## **ANNUAL REPORT 2021** Annual Parish Vestry Meeting followed by Annual Parochial Church Meeting Sunday 23[rd] May 2021 at 11.15am in the Church **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **Contents** |1.|Agenda for 23rdMay 2021 .............................................................................................. 3| |---|---| |2.|Minutes of the Annual Parish Vestry Meeting, Sunday 11thOctober 2020 ...................... 4| |3.|Minutes of The Annual Parochial Church Meeting, Sunday 11thOctober 2020 ............... 4| |4.|Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council 2020 - 2021 .......................................... 7| |5.|Financial Review to 31stDecember 2020 ...................................................................... 11| |6.|Electoral Roll Report .................................................................................................... 21| |7.|Fabric Report................................................................................................................ 21| |8.|Deanery Synod Report.................................................................................................. 23| |9.|Reports from Groups and Activities .............................................................................. 25| ||9.1.
Beacon Youth Trust Report ................................................................................... 25| ||9.2.
Bell Ringers .......................................................................................................... 26| ||9.3.
Events Committee ................................................................................................. 26| ||9.4.
Flower Ministry ..................................................................................................... 26| ||9.5.
Linton C E Infant School ....................................................................................... 27| ||9.6.
Church Links with Linton Heights Junior School................................................... 29| ||9.7.
Children and Families Ministry ............................................................................. 30| ||9.8.
Together with God................................................................................................. 32| ||9.9.
Space for the Spirit ................................................................................................ 32| ||9.10.
Mothers’ Union.................................................................................................. 33| ||9.11.
Music Ministry .................................................................................................. 33| ||9.12.
Pastoral Group ................................................................................................... 34| ||9.13.
The Friends of St Mary’s ................................................................................... 34| ||9.14.
The Monday Gang in the Churchyard ................................................................ 35| 2 ## **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **1. AGENDA FOR 23[RD] MAY 2021** ## **Part A - Vestry Meeting** 1. Prayers 2. Minutes of the Annual Parish Vestry Meeting held on 11[th] October 2020 3. Election of Churchwardens ## **Part B - Annual Parochial Church Meeting** 1. Apologies for Absence 2. Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting held on 11[th] October 2020 3. Matters Arising 4. Parochial Church Council Report 2020 - 2021 5. Financial Report followed by appointment of Independent Examiner 6. Electoral Roll Report 7. Fabric Report 8. Deanery Synod Report 9. Election of PCC Members 10. Reports from Groups and Activities 11. Rector’s Report 12. Questions from the floor 13. Closing Prayers 3 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **2. MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PARISH VESTRY MEETING, SUNDAY 11[TH] OCTOBER 2020** The meeting, held in the Church, began at 10.30 with prayers and followed a shortened service. Twenty-three parishioners were present. Annual meetings were not able to be held in April. A national lockdown was imposed from March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Parishes were asked to hold the meetings before the end of October 2020 while still observing the social distancing rules and keeping the meetings as brief as possible. There was no provision made for virtual annual meetings within the Church of England rules. ## **Minutes** The Minutes of the Annual Parishioners’ Vestry Meeting of 28[th] April 2019 were accepted as a correct record. ## **Election of Churchwardens** There were two nominations for Churchwarden: Helene Evans and David Watts. They were unanimously elected for another year and thanked for their service to the parish. David was first appointed in 2017 and Helene in 2018. It was noted that at the March 2017 PCC meeting, members had agreed that the normal term of office for a churchwarden at St Mary’s should revert to being 3 years, with the option of extending to a maximum of 6 years if wished; and still to be elected annually in line with the guidelines in the Churchwardens Measure 2001. ## **3. MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING, SUNDAY 11[TH] OCTOBER 2020** ## **Apologies** Chris Morse, Di Morse, Anne Parry-Smith, David Parry-Smith, John Thorne, Sarah Thorne, Molly Warrington, Cathy Watts, David Watts, Glynis Younger and Michael Younger. ## **Minutes** The Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting of 28[th] April 2019 were accepted as a true record. ## **Matters arising** There were none. ## **The reports presented to the meeting are summarised below and can be found on the church website www.stmaryslinton.org.uk. Look under resources and APCM reports.** ## **Parochial Church Council Report April 2019 – March 2020** The PCC had six scheduled meetings during the year to March 2019. Regular agenda items included reports from the Rector and the PCC committees: Finance & Stewardship, Fabric, Children & Families and Events committees. Reports were also received from the parish Safeguarding Officer, Ministry Team, St Mary’s two Deanery Synod representatives and the Chair of Governors at Linton C.E. Infant School. Aspects from the seven objectives in the Mission Action Plan were included in discussions. Extending children and families work was a particular focus. 4 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **Financial Review – to 31[st] December 2019** Income from giving, fund raising activities and grants had increased from 2018. Expenditure had also increased due to spending on church repairs, music stands for singers and a noticeboard, some of which was offset by grants. The main expenditure was to pay the Parish share and general running costs. Income from regular giving had dropped which was a cause for concern. The final accounts show that a deficit of £14,500 was covered from reserves. The accounts were proposed, seconded and accepted by the meeting and Sue Ellis was thanked for her considerable contribution and skill as Treasurer. After the 2019 APCM, Kate Sargeant had been appointed as a new independent examiner. Sue Ellis proposed that Kate be re-appointed. This was seconded and agreed by the meeting. ## **Electoral Roll Report** Following the complete revision of the Electoral Roll in March 2019, there were 129 on the Roll in March 2020. Five people had died and one new name was added, giving a total of 125 in September 2020. Jo George had taken on the role of Electoral Roll Officer from Pam Richardson and Pam was thanked for her contribution. ## **Fabric Report** The final set of repairs arising from the Quinquennial review had been completed. An improved security system for the church roof had been installed. New music stands were designed and made for use by choir in the north aisle. Semi-upholstered stacking chairs were bought to replace plastic ones. A new noticeboard was installed in the churchyard. Other projects were continuing but had been delayed due to COVID restrictions. ## **Deanery Synod Report** Andrew Gore and David Parry-Smith represent Linton on the Deanery Synod. In addition to the ongoing discussions of finance and other deanery matters including vacancies, there were presentations about the work of the Haverhill foodbank charity REACH; an opportunity to meet the new Bishop of Huntingdon, Revd Canon Dagmar Winter, and hear her hopes for the future and Geoffrey Hunter, Diocesan Buildings Adviser, spoke about the ‘Re-imagining Church Buildings’ project. Meetings are open to anyone and the business part is brief. ## **Election of Deanery Synod representatives** Deanery Synod reps are elected for 3 years. The current term of office should have expired in May but provision was made for the current two reps to continue until an APCM could be held. Completed nomination forms had been received for Andrew Gore and David ParrySmith. No other nominations were forthcoming. Andrew and David were therefore elected for another term, ending 31[st] May 2023. ## **Election of Parochial Church Council members** Continuing members on the PCC were confirmed as: _Elected in 2018:_ Mr R Tonry, two places remained vacant. _Elected in 2019:_ Mrs J Burge, Miss C Ellis, Mrs J George, Mrs J Nightingale, Mrs G Powell, Mrs L Read – all for 3 years. Mr C Morse and Mr J Organ were re-elected for 1 year only. Churchwardens (ex-officio): Mr D Watts, Mrs H Evans. Mrs S Ellis, Mrs C Lockstone, Mrs S Mudge (all elected in 2017) stood down, having completed their three year term of office. Mrs L Read (elected in 2019) also resigned. 