The Parish finances were also still suffering from the previous tenant’s failure to pay rent for many months and the costs of securing eviction.

The Parish donated £3,546 to charitable causes in the year, the largest donations being the Advent Appeal in favour of the Eikon Charity, and continued support for the Lower Green Community Centre. Given our stretched financial situation, and especially the costs arising from the curate’s house, the Lent Appeal last year was used to raise funds to provide for the installation of CCTV cover for Christ Church rather than to donate to an external charitable cause. Donations from parishioners also met the costs of installing the defibrillator and first aid training sessions for volunteers.

Looking ahead, the Parish will need to re-launch its stewardship campaign, to increase the amount received from regular giving to cover its ordinary operating costs, and to fund initiatives such as replacement lighting at Christ Church.

Martin Fuller

Parish Treasurer

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Safeguarding Report

Summary

Outstanding

COVID

Plans

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Conclusion

Overall, the PCC is making progress with regard to prioritising Safeguarding in our Churches and compliance with the duty to have ‘due regard’ to the House of Bishops’ Safeguarding Policy and Practice Guidelines.

As a Parish we have an excellent record for the number of volunteers and Parishioners who have taken part in our First Aid Training events and the enthusiasm and support for this has been wonderful to see.

Polly Jordan & Alison Mohamed

Parish Safeguarding Officers

Electoral Roll Report

During 2024 overall membership of the Electoral Roll remained relatively static. Several long-standing church friends sadly died. All nine individuals had been members of the Roll.

By the end of 2024 the Roll had 130 members from 102 households. Of these, 78 from 63 households are resident in the parish and 52 from 39 households are not resident in the parish.

During 2025, leading up to the APCM on Sunday 18 May, the parish was obliged under the Church Representation Rules to draw up a new Electoral Roll (as it is every sixth year). This resulted in a new Roll of 105 members.

Melanie Williams

Parish Administrator & Electoral Roll Officer

Parochial Church Council (PCC) Report

Six PCC meetings were held in 2024, taking place in January, March, April, July, September and November. All were held at Christ Church.

The Annual Meeting of Parishioners and the Annual Parochial Church Meeting were held on Sunday 19 May. Helen Coulson and Jane Tyrrell were again elected as churchwardens. Those elected to the PCC as lay members comprised Michael Banks and Jennifer Meade, having completed their three-year terms, and Ann Battensby, having been co-opted in September 2023. Peter Bedford had reached the end of his six-year term, but agreed to continue for the time being as PCC Secretary. Hugh Miller had reached the end of his three-year term and did not stand for re-election, but remained engaged in a variety of fabric issues. The Rector completed his one-year Adoption Leave on 5 November.

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The major issues and items of business that arose during the year were as follows:

Peter Bedford

Honorary Secretary

Deanery Synod Report

The Parish of Esher is part of the Emly Deanery, a group of 13 parishes within the Diocese of Guildford. There were three Deanery Synod meetings in 2024, as below:

Thursday 14 March 2024 at St Nicholas’ Church, Thames Ditton

Matt Grove made a presentation on The Foundation in Ministry Programme. This is a two-year course that gives a grounding in theology in the first year before looking at particular areas of ministry in the second year. Those who complete the course are ‘Local Assistant Ministers’ or LAMs, who can then serve in that area of ministry in their local church. Alastair Etheridge, the Diocesan lead for Youth work, made a presentation on the Youth Catalyst project, which seeks to build up our youth work. In the summer, the church commissioner’s funded programme hired a full-time youth hub leader, Revd Joshua Baines, based at Esher High School, to work with all the churches in our deanery.

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Thursday 9 May 2024 at St James’ Church, Weybridge

There was a presentation from Steve Collins, the programme manager for achieving Net Zero carbon emissions across the dioceses of Chichester, Guildford & Portsmouth and Alison Moulden, the Guildford Diocesan environmental officer. There were three things our parish had been asked to do: Fill in the Energy Footprint tool (it’s simpler this year); Get on with Eco Church (it’s going to get harder soon); Get an energy audit

This was the last Emly Deanery Synod with Revd Andrew Cowie as Area Dean. He was thanked for all his efforts. His replacement as Area Dean is Revd Jackie Richardson, the vicar of St. Peter’s, Hersham.

Thursday 8 October 2024 at St Paul’s Church, East Molesey

The Deanery Lay chair, Brian Howells, advised that there were two vacancies in the House of Laity for Diocesan Synod from Emly Deanery. I expressed an interest and advised our Rector. (Note: I did not actually put my name forward until the first Deanery Synod meeting in 2025).

