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2021-12-31-accounts

THE BENEFICE OF PONTEFRACT PARISH OF ST GILES with ST MARY’S Registered Charity No. 1135106

ANNUAL REPORTS AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

The Benefice of Pontefract Parish of St Giles with St Mary’s

Vicar: The Revd Canon June Lawson

What a year!

On January 4[th] 2021, the Prime Minister announced a third national lockdown coming into force. On 6[th] January, schools were told to delay opening and remote learning returned for our school children. St Giles school were at the sharp end of this.

St Giles with St Mary’s had to request permission from the diocesan bishop to suspend public worship for a period of time initially until Ash Wednesday 17[th] February- the permission however needing to be extended. This was in direct response to a request from the Director of Public Health in Wakefield District for faith communities to consider not meeting in order to help to prevent transmission of the new strain. And so throughout the year, the term ‘new variants’ with varying degrees of health risk became something that we all had to get used to learning about and worrying about- Kent, South African, Brazilian, Indian, Omicron…’ At the beginning of March, we began to hear talk of ‘roadmaps out of lockdown’- the first step to be March 8[th] . Our own ‘Roadmap out of Lockdown’ was devised in early March to help us to move forward as government directives permitted. Carefully we charted how government rule changes impacted our life as a church and enabled us to slowly resume ‘normal’ business. Reopening for public worship on Palm Sunday, 21[st] March was a wonderful joy to us as a Christian community.

In society, the vaccine programme with increasing numbers of vaccination centres continued to be rolled out at great energy, with health vulnerability and then age determining when we were ‘jabbed’. Terms like ‘rule of six’, continued to be part of church speak as we sought to gather indoors safely for worship. Wearing of masks in church, social distancing, hand sanitisation, oneway systems around church, meetings on zoom, communion only in one kind, continued to be the new norm. It was sobering news when on Good Friday, a service taking place at a RC church in London was broken up by police for people’s failure to wear face coverings or to socially distance.

And then in April, as a nation, we entered ‘step 2’ of the road map (it was good to get a haircut again!) and later in May ‘step 3’ began: up to thirty now able to gather outside, but indoors the ‘rule of six’ still applied. 30 could attend a wedding, numbers at funerals were unlimited, provided social distancing was maintained. Our first baptism took place on May 23[rd] and a thrice postponed wedding finally took place on 27[th] June. Rapid Flow testing became more widely available. At St Giles and St Mary’s we grew used to complying with covid guidance as it shifted and changed through the months. All was going well but in June the prime minister announced a delay to ‘step 4’ wanting a few more crucial weeks to meet the target of two thirds of the adult population being double vaccinated. On July 19[th] we were told movement could finally be made to ‘step 4’. The relief was palpable.

At the start of September, at St Giles we stopped live streaming our Sunday worship as numbers attending worship increased significantly. The social media report shows how central our Facebook page and other media accounts were in helping us to stay in touch and worship together through the covid crisis and to livestream worship as we needed. But once again, in November, another variant (omicron) led to a renewed programme for booster jabs. Face coverings came into force again. Will ‘Christmas be cancelled again? was the concern around the nation.

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Throughout the year the amending of risk assessments continued to take time and energy, as in 2020. Later in 2021, version15 was reached! Behind every written risk assessment, every review, the pastoral concern always to keep people we love and care for safe in our church. So once again I thank our standing committee for all the ways in which they have borne that weight with due care and consideration for your welfare.

The numerous reports in our booklet show how in the latter part of the year our life as a Christian church and our work in the community began to emerge slowly out of the covid restrictions and flourish into life again.

‘Lunch with Us’ continued as a take-away provision operating out of the tower and north door. The provision of holiday food for families nominated by local schools, along with the development of the pantry club became even more firmly rooted in Chequerfield and continued to help those in need in that community. Faithful dedicated volunteers enabled these ministries of care to flourish.

Open church continued throughout the week enabling a quiet space for people to come in and reflect, pray or light a candle. The St Giles’ Centre report details how other community groups using our building started, stopped, and resumed again as restrictions permitted.

When restrictions were lifted our baptism welcomers were able to join the clergy to meet with families for baptism preparation and to be an essential part of our baptism service as representatives of the Christian community at St Giles. Our first baptism in nearly two years was held on 23[rd] May with a maximum of 30 guests.

Tiddlywinks came back together in September to meet in the café area, choir practices again resumed, and bell ringing happened in limited ways when possible. Organ recitals were permitted in the autumn, but larger concerts still not advised. The Mother’s Union had its first face to face meeting in September as did Junior church. Our flower ladies were once again able to beautify our worship with wonderful pedestals of flowers on festival occasions. Wednesday and Saturday coffee mornings resumed in September, but Sunday post service coffee/tea still restricted due to larger numbers gathering in a small space. The servers team slowly began to help in the sanctuary on Sundays. The choir’s repertoire slowly building once again as greater singing was permitted during Sunday worship, congregational singing slowly resumed in the early autumn albeit behind masks. Heritage week was supported at St Giles with tours, bell ringing, refreshments and a wonderful video produced by Bruce Dalgleish on the church-stained glass windows was made available online.

Beyond the round of the annual Christian festivals and regular services, special services were held (particularly in the latter part of the year) but beginning with a special evensong in memory of HRH Prince Philip on 18[th] April. Bishop Tony also presided and preached at our Mass on the same morning. The Archdeacon’s Visitation service was held at St Giles on 5[th] July, a few days after our new curate, Fr Sam Fletcher, was ordained deacon at Ripon cathedral. Then on 26[th] September and October 2[nd] services were held for Generosity week; on 2[nd] October an organ recital given by Thomas Moore was set up to give thanks for the restoration work generously funded by Michael Phipps. On 10th October a centenary bell peal took place postponed from April 2020. On 17[th] October, a Memorial service was held for Donald Chessman (former long standing choir member) and on Christ the King Sunday, 21[st] November, at a special evening prayer we thanked David Brooks, our Reader, and Jack Roberts, a choir member, for their long service to St Giles. Early in November at a Wednesday Mass Fr Rod Walker, having finished his curacy, was licensed as an associate priest within the benefice.

At Remembrance time we were once again able to hold the usual service at the cenotaph followed by the civic service in Church. To accompany the occasion a large display of poppies cascaded

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down the tower of the church. A short service was additionally held on Remembrance Day followed by the children from St Giles school visiting the church to view the war memorials.

On Advent Sunday the church was illuminated as part of the Wakefield council ’light Up’ programme and switching on of the town Christmas lights. Early in Advent, a new family style service was held at St Mary’s. The first of the new all-age seasonal services with the hope that a monthly all age service will become possible in 2023. A weekly Advent course was also held after the Wednesday Mass, along with the livestreaming of evening prayer for Advent. It was good to physically meet together having held the Lent course online. More normality seemed to resume when the Pontefract choral society held their Christmas concert early in December having postponed many concerts, this was swiftly followed by the Masonic carol service, our own St Giles carol service and then the visits by schools to hold their Christingle or carol service. Christmas came with its usual round of services, (not forgetting the infamous Christmas draw!) and we celebrated with larger numbers in church than in the depths of covid ridden 2020.

Undergirding and woven through all the ministry and mission of our church is the continued round of building maintenance and cleaning, at the hands of a dedicated small team who know that without our beautiful building so much that benefits our community would not happen. We mustn’t forget also the importance of the numerous business orientated church meetings which keep us operating responsibly as a church and as a registered charity. Each meeting taking time and energy, commitment and focus.

