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2025-12-31-accounts

The Parish of St Matthew and St Luke, Chadderton

Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for the Year Ended 31[st] December 2025

Presented to the Parishioners meeting and Annual Church Parochial Meeting on Thursday 23[rd] April 2026 at 7.00pm

Agenda for the Parishioners’ and Church Parochial Meetings

The Meeting of the Parishioners

  1. Election of Churchwardens

Annual Church Parochial Meeting

  1. Apologies for Absence

  2. Minutes of the previous APCM

  3. Matters Arising

  4. Reports for 2025:

  5. Vicar

  6. Work of the PCC

  7. Accounts for the PCC

  8. Independent Examiners

  9. Gift Aid

  10. Reader

  11. Safeguarding

  12. ALM

  13. Grounds Maintenance

  14. Churchwardens

  15. Deanery Synod

  16. Mothers’ Union

  17. 200 Club

  18. Electoral Roll

5. Elections:

Parish Annual Report

St Matthew’s Church is situated in the Deanery of Oldham and Ashton which is part of the Diocese of Manchester within the Church of England

The correspondence address is c/o 52 Chadderton Fold, Chadderton, Oldham OL1 2RR

The Annual Report of the Parish of Chadderton: St Matthew and St Luke for the year 2025

Administrative Information

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a registered charity with the Charity Commission. Registration number 1143492.

PCC members who have served from 1[st] January 2025 until the date this report was approved are:

Incumbent The Revd Elizabeth Jane Devall SCP The Revd Elizabeth Jane Devall SCP
Reader Ann Tattersall
ALM Margaret Hughes
Ann Emmott – until 31stAugust 2025
Lorraine Moore – until 31stAugust 2025
Wardens: Helen Crabtree
Margaret Hughes
Representatives on the Deanery Synod:
Gillian Barker PCC Secretary
Margaret Hughes PCC Treasurer
Roy Tattersall
Elected Members: Jon Baptiste
Max Butterworth
Clare Clark
Alma Costello
Andrew Cox
Geoff Crossley
Ken Edwards
Lynn Edwards
Ann Emmott until APCM 2025 – 2ndApril 2025
Carole Heeks
Lorraine Moore
Jane Wernick
Rodney Wild
Pat Wild

Structurei governance and management The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representatives Rules. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. Bank, Investment, Insurance & Other Details The Parish banking is with Lloyds, TSB and Co-operative banks CCLA (Churches, Charities and Local Authorlties) The Insurers for the Parish are Trinitas (Finance details are shown in the financial statements) The PCC holds licences from Church Copyright Licensing & the Data Protection Registrar Details of Trust Funds attached. Objectives and activities St Matthew's PCC has the responsibility of cooperating wlth the incumbent, the Revd Ellzabeth Devall in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangellstic, social and ecumenical. It also has maintenance responsibilities for the Church of St Matthew, Chadderton Hall Road, Chadderton. Church attendance At the 2025 Annual Parochial Church Meeting the number of people on the Electoral Roll was 100. The average weekly attendance, counted during October was 210. Over 16 years old - 132, under 16 years old- 78. Activities and performance follow In the form of varlous reports as detailed on the front page Thls report was approved by the PCC on Wednesday 18th March 2026 and signed on their behalf by Revd Ellzabeth Devall SCP (PCC Chairman) 16131

Vicar’s Report

I have now had the privilege as serving as your parish priest for a full year and would like to thank everyone at St Matthew and St Luke for their continued support to me personally and for the many ways that you serve Christ and contribute to church and parish life.

Particular thanks must go to our amazing churchwardens Maggs Hughes and Helen Crabtree who contribute so much to the life of our parish and whose many hours of work and commitment in so many areas of church life, not least in caring for our building and grounds that often goes unseen or unnoticed. Thanks to Maggs to for her work as our Treasurer – a crucially key role. Maggs works hard not only keeping the records and making payments but in ensuring we get the best value for any money we must spend as a church. This year, after the Diocese agreed a more realistic parish share with us and we were thrilled, at the end of the year, to be able to say we had paid this in full. Thanks to Neville Barker in his many and varied roles of Gift Aid Secretary, Electoral Roll Officer and 200 Club administrator. Thanks also to Gillian in her role as PCC Secretary ensuring the smooth running of our meetings and making sure the Vicar is organised!

We were thrilled to be able to appoint a new Safeguarding Officer this year, Karen Butterworth. Huge thanks to Karen for taking on this crucial role within the life of our church.