A presentation was made by Andy Poole, school-hub leader in Dorking, regarding Generation Alpha (those born from 2010 onwards). He summarised with four opportunities: Kingdom of God is near; Community; Mission; Reflective faith. Generation Alpha are looking for ‘coaches’ not ‘teachers’.

I have been emailed a copy of the presentations made at the May and October meetings. If anyone would like any of them, please let me know.

William Stevens

Deputy Churchwarden & Deanery Synod Representative

Children, Young People & Families Report

Overview

2024 was a very busy year for our children and families, and we have achieved much progress in growing our Sunday School and Youth Group offerings, helping to embed our vision for discipleship in the Parish. I’ve worked closely with our Parish church schools, welcomed new baptism families, created presence and impact in the wider community, sold merchandise, grown our databases and social media presence (Facebook and Instagram @esherparish), as well as running our usual calendar of family-friendly events and helping out with seasonal church services.

Sunday School

We have a steadily growing cohort at Sunday School and the children never cease to amaze us with their artwork, much of which is displayed at the back of Christ Church. They approach everything we do with a wonderful sense of curiosity and will often take an idea and put their own unique spin on it, which is always very inspiring. For each new child that joins, we create a Sunday School Welcome Pack (containing our Sunday School values, pictures of our churches, pencil, candle and set of prayer starter cards) to be their little box of church at home. The children enjoy making

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large items as a group - a great way to promote inclusivity, working together and belonging. Weekly emails of past/future activity in Sunday School and other relevant information, are sent out most weeks of the year to our database of families.

Youth Group

Our Youth Group numbers are growing slowly and we meet once a month for spiritual nourishment, community, learning, games and food. The children really enjoy the variety of activities that we offer and have parent volunteers join us - 'I could not encourage parents enough to get involved in a programme like this. I was expecting just to be a ‘helper’ but it was much more than that. Being part of your own child's mental, social and spiritual development is a very special thing - and I can't think of anywhere else you could get that! It bought me closer to my children. I felt like I was helping Kath to access the kids’ inner feelings about how they see they world. I felt privileged to be part of it’ (YG parent-helper).

Community

Shoeboxes

At the end of November, we delivered Parish-filled shoeboxes to the Link to Hope distribution centre in Ferring on the south coast, before they were shipped to those living in difficult circumstances in Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova. The number of boxes the parish filled was less than 2023, as Esher Church School did not promote it in 2024, but we hope to engage them again, along with Esher High School in 2025.

Crazy Crafts

2024 was another great year of Crazy Crafts events in partnership with the Lower Green Community, and we ran sessions at Easter, Harvest and Christmas. Attendance is increasing as the brand is getting more known in the area, and we advertise via posters and flyers, delivered to Lower Green, Esher Church School and the wider parish.

Scouts

At the end of April we hosted the St. George's Day service at Christ Church for the Esher District Scouts' renewal of their promises, and parade of district and group colours. The service was accompanied by a 15-piece scout band from Claygate, and Stuart Whatton on the organ. Special guests included Revd Mike Branscombe from St. Andrew’s, the Deputy Mayor of Elmbridge and local councillors.

Church Schools

We continue to forge our relationships with Esher Church School and Esher High School, and have hosted services for both schools, welcomed the ECS choir at 10.30am services in Christ Church, served through governorship (alongside Bob Lonnon, who leads the Christian Distinctiveness committee) and supported EHS Christian studies with the invaluable help of Revd Jonathan Andrew.

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Christmas

Following the success of 2023, Christingle-making in 2024 was arranged for the same evening as the lighting of the Christ Church Christmas tree, with donations towards the oranges from Waitrose and Tesco in Esher. It was a great opportunity to showcase who we are, give a taster of what families can get involved in, meet new friends and give people an immersive experience in volunteering. With Darren’s return in November, we were able to have two of our very popular No-Rehearsal Nativity Play Crib Services on Christmas Eve again - one at St George’s West End and the other at Christ Church.

Kathryn Chapman

Children, Young People & Families Worker

Esher Church of England High School Report

During the year we continued to support and strengthen our links with Esher High School. Many in our congregation give of their time to support the school, either as parents, governors or trustees.

The school is a hive of activity through years 7-11and alongside the academic education the pupils receive they continue to explore and support the community and wider social issues.

In the summer of 2024 the school celebrated excellent results for the year 11 GCSE leavers – well done to all the students on their success.