5 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** The electoral roll number allows for up to 12 elected members. Three nominations had been received for six places: from Jackie Hall, Patricia Schofield and Michael Younger. These three people were elected to the PCC. The requirement for retiring members to stand down for at least a year had been removed from the updated Church Representation Rules 2020. As there were no other nominations from the meeting, Sue Ellis and Sue Mudge (treasurer and secretary respectively) were nominated, seconded and re-elected. One vacancy remained, to which someone could be co-opted later. Maggie Guite thanked the retiring members, Collen Lockstone, Chris Morse, John Organ and Linda Read, for their contribution to the PCC. ## **Reports from Committees and Organisations** Reports were included in the 2020 APCM booklet in paper form and on the website. In addition photos of activities were submitted and presented on the screen in church during the meeting. They were received from the following groups: Beacon Youth Trust; Bell ringers; Events committee; Flower ministry, Linton C E Infant School; Church links with the Infant and Junior Schools; Children and Families ministry including Baby Steps, Tots in Tow, Messy Church, Rooted; Together with God and Space for the Spirit services; Mothers Union; Music Ministry; The Friends of St. Mary’s; The Monday Gang. Additional comments were made and some questions taken from those present at the meeting. ## **Rector’s report** Maggie Guite said that the detailed content of the APCM report showed what a lot of activity makes up the various aspects of church life and she thanked everyone involved in reaching out to others and building a community for the glory of God. Maggie is very grateful to be part of a lively church. The national lockdown from March to July necessarily stopped many activities but other things were put in place to keep in touch. Maggie thanked Anne ParrySmith for her support with all administrative matters, Michael Wilcockson and his daughter Emma who became film producers, the Ministry Team for help with worship materials. The church was locked for almost three months. Opening again in July was a challenge while everyone became used to the new rules. Maggie thanked the Churchwardens and the Standing Committee and was heartened by the positive response and attendance of those who felt safe to worship in church, whilst recognising that some people felt unable to come for health reasons. Face to face work with children and families was not able to happen after March but Maggie commended Sarah Thorne, Cathy Watts and their team for responding in other ways. Maggie urged everyone to sustain each other within worship and outreach. Maggie deliberately kept her report under 2 minutes to comply with the directive of holding a very brief meeting and only conducting essential business. ## **Questions or comments** Patricia Schofield wished to thank Jo George for organising the stewards’ rota to allow the church to be open for private prayer. Maggie agreed and also thanked Jo for maintaining the cleaning rota too. Michael Wilcockson thanked Maggie for her unstinting loyalty and her work on everyone’s behalf. The meeting ended in prayer. 6 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **4. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL 2020 - 2021** ## **Administrative Information** St Mary’s Church is situated in Church Lane, Linton. It is part of the Diocese of Ely within the Church of England. The correspondence address is 4 Bakers Lane, Linton, Cambridge, CB21 4NF. The registered charity number is 1138508. The APCM for 2020 was unable to be held at the usual time in the spring due to the national lockdown imposed in March 2020 to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The Bishop signed an instrument to extend the time period for Annual Meetings, which allowed them to take place any time before 31[st] October 2020. The terms of office for Churchwardens, PCC and Deanery Synod members were extended accordingly until elections could be held. The APCM for St Mary’s Linton took place on 11[th] October. The content of the 2020 PCC report covered the year from April 2019 until March 2020. PCC members who have served from the APCM in October 2020 until this report are: |_Incumbent_|The Revd Canon Dr Maggie|Guite| |---|---|---| ||The Revd Michael Wilcockson, Curate from July 2019|| |_Churchwardens_|Mrs Helene Evans|| ||Mr David Watts|| |_Representatives to_|Mr Andrew Gore|from October 2020 - 31.05.23| |_the Deanery Synod_|Dr David Parry-Smith|from October 2020 - 31.05.23| |_Elected members_|Mrs Jacqui Burge|from APCM 2019| ||Miss Charlotte Ellis|from APCM 2019| ||Mrs Sue Ellis|from APCM 2020 - Treasurer| ||Mrs Jo George|from APCM 2019| ||Dr Jackie Hall|from APCM 2020| ||Mrs Sue Mudge|from APCM 2020 - Secretary| ||Mrs Judy Nightingale|from APCM 2019| ||Mrs Gill Powell|from APCM 2019| ||Mrs Patricia Schofield|from APCM 2020| ||Mr Richard Tonry|from APCM 2018| ||Mr Michael Younger|from APCM 2020| |_Licensed Lay_|Mrs Sarah Thorne|Children and Families ministry| |_Ministers (LLMs)_|Mrs Cathy Watts|Safeguarding officer| ## **Structure, governance and management** The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules, updated in 2020. All church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. ## **Objectives and activities** The PCC of St Mary the Virgin has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, 7 ## **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** social and ecumenical. It also has maintenance responsibilities for St Mary’s Church and for the Pavilion adjacent to the church. ## **Numerical performance 2020 - 2021** Attendances at each service are recorded and annual returns made to the Diocese of Ely. It has been hard to get accurate numbers for services this year. Whilst the register of services gives the number of people who have attended a service in person, when this has been allowed, this has only been a part of our ministry. In addition, a number of printed service sheets and reflections have been distributed weekly to those who have been housebound and self-isolating. We have also broadcast services on Facebook live and held services on Zoom. A recent meeting of the ministry team considered what our ‘total’ congregation might be on a Sunday at 10am. Taking all the various forms of worship into consideration it was concluded that on most Sundays we reach about seventy individuals. Services at Christmas and Easter were both affected by the need for social distancing and self-isolation. Numbers at 8am Sunday communions have stayed broadly consistent and whilst numbers attending on Thursdays at 10am have been low there is reason to believe this will bounce back once all the restrictions are lifted. The weekly term-time Friday service for the Infant School has not been possible for over a year, nor have there been services in Symonds House and Nichols Court. ## **Review of the year to March 2021** The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on everyone’s life, work and range of activities. A national lockdown was imposed across England from 23[rd] March 2020 and churches were ordered to be closed and locked. Restrictions were eased to allow churches to be open for private prayer from mid-June and for services at the start of July. Actual worship in Linton began with an outdoor service on 12[th] July and indoor ones from the following week, subject to social distancing rules and a limit on numbers attending. Many people were still shielding themselves or family members and preferred to worship from home. The second lockdown was imposed from 5[th] November for four weeks. December allowed some degree of freedom and then a third lockdown was required from 6[th] January. A phased opening of businesses was planned from the end of March 2021 and restrictions were being lifted in a controlled manner to prevent further transmission of the virus; aided by the successful vaccination programme. Churches were allowed to remain open for private prayer during the 2[nd] and 3[rd] lockdowns. This was possible at St Mary’s; thanks to a rota of volunteers to unlock and lock the church each day, regular cleaning and subject to additional risk assessments each time the rules changed. The first lockdown period challenged the Ministry team as they devised YouTube videos and Zoom services to offer virtual worship for those able to access it. Paper orders of service and pewsheets were delivered to some twenty church members who do not use the internet. That situation still continues with a combination of actual services in church, Facebook live, regular Zoom services and printed worship information hand-delivered to others at home. Since April 2020, all church committees and groups have met by Zoom. The PCC had five scheduled meetings and the Standing committee met on four occasions between PCC dates, to assess the impact of changing regulations and to agree the best course of action for St Mary’s. 8 ## **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** Reports from committees were received at each meeting and the function and responsibilities of the PCC carried on, even though church life was in some areas very different. The Mission Action Plan had been adopted at the 2017 annual meeting. Various aspects of the seven objectives are embedded within different PCC agenda items. However, lack of face to face meetings and disruption experienced by external businesses meant that some projects were not able to progress, particularly those related to the fabric of the church. Sarah Thorne completed her two year training programme through Ridley Hall and in October was licensed as a **Children and Families** minister by the Bishop, during a Zoom service of course, instead of live in Ely Cathedral. Sarah has identified a need in the village and expanded existing activities to include the ‘Make lunch’ project. Although offering cooked lunches has not yet been possible, ‘Boxes of Hope’ have been delivered to families during school holidays. Fund raising to support this ministry is ongoing. See section 9.7 for the Children and Families Team report The **Finance and Stewardship** committee monitors income and expenditure throughout the year and prepares the budget which is submitted for PCC approval in November. We are grateful to Sue Ellis, treasurer, for her work in keeping the accounts up to date and providing the appropriate information to the PCC. Maintaining regular giving from church members is a particular concern and the role of stewardship officer is still vacant. Inevitably, loyal supporters move away or die and newer members may not appreciate the amount of expenditure