2020-12-31-accounts

Trustees Annual Report and Financial Report

of

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of The Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield

The Church of the Holy Cross, Church St/Belmont Rd, Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 1BP

Registered Charity no. 1137746

For the year ended 31 December 2020

CONTENTS

	Page
Trustees Annual Report	3
Safeguarding Report	25
Fabric Committee Report	26
Financial Review	27
Statement of Financial Activities	30
Balance sheet	31
Notes to the accounts	32
Report of the independent examiner	41

Administrative information

Incumbent: The Revd John Wall, The Rectory, 1 Sand Ridge, Ridgewood, Uckfield TN22 5ET Independent examiner: Mr J Carvey, 23 Farriers Way. Uckfield TN22 5BY (appointed 2019) Bankers: National Westminster Bank, 49 High Street, Uckfield TN22 1AN Parish Office: [e-mail] Website: Churchoftheholycrossuckfield.co.uk

Advisers to the PCC

Mrs AD Johnson – Churchwarden Mr J Pontefract – Churchwarden Mr P Ireland – PCC Treasurer Mrs G Youngman – PCC Secretary Mrs L Ireland – Parish Administrator Mr P Kennedy – Health & Safety Officer and Works Project Manager

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– The Trustees Annual Report Year Ended 31 December 2020

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

The past year was largely taken over by the COVID pandemic which from March affected every single person and had devastating consequences on various levels for many people countrywide including the loss of loved ones along with concerns over employment, finance and access to food. There were two national lockdowns leading also to health and wellbeing concerns, isolation and fear, mental health issues and delays of medical treatment.

Throughout the year many groups could only meet online if that and the phone and internet became a lifeline for many people, some of whom did not go out at all for many months and therefore did not see anyone. Hospitals and nursing homes were unable to let loved ones visit. The restrictions had a huge impact on Churches too and in mid March public worship was suspended when the nation was put into its first lockdown. Weddings were initially banned altogether and then, like funerals, permitted with restricted numbers at services and receptions. People who were used to greeting others each Sunday suddenly did not see them for months on end.

Holy Cross Church, like all Churches had to adapt how it offered public worship and pastoral care. An indication of how drastically Church life changed can be seen in two articles written by the Rector which can be found later in this report. The first is an extract from one of his Diary entries in The Church Times dated 1[st] May 2020, the second is the Rector’s Report to the Parochial Church Council on 6[th] October, this being the first full Parochial Church Council Meeting since January.

Church social events, many of which were also fundraisers were cancelled or adapted with imagination to comply with the appropriate guidelines at the time. The financial impact of the disruption to the usually full and active life of Holy Cross Church is explained in the Financial Review on page 27.

The following statistics show the extent of the pandemic: at the end of the year the total number of UK COVID cases was 2,542,065 and the total number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test was 74,125. Overall there were 608,002 deaths in England and Wales in 2020, the highest annual total since 1918 (due to the Spanish flu pandemic). In the Wealden area (which Uckfield is part of), from when the pandemic started up until Christmas Day, there were 169 COVID deaths, nine of which were in Uckfield/Ridgewood. We were comparatively fortunate as at the end of the year Wealden was 35th, on a list of 380 local councils when No 1 is the council area with the fewest cases per 100,000 population since the pandemic began (sources: Uckfield News and Office for National Statistics).

In late December, a vaccine had been developed and given to some of the more vulnerable people in Uckfield and a second vaccine was about to be rolled out, giving everyone hope. In his 2021 New Year message, the Archbishop of Canterbury said: 'This year has seen tremendous pain and sadness. Many of us have lost family members or friends, often without being able to say goodbye…'Here at the hospital (St Thomas’s), hope is there in every hand that's held, and every comforting word that's spoken. Up and down the country, it's there in every phone call. Every food parcel or thoughtful card. Every time we wear our masks.”

This is an overview of how Sunday services were affected in 2020:

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5[th] January to 15[th] March Sunday services as normal but from 23rd February not allowed to shake hands during the Peace and Communion only in one kind (wafer) 22[nd] March to 12[th] July First national lockdown – public worship not allowed 19[th] July to 1[st] November Sunday services were allowed to resume but following strict guidelines 8th to 29[th] November Second national lockdown – public worship not allowed 6[th] and 13[th] December Sunday services were allowed to resume but following strict guidelines 20[th ] to 27[th] December Local decision taken to not hold public worship due to rising number of local cases and vulnerability of the congregation

Out of the 52 Sundays in 2020, Holy Cross Church was closed for Sunday services for 42% of the year.

Initially Churches were only allowed to open for private prayer in June and in Holy Cross Church a side chapel was used for this purpose and only three people allowed to visit the building at once. A short video was available online where Fr John showed parishioners what to expect if they visited the Church for private prayer and this had 3,500 viewings. The Church remained open for parts of the week for this purpose until November when it could not be adequately monitored and there was no evidence of anyone visiting.

When Churches were allowed to open for public worship in July, Holy Cross Church offered a weekly Sunday Eucharist at 10am and there were stringent COVID health and safety guidelines to follow:

• Entering/leaving Enter by the main door and leave by the side door.

• Social distancing Two-metre rule. Only those from the same household or “bubble” can sit together.

• Face masks Bring your own mask to wear. (The Crafty Ladies had been making and selling non surgical face masks since May with profits going to the Friends of Uckfield

• Hospital).

• Hand sanitiser Wash your hands on entry for at least 20 seconds.

• Track and Trace You will be asked for personal details on arrival which will be kept for 21 days.

• Pew cushions These have been removed – bring your own cushion if you need one.

• Orders of service On the pews and to be taken home and disposed of by the worshipper.

• Speakers The celebrant is to avoid voice projection. Lapel microphones only to be used.

• • No singing No communal singing permitted.

• Communion Communicants must receive communion standing, one at a time in a single file, And respect social distancing as they come forward. The host must be placed in the hand, avoiding physical contact and no words are to be spoken.

• Collection No cash collecting - use online or contactless giving.

• Cleaning The Church is closed on Mondays for professional cleaning (along with the Belmont Centre).

The above restrictions were implemented under the guidance of Paul Kennedy, our Health and Safety Officer, who kept his finger on the pulse with the ever-changing situation, and risk assessments were carried out where appropriate. For Sunday services, Churches could allow in as many people as they could

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safely accommodate with social distancing. This meant that the gallery (which tends to only be used for special large services) was in constant use enabling in all a maximum of 50 people to be seated. Some Churches took bookings for all their Sunday services but Holy Cross felt that with their capacity and knowing many of the congregation were shielding, it was not necessary other than for Midnight Mass on 24[th] December and Christmas Day (both of which were subsequently cancelled).

A flier was distributed to the congregation explaining the changes to Sunday services in Holy Cross Church from July 2020 and another video put online showing what to expect on arrival at Church and this was viewed by 2,200 people.

Angela (our Verger) offered to be on the door to welcome people with Dee (Churchwarden) and sometimes Lynne (Parish Administrator) helping with the obligatory track and trace registration and this team did these for all the weeks there was a Sunday service. There were some teething problems with the arrangements for the first week when the service sheets were only displayed on the screen at the front of Church. The hearing loop system does not work upstairs and visibility is very poor in places so service sheets were also put on pews after that but had to taken home for disposal. Also direction was needed for people going to communion from the gallery and Terry Hall stepped in to do this each week. A cleaning company was called in to professionally sanitise the Church each Monday after a Sunday service.

Many people chose not to attend for a variety of reasons and a form of pre-recorded online service was available each week as an alternative since the end of March.

Hand sanitiser on arrival and social distancing

This is how things evolved and panned out over the year:

Date	Event	Things cancelled or resumed	Notes
23rdFeb		Not allowed to shake hands during the Peace and

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Date	Event	Things cancelled or resumed	Notes
		Communion to be received only in one kind (wafer)
17thMarch	1stEmergency Standing Committee meeting	As the meeting ended, found out thatall public services are suspended	Press releases sent out that Churches were closed.
18thMarch	Congregation asked if they would like to receive the Grapevine etc via email or post and a regular phonecall
20thMarch	2ndEmergency Standing Committee meeting
21stMarch	Church deep cleaned
21stMarch	Crafty Ladies Easter Table	Cancelled	Orders taken which Sarah delivered
	The following had been planned: Confirmation classes, Countrymen’s Lunches, Ladies Fellowship, rest of the Lent Lunch Group, Crafty Play Café, Messy Easter & all children’s work, The Choral Society Passiontide Concert	All cancelled
23rdMarch		First national lockdown started
3rdApril	Annual Parochial Church Meeting	Postponed	Took place 18th October
15thJune		Non-essential shops could reopen
21stJune		Opened Church for private prayer	Sun to Thurs 11- 12
4thJuly		‘Super Saturday’, restaurants, pubs and hairdressers allowed to reopen
19thJuly		Sunday services in Church restarted with restrictions
6th September		First Junior Church outdoor Storytime session
13th September		Second Junior Church outdoor Storytime session 2
1stOctober		Children’s Choir resumed	Safely distanced or in school class ‘bubbles’

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Date	Event	Things cancelled or resumed	Notes
4th November	3rdEmergency Standing Committee meeting re Remembrance Services
5th November		Start of second national lockdown All Sunday Church services banned
21st November	Christmas Bazaar	A brochure sent out of hampers, chutneys, jams, Crafty Ladies produce and items pre - ordered and collected	£1,536.68 raised
2nd December		End of national lockdown Uckfield entered Tier 2 “High Alert”
5th December	Virtual Festival of Christmas Trees	Over 50 sponsors - available online	£2878.36 (including Festival Lunches and Tree of Angels)
6th December		Services in Church resumed following lockdown
6th December	Festival Lunches	149 orders taken and collected or delivered
7th December	Christmas Draw	Tickets sold online	£836.63 raised
19th December		No services in Church from 20th to end of year due to rise of local COVID cases
26th December		Uckfield entered Tier 4 “Stay at Home”

The following report needs to be read bearing in mind the different and difficult year outlined above.