Worship and prayer are at the heart of our parish life. Throughout 2025, the Sunday liturgy has continued to be revised season by season, using well known hymn tunes or folk tunes to sing parts of the service. Thank you to Garry our organist and musical director and the choir for their support with this and leading us in our singing and worship. For the first time this year we also kept the Season of Creation, from 31 August to 12 October and extended our usual Harvest collection throughout that season. As part of being an ECO Church and in working towards our next award, we used the Creationtide liturgy, hymns and the sermons linked our response to the Gospel to our care of creation too. We also asked our Sunday and Thursday congregations to bring one item each week for the Chadderton Community Church foodbank, as we had also done throughout Lent in 2025 The support of both congregations was amazing. Thank you so much for your generosity.

The Thursday Family Worship continues to be popular with young families, with weekly attendance being consistently over 100. Huge thanks to Maggs Hughes for leading a service of the word for that congregation once each month, which she does in her role as Authorised Lay Minister, and for providing cover for myself when needed. At the Eucharistic services we continue to use the Nursery Rhyme Mass which is designed to encourage participation of all ages. Thanks also to Maggs for keeping the attendance records for Primary and Secondary school admissions and for assisting me with meeting with the families each October to sign the supplementary forms.

Thank you to Ann Tattersall also for her support with leading worship week by week and for her ministry of taking Holy Communion to the sick and housebound. It has been a privilege too to share in this ministry with Ann as we have begun to take Holy Communion into Total Care Chadderton each month together. A huge thanks to all who prepare for worship each week, those who are part of the welcoming team at both services, those who move the furniture, those who serve refreshments, operate the audio-visual equipment and those who read and lead our prayers and to our choir and organist, Garry, for leading us so beautifully in the praise of God.

We held a Commentated Eucharist for the Sunday morning and Thursday evening congregations which helped to explain some of the significance of the actions and prayers in our services. This was well received and helped our congregations to reflect on what we do when gather to worship week by week.

I was excited to be sharing my first Lenten and Holy Week journey with you all at St Matthew and St Luke last year. We hosted a Lenten Quiet Morning one Saturday in Lent for the Mission Community, which was well received by the 8 people who attended.

On Palm Sunday we began our service in the Garden of Remembrance and processed up the hill to Church singing All Glory, Laud and Honour and waving our palm crosses followed by a dramatic reading of the Passion Gospel. Holy Week had begun!

Holy Week reflections using Art by Jez Thomas and Music from Taizé were held at St Matthew’s on the Monday evening, Taizé Eucharist at St Anne’s on Tuesday evening, Stations of the Cross led by Maggs Hughes was held on the Wednesday evening. These services were held jointly with St Anne’s Royton.

The rest of the Holy Week services were able to be held at both churches. A priest colleague presided at St Anne’s on Maundy Thursday whilst I presided at St Matthew’s. I will alternate this arrangement each year. I would like to thank Gillian and Neville Barker, Jane Wernick and Maggs Hughes for leading the interactive Family Worship on Good Friday morning which was well attended and much enjoyed. I was able to preside at both churches on Good Friday as the services are held at different times. As St Anne’s hold their Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday evening, again I was able to preside at the Vigil services at both churches and the Dawn Service of Light early on Easter Day was a new and wonderful experience for me – and the bacon butties for breakfast after the service were much appreciated!

Walking through Holy Week together and celebrating my first Easter with you all at St Matthew’s was a real joy! My prayer and hope is that in the future those who have never experienced the liturgy of the church in Holy Week might join us as we walk alongside Jesus and enter into drama, passion sorrow, hope and joy of the week that is central to our faith.

I have had the privilege of accompanying people at the most joyful and sorrowful times of their lives through the ministry of the occasional offices. I have officiated at several funerals and burials of ashes, a wedding, a wedding blessing and many baptisms. The occasional offices continue to present wonderful opportunities for reaching out and sharing the love of Christ with many people who would not usually attend church services. Thank you to all who offer vital support and share in this mission and ministry of the church with these occasional offices such as Vergers, musicians, administrators and welcomers. Special thanks to Jane Wernick in her role as baptism coordinator and being the first point of contact for our baptism families.

Thanks to Gillian and Neville Barker, Maggs Hughes and Jane Wernick for preparing 6 of our young people for their first Holy Communion. The young people enjoyed their time of preparation, and it was wonderful to see them take this step on their journey of faith and to welcome them to the Lord’s Table.

In November we commemorated All Souls’ Day and Remembrance Sunday and we kept Safeguarding Sunday and ended the church year with a celebration of Christ the King.

In 2025 we held a Blue Christmas service for both churches at St Matthew’s, for those who might appreciate a quieter reflective service, such as those who have been bereaved or those experiencing a challenging time for any number of reasons. It has been decided we will host this service each year now at St Matthew’s.

