**Parochial Church Council of St Mary’s Saltford** **Registered Charity No. 1138407** ## **Annual Report And Financial Statements** **For the year ended 31 December 2025** **Incumbent Revd Nigel Williams The Rectory 12 Beech Rd Saltford BS31 3BE** **Independent Examiner Mr N Laycock 7 Bishopston MONTACUTE Somerset TA15 6UU** 1 ## **Index to the Annual Report and Financial Statements** For the year ended 31 December 2025 |**Item**|**Pages**| |---|---| |Annual Report|3-6| |Independent Examiners Report|7| |Receipts and Payments accounts|8| |Statements of Assets and Liabilities|9| |Notes to the Accounts|10| ||| 2 ## **2025 Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council of St Mary’s Church, Saltford** ## **Rector’s Review 2025** ## **Aim and Purposes** In response to God’s immense love for us we seek to be a church living and telling the story of Jesus. The PCC has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of St Mary’s Church and the Church Hall, Queen’s Square, Saltford. ## **Objectives and Activities** The PCC is committed to bring the message of Jesus Christ to the community of Saltford through word and action, and to see people came to a saving faith in Him. We seek to enable people to live out their faith in practical ways which engage with the wider community. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and makes suggestions on how our services and activities can involve the many groups that live within our parish. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer, scripture, music, sacrament, encouraging discipleship, community engagement, and the provision of pastoral care. When planning our activities, we have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and the supplementary guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. ## **Review of the year** There is much to give thanks for at St Mary’s Church. For centuries, our Parish Church has been a spiritual home to generations of villagers, and our inspirational building helps to shape the character of our village. St Mary’s is very much at the heart of our community life, offering a haven of peace and reflection, support in times of joy and sorrow and a reminder of the presence of God in our daily lives. We celebrate all the different ways in which we have lived and told the story of Jesus. Throughout the last year we have journeyed with people through Weddings, Baptisms and Funerals. Shared ‘Open the Book’ Bible stories with many children, offered care to the sick, bereaved and those in pastoral need and met with many families through the St Mary’s Toddler Groups. The links with the school have continued with our Foundation Governors: Angela Troughton, Justine Buxton and Revd Nigel Williams leading collective worships and school services, with the Open the Book team regularly visiting the school. Saltford School have also attended services in Church leading up to Pentecost, including visiting the church to explore walks up to Kelston for Ascension Day. Also, a week of prayer stations were enjoyed with every member of the school community. We held a variety of service styles over the year with some highlights being over Christmas. We had a packed Carol Service and Remembrance Day service which was led in union with the Scouts and Guides. So popular was this event, we had an overflow venue set up in St Mary’s Hall, to enable a live stream of the service, so families could join in. A group has continued to meet on Tuesdays to pray for our village. We also saw regular services across the Benefice with Compline every Wednesday evening and a monthly Evensong. We started meeting twice a month to worship on Sunday afternoons with Church@4 as a way to connect with some of our families in an informal setting. Pastoral care is an important aspect of the ministry of St Mary’s. Our Lay Pastoral team is responsible for visiting people in their own homes and in hospital, checking on people we haven’t seen in church for a while, supporting families who have been bereaved or with chronic illness. The team are willing to pray 3 with people, assist at and be a supporting presence at services, such as A Time to Remember and taking Home Communion to those who are unable to attend church and prayer. Our Toddler Group restarted in January and Emily and the team that support her have flourished and have been able to share Jesus with over 50 families who have come weekly or on a more infrequent basis. We also held a Light Party and Christmas Crafts event which were well attended. As was our wonderful Nativity organised by Pam and the Open the Book team. I would like to thank everyone who has volunteered, read, sung, swept, welcomed, counted and served in so many ways to help St Mary’s be Christ’s Church in our village. ## **Fabric Review 2025** In common with other APCM reports, this report covers activities which took place in 2025. ## **Church** Routine maintenance included the heating system service, electrical safety testing, fire extinguisher servicing and tuning of the organ and piano. A significant project took place in March to repaint the interior of the nave and chancel in view of the mould problem which had been developing for a couple of years or so. Windows in the chancel and nave are now left open to control condensation. Last year’s annual report said that the issue of some movement/cracking in the church at the chancel end was raised by the Church Architect who suggested that we should discuss tree management with the Parish Council. This discussion was embarked upon and the Parish Council were clear that they would not allow us to be present when their tree consultant was on site. We therefore approached their consultant independently. They advised that some tree “experts” would provide a subsidence report for a fourfigure sum, but expressed the opinion that this would be of no more value than snake oil. Removing the tree would cause heave, which would be more damaging to the building, and anyway the tree in question is subject to a tree preservation order. Furthermore, we have subsequently been advised that cracks like the one in question are common, even in new buildings. We decided to take no further action, and risk incurring the wrath of the inspector at the next quinquennial inspection in 2028. ## **Churchyard** The Parish Council continued its task of keeping things tidy. A repair to the south wall was conducted in April. The Quiet Garden is maintained by church volunteers. ## **Church Hall** Routine maintenance