OUR AIMS AND PURPOSES AS A CHARITY

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC is a Registered Charity (Charity number: 1137746).

The PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, The Revd John Wall, in:

• The promotion of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England.

• Promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church: pastoral, social, evangelistic and ecumenical.

• Getting to know Jesus better and make Him better known.

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• Practical support and care for people in the parish, from the youngest to the eldest, irrespective of level of need or ability to pay.

• Providing financial support to those in need and to other organisations with similar objectives.

• Demonstrating that our aims are for the public benefit, including charities advancing education or religion or relieving poverty.

• Following the Diocesan Strategy 2015-2020 to Know Love Follow Jesus: growth in number and depth, re-imagining ministry and contribution to the common good.

• Developing a Statement of Needs for Holy Cross to continue its mission to the local community.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

When planning our activities for the year, the PCC and clergy have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on ‘charities for the advancement of religion’.

For 2020 the following objectives and activities were discussed and planned to fulfil our aims:

• Enabling as many people as possible to worship at our Church (in the building or online) while maintaining the appropriate government health and safety guidelines.

• Teaching, baptising and nurturing new and existing believers.

• Maintaining an overview of worship throughout the parish.

• Considering how services can involve the many groups that live within the parish.

• Putting faith into practice, through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament.

• Offering worship and prayer, learning about the Gospel, in small group situations.

• Assisting people from all walks of life to develop their knowledge of, and trust in, Jesus.

• Provision of pastoral care for people living in the parish and beyond.

• Providing assistance to the poor and needy of the parish, including the relief of poverty through support to local charities such as the Uckfield Foodbank and the Edward Holmes Baldock Charity.

• Giving grants to overseas and home organisations. A small group appointed by the PCC look at “away giving” and make recommendations to the PCC. These are detailed in the accounts.

• Providing services other than the regular Sunday services which reach out to the wider community

• Reaching out to the community through social and fundraising events.

• Ensuring all members and visitors to the Church are kept safe and all Safeguarding procedure and policy is followed.

• Maintaining the fabric of the Church building as a historical centre and developing its flexibility as the focus of life in the town.

While doing the above, we have also borne in mind that we have been working towards being compliant with the Diocesan Strategy 2015-2020 “to Know Love Follow Jesus: growth in number and depth, reimagining ministry and contribution to the common good”.

Planning for the future

As well as the above objectives, the PCC has been planning the long term vision for Holy Cross Church. The Statement of Needs (formerly the Mission Action Plan) sets out what we need to do for our Church

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community to grow and develop. With the different kinds of Church services and children’s work we had been offering, and would like to develop further, we need more flexibility, improved audio visual facilities and the need to be a Church in the 21st century which will enable other people to use our lovely facilities, therefore giving public benefit. In 2019 we had been considering installing a toilet and kitchenette in Church as well as installing retractable screens and upgrading the sound system. However the pandemic this year has had a huge impact on our income and in addition, with the change of way we use the Church building and therefore our priorities changed. When Churches were allowed to reopen and accommodate as many as they could taking into account social distancing guidelines, Holy Cross Church had the advantage of having a gallery. This is usually only needed for occasional services with large numbers but it became obvious that those people sitting upstairs often had trouble hearing and seeing a screen. This problem, along with a potential COVID related grant (which we have since learnt we would not be eligible for) led the focus to change to the sound system and screens, as well as extending the loop system for those with hearing aids. Some companies were contacted with regards this work for a quote but due to COVID were unable to do a site visit so this will be pursued in early 2021.

A very short walk from the Church is the Belmont Centre which the Church owns. It is a wonderful facility for the Church and its maintenance and development is planned to support the needs of the Church but also for it to remain as an asset for use by the wider community. While part of The Belmont Centre is on permanent loan to a Pre-school Group, there is also a hall and a small meeting room which are hired out and usually give the Church extra regular income as well as providing a good facility for Church fundraising and social occasions. The Pre-school Group continued to meet during most of the year as they opened for some children whose parents were keyworkers. During the first lockdown all use of the rest of the Belmont Centre (and subsequently any income) ceased. The Treasurer looked into whether we were entitled to apply for any grant for loss of income but we were not. A couple of regular groups who hire The Belmont Centre eventually started back in September only to have to close again in December with the second lockdown. The Belmont Centre did however provide a very useful resource earlier in the year when a small group of volunteers from Uckfield quickly set it up as a base to issue food boxes of essential items to those in need and unable to get out. Lynne Ireland, our Parish Administrator was one of these volunteers and the Uckfield Food Outreach Box Service was later recognised for its work by being highlighted in the community awards made by the chair of Wealden Council for “outstanding help, neighbourliness, contribution and service to individuals and the community throughout the COVID lockdown period and beyond”. The Church did not charge for this use and were pleased to be able to facilitate this essential service to the local community.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

Attendance at worship

The Church family welcomes visitors from both within and outside the parish boundary. Visitors attend services in Holy Cross Church by personal choice (including the more recent socially distanced and online services) and it is our great pleasure to welcome people from all walks of life to take part in the life of the Church.

The Church is usually open during the day in term time for people to visit but unfortunately this had to stop from March with the first national lockdown. From June, Churches were allowed to open for private prayer. It was felt important that the building was open especially as some other Churches in the area and

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other local worshipping communities do not have permanent buildings. The Rector was in attendance for these periods initially (which were publicised to parishioners in the weekly pewsheet and to others via the internet) in case anyone needed to see a member of clergy, then from July the Church was unstaffed. The demand was not great (the most was five people in one day) and then the Parish Administrator oversaw the use of the building but there were no signs of any visitors and as it could not be adequately monitored the Church was eventually closed again in November, other than for the Sunday services.

Immediately the first lockdown was introduced, weekly online Sunday services were produced which around 85% of the congregation had access to. Typically they comprised Prayer of the Day, a Song by the Children’s Choir, Reading, Talk, Prayers, Song, Blessing, Hymn and tended to last 15-20 minutes. People from all three Churches in the Plurality and of all ages contributed to the services by reading the Lesson, writing the prayers, singing or playing the organ. One of our Churchwardens, John Pontefract, wrote numerous religious songs during the year which he recorded to be used in the services, they were usually based on the Bible reading for that Sunday. Sometimes visual aids were included in the service like children and adults holding up pictures they had coloured in as part of The Holy Cross Colouring Challenge. This was during a June service where Fr John tried to make the service more like “Open Doors” which is the all age service usually held monthly. He undertook planting herbs during the podcast to provide a visual element. This service received 33 comments on Facebook which included:

Your voice is always so reassuring to hear Father John especially in these changing times. Such beautiful singing by the Church choir and what beautiful prayers.

Another lovely, lively service from HC. Enhanced by the charming singing and prayers from the children and a rousing hymn to end!

Really lovely to see everyone. Very impressed with everyone's huge effort and participation.

Beautiful service this morning thank you.

The pre-recorded online services were made available via Facebook, YouTube. During the first lockdown these had to be filmed at The Rectory but as the months went on and guidelines were relaxed, Fr John also recorded services in the Churches of Little Horsted and Isfield. They were also accessible via the Church website and thanks go to Michael Frost for maintaining it until June when it was overhauled and has since been maintained by John Pontefract. We are very grateful to Sarah Widdowson for helping to produce the weekly service podcasts and Off The Wall Entertainment, a local company who helped film/edit them as well as other services and virtual events.

Other online services received comments such as:

The service was very uplifting and it is a blessing that we can see it every week when we are unable to come to Church.

Thank you all for these Services so we can worship and pray together.

Thank you for a beautiful and uplifting service today. So comforting to feel part of our lovely Church family at Holy Cross.

Thank you for the lovely service and well done to the children your prayers were beautiful.

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Thank you Father John. Really uplifting reading, prayers, singing and words from you at these testing times.

Thank you fathers John for a lovely service For bringing peace and hope.

Well done everyone. Thank you children for singing one of my favourite hymns so beautifully. Well done JP for composing the hymn and singing it at the end of the prayers. Thank you Fr John for your words and Fr David for your thought provoking sermon

Once again it was wonderful to experience this relaxed and peaceful service. Thanks to all of you and especially the youngsters. It’s a joy to see them all doing their part to keep us going

My goodness what a beautiful service from start to finish

Wonderful singing from our amazing children

It was not only the children’s participation which was appreciated- the Rectory dog also received compliments:

Sophie is an absolute scene stealer!

Thank you again all of you - I really appreciate this time spent with

you (and Sophie of course)

People were invited to put a photo on Facebook having coffee after the service

When people were able to attend Sunday services again the feedback the first week was encouraging:

It was lovely to be back in our Church family surroundings

Thanks and congratulations to you and all who helped stage yesterday's Communion service in such an imaginative way. Good and appropriate atmosphere, spot on.

However, the need was still there to provide the religious elements online not only for those congregation members unable to attend Church but also others who had started to join in with the online service. However, as the services were labour intensive to produce by a few people, they were pared back a bit to a shorter “mini” service of about 12 minutes. At the same time, the orders of service being used that Sunday in Church were distributed with the weekly pewsheet so that everyone felt included. Thanks must be given to Sandie Boniface who composed the majority of intercessions since September and Sarah who did the voice overs.

During the second lockdown clergy were allowed to go into Churches to pre-record services.

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Fr John pre-recording a Sunday service with Off The Wall Entertainment

Although singing in Church was not allowed, the playing of the organ was and people enjoyed hearing music from various organists. In July Tim Guntrip became our Director of Music and Anthony Roberts the Assistant Director of Music which was a reversal of roles.

