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← The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of St. Giles' Cripplegate, With St. Bartholomew, Moor Lane, And St. Alphage, London Wall And

2024-12-31-accounts

Annual Report 2024 st giles'cRIPPLEGATE

St. Giles’ Cripplegate Parochial Church Council Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2024

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St. Giles’ Cripplegate, with St. Bartholomew, Moor Lane, and St. Alphage, London Wall and St. Luke, Old Street with St. Mary, Charterhouse and St. Paul, Clerkenwell [the PCC] present their annual report and the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024.

Contents

  1. Aims and purposes

  2. Objectives and activities

  3. Achievements and performance

  4. Fabric, goods and ornament

  5. Protecting our people

  6. Structure, governance and management

  7. Financial statements

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1. AIM AND PURPOSES

St Giles’ Cripplegate PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the Rector to promote in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelical, social and ecumenical. It also has maintenance responsibility for the parish church, for the Roscoe Street Hall and for St Giles’ Columbarium. In addition, it acts as Managing Trustee of the Cripplegate Church Sworder Foundation, a charity established by a Charity Commission Scheme for the maintenance of the fabric of the parish church.

2. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The PCC provides public benefit by:

To facilitate this work, it is essential to maintain the fabric of the church of St. Giles’ Cripplegate.

The trustees have complied with the duty imposed by section 17(5) of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to guidance (PB3 Public benefit: reporting) published by the Charity Commission in respect of public benefit.

Church and charity law require the PCC as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting period, and the PCC is also responsible for keeping proper books of account with respect to its affairs.

Mission

We are here to love God and make Christ known in word and deed. We are an inclusive church and welcome all comers.

Mission Action Plan 2023/24:

In a process of discernment, the PCC has identified two areas of special focus for 2023/24:

  1. Welcome - especially on a Sunday morning at the 10am Parish Eucharist. To enrich and enliven our welcome to all who come to the Parish Eucharist, which is the heart of the Church and our life together.

  2. To properly engage with serving the whole geographic Parish, by drawing people into the life of The Church - the greatest gift we have to give and the core of our calling as Christians: the worship of Almighty God.

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3. ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

The PCC Highlights and the Church’s Mission

The following achievements for 2024 which contributed to fulfilling our objectives (in no particular order):

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Charitable Giving

Charitable giving was reviewed with a congregational consultation. The PCC tithed our events income and supported; a poor parish in the northeast of England to be able to heat their church over the winter; the diocese of Kagera, in the Anglican Church of Tanzania; and Groundswell, a London homeless charity. This was financial giving, facilities and other partnerships.

4. FABRIC, GOODS AND ORNAMENTS (No Archdeacon’s Visitation this year)

St Giles’ Cripplegate – The Parish Church

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events for the organs included a concert of my organ students in March, the St Giles choir concert in July, the annual sale of used organ music in August and the continuing income from users of our practice organ in the church office. The practice organ was more popular than ever, used from very early morning until late evening with around twenty sessions each week. Our ever-efficient organist Elizabeth Day manages the booking system and all communications with the practisers. The Steinway B piano was frequently tuned in 2024, always at the cost of hirers.

Churchyard, St Giles’ Church Hall and Columbarium

We continue to engage with the Corporation of London on restoration of the brick paving and underlying membrane, which is part of an estate-wide plan of improvements. No further progress has been made during this year.

The Hall income and its occupancy by the nursery continues and is under review.

St. Alphage Garden

The parish of St. Alphage held a 1,000-year lease, from 1587, on its burial ground which is now maintained by the Corporation of London as a public park. St. Alphage was united with St. Giles’ in the post-WW2 rationalization of City parishes, and we inherited the lease.

Roscoe Street Hall (was St. Luke’s Church Centre)

The hall was leased to Kunstraum, a not-for-profit art gallery for five years in 2016. By 2021, Covid had curtailed their activities and they had restructured as Studio Roscoe CIC, a Community Interest Company supporting artists with origins in the African & Caribbean Diasporas and People of Colour of the world. The contract has been updated to reflect their new identity and rent. This year the rent was increased to £2335 per month in line with the agreed plan set out in 2023. The rights over the adjoining flat are disputed with the Diocese. The LDF presumes complete ownership, this is clearly not the case given the parish’s part in the cost of enlarging the flat, maintenance, and use over the years, as well as its designated function for the life and ministry of the parish. Discussions continue.

Net Zero Ambition

Buildings Supervisor Jake Kirner has made various attempts to reduce our carbon footprint relative to our activities. In recent years the number of services and events in church requiring heating has increased by around 50% but in 2023 our gas consumption fell to less than half of that of 2018.

