## **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 2022**
|**Table of Contents**
Page|
|---|
|The Trustees Annual Report.................................................................... 3|
|Safeguarding Report................................................................................. 24|
|Fabric Committee Report....................................................................... 26|
|Financial Review......................................................................................... 28|
|Statement of Financial Activities......................................................... 31|
|Balance Sheet.............................................................................................. 32|
|Notes to the Financial Report............................................................... 33|
|Independent Examiner’s Report.......................................................... 42|
## **Administrative information**
Incumbent: The Revd John Wall, The Rectory, 1 Sand Ridge, Ridgewood, Uckfield TN22 5ET
Independent examiner: Mr B Jacobs, 12 Silverdale, Keymer BN6 8RD (appointed 2022) Bankers: National Westminster Bank, 49 High Street, Uckfield TN22 1AN Parish Office: holycrossuckfield@gmail.com
Website: Churchoftheholycrossuckfield.co.uk
## **Advisers to the P.C.C.**
Mrs AD Johnson – Churchwarden
Mr J Pontefract – Churchwarden and Health & Safety Officer
Mr P Ireland – P.C.C. Treasurer
Mrs G Youngman – P.C.C. Secretary
Mrs L Ireland – Parish Administrator
Mr P Kennedy – Major Works Project Manager
Thank you to the following people for permission to use their photos:
Sarah Widdowson, Rhian Cottrell, Bridge Cottage archives, Lisa Williamson (Diocesan Communications and Engagement Office) and Gillian Youngman.
_**This rest of this page is intentionally left blank**_
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## **The Trustees Annual Report**
## **INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND**
## **Introduction**
2022 was a far more positive year with many things returning to how they were before COVID-19 (albeit with caution) which was good news for both Holy Cross Church and the wider community. Fr John summed 2022 up by saying that we had been treading water to get back to where we were.
|19thJanuary|-|The government no longer asked people to work from home (though a lot|The government no longer asked people to work from home (though a lot|
|---|---|---|---|
|||continued to do so)||
|27th January|-|“Plan B” rules were scrapped meaning face masks were no longer mandatory in||
|||indoor venues i.e. shops, theatres, public transport and classrooms although face||
|||coverings were still to be worn in health and care settings,||
|28th January|-|A church cleaning session was held where the tapes marking off alternate pews in||
|||the side aisles were removed.||
|20thFebruary|-|Revised Covid measures implemented at Holy Cross: “Covid is still widespread||
|||in|our area and we continue to try to keep our congregation safe! We|
|||respectfully request, please, that everyone attending continues to wear a mask||
|||(including children aged 11+). We still encourage everyone to take a Lateral||
|||Flow Test (LFT) before coming to the church, but it is optional and an individual||
|||choice: no-one will be asked if they have taken one! Hand sanitiser will be||
|||available at the entrance and inside church. Thank you! Fr John”||
|||(Source: The Grapevine)||
|March|-|Around 1 in 35 had Covid as of 1stMarch (2.88% of people) and later that month 1||
|||in|16 (6.37%) (Source: Imperial College London)|
|3rd April|-|Covid tests no longer requested by the congregation as lateral flow tests were no||
|||longer free after 31st March.||
|26th April|-|7 in 10 people have had Covid since the pandemic began (source: Daily Mail)||
|5th June|-|The P.C.C. agreed to lift some restrictions; the following changes (with the emphasis||
|||on personal preference) were introduced:||
||||• Masks - you may wear a mask OR not wear one as you choose; however, we still|
||||recommend that you use hand sanitiser and if you feel unwell we request that|
||||you do not come to church.|
- You may shake hands to share the Peace, should you wish, but if you do not wish to share the peace physically, please ensure you keep your arms across your chest.
- Communion will still be administered to you standing but will be available in one kind OR two i.e. you can take wine as well if you so wish. You are kindly requested though, for health and safety reasons, not to dip your wafer into the wine.
- We are reintroducing the elements being carried up to the altar and the collection plate being passed round. (Source: The Grapevine)
By the end of the year, the only things that had not been reinstated in worship were using the rail and kneeler for communion and a monthly Healing Service being incorporated into the Sunday morning service.
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In the autumn, invitations were issued for people to have a 4[th] Covid vaccination and although there were still cases of people testing positive for Covid, the majority were mild cases with cold like symptoms, if any, and masks were still compulsory in health environments. During the year the media stopped publishing statistics about how many people had Covid or had died from it.
It was a year of national highs and lows. As Covid restrictions were relaxed in the first half of the year, a feeling of normality started to come back and the first weekend in June saw many events able to take place celebrating the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Sadly however, the year was overshadowed by two major events which had an effect locally, nationally and worldwide:
- 24[th] February - the invasion of Ukraine by Russia (the war still continues into 2023) It was reported in early December that up to 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in battle (source: BBC) and up till 22nd December 6,826 civilians were killed and 10,769 injured (source: United Nations) Also 180,000 Russian troops killed or injured (source: Daily Mail 1 February 2023)
- 8[th] September - the death of Queen Elizabeth II
- The Queen had reigned for 70 years 7 months 1 day, making her the longestreigning British monarch in history
There were also two deaths in Uckfield of people who had given so much to the town in their many roles and are greatly missed by Holy Cross Church: Mike Skinner who had supported and publicised special Church services and events through his involvement in local radio and John Carvey, a local councillor and former town mayor, who was the Independent Examiner for our church accounts, a job which he loved doing.
As a result of the war and possibly partly Brexit, the UK (and indeed the world) suffered a severe cost of living crisis with huge hikes especially in energy prices “General food and drink inflation is continuing to soar. Official figures… showed prices increased by 16.8% in the year to December… marking the highest level since September 1977” (source: Yahoo). The NHS, already under pressure before the pandemic, saw the waiting list for hospital treatment rise to a record 7 million in September 2022 with more people going to A&E, ambulance response rates rose and A&E hospital waiting times reached a record high (source: House of Commons Library).
Towards the end of the year there was unrest among many, leading to strikes for more pay; including Royal Mail workers, train staff and nurses (nearly 2.5million working days were lost to strike action in the second half of last year; source: Daily Mail). Meanwhile, the Office of National Statistics said "The real value of pay has fallen over the year by 2.5%, one of the largest drops since records began in 2001, as pay increases fail to keep pace with inflation". Cost of living support packages were put in place by the Government including every household in the UK receiving a £400 discount on energy bills in six monthly instalments from October.
The war, along with the death of a worldwide treasure who was Head of the Church of England and the cost of living crisis, put Holy Cross Church even more at the heart of the community of Uckfield.
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## **OUR AIMS AND PURPOSES AS A CHARITY**
‘The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of the Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield’ is a Charity registered with the Charity Commission in England and Wales as charity number 1137746. It is commonly known by its working name of ‘Holy Cross Church, Uckfield’.
Holy Cross Church is set just off the High Street in Uckfield and comes under the Diocese of Chichester. It is part of a Plurality with St Michael and All Angels at Little Horsted and St Margaret of Antioch at Isfield, overseen by the Rector, Revd John Wall (Father John). The Parochial Church Council (P.C.C.) is a corporate body established by the Church of England and operates under the Parochial Church Council (Powers) Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2006 which states that its principal function is “promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church”.
The P.C.C. has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent 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, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.
- •Getting to know Jesus better and make Him better known.
- •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 Chichester Diocese Strategy 2020-2025 ‘Vision for Growth’ (More Open; More Converted to Jesus Christ; More Generous; More Engaged).
## **OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES**
When planning our activities for the year the P.C.C. 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’.
## **We enable as many people as possible to worship at our church:**
- •Enabling as many people as possible to become part of our parish community.
- •Teaching, baptising and nurturing new and existing believers.
## **We offer services of worship to God:**
- •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.
- •Providing services and opportunities to worship (other than the regular Sunday services) which reach out to the wider community.
## **We promote the Gospel and pray that the unchurched may find life in Jesus Christ:**
- •Assisting people from all walks of life to develop their knowledge of, and trust in, Jesus.
- •A range of courses to deepen spirituality both as a community and as individuals.
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- •Offering worship and prayer, learning about the Gospel, in small group situations.
## **We engage in evangelism and outreach to the parish in various ways:**
•Reaching out to the unchurched through a new Spring Festival, a stall at the ‘Big Day’ fete, a Fairtrade Feast, a Christmas Bazaar, a Festival of Christmas Trees, a Crib Service, Messy Church sessions and a Holiday Club. We have also formed a Chatty Café in response to the national Warm Spaces campaign.
- •Community Leaders’ Lunches.
- •Chaplaincy of Uckfield Bonfire & Carnival Society and the Uckfield Rugby Club.
- •Outreach to local schools through assemblies, talks and worship.
## **We provide a building for people to enjoy:**
- •Maintaining the fabric of the church building as a historic centre and focus of life in the town:
developing its flexibility and wider use; also maintaining the fabric of The Belmont Centre (Church hall).
- •Enabling an appreciation of the Church building in the history and archaeology of the area.
## **We provide tangible pastoral and financial support to the poor and needy:**
- •Providing pastoral care for people whether part of the Holy Cross Church family or not.