In 2019, the average attendance at the 9.30am Eucharist and 10am Open Doors service over the four Sundays in October had been 140. In October 2020, the average attendance for the four 10am Eucharist services was 48 (bearing in mind the Church could then only accommodate 50) while the average online viewing figures were 279 for the same month. An estimation of the age profile of our congregation last year showed that 43% were over 70 (with a considerable number in their 80’s and 90’s) and some of these, as well as others, have underlying health conditions and were considered vulnerable and advised to self-isolate or were doing so for other reasons. The introduction of an online Sunday service from late March was much appreciated by those who could access them.

Those attending Holy Cross Church for a Sunday Eucharist service on the 18 services held with restrictions averaged 47 a week. The number viewing online services on Facebook and YouTube varied greatly between 120 and over 3000. We know that many were viewed by couples or families in a sitting, so in terms of people watching the numbers would have been higher. There were also many benefits to online services in that they can be watched when and where people choose and we know members of our Church community were sharing them with family and friends as well as others finding them for themselves. However all online figures quoted in this report may be slightly inflated as we know some people were opening the service in order to forward the link to those who either had trouble finding the service or wanted to forward it to family and friends who were not always local, nor regular Church attenders.

In July, one of the congregation shared this insight into the impact our online services were having on her mother:

‘On visiting my Mother at the weekend, she is an elderly lady living on her own with a medical condition which means she is unable to attend her local Church …like many others she has had to shield…for the foreseeable future. She is not unusual in this respect but has found the whole ordeal very lonely and frightening despite the many telephone calls and food parcels she receives from family, friends and neighbours. Her own Church has been putting online their Sunday services which even under the strictest

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lock-down, was always a full Said Mass/Communion service in one of the Churches in the plurality. She has found this difficult to follow. I directed her to our lovely Holy Cross services which have been taking place and the feedback I got from her was so heartfelt, that I thought the Team should know how much their hard work has been really appreciated. Mum made a number of comments. She found the format uplifting and supportive whatever her mood at the time. She enjoyed the beautiful sound and excitement of the Children's choir and prayers. She liked listening to the readings and prayers especially those personal prayers written by various parishioners which in many respects voiced her own feelings. She enjoyed taking a little sneeky peek into the three Church buildings. Her main comments however, were reserved for the Clergy Team. She found their talks calming and interesting. Fr John and Sophie came in for the highest praise. She said his wonderfully personal, calm and relaxing way of presenting the theme of the day and talks were as if she were in the room (or garden) with him and he was talking to her personally. It made her feel as if she was not forgotten but part of a Church of love and support that was all around her rather than locked in a cold building and only available to those who could attend. Mum has enjoyed the services so much that she quite often goes back and views them again later in the week. Although she understand that it may not be possible, Mum said that she hoped these services would continue in some sort of format even after the restrictions are lifted (even if it was only once a month). As someone who is unable to go out, even under normal circumstances, she found these services of immense benefit. Her message was a huge THANK YOU to the Holy Cross Clergy, Fr John and the Team who has made these short services possible’.

Numbers tailed off after the Church reopened then increased again in November during the second lockdown which also included Remembrance Sunday. This trend is illustrated in the following graph.

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Monthly On line Service Views
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10,000
9,000
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
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Viewings of online services from mid March

Some of the many other services that usually take place in Holy Cross Church and reach out to the wider community as well as carol concerts from outside organisations using the building were unable to be held in their usual format this year, if at all.

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The period when public worship was not allowed in Church included some of the main religious festivals - Mothering Sunday, Holy Week and Easter. It was not possible to hold a carol concert not the Crib Service on Christmas Eve (our most popular service with over 600 attending in 2019). However, a service of Nine Lessons and Carols was pre-recorded and made available online on 20th December as was the Crib Service and were enjoyed by many (2,309 and 3,049 viewers respectively) while the Christmas morning service had 308 viewings. Although Churches were allowed to be open during the Christmas period, Holy Cross Church made a local decision to close from 20[th] December due to local cases of COVID increasing.

This meant there was no Midnight Mass or Christmas Day Eucharist although an online Christmas Day service attracted 308 viewings which is a large increase to the usual congregation. One advantage of a pre-recorded service is that it can be watched when and where people choose to which could suit those not well or who have other commitments when the service takes place. Around 85% of the congregation have access to the online services.

The ringing of bells which had been banned from March was to be allowed with restrictions over the five day proposed Christmas relaxation of rules (which then changed anyway) but in the meantime it had been agreed that bell ringing would not take place at Holy Cross Church. The sounds of bells is significant to many in the community and has been missed.

The Remembrance Day Service in Church and two shorter services at the War Memorial had minimum representatives from the organisations who usually attend. St Wilfrid’s Hospice produced their own online Lights of Love service instead of holding them in Holy Cross and other Churches as usual. There was no All Souls Service this year.

In the meantime Sarah kept in touch with most families from the various children’s activities and improvised various initiatives to involve the children and help with fundraising too. She delivered Easter items which The Crafty Ladies had made to sell after the Church services and, with her children, she distributed bags of chocolate eggs which had been donated by the congregation for Messy Easter which had to be cancelled.

The first two Sundays in September Sarah organised a Junior outdoor Storytime session which were attended by 21 children and 14 parents the first week and 14 children and 10 parents the next week. The weather was kind and the congregation commented how lovely it was to see the children as they went approached Church for the service. Unfortunately this could not be continued as Coronavirus figures were rising locally.

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One of the outdoor Junior Storytime sessions

With the help of Off The Wall Entertainment, the Children’s Choir sang during the early online services and their contribution was greatly appreciated by others watching the service.

They also put on a performance of “One Little Voice” at the end of March while in the comfort of their own homes and this had 13,300 viewings. The Children’s Choir could also be seen (albeit a snapshot) in a video created by Chichester Diocese in October of Faith in Action Around the Diocese which illustrated what positive and creative things were taking place during this difficult year.

The Children’s choir started to meet again in October (in their class bubbles from school) until the second lockdown meant sessions had to stop. They recorded (remotely) some songs for the virtual Festival of Christmas Trees and the Crib Service.

Holy Cross Church Children’s Choir recording from their homes

In December Sarah put together some ‘make your own Christingle at home’ packs for children to collect from Church with a little card about the meaning and process of putting it together.

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Our Church continues to be appreciated by our parishioners and many others, as a space where life events are celebrated with joy and thanksgiving. However, as of January 2021, several families are still waiting to hold memorial services for their loved ones and seven weddings were postponed or cancelled in 2020 due to COVID.

During the year Holy Cross Church was used for the following life events: three Baptisms, three weddings (including one blessing), eleven funeral or memorial services, seven graveside services with burials at Snatts Road and two ashes interment in the Churchyard. In addition, the clergy provided twenty five services at local crematoria.

One of the weddings was two of our faithful Church members in August (postponed from June due to COVID) when restrictions had been introduced.

Photos of Julie’s wedding with face masks

The number of people on the Electoral Roll as of 30[th] April 2020 was 184 which is an increase of 8 from last year. There are 18 (just under 10%) people who are not resident in the parish (which is the same number as last year).

We see the above aspects of Church life as part of our response to “growing in number and depth” – one of the three goals of the Diocesan Strategy “Know Love Follow Jesus” launched in 2015.

Pastoral ministry and mission outreach

We are very grateful for the support and continuing assistance of the Honorary Assistant Curates; the Revd. David Ashton and the Revd. Canon Hugh Moseley, Revd. Dr Mike Blanch and Readers Gill Comber and Sheila Fordham. We were due to have a part time curate join us in the summer but unfortunately she withdrew due to personal reasons.

During 2020 any visiting of the sick in nursing homes, hospitals and their own homes which would usually have taken place had to cease along with bereavement visits. The only exception was the Rector taking communion to the dying.

Whereas we usually have several occasions throughout the year to meet and share food and fellowship together, this was only able take place in the first three months of the year during which an “All comers party” was held at the Rectory to celebrate Epiphany, a Countryman’s Lunch, Burns Lunch, a Festival of Christmas Trees helpers “thank you party”, and the annual Fairtrade Feast. These social events were open

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to anyone and most of them had people attend who were not regular worshippers at Holy Cross Church. In addition one Messy Church session was held in early February which attracted 61 children.

Such events play an important role in the life of the parish as a way of meeting others, avoiding loneliness and learning to live together and have been much missed during the pandemic.

Only one of the bi-monthly Community Leaders Lunch was able to be held at the Rectory (in February) which was well attended and Margaret Dode Angel from Sussex Support Services gave an enlightening talk about dementia care.

At the beginning of March, Fr John organised a weekly Lent lunch at The Rectory following the Diocesan Lent Course Inspiring Vision. These were attended by an average of 12 people but only three out of six took place before the first lockdown was imposed. Confirmation classes in May were also arranged by Fr John but these had to be cancelled before they began. Two adults and one child had signed up for these.

Events such as the Big Day on Luxford Field and Sunday Funday which are part of the Uckfield Festival and a large part of our outreach were cancelled and no social or fundraising events could be held during this period.

As soon as the lockdown and a ban on public worship was imposed, in order for everyone to keep in touch with each other, as well as introducing pre-recorded services, two other things happened. Gillian (in her role as Data Protection Officer) asked if people would like to receive the weekly pewsheet, Parish and Diocesan intercessions sheets, the monthly Church magazine and a written copy of the online services. At the end of the year 140 people with connections to Holy Cross Church were being sent the pewsheet each week via email while Lynne, the Parish Administrator, was posting it to another 24 people. Other documents have also been sent out during the year, including local and national helpline numbers, the Church of England Daily Hope phone line for those without the internet and relevant prayers and services. People were also signposted to other online resources including The Church of England and Diocesan websites for special services as well as events like the Consecration of Bishop Will (the new Bishop of Lewes), the Archbishop’s Call to Prayer, Comfort and Joy (the Church of England Christmas campaign) etc.