Amidst all the meetings, the looking after finance and fabric, the range of church and community activities, the weekly round of worship across our churches, we must never lose sight of ‘whose church it is and on whose foundation it stands’- ‘for unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain’ (Psalm 127). Our patronal designations are St Giles and St Mary’s, but we bear one reality really and that is that we are built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, as such we are ‘Christ’s church.’ In the New Testament, Jesus reminds Peter and all the disciples ‘I will build my church’.

The letters of the New Testament, tell the story of how the church comes into life and being when the followers of Jesus take the template of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and use it to frame the shape of the emerging church. As followers of Jesus today, that same template or pattern is there to guide and shape us afresh in our own time and place.

May our prayer be as follows:

Lord of the Church, who has given to your servants a diversity of gifts, that they may share them: Grant us the generous heart to give, the humble heart to receive, that we, with all that love you, may know the fullness of your grace; that your love may be perfected in us; to the glory of your name. Amen. (Daily Prayer)

Thank you to all who have submitted reports. A special thank you to Vivienne Smales, our administrator, who has the unenviable task of pulling it altogether into a whole.

Canon June Lawson

March 2022

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CONTENTS

Introductory Letter ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Contents .......................................................................................................................................................... 6 St Giles’ Church ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Aims and Purposes/Objectives and Activities ..................................................................................... 8 Administrative Information .................................................................................................................... 9 Structure, Governance and Management .......................................................................................... 10 Volunteers and Staff ............................................................................................................................ 12 Statutory Reports : Electoral Roll ............................................................................................................................... 14 Proceedings of the PCC ................................................................................................................. 14 Safeguarding ............................................................................................................................... 15 Financial Statements of the Parochial Church Council ........................................................ 15 Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Churches of the Parish ............................................ 15 Proceedings of the Deanery Synod ......................................................................................... 16 Non-Statutory Reports: Baptism Visitors .......................................................................................................................... 18 Bell Ringing ................................................................................................................................. 18 Flower Team ............................................................................................................................... 19 Junior Church ............................................................................................................................. 19 Lunch with Us ............................................................................................................................. 20 Missions Committee .................................................................................................................. 20 Mothers’ Union .......................................................................................................................... 21 Music ............................................................................................................................................ 21 Open Church .............................................................................................................................. 22 Parish Magazine ........................................................................................................................... 22 Pastoral Care ............................................................................................................................. 23 St Giles Management Committee ........................................................................................... 23 Social Media ................................................................................................................................. 26 Tiddlywinks .................................................................................................................................. 29 Financial Reports: Independent Examiner’s Report ............................................................................................. 30 St Giles’ PCC Financial Statement .......................................................................................... 31 St Giles’ PCC Final Summary of Receipts & Payments ........................................................ 32 Summary of St Giles’ Centre Accounts ................................................................................. 36 Summary of Lunch with Us Accounts .................................................................................... 37 Summary of St Giles’ with St Mary’s Missions Committee ................................................. 38 Summary of St Mary’s Receipts & Payments ......................................................................... 39

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ST GILES’ CHURCH (within the Benefice of Pontefract)

St Giles' Church is situated at the heart of Pontefract town centre. There has been a church on this site since at least the 12th Century. A significant re-ordering took place in 2012-2013. The ecclesiastical parish includes a wide range of housing within its bounds including new housing on a former pit site. St Giles’ Church of England Academy is within the parish, along with three other primary schools, a secondary academy, and New College, Pontefract. Pontefract General

Infirmary, and the Prince of Wales hospice are also within the parish, along with leisure centres, a golf club, numerous retail outlets, and significant local employers such as the Haribo factory. St Mary’s community centre is a significant community provision based in Chequerfield. St Mary’s church meets weekly in this local centre.

The services at St Giles range from simple forms of worship to sung services. Our mid-week services - follow a simpler form of Eucharistic worship. During 2021, amidst the global pandemic, we have additionally livestreamed services of morning prayer, evening prayer and compline at various points.

The 10:15am Service of the Mass on Sunday mornings is a sung service with parts of the Eucharistic liturgy sung by our wonderful choir who rehearse weekly. On Feast Days incense is used at this service. Our children’s group meets during the service.

Choral Evensong takes place on the first Sunday of the month except in August. Themed services have been held on some occasions (death of HRH Prince Philip).

On Fridays during term time, organ recitals take place in church at 1.00pm. Our organ is one of the finest in the north of England.

St Giles’ plays an active role in supporting local charities and organisations: several musical concerts take place in the church throughout the year. Covid has impacted the number of concerts.

No. 6, the leased shop on Chequerfield, has increased its profile providing a Food Pantry and pantry club for local residents to opt into and much needed food provision for families needing help in school holidays. Partnership with the local council and other local businesses has grown through this work

Every Wednesday between 12-1.00pm ‘Lunch with Us’ has provided take-away, food for the homeless and people with little resources.

There is also a church café serving coffee/teas and cakes, which is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays to coincide with the town's market days.

We have a well supported Mothers' Union, and a toddler group (Tiddlywinks) meets every Thursday morning.

The St Giles' Centre has several meeting rooms which are used by local groups as a venue for their activities. A separate website gives details of the community groups who use its facilities.

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Open church run by volunteer enables the church building to be open throughout the week. This allows people to come in for quiet reflection, to light candles for loved ones and to pray.

St Mary’s is a small congregation of around 12 people who meet weekly: two Sundays in the month are Eucharistic and two Common Worship morning prayer led by our Deacon, Reader or trainee Reader.

Our bell ringers have met as covid restrictions have allowed.

These activities which indicate ‘public benefit’ are described in more detail in this report.

AIMS AND PURPOSES

St Giles’ with St Mary’s Parochial Church Council (PCC) in the Benefice of Pontefract, has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent, the Reverend Canon June Lawson, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish of St Giles, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social, and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of St Giles’ church, whereas St Mary’s congregation meets in a building licensed for worship run by St Mary’s Community Project.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES.

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our churches and become part of our worshipping community at St Giles and at St Mary’s. Broadly our vision is to be an open, welcoming, and inclusive church.

When planning our activities for the year, we have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and the supplementary guidance on charities for the advancement of religion by:

offering the opportunity for individuals and families to come together for public worship, prayer, and teaching as part of our Sunday, midweek services, evening worship and learning events. During successive lockdowns, most services were livestreamed using the Facebook platform.

Offering ‘Open Church’ throughout the week which offers reflective and prayerful space for those who need a quiet environment to cope with life’s challenges; during any lockdown periods we were able to open for private prayer.

Providing pastoral care through the occasional offices such as baptisms, funerals, occasional weddings as well as visiting the sick and taking the sacrament to them; face to face pastoral ministry has been impacted by successive lockdowns. Phone calls have been central to pastoral support and visits as restrictions allowed.

Supporting our church school through governance, taking of collective worship, enabling school visits to the church (covid dependant), and supporting pastoral needs through the provision of food parcels to designated families in school holidays.

Offering the opportunity to explore matters of faith to children who join in with our Junior church provision; meetings suspended when advised due to high rates of the covid virus in the locality.

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Offering through twice weekly coffee mornings, a weekly toddler group, monthly Mother’s Union, Whist Group, and our weekly Lunch with Us, the space for people to come together for fellowship and friendship; meetings have on occasions been disrupted due to covid 19.

Providing through ‘Lunch with Us,’ and the provision of perishable goods made available from local supermarkets, the opportunity to eat without cost or make a small donation.

Providing the community, through rooms made available as part of the St Giles’ Centre, with access to citizen’s advice, a weekly chair exercise group, arts café, mental health support through the SW Yorkshire Partnership NHS trust team group meetings, and a monthly Readers’ group. The Centre was able to operate when the legalities around Covid-19 permitted.

