2020-12-31-accounts

St Mary’s Charlton Kings Parochial Church Council Annual Report 2020 Registered Charity No. 1138069

ST MARY’S CHARLTON KINGS PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORT 2020

VICAR’s Report

Report to PCC for the year 2020

St. Mary’s Charlton Kings

It seems prosaic to say that the community of St Mary’s Church Charlton Kings has just lived through (although not yet quite concluded) a most difficult and challenging year/period. It must also be remembered that whilst this is true, many communities in this country and across the world have suffered terribly due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic. Charlton Kings has, in comparison to many places, survived in remarkable fashion. This is not to take away any of the pain and tragedy that will be felt by many who have suffered long periods of isolation and the reality of the death of a loved one.

As I write this report (11[th] March 2021) it is recorded that, directly attributable to the covid-19 pandemic, in the United Kingdom 125k people have died. Everywhere, every community has been affected by the pandemic. It had been a long road, it has been tiring, and has been emotionally draining for everyone.

Yet, through this gloomy prism the light has shone. On-line services have flourished and the generosity of the St Mary’s community has upheld and maintained and even exceeded what could reasonably be asked of them. Perhaps one of the most obvious immediate concerns, physically when closing a church, has to be a worry associated with keeping the financial position on an even keel. The generosity of St Mary’s has proved this concern unwarranted. But also, the joy and commitment shown by everyone in terms of generosity of time, understanding, patience and love has proved remarkable. As a community St Mary’s Charlton Kings has proven itself extraordinary and robust.

In January 2020 reports had started to emerge of a new virus called Covid-19 which led on the 23[rd] of January to the British FCO advising against all travel to the city of Wuhan in China. By January 31[st] the first two cases of Covid were reported in the UK. Life in the UK broadly, however, carried on as usual. Ministry was not particularly affected. Occasional services and Sunday service continued along the set pattern.

On 23[rd] of March 2020 the government announced the first lockdown, which resulted in the legal requirement for all places of worship to close to congregational worship. This was followed swiftly by the Archbishop of Canterbury extending this instruction to include the prohibition of clergy attending church buildings to pray or the using of the building for the recording of online services. This position was challenged loudly from many quarters, with ++Justin later denying this was an instruction at all, and that rather clergy had misunderstood. The instruction was in fact merely guidance. This change of heart was precipitated by a number of parishes across England making known their intention to challenge the issue in court. It was, and remains, an illegal instruction which Canterbury denies issuing in the first place. To me this poses the question of moral courage, in which ++Justin, when needed, failed. We needed an example to follow. Instead ++Justin retreated to his kitchen. And what in my opinion is worse, he made us do so along with him. During the subsequent lockdowns 2&3 we have been permitted with reduced capacity to use the church building.

St Mary’s Charlton Kings Parochial Church Council Annual Report 2020 Registered Charity No. 1138069

Technology

The closing of church buildings forced St Mary’s to record Sunday services digitally. I have the recollection on the evening of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement of the lock down, Mr Colin Revell, our church warden driving to the Vicarage from his home to hand me a video camera, uttering the words ‘here you’re going to need this!’.

The initial recording of services was a ‘one take from start to finish’ affair - which for me was extremely stressful and painstaking to execute. Over time editorial skills developed and the burden of recording the services was greatly reduced. This reduction was due to the fact that we were able to share the recorded segments of services between the ministry team. I am hugely grateful to everyone who helped in this area. Everyone who read a lesson, formulated and gave prayers, offered a song, led services – thank you.

In particular, and I make no bones that I was completely unprepared for the demands of making these recordings, I am hugely grateful to Mr. Colin Revell who spent many hours stitching together disparate contributions from the worship team. This editing ability allowed St Mary’s to reach out to the congregation for Sunday worship whilst being prohibited from entering our building.

Technically, at St Mary’s, we are and have been extremely fortunate. We have been able to respond to the needs of the moment. Regulations shifted and changed but we, as we returned to our building, were able to adapt and produce a weekly offering of Sunday services online for all to access from the parish website. We too have been able to facilitate online attendance at funerals (numbers are currently restricted to 30 attending in church, and many people from abroad have not been able to attend the funeral due to travel bans) which have taken place in St Mary’s over the last year. The online offering has proved popular and appreciated by many people – something moving forward we should seek to retain. I am hugely grateful to Mr. Peter Ryan, Mr. Peter Aylott and Mr. Martin Grinter who have worked many a late night into the small hours to modify, improve and rectify camera and sound system equipment ready for the technological demands placed upon them during these strange and demanding times.

Being able to offer these enhanced technologic abilities is most definitely a positive, and I place on record my thanks to all those that operate, install and maintain the equipment.

Funeral, Baptisms & Weddings

Once the lockdown took hold, as described above, all occasional service were suspended - only funerals continued. Funerals themselves, although permitted, were allowed to proceed under strict Covid regulations. The taking of funerals at Cheltenham crematorium was permitted to be no longer than 15 minutes in length – they had to be conducted outside and with only six mourners in attendance. Although the rules associated with the taking of funerals eased to permit 30 mourners, the rules around weddings and Baptisms have remained stringent. These restrictions have resulted in most people being put off and delaying their ceremony until late 2021 or into 2022. The taking of funerals, in particular, for all involved has been extremely psychologically and emotionally demanding. To the end of December 2020 we at St Mary’s have conducted 46 funerals, 5 weddings and 6 Baptisms .

Pastoral Team

During this time of pandemic, I am hugely grateful to and for the assistance and dedication of the Parish Pastoral Team (Mrs. Alison Talbot, Dr. Lynne Glover, Ms. Heather Anderson-Pain & Mrs. Jenny Downes). Their help has been amazing. As soon as the lockdown was announced, in discussion with Mrs. Alison Talbot the team leader, it was proposed that the parish electoral roll would be divided between the four members of the team. Each member would make contact with as many church members of the church congregation as possible during this time of emergency. It cannot be stated enough how grateful I am to this team for all their dedication and hard work. The pastoral team also supported the clergy team when organising funerals and making contact with

St Mary’s Charlton Kings Parochial Church Council Annual Report 2020 Registered Charity No. 1138069

bereaved families. This support they continue to do, and it is valuable and appreciated – it is in my opinion a fantastic example of selfless Christian care and service.

