Parish Church of St Peter & St Paul Uppingham Annual Parochial Church Meeting ## Annual reports for the year ending 31st December 2020 **SS Peter & Paul** UPPINGHAM w AYSTON Serving God through love in action in Uppingham ## Parish Church of St Peter & St Paul, Uppingham, Rutland ## Annual report of the Parochial Church Council Year ended 31st December 2020 ## Administrative Information ## Introduction The reports below are submitted for approval and information at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting to be held in the Church on the evening of Wednesday 26 May 2021.∑ So that all members of our Church are able to share in our vision for the growth of the Church within the community, our Mission Action Plan (MAP) and Inventory are available from the Rector. ## Reports received The Church of St Peter & St Paul, Uppingham, is located in the Market Place LE15 9TJ. It is part of the Diocese of Peterborough within the Church of England. The correspondence address is: The Rectory, 43 Lime Tree Avenue, Uppingham LE15 9SS. The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a charity currently registered with the Charities Commission. ## Parochial Church Council Members of the PCC who served from 1st January 2017 until the date of the approval of this report are shown at Appendix 1 (page 11). - Safeguarding 3 - Stewardship & Giving schemes 3 ## Structure, governance and management - Stewardship & Giving schemes 4 - Church Hall - Children Family & Youth work - Bell Ringing - Churches Together - 4 - 4 - 4 - 5 The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. - Uppingham C of E Primary School 5 - Electoral Roll - Server’s Report - Appendix 1 - 6 - 6 - 7 ## Objectives The PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the Incumbent Revd Canon Rachel Watts in promoting the mission statement of the Church and conducting the business of the Church relating to financial affairs and the maintenance of the Church buildings and possessions. ## Vision statement Serving God through love in action in Uppingham. 2 | Annual Reports 2020 March 2020 - May 2021 From March 2020 our activities had to cease or move online, due to the pandemic. Lunch Club, Coffee after Church and Social activities all had to stop. We were so fortunate to be able to have excellent online services due to Nick’s superb talent, time and effort in making the videos. This allowed the Choir to record either at home, or when possible in the nave of the Church in order to provide music for the online services, including some splendid Evensong music. Our Mothers’ Union was also able to record some special online services. We look forward to the time when we can start meeting again with some form of normality but are thankful for all that we have been able to achieve during lockdown. ## Safeguarding As a church we are seeking to promote a safe culture with the aims of preventing abuse from occurring, protecting those at risk of being abused and responding well to those that have been abused. It is at the heart of Christian faith and everyone’s responsibility. In this last year, the Church of England’s past failure to take child sexual abuse seriously was highlighted by the recent reports from the Independent Enquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. The church of England has taken on board the recommendations from this enquiry and made significant changes to it practices. For further information, I would strongly recommend you read the report for yourself which can be found via the following link: https://www.iicsa.org.uk/news/inquirys-anglicanchurch-investigation-leads-church-reformand-new-law It is for this reason that training and DBS checks have become necessary for those in positions of authority or working with children and/or vulnerable adults. Over the last year the training has had to be online but I am pleased to report that most people have now completed the basic awareness course. There have been no recorded safeguarding incidents over the last year. Please stay vigilant and