Supporting mission partnerships with other churches (such as the Methodist Church based Foodbank) as well as working with other civic and community organisations; heritage week happened online, and St Giles created a video of its history for online publication.

Providing monthly organ concerts and being a venue for a variety of musical concerts that draw in the local community, such as The Pontefract Choral society concerts.

Providing representatives on the St Mary’s Community Project Management Committee which is a not-for-profit organisation offering a range of activities including adult education courses, community activities and has a wide range of other functions and services. Meetings occurred on zoom and in person throughout 2021.

Covid-19 impacted aspects of the above work from March-December 2021.

To facilitate the above activities, it is important that we maintain the fabric of the Church of St. Giles. Our achievements for 2021 are detailed through the collection of reports presented as part of this booklet.

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2017) and a registered charity number 1135106. In June 2019, we became part of the newly created Benefice of Pontefract which includes the parish of All Saints, Pontefract along with our own.

Our correspondence address is: Parish Office, St Giles Church, Market Place,

Pontefract, WF8 1AT Tel: 01977 790448 Email: stgileschurchpontefract@gmail.com

Bank: Virgin Money, 81 Carlton Street, Castleford, WF10 1BW

Insurance Provider: Ecclesiastical Insurance Group, Beaufort House, Brunswick Rd, Gloucester, GL1 1JZ

Architect: Mr John Cunnington, Walker Cunnington Architects, Knoll Farmhouse, The Knoll, Tansley, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 5FP

Independent Examiner: Mr John Ransome, John Ransome Accountancy Services Ltd, 21 Front St, Pontefract, WF8 1DA

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STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

In June 2019, the union of the Benefice of All Saints’ Pontefract and the Benefice of St Giles, Pontefract, became a legal entity. The constituent parishes remain distinct. Canon June Lawson was appointed as the first incumbent of the new Benefice of Pontefract.

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules 2017. At St Giles’ with St Mary’s, the ex-officio membership of the PCC consists of the Incumbent (Vicar), other clergy licensed to the benefice, four churchwardens (elected at the Annual Meeting of parishioners), and the 12 members of the laity elected by those members of the congregations who are on the electoral roll of the church. All those who attend our services/ members of the congregation are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC when vacancies occur.

The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish including deciding on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. The Standing Committee is required under Church Representation Rules. It meets approximately 10 times a year to transact the business of the PCC between its full meetings including meeting prior to PCC’s to set the agenda for the meeting. It also acts as the personnel committee of the PCC.

The PCC enable people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through:

During 2021, the full PCC met on zoom four times with an average attendance of 68% and face to face in church twice with an average attendance of 70%.

The PCC has committees with Terms of Reference which deal with a particular aspect of parish life. These committees include the Standing Committee, the St Giles’ Centre Management committee, the Fabric, Health and Safety committee, St Mary’s Community committee, and the Missions Committee. All are responsible to the PCC and report back to it regularly with minutes of their decisions being received by the full PCC and discussed, as necessary. The committees have met as they have been able.

The following people served as PCC members for all or part of the year 1[st] January 2021- 31[st] December 2021:

Vicar and Chair The Revd Canon June Lawson (ex officio) Vice Chair Barbara Sessford

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Churchwardens Bruce Dalgleish (ex officio) Peter Lavine Pam Mercer Barbara Sessford

Deanery Synod Maureen Gummerson Representatives Tony Williams (ex officio) Ruth Carter PCC Members Sonia Atkin David Belford Jill Clapham Lynne Davis Janet Robinson Ulric Murray Joan Taylor Delia Perritt Frank Ward (St Mary’s Pro-warden)

Treasurer *David Leigh Clergy Fr Rod Walker, Associate SSM (Priest) (ex officio) Fr Michael Taylor, PTO (Priest) Fr Mark Watkins, Associate stipendiary priest Fr Sam Fletcher, (from September 2021) stipendiary curate

*indicates member of Standing Committee

The following appointments were made by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, or the Parochial Church Council during the year 1[st] January 2021 to 31[st] December 2021:

Sides-people Linda Atkins Ann Grice (to May 2021) John Barber Margaret Hopwood Sandra Barker Ian Knox Bill Bradley Barbara Lavine Betty Carter (to May 2021) Maureen Milnes Vicki Chappell (to May 2021) Peter Spurr Barbara Chessman Gavin Thorpe (to May 2021) Janet Colvill Geoff Walsh Margaret Coverdale Ian Wood

Secretary Vivienne Smales Treasurer *David Leigh Health and Safety Officer Peter Lavine Safeguarding Officer Karen MacDonald Electoral Roll officer Bevil Edwards

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Organist and Director or James MacDonald
Music
Disability Officer Barbara Sessford
St Mary’s Community Meeting David Brooks (to Nov 2021) Fr Michael Taylor (from Dec
Chair 2021)
Parish Administrator Vivienne Smales

VOLUNTEERS and Staff

The mission of the church is also pursued through a wide range of volunteer help as detailed below.

In addition to thanking the assistant clergy, Fr Sam Fletcher (July 2021) Fr Rod Walker and Fr Michael Taylor, along with our honorary Reader, David Brooks (retired Christ the King 2021), and trainee Reader Jill Clapham, I would like to thank all the volunteers who work in so many varied ways and with such generosity to make our church a busy and vibrant community. Canon John Lawson has also given of his time in our worship and learning groups.

Volunteers offer ministry in our regular services, at both churches, as committed members of our wonderful choir, led by our Musical Director and Organist, James Macdonald. Michael Phipps, our organ benefactor, is always willing to offer his time and expertise when the St Giles’ organ needs attention. Our dedicated bell ringers have summoned us to worship (Covid regulations permitting), led by the tower captain, Adrian Garner.

Weekly and mid-week services could not happen without the team who serve as lectors, intercessors, and servers; as Eucharistic ministers, sides-people, operators of the sound system, printers of service booklets and arrangers of such beautiful flowers throughout the year. Another lovely team is at work in our Junior church, in the Thursday Tiddlywinks and as baptism welcomers, co-ordinated by Mary Murray.

Administration happens in the parish through our much-appreciated paid part-time administrator, Vivienne Smales, and through two dedicated volunteers, Stuart Lonsdale, and Jonathan Harris. Both give very generously of their time week by week attending to service booklets and other printing tasks including magazines for other churches. Vivienne Smales and Bruce Dalgleish ensured that the magazine kept going during the difficulties of gathering material and achieving production during Covid-19. Jonathan Harris has ensured that our presence on social media has expanded through our Facebook pages, twitter account and the national online platform ‘a church near you.’

A large amount of work administering lettings goes on behind the scenes in the St Giles’ Centre and so grateful thanks must go to Bill Bradley for his commitment to this.

The church members and wider community are served by numerous volunteers working as part of ‘Lunch with Us’ (a much-appreciated meal provision in the community), by those catering and serving refreshments as part of the regular coffee mornings, and as individuals staffing the Open

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Church rota, enabling the church to be open for the public is an important gift of quiet space for our town.

The caretaker, Ian Wood, a paid staff member, continues to keep our church clean and ensure those letting our rooms are looked after. A small team of volunteers, led by Peter Lavine, also look after the fabric of the church building including heating (Dave Malkin generously giving of his professional services) and attend to health and safety.

Many members of St Giles serve on committees, not least the PCC and the St Giles’ Centre committee, but also as members of Deanery and Diocesan Synods, as part of school governance and as trustees of the St Mary’s Community Project. Their role is key to parish and diocesan governance.