Music

Initially no congregational singing in any form was permitted in church. Over time this has been mildly relaxed to permit one or two people to sing during a service. To this end I am hugely thankful to Mrs. Erika Fletcher who has organised singers, songs and music for us in church, on what can only be described as an ad hoc, sporadic and sometime last minute basis. This has been no mean feat, and Erika has organised and given us beautiful hymns that augment the worship. I thank her and everyone who has stepped up and kept the musical tradition of St Mary’s going.

Someone else who I must mention is Mr. David Brawn, whom I would like to sincerely thank for all his hard work and dedication. David, rather nervously at the beginning of 2020, said he would fill in our music contribution after Mr. Neil Fortin left St Mary’s service. David has been absolutely amazing. I hope he does not mind me saying but his playing on the church organ has been invaluable and it has been brilliant to see his confidence and his ability grow during this period. Well done David and thank you. We appointed Mr. August Guan in December 2020 to be our new Choir Master. He has not been able to yet take up his post due to the restrictions, as no choirs are still, at this point, permitted to meet for practice or worship.

Finance

Due to the prudent and admirable stewardship of finances over the period of 2020 St Mary’s contributed a further £6416 (total contribution £ 76,416 ) to diocesan parish share. Although this does represent a deficit on the diocesan demand. It never-the-less is testament to the generosity of the St Mary’s congregation after such a significant reduction in income following the cessation of physical church attendance.

Bell Ringers & Welcomers

The Bell ringers & Welcomers have done everything possible to maintain a presence whilst complying with the myriad of complicated restrictions required to carry on ringing or to greeting people into church. It has been a difficult year for this committed cohort, but I thank them for their continued dedication and interest in ringing St Mary’s bells – and for making people welcome when we have been permitted to gather in church for worship.

Finally I place on record too my thanks to Revd. Adrian Beere, my colleague, who is having the most extraordinary curacy. I draw your attention to the separate report submitted by him about the ‘Long Table Initiative’.

I cannot finish my report without mentioning Derrick & Margaret Walker . Derrick in particular, as our verger, has turned out in all weathers to dig graves in the churchyard, empty the bins and generally keep a close eye on St Mary’s. Margaret too has stepped up when needed and I thank them both for all their assistance.

I cannot end this report until I acknowledge the immense help and assistance Mrs. Jean Huckett has afforded me over the last year. We have not always agreed on everything, and she is very good at letting me know when she thinks I have gone too far. But her dedication and service to St Mary’s is remarkable, and I thank her for everything she has and continues to do – thank you. This warm thanks is also extended to Mr. Colin Revell (church warden), for everything he has done – despite the pressures of being a NHS Nurse and therefore working in, and on the Covid wards during the pandemic as well as his role as teaching advisor at the University of Gloucester training nurses. He has offered sage advice and counsel and assisted on many topics helping me to formulate and evaluate situations as they have occurred.

Finally, finally but by no means least, I wish to genuinely thank all of the members of the Parish Church Council for their dedication and hard work, support and prayers. This period of pandemic, let us pray, will never be seen again. But during this time I am humbled by the PCC’s fortitude, resilience

St Mary’s Charlton Kings Parochial Church Council Annual Report 2020 Registered Charity No. 1138069

and dedication to St Mary’s mission – their generosity of giving time and resources and the devotion to Christian principles of service, kindness and humility has been truly awe inspiring.

‘The Light Shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.’ 1 John 5.

Blessings and Peace be with you all.

Graham

Revd. Graham P. Bowkett MA Vicar St Mary’s Charlton Kings. 11/3/2021

Comfort and Joy Program

As a missional outreach activity, the diocese of Gloucester worked with The Long Table, a local charity, to offer frozen nutritious festive themed meals over the Christmas holiday period.

The program was titled Comfort and Joy, to fit in with the theme of Christmas goodwill. This happened to fit well with a national program of the same name launched by Lambeth Palace at the same time.

The intention was that the free meals would be for the following groups of people. Those families or individuals who cannot afford a Christmas meal and are in food poverty.

1. Those who are isolated and have no one to share Christmas with due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

2. Those who would like to purchase meals to support the project.

The project encouraged the following outreach and engagement opportunities within the congregation.

1. It encourages engagement with the local community, congregation members will need to reach out into the community and provide the names of those isolated or in need.

2. They have the opportunity of financially supporting the program. It was suggested the meals may be funded by congregation members buying a meal for £10, with one meal delivered to themselves and one delivered free to a person in need.

3. They have the opportunity to volunteer their time to make deliveries. 4. We will provided a ‘goody bag’ of seasonal treats with each meal. These needed compiling, and were also a chance for people to donate items to be included.

4. Donating to help fund the project. 6. Organising and administrating the whole project.

The project was initiated following a conversation between Anne Grinter and myself, where we identified the Long Table initiative as a good fit with our parish needs. Anne Grinter and Erika Fletcher then took the lead on setting up the administration of the program through several secure online spreadsheets.

As a church community, more than 40 congregation members got involved, seeking out people who may need cheering up over Christmas, having conversations, packing goodie bags, donating money, and delivering meals.

The generosity of our church community was astonishing, we hoped to raise £250 to fund the program, we received over £700. Following the conclusion of the program a donation was made to The Long Table so they could provide more free meals to the most vulnerable in society across the whole diocese. This program therefore didn’t just bring joy to people here in Charlton Kings, which in

St Mary’s Charlton Kings Parochial Church Council Annual Report 2020 Registered Charity No. 1138069

itself is amazing, but it has provided a legacy for the next lockdown with more meals and more love displayed by The Church to people who need loving or blessing.

In total 48 meals were delivered, each accompanied by a goody bag of seasonal treats, a Comfort and Joy booklet, and a table place mat describing the initiative. We also delivered an additional 12 goody bags without a meal included.

I have received many encouraging and moving messages of thanks from people who received one of the 60 packages we distributed, as a church community we should be humbled and proud. This initiative also led to many people asking ‘what’s next?’, in response we have developed and launched a follow up initiative for lent titled 40 Acts of Kindness.