remember if you do need to report a safeguarding concern, there is clear guidance on how to do this at the back of church. You can also contact me on the following email address: saunderssue13@gmail.com **Sue Saunders** Benefice Safeguarding Advisor ## Stewardship & Giving schemes The various methods of parishioners and visitors giving to our church, coupled with gift-aid tax refunds resulted in around £74,415 being received in 2020, compared with £76,535 in 2019, a drop of 3%. The largest cause of the drop, not surprisingly, being the need to close the church due to the impact of coronavirus. Our parishioners gave generously through 2020 and since the end of the year there have been a number of generous one-off donations that will appear in next year’s figures. We are very grateful to everyone who gives to support their church. There are four different ways in which we can give: PETERBOROUGH SCHEME / PARISH GIVING SCHEME £43,835 in 2019 risen to £48,450 in 2020) We are nearly complete in transferring everyone from the old standing order “Peterborough Scheme” to the new Direct Debit “Parish Giving Scheme”. Only 9 donors remain on the old scheme, most of these being parishioners with whom we have lost contact. The diocese delayed closing the scheme due to coronavirus and so we have continued to receive this income this year. At the beginning of 2019 we had 58 donors and because some of these represent couples or households this related to about 70 parishioners. Now, two years later, we have 55 donors representing around 67 parishioners. This continues to be a really healthy position and donations increased by almost 12% between 2019 and 2020. Exactly half of donors on the new Parish Giving System (23 of 46) have agreed to index-linking. This helps us keep income matching the inevitable increases in costs. WHITE ENVELOPE SCHEME (£2060 in 2019 fell to just £870 in 2020) This has been declining steadily over the last few years. Almost all regular donors have moved onto the Parish Giving Scheme. Most envelopes are from occasional visitors but the dramatic fall is mainly due to closure of the church. Annual Reports 2020 | 3 LARGE AND ONE-OFF DONATIONS (£21,675 in 2019 to £21,690 in 2020) Our parishioners continue to be very generous and give occasional or sometimes annual one-off donations. There are also a good number of one-off donations received in early 2021 which are not in these figures. CASH-COLLECTIONS (£8960 in 2019, fell to £3410 in 2020) This is money received from collections in services and donations given in the boxes at the back of church. This is the largest negative impact and is directly attributable to the closure of the building. So, overall our donations have been impacted significantly by coronavirus but thanks to the generosity of our regular givers, the impact has been much less severe than would otherwise have been the case. If this level of giving is maintained it should help us restore our finances now that church is again open. We remain very dependent on the large and one-off donations and should those cease we would have a bigger problem, so we should continue to encourage regular giving and legacies in wills to help us maintain a healthy church in the longer term. **Geoff Thompson** Stewardship Secretary NOTE THAT ALL AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN ROUNDED, ARE APPROXIMATE, AND INCLUDE GIFT-AID TAX RELIEF CLAIMED FROM HMRC Most giving is for the General Fund which helps the church allocate funds to the greatest need, but some donors allocate their money to specific funds such as Fabric or Organ Fund. ## Church Hall During the first lockdown of 2020 the church hall carpet was cleaned. The curtains were cleaned and had fire proofing applied to them. Paper towel holders and paper towels have also been introduced into the cloakrooms, together with hygiene notices. An automatic hand sanitiser has been placed in the entrance hall. Thanks must go to Ian and Sue Cripps for making the ledge in the entrance hall on which to place the hand