## Easingwold with Raskelf Churches 2025 Annual Reports For APCM on 26th April 2026 St. John the Baptist and All Saints, Easingwold St. Mary’s, Raskelf ## **REPORT OF THE EASINGWOLD & RASKELF** ## **PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL (PCC)** ## **YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025** ## **1. GENERAL & ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION** St John the Baptist and All Saints Church is situated in Easingwold and St Mary’s Church is situated in Raskelf. It is part of the Diocese of York within the Church of England. The correspondence address is The Vicarage, Church Hill, Easingwold, York YO61 3JT. ## |**PCC Members**|**PCC Members**|**PCC Members**|**PCC Members**| |---|---|---|---| |The following persons served as members and trustees of the PCC during 2025|||| |Pat Allen|Churchwarden||(26)| |Laura Varney|Churchwarden||(26)| |Alizon Leese|Deanery Synod Representative||(26)| |Diane Gallon|Lay chair till September 2025||(27)| |Alan Hake|Deanery Synod Representative||(26)| |Hazel Henebury|Hon. Secretary||(28)| |Peter Simpson|Lay Chair from Sep 2025 till Dec 2025||(26)| |Kamal Antoun|Hon. Treasurer till September 2025||(26)| |Richard Varney|Hon. Treasurer from September 2025||(28)| |Caroline Small|||(27)| |Lynne Price|||(26)| |Alan|||(27)| |Summerscales|||| |Sue Thorn|||(28)| |Sara Beaumont|Parish Administrator, Lay Minister,||(26)| ||Anna Chaplain and Deanery Synod Representative||| |Ken Gillance||(Till|May2025)| |Pat Gillance||(Till|May 2025)| |Michael Hughes|Deanery Synod representative|Resigned May|| |||25|| Safeguarding officer: Laura Varney(Till June2025)/ Alan Hake (from June 2025) All clergy in the Deanery are Ex Officio but only the above take up their right to come to this PCC. ## **2. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT** The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC is registered with the Charity Commission. Elections to the PCC are held annually. All members of the church electoral roll are entitled to vote and stand for election. They can serve for either one, two or three years, except for the ex- officio Deanery Synod members who are elected for a period of three years. A person who has served as a churchwarden for six successive periods of office is disqualified from being chosen for the office until the annual meeting of parishioners to elect churchwardens in the next year but one following the date on which that person vacated office at the end of the last such period. This is in accordance with The Churchwardens Measure 2001. There is also provision for the co-option of members onto the PCC and the Incumbent is the Chairman and an ex-officio member. The PCC is responsible for: - the financial management of the church - the care and maintenance of the church fabric - the care and maintenance of the churchyard ## **3.** ## **OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES** The object of the PCC, administering the affairs of St John the Baptist and All Saints Easingwold, together with the Church of St Mary at Raskelf, is to further the work of the Church of England in the Parish and to do this in cooperation with the Vicar and during the interregnum in promoting in the Parish the whole mission of Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. To discharge these responsibilities, under the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956, powers have been conferred on the PCC to: - acquire, manage, and administer property for ecclesiastical purposes affecting the parish. - formulate and approve an annual budget for the maintenance of the church work. - levy and collect a voluntary church rate. - make representations to the Bishop, with regard to matters affecting the welfare of the parish. ## **4. REVIEW OF THE YEAR** There has been a regular weekly pattern of worship throughout the year and the general work of the parish has been maintained. For the details relevant to 2025 see the separate reports which include comments from the Churchwardens, PCC, Secretary and others. The number on the Electoral roll at 31st December2025 was 152 Easingwold and 34 Raskelf. ## **5. FINANCIAL REVIEW** Total receipts in the year were £139,956 – a reduction of 10% on the previous year; conversely total expenditure of £160,845 was up slightly on 2024’s £152,222. This resulted in an overall deficit in the year of £20,589 (2024 – surplus of £3,670). However, much of the deficit in the year was due to a mismatch of the timing of income and expenditure within the Raskelf restricted fund whereby grant income was received in 2024 but the related expenditure only occurred in 2025. Our unrestricted funds – those used for the general day to day running of our two