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← The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of All Saints, Church Normanton

2024-12-31-accounts

- Reports for 2024

Vicar’s Report

Last year in the Vicar’s bit of the Annual Report I wrote about change. This was partially due to some of our congregation going to be with the Lord. The report also carried the obituary of the Revd Paul Haworth who had been a big help with services since he and Kathrine moved here 5 years earlier. At the time of writing last year, I too had just lost my little sister. I guess I was then hoping for a period of relative stability, however change is a fact of life and carries on...

The biggest change in the church this year was in the role of administrator. Diane, having been part of the ministry here for most of her adult life, then lately held the post of Church Administrator from not long after the time I arrived 12 years ago until October. I

want to formally thank her, on your behalf, for all the years of faithful service. She was replaced in the autumn by Joy, who is also a delight to work with. Unlike Diane, she hasn’t been a part of Normanton and All Saints all her life, so some of the job has been a steep learning curve, and I want to thank her for all the extra hours she has put in to get on top of the job.

To add into the mix, just after Joy had taken up her new post, I snapped my tibia knee tendon, and I was confined to barracks with a non-weight bearing leg for several weeks. Can I thank her and everyone who stepped up during that time to cover the services and daily running of the church.

Also can I remind everyone that in theory, Joy only works 15 hours a week, whereas Diane used to work 30 hours. Reducing the hours at the start of last year was an exercise in cutting our cloth to what we can ,

we need to realise that in that time Joy cannot do everything that Diane used to do at one stage in half the time. Last year we managed to pay our Parish Share in full, which is something to celebrate as it hasn’t happened for decades… we played our full part in supporting the work of the Diocese and not just ourselves, but it left us with very little in the bank at the start of this year.

As I write this there is change in the Diocese too, with the exciting news of a new evangelical Bishop of Wakefield having been announced, Bishop Malcom comes to us from having been an Archde

Diocese (his full resume can be found here https://leeds.anglican.org/who-we-are/news/ the-ven-malcolm-chamberlain-to-be-bishopof-wakefeld.php or scan the QR code on the next page). He is to be consecrated on 11[th]

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June. Also Bishop Nick has announced his retirement in October, so it is all change at the top.

Over the last year we have visited Trinity College Cambridge, our patrons, where above all the Chapel powerfully reminds you of the sacrifice and momentum of those who have gone before us. We have had sermon series on being transformed ourselves, how

mortality and temporal nature of the world, preparing for the world yet to come and a major series on the Book of Ephesians. We were reminded constantly of who we are in Jesus, how we should walk it out and how we should make a stand in the world. Currently we are looking at the Fruit of the Spirit, the work God is doing in our lives to make us like Him.

Some of the school children next door, at All Saints Infants, are convinced that I physically live in the church building. After all, don’t I often see them out and then lock and bar the door after them… So when I try to tell them about my job, I have been known to produce several hats to try and illustrate this.

There is the obvious hat, ministering in church includes Sunday and Wednesday services; hatch match and dispatch (better known as christenings, weddings and funerals); annual festivals; and my involvement in the upkeep and maintenance of the Church buildings. This involves everything from preparation, preaching, teaching, leading, visiting, opening and closing, wrestling with the boiler and the computer, erecting stages etc. Some tasks here are less obvious, I remember thinking after I had been ordained for just a week and I was hanging at the end of a rope 50foot in the air, installing a new screen I had made that could be lowered from the ceiling of the tower, ‘Now which of my college courses prepared me for this!’

be involved in everything from Foodbank to Meet n Eats; the selection of Licensed Lay Ministers for the diocese and mentoring new clergy; applying for grants: taking the Scouts up the tower and, and, and….

all of those hats for a while and caused me to reflect on them. Our church, in its various ministries, comes into contact with 1000’s of people each year, probably over 10,000 (that’s my excuse when I can’t remember your name!). After all there are 326 pupils alone next door, who with their parents make over 1000 on their own. Then there are all the

is a unique position we hold as the Parish Church. For many who don’t know God’s wonderful love in their lives, it may be the only link they have to Jesus.

Hopefully what they glimpse is more than just - a building, a harassed hop along Vicar, a busy Administrator and hard working Church Wardens. (We do try and be like the proverbial swan, and keep all the frenetic activity out of sight under the water.) Because what we want people to see and find for themselves is the life changing love and grace of God. I suspect than many of the 1000’s miss the motivation for what we do.

Throughout the centuries, the followers of Jesus have been getting out there to show the love of God to their communities, or even going further afield. Whether that is in evangelism, setting up charities, founding schools of all sorts, hospitals and medicine, disaster relief, advocacy, campaigning, changing laws such as slavery, debt relief, reform, or helping the marginalised, we have a rich heritage of Christian involvement of

But my other hats are less well known. The committee work and trustee boards I sit on; the council chaplaincy; the work in education from governance to assemblies; Foundation Governor at Freeston; being a support to and oversight of Acorn; managing the Almshouses; chairing the Well and trying to

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doing things for others for the love of God.

In my last church we used to hold monastic days, an immersive experience for schools. Built on the site of a former leper hospital, we reflected their biblical values of hospitality, healing, prayer, community building, education and learning; all things that ceased when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries. Suddenly new hospitals, libraries, hotels and schools such as Freeston and QEGs had to be founded.

When it came to choosing a reading for my father-in-law’s funeral, I suggested a passage from Matthew 25. including, ‘Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me.’ Someone in the family questioned the reading, saying he did not do all those things himself. No, I agree, he didn’t personally do them all, but he supported a great list of charities that couldn’t have done it without people like him.

So can I thank you for all the ways you support the ministry of Jesus through All Saints. We couldn’t do it without you. Many of the thousands whose lives we have intersected this year may have no idea of our motivation to share the love of Christ, but we pray that some will see it and come to know it for themselves. And perhaps it is just as well, at the end of it all, that they aren’t

responsible for your reward for playing your part in responding to His call. It is our Loving Father, who sees all we do, and calls us home eventually with the words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’

Alan

Bishop of Leeds, Rt Revd Nick Baines to Retire

Rt Rvd Nick Baines announced his retirement on the 24th of March 2025.

He said, “It has been an immense privilege to have been asked to serve in this role, and it has been an honour to work alongside clergy and lay leaders who demonstrate joy, vision, courage and resilience. Not only did we create at Easter 2014 a new diocese from the three dissolved historic dioceses of Bradford, Ripon & Leeds and Wakefield, but we also journeyed through the challenges of a global pandemic and its consequences across church and society.

I will for ever be grateful for your support, prayers and encouragements - even when people strongly disagreed with me or my colleagues. I cannot put into words my respect and gratitude for all the colleagues with whom I have worked closely in building this diocese: diocesan secretaries, registrars, bishops, archdeacons, deans, and many, many more.”