As a church community we have had the opportunity to welcome and engage with students in many different ways. Year 10 Music GCSE students enjoyed working with one of our Music on the Green performers in exploring his composition and working with that in their own ensemble compositions. We also experienced a wonderful musical contribution at their Christmas service.

Year 7 were welcomed at the start of the year services in September and exploration of key areas are supported in RE throughout the school. Bishop Andrew paid a visit to the school to see the excellent education in practice. Bishop Andrew has also recently been appointed a Member of Enlighten Learning Trust, the Academy Trust of which Esher High is a part and will work alongside Darren and other Members and Trustees to support the education of students in our community.

Esher High students have focussed this year on exploring their own values Belong, Be More, Be Esher. These were clearly demonstrated in their fantastic response to the Elmbridge Foodbank collection at Harvest with many items generously donated for their local community.

The school has a fantastic ethos and the opportunities provided by the staff for all the students are amazing; aside from the extensive school curriculum students are involved in community engagement, sport, music, overseas trips, exploring careers and higher education opportunities, the list is endless.

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Don’t just take our word for it – explore the parent podcasts and hear for yourself by going to Spotify by clicking here.

Helen Coulson

Churchwarden

Music Report

Liturgical Music

Falling somewhere between the concept of a service, a concert and a guided meditation, a major new initiative which got underway during 2024 was the roughly termly series of ‘Peace & Contemplation’ evenings. This is being reported on elsewhere, but suffice to say that a key part of its winning formula has been some live performing input from myself and other parish musicians, in addition to carefully curated recorded music.

Meanwhile, the Parish Choir continued to provide a backbone of musical support to worship services through their annual calendar cycle, and I am pleased to record that all our existing adult volunteer singers who were part of the choir at the end of 2023 were still on board at the end of 2024 (albeit with greatly varying degrees of attendance, a situation which continues to hamper our effectiveness). We also welcomed one new soprano, Myfanwy Tranmer, who has provided an extremely welcome boost to the top line when her professional music theatre commitments allow her to be with us.

This year has mainly been notable for happenings on the ‘youth music’ front, with our new choral scholarship scheme finally getting off the ground and an organ loft increasingly populated by budding teenage organists! In the autumn we welcomed our first soprano and alto choral scholars – Natalie Mechelewska and Alexandra Sweeny, both music students at Royal Holloway – and at Christmastime our senior organ scholar Rowan Marshall was translated into a bass choral scholar. Concomitantly, Theo Tang was promoted to senior organ scholar and Robert Cunningham joined us as junior organ scholar.

Theo and Robert, along with Annabelle and Tom Doolan, have all been receiving in-house organ coaching from me and – following a successful exercise to get Christ Church registered as a venue for ABRSM examinations - all four of them took grade exams during the course of the year, achieving a most impressive clean sweep of distinctions at Grades 6, 5, 4 and 3 respectively. Most of their grade pieces have also had outings as worship service voluntaries at Christ Church or St George’s or both!

A highlight of the year was when all four of our young organists joined myself and our parish associate organist Barbara Wadley in central London on 21 June for a ‘Performathon’ on the pipe organ at London Bridge Station as part of National Make Music Day. (More recently, Theo has also been ‘lent out’ for some significant away fixtures, including playing the organ for Hampton Prep School’s Centenary Carol Service as well as for the main Christmas Day Eucharist at Teddington Parish Church.)

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Meanwhile, Barbara has taken up a new position as Director of Music at St Andrew’s URC in Cheam, as well as becoming the main Music Teacher at Esher Church School. This means we are sadly no longer able to benefit from her input on Sundays (and the organist roster for West End services has consequently reduced from five to four), but we are nonetheless delighted to have her working in partnership with us to make a success of the visits by members of ECS Choir as a contribution to our All Age Services roughly once a term.

Amidst all the comings and goings in the organ loft, one constant has been the quiet professionalism of our parish assistant organist Oliver Macfarlane, who continues to be the rock on which both our choir and congregational singing rely and who provides us with such a meaty diet of organ voluntaries throughout the year. Thank you, Oliver, and my renewed thanks to everyone who has lent their musical talents to the cause of our worshipping community during 2024.

Music on the Green

The main MOTG lunchtime concert series continued to flourish during 2024, with performers ranging from baroque flute and theorbo through a lute and guitar duo to solo showcases for French horn, cello and sax respectively, plus two trio combinations (clarinet/cello/piano and violin/cello/piano) and two jazz-focused concerts. The jazz fixtures have proved especially popular and, mindful of this, it is my intention to aim for up to two jazz concerts per year going forward.

