2023-12-31-accounts

Trustees Annual Report and Financial Report of

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish

of The Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield

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

Registered Charity no. 1137746

For the year ended 31 December 2023

Table of Contents Page
The Trustees Annual Report .............................................................................. 3
2023 Safeguarding Report ............................................................................... 25
Fabric and Maintenance Report 2023 ............................................................. 27
Financial Review .............................................................................................. 29
Statement of Financial Activities ..................................................................... 32
Balance Sheet .................................................................................................. 33
Notes to the Financial Report .......................................................................... 34
Independent Examiner’s Report ...................................................................... 43

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, 1 Muster Green, Haywards Heath RH16 4AP Parish Office : [e-mail] 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, Paul Ireland, Gillian Youngman and Mr. Mutikani.

This rest of this page is intentionally left blank

P a g e | 2

The Trustees Annual Report

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

2023 was very much back to normal and business as usual for Holy Cross Church and the wider community. People still had Covid but it tended to be no more than a cold in most cases. The Daily Mail reported on 6th May “Covid-19 no longer represents a ‘global health emergency’, the World Health organisation declared yesterday. The announcement marks a major step towards the end of the pandemic, which has killed at least 20 million people and disrupted the global economy.”

However, interest rates kept rising and the cost of living remained high (the price of supermarket groceries rose by a record 16.7 per cent in January, adding up to £788 to annual shopping bills, retail analysts Kantar found). Numerous strikes including the ambulance service, doctors, nurses, teachers and train drivers had a negative impact on people.

The war continued between Ukraine and Russia, and in October Israel declared war on the Gaza Strip after an unprecedented attack by the armed Palestinian group Hamas. Both these wars are ongoing and often dominate the news.

On a happier note, the Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, took place on Saturday, 6 May 2023, at Westminster Abbey. The Holy Cross Bell Ringers were honoured to be able to ring all eight bells for this historic event.

Earlier in the year the children from our Junior Church sent a (rather large) card to Their Majesties to wish them all the best for this wonderful occasion. The card was a photograph of a wonderful mural that the children made and inside had a special message along with the names of all the children involved. They were so thrilled much later when they received this lovely card and message of thanks from Buckingham Palace.

With regards church life, the only two things left to reinstate in worship last year were using the rail and kneeler for communion and a monthly Healing Service being incorporated into the Sunday morning service. These were reintroduced in January and October respectively and a service during Holy Week was the first healing/laying on of hands since Covid.

P a g e | 3

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, the Reverend 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.

P a g e | 4

• •Offering courses to deepen spirituality both as a community and as individuals.

• •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 Fairtrade Feast, a Christmas Bazaar, jumble sales, a Festival of Christmas Trees, a Crib Service, Messy Church sessions and a Holiday Club. We have also formed a Very Chatty Café in response to the national Warm Spaces campaign.

• •Bimonthly 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 Christmas Gifts for Kids in our Community campaign.

• •Providing assistance to the wider community, including the relief of poverty through support to local charities such as the Uckfield Foodbank, the Community Fridge and the Edward Holmes Baldock Charity.

We spend money as wisely and responsibly as possible:

• Adhering to our Financial Records and Accounts Policy including authorisation of spending.

• Tendering for large jobs in order to make sure we are getting the work done to our specification while good value for money.

• •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 to wider Christian charities.

• •Giving to missionary organisations.

• •Responding to emergencies and crisis by arranging adhoc appeals and retiring collections.

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.

• •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

Having restored worship and activities, our objectives in 2023 were to build on them in order to achieve our responsibilities to the congregation and local community. Many of these aspects of planning for the

P a g e | 5

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.

While costs of virtually everything have increased and continue to do so, the list of work required to be done in the Church, both necessary and desirable, grows longer. This year the P.C.C. looked at how best to invest the money from the former curate’s house (see page 20) and build up reserves used during the pandemic, before making any quick decisions. Whilst out of the period of this report, at the beginning of 2024 a priorities sub group of the P.C.C. was set up to address needs, costs and priorities.

During 2023 the following (which had been listed in the Mission Action Plan) progressed as follows:

Online services

• Our online services during Covid have been very popular. They are costly and time consuming but there is a need for something. Action to consider: Purchase of equipment to live streaming.

• In the summer a 75 inch TV on a movable trolley was purchased along with a wireless adapter (to allow computers to display on the TV without needing to have a cable connecting them). It can be used in different areas of the church and possibly, on occasion, be moved to the Belmont Centre. It is also a good trial for future plans as additional screens may be needed to ensure they are visible to all.

Disability concerns

• People using mobility aids use a different door to everyone else so may not get the same welcome and do not see clergy when leaving.

Action to consider: Make the step at the South door into a small ramp.

This is being investigated by the Major Projects Officer.

Outreach

• Known to be a welcoming church. Lots of new housing being built locally - a leaflet drop pre Covid had to be aborted.

• Action to consider: A joint leaflet to be written as each church offers different things.

• A draft version of the graphics was shared with the P.C.C. in the autumn.

Action to consider: Have a presence at Weald on the Field.

The Church had a stall at this annual event for the first time this year.

Social/networking opportunities

• Restart Ladies Fellowship This group which meet monthly restarted after deciding their future at the A.G.M. in the summer.

Raising income

• Introduce a Junior Church 'sponsorship' challenge for the children to raise funds for youth work.

• The Children from Junior Church and the Junior Choir came together again for their second sponsored run; this year it was a 'colour run' in May which raised £950 towards children’s work.

P a g e | 6

PERFORMANCE REVIEW OF ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE YEAR

Worship and Prayer

All are welcome to attend our regular services and the church family welcomes visitors from within as well as outside the parish boundary.

The regular services are:

Sunday 8.00am Holy Communion

9.30am Parish Communion (including healing on the 4[th] Sunday of the month) 10.00am Open Doors (family Eucharist) usually on 2[nd] Sunday of the month 5.30pm Evensong (see below for details) Wednesday 11.00am Holy Communion

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. The costs and options to provide online services so that others can also share in services continue to be investigated. In the meantime, a new T.V. screen was introduced at the July Open Doors service to replace the pull up screen. This enables an order of service to be displayed as well as pictures and film clips

and is more versatile than the previous projector and screen. It was also used at future Open Doors services and during Holiday Club.

The number of adults attending a Sunday morning service in 2023 averaged 75 (this includes the Open Doors service when Junior Church and families participate in the service) and is an increase of five from the previous year.

Traditionally, the Diocese asks parishes to monitor attendance during Sundays in October. In 2023 the average adult attendance in Church for the morning services in October (including the Harvest Open Doors service) was 81 which was four more than last year.

There were 12 Open Doors services with the average number of people attending being 88 (an increase of three from last year). The highest attendance for a Sunday morning was Easter Day which was an Open Doors service with 148 adults and 27 and whilst there were 21 fewer children than the previous year there were 19 more adults. The age profile of our worshipping community last year was approximately one third adults over 70, one third adults under 70 and one third children. Whilst the under 18’s remained static this year, there was a bit of a shift with the middle group expanding a bit and the over 70’s diminishing.