included electrical safety testing, fire extinguisher servicing, fire alarm servicing and tuning of the piano. The annual heating system service, which was due in October, was not carried out owing to unavailability of the engineer. This will now be synchronized with the church heating service, which usually occurs in January. In October, a gas leak near the meter resulted in no gas supply for four days until it was fixed. In November, the PCC agreed to set up a working party to consider and prioritize potential more significant works in the church hall. ## **Church Property Register and Logbook** The logbook – the log of maintenance and alterations to the church and church hall fabric – has been converted into a digital document, and the contents backdated to 2024, which was the first year of the current quinquennial period. This is part of an exercise I am undertaking to improve the security and usability of the church records. Similarly, the church property register is in the process of being digitized, but this is a large job, which should be complete before the end of 2026. The digital version contains changes made since the end of 2024, but the paper copy remains the master for the time being, covering earlier items. An inspection of higher-value items was conducted on 29 April 2026, and signed off as all present and correct. 4 ## **Safeguarding Review 2025** Safeguarding is a fundamental part of our response to God and our sharing of God’s mission in the world. (Churches Together in England.) Our Parish Safeguarding Officer is Jane George. We now have a dedicated PSO email safeguarding@stmsaltford.onmicrosoft.com which is checked regularly but also has an out of office reply stating ‘This email is checked weekly. If you require an immediate response or support please contact the Diocese of Bath and Wells Safeguarding Team via their online form which can be found at www.bathandwells.org.uk/safeguarding’. ## **Safer Recruitment, and Training** St Mary’s parish supports various groups working with children and young people, and with adults who are vulnerable. The leaders and volunteers working with our groups have been safely recruited according to the Church’s national guidance. We are up to date with DBS and have tried to ensure that all volunteers and leaders have been offered and taken the level of training required by the Church. As a PCC we recognise that training can be an added pressure to volunteers and as such the aim within the Benefice is to put on a group training session which might be easier for people to undertake the requirements of a course. We use the Bath and Wells Parish Dashboard to keep up to date with records including DBS and training. During the year extra volunteers have joined in groups and as such the PSO will be creating a list of roles and responsibilities within the church with a link to the training they need to complete and therefore allowing the Parish Dashboard to be kept up to date with correct information. ## **Church Policy and Guidance** All parishes are required to have formally adopted the House of Bishops ‘Promoting a Safer Church; Safeguarding Policy statement’, and Church of England safeguarding policy and guidance. The Church of England has developed a new safer recruitment and people management code of practice which becomes live on the 1st June so the PSO alone with the PCC will be looking to update St Mary’s policies and guidance. ## **Financial Review 2025** The PCC is greatly helped in managing church finances by being able to depend upon regular planned giving. End of year figures for 2025 showed that planned giving was some £12,000 less than had been expected based on the 2024 receipts. Some significant individual donations are no longer received. This has also impacted Gift Aid repayments. Receipts from collections and other non-planned giving was £11,000 higher than expected. Nearly £7,000 of this was from the redecoration special appeal, and £1,600 from the VAT refund on the redecoration work. A Diocesan grant of £5,000 towards the redecoration work was also received. There has been a noticeable and steady increase in the use of the various digital platforms now available. The PCC has financed mission through the monthly parish breakfast, and the growth of work with families and young children, especially through the Thursday Toddler group and occasional special events eg Easter crafts. Easter and Christmas cards were delivered to every house and many businesses in the village by church members on behalf of St Marys. The Parish share request for 2025 was received as part of a Benefice share request of £87,500. The Saltford share was suggested by the Diocese as £58,500. After prayer and discussion, and using the agreed budget figure for 2025, the PCC committed to give £48,800 over twelve equal monthly payments. Annual hall running costs were £2,500 less than expected, in large part due to reduced heating and lighting costs. At the same time, receipts from hall lettings have increased. Overdue repair and maintenance 5 works required on the hall were postponed for another year but will become more urgent and more expensive the longer they are left. Grants will be sought. ## **Administrative Information** St. Mary’s Church is situated in Queen Square, Saltford. It is part of the Diocese of Bath & Wells within the Church of England. The correspondence address is the Parish Office, St Mary’s Church Hall, Queen Square, High St, Saltford BS31 3EL. The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2006) and a charity registered with the Charity Commission, No 1138407. PCC members who have served at any time from 1st January 2025 until the date this report was approved are: Incumbent: Revd N Williams Readers: Robin Dixon Ken Plant Wardens: Ian Troughton Deanery Synod Judy Penny Darrell Pickup Elected members: Liz Benden (Secretary) Dave Faulkner Pam Faulkner (Treasurer) Jane George (Safeguarding Officer) Susie Meredith-Greenwood Christopher Pilkington Approved by the Parochial Church Council at a meeting on 30[th] April 2026 and signed on their behalf by:- Revd N Williams Mrs P Faulkner (Treasurer) (signed on 30[th] April 2026) (signed on 30[th] April 2026) 6 Independent Examinerfs Certificate for the PCC Accounts r npPI SALIFknie.) . 31 2o2C Paroehlal chU￿b Councu 144 Ch¥th* 2011 Ill￿ k4} Ih•t •n Irthp•nd•rt c￿rity ••c*on 14StSMbl ol Ch￿￿•1 *4 I niSb4¢•PSI1 ## RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS **For the year ended 31 December 2025** |