At the start of the pandemic Fr John rang round the whole congregation and set up a phone network whereby clergy, Parochial Church Council members and others undertook to phone people on a weekly basis to see how they were and if they needed help of any kind or just wanted someone to talk to. Initially there were 24 people phoning 145 others on a regular basis. This became tailored over a period of time because while some people did not need the phone call as often as weekly, others required more contact.

With the pandemic unemployment and financial insecurity was of great concern to many. The Church continued to have their weekly collection for the local Foodbank at the start of the year with a basket for contributions at the back of Church at the 9.30 / 10am services which Norman and Ginnie Fryett oversaw. In the autumn when services in Church had settled down, Dee Johnson (in a COVID safe way) looked after donations brought to the Sunday services. Most weeks there was an appeal in the weekly pewsheet for donations to be given to the Foodbank, via Church or the two supermarkets in town. Some people brought produce to the Harvest Service in October and this was donated to the Foodbank who were thrilled with it and put it on their Facebook page.

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Following a lot of articles in the media about children going hungry in school holidays, in the October half term, Dee Johnson, Sarah Widdowson and helpers served 81 free meals to school children over three days (one third of children in schools in Uckfield are receiving free meals). People and businesses and organisations generously donated food and money and the surplus funds were passed on to the Uckfield Coronavirus volunteers.

In late November Sarah Widdowson and Dee Johnson, with the help of others, organised an online Christmas Bazaar whereby a brochure featuring hampers, jams, pickles and a variety of items made by The Crafty Ladies was distributed to the congregation and orders taken and the items picked up in The Belmont Centre on the day, with the appropriate COVID precautions taken. This was well supported and raised £1,536.68. Usually tickets for a Christmas Draw are sold at the Bazaar and then over the three day Festival of Christmas Trees and last year this raised £800). Sarah Widdowson and Paul Ireland, our Treasurer, worked out how to sell these online this year and in the six days that tickets were available raised £836.63.

Holy Cross Church has a wonderful reputation for its Festival of Christmas Trees, now in its 13[th] year. It is a real community event attracting several thousand visitors from far and wide. It coincides with late night shopping in the town and many people regard this weekend as their start to Christmas. It is also the Church’s biggest fundraiser. Sarah enthusiastically adapted this to a virtual event and published the Festival online. Over 50 local organisations/people sponsored a tree and it was viewed by 8,200 people with 93 comments made on Facebook which reflects the meaning of this event to people. Here are some of them:

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Beautiful to watch this - superbly produced too. Makes me proud to live in Uckfield and be part of our wonderful community.

What a beautiful and spirit lifting video.

Well done Team Holy Cross, Uckfield community & Off the Wall,- a beautiful video show casing so much brilliance within our town.

Wow, well done and a Merry Christmas to you all at Holy Cross Church, as always you are there and a huge part of Uckfield’s community. To the children that took part talking and singing, I hope each and every one of you have a beautiful Christmas, you have all touched so many hearts.

The Virtual Festival of Christmas Trees was mentioned on the Diocese of Chichester e-news letter: “Holy Cross Uckfield has produced a very special video to share their Virtual Festival of Christmas Tree. Introduced by Fr John Wall this excellent video takes you on a special journey celebrating Christmas and community.”

There was also a “Tree of Angels” in Church whereby people left a message regarding a loved one no longer with us via a Just Giving link which was written on an angel and put on the tree. Half of all donations were given to “The Friends of Uckfield Hospital”.

On December Dee, Sarah and a team prepared Festival Lunches which could be collected or delivered. This was a huge success with 149 meals being booked and served with all the Christmas trimmings and many compliments received.

This, the Festival of Christmas Trees and Tree of Angels raised the amazing sum of £2878.36 for the Church.

We see the above aspects of Church life as part of our response to the Diocesan Strategy for “reimagining ministry”.

Social media has been the main method of communication this year, and our Facebook page now has 1154 people following it and 1042 likes which is an increase of 19% from last year. We are very grateful to Sarah Widdowson for continually updating our Facebook page as the situation changed and making it relevant. The revamped Church website continues to be heavily used and our thanks to John Pontefract for maintaining it. The average number of views per day over the last five months was 215.

We see the above aspects of Church life as part of our response to the third part of the Diocesan strategy “contribution to the common good”, as in our Statement of Needs. We wish to build on our increased community profile by improving the sound system and hearing loop as a step towards making our worship space more flexible.

St Saviour's is in the south of the town: it was formerly a chapel and now comprises 16 flatlets and a worship area with seating which also doubles up as a community space for events. It is now managed by Uckfield & District Housing Association Ltd. Regular weekly services had been held there which had to stop during the lockdown. Sadly, at the request of the few residents who were attending, it was decided

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not to resume them (worship is at the discretion of the Rector of Uckfield, who fully supporting them in this decision). Some of the residents attend Holy Cross Church. It will however still serve as an alternative venue for worship (as it has in the past) for example, Evensong when the Church has been set up for Holiday Club). This year Ray Pilson took over from Pam Morris as the Deputy Churchwarden for St Saviour's and we thank Pam for her dedication in her seven years in this role.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

The appointment of the Parochial Church Council PCC members is governed by and set out in the Church Representation Rules. It is made up of the following people:

PCC members: Ex Officio: the Revd John Wall (Rector); Gill Comber, Sheila Fordham (Readers); Dee Johnson, John Pontefract (Churchwardens): Dee Johnson, Jill Thornton, Sandie Boniface (Members of Deanery Synod).

PCC members: Representatives of the Laity: Paul Cuerden, Terry Hall, Paul Ireland, Ann Kennedy, Angela Noel, Edna Osborne, Barbara Poole, Sister Sarah, Sister Mary Paul, Sarah Widdowson, Francis Wallace and Gillian Youngman.

The PCC meetings are chaired by the Rector and Dee Johnson is Vice-Chair. The PCC Secretary is Gillian Youngman and the PCC Treasurer is Paul Ireland.

New PCC members are signposted to the following:

• The Charity Commission Trustee Eligibility Declaration

• The Fit and proper persons’ declaration

• The Charity Commission guidance “The essential trustee: what you need to know, what you need to do”

• The Church of England booklet “Trusteeship”

• The Chichester Diocese booklet “Being a PCC member”

• Attending training as appropriate (e.g. Safeguarding)

• Obtaining a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check if appropriate.

The full Parochial Church Council only met three times during the year – once “physically” in January and then virtually via Zoom in October and November (following a social evening as a trial for those not familiar with online meetings). The average attendance at these meetings was 73%.

At each PCC meeting the Rector and Churchwardens guide the PCC through work and decisions required on what is needed in order to carry out our ongoing aims and objectives. Standing items on each agenda were approving the minutes of the last meeting, safeguarding, health and safety and finance. This year has also included updates on the Church being open for services. Decisions are made following discussion and then a motion proposed, seconded and a vote taken and minuted. New legislation has also made possible making decisions on urgent matters via email, which are recorded in the minutes at the next PCC meeting, and this has happened several times during the year and enabled the Church to move forward when physical meetings have not been possible. The Trustees Report for the Annual Meeting was one example which was approved via email and phone.

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Paul Kennedy (Project Manager to the Church of the Holy Cross, PCC and Health and Safety Officer) oversaw several large projects this year (see Fabric report on page 26). Paul Kennedy sent a written report to each PCC meeting and in between liaises with the PCC and Standing Committee on projects and issues as required.

Our Safeguarding Officer, Karen Smith, sends a report for each PCC meeting. The Parochial Church Council has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have due regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults). We are working within the guidelines in the newly published Parish Safeguarding Handbook (approved by the House of Bishops). Our SQP was assessed by the Diocesan Safeguarding team on Ash Wednesday 2020 and we were awarded Level 1 Certificate.

The PCC Standing Committee comprises the Rector, Churchwardens, PCC Treasurer, PCC Secretary, a PCC representative and Parish Administrator. The Standing Committee met twice within four days in March then once monthly from May to December with additional meetings in September and November. The extra one in September was to discuss the Statement of Needs and a change of priorities due to a COVID grant that might have been available, and the second was to discuss the ramifications of Remembrance Day services as a second national lockdown had been announced from 5[th] November. After each Standing Committee meeting a summary of what was discussed was communicated to the PCC and other clergy.

The purpose of the Standing Committee is to conduct PCC business in between meetings or in an emergency, including addressing day to day matters and ensuring the smooth running of the Church. During 2020 this involved making sure that the Church and Belmont Centre were as COVID compliant as could be by keeping to the current government and Church of England guidelines. This involved creating various risk assessments and we are very grateful to Paul Kennedy, our Health and Safety Officer who continuously kept up updated with the current legislation and gave his advice. Also at the Standing Committee meetings, the health, welfare and pastoral needs of parishioners were discussed and extra support given where possible via phonecalls or offering advice.

Lynne Ireland, the Parish Administrator, usually works from her office in the Belmont Centre on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 9.15am - 12.15pm and continues to be a most valuable asset, freeing up clergy time doing administrative tasks. We are very grateful to her for her flexibility especially during this difficult year when she has had to work from home at times and has assisted, along with other Standing Committee members and Paul Kennedy, in ensuring Holy Cross Church has maintained COVID safety standards.

The Churchwardens are also trustees of the “Edward Holmes Baldock Charity” which is three charities rolled into one. It incorporates the Henry Gardener and Dorothy Ellis charities, and all three of them were established to relieve poverty in the town of Uckfield. Dorothy Ellis died in 1731 and some of the money she left enabled 12 fourpenny loaves to be provided to 12 poor families at Holy Cross Church every Sunday. This is now invested in the COIF Charities Investment Fund which provides a quarterly income which is used to provide a fund for an annual donation to three families selected by a sub-committee each year. The fund from 2020 was not used and is carried forward to be donated during 2021.

