The Parish of Central Exeter Churches of St Mary Arches, St Olave, St Pancras, St Petrock, St Stephen Giving breathing space; Living the values; Engaging with the city The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Central Exeter Annual Report and Unaudited Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2025.
Introduction to 2025 Annual Re There continues to be change within the shopping facilities along the High Street and within the city centre generally. We see the ongoing march of coffee shops and eateries as more people shop online. There is also a growth in rented housing, mainly for students. As a parish we are acutely aware of the ever-changing pattern of activity within the city centre and try to provide sorne sense of long-terrn continuity through the continuing presence of our medieval churches - which are themselves important features of the city landscape. Administrative Information The Parish of Central Exeter is a charity which is registered with the Charity Commissioners, number 1134851. It is part of the Diocese of Exeter within the Church of England. The correspondence address is Parish Administrator, 3, Blackthorn Way, Cullompton EX15 IQH. Parish Churches St Stephen, High Street, Exeter EX4 3LN Daughter Churches St Mary Arches, Mary Arches Street, Exeter EX4 3BA St Pancras, Guildhall Centre, Exeter EX4 3HW St Petrock, High Street, Exeter EX4 3DT St Olave. Fore Street, Exeter EX4 3AT Team Rector Revd Sheila Swarbrick Mlnlstry Team Revd Sheila Swarbrick, 7 Lower Kings Avenue. Exeter EX4 6JT Bank Lloyds Bank. High Street, Exeter, EX4 3NL Independent Examlner Clare W Lillington, Raddon, Station Hill, Chudleigh, TQ13 OEE Membership Members of the PCC are either ex-officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting in accordance with the Church Representation rules. st PCC members who have served from l January 2025 until the date that this report was approved are:
Ministry Team: Revd Sheila Swarbrick Chair: Revd Sheila Swarbrick The Churchwardens: Keith Walton, Betsy Allen Representatives of Deanery Synod: Jessica Claridge, Celia Smith The Elected Members from 2022: Richard Skinner. Viv Asher. The Elected Members from 2023 Helen Evans, Claire Mayer {There were no elections in 2024) The Elected Members from April 2025: Richard Skinner (I year} Viv Asher (3 years) The followlng offlcers were appolnted: Treasurer: Sean Swarbrick Secretary: Mary Keaney Structure Governance and Mana Committees The Planning Committee (Clergy, Churchwardens) meets in between full PCC meetings. Other ad hoc committees and working groups are created and terminated as needed. ment The full PCC metfor4 ordinary meetings {March, June, September, December) with one extra one on Safeguarding in February, all being face to face. The average attendance was 7. The June meeting began with an open one for all church members when the Archdeacon visited to talk about the future for Anglican mission in the city centre. Alm and Pur oses Statement 'The PCC is required, as stated in the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1966. to Co-operate with the Parish Priest, in promoting in the Parish the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic. social and ecumenical,. Ob'ectives and Artivities The Parish's vision, goals and actions are stated in full in the Mission Action Plan. Vision Being part of God's mission of love and reconciliation in and through Jesus Christ, we are committed to: Giving breathing space Living the values Engaging with the City Objectives (goals) We will achieve our vision by working together with others as we pursue the following goals:
To attract more people to enter and use our churches and find it a positive experience; To encourage visitors, church members and church users on their spiritual journey, challenging towards deeper levels of Christian commitment; To meet our on-going parish commitments, seeking efficient and effective use of our resources with other Anglican or Ecumenical colleagues. In carrying out their work the Trustees tske due regard to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit. Continuing Activities We have been able to keep all our churches open on weekdays and for the now established pattern of sepdices at St Stephen's on the first, third and fifth Sunday of each month. St Pancras on the second, and St Olave on the fourth. The lunchtime service of Communion in St Pancras has been maintained monthly on Thursdays at 12.00. Voluntary organisations are able to use the churches for approved purposes on request and subject to terms and conditions. Continuing activities (maintained in various formats throughout the year) include., Variety of worship services as outlined above. Summer concerts and other music activities Exhibitions 'Inner Room, poetry workshops Use of the parish website to communicate with and provide support to the parish members and the general public. Jewish Circle Dancing Prayers round the Cross bi-monthly Seeking Silence Book Club Achievements and Performance Church Attendance There are 31 Parishioners on the church electoral roll of which 29 are not resident within the Parish. Average Sunday attendance in-church is about 18, Attendance in-church at Easter 2025 was 22 and 20 on Christmas Day. Community use of Churches St Stephen's continues to be the main church for community use. During the autumn of 2024 Safe Space had restarted its support work for people visiting the clubs on some evenings in this church but unfortunately this did not continue into 2025.