Taking these questions and practicalities into account, St Giles' is exploring potentially carbon neutral options to succeed its gas boilers and replace or complement its central heating system.

5. PROTECTING OUR PEOPLE

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Safeguarding

Security, Health & Safety and Risk Assessment

There was one accident during the year. The PCC’s Health & Safety Officer fell from a step ladder whilst lighting some candles. The only significant injury sustained was to his pride. The PCC subsequently replaced the step ladder, but not the Health & Safety Officer.

6. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

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

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. At St. Giles' Cripplegate the membership of the PCC consists of the Rector, the Assistant Priest, up to four churchwardens, twelve elected lay members, representatives of the Cripplegate Ward, Deanery Synod representatives and co-opted members. All those who attend our services are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC.

The Churchwardens Measure 2001 provides for annual election of churchwardens.

The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish including deciding on how the funds of the PCC are to be raised and spent. All are deemed to be “Fit and Proper Persons” under the terms of the Finance Act 2010 and are not disqualified from being a charity trustee under the terms of the Charities Act 2011.

The PCC has complied with its duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, in relation to having due regard to House of Bishops’ Safeguarding Policy and Practice Guidance. Online Safeguarding training is offered to all PCC members.

PCC members are encouraged to attend Diocesan Training Events and to access documentation on the Parish Resources website (www.parishresources.org.uk) including “Trusteeship – An Introduction for PCC Members” and PCC Governance. Electronic copies of PCC minutes and reports, dating back to 2007, are accessible by all PCC members.

The PCC has met on five occasions during 2024 including the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in April. Meetings in person had an average attendance of 72%. Given its wide responsibilities the PCC has several committees each dealing with a particular aspect of parish life.

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These committees are all responsible to the PCC and report back to it regularly, minutes of their decisions being received by the full PCC and discussed as necessary.

Volunteers play an important part in the day-to-day life of the church supporting our mission and living out our faith. St Giles is lucky enough to have many volunteers from both the congregation and the local community. We would like to thank all the volunteers who give so generously of their time and skill.

Administrative information

St. Giles’ is the Ward Church of Cripplegate Ward. The PCC is also known as St. Giles’ Cripplegate PCC, or the PCC of St. Giles’ Cripplegate with St. Luke Old St.

Diocese: London Archdeaconry: Archdeaconry of London Deanery: The City Location: St Giles Cripplegate Church, Fore Street, Barbican, London EC2Y 8DA Postal Address: St Giles' Rectory, 4 The Postern, London EC2Y 8BJ Church/Parish Office Telephone: 07535442955 Email: tola@stgileschurch.com Bank: CAF Bank Bank Account Name: St Giles Cripplegate PCC Account Number: 00034121 Sort Code: 40-52-40

An account is also held with NatWest (St Giles’ Cripplegate Church, 56-00-23, 46985867).

Events and Buildings manager Jake Kirner Administrator and Book Keeper ‘Tola Adegboye

Director of Music Anne Marsden Thomas music@stgileschurch.com
Children’s Champion Rachel Free childrens_champion@stgileschurch.com
Church Safeguarding Officer Mark Hunter safeguarding@stgileschurch.com
Lead Recruiter Judy Guy Briscoe dbs@stgileschurch.com
Champion for Vulnerable Diana Morgan Gray vulnerable_champion@stgileschurch.com
People
Safety Officer Tim Middleton safety@stgileschurch.com
Data Protection Lorraine Mullins data_protection@stgileschurch.com
Compliance Officer
Electoral Roll Officer Penelope Sharpe electoral_roll@stgileschurch.com
Stewardship Recorder Malcolm Waters stewardship@stgileschurch.com
PCC Secretary Anthony Murphy secretary@stgileschurch.com
PCC Assistant Secretary Anne Marsden Thomas MBE
PCC Treasurer Ed Barnard treasurer@stgileschurch.com

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PCC Assistant Treasurers David Archer and Louise Hunter assistant_treasurer@stgileschurch.com Independent Examiner: The Revd Alan Clements Quinquennial Inspector/ Kelley Christ (A&RME architects) Church Architect Legal Advice Travers Smith LLP. The PCC are grateful for the advice and assistance received from Travers Smith on a fee-free basis as part of their charitable pro-bono commitment.

In accordance with the Charities Act 2006, the PCC was notified by the Charity Commission on 16th September 2010 that it had been registered as charity number 1138077.