The parish part owned a property, 7 Parkview Road, which was bought as a home for a curate in training in 1989. When we no longer had a curate the Church Commissioners allowed us to rent the house out for

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a limited period. We then had to repay what we owed or sell it. A parish no longer has to provide a house for a training post and the PCC took the decision to sell it. The house had been bought for £86,000 and sold for in November 2020 for £290,000 which is a 337% increase. Costs involved in the sale of the property amounted to £5,789 and the net proceeds of £183,086 has been allocated as a restricted fund for the PCC to decide how best to invest the proceeds for the Church and clergy.

Diary: John Wall (Church Times 1st May 2020)

ISTOCK

Phone friends

“WEIRD, isn’t it?” was my opening gambit for many of the 200-plus phone calls I made at the beginning of the pandemic. It was, I felt, one of the most authentically priestly things that I’ve ever done: touching base with everyone in my scattered Church communities.

Like many, I was setting up telephone groups among the congregations, dividing them up into teams with a lead telephoner so that no one, though isolated, would feel alone. Out of all those calls, only two people didn’t want contact; all the others enthusiastically joined in, and the groups have thrived.

In addition, our weekly pew and readings sheets, now transformed into information and internet prayerresource lists, are being emailed or posted to all, as required. As Gillian, my PCC secretary and informationdisseminating guru, pointed out, we’d spent ages talking in the PCC about how to improve pastoral care for the congregations, and — pretty much by accident — we’ve now achieved it.

When we finally get back into Church, one of the first things we will do is invite members of the groups to stand up and wave at each other; for, although now good friends, some have never actually met.

Liturgical variations

AFTER a steep IT learning curve, many of my fellow clergy (including many of my former curates and other colleagues) have enthusiastically embraced the idea of streaming, and live services and daily Offices are now legion.

We took a slightly different route: seeing how things were going, before the shutters came down, we recorded four services in Church — for Mothering Sunday to Easter Day, with organ, reading, homily, and hymn — uploading them weekly to YouTube and Facebook.

For the first of these (I think it still had novelty value), we had more than 3000 viewings — roughly 20 times the number of people we would normally engage with on a Sunday. Then, encouraged by our Facebook guru, for Holy Week, I recorded a series of short meditations, sitting on my sofa with my iPhone propped precariously on a dining chair.

My black Labrador, Sophie, dressed in liturgically appropriate bandanas, joined in patiently, yawning sporadically and looking bored. She stole the show. Generally, there were between 1000 and 2000 viewings for each.

Subsequently, we have collated and edited services comprising individuals recording (by phone) songs, prayers, and readings in their own homes, so that Sunday worship is no longer just me spouting, but a real reflection of our Church communities. As the splendid Church Times cartoon that has been doing the rounds puts it, the Church building may be closed, but the Church is very much open for business.

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Role reversal

ALL this busy-ness, though, has come with a personal sense of passivity and almost inertia.

We have in the parish a hugely enthusiastic and effective band of volunteers — the “Uckfield Coronavirus Volunteers” — supplying hundreds of boxes of essential groceries to the isolated. Based in our Church centre, some of the Holy Cross congregation (including our parish administrator and Church treasurer) are industriously supporting the isolated in the wider community — of whom I am one. Normally, I would have expected to be one of the doers, but, as a diabetic, I am — apart from exercise and food shopping — self-isolating.

After more than 30 years of asking people how they are and if there’s anything they need, I’m gradually getting used to being on the receiving end of the same questions. Another learning curve, salutary and necessary.

Cloud of witnesses

PRAYER and worship have become far more internalised: from being at the sharp end of public — and often very bouncy — services, in which I have to be a combination of theologian, performer, and children’s entertainer, now (podcasts apart) services are just me and the dog, and God.

Although I was praying simultaneously with others (who had received the order of service by email), Good Friday, especially, was a strange and solitary experience. For the past 20 years or so, I’ve led a semi-staged dramatisation of the Passion, sometimes through the streets of the community, ending in Church with the enactment of the crucifixion on a scaffolding stage with dry ice (effective, yes; subtle, no).

This year, it was just the two of us, sitting on a bench in the garden listening to birdsong, while I went through the readings and prayers, and remembered all those who had participated in the enactment over the decades. Tellingly, four of those who played Jesus and two who played the maidservant are now ordained or in training for the priesthood. I touched base with them all in my mind as I looked back and remembered, patting Sophie in the sunshine.

Plus ça change

…As I take pleasure in little things, amid the weirdness of it all — in all the busy-ness and passivity, in the telephoning and podcasting, in sitting in a garden listening to birdsong, and remembering and giving thanks for the many people who have touched my life — maybe these minutes can be my steps to heaven, too.

Rector’s Report for a PCC meeting Thursday 8[th] October Well. What a seven months this has been!

In March the Standing Committee met to sort out what to do about Easter, only to find at the end of our meeting that all Churches were to be shut, by order of the Archbishops ! Luckily, before lockdown, we had recorded four Services to be sent out online, so we had breathing space. March was quiet & reflective: I recorded a series of Videos to go out on Facebook, marking Holy Week and East er which were well received. We then began to record our weekly Services with the children singing in their own homes, John Pontefract writing and performing his own songs, different readers from all three Churches, children and adults writing and reading prayers – all co-ordinated by Sarah and edited by “Off the Wall”. They were hugely popular, with some 2000-3000 views.

On a pastoral level, I phoned up everyone on our Church Rolls (some 300+ calls) and sorted the congregation into ‘Phone Groups so that pastoral care and contact could be maintained. I have tried to care for those doing the phoning . Thank you P.C.C. Members for being the primary ‘phoners ! For some

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time in P.C.C. Meetings we had been talking about how to improve care, and by accident I think we’ve done it. The Belmont Centre was used as a base by the “Uckfield Coronavirus Volunteers” who included members of our Church such as Lynne & Paul Ireland and Karen Bedwell, who sent out hundreds of boxes of groceries to the vulnerable in our community.

“Grapevine” turned into an information sheet, and the weekly “Link” sheet became an on-line Order of Service and Prayer Resource: all were sent out either by e-mail or, for those who didn’t do e-mail, by post, which has continued. Thanks to Gillian and Lynne for faithfully continuing with this all these months.

All Weddings & Baptisms were cancelled, but funerals carried on in Crematoria, notably Tom O’Donnell, Martin Eastwood and John Hope from our congregation. All socially distanced and strange. I have taken a number of COVID related funerals, one of which was for a suicide through depression from Lockdown. I have been involved in quite a lot of pastoral support by ‘phone and online. As I am in one of the “at risk” groups (Diabetes) I have restricted Home Visits to essentials, such as Jim Dame for Communion and Last Rights.

A memorable highlight for me was my 30[th] Anniversary of Priesting , for which I was expecting to do nothing: I was surprised and deeply moved by the 60-70 people who turned up from all three Churches to wish me well in a suitably socially distanced way on 27[th] June: again, thank you!

Sadly , Catherine Murphy, our prospective curate , withdrew from Ordained Ministry, so we remain without a curate. She was very sad about this, as we are: she would have been excellent.

Sadly, St. Saviour’s Services have finished, at the request of the few residents who were coming. Worship is at the discretion of the Rector of Uckfield, and I am fully supporting them in this decision.

Since Lockdown was eased, we began Services again at Holy Cross . Thanks to Lynne & Paul Ireland & Angela Noel, who, with support and back up by Paul Kennedy as our Health and Safety Officer, prepared the Church, taping pews off safely so allowing c 45-50 to sit socially distanced. We began again on Trinity VI, 26[th] July. It felt very strange and muted at first, but we are getting used to them, with an average congregation of c45. It was lovely that our new Bishop of Lewes, Bishop Will Hazlewood and his family have attended Holy Cross twice. We have had two Weddings since re-opening, and a number of Funerals : thank you to Angela Noel for her invaluable work as Verger at them. There have been no Baptisms , and none yet booked in for this year.

The on-line Services have been scaled down since the Church was reopened, but we still have a faithful following of some 200-300 viewers , so will continue for the foreseeable future.

The A.P.C.M. is booked for 18[th] October. Next Sunday 11[th] October will be Harvest , with a focus on the Foodbank. We are in contact with the Town Council about how a restricted and social distanced Remembrance Service will go ahead at 3.00 p.m. on Remembrance Sunday. We are now working towards Advent and Christmas, with an on-line Christmas Tree Festival, a recorded Crib Service and (hopefully!) a streamed Service of Nine Lessons & Carols. Midnight Mass will go ahead but will need to be a ticketed event.

We will, I feel, emerge from this crisis stronger and a closer community. Holy Cross will thrive!

With much love and many thanks

Fr. John 6[th] October 2020

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SAFEGUARDING REPORT

DBS CHECKS

I have notified those who need to renew their clearance. In spite of current COVID restrictions validation can still be achieved by documents being scanned and sent to me when an application has been done on line. When we can all meet again I will need to see the documents themselves. The same applies to new DBS applications.

SAFEGUARDING

All procedures followed as/when necessary and arranged in line with COVID restrictions.

Good News - we now have a Safeguarding assistant – Rhian Cottrell.

SQP

GOOD NEWS – our efforts to complete part one of the SQP requirements were successful and after our February inspection we got our certificate. Thank you all who worked so hard to comply with the paperwork mountain.

Due to the reduction/ cessation/ adjustment of activities through the pandemic the need has been mostly around re ordering of the Church for a socially distanced small congregation (when allowed) and the use of face masks and hand sanitising as per government instructions.

TRAINING

C0 Training - This online training is open to all members of the congregation and parents of children who attend Holy Cross activities on the basis that “Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility”.

C1 Training - Unfortunately most people last did this training in February 2017 and as it should be renewed every three years it is now out of date. Due to the pandemic it was not possible to arrange a training session in the Belmont Centre as planned. It is available on line and maybe the rest of lockdown would be a good time to complete it? Please! If you have any problems, are unable to do it online or are unsure whether you need it, do contact me.