Music in the Tower in late March featured a former national laureate of Lithuania, Emilija Karaliute, who proved an enthusiastic advocate for her zither-like folk instrument the kanklės, and gave us a programme entitled ‘The Power of Nature: Melodies from the Forest’ , which was interspersed with readings from selected Lithuanian writers.

At the tail end of the year, in November, we held a concert in honour of the roundnumber anniversaries of two significant composers – Bruckner (born 1824) and Fauré (died 1924) - while also marking the 170th anniversary of Christ Church as the parish and civic church of Esher. Our parish choir, augmented by a considerable number of external singers, performed Fauré’s Requiem and Cantique plus a selection of Bruckner motets, supplemented by some short instrumental works by those composers.

As ever, an enormous debt of gratitude is owed to the other figures within the MOTG team: Michael Banks for his invaluable support with publicity and lighting, Debbie Banks for overseeing the much-praised catering operations, Melanie Williams in the parish office, Tom Radford as ‘chauffeur-in-chief’ and Jan Sayer for her assistance with Music in the Tower. MOTG would not have built its stellar reputation without the hard work of its many volunteers, so thank you to one and all.

Stuart Whatton Parish Director of Music

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Bellringers’ Report

Another year seems to have just slipped by but when we look at the detail it’s been quite busy.

Our bells are liked throughout the Chertsey District and we were delighted to host two sets of visitors for their own ringing, along with three bands for Quarter Peals (a continuous ringing of the bells for about 45 minutes and involving 1250 changes).

We also rang for three delightful weddings and staying with the celebratory theme, we rang for St George’s Day, our second Bell Sunday service and Ring Out for Peace - to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings on June 6th.

Sadly, our ringing also included eight funerals this year.

A total of 17 visitors were welcomed to the Tower for the Esher May Fayre. We always give a demonstration of our ringing and allow those who wish to, a chance to chime the bell (two very different things!).

The new Ringing Master and Assistant Ringing Master for the Chertsey District, Rachel and Eliot Johnson, visited our Tower this year and were very complimentary about our ringing. Buoyed up by this we entered the District Striking Competition held at St Mary’s East Molesey and came fifth.

During the summer months our numbers were low due to holidays and planned surgery for one of our ringers and an unplanned illness for another! Thankfully both ringers are back on their feet and we are ringing and practising weekly.

We are starting to ring once a month with St Mary’s, Oatlands, as this allows us to ring with a different and more experienced band and to do so on very different ropes! This enhances all our ringing.

Two of the band undertook further training in the teaching of ringing to beginners, so we now have three qualified teachers. Whilst we have no new ringers ourselves, all three practise this skill with beginners in other towers within the District. Teaching someone to handle a 3cwt bell, that’s 200kg in new money, takes time, courage and perseverance on behalf of the

beginner. And then we move them to a heavier bell - not that the weight of the bell makes the slightest bit of difference as it’s all about technique.

Finally, a nugget of information – you may not know this! On Remembrance Day at 11am the clock does not strike – it cannot do so as the clock chiming mechanism is turned off to allow the bells to be rung in the lead-up to the service. Therefore, the strike of 11 is done manually by the ringer on the tenor bell – it’s nerve-wracking stuff!

Ann Battensby Parish Tower Bell Captain

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St George’s West End Report

2024 was a rewarding year for St George’s as we welcomed several new members to our congregation and continue to go from strength to strength. After the 9am Service, we visit the Prince of Wales for coffee and a chat, which provides a good opportunity to catch up with each other’s news and to check on the wellbeing of any who are absent.

Our Mothering Sunday and Easter Services were very well attended and the beautiful Easter gardens, one inside the church and the other on the porch, were much admired. St George’s Day was celebrated by festooning the fence with bunting and in May the congregation turned out to tackle the undergrowth that was threatening to rot the perimeter fencing. Also in May we had 22 visitors from the Churches Conservation Trust who had travelled from far and wide (one had come from Australia) to see the churches in Esher, and they greatly admired our ‘temporary’ church and learning about its history.

Our major fundraising event remains the West End Village Show in August, when we open our doors for people to enjoy this unique church and purchase our popular home-made cakes and marmalade and visit our card and gift stall. We make a huge effort to ensure this event is a success as we rely on our fundraising to pay for the ongoing maintenance of St George’s.