sanitiser. It is greatly appreciated. The heating system and hot water boiler have also been serviced by Robert Cliff Limited in January 2021. Hilary Dawe Church Hall Bookings ## Children, family & youth work Unfortunately, due to Covid we haven’t been able to go into schools to deliver collective worship and other support. But we have stayed in close contact with school and have been recording weekly collective worships, that have then been shown in school. It was also a great way to reach out to families in their homes, during the periods of lockdown. We are really excited to be able to go back into school in June to deliver a programme with the children. We are waiting to hear back which classes we will be working with. Rooted has continued to meet either on zoom, or in person when we have been allowed. We have been following an Alpha course together, along with other resources. We are very excited to be doing a sponsored bike ride in May to raise funds for Christian Aid and Rooted. We have also had a new young person join us this year. For some sessions we invite younger siblings to join us and are thinking about starting a group for the younger ones. I continue to go out with the Rutland Council youth workers. We are in Uppingham on a Thursday afternoon. This has been a great way for me to not only learn from the Council youth workers but to build links and also meet young people in Uppingham. I have been keeping in touch with families I had made contact before Covid, via a fortnightly newsletter. Hopefully it won’t be long now before we are able to get back into schools on a more regular basis. ## **Nat Stiles** Children & Youth worker ## Bell Ringing The year 2020 was difficult for everyone nationwide, with coronavirus pandemic regulations in place. For most of the year no ringing was possible. The restrictions were relaxed during the summer months, but bell ringing was still only permitted for Sunday services only, if ringers could maintain a 2 metre distance, plus there being adequate ventilation in the ringing room. So, the distance between the ropes was measured and we concluded that, in Uppingham, we could only ring on four alternate bells. We achieved ringing for Sunday services on just thirteen occasions. We also rang on the four alternate bells in commemoration of VJ Day on 15th August and for one wedding and one funeral in the same month. When pandemic restrictions were re-imposed the only ringing permitted was tolling on one single bell for special reasons. We did this on Remembrance Sunday in November and for one funeral in December. 4 | Annual Reports 2020 With the death of HRH Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, we tolled again. On Friday 9th April on the announcement of the event, and at midday on Saturday 10th in accordance with a period of national mourning. The tenor bell was tolled again for thirty minutes prior to funeral on April 17th. We would ask for your prayers as we ‘seek and serve’ among you. Nothing will be truly done without them in our mission to Uppingham, Belton and beyond. Prayers and blessings to you. ## **Pastor Trevor Wilson** When it is possible to return to ringing again on a more normal basis we hope to hold events to promote bell ringing and hopefully recruit. ## **Sue Webster** Tower Captain ## Churches Together We have enjoyed great fellowship and inspiring times together over the last year. The work of the CTU has proved to be significant in our community outreach programs and has gone some way in our understanding of each other’s worship experiences, and individual traditions. This can only be good for all our churches. It is our prayer and hope that we together can make a real difference in the life of Uppingham and Belton. We have shared much in the last year, from joint worship during the week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January 2019 to singing our Christmas Carols in December, Lent discussion groups, a garden party at the Vicarage, a pilgrimage to Launde Abbey, a stall at the Flower and Produce