which is beyond our control. Regular giving including gift aid refunds does not currently cover the regular expenditure. We can dip into reserves in the short term but ultimately this situation cannot be sustained and thus the chance to develop other initiatives and areas of mission is limited. See section 5 for the financial review. Every PCC meeting includes a report from **Cathy Watts, Safeguarding Officer** . All PCC members are required to be DBS checked and have taken online training. The PCC upholds the House of Bishops policies of ‘Promoting a Safer Church’ and ‘Protecting all God’s Children’. The Ely Diocese website has an extensive safeguarding section. It includes a Parish Dashboard which gives excellent advice and allows us to ensure that we are compliant with current policies and procedures. The Dashboard uses a ‘RAG’ rating system – Red for urgent action, Amber for items in hand and Green for actions which have been accomplished. There is safeguarding information on the home page of St Mary’s website and also displayed in church. Consideration of worship and spiritual matters is informed by the **Rector’s report** from Maggie Guite and **Ministry Team** report. Most initiatives were able to continue, in spite of COVID restrictions. Weekday Advent Promise and Passiontide Promise services took place online, as did Lent Study groups across the Team. The Lent discussions were based on the previous Sunday sermon with the theme of ‘Understanding the Bible’. The special services which usually attract a lot of people were worst affected. The usual All Souls service was not possible and different arrangements were offered for bereaved families to come into church separately, to sit and remember in a small group and light candles. The annual Remembrance service fell in the 2[nd] lockdown and only short outdoor ceremonies with a few people were allowed. Maggie Guite led a service for Linton at the war memorial in the cemetery. Congregational singing has been forbidden from the start and thus the carol service could not take place before Christmas. Numbers were restricted for Christmas and Easter services. 9 ## **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** Nicola Collard, **Chair of Governors at Linton C. E. Infant School** , submits a report to each PCC meeting to inform members of school events and progress. The other foundation governors are Jacqui Burge, Sue Filby, Hannah Foote, Moire Jarritt, Cathy Watts and Michael Younger. Michael Wilcockson was appointed to a vacant position in January. The PCC is very grateful to these people for their contribution to the governance and upholding the Christian ethos of our church school. See also section 9.5. The year has been like none other, as a high proportion of school time was spent teaching online with only vulnerable children and key workers’ children actually in school. There has been no opportunity for governors to visit the school, as all governor contact has been online too, in order to keep staff and children safe and healthy. The **Fabric** committee reports on necessary repairs to the church building and pavilion in the short term as well as preparing proposals for longer term projects. The PCC is grateful to The Friends of St Mary’s, a separate charity which funds a high proportion of church repair and improvement work. See sections 7 and 9.13. Reports are received from the two **Deanery Synod** representatives to inform PCC members of views and events within the wider area of the Granta Deanery. See section 8 for more information. The PCC is grateful to the **Events committee** which has persevered with creating virtual events, sadly without food and drink. There have been photographic competitions with the theme of summer gardens and later Christmas trees, and both virtual and paper quizzes. Some funds were raised by asking for donations to participate and also to vote on the photos. See section 9.3. In the March meeting, Maggie Guite announced her intention to retire in early July. The PCC would like to thank Maggie most sincerely for her leadership, inspiration and dedication over the last six years and, of course, we have also benefitted from Malcolm Guite’s ministry. We wish them both a happy and relaxing retirement with time to pursue their various interests. I am looking forward to further restrictions being relaxed and the opportunity for us all to worship together again and to share conversations and social events with each other, as we used to do. Sue Mudge PCC Secretary 10 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **5. FINANCIAL REVIEW TO 31[ST] DECEMBER 2020** ## **Independent Examiner’s Report to the PCC of St Mary’s, Linton** This report on the accounts of the PCC for the year ended 31 December 2020, is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 (“the Regulations”) and Section 43 of the Charities Act 1993 (“the Act”). ## **Respective responsibilities of the PCC and the Examiner** As members of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts; you consider that the audit requirement of the Regulations and section 43(2) of the Act do not apply. It is my responsibility to issue this report on those accounts in accordance with the terms of the Regulations. ## **Basis of this report** My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 43(7)(b) of the Act and to be found in the Church guidance, SORP 2005 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 with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. ## **Independent Examiner’s statement** In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: 1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements – to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act; and – to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the requirements of the Act and the Regulations have not been met; or 2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 11 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **Where does the money come from?** In 2020 St Mary’s received a total of £114,985.75 which surprisingly was comparable to 2019. In 2020 £23,499.00 came from grants from the Friends of St Mary’s, the Anderson Trust, the Parish Council, the listed places of worship grant scheme and the PCC would like to express its gratitude to these organisations for their ongoing support. A legacy of £7,500 was gratefully received. Our Giving Sunday in March brought in £1,500 and increases in regular giving which was very timely with the following lockdown. Some members of our congregation have given one-off donations; others have switched from envelopes to the parish giving scheme or standing order so they can continue to make regular donations whilst not in Church. This has been very encouraging when income from other events, weddings and pavilion lettings has dropped. This year more than ever shows the Church’s reliance on regular giving by all members of our congregation and it is disappointing to see from the graph that this has fallen. ## Income: £114,985.75 12 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **Where does the money go?** Total expenditure during the year was £113,929.05 As the chart below shows, the most significant part of expenditure goes on the Parish Share, which was £66,206.93. As in previous years, the PCC (in line with the majority of other parishes in the Deanery) was committed to paying the Share in full, principally because otherwise the Diocese would not provide us with a full-time Team Rector and House for Duty Team Vicar. The amount requested by the Diocese continues to increase not only in line with inflation but also by requiring benefices to meet the full cost of their clergy as well as some of the diocesan costs and mission costs. During 2020, some repairs under the Quinquennial Inspection have been carried out and we have also paid for the roof alarm, organ reports and church letterbox. Much of this work has been paid for by grants from the Friends of St Mary’s and the listed places of worship grant scheme. Our administrator’s hours have increased this year due to the extra work entailed in keeping members of our congregation up to date with service sheets and pewsheets. However general running expenses of the Church have been lower this year. ## Expenditure: £113,929.05 13 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** In budgeting beyond the Ministry Share, the PCC continued to prioritise expenditure on: - providing a welcoming and well-maintained space for prayer and services; - supporting the valuable work undertaken with Linton’s young people, through the Beacon Youth Trust; - providing administrative support, to free up time for the incumbent to spend on pastoral activities; - maintaining the Pavilion as both a meeting space and an asset; - as a reflection of God’s generous giving to us, giving back a proportion of income to those in need; - developing initiatives related to the Mission Action Plan. ## **Summary** The final accounts for 2020 show a small surplus. However, the tax refund of £1,816.59 and a grant of £4,103.29 both received in January relate to the previous year so there is no room for complacency. Day to day running expenses of the Church continue to be kept to a minimum, however we do have a significant Parish share to pay and there is a responsibility to keep the Church in good repair. ## **Reserves Policy** In 2020, the PCC continued with a reserves policy; retaining a sum of £22,500 for urgent repairs and as contingency cover. ## **Financial Statements** The financial statements which follow comprise: - A statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) for the year, showing all resources made available to the PCC and all expenditure incurred by it, and reconciling changes to funds. - A return of Parish Finance which shows the same information but gives a breakdown of income and expenditure. - A Balance Sheet showing assets, liabilities and funds. ## **Accounting Policies** These accounts have been prepared under the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 and in accordance with the Charities SORP (2005) and applicable standards. The PCC is registered with the Charity Commission under the name of The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary the Virgin, Linton, Diocese of Ely, charity registration number 1138508. 