We held our second St Nicholas service in December and gifts were given to St Nicholas who in turn, donated the gifts to the Booth Centre. The Booth Centre was extremely grateful for our support.

Our choir had taken part in the BBC Daily Service Christmas Concert at Manchester Cathedral to much acclaim and then they led us so beautifully and movingly at our Christmas Carol Service. The Carol service was a highlight of the Advent/Christmas season and from the feedback we received it brought great joy to many people. Huge thanks to our choir and Garry for all their hard work in getting ready for these events and for leading us so wonderfully.

We had a full house for our Christingle service– thanks to Maggs for leading the service and for the imaginative way she led the packed Crib Service on Christmas Eve too. It was a joy to celebrate the first Eucharist of Christmas at Midnight Mass.

I lead weekly Collective Worship and I am a Governor at St Luke’s Primary school, as well as working with St Matthew’s School and welcoming them into church for significant services throughout the school and church year. Laura Tebay, the Man Dio Growing Faith Deanery Enabler has also been working in St Luke’s school and has introduced Sensory worship once a half term for Key Stage 1 pupils which Maggs and I have supported her with. This has proved to be popular with staff and pupils and the parents who have been invited to attend. It has been a blessing to have Laura working with us in this way.

It is a challenge and a blessing working with 3 church schools (St Anne’s Royton also) and being a Governor at 2 of them. I would like to thank Maggs Hughes for all she does in her demanding role as Chair of St Luke’s Governors and thanks also to Gillian Barker, Jane Wernick and Clare Clark for all they do as Governors at St Luke’s too.

So many people contribute to the life of our church week by week by offering hospitality in a variety of ways. Alma Costello and her team of volunteers do an amazing job with St Matthew’s Toddler Group, providing a welcoming and inviting space for young children and their carers Thanks to Ann Tattersall and her faithful team who prepare and serve food each week at our Luncheon Club and Drop In and offer warm hospitality and company to all our guests. Such an important ministry which helps to combat social isolation. Thanks also to Margaret Lees for running the dressmaking club, a fantastic example of someone sharing their gifts to enrich other people’s lives. Huge thanks to Val Prestwich for all that she does in her role as Enrolling Member for Mothers’ Union. Thanks also to all involved in the grounds maintenance team who look after our beautiful grounds and church yard – they do an amazing job. Thanks to Max for looking after the church website. Thanks to Derek Seddon who prepares the ground for burials and helps maintain the records for our churchyard. It was a joy to be able to thank Derek for all he does for us, when in October he celebrated 40 years in his job at Oldham Council. Our church always looks beautiful too, especially when adorned with wonderful floral arrangements, thanks to Margaret Rochford.

In November, the final Cancer Research Coffee Morning was held. Iris Last, alongside her branch colleagues have worked tirelessly since 1969 raising funds for Cancer Research and over that time have raised over £800,000. Well done to Iris and her friends and a big thank you for all they have done over those many years and will continue to do now in a different way.

I would like to offer my thanks to Revd Richard Hawkins for his continued support to our parish this last year, not least in covering Sunday worship when I am on annual leave, but also for his friendship and support for me personally.

As part of the Manchester Diocese family, we are called to be a worshipping, growing and transforming Christian presence at the heart of our community here in Chadderton. We have much to look forward to in the coming year as we pray and worship together and discern where God continues to call us to join in His mission in this place. Later this year in April there will be an opportunity at a Deanery Event with Bishop Mark to hear about the emerging Diocesan vision too.

Thank you once again to all who have contributed to the life, worship, ministry and mission of the parish of St Matthew and St Luke.

With love and prayers, Liz

The Revd Elizabeth Devall

The work of the PCC in 2025

The full PCC met six times during the year with an average attendance of 70%. The standing committee met as required and minutes of their deliberations were received by the full PCC and discussed where necessary.

The day-to-day work of the PCC is carried out by its members – we are a working PCC and all members are expected to contribute whether on committees or working on specific tasks. Recommendations are discussed and if appropriate ratified at full PCC meetings. This process makes for more focused and strategic discussions and decision making.

At the beginning of the year, Roy Tattersall stepped down as a school Governor for St Luke’s primary school after giving many years of service. The school, having reviewed it skills audit, required a Governor with school experience and Jane Wernick, previously deputy headteacher at a secondary school in our parish, took on this role. St Matthew’s primary school joined the Cramner trust on the 1st of February. As academy structures are different, the PCC no longer need to fill governor posts, however, all foundation governors were asked if they wished to continue in their role. We were pleased to welcome Laura Tebay, the growing faith deanery worker, to St Luke’s school working with a specific year group. This sensory workshop was based on a theme appropriate to the church year consisting of song, prayer, quiet time and craft.