Our Mission’s Committee organise events to raise funds for our church supported charities. Other local and national charities are supported by individuals raising funds. Individuals organise whist drives, concerts, and recitals, run raffles, grow, and sell plants or run bric a brac stalls to help church and charity funds and along the way provide fellowship for those who take part. Covid has reduced the work through 2021.

Especially during the continued pandemic, through 2021 a big thank goes to our churchwardens: Bruce Dalgleish, Peter Lavine, Pam Mercer, and Barbara Sessford, along with their weekly teams, who, always work with such faithfulness and dedication ensuring Covid-19 risk assessments are followed in order to keep us safe during periods of public worship. Frank Ward, St Mary’s pro warden, does a wonderful job to ensure that the small community of St Mary’s can meet for worship week by week.

David Leigh, church treasurer for so many years, has overseen and administered the church’s accounts and its finances. A role that takes a lot of time counting and banking money, paying invoices, populating spreadsheets, and then helping others to make sense of the figures. Covid-19 has continued to present St Giles with financial challenges and our treasurer has kept us well informed throughout.

I hope no team has been missed if you have – multiple apologies. It makes your gift of time no less valuable to our ministry and mission. Covid-19 has impeded our voluntary work, but much has continued.

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STATUTORY REPORTS (Achievements and Performance)

ELECTORAL ROLL REPORT

Notice of revision of the electoral roll was given on 13 February 2022 and the revision was concluded on 13 March 2022. Two applications for inclusion on the roll were received and the names and addresses of the applicants have been entered accordingly.

The details of two members who have died have been removed from the roll.

The number of members recorded on the roll at today’s date is 143

Bevil Edwards Electoral Roll Officer Date: 13 March 2022

REPORT ON THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL

The PCC welcomed some new members in 2021 and there followed another busy year for the PCC as a whole and for the various groups which report to the PCC.

Some of the significant areas that the PCC has considered are:

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SAFEGUARDING

The church complies with Diocesan Safeguarding Policies and Practices, most recently being able to update the Diocesan Safeguarding Dashboard which supports the work of the PCC in fulfilling its statutory obligations.

All members of St Giles’ who are, due to the nature of their post (voluntary or otherwise) are currently in receipt of an enhanced DBS check and this information is confidentially stored with the parish administrator. Post holders and volunteers have all received the necessary clearance to fulfil their roles.

The PCC continues to commit to carrying out the Church of England policy for Safeguarding; it also reaffirms that everyone is responsible for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults irrespective of their role within the church community, with any concerns being reported to the Safeguarding Officer, Clergy or a member of the PCC.

Churchwardens and PCC members have completed the necessary training stages in line with the diocesan policies, as have the leaders of church groups.

Since the last APCM report there have been no Safeguarding issues within Saint Giles’, however, the relevant personnel have been made aware of local and regional concerns as a precaution, although this does not pose any risk to children or vulnerable adults in church. A comprehensive list of DBS checks remains updated in line with national protocols.

Karen MacDonald Parish Safeguarding Officer

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL

Please refer to the Financial statements at the end of this booklet.

REPORT ON THE FABRIC, HEALTH & SAFETY COMMITTEE 2021

Generally, the fabric of the church continues to be in good order with a few exceptions that we will endeavour to monitor and correct in the coming year.

The long awaited re-roofing of the South Nave roof has been completed. The project started with preliminary work commencing in mid-April (scaffolding and organ protection) with the main contractors starting work a week later. The project took seven weeks to complete and was overseen by our chartered surveyor. I’m pleased to report that an excellent job was done and the church is now water tight. The original budget was exceeded due mainly to the fact that approximately seventy percent of the original slates had to be replaced due to their poor condition. Replacement slates were not readily available and had to be sourced from all over the country.

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Tower Bells.

Following the overhaul of the bells the previous year the final work of painting the bell frame was undertaken. Work stretched over April and a second visit in June saw the work completed to a very high standard. The firm carrying out the contract was TLB, a well-respected firm in this field of work.

Ventilation.

Extra ventilation has been achieved in the tower ringing room by the re-positioning the door from the ringing room to the roof space and the fitting of a mechanical fan in the west window. This was to counteract the threat of covid and also to make the conditions more comfortable for the Ringers.

Redecoration

The fabric committee, continue to redecorate the internal spaces within the Church and Centre and aim to complete this project in the coming year.

I mentioned earlier in this report that the fabric of the church was generally in a good state with a few exceptions; the main one being a problem with damp in the area of the north vestibule and stretching further east along the north wall. Our aim is to consult experts in this field to isolate the problem, and carry out remedial work to the internal decorations in the coming year.

Statutory Tests.

All the statutory tests that are required to allow us to keep the church safe have been completed; PAT, fire-fighting equipment, intruder and fire alarm servicing have been carried out and our commitment to complete the work and inspections identified in our church maintenance schedule remains steadfast. Due to some of the covid restrictions around meeting in church, our Fabric, Health and Safety Committee only met once this year, in June. Hopefully as restrictions have eased we hope that we will be back to a full schedule of meetings in the coming year.

If you are interested in the work of our committee, please talk to one of our members: Peter Lavine, Bill Bradley (who has sole responsibility for the garden(s) and would appreciate volunteers), David Roydhouse, David Malkin, Ian Wood, Charles Atkin and Bevil Edwards.

The risk assessments related to covid safety in the church have been revisited continually throughout the year in conjunction with the vicar and standing committee.

Peter Lavine, Churchwarden

REPORT ON THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE DEANERY SYNOD

Covid restrictions were still in place and the first meeting of the year was via zoom on 20[th] February 2021. Revd. Margaret Gallagher, Area Dean, opened the meeting with prayer and welcomed all the newly elected members. Following an update of Deanery appointments and retirements elections were held for the Deanery posts:

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The following were appointed as members of the Standing Committee: Fr. Tom Bates, Revd. Sharon Brown, Ms. Caroline McLeish and Mr. Gary Sheard.

Revd. Shelagh Stacey has stood down.

Bishop Tony then gave an overview of the problems caused by the covid pandemic. He spoke of the continuing efforts being made by Diocesan Officers to support clergy, parishes and the wider community regarding financial, spiritual, social and mental welfare issues. In his Lenten Reflection Bishop Tony used his jury service experience in a murder trial to reflect on the Lenten theme of temptation and denial. He highlighted the need for each one of us to identify and confront our own person demons.

Synod met again 22[nd] July at St Mary’s South Elmsall, Revd. Margaret Gallagher opened the meeting with prayer and welcomes were extended to the curates: Revd. Gemma Fleury (St Mary’s, South Elmsall), Revd. Jonathan Fleury (All Saint’s, South Kirkby) and Revd. Sam Fletcher (St Giles, Pontefract).

A request was made by the treasurer for a donation of £10 from each parish to cover future expenses for visiting speakers. New signatories for the bank account were required, Fr. Tom Bates and Revd. Margaret Gallagher agreed to take on these roles.

Heather Burge, Governance and Elections’ Lead, Diocesan Electoral Registration Officer, gave an informative presentation on the workings of synod at all levels.

The third and final meeting of the year 16[th] November 2021 was held at Brierly School. The Area Dean opened the meeting with prayer and welcomed the clergy and representatives from the Priory Benefice. This new benefice of Grimethorpe, Ryhill with Brierly and South Kirkby is now part of the Pontefract Deanery.

Revd. Greenwood-Haigh assisted by Mrs Claire Motherdale gave a presentation on resettlement and support given to offenders on their release from prison.