14 St Mary the Virgin, Linton St Mary's Llnton Stat•mont of Flnanclal Actlvltl•s For th• perltxl fr¢m 01 January 2020 10 31 December 2020 Tot*1 funtt• totsl lun¢¥ tunds lund¥ IwiifMJ re$wr￿S fuThts Vduntsry inttwe tmties for gewalry fuThJJ Investhent 105.897 3.798 1C6.402 3.798 187 8.941 4.726 4.726 Tow Incomlng r•8ow 114,477 114,965 114264 Cosi of5￿￿8￿ fur•Ji FuThlr4is￿g tradir¥JcJ)St ofgor*ts soky oThY ofvr&ists ChgM8blg aciNK*s 247 113.379 247 113.681 587 140.(KKI 201 TOMI r•8ourcw umd 113.627 301 113.92 141.804 N•t Incomlng loutgolng r•sourc•s b•for• transtqr 1.056 1 27,8291 Grrjsstransfers be￿eeTh1unOs." Gr¢xs transfers btheen lurth. tyjl 2.710 3591 2.784 1 2.7841 1 2.4251 N•t In¢onblng loutgolno bqlw othgr I Io¥¥ 1 1,5011 2.551 1 27.0291 Gains I losse5 M Inveslmenl assets Gains ￿ revolu81￿n. fixed 8ssety. c￿￿9 N•t mov•m•nt In fiJnth 1 23137) R•con¢lll•iion offunds Tolal funds brrMJght forward n,X17 3.8lJ 81.821 Totsi card•d forwwd 79,636 6,171 81M21 15 ## **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **Return of Parish Finance for year ending 31 December 2020** |**Return of Parish Finance for year ending 31 December 2020**||| |---|---|---| ||**2019 £**|**2020 £**| |**Incoming Resources**||| |**Voluntary Income**||| |Tax efficient planned giving||| |Gift Aid - Bank|42,407.64|44,856.58| |Gift Aid - Envelopes|5,480.80|1,745.00| |Total tax efficient planned giving|47,888.44|46,601.58| |Other planned giving|2,854.00|2,789.00| |Loose plate collections|7,769.67|3,516.01| |Regular Gift Days|0.00|1,500.00| |Giving through church boxes|485.23|199.25| |One off Gift Aid gifts|2,057.91|2,489.31| |Donations, appeals, etc (note 1)|415.00|3,183.48| |Tax recovered through Gift Aid (note 2)|10,327.23|15,486.85| |Legacies|1,000.00|7,500.00| |Non-recurring one off grants (note 3)|23,499.22|23,136.82| |**Total for voluntary income**|**96,296.70**|**106,402.30**| |**Activities for Generating Funds**||| |Other funds generated (note 4)|1,310.17|1,340.03| |Summer Event|4,509.02|| |Christmas Event|650.03|265.05| |Social Events (note 5)|1,391.65|2,193.10| |**Total for Activities for Generating Funds**|**7,860.87**|**3,798.18**| |Bank and building society interest|187.28|59.27| |**Church Activities**||| |Fees for weddings and funerals|7,549.00|4,420.00| |Pavilion lettings|1,392.25|306.00| |**Total for Church Activities**|**8,941.25**|**4,726.00**| |**Other Incoming Resources**||| |Choir funds|**968.66**|| |**Total for Incoming Resources**|**114,254.76**|**114,985.75**| 16 ## **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** |**Return of Parish Finance for year ending 31 December 2020**||| |---|---|---| |**Resources Expended**|**2019 £**|**2020 £**| |**Costs of Generating Funds**||| |Summer Event Costs|1,296.36|| |Christmas Event Costs|0.00|| |Costs of Social Events (note 6)|587.45|247.90| |**Total for costs of Generating Funds**|**1,883.81**|**247.90**| |**All Mission Giving and Charitable Grants & Donations**(note 7)||| |Giving to missionary societies|1,190.00|895.50| |Secular Charities|1,675.45|1,893.14| |Home mission|4,958.25|7,041.71| |**Total for All Mission Giving etc**|**7,823.70**|**9,830.35**| |**Church Activities**||| |Parish Share|63,362.69|66,206.93| |Salaries (note 8)|6,790.96|7,523.76| |**Expenses (clergy, pastoral staff, etc)**||| |Working expenses of Incumbent|480.00|480.00| |Rector's telephone|123.60|90.00| |Education|1,475.25|663.19| |**Total for Expenses**|**2,078.85**|**1,233.19**| |Parish Training and mission|117.59|423.27| |**Regular Church running expenses (insurance, cleaning,**|**admin)**|| |Church running - insurance|3,674.65|3,270.59| |Organ / piano tuning|235.00|105.00| |Church maintenance|3,770.47|1,438.70| |Cleaning (note 9)||292.02| |Upkeep of services (note 10)|6,442.88|5,745.84| |Upkeep of churchyard (note 11)|128.20|74.75| |Administration|2,701.23|1,093.70| |Flowers (note 12)|132.08|31.73| |**Total for Regular Church running expenses**|**17,084.51**|**12,052.33**| 17 ## **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** |**Resources Expended**|**2019 £**|**2020 £**| |---|---|---| |**Church utility bills (gas, electricity, water)**||| |Church running - electric|534.35|821.11| |Church running - gas|1,829.67|2,675.76| |Church running - water|26.58|32.12| |**Total for Church utility bills**|**2,390.60**|**3,528.99**| |**Costs of trading Pavilion**||| |Pavilion running - electricity|550.39|155.90| |Pavilion running - maintenance|53.99|99.00| |Pavilion running - water|28.26|32.11| |**Total for Costs of trading**|**632.64**|**287.01**| |**Total for Church Activities**|**92,457.84**|**91,255.48**| |**Total for Resources Expended**|**102,165.35**|**101,333.73**| |**Major Capital Expenditure**|**2019 £**|**2020 £**| |Church major repairs|32,515.70|12,595.32| |Pavilion Depreciation|7,203.10|0| |**Total for Major Capital Expenditure**|**39,718.80**|**12,595.32**| |**Total Expenditure**|**141,884.15**|**113,929.05**| |**Total Income**|**114,254.76**|**114,985.75**| |**Resources Expended**|**134,681.05**|**113,929.05**| |**Depreciation**|**7,203.10**|**0**| |**Total Expenditure**|**141,884.15**|**113,929.05**| |**Balance**|**-27,629.39**|**1,056.70**| 18 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **Balance sheet (Summary) As of: 31 December 2020** |||**2019**
**£**|| |---|---|---|---| |**Fixed assets**
Pavilion (note 13)
Investments (note 14)


**Current assets**
Cash at bank and in hand
**Liabilities**
LCHT (note 15)

**Net current assets less current liabilities**

**Total assets less current liabilities**

**Total net assets less liabilities**

**Represented by**
**Unrestricted**
Unrestricted - General fund
**Designated**
Designated - Contingency
Designated - Mission Action Plan
Designated - Pavilion (note 13)
Designated – Children & Family Ministry (note 16)
**Restricted**
Restricted - Anderson Trust
Restricted - Bells
Restricted - Churchyard (note 17)
Restricted - Music (note 15)
Restricted – Peace Garden
**Funds of the church**||500
49,656
50,156
31,665
0
**31,665**
**81,821**
**81,821**
44,485
22,500
10,722
500
-
628
1,411
(41)
1,615
0
**81,821**|| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| 19 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **Notes to Financial Statements** ## **Return of Parish Finance** 1. Donations include £80 collection for USPG, £230 part of our Lent lunch collection for MND Association. £695 is from some of our donations for our Children and Families Ministry whilst another portion is included in regular giving. 2. £1816.59 of the tax recovered through gift aid relates to 2019. 3. Grants received this year are £1,625 from the Anderson Trust, £800 from the Parish Council of which £300 is for the Peace Garden and £500 for the upkeep of the Churchyard; £15,058.80 from the Friends of St Mary’s for works identified by the Quinquennial Inspection, organ reports and the new letterbox; £5,653.02 from the listed places of worship grant scheme which is a grant for the VAT element of eligible works carried out by the Church. 4. The income from other funds generated includes £53.25 from ‘Give as you Live’, a further £98 from Sale of 2019 Calendars and £224.00 from Ride and Stride. A refund of £500 was received from the Team Ministry account which covers the expenses of our team and its clergy. 5. Social events include refreshments after services as well events organised by the Events Committee such as New Year’s Eve, film showing of Paddington 2, the successful Come and Sing in early March (£1074.91) as well as virtual events including the virtual bake off, quiz and garden show. 6. This largely relates to the cost of showing Paddington 2 and expenses for the Come and Sing and Virtual events. 7. Charitable giving this year includes £315.50 to Christian Aid from the Harvest Collection and Soup, £658.14 from the 2019 Carol service to Cambridge Churches Homeless Project, £500 to USPG, £500 to Haverhill Foodbank and £300 to Youthinc. In addition £7,041.71 has been given to support the work of the Beacon Youth Trust. 8. Salaries relates to payments made to our organists and parish administrator. 9. Cleaning expenses include the purchase of a lightweight cordless vacuum cleaner and Covid-related cleaning materials. 10. Upkeep of services includes fees paid to Ely and Non Stipendiary priests for taking weddings and funerals. In 2020 this was £3,515.33. This means the cost of running our services in Church is £2,230.51 (2019: £2,432.21). 11. Upkeep of Churchyard is from money held for the Monday Gang. 12. Once again, the cost of the flowers has also been covered by separate collections and the generosity of the flower arrangers. 20 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **Balance Sheet** 13. Pavilion at cost £77,031. This has been depreciated over the last 10 years and is shown at a nominal value of £500. 14. Investments: £52,586 is the value of the Sterling Bond Fund held at Barclays. The fund has been closed and we still await repayment of the fund. 15. Liabilities: LCHT represents funds we are holding for the Linton Community Help Team. 16. The Children & Families Ministry is money donated specifically for Children and Families Ministry, in response to fund raising. 17. The Parish Council gave us £500 this year to cover ongoing expenses of the Monday Gang. Sue Ellis, Treasurer ## **6. ELECTORAL ROLL REPORT** The Electoral Roll is the Parish Church's register of electors, who are therefore qualified to attend and vote at the Annual Parish Church meeting where the elections take place for membership of the Parish Church Council, and the Deanery Synod. Last year the number on the Roll was 129, however, though three people have died, three people have been added, so the total remains at 129. You can be added to the Electoral Roll if you have been baptised, and are over 16, and either ‘live in the parish’, ‘live outside the parish and have attended St Mary's for six months’ or ‘are a member in good standing of another church and have attended St Mary's for six months’. If you would like to be added to the Electoral Roll or have any questions, please do contact me - JoGeorge68@aol.com Jo George - Electoral Roll Officer ## **7. FABRIC REPORT** The Fabric Committee has not met formally since the last APCM in October. We are planning to have an in-person meeting at the Church prior to the July PCC meeting. ## **Works to the fabric of the church** The internal door to the base of the tower has been eased and the frame re-fixed (Part of QI works brought forward for security reasons). SmartWater has also been applied to the North Aisle and Porch roof. ## **Fixed installations and services** Kershaw continue with the heating system maintenance contract. The boilers are due for service in summer 2021. 