Numbers at the weekly 8am Holy Communion service are still low, averaging eight to ten people which is about the same as the numbers at the weekly Wednesday 11am Holy Communion.

P a g e | 7

Holy Cross Church is one of a very few churches that has a sung Evensong Service most Sundays of the year. However, numbers have been declining so this year a “reset” was tried with Evening worship from April onwards taking this format:

2nd Sunday of the month Festal Choral Evensong 4th Sunday Sung Evensong 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays Mainly a Said Evensong with Hymns, but interspersed with Celtic and Taizé Evening Prayer, also Compline, and “one offs” like Prom Praise, Festival of Christmas Trees Service, Songs of Praise etc.

The average attendance at the eleven Evensong services from January to March was 18.

The number of each type of service for the remainder of the year is given below with the average attendance figures:

Type of service	Number of services	Average attendance
Said Evensong with Hymns	6	15
Sung Evensong	6	19
Compline	3	11
Festal Evensong	5	36

There was no Evening worship on the 1st or 3rd Sundays during July and August nor when other services had taken place in the afternoon like the Confirmation service.

Twice Evensong was held at St Saviours which is not included in the above table nor when it was combined with a BBQ at The Rectory (38 attended on that occasion).

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. It was with great regret that the annual All Souls service in November was cancelled due to severe weather warnings, especially as the weather was not as bad as feared. However, Fr. John went to church and read all the names out.

P a g e | 8

Christmas afternoon and evening services were very well attended with the Crib Service continuing to be the most popular service of all:

Service	Adults	Children	Total
Festival of Christmas Trees	160	30	190
Nine Lessons and Carols	140	10	150
Christmas Eve Crib Service	325	125	450
Midnight Mass	117	1	118

Whilst there were 25 fewer children at the Crib Service this year than last, there were 28 more people at Midnight Mass.

Compline (an Order for Night Prayer) continued at 4.30pm on the 1[st ] and 3[rd] Tuesday of the month at St Saviours (following private prayer from 4pm) with an average of six people attending. When there was a 5[th] Tuesday in the month this had originally been Evensong but then also became Compline.

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 already offered and doing an increasing number of outreach activities, children’s work has continued to thrive with other members of the congregation supporting and encouraging them.

Junior Church continued to meet on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of the month, participating in the Open Doors family Eucharist on the 2nd Sunday of the month with families having the 4[th] Sunday when they can enjoy other activities. On the Sundays when Junior Church met, the number of children varied between 8 and 34, with an average of 18 per session. Junior Church start their worship in The Belmont Centre, coming into church for Communion and the rest of the service with the children showing the congregation what they have been doing.

In January an afternoon tea was held to raise money for five Junior Church children to go with Sarah Widdowson (Children’s Work Coordinator) on a weekend Pilgrimage to Walsingham in March. They really enjoyed it and came back sharing their experience with the congregation.

In the first half of 2023 the Children’s Choir was stronger than it has ever

been with a full and enthusiastic group of children who were eager to perform. When the school year ended some girls moved on to secondary school so in an attempt to avoid losing them altogether a Youth Choir was created with rehearsals immediately following the Children’s Choir; this has gone well with six dedicated girls. The Children’s Choir continues but with lower numbers, due to the older girls having a separate session and some other children have moved on or out of the area.

P a g e | 9

On Remembrance Sunday the Youth Choir beautifully sang “This Remembrance Day” at both the morning service and afternoon Civic Service (see left).

In December both choirs led Carols at The Highlands Inn, which were well supported and, as ever, very popular with the pub clientele.

Three sessions of Messy Church were held throughout the year (February - All things nature; April - Messy Easter; October - Messy Harvest). Messy Church consists of a morning of five or six different activities in The Belmont Centre followed by story time and music in the Church (led by Fr. John), a brief activity e.g. Easter egg hunt, then a tea party back in The Belmont Centre. Priority booking is given to Junior Church children with the remaining spaces open to the community.

In summer the Holiday Club returned with a fun-packed ‘Space Academy’ theme. 50 children were welcomed throughout the three days which were packed with activities, story, music and craft based on a story from the Bible. The last day coincided with the Very Chatty Café and the children joined the adults there to make dioramas (see right below) and then stay for lunch – the volunteers served meals to 91 adults and children that day.

The following Sunday the usual Holiday Club church service was held when children shared with the congregation what they had done the previous week. Children and helpers also took part in the Uckfield Carnival Children’s Procession, dressed as something from space and they came second.

A new Youth Club started in September for those in our churches who had gone through the confirmation process over the past few years. The first of these monthly sessions was a welcome BBQ at the Rectory for the youth and their families. The first real meeting in October was pizza making from

P a g e | 10

scratch and hilarious games. A Christmas party took place in December which was food and a silent disco. There are some 12 members, of whom some 6-10 regularly meet up.

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 20 Baptisms and one Wedding held during the year as well as two Renewal of Vows. There were also 15 Funerals in Holy Cross Church, and the interment of ashes of four people took place in the graveyard.

Following classes led by Fr. John, a Confirmation Service was led by Bishop Will (the Bishop of Lewes) in June with three adults and six children being confirmed (see right), one of who was Daz who had been baptised during the morning service two weeks before.

Pastoral ministry/care

We are fortunate to have three other members of clergy as well as a Reader to assist Fr. John in the plurality.

The Revd Martha Mutikani (Associate-Vicar of St. Margaret’s, Isfield) continued to be a valuable asset in her role in the Plurality. Half way through the year Revd Martha stood down as Racial Justice Officer but remains Assistant Dean of Women's Ministry for the Diocese.

September saw Revd Martha become a Canon at Chichester Cathedral, taking the stall of the Prebendary of Bracklesham. She was one of eight new honorary canons of the cathedral in recognition of the contribution each makes to the apostolic life of the Diocese.

The Honorary Assistant Curates; the Revd. David Ashton and the Revd. Canon Hugh Moseley, regularly lead or participate in services in the plurality, as does Reader Sheila Fordham. They are very much part of the church family and we are extremely grateful for their ongoing support and contribution to the life of Holy Cross Church. Regretfully the Revd Dr Mike Blanch had to step back from helping out as the health of his wife (Penny) deteriorated. The Revd Richard Wolley who had taken services and supported the church in previous years sadly died in November.

Clergy continued to visit the sick at home and in hospital. Pat Hall continued her good work visiting Copper Beech Care Home.

P a g e | 11

Communication

The weekly pewsheet, monthly parish magazine and monthly Diocesan and Parish intercessions continue to be emailed to people if they wish (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 March Churchwarden Dee started a WhatsApp group as a quick and easy method to reach out to members of the congregation either telling them information or asking for help etc (at the end of the year there were 26 members).