- •Providing assistance to the poor and needy of the parish both financially and by initiatives such as the Toy Drive delivering gifts for Christmas.
- •Spending the income of our parish trusts according to the wishes of their donors.
## **We consider the needs of people served by other charities and overseas:**
- •Giving grants to wider Christian charities.
- •Giving grants to missionary organisations.
- •Responding to emergencies and crisis by arranging adhoc appeals and retiring collections.
- •Providing assistance to the wider community, including the relief of poverty through support to local charities such as Uckfield Foodbank, the Community Fridge and the Edward Holmes Baldock Charity.
## **We consider protecting the needs of those entering our church buildings:**
- •Ensuring all members and visitors to the church are kept safe and that all Safeguarding procedure and policy is followed.
- •Ensuring all members and visitors to the church are protected as much as possible from COVID-19 by following Government guidelines and having safety procedures in place including doing appropriate Risk Assessments, while respecting people’s own sense of responsibility.
- •Supporting the National Church’s initiative “Living in Love and Faith” on sexuality.
- Raising awareness of issues of race, bias and inclusion.
## **WHAT WE PLANNED TO DO TO ACHIEVE OUR CHARITABLE OBJECTIVES**
One of our main objectives in 2022 was to continue the process of restoring worship and activities largely back to how they were pre COVID-19 in order to achieve our responsibilities to the congregation and local community. Many of these aspects of planning for the future of Church life are part of our response to the themes of More Engaged (A sign of being Apostolic) and More Open (A sign of being one) which are part of the Diocesan Strategy 2020-2025. At the same we recognised that some aspects of life had
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changed and we took lessons from what we had learnt. Opportunities for socialising continued to be valuable for mental wellbeing and more fundraising events could take place than the previous year.
It had been recognised that the P.C.C.’s long term vision for practical improvements to Holy Cross Church had seen priorities change post the pandemic. However, no plans were looked at in 2022 (as had been intended) largely because of Russia invading Ukraine leading to severe cost of living crisis with prices of virtually everything increasing for individuals, families, businesses and charities.
However, the following which had been listed in the Mission Action Plan were implemented:
- Bereavement course running Nov 2021 – Feb 2022.
- _This course ended and two meals out held in 2022 for the group to meet up again._
- Explore and revisit Prayer Workshop Sessions and Quiet Days.
- _In October a Prayer Workshop led by Fr John was attended by 19 people._
- Have a series on “Art & Spirituality” in Lent. _During Lent there was a series of sermons about painting during the Sunday morning Eucharist service and the Diocesan Lent course “Comfort ye my people” led by Fr John on Zoom included looking at powerful images from The Visual Commentary on Scripture._
- Look to ways we can support our people’s mental health. _In December a new initiative commenced known as Chatty Café - an opportunity to talk, do activities and make friends._
These plans are in hand:
- A leaflet drop to new housing in and around Uckfield promoting the different churches in the plurality.
- _At the end of the year the Rector was in discussion with a graphic designer from another church in the Plurality._
- Revisit our way forward regarding improvements to the church building and Belmont Centre as our priorities have changed i.e. the loop system in church needs extending and installing in The Belmont Centre.
_A Standing Committee meeting is booked for early February 2023 to open up the dialogue again and take feedback to the P.C.C. for discussion._
## **PERFORMANCE REVIEW OF ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE YEAR**
## **Worship and Prayer**
Unlike the previous two years, services were able to be held in Holy Cross Church throughout the whole of 2022. Unfortunately no online services were available due to production costs but alternative options will be looked at in 2023. All are welcome to attend our regular services and the church family welcomes visitors from within as well as outside the parish boundary. Visitors attend by personal choice and we welcome people from all walks of life to take part in the life of the church. We contend that voluntary attendance to worship the Lord Jesus Christ is a major demonstration of the public benefit of our activities.
Traditionally, the Diocese asks parishes to monitor attendance during Sundays in October. In October 2022 the average adult attendance in Church for the morning service (including the Harvest Open Doors)
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was 77. This was nine more than last year, the increase due partly to people continuing to come back to church after the pandemic, along with some new people coming to Holy Cross.
The number of adults attending a Sunday morning service in 2021 averaged 56 (for all the Sundays from Easter when the church reopened). In 2022 this average had increased to 70; this includes the monthly Open Doors service when Junior Church and families participate in the service.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
All Sunday morning services 2022 - adults
200
150
100
50
0
January to December
**----- End of picture text -----**
There were 11 Open Doors services, three of which included baptisms; the average number of people attending these services were 85 adults and 22 children (78 adults and 19 children at the services without the baptisms). The Open Doors service in September was planned as a celebration of the summer Holiday Club but was replaced by a special service following the death of Queen Elizabeth II which had the highest attendance of any Sunday morning in 2022 with 145 adults. The second highest attendance for a Sunday morning was the Open Doors Easter Day service with an amazing 129 adults and 48 children. These numbers are reflected in the peaks on the graph (below). The breakdown of our average congregation shows roughly one third adults over-70, one third adults under 70 and one third children.
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Number of children at Junior Church
and Open Doors in 2022
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Sundays
**----- End of picture text -----**
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Numbers at the weekly 8am Holy Communion service were still very low, especially following the pandemic, averaging about six people besides the priest and Churchwarden. Evensong at 5.30pm had an attendance on average of 12 to 16 (which includes the Choir) other than special services. Holy Cross Church is one of the few churches who still hold Evensong, a tradition we hope to maintain and to promote next year. At the end of June a Celtic evensong was held (the first service of that type since pre Covid) attended by 25 people and in October Evensong was replaced by Uckfield Concert Brass performing their Harvest Prom Praise which attracted 114 adults and 38 children. The December Carols by Candlelight service is always popular with 200 adults and 10 children attending. Evensong at the end of September was held at St Saviours to enable residents to participate.
Besides the regular Sunday services, other services also took place in Holy Cross Church which reach out to the far wider community, namely: All Souls, Remembrance Day, a closing service at the end of the Festival of Christmas Trees, the Sussex Bonfire Societies Carol Service, St Wilfrid's Hospice ‘Lights of Love’ Service, Carols by Candlelight and the Christmas Eve Crib Service. The latter continues to be the most popular service of all and this year it attracted 150 children and 350 adults. As usual on arrival children were invited to dress up and participate in the story of the Nativity.
From July, a new mid week service started of Compline at 5.30pm, on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at St. Saviour’s, and the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at Holy Cross. Before each service there is the opportunity for half an hour of silent prayer. Within a few weeks it was evident that St Saviours was the more popular venue so all services were moved to there and from November the service was brought forward to 4.30pm. Six to eight people attend this service.
These are aspects of Church life that show our response to More Converted to Jesus Christ (A sign of being Holy) aspect of the Diocesan Strategy 2020-2025 ‘Vision for Growth’.
## _**Children’s work and attendance**_
Holy Cross Church continued to have a lot to offer young families and by building on what the church had to offer and doing an increasing number of outreach activities, children’s work has continued to thrive with the other members of the congregation supporting and encouraging them.
**Junior Church** was held on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of the month, participating in the Open Doors family Eucharist on the 2nd Sunday of the month meaning families have one Sunday each month where they can enjoy other activities. On the Sundays when Junior Church met, there were an average of 20 children and 11 helpers.
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Ages ranged from babies to 12 years old with the older children seeing their roles as ‘helpers’ and take it upon themselves to help those around them. Sunday sessions were based around a story of the Bible or time of year, instilling the importance of Kindness, Compassion, Friendship, Community and Love and stand out activities this year include the ’40 Good Deeds for Lent’ challenge, Easter garden, Jubilee celebration and the poignant Remembrance display (below).
Junior Church start their worship in The Belmont Centre, coming into church for Communion and staying for the rest of the service when they show the congregation what they have been doing before processing out with a child holding a special small processional cross. Their arrival and enthusiasm to show what they have been doing is a joy to behold and people leave the service on a high.
At the Harvest Open Doors the children performed “Tattybogle” (based on a children’s story about a scarecrow) which was very well received.
Parents have become actively involved in the Church community and are very willing and able to help whenever they can with a lot of them stepping up at events such as the Festival of Christmas Trees, Christmas Fair and Messy Church sessions as well as the hugely successful Spring Festival.
The **Children’s Choir** continued to grow with 25 children now participating in weekly sessions and occasional performances. The children really enjoy the sessions and in 2022 they performed at Uckfield’s Proms on the Pitch which is always a highlight for the children and their families as well as a Spring Concert where the children sang songs from some favourite musicals. Christmas performances included the Festival of Christmas Trees, The Highlands Inn, Christingle Service, Crib Service and Thornbury Care Home. Feedback includes the following comment from a parent:
_‘It’s such a nurturing and encouraging group and I can’t believe how much her confidence has grown in the past year’_
**Messy Church** sessions held in 2022 were Messy Candlemas, Messy Easter and Messy Harvest. Numbers were still limited to 40 children which proved very manageable. One feedback comment was:
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_‘We are so lucky to have such a generous church community – events such as these give our children so much enrichment, thank you’_
In summer the **Holiday Club** returned with a three-day fun-packed ‘under the sea’ session for over 50 different children. The children were put into three age groups and a different story was explored each day; Jonah, Noah and Moses; with themed crafts, music and games. It was not possible to finish with the traditional Holiday Club
service at Church due to the passing of the Queen, however the children and others took part in the fantastic Uckfield Carnival Children’s Parade for the first time at the beginning of September. This was a really special day which saw the children win first place for the wonderful efforts with their under the sea costumes and props.