It is my pleasure to commend that the PCC recognise the 40+ members of the congregation who contributed with time, money and energy during the delivery of this program, and I would especially like to thank Anne and Erika for their invaluable input.

Rev. Adrian Beere Curate

CHURCHWARDEN’S REPORT

2020 has been a year like no other for Churchwardens of St Mary’s! Not even during the two world wars was the church closed to worshippers but, on the orders of the Archbishops and Bishops, that is what happened at the start of the first Covid lockdown in March. Theoretically, not even Vicars and Churchwardens were supposed to enter church buildings but that, of course, meant that we were being prevented from carrying out our statutory duty of caring for the fabric of the church and its contents as well as that of ‘representing the laity to the clergy and the clergy to the laity’. In point of fact the historic, statutory, responsibilities outweighed the Archbishops’ ban and a weekly inspection of the church was undertaken during lockdown.

It was a strange experience walking round St Mary’s during that first lockdown. No prayers had been said or worship offered in the building and one felt the absence of both – it was almost as though the building had lost its soul and very much underlines the frequently made assertion that the Church is the people while the building is where they come together as a community to worship, to pray and to receive spiritual nourishment before going out to live as members of the body of Christ in the world . That sense of loss, of emptiness was not repeated during the second lockdown because prayer and worship were still offered in church by a small number comprising the ministry team and our technical folk who enabled services to be live-streamed to those members of the congregation and wider community who had access to the internet.

We all owe a debt of thanks to those who made the continuation of worship possible during those periods when congregations were unable to come together in church – Martin Grinter, Peter Ryan and Peter Aylott. They have done, and continue to do, superb work on the technical front which means that, even when Covid and lockdowns are sufficiently past, we will be able to continue live-streaming the main service from St Mary’s for those unable to attend in person.

When congregations were allowed back into church, things were still far from normal. Face coverings and social distancing were in place and pews had to be sanitised after each service. Many people felt unsure about returning to the building and continued to participate in the service online which meant that the number of volunteer Welcomers/Sidemen was much reduced and so, here, we wish to thank the small group of volunteers who did come, week by week, to take on the role of welcoming the congregation, marshalling at the administration of communion and sanitising the pews after the service. We trust that they know how greatly the Churchwardens appreciated their support during those times.

The Churchwardens also wish to acknowledge the debt the parish owes to our Vicar, Graham. We have seen, perhaps more than anyone, the pressures under which he has had to lead St Mary’s during this year and which may well have been invisible to the wider congregation. Many of the ‘green shoots’ which had been evident at the start of 2020, not least in the growth of the All Age Service and plans for other initiatives, have been summarily halted so that when we are at last able to resume those activities it will, in all probability, being like starting all over again. The Churchwardens

St Mary’s Charlton Kings Parochial Church Council Annual Report 2020 Registered Charity No. 1138069

are committed to giving Graham all the support in our power and, we hope and pray, that everyone else who cares about our faith, our mission and our church, will join with us to rebuild and restore St Mary’s as a beacon of welcome and outreach to the whole community of Charlton Kings.

Jean Huckett and Colin Revell

Church Wardens

PASTORAL TEAM REPORT

2020 was a game of two halves, for the Pastoral Team as much as any of us. For the first three months of the year we continued to serve St Mary’s congregation and the wider community, supporting the clergy with baptisms, weddings and funerals, visiting people in hospital, in care homes and their own homes, taking Holy Communion to them, praying with them, or just chatting. We formed closer relationships within the congregation, helped with services for younger people and made it clear that if anyone needed help at any time, one of us would be available and would do what we could.

During March it became clear that the Covid virus was a serious threat. Visiting faltered and activities paused. During the week before lockdown on 24[th] March the Vicar asked the Pastoral Team to stay in touch with the members of St Mary’s by telephone or email, and starting with the Electoral Roll, this is what we did.

Before lockdown, we depended on meeting people at church in order to get to know them. We would say hello as they came in, perhaps chat over coffee afterwards. Now, almost everything was over the phone. Everyone was at home, almost without exception, everyone was glad we called. No-one knew what was in store, but whatever the conversation, our message was that although the church building was shut, we, the people of St Mary’s, were the church, and we would support each other. God is faithful.

As lockdown eased and the weather warmed, we began to find that we met people face to face, in their garden, passing in the street, through the window or across the doorstep. People who had been names on a list, or faces across the church, became known to us. We delivered copies of the pew-sheet to those without computers, (we weren’t the only people to do this either) and the AV team made DVDs of the services for those who had a suitable player, including some of our care homes. We delivered greeting cards to those who found the telephone difficult, or who had a special occasion to celebrate, but weren’t able to have the celebration they had hoped for.

Many people in the congregation were looking out for each other as well, being pro-active in staying in touch with friends and neighbours, printing pew-sheets, and passing messages to the Team if there were any concerns. We value this co-operation very highly and whilst maintaining confidentiality, are grateful for all the news we hear.

Before lockdown, the team between them made a total of 144 engagements. Between 24[th] March and 31[st] December, we made a further 3,814. If this seems an astonishing figure, perhaps I can illustrate it by explaining that in the early weeks of lockdown, I was speaking to six or seven people every day.

Over the year we supported our clergy at 11 funerals before lockdown, and a further 24 during the rest of the year.

With time, we began to find that some people were happy with an occasional call or message, and others valued more frequent contact. We found that some were longing to come back to church, others, while looking forward to a return to “normal”, found the on-line facility a great help. Through the enforced pressure of Covid, we have met many more fellow-worshippers and been able to explain what support we can offer, practical and spiritual. We hope to build on this foundation as we move through 2021.

Alison Talbot Pastoral Team Lead

St Mary’s Charlton Kings Parochial Church Council Annual Report 2020

Registered Charity No. 1138069

ESTATES COMMITTEE – Report 2020 – 2021

Responsible for the management of our properties. Matters relating to the fabric of the church, the hall and their grounds; also, the use of the hall.

As with all areas of church life, the work of the Estates Committee has been severely curtailed over the past 12 months, but certainly not stopped. As mentioned in the Churchwardens’ report we have continued to regularly inspect the buildings and have taken the opportunity to undertake a range of the less major repairs and improvements at times when the church has been unusually quiet due to lockdowns and restrictions.