21 ## **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** One of the initial reasons for installing broadband and Wi-Fi in the Church was to facilitate remote control of the heating and enhance our ability to cater for social events. In the last year, the ability to stream services without reliance on mobile phones and 4G connection has become more urgent. However, despite David Watts’ best efforts, attempts to get a shallow trench dug to install a conduit for the cables has become like a Norse Saga. The supplier finally arrived to commence digging the trench on Tuesday 4[th] May 2021. The roof alarm system had its first annual service in January. So far, the only notifications received have been as a result of minor power cuts. The contract for the fire security installations has been maintained. ## **Church furnishings** No articles or goods have been permanently removed from the church or acquired since the last APCM. A survey of users confirmed a preference for forward facing chairs in the Resurrection Chapel; this will be actioned once Covid restrictions allow for more than a few socially distanced chairs in the Church. It is hoped to take forward the replacement of some of the remaining pews with chairs similar to those in the nave. This and other elements of the proposed re-ordering, such as the provision of a new oak storage area in the north aisle, will be contingent on finance and Diocesan Advisory Committee approval. ## **The pavilion** It is hoped that external redecoration of the pavilion can be carried out during 2021. The Peace Garden has been well used during lockdown. The March PCC approved funding to replace a bench and repair the arbour. We remain grateful to Glynis Younger and her group of volunteers for maintaining the area. ## **The Churchyard** The resurfacing of the paths in the Churchyard, by Parish Council contractors, has been delayed at the request of the PCC until the broadband cable has been installed. The notice board will be moved back and the path widened at the same time. We are grateful to the Monday Gang for their continuing commitment and care of the churchyard. ## **Other land** The Diocese has finally confirmed to Andrew Gore that the land between Church Cottage and the previous Rectory was retained by the Diocesan Board of Finance when the Rectory building was sold. The Parish Council has given tacit approval to surfacing the parking area with gravel, and it may be advantageous to grub up the shrubs adjacent to the Churchyard wall at the same time to improve access and reveal more of what is an attractive wall. The existing notice board at the top of Church Lane outside the Infant School is rotten, and the cost of repair would be high. We are proposing that it should be replaced by a metal unit, slightly larger than one of the panels on the board outside the Church. ## **Relationship with the Friends of St Mary’s** The formal process for requesting funding from the Friends has been instigated and used twice in the last six months. We are grateful to the Friends for funding the design scheme for the lighting, and agreeing to fund SmartWater application to the roof of the North aisle and porch and easing of the inner door to the base of the tower. ## **Future work** The PCC has agreed that Henry Freeland, the church’s statutory architect, should be invited to prepare a specification for the QI works to allow tenders to be invited. However, this has been 22 ## **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** delayed so that the cabling and installation of the new lighting system can be included. As well as the buff pamments, Andrew Gore has identified a source for red pamments which have been approved in principle by the DAC Secretary for repairs to the floor. We are awaiting a quotation for these. We have received a thorough proposal from the third lighting consultant, Norwich Architectural Lighting, initially by Zoom, but were able to meet in the Church after Easter and separated elements of the scheme into essential, nice to have and non-essential. It is hoped this will reduce the hardware element of the scheme by up to £10,000. In addition there will be a cost of circa £4,500 for the Wi-Fi switching system, and the installation cost. The PCC hopes to undertake re-lighting alongside the Quinquennial works, subject to DAC approval. It is proposed that financial contributions should be sought from the Village at large for this work, in addition to a request for financial assistance from the Friends. Initial remedial work to the organ bellows has been approved. Quotations to clean and overhaul the organ have been obtained by the Director of Music, and it is hoped that Grant funding may be obtainable for this work. It is felt that the proposed re-orientation of the organ is not currently affordable. Richard Tonry. Chairman, Fabric Committee, on behalf of the Churchwardens, 4[th] May 2021 ## **8. DEANERY SYNOD REPORT** A new Deanery Synod (for a 3-year term) came into being in December 2020 and we welcomed several new Deanery Synod representatives. The Deanery Synod members will soon be voting on representatives for the new Synod of (Ely) Diocesan Synod. In turn, there will then be elections for General Synod which begins its new term in November 2021. At the meetings of Granta Deanery Synod (usually 3 meetings a year) we receive reports from both Diocesan and General Synod, so the links between these groups are maintained. Members of General Synod are automatically members of Diocesan and Deanery Synod. This means that our Rural Dean, Revd Simon Talbott, a member of General Synod, is a member of all 3 Synods. Deanery Synod has only met twice (via Zoom) in the period in question – November 2020 and April 2021. We had hoped to meet in person, but this was not possible. However, with the help of technology we have been able to participate in 2 useful sessions. **In November 2020 – “Getting to know you – Sharing a view of your deanery”** with Phil Marsh, Diocesan Development Officer: Inherited Church and Mark Rodel, Diocesan Development Officer for Fresh Expressions and Pioneer Ministry. We looked at what parishes have achieved during the pandemic as well as exploring the challenges and looking to the future. We hope to use the material from this session when putting together the Deanery Plan later this year to look at levels of ministry, finance and future plans. **At the April 2021 Synod,** David Parry-Smith led an update on Mental Health First Aid (following a session in April 2019). The hope is that it may be possible to set up a group of Mental Health First Aiders in the Deanery who would then train to become accredited Mental Health First Aiders. We would be interested to know if there are already any schemes in existence. It was good to see several visitors from Linton at this meeting. 23 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** **Finance** – Michael Younger (Deanery Treasurer) has produced a post Covid Recovery Plan to encourage and support churches in the Deanery on financial matters. It has been difficult for some parishes to pay their full Ministry Share in 2020 and the position looks more bleak in 2021. Michael is keen to encourage churches to adopt the Parish Giving Scheme in the Deanery and already 12 out of 24 parishes are doing so. **Youthinc** – has now been in existence for 5 years. Youthinc enables young people to link with their local church and have contact with a Christian Youth worker so they can explore their faith. This is particularly relevant for smaller parishes with no regular youth work provision. Youthinc employs a part-time youth worker through Youth for Christ. St Mary’s has supported the project financially for the past 3 years. Andrew Gore and I are the elected Deanery Synod Reps from Linton. Andrew is also Lay Chair of the Deanery Synod, and Anne Parry-Smith is the Secretary of the Deanery Synod and I am grateful to her for drafting this report. David Parry-Smith Deanery Synod Representative 7 May 2021 24 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **9. REPORTS FROM GROUPS AND ACTIVITIES** The following are reports from Church activities, including some services. Thanks to all those who have contributed reports. The text has been left in the original style provided by the author. The named individual can provide further information about any aspect. ## **9.1. BEACON YOUTH TRUST REPORT** The Beacon Trust and its youth work has remained an important contribution to village life, despite lockdowns and other restrictions. Our youth worker, Lizzie Bottrill, was initially furloughed during the first lockdown, but since then has maintained contact with a good number of young people through on-line meetings where it has not been possible to meet with them physically, and in those parts of the year where more face to face meeting has been allowed she and her co-worker, Stella, and the volunteers have run groups in the Drop In Centre on the Rec., made contact with ‘hard-to reach’ young people through detached youth work, and taken full advantage of the youth work Covid provisions which allowed some face to face support and individual mentoring even during the Autumn lockdown. During the summer period, the Drop In Centre was handed over to the Beacon Trust’s ownership by Linton Action 4 Youth, (LA4Y - now largely defunct), and a great deal of improvement and decorative work was done, much of it by Lizzie and Stella with young people themselves. A