We have a regular use of St Stephen's by Exeter Network Church. of St Stephen's and St Pancras by the Romanian and Russian Orthodox churches. St Petrock's continues to host support group meetings, the Exeter Guild of Bell-ringers plu5 their library. and we have developed a regular programme of exhibitions. With the main body of the Quire in Exeter Cathedral being out of use for renovation and excavation, the Dean and Chapter have been using St Petrock's for daily morning prayer and eucharist and St Pancras for a weekly communion service lunchtime on Wednesdays. This ceased in July. St Pancras is on the register of Small Pilgrim Places and is open daily for private prayer, with monthly BCP Communion and monthly shortened lunchtime Communion services. Seeking Silence continues as a monthly time of meditation on the first Wednesday of the month. St Olave's is the church used least by the community, largely because of its fixed pews. In totsl in our churches, we hosted about 400 separate events including worship services, Bible study, prayer meetings, support group5, concerts and coffee mornings. St Mary Arches is now leased to Unlimited Church - the Diocesan youth church and holds number of activities to attract young people. Parish Activities We supported the Fore Street Flea Market in November with St Olave's taking part in this event. The Christmas St Nic's Fayre took place as a parish fundraiser as did the Thursday lunchtime concerts in July. This year we had 5 excellent conrtS with a ploughman's lunch before. Helen Evans who had launched and led Inner Room from its beginning in 2020 as a parish outreach project, realised she could no longer lead and indeed moved away from Exeter in September. Thus, Inner Room is now in hibernation. The Room to Write events which give participants prompts to write poetry continued independently and organised an event for National Poetry Day in October with the publication of a small anthology and poetry reading. We decided at the April Annual Church Meeting to delete our Facebook page but have kept the website live and updated. We continue to support the Exeter Community Initiative. St Petrock's Centre for the Homeless, as well as a programme of monthly giving to selected local, national and international charities. We are ensuring that members of the PCC receive appropriate Safeguarding clearances and training to their level of involvement in the Parish.
Whilst the Parish is relatively seture financially, the number of people available or able to assist in preparing the church and assisting in the services is a concern. This situation is not unique to our parish and is a matter of concern to the whole Diocese. Church Buildings. The PCC has continued to undertake all the necessary repair and maintenance of the churches in the Parish. mostly resulting from normal wear and tear, pests and occasional abuse or vandalism. Our architect Michila Wilks has begun work in St Olave's with the contractor Richard Hardy to deal with guttering, damp walls and a crack above the arch. We were able in the Spring to appoint a Buildings officer, Bethany Watts, on a self employed basis. She has started on the backlog of maintenance tasks and updating our Fire Safety, risk assessments and log books. Links with other churcheslorganisations The Revd Sheila Swarbrick has continued to provide a vital link between the parish and other churches in the centre of Exeter and Diocese at all levels both formally and informally. Policy The PCC is kept abreast of Parish responsibilities under the Safeguarding legislation by our designated representative. We have taken due regard to the guidance issued by the House of Bishops on matters relating to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. The churchwardens and PCC members have completed their required Safeguarding Training. A Safeguarding policy document is in place. We have a Health and Safety Officer and our H&S policy is reviewed as necessary. We introduced a Data Security policy and have issued appropriate privacy notices and received and recorded consents for use of data as required by the General Personal Data Regulations. Financial Review The total income for the Parish in 2025 was £81,660 representing income derived from 'normal' parish activities. Expenditure of £97,078 gave us a deficit of £15,418 The target parish (unrestricted) income budget for 2026 has been agreed by the PCC at £50,217. Reserves Policy n 2013 the PCC agreed to a reserves policy of 4 times the monthly average expenditure, which equates to £23,500 for 2026 Approved by the PCC on 4 March 26 and signed on their behalf by: Sheila Swarbrick PCC Chair