Bishop Nick and Linda will be retiring to Liverpool (surprisingly) where I am sure some chaplaincy might be needed at Anfield. (Don’t mention Newcastle United).

He also said You will remain in my heart and my prayers into the future. Please pray for me and Linda.”

QR Code for article about Bishop Malcolm

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All Saints Normanton Parish Church MEETING OF PARISHIONERS 21 April 2024

1. Minutes of the previous meeting 26 March 2023

The minutes were accepted as a true and accurate record of the previous meeting.

2. Election of Church Wardens

There were two vacancies for Church Wardens.

Two nominations were received for Church Warden

Virginia Hashimi Proposed by Stewart Drury, seconded by Ian Rogers

Andy Vanstan Proposed by Rendel Murray, seconded by Marianne Fernandez

As there were no other nominations Virginia Hashimi and Andy Vanstan were duly elected as Church Wardens for the ensuing year.

Rev Alan Murray thanked Virginia Hashimi for her service as sole Church Warden over the last year.

All Saints Normanton Parish Church ANNUAL PAROCHIAL MEETING 21 April 2024

Present: 36 Church members were present at the meeting.

Minutes of the previous APM 26 March 2023

The minutes from the previous meeting were accepted as a true and accurate record.

Matters Arising

None.

Apologies

Ginny Camponi Pat Hartley

Judith Townend Stewart Drury

Sandy Vanstan

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Electoral Roll

and live outside the area and none requested to be removed from Roll; the new Electoral Roll is 99.

Election of PCC Representatives

There were three vacancies for PCC Representatives. Judith Howell and Stewart Drury have been on PCC for six years and therefore cannot stand again; Rev Alan Murray thanked them for their service. Three nominations were received therefore there was no need for a vote. Those duly elected were:

Elected to PCC: Proposed by: Seconded by: Michael Woodhead Andy Vanstan Marianne Fernandez Ann Preston Andy Vanstan Marianne Fernandez Joy Smith Rendel Murray Andy Vanstan

Election of Deanery Representatives

No election of Deanery Representatives was required.

Accounts

The report was contained in the APM booklet. Derek Howell expressed his thanks to Diane Brennan and John Penrose. The meeting accepted the accounts.

Expenditure is slightly up; income is slightly further down than expected. Derek Howell encouraged all to consider their giving; preferably by envelopes or bank account transfer and consider a 5% increase. The accounts are based on 31[st] December. The church is working hard on the contracts to try and get lower or better deals where we can.

The church is a grade 2 star listed building. The Parish Rooms is not listed but is in a conservation area within the church building. Last year works and costs lead to work happening in four months this year. The church clock now has an automated winding mechanism. Security fencing was installed to secure the church windows and the vicarage. The vicar’s board has been extended; it is not yet engraved but will be. Internal work was undertaken on the Parish Rooms to meet fire regulation standards.

New windows have been installed at the back of the Parish Rooms. This year it is hoped we can replace the windows in the northern hall. Meetings are being held this week regarding this. Gifts to the fabric fund are still possible and it is encouraged that this is additional to regular giving. It is hoped that work will be done to the windows in church paid for by gifts and legacies. If you’d like to give to Church after you’ve passed away, please do.

Derek Howell thanked PCC, John Penrose and Diane Brennan for their support.

Rev Alan Murray expressed his sincere thanks to Derek Howell for doing the accounts.

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Appointment of Examiner of Accounts

Derek Howell asked that the meeting agree to appoint John Penrose again as the Independent Certifier of the accounts. All present agreed.

Reports

All reports were contained in the APM booklet. No questions were forthcoming.

Vicar’s Report

Rev Alan Murray thanked everyone for all they do; wardens, treasurer, governors, PCC, Children’s work, Rock Solid, Acorn, Church School, Mums, Dads and Tots, worship, PA, VA, Baptism team, prayer warriors, food bank, Meets n Eats, WOT, Mens group, Code Life, refreshments, Welcome Team.

Diane Brennan has reduced her hours to three hours per day Monday to Thursday 9am to 12noon.

Paul will be much missed; he attended All Saints for five years. There will be a memorial service for Paul on 20[th] July at 11.30am.

Judith Howell and Leah Huddlestone are stepping down from Children’s work. Rev Alan Murray thanked them for all they have done. Tomorrow they will each receive by email a voucher for Hobbycraft. Rev Alan Murray advised a meeting will be held to discuss who will run Children’s Church and Messy Church. If anyone would like to be involved please speak to Rev Alan Murray, Judith Howell or Leah Huddlestone.

Rev Alan Murray explained that a vacancy doesn’t always mean a call but church members do need to pray and listen to God’s voice. The report of prayer group mentioned three things; wake up, he does see even you and you are precious and part of his planning. If you feel you need to share what you think he’s saying please speak to Rev Alan Murray.

Diane and Dave Collett still have their Ukrainian family living with them. The Ukrainian family who were living with Rev Alan Murray and Rendel Murray now have their own home.

The clock is now automatic, bell ringers are undertaking training, work has been undertaken on the Parish Rooms. The largest number of people have accessed the Food Bank this week. The Well shop is thriving but needs volunteers. The fencing at the back of church has made a significant difference.

Rev Alan Murray asked church members to review their giving. He asked that they think about it and pray and speak to him about it.

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The Annual Parochial Church Council Report 2024

The Church and Church O�ice are situated on the B6133 in Normanton.

The Council is required, as stated in the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956, to co-operate with the ministers in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.

Membership

Members of the PCC are either ex-o�icio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules.

During the year, the following served as members of the PCC:

Incumbent: Alan Murray Wardens: Virginia Hashimi (2023) Andy Vanstan (2024) Treasurer: Derek Howell (APCM 2022 - 2nd term) Giving Officer Secretary: Roz Maddison (2024) - Deanery Synod: Sue Hodgson (2023 2nd term) Rosalyn Maddison (2023) Andy Vanstan (2023) Lay Vice Chair/Training - Michelle West (2023 2nd term) Disability Elected Members: Beth Edwards (2023) - Marianne Fernandez (2022 2nd term) — Derek Howell (2022 2nd term) Denise Monkman (2023) - Joy Smith (2024 2nd term) Michael Woodhead (2024)

The Standing Committee

The Standing Committee is a statutory committee which deals with anything that arises in between PCC meetings. The committee consists of the Incumbent, Churchwardens, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and one elected PCC member.

The retiring members of the PCC are Stewart Drury, Judith Howell, Joy Smith. There are no retiring members of Deanery Synod.

There are 99 parishioners on the Electoral Roll, 26 of whom are not resident within the parish. 5 have moved out of the area and no longer attend and 3 were deceased. There are 2 new enrolments.