## **Life Events**
Our church continued to be appreciated by our parishioners and many others, as a space where life events are celebrated with joy and thanksgiving. There were 22 Baptisms and four Weddings held during the year, one of which was our Director of Music Tim and Eleighsia who helps with Children’s work/Junior Church.
There were also twenty Funerals in the church, one Memorial Service, three Graveside Services, seventeen Crematoria Services and the interment of ashes of three people took place in the graveyard at Holy Cross and the Cemetery at Snatts Road.
A Confirmation Service led by Bishop Will was held in September at Holy Cross Church, the candidates (three children and six adults) attended classes.
## **Pastoral ministry/care**
The contribution to the Plurality and Diocese of the Revd Martha Mutikani (Associate-Vicar of St. Margaret’s, Isfield) is much appreciated and her role in the Diocese has grown. In January she was appointed Assistant Dean of Women's Ministry alongside the Dean, Revd. Helen Garratt. The Diocese issued this statement: "The appointment of Helen and Martha feels like an expression of confidence among ordained women in the diocese of Chichester, with an unquestioned recognition that they are
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integral to its life. Helen and Martha will undoubtedly ensure that, in nurturing vocations and making appointments, we continue to shape the exercise of ordained ministry in ways that reflect the needs and aspirations of the parishes we serve."
Reverend Martha acted as an advisor for the Bishops about Racial Justice Sunday and in February Holy Cross Church hosted the main service for the Diocese of Chichester at which Bishop Martin presided and members of the Zimbabwean National Federation (ZINAFE) were welcomed. The photograph below was taken in The Belmont Centre after the service.
_Bishop Martin is pictured with Fr John Wall and Revd Martha Mutikani, and joined by guests from Steyning Grammer School, students Dane and Tami with Head of Boarding Tom Leighton, Mother Canon Roxanne from Southwark Diocese and Revd Godfrey Kesari from Southwater._
## _Photograph courtesy of Lisa Williamson_
In October the Revd Martha Mutikani was appointed as the Diocese of Chichester’s first Racial Justice Officer and was commissioned during a special service in Chichester Cathedral to mark Black History month.
We continue to be greatly indebted for the valuable support and assistance of the Honorary Assistant Curates; the Revd. David Ashton and the Revd. Canon Hugh Moseley who regularly lead or participate in services, as well as Reader Sheila Fordham. We are also grateful to the Revd Dr Mike Blanch although unfortunately he was not able to join us so much this year. Ellie McKay Smith was on a five week placement with us as an ordinand from 1st October.
Early in the year Fr. John rang people who had not been back to church following the pandemic. At the February P.C.C. meeting he reported a number of reasons why people have felt unable to return to church.
He added that _“we needed to keep tabs on those who are too scared to come back. We are getting about 50/55 adults attending services at present. Numbers are down but we have had some new faces too. When_
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_Junior Church is in we are looking at 75-80 including 15-25 children. We are doing better than a lot of other churches.”_
## _**Communication**_
Although they are available to pick up on a Sunday, the weekly pewsheet, monthly parish magazine and intercessions continue to be emailed to people as requested (and a handful posted). People find it easier to read these publications on their electronic device, can see ahead what is happening and are still kept informed if they are unable to get to church. At the end of the year, the pewsheet was emailed to 132 parishioners of Holy Cross Church and the magazine to 121 (one or two of these are people who have moved away but wish to remain in touch).
Social media continues to be a vital and effective means of communication especially for up to date information and last minute changes. Our Facebook page followers increased by 16% (the same rise as last year) from 1340 to 1560. This is thanks to Sarah Widdowson who posts regular eye catching updates of services and events coming up with photographs and feedback afterwards as well as posting other appropriate things relating to the religious calendar or national/international news. The Holy Cross Church website continues to be heavily used with an average number of visitors per day of 67. The highest number of visitors by far were during the Festival of Christmas Trees period with the average increasing to nearly 200 per day.
Visits to nursing homes and hospitals remained very limited during 2022 making it hard for family members even to visit. There were a number of home visits by clergy both for those who were sick and bereaved.
## **Social events and fundraising**
A jumble sale planned for January was cancelled due to high Covid rates but went ahead in late March raising over £300. Countryman’s lunches also restarted briefly at the end of March.
The Fairtrade Feast (open to the town) took place in March. With about 40 people attending, it was not as well supported as in past years with a few late drop outs due to testing positive for COVID. However, reports back on the food which our Churchwarden Dee organised were very positive.
The BBQ and refreshments stall was again a great success at the Uckfield Festival Big Day, and along with the Crafty Ladies over £1300 was raised for church funds. A second jumble sale in September raised over £430 and the Harvest lunch was enjoyed by around 100 people and raised over £350.
The annual Christmas Bazaar in early November was hugely successful raising around £1600. We are becoming very well known in the community for this event and it was well supported, hugely benefitting from external stall holders taking part and therefore offering variety and interest.
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Later that month the Rector hosted an afternoon tea and evening party for his dog Sophie’s 10[th] birthday. It was three years since any such event had been able to be held at The Rectory. Sophie was spoilt with a range of wonderful doggie presents and a special cake.
Our Musical Director Tim Guntrip gave an Organ Concert (with big screen projection) in November where a retiring collection raised £540 towards the restoration costs of the organ.
The four day Festival of Christmas Trees, now in its 13[th] year continues to be as popular as ever and attracted visitors from all over Sussex and neighbouring counties. This year the opening hours were extended slightly and once again, a ‘Quiet hour’ held on the Saturday morning which was very much appreciated by visitors who struggle with crowds and loud noises. Like last year, numbers within the church at any one time were limited and the Festival was hugely successful with over 5500 visitors throughout the weekend and we were fortunate to have a full day’s coverage via BBC South East. A total raised of £15,000 was a new record figure for the event.
From the end of November, following concerns of rising heating bills and isolation, Rhian Cottrell and Judith Banks set up an initiative to welcome anyone to a ‘warm space‘ in the Belmont Centre. Messy Cafe was to run on the last Friday of every month, with activities plus jigsaws, word puzzles, art and craft available as well as refreshments and a light lunch. Chatty Cafe would be on the second Friday of every month with similar craft activities, refreshments and light lunches (from early in 2023 they merged and both became known as Chatty Café). The P.C.C. gave a
‘start-up’ donation and while there was no charge, attendees could make a donation if they so wished. Lifts were also provided for those unable to get there otherwise. The first session was attended by 18 people and in early December 180 Christingle ‘packs’ were made for the next Open Doors service. On 30th December about 26 folk braved the pouring rain to attend. A dedicated team of helpers has started to grow. Reaching beyond the church community has begun by small steps. Several sincere comments have been made: _‘It was fun’, ‘thank you‘, ‘what a lot of time has been put into the preparation’, ‘it is great to be out socialising as mobility has been a drawback’,_ and _‘we see each other in church, but we didn’t know each other but now we do’!_
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## **Our witness to the community**
In March a Memorial Service was held for families and friends of those who had lost loved ones through COVID-19, some of whom had not been able to hold an appropriate funeral due to restrictions. All the families who had been affected in the past two years were personally invited as were the Mayor and Town Council. A Book of Remembrance was available beforehand in the Civic Centre and names in it were read out at the service along with others.
The 70th anniversary of the Queen’s accession took place in February and to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee the Spring Bank Holiday was moved to Thursday 2nd June while 3rd June was made an additional Bank Holiday and events nationally and locally were held from the Wednesday to the Sunday.
Following an appeal in the pewsheet, people knitted triangles of bunting to decorate the outside of the church. It was very effective and showed the town our support of Queen Elizabeth II, ‘the Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England'. On the Sunday evening the church put on ‘Pomp and Pimm’s’: A Platinum Jubilee Musical Celebration with a selection of hymns, patriotic organ pieces and readings/poetry which was attended by 56 people.
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On the evening of Thursday 8th September it was announced that Queen Elizabeth had died peacefully that afternoon, aged 96. Members of the Standing Committee immediately opened the Church and put into place protocol for when such an event happens and in a very short time a memorial book was open and photograph of the Queen on display along with candles for people to light. People came in; they were in great shock and visibly upset at the loss of someone whom for most people was the only monarch they had ever known. The Union Jack flew at half mast and someone who lived near the church arrived and offered to toll the church bell for us on this sad, historic day. The church (which at that point was not usually open other than for services), was opened 9am to 9pm on the Friday and Saturday.
On the Sunday the Open Doors service (which was to have been on the Holiday Club theme) was cancelled and instead Fr John led an appropriate service following the death of our Monarch. 145 adults and 15 children attended which was the most for any Sunday morning service since pre Covid. The following Sunday, Holy Cross Church held a Candlelit Vigil from after evensong until 9.00 p.m., incorporating a National minute‘s silence at 8.00 p.m.