Churchwardens

The role of a churchwarden is described on the London Diocesan website at http:// www.london.anglican.org/kb/churchwardens/. The website description finishes with “Churchwardens are not expected to do everything themselves, but to make sure that there are other people available to carry out the various tasks.” At St. Giles’ the “other people” include the PCC and its committees, task & finish groups, church officers, the parish administrator, the concert assistants, professional advisors and the many volunteers. The churchwardens can be contacted by email churchwardens@stgileschurch.com.

PCC Members

During 2024 the following have served as members of the PCC; they are either ex officio under the Governing Documents, or elected by the APCM, or co-opted, in accordance with the Church Representation Rules: -

Ex officio

Rector The Reverend Canon Jack Noble Ex officio Chair Assistant Curate The Reverend Lucy Newman Cleeve from July 2024 The Reverend Edwin Wilton-Morgan Churchwarden Lorraine Mullins* Elected April 2015 and re-elected annually. (off from 2024 – 2026) Returns in 2026 until 2032

Elected Members

Until APCM 2025

Mark Hunter Dawn Runnicles Lorraine Mullins (Lay Chair) Until APCM 2026 David Archer Kathryn Elsby

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Anne Marsden Thomas MBE * Catherine Urquhart

Until APCM 2027 David Price Penelope Sharpe Louise Hunter Ed Barnard * Until APCM 2028 Beverly Levy Toby Orford Mark Hunter Dawn Runnicles Lorraine Mullins (Lay Chair)

Ex officio as Deanery Synod Representatives until 30-June-2026

Gail Beer Daniel Gerring

Ex officio as representatives of Cripplegate Ward Alderwoman Elizabeth King Two vacancies

Secretary

Tony Murphy 2023 - 2025 Peter Lewin 2025 onwards

PCC Committees

The committee met three times in 2024, in January, April and September.

Throughout the year the committee focused on prayer. Diana ran a prayer survey which led to the introduction in late October of optional supported prayer in the Lady chapel during Sunday communion and invitations to join the Lectio Divina. There was renewed attention to the prayer board, whose entries were included in the weekday intercessions and a rolling programme was established to remove old prayers. Diana and Lucy addressed the reprinting of the prayer cards.

The committee celebrated the growing congregation and the increasing number of GSMD students attending on Sunday but expressed concern about the mysterious dearth of children (since turned around). There was again a record attendance at the Parish Carol Service. Sadly ‘Little St Luke’s’ services struggled to attract a committed congregation, and the

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services were temporarily moth-balled, but they will be revived in a new format after Fr Jack’s sabbatical, with support from a local charity.

The committee discussed Sunday services and the special services of the church year, especially those in Holy Week. Fr Jack designed and oversaw the printing of new orders of service for each season and for several annual services such as the Easter Vigil and Christingle. Lent ecumenical discussions were particularly successful, including a trip to Norwich. Advent sessions were called ‘Seeing with Faith’ and Dn Lucy planned the starting activity. ‘God at Work’ sermons by members of the congregation were particularly inspiring. The congregation chose the hymns for Sundays in August, as usual. St Giles Day fell on a Sunday and celebrations included Evensong, a lecture and a party. The Gardeners Company attended Harvest Festival in October. Dn Lucy led a ‘Baby Loss’ service in October with full choir. Local schools joined in Beating the Bounds on 15th October, finishing with tea and buns in church. Autumn services – All Saints, All Souls, Baby Loss, Remembrance, Armistice Day, and Sunday services in November – focused on death and dying well.

Although social events are beyond its remit, the committee recorded its thanks to volunteers who organised various successful gatherings, including the February progressive lunch, run by our professional soprano Penelope Sharpe.

The Worship and Liturgy committee aims to represent the views of the whole congregation, so it greatly welcomes suggestions and opinions, and any offers to join the committee.

In 2024, Malcolm Waters resigned from the committee after many years of service as a member and as chair. We are very grateful to Malcolm for all his work and encouragement as the current committee of Amanda Dean and Romha Berhane continue.

Despite a slight drop since 2023, we are glad to report that total giving was again well above pre-Covid levels. It is very pleasing that the vast majority of donations are made via Gift Aid, a higher proportion than in recent years. More detail is given in the table below.

The card reader remains a convenient way for visitors to donate to St Giles’. However, regular donations by standing order continue to be the main source of donations to the church. In 2024, the number of standing order donors decreased, bringing the total to 44. We continue to encourage standing orders because the predictability is so helpful for financial planning, but it may be a sign of the times that although St Giles’ benefits from generous giving, the regularity of a standing order is difficult for many to commit to.

