St Luke's Church- Hedge End Annual Parochial Church Meeting Incorporating the Annual Meeting of the Parishioners th Sunday 10 May 2026 THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL (ALSO KNOWN AS TRUSTEES) OF THE PARISH OF HEDGE END. ST LUKE Charity Registration No: 1142990
CONTENTS Page Number INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rev Ben Jones, Introductory Remarks 1.2 Administrative Ir)formation 1.3 Income and Reserves 1.4 Structure, Governance and Management 1.5 Membership of PCC 1.6 PCC'S Objectives and Activities 2. REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2025 2.1 Reports (al Standing Committee, Senior Leadership Team ISLT) and Ministry Leadership Team IMLT) (bl Pastoral Icl Children and Youth Sub-committee (il Children's Church Groups for O-I l Year Olds (ill Youth Ministry Mission and Outreach Id) Christian Aid Hedge End. West End and Botley Churches Together lili) Encounter Afternoon Tea liv) Snowdrop Care Home {v) Open the Book Ivi) Minnows Playgroup {viil Youth Café {viiil Book Club {ix) St Luke's Walking Group (x) Israeli Dancing (xi) Not So Strictly St Luke's (xli) Ladies, Group (xiii) Men's Ministry Buildings Sub-commlttee Communications and Publicity Sub-committee Eco Church Sub-committee 15 16 17 17 lel 18 ifj 19 Ig) (h) Finance Sub-committee 21 2.1 Churchwardens and Assistant Churchwarden's Report 2.2 Eastleigh Deanery Synod Representatives, Report 2.3 Electoral Roll and Church Attendance 2.4 Safeguarding 22 23 24 24
Annual Report for Year Ending 315t December 2025 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rev Ben Jones. (Vicar) Introductory Remarks 2025 was another great year in the life of St. Luke's. As you'll see as you read through the rest of the report, so much good stuff happened! I can't mention everything here (that's what the rest of the report is for!) but there are a few things I want to pick up on. People, of course, are the key component in making St. Luke's such a great place to be. We've had lots of new people join the church and new people join our various teams and min istries. Thi5 is crucial, as St. Luke's couldn't operate if we didn't all play our part. Every gift is important and every act of service is treasured, but there are a few people who deserve special mention here. Clive left his post as curate back in April and we were sad to see him go. He and Judith were such a blessing to us at St. Luke's and we miss them very muchl Maddie also left her p05t as Youth Ministry Co-ordinator IYMC) at Christmastime but thankfully is remaining with us as a normal (everythings relative!) member of the congregation. Her leadership of our youth ministry wa5 excellent and she laid fantastic foundations for Ben, our brilliant new YMC, to build upon. There are two other people leaving their posts at this APCM. Louise Brown has been our Treasurer for six years and has done wonderful work in bringing order, coherence and strategy to our accounts. We are incredibly indebted to her and also delighted to welcome Sarah Stapleton on board as Louise's successor. Rosie Adams is concluding three years as a churchwarden. Ifs hard to express how much she has done, and continues to do, for St. Luke's, often behind the scenes. She has a Servant heart, willing hands and a Godly focus and her partnership with Martin Phillips, our other marvellous warden, has been a real blessing to me as the vicar My particular highlights of 2025 were Hedge End's Got Talent, where so many people from our local community came in to be entertained by some brilliant youngsters,. Easter Day, where we baptised a load of people; and Christmas, where our rich variety of services attracted record numbers of people and were so much funl There were a plethora of other things going on, so do read on to discover more. For now, let me close with a bible verse that I've been enjoying recently: 'And if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead Is living in you. he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his spirit who lives in you., Romans 8-11
God's Holy Spirit lives in us, and in our church. That power raised Jesu5 from the dead - who knows what he might do in us this year.. I cant wait to find out! Revd Cunon Ben Jones, Vicar, St Luke s Hedge End 1.2 Administrative Information th This Annual Report was approved by PCC ITrusteesl on 16 March 2026, The Parish of Hedge End (North), St Luke, is part of the Diocese of Winchester within the Church of England and is in the Eastleigh Deanery. Bank: Co-operative Bank, Kings Valley, Yew Street Stockport. Independent Auditor: Russell Lee 1.3 Income and Reserves St Luke's has the Charity Registration Number 1142990. As anticipated in the last annual report, income is at a level that requires Charity Commission Registration. The Reserves Policy was reviewed and amended during 2025. It is now the policy of this Church to hold in reserve £30,000. This figure was agreed by PCC in November 2025 following a review. It is deemed to be appropriate bearing in mind the Charity Commission's advice about determining the corrett level of reserves for their particular organisation. The Commission recommends that charities develop their reserves policy and their planning at the same time, recognising that strategic and financial planning informs the development of reserves pollcles and vice versa. Consideration is given to forecasting for levels of income and expenditure in the current and future years. analysis of future needs, opportunities, commitments and risks and an assessment on the likelihood of a shortfall arising. 1.4 Strurture. Governance and Management The method of appointment of Parochial Church Council members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to PCC. Guidelines on the role and responslbilities of PCC and Deanery Synod Representatives are available from the Vicar and Churchwardens.