The new heating system, whilst not used as much as we had expected when it was installed due to the reduction in church activity has nevertheless been superb and we have found that, even with only a very small number of people in the building during services, the fans in the trench heaters do not make a noise significant enough to impact on the services.

Last year I spoke of several projects that were planned for progression during 20/21 including the following:

• Church Toilet Provision – postponed for review in 21/22

• New Church Kitchen – Postponed for review 21/22

• West Door Lobby Glass Doors – Work expected to start in the 21/22 year

• Security – Worked planned for 21-22 year

• External Church Repairs – In addition to repairs noted in the Quinquennial report, we have sustained some winter damage. This will all be reviewed in the coming year with a view to undertaking work as finances allow.

• Internal repairs – Thanks mostly to the sterling work that Pete Aylott has undertaken over the year, we have made some good inroads into internal repairs. These works include: Fixing cables on the tower roof, repair to the deadening chamber bench, replacement of first aid kits, installation of COSHH warnings and security, tidying of heavy items at height in the parish centre, a range of emergency lighting repairs and replacements and lighting repairs. In addition, now that the church yard is under the care of the local council regular tasks including grounds work and topple testing the standing stones is being undertaken by the local council.

• Parish Centre Heating – Internal works to replace radiators has now been completed.

We are very much looking forward to being able to resume normal activities including our regular church yard clear up and to progressing some of the works that have had to be postponed. We are however very acutely aware that the pandemic has had a significant impact not only on local church finances but on those of the wider church community and future investment will need to be of demonstrable and tangible benefit to the worship and outreach of St. Mary’s to be justifiable in the current climate.

Colin Revell Chairman & Church Warden

LITURGY AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Responsible for advising members of the ministry team, as requested, on any aspects of worship and services. Plans courses.

The Liturgy Committee has been unable to meet during the last year. Covid regulations have been adhered to and collective worship has been suspended, permitted and suspended. The Clergy and Churchwardens have worked to the relevant regulations and decided when and how our worshipping community have been served. The expertise of out IT team has been used to excellent effect and we are extremely grateful for their faithful commitment.

It was hoped that we could provide a community- based event around the Experience Christmas bringing the real meaning of Christmas to our local residents. Unfortunately, social distancing requirements would have been very difficult to fulfil and it was decided that the matter should be shelved until a more suitable time.

St Mary’s Charlton Kings Parochial Church Council Annual Report 2020 Registered Charity No. 1138069

The Little Fishes community met uninterrupted throughout the Pandemic until v recently. Its a tribute to the many dedicated volunteers including mums who led the worship. Many older siblings learned how to write prayers and the rainbow prayer became a powerful aid to worship over many weeks. It was the only way grandparents, parents and children could worship together for many weeks. We had live music every week thanks to David, Fiona and Robert. A weekly craft activity for the older children was contributed by Alison Hartley.

We have a community that is mutually supportive and keeps in regular contact with each other via WhatsApp. I know this is valued by the group.

This community will rarely participate in formal services, but certainly regard themselves as part of our worshiping community.

As soon as face to face discussions are permitted, we will be meeting in 2021.

D M Jones Chairman Liturgy Committee

OUTREACH AND PARISH LIFE COMMITTEE

Responsible for fostering our relations with the world beyond the church family. To include areas of major interest including Outward Giving, links with Karnataka Central (South India) and Vasteras (Sweden), notice boards, advertising, press releases, web site, representation from the Church Neighbours and the Ecumenical Working Group, the social and spiritual life of the church family, courses, pilgrimages, outings, parties......

Parish social activities were suspended from the March lockdown. The St Marys and wider Charlton Kings communities were engaged by immediately expanding our social media presence to complement the website and newsletter. The Facebook page has really come into its own in the last 12 months. The team has been posting Church of England material and various other resources to reach out on a daily basis to both Church and non-Church members of our community.

The aim was to provide content to support people in prayer, to offer encouragement in challenging times and to spread awareness of what was happening at Church and in the wider community. Some individual posts during the Christmas period reached nearly 2000 people! 30-40 people now regularly view the daily prayer. Little Fishes brought together in worship and happiness children, parents and grandparents and this provided plenty of visual material to spark comments from those reading our postings. We shall continue to provide daily content whilst restrictions persist and will review this approach when we have a better feel for what the community wants as the ‘new’ normal develops.

Comfort and Joy was a diocesan inspired initiative launched at the start of the second national lockdown working alongside The Long Table, a Stroud based charity that supplied meals to thousands of people during the first lockdown. Led by Adrian the St Mary’s idea was simple; to offer a blessing and bring a moment of joy into people’s lives at a difficult time. A seasonal frozen meal and goody bag would be delivered to those isolated or unexpectedly on their own. About 40 members of the congregation enthusiastically joined in by making donations, nominating friends and neighbours, or helping with deliveries. Feedback from recipients was overwhelmingly positive and St Mary’s was recently mentioned in despatches by + Rachael.

With its focus on ‘40 acts of Kindness’ the Lent/Easter follow-on, also under “comfort and joy”, will involve Easter meals, flowers and Easter eggs for children as the Church-led initiatives. The congregation’s enthusiasm for this form of work within the community is once again plainly evident. Given its growing recognition “comfort and joy” is becoming the de facto banner of our outreach efforts in the community.

Anne Grinter Chairman

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St Mary’s Charlton Kings Parochial Church Council Annual Report 2020
Registered Charity No. 1138069
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Birds’-eye: Stewart Watt
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Christmas 2020:
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Little Fishes:
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St Mary’s Charlton Kings Parochial Church Council Annual Report 2020 Registered Charity No. 1138069

THE FRIENDS OF ST MARY’S

Sadly, no social events have been possible this year. However, in an attempt to keep in touch with members Annual Reports and Financial Statements were emailed or posted to members. At Christmas we were able to keep in touch by making Christmas cards to order with a delivery service and this was so successful that we raised £100. We then decided to provide the same service for Easter Cards because many of our members were still isolating.

The committee decided to research the possibility of providing a Credence table to accompany the Nave Altar for the church in the near future as the Altar has taken centre stage during the last twelve months.