In the pewsheet the Rector wrote:
_“A symbol of stability, duty, self-sacrifice and dedication, she has been the foundation of our National Life for as long as many of us can remember. It also feels so personal, as if we’ve lost one of our own family. Many can remember her coming to Holy Cross and Little Horsted.”_
_Photograph (undated) of The Queen at Holy Cross Church (courtesy of Bridge Cottage)_
Both Lord Rupert and his wife Lady Nevill were childhood friends of Queen Elizabeth II. The Nevill’s lived at Uckfield House until 1964 when they moved to nearby Horsted Place. The Queen would worship at Holy Cross Church during her fairly frequent visits which made local and sometimes national press headlines (e.g. front page of The Yorkshire Observer in 1954).
Our Churchwarden Dee wrote about the late Queen in the October parish magazine: _“Whilst the nurse in me recognized the signs that she was indeed ageing, still the shock and grief remains. What a great example of the Leader of our Church, let alone the nation we have had in her. Dignity, Faith, Service, Dedication and so much more. Very, very wise shoulders and we have indeed been blessed by her guidance and love”._
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## The Diocesan Secretary emailed in September:
_I'd like to begin by noting the momentous impact of the past days in which we have mourned the death of a Sovereign and acclaimed the accession of the King._
_This has been a demanding time for clergy and parishes but it has also shown the importance that the Church can have in responding to the spiritual and emotional needs of the local community, and of the whole nation._
Later that month the church was open again every weekday for private prayer and visitors for the first time in over two years. In December the Daily Telegraph reported on a survey of almost 530 churches: “Now, more than half of them only open for services and events, new research reveals”. Criminal damage and anti-social behaviour were among factors for this statistic and whilst we have had a few problems in the past, they have occurred usually during school holiday so it is sometimes necessary to keep the building shut then. We feel it important to keep the church open for anyone near and far to visit for a variety of reasons. One person had come to Uckfield to see where a relative had lived and discovered two children had been baptised in the church. They wrote in the Visitors Book _“What a beautiful church and surroundings”._
The annual Remembrance Parade up the High Street to Holy Cross Church took place on the Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately this year there was nowhere in Uckfield to purchase a poppy; this was very disappointing and greatly missed. On enquiring it transpired that there was no longer a local poppy appeal organiser. This concern was raised at a P.C.C. meeting, wondering if the Church could help, but it seems the job is quite involved and time consuming and the British Legion had meanwhile hopefully found someone to take on this role.
The Junior Church made this wonderful poppy art installation out of recycled materials which was a stunning and moving tribute and could be seen by people driving and walking past the church.
A new initiative organised by Sarah, our Children’s Work Coordinator, was a Christmas Toy Drive. She said _“Christmas was going to be a difficult time for so many people and families in our community – the cost of living has had a massive impact…it didn’t sit well with me that there would be children waking up on Christmas day with nothing under their tree. It seemed the right thing to do to help as much as possible and so the Toy Drive was born”._
Ashdown Radio supported the cause and talked about it on air to ensure as many families in need were reached as well as members of the congregation having personal links.
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The response was overwhelming with many presents donated and volunteers offered to help sort, wrap and deliver the gifts. Further toys were purchased with financial donations, supporting local businesses.
Two days were spent sorting out the donations and then a weekend allocating gifts for each child, wrapping and delivering to 121 children in our community with a very grateful and emotional response from families. Among the recipients were a few Ukrainian families now living here.
Other ways in which Holy Cross Church witnessed to the community was the continuing of the bi-monthly Community Leaders Lunches held at the Rectory. After a cooked lunch provided by the Rector and Gillian Youngman, a short talk was given by someone about the group or organisation that they represent. As a result of this, needs and concerns are shared and networking has been beneficial with organisations sometimes offering financial help or other support to each other.
Holy Cross School attended the church occasionally and other schools visited during the year for services and events such as Harvest, Christmas and the Festival of Christmas Trees.
In September Fr. John said prayers for the town in the High Street on Carnival night - this event is a part of the Sussex Bonfire season and is attended by thousands of people from Uckfield and further afield.
The Community Fridge which opened towards the end of last year has proved a popular asset to the town. As one of the organisers said: _“It gives an opportunity for the community to care for and share with each other. It also tackles the stigma associated with food poverty and getting food for free. Finally, the fridge can reduce isolation and loneliness.”_ With the cost of living crisis the Community Fridge has become even more important and the hours were extended this year. Holy Cross Church continues to support it and this year donated £100.
Holy Cross Church has continued to support the local Foodbank with a regular appeal in the weekly pewsheet as donations were again accepted in church each Sunday morning, kindly overseen by Terry Hall. After the Harvest Service the fresh produce went to the Community Fridge and the rest to the Foodbank.
Holy Cross Church are members of both the Uckfield Volunteer Centre and the Uckfield Chamber of Chamber of Commerce. Both of these organisations hold regular meetings, both in person and on Zoom, and work together for the benefit of the local community.
## **Mission, outreach and evangelism**
A small group was appointed by the P.C.C. to look at away giving and make recommendations back to them: these are detailed in the accounts.
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On 24[th] February Russia invaded Ukraine and the world watched with horror as this war start to unfold. In early March Fr. John wrote in the pewsheet:
_**“We are appalled at what is happening in Ukraine - the violence and suffering** . At Holy Cross, as well as the_ _**Ukraine Appeal,** when this Sunday and next we will have retiring collections, (which will be sent to a Ukraine Appeal Charity), we will also be holding a_ _**Prayer Vigil between 5-5.30pm before our regular Evensong this Sunday, 6th March.** There will be prayers and quiet, and candles to light. As this appalling war unfolds in Ukraine, our hearts go out to those caught up in the violence. We feel so helpless in the face of this horror: the least we can do is pray.”_
About 60 people attended the Prayer Vigil, including the Mayor and her Deputy. In all, our Ukraine appeal raised over £1,400. After that, although Holy Cross Church was still not open other than services, the Church was left open all day for Prayer and Candles for Ukraine between the morning service and Evensong on a Sunday. In early March, the church registered with Sanctuary Foundation, a charity launched the previous month “a rapid response initiative to inspire families, individuals, churches, community groups and businesses to welcome Ukrainian refugees”.
On 20th March the Ukraine National Anthem was played at the start of the morning service as a sign of solidarity and the church bells were rung at 4pm along with cathedrals.
The following day our Verger received a letter which was a request from a church in Poland for money to help with refugees: the church had a connection with someone at the Catholic Church in Uckfield. Karen Smith was asked to help as she oversees Sunday morning refreshments and working with the Catholic Church, a Coffee Morning was held in May and the wonderful sum of £1,250 raised.
Donations for coffee after the morning Eucharist go towards the Chichester Diocese Children’s and Families Work and the Goodwill Children's Homes. The latter is a charity which has been supporting the care and education of destitute and orphaned children in southern India since 1976. It supports three children's homes, a primary school and a Tribal Outreach programme (TORP). We received an Easter card (left) from the Goodwill Children’s Home in Tamil Nadu (southern India).
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The Giving to Other Charities sub-committee met and recommended a number of donations to the P.C.C. (who approved), these recipients are detailed in the Financial report.
Other regular charitable giving throughout the year has included Action Aid (Sponsoring of Maria Luisa Cucul Yat in Guatemala), Christian Aid, Uckfield Foodbank and The Children’s Society.
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. Then in 1846 Edward Holmes Baldock bequeathed the sum of £750 to be invested and distributed each year amongst poor persons of the parish. The combined investments are held with the COIF Charities Investment Fund which provides a quarterly income which is used to fund for an annual donation to three families selected by a sub-committee each year. Three recipients were identified and each received a £25 award.
Some of the congregation belong to Caring and Sharing, a scheme which raises money by sacrificial giving by people who try to: ‘Live more simply that others may simply live’. It is based on two ideas: the first is that by making a small sacrifice members can turn away from the material values of the western world; the second is that they can share their comparative wealth by sending the savings from this small sacrifice to projects in poorer countries to provide the basic needs of life. Money saved by making a small change in lifestyles was this year given to three overseas projects which provide basic necessities for very poor people.
## **Deanery Synod**
Holy Cross Church currently has four representatives on the Uckfield Deanery Synod (which met 3 times in 2022) who report back to the P.C.C.. The Deanery Synod considers matters concerning the Church of England, brings together the views of member parishes on common problems, fosters a sense of community and interdependence among those parishes, and generally to promote in the deanery the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The Deanery Synod elects clergy and laity Diocesan Synod representatives and has an allocated General Synod representative. A report of 2022 can be seen in the separate report containing Activities of the Church Family.
## **Ecumenical Relationships**
The Rector and John Pontefract (Churchwarden) represent Holy Cross Church on ‘Churches in Uckfield’ which meets three or four times a year. They organise the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity when the different churches host services and private prayer throughout a week in January which Holy Cross Church participated in. They also oversee the Good Friday Walk of Witness which was able to take place again this year. However, the annual “Sunday Funday” was again unable to happen this year due to COVID-19. This event was part of the Uckfield Festival which has been an annual event since its inception in the Millennium until the pandemic. Sadly, in early January 2023 the Uckfield Festival Charity folded up. The Association’s Director said “We have tried very hard in recent years to attract new, and younger, people
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to join the organising committee with only limited success. With no-one left to run the show the charity has been closed.”