Social media continues to be one of the most effective means of communication, in particular for up to date information and last minute changes. At the end of the year our Facebook page followers numbered 1,700 which was an increase of 8.7% on the previous year. Our regular and eye catching updates are thanks to Sarah Widdowson who posts upcoming services and events 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 contains lots of useful information for both the congregation and also the wider community and visitors. Information about services and other events means it remains heavily used alongside our social media presence.

Social events and fundraising

Coffee is served in The Belmont Centre after the mid morning service, and in church after the Wednesday service which is a good way for new members to mix as well as an opportunity for a catch up with other people. Donations for coffee after the morning Eucharist go towards the Chichester Diocese Children’s and Families Work and 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).

Fundraising opportunities are also valuable socialising and wellbeing opportunities for those participating both as attendees or helpers. The church held three jumble sales this year, in February, July and September. The first one of the year always seems to do better and this year was no exception with the sales raising £575, £420 and £300 respectively and that was despite local competition on the day of the last sale. Comments made have included “Holy Cross Church is such a large part of the Community of Uckfield” and “Good Jumble Sale are so welcome to help the community get through these tougher times”.

The traditional Quiz evening with fish and chips in March raised over £360.

Sarah Widdowson took the initiative to sell Easter Treat Boxes this year and she raised £400 for the church for which we are very grateful.

P a g e | 12

Following the success of the Spring Festival on the Holy Cross School playing field last year, Sarah organised another one this year but this time on a much larger scale on Luxford Field, in the centre of town. Local stall holders, small businesses and charities took part, all of whom found the event hugely beneficial to their organisations. There was a programme of varied entertainment throughout the day including dancing, singing, music and drama. The church ran a number of stalls including the popular Vintage Tea Room, a BBQ and items made by the Crafty Ladies. For children there were also free garden games and a Messy Church tent with arts and crafts. The weather was kind and the day raised an amazing amount of just under £2,500.

Another event organised for the Junior Church members and their families was a sponsored Colour Run . A mix of coloured powders, spaced around a circuit on Holy Cross School field, were thrown at the participants as they ran past. Various distances were completed by the children who couldn’t stop smiling while they got covered in ‘paint’ and water. Everyone enjoyed the event and nearly £1,000 of sponsorship was collected.

In July, The Children’s Choir take part in the annual Proms on the Pitch but this year, due to the predicted high winds the staging/ production/lighting/fireworks/vendors etc were unable to go ahead for safety reasons. Holy Cross Church was pleased to be able to offer the facilities of the Church and Belmont Centre as an alternative venue so that the town event was able to go ahead albeit in a different format.

For the first time Holy Cross Church had a stall at the annual town Weald on the Field held in August. Started in 2016, this attraction hosts local produce, street food, drink, live music and entertainment. Ours was possibly the only charity with a presence. Unfortunately Dee lost her gazebo in the wind but it was fun to do with a good team; £300 was made and lessons learnt for another time (people wanted to purchase whole puddings or would prefer a stall selling whole cakes).

Harvest Lunch , a popular event on the church calendar, was well attended and the wonderful food enjoyed by all. Thanks go to Dee and her team of caters for making it possible.

The annual Christmas Fair , held in the Belmont Centre, was an enormous success with fantastic support, once again, from the community. Church stalls included hampers, cakes and bakes, jams and chutneys,

P a g e | 13

£2 gift stall, bottle game, chocolate tombola and teddy tombola and a cafe. We raised in excess of £2,000, therefore a worthy fundraiser as always. Due to Belmont Centre bookings the Fair was held a week before the Festival of Christmas trees which was a challenge but, nevertheless, was a wonderful community event and certainly kicked off Christmas!

The annual Festival of Christmas Trees was a wonderful success with 106 trees on display. We welcomed 6,016 visitors over the three days, many making wonderful and positive comments about the display. The event raised in excess of £15,000 which is a fantastic result.

Throughout the year (following its inception at the end of 2022), the Chatty Café went strength to strength from about 24 attending to a regular 45+. There were two sessions most months and during the year more new people came to experience this happy and welcoming environment. The programme included many crafts and people sharing their hobbies or an outside speaker as well as games to play and puzzles to do. These sessions give people the chance to meet and talk to both new and long standing friends. It is lovely to see people attending from Holy Cross Church, other churches or no church at all. Fr. John dropped in when he could. Coffee and cake is served on arrival along with a lovely lunch at the end of the morning for those who wish to stay. Birthdays and special anniversaries are shared and celebrated. The sessions and food are often themed like the Coronation Party where the finishing touches made it a happy and memorable occasion. Much thought and preparation goes into

each session and even when a break was taken in August, at the previous session participants were given a ‘survival kit’ of a drink, biscuit and puzzle. From September the group changed its name to the Very Chatty Café (it transpired that there was a national organisation with the former name). Their first birthday was celebrated in style on 10[th] November with one comment on Facebook summing up this particular session (but it applies to all of them): “Thank you everyone, for another wonderful morning. Pure loving kindness from beginning to end.” As this started out as a ‘warm space’, no charge is made but a donation bowl is available and towards the end of the year, this initiative was fortunate to be given a financial donation by means of a Waitrose Community Award.

In June, a Saturday afternoon Chatty Café Garden Party was open to all by kind invitation of David, Wendy and Sheena. It was a lovely sunny day and the many guests who came were spoilt with food and drink and enjoyed sitting and talking, as well as exploring the beautiful garden including the Hobbit House (see right).

Throughout the summer Fr. John hosted several BBQ’s at The Rectory which were very successful and a good chance for people to socialise. In total, nearly 200 people were fed. This included the fundraising BBQ for Leprosy (mentioned elsewhere) and another with Evensong for the Plurality the end of August with 30+ attending.

P a g e | 14

Music continues to be a vital part of worship and entertainment but as time goes on it will need expensive work doing to it. Tim Guntrip, our Musical Director, says in the accompanying Report containing activities of the church family: “The church organ continues to hold its own, but it is fast becoming increasingly unreliable, and we really cannot put off major work to it for much longer. Many pipes internally are now collapsing under their own weight, falling onto others, and affecting the tuning. A note jammed during the Christmas Carol Service which thankfully it was able to temporarily disconnect - otherwise the organ would have been unusable for the remainder of the services over Christmas.” Estimates for the organ to be renovated range from £37,000 to £69,700, depending on how much work is done. Organ maintenance and repair is always accounted for in the budget but obviously separate fundraising is necessary for such vast sums. Last year Tim held an event for the restoration fund and this year the Ashdown Singers, a local group who use the church for their rehearsals, performed Requiem by Gabriel Fauré and other shorter French choral works, raising £750 for the organ fund.

Our witness to the community

Holy Cross Church is at the heart of Uckfield and attracts people to both the Church and The Belmont Centre for services and events, especially the Festival of Christmas Trees. The Church also shows witness to the community by supporting and participating in the life of the town as already described.