**RECEIPTS**

**Donations and Legacies:**
Planned Giving
Collections, donations and other giving
Legacies
Gift Aid Tax Recovered

**Other Trading Activities:**
Bookstall, hall lettings
Income from other properties
Other church events
**Receipts from Investments:**
Interest & dividends
**Receipts from Charitable activities:**
Parochial fees
**Other receipts:**
Other
**TOTAL RECEIPTS**
**PAYMENTS**
**Charitable activities:**
Donations to charities

Mission & Evangelism
Parish Share
Clergy expenses
Church running expenses
Churchyard maintenance
Cost of raising funds
Support costs
Administration costs (incl staff costs)
Governance costs
Other
**Major expenditure**
Repairs to church building
Repairs to church hall

**TOTAL PAYMENTS**
**Surplus/(Deficit) of Receipts over Payments**
Transfers between Funds
Cash at bank and in hand at 1 Jan
Cash at bank and in hand at 31 Dec|



|**Unrestricted Funds**
**General**
**Designated**
**£**
**£**
37,737
10,379
-
-
-
11,481
-
8,064
-
15
-
312
-
575
-
1,863
**-**
9,935
-
**80,361**
**-**
62
-
3,138
-
33,300
**-**
1,507
-
5,182
-
-
-
6,477
-
187
-
22,240
-
-
-
529
-
-
-
-
-
______

**72,622**
**-**
**7,739**
**-**
**-**
-
7,739
-
36,848
-
44,587
**-**|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**£**
-
11,165
-

-
-
-
-
-
**-**
-
**11,165**
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9,426
-
______
_
**9,426**
**1,739**
-
1,739
-
1,739|**TOTAL RECEIPTS**
**2025**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
37,737
43,282
21,544
7,904
-
-
11,481
11,332
8,064
5,382
15
49
312
699
575
725
1,863
3,316
9,935
10,471
**91,526**
**83,160**
62
20
3,138
1,934
33,300
49,000
1,507
1,945
5,182
4,827
-
-
6,477
9,291
187
61
22,240
22,659
-
-
529
771
9,426
899
-
-
______
_______
**82,048**
**91,406**
**9,478**
**(7,565)**
-
-
**9,478**(7,565)
36,848
44,413
**46,326**
**36,848**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||||
_|| |||||| 8 ## **STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES** |**Unrestricted Funds**
**Restricted**

**General Designated**
**Funds**

**£**
**£**
**£**

**Cash Funds**
Bank Current Accounts
4,877
-
-
Deposit Accounts
36,085
-
3,291
______
______
______

**40,962**
**-**
**3,291**
**Other Monetary Assets**
Shared Benefice costs – Corston
1,298
-
-
Shared Benefice costs – Newton St Loe
1,298
-
-
Sales Ledger
684
**3,280**
**Liabilities**
Purchase Ledger
(307)
-
-|**Total**
**2025**
**£**
4,877
39,376
_______

**44,253**
1,298
1,298
684
**3,280**
(307)|**Total**
**2025**
**£**
4,877
39,376
_______

**44,253**
1,298
1,298
684
**3,280**
(307)|**Total**
**2024**
**£**
5,408
30,748
_______
**36,156**
1,264
1,260
-
**2,524 **
-| |---|---|---|---| ||||| ||||| Approved by the Parochial Church Council at a Meeting on 30[th] April 2026 and signed on its behalf by:- Rev’d Nigel Williams Mrs Pamela Faulkner (Treasurer) (signed on 30[th] April 2026) (signed on 30[th] April 2026) The notes on page 10 form part of these accounts 9 ## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31 December 2025** ## **1. ACCOUNTING BASIS** The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 using the Receipts and Payments basis. ## **2. TRUSTEES AND CONNECTED PERSONS** The expenses paid to clergy may contain a small immaterial proportion, which relates to their function as PCC members. No other such payments were made to PCC members. 10