previous part-time sessional worker, Jacob, brought the electrical wiring and devices up to date, without charge for labour. The activity at the centre itself proved the catalyst for more contacts with young people who had previously not been involved. Whilst Lizzie has successfully recruited volunteers to help with the youth sessions, she has recently been hoping to recruit more, which is very necessary. On the Church front, Lizzie has this year participated regularly in SMYG’s monthly meetings on-line, leading games and Bake-Off competitions, and has been a great support for Michael and Maggie in the leadership of the group. She has equivalent contacts in the Free Church. We are sorry that the hope she entertained last year of setting-up a joint Bible Study group for the young people of both churches fell victim to Covid 19 restrictions. She did, however, for a while last spring and summer, run online creative writing groups as a voluntary enterprise, which involved young people of both churches. We are very sorry that Lizzie is leaving at the end of May, but we understand how difficult it is for single young adults to acquire settled and affordable housing in this area - something which has affected Lizzie. However, she also has a strong sense of call to something new, which may give her more time for her creative writing. She assures us that Linton will always have a place in her heart, and that she has enjoyed her time here. We are grateful that the partnership with Romsey Mill remains firm, and that they will not only take the lead in recruitment of a new worker for Beacon but also continue to support its ongoing youth programme with sessional work while there is a vacancy in the post here. Romsey Mill, as the official employer of the Beacon Trust’s youth worker, also provides valuable management, networking and training support for youth workers when in post; this is something which Lizzie has appreciated. So we go forward in a good state, still wellsupported by the Parish Council, and with the hope and potential for Beacon Youth Trust to 25 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** go on supporting both ‘secular’ and church-based youth work into the future. The Trustees from St Mary’s are Hannah Foote, David Watts, Hugh Paton (treasurer) and Maggie Guite (secretary), along with Stephen Munday (chair), Daniel Gilbert and Alasdair McBean from Linton Free Church. ## Maggie Guite ## **9.2. BELL RINGERS** Despite all the troubles, the bell ringers have still managed to stay active during the past year. During the summer we were able to ring for the 10am service with restrictions in place (only 4 people in the tower for 15 minutes), but this was reduced through the autumn and winter to only one person either chiming a single bell, or using the Ellacombe chime (at the bottom of the tower). Additionally, we were able to mark significant events through the year with the tolling of a bell for Remembrance Sunday in November, the National Day of Reflection in March, and the recent death and funeral of Prince Philip. We have also been able to stay in touch with each other by meeting online every Wednesday evening when we would normally be practicing and ringing virtually. We are also looking forward to being able to return to the tower in the coming months as restrictions are lifted. If you are interested in finding out more please contact our secretary Sue Ellis on sue.ellis@stmaryslinton.org.uk ## Stephen Croxall, Tower Captain ## **9.3. EVENTS COMMITTEE** The Events committee has had several changes over the past year. Pam Richardson stood down as chair and left the committee along with Rebecca Richardson and Derek Lockstone. We will miss them from the committee and thank them for all their work on the committee over the years. I have taken on the role of chair and am supported by the remaining committee members. We have also been unable to hold the face to face events that we had planned. Instead we have adapted and held various virtual events including a virtual bake off, several zoom quizzes, a virtual garden show, a paper quiz, a virtual Christmas tree show, several children’s drawing competitions, virtual bingo and an evening with Malcom Guite via zoom. We are due to run a picture quiz with images around Linton from late May to 26[th] June, see details on the pewsheet. The aim of the events committee is to enhance the social life of the church and to cover its costs. We are very pleased to let you know that despite the restrictions this year we have managed to make a surplus of £1,245.75 for church funds. Charlotte Ellis, Chair ## **9.4. FLOWER MINISTRY** The flower ministry like everything else has had a tough year as we relied on a monthly collection but with donations and support from the team, we were able to deck the church weekly (when open) and decorate the church for Christmas and Easter. We would welcome new arrangers. Help will be given if needed. Lian Watkin 26 ## **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **9.5. LINTON C E INFANT SCHOOL** ## **Governing Body** Over the last academic year the Governing Body has said goodbye to Hilary Angetter and welcomed Michael Wilcockson. Michael’s term started from January and, with a bit of forward planning, he hit the ground running and has already attended Full Governor meetings, a Foundation Governor meeting and the Curriculum and Data Committee meeting. We are delighted to have him on board and we wish him all the very best going forward. The rest of the Foundation Governors are Sue Filby (Pastoral Link Governor), Hannah Foote (RE Link Governor), Moire Jarritt (Humanities Link Governor), Jacqui Burge (Music and PE Link Governor), Cathy Watts (Phonics, Emotions 4 Learning/PHSE and SIAMS Link Governor), and Michael Younger (English and Safeguarding Link Governor). In my role of Chair and Foundation Governor, I am Art and SEND Link Governor and also filled in as Finance and DT Link in Hilary’s absence. I sit on all three Committees and Chair Finance and Property. I have been involved with Steph Booth with five sessions of well-being training across the academic year and join the Well-being Working Party led by Louise Cooper, a member of the SLT. Every term Kelly and I meet with the Head and Chair at Linton Heights Junior School to compare notes and work together on areas such as transition to the Junior School. My role includes being part of the Headteacher Assessment meetings with Michael and Moire and making myself available to sit in on interviews or respond quickly to any pressing concerns which may arise. I am pleased to say that we have a strong body of individuals who are enthusiastic in their roles to hold the school to account and to support and monitor all that the school does. We have been blessed to have had individuals who have volunteered their time, with a healthy diversity of skills and expertise. We are now at full capacity with 14 Governors, (including Kelly Harries and myself), three Associate Governors and Emma Hicks, our Clerk. We continue to meet via Zoom and, despite minor hiccups in the technical department, this is working well. Governor Training has also continued over Zoom which has made it so accessible and has resulted in record uptake by governors. All governors have commented on the merits of training this way and we hope it is something that will continue. It has been a tricky year in terms of finding a balance in dealing with what we have been faced with. We have not been able to monitor subjects etc. as we would normally expect to, therefore many usual Governor duties would not have been practical or sensitive to the situation. Our priorities continue to focus on: Mental Health and Well-being and SEND Health and Safety Safeguarding Budget We have just started to look at how we can collect and present data, given the incredibly difficult job of measuring progress over the last year. Remote learning was a challenge for most staff and they all did a fantastic job. In March we would have normally had a full day of Governor Business, which involves a whole day at school. Top and tailing with a Board meeting and a very finely planned day of small groups observing and being presented to, including the chance to chat to parents on the school gates and have lunch with the children! (Always a highlight for me!) 27 ## **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** Covid restrictions forced us to be creative this year. We decided to provide a timetable of assembly sessions, lessons, stilling (calming sessions linked to E4L), and story time slots over the week, so that Governors could observe what and how lessons were being taught, how this was working and how well the children were engaging. This was a great way to gain insight and give feedback on our observations; information which is in the form of Governor Visit reports, which will be circulated to all Governors for the next meeting. Myself, Moire and Michael will be meeting with Kelly to look at how we are going to progress by revisiting the SIDP, assess together what our short term and long term plans need to be and to help and support Kelly in making those key decisions. As the landscape has changed somewhat it is important that we continue to react sensibly and sensitively, particularly in the areas of assessment, transition, and wellbeing. We will also look at any weaknesses and plan how best to address this and also finding better ways of celebrating our successes, of which there have been many! The budget has obviously suffered and has been subject to very thorough and careful scrutiny by Liz Brooker and Kelly Harries, with the help of regular meetings with the LA Financial Adviser, Ray Byford. Kelly and Liz have worked hard to try and drive down a deficit figure to an amount which is both realistic and acceptable. We have a plan that will aim to get us back to a balanced budget over the next financial year. Being creative and dedicated to fundraising for the school will be as important as ever, crucial to ensuring we can provide quality of teaching, experiences and resources for our children. So, if any of you can help with generating funds through