This year, as previously mentioned, a Spring Festival, organised by the church was held on Luxford Field for everyone to join in, and the church had a stall at Weald on the Field event for the first time.

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.

We were approached to be a venue for a Friends of Sussex Hospices fundraising concert in November with Dame Felicity Lott (a great soprano of her time) singing as well as other guests including actor Robert Bathurst. It was very successful with c£3,000 raised for their charity and hopefully will become a bi-annual event.

Holy Cross Church gives ongoing support to the town’s Foodbank with a financial donation along with a regular appeal in the weekly pewsheet (a box for donations is put out each Sunday, kindly overseen by Terry Hall). Despite many people now putting their donations directly into the supermarket collection boxes, Holy Cross Church donates about ten shopping bags a month which are always gratefully received.

Dee Johnson, one of our churchwardens, now represents Holy Cross as a Trustee of the Foodbank and can also issue food vouchers on behalf of the Church. This ability to issue vouchers is reviewed annually i.e. people who don’t issue any vouchers are taken off the list after a year.

At the Harvest service this year donations were taken in the form of tins and packets for the Foodbank, fresh produce for the Community Fridge, and a retiring collection for Libya following the recent devastating flooding. There had previously been a retiring collection in aid of the disasters in Libya and Morocco. In early February earthquakes that struck nine hours apart in south eastern Turkey and northern Syria saw the death toll rise to at least 33,185. Collections in Church were held on 12th and 19th February raising £657.

P a g e | 15

The Toy Drive last year was very successful but was extremely difficult and time consuming to store, sort, assign, wrap and deliver all the gifts before Christmas. Therefore in 2023 our Christmas Gifts for Kids in our Community campaign appealed for monetary donations and from the donations received gift vouchers were purchased from local shops and sent out to the families that had made contact appealing for help. This meant that

parents were given the support they needed to buy Christmas gifts for their children but also the dignity to go out and choose the gifts themselves. We were pleased to be able to support 66 children in this way.

Holy Cross Church is a member of both the Uckfield Volunteer Centre and the Uckfield 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. We keep contact with them and occasionally Fr. John joins a Zoom Meeting. With regards the Chamber of Commerce, as a major institution in Uckfield, Holy Cross Church impinges on the Business Community as part of its Community Involvement.

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. Tragically, Holy Cross School closed on 31st December 2023. There was a moving farewell Christmas service for the remaining pupils and staff on 14th December.

In 2023, three members of Holy Cross Church were presented with different awards for their services to church and the community:

Holy Cross Church continued to witness to the community with the bi-monthly Community Leaders Lunches held at the Rectory. After a cooked lunch provided by the Rector and Gillian Youngman, a short talk is given by someone about the group or organisation that they represented. 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. In April, the former High Sheriff of East Sussex was the guest speaker (Fr. John was her Chaplain when she was High Sheriff of East Sussex) and surprised Fr. John by presenting him with an “Award in recognition of great and valuable services to the community.”

P a g e | 16

Lynne Ireland, our Parish Administrator, is a great help and continues to be a much appreciated valuable asset with her involvement and connections with other organisations in the town. In November, at the Ashdown Radio Community Awards at The East Sussex National Hotel, Lynne was awarded The Service to our Community Award for her work with Uckfield Lions, Uckfield Bonfire & Carnival Society and Holy Cross Church.

Lynne works mainly from her office in The Belmont Centre along with a bit of working from home. Although her hours are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 9.15am - 12.15pm, she is very flexible which is of great benefit to the church.

Gillian Youngman, our P.C.C. Secretary, was nominated and successfully chosen to be awarded the Order of St Richard . Initiated in 2019, this award is for lay people “in recognition of exceptional service to church and community in the Diocese of Chichester”. Forty people across the Diocese receive the award each year and candidates are judged by a Diocesan panel. Gillian was presented with the award by Bishop Ruth at a special evensong in Chichester Cathedral in September in recognition of being an “exceptional PCC Secretary and work with the town community lunch and local preservation society”.

Mission, outreach and evangelism

Throughout November there was a Peace Tree in the Cardale Chapel. As Fr. John wrote in the pewsheet: “In these tragic times of war and conflict in Israel/Gaza and Ukraine, we can feel helpless. One thing we can do is pray, so at Holy Cross we have a ‘Tree of Peace’ in the Cardale Chapel, where you can write a prayer and hang it on a branch. All welcome. It will remain here until the Festival of Christmas Trees.”

A small Giving to Other Charities sub-committee appointed by the P.C.C. met and recommended a number of donations to the P.C.C. (who approved). The recipients of this money are detailed in the Financial report (see page 30)

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 an annual donation to three families selected by a sub-committee each year. This is normally made up to £25 per

P a g e | 17

recipient by the PCC. There were no donations made this year and the funds will be held over to be donated in 2024.

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.

Like last year, Holy Cross Church welcomed members of the local Ukrainian community during Sunday Service to sing carols. This year they sang in both January and December and it was very special.

In March we were pleased to welcome the Blackboys Beavers on a visit to the church: Sarah Widdowson organised activities and Fr. John read the Easter Story.

In August the Rector hosted a BBQ in aid of St. Lazarus’ Leprosy (he belongs to the Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem). Constantine (Canon Martha’s husband) gave a moving talk about his grandmother who had leprosy. £1000 was raised for this charity.

For the first time in 4 years (since before the Covid pandemic due to concerns about indoor socialising etc), Ladies Fellowship met in July. This was an Annual General Meeting followed by a cream tea. The subject of whether to start meetings again was discussed and it was agreed that they would and a small committee was appointed. The monthly meetings since then have been held in The Belmont Centre on the third Thursday afternoon: this is a change of venue and week to before. An average attendance of 20 people have welcomed this opportunity to meet and hear a variety of interesting speakers.

From October Fr. John has visited Millington Court (a large block of flats in Mill Lane) on a monthly basis and taken a Eucharist in the communal room. This was on the initiative of David Gilbert after Fr. John had been visiting Fr. Richard and 8-10 attend this serviced which is well received.

P a g e | 18

In August Fr. John broke the very sad news that his beloved Labrador had had to be put down. Sophie Wall was very much the church dog, attending most services and events and there at the door to welcome people to the Rectory. Not only were the congregation upset by this sad loss but there was an outpouring from the community. Someone organised an arrangement of flowers in the Memorial Corner to which Fr John wrote in the pewsheet:

Thank you so much for this lovely thought! So many people have been kind and supportive. I’ve had upwards of 500 emails, WhatsApps, cards, texts, Facebook messages and responses about Sophie’s passing, which is amazing. It has really helped. Thank you. Much love and gratitude, Fr. John

The Crafty Ladies had made Sophie a ‘whole wardrobe of bandanas in the seasonal colours and these were used to decorate Fr John’s tree dedicated to her at the Festival of Christmas Trees and a touching card made by 8 year old Theo Widdowson expressed what everyone else was feeling.

