' Barkhamchurch St James Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council For the year ended 31 December 2025 Contents Parochial Church Council Trustees Annual Report Statement of Financial Activities Statement of Assets and Liabilities Notes to the Accounts Independent Examiner's Report
Barkham Parochial Church Council Trustees Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2025 The Parochial Church Council {PCC) presenls its Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2025. Reference and administrative information The PCC is registered with the Charily Commission as 'The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Barkham,, registration number 1143332. The address of the church office is The Rectory, Church Lane, Arborfield, Berkshire, RG2 9HZ The trustees (members of Ihe PCCI at Ihe lime of this report were as follows.. Basis of appointment Elected Emma Benbow (from APCMI The Revd Julian Bidgood Michael Byrne Ruth Dand Clergy (& appointed chairman) Deanery Synod representative Elected l& appointed secretary) Churchwarden Mike Grover (from APCMI David Horrocks Deanery Synod representative Deanery Synod representative Elected (& appoinled treasurer) Elected Peter Kilby Lionel Malsuya Oli Parker Karen Pugh Frances Roberts (from APCMI Churchwarden Elected lan Turner Elected Structure, governance and management The PCC has been forméd under the Parochial Church Council (Powers} Measure 1956. The PCC members are recruited in a number of ways. The clergy are members by virtue of their office. The churchwardens are elected annually at the annual meeting. Other members ofthe PCC are elected at the APCM and hold office for three years. Deanery Synod representalives are also elected for a 3 year term at annual meetings and are on PCC by virtue of this role. Chair, treasurer and secretary are roles ap- pointed by the PCC. There are Ihe following committees.. Slanding Committee- This committee consists of the church leadership team Ilhe Minisler in charge plus two others at presentl, the Churchwardens and Ihe Treasurer. They have power lo transacl business of the PCC belween PCC meelings. reporting to Ihe lull PCC as appropriate.
Objectives and activities The objectives of the PCC are defined by the Parochial Church Council (Powers) Measure 1956 as 'to c operate with the minister in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church. pastoral, evangelis- tic, social and ecumenical.. St James. Church Barkham comprises two congregations meeting at 10am and 6pm. Our aim as a church is to honour the Lord Jesus Christ in all that we do. By his grace we are seeking to grow in our knowledge of him, our love for him and our obedience to him. We are also seeking to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to others as well, both by reaching out to others ourselves and by supporting mission partners in the UK and overseas. We currently have particular links with Crosslinks, Open Doors, The Delhi Bible Insti- tute, Yeldall Manor and mission partners in central Asia. Our Sunday setvices are the focus for our life as a church as we gather to listen to the word of God being read and preached and as we respond to him in prayer and praise. It is our assumption, however, that our life as a church should overflow into our daily lives and our midweek small groups provide a natural con- text for relationships to develop whereby people can serve and encourage one another further. We are committed lo encouraging people of all ages to hear the Christian message and grow in faith, so we run Sunday Club for children up to the age of 11 and regularly gather younger teens after the morning seryice. We run a baby and toddler groupjointly with Arborfield Church, with whom we also run a monthly meeting for 'seniors'. Achievements and performance Our Sunday services are Ihe focus of church lrfe as we gather for corporate worship and to encourage one another. We are very committed to the fact that we meet as one church family with young and old wor- shipping together. We have a creche and Sunday School of about 13 children. Average weekly attendance has dropped a little from 77 to 74 in the morning and from 49 to 46 in the evening with only a few going to both. Some of our older members are either unable to come to church now, or can only come occasionally. We are also at a stage of life in our church family where a number of our teenagers have now gone on to further edLJcation. We have seen some new people coming along over the past year, though most are coming only occasionally. We continue see high levels of commitment and involvement from the congregation. On any given Sunday around 25 people are serving in some official capacity. And il's èncouraging that whèn gaps appear on rotas. othérs step up. There continues to be plenty going on in the life of the church. A good proportion of adults are members of fellowship groups that meet midweek. The Monday toddler group is well attended. We run Friday Club. an open Youth Club for younger teens run weekly al the Village Hall and this attracts many from non- church families. We run termly meetings for men and women that are well attended and have plans for a men's weekend this summer. We continue to be encourage people to gather for a monthly prayer meeting this year and have been able to sustain a daytime meeting as well. Our relationship with our church school, the Coombes, remains strong as we provide weekly assemblies, assisl the school in celebraling other major Christian festivals, support the RE syllabus and take part in the year 6's leaving selv1 in the summer, gifting each child a Bible of their own. In accordance with Church of England rules, we have revised our Electoral Roll this year. The number on the roll is currently 107.