September heralds our fun Pet Service - this was our 16th - and we had a large number of people bringing their enthusiastic dogs, some of whom attempted to join in the hymns! This year we welcomed Guide Dog trainee puppy Enzo with his carer Sue, who explained about the work involved, and we were delighted to present her with a cheque for this wonderful charity.

At our Service on the 3rd November we took the opportunity to thank Jonathan for holding the fort during Darren’s absence, not only for presiding on Sundays but also conducting baptisms, weddings and funerals, providing pastoral support and still finding time to run the book club. We presented him with an olive tree, wine and garden centre vouchers, to show our huge appreciation for all he does for the Parish.

We had another garden working party in November, to harvest the vast quantities of leaves, before preparing for Advent and the Christmas Services. As always the church was beautifully decorated for the popular Crib Service on Christmas Eve, followed by the Village Carol Concert (a secular event), and the Eucharist on Christmas morning.

Thanks are due to everyone at St George’s for the many hours they devote to maintaining the church and garden, working tirelessly and quietly behind the scenes for the benefit of all.

Andrea Lindow

Deputy Churchwarden, St George’s Church

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Community & Business Outreach Report

We continue to enjoy a strong relationship with the Esher Chamber of Commerce and attend their meetings each month. This allows us to keep the business sector informed of our events. We have held three successful breakfast meetings in Christ Church. Attempts to have a better understanding of other Faiths has been frustrated by the war in Gaza.

The ‘tradition’ of the Mayor lighting up our Christmas Tree took place on November 29 and was attended by those preparing for Christingle, members of our congregation, the public and the Chamber of Commerce. Carols were sung by the Barison Singers followed by all attending. Mince pies and mulled wine were served to help make it an enjoyable start to the Christmas period.

Michael Banks

Community & Business Outreach Coordinator

Peace and Contemplation

Peace and Contemplation evenings have been introduced to provide for an hour of personal introspection in a conducive atmosphere. It allows for an oasis of peace in our busy lives. It is also designed to give an additional appeal to those not regularly attending church and is free and open to all.

Two evenings have been held in 2024 which have been well received and their development is planned to continue in 2025. It is pleasing to note that all the excellent live music in November was provided by Christ Church members

Michael Banks

Community & Business Outreach Coordinator

Pastoral Support Team Report

This year has been quieter than past years which, I sincerely hope, means that the majority of people do not require our help.

However, I know there are a minority who do need support but are reticent in asking for it! If any of you know someone who would benefit from our help, please try and encourage them to contact me (01372 464483 or wendytanqueray@gmail.com).

I sincerely thank my very caring team - Andrea Lindow, Karen Sarkissian and Will Wood - all of whom are raring to go! I know from the families of those we have helped in the past and who have passed away, that our support was greatly appreciated, and I pray that we are asked to help many more in the future.

Wendy Tanqueray Pastoral Visitor Coordinator

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Fellowship Group Report

Another year older, another year wiser, or so they say!

Indeed, I'd like to think some insights of wisdom passed our lips in the last year. Certainly, lots of lively discussion took place surrounding our acts of worship, and as ever there was an immense amount to pray for and express. We had changed our meeting time to 11am instead of 10am, as with advancing years we felt a later time was preferable. However, our interactions took so long, cutting across lunchtime and resulting in certain members missing lunch, that we now meet at 10.30am, preceded by excellent coffee provided by Sally Radford, so the actual start time is now 10.50am, which seems to work well.

We have sadly lost three long-standing dearly loved members of our group and look back fondly at their contribution. Vicky Jenkins passed away earlier in the year after a quite short illness and we remember her friendly supportive presence and contributions. John Patrick passed away in November and we value the quiet reflections, knowledge and wisdom that he brought to our group. Veronica King moved to a retirement village in Gerrards Cross and we miss her sharp direct perceptive comments. Three members we are so grateful to have had as part of us.

We've had some insightful discussions during the year, including the decline in national and local worship, the need to spread the Word and our own role in service to the community. We've spent special time in prayer for the concerning tragic events across the world and in our own country, and also for those in our community here in Esher. There is so much for which prayer is needed. We are delighted to have Darren back with us and for joining us at our January meeting.

Starting as a small prayer group in 2010, then growing into The Fellowship by 2012, it is incredible that we are still going strong - and as always we welcome new members. Why not give us a try?

Jan Sayer Fellowship Group Leader

InSpire Report

Now in its tenth year the parish newsletter InSpire has established itself as the place to find out the different aspects of our churches’ lives and all who are involved in the day-to-day activities.