1.5 Membership of PCC (also known as Trustees) During the year, the following served as members of the PCC: Ex-officio: Revd Ben Jones Revd Clive Beard R05ie Adams Martin Phillips ILayVice Chair) Lay Minister Vicar Curate (until April 20251 Churchwarden Churchwarden & Licensed Elected Members of PCC: Emma Blamey David Cuthbert, Deanery Synod Representative Mandy Dean, Deanery Synod Representative Alastair Dobson Janet Compton Gary Holcombe, Deanery Synod Representative Sam Mathew Rose Spink Nibu Thomas sara Thomas Co-o ted Members of PCC: Anne DufFin In attendance Observer ht Chris Beek Maddie Thorp, Youth Ministry Co-ordinator Jeanette Harrison, Parish Administrator, has served as Secretary to PCC Notes Those noted as ex-officio are members by virtue of their position in the Church including all licensed clergy in the parish, LLM'S, Churchwardens and Lay Deanery Synod Representatives. Co-opted - PCC can co-opt people. Co-opted members have the same voting rights as elected and ex-officio members. 1.6 PCC'S Objectives and Activitie5 St Luke's PCC has the responsibllity of co-operating with the Vicar in promoting. in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC operates
through several sub-committees that meet in between PCC meetings. These sub-committees are: Senior Leadership Team Ministry Leadership Team (MLTI Children & Youth Buildings Eco Church Finance The following Working Groups have been established to effect specific tasks: Pastoral Home Group Leaders Socials Publicity Revlew of the Year 2025 2.1 Reports la) Standing Committee Senior Leadership Team (SLD and Ministry Leadership Team (MLT) Standing Committee did not meet in person during 2025 but did deal with two small issues via email SLT (Senior Leadership Team) 15 comprised of the clergy, churchwardens and up to three lay members, appointed by the PCC. This year. Alex Whitfield and Mandy Dean have served alongside Benjones, Martin Phillips, Rosie Adams and, for the first part of the year, Michael Crutchley and Clive Beard. We met six times and discussed topics including the church roof, finances, replacing Maddie Thorp as Youth Ministry Co-ordinator and taking part in the Grow Course. MLT (Ministry Leadership Team) is comprised of all service leaders, preachers and worship leaders and met three times in 2025. It has been great to expand the team. with Chris Beel Nicole Carpenter, Kerry Holcombe, Maddie Thorp and Rich Douglas all either joining the team or taking on new responsibilities alongside the more established members of Anca Antoci, Martin Phillips, Gary Holcombe, Juliette Ribi. Michael Crutchley and Clive Beard. The All-ln Planning Team also met 9 times during the year. l am incredibly grateful to all who serve on these teams and who give so freely of their time, skill, wisdom and energy. We are very
blessed as a church to have so many gifted leaders, both strategic and upfront, and to have services which are so much fun! Revd Canon Ben Jones {bl Pastoral St Luke's pastoral ministry continues to be led by our pastoral team, Ben, Clive until his move, Sue and Rosie, welcoming Nicki Short to the team in the summer. Meeting regularly to pray and chat to check that we are aware of those who are having a difficult time and to make sure that appropriate support of prayer and practical help 15 offered and given. We also offer to pray, and can arrange to offer practical support, or a listening ear which is confidential within the pastoral team. In addition, we provide pastoral care for church members and others provided by the small groups. and all the other ministries that we have in St Luke's. I would like to thank everyone who has taken time to chat. get alongside. WhatsApp and offer 5UPPOrt by cooking, giving lifts and befriending another person. A real team effortl The pastoral team can be contacted on care k or in person. We also have stlukeshed eend.co. k for prayer requests which are not confidential but are then prayed for by a group of people who are on the prayer tree. Thank you to everyone on the prayer tree for your faithful prayers! er Sue Phillip5 Icl Children and Youth Sub-committee Children's Church group5 for O-11 year old5.' This report is for the year 2025 and is about groups offered on a Sunday morning for children aged 0-11 years old. Children's church doesn't meet on the first Sunday of the month which is an all in service. Because of the broad age range of children in the group leaders and volunteers require skills where they can adapt the teaching and activities to be all inclusive so that every age can be involved and engaged in learning about God. In January, we started the year with 7 volunteers and used the red and blue Compendium Scripture Union books which we carried on using all year. We looked at the life of Jesus when he was on earth and some of the
amazing things he did before moving on to the Easter story. In the spring term we had a total of 95 children attending over 11 weeks meaning that there was an average of 9 children attending per week. For Mothering Sunday, Juliette helped the children make lovely poses for the ladies of the church which were handed out during the service. In the summer term we used the usual resources and started off by looking at God creating the world. After the half term we looked at a different characteristic of God each week i.eJoy, peace, generous etc... We had 81 children attending children's church over 10 weeks meaning that on average there were 8 children per session. Myself and some volunteers were able to empty and sort out the cupboard in the children's church room in May meaning that we found lots of resources we could use in the sessions and we were also able to recycle and get rid of things that weren't needed making the cupboard more accessible and easier to navigate. During the summer term we gained 4 more volunteers which was absolutely brilliant and meant that each helper did t have to do so many weeks over the half term. We were also able to have a meeting after church with Ben where we could discuss children's church in detail and talk about challenges and positives. In the autumn term we looked at David and the different aspects of his personality which the children found very interesting. We then had a couple of sessions looking at Nehemiah before moving on to the Christmas story. Louise Killick led the nativity this year with help from Dianna and some of the volunieers and they did a brilliant job. J7 joined the children's church children on stage and they all carried out an amazing performance followed by some really positive feedback from the congregation. Over the 13 weeks of the autumn term 125 children attended meaning that on average 10 children attended per session.