Even though Liz is also vicar at St Anne, Royton, we are two separate parishes. In February members, of both PCCs had a “get to know each other” meeting. Good discussions took place and we agreed that we would keep each other informed of social activities that we put on so that either church would be welcome at any of them.

There have been several challenges throughout the year regarding the graveyard, in particular headstones which do not comply with regulations and complaints regarding items removed from graves. We have worked closely with the diocese and local stonemasons to ensure that anyone requesting a headstone is given the correct information and extra notices were displayed in the graveyard, reinforcing the churchyard regulations of what is and what is not allowed.

We were very thankful that Karen Butterworth agreed to take on the role of Parish Safeguarding Officer. Karen has undertaken the necessary training required to fulfil the role and with the help and support of the PCC will be able to fulfil her responsibilities.

There were a variety of Services held during Lent and throughout Holy week some of which were better attended than others. During Holy week different services were held each day. It was pleasing to see so many attending the Easter Sunday dawn service as well as the 9am Eucharist. For Advent and Christmas, the Mission Community Advent Carol service took place at St Marks. We held the Blue Christmas service, a quiet, reflective, inclusive service for anyone experiencing grief or loss at Christmas time. St Nicholas service where gifts for the Booth Centre were collected. Our Christmas Carol service took place on the 21[st] , it was wonderful to see so many people and the choir did themselves justice, all the hard work paid off. On Christmas Eve at 3pm we had our Crib service and the Midnight Eucharist was at 11:30pm. For the first time we celebrated Creation Tide between the 31st of August and the 12th of October. During these six weeks we collected donations for the food bank and we were overwhelmed with the generosity shown by members of our congregation. We were able to donate more food than we could have hoped for to the Food Bank who were overjoyed with what they received.

On the social side of things, we had three very different events. In June we held a Mamma Mia singalong where we were able to sing along to the film as well as being treated to traditional Greek Meze during the interval. In August we held our senior’s afternoon tea which was thoroughly enjoyed by all who attended. In October we welcomed Royton Ukulele band who treated us to a medley of songs, encouraged audience participation and we even had spontaneous dancing in the aisle!

In October, following a weekend of preparation sessions involving craft activities, Bible work, prayer, and reflection; we welcomed six young people to receive their first holy communion.

It has been a busy and eventful year and we are thankful to members of the PCC and other members of the congregation who have worked our church has adapted to the changing situations. We pray for strength and direction as we prepared to move into a New Year in the knowledge that God has a purpose for us all to ensure this parish is fit for mission and living out our call to share the gospel in faith hope and love

Gillian Barker

Financial Statements of the Parish of St Matthew and St Luke for the year 2025

Income for general use.

2025 saw a reduction in giving by standing order which brought in £27,429 (£30,143 in 2024). This was due to people passing away or ceasing to worship with us.

Giving by weekly envelopes decreased to £5,222 (£5,944 in 2024). Cash collections increased to £4,905 (£4,546 in 2024). We had an upturn in people using contactless giving, in particular at baptisms. We can claim tax back for cash and contactless giving via the Gift Aid Small Donation Scheme.

Donations, which include one-off gift aid envelopes increased to £2,461 (2,385 in 2024). Our Thursday morning dressmaking group have always made donations, and I would like to acknowledge £264 given in 2025.

Other activities e.g. refreshments and lunch club, parent and toddler group made surpluses after expenses totalling £2,068.

Our letting income was £471 (£565 in 2024). A reduction, which would have been more significant had we not had £136 from hiring out our space to Future Directions for pantomime rehearsals and performance (final lettings fee received in 2026). Hopefully they will want to use us again, not just for the income, but as this is a link into a service provided for adults with learning difficulties.

Fees from funerals and weddings brought in £7,505 (£9,135 in 2024). £5,047 (£5,592 in 2024) of which is related to the graveyard. An overall reduction as we had fewer funerals / burials but the smaller reduction in grave related fees is due to a increase in requests for burial of ashes.

Recovered gift aid amounted to £9,864 (£11,190in 2024). The amount we can claim is dependent on giving levels and it is automatically sent towards our parish share by the diocese.

Fundraising for unrestricted funds made a surplus after expenses of £3,105 (£2,880 in 2024), some of which is attributed to our knitters and bakers - thank you.

General expenditure.

The parish share, set by the diocese was £37,500, which we were able to pay in full.

Expenditure for upkeep of services e.g. wine, wafers, candles, admin, printing, and payments to our organist plus licenses, water rate, insurance etc was approximately £1,000 more than in 2024.

The cost of gas and electricity was £1,000 less than in 2024.