C2 Training - This has now been developed into a more rigorous and (at present) online - Safeguarding Leadership Training. A current C2 training certificate remains valid until renewal is required (ie.3 years from date on certificate), when it will be the Safeguarding Leadership Module.

Karen Smith, Safeguarding Officer

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FABRIC COMMITTEE REPORT

The COVID pandemic didn’t have quite the same impact on the maintenance of the Church and the Belmont Centre. From March the closure of the buildings for normal use meant that general day to day issues reduced and opportunity for having works done was improved.

All of the following works detailed here have been carried out in consultation with the Rector, the Churchwarden’s and our Health & Safety/Major Projects Officer. Others from the Church community, the Diocese and other experts have been involved as required to ensure all relevant conditions and regulations are adhered to.

The year started with the refurbishment of the 2 W-9 Lancet windows during January which included the replacement of the protective grills. A major item which has ensured that those windows are now good for many years to come.

In February, the annual Re-pointing of the Stonework was carried out by Rother Stone. This involves 2 to 3 days per year to gradually work around and ensure the stonework is maintained for the future, to quote Paul Kennedy ‘it’s a bit like maintaining the Forth Bridge’. This is part of the recommendations on general Church building upkeep following the last Quinquennial inspection.

Early in March a storm damaged the large wooden sign on the Belmont Road side of the Church yard. This highlighted the deterioration of the sign and meant that it was not repairable. With part funding from the Church Insurance policy the sign was replaced with a longer lasting non-wood version.

The annual test of the Lightning Conductor on the Church failed and identified a significant repair needed to ensure the continuity of the connection from the roof to the ground. This work was performed by Southern Lightning Engineers Ltd of Maidstone and following the work a Certificate of Safety was issued on 22 December.

The annual boiler maintenance of the Church and Belmont Centre systems was undertaken by Hedley Visick. Other works during the year on the heating systems included the replacement of 3 control valves for the underfloor heating system in the Belmont Centre.

Investigation work for a major sound reverberation reduction project for the Cardale Hall in the Belmont Centre was started with the plan to complete installation in early 2021.

John Pontefract, Church Warden

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FINANCIAL REVIEW

2020 will be remembered as the year the COVID pandemic affected all areas of life as detailed in the pages that precede this part of the annual report. The financial aspects of Holy Cross were not exempt and this report details a challenging year but one full of positivity and flexibility as we found new ways to collect and raise money as detailed in this annual report.

The firm foundation of our reserves, built up over many years, have meant we have been able to maintain and support our own Church family and our financial commitment to the Diocese and away giving. These reserves have also meant that as well as new expenditure in producing video services we have been able to carry out any essential works needed to maintain the Church and plan for improvements. In total £23,500 of our reserves was needed to balance the accounts during 2020.

Incoming and outgoing resources

Total receipts on general unrestricted funds, which are detailed in the Financial Statements, were £107,237. This is 31% (£49,137) less than 2019. The main areas which had the biggest financial impact were events, fund raising, cash collections and the Belmont Centre.

With the main fund raising events like the Festival of Christmas Trees, the Christmas Bazaar and the Christmas raffle being affected some very creative re-planning generated income despite people not being able to attend events. The use of the internet to take donations, order items for click and collect from the bazaar and on-line raffle ticket sales meant that total fund raising income at £5,624, although 70% (£13,570) down on 2019, was a fantastic figure to raise given the circumstances.

A total of £51,371 Planned Giving was received in 2020, this was down 6% (£3,327) on 2019 and was due to Planned Giving being reduced by £225 per month by the end of the year as people either left the area or passed to higher service. Cash collections totalled £3,116, a reduction of 75% (£9,351) on 2019 due to the Church having reduced capacity due to COVID restrictions or being closed since March.

Receipts from hiring fees for the Belmont Centre were £14,370 which is a decrease of 50% (£14,366) on 2019 due to the lockdown closures from March to July and on-going restrictions for the remainder of the year. A rent reduction was also given to Spire Pre-school from March till the end of the year to assist them with the impact of lockdown.

The Belmont Centre was also used during lockdown by the Uckfield Coronavirus Volunteers for coordinating food box deliveries for those isolating due to COVID. With the COVID related refund to Spire the Belmont Centre income covered the running costs with a surplus of around £100. A further £1,273 was expended to provide signage and sanitisers in preparation for re-opening in August.

As the Church and Belmont Centre were closed for significant periods of time throughout the year the running costs were also reduced.

When normality starts to return campaigns will be undertaken to replace the funds taken from reserves and to recruit additional planned giving.

7 Parkview Road was sold with completion in November. After costs and the repayment of the Church Commissioners Equity Sharing Loan the net proceeds in a restricted fund are £183,086.

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Sharing the ministry costs of the Diocese of Chichester

The largest expenditure of the PCC was the sum of £61,500 paid to the Diocese to cover ministry costs. The parish contribution in 2020 was used towards the stipend, pension and housing costs of the clergy, and a standard sum for diocesan costs, clergy training and a contribution to national Church funds.

The Church House Finance Team published the draft budget for 2021 during September 2020. Following this, a joint meeting of the Uckfield and Dallington Deaneries was held virtually on Zoom, on 21st September 2020, at which all PCC Treasurers were invited to attend. A recording of that meeting was subsequently made available, so that anybody unable to join that meeting would be able to follow the proceedings.

The Diocese budget for 2021 has been prepared under the shadow of the COVID pandemic, resulting in a forecast deficit for the 2020 financial year and the consequent reduction in reserves. The Diocese has budgeted for significant falls in the levels of the majority of income lines due to uncertainty over the levels of recovery from the effects of the pandemic.

It is recognised that parishes will recover from the impact of the pandemic at different rates and for this reason, the Diocese have budgeted for a reduction of 5.2% on the 2020 figure for Parish Share. That said, the Uckfield Deanery Budget Allocation for 2021 has been circulated with an increase in the Parish Share of 0.09% which is the amount by which the Uckfield Deanery budget for 2021 has increased from 2020.

The Holy Cross Uckfield PCC met on 25[th] November 2020 and confirmed that the Parish Share previously pledged for 2020 of £61,500 would be increased to £64,500 in 2021. This is an increase of 4.88% and the plurality as a whole will pay £79,823 which is 118.22% of the net Parish Costs of £67,521.

Staff costs

Since April 2016 a part-time Parish Administrator has been employed to run the Parish Office. From 2020 the Director of Music and Assistant Director of Music payments are now recorded as salary having previously been recorded as upkeep of services. This is following guidance that these roles do not have the autonomy required to be classed as self-employed.

At the beginning of 2020 an increase of 5% on salaries was agreed and back dated to 1 Jan 2020.

Due to no employees being registered with HMRC before the qualifying dates we were unable to benefit from the Government Furlough scheme.

Missionary and Charitable giving

The planned reconstituting of a Giving sub-committee of the PCC was delayed due to the COVID pandemic. Therefore, missionary and charitable giving for 2020 of £3,750 is over £2,700 down on 2019. £2,000 has been accrued to allow the Giving sub-committee a fund to ensure that our Away Giving recorded for the year can be maintained despite the disruption caused by COVID.

During 2020 the missionary and charitable giving being donations to home and overseas was:

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Overseas

• Goodwill Children’s Homes

• Action Aid

• £ 500

• £ 234

Home

• Holy Cross School Governors

• Holy Cross School Other Support

• Chichester Diocese Family Services

• The Children’s Society

• Holy Cross Charities (Baldock)

• Uckfield Hospital League of Friends

• Local deserving causes

• £1,500

• £ 585

• £ 500

• £ 231

• £ 0 (funds carried forward to 2021)

• £ 313

• £ 200

Accrued amounts are for the following:

• Giving sub-committee fund

• £2,000

Fixed Assets

Due to the sale of 7 Parkview Road the Fixed Asset value has been reduced by the 2019 valuation of the 66.785% share which was £190,776.

As part of the sale process the Church Commissioners 34.215% equity share loan was settled so the long term liabilities on the accounts have reverted to £0.

Reserves Policy

During 2020 the minimum balance on the general unrestricted funds (excluding property) which equates to approximately 6 month’s of unrestricted payments as a contingency against unforeseen situations was maintained despite the need to transfer funds to meet the day to day expenditure.

It is PCC policy to retain any funds not required for day to day transactions on deposit at the bank.

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

The PCC acts as a custodian trustee for the assets of the Edward Holmes Baldock Charity which was established in 1845 for the benefit of poor persons in the parish. Its sole asset is 38.38 income units invested in the COIF Charities Investment Fund.

As at 31 August 2020, its latest valuation date, the value of the investment was £610.40. The income in its financial year was £18.68 which is normally topped up by the PCC and distributed to suitable recipients. The charity is administered by the PCC with the Churchwardens acting as trustees of the charity and is segregated from the assets of the PCC.

The normal annual donations to local deserving individuals encountering hardship was deferred as confirmation of the recipients was not possible during the lockdown. The PCC will ensure the 2021 awards are topped up with the deferred 2020 income.

During the 2020 COVID lockdown the PCC supported the Uckfield Coronavirus Volunteers and allowed the use of the online and electronic payment facilities of the Belmont Centre bank account. As at the 31 December 2020 a total of £3,282 of funds are held on account for the continuing need for their service during the pandemic.