contacts you may have or have any ideas as to what you might be able to do, we would, sincerely love to hear from you! A date for your diaries - the School Summer Fair will be on the Friday 9th July between 5-7pm. It would be lovely to see you there and if you would like to help on a stall or in any other way, please contact Emma Hicks on reception. We would be grateful of any support; this will be the first social fundraising event we have had for some time! Huge thanks to all the Governors who have continued with their invaluable support with time, engagement and communication. Having got to this point, I believe that the Governors have done a great job in supporting and challenging Kelly and the staff team who have responded with enormous levels of dedication, and hard work needed to provide care and education for our children this year. It has been extremely tough and stressful at times, but we are coming through it. We have been fortunate to experience low infection and high attendance rates. The staff team remain a very tight group and with the support of the parent community the school has excelled itself. All the evidence you need is to see the smiles on the children’s faces as they rush in through the gates every morning! Key: SEND – Special Educational Needs and Disability SENDCo – SEND Co-ordinator SIAMS – Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodists Schools E4L – Emotions for Learning (A range of methods taught for children to practice good relationships and to help them recognise and equip the children with techniques to help manage them) Nicola Collard (Chair of Governors) 28 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **Friday Church** Since the beginning of this academic year I continued to deliver Friday Church via video so this could be watched on a screen in class ‘bubbles’ at school and also via a school link so children could access it from home during lockdown. Since January this year I have been doing an assembly live on Zoom. Every class bubble ‘attends’ and we also get a few joining from home, including parents and a couple of Governors usually. Claire Coulson, our SIAMS link at the Diocese joined us last week and she gave a glowing feedback to Kelly, which was good to hear and very encouraging. I covered some Old Testament stories at the start of the year moving on to talk about Advent. After the Christmas story we continued with Jesus growing up leading to what Lent means to the Easter story, doubting Thomas and then Ascension. I try to follow the Christian calendar where possible or appropriate. I use a mixture of resources, sometimes just inventing my own thing. Occasionally I may do an assembly based on a theme, for example prayer or being kind or being patient. From next week onwards I will be mostly telling stories and parables of Jesus, starting with ‘The Marvellous Picnic’ - (the feeding of the five thousand!) I always like do things a little differently and use pictures and props. I also like to plant seeds of thought or set a small challenge so they can have something to take away with them, in a spiritual sense. The basic format remains the same. We have obviously had to improvise on a few things, like the lighting of the altar candles which the children always did at church. Now Kelly lights a candle in her office which stands on a table covered by a cloth of the corresponding liturgical colour of the season. Doing the service on Zoom is so much better; I get to see most of the children, we are now able to introduce the readers back and it feels a bit more like it should be. Although I can get the children to do simple actions or sounds and a thumbs up or down, I do miss interacting with the children as much as I used to. I would always have a chat with some of the children, teachers and parents before the service and they sometimes would participate in the story, I like to roam through with the microphone asking questions and getting feedback, (which was always fun!), and I loved doing a high five with each and every child as they left the church. I do hope that the children can return to church soon. However, the fact that Friday Church has been consistent throughout, provides the familiarity of the routine and an important connection between the church and the school. It has been much appreciated and supported by Kelly Harries, parents, and staff alike. ## Nicola Collard ## **9.6. CHURCH LINKS WITH LINTON HEIGHTS JUNIOR SCHOOL** There is not much to report here as we still haven’t resumed a school church assembly. The main reason for this is that it was just a step too much for both myself and Chris Kemshell. I hope that we might be able to start again at some point in the near future. James Puxley is working with GenR8 in providing resources, particularly the year six moving up booklets, funded by all three churches in Linton. The school put together a wonderful Easter service, over ‘Teams’ which the whole school attended along with parents too. It was lovely! There were videos of singing and the children acting out the story of The Three Trees. Maggie sent a recording of a short reflection and I 29 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** joined live to conclude with a prayer. It was extremely well put together by Emma Mason and it was a joy to be part of it. Nicola Collard ## **9.7. CHILDREN AND FAMILIES MINISTRY** Selwyn Hughes said, “The world is changing. If we play by the old rules, we’ll lose the new battles.” Change! This year, we have seen so much of it! It has sometimes felt overwhelming, but looking back there have been encouraging and exciting developments in the ministry of St Mary’s Church among children and their families. Highlights include: 1. Not only keeping contact with families through a year of restrictions on meeting face-to-face, but deepening relationships with many and making lots of new contacts. We have achieved this by - a. Moving Holiday Club to YouTube, with a film each week including a Bible story and Tilly the Toucan, and an activity bag with lots of crafts and ideas for things to do. - b. Advent Windows Trail, encouraging the whole village community to get out and wonder at the Biblical Christmas story portrayed in windows of shops and homes. - c. Easter Trail, working with our friends at Linton URC. - d. Activity bags on seasonal themes, including Harvest, Light, Remembrance, Nativity, Mothering Sunday. The doorstep visits to deliver bags have been crucial to their success. 2. Learning new skills. In March 2020, we hadn’t even heard of Zoom! Our IT skills have had to increase. The past year has seen lots of training opportunities and online ways to share ideas and learn together with Christians across the world. 3. The launch of our renewed vision and action plan on November 15[th] 2020 saw St Mary’s partner with TLG (Transforming Lives for Good). Planning and fundraising began towards opening a Make Lunch club. We celebrated all the ways we include children and families – Nicola Collard drew a fantastic illustration to help us do this. 4. We have partnered with Linton Community Help Team to deliver Christmas Kindness and Boxes of Hope to families in the village who are vulnerable in the school holidays when they miss the usual support. 30 **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** | : ; a Sarah was licensed as an LLM Children and Families Minister to the Linton Team in October. Looking forward, we will work towards implementing the Church of England “Growing Faith” report, where we see church, school and household communities linking. The focus is on life-long faith formation. r , iy Thank you to all those who have delivered activity bags and Boxes of Hope; to those who have patiently helped Sarah with moving things online; to those who have volunteered to help as we re-opened Tots in the Garden and prepare to re-launch Messy Church; to those who have encouraged and prayed for Sarah and the team. Please will you continue to hold the children and families of Linton in prayer, and those who work with them, as we move into the next year. As Covid-restrictions ease we have the potential to serve a new generation in new ways. Sarah Thorne on behalf of Children and Families Team 31 ## **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **9.8. TOGETHER WITH GOD** Cathy Watts and I continue with the TWG services once a month via Zoom. (With the exception in March when the sermons were on the theme of ‘Understanding the Bible’). As always we like to offer something for the whole family, young and old and we enjoy the challenge! These services do require a lot of planning as we like to introduce a fresh presentation every time. Recently we have sent out personal invitations to families; at Easter this had a huge response. We had families attend the service who have never even been to church before which was wonderful. Usually we have always provided something for everyone to take away with them, a bookmark, prayer bracelet, mini scripture scrolls etc. For the last two services on Zoom starting with Easter we put together craft bags for families with young children. These were delivered in person and they had something to do before the service and things to do during and after. A similar thing was done with invitations and craft bags for ‘The Good Shepherd’ service. Unfortunately this didn’t have such a successful uptake, for a few reasons we could guess at. But having made those connections, we have something to build on and it will be interesting to see how we progress. It is such a blessing to be able to provide something which is able to specifically target young children. The TWG service triggers such positive response. We are always delighted and so encouraged by what people have made the effort to voice in their feedback. We are really glad that people enjoy the format and find that they can connect to some part of the service which they have been touched by on a deeply personal level. Cathy and I very much enjoy working together in planning these services and hope to continue and grow in it. Thank you for all your support. Nicola Collard ## **9.9. SPACE FOR THE SPIRIT** In August 2020, at the request of