Expenditure on council tax, water and vicar’s expenses, which we share with St Anne’s parish, was £1837.91

It is PCC policy to top-slice the total general income by 10% to pay for minor repairs and maintenance contracts e.g. alarm, boilers, gutters, fire extinguishers, pest control. The 10% came to £6,889, of which £5,663 was spent, with the balance being added to the fabric fund for use in future years for major expenditure.

Upkeep of the churchyard, amounted to £3,298. Thank you to the volunteers, whose hard work maintaining the graveyard means that we are not having to employ a firm to do the work, which we estimate would cost at least £10,000 per annum.

Income and expenditure not for general use

We received a grant of £4,700 from the Benefact Trust towards the cost of the gable end repairs, which will take place in 2026. We are still awaiting decisions from two other grant making bodies.

The cost allocated against major repair work was £2,381, mainly for architect fees related to the gable end repairs.

We replaced the notice board at the main gate at a cost of £1,926 which was paid for from money received from the sale of St Luke’s church in 2024.

Risk, review, funds and reserves policy.

It is good practice to maintain a readily accessible balance on unrestricted funds to cover both ordinary running costs and those which arise unexpectedly. The PCC aims to hold between 3 and 6 months running costs in free reserves - at 31[st] December 2025 the balance of free reserves stood at £37,527. This balance does not include any monies that have been designated e.g. legacies or for fabric repairs or those held in the Marianne Hamilton bequest account (see paragraph below).

Funds and related transactions which are considered to be under the control of the PCC are included within these financial statements. In addition there exists an independent registered charity, number 244678, the Marianne Hamilton bequest which was created following the sale of land belonging to the Parish of St Luke. Its purpose is for the improvement of the amenities of the church and for other purposes in the Parish of St Matthew and St Luke.

Statement of Trustees Responsibilities

Charity Law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of its financial activities for that period. In preparing those financial statements the trustees have:-

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Acts. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Margaret Hughes

Parish Treasurer.

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Parochial Church Councll of ST MATTHEW AND ST LUKE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year endlng 31 Dècember 2025 1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES Thè principal accounting policies adopted In the preparation of the flnanclal 8tatements are sel out below aratlon The financial slalemenls have bfjen prepared in accordance the Church Accounting Regulation$ 2006 using the ReceSpls and Payments basis. The financial slalemenls include all transactions for which the PCC is responsible. They do not Include the ac¢ounls of church group8 that owe their main fflli8lion to another body. nor those that are irrfml oalherings of church members. Fund accountin Endowment Funds are fund8. the capital of wlM¢h must be maintained.. only income arising from investment may be used either as reslrieled or unreslnded fvnds depending upon the purpose for which the endowment was 93tsbli8hed. Marianne Hamilton is this type of fund. Reslricled Funds represent donations or gfants received for a specific purpose or Invited by tha PCC for a specific purposè. Thè funds may only te expended on the specific purposg for which they were givgn. Any balance remaining unspent at the end of tha yoar is Carried forward as a balance on that fund. The PCC does not normally invest sepaTOtety for each fund but whon 8pproprtale Intore8118 apportioned lo individual funds. Design8led Funds are furKls which are not reslricted by the dor￿ but whlch the PCC has agreed to dèsignate to be used in the future for a 5pecifit purpose. They remain under the control of the PCC a5 part of unrestricted funds and could be re4lesi8nated at any ￿me bn the future at the dlxretion of the PCC. Unreslricled Funds are general funds which cgn be used for PCC ordinary purp08e8. They indude desi9naled funds and free reserves. Free reserves are those funds available lo be used al the diserelion of the PCC which have not been designated for any parhculai PUTPOSe

Parochlal Church Councll of ST MAThHEW AND ST LUKE NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the ygar endlng 31 DKember 2026 (Cont) General Funds General Funds represent the amounts available lo the PCC to meet Its ongoing obllgations, based on the assumption that restricted funds are not available for general use. Muslc fund Donations and lees received that are Spgufically for all aspects of muslc other than the organist'$ salary are held in a restricted fund. Flower funds Donations received in respect of church flower¥ are hekl in a reslri¢ted fund to be 8penl on future Ilow8r displays. The balance on hand 1$ sufficienl lo pay for flowers for the immediate future. Mission Various collections are held on behalf of other organi¥abons and these are paid over as soon as practical. Marlannè Hamllton Be uest. Th8 PCC acknowledges Marianne Hamltton Bequest a¥ 8n independent Registered Charity, number 244678. which wa$ cr$al6d followlng the sale oflond belonging to the Parish of St Luke Il's purp¢s8 Is for improving the amenltles of the church and for other purposes in the Parish of Sl Matthew and St Luke. Chadderton.

