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 Mar￿5 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 Se￿ICe, 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 su￿COmmIttee
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

ij x v
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000
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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