Show, a Holiday and Craft Club for youngsters and the valuable work done through Café Church – so much was accomplished during 2019 and, along with our ‘triumphs’ we also recognize we can do more for together. It would be right to express our sincere gratitude to the members of the CTU and Belton Forum. We meet regularly, every other month, to pray, discuss and plan our work in the community. We believe it to be a worthwhile effort and are privileged to serve all our churches and our communities in the best ways we can. 2020 promises to be an exciting time of new adventures in the faith. Sadly, of course, 2020 practically disappeared from our calendars. Due to the restrictions in place to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, so much of what we planned had to be cancelled. But it was encouraging to hear of online/zoom/email/Church at home worship. I know that we regularly prayed for each other,and remembered each other in Christian love and grace. 2021 holds a promise that we can worship together later in the year. Perhaps we can arrange a united service of thanksgiving. We met on the zoom platform on March 18th and plan a further meeting on May 6th also on zoom. Secretary CTU and Belton ## Uppingham CofE Primary School Two years of school life condensed into a paragraph is a challenge, particularly given the year we have had. This time last year I wrote “Our school is trying to work out how to re-open safely after a long period on lockdown. I was in school the day it closed. Everyone was anxious but the Head, Julia Exton, lead an assembly all about being FANTASTIC. Since then many teachers and assistants have been just that, in school every day working with children who cannot be kept at home, providing packed lunches for children who are at home and extra food for families who are struggling with loss of income. This is what makes me very proud of our school. It’s not just about education results but about pastoral care.” Little did we know that time and again the school had to close for the majority of children, while those of key workers stayed in small ‘bubbles’ in school. The challenge for the staff was immense, trying to teach in a very different way from that to which they were most familiar. We are part of Rutland Learning Trust, a supportive and encouraging body of schools which work together to share skills and experience, provide IT support and ensure Heads never feel isolated or alone. The Trust ensured that while schools did choose different ways to approach the Covid Year, everyone had support. We are now back in school, working with de-socialised children and a huge range of educational experience from home schooling. We have had the challenge of lower pupil numbers this year, reducing income significantly, while costs remain largely static, and we are not alone since many schools in Rutland are well under capacity. Classes had to be restructured but we can turn this into a strength and use it to develop the curriculum in different ways. This will continue into next year with a different structure. Canon Rachel, with Revd Debbie, our Curate, run collective worship regularly helped by Youth Worker Nat Stiles. **Liz Clarke** Chair of Governors Annual Reports 2020 | 5 ## Electoral Roll Currently there are 65 members. The roll changes throughout the year as new members join the congregation, residents relocate and members are no longer able to attend due to infirmity. We also lose members who have gone before us to be with our risen Lord. **Jenny Harris** Parish Administrato **r** ## Server’s Report Due to Covid we have had limited time to serve at the High Altar. I would like to thank Harry for his continuing dedication to working beside me on the Sundays we have been able to hold services in Church. I look forward to retraining the serving team once we come fully out of lockdown and can increase our team again. **Nicky Jervis** Lead Server 6 | Annual Reports 2020 ## Appendix 1 PCC Members 2019-20 |Clergy|||| |---|---|---|---| |Canon Rachel Watts|01572 