In summer 100 hand held crosses were blessed and given out on Holy Cross Day in September. They were the initiative of Dee our Churchwarden. By October a further 100 had been ordered and were blessed at the morning service with healing on 29[th] November. People found them a comfort to keep to hand and several people wanted another, having passed their own on to other people. They came from ‘Plastic Factory Street’ in Palestine, an area affected by the war. The second order was supplied from someone different as Dee was not sure what had happened to the original supplier with the war going on. Due to the way in which they have been received, yet more were ordered and Dee was sent a lovely message from the original supplier after she told him we had been praying for him.

Ecumenical Relationships

The group ‘Churches in Uckfield’ is currently in abeyance although members got together to organise and participate in the Good Friday Walk of witness from Cornerstone Church to Hartfields where a short service took place.

P a g e | 19

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. The building houses the Parish Office and has a hall and small meeting room and also a good well stocked kitchen and toilets, including a disabled toilet with a nappy changing mat. An additional part of The Belmont Centre is on permanent loan to a Pre-school Group.

This wonderful facility is used for both church fundraising and social events and while the maintenance and development of The Belmont Centre is planned to support the needs of the church it is also an asset for use by the wider community and brings in an income for the church. Bookings this year went very well with regular bookings on most days of the week as well as 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. Compline takes place there on the 1[st] , 3[rd] and 5[th] Tuesdays as detailed earlier. More details about St Saviours can be found in the Report containing activities of the church family.

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. The P.C.C. held a special meeting in August to discuss this, and, after further investigation the decision was made in November to invest the fund in a 95 day notice Liquidity Reserve account to take advantage of a higher interest rate. The proceeds of the investment will be used for general P.C.C. expenditure.

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 church services and events possible. There is a separate report on Church activities that covers the work of some of these groups and individual volunteers in more detail. There are also others who maintain the buildings, people who help with refreshments on a Sunday and catering on other occasions including at fundraising events, not forgetting those who do other valuable voluntary work behind the scenes. We are privileged to have such a dedicated hard working team supporting Church life.

P a g e | 20

We continue to extend the opportunities for the exercise of ministry and gifts within the life of the community. Although quite a lot of the church family are already involved in the many roles within the church an appeal was put out in August for specific roles. This was to support many of the key activities of our church while other initiatives like the Very Chatty Café have seen other people get involved while the Festival of Christmas Trees relies on many volunteers from the town to help make this annual 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

• Angela Noel

• Edna Osborne

• Ray Pilson

• Anthony Simpson

• Sarah Widdowson

• Gillian Youngman (Secretary)

Sister Sarah had also been a P.C.C. member, resigning in January and was replaced by Ray Pilson at the A.P.C.M. 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 are encouraged to apply to be on the Electoral Roll and if appropriate, to stand for election to the P.C.C.. The number of people on the Electoral Roll as of 20th April 2024 was 189 which is a decrease of 2 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.

P a g e | 21

The full Parochial Church Council held six meetings during the year at St Saviours (one of these was to approve the accounts and another solely to discuss how to invest the money from 7 Park View Road). The average attendance of P.C.C. members at these meetings was 15 (79%). In addition, Karen Smith and Rhian Cottrell ( Safeguarding Officers ) came to part of the January and September meeting: at the latter they spoke about a new process of recruiting volunteers. They also send a report for each P.C.C. 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).

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, Very Chatty Cafe etc. Most reports are circulated in advance allowing questions and discussion at the meeting and if a decision is needed 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 final decision of how to invest the money from 7 Park View Road.

Paul Kennedy ( Major Works Project Manager for Holy Cross Church ) also sends a written report to each P.C.C. meeting and in between liaises closely with John Pontefract (Health and Safety Officer), the P.C.C. and Standing Committee on projects and issues as appropriate.

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. They met (via Zoom) six times during the year.

Deanery Synod

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. Holy Cross Church currently has four representatives on the Uckfield Deanery Synod (which met 3 times in 2023) who report back to the P.C.C. via a written report from Francis Wallace who is Secretary of the Deanery Synod and a P.C.C. member. A more detailed report of 2023 can be seen in the separate report containing Activities of the Church Family.

P a g e | 22

HOLY CROSS SCHOOL

It was with great sadness that the proposed closure of Holy Cross School was announced early in the year. The School started life as Uckfield Parochial School next to the church before moving to a new building in the 1960’s. The church took over the old school building which became the Church Centre and in 2009 (following a major redevelopment), The Belmont Centre.

Nusrat Ghani (Member of Parliament for Wealden) made this statement on the School in March:

The School closed on 31[st] December. The much loved Church School had in all served the town for 173 years and is a huge loss.

Our verger and P.C.C. member Angela Noel, a former school governor for 20 years, wrote the following about the link between the church and the School:

“There has always been a very happy, caring relationship between Holy Cross Church and Holy Cross School. Each Rector was Chair of Governors for many years and the Parochial Church Council was responsible for appointing some of the Board of Governors who attended the school not only for meetings but also got involved in the life of the school. Other members of the congregation also helped by listening to the children read on a regular basis.

The Rectors or Curates attended weekly assemblies imparting their Christian faith to the children and staff. In the classrooms beautiful individual Crucifix’s were displayed, also in the Hall and Entrance together with the school prayer. The children and staff were invited to attend the Church Services, on fourth Sunday of the month for many years, this was later superseded by Open Doors Service, Children’s Choir and Messy Church. The school attended church for a service each new term and all Christian Festivals. Parents were always invited to attend services, most liked to sit in the church gallery enabling

P a g e | 23

them to have a better view of their children who at the beginning of the Service were encouraged to wave to their parents by the Rector – noisy but fun! Each year a Leavers Service was held at the church for the Year 6 children, attended by all the school, during which the Leavers were given a Blessing by the Rector and presented with a Bible.

In the final few months, Holy Cross Church gave each child a little olive wood holding cross to remember us by and a final beautiful service celebrating the children’s achievements was held with the remaining eleven children, the staff, parents, governors, and friends of the school all of whom were emotionally touched by the occasion.”

P a g e | 24

2023 Safeguarding Report

It is so lovely to see, hear and enjoy Holy Cross Church’s friendly Christian Outreach, to all age groups, both within the church and the wider community.

All this amazing work has developed due to so many dedicated people at Holy Cross who care and work their socks off to enable the plethora of activities to happen across our church Family.

These activities naturally put great responsibility, paperwork and extra time on the shoulders of the Leaders for the safety of:-

PEOPLE; PRACTICE; ACTIVITIES; STRUCTURES – SQP REQUIREMENTS

IN ADDITION TO DIOCESAN SAFEGUARDING REQUIREMENTS AND TRAINING.

IMPROVING EFFICIENCY OF SAFEGUARDING OFFICERS!