## **PROPERTY**
## _**The Belmont Centre**_
A very short walk from the church is The Belmont Centre which the Church owns. The P.C.C. is responsible for this building overseen by the Churchwardens, and the Major Works Project Manager who report back to the P.C.C. As well as housing the Parish Office, there is a good well stocked kitchen as well as toilet facilities, a hall and a small meeting room. This wonderful facility is used for both Church fundraising and social events as well as being hired out and bringing in income for the Church. An additional part of The Belmont Centre is on permanent loan to a Pre-school Group.
The maintenance and development of The Belmont Centre is planned to support the needs of the Church but also for it to remain as an asset for use by the wider community. Bookings at The Belmont Centre have picked up well after the pandemic and are now better than before we went into lockdown. We have a variety of regular bookings and also birthday parties, wakes and baptism celebrations.
## _**St Saviours**_
St Saviours 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. Ray Pilson continues to be Deputy Churchwarden. Last year regular weekly services at St Saviours stopped but from July Compline started with the opportunity for half an hour of silent prayer beforehand. The service alternated between St. Saviour’s and Holy Cross Church. St Saviours proved to be a more popular venue so all services were moved to there.
## _**Curate’s House**_
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 a limited period then repay what we owed or sell it. It is no longer necessary for a parish to provide a house for a training post and therefore the P.C.C. sold it in late 2020. The net proceeds of £183,086 were allocated as a restricted fund for the P.C.C. to decide how best to invest the proceeds for the Church. 2022 was not the time to be looking at this matter when the church was still trying to get its own finances back on an even keel so it will be addressed as a priority in 2023.
## **VOLUNTEERS**
We would like to thank the many people who volunteer in any way to make Holy Cross Church so vibrant and at the heart of the community. The life of the church would not be so effective without the many volunteers who take on so many roles, both large and small, all making the effectiveness and smooth running of services and events possible. We should like to pay tribute to Mary Fox who died this year, she led the Cleaning Guild for many years and her love of the church and dedication to cleaning it was an example to us all. Even during lockdown she wanted to know when she could next clean her beloved place of worship.
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We continue to seek to extend the opportunities for the exercise of ministry and gifts within the life of the community. While a large number of the church family are already involved in the many roles within the Church, new initiatives like Chatty Café and the Toy Drive have seen more people involved along with the Festival of Christmas Trees which relies on volunteers from the town to help make this spectacle both possible and safe.
## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT**
The appointment of Parochial Church Council members is governed by and set out in the Church Representation Rules. It is made up of the following people:
## **Ex Officio members:**
- The Revd John Wall (Rector and Chair)
- Sheila Fordham (Reader)
- Dee Johnson (Churchwarden and Vice Chair)
- John Pontefract (Churchwarden)
## **Elected members**
- Dee Johnson (representative on Deanery Synod)
- Jill Thornton (representative on Deanery Synod)
- Sandie Boniface (representative on Deanery Synod)
- Francis Wallace ((representative on Deanery Synod)
- Paul Cuerden
- Jacqueline Davies
- Terry Hall
- Paul Ireland (Treasurer)
- Ann Kennedy
- Beth Morris-Boag
- Anthony Simpson
- Angela Noel
- Edna Osborne
- Barbara Poole
- Sister Sarah
- Sister Mary Paul
- Sarah Widdowson
- Gillian Youngman (Secretary)
The P.C.C. members are responsible for making decisions on all matters pertaining to the parish including how funds are to be spent. Elected members serve a three year term. All those who attend our services/members of the congregation are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the P.C.C.. The number of people on the Electoral Roll as of 6th April 2023 was 191 which is an increase of 4 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).
New P.C.C. members receive information and training as to how the P.C.C. operates.
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The full Parochial Church Council met five times during the year (four times at St Saviours and once in Holy Cross Church): The average attendance of P.C.C. members at these meetings was 77% (85% at four of these meetings but the fifth one to approve the accounts was held at short notice).
At each P.C.C. meeting the Rector and Churchwardens guide the P.C.C. through work and decisions required on what is needed in order to carry out our ongoing aims and objectives. Standing items on each agenda include Safeguarding, Health and Safety, Finance and Deanery Synod feedback as well as reports on Children’s work, Events etc. Most reports are circulated in advance and when a decision is needed, at the meeting, following discussion a motion is proposed, seconded and a vote taken and minuted. When an urgent matter has cropped up between P.C.C. meetings and a decision is needed, the P.C.C. Secretary conducts an email/phone vote which is recorded at the next meeting, for example the appointment of a new independent examiner for the accounts.
Paul Kennedy (Major Works Project Manager for Holy Cross Church) sent a written report to each P.C.C. meeting and in between liaised closely with John Pontefract (Health and Safety Officer), the P.C.C. and Standing Committee on projects and issues as required.
Our Safeguarding Officers, Karen Smith and Rhian Cottrell also send a report for each P.C.C. meeting and joined us in person at the September meeting. The Holy Cross Parochial Church Council has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, fully recognising its duty to have due regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. We continue to work within the guidelines in the most recently published Parish Safeguarding Handbook (approved by the House of Bishops).
The P.C.C. Standing Committee comprises the Rector, Dee Johnson and John Pontefract (Churchwardens), Paul Ireland (P.C.C. Treasurer), Gillian Youngman (P.C.C. Secretary), Angela Noel (P.C.C. representative) and Lynne Ireland (Parish Administrator). The purpose of the Standing Committee is to conduct P.C.C. business in between meetings or in an emergency, including addressing day to day matters and ensuring the smooth running of the Church and the Belmont Centre. As Covid related issues settled down and things returned to how they had been, the Standing Committee did not find it necessary to meet as often as last year and their two meetings in January and one in June had 100% attendance. Although it was no longer necessary, they continue to meet via Zoom for convenience.
Lynne Ireland, our Parish Administrator, continues to work from a combination of home and her office in the Belmont Centre. Her hours are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 9.15am - 12.15pm but she is very flexible and a much appreciated valuable asset with many useful connections in the town.
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## **Safeguarding Report**
It is heart warming to be writing this report as it is a reminder of the large number of children and lots of amazing volunteers working, in a variety of ways, with them in our church. Also, with reference to SQP requirements, the number of activities involving church members and the wider community. Neither could happen if organisers didn’t observe the safety requirements and complete myriad forms; you are all stars.
**DBS** – *checks/renewals up to date with some due later in the year.
DBS Clearance Certificates are now valid for 3 years, bringing them into line with Training Certificates. Certificates awarded prior to January 2022 will continue to be valid for 5years and their renewal will be on the 3year cycle.
Everyone is now required to sign up for the Update Service when they receive their Clearance Certificate. This will make their certificate more portable for roles that have the same requirements. It also makes renewal of their Certificate a great deal easier. The details will be explained to each person when their DBS Clearance application/ renewal is made/due.
The Self Declaration form has also been changed and can be completed online.
**SQP** – Simple Quality Protects **
Safer Places; Safer People; Safer Activities; Safer Practice
Under the section” Safer People” the requirements for recruiting volunteer workers have been brought nearer to those for recruiting paid workers. It will be a learning curve for all involved, but has been implemented by the Diocese in order to ensure that there are no holes in our “Safeguarding Safety Net”.
**TRAINING** – The 3 trainings used are all now on line trainings and accessed via the Diocesan website.
Basic Training – actively encouraged and open to all members of the congregation and parents/guardians of children who attend Holy Cross activities. It is a pre – requisite to Foundation Training.
Foundation Training – Required by anyone who has safeguarding responsibilities or contact, in their church role, with children or vulnerable adults. It is a pre- requisite to Leadership Training.
Safeguarding Leadership Training - A more rigorous training, at present only required of Clergy, Safeguarding Officers/ Lead Recruiters and those Leading Activities with children or vulnerable adults.
The highest level training, needed for your role, should be redone every 3 years and recorded as done. The trainings are updated regularly so the content changes over the years.
Compliance with the above maintains our Level 1 achievement for SQP**
*DBS – Disclosure and Barring Service
A national service to ensure that no one with a criminal background, who could present a danger whilst working or volunteering in the area of children and vulnerable adults, is accepted in any such role.
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** SQP – Simple Quality Protects
A national system for the Third (ie voluntary) Sector to maintain standards in the area in which they are working.
The Diocese has set this as a model standard for all parishes. We have achieved Level 1 and must maintain standards to that level.
## **Karen Smith & Rhian Cottrell Safeguarding Officers/Lead Recruiters**
Email: safeguardingholycrossuckfield@gmail.com
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## **Fabric Committee Report**
Holy Cross Church and Belmont Centre Property Maintenance Report 2022
## **Completed Work**
- Major Works – See separate report from Paul Kennedy. Thank you for all your diligent work
- on these projects Paul. It is possible this report will duplicate some of Paul’s report.
- Belmont Centre Exterior Repaint after kitchen window repair and back door. Organised by Paul Kennedy who employed Daniel Picton and it took place during the last week of August 2022.
- Belmont Centre Alarm System issues. We have changed the Alarm System Maintenance Firm due to cost issues.