Independent examinerfs report to the PCC of St Matthew and St Luke, Chadderton I report on the financial statements of the PCC for the year ended 31 December 2025, which are set out on pages 01 to 09. This report is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2(K)6 {'the Regulations,) and section 43 of the Charitie5 Act 1993 I'the 1993 Act'l. Respective responsibilities of the PCC and the examiner As members of the PCC you are responsible for the prepaTrtion of the financial statements: you consider that an audit is not required for this year under the Regulations and under section 43121 of the 1993 Act and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to issue this report on those financial statements in accordance with the temis of the Regulations. Basis of this report My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 4317llbl of the 1993 Act and to be found in the Church guidante, 2006 edition. That examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the PCC and a comparison of the accounts with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required of an audit and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. Independent examinerf statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: 111 which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirement5 to keep accounting records in accordance with sertion 41 of the 1993 Act- and to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and comply with the requirements of the 1993 Act and Regulations have not been met- or {21 to which, in my opinion. attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. SIGNED- NAME.. qualification. if relevant Address lo TrLIvÉ Date kr4yw>p(L7 FCCA LGVIAL* OLII fHg 11

Gift Aid

Thank you, the Parishioners, for the donations you have made in 2025 - whether as a regular committed giving donation or as a single donation and regardless of your tax-paying status.

The Gift Aid year runs in tandem with the Tax Year, though for the purposes of this calendar year report, I detail those donations that we were able to prove an audit trail on, vis: valid name, address and Gift Aid Declaration (held separately or contained on the One-off yellow envelopes). In total we were able to claim back £9659 from the government to contribute to church expenses. This is of course a healthy sum, albeit we cannot ignore the falling trend. Less generous giving possible from the changed congregation cohort. A reflection of the post covid and interregnum eras. (2019 saw more footfall and critically £6k more tax refund/£24k more gross income – different service patterns of 4 per week vs now 2 and then all ad hoc special services solely at St Matthews).

GASDs is a longstanding ‘temporary’ scheme whereby - regardless of tax-payer status - we can currently claim up to £2000 in a tax year from cash in the weekly collection. If you DO pay tax, may I please ask you instead, to complete a Gift Aid Donation Form available from me and in church. Likewise, if you can commit to regular giving, you strongly consider payment by weekly/monthly standing order, or if not possible, Regular Giving Envelopes available from me and in church.

You will note how the declaration does state it is your responsibility to ensure that you personally (not your joint/shared household) pay sufficient tax to cover all your GiftAided donations - the Revenue do randomly audit! With standard tax-free income unchanged at £12570 per annum, a change in circumstance/tax status can quickly change matters. Do please let me know - on a strictly confidential basis - should your declaration with me need to change at any point. I can then ensure no over-claims are made. Conversely, with the continuing ‘fiscal drag’ of static tax allowances, you may have now started paying tax again on your total combined income, enabling you to complete a Gift Aid Declaration for me.

Eg £80 per month donation = £960 in a year on which £240 tax is reclaimed by church. A minimum £13,530 annual income would need earning to incur this ‘refunded’ £240 tax charge.

In the meantime, please do keep me updated of any changes in your email address, physical address, name or tax-paying status!

Neville Barker (GiftAidStMatthews@gmail.com)

Reader Ministry

In my role as Reader Minister, I have helped lead Services in Church, and since Reverend Elizabeth Devall became our Vicar, she has created booklets for both of us to use in our worship on Sundays, where we share the role of leading the congregation in worship.

I have also appreciated for several years, being able to take Bread and Wine to the homes of those who are not able to come to Church on their own, often due to their lack of ability to physically move about. and then I lead the Home Communion Service for them in their home.

Over ten years ago, our vicar Reverend David Penny, came up with the suggestion of a Luncheon Club at Church. This then became a weekly gathering on Tuesdays for anyone who wanted to come along and join us in Church, usually for a Two Course meal. The Luncheon Club has continued ever since, and even now, Susan Tracey and Margaret Rochford and Alma Costello take turns making the main course, virtually every week. Usually, I make the desserts, as I can then sometimes use some of the fruits we grow on our farm to make the desserts. Then people can also choose (if they wish) to stay after lunch and join in various board or card games that we can play. It is good to welcome people to join us, and share a meal, and spend time relaxing and getting to know each other. Quite a few years ago, Reverend David Penny decided that we should go to Total Care in Chadderton and lead a Communion Service there for the residents. This took place at least every two weeks. If David had something else to do that day, then he would ask me to lead the Service.