The role divides roughly into 4 parts-

1. Immediate response to a concern

2. Recruiting process

3. DBS processing

4. SQP (Simple Quality Protects) and training

We have divided the role to be the named person for some areas but joint for others. However, liaison between us is still paramount.

So, we will both be available for –

1. Immediate response to a concern

2. Help and advice for the recruiting process

Rhian will be the named person for SQP & Training maintenance.

Karen will be the named person for DBS Processing and Induction.

Obviously, if the named person is unavailable help will be provided by their colleague.

RECRUITMENT – The recruitment process for volunteers has been aligned by the diocese to the practice already in place for paid workers. We are trialing a simplified version, which we hope will be less daunting to volunteers (who may never have been through such a process before), but which ticks all the Diocesan boxes. It still remains a more thorough process.

DBS – The Update Service is proving its worth as fewer people need to go through the renewal of their DBS clearance every 3 years. The numbers will continue to decrease as those completing the previous 5 year renewal schedule come to an end.

SQP – SIMPLE QUALITY PROTECTS - This year has seen Holy Cross, in addition to services, continue to run outreach ministries and social activities in the church or on church premises. All these continue to require Risk Assessments for the

P a g e | 25

environment in use and the recommended safety measures and, where appropriate, DBS clearance, induction and training. As ever, this means form filling for every activity - these are important as they record what we have done to ensure everyone’s safety and show that we are maintaining the level of safeguarding that gained us the Level 1 certificate in 2020 (on the Noticeboard in church). Their continuing observance of current requirements will make it so much easier when we have to work towards Level 2 in the near future.

So, our heartfelt thanks to those leading activities who have continued to “do the paperwork” as well as ensuring the safety of the activity.

The paperwork can now be stored in the cloud (see Lynne Ireland) where it can be easily accessed by those who need to check the information and making it easier for most to complete forms. Those unable to use the cloud may still provide us with paper forms.

We have a duty of care to ensure that all aspects of safeguarding are adhered to, so we know that sometimes your heart may fall if you see us with bits of paper!!

Karen Smith & Rhian Cottrell

Safeguarding Officers/Lead Recruiters

Email: [e-mail]

P a g e | 26

Fabric and Maintenance Report 2023

Introduction

It has been agreed by the P.C.C. that all further projects cannot be started until a meeting has been held to prioritise the projects to enable the church to not overcommit finances but this is also balanced against possible deterioration of church fabric. This Projects Priority Meeting has, at the date of this report, yet to take place.

Completed Work

• Refurbished Windows for Spire Room.

• Church Lightning Conductor Testing in September 2023.

• Damp at the North East end of the church caused by blocked gutters was fixed. This had been exacerbated by the trees mentioned in the next item.

• Tree Trimming by Uckfield Town Council at the East end of the church in October in line with request by architect.

Ongoing Maintenance

• Regular annual maintenance of the church and Belmont Centre heating systems is done by Hedley Visick.

• Ongoing problem of overpressure of the main water feed to the church boiler. A water pressure regulator has been fitted but doesn’t appear to work. We have temporarily shut off the mains water supply to the boiler and just manually let in water when the inlet pressure drops. A regular Sunday check.

• Gallery Floor Woodworm.

Church & Belmont Centre Projects from Autumn 2023

• Projects Priority Meeting due to meet to decide the priority of various projects and how we can make best use of our funds set against the needs. Date not set for this yet.

• Cardale Hall & Foyer Lighting System Replacement. This is getting imminent as more light units are failing.

• Church Painting & Clean Up. Stairwells are particularly a problem. Jamie Wallace (Stonemason) has been asked to give a talk to the P.C.C. regarding suitable protective coatings for the stonework. Not yet scheduled.

• Boiler Hive Controller Quote £295 + VAT. Now out of date as 2 years old! This will need a requote.

• South Entrance Ramp including Door opener. Planning permission granted for this. Faculty not applied for yet. Action:- awaiting Projects Priority Meeting decision.

• Choir Vestry Window £10k approx. The problem with the Choir Vestry window is that no one makes them anymore and there have been seven attempts to get quotes only one of which has been successful. Action:- Awaiting Projects Priority Meeting decision.

• Upgrade to Lightning surge protection circuitry has been recommended by our incumbent engineers. Quotes and planning in progress.

• Church South Boundary Lights. Not done yet. Quotes have been requested.

• Live Streaming Services Equipment. Permanent locations for cameras awaiting electrical works.

P a g e | 27

• Organ Renovation (long term project):-

• Pedal Coupler Renovation - £1,000

• Cleaning & overhaul - £20,000

• Electrification – either/or

  • a. Partial Electrification £16,000

  • b. Complete Electrification £26,500

• Tonal Alterations – Some nice to do’s but some may be done – Up to £22,200

• Costs Depending On What is done:-

  • a. Maximum £69,700.

  • b. Doing some upgrades:- 1, 2, 3b = £47,500

  • c. Minimum Work:- 1,2 & 3a= £37,000

• Junior Church Requirements.

John Pontefract, Churchwarden and Health & Safety Officer

P a g e | 28

Financial Review

As the Trustees report details, 2023 has been a great year for the church family and its outreach into the local community. On the financial side we are still seeing the impact of the cost of living changes and also the increase in cost of key items such as energy. This has resulted in a deficit situation for 2023. Of the £10,389 deficit, £6,306 was due to the need to refurbish windows in the Spire Pre-school area. The remainder of the deficit was a result of income falling slightly short of expenditure.

The church and wider community have done a fantastic job once again in organising and supporting our various events and fund raising initiatives which has ensured the deficit is kept to a minimum.

Incoming and outgoing resources

Total receipts on general unrestricted funds, which are detailed in the Financial Statements, were £139,860. This is £4,950 decrease from 2022, partly accounted for by a drop in regular giving, which is compounded as the amount of Gift Aid Tax reclaimable is less, and just over £1,000 less in fees for the P.C.C. from life services.

Our biggest source of income, the regular giving from the church congregation, continues to decline. The 2023 total (via bank deposits, weekly envelopes and cash collections) was £59,893, down from £61,148 in 2022 and £67,165 in 2019 (pre-Covid). Over 2023 there was a net loss of 6 regular givers and this trend is likely to continue year on year. Towards the end of 2023 a pledge scheme was launched to reverse this trend. Initial indications by the end of 2023 were positive with a large number of givers pledging increases for 2024.

Thanks to the efforts of our fund raising teams and their supporters, organising the Festival of Christmas Trees, the Christmas Fair, Jumble Sales, Spring Festival and many other smaller events throughout the year, a fantastic £20,284 of profit was generated in 2023. A wonderful reflection of their hard work and also the support that Holy Cross Church has within the congregation and the local community.

Receipts from hiring fees for the Belmont Centre were £25,102 which is very similar to 2022 showing we have a sustainable group of regular hirers. Expenditure for the Belmont Centre during 2023 was £12,354 giving a surplus of £12,748 but with £6,306 being spent for the repair/refurbishment of windows in the Spire pre-school area the net surplus for church funds was £6,442.