- New strap fitted for Belmont Centre tables in exit area of Cardale Hall.
- Hedley Visick fitted non-return valves to disabled toilet and also been to fix leaking inlet water to toilet cistern in the Spire Pre-school area. 09-02-2022.
- Lightning Conductor Testing Done and passed Oct 2022
- Hedley Visick fitted church boiler protection valves. Protects against boiler having over pressure water.
- Spire Pre-school Lighting Ian MacDonald. Lights were fitted during half term beginning 14-022022:- 6 fittings in classroom 1; 4 fittings in entrance classroom. £2634.24 incl VAT.
- Belmont Centre Roof issues:- Done by Alex Stenning in late December 2021
- Belmont Centre Kitchen Window repair done by Ollie Brown.
- Belmont Centre Spire Pre-school back door repair done by Ollie Brown.
- Belmont Centre Spire Pre-school Internal Doors and locks replaced.
- Belmont Centre Spire Pre-school Rear Gatepost. Has been supported by a truss to the building wall.
- Damp was showing in the church upstairs on the North East internal wall. Remedied by the removal of accumulated leaves from the roof gutter by contractor Paul James.
- Belmont Centre Spire Pre-school Taps dripping. This was fixed in April 2022.
- Gutters and downpipe cleaning of Belmont Centre.
- The trees from Grant’s Hill Court over the fence at the west end of the Belmont Centre were overhanging and resting on the roof. Done by Wealden Council.
- Brick pathway outside southern entrance to church was relaid due to uplifted bricks due to the roots of the yew tree. Holly Goring, Uckfield Town Clerk, organised this after I liaised with her.
- For the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, temporary bunting was fitted outside the church.
- Usual replacement of blown spot bulbs were done in the church.
## **Pending work/to do list for 2023**
- Belmont Centre Spire Pre-school area metal window repair. We must get this done this year. We have put it off for too long.
Two quotes:-
- Steel Window Service:- £9015.98 plus VAT:- £10819.18
- Clifford Durrant:- £5255 plus VAT:- £6303
Even though it is about a year since we got the quotes, Clifford Durrant has agreed to keep to this quote.
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- Church Internal Stairways Paintwork Redo. Scheduled for 2023. Awaiting info from Church Architect regarding paint type. Paul Kennedy has tried to get hold of him lots of times recently but will persist.
- Refurbishment of East end external light over steps.
- Cardale Hall Lights replacement as fitted to Spire would cost £2800+ but would use substantially less power and come on instantly. No decision has been made by P.C.C. yet but the old lights are running out of life. The consumption of each current lamp is some 150w, so with 10 units the consumption is 1.5Kw. LED replacements, as used in the Spire, are 40w panels giving 480w including all four being replaced in the Foyer.
- Hive System for Church Boiler. Suggest fitment of Hive system running off WiFi which we use for donations. Quote is £295 including fitting but the HIVE system actually costs £179.
- New Radio Microphones with high rejection (feedback reducing) approx £1000 including radio licence.
## **John Pontefract, Churchwarden and Health & Safety Officer**
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## **Financial Review**
As the trustees report details, 2022 was a much more normal year following 2 years of impact from the pandemic. Holy Cross Church continues to play a very important part in the local community during the recovery from the pandemic and the more recent challenges with world events and the impact on the UK cost of living. In 2022 this has been reflected in the finances with some very impressive figures on fund raising activities due to the amount of support from the congregation and the wider community.
With some lower than expected expenses in 2022 it is hugely positive to be able to show a surplus, after two years of deficit, in the 2022 accounts of £3,609 which represents an almost £20,000 improvement on the 2021 accounts.
In celebrating this recovery we must be cautious and pay careful attention to one of our biggest sources of income, the regular giving from the church congregation. The amount of money received from regular giving (via bank deposits, weekly envelopes and cash collections) is falling, in 2022 this total was £61,148 against £67,165 in 2019. This is due to less people giving by standing order and the impact of the higher cost of living. There have been several notices given from people either stopping or reducing their giving in 2023. Plans are being made to run a generous giving campaign to slow the decline and thoughts given to see how we can encourage new people to start regular giving.
With the surplus we have slightly increased the reserves and continue to maintain a healthy financial situation that enabled the support for our own Church family, our financial commitment to the Diocese and away giving during the 2022 financial year.
## **Incoming and outgoing resources**
Total receipts on general unrestricted funds, which are detailed in the Financial Statements, were £144,810. This is an 11% (£14,582) increase on 2021 but still £11,564 less than 2019. Over 50% of this shortfall against 2019 can be accounted for in the reduction in regular giving.
Thanks to the efforts of our fund raising teams and their supporters, organising the Festival of Christmas Trees, the Christmas Fair, Jumble Sales, Spring Fair and many other smaller events throughout the year, a fantastic £22,060 of profit was generated in 2022. A wonderful reflection of their hard work and also the support that Holy Cross Church has within the congregation and the local community.
During 2022 the amount of Planned Giving and cash collections increased over 2021 by about £4,000 but remains £6,000 below 2019. There have been losses due to people passing to higher service but we have also seen the impact of the increased cost of living which means we had a
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total Planned Giving figure of £49,880 for 2022, down £2,243 on 2021. Cash collections for the year totalled £11,268 which is almost back to the £12,467 figure achieved in 2019.
Receipts from hiring fees for the Belmont Centre were £25,821 which is an increase of 45% on 2021. Expenditure for the Belmont Centre during 2022 was £18,491 which included two major expenditure items totalling £5,748. They were the replacement of the lighting in the Spire Pre-school area and the external decoration of the Belmont Centre. The energy cost increases were not as large as expected due to Government support and price caps. The net result was a surplus of £7,330 for Church funds.
## **Sharing the ministry costs of the Diocese of Chichester**
The largest expenditure of the P.C.C. was the sum of £67,500 paid to the Diocese to cover ministry costs. The parish contribution in 2022 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. For 2022 we once again agreed an increase of nearly 5%, which is above the parish budget recommended increase of 3.5%, as we continue to work towards contributing 100% of ministry costs.
## **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 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. During 2022, the three positions did not meet the HMRC thresholds for tax purposes or for the pension autoenrolment scheme. From 1 Jan 2022 a 5% salary increase was applied for the three roles so the staff costs for 2022 were £16,961.
## **Missionary and Charitable giving**
For 2022 the Giving sub-committee recommended the following missionary and charitable giving totalling £5,931 to home and overseas which was agreed by the P.C.C.. _Note – the accounts show a total figure of £5,231 which is due to a £700 correction for un-spent giving allowed for in the 2021 accounts._
## **Overseas**
- Water Aid £ 225
- Kids 4 Kids
- Tear Fund
- Medecins san Frontiers
- Ukraine Relief Fund
- Action Aid
- Goodwill Children’s Home
- £ 225
- £ 200
- £ 225
- £ 2 710
- £ 234
- £ 300
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## **Home**
- Children’s Society £ 243
- • Uckfield Community Fridge £ 100 • Sussex Church Bell Restoration £ 25
- Chichester Family Support Work £ 300
- Chichester Diocese £ 91
- Uckfield Foodbank £ 157
- • Royal British Legion £ 357
- Uckfield Concert Brass £ 464
- Baldock Charity Recipients £ 75
## **Fixed Assets**
The Belmont Centre remains at the previous valuation of £1,370,000.
## **Reserves Policy**
During 2022 the minimum balance on the general unrestricted funds (excluding property) equated to approximately 6 month’s of unrestricted payments. The financial situation and unrestricted reserves held at the end of 2022 have been reviewed and, with the 2023 budget approved by the P.C.C., show that the Uckfield Parochial Church Council is expected to continue as a going concern for the 2023 financial year.
It is P.C.C. 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 P.C.C. 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 36.38 income units invested in the COIF Charities Investment Fund.
As at 31 August 2022, its latest valuation date, the value of the investment was £ 700.13. The income in its financial year was £19.67 which is topped up by the P.C.C. and distributed to suitable recipients. The charity is administered by the P.C.C. with the Churchwardens acting as trustees of the charity and is segregated from the assets of the P.C.C.. In 2022 three £25 donations were made to deserving individuals meeting the criteria from the Edward Holmes Baldock Charity.