Revd. Greenwood-Haigh is managing chaplain to Askham Grange and New Hall Prison. Mrs Claire Motherdale an ex-offender.

Dates have been set for future Synod Meetings. The first one to be held 24[th] February 2022. Tony Williams /Maureen Gummerson

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NON-STATUTORY REPORTS (Achievements and Performance)

BAPTISM VISITORS

After the periods of restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic we were both relieved and gladdened to resume our services of baptism in May 2021, albeit with safeguards in place with regard to the numbers allowed to attend. One family only was present at each service, the number attending the service being limited at first to 30; this was increased to 50 in July. For similar reasons Baptism Welcomers did not at first attend the Preparation Meetings but have taken part since August.

The Preparation meetings have been led by Canon June and Father Sam. Through them we offer the families and godparents the opportunity to reflect in a relaxed and informal setting their reasons for seeking baptism, followed by time to think about the service itself, its symbols and significance.

There have been 14 baptisms in 2021 of which one was an adult, 6 were children under the age of one year, 6 were between 1 and 4 years and one child was 5 years old.

We have been pleased this year to welcome Robert Jubb and Bridget Sowerby as Baptism Welcomers. There are now 9 of us in the team. My warm thanks to everyone involved in this ministry for their commitment and adaptability!

My thanks also to Vivienne Smales who has taken on many tasks to ensure that the baptism procedures run smoothly. She has consistently ushered us efficiently through these changing times.

Should anyone in the congregation wish to know more about the role of Baptism Welcomers, please feel able to speak with myself, the clergy or one of the team.

Mary Murray

BELL RINGING

COVID-19 restrictions have, once again, curtailed the ringing of bells to a large extent both within the tower at St Giles and more widely in the Church of England. Restrictions are now being lifted and we can return to practice on Monday evenings [7:30pm - 9pm] in preparation for ringing the bells before the 10:15 service each Sunday.

Unfortunately, we have lost two long standing and much loved members of our ringing team this year so ringing will be affected until we can recruit and train new members. If you are curious about learning a new skill that has been developed over the last 500 years, please contact Adrian Garner [07790 956257 or adrianroygarner@gmail.com]. We have been fortunate to retain the ringers we have and I am happy to report they are making steady but progressive improvements to their bell handling skills so the standard of ringing will be improving in the weeks and months to come.

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We look forward to being able to welcome guest ringers to the tower as well as guest teams to enjoy the wonderful sound of the bells at St Giles. The ringers would like to thank Canon June, and all at St Giles for their support over the last year.

Adrian Garner

Tower Captain

FLOWER TEAM

“Consider the Lilies of the fields…”

The Covid restrictions meant that for quite some time we were unable to arrange flowers at Giles. We were delighted when we were able to start again, firstly for special occasions and then to return to do weekly arrangements.

There are now only 3 flower fairies. We were greatly saddened when Eileen Walters felt that she could not continue helping with flowers due to ill health. We thank Eileen for her time and the skills she brought to our flower arranging mornings and we wish her better health in the future. We would also like to thank Elaine Troughton, who is always ready to help us when we need an extra pair of hands.

We consider it to be a great privilege to work with some of the most beautiful parts of God’s creations and to enhance our church building at St Giles.

You will have noticed that we now do two arrangements each week. Obviously the entrance hall is now taken up with the hand sanitiser and other stands. The cost of flowers has also risen quite steeply and, sadly, there are no flower sellers on the Saturday market. However, the rota is now in the entrance and we would encourage people to sign up and to make contributions towards the flowers. We do not expect you to meet the cost of all the flowers. Many people like to mark a significant occasion or date by sponsoring the flowers, but it can be just because you like flowers. We always try to include requests for a special colour or flower. Meanwhile we shall do our bit and are planning a fund raising event later in the year.

Sandra Cutting The Flower Team

JUNIOR CHURCH

We are really looking forward to getting together again as this has not been possible during this last year.

Once we can meet again, we plan to look at Jesus’ life through the signs identified by John’s gospel. A risk assessment has been written and will be updated as we plan to gather again in the Upper Room!!

Lynne Davis

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LUNCH WITH US REPORT

Lunch with Us has run throughout most of the pandemic as a takeaway service on Wednesday lunchtime.

Just recently we had our 300[th] meal service which is a testament to the loyal volunteers who turn up week in week out.

We have managed to secure a couple of grants and we have had a few individual donations which have helped us to continue this work.

We have also been able through the Hardship Fund to provide shoes and warm clothes for several customers.

Thank you to Greggs who provide us with leftover food.

Thank you to everyone who has given a donation whether financial, food or treats......and the butter/margarine tubs that allow us to serve jacket potatoes!

Lastly, thank you to the amazing team of volunteers who come not only from St Giles but other local churches and our community.

Barbara Sessford Lunch with Us Coordinator

THE MISSIONS COMMITTEE REPORT

During 2021 Missions fundraising was once again restricted due to Covid 19. We were able to resume Saturday morning coffee (our main source of income) from September 2021. During that short time, we raised £755.00 to distribute to our charities. This was boosted by members producing extra baking to sell. Anne Healy also knitted novelty table decorations. These were in the form of Christmas puddings designed to hold a Ferrero Rocher chocolate! They proved very popular!

The five charities we continue to support are:

CMS

We help fund Andrew and Andrea Young, who work on behalf of the CMS, providing pastoral care to United Mission in Nepal.

The Leprosy Mission

TLM offers rehabilitation, education, vocational training, small business loans, housing and fresh water and sanitation to tens of thousands of leprosy sufferers each year. Our contribution will go towards this valuable work.

We also collect and send used stamps to TLM. Many thanks to all who save used postage stamps and bring them into Church. These raise a substantial amount of money for TLM every year.

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Church Army

The Missions Committee donate towards their work in very deprived areas of the UK.

The Mission to Seafarers

They work worldwide to support seafarers, giving specialist help in a crisis. Our contribution helps towards this.

Mara

Majengo Mapya is our link parish near Musoma on Lake Victoria.

The Missions Committee hope that 2022 will a more successful year for our fundraising activities and thank all our congregation for their loyal support.

Edie Barber Treasurer and Secretary

MOTHERS’ UNION

We have twenty-eight members and three indoor members. We held our first meeting in September last year

We managed to have three fund raising events making it possible for us to send £150.00 to AFIA (Away from it all holidays) £150 to help the upkeep of the caravans and £100.00 to Worldwide Funds

We held our New Year Social in January and enjoyed a Beetle Drive in February. We look forward to hopefully being able to conduct our programme throughout the year, including celebrating our Queen’s Platinum accession to the throne.

Marjorie Laidlaw

MUSIC REPORT

The choir continues to make an excellent contribution to the Liturgy at Saint Giles’, despite the challenges of the past year. In September we bade farewell to Niamh and Theo as they began their studies at Birmingham and Hull (we politely remind them that neither accents are to be brought back to Pontefract). Their service to life at St Giles’ is amazing. We were pleased to welcome back Lydia and Rachel as more regular members of the top line, too.

A new mass setting by Peter Nardone was introduced and we look forward to the congregation joining in with this in due course, as well as singing familiar hymns to ‘wrong tunes’: the word unfamiliar is perhaps more appropriate. Indeed, new repertoire has been added to keep the worship fresh and the choir on its toes.

The Friday recital series has been successfully reinstated and we were very pleased to welcome Tom to open the proceedings with an amazing recital in October. The change to monthly recitals seems to be more sustainable.