The full PCC met 6 times during the year. The Standing Committee has the power to deal with any - emergency which arises, subject to any directions given by the council. There are also three sub committees: Estates and Mission & Ministry meet 3 times a year and Governance meet twice a year, to further discuss their areas of ministry.

As an Anglican church in the parish of Normanton, West Yorkshire, our intention is to meet the spiritual, physical and pastoral needs of all the people who live within our parochial boundary. We seek to minister pastoral care to all age groups and cultural backgrounds within a Christian context.

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Parochial Church Council Annual Review of Meetings in 2024

All meetings during the year were chaired by Rev’d Alan Murray. Regular items on the agenda include:

JANUARY

installed in Parish Rooms

–

Mission & Ministry

– March

MAY

come to the PCC regardless

e Decision made regarding church’s Normanton Gala

Estates

MARCH

JULY

Estates

– go ahead

given & for brackets to be cast

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• Mariane Fernandez appointed as Children’s Rep & stood

th July

2024

e Judith Howells asked PCC to identify someone to work with her, with a view to taking over ‘Parish Safeguarding

NOVEMBER

OCTOBER

feedback

Rev Alan Murray Chairman

Roslyn Maddison PCC Secretary

All Saints Parish Church

High Street Normanton West Yorkshire

WF6 1NR

Registered Charity No: 1135324

Bank:

CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ

Independent Examiner:

Mr John Penrose 2 Park Avenue Normanton West Yorkshire WF6 2DR

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Church Warden’s Report

Where has the time gone? Another year has flown by and here we are again writing reports for the APCM!

It's fair to say that a lot has happened in the last 12 months; we've welcomed new comers, of all ages, into our Church family and sadly - said good bye to others; some to pastures new and others to be in the presence of our Lord.

As ever it's been a busy year for the Church with our regular Sunday and Wednesday services, Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals as well as our regular seasonal services such as Remembrance Sunday, the Memorial service, Lent and Holy Week, Advent and Christmas. We've also hosted community events such as the Christmas Fare, Fashion Show, local talks & exhibitions whilst once again were a collection hub for the Christmas Shoe Box Appeal.

The Church building is is structurally safe and watertight with general repairs and upkeep being carried out through the year. One area that does need attention though is to the stonework some of which is in considerable disrepair, however now that the weather is improving we will be employing a contractor to repoint and repair.

We have also undertaken works within the Parish Rooms; the windows and mullions to the east side of the building have been replaced whilst the have been fitted to the broken windows to the rear of the building have also been replaced. New lighting has been installed and the entrance hall has been replastered and decorated, all making for a much brighter and more pleasant environment for Acorn Alternative Provision and all who use or hirer the rooms.

extra services and events that I mentioned earlier.

I especially want to record my thanks to Derek Howell, not only for his sterling work as Treasurer, but also for all the extra work that he undertakes; liaising with and meeting our architects and contractors, investigating and applying for grants to name but a few – all of which takes up a considerable amount of time

– Thanks Derek!

I also want to thank Joy Smith, our new Administrator. It would be fair to say that she had big shoes to fill in replacing Diane and there have been and continue to be many – challenges not least of which involve keeping the Wardens and Vicar in line!

Blessings

Andy Vanstan

Electoral Roll Report

After the APM 2024 the Electoral Roll stood at 99. The total for this year is 105, (please see breakdown below):

3) Not renewed 4 4) New Enrolments 2024 99 + 6 105

My thanks go to all the volunteers who help, in whatever capacity, with our services both on Sunday and Wednesday as well as all those

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Finance Report 2024

The Accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Receipts and Payments Method required under the 'The Charities Act 2011 ’ . These Accounts were presented to and approved by PCC on 29 January 2025.

I am pleased to say that this has been another year where we have been able to use our budget to achieve all the aspects of maintenance and ministry that PCC agreed at its budget meeting in January 2024 and subsequent additions and changes agreed during the year. We have accomplishing that through careful monitoring of all costs and cash flow, however, we have had to draw considerably on our cash resources, which began the year at £6411 and ends it at £1670. That means cash reserves are now at a low but sustainable level, but drawing on them any further to meet future budget pressures is greatly reduced.

The detailed accounts follow, both in summary and published form. I have drawn out the following points:

Giving and Overall Income Levels:

Our estimated levels of direct & planned giving have not fully materialised, falling short by around 7%. In fact, the actual amount of direct and planned giving in 2024 is 2.4% less it was in 2023. Other, less accountable aspects of giving however, e.g. plate and cashless giving and

reviewing our planned giving, in the following quote from The Church of England:

‘ Regular giving is of course good and we thank everyone who is committed to supporting the church in that way. However, before all of us - who do so feel smug one aspect of regular giving which is of concern throughout the Church of England is what has become known as ‘ static giving ’ .

some of this reduction.

I want to thank everyone of you who supports the church by regular giving, either by direct bank giving or the church’s envelope scheme and especially those who have responded so positively to appeals during 2024 to increase the level of your giving.

I will however repeat the very important point I continue to make concerning us regularly

Basically, giving the same amount regularly, year on year (i.e. but not increasing it).

If we do not increase our giving by at least the rate of inflation each year how can even existing things continue, when all costs are rising by at least that rate? ’

We all recognise, because of our home situation, that the cost of essentials and especially fuel costs continue to rise. Unfortunately, the church building is not immune to any of that and rising costs have to be found and that can only be found from our giving.

I, on behalf of the PCC, would ask all regular givers to All Saints’ to think about this and,

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if possible to consider a 5% increase in their giving in 2025.

Away from giving, other income, as a result of our 2 community focused events, Fashion show and Craft Fair, was greater than anticipated and Parish Rooms lettings income is also healthy. Much of that comes from rental payments from Acorn AP for their use of the Parish Rooms. The figure is even higher than expected as it includes 4 terms of payment rather than 3, the payment due in January 2025 having been received in December 2024.

accordance with the budget, including meeting in full, our Parish Share.

Unfortunately, attempts to reduce our building and content insurance premiums were unsuccessful and that is reflected in the figures shown.

to church administration. Our Administrator of 11 years, Diane Brennan, left us at the end of August and from September Joy Smith took up that role but under a newly agreed part time

Expenditure

The majority of expenditure is unavoidable and on items of necessity for the ongoing running of all aspects of the church. Many of these are subject to negotiated contracts, e.g. Heat, Light, Water, Insurance, Security, Telephone and Internet, Wages which are reviewed regularly to ensure the most economic and value for money options are obtained. Other elements of expenditure are relatively small and there is little room for reduction in any of them. The only aspects of major expenditure within the PCC ’ s control falls within the category of Church Mission and Parish Share (which, although treated separately, is really ‘ Mission ’ in our Diocese).