P a g e | **30**
## **Statement of Financial Activities**
The financial effect of our activities during the year can be summarised as follows
||**Unrestricted**
**Fund**|**Restricted**
**Fund/s**|**Restricted**
**Fund/s**|**Endowed**
**Fund/s**|**Endowed**
**Fund/s**|**Total Funds**
**2022**|_Total Funds_
_2021_
**_Notes_**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Income and endowments from:**
Donations and legacies
Charitable activities
Other trading activities
Investments
Other receipts|**£**
93,524
9,957
41,339
148
(158)||**£**
10,149
-
-
420
1,178||**£**
-
-
-
-
-|**£**
**103,673**
**9,957**
**41,339**
**568**
**1,020**|_£_
_99,433_
_10,867_
_22,795_
_27_
_917_|
|**Total income**|**144,810**||**11,747**||**-**|**156,557**|_134,039_
_2_|
|**Expenditure on:**
Raising funds
Charitable activities
Other trading activities
Other expenditure|4,583
126,350
16,294
-||-
5,721
-
-||-
-
-
-|**-**
**4,583**
**132,071**
**16,294**
**-**|_4,043_
_132,150_
_14,233_
_-_|
|**Total expenditure**|**147,227**||**5,721**||**-**|**152,948**|_150,426_
_3_|
|Net gains (or losses) on
investments|**-**||**-**||**-**|**-**|_-_|
|**Net income or (net expenditure)**|**(2,417)**||**6,026**||**-**|**3,609**|_(16,387)_|
|**Transfers between funds**
**Other recognised gains/(losses):**
Gains/(losses) on revaluation of
fixed assets
Other gains/(losses)
_Reconciliation of funds:_|**-**||**-**||**-**|**-**|_-_
_10_|
||(2,417)
-
-||6,026
-
-||-
-
-|3,609
**-**
**-**|_(16,387)_
_-_
_11_
_-_|
|**Net movement in funds**|**(2,417)**||**6,026**||**-**|**3,609**|_(16,387)_|
|Total funds brought forward|1,443,547|197,116|||-|**1,640,663**|_1,657,050_|
|**Total funds carried forward**|**1,441,130**|**203,142**|||**-**|**1,644,272**|_1,640,663_|
P a g e | **31**
## **Balance Sheet**
Our financial position and summary of funds at the year end were
||**Total Funds**|_Total Funds_||
|---|---|---|---|
||**2022**|_2021_|**_Notes_**|
||**£**|_£_||
|Intangible assets|**-**|_-_||
|Tangible assets|**1,370,000**|_1,370,000_|_12_|
|Heritage assets|**-**|_-_||
|Endowed investments|**-**|_-_|_11_|
|||||
|**Total fixed assets**|**1,370,000**|_1,370,000_||
|||||
|Stocks|**-**|_-_||
|Debtors|**5,062**|_4,034_|_14_|
|Investments|**-**|_-_||
|Cash at bank and in hand|**274,163**|_276,355_||
|||||
|**Total current assets**|**279,225**|_280,389_||
|||||
|Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year|(4,953)|_(4,950)_|_15_|
|Correction for Unrealised Debtors in 2020|-|_(4,776)_||
|||||
|**Net current assets or (liabilities)**|**274,272**|_270,663_||
|||||
|**Total assets less current liabilities**|**1,644,272**|_1,645,439_||
|Creditors: Amounts falling due after more than one year|**-**|_-_|_16_|
|Provisions for liabilities|**-**|_-_||
|||||
|**Total net assets or (liabilities)**|**1,644,272**|_1,640,663_||
|||||
|**The funds of the charity:**||||
|||||
|Restricted income funds|**203,142**|_197,116_||
|Unrestricted funds|**1,441,130**|_1,443,547_||
|Revaluation reserve|**-**|_-_||
|**Total unrestricted funds**|**1,441,130**|_1,443,547_||
|||||
|**Total charity funds**|**1,644,272**|_1,640,663_|18|
This Financial Report for the year ended 31st December 2022, including the notes following, was approved by the P.C.C. and signed on its behalf by The Revd. John Wall, P.C.C. Chairman:
……………………………………….………………………..
Date …………………………………………………………
P a g e | **32**
**Notes to the Financial Report**
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **Basis of preparation**
The P.C.C. 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 P.C.C. 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 P.C.C. are:
_Unrestricted funds_ - general funds which can be used for P.C.C. 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 P.C.C. 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 P.C.C.
## **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
P a g e | **33**
_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 P.C.C.
## **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 P.C.C. 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 P.C.C.'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 P.C.C. 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
P a g e | **34**
_Notes to the Financial Report_
## **2 Analysis of income and endowments**
||**Unrestricted**
**Fund**|**Restricted**
**Fund/s**|**Restricted**
**Fund/s**|**Endowed**
**Fund/s**|**Endowed**
**Fund/s**|**Total**
**Funds**
**2022**|_Total_
_Funds_
_2021_|**_Notes_**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Planned giving (via standing order)
Planned giving (via weekly envelopes)
Loose cash collections
Christmas Tree Festival
Other Fund Raising Activities
Other donations
Gift Aid recoverable
Legacies
Grants|£
48,669
1,211
11,268
6,218
9,028
2,883
14,247
-
-||£
-
-
-
-
-
10,149
-
-
-||£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-|**£**
**48,669**
**1,211**
**11,268**
**6,218**
**9,028**
**13,032**
**14,247**
**-**
**-**|_£_
_44,955_
_7,168_
_5,941_
_8,387_
_5,991_
_14,220_
_12,501_
_-_
_-_||
|**Donations and legacies**|**£93,524**|**£10,149**|||**-**|**£103,673**|_£99,433_||
|Fees for weddings & funerals - P.C.C.
Fees for weddings & funerals - Clergy
Fees for weddings & funerals - DBF
Fees for weddings & funerals - Other
Wedding|3,167
1,392
3,332
2,066|-|||-|**3,167**
**1,392**
**3,332**
**2,066**|_3,726_
_1,226_
_5,822_
_93_||
|**Charitable activities**|**£9,957**|**-**|||**-**|**£9,957**|_£10,867_||
|Big Day, Xmas Fair & Festival of
Christmas Trees
Other fund raising activities
Parish magazine
Belmont Centre hiring fees|13,461
739
1,318
25,821|-
-
-
-|||-
-
-
-|**13,461**
**739**
**1,318**
**25,821**|_4,257_
_130_
_538_
_17,870_||
|**Other trading activities**|**£41,339**|**-**|||**-**|**£41,339**|_£22,795_||
|Bank deposit interest
Rent from letting of investment
property
Proceeds from Sale of Assets|148
-
-|420
-
-|||-
-
-|**568**
**-**
**-**|_27_
_-_
_-_||
|**Investments**|**£148**|**£420**|||**-**|**£568**|_£27_||
|Other receipts|(158)|1,178|||-|**1,020**|_917_||
|**Total income and endowments on all**
**funds**|**£144,810**|**£11,747**|||**-**|**£156,557**|_£134,039_||
P a g e | **35**
_Notes to the Financial Report_
## **3 Analysis of expenditure**
|**3 Analysis of expenditure**|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**
**Fund**|**Restricted**
**Fund/s**||**Endowed**
**Fund/s**||**Total**
**Funds**
**2022**|_Total_
_Funds_
_2021_|**_Notes_**|
|Uckfield Festival Big Day
Festival of Christmas Trees
Stewardship costs (printing etc)
Other fundraising (non-trading) costs|£
75
2,784
-
1,724||£
-
-
-
-||£
-
-
-
-|**£**
**75**
**2,784**
**-**
**1,724**|_£_
_30_
_3,206_
_86_
_2721_||
|**Cost of raising funds**|**£4,583**||**-**||**-**|**£4,583**|_£4,043_||
|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 / Organ maintenance and repair
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|1,687
67,500
7,051
16,961
2,058
16,318
298
691
998
1,750
-
3,804
924
817
1,458
3,650
385||3,544
-
-
-
830
-
1,110
-
237
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-||-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-|**5,231**
**67,500**
**7,051**
**16,961**
**2,888**
**16,318**
**1,408**
**691**
**1,235**
**1,750**
**-**
**3,804**
**924**
**817**
**1,458**
**3,650**
**385**|_6,087_
_64,500_
_6,031_
_16,153_
_6,975_
_12,242_
_602_
_3,369_
_916_
_750_
_5,652_
_849_
_857_
_201_
_1,584_
_5,332_
_50_|_4_
_6_
_5_
_8_|
|**Cost of charitable activities**|**£126,350**||**£5,721**||**-**|**£132,071**|_£132,150_||
|Uckfield Festival Big Day
Festival of Christmas Trees
Other events
Belmont Centre running costs
Parish magazine costs
Other trading costs(inc 2021 Reversal)|-
2,803
-
18,491
-
(5,000)||-
-
-
-
-
-||-
-
-
-
-
-|**-**
**2,803**
**-**
**18,491**
**-**
**(5,000)**|_-_
_290_
_-_
_13,943_
_-_
_-_||
|**Cost of other trading activities**|**£16,294**||**-**||**-**|**£16,294**|_£14,233_||
||||||||||
|**Total expended on all funds**|**£147,227**||**£5,721**||**-**|**£152,948**|_£150,426_||
P a g e | **36**
_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**
**2022**|_Total_
_Funds_
_2021_|**_Notes_**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Overseas:**
_Total_
**Home:**
_Total_
_Accrued amount(2021 HX School Governors) _
_Accrued amount(2021 Reversal)_|£
875
1,512
-
(700)||£
3,244
300
-
-||£
-
-
-
-|**£**
**4,119**
**1,812**
**-**
**(700)**|_£_
_1,946_
_2,640_
_1,500_
_-_||
||**1,687**||**3,544**||**-**|**5,231**|_6,086_||
## **5 Staff costs**
|**5 Staff costs**|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**
**Fund**|**Restricted**
**Fund/s**||**Endowed**
**Fund/s**||**Total**
**Funds**
**2022**|_Total_
_Funds_
_2021_|**_Notes_**|
|**Remuneration**
_Wages and salaries_|£
16,961||£
-||£
-|**£**
**16,961**|_£_
_16,153_||
||**16,961**||**-**||**-**|**16,961**|_16,153_||
## **6 Payments to P.C.C. members**
## **Trustee payments and expenses**
The P.C.C. support the clergy by paying Council Tax of £3,466, water and environmental charges amounting to £802 for the Rectory, £459 for a replacement washer/dyer plus other costs towards travel, hospitality, telephone, internet and postage totalling £2,324 in 2022.