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As always I extend my gratitude to the choir and to Tom Moore and Paul Bowen and I look forward to the easing of restrictions on singing in church so that we can get back to some hearty music-making. I’d like to thank Pam Mercer for all her help and support in dealing with music matters (the library of thousands of copies is quite a challenge to keep on top of) and for her service to the choir. Whilst we may not hear her as much as we used to, we are grateful for her being on standby.

James MacDonald Organist and Director of Music

OPEN CHURCH

Open Church has been affected by the pandemic and church was not able to be open as much as we would have liked.

We are now able to open most days for four hours and on Friday and Saturday mornings. This enables people to be able to sit quietly in church, say a prayer, to light a candle or just to look at our beautiful building.

Thank you to a great team of volunteers who enable us to keep our church open. We have lost a few volunteers over the last couple of years and would like to encourage anyone who feels that they can help to come forward and volunteer.

Barbara Sessford

PARISH MAGAZINE

Having retreated to the Covid-free zone of the Internet for the duration of lockdown, the magazine is now, once again, being published in paper form, albeit in a slightly enhanced form, with a sleeker cover and four colour pages.

Thanks are due to everybody who has continued to contribute to our magazine, particularly Vivienne, not least for her time spent in searching through the Parish Pump for online material and to Stuart for 10 years of doing the layout, sometimes from as far away as Tanzania. He has now stepped down and his role has been taken over by Bruce.

While on-line publishing has its advantages, many of us still prefer the feel of a paper copy in our hands and, while the price has risen, we hope that the improved quality of the magazine will more than compensate for the increase. It still costs less per month than half the price of a cup of coffee in our café and hopefully continues to fulfil a useful role in reflecting life in our church and the wider community.

Your items for the magazine are always welcome. Please send them to brucedalgleish0@gmail.com and stgileschurchpontefract@gmail.com or, if they are handwritten, simply hand them to Vivienne or Bruce, or another churchwarden.

Bruce Dalgleish

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PASTORAL CARE

During Covid-19, leaders of the various church groups have stayed connected with members, the database of church members has enabled phone calls to be made to check up on people’s wellbeing and visits made as appropriate. Weekly notice sheets have been delivered to those who do not have internet access. Food delivers during school holidays to nominated school families have continued throughout the pandemic and Lunch with Us has provided a takeaway service to those in need of its support.

Where members of our churches are unable to attend worship, through sickness, we offer home communions monthly. David Brooks (Reader) headed this up until December 2021 when Fr Sam Fletcher took over. When possible, we visit members in hospital and link patients with the hospital/hospice chaplaincy departments. There is a weekly prayer list for the sick and those in difficulty. Church members support one another by visiting each other and offering lifts to services and events.

Our clergy conducted 39 funerals this year in church and at the crematorium.

ST GILES’ MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

The Covid-19 restrictions during 2021 once again severely affected the St Giles Centre in terms of room bookings, user numbers and income.

Government guidelines continued to be followed throughout the year and documentation relating to Covid-19 Operational Procedures and risk assessments relating to the activities of user groups and organisations were updated accordingly to ensure the continued safety of all people using the Centre.

During the first 8 months of the year the Centre was rarely used due to further restrictions within the Tier system and the subsequent second lockdown at the beginning of the New Year. The weekly Lunch with Us meals service was however able to continue providing a limited takeaway service throughout 2021 (weekly average of 54 meals to 23 people served by 7.5 volunteers) and the weekly Citizens Advice sessions were able to recommence from April. A Care Training course was also held in April and a newly formed Five Towns Veterans Support Hub also commenced at this time under strict safety measures and practices. Unfortunately, the Hub was unable to attract sufficient numbers and ceased to operate after only 3 months.

The Extend Chair Exercise weekly classes recommenced in June and the monthly Wakefield District Sight Aid Support Group meetings recommenced in August but unfortunately were suspended in November due to low numbers which will be reviewed in March 2022.

In September the Wakefield Recovery & Wellbeing College held two courses (Freedom from Fibromyalgia and Understanding Eating Disorders) and the South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust Core Team East, based at Baghill House Pontefract, made a 12-month booking for meetings of a Psychotherapy group. Other new bookings in September included monthly meetings of the Pontefract Readers Group, the annual meeting of the Wakefield District Cycling Forum, Pontefract Choral Society Rehearsals, St Giles Knit & Natter Fundraiser event and the welcome return of Tiddlywinks.

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In November the South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust Core Team East made a further 9- week booking for their Mindfulness+ group meetings and the Art Café group recommenced its fortnightly booking on Friday afternoons.

In December the Wakefield Recovery & Wellbeing College held a Christmas Rag Wreath Workshop and there was a welcome return of the Pontefract Choral Society with their Christmas concert.

The year saw the loss of two regular long-standing bookings – Slimming World and Pontefract Art Club. Following the end of the initial lockdown in 2020 the lack of sufficient space within the Centre for their activities to meet subsequent social distancing requirements resulted in both organisations seeking alternative venues. With the subsequent easing of restrictions, it was hoped Slimming World would return, however, its decision to remain at its new venue was disappointing and constitutes a severe financial loss to the Centre.

The Government funding under the Small Business Grants and Localised/Additional Restrictions Support Grants administered by Wakefield Council received by the Centre in 2020 was not available in 2021 to alleviate the loss of income caused by the various restrictions imposed throughout the year. However, the Nova Live Well Grant - Coronavirus Resilience of £4850 received from Wakefield Council in September 2020 covered a 12-month period and so provided on-going financial assistance with the costs of signage and equipment to support social distancing, provision and maintenance of sanitising stations, loss of room rental, staffing costs and costs of cleaning materials until the end of August 2021.

Irrespective of grant income the room rentals in 2021 amounted to £4463 which was slightly less than the previous year and 65% down on 2019.

The Centre Management Committee was unable to hold face to face meetings due to Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions during the first half of the year, however, bi-monthly reports covering finance, room bookings, Foodshare/Food Pantry, Lunch with Us and grants were circulated and conferred via email. Face to face meetings were held in September and November. Following two very austere years it was agreed to review the 3-Year Strategy Map to focus on increasing the usage and promotion of the Centre and to seek an independent external review of its current management.

The Centre Committee continues to oversee the No.6 St Giles’ Food Share and Food Pantry projects.

In November, when the one-year lease of No 6 expired, wdh offered a three-year lease. We are extremely grateful for their sustained support which has enabled continuation of two schemes to support nominated families with school-age children: the weekly Pantry Club for Chequerfield/Cobblers areas and the Holiday Food Share offered throughout Pontefract.

Food Share has previously covered the longer school holidays, but in October, the anticipated impact of withdrawal of the Universal Credit uplift led us to add a half-term holiday delivery. We plan to make half-term deliveries part of our programme in 2022 as increased costs of living will impact family budgets. Our current capacity is packing for 35-40 families per holiday scheme week including Pantry Club members. Distribution of holiday food parcels has been undertaken by a team of drivers who continue to respond to requests for help, and we are very grateful for their support. Thanks too for all the other ways in which the parish supports us.

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The Pantry Club began in November 2020, and by the start of 2021, there were 12 families comprising 48 people. There have been changes in the membership, but the number of families remained stable at 12 or 13 until demand increased in November and membership rose to 17 families of 70 persons by the end of the year.

The Club continues as a weekly delivery to homes, comprising breakfasts, lunches and main meals for at least two days: some 450-500 person-meals a week. As an affordable food project, families pay a nominal weekly membership fee rather than paying for the food as such. We believe that this provides a degree of dignity for member families as well as the security of assured access to food. Most member families have avoided the necessity of crisis referral to a foodbank and this must help their emotional well-being. We continue to receive positive feedback showing that the Pantry is improving diets, helping to stretch tight budgets, and, for some, helping to relieve social isolation.