As stated earlier all planned levels of mission and ministry have been financed in

Re-ordering & Fabric Fund:

The Reordering & Fabric Fund was created out of the former Reordering Fund and is a specific internal fund to allow PCC, the means to consider how to deal with wider, major fabric issues, beyond everyday maintenance and upkeep, on both church and Parish rooms. It remains a ‘restricted fund’ meaning donations to it and expenditure from it will only be for those purposes named and will mainly be project based.

During the year, the following have been paid from this fund:

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In Conclusion:

May I reiterate my thanks to you all for your support throughout the year. My special thanks go to our Church Administrators, Diane Brennan and more recently Joy Smith, for all the work in maintaining the day to day financial processes and record keeping and to John Penrose for undertaking the role as our Independent Examiner for these accounts.

Derek Howell Treasurer& Giving Officer

The PCC, through its Estates Sub Committee, continue to ensure the recommendations of our Architects from the last Quinquennial report are carried out, subject to finance availability. Most of the work undertaken in 2024 is part of those recommendations. The next Quinquennial Inspection is due to be arranged this year and it is anticipated that although many issues from the previous report will have been dealt with as a result of the work done, new recommendations will ensue.

Major works on our Grade 2* listed building CANNOT be financed by church members alone and therefore other sources of funding are always sought, e.g. grants. However, as the regular users and beneficiaries of the building, we must be prepared to bear some of the cost and certainly we must be the ones to plan the work and pursue possibilities for its completion.

Some members of the congregation have continued donating to the Reordering and Fabric Fund for which we are extremely grateful. If any other members of the congregation wish to commence or recommence donations to the Reordering and Fabric fund, additional to their regular giving,

would be greatly appreciated.

Work this year has also been possible because of a bequest left to PCC in the will of a church member.

If anyone wants further advice on making donations or bequests, please have a word with me (Derek Howell) at any time.

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Summarised Annual Accounts 2024 enditure CHURCH SERVICES Parish Share Cler Service Resources Funerallweddin s Fees Awa Da s, Confs. Communit Focused Events General Sundries CHURCH BUILDINGS Insurance Premiums Heat & Li ht & Water Fire & Securi Church Fabric Church E ui ment Church Cleanin Parish Rooms E ui ment Parish Rooms Fabric Parish Rooms Cleanin Actual 51800 1800 2500 3000 300 50 300 £51.800 £2,003 £2.726 £2,868 £0 £0 £269 4500 12000 1900 500 500 4200 500 1000 2800 £13,547 £1,846 £1,009 £4,155 £462 CHURCH MISSION Overseas Mission Givin UK Mission Givin Collections Overseas CHURCH ADMINISTRATION Admin Wa es&NI Re ro rental & materials General Tele hone Software & Internet Office Stationer CHURCH SCHOOL School Governors 2400 6000 100 £2,400 £6,000 19600 1100 400 4300 500 £14,052 £765 £4,099 £260 1500 £1,500 £123 550 MONTHLY TOTAL Exc Reorderin £127.674 Reorderin & Fabric Ex enditure £27,547 FULL TOTAL EXPENDITURE £155 221 14

Income VOLUNTARY INCOME Direct Givin Planned Givin Actual 63020 4000 £59.334 £3,141 Envelo 16700 6500 600 6000 Income Tax& GASDS Reclaimed Plate Collection Weddin s & Funerals collection Sundr Donations INCOME FROM CHURCH ACTIVITIES Weddin l Funerals Fees Awa Da s Conferences Books & Media Communi Focused Events Parish Room Lettin Photo co in Social Functions Insurance Claims Grants Misc INCOME FOR MISSION Restricted Missions I Charities INVESTMENT INCOME Bank Interest Investment income £16.041 £8,299 £254 £9,965 9300 400 900 5600 160 £8,309 £198 £10 373 £0 £0 £0 1375 100 £317 100 400 230 £263 £229 £115.385 MONTHLY TOTAL Excl Reorderin £121,043 Reorderin & Fabric Income £17,800 FULL TOTAL INCOME £138 843 Cash at Bank No1 & No2 Accounts £1,670 Cash at Bank No 3 Reorderin & Fabiic Alc £40.374 15

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Our students are a blessing (sometimes) and there were some real culture setters last year who helped to ensure our Acorn values were evident. Ensuring that our students take responsibility and, in many ways, become role models for their peers is one reason, I believe we have so few suspensions or major incidents of poor behaviour within our centre.

Acorn@Normanton Alternative Provision

Another successful year for Acorn@Normanton, but with that success came many challenges both within the centre

not be a surprise that mental health is a major concern on a daily basis and between May 2024 to July 2024, we were dealing with weekly calls regarding either attempted - suicide, self harm or students going missing. Though many schools were understanding of what we were dealing with, there were times of disappointment where regardless of the anxiety the students were facing, progress data still a priority. I sadly feel that we still face these challenges in education, and it does feel that the balance if not quite there. Thankfully, places like Acorn can step in to try and support all involved in a calm and nurturing environment.

Throughout the year, the team has slowly expanded and though Rachael and I are still

(Charlie & Dougie) continue to support our students by volunteering on a Monday. I know the students really enjoy seeing new people and having the opportunity to further supported. I cannot put into words fully how much we appreciate our volunteers and would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their love and commitment.

school and our students will communicate through anger or refusal at times.

Academically, we are seeing some great results when it comes to Functional Skills assessments and exams. Many, if not all left Acorn in July 2024 with some form of qualification in both Maths and English which did allow them to access the college courses - they wanted. Out of five year elevens who - moved onto post 16 education, all but one is - no longer attending. The 2024 25 school year began in September 2024 and we seem to have a large number of KS3 which does bring

Financially, the centre ended the last school year with a small profit which was certainly a relief after so many schools initially refused to use Acorn due to a lack of registration. This did have an impact on finances during the early stages of the year, but over time schools did return and we continue to be fully booked. Though this is a good position to be in, we know from past experiences that things quickly change in education, and we know a school can decide to pull a student and close a partnership with very little notice. Because our only income if school referrals, fundraising is massive part of any charity,

James, the parent of one of our past students wanted to raise money for Acorn and decided

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Tower in York back to the Parish Rooms in Normanton. I joined James on this walk and

something I know meant a lot to James. In October, I took on another challenge which was a 24-hour row (indoor). I rowed 50 minutes of every hour for 24 hours (12.00pm to 12.00pm). This really caught the imagination of the community, and I had people rowing alongside me for most of the challenge. I do need to thank Brad Foster and everyone at Unique Fitness for hosting the event and for their support during my training. Thank you also to everyone who donated to one or either of these events, we raised a combined amount of about £3500 which means a lot to everyone at Acorn AP.

Raising funds does mean we can buy resources for our students and also introduce them to new experiences like school trips. Many of our students have not had the privilege of attending a school trip due to anxiety or behaviour. Outside of local visits to Xscape for bowling and Laser Zone, we also went to Flamingo Land which was a brilliant day.