Conseni Forms Consent forms are being completed when new children regularly attend the group. They are kept in the register which is locked in a box in the office. Birthday cards are sent out byjeanette to the children from children's church on their birthday during the year. Consent for this is included on the consent form. The children appreciate the lovely gift from Jeanette. The display boards in room 3 are still used to display church events and important themes and is kindly updated byjuliette. This continues to be the room that Children's church meets in weekly apart from when they occasionally meet outside in the garden in warmer months. Briony has been providingjeanette with the weekly inserts for the weekly newsletter. These provide the Bible passage and a glimpse of what the session will consist of so that parentslcarers have Information prior to the Sunday session. 1 volunteer is stepping down meaning that there will be a total of10 volunteers. A new crèche called'Bubbles' will be starting in room 2 fromjanuary providing care for all preschool aged children. There is a need for more volunteers , especially for more people willing to lead a session, with the opening of 2 groups every Sunday. Some training for existing volunteers has been discussed with Ben. Leading and helping at children's church can be challenging because every week is completely different depending on the number of children attending and the age of those children which you never know before a session. I would like to say a big thank you to all the volunteers for filling the weekly sessions with fun, enthusiasm and Gods love.
Briony Girdler Youth Ministry Sunda Over the last yearjunction 7 have explored stories from Judges, David, the Sermon on the Mount and the leadership and kingship of Jesus. We've discussed topics such a5 what giants we face, how we communicate with God well and how the Bible is real for us today. We have a150 spent time doing a Sacred Cinema series wh ich looked at d ifferent films through a faith lens. In November we had a Traitors inspired evening using Open Doors, Faithful's resourcel Faithful's has challenges and round tables like in the Traitors but focuses on the underground Church in China. Players had to work out who the Faithful Bible smugglers were, and who the spies were in three challenges, whilst also having conversations about what life is like for Christians in the underground church. It was a great evening with food. good conversation and funl Ouring the summer holidays we had a couple of joint sessions with Children's Church and thought about friendship in the book of Ruth and forgiveness in Jonah. It was also great to have several of the youth group helping with the Nativity servicel One of my highlights of 2025 were the youth led servicesl Junction7 é id a fantastic job planning, leading worship, preaching, and running some amazing services throughout the year, It's been a real privilege and joy to see them each develop their giftings. Youth Al ha At the start of the year, we ran Youth Alpha upstairs In the lounge. One of the key aims was to grow the Youth Café link and we were keen to grow the community feel amongst the youth. We had 12 regular attendees Iwith sometimes 15-171) and shared food, games and discussion together. Several young people joined us from Youth Café, and one young person from Youth Café is now our most regular Sunday Church goer because of Youth Alphal
As part of our Youth Alpha course Junction 7 gathered for a Youth Alpha Day at the end of March. We had a couple of video and discussion sessions based around the Holy Spirit, as well as different games and activities throughout the day. In the evenin& we shared a meal before going to Fairthorne Manor for a campfire, worship, games and marshmallows! We had 12 young people come along, including a few from Youth Café, who engaged really well throughout the day, and we had some great conversations about the Holy Spirit. The campfire worship was a highlight for several of the young people and leaders! Brid Our year 11 to 13 house group continued to meet this year. Anna Cuthbert took a big lead on this and it was great to encourage her leadershipl The group worked through Mar5 Gospel and watched The Chosen together, discussing key themes and stories. Hed e End's Got T We had a fantastic evening in March bringing Wildern and Deer Park Secondary Schoo15 together at the church for Hedge End's Got Talentl There was an incredible aniount of display of talent on show from the young people involved. and it was great to also have the subject leaders for dance and musical theatre from Barton Peveril College act as judges. Young people from Deer Park also got involved with designing the publicity. Following Hedge End's Got Talent, we had lots of conversations with staff and students in the schools who came and had a great time, and there were several who had never been to St Luke's before. It was a great way of building up relationships with the schools and inviting people into the church building. A huge thank you again to all those involved in making the event happen! chools Ministr In 2025 we ran mentoring sessions at both Wildern and Deer Park Schools, as well as a lunch tlme drop in at Deer Park. The drop in was well attended over the year by around 15 to 20 young people and utilised as a quieter space by students, including severa1 who we have come to know well.