The editorial team are very grateful for the support from the community and InSpire has even reached the stage where people come to us, Bridget Williams, Jane Tyrrell and Juliet Philip, with stories to be included. Both Bridget and Jane are at the ‘coalface’ of our two churches and Juliet edits and paginates InSpire alongside distributing it. Unfortunately, this year the team meetings have been less over breakfast and more a grabbed cup of coffee or online!

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We would still like to increase the numbers receiving the issues but because of GDPR people have to actively sign up and we cannot just take the information from the electoral roll. If you are not receiving it and would like to - email only I am afraid - please let us know and we can add you to the list.

We remain in the position where having a printed version comes under the ‘would be nice to have’ category as it would be expensive and labour intensive compared to the current iteration. We cannot see this changing in the near future.

Juliet Philip InSpire Editor

Book Group Report

As it approached its fifth anniversary of formation, our parish Book Group continued to flourish in 2024. We have a core of members who come along every time and others who join in as their diaries permit or when a chosen title particularly whets their appetite.

Our reading again ranged widely from eye-opening memoirs such as Carlo Levi’s Christ Stopped at Eboli and George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London to challenging novels such as Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguru and Emile Zola’s Therese Raquin . On a perhaps lighter note, we also enjoyed Graham Green’s Travels with my Aunt and Tom Mitchell’s The Penguin Lesson . Whatever, our group chooses, it always leads to a worthwhile discussion, and to continued social chat as we tidy up after ourselves, share out the remaining cakes and do the washing up!

I for one really appreciate the group for the way it encourages me to read outside my normal ‘comfort zone’ and to learn about and appreciate new things. I know that others feel the same. Our mix of members mean that people can sometimes bring their own experiences to bear which further enriches our conversation and helps us to get to know one another better.

We always publicise our gatherings in the weekly pewsheet so, if you feel you might be interested, do give us a try!

Revd Jonathan Andrew

Book Group Leader

On behalf of the PCC

Jane Tyrrell Helen 1 Curlrou [AC

Jane Tyrrell Helen Coulson Churchwarden Churchwarden

Peter Bedford Hon Secretary

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Minutes of the Parish of Esher Annual Meeting of Parishioners and Annual Parochial Church Meeting held in Christ Church, Esher on Sunday 9 May 2024 at 12 noon.

ANNUAL MEETING OF PARISHIONERS

1 Opening Prayers

Jane Tyrrell welcomed those present and opened with a prayer.

She then referred to the Annual Report for 2023, thanking all those involved with the running of the Parish and our two churches, including the many volunteers across the whole range of activities, who contribute so much of their time and are greatly appreciated. On the staff side, special thanks are due to the Director of Music, Parish Administrator and Children & Families Worker. In all, we are very fortunate to have such a strong and enthusiastic team across the board, who work tirelessly in support of the Parish.

2 Apologies for absence

Apologies were received from Jackie Andrew, Jonathan Andrew, Kath Chapman, Bob Lonnon, Christine Steeds and Stuart Whatton.

3 Election of Churchwardens

Two nominations were received for the position of churchwarden – Helen Coulson and Jane Tyrrell - both were duly elected.

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING

4 Minutes from last year’s meeting

The minutes of the meeting held on 14 May 2023 were unanimously approved as a true record. Proposed by Keith Chapple and seconded by Bridget Williams.

5 Matters arising from those minutes

There were no matters arising.

6 Parish Annual Report 2023

Parish Financial Statements 2023

Martin Fuller introduced his report, and underlined that the costs to run the Parish were approximately £5,000 per week. Thus, whilst voluntary giving had risen by around 10 percent, we are faced with a continuing financial challenge.

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double than before, with a resultant very positive and welcome impact on Parish funds. In the meantime, the lighting project is on hold.

The meeting agreed to accept the Financial Statements, as proposed by Jane Tyrrell and seconded by Keith Chapple.

7 Appointment of Independent Examiner for 2024

Martin tabled the further appointment of Gordon Manickam as Independent Examiner. Gordon provides his services pro bono, we are very grateful for his endeavours in this respect, and thanks will be conveyed to him formally. His appointment for 2024 was approved, having been proposed by Will Stevens and seconded by Brian Elliot.

8 Elections of PCC members for three years

There were three nominations for lay membership of the PCC, being Michael Banks and Jennifer Meade, who had just completed their three-year terms, and Ann Battensby, who had been co-opted in September 2023. All the aforementioned were duly elected.