829956|rectorofuppingham@gmail.com|45 Lime Tree Ave Uppingham LE15 9SS| |The Revd Debbie Smith-Wilds 01572 822906||curateofuppingham@gmail.com|18 Siskin Road, Uppingham, Rutland, LE15 9UL| |Ex Ofcio|||| |Rev Dr Roy Seden|01572 822244|rseden@gmail.com|60 Leicester Road, Uppingham, LE15 9SD| |Jill Cannings|01572 821870|jillcannings2@gmail.com|1 Ayston Road, Uppingham LE15 9RL| |Deanery Synod|||| |Shirley Harris|01572 822428|potatoes.unlimited@btinternet.com|49 Stockerston Crescent Uppingham LE15 9UA| |Margaret Jennings|01572 823509 (XD)||35 Stockerston Crescent Uppingham LE15 9UA| |Diocesan Synod|||| |Vacant|||| |Musical Director|||| |John Wardle|01572 829923|johnwardle@btinternet.com|5 Elizabeth Way Uppingham LE15 9PQ| |Churchwardens|||| |Nick Clarke|01572 829885|bevingdon@gmail.com|1H Spring Back Way, Uppingham LE15 9TT| |Deputy Churchwardens|||| |Richard Cole
Jefrey Whelband|01572 821190
07753 422816|r.cole583@btinternet.com
jefrey.whelband@gmail.com|26 Stockerston Crescent Uppingham LE15 9UB
Sutton Lodge Farm, Dingley Lane, Sutton Bassett LE16 8 HL| |Elected Lay Representatives|||| |Janet Wardle|01572 829923|janetwardle97@gmail.com|5 Elizabeth Way Uppingham LE15 9PQ| |Pat Cole|01572 821190|p.cole155@btinternet.com|26 Stockerston Crescent Uppingham LE15 9UB| |Bobby Chamberlain|01572 821885|bobbychamberlain12@gmail.com|12 The Beeches Uppingham LE15 9PG| |Ian Cripps
Geof Thompson|01572 850800
01572 821560|iandcripps@gmail.com
geof169@gmail.com|4 Elizabeth Way Uppingham LE15 9PQ
48 Leicester Road, Uppingham LE15 9SD| |Roy Farmer|01572 869573|roy.farmer@virgin.net|7 Elizabeth Way, Uppingham, LE15 9PQ| |Co-opted|||| |Russ Garley|01572 869164|russgarley@aol.com|44 Firs Ave, Uppingham LE15 9RE| |Nat Stiles|07740 486982|40 Green Lane, Ashley, Near Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 8HD|| |Secretary
Jenny Harris|01572 822223|uppinghamchurchofce@gmail.com|14 Chestnut Close Uppingham LE15 9TQ| Number of Members 19 (incl clergy), 11 elected members (incl wardens) Annual Reports 2020 | 7 St. Peter & St. Paul Uppingham The Parish of Uppingham-with-Ayston Accounts for Year End 31 December 2020 Incumbent: Reverend Canon Rachel Watts The New Rectory 45 Lime Tree Avenue Uppingham Churchwardens: Nick Clarke 1 H Springback Way Uppingham Vacant Treasurer: Mr Russ Garley 44 Firs Avenue Uppingham Bank: HSBC Oakham Independent Examiner: Chris Swom 5 Main Street Preston SL Peter & SL Paul with Ayston. Uppingham. Independent Examinerf8 Report to the PCC of SL Peter & SL Paul with Ayston, Uppingham. Independent Examlner's Report The report on the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2020 whlch are set out on pages 2 to 5. Is in respect of an examination carrled out In accordan￿ with the Church Accounting Re8ulations 2￿61'the Re8ulatlons') and section 144 of the Charlties Act 2011 (The Act'l. Respectl¥e responslbllltles of the PCC and examlner The church's trustees. the PCC. are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The PCC considers that an audit is not required and that an independent examination is needed. It Is my responsibility to: examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Art; follow the procedures laid down in the General Directlons given by the Charity Commissioners under section 14515llb) of the 2011 Act; and state whether particular matters have come to my attentr'on. Ba$ls of an Independent examlnerfs report My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Dlrectlons glven by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the church and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also Includes consideration of any unusual items or disdosures in the accounts. and seekin8 explanations from you as the church's trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provSde all the evldence that would be requlred in an audit and, consequently, I do not express an audit opinion on the view 8iven by the accounts. Independent examlner's statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: 11) whlch glves