Dona%ons
(other than for furniture)		 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Dona%ons supported by gi2 aid
declara%on		 61,500 56,000 65,366 63,887 66,501 71,761
Stewardship and via card reader
(with gi2 aid where applicable)		 - 300 1,660 650 9,460 7,443
Open plate dona%ons without a gi2
aid declara%on*		 8,700 1,400 1,118 3,342 6,522 3,497
Other dona%ons made without a
gi2 aid declara%on*		 5,600 4,800 3,448 5,046 3,504 1,540
Total 75,800 62,500 71,592 72,925 85,987 84,241

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We are still working on a new Legacy Leaflet for 2025, to encourage people to include St Giles’ in their will.

We look forward to being in touch later this year with the Harvest appeal message.

Music report

The superb team of four singers, an organist and an organ scholar remained consistent during 2024, and I suspect that we are unique in having a professional team so committed to the whole life of the church. Penelope Sharpe (soprano) is the PCC’s Electoral Roll Officer, leader of the clothes stalls at the Advent Fair and organiser of the annual Progressive Lunch. Amanda Dean (alto) is now House Composer, and she sits on the PCC Stewardship Committee. Robin Whitehouse (tenor) plays the trumpet for the Remembrance services. Louis Hurst preached a ‘God at Work’ sermon in Lent, organised the choir concert in July and regularly leads the prayers in Sunday services, devising musical responses for the congregation in conjunction with Amanda’s compositions. We all depend on Elizabeth Day (organist), not just for her beautifully crafted accompanying and her voluntaries, but also for her astonishing attention to detail; she also contributes to the Organ Restoration committee.

Our organ scholar Inga de Vegvar completed two and a half happy years with us as organ scholar at the end of 2024 and we wished her well as she enters the final stage of preparation for her ‘A’ levels

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and the next stage of her training as a musician.

Sunday services include more music than in previous years and we very much welcome Fr Jack’s inclusion of printed music in his new orders of service. The choir included Gospel Acclamations throughout the year and the BCP services in Lent contain much for us to do.

Thanks to the increased attendance at St Giles, we were all pleased to be involved in more special services in 2024, too, with full choir at Easter Vigil, the Baby Loss service, Midnight Mass and Christmas morning.

After years of good intentions, and with many thanks to Daniel Gerring and Louise Hunter, contracts for all of us were eventually agreed and signed in June. We were grateful, too, to Amanda Dean, whose financial and business experience was invaluable.

We were delighted to have such strong congregational support for our choir concert in July, in aid of the Organ Restoration Fund. The concert was called ‘Lost Chords’ and included an entertaining new piece by Amanda Dean.

The monthly Choral Evensong by the Solis Choir continues to draw a good and appreciative congregation.

The church continues to be rich with musical rehearsals, concerts and recordings throughout the year, thanks to Jake Kirner’s brilliance in attracting bookings. The organs are usually heard between the bookings and the services, with the regular organists preparing for service, students taking lessons in church and practising in the office. The Royal College of Organists (RCO) holds regular classes at St Giles, and the RCO Summer Course (established 1997) continues to regard St Giles as its headquarters, gathering a large attendance. Having abandoned daily services on the 2023, the course reinstated them in 2024, and the final choral Eucharist was, as always, a moving occasion.

We all feel proud and grateful to be part of a church that sings, including three priests with beautiful voices, and we love the regular feedback from everyone after the services. Keep it coming!

Deanery Synod

Deanery Synod Deaneries are small geographical divisions of the Diocese, within which parishes are grouped under the care of an Area Dean.

Each deanery is governed by a deanery synod. We at St Giles are part of the City of London Deanery, in the Two Cities area of the Diocese of London.

Each deanery synod is made up of clergy and lay members drawn from each of the parishes which they cover.

The deanery synod, in addition to the above synodical functions, also serves as an electoral college to various bodies, including the General Synod, Diocesan Synod and Area Councils.

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In attending the City of London Deanery Synod as a representative of St Giles, my thinking often comes back to Matthew, chapter 5 , which calls us all to reflect on Jesus Christ coming to earth to include the excluded and preach the good news for all.

The highlights of synod for me centre on our discussions around collaboratively spreading the Good News.

My hope for our synod is that we find more in common between its members as, too often, time is spent on matters which divide us. This was, sadly, underlined in 2023 by the creation of an alternative 'deanery chapter', by a group of City clergy in protest at the decision by the Church of England's General Synod to allow blessings for same-sex couples in churches which wished to offer them.

Please do keep all members of the City of London Deanery Synod in your prayers to support us working together, despite our differences, recognising our shared love of God and of our neighbours.

7. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Our income rose during the year to £421,450 (2023: £358,369). Notable increases in income were Roscoe Street Hall rental income (2024: £30,340; 2023: £15,800) and new rental income from the Church Hall Nursery (£22,942), commercial church lettings (2024: £63,814; 2023: £51,790), gift-aid donations (2024: £92,334; 2023: £83,238) and grants, mostly related to supporting a new curate (2024: £52,856; 2023: £47,582).

Our investment income, which includes interest on our longer-term deposit account, rose slightly this year to £43,861 (2023: £39,026) mostly driven by an increase in interest received, whilst dividend income on our investment portfolio remained stable.

Our expenditure for the year increased to £332,540 (2023: £288,649). Notable increases in expenditure resulted from a grant-supported new curate (2024: £17,041), organ maintenance driven by starting of the restoration works (2024: £34,288, 2023: £2,468), maintenance of the new Church Hall Nursery (£2,736) and increased special services and events expenditure (2024: £12,734; 2023: £3,389). There was an increase in staff costs (2024: £41,341; 2023: £39,418) whilst other church running costs broadly remained stable compared to 2023 along with a notable reduction in major repairs and restoration works (2024: £5,096; 2023: £30,379).

Our net surplus for 2024 was therefore £88,910 (2023: £69,720) before gains on investments

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Sta&im•iit ol Flnanclal Aetl¥lll•o Fov yenr enthd 31 Dècern￿r 2024 Rè8trkt•d Funds EndowmBnl Funds TOTAL FUNDS Funds 2024 2023 Incom• •nd •ndrwJm•nts Voluntary incomp AG1wrt￿S lor generdI￿g funds In￿r￿ from i￿￿$1M9n19 from ¢hur¢h •¢tW8$ 21al 21bl 21cl 2(d) 99,315 162,672 43,861 45,8OS 69.796 158.727 111.004 39.02e 49.611 162.672 43.861 45.805 Total Incr￿0 421 450 Exp•ththfrJr• ChurGh aclivlo5 Rad￿n9 fund• 291,930 23,834 15.956 1,019 307.866 24.854 282.801 25.849 Tol81 expendllu 315565 Not •urplu•lld•fi¢Jtl b•for• kn¥fy$tr(nt g•kn• 36,089 52.621 86.910 69.720 Nel unreo11sed 98knsllhsEq&)on In¥081rrArynl 7a8 18.881 30.572 108.712 InwgtrMnl dudng ￿•r 165 Nel iurpluKlld•ficll 47 119402 170 4J2 TMnif•N b•M•n fund• 13 Ng1 ￿0￿rr•nI kn fvnd 47 52 119482 432 Toi•l fund• brought lort¥•rd- d￿li0d 1.151,326 245.123 723.slo 2,119.958 1,941.525 Total fund• car￿1 fowr 1 199140 742 350 2 239 440 2 119957 Page 16

Balance sheet As at 31 December

Balance sheet
As at 31 December
Note
Fixed assets
Tangible
6
Investments
7
Endowments
8
Current assets
Debtors and prepayments
9 (a)
Cash at bank and in hand
9 (b)
Liabilities
Creditors - amounts falling due within one year
10
Net current assets
Total net assets
Parish funds
Unrestricted
11 & 12
Restricted
11 & 12
Endowment
11 & 12
Rounding diff		 Unrestricted Restricted
Endowment
Funds
Funds
Funds
TOTAL FUNDS
2024
2023
£
£
£
£
£
350,000
241,409
591,409
588,978
531,413
531,413
519,521
742,356
742,356
723,510
881,413
241,409
742,356
1,865,177
1,832,009
22,151
-
22,151
28,136
310,817
56,535
367,352
271,543
332,968
56,535
-
389,503
299,679
( 15,240 )
( 15,240 )
( 11,731 )
317,728
56,535
-
374,263
287,948
1,199,140
297,944
742,356
2,239,440
2,119,957
1,199,140
1,199,140
1,151,324
297,944
297,944
245,123
742,356
742,356
723,510
1,199,140
297,944
742,356
2,239,440
2,119,957
-
-
-
-
-

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Reserves Policy

The PCC aims to hold approximately one year’s unrestricted expenditure in reserves to enable us to

Our target for our reserves, defined as unrestricted net current assets, is £200k. Our reserves stood at £317,728 on 31 December 2024 (31 December 2023: £281,448), meeting this policy objective.

Investment Policy

It is our policy to invest the short-term investment fund balances with the CCLA Church of England Deposit Fund, and the remainder in the CCLA Church of England Investment Fund.

Approved by the PCC on 5[th] April 2025 and signed on their behalf by:

The Reverend Canon Jack Noble Rector

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