Following a connection made through Hedge End's Got Talent, in the summer term we were inviied to be a part of St George Catholic College'5 Faith Day. The theme was the Year of Jubilee, and we ran a workshop with several groups over the course of the day engaging them on how we can live connected to God, other people and creation. The workshops went really well, and it was great tojoin them for a very fun and insightful day. Another part of our schools ministry this year was gifting 160 year 6 students at Berrywood and Wellstead Schools'lvs Your Move, booklets with a postcard inviting them to Youth Café.Junction 7 and the drop in at Deer Park School. 'It's Your Move, is a resource from Scripture Union with advice and activities designed to equip and empower young people moving up to Secondary School. We had previously gifted it to a couple of Junction 7 members and we were excited to be able to gift it to two other schools we have close connections Wlth through Open the Book! Weekend Awa We all had a fantastic time at our Youth Weekend Away in September! 17 young people and several leaders spent a weekend at Tile Barn Outdoor Centre doing some fun activities like rock c51 mbing and crate stackinglhigh ropes. Our theme for the vveekend was 'What is God doing in my life?1 and we had some amazing conversations around the giftings of the young people and how God might be calling them to use these in their everyday lives. These conversations continued into the following term, and it's been such a joy seeing them all come together. encourage each other and have lots of fvn! We're really thankful to those who gave theirtime over the weekend, and all those who gave gifts to enable this to happen. Conclusion It has been a really exciting and fun year for our youth ministry here at St Luke's and I feel so lucky to have seen how God was working through all the lives of our young people in 20241 From social and worship evenings, to 1-1s, growing together as a youth team with training alongside our volunteers and our amazing io
weekend away ivs been such a privilege and joy to be part of the youth ministry here. I'm looking forward to seeing how the youth minisiry continues to grow and am praying for all the young people and Ben Coleman as he begins ro lead the youth ministry in the new year! Maddie Thorp Id) Mission and Outreach Christian Aid Christian Aid works in around 30 countries to transform the lives of those in poverty, working with people of all faiths and none wherever the need is greatest. At St Luke's, we have been continuing our support for Christian Aid in 2025, helping to fight poverty worldwide to give everyone the chance to thrive. St Luke's continued to support Christian Aid as one of its chosen charities with regular giving of each month to Christian Aid, totalling £2736.50 for the year. We responded with prayer and a collection to one emergency appeal in our role as an emergency church. Myanmar Earthquake Appeal in April - £618.40 was raised and used to provide emergency support including food parcels, water kits, shelters and cash for essential supplies. In December, we supported the Christmas Appeal to help support families fleeing violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We raised over £487.14. Thanks to the generosity of the congregation, the total raised and donated by St Luke's for 2025 added up to £3842.04, with some gift aid claimed by Christian Aid in addition to this. Sian Andrews Hedge End. West End and Botley Churches Together (HEWEB) Churches Together in Hedge End. West End and Botley IHEWEB) is a collettion of churches whose leaders meet together on a regular basis to pray and share what is going on in their local church. Both Ben and Clive have played an active part in this group, and we are pleased to report that, going forward, Joyce Seaman will be St li
Luke's lay representative. HEWEB put on a Service for Christian Unity injanuary, a Children'5 Bible club in August and a Children's Advent Morrhing in December, which we hosted at St. Luke's. Ben Jone5 Encounter Afternoon Tea Encounter Afternoon Tea takes place on a Wednesday afternoon. It is for anyone to d rop in for friendship and chat, between 2pm and 4pm for tea, coffee, and beautiful cakes! It is free but we have a bowl for donations if people li ke to contribute. We are blessed that our cakes are donated. We meet in the church and have small tables with tablecloths and flowers, café style, with waitress SeICe, serving the drinks in beautiful bone china cups and saucers. This year we have continued to have regular people come although not necessarily every week,. many are not church members. We have also had the privilege of again welcoming new people who have found real friendships and support within the group. We chat about all 50rt5 of things and look out for each other. Sonya Mccall has continued to bake a cake every week which is amazing, thank you Sonya! l also want to thank Heather Reay. Janet Gapes and Stacy Ashill (who we said goodbye to during the year), for their help, and thei r amazing welcome to new and existing people. The team are brilliantl l also keep in contact with people who miss Encounter to check they are ok. Sue Phillips {ivl Snowdrop Care Home A team from St Luke's visits Snowdrop to provide a Communion service once a month with Ben or Clive joining us to lead the service, and with Martin leading after Clive moved. We also go in for a coffee and chat morning with the residents a couple of weeks1ater. Both of our visits are well received and attended with numbers rising during the year. The chat time often ends up with us all in giggles as the residents share stories of their lives. We also visit some residents in their rooms for a chat. We have been working with Gemma and her team at the care home who are both encouraging and supportive. Many thanks to the team Anne Duffin, Brenda Whitby and Sam Pearman who 12
joined the team during the year. Thank5 a150, to Ben and Martin. Sue Phillips (v) Open the Book Open the Book has continued to follow the same format as in previous years, with the team presenting a dramatised Bible story once a month during a Monday assembly in each of our two Primary Schools i.e. Berrywood and Wellstead. Over the course of the past ten years, we have become a familiar and welcome part of their assembly programme and when we need children to dress up and take part, they are keen to volunteer. For some shy children this can be a very significant moment in the development of their confidence and self-esteem. Both staff and children join in enthusiastically with words and actions to help tell the story as we instruct them. It is fun for everyone. We have seen children and their whole family getting involved at St Luke's because they enjoyed Open the Book so much, and secondary school children coming to Youth Café frequently mention how much they loved Open the Book assemblies when they were at Primary School. It remains a very vivid memory as they grow up and our hope and prayer is that they will remember the profound lessons contained in these simple stories. I wish to express my gratitude to this wonderful team of volunteer5 for their ongoing commitment, for all the time they put In to learning lines and helping to find or make props, (sometimes with the invaluable assistance of a spouse) and for faithfullyturning up on time and always being co-operative and good humoured. It is a privilege and a joy to head up this ministry. Diana Snuggs Ivi) Minnows Playgroup Minnows playgroup meets Fridays 1 Oam to 11.30am for parents. carer5 and under-fives for free play. We provide a snack of cheese. fruit, bread. water with coffeeltea for the adults with left over Encounter cake some weeks. We finish with a time of singing where we have introduced a Christian goodbye song. We make a small charge of £1 per family which covers the cost of 13