me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respett the requirements to keep accountln8 records in accordance with settion 130 of the 2011 Act to prepare accounts which accord wlth the accountin8 records and comply wlth the accountin8 requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met: or (21 to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn In order to enable a proper understandin8 of the accounts to be reached. Sign•d: -/gU Date.. FirnncI￿ Stst•m•rtsf¢Y th• ￿11*￿&d 3tst D•£*m￿r201fj ftK•tpts and P￿mÈA￿AtWrf Furth (£1 Funds (£1 Funds 1£) Ftshds10 2020 (E) 2019 IE) R•uiBts 54A74 54A74 52.844 Collections •t Sor4k•s 2m5 2,025 53 Othti Volunt•ry Incom• 1,717 236 179 2,131 4,188 14A59 14I59 14.838 73m5 236 179 73,489 77,171 IA3A IA38 8A61 113 SA63 7,522 Sf 3,757 s￿39 9A35 14.100 Tol•l R•¢•lpts 78349 IL343 222 113 9).016 107.653 P•d5h Shre ar#1 E¥yis Worth 70,177 70.177 68.959 4J74 4.374 F•lth & Outr•ich 4.194 thwth Costs & m￿￿1•￿41￿* 11336 4J17 15534 20,472 mlnlstr•tson 13591 13,671 13,134 Gowm¥nc•*nd FUndraI￿nI 20 20 186 TO￿ thm• 104,748 4A54 109J14 115185 63991 6189 119J571 182321 TraTr51•rs b•ts¥een fvr￿S 2.750 123,6491 4,139 141 113 119257) 182321 Cath *1 bthk • IstJ•rwAWY 42.757 119.9)2 26y 193588 lo1￿0 19,IfA I14.￿1 4565 26fi18 174331 193,588 Total FwthlB (Él Funds 1£) Funds l£} Funds ¢£1 20201£) 2019 IE) B•nk Currer*¢ Acu¥Jnt 9163 28245 2M2 IOIL)) 37,305 Fund 9244 95.795 IA73 26*10 133530 156.283 19,11 124.041 4￿5 26fi18 174331 193.588 fathvable 545 1520 L*nl r•Nt 270 270 170 115 1520 In¥•rtrn•rt AM•ts Wè$￿ent Fund Sh¥es* M¥ketV4¥• 123.579 123.579 115.779 nd Hddln 2CIIDXI 20¢,c•)) 327 579 327 579 319 779 Uollty Wlls 992 992 Not•s l. Th• flnarKlal st•t•m•nts of th• PCC h•v• b••n pr+￿r*d In •c¢ord4￿ wlth th• Church Accountlni R•iulatlons 20C6 Ind the Ch•rlti•s Act 2011, usiry th¢ Receipts •nd P•ym•nts b•s¢s. 2. Unrestrlcted tunds ar• Renernl funds avail•bl• ft>r 8¢nernl obl•ctlv•s of th• church IG•n•r*l Fund). De*n•ted fvnds are unr•stricted fiJnds th•t ￿¥• b••n Mt •sld• by th• PCC for p•rtlcular purpos•s (Bell Ful￿1. RostrfLted lunds can only be used lor the purposès fr*r whlth ih*y hJ¥e been fflven, wlthln th• obl•ctlv•s of th• churth. Th• cost of raisiwy and administ•rirq such fvnds •r• C￿ry•d •ialnst thoM sp•clfic lunds IF•brl4 Churth H•ll, So Thorn•< c￿rtty •nd Mlsslon I•yLV). 3. Endowm•nt funds •r• ¢1v•n to ch￿￿h with speclfic Instr￿tIOn that only th• irwm• 8aln•d from Investlrrf the mon•y c•n b• sp•nt Icllllord P4h dtrposrt •¢eourt a150 see note S•1. 4. Th• rr￿rn•nts In des11r￿ted •nd r•strlct•d frjrrtls durlry th• Y••f W•f•'. 8alan Re(eists Payments Transfer Balance Church Hall Church Fabric St Thomas Charlty Misslon & Ministry legacy 19218 34348 2,711 63,625 119302 3.039 7,090 945 269 IlJ43 2.968 1.329 158 19,289 40.110 3.498 61,144 I24￿41 12.7501 12.7501 4.454 Eell Fund 4,424 222 222 81 4,565 4.565 Furtheff analy515 ol FI￿￿1•1 Stalem Tot*1 20191É 1£> Fund5lEI FwbdslEI Fwls (£1 20201É1 Upplngham Churth Uppln#h*m Pawi5h Lands and Stock th¥ity J Pretty Charity C E Thovpe Charity Mrs M B Fowlerfor • Pollrwom iJppln8h*rn St Peter irn15t P•Jl Uppineham Chufth ￿￿ornS I5￿¢5 507 1349 18.768 1,999 44.539 43.372 123.579 13,045 $07 1349 18.768 1.999 44,539 43.372 123.579 12.260 477 L268 17.640 IA79 41.674 40.581 115.779 bl Land 16 Acres at H4llaton 15.196 L•ndfill Sile 6¢.l￿ 64.fm 64XK 60.rm 60.(￿ 60,L .COJ 80.0￿ 80,OCK> 20¢K￿ 204,C(KJ 204Xts) cl All Cth•ftyk¥1¥(￿rtW Donations Wg1151le 375 1342 236 2.321 L867 1342 1.717 236 179 2.131 4.188 dl Artl¥knforG•rnrntk¥ Churrh Fund E%v* ¢￿ertI M•8•zlne 595 595 6A31 1,039 L3XS 8.861 495 IA38 495 1,438 •1 In¥•rtThrt Inwm• Dimdendson Irwtment Ftsnds Dews*t At¢ount kntwq¥t Pentsl 3.489 604 1.570 5.663 J,397 1.141 2,983 7522 113 1.570 SJ69 113 n Iv•m avJKh Fees (I￿l￿de￿Ory1￿. (holrl Ch•wll¥ Fund PAlsln¢ E%*nts Tradlnrf Churth H•ll L•lllwi 7.397 250 B,797 1348 250 1.719 1.789 3.955 3.757 Sh39 9A35 I4,1￿• Ildren's Sotiety Poppy l <bth Lqlon St Luke's Cottesmore Mllitlry Wtr4•S irf￿ Ch•rfth6 •nd C•uM6 634 4J7 20 ISO 20 158 158 178 4.341 h) I￿￿1