Since the autumn, No. 6 has received monthly donations from St Giles’ and St Mary’s congregations, and people can drop food off for us at St Giles’. These have been very welcome and it is particularly helpful that we can highlight our current needs in the Notices and magazine. Content of the FareShare delivery on a Friday morning varies, but an increased supply of perishables was the impetus for starting a Friday doorstep drop of fresh fruit and veg, including potatoes from Stringer’s Farm in Stapleton. We hope to sustain the Friday deliveries and to seek volunteer drivers for these. Morrisons Community Champions have made substantial food donations to No 6, from stock and the green charity bags. Also, the produce managers have put expiring perishable food aside for us when shelves are restocked. We hope that we may be able to regularise this contact and to use our WMDC grant to make weekly in-store purchases of milk, breakfast juice and jam, items which are rare in FareShare deliveries.

Storage at No 6 allows us to cumulate foodstuffs so that we can provide variety from week to week as well building up stocks ready for holiday food provision. However, current storage on shelving units, table-tops and trolleys is sometimes insufficient and we are unable to display nonfood items. We will explore the possibility of acquiring additional shelving to make use of the existing fitments on the shop walls. This will be paid for out of the Small Business Grant we received last year.

St Giles’ Food Share is becoming well known and we are supported both by goodwill and endorsement from local people and by donations of money and food. Two ladies organised a fundraising stall, prompted by No 6’s appearances on television news, and we coordinated the article on local food-aid organisations which appeared in the December edition of Pontefract News. We are also distributing our leaflets to agencies which may be in a position to refer families to the holiday scheme. We continue to display posters about support services, community facilities and local events in the window of No 6 and we disseminate information to our families in their food parcels.

Distance and access issues arise for Pantry members in the Cobblers area and for most holiday families which means we are unlikely to develop our original plan to run No 6 as a shop at present, so we’ll continue to make deliveries. In the summer and Christmas holidays, we partnered in Happy Healthy Holiday schemes, providing supper-packs to participating free school meal children on a “whole family should eat” model. We would like to offer similar cooperation in future local WMDC Happy Healthy Holidays events. We are confident that this can run in tandem with our own Holiday Food Share so that a range of support is provided to local families.

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The Committee is now looking forward to a more productive 2022 and has already received a number of room hire bookings and enquiries.

All bookings will be subject to compliance with any further Covid-19 safety requirements that might be introduced in the future.

Tony Williams resigned from the committee in August 2021. The committee wishes to thank Tony for all his help and support over the last 8 years.

Thanks also are given to Ian, our caretaker, who continues to do a first rate job in a pleasant and helpful manner during an extremely difficult year for the Centre.

Committee Membership: Canon June (Chair), Vivienne Smales (Secretary), David Leigh (Treasurer), David Belford, Bill Bradley, Ulric Murray, Barbara Sessford and Joan Taylor.

Bill Bradley

Please see the Appendix for Financial accounts.

SOCIAL MEDIA

2021 was a busy year for the social media. The Third Lockdown at the beginning of year meant that services continued to be live streamed on the Facebook page. Coronavirus restrictions also meant that for some of 2021 the social media was the main way that we could keep in touch with both our community and regular Church attendees.

Facebook

As a result of the continued Coronavirus restrictions and especially during The Third Lockdown, the Facebook page continued to be an important way of keeping everyone together. Live streaming of our Sunday and Wednesday services continued until the end of August 2021 when the number of people attending Church in-person overtook those watching the services online as Coronavirus restrictions were eased. Jill Clapham continued to live stream Compline on Thursday evenings through out the year and, on certain occasions, services of Morning and Evening Prayer were live streamed. Compline is currently taking a break whilst Jill is on placement but will resume after Easter. The data for all the services which were live streamed has been collected seven days after the service took place and put into the three graphs below. Attendances for Sunday and Wednesday services was high during The Third Lockdown but trailed off as people returned to Church following the easing of Coronavirus restrictions. People returning to Church had some impact on attendances for Compline and other services which were live streamed but remained consistent at between 35-60 people viewing the services each week. The average online

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attendance for Sunday services was 175, 78 for mid-week services and 60 for Compline and other services. The number of page likes for the Facebook page currently stands at 350 with 403 people following the page.

Twitter

The Benefice Twitter account has also continued to grow in the last 12 months. Currently 100 people follow the Benefice on Twitter. Events and services taking place both at St Giles and St Mary’s along with those taking place at All Saints’ are shared on Twitter. We have formed relationships with local business, groups and schools on Twitter and some of them live and share our Tweets. We’d just like to thank the Diocese of Leeds and Church of England Twitter accounts for their encouragement through likes and shares.

A Church Near You

We continue to share news and events taking place both at St Giles and St Mary’s on the A Church Near You website. The pages for both Churches have good visitor numbers as people have been checking the pages to see what is going in Parish. In 2021 the St Giles page had 10902 views and the St Mary’s page had 5683 views. The website has recently undergone a face lift with an improve layout and new features which we’re currently still getting used to but we’re looking forward to taking full advantage of these going forward.

The Lockdowns gave us an opportunity to evaluate how the social media is being used now that things are returning to normal. Increased emphasis is being placed on better promotion of upcoming events and services taking place in the Parish. Church groups are actively encouraged to share news and information about their upcoming events on the social media and photos from their events where possible. So, if you have any events taking place in Church and would like to share information about when they’re taking place or photos following the event to email stgmsocialmedia@gmail.com .

Jonathan Harris

----- Start of picture text -----
Online Attendances for Sunday Services 2021
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Services
Attendance
Epiphany 03/01/21 Epiphany 2 17/01/21 Epiphany 3 24/01/21 Candlemas 31/01/21 Sunday Next Before Lent… Lent 1 21/02/21 Lent 2 28/02/21 Lent 3 07/03/21 Lent 5 21/03/21 Palm Sunday 28/03/21 Easter Day 04/04/21 Easter 2 11/04/21 Easter 3 18/04/21 Easter 4 25/04/21 Easter 5 02/05/21 Easter 6 09/05/21 Easter 7 16/05/21 Pentecost 23/05/21 Trinity Sunday 30/05/21 Trinity 1 06/06/21 Trinity 3 20/06/21 Trinity 4 27/06/21 Trinity 5 04/07/21 Trinity 6 11/07/21 Trinity 7 18/07/21 St James 25/07/21 Trinity 9 01/08/21 Trinity 10 08/08/21 BVM Trinity 12 22/08/21 Trinity 13 29/08/21
Baptism of Christ 10/01/20 Second Sunday before Lent…
Mothering Sunday 14/03/21
----- End of picture text -----

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Online Attendances for Mid-Week Services 2021

----- Start of picture text -----
250
200
150
100
50
0
Services
Attendance
06/01/2021 13/01/2021 20/01/2021 27/01/2021 03/02/2021 10/02/2021 24/02/2021 03/03/2021 10/03/2021 17/03/2021 24/03/2021 Good Friday 02/04/21 07/04/2021 21/04/2021 28/04/2021 05/05/2021 Ascension Day 13/05/21 19/05/2021 26/05/2021 02/06/2021 09/06/2021 30/06/2021 07/07/2021 14/07/2021 21/07/2021 28/07/2021 04/08/2021 25/08/2021 01/09/2021
Ash Wednesday 17/02/21 The Annunciation 25/03/21 Wednesday of Holy Week… Maundy Thursday 01/04/21
----- End of picture text -----