refreshments and a Christmas present. Our numbers fluctuate but a good number attend each week with a few regulars coming each week. We do enjoy building good relationships with the regular members and chatting to those who come occasionally. We do find that those who come are making friendships with the other members. At Christmas we had a party with a visit from Father Christmas who gave every child a book for a present. Sadly, we had to cap the numbers at the party as we were oversubscribed. We have had such encouraging feedback from those who come which is lovely. The team are Karen Cotton, Emma Blamey, Sandy Smith and Jackie Skoyles vvho has joined us during the year. Also, thank you tojenny Little and Rosie Adams who helped when we have been short staffed. My thanks to the team for their help and support. Sue Phillips Youth Café The youth café on Thursday afternoon from 3pm 4pm contlnues ro provlde a safe place for secondary age youngsters from Wildern and Deer Park Schools to meet and chat. We have about 130-140 youngsters regularly attending each week during term time. We provide free saLJsage rolls, pizza, grapes toasties and milkshakes to the youth. A group of girls recently told me that they love Thursdays because they love coming to our youth cafél It is the highlight of their weekl Many youngsters say that they enjoy coming to chat to their friends and to eat food, of course! We also mustnt forget that for some children, this is their only meal on a Thursday. We recently had a young lad at youth café ask for a Bible and he was given a church Bible. We feel that a Youth Bible would have been a better option so we are going to look into this so we will be ready for the next young person that asks for a Bible! Maddie's links with the secondary schools through a lunchtime club at Deer Park and mentoring sessions at Wildern ,have meant that more connections have been made between the schools and our church. Lots of the youth that come each week also were involved in, or came to. Hedge End's Got Talent organised by Maddie, We pray these connettions will keep growing with our 14
new youth co-ordinator, Ben, as he steps into his new role here at St Luke's church. Lillie Girdlerjoined us for seven months from January to July as part of her voluntary work for her Silver Duke of Edinburgh's Award and she was a great asset to our team. We are very grateful for our fantastic team of dedicated helpers without whom none of this would be possible. Please pray for continuing relationships to be made with the youth and for the finance to keep this work going. Thanks. Rose Spink and all the Youth Cafe team Book Club Book Club has met monthly during 2025. We continued to read books provided by Hampshire Reading Group Sets. We try to choose a variety of genres from thrillers and spy stories to famlly tragedies and romances. Every book generates an interesting discussion, raising issues which range from offbeat to serious. Irs good to hear different views and hopefully providing a fun and supportive envlronment for members. We continue to enjoy cakes provided by Dorothy Hare to raise funds for Testwood Lakes Sailability charity. Rosie Adams (ix} St Luke's Walking Group The walking group has continued to thrive with 8 to 14 people and two dogs joining us on the first and third Thursdays of each month and usually all staying for the pub lunch afterwards, which remains popular and a good opportunity to develop friendships. Each walk is 5-6 miles and includes areas such as the New Forest, the Meon and Itchen Valley and rural idylls around Winchester. The previous leaders built a considerable record of suitable walks, but I like to add a new one occasionally. We have been blessed with reasonable weather throughout the year with only one walk being postponed to the next day due to very wet windy weather. Mike Fisher (x) Israeli Dancing Israeli Dancing is great fun to do,. We meet the first Sunday at half past two. 15
It's an excellent workout for an hour and a half With fellowship, chat and a really good laugh. There are dozens of dances, some fast and some slow, Some easy, some harder to get to know, But it's good for the brain to learn something new And the music reminds us of what steps to do. We know lots of movements- mayim and glissade, Yemenite, miserlou, (though coupés are hardl, But you don't need a partner, it's the same steps for all, So everyone can join in, whether grown up or small. The music 15 lovely- tunes ancient and new- With words from the Bible, mostly in Hebrew, So while we are dancing, we're also aware It's another form of worship we're offering there,. We're notjust cavorting and waving our arms- We're praising our Saviour through dancing the psalms! And though we are Christians, to some it is news That the church owes its being to our brothers thejews. So once in the month we value the chance To connect with our spiritual roots through our dance. As we make an effort and go through our paces. It lightens our step, puts a smile on our faces And, I'm sure, gives our Father in Heaven much pleasure As He sees us enjoying His presence together. Diana Snuggs Not So Strictly St Luke's We started our Not so Strictly dance sessions injanuary 2023 as a fun way to exercise, learn some dancing and socialise. They are once month on a Sunday afternoon, and it is £3 a person to include refreshments. They have proved to be very popular with church members and some of their friends and some non-church members too. We had a one-day workshop in November which was really enjoyed by everyone. However. as our dancers have now progressed so well. we feel we are unable to take on newcomers. Any profit made after the cost of refreshments is paid directly back into church. We are enjoying running these afternoons and are very grateful to some of our dancing friends who have come along to support us and encourage and help the beginners. Anne ond lan Toylor 16