9 Appointment of sidespeople

Helen thanked all who give their time in helping with the various church duties, including sidespeople, and proposed that those on the rota should continue in their various roles, and this was endorsed by those present.

10 Any Other Business

PCC Minutes Keith Chapple suggested that the minutes might be distributed via email, in addition to hard copies being displayed in both churches, and this will be considered further.

CCTV A query was raised on the progress of CCTV installation, an issue for 2024, but suffice to say that the requisite funds of £5,000 had been raised and work was due to start in July 2024.

PCC Secretary Jane voiced thanks for the continuing efforts of the current incumbent!

11 Closing Prayers

Helen then closed the meeting at 12.25pm and invited all present to say the Grace.

Peter Bedford Honorary Secretary PCC

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Independent Examiner’s Report

To the Parochial Church Council of Esher

I report on the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024 as set out on the following pages.

Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and Independent Examiner

As the members of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts; you 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:

Gordon Manickam CIA FCCIA 84 Greenways Hinchley Wood KT10 0QJ

May 2025

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Esher PCC Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2024

Income and Expenditure for the year ended 31 December 2024

Incoming Resources
£s Unrestricted
Designated
Restricted
2024
2023
Incoming resources from generated funds
Regular giving 95,219
-
-
95,219
106,012
Gift Aid 17,186
-
2,049
19,236
44,588
Church collections 16,303
-
-
16,303
18,286
Donations & bequests 3,640
445
756
4,842
23,466
Sales of donated investments 2,015
-
-
2,015
1,753
Sundry receipts 3,775
1,161
32
4,969
3,370
Church fundraising events 1,067
1,024
-
2,092
1,827
Card & notelet sales -
255
-
255
267
Church fees 8,204
-
-
8,204
5,441
Music on the Green -
7,350
-
7,350
8,616
Investment income (dividends) 446
-
20,608
21,054
19,691
Traidcraft &
merchandise sales 244
145
-
389
1,134
Rental income -
22,031
-
22,031
3,207
Totals 148,104
32,412
23,447
203,964
237,663
Other incoming resources
Appeal donations -
60
7,500
7,560
8,915
Legacies -
-
-
-
10,761
Totals 60
7500
7,560
19,676
Grand Totals 148,104
32,472
30,947
211,524
257,340

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Resources Used

£s Unrestricted
Designated
Restricted
2024
2023
Cost of generating funds
Music on the Green -
5,264
-
5,264
7,337
Fundraising events 77
-
-
77
184
Flyer print costs 625
-
-
625
625
Totals 702
5,264
-
5,967
8,187
Cost of Parish activities
Grants & appeal payments 290
-
5,328
5,618
6,672
Parish share 93,575
-
-
93,575
95,301
Clergy telephone 827
-
-
827
908
Clergy car & travel 43
-
-
43
347
Clergy other expenses 122
-
-
122
594
Rectory gas/electricity 1,004
-
-
1,004
1,158
Rectory running costs 1,081
-
-
1,081
830
Repairs & maintenance 11,341
38,575
5,820
55,737
69,197
Cleaning 2,403
230
-
2,633
486
Electricity - Christ Church 10,393
-
-
10,393
7,314
Electricity - St George’s 1,716
-
-
1,716
1,356
Gas - Christ Church 9,528
-
-
9,528
4,899
Water bills - Christ Church 248
40
-
289
191
Water bills - St George’s 87
-
-
87
88
Insurance - Christ Church 3,758
903
-
4,661
4,610
Insurance - St George’s 510
-
-
510
496
Sundry expenses/petty cash 2,931
82		 3,014
9,294
Communion table 1,044
-
-
1,044
564
Flowers 450
-
-
450
444
Organists’ fees 10,350
-
-
10,350
9,600
Organ/piano maintenance 2,882
-
-		 2,882
1,494
Choir expenses & music 312
-
-		 312
377

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Resources Used (continued)

£s Unrestricted
Designated
Restricted
2024
2023
Cost of Parish activities (continued)
Organ & choral scholarships -
-
2,800
2,800
1,000
Church meetings 39
-
-
39
-
Training & courses -
-
-
-
1,471
Youth worker -
-
14,008
14,008
10,706
Youth activities -
-
1,967
1,967
2,476
Office salaries/taxes 23,369
-
-
23,369
21,001
Printing & stationery 1,006
-
-
1,006
879
Church telecoms/internet 1,995
-
-
1,995
2,018
Photocopier costs 1,675
-
-
1,675
2,361
Depreciation 1,988
70
1,802
3,861
5,148
Bank charges 634
-
-
634
666
Office sundry costs 973
-
-
973
1,041
Totals 186,586
39,902
31,727
258,216
264,999
Grand Totals 187,289
45,167
31,727
264,183
273,187