As soon as we have permission, we will be holding a social event to bring our members together.

Dilys Jones Chairman

TRUSTEES REPORT

Administrative Information

Name Parochial Church Council of Charlton Kings, St Mary Location St Mary’s is located in the centre of the village, the churchyard being bounded by Church Street, New Street and Horsefair Street.

Correspondence Address St Mary’s Parish Office, New Street, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, Glos. GL53 8JJ

Status The PCC is a registered charity, number 1138069.

Members

Members
Name	Role	Elected /ex-officio
Revd Graham Bowkett	Chairman	FromJuly
Mrs JL Huckett	Church Warden & Diocesan and Deanery SynodRepresentative	Elected
MrCRevell	Churchwarden	Elected
Mr D Walker	Assistant Churchwarden	Elected
Dr M RGrinter	Treasurer,PCCLayMember	Elected
Mrs ABD Haseler	Secretary, Diocesan and Deanery SynodRepresentative	Elected / Ex officio
Dr CA Grinter	Diocesan and Deanery Synod Representative	Elected
Ms H Anderson-Paine	PCC Lay Member	Elected
Mr P Aylott	PCC Lay Member	Elected
Mrs JDownes	PCCLaymember	Co-opted
MrsE Fletcher	PCCLayMember	Elected
Mr T Freeman	PCCLayMember	Elected
Dr LGlover	PCCLayMember	Elected
MrsDJones	PCCLaymember	Elected
MrsR Revell	PCCLaymember	Elected
Mr P Ryan	PCC Lay Member	Elected
MrsA Talbot	LayPastor	Ex-officio

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

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. The PCC normally meets between four times each year. Other committees, as detailed below, have responsibility for overseeing and advising on particular areas of Church Life.

St Mary’s Charlton Kings Parochial Church Council Annual Report 2020 Registered Charity No. 1138069

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

St Mary's PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent and the Church Wardens in promoting in the Parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It also has maintenance responsibilities for St Mary's Church and churchyard, and the Parish Centre. In the past year we have maintained our pattern of worship on Sundays and weekdays and have sought to ensure that our Church remains an accessible place of welcome, prayer and fellowship for the whole community.

ELECTORAL ROLL

We now have 148 on the Roll. This is down by 8, that is 5% on last year.

Preface to Financial Review

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How have we done?
St Mary's Finances at a glance
2020 2019
Outward giving to other charities
£856 £2 173
,
Our contribution to the diocesan parish share
£76 416 £72 000
, ,
All Income
£137 547 £133 413
, ,
All Expenditure (excludes heating project)
£134 567 £125 001
, ,
Income to run St Mary's
£108 913 £127 401
, ,
Net Income after "Running St Mary's"
£5 614 £9 221
( , ) ,
Heating Project
£7 041 £135 670
, ,
All Reserves including value of Parish Centre & Heating System
£497 400 £491 838
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1

Registered Charity No. 1138069

Financial Review 2020

The PCC uses the financial resources of St Mary’s to enable worship, witness and service throughout the year. We support other charities through Outward Giving and we maintain and improve the fabric of the church building so that it remains a visible sign of God’s presence and blessing in Charlton Kings. This review provides a snapshot of our financial position at the end of December 2020.

The PCC started the year in the knowledge that the financial decline of previous years was likely to continue with donations available to run the church[1] likely to continue their downward trend. Despite this, in 2019 a combination of a lower than sought Parish Share contribution and reduced salary costs meant that income exceeded expenditure resulting in a residual ‘cushion’ of £9,000 to start 2020.

At the start of 2020 the financial ‘worth’ of St Mary’s as measured by the value of our assets namely the Parish Centre and the new heating system plus cash, shares, our liabilities and money owed to us was £492,000. By the end of the year the figure had increased to £497,000 despite the lockdowns, shielding and church closures. This positive out-turn, which is considerably better than first feared, is due in large part to the high proportion of regular donations being made through the banking system by direct debit through the Parish Giving Scheme and standing orders. These donations were by and large immune to the vagaries of church closures and absences from those services that did take place due to shielding.

This year the cost of running St Mary’s amounted to approximately £108,000 and the income available to the PCC to pay these bills was £109,000. Bearing in mind the cushion of £9,000 from 2019 and the financial hardship imposed on other parishes by of the pandemic the PCC decided to increase its Parish Share contribution by £6,000 resulting in expenditure exceeding income by some £5,000.

In cash terms we ended the year with £78,000 in the bank and shares worth £28,000. The money we owe and money owed to us in 2021 essentially cancel each other.

During the year our architect signed off on the heating system and having paid the final invoice the direct and indirect project costs came to £154,500. Once the very generous donations and government grant to offset the vat are taken into account the net withdrawal from reserves was £83,000.

We are indebted to the staff at our independent examiner, Harper Sheldon, for their behind the scenes guidance in charity financial accounting practices, in drawing up and in examining these accounts.

1 Paying wages, the Parish Share and the bills for insurance, heating, lighting, general maintenance and administration.

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Charlton Kings, St Mary's Statement of Financial Activities