2024 for me personally has probably been one of the most challenging with me facing a lot of changes due to bereavements and other elements in my personal life that would impact on anyone’s mental health. Sadly, the

the new year. It was during this time that both the Acorn team and some members of the church really showed me love and support and, in many ways, carried me over the Christmas period. Thank you to Racheal, my classroom teachers for holding the fort so professionally. To Andy, Gill and Breanna for coordinating cover in my absence along with Alan and Rendel who checked in with me and bought me a Star Wars Lego Advent Calendar.

In closing, thank you to everyone who supports Acorn@Normanton through prayer. We really do appreciate it and in the current climate where morals seem to be disappearing, ensuring Jesus is present in the lives of our students as never been so vital.

Gavin Budby, Head of Centre

Baptism

In 2024 our congregation welcomed 13 families into Church when they attended their child’s Thanksgiving service, which took place during the first Sunday morning service of the month. Many said it was lovely to meet the families and the child being baptised.

The Baptism services took place after the Sunday morning church service, on the third Sunday of the month. We welcomed 13 children into our church family in 2024.

Thank you Ann for continuing to write the naming and blessing prayer for each child baptised, it is a popular part of the service when we read this out. My grateful thanks go to the Baptism team for their continued support in ensuring things run smoothly and all the families have some wonderful memories of their child’s special day.

Sue Hodgson

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Churches Together

In 2024 Churches in Altofts and Normanton met to discuss the upcoming events in the year. Every 5[th] Sunday Churches Together hold a joint service; various churches host this evening with an open invitation for the congregation from all churches to attend.

Churches Together 2024

Wakefield Deanery 1: THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

Deanery Synod

June 4[th ]

– took place at St George’s Church, Lupset,

– First Speaker

January

Lent Course - material discussed. Days and time of services agreed.

Easter services.

– Second Speaker Janet Edmond, Senior

June ~~—_~~

– Hustings Alan invited all parties to partake.

Remembrance service in Hawhill Park.

Churches Together service in September at All Saints.

Gala – All Saints to have a presence, members of the other churches are welcome to join us

Janet spoke primarily about the Parish Giving - Scheme (PGS) a free service for regular, planned giving, to the work of the church. Janet also highlighted other areas in which the Diocesan team can provide support, such as sourcing grants and identifying areas for improvement.

September

Remembrance - Rev Naomi Kaiga is not attending Altofts Memorial this year.

There’s to be a meeting with the council regarding the Community Christmas Carol service.

Marianne Fernandez & Sue Hodgson

November 12th

– took place at St Catherine’s Church, Belle Vue, Wakefield.

Speaker – Archdeacon Cat Thatcher

Cat shared something of her journey into the

‘God calls you, and calls you into places you don’t expect, so watch out!’

Cat spoke of her passion to develop discipleship and a growth in spirituality

churches); and how she is driven by a desire for people to come and know Jesus Christ as Lord – dreaming and praying for our churches to be full.

Social justice is another driving force for Cat

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and as Archdeacon she wants to support churches who are working in aspects of social - justice we live in a troubled world, where some don’t have enough, are abused and marginalised.

Cat’s question for all our churches to consider was: where is the next generation in this place? and how are we reaching them? Small group discussions were had around this question and ideas and strategies shared from across the diocese.

January 29th

– took place at St Catherine’s Church, Belle Vue, Wakefield.

Speaker Revd. Henriette Howarth, Prayer and Spirituality Co-ordinator for the Diocese of Leeds

Henriette spoke about the role of the Prayer and Spirituality team, explaining how each area has a co-ordinator (Revd. Ruth Harris for Wakefield) who’s work includes organising Quiet Days and the Follow Me series.

Henriette, originally from the Netherlands, shared something of her own experience, how in each place that she has lived, how she has learned something about God, and something

She encouraged us to look at two sides to the area of prayer and spirituality:

the unknown God’ – the God-shaped hole in people, reaching out to the God they do not yet know.

Paul wants to reach them with the gospel. Starting where they are, in their culture and context.

Henriette challenged us to start in the area of prayer, where people are.

Over the course of this year, a motion sent to Diocesan Synod from Wakefield Deanery Synod about becoming a Fairtrade diocese. This was overwhelmingly supported at Diocesan Synod and work has now started e.g. updating parts of the diocesan website.

Sue Hodgson, Roslyn Maddison, Andy Vanstan & Michelle West Deanery Synod Reps

In Acts 17: Paul is impressed by the religiousness of Athens, he finds an altar ‘to

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soon, which we are looking forward to.

In 2024/2025 we are having a mix of breakfasts and evening events to enable more great God filled men of the church to attend.

Attendance through the year is between 5 and 12 men, where the average has increased slightly to approximately 8 per meeting, which is great news and shows we are doing something right and strengthening more as Christian Men to "be strong and courageous" Joshua 1:9

Health Walks from The Well

In 2024 we had 48 weekly walks with from 2 to 11 walkers each week, and with a total of 287 attendances over the year

We meet at 10 am in The Well building in Haw Hill Park and often use cars to enable us to walk in a variety of locations near Normanton, returning for a snack of soup and bread after a walk of 2 to 2½ miles, lasting about an hour or so.

Mens Group is for all men! It is a arena for those attending to share there opinions, experiences, prayer, and debates. We are here to bring together men in Christ, again, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." proverbs 27:17.

So invite yourself/whoever you want to, just let me know and I will add you/them to the - WhatsApp group and e mail list. Gossips NOT welcome, it is a safe environment for men to

John Penrose

Men’s Group

Mens Group has been having a great year, we are continuing studying the 52 Men of the Bible which we do monthly, that's if we have time to between all the great conversations and food we have.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23

God still loves us.

God be with you,

Scott Hodgson

Gavin Budby has been able continuing to enhance men's Christian journey through guided classes ; which offer great God

thoughts within the group. On behalf of the Men's Group we would like to thank Gav for providing these classes. Gav is starting another event called Light Infantry coming

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Of course, we couldn’t run Messy Church without lots help. So thank you to all of our Messy Helpers. We hope to see you all next time!

Messy Church

As you are aware Judith Howell, stepped down from leading Messy Church last Summer. After much thought and prayer, Victoria and I agreed to take over the running of Messy Church from September 2024. We had big shoes to fill!

With a lot of guidance and encouragement from Judith, we held our first Messy Church session on 8[th] December 2024. After a very busy couple of weeks of preparation in the lead up, the afternoon went well, much better than Victoria anticipated!

hunt to crafts to the ever popular biscuit decorating! We finished with Victoria telling the Christmas story.

Thank you also to Joy, for helping on all of the admin, advertising and printing! We couldn’t do it all without you.

Everyone had a great afternoon and we received lovely feedback from thankful parents and Messy Helpers alike!