Sharing the ministry costs of the Diocese of Chichester

The largest expenditure of the P.C.C. was the sum of £70,000 paid to the Diocese to cover ministry costs. The parish contribution in 2023 was used towards the stipend, pension and

P a g e | 29

housing costs of the clergy, and a standard sum for diocesan costs, clergy training and a contribution to national church funds. For 2023 we agreed an increase of nearly 4%, 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 2023, the three positions did not meet the HMRC thresholds for tax purposes or for the pension auto-enrolment scheme. From 1 Jan 2023 a 3.5% salary increase was applied to the Director of Music and the Administrator and a slight adjustment made to change the Assistant Director of Music to Organist Emeritus, making the staff costs for 2023 £17,108, just £147 more than 2022.

Missionary and Charitable giving

For 2023 the Giving sub-committee recommended the following £2,300 of missionary and charitable giving which was agreed by the P.C.C.

Overseas

• Water Aid £ 350 • Kids 4 Kids £ 350 • Tear Fund £ 300

• Medecins san Frontiers £ 350

Home

• Uckfield Community Fridge

• Uckfield Community Fridge £ 200

• • Sussex Church Bell Restoration £ 25 • Uckfield Foodbank £ 500 • St Wilfrids Hospice £ 225

In addition, further giving and donations were made during the year totalling a further £3,243 to give a total missionary and charitable giving for 2023 of £5,543.

Fixed Assets

The Belmont Centre remains at the previous valuation of £1,370,000.

Reserves Policy

During 2023 the minimum balance on the general unrestricted funds (excluding property) equated to approximately 6 months of unrestricted payments. The financial situation and unrestricted reserves held at the end of 2023 have been reviewed and, with the 2024 budget

P a g e | 30

approved by the P.C.C., show that the Uckfield Parochial Church Council is expected to continue as a going concern for the 2024 financial year.

It is P.C.C. policy to retain any funds not required for day to day transactions on deposit at the bank. During 2023 a 95 day notice account was opened to take advantage of higher interest rates to hold around 90% of the funds on deposit.

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 2023, its latest valuation date, the value of the investment fell slightly on the 2022 value to £686.49. The income in its financial year was £19.82 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 2023 no donations were made with the funds being held over for 2024.

During 2023 the P.C.C. agreed to hold the funds for the Churches in Uckfield group. At the end of 2023 the funds held total £429.

P a g e | 31

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 2023	Total Funds 2022 Notes
Income and endowments from: Donations and legacies Charitable activities Other trading activities Investments Other receipts	£ 102,746 5,750 30,248 827 290		£ 5,853 - - 2,353 -		£ - - - - -	£ 108,599 5,750 30,248 3,180 290	£ 103,673 9,957 41,339 568 1,020
Total income	139,861		8,206		-	148,067	156,557 2
Expenditure on: Raising funds Charitable activities Other trading activities Other expenditure	5,903 128,151 19,060 -		- 1,998 - 3,344		- - - -	5,903 130,149 19,060 3,344	4,583 132,071 16,294 -
Total expenditure	153,114		5,342		-	158,456	152,948 3
Net gains (or losses) on investments	-		-		-	-	-
Net income or (net expenditure)	(13,253)		2,864		-	(10,389)	3,609
Transfers between funds Other recognised gains/(losses): Gains/(losses) on revaluation of fixed assets Other gains/(losses) Reconciliation of funds:	-		-		-	-	- 10
	(13,253) - -		2,864 - -		- - -	(10,389) - -	3,609 - 11 -
Net movement in funds	(13,253)		2,864		-	(10,389)	3,609
Total funds brought forward	1,441,130	203,141			-	1,644,271	1,640,663
Total funds carried forward	1,427,877	206,005			-	1,633,882	1,644,272

P a g e | 32

Balance Sheet

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

	Total Funds	Total Funds
	2023	2022	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	3,850	5,062	14
Investments	-	-
Cash at bank and in hand	266,611	274,163
Total current assets	270,461	279,225
Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year	(6,579)	(4,953)	15
Correction for Unrealised Debtors in 2020	-	-
Net current assets or (liabilities)	263,882	274,272
Total assets less current liabilities	1,633,882	1,644,272
Creditors: Amounts falling due after more than one year	-	-	16
Provisions for liabilities	-	-
Total net assets or (liabilities)	1,633,882	1,644,272
The funds of the charity:
Restricted income funds	206,005	203,142
Unrestricted funds	1,427,877	1,441,130
Revaluation reserve	-	-
Total unrestricted funds	1,427,877	1,441,130
Total charity funds	1,633,882	1,644,272	18

This Financial Report for the year ended 31st December 2023, 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 ………………20[th] April 2024 …………………

P a g e | 33

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 | 34

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 | 35

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 2023	Total Funds 2022	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	£ 45,415 719 13,759 8,016 13,285 9,914 11,638 - -		£ - - - - - 5,853 - - -		£ - - - - - - - - -	£ 45,415 719 13,759 8,016 13,285 15,767 11,638 - -	£ 48,669 1,211 11,268 6,218 9,028 13,032 14,247 - -
Donations and legacies	£102,746		£5,853		-	£108,599	£103,673
Fees for weddings & funerals - P.C.C. Fees for weddings & funerals - Clergy Fees for weddings & funerals - DBF Fees for weddings & funerals - Other Wedding	2,662 306 2,547 235		-		-	2,662 306 2,547 235	3,167 1,392 3,332 2,066
Charitable activities	£5,750		-		-	£5,750	£9,957
Big Day, Xmas Fair & Festival of Christmas Trees Other fund raising activities Parish magazine Belmont Centre hiring fees	4,885 - 261 25,102		- - - -		- - - -	4,885 - 261 25,102	13,461 739 1,318 25,821
Other trading activities	£30,248		-		-	£30,248	£41,339
Bank deposit interest Rent from letting of investment property Proceeds from Sale of Assets	827 - -		2,353 - -		- - -	3,180 - -	568 - -
Investments	£827		£2,353		-	£3,180	£568
Other receipts	290		-		-	290	1,020
Total income and endowments on all funds	£139,861		£8,206		-	£148,067	£156,557