Ladies. Group Ladies. Group continues to meet on the second Tuesday of every month in the coffee shop to listen to a Variety of speakers. The meetings are well attended. and we have welcomed new members and friends. This year we have had a variety oftalks with speakers on the work of Mountbatten Hampshire, Hearing Dogs forthe Deaf. Kwizera the Ugandan charity. Medical Tribunals, Christian Poetry. and the history ofthe Royal Victoria Hospital amongst others. A visit to the Salisbury Cathedral Flower Festival in May was much enjoyed as was the Christmas meal. It has been pleasingto be able to 5UPPOrt the charities who have spoken to us. Jonet Compton ond Sandra Plaw Men's Ministry The Men's Ministry at St Luke's Church was launched with the aim of providing men with opportunities to connect through social evenings. The purpose of this ministry is to offer a safe and supportive environment where men can share experiences, build strong relationships, and learn from one another. The group is open to all men aged 18 and over. The first Men's Social took place on Friday 3rd October 2025 from 7:00 pm at the Veranda Indian Restaurant in Wickham. To reduce the number of cars travelling to the venue and to minimise our carbon footprint, church members were encouraged to meet at St Luke's Church and share transport. Those who were working late were invited to travel directly to the restaurant. Our second Men's Social was held at St Luke'5 Church on 28th November 2025. The evening was a relaxed and informal gathering where men shared pizzas and side dishes together. l am pleased to report that both events were well attended, with over 20 men participating on each occasion. These evenlngs provided valuable opportunities for men to socialise, engage in 17
conversation. and begin building supportive networks within the church community. At the time of writing this report, discussions are underway to organise another Men's Social evening in February 2026. Sam Mothew (el Buildings Sub-committee It would be lovely to report that the problems with the roof have been resolved but, regrettably, that is not the case. The problem with water getting behind the gutter still exists, although thankfully none is getting Into the building. The external soffit 15 affected although no more sections have fallen this year. There has been some progress with a full inspection carried out from scaffolding and a measured suNey undertaken. One of the main stumbling blocks has been the inability of the roofing corltractor and the church architect to see eye to eye over the best method to undertake the works, and the amount of supervision required. We continue to explore the best way forward to rectify the issues. My thanks to Michael Crutchley who has project managed this for us. The other main issue in the year has been the breakdown of the gas boilers, and we have had to spend a substantial sum on repair and replacement of parts. This is due to their age and previous poor maintenance. It is unlikely that they will continue to be useable for much longer, so we are investigating alternative systems. The Church of England has a'Net Zero, ambition, so any heating changes must be approved by the Diocese. In order for thi5 to be considered, we need to undertake substantial research into the feasibility of heat pumps and then compare the options to include initial costs, running costs and lifespan of the equipment. We will also be looking at any possible grant funding for the project. I'm grateful to Sian Andrews and Chris Hibbert for joining me in a small working group to take this forward. The day-to-day maintenance of the building has continued on a Wednesday morning by RogerAdams, Graham Cotton and David Tyser. From gardening to painting, changing lightbulbs to unblocking drains, we could not manage without them. David's expertise and all-round knowledge will be missed. Thank you. Roger and Graham, for your hard work and commitment. One good thing that happened at the end of the year was the replacement of Ihe lighting with LED fittings, for which we had a £5000 match funded grant. Thank you to all those who 18
contributed, I think the new lighting is fantastic and shows off the building to good effect. If you think you have any knowledge andlor time to help in any of these areas. please speak to me. Mortin Phillips (n Communications and Publicity Sub-committee We have continued to reach out to the wider community in physical and digital form throughout the year and while the impact is seen by many, those who make it possible do so behind the scenes. I'd therefore like to call out a few people who've made significant contributions, to highlight what a great job thelve done. It was heartening to see so many of the church community help distribute the Christmas postcards, ensuring the welcoffle and information about our service times reached as many people in our parish as possible. Thankyou to all who took part and gratitude is extended in particular to Sue and Martin Phillips for organising (againll the postcard bundles for each road. There has been plenty of attivity online with our website receiving regular updates throughout the year. Evie has played a pivotal role In this. ensuring the readings and sermon5 have been uploaded to the website on a weekly basis to give those who miss the service a chance to listen back. Thank you. Continuing the topic of online communications and publicity, it would be remi55 of me not to call out Maddie for all the hard work she has put into ensuring our social media channels have remained active with regular posts. In addition, towards the end of the year, Maddie has created a revamped version of the church's website, meticulously replicating each webpage while making it look more modern. We look foNard to it going live for everyone to see in 20261 Thanks to all those mentioned above and more, new5 and updates from St Luke's continues to be shared with the community. Jacob Bltjmey on behalf of the Communicotion5 Qnd Publicity Sub-committee @) Eco Church Sub-committee At St Luke's. we continue to steward God's creation. This report outlines the ongoing progress led by the Eco Church group as we 19
work to integrate the principles of the A Rocha Eco Church i nitiative into all aspects of church life. The five key focuses are: worship, building, land, community and lifestyle. We have been guided and assisted by the Eco Church survey in those areas and have seen improvements in our scores. Over the course of the year, through regular meetings and activities, we continue to strive to make a difference. Our aim is that these effort5 reflect our commitment to preserving and nurturing the Earth as part of our Christian calling. The group have also met as a means of encouraging each other with our own journeys when faced with the climate crisis, sharing positive news, breakthroughs in global and national environmental policies and personal stories. Thin s to celebrate and ve Buildin The whole church got behind the match fund-raising project for new LED lighting in the church. The Eco Church Sub-committee secured the match funding grant and led a very well attended quiz as part of this initiative too. The Eco Church Sub-committee have been involved in conversations regarding environmental options for replacing the struggling boilers. It is great to be at the stage where we are considering our climate impact on all our decisions. We can also celebrate that we are now offsetting 100% of our church's emissions. In June, we led a well-received eco service that involved a guest speaker. Even our normal services prompt us to consider care of God's creation. Environmental and climate justice and ethical investments to name a few other topics covered over last yearfs sermons. Thank you to our prayer team for including creation and climate justice in the prayers on a weekly basis. Our children and young people also continue to include care of God's creation in their programmes. Thank you Children's Church and youth leaders. Lifest le.. The weekly email now includes local and time specific eco tips. These are for the whole congregation to consider using to help their lifestyle be even greener. Communit and Global En em Our church continues to participate in campalgns concerning national and global environmental issues. 20