We would love to welcome more volunteers to the Messy Team! If anyone would like to help, please feel free to come and see Victoria or myself at church or message us.

Here’s to the next Messy year!

The proposed dates of Messy Church for this year are; 6[th] April (Easter Themed) 29[th] June (No theme TBC)

23[rd] November (Christmas themed)

Wendy Smith

After all the fun of activities, everyone enjoyed hotdogs and crisps and all children went home with a chocolate lolly as a treat for Christmas.

Mums, Dads & Tots

Our numbers have dropped slightly since my last report. We now have a steady 15 toddlers and babies each week. We had a couple of children who left in the Summer, which took away some siblings too, but we have had some new children join us too. Some weeks are busier than others, but always very

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We are very lucky to have Emma Farnell who is the family support worker, the children absolutely adore her. Emma comes along most weeks to help and support us and talk to our families.

We now have a large range of toys, for all ages and we have a craft every week, depending on the time of the year. We also have a dressing up corner. We had our usual Christmas party with a visit from Father Christmas himself, all children get a gift although some are more eager than others to go and collect it.

Once again Michelle Newton and Emma Farnell arranged the Christmas gifts and a small selection pack, which go down very well

system for our party weeks. There is always so much food left, which sadly goes to waste. So now ask for a contribution of £3 per child, which includes food and a party bag. We the volunteers sort out the food as we know roughly how many children attend, therefore there is much less waste. On party weeks parents are asked to plate of food instead of the normal £1.50 weekly contribution for each child.

Sadly, we have had to increase the weekly contribution to £2 per child, due to the rising cost of craft materials, food, milk, squash etc. This rise just about keeps our funds on an even keel. Although we do have some parents who aren’t able to pay every week, but with the help and support from The Well we can cover the costs as we would want any child to miss out!

This year at our Easter Party we were able to give the children a small gift and an Easter egg each which were supplied by The Well.

A big thank you as always goes to June and Denise who come every week to prepare and

serve adults and children alike with drinks and snacks and look after the kitchen.

Our lovely mum Vikki Nix is still running and sets up each plus week, arranges craft and activities for the children. I continue to support Vikki, I help with crafts and getting supplies when needed. When Vikki is unable to come for any reason, we have a group of lovely adults that come early and help me and my husband set up and put away the toys and equipment and generally tidy up at the end of the afternoon.

Thank you to Derek for taking on the role of Father Christmas, due to Alan being in disposed after falling and hurting with his knee.

I would also like to thank church administrator Diane up until October 2024, Now we have Joy who is always happy to let Vikki into the hall each week.

Wendy Smith

Open Doors Prayer Group

Open Door prayer meetings are held by Zoom, on the first Saturday of the month from 11am to 12 noon. An email with a link to join the

before.

vulnerable, their stories are either reenacted or their voices distorted and told by an Open Doors representative. Watching the videos and seeing the villages and countries

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much more ‘real’, than reading their story.

We held an Open Doors Service on Sunday 3 November 2024 focussing on the Arise Africa Campaign where we shared a video of Pastor Barnabas at one of many displacement - camps for the persecuted church in Sub Saharan Africa. You were very generous; we were able to send £220 to support the campaign.

An item on the latest news of persecuted Christians is included in the monthly church newsletter, with a few suggested prayer points.

shopping and social outings, as well supporting by phone, text and email. We are also very aware that many of our church family also provide much needed care and support to others, and we are thankful for that. Let us continue to care for one another as a response to Gods love.

from pastoral support or who would like to receive support themselves, please contact Alan, Rendel or Marianne

Marianne Fernandez & Rendel Murray

If anyone would like to know more about Open Doors or the prayer meetings, please do not hesitate to contact us. Everyone is welcome to the prayer meetings; we are always pleased to see new faces. If you decide to join though prefer to pray alone at home, there would be no obligation, or any pressure to continue.

Love Stephanie and Ginny

Stephanie Woodhead & Ginny Camponi

. 7''

Rock Solid Youth Group

Pastoral Support Team

Marianne and Rendel, our fully trained Pastoral Ministers, have been supporting many members of the church family (and others), giving emotional and spiritual support and in practical ways. This has been done by visiting, taking home communion,

Rock Solid is now led by Stewart Drury, Rendel Murray and Joy Smith. All of us have DBS clearance, have completed the recommended safeguarding training and the Diocese of Leeds training “ Good Practice for Working with

Children and Young People” .

We meet weekly during school termtime from 6pm to 7pm in the Parish Rooms. The sessions usually consist of some games and some

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discussion. Bible Bingo has proved very popular! We also had a few sessions that were more craft

things!

Gavin Budby visits our sessions to observe and to ensure we are following our policies and - procedures and to spend time with the young people. Currently there are seven young people

Safeguarding

On behalf of the PCC, I continue to work to ensure @ that we comply with the iM National Safeguarding . Making our Church requirements and have Safe for All due regard to the House of Bishops’ Guidance on Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults.

Judith Howell, Safeguarding Officer

who attend each week, mainly from church families.but have Weoften have welcomed some of their friends a group of regular attendees as well.

Small Saints

Having only been looking after our small saints since the end of October we have limited report. We now run on the 2[nd] and 4[th] Sunday of the month. We can report we are having fun and have lots of plans for the future. We have around 8 saints on a regular basis with up to 12 joining us. We started with Cecil the lost sheep, he tends to stick. Not sure if its his antics that makes him popular.

A birthday cake enjoyed at Rock Solid!

Marianne Fernandez, Sophie & Noami West

Tuesday Prayer Meeting

Although no one took up our invite last year, we’d again like to ask you to consider whether

You would be

made very welcome! Please come and have a chat with one of us.

Stewart Drury, Rendel Murray & Joy Smith

The Tuesday Prayer Group has continued to meet on a weekly basis this year. At the moment we meet via Zoom, as this has been the preference of those who regularly attend the meeting. We spend time listening to God and then sharing what we believe we have received. We are constantly amazed that what we share so often echoes or expands on what another has said. If there is something that we

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believe is of importance to the wider church community, we will pass it on to Alan.

spirit of despair

Since about the middle of December we believe that God has been speaking to us for our church, with certain phrases seeming to come through more strongly. This has been through both words and pictures and a feeling of anticipation that God is on the move among us, calling us to be holy:

Firstly the phrase: “Wake up, be ready - the time has come. God’s Holy Spirit is waiting, God is on the move” came through. Not knowing this, Alan also preached on this subject recently during the sermon series “Reactions to the End Times”, helping to confirm what we had sensed during our time of listening.

Secondly, is the theme of sieving. In December, one of our group had a picture of a sieve - the sort a farmer might use to sift grain and separate it from the husks, separating the good from what should be discarded. In January the theme of sieving came up again, - but this time it was for panning for gold getting the small quantity of what is valuable from all the rubbish. It is about us, as a church, needing to choose what is good and leaving behind what is not.