Financial review We are regularly reminded of the unpredictability of human inveslrnent. Share prices, IndIS and money markets all go up and down., economists, Finance Ministers and CEOS are all limited in their ability to control the value of investments. Bul there is one in whom we can put our full trust, our full personal and corporate investment.. the Lord. who is the same yesterday, today and forever. In a world where returns may be calculated in days, the Lord thinks to etemity- and through Jesus, we do too. 2025 saw some families leave St James Barkharn, and somejoin, and the result of the lag that sometimes occurs means that our planned giving reduced a little from £151 k to £148k. However, two legacies left to St James and some significanl one-off gifts in response to the Giving Day in October meant that overall our receipts increased to £229k12024: £208kl. Our payments saw a corresponding, though slightly smaller increase to £213k12024'. £193k), with a retum lo more nomial levels of Parish share offset by some important work on the minister's house and maintenance costs of the church building. The PCC also increased the amount given in support of local and global mission, having kept the amount static for a few years. We finished the year, therefore. with a surplus of £15.1 k (2024= £14.8k) - praising the Lord for his generosity to us. Our overall unreslricted reserves are £113k (2024.. £98k) and overall reserves at £122k12024.' £107k). The church tower fund, the result of an appeal a number of years ago, has a small balance remaining (£4kl', as a restricted fund it can currently only be used for the purpose for which the appeal was made. The PCC is exploring ways in whiGh these funds can be used for alternative essential tower works, likely to be needed in 2026 or 2027 The Maintenance fund is a designated fund used for major repairs or projects to the church. Payments of £9k (2024= £nill were made for essential maintenance to the minister's house. which is included in the figures above. The balance at the end of 2025 is £19k. The Treasurer and the Bookkeeper manage the day-to-day finances for Sl James Barkham and the Treasurer reports to the PCC as well as at the APCM, and at various points throughout the year to the congregations. Forecasts are prepared and re-assessed monthly to ensure that adequate funds exist for the church, and a Giving Day is normally held annually in the autumn. Statement on the Church's policy on reserves The Church does not have a formal reserve policy but it is regularly commented on at PCC that we expect to maintain at least 2 months, expenditure in reserve. This would amount to £36k based on General Fund expenditure. Details on anyfunds muterially in deficit There are no funds materially in deficit as of year end 2025. Declaration The Irustees declare that they have approved the truslees, report above. Signed on behalf of the PCC.. The Revd Julian Bidgood Date.. 1610312026
The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St James Barkham Receipts and Payments account Forthe year ended 31 December 2025 2025 2025 2025 2024 Unrestricted funds Restricted fund8 Totalfunds Total funds Receiptsfrom.. Donations and other legacie8 Planned Givlng Collections at S8rvic88 147.636.00 147,636.00 150,511.00 885.30 Other volunt8ry receipts Gift Aid recovered S7,525.80 2,969.00 40,494.80 14,673.00 33.917.80 33.917.80 37.092.55 219,079.60 2.969.00 222.048.60 203,161.85 Re¢eipts from ¢haritable a¢tivities Receipt5from church actimties 4.366.67 4,366.67 4,182.66 4,36£.67 4,366.67 4,182.6 Investrnents Investm&nt Income 347.01 347.01 444.47 347.01 347.01 444.47 Other receipts Other receipts 1.867.18 1,867.18 40.00 1,867.18 1,867.18 40.00 Total receipts 225,660.46 2,969.00 228,629.46 207,828.98 Payments from.. Paytnents for charitable activities Parish Share 11.927.00 11,927.00 15,806.00 Clergy and Staftingc08ts Church Activities 152,383.83 152,383.83 135,919.19 2,195.88 2,195.88 1,739.36 Church Running Expenses Mission Giving and Donations Indep8nd8nt Examination Costs 24.570.56 2,902.80 27,473.36 21.673.41 18,400.00 18,400.00 16,900.00 1,050.00 1,050.00 1,025.00 Total payments 210,527.27 2.902.80 213,430.07 193,062.96 Net receipts I (payments) before transfer 15.133.19 66.20 15,199.39 14,766.02 Transfers.. Gross tran8f8r8 b&Nve8n fund8- in 5,000.00 Gross transfers between funds- Out 15.000.001 14,766.02 Net movement in funds 15.133.19 66.20 15,199.39 Reconciliation of funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried foward 98,342.19 113,475.38 8,561.89 106,904.08 92,138.06 8,628.09 122,103.47 106,904.08