Now, Reverend Elizabeth Devall has also chosen to lead Communion Services there, and together we go and lead the Communion Service once a month for the Residents and Staff who would like to attend.

As a Reader Minister, which Reverend David Pennny suggested I become, it is good to be able to now help Elizabeth, and assist leading at Services, and welcoming people to Church and other activities that they can come and join in with, on our journey of life.

Ann Tattersall

Safeguarding

During the period 1st January to 31st December 2025 there has been one disclosure made as follows

Our parish of St Matthew and St Luke, Chadderton is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults from harm. We follow the House of Bishops guidance and policies. A new nominated Parish Safeguarding Officer was appointed in September 2025 and can be contacted at stmatthews.PSO@gmail.com . Prior to that, the position was vacant. During the vacancy the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer, Abbey Clephane Wilson was ble to fulfil this role. She can be contacted at safeguarding@manchester.anglican.org or by calling 0161 828 1465 or 07384 460958.

The certificate numbers and their issue dates of members of the congregation holding DBS certificates relevant to their role within St Matthew and St Luke’s are held on record. This enables us to check when renewals are due. An audit is currently taking place.

All our groups working within St Matthew’s are reminded that any new leaders/post holders having contact with children and/or vulnerable adults must have a relevant, current DBS certificates to safeguard all people attending those groups.

The Current Parish Safeguarding Handbook is available online, accessible through the diocesan website.

Karen Butterworth

Authorised Lay Ministry

I have been on rota for one Thursday evening Service of the Word per month.

Each Service of the Word has a format of prayer, music, saying sorry, readings, a talk, creed and intercessions but is also quite bespoke as I try to make the services as interactive as possible. You can see a flavour of involvement by the families on the notice board displays in the Narthex.

It is good to report that attendance at these services and the Thursday Holy Communion services led by Liz has stabilised with an average attendance of 100 (roughly 50/50 children and adults). During Holy Week I led an evening service of Stations of the Cross.

On Good Friday I led the family worship. Thank you to Gillian and Jane for leading groups of families on our Experience Easter outdoors. I also took a ministerial role in the Good Friday liturgy.

In December I led the Christingle service and on Christmas Eve I led the Crib service. I have continued to put together the slides for the services.

I also set up the church and AV system for the occasions when St Matthew’s school come into church for services.

Margaret Hughes

Grounds Maintenance

Our small but dedicated maintenance team worked hard in 2025.

We continued our relaxed approach of not having a rota, which enables people to turn up when they have an hour or so to spare and the weather is right.

Whatsapp is used to post where we have cut and to discuss which area needs to be done next. I would like to give a huge vote of thanks to Geoff, Rob and Tony plus Max when back in Chadderton. Thanks also Seb who is doing his Duke of Edinburgh volunteering with us - he is never phased by anything he is asked to do. We were also busy in the memorial garden and thank Jeff Crabtree for mowing this on a regular basis and also discouraging the moles from digging there. Thanks also to Jeff for maintaining the benches and starting to deal with the rotten gatepost at the far side of the field – this has proved to be an arduous task that will have to continue this year.

Thank you to Helen for clearing graves of items that haven’t been removed by grave owners e.g. dead Christmas wreaths and items that are not permitted under graveyard regulations.

I also started the task of clearing brambles from the area behind the container as it is my ambition to eventually establish a wildflower meadow there. Work that will continue in 2026.

We also had a splendid bonfire of all the wood from fallen branches and trees but I chose what was possibly one of the hottest days of the year! I have promised not to do that this year.

Last year we took the decision that we could no longer cut the hedges ourselves and paid for a local person to do the task.

Thanks also go to Sue for all her hard work planting and weeding our flowers beds and tubs which look beautiful all year round with spring bulbs and summer flowers making them especially colourful. We are always happy to welcome new recruits for all the tasks.

Margaret Hughes

Wardens’ Report 2025

In September Revd Liz completed her first year with us and I'm sure that everyone will agree that she is a great asset and the changes she has made have been very well received. We thank Liz for leading Worship, her Spiritual Guidance and Ministry of God's word. We also thank Margaret for leading monthly Thursday services and Ann for her role as Reader.

We are very grateful to all our volunteers, whether their help is with warden or sidesperson duty, reading, intercessions, operating AV or lay assisting at our services, making and serving refreshments, running weekly groups, flower arranging, gardening and graveyard maintenance, pew removal and replacement, looking after our website and social media or general handywork. Everyone works very hard and for this we offer our sincere thanks.

All the usual yearly maintenance services have been carried out:

Additional work was carried out as follows:

(VAT where applicable is included in all prices. Professional fees are recorded separately in the church accounts)

A private faculty for a reservation for a grave space for two people (Alan & Carole Robinson) was granted.