Thirdly, a phrase that has come up in our time of listening, more than once, are the words “I see you”. We are truly seen by God.

On another occasion:

I see you

soak in my spirit

I will make a beautiful thing as you come together to listen to me, follow me and worship me

Watch and see what I will do!

unseen in the church family, “I see you”.

One Sunday Alan used the phrase “You are God’s favourite”. Each of us is his favourite because we have Jesus and God sees Jesus in us.

us when a group of women from our church attended the New Wine Women’s Day in Huddersfield. During the talks and the led worship, each one of these phrases was used and expanded on and were noted by those of us who are part of the Tuesday Prayer group!

In summary:

1) Wake up and be ready

2) Sieving - we need to work out if we need to stop doing some things, or take up new things.

3) “I see you”

We also spend time praying for those in the church community who need prayer (either passed on to us in person or from the All Saints WhatsApp group), and we also pray for our community, our country and for world issues.

I know what you are going through

Don’t give up

The best is yet to come

If anyone feels called to join us and would like to know more, please speak to Rendel or Elaine.

I will give you a garment of praise instead of a

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Rendel Murray

the chosen themes, determine which music to include in the services they lead.

The monthly rota covers 2 pianists, 3 guitarists (2 of whom are Terry and Mark), 2 brass players ( one being Derek) and 7 singers ( usually operating in 3’s). Resources are such that not all services can now be covered with ‘live’ music. Appropriate recorded music is now used both together with and in place of a live worship team, in some services. Services such as Cafe church particularly incorporate this principle.

WoT - Women On Thursdays

This year saw us change from WOW to WOT! We moved from a Wednesday to a Thursday evening. We have been joined by some lovely ladies as usual. We have also expanded our group to monthly instead of every six weeks and this appears to be a change for the better. As always the food nights have excelled our expectations and the White Elephant has been ever popular.

Every lady is welcome and we encourage you to bring a friend along. If you need a lift this is not a problem just mention it and there is always someone who will oblige. We also have a WhatsApp group if you would like adding to it please let us know.

Marianne Fernandez & Sue Hodgson

Worship Team

Members of the Worship Team undertake other ministries within the church as well as having family, work or external voluntary responsibilities, so the demands and expectations of weekly worship services on a relatively few is quite a significant pressure and your prayers and encouragement is always needed.

There is a real need to consider that for the musical worship of All Saints’ to remain fundamentally based on live music in the medium to long term future, more people with some musical ability, need to consider coming forward to serve in this way. In addition, as has previously occurred, as we continue to pray for growth, to have faith that some of that growth ‘prays in’ some with musical ability who might also eventually move into the music and worship ministry.

The Worship Team would like to thank all those involved in the PA and VA ministry who support us in each service and also our church administrators, firstly Diane Brennan who left that role during 2024 and now to Joy Smith our current church administrator for their work in providing some sheet music and planning the rota.

During 2024 the overall numbers of those making up the Worship Team has remained unchanged as has the basic setup and method of preparation for and involvement in our various church services.

The team operates on a monthly rota basis with Terry, Mark and Derek sharing the leading of music in our services. They also, based on

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Wednesday Communion Coffee Morning Donations- 2024 Children's Society Childrens Society £ 50 strok& The Stroke association £ 50 Association MBEDZA Towards Nursery Education in Malawi £ 50 qbrtstlan Christian aid £ 50 Leeds Hospitsls Charity Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease £ 50 the well £ 50 projec The Well Project tearfund TEAR Fund £ 50 DECMlddl• E￿t Christian Aid (DEC member) £ 50 acorn Acorn Alternative Provision £ 50 RADIO CHRISTMAS APKAL BBC Radio 4 Christmas Appeal St Martins in the Fields Charity £ 50 2024 Total - £ 500 29

To the church family 2025

March

It is my pleasure to write to you once again as the proud Headteacher of our school. Our wonderful team continues to be inspirational and work hard for all our young children. Just like the butterfly, represented on our school logo, our children continue to reach their full potential, flourish and fly high. We encourage them all to put on their brightest colours, strive to be the best they can be and be proud of who they are. Our School Vision of ‘Respect, Empower, Grow’ is lived out by all members of our school community:

- Respect We respect and love one another

- Empower We encourage and strengthen one another

Grow-

Our recent Ofsted inspection

I would like to thank Miss Hargrave for leading our school in my absence during my maternity leave. Soon after returning to school and after welcoming into the world my third child, Gabriel, we received a long awaiting Ofsted inspection visit. We are thrilled to share with you the outcome of our recent inspection. The Ofsted report, attached with this letter, evaluates a wide range of areas such as the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and early years provision. In each area we have been judged Outstanding. This is a true reflection of our longstanding commitment to ensuring that all our children receive an exemplary education where they are happy, safe and are empowered to be the best version of

Governors and our families have all been recognised in the report.

Team Awesome

welcomed two new teachers to our school. Miss Dutton and Miss McDermott have started their teaching career with us and it is a pleasure to have them as part of our team. Mrs Dixon takes on the role as their mentor and works closely with them by coaching and supporting them both in and out of the classroom.

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Mrs Bellis continues to demonstrate her passion and enthusiasm for her role as Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator and successfully leads her team of 10 SEND Teaching Assistants who currently care for our children with significant and complex needs. We continue to aim to be proactive in our approach and have recently developed a sensory room and

sensory rebound sessions at Normanton Sports Acro.

leaders are literacy specialists for Jerry Clay Reading Hub and they provide support to a number of schools with regards to reading and phonics. 2 of our teachers are also closely working with the Maths Hub. We also have 4 teachers and leaders who have completed National Professional Qualifications in areas such as literacy, early years and SEND. We continue to be committed to succession planning and are passionate in growing future leaders.

All Saints Church School Partnership “For the body is not one member, but many.”

1 Corinthians 12:14-16

who believe in the value of sharing knowledge, experience and resources, in order to strive for excellence in the communities that we serve. The schools within the partnership are rooted in a Christian ethos. This partnership provides a great opportunity to draw on the strengths of each school and it recognises that each of the schools within the partnership will remain unique and

partnership work involves headteacher and subject leader network meetings, shared leadership professional development and peer challenge review days at each school.

One Life

our school family. The impact of our One Life work is now recognised in our children’s

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relationships and actions. A wonderful moment I witnessed was where a Year 1 child helped her friend to self-regulate by deep breathing and quietly reminding her it was going to be ok when she was upset leaving her mum at the start of day!

Finally …

I would like to say a huge thank you to the governors of our school who continue to go over and above for our

We thank you for your ongoing thoughts, prayers and support and look forward to the remainder of the school year working alongside you. We would love to welcome members of our church into school to volunteer to work alongside our wonderful children so please do get in touch.