Land.. We aim to use our ground5 to encourage biodiversity as much as PO55ible. We host a bug hotel at the back of the building. We also continue to encourage'No Mow Mal as a way of letting nature have the sustenance it needs during this time, As Christians, we are called to care for God'5 creation, which is an integral part of our faith. The actions outlined in this report are not just environmental choices, they are an expression of our love for God and our global neighbours. Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges of our time and our response is a reflection of our understanding that God has entrusted us to care for his vvorld. By reducing our ecological footprint, engaging in sustainable practice, and encouraging others to do the same, we are being faithfvl stewards of the Earth. Our work is a reminder that environmental care is not just an issue of politics or policy, but a deeply spiritual practice that calls for our active involvement. Emmo Blomey on behalf of the Eco Church Sub-committee (h) Finance suCOmmIttee Finance Sub-committee Members.. Revd Ben Jones, Revd Clive Beard until April, Martin Phillips, Louise Brown (Treasurer), Anna Cuthbert The committee met regularly to review the accounts against the budget and agree on attions that needed to be taken to the PCC. Louise, as Church Treasurer. presented the accounts for review of income and expenditure demonstrating due diligence as Stewards and Trustees of the Church's finances. Thank you for your ongoing generosity. Your regular giving has sustained our work. supported our mission, and made it possible for us to continue serving our community. Income We received the following restricted Donations and Grants Give to Go Green Campaign we received donations of £5011 and the match grant funding of £5000. The lightins upgrade has been completed. Special Projects donations totaling £9000 Donation for a new keyboard of £1235 Youth Ministry Co-ordinator- £1958 Clive Beard's leaving gift- £1675 Winchester Diocese Grant- £1500 towards architect fees for the roof 21
enditur The Charities we supported in 2025, giving 9% of unrestricted giving were Christian Aid, Safe Families and Operation Noah Through the Give to Go Green Project, we were able to complete the upgrade of the church lighting. Overall expenditure was £161,200, which exceeded our income of £ 143,500 for the year. This planned difference reflects the use of funds received in previous financial years to support the Youth Co-ordinator role. We continue to keep a strict policy on expenditure and ensure we are getting best value for money . A budget forecast for 2026 ha5 been produced and approved by the PCC. and this will continue to be reviewed throughout the year. Thank you to Anna Cuthbert for running the monthly payroll and for lan Taylor's managing of and submitting our Gift Aid claims, After six years serving as Treasurer. Louise is now stepping down from the role. It has been wonderful to have her guiding us and keeping us in check. She has seen us out of a perilous financial situation in 2019 to where we are now. Many thanks Louise for all your dedication and hard work, and also to Richard for hi5 spreadsheet expertisel Thank you to Sarah Stapleton, who has been appointed as the new Treasurer. She brings great strengths to the role. Louise Brown and Martin Phillip5 2.2 Churchwardens and Assistant Churchwardens Report St Luke's continued to grow and develop in 2025 with many new people joining our congregation. Clive, our Curate, moved to be Vicar of a church in Preston in May. Whilst sad to lose him, we were pleased that another church will have the benefit of his wisdom and experience. Ben took part In the licensing service but many of us supported and prayed for him whilst watching online. We are grateful to have other members of the congregation who can preach and lead services. 22
The PCC has continued to meet bi-monthly, providing a range of views and experiences to enable the church to be governed well. We have benefited from different members opening our meetings with a timely devotional and prayers. During the year, the PCC spent some time discussing our leadership strutture and how this works best as the church grows. A representative group of the congregation are taking part In The Grow Course,, a resource which allows us to meet and discuss our own church growth both as an individual chLJrch and in discussion with other churches. Sadly, the condition and repair of the roof have remained a constant item on the PCC agenda. We also discovered in the autumn that our boilers no longer work properly, and we need to work on finding the most energy efficient and eco-friendly solution so that our building can be heated adequately. Financially, the church has been blessed. arld we were able to increase our giving once again. Our giving will not be afferted by possible expensive building repairs and we will investigate grant funding for major works. The building continues to be used by many community groups who often comment on the sense of peace they find in our church. In the summer holidays, St Luke'5 hosted the 'Churches Together. annual holiday club. The Children and Youth work continued to expand and flourish under Maddie's guidance. We were sad to say goodbye to her at the end of the year, wishing her well in her new role. We were very pleased to be able to recruit Ben so that there would not be a gap In leadership for our many youth attivities. We want to thank all members of St Luke's for their commitment and sharing of gifts and talents. We praythat as a church we will continue to show and share the Good News of the Gospel in all the ways we can. Rosie Adams ond Mortin Phillips on behalf of the Churchwardens and A55i5tant Churchwordens 2.3 Eastleigh Deanery Synod Representative's Report In 2025, the Eastleigh Deanery Synod met three times.. in February, June, and October. At the February meeting held at All Saints, Eastleigh, the Deanery Synod received a comprehensive Diocesan financial briefing. Key challenges discussed included a growing deficit between income and expenditure and the rising cost of stipend iary clergy, currently averaging £75k per year. Richard Wise was thanked for his service as he stepped down as Area Dean. In June, the Deanery Synod met at St Paul's, Bursledon, where the new Area Dean, Revd John Pawson, was officially licensed. The guest speaker was Bishop Rhiannon, who focused on the themes of "Loving, Serving, 23