We held two fundraising events during the year in the form of a Mamma Mia Singalong and a Ukelele Concert, performed by Royton Ukelele Group. These two events were very successful both in terms of enjoyment and fund raising. (Money raised is shown separately in church accounts). Our Seniors' Afternoon Tea which we held in July was also a great success and was enjoyed by all who attended. We thank all the volunteers who helped make these events a success.

We held a bottle raffle in December to raise money for church funds (Money raised is shown separately in church accounts). Prizes were kindly donated by our parishioners and we thank them for these donations.

Our church management system was successfully changed from ChurchDesk to iknowchurch resulting in significant cost savings.

The Inventory and Terrier were updated accordingly.

Helen Crabtree & Margaret Hughes

Deanery Synod

The Oldham & Ashton Deanery has continued to navigate a period of notable change throughout 2025. Against a backdrop of financial pressure, shifting attendance patterns, and increasing community need, our parishes have shown resilience, creativity, and a renewed commitment to mission. This report summarizes the key developments, challenges, and achievements across the deanery during the past year.

Three deanery synod meetings were held in February, June and October covering several topics.

2025 has been a year of adaptation, collaboration, and renewed purpose. Despite the challenges facing the Church nationally and locally, the Oldham & Ashton Deanery remains committed to serving its communities, strengthening parish life, and proclaiming the Gospel with hope and confidence.

Roy Tattersall

Mothers’ Union

Our AGM was held at our January meeting when officers for the branch were elected or re-elected. In February we played a guessing game, items having been placed in socks which we had to identify by touch. A very interesting talk at our March meeting on being ‘scam aware’ was given by David Hibbert who is a volunteer with Greater Manchester Police. In April another interesting and informative talk was given by Alan Greenwood who told us about his experiences of being a JP and of how they were appointed and of other duties involved. At our meeting in May we had another game based on the television programme Countdown which had been modified to suit our purposes. In June we went on a very long journey walking during the 2020 lockdown to Lindisfarne with our vicar, Rev. Liz Devall and in July we went on another long journey to South America with Clare and Phil Clark. We returned in September after our summer break when we held a quiz. Valerie attended the MU Diocesan Council in October and gave an update of what MU is doing in the diocese and that whilst we are a small branch, we have contributed to helping nearly 5,000 people during the year. A talk had been scheduled for our November meeting but unfortunately the person coming to speak was ill and unable to come so we once again played ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’, our standby game. December saw us playing a game based on the children’s game beetle but instead of a beetle we had to build and decorate a Christmas tree. This was followed by our very enjoyable Christmas supper where, as usual, more food than we could eat was provided.

Our branch donations this year were to AFIA (Away from it all) which provides holidays or trips for families in need of a break and to Manchester Projects of which there are quite a few. We held a cake stall in February which enabled us to make donations to Make a Mother’s Day and the MU summer appeal. Mothers’ Union makes quite an amount of money from the sale of cards and this year the proceeds of our card stall in November, and other cards purchased during the year we have sold over £300s worth. A big thank you goes to our church congregation for supporting the stall.

Whilst there seems to be a general diminishing of members, not just our branch, attending Mothers’ Union festivals during the year we were represented at the commissioning of Christine Sharp (previously our Diocesan President) as Provincial President at York Minster, the Archdeaconry Festival in Milnrow and the Advent Carol Service at St Anne’s, Manchester. 2026 brings us to the 150[th] anniversary of Mothers’ Union so hopefully more of our members will attend the services etc. which are planned for that year.

The good news for our branch is that during the year we had two new members enrolled, bringing us up to 20 but unfortunately one member has transferred her membership to another branch making our total membership 19. The average attendance at our meetings is 10 but again we welcome guests at one or two of our meetings.

Again, I would like to thank the members who undertake various tasks for the branch, the committee and all our members for their support during the year.

Valerie Prestwich

200 Club

2025 saw static participation in the 200 Club, despite continued push on awareness in our outreach work/ability to partake whether based locally or not – permitted by our Local Authority registration of the same.

At the end of December 2025 we had 74 syndicate member lines (76 December 2024) each contributing £4 per month. Having sold 914 lines during 2025 (932 in 2024) , we were able to award £1645.20 across 36 winners in accordance with our constitution. In addition, £2010.80 was paid over to general church funds with regards to ongoing church expenses.

Thank you to each of you who subscribe to the 200 Club, and to those who share its existence with your local friends and neighbours who may want to know how they can help their local church at arms length.

Neville Barker, Margaret Hughes and Jane Wernick Administrators StMatthews200Club@gmail.com Council Registration number: Lot0225