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The Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield registered charity number 1137746 Statement of Financial Activities

The financial effect of our activities during the year can be summarised as follows

	Unrestricted Fund	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Total Funds 2020	Total Funds 2019 Notes
Income and endowments from: Donations and legacies Charitable activities Other trading activities Investments Other receipts	£ 77,630 8,998 17,635 96 2,554	£ 2,869 - - 188,885 -		£ - - - - -	£ 80,499 8,998 17,635 188,981 2,554	£ 101,409 11,060 39,234 7,451 108
Total income	106,913	191,754		-	298,667	159,262 2
Expenditure on: Raising funds Charitable activities Other trading activities Other expenditure	939 124,725 (7,983) -	- 1,465 5,789 -		- - - -	- 939 126,190 (2,194) -	4,494 128,599 23,506 -
Total expenditure	117,681	7,254		-	124,935	156,599 3
Net gains (or losses) on investments	-	-		-	-	- 8
Net income or (net expenditure)	(10,768)	184,500		-	173,732	2,663
Transfers between funds Other recognised gains/(losses): Gains/(losses) on revaluation of fixed assets Other gains/(losses) Reconciliation of funds:	-	-		-	-	- 10
	(10,768) (190,776) -	184,500 - -		- - -	173,732 (190,776) -	2,663 3,854 11 -
Net movement in funds	(201,544)	184,500		-	(17,044)	6,517
Total funds brought forward	1,661,556	12,538		-	1,674,094	1,667,577
Total funds carried forward	1,460,012	197,038		-	1,657,050	1,674,094

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The Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield registered charity number 1137746 Balance Sheet

Our financial position and summary of funds at the year end were

	Total Funds 2020	Total Funds 2019	Notes
Intangible assets Tangible assets Heritage assets Endowed investments	£ - 1,370,000 - -	£ - 1,560,776 - -
Total fixed assets	1,370,000	1,560,776	11
Stocks Debtors Investments Cash at bank and in hand	- 4,561 - 296,066	- 14,582 - 137,552	14
Total current assets	300,627	152,134
Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year	(13,577)	(9,391)	15
Net current assets or (liabilities)	287,050	142,743
Total assets less current liabilities Creditors: Amounts falling due after more than one year Provisions for liabilities	1,657,050 - -	1,703,519 (29,425) -	16
Total net assets or (liabilities)	1,657,050	1,674,094
The funds of the charity: Restricted income funds	197,038	12,538
Unrestricted funds Revaluation reserve	1,460,012	1,661,556
Total unrestricted funds	1,460,012	1,661,556
Total charity funds	1,657,050	1,674,094	18

This Financial Report for the year ended 31st December 2020, including the notes following, was approved by the PCC and signed on its behalf by The Revd. John Wall, PCC Chairman:

Signed:

Date 20[th] April 2021

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The Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield registered charity number 1137746 Notes to the Financial Report

1 Accounting policies

Basis of preparation

The PCC is a public benefit entity within the meaning of FRS102. The financial statements have been prepared under the Charities Act 2011 and the Church Accounting Regulations 2006, in accordance with applicable accounting standards and the current Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities, (SORP (FRS 102)).

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention as modified by the inclusion of investments at market value and the revaluation of fixed assets. The financial statements include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of Church groups that owe their affiliation to another body, nor those which are informal gatherings of Church members

Funds accounting

Funds held by the PCC are:

Unrestricted funds - general funds which can be used for PCC ordinary purposes

Restricted funds - a) income from trusts or endowments which may be expended only on those restricted objects provided in the terms of the trust or bequest; b) donations or grants received for a specific object or invited by the PCC for a specific object. The funds may only be expended on the specific object for which they were given. Any balance remaining unspent at the end of the year is carried forward as a balance on that fund

Income and endowments

All income and endowments, accounted for without deduction for any costs of receivability, are recognised when there is evidence of entitlement, receipt is probable, and the amount can be measured reliably

Donations and legacies

Collections are recognised when received.

Planned giving receivable is recognised when there is evidence of entitlement, receipt is probable, and the amount accords with the Gift Aid declaration or other record of intention to donate

Gift aid recovered is recognised when the income to which it is attached is recognised

Grants and legacies are recognised when the formal offer in writing of the funding, is received by the PCC

Charitable activities

Statutory fees for weddings and funerals are recognised when the office occurs

Other trading activities

Trading activities are where income is receivable in return for selling goods or providing services. Income from trading is recognised either: a - when received, or b - in the case of concerts: for the year in which the event occurs, irrespective of date of receipt. Advance bookings are included in creditors until the concert has taken place

Sales of magazines are recognised when received

Rents from property are recognised in accordance with the rental agreements, when receipt is probable

Investment income

Dividends are accounted for when due and payable. Interest entitlements are accounted for as they accrue

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The Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield registered charity number 1137746 Notes to the Financial Report

All other income

All other income is recognised in accordance with the above overall policy

Gains and losses on investments

Realised gains are recognised when the investments are sold

Unrealised gains and losses are accounted for on revaluation at 31 December

Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised when there is evidence of entitlement, payment is probable, and the amount can be measured reliably

Grants

Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over, or when awarded where the award creates a binding obligation on the PCC

Church activities

The diocesan parish contribution is accounted for on an annual basis, reflecting the allocation set by our Deanery. Any parish contribution unpaid at 31 December is provided for in these accounts as an operational (though not a legal) liability and is shown as a creditor in the balance sheet

Fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets

Consecrated and beneficed property of any kind is excluded from the accounts by s.10(2) of the Charities Act 2011.

Movable Church furnishing held by the Vicar and Churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal, are accounted as inalienable property unless consecrated. They are listed in the Church's inventory which can be inspected but are not included in the financial statements

All expenditure on consecrated or beneficed buildings and individual items costing under £1,000 are written off in the year they were incurred

Depreciation

Depreciation is calculated to write down the cost of tangible fixed assets, excluding freehold properties, over their expected useful lives. The rates generally applicable are:

Fixtures and fittings	20%
Audio visual	33%
i Office equipment	25%

No depreciation is provided on freehold buildings as the useful economic life of these assets exceeds 50 years and residual values so high that potential depreciation would be immaterial. It is the PCC's policy to maintain these assets in a continual state of sound repair. Resulting from regular impairment reviews, provision will be made if there has been any permanent diminution in value

Investments

Investments are stated at market value at the balance sheet date

Current Assets

Amounts owing to the PCC at 31 December in respect of fees, rents or other income are shown a debtors, less provision for amounts that may prove uncollectible

Short-term deposits include cash held on deposit either with the CBF Church of England Funds, or at the bank

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The Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield registered charity number 1137746 Notes to the Financial Report

2 Analysis of income and endowments

	Unrestricted	Restricted Fund/s	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Total Funds 2020	Total Funds 2019	Notes
	Fund
	£		£ - - 314 - - 2,555 - - -		£ - - - - - - - - -	£ 44,464 6,907 3,116 2,765 2,859 7,738 11,111 - 1,539	£ 46,067 8,631 12,467 9,560 5,469 5,492 13,723 - -
Planned giving (via standing order)	44,464
Planned giving (via weekly envelopes)	6,907
Loose cash collections	2,802
Christmas Tree Festival	2,765
Other Fund Raising Activities	2,859
Other donations	5,183
Gift Aid recoverable	11,111
Legacies	-
Grants	1,539
Donations and legacies	£77,630		£2,869		-	£80,499	£101,409
Fees for weddings & funerals - PCC Fees for weddings & funerals - Clergy Fees for weddings & funerals - DBF Fees for weddings & funerals - Other Wedding	2,263 943 5,732 60		-		-	2,263 943 5,732 60	4,354 2,445 3,260 1,001
Charitable activities	£8,998		-		-	£8,998	£11,060
Big Day, Xmas Fair & Festival of Christmas Trees Other fund raising activities Sales of the parish magazine Belmont Centre hiring fees Magazine advertisement fees	2,294 750 221 14,370 -		- - - - -		- - - - -	2,294 750 221 14,370 -	7,530 1,086 902 28,736 980
Other trading activities	£17,635		-		-	£17,635	£39,234
Bank deposit interest Rent from letting of investment property Proceeds from Sale of Assets	96 - -	10 - 188,875			- - -	106 - 188,875	231 7,220
Investments	£96	£188,885			-	£188,981	£7,451
Other receipts	2,554	-			-	2,554	108
Total income and endowments on all funds	£106,913	£191,754			-	£298,667	£159,262

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The Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield registered charity number 1137746 Notes to the Financial Report

3 Analysis of expenditure

3 Analysis of expenditure
	Unrestricted Fund	Restricted Fund/s		Endowed Fund/s		Total Funds 2020	Total Funds 2019	Notes
Uckfield Festival Big Day Festival of Christmas Trees Stewardship costs (printing etc) Other fundraising (non-trading) costs	£ - 919 - 20		£ - - - -		£ - - - -	£ - 919 - 20	£ 80 3,548 83 783
Cost of raising funds	£939		-		-	£939	£4,494
Missionary and charitable giving Ministry: Diocesan Parish Share Ministry: Other Clergy costs Staff: Admin Upkeep of services Church running costs Junior Church and Clubs (e.g. Choir) Church maintenance and repair Piano Holy Cross School Support Major Works Miscellaneous Bank charges Messy Church/Holiday Club/Outreach Fees - Paid to Clergy Fees - Paid to DBF Fees - Paid for Wedding Extras Governance	2,513 61,500 5,699 16,142 3,668 9,610 329 7,245 130 225 9,238 526 754 328 1,721 5,097 - -		1,465 - - - - - - - - - - - - -		- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	3,978 61,500 5,699 16,142 3,668 9,610 329 7,245 130 225 9,238 526 754 328 1,721 5,097 - -	6,517 58,500 8,012 5,148 14,792 10,073 1,407 4,254 - 735 8,361 2,955 1,144 240 2,456 3,425 580 -	4 5 8
Cost of charitable activities	£124,725		£1,465		-	£126,190	£128,599
Uckfield Festival Big Day Festival of Christmas Trees Other events Church Commissioners - 7PVR Equity Loan and Rent Belmont Centre running costs Parish magazine costs Other trading costs	- 369 - 1,894 10,655 - (20,901)		- - - - - 5,789		- - - - - -	- 369 - 1,894 10,655 - 13,524	339 441 - 3,491 18,482 416 337
Cost of other trading activities	(£7,983)		5,789		-	(£2,194)	£23,506
Total expended on all funds	£117,681		£7,254		-	£124,935	£156,599

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The Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield registered charity number 1137746 Notes to the Financial Report

4 Missionary and charitable giving

	Unrestricted Fund	Restricted Fund/s	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Total Funds 2020	Total Funds 2019	Notes
Overseas: Total Home: Total Accrued amount (Finance Sub-Committee)	£ - 513 2,000		£ 734 731 -		£ - - -	£ 734 1,244 2,000	£ 2,216 4,301
	2,513		1,465		-	3,978	6,517

5 Staff costs

	Unrestricted Fund	Restricted Fund/s	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Total Funds 2020	Total Funds 2019	Notes
Remuneration Wages and salaries	£ 16,142		£ -		£ -	£ 16,142	£ 5,148
	16,142		-		-	16,142	5,148

6 Payments to PCC members

Trustee payments and expenses

The PCC support the clergy by paying Council Tax of £3,571, water and environmental charges amounting to £926 for the Rectory plus other costs totalling £1,240 towards travel, hospitality, telephone, internet and postage.