## **7 Transactions with persons related to P.C.C. 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. P.C.C. 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 P.C.C. and the P.C.C. 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 P.C.C.. The incumbent is an ex-officio member of the Board of Governors. Financial support has been given to Holy Cross School during 2022 for the Governors - £1,750.
P a g e | **37**
_Notes to the Financial Report_
## **9 Governance**
|**9 Governance**||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**
**Funds**||**Restricted**
**Fund/s**||**Endowed**
**Fund/s**||**Total**
**Funds**
**2022**|_Total_
_Funds_
_2021_|**_Notes_**|
|_Accounts production_||£
-||£
-||£
-|**£**
**-**|_£_
_-_||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**|**-**|_-_||
## **10 Transfers between funds**
|**10 Transfers between funds**||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**
**Funds**||**Restricted**
**Fund/s**||**Endowed**
**Fund/s**||**Total**
**Funds**
**2022**|_Total_
_Funds_
_2021_|**_Notes_**|
|||£
-||£
-||£
-|**£**
**-**|_£_
_-_||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**|**-**|_-_||
## **11 Fixed assets**
## **a Investments**
|**a Investments**||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricte**
**d**
**Fund**|**Restricte**
**d**
**Fund/s**||**Endowe**
**d**
**Fund/s**||**Total**
**Funds**
**2022**|**_Note_**
**_s_**|
|Market value 1 January 2022
Disposals at carrying value
Purchases at cost
Net gains and revaluation|£
-
-
-
-||£
-
-
-
-||£
-
-
-
-|**£**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**||
|**Market value 31 December 2022**|**-**||**-**||**-**|**-**||
P a g e | **38**
_Notes to the Financial Report_
## **12 Fixed assets**
## **Tangible fixed assets**
|**Tangible fixed assets**||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**Freehold**
**land**
**and**
**buildings**|**Audio visual**
**equipment**||**Office**
**equipment**|**Total fixed**
**assets**|**_Notes_**|
|**Cost or valuation**
At 1 January 2022
Additions
Disposals
Revaluation|£
1,370,000
-
-
-|||£
-
-
-
-|£
-
-
-
-|**£**
**1,370,000**
**-**
**-**
**-**||
|At 31 December 2022|**1,370,000**|||**-**|**-**|**1,370,000**||
|**Charge for impairment**
At 1 January 2022|-|||-|-|
**-**||
|At 31 December 2022|**-**|||**-**|**-**|**-**||
|**Net book amounts**
**At 31 December 2022**|**1,370,000**|||**-**|**-**|
**1,370,000**||
|_At 31 December 2022_|_1,370,000_|||_-_|_-_|_1,370,000_||
The freehold land and buildings comprise the Belmont Centre, Belmont Road. The Belmont Centre remains valued at £1,370,000 as at 31 Dec 2022.
## **13 Net assets by fund**
|**13 Net assets by fund**||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**
**Funds**|**Restricted**
**Fund/s**|**Endowed**
**Fund/s**||**Total Funds**
**2022**|_Total Funds_
_2021_|**_Notes_**|
|Fixed assets for church use
Current assets (except cash)
Cash at bank and on deposit
Current liabilities
Long term liabilities|£
1,370,000
5,062
71,021
(4,953)
-|£
-
-
203,142
-
-||£
-
-
-
-
-|**£**
**1,370,000**
**5,062**
**274,163**
**(4,953)**
**-**|_£_
_1,370,00_
_4,034_
_271,578_
_(4,950)_
_-_||
||**£1,441,130**|**£203,142**||**£-**|**£1,644,272**|_£1,640,662_||
P a g e | **39**
_Notes to the Financial Report_
## **14 Debtors**
||**Unrestricted**
**Funds**|**Unrestricted**
**Funds**|**Restricted**
**Fund/s**|**Restricted**
**Fund/s**|**Endowed**
**Fund/s**|**Endowed**
**Fund/s**|**Total**
**Funds**
**2022**|_Total_
_Funds_
_2021_|**_Notes_**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Income tax recoverable
Prepayments and accrued income
Other debtors||£
2,576
2,486
-||£
-
-
-||£
-
-
-|**£**
**2,576**
**2,486**
**-**|_£_
_2,926_
_1,108_
_-_||
||**£5,062**|||**-**||**-**|**£5,062**|_£4,034_||
## **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**
**2022**|_Total_
_Funds_
_2021_|**_Notes_**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Deferred income
Accruals for utilities and other costs
Other creditors||£
-
4,703
250||£
-
-
-||£
-
-
-|**£**
**-**
**4,703**
**250**|_£_
_-_
_4,630_
_320_||
||**£4,953**|||**-**||**-**|**£4,953**|_£4,950_||
## **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**
**2022**|_Total_
_Funds_
_2021_|**_Note_**
**_s_**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Deferred income
Accruals for utilities and other costs
Other creditors||£
-
-
-||£
-
-
-||£
-
-
-|**£**
**-**
**-**
**-**|_£_
_-_
_-_
_-_||
|||**-**||**-**||**-**|**-**|_-_||
P a g e | **40**
_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.
- _**Ukraine Donations Fund**_ – established in 2022 to allow donations to support Ukrainian conflict victims.
- _**Action Aid Fund**_ – established in 2018 to support, by monthly donation, the education of a child in Guatemala.
- _**Window Appeal Fund**_ – established in 2019 to raise funds to repair and maintain the church windows.
- _**Childrens Work**_ – established during 2021 due to the fund raising and donations specifically supporting the children’s activities and groups in Church.
- _**Clergy Housing**_ – established in 2020 from the proceeds of the sale of the Curates house at 7 Parkview Road, Uckfield.
- _**Flower Fund**_ – established in 2021 to maintain the funds relating to floral tributes in Church.
- _**Children’s Society**_ – used in 2021 to restrict funds from collections not dispersed by the close of the year.
- _**In Memory of D Youngman**_ – established in 2022 from a donation in memory of the Late Mr D Youngman.
**Unrestricted funds** are not subject to any donor restrictions and can be spent as the P.C.C. decides.
## **18 Summary of all funds**
Fund income and expenditure and final balances are as follows:
||**Balances**
**b/fwd**
**1 Jan 2022**|**Income**|**Expenditure**|**Transfers,**
**other gains**
**and losses**|**Balances**
**c/fwd**
**31 Dec 2022**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Organ Repairs
Sunday Refreshments
AV and Screen Fund
Youth Club
Ukraine Donations
Action Aid (Guatemala
Child)
Window Appeal Fund
Children’s Work
7 Park View Road Proceeds
Flower Fund
Children’s Society
In Mem. D Youngman|£
4,015
1,237
4,341
341
-
-
1,510
2,320
183,111
227
14
-|£
659
713
-
-
2,720
234
-
1,824
-
1,178
-
4,000|£
238
600
-
-
2,710
234
-
1,110
-
830
-
-|£
10
3
9
1
-
-
3
6
379
1
-
8|**£**
_4,446_
_1,353_
_4,350_
_342_
_10_
_-_
_1,513_
_3,040_
_183,490_
_576_
_14_
_4,008_|
|**Total of all restricted**
**funds**|**197,116**|**11,327**|**(5,721)**|**420**|**_203,142_**|
|Revaluation of fixed assets
General fund|-
1,443,547|-
144,810|-
(147,227)|-
-|_-_
_1,441,130_|
|**Total of all unrestricted**
**funds**|**1,443,547**|**144,810**|**(147,227)**|**-**|**1,441,130**|
|||||||
|**Total funds**|**£1,640,663**|**£156,137**|**(£152,948)**|**£420**|**£1,644,272**|
P a g e | **41**
## **Independent Examiner’s Report**
## **to the P.C.C. of The Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield for the Year Ended 31[st] December, 2022**
This is my report to the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish (P.C.C.) of the Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield, on the annual report for the year ended 31[st] December 2022 set out within this document.
## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner**
The P.C.C. members are responsible for the preparation of the annual reports. The P.C.C. members consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Charities Act”) and that an independent examination is needed.
- It is my responsibility to:
1. examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act,
2. to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and
3. to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **Basis of independent examiner’s statement**
My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
**Independent examiner's statement**
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention (other than that disclosed below in Section B *)
1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements:
- a. to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and
- b. 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 understanding of the accounts to be reached.
- _Please delete the words in the (brackets) if they do not apply_
## **Examiner’s signature**
**Examiner’s name**
BRIAN DAVID JACOBS
_CAPITALS_
**Date** 30 March 2023 **Relevant professional** Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales **qualification(s) or body**
_if any_
**Examiner’s address**
12 Silverdale Keymer Hassocks, BN6 8RD
P a g e | **42**
## **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** None **examiner wishes to disclose**
Page | 43