the Ministry Team, Space for the Spirit resumed its monthly Reflections, this time on Zoom, which has been surprisingly successful. Sadly, Colleen later had to withdraw from the Team: we were sorry to lose such a valued contributor, whose ideas really enhanced our Reflections. However, we were fortunate that Hélène offered to join the Team, and we’ve been delighted to welcome her. We’ve met on the second Tuesday of each month, at 7.30 pm, for around 40 minutes. Themes have been varied and have included such subjects as Holy Ground, Patience, Trees, Winter and Decisions. Space for the Spirit seeks to provide a calm, quiet and reflective time at the end of the day, using different kinds of music, poetry, readings (secular and Biblical), video and images. An email list is kept so that regular and occasional attenders can be sent a Zoom link each month. Do get in touch at sfts@stmaryslinton.org.uk for more information or for your name to be added. Molly Warrington 32 ## **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** ## **9.10. MOTHERS’ UNION** The Linton Branch of the Mothers’ Union normally meets on the third Monday of the month, at 7.45 pm in the Church Pavilion. During the pandemic, meetings are currently held via Zoom, at 7.30 pm, until such a time when we can meet face to face again. Everyone is welcome to attend. The programme for the year is on the church website. In 2020, following the initial lockdown, we managed only one face to face meeting, a socially distanced BYO picnic in a member’s garden in August. Thankfully the weather was perfect. MU members were not idle during 2020 lockdowns and some made masks and PPI gowns and others sold plants for MU funds. In November, our AGM was our first meeting held via Zoom, followed by our Christmas social when we got together for chat, food and drinks and a few games and quizzes. So far in 2021, we have enjoyed a variety of meetings, starting in January with a very interesting talk including photos by Catherine Richardson about her Diocesan trip to Southern India. In February we had a general knowledge quiz. Michael Wilcockson led a wonderful Lent meditation in March and during our April meeting we heard Yannick Auckland talk about her walk along the Camino Way, again with lovely photos. Members offer each other practical support and prayer at difficult times in our lives, and aim to uphold the world wide Mothers’ Union purpose and values of Christian family life. If you would like to know more about the Mothers’ Union please don’t hesitate to contact Margaret Smith, Denise Thurston or Sue Mudge or check out www.mothersunion.org ## Denise Thurston, Branch secretary ## **9.11. MUSIC MINISTRY** During the period under review, with some services in church and many more on Zoom, some lockdown music has been provided by the choir. Fortunately, we had made a CD entitled “Waiting for the King” several years ago. This has been particularly suitable for Advent and Christmas music with a local feel of our own choir. Recording myself (and listening to myself afterwards) is not my favourite activity. However, I have recorded organ music for online services, including many favourites (“Rhosymedre” by Vaughan Williams, Handel’s Largo from Serse, and music by Pärt, Rutter and Bach – amongst many others. In addition, I have recorded some little improvisations of my own – again to provide some familiarity of style, along with pieces that are distinctively “of Linton”. The Viscount digital organ at The Copse has really come into its own in helping us through this. I have also been able to provide some real organ music at services in church, when permitted. Other music has been gathered from useful resources, including St Martins Voices, via A Church Near You (CofE), and other licenced material to which we have access. Singing by choir and/or congregation is still not possible, though we are hopeful this may soon change. We took a decision that singing would be minimal (just a cantor in church) until we could all join in. I keep an eye on the guidance from the Royal School of Church Music[*] (with which the church is affiliated). Of course, we must be mindful of the constraints due to the comparative lack of space at St Mary’s and the challenges this poses for ensuring social distancing. 33 ## **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** During Lent and Easter, we decided to hold some Friday night choir rehearsals on Zoom to get everyone back into the singing habit. This was an interesting experience, and it was heartening that many members of the choir were able to participate. It was clear from the chat at the end of the rehearsal that people appreciated the chance to talk as well as sing! Several singers have been able to record their hymn singing (and even an anthem for Palm Sunday by David Halls – “Wash me throughly”). This was all done in singers’ homes to a backing track which I had pre-recorded (organ or piano with me and Anne singing the melody). I then put all the voice tracks together (using software with the unlikely title of “GarageBand” – but very effective it is). The finished result appeared on the PowerPoint presentations for the Zoom service and for some church services. I have recorded some more organ music that we can use on Zoom services and when I am unable to be present at church. During the pandemic, although not everyone has been able to join in our virtual music making in praise of God – we have welcomed one or two new singers. Thanks be to God! David Parry-Smith Director of Music * Members of the congregation may be interested to know that the RSCM is the Church of England’s officially recognised body for consultation on musical matters. I am the Ely Area Team Leader (having previously been Chair of the now disbanded committee). We are looking forward to working with the new team to bring about the new RSCM vision for music and liturgy in the Diocese. ## **9.12. PASTORAL GROUP** The Pastoral Group visit regularly, as individuals, but on behalf of St Mary’s, members of our church family unable to attend services through ill-health or frailty, or bereaved families and those living alone. Such visits are at the request of clergy or through family, friends or neighbours. At present, there are seven lay members of the Group, plus three clergy. In addition to the clergy, nine people are authorised to take Home Communion. Individuals undertake the safeguarding training required by the Diocese. Home visiting has obviously not taken place since March 2020 because of Covid restrictions, but contact has been maintained as far as possible with around twenty people, mostly by regular telephone calls, throughout the pandemic. Judy Nightingale, Convenor ## **9.13. THE FRIENDS OF ST MARY’S** This report covers the year April 2020 to March 2021. “The Friends” was formed in 1984 to help with the expenses associated with maintaining St Mary’s. Currently there are almost 90 members who pay a membership fee each year. This money goes towards the maintenance of the church. The Friends also manage the Godel Trust (a bequest from the last organist) as well as raising funds by holding social events throughout the year. 34 ## **St Mary the Virgin, Linton** In the last year The Friends have provided over £10,000 to cover the cost of maintenance and improvements to St Mary’s. Discussions have taken place between the PCC and The Friends Committee concerning the development of a Protocol that defines a formal approach by the PCC for requesting money from The Friends to pay for maintenance or improvements. This Protocol was approved and is now operational – it will help manage the financial commitments and will be useful as we move into a time when there could be many requests for support (for instance new lighting, organ repairs and re-ordering). It has not been possible to hold our regular social events during this last year because of the COVID Pandemic and consequently we have not been able to add to the funds available. We have been dependant on the annual subscriptions from members and also on the interest that we receive from the Godel Trust. We would welcome new members who wish to assist in the funding of the maintenance and improvements to St Mary’s. The Friends have historically funded all of the costs associated with maintenance identified at the Quinquennial examination enabling the PCC to use their funds for other purposes. It is hoped that all church members will consider joining The Friends to assist in the funding of this important work. I would like to thank all the Committee for their work throughout the year. I have, once again, taken a back seat for the last three months as I have had to have another major operation but have been happy to know that The Friends has been in good hands. Our Treasurer (Hugh Paton) has done an excellent job in managing our finances and Judy Nightingale (our President) and Margaret Cox (our Secretary) have kept the charity running. ## Chris Morse Chair – The Friends of St Mary’s, Linton ## **9.14. THE MONDAY GANG IN THE CHURCHYARD** As for everyone, it has been a strange year for the members of the Monday Gang. The first Lockdown hit just as we were about to start working in the churchyard so we all ‘stayed at home’. Some weeks later Maggie indicated that churchyard maintenance was permissible, so we took up our duties, mostly working individually and at various times. Mowing, pruning and weeding were thus delayed which turned out to be an advantage. To our surprise all sorts of varieties of wild flowers we had not seen before sprung up all over the place. We let these go to seed and are looking forward to them re-appearing this year. Letting the seeds develop did mean that the churchyard looked less tidy in places for a while. As it was the third year in a row of drought during the summer the grass grew less, so less mowing was required. So far this spring although there has been little rain, the grass looks healthy and it has not grown much. The only area of damage is at the sides of the footpaths crossing the churchyard, the result of more people walking through the churchyard and maintaining ‘social distance’. ## Margaret Cox 35