Best regards,

Mrs Amy Stone

Headteacher

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APCM Report 2024

young people attending the youth clubs received a gift for under the tree.

Youth Clubs and Outreach

Our youth club provision continues to run the weekly sessions for young people aged 6 to 19 years. Normanton Town Council allow us to use the Woodhouse Community Centre on Monday’s free of charge to be able to run the youth club there. Vibe Fitness is used for boxing* and dance on Monday’s and Friday’s too. * Boxing is currently on hold due to Danny, the boxing coach securing a full time role.

The Youth Work Team continue to run detached/outreach sessions each – Wednesday followed by a teen drop in session. Wednesdays is now the day for young people to complete any Leadership Course or DofE award work that they need to do too.

The Easter Egg Hunt was a success with over 350 children attending in the rain. We raised slightly less than the previous year, £524 with

Town Council provided funding for the face painter/craft and balloon modeller for the event.

The Halloween Trail in October took place in the park again, organised by Normanton Town Council – we offered refreshments at the

event and raised £296 which is a lot less than the previous year.

Younger sessions, Boxing and Dance are funded by the Well Project. Teen sessions are funded by WF Youth until March 2025. We have applied for this funding again to take us through to the end of March 2026 if we are successful.

Christmas gifts were awarded by Mission Christmas again this year which meant all

The Well Project have been supporting Mum’s, Dad’s and Tot’s at the Parish Rooms, helping to provide some equipment, refreshments and gifts at Christmas. Emma, our Community Support Worker is also on

hope to continue this support going forward.

Luka and Chidi joined in May 2024 and became valued members of the team. Chidi left in October to pursue a full-time role with Young Lives. Jodie joined us on the Wednesday’s in late October.

We were successful in gaining funding from Wakefield Council for the Happy Healthy Holiday programme which runs through Easter, Summer and Christmas school holidays. Working with Vibe Fitness, the clubs were very well attended and feedback received was really good. There was a funding opportunity which would have allowed us to run the club through the October holiday, however we were not successful with this. Using funding gained from the shop, we managed to run the sessions ourselves with reduced activities and the feedback was very positive.

Food Bank

Between January 2024 and December 2024 we provided over 31,500 meals to people living in crisis / food poverty. (It was just over 32000 in 2023).

Our donations at Christmas only lasted until the beginning of February meaning we had to spend funds to replenish our stock. Some funding grants were provided by WDH, Wakefield Council, Food bank Aid etc, but a lot of these costs were covered by our own fundraising activities.

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The 200 club is still way behind gaining 200 people to sign up, with only around 69 (equivalent) people having signed up. We are continuing to share this and ask local businesses to sign up too.

Well Loved Shop

Well what a year! We managed to get the shop ready for a soft opening on the 3[rd] February 2024 and the first day was a great success.

The official opening was on the 3 rd March 2024, with the Mayor of Normanton and other – dignitaries invited again it was a very successful day.

The Normanton School Uniform Exchange

Along with the shop, the school uniform exchange opened at the same time and has been very successful. Tracy has a fantastic team of volunteers that ensure the donations are sorted and customers are made to feel welcome.

The school uniform exchange has saved 10,912 items from landfill, compared to in 2023 which was just 7,726.

We have had several teething problems with the building, roof leaks, toilet leaks (one due to work being done on the rear of the building for Burgess’), no hot water, but we are working with the landlord to rectify the remaining issues and the shop is still doing okay.

We have a great team of volunteers, although need more, especially for covering when people are on leave etc. There’s always ironing, sorting and tidying to do.

We’ve had a few successful sales too and the amount of support we receive from the community is amazing. Donations keep coming in, sometimes we’ve had to stop taking them until we have caught up and we still see customers regularly that ‘never knew we were there!’.

We have saved at least 23380 items from landfill by selling donated items in the shop. This is only an ‘at least’ figure as the till counts one item but may be where we’ve sold ‘3 items for a £1’, or the ‘Grab a Bag for £5’ for example.

Community Support Worker

Emma continues to support the Well Project and help people in the community with all sorts of problems and support including career advice, housing advice, benefits forms, court attendance, mental health advice and much more. Over the year, Emma has helped over 200 people (single/families) with various issues.

Emma is employed on an ongoing basis as long as we are able to provide the funding.

The Menopause and Me sessions did not work for us, we just couldn’t get people to sign up and take part, so part of the funding was handed back to the funders.

Emma is to undertake her exams in Nursing and Mental Health in the new year.

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Walking Football and Seated Exercise

These groups are all run in partnership with Coalfields/Five Towns Active and take place weekly. Helen continues to run the Seated Exercise with Sue, our volunteer each week and it’s well attended. The Walking Football is run by Matt Foster of Coalfields and Ash, they used the MUGA in the park during the summer months, returning to Lock Lane Sports Club during the colder months. The weekly quiz and social hour afterwards are good fun.

The Meet n Eat’s Diner

From January 2024, the diner came solely under the Well Project, with Normanton Town Council handing over their side of it to us. This

running of the project. Numbers attending the diner are usually around 40. We are ever so grateful for all of the volunteers, but we do need more cooks and are advertising for these.

A big thanks to Gem’s Bistro for all the support with cooking meals and providing cakes and buns for the diner.

Christmas dinner took place on the 12[th] December and was a success, with everyone having a lovely dinner. Normanton Junior Academy choir attended too. Funding from Normanton Town Council was received to help with the costs to put the Christmas dinner on. This was the first year, we outsourced the main meal using the Caring Kitchen by Prince of Wales Hospice.

Craft Group

The Craft Group was originally started in partnership with Coalfields Regeneration, however the partnership dissolved early 2024 with Coalfields leaving the group to run with us and the library. The Well Project have very little to do with the craft group, apart from our volunteer, Jane who has continued to be present for the most part helping people with crafts and a friendly chat.

Walking football utilise the use of our minibus through the winter/wet months to take the team to Lock Lane Sports Centre for the football session, returning to the well in Spring through Summer.

The Well Maintained Bike Library

Bike donations continue to come to us, Terry works on the donations and gets them ready for giving to people in the community.

Health Walks

Health Walks are attended by around 5 to 7 people each week and they return to enjoy soup and a roll at the Well Project if they wish.

Fundraising

We held stalls/fundraisers at the Altofts and – Normanton galas and the car show all great events and only possible with the help of volunteers and the community.

We are extremely grateful to All Saints Normanton Parish Church for all of the support and guidance we receive and hope this continues well into the future.

members we hope to continue helping those in our community that need help, whether it be for food, advice, friendship or anything else, we will try to help if we can.

Michelle Newton, Community Project Co-ordinator

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All Saints Parish Church High Street Normanton West Yorkshire WF6 1NR

Registered Charity No: 1135324

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