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Balance sheet as at 31 December 2024

£s General Fund
Designated
Funds

Restricted
Funds

2024
2023
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 805,966
211
5,406
811,583
815,445
Investments -
-
1,354
1,354
1,258
Fixed assets 805,966
211
6,760
812,938
816,703
Current assets
Debtors 1,877
-
464
2,341
31,011
Cash at bank & in hand (71,236)
141,781
43,665
114,210
135,444
Current assets (69,359)
141,781
44,129
116,551
166,456
Liabilities
Creditors (amounts
fallingdue in oneyear)		 2,672
76
2,142
4,891
5,998
Net current assets less
current liabilities		 (72,032)
141,705
41,987
111,660
160,457
Total assets less current
liabilities		 733,934
141,916
48,748
924,599
977,161
Total net assets less
liabilities		 733,934
141,916
48,748
924,599
977,161

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Balance Sheet Totals by Funds

£s General
Fund

Designated
Funds

Restricted
Funds

2024
2023
Unrestricted
General Fund 733,934
-
-
733,934
773,118
Designated
Lighting Renovation -
10,395
-
10,395
10,300
Music on the Green -
14,377
-
14,377
12,292
West End -
31,160
-
31,160
30,000
Cranbrook Drive -
22,419
-
22,419
37,954
Bell Fund -
161
-
161
161
Legacies -
63,402
-
63,402
63,902
Restricted
Advent Appeal -
-
(302)
(302)
532
Property -
-
5,549
5,549
5,427
Fews Cottage -
-
28,302
28,302
26,496
Spire Appeal -
-
6
6
6
Other Appeals -
-
-
-
7
Boiler Renovation -
-
5,406
5,406
7,208
Children & Young People -
-
4,495
4,495
4,463
Garden of Remembrance -
-
5,289
5,289
5,289
Funds of the Parish 733,934
141,916
48,748
924,599
977,161

Grants for Charitable Purposes

£s Total
Lower Green Community Centre 1,773
Kathryn’s Mercy Home, India (Sponsorship of child) 290
Macmillan Cancer Support (Big Coffee Morning) 218
Royal British Legion 279
Children’s Society (Christingle) 24
Advent Appeal 2024 (Eikon Charity) 1,963
Total 3,546

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Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024

Accounting policies

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011, the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 and Accounting and Reporting Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 102 (FRS 102). The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention except for the valuation of property and investment assets, which are shown at market value. The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.

Funds

General funds represent the funds of the PCC that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and are available for application to the general purposes of the PCC. Funds designated for a particular purpose by the PCC are also unrestricted. The accounts include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of separately designated charities. There are no endowment funds.

Incoming resources

Collections are recognised when received by the PCC. Planned giving receivable under Gift Aid is recognised when received. Income tax recoverable on Gift Aid donations is recognised when the related income is recognised. Grants and legacies to the PCC are accounted for when the PCC is notified of its legal entitlement, the amount due is quantifiable and its ultimate receipt by the PCC is probable. Dividends on investments are accounted for as they accrue. Unrealised gains or losses on revaluation of investments and property are accounted for on revaluation at the year end.

Resources expended

Grants and donations are accounted for when awarded, if that creates a binding obligation on the PCC.

Activities directly relating to the work of the Parish

The Diocesan parish share is accounted for when payable.

Tangible fixed assets

Consecrated land and buildings are excluded from the accounts by the Charities Act 2011. No value is placed on movable church furnishings. All expenditure on such items is written-off as incurred and separately disclosed in the accounts. The curate's house, 74 Cranbrook Drive, is included at a market value estimated in 2021. Equipment used within the Church premises is depreciated on a reducing balance basis of 25% of asset Net Book Value, or in the case of computers, 33.33% of Net Book Value. Individual items costing less that £1,000 are written-off when acquired.

Current assets

Short-term deposits are held with the CBF Church of England Funds.

Employees

The Church employed two people in 2024: the Parish Administrator and a Children & Families Worker. No benefits or expenses were paid to any member of the PCC.

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Parish Office, Christ Church, Church Street, Esher Surrey KT10 8QS Telephone: 01372 462282 Email: office@esherparish.org.uk Website: www.esherparish.org.uk

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