Financial statement for 31 Dec 2025 Parfsh of Central Exeter Charhy number 1134851 Unrestricted Restricted Recelpts Voluntary Income Planned giving Gift Aid recovered Total £ Total 2024 £ 7772.00 7772.C 8477 2423.54 2423.54 2659 Service collections Recurring donations Non-recurring donations Grants Total 61XJ.OQ 2547.00 4123.27 874 2547.00 4123.27 2995 4(¥)3 17524.59 27414.1x1 44938.59 23255 34990.40 27414.(M) 62404AO 42263 ActIvId forgeneratlng funds Fund raising Chur¢h Activrties Use of PCC propeity Fees retained Totol 1557.70 1557.70 2505 12740.00 12740.00 15930 35.00 35.CA) 270 12775.00 12775.00 2398.35 162 2386 Other Churches Conservatlon Total recelpts 2398.35 1632.80 | 53354.25 | 27414.1)0 1632.80 863 64217 | 80768.25 Investment Income CCLA Deposit linterestl Shared Interest linterestl Totullnterest Total recelpts + Intsrest 879.27 879.27 12.64 979 12.64 891.91 891.91 54246.16 27414.00 81660.16 Unrestrlcted Restrlcted Expendlture Parish giving Diocesan share Totsl £ 2785.1)0 9424.00 loo.00 Total 2024 E 2395 2785.} 9424.IXI 100.(xi 0.00 10757 Clergy expenses Up keep of services Church upkeep Utilities Church admin Other 6922 37058.69 26973.(M) 64031.69 9514.79 27690 12525 7969 9514.79 10109.81 10109.81 1112.75 1112.75 2407 Total expendlture 70105.04 26973.00 97078.04
Unrestricted Restricted £ Totsl £ Toto12024 £ 441.(YJ -15417.88 -5464 Recelpts mlnus Expendlture Transfer of funds Balances Vl125 Total -15,858.88 57520.24 8727.60 66247.84 50829.96 72575 41661.36 9168.60 67111 Restrkted funds Church upkeepfund 9168.60 Statement of Assets and Uabllltle5 Current account 16293.83 CCLA Deposit 20308.29 Shared Inte$t 5059.24 Total Liabllltles- None 9168.60 25462.43 20308.29 5059.24 50829.96 41772 19429 5047 41661.36 9168,60 66248 NOTES Curfent Account Unrestricted Restrirted Total £33,044.62 E8,727.60 E41.772.22 £16293.83 £9.168.60 £25462.43 0110112025 3V1212025 l>ep05it accounts CCLA 0110112025 £19,429.02 3111212025 £20,308.29 IAII unrestrictedl Shared Int Total £5.046.60 £24,475.62 £5,059.24 £25,367.53 Churches Cons Trust for S Martlns Funeral fees retained Fees to EDBF 192.40x4 + 215.80x4 - £1632.80 £35 £162 Church upkeep (unrestrirted) expenditure Includes: JI Pilkington Ivergerl £318.50 monthlv JM Richards Icleanerl £424.66 monthly Insurance S Petrocks £2.630.88 S MA IUC refund 80%) £2,997.94 S Stephens £2,613.95 S Olaves £2,039.91 S Pancra5 E997.34 EntryGroup £1,427.93 {5 5tephensl Inicio Architerts £2,883.41 Badey Manor IS Stephensl £3,171.60 Barley Manorls Pancras VAT) £2.875.60 Argos Fire Protection £1.469.36 Building5 OfFKff (Bethany Watts) Fees £2487 Expenses £80.70
Grants (unrestrlcted, on¥>ffj S Olaves Trust £960. £564.59 S Kerrians Trust £240 S Mary Mag Chapel Fund £4LK) SMA Church Lands £997.34, £849 Dec-25 {Cataker & Admlnlstrator, Printing) (Administrator) IS Stephens Electricity) IS Pancras Insurance & Electrictyl Utllltles expenditure Water Electricity Jan-may E300 June onwards £73.50 monthly S Stephen £5552.47 S Pancras £869.40 S Olave £1713.42 Churth Admin (Mary Keaney) Fees £9706.63 Expenses £1303.59 Church upkeep (restricted} expenditure: £12595 IBarley Manor- S Olavesl £14378{Barley Manor- S Pancras) Church upkeep (restrirted) Income: £5380 {Exeter DM)cesan BF- S Olaves 2316} £765615 Olaves Trust 24171 £14378 ISMA Church Lands 8112) Total £27414 Approved bythe PCC on 4J312> [.gLO LL-. and signed on its behalf by Sheila Swarbri¢k {Chair) Sean Swarbrick (Treasurer)
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND ANO WALÉS Independent examlner's report on the accounts Section A Independent E.xamiiier s Report R•port to the truste1 mombers ot The Parochial Churth Council ol EcclesiasYKal Parish of Cenlral Exeter On a¢count8 for the y•ar •nd•d 3111 D•cmr 2025 Ch•rlty no (tl affty} 1134851 8•1 out on pag•s As ailathed I r•ptyt lo the trustéés on my examlnallon olthe a¢0)1$ oflhe aljo charity {"thè Tfusf} for yearended 3111212025. R•sponslbllWl•s and the charfty tru8taes ofthe Trust. you are respoftsibte for th8 preparat bao1& ol v•port ofthe acrA)unts in atrdance rflh thè rnquiremer4s of Ihe Charltss Ad 2011 flhe Act">. I reptyt lft rnspecl ofmy éxamlnalyn ofthè Tnjst's ¥e¢ounts canled out under seclion 145 of thè 2011 A¢t afKI rn out my mNIaOn, I ha follow lh• appltcablg Diodn$ Ven by thè Charity Cwnmission under sè¢lion 1445Xb) of the Acl. Indop•ndent I have Completed my •xaminalitin. l thnfim th•1 no nwterial matters ham •xamln•e stat•fint come to my attention ( ') in connèction wlh Iho eyAminallon glv•5 mo cau$6 to bofiev& that in, any maiwial fOSP•Ct: a¢¢ounting records not kept In aeccthn( with 130 of Ihg Act or the acrA>unts do not awjld with Ihe aecowilAg rocu I have nts e4)ncem$ and haNp coma at¥oss no other matters In corw7ection wilh the examinatlon lo whith affenlion should be drawn in ordor to enabl• a propèr undètstanthng ofthe atrents to b• reathed. . Ple8s6 d1• thè words in (hè bfaekets If theydo notapply. 20102f2026 Clare LIHington Relèvant prol•s$lonal quallllcatlon{s) or body IH any): FMAAT Adthess: Raddon, Stalit)n HKI Chudldgh, Nowb)n Abbot Owen TQ13 OEE IER October 2018