The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St James Barkham Statement of Assets and Liabilities As at 31 December 2025 Balance Balance 31 Dec 2025 31 Dec 2024 CBsh At BankAnd In Hand Bank Currènt Account General Fund Unrestricted 62.431.37 4.326.07 3.535.34 19.349.60 766.68 38.487.19 4.259.87 3.535.34 28.507.60 766.68 Churchyard Fund QI Fund Maintenance Fund Restricted Designated Designated R8strict8d B811 Ringers Fund Agency ¢olle¢tion R8Strict8d 2,693.00 1.526.00 93,102.06 77,082.68 Bank Daposit Account General Fund Unrestricted 31.430.65 31,083.64 31.430.65 31,083.64 Cash Sn hand General Fund Unrestricted 263.76 263.76 263.76 263.76 Total Assets 124.796.47 108.430.08 Li8bilitlgS Aggncy accounts Agency collection" 2,693.00 1.526.00 Total Liabilities 2.693.00 1.526.00 Grand Total 122,103.47 106,904.08 'Agency collections are those made on behalf of other parties, for example fees from weddings or funerals that are payable to the Diocese. The accounts were approved bythe trustees and signed on their behalf on 16 March 2026 by Julian Bidgood Chairman Lionel Matsuya Treasurer
Notes to the accounts Note 1: Basis of preparation The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 togetherwith applicable accounting standards and the Statement of Recommended Practice for Accounting and Reporting by Charities 2005. The basis of accounting is the Receipts and Payments basis 8s permitted bythis SORP. The PCC uses the Charity Commission recommended headings for the Statement of Financial Activities (Receipts and Payments account). General funds are unrestricted f unds which are available for use at the discretion of the PCC for the general objectives of the charity. Restricted f unds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specif ic restrictions imposed by the donors, including those donations received from specif ic appeals. The PCC holds no Endowment funds.
Note 2: Receipts 2025 2025 2025 2024 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total funds Total funds Donations and other leggcies Planned giving R8gul8r giving- Gift Aid Regular giving- non Gift Aid Collections at servic8S 139.729.00 139,729.00 7,907.00 141,549.00 8.962.00 7,907.00 Collections and giving bags. Other voluntary receipts Gift Days- Gift Aid Gift Days- non Gift Aid One-off giving- Gift Aid One-oft giving- non Gift Aid Grants- recurring Gr8nts- non-r¢¢urring Legacies received Gift Aid recovered 885.30 12,800.00 5.040.00 7,301.00 170.00 12.800.00 5.040.00 7.301.00 170.00 5.890.00 3.040.00 1.372.00 1.667.00 2,704.00 2,969.00 2,969.00 12,214.80 12,214.80 Gift Aid recovered 33,917.80 219,079.60 33,917.80 222,048.60 37,092.55 203,161.85 2,969.00 Receipts from charitable activities Re¢eipts from ¢hur¢h activities Fees for weddings and funerals 2,123.00 2.123.00 2.215.00 Bookstall sales- objects related 164.98 164.98 Church activity receipts- objects related 2,078.69 2.078.69 1.967.66 4.366.67 4,366.67 4,182.66 Investments Investment income Bank and building society interest 347.01 347.01 444.47 347.01 347.01 444.47 Other receipts Other receipts Other r8e81Pt5 1.867.18 1.867.18 40.00 1.867.18 1,867.18 228,629.46 40.00 Total receipts 225,660.46 2,969.00 207,828.98
Note 3: Payments 2025 2025 2025 2024 Unrestricted Restricted fund funds Totglfunds Tot8l fund$ Payments lor charitable activities Parish share 11,927.00 11.927.00 15.808.00 Clergy and staffing costs S8laries 8nd wages of parish staff National Insurance of parish staff Pension contributions ol parish staff Minister expenses Council tax 64.945.00 64,945.00 62,616.00 7,579.00 11,661.00 2,998.86 5,594.00 18.907.00 27.332.00 505.00 7,579.00 11.661.00 2.998.86 5,594.00 18.907.00 27.332.00 505.00 5.916.00 12.158.00 1.775.35 5,483.00 18.998.00 27.205.00 501.00 House rent Mortgage House insurance House maintenance 11.831.97 1.030.00 11,831.97 1,030.00 330.84 