for year ended 31 December 2020

Incoming resources Voluntary income: 1 Planned giving Collections, donations & 'vat' grant Income tax recovered Legacies Activities for generating funds 2 Bookstall sales/Parish Centre Lettings Income from Church Lettings Fundraising (choir) Investment income: Interest 3 Income from charitable activities: Parochial fees 4 Other incoming resources: Insurance claims 5 Gain on disposal of fixed assets Other (utility refunds, furlough grant) Notes	General fund £	Restricted fund £	2020 £	2019
				£
	48,269	70	48,339	52,775
	29,366	28,334	57,700	36,729
	15,329	131	15,460	17,718
	-	-	-	-
	2,910	-	2,910	8,995
	-	-	-	525
	16	-	16	3,195
	116	99	215	1,215
	7,097	-	7,097	10,648
	1,948	-	1,948	250
	-	-	-	-
	3,862	-	3,862	1,363
Total incoming resources	108,913 28,634 137,547 133,413
Resources expended Charitable (Church) activities: 6 Donations/Grants to charities Mission and Outreach Parish Share Clergy expenses Church running expenses (inc repairs) 7 Churchyard maintenance Parish Centre & fundraising expenses 8 Fees for visiting ministers during vacancy Administration costs (inc. staff costs) 9 Sundry expenses (including insurance) Governance costs Major expenditure Repairs / Extensions to church buildings 10 Repairs to Parish Centre
	(119)	(737)	(856)	(2,173)
	-	-	-	(255)
	(76,416)	-	(76,416)	(72,000)
	(1,363)	-	(1,363)	(1,441)
	(9,388)	(769)	(10,157)	(12,574)
	(395)	-	(395)	(3,432)
	(8,707)	(172)	(8,879)	(9,922)
	-	-	-	-
	(9,313)	-	(9,313)	(13,804)
	(4,676)	-	(4,676)	(5,649)
	(300)	-	(300)	(960)
	(3,850)	(18,362)	(22,212)	(2,791)
	-	-	-	-
Total resources expended	(114,527) (20,040) (134,567)			(125,001)
Net (outgoing)/ incoming resources	(5,614) 8,594 2,980			8,412
Transfers between funds 11	-	-	-	-
Net incoming/(outgoing) resources before gains Gains on investment assets	(5,614)	8,594	2,980	8,412
	-	2,582	2,582	4,634
Net movement in funds Funds brought forward at 1 Jan 2020	(5,614)	11,176	5,562	13,046
	328,951	162,887	491,838	478,792
Funds carriedforward at 31 Dec 2020	323,337	174,063	497,400	491,838

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Balance Sheet for Charlton Kings, St Mary

as at the 31 December 2020

as at the 31 December 2020
	Notes	2020 £	2019 £
Tangible assets	12	390,477	385,670
Investments		27,888	25,307
Fixed Assets		418,365	410,977
Debtors:amounts fallingdue after oneyear		-	-
Debtors:amounts fallingdue within oneyear	13	2,504	3,059
Cash at bank and in hand		78,632	136,573
Current Assets		81,136	139,632
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year	14	(2,101)	(58,771)
Net Current Assets(Current assets less creditors <1year)		79,035	80,861
Total Assets less current liabilities (Fixed Assetsplus NCA)		497,400	491,838
Creditors: amounts fallingdue after oneyear		-
Net Assets		497,400	491,838
Restricted funds		174,063	162,887
Designated funds(unrestricted)		-	-
General fund(unrestricted)		323,337	328,951
Reserves		497,400	491,838

Approved by the PCC on 15th March 2021 and signed on its behalf by

Revd Graham Bowkett

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Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ending 31 December 2020

Accounting policies (the inevitable legal "small print")

Basis of financial statements

These financial statements have been prepared under the Charities Act 2011 and in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 and the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice [SORP] (FRS 102). FRS102 is the Accounting Standard applicable in the UK with the underlying principle of presenting a “true and fair” financial view of St Mary’s. The historical cost convention is used, that is, there is no allowance of inflation.

Basis of accounting

The accounts have been drawn up on the “accruals" basis where income and expenditure are matched to the period to which they relate. For example, a Gift Aid recovery of £2,700 in January 2020 was credited to the 2019 accounts and does not appear as income in the 2020 accounts.

Please use the notes that follow to amplify the basic information set out in the key financial statements: our consolidated Statement of Financial Activities and the Balance Sheet. Figures in parenthesis indicate a negative sum.

Low value assets acquired in year are normally "written off" in the same year. The heating system was completed at the beginning of 2020 and as a fixed asset it is being depreciated over 20 years at the rate of £7,000/yr.

Following advice from the Diocesan experts, money handled on behalf of others is not included in these accounts as it is not considered to be PCC income. This money was previously described in annual reports as “pass through”. To enable comparisons with previous years a note reflects the money that has been excluded.

Fund accounting

St Mary's financial resources are classified according to restrictions imposed on their use by donors or by legislation. Monies donated for specific purposes are classified as restricted and are accounted for in the heading "restricted" funds. Monies that are available for use at the discretion of the PCC are termed "general or unrestricted”. The money is held in a number of bank and savings accounts and in shares. Local bank accounts hold a mix of restricted and unrestricted funds. The Church of England Central Board of Finance manages for us one unrestricted savings account (Development Fund), one restricted account (Fabric Fund) and restricted investment shares.

Income

Donations, fees, interest and legacies are included in financial statements when received. Recovered Gift Aid is included when there is reasonable certainty as to payment by HMRC. Funds raised by events are accounted for gross.

Fund raising

St Mary’s does not contract with commercial participators or professional fundraisers. Where appropriate we draw on the advice, guidance and publicity materials supplied by the charities we support. Fund raising events are advertised in the pew sheet, on the website and included in other material sent out by email only to recipients who have signed up to receive this information. The use of the data collections held by St Mary’s is subject to review to ensure

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compliance with General Data Protection Legislation (GDPR).

Parochial fees

The PCC receives parochial fees for weddings and funerals conducted in the church. Part of the money received is made up of statutory fees due to the PCC and to the Gloucester Diocese, as set out by the Archbishops’ Council under the Ecclesiastical Fees Measure. The balance relates to charges as fixed by the PCC, for extras such as bells, flowers and heating, or paid to visiting ministers, Readers or Non-Stipendiary Ministers. Our Financial Statements show only the fees due to the PCC (statutory & non-statutory) as legally the amount due to the Diocese and other ministers is not to be treated as PCC income.

Reserves Policy

Following the completion of the heating project the PCC has reviewed its reserves policy. St Mary’s Church will retain unrestricted reserves of £20,000 for administrative purposes such as the payment of essential salaries and bills. The remaining £45,000 is to be used for development purposes and for improvements to the church and Parish Centre. Restricted funds, currently £30,000, will be set aside primarily for the maintenance work identified in the 2019 Quinquennial Review and other essential remedial work on the church as it arises. This policy will be revisited as necessary.