Online Attendances for Other Services 2021

----- Start of picture text -----
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Services
Attendance
Compline 07/01/21 Compline 21/01/21 Compline 04/02/21 Compline 11/02/21 Compline Lent 1 21/02/21 Compline Lent 2 28/02/21 Compline Lent 3 07/03/21 Compline Mothering Sunday 14/03/21 Compline Lent 5 21/03/21 Evening Prayer Palm Sunday 28/03/21 Prayers for Prince Philip 10/04/21 Compline 22/04/21 Compline 06/05/21 Compline 27/05/21 Evening Prayer 06/06/21 Compline 17/06/21 Compline 15/07/21 Compline 29/07/21 Compline 12/08/21 Compline 26/08/21 Compline 09/09/21 Compline 23/09/21 Compline 07/10/21 Compline 21/10/21 Compline 04/11/21 Compline 18/11/21 Compline 02/12/21 Compline 09/12/21 Compline 16/12/21 Compline 30/12/21
Tuesday of Holy Week Compline 30/03/21 Morning Prayer for Generosity Week Day… Morning Prayer for Generosity Week Day… Morning Prayer for Generosity Week Day…
----- End of picture text -----

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TIDDLYWINKS REPORT

Last year was quite difficult for our Tiddlywinks group as we were unable to meet up in church for quite some time. But when the weather prevailed we did meet and enjoy some time together in the Valley Gardens and The Castle.

When we finally resumed our usual Thursday meetings in church in September, seven of our children had moved on to school or nursery provision but surprisingly we are now back up to eighteen which is very encouraging.

We meet every Thursday 10:30 to 12 o’clock in term time for a small children’s service, which includes a story, prayers and songs accompanied by noisy musical instruments.

The children then do some sort of craft activity so they have something to take home to show their parents/guardians. This is followed by playtime in the café area and refreshments. This year, thanks to the generosity of our users, we have been able to make donations to church who provide us with a warm, welcoming place for our activities.

Our resident helpers are Sandra Cutting (who also bakes for us), Jill Townsend (who is an exTiddlywinks grandma), Elaine Troughton, Shelia Roydhouse and Barbara Lavine .

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT

The Benefice of Pontefract: The Parish of St Giles with St Mary’s Pontefract,

Receipts and Payments Account for the year ended 31 December 2021

I report on the accounts of the PCC for the year ended 31 December 2021 which are set out from pages 32-38.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner.

It is my responsibility to:

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 you as Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair view' and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent Examiner’s statement:

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

  1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements  to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and

  2. to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act and the Regulations have not been met; or

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

Name: Mr John Ransome (signed on page 32)

Address: John Ransome Accountancy Services Ltd, 21 Front St, Pontefract WF8 1DA

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ST GILES’ PCC – FINANCIAL STATEMENT YEAR ENDING 31[ST] DECEMBER 2021

31

ST GILES’ PCC – FINAL SUMMARY of RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS 2021

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Funeral Fees Stsff WwJes 1500 15500 851 15615 25500 25087 Publishing Photocopier Rental & Printing 3000 1817 Slationery 2000 673 5000 2490 Worshlp Organist Organ 6000 1500 5475 1276 7500 6751 Ml88lon Common Fund {G £50574. M £4398) Major Projects (Bells} 50500 6000 42328 5855 56500 48183 st Mary's (Slos & Parfsh Shar•) 5500 Sundri•s Refreshments FWO & GA Envelopes Misc. 1000 200 1300 174 Stationery 2681 2500 8319 TOTAL EXPENDITURE 110000 100045 Budget to to Year End RECEIPTS FROM ST MARY'S 2021 2021 Parish Share Contribution Standing Orders & Misc. Payments TOTAL 4400 1100 $500 PAYMENTS FROM ST MARVS 2021 2021 Parish Share to LDBF St. Orders & Misc. Payments to St Mary's TOTAL 4400 1100 5500 33

Budget 81000 110000 Actual 86768.89 100045.04 TOTAL ST GILES PCC RECEIPTS TOTAL ST GILES PCC EXPENDITURE SUM OF RECEIPTS AGAINST PAYMENTS 2021 -13276.15 Net Cash Transfers 2021 26216.13 TOTAL CASH SURPLUS 2021 12939.98 Current Stats of Accounts: Yo¢*shire Building Society Yorkshire Bank 31 st De￿rnber 2021 1316.25 96068.44 (£75414.24 invested) TOTAL 97384.69 Doreen Leach Legacy Other Restricted Funds External Repairs Fund 94960.04 4798.63 -1951.14 Notes: Income The Grfi Aid refund has been received1£8515.94} VAT refund (May 2021) has been ￿￿1vedI£3886.82) We received payments from the Job Retention Scheme in 2020 {April to De￿Mber) Total received from HMRC to the end of 2020 is £ 4157.31 Total received in 2021 is £2360.29 (Jan to Sept). The scheme has now ended. 50% share has been transferred to the Centre account. ntFicant variations in income from Bud et to Gift Aided FWO & Cash Non Grft Aided FWO & Cash Funeral Fees Baptism & Funeral Collections Printing (Magazines l Bulletins) Refreshments Fundraising {inc. Christmas Draw} TOTAL ear end 2021 £0 £1,5¢ £0 -£600 -£1,000 -£4,000 £400 3,700 34

Approved on behalf of the PCC by

Revd Canon June Lawson, Vicar and PCC Chair.

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St Giles’ Church Pontefract

Summary of St Giles’ Centre Accounts 2021

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Lunch with Us Account Summary 2021

Despite the lockdowns during 2021, Lunch With Us was able to operate throughout the year despite the café area being closed thanks to our dedicated team of volunteers.

2813 meals were served during the year, an average of 54 per week.

The venture had a turnover of £ 1440 in 2021 and showed a small profit of £17.

Cash donations did not match expenditure however and £ 550 was transferred from the LwU bank account to balance the books.

Lunch With Us had a positive bank balance of £ 1170.32 as at December 31[st] 2021.

A big thank you to all who devote their time to this very worthwhile venture.

DJL

January 2022

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St Giles' with St Mary's Missions Committee: Income and Expenditure January 2021- December 2021

St Giles' with St Mary's Missions Committee: Income and Expenditure January 2021- December 2021 St Giles' with St Mary's Missions Committee: Income and Expenditure January 2021- December 2021 St Giles' with St Mary's Missions Committee: Income and Expenditure January 2021- December 2021 St Giles' with St Mary's Missions Committee: Income and Expenditure January 2021- December 2021 St Giles' with St Mary's Missions Committee: Income and Expenditure January 2021- December 2021 St Giles' with St Mary's Missions Committee: Income and Expenditure January 2021- December 2021 St Giles' with St Mary's Missions Committee: Income and Expenditure January 2021- December 2021 St Giles' with St Mary's Missions Committee: Income and Expenditure January 2021- December 2021
INCOME EXPENDITURE
Date Details Amount Date Details Amount
From 2020 Brought forward 780.24
Sep-2021 Coffee 120.00 Feb-2021 Church Army 156.00
Oct-2021 Coffee 77.00 Feb-2021 The LeprosyMission 156.00
Nov-2021 Coffee 144.00 Feb-2021 CMS 156.00
Nov-2021 3rd Sunday collection 32.10 Mar-2021 Missionto Seafarers 156.00
Dec-2021 Coffee 176.00
Dec-2021 Donation 50.00
Total income 1379.34 Total expenditure 624.00
Balance carried forward 755.34
LENT PROJECT: Mara. £615.00 was transferred to the LDBF Account
for Majengo Mapya.
Income and Expenditure Statement verifiedbyDavid Leigh 12January2022

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ST MARY’S INCOME AND EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2021

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