P a g e | 36

Notes to the Financial Report

3 Analysis of expenditure

3 Analysis of expenditure
	Unrestricted Fund	Restricted Fund/s		Endowed Fund/s		Total Funds 2023	Total Funds 2022	Notes
Uckfield Festival Big Day Festival of Christmas Trees Stewardship costs (printing etc) Other fundraising (non-trading) costs	£ - 4,349 - 1,554		£ - - - -		£ - - - -	£ - 4,349 - 1,554	£ 75 2,784 - 1,724
Cost of raising funds	£5,903		-		-	£5,903	£4,583
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	5,309 70,000 7,417 17,108 2,990 17,114 - 327 280 250 - 2,125 907 1,260 334 2,545 185		234 - - - 1,304 2,040 1,764 - - - - - - - - - -		- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	5,543 70,000 7,417 17,108 4,294 19,154 1,764 327 280 250 - 2,125 907 1,260 334 2,545 185	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	4 6 5 8
Cost of charitable activities	£128,151		£5,342		-	£133,493	£132,071
Uckfield Festival Big Day Festival of Christmas Trees Other events Belmont Centre running costs Parish magazine costs Other trading costs	- 400 - 18,660 - -		- - - - - -		- - - - - -	- 400 - 18,660 - -	- 2,803 - 18,491 - (5,000)
Cost of other trading activities	£19,060		-		-	£19,060	£16,294
Total expended on all funds	£153,114		£5,342		-	£158,456	£152,948

P a g e | 37

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 2023	Total Funds 2022	Notes
Overseas: Total Home: Total Accrued amount(2021 Reversal)	£ 2,306 3,003 -		£ 234 - -		£ - - -	£ 2,540 3,003 -	£ 4,119 1,813 (700)
	5,309		234		-	5,543	5,231

5 Staff costs

5 Staff costs
	Unrestricted Fund	Restricted Fund/s		Endowed Fund/s		Total Funds 2023	Total Funds 2022	Notes
Remuneration Wages and salaries	£ 17,108		£ -		£ -	£ 17,108	£ 16,961
	17,108		-		-	17,108	16,961

6 Payments to P.C.C. members

Trustee payments and expenses

The P.C.C. support the clergy by paying Council Tax of £4,024, water and environmental charges amounting to £919 for the Rectory, plus other costs towards travel, hospitality, telephone, internet and postage totalling £2,473 in 2023.

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 was an ex-officio member of the Board of Governors for part of 2023.

P a g e | 38

Notes to the Financial Report

9 Governance

9 Governance
	Unrestricted Funds		Restricted Fund/s		Endowed Fund/s		Total Funds 2023	Total Funds 2022	Notes
Accounts production		£ -		£ -		£ -	£ -	£ -
		-		-		-	-	-

10 Transfers between funds

10 Transfers between funds
	Unrestricted Funds		Restricted Fund/s		Endowed Fund/s		Total Funds 2023	Total Funds 2022	Notes
		£ -		£ -		£ -	£ -	£ -
		-		-		-	-	-

11 Fixed assets

a Investments

a Investments
	Unrestricted Fund	Restricted Fund/s		Endowed Fund/s		Total Funds 2023	Notes
Market value 1 January 2023 Disposals at carrying value Purchases at cost Net gains and revaluation	£ - - - -		£ - - - -		£ - - - -	£ - - - -
Market value 31 December 2023	-		-		-	-

P a g e | 39

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 2023 Additions Disposals Revaluation	£ 1,370,000 - - -			£ - - - -	£ - - - -	£ 1,370,000 - - -
At 31 December 2023	1,370,000			-	-	1,370,000
Charge for impairment At 1 January 2023	-			-	-	-
At 31 December 2023	-			-	-	-
Net book amounts At 31 December 2023	1,370,000			-	-	1,370,000
At 31 December 2023	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 2023.

13 Net assets by fund

13 Net assets by fund
	Unrestricted Funds	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s		Total Funds 2023	Total Funds 2022	Notes
Fixed assets for church use Current assets (except cash) Cash at bank and on deposit Current liabilities Long term liabilities	£ 1,370,000 3,850 60,606 (6,579) -	£ - - 206,005 - -		£ - - - - -	£ 1,370,000 3,850 266,611 (6,579) -	£ 1,370,00 5,062 274,163 (4,953) -
	£1,427,877	£206,005		£-	£1,633,882	£1,644,272

P a g e | 40

Notes to the Financial Report

14 Debtors

Income tax recoverable Prepayments and accrued income Other debtors	Unrestricted Funds	Unrestricted Funds	Restricted Fund/s	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Total Funds 2023	Total Funds 2022	Notes
		£ 2,518 1,332 -		£ - - -		£ - - -	£ 2,518 1,332 -	£ 2,576 2,486 -
	£3,850			-		-	£3,850	£5,062

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 2023	Total Funds 2022	Notes
Deferred income Accruals for utilities and other costs Other creditors		£ - 5,899 680		£ - - -		£ - - -	£ - 5,899 680	£ - 4,703 250
	£6,579			-		-	£6,579	£4,953

16 Creditors: amounts falling due after one year

	Unrestricted Funds	Unrestricted Funds	Restricted Fund/s	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Total Funds 2023	Total Funds 2022	Notes
Deferred income Accruals for utilities and other costs Other creditors		£ - - -		£ - - -		£ - - -	£ - - -	£ - - -
		-		-		-	-	-

P a g e | 41

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 has been reintroduced during 2023.

• 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.

• Children’s 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 2023	Income	Expenditure	Transfers, other gains and losses	Balances c/fwd 31 Dec 2023
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	£ 4,447 1,352 4,350 342 10 - 1,513 3,039 183,490 576 14 4,008	£ 785 777 - - - 234 5 2,626 - 1,426 - -	£ - - 2,040 - - 234 - 1,764 - 1,304 - -	£ 56 20 38 4 1 - 18 40 2,123 7 - 46	£ 5,288 2,149 2,348 346 11 - 1,536 3,941 185,613 705 14 4,054
Total of all restricted funds	203,141	5,853	(5,342)	2,353	206,005
Revaluation of fixed assets General fund	- 1,441,130	- 139,861	- (153,114)	- -	- 1,427,877
Total of all unrestricted funds	1,441,130	139,861	(153,114)	-	1,427,877
Total funds	£1,644,271	£145,714	(£158,456)	£2,353	£1,633,882

P a g e | 42

Independent Examinerfs Report to the P.C.C. of The Church of the Holy Cross, Uckfield for the Year Ended 3151 December, 2023 This is my report to the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish IP.C.C.l of the Church of the Holv Cross, Uckfleld, on ihe annual report for the year ended 31S1 December 2023 set out within thi5 doctjment. Respectlve responslbllitle5 of trustees and examlner 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 Charitie5 Act 2011 I'the Charities Act") and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to.. examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act, to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission lunder section 14515llbl of the Charities Act, and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basls of independent examinees statement My eyamination was carried out in accordance with 8eneral Direttior)s 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 record5. It also intludes consideration of any unusual items or disclosure5 in the account5 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 account5 present a 'true and fair, view nd the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent examiner's 5tsternent In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention (other than that disclosed below in Section B ') which Bives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements= to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act,. and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met; or 2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the (brockets) if they do not opply Examinerfs signature Examlnerfs name CAPITALS Date Relevant professional qualificatlon{51 or body if ony Examlnerfs address BRIAN DAVIDJACOBS Z3Lr ZUL Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales 12 Silverdale Keymer Hassocks, BN6 8RO Page 143

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

P a g e | 44