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Incoming Resources

Note 1	General funds £	Restricted funds £	Total 2020 £	Total 2019 £
Income from donations and legacies	92,964	28,535	121,499	107,222
Plannedgiving	48,269	70	48,339	52,775
Collections, donations & 'vat'grant	29,366	28,334	57,700	36,729
Income tax recovered	15,329	131	15,460	17,718
Legacies	-	-	-	-

Overall unrestricted income, that is the money that the PCC is able to use to run St Mary’s on a day-to-day basis, fell by approximately 9% (£9,400) – a figure that is smaller than anticipated . Income from our planned giving schemes, namely the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS) , Standing Order arrangements and the Envelope scheme declined by just over £4,000 with the PGS and Standing Orders showing little change from 2019. Some users of weekly envelopes were able to make good the reductions arising from their restricted opportunity to put their envelope ‘in the plate’. The PGS is our recommended means for those considering ways to financially support St Mary’s. Information about the PGS is available at the back of the church. Donations and ‘other giving’ declined, again a consequence of limited opportunities to attend services in the church. Prior to the start of the pandemic over £500 was donated to St Mary’s at collections at funeral services held in the church.

The restricted income figure above is inflated above normal by a £25,000 grant from the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme designed to offset vat paid on the new heating system.

Whilst in recent years legacies have been few in number, they remain one of the most valuable and lasting ways you can continue to support St Mary's mission and ministry within Charlton Kings. If you would like to know more please speak to the churchwardens or treasurer.

The use of the card reader continues to grow and £660 was donated by this method. There is now the ability to make donations to St Mary’s using the website. Gift Aid can also be recovered through this giving.

Previous financial reports have charted to the decline in numbers of communicants at services and a possible link to declining income. The disruption of this year renders such a comparison irrelevant.

Recovered gift aid remains a vital part of our finances. The PCC encourages every donor, if a taxpayer, to Gift Aid his or her donation within the limits set by HM Revenue. Despite reduced income St Mary’s received over £15,400 without any financial impact on the donors.

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Note 2

Activities for generating Funds: £2,887 (2019: £12,715 )

With the closure of the Parish Centre, letting collapsed by two thirds plus a small amount of from sales of the church guide.

Note 3

Investment Income: £215 (2019: £1,215)

Bank and savings interest of £215 reflected the low rates of interest. The Restricted shares were valued at £27,888 on 31 December 2020, an increase of £2,582 over the year.

Note 4

Income from Church Activities (Parochial fees): £7,097 (2019: £10,648)

The restrictions on congregation sizes meant that some weddings were postponed or cancelled and there were fewer funeral services held in church. The church continues to benefit from some lay fees being donated.

Note 5

Income from other sources: £5,810 (£2019: £1,613)

The category ‘gathers up’ all the other income received during the year and there is little to be drawn by comparing year-to-year variations. The church received a refund of £1,000 from the gas supplier for excess payments (the contract has fixed monthly payments which are periodically reviewed). Our two employees were furloughed for a number of months and during this time were paid their full salaries. We received £2,687 from the Government’s Corona Virus Job Retention Scheme.

£1,948 was received from our insurers as payment for the stonework repairs to the churchyard wall damaged some two year ago. The ironwork remains to be completed and the insurers are currently accepting that delays are acceptable in the current crisis.

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Resources Expended

Note 6 Expenditure on Church Activities	General funds £	Restricted funds £	Total 2020 £	Total 2019 £
Church Activities	(110,677)	(1,678)	(112,355)	(122,210)
Donations/Grants to charities	(119)	(737)	(856)	(2,173)
Outreach and Children	-	-	-	(255)
Parish Share	(76,416)	-	(76,416)	(72,000)
Clergyexpenses	(1,363)	-	(1,363)	(1,441)
Church runningexpenses	(9,388)	(769)	(10,157)	(12,574)
Churchyard maintenance	(395)	-	(395)	(3,432)
Parish Centre expenses(inc salarycost)	(8,707)	(172)	(8,879)	(9,922)
Administration costs(inc. organist and secretarycosts)	(9,313)	-	(9,313)	(13,804)
Other(inc. insurance)	(4,676)	-	(4,676)	(5,649)
Governance	(300)	-	(300)	(960)

Parish Share £76,416 (2019: £72,000)

At the beginning of the year the PCC agreed to fund a Parish Share contribution of £70,000 against the Diocesan request of £88,742 and committed to review the total once the financial outturn was understood in December. Recognising the financial difficulties of other parishes in the Diocese the PCC increased the parish share contribution by an additional month’s payment of £6,416.

During the year the Parish Council took responsibility for the routine churchyard maintenance, primarily grasscutting), resulting in a saving of £3,000 for the church

Donations to Charities £906 (2019: £2,173)

Donations to Charities £906(2019: £2,173)
Donations to charities	£
The LongTable	531
Cheltenham Foodbanks	191
Royal British Legion(collection at service)	99
Childrens' Society (Christingle)	25
CA donation	20
Friends of Gloucester Cathedral	20
G&B Association of Bell Ringers	20
total	906

note : SOFA includes £50 write off from 2019 donation to charity approved by PCC 15/3/21

This list does not include collections at funerals held in the church for the charity nominated by the family. This money was usually passed, by cheque, to the funeral directors for onward transmission to the charities concerned. This enables the funeral directors to advise each family on the amount collected for their chosen charity.

Outreach and Children £0 (2019: £255)

This expenditure has previously supported the children in our congregations; Little Fishes and the “All Age” services. There was no significant expenditure this year.

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Clergy Expenses

Clergy expenses of £1,363 reflect travel, telephone and IT expenses and the direct purchases made by Graham and Adrian acting on behalf of the PCC.

Note 7

Church Services and Maintenance

Note 7	General funds £	Restricted funds £	Total 2020 £	Total 2019 £
Services and Maintenance	(9,388)	(769)	(10,157)	(12,574)
Provision of services	(1,241)	-	(1,241)	(1,523)
Music(incgrant)	(808)	-	(808)	(1,157)
General Maintenance	(993)	(769)	(1,763)	(3,830)
Heating,Lighting& Water	(6,315)	-	(6,315)	(5,604)
Flowers	(30)	(0)	(30)	(385)
Cleaning	-		-	(75)

Repairs to the church, primarily the roof, were funded from the restricted fabric funds whereas maintenance (e.g. changing light bulbs for their LED equivalent) was paid for from the general fund.

£600 of music expenditure was to ensure that all appropriate licences for the use, copying and internet streaming of the music were uptodate.