Learning and Growing" as part of the Walking the Wessex Way initiative. Discussions also covered the national Living in Love and F(7ith ILLF) feedback process. Flnally, in October, the meeting was hosted by St Boniface, Chandlerfs Ford. The guest speaker, Georgi Thompson Leask, presented the "Faith & Generosity" initiative, outlining plans for a dedicated week in June 2026 to deepen discipleship through generou5 living, Across these meetings. the Deanery Synod also addressed-. Joys and Challenges.. Parishes shared updates on "quiet revivals" through Alpha courses, growing youth work, and the significant financial burdens of maintaining historic church buildings. Appointments= The appointment of Linda Galvin as Assistant Area Dean and the arrival of several new clergy members to the Deanery. Operational Update5: Updates on the Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Bid (SMMIBI. a major data breach affecting DBS checks, and the successful recruitment of a full complement of Bishops for the Diocese. David Cuthbert 2.4 Electoral Roll and Church Attendance Durlng 2025 a new electoral roll had to be compiled rather than simply undertaking revisions. As of 31 st December 2025, there were 122 people on St Luke's Electoral Roll,. 41 living within the parish and 81 living outside of the parish. This compares with 104 on the electoral roll as reported in the 2024 annual report, 29 people living within the parish and 75 living outside of the parish. During October 2025, the average weekly church attendance was 90 adults and 13 children/young people. This compares with 89 adults and 12 children as reported in the 2024 annual report. Jeanette Harrison, Elettorol Roll Officer 2.5 Safeguardin8 Catherine Spiers continues to carry out DBS checks and we now have 61 volunteers with a DBS certificate. All volunteers who work with children, young people and vulnerable adults need to have a DBS certificate and also undertake regular online safeguarding awareness training accessed throush the Diocese. Church members who carry out leadership and ministry roles also undertake additional specific training courses as mandated by the diocese. 24
A number of volunteers were affected by the data breach experienced by the DB5 checking agency, ACPS, whom the Diocese u5e5 for DBS checks. 24 volunteers who applied for a DBS certificate between November 2024 and May 2025 had some personal data stolen. All involved were notified immediately and rhe national church has provided 12 months free credit monitoring by Experian to help detect possible misuse of data in identity theft. Currently DBS applications are processed on paper. At thejanuary 2026 meeting the PCC again pa55ed the eight safeguarding policies which are mandated by the national church and include policies on the use of social media, the employment of ex- offenders and responding to allegations of harm. All eight policies are available to read in the Vicarfs Office. The Parish Safeguarding policy statement is available on the website and noticeboards in the building, as well as posters detailing sources of help for those experiencing abuse. St Luke's is fully up-to-date with meeting all the requirements detailed in the parish dashboard. All the team members of 'Open the Book. undertook additional safeguarding training as delivered by the'open the Book, organisation in January. The organisation is part of the Bible Society, and its members visit local primary schools to enact Bible stories in assemblies. Risk assessments regarding the children's and youth activities are now found under the generic assessments,. additionally specific ones are in use regarding Schools Ministry and Junction 7. A culture of respect for the importance and value of safeguarding is now embedded and the safeguarding team and PCC are very appreciative of the St Luke's communitls commitment to this. J(Jnet Compton, Sofeguarding Officer Revd Canon Ben Jones Vlcar, Martin Phillips (Lay Vice Chair. PCC) On behalf of the PCC (Trustees) 25
Independent Examlnerfs Report to the member5ltrustee5 of St Lukds Church. Hedge End, Parochlal Church Council. I report on the accounts for the year I" January to 31" December 2025 which are attached. Respectlve responslbllltles of the Trustees and Independent Examlner As trustees of the charityi the members of the PCC are responsible for the preparation of the actounts. They tonsider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144121 of the Charr(ies Act 2Qll I the 2011 Act l and that an independent examlnatlon is needed. It is my responsibility to'.- 111 Examine the atcounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act.. 121 Follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commlssloners in sectlon 14515llbl of the 2011 Act.. 131 State whether partlcular matters have come to my attention. Basls of Independent Examlner's Statement My examination was carried out In accordance with the General Directions given by the Charitv Commission. An examlnation includes a revlew of the accounting records kept by the charlty and a comparlson of the accounts presented with those records. It also include5 Collsideration of any unusual items or disc105ures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the management committee concerning any such mattèrs. The protedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in a lull audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts. Independent Examlners Statement In connectton with my examlnatlon, nD matters have come lo my attention l. Whlch give me reasonable cause to belleve that In any mateilal respect the requlrements lal To keep accountlng records In accordance with 5.130 of the 2011 Act, and Ibl To prepare accounts which accord with the records have not been met, and 2. To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Russell N Lee, ACIB 46 St james Park. $052 9BJ
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Independent Examlnerfs Report to the member5ltrustee5 of St Lukds Church. Hedge End, Parochlal Church Council. I report on the accounts for the year I" January to 31" December 2025 which are attached. Respectlve responslbllltles of the Trustees and Independent Examlner As trustees of the charityi the members of the PCC are responsible for the preparation of the actounts. They tonsider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144121 of the Charr(ies Act 2Qll I the 2011 Act l and that an independent examlnatlon is needed. It is my responsibility to'.- 111 Examine the atcounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act.. 121 Follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commlssloners in sectlon 14515llbl of the 2011 Act.. 131 State whether partlcular matters have come to my attention. Basls of Independent Examlner's Statement My examination was carried out In accordance with the General Directions given by the Charitv Commission. An examlnation includes a revlew of the accounting records kept by the charlty and a comparlson of the accounts presented with those records. It also include5 Collsideration of any unusual items or disc105ures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the management committee concerning any such mattèrs. The protedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in a lull audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts. Independent Examlners Statement In connectton with my examlnatlon, nD matters have come lo my attention l. Whlch give me reasonable cause to belleve that In any mateilal respect the requlrements lal To keep accountlng records In accordance with 5.130 of the 2011 Act, and Ibl To prepare accounts which accord with the records have not been met, and 2. To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Russell N Lee, ACIB 46 St james Park. $052 9BJ
ij x v %D 000 L¥ 00