Water rates 936.00 Chureh activities Parish training and mission Church activity costs- objects related Bookstall costs- objects related Chureh running expenses Chureh insurance 324.00 2,187.88 8.00 2,187.88 8.00 1,41 S.36 2.644.96 2.811.05 2.191.98 2,644.96 2,811.05 2,191.98 2,601.08 828.23 Chureh routine maintenance Upkeep of services Upkeep of ¢hur¢hyard Church electricity Church heating oil Literature for church building Banking costs Admin and other running costs Central costs 1,566.85 2,902.80 2,902.80 2,703.80 803.74 803.74 119.93 1,082.34 1.082.34 841.05 37.62 156.38 156.38 157.19 1,562.11 13,318.00 1,562.11 13.318.00 1.161.66 11.656.00 Mission giving and donations Giving to missionary societies Governance costs 18,400.00 18.400.00 16.900.00 Independent Examination costs 1.050.00 1,050.00 1,025.00 210,527.27 210,527.27 2,902.80 213.430.07 193.062.96 2,902.80 213,430.07 193,062.96 Total Payments
Note 4: Summary of restricted and designated funds Restricted Funds Balance b/f Receipts Payments Transfers Balance c/f 0110112025 3111212025 Bellringers fund Church Tower fund 766.68 766.68 3,535.34 4,259.87 8,561.89 3.535.34 4.326.07 Churchyard fund Total 2,969.00 2.902.80 2,969.00 2.902.80 8.628.09 Designated Funds Bai8n¢e blf Receipts Payments Transfers Balance clf 0110112025 3111212025 Naintenance fund 28,507.60 28,507.60 9,158.00 9,158.00 19,349.60 19,349.60 Total Bellringers fund (restricted) The Bellringers fund was created in 2017 to f und maintenance of the bells in the church tower. It is funded by occasional receipts from the use ofthe bells and funds are used for bell maintenance. Church Tower fund (restricted) The Church Towerfund was established in 2017 to fund maintenance and repairs of the tower carried out in 2018,thefunds ofwhichwere raised in an appealto address the items noted inthe Quinquennial Inspection report f rom 2015. There is expected to be no further significant outlay with respect to the expenses relating to the 2015 Quinquennial Inspection report. Churchyard fund (restricted) The Churchyard fund receives grant and other monies for the maintenance of the churchyard. Maintenance fund {designated} The Maintenance fund exists to provide a build-up of funds for significant projects primarily for the church building and minister's house. This is a designated fund with an annual transfer from the generalfund of £5,000, as agreed bythe PCC. In 2025, funds were used from the maintenance fund to pay for costs relatingto the maintenance of the fabric of the minister's house. Note 5: Staff and Trustees The church has no direct employees. Its activities are carried out byvolunteers and by staff employed by an independent charity IThe Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust}. Grants paid to that Trust to meet these costs are shown in the Clergy and Staff ing costs section of note 3 above.
Included in the staff employed bythat independent charity are Rev Julian Bidgood and David Horrocks, who are members ofthe PCC of St James Barkham and hence are trustees. The Clergy and Staff ing costs shown in Note 3 above represent the amounts paid to The Arborfield and Barkham Parish Churches Trust for provision of the services of Julian Bidgood and David Horrocks by that Trust.
The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St James Barkham Independent examiner's report on the accounts to the Trustees of The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St James Barkham ("the charity") for the year ending 31 December 2025 Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity's Trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 {'the Act,). I report in respect of my examination of the charity's accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed all applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act. Independent examiner's statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe.. l. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or 3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed Date: 14 April 2026 Name: Jason Foxwell Relevant professional qualification(s) or body Chartered Certified Accountant Fellow of the Association of Charity Independent Examiners Address 12 Hillbourne Road Poole BH17 7JB