Note 8

Costs of running the Parish Centre and of fundraising: £8,879 (2019: £9,922)

These are the costs of running the Parish Centre and raising funds for the church. The blue Giving envelopes cost £60 and £54 was spent on fundraising through the ‘Justgiving’ website used initially to raise funds for the heating project. These monthly charges have been removed and replaced with a % handling charge on all donations.

Parish Centre running costs i.e; power, light, insurance, consumables, maintenance and the salary of our cleaner, amounted to £8,761. The latter’s cost was reduced by the ‘Furlough Grant’.

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Note 9 Administration

	General funds £	Restricted funds £	Total 2020 £	Total 2019 £
Administration	(9,343)	-	(9,343)	(13,804)
Laysalaries includingNIC	(4,765)	-	(4,765)	(7,242)
Laysalaries(parochial fees)	(1,525)	-	(1,525)	(3,330)
Administration costs	(3,053)		(3,053)	(3,232)
note: Excludes salaryof Parish Centre cleaner

In support of the clergy, St Mary’s relies extensively on the skills, knowledge and expertise of unpaid volunteers. In addition, we have three part-time lay employees; Neil, the Director of music, Tracy our Parish Secretary and Tracey our Parish Centre cleaner. During the year Neil resigned. Tracey’s salary is in included in the Parish Centre running costs. As noted earlier the reduction in lay salaries played a major contribution to the overall out-turn for this year. Lay members acting as verger have generously donated their parochial fees to the church.

Administration £3,053 (2019: £3,232)

These costs include phone, internet, IT and bank charges. This year £1,200 was spent advertising for a Music Director.

Governance £300

This covers the costs of examining our accounts and providing vital guidance on the detail of the legal requirements for charity accounting and reporting.

Other General Expenditure £4,676 (2019: £5,649)

Church insurance of £4,300 dominates this expenditure category with the remainder including an Ordination gift for Adrian and Comfort & Joy project expenses.

Note 10

Expenditure on the Lobby, the Church and Churchyard wall £22,212 (2019: £3,650)

£2,415 was spent on creating a less expensive design for the lobby and issuing invitations to tender. All expenditure on the Lobby is funded from donations. £3,850 was paid for the repairs to the churchyard wall. During the installation of the heating system it became apparent that remedial structural work on the underground boiler house was necessary to avoid any risk to the integrity of North Transept external wall and window at a cost of £8,812. This work was necessary, irrespective of the new heating system and is therefore not included in its overall cost. The Lobby donor is contributing to this work. The heating system is being depreciated over a period 20 years at a rate of £7,135 a year.

Parish Centre Heating £4,902

The PCC replaced the aging, inefficient and potentially hazardous radiators in the parish hall with modern, low surface temperature radiators at a cost of just under £5,000. These radiators are recorded as a new fixed asset.

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Payments of expenses to PCC Members, lay staff and other parishioners

Over the year a total of £2,069 (2019: £4,369) was paid, on receipt of invoices, to 5 members of the PCC, and 1 member of staff for authorised “out of pocket” expenses incurred at the request of the PCC. The expenses covered donations to charities through their websites rather than sending cheques, consumables for church services and the Parish Centre, flowers and maintenance. These payments are assigned to the accounting lines appropriate for the expense.

The Balance Sheet

Note 12

Tangible Fixed Assets £390,477

Three assets are recorded here; the Parish Centre valued at £250,000, the completed heating system at £135,575 and the new heating radiators installed in the parish all at £4,902. The heating systems will be depreciated over 20 years.

Note 13

Debtors £2,504

This is money owed to us and expected to be received during 2021 from HRMC for tax recovery on gift aid donations.

Note 14

Creditors & Liabilities £2,231

This is money we are due to pay others in 2021 for donations and services received in 2020. This includes outstanding transfers to charities, parochial fees to the Diocese and return of £5 key deposits from long term hirers of the Parish Centre.

The Church Heating Project

The new church heating project started in 2014 with the modest payment of £199.50 for professional advice. With the final payment being made in December 2020 the project, has been completed. The costs were;

Heating project Costs
Professional fees	£200
Technical Design	£6,000
Architect/Project Management Fees	£7,200
Asbestos Survey	£700
Equipment,Installation and Testing	£132,600
less Donations	(£47,200)
less VAT RecoveryGrant	(£24,300)
Associated BuidingWorks	£7,800
Reserves expended to install system	£83,000

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Funds

Encompassed within these accounts are various sums of money that are retained for specific activities/projects. The funds are:

Specific funds	General funds £	Restricted funds £
Parish Centre Keyholders	£85
Childrens' Corner	£20
Little Fishes	£72
Ouseley (music)		£13
Flowers		£0
West End LobbyProject		£4,555

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ST MARY'S CHARLTON KINGS PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE PCC OF ST MARY'S CHARLTON KINGS PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL This report on the financial slalements of the PCC for the year ended 31 De￿mber 2020, which are sel out on pages 1 10 16, is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 20061.lhe Regulations°} and section 144121 of the Charities Act 2011 1.the 2011 Act"). Respective responslbllltlès of the PCC and the examiner As members of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's Iruslees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144121 of the Charities Act 2011 Ilhe 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility lo.. examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act., to follow the procedures laid down in the geneml Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515llbl of the 2011 Act., and to stste whether particular mallers have come to my attention. Basis of th18 report My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 4317llbl of the Act and lo be found in the Church Guidance, 2006 edition, issued by the Finance Division of the Archbishops. Council. That examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the PCC and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. 11 also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations from you as Iruslees 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 lo whether the accounts present a °true and fair view and the reporl is limited to those mallers sel out in the statement below. Independ&nt &xamlner's statement In connection with my examination, no maller has come lo my allenlion.. which gives me reasonable cause lo believe that in any material respect the requirements lo keep accounting records in aC￿rdan￿ with section 130 of the 2011 Act. and lo prepare financial stalemenls, which accord with the accounting records and comply with the requirements of the 2011 Act and the Regulations have not beon mel., or lo which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order lo enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Harper Sheldon Limited Chartered Accounlanls Midway House Slaverton Technology Park Herrick Way, Slaverton Chellenham GL516TQ Dale.. Il Iiiii loli