7 Transactions with persons related to PCC members

Since the appointment of a new Treasurer in June 2019, all payments to the Parish Administrator are connected to the trustees as the Treasurer is married to the Parish Administrator. PCC procedures are in place to ensure at least two others are aware of expenditure, other than regular commitments and pre-agreed works, before payment is made. Financial reporting to the PCC and the PCC Standing Committee contains financial detail to ensure transparency.

No other payments have been made to persons related to or connected to the trustees.

8 Transactions with related charities

The Holy Cross Church of England Primary School is supported by the Clergy and financial assistance is provided in agreement with the PCC. The incumbent is an ex-officio member of the Board of Governors.

Financial support has been given to Holy Cross School during 2020 for a Music tutor for Choir and Assemblies - £225, this is a reduction on previous years due to the lockdown periods.

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The Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield registered charity number 1137746 Notes to the Financial Report

9 Governance

9 Governance
	Unrestricted Funds		Restricted Fund/s		Endowed Fund/s		Total Funds 2020	Total Funds 2019	Notes
Accounts production		£ -		£ -		£ -	£ -	£ -
		-		-		-	-	-

10 Transfers between funds

10 Transfers between funds
	Unrestricted Funds		Restricted Fund/s		Endowed Fund/s		Total Funds 2020	Total Funds 2019	Notes
-		£ -		£ -		£ -	£ -	£ -
		-		-		-	-	-

11 Fixed assets

a Investments

11 Fixed assets a Investments
	Unrestricte d Fund	Restricte d Fund/s		Endowe d Fund/s		Total Funds 2020	Note s
Market value 1 January 2020 Disposals at carrying value Purchases at cost Net gains and revaluation	£ - - - -		£ - - - -		£ - - - -	£ - - - -
Market value 31 December 2020	-		-		-	-

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The Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield registered charity number 1137746 Notes to the Financial Report

11 Fixed assets (contd.)

b Tangible fixed assets

b Tangible fixed assets
		Freehold land and buildings	Audio visual equipment		Office equipment	Total fixed assets	Notes
Cost or valuation At 1 January 2020 Additions Disposals Revaluation	£ 1,560,776 - (190,776) -			£ - - - -	£ - - - -	£ 1,560,776 - (190,776) -
At 31 December 2020	1,370,000			-	-	1,370,000
Charge for impairment At 1 January 2020	-			-	-	-
At 31 December 2020	-			-	-	-
Net book amounts At 31 December 2020	1,370,000			-	-	1,370,000
At 31 December 2019	1,560,776			-	-	1,560,776

The freehold land and buildings are the Belmont Centre, Belmont Road. The Belmont Centre remains valued at £1,370,000.

The former curates house, 7 Park View Road, was sold during 2020 and the 65.785% share owned by the PCC realised £190,776 before costs.

13 Net assets by fund

13 Net assets by fund
	Unrestricted Funds	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s		Total Funds 2020	Total Funds 2019	Notes
Fixed assets for Church use Current assets (except cash) Cash at bank and on deposit Current liabilities Long term liabilities	£ 1,370,000 4,561 99,028 (13,577) -	£ - - 197,038 - -		£ - - - - -	£ 1,370,000 4,561 296,066 (13,577) -	£ 1,560,776 14,482 137,552 (9,391) (29,425)
	£1,460,012	£197,038		£-	£1,657,050	£1,674,094

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The Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield registered charity number 1137746 Notes to the Financial Report

14 Debtors

14 Debtors
	Unrestricted Funds		Restricted Fund/s		Endowed Fund/s		Total Funds 2020	Total Funds 2019	Notes
Income tax recoverable Prepayments and accrued income Other debtors		£ 2,822 1,739 -		£ - - -		£ - - -	£ 2,822 1,739 -	£ 13,274 1,275 33
	£4,561			-		-	£4,561	£14,582

15 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

	Unrestricted Funds	Unrestricted Funds	Restricted Fund/s	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Total Funds 2020	Total Funds 2019	Notes
Deferred income Accruals for utilities and other costs Other creditors		£ - 8,086 260		£ - 5,231 -		£ - - -	£ - 13,317 260	£ - 8,858 533
	£8,346			£5,231		-	£13,577	£9,391

16 Creditors: amounts falling due after one year

	Unrestricte d Funds	Unrestricte d Funds	Restricte d Fund/s	Restricte d Fund/s	Endowe d Fund/s	Endowe d Fund/s	Total Funds 2020	Total Funds 2019	Note s
Deferred income Accruals for utilities and other costs Value Linked loan - 7 Park View Road Other creditors		£ - - - -		£ - - - -		£ - - - -	£ - - - -	£ - - 29,425 -
		-		-		-	-	£29,425

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The Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield registered charity number 1137746 Notes to the Financial Report

17 Statement of funds

Restricted Funds - The purpose of the restricted funds are as follows:

• Organ Repair Fund – holds funds for repairing and maintaining the Church Organ.

• Sunday Refreshment Fund – holds the proceeds of contributions given at coffee after the 9.30am service and is used for charitable donations to good causes.

• Screen and AV Fund – established in 2018 to raise funds for the installation of a permanent display screen and in 2019 the scope was extended to include the sound system.

• Youth Club Fund – holds funds for the Youth Club which is currently in recess.

• Inspire Project Fund – established in 2015 following the receipt of a donation from Uckfield District Nurses Welfare Committee and will be solely used on a special project.

• Action Aid Fund – established in 2018 to support the education of a child in Guatemala.

• Window Appeal Fund – established in 2019 to raise funds to repair and maintain the Church windows.

• Children’s Work – established 2020 and to include Children’s Choir, Junior Church and holiday clubs

• 7 Parkview Road – established 2020 with the proceeds of the sale of the property.

• Flower Fund – established 2020 to manage the flower monies previously manged elsewhere.

• Children’s Society – established 2020 for the funds collected for the Children’s Society.

Unrestricted funds are not subject to any donor restrictions and can be spent as the PCC decides.

18 Summary of all funds

Fund income and expenditure and final balances are as follows:

	Balances b/fwd 1 Jan 2020	Income	Expenditure	Transfers, other gains and losses	Balances c/fwd 31 Dec 2020
Organ Repairs Sunday Refreshments AV and Screen Fund Youth Club Inspire Project Action Aid (Guatemala Child) Window Appeal Fund Children’s Work 7 Park View Road Proceeds Flower Fund Children’s Society	£ 4,011 366 4,337 341 2,095 151 1,237 - - - -	£ 3 1,248 3 0 2 83 273 656 188,875 380 231	£ - 1,000 - - - 234 - - 5,789 - 231	£ - - - - - - - - - - -	£ 4,014 614 4,340 341 2,097 - 1,510 656 183,086 380 -
Total of all restricted funds	12,538	191,754	(7,254)	-	197,038
Revaluation of fixed assets General fund	- 1,661,556	- 106,913	- (117,681)	(190,776) -	(190,776) 1,650,788
Total of all unrestricted funds	1,661,556	106,913	(117,681)	(190,776)	1,460,012
Total funds	£1,674,094	£298,667	(£124,935)	(190,776)	£1,657,050

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Independent Examiner's Report to the PCC of The Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield for the Year Ended 31st December 2020 This is my report to the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish IPCCI of the Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield, on the annual report for the year ended 31" December 2020 set OLSt on pages 27 to 40. Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner The PCC members are responsible for the preparation of the annual reports. The PCC members consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 1"the Charities Act") and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to.. examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act, to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 14515llbl of the Charities Art, and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basis of independent examlnerfs statement My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the occounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those fecords. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosure5 in the accounts and seeking explanations from the 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 fairf view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent examiner'5 Statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention (other than that disclosed below in Section B ') which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements.. to keep accounting retords in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act,. and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met,. or 2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper uTrderstandinE of the accounts to be reached. Pleose delete the words in the (brackets) if they do not opply Examinerf5 signature Examinerfs n3rne CAPITALS Date Relevant professlonal qualificationlsl or body if any Examinerfs address JotrAf C4 C/.C/-/L-£.P....... A=.4.4.i.........J6Ys.S..£.*.....7.￿￿2...￿d¥

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material problems for example:

• accounting records have not been kept in accordance with s132 of the Charities’ Act 2011 and those accounts do not comply with the requirements of the 2008 Regulations setting out the form and content of charity accounts;

• any material expenditure or action which appears not to be in accordance with the trusts of the charity;

• any failure to be provided with information and explanations by any past or present trustee, officer or employee; and

• any material inconsistency between the accounts and the trustees’ annual report.

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose

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