churches – had a total income of £110,199 inclusive of £78,740 received from individual contributions which were however slightly down on the prior year (£80,604); the remaining income included statutory fees, trust drawdowns and interest received. The overall income was used to support the activities and running costs of our churches of £82,876 and £26,605 respectively – with the former including our free will offering. The unrestricted funds had an overall deficit of £1,324 in the year (2024 – deficit of £2,596). Our restricted funds – which relate to the maintenance, repair and renovation of our churches – incurred a significant deficit for the reason stated above. The principal source of income related to the drawdown of trust income with the major items of expenditure being professional fees relating to the refurbishment of St Marys, the replacement of the main path in Easingwold and new alarm systems at both churches. The benefice has total reserves of £215,592 of which £167,797 are unrestricted thereby covering our official policy of having at least 50% of our unrestricted expenditure covered by reserves: the balance of our reserves of £47,795 are in restricted funds. In addition to the stated reserves, St John’s church has the benefit of the income arising from three trusts (as detailed in the financial statements). There is also a further £302,372 held by the Diocese on our behalf in respect of the sale of the Easingwold Parish Rooms – these funds can only be used for a limited range of purposes. In 2026, the refurbishment of St Marys will continue apace – subject to the receipt of various grants. At St Johns, it is expected that we will begin some of the various repairs set out in the 2023 Quinquennial report. Full details of our unrestricted, designated and restricted funds and our accounting conventions and policies are included in the notes to our financial statements below. The PCC has a policy to maintain a balance on its non-restricted funds which equates to approximately six months’ unrestricted payments so as to be able to cover emergency situations that may arise from time to time; the balance on such funds as at 31[st] December 2025 meets this criteria. Easingwold & Raskelf Parochial Church Council Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025 R8gister&l wilh the Ch8rity Commi$sk)n- number fj14W21 INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF EASINGWOLD & RASKELF PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL I report on the Finan￿31 Statements ol the Parochial Church Counryl of St John the Bapti$t & All Saints Churth, Easingwold and St Mary's ChuTch, Raskelf for the year ended 31 December 2025. This exarnination is carried out in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulatrons 2006 Clhe Regu18tions"l and the Charities Act 2011 I'lhe ACV). Respective re5ponsibilitie5 of PCC memb8r5 and the •x3miner AS members of Ihe PCC you are responsible for the preparation of Ihe financial statements. You consider that the audit requirement Df the Regulation section 144121 of the Act does not apply and that an independent trxamination Is needed. It is my responsibility to Issue this report on those financi ststements in accordance with th8 t8mis of the R&gulatson5. Basis of this report My examination wa5 carried out in accordanc8 ￿th th8 General Directions gwen by the ChaThty Comrnission under section 1451Sllbl ol the Act. That examEnation Indudes a rewew of the accounting recoids kept by the PCC and a comparison ol the financial statements with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and See￿ng explanatrions from you as trustees conceming any such matters. The procedures undertak.ern do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently I do not express an opinion on the view given by the ffnanoal statements. Independent examin?fs ststem¢nt I have cornplet8d my examination. I confimi that no material matters hav8 Corng to my *tention in connectioll with the examination gwing me cause to believe that in any material respèct.. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Tiust as required by section 130 of the A¢t.' or 2. the accounts do not accord with thtsse records.. or 3. the accounts Llo not comply wittt the applicable requirements conceming the fom and content of accounts sei out in the Charities (Accounts and Rtrportsl Regulations 2008 otheT than any requ1wern￿t that the account5 g¥ve a 'true and fair vi8w which 15 not a matter consid8red as part ol an independent ex8rnination. I have no coneems and have corn8 across no other matters in connecbon with the examination to which attentloll Should be drawn in thi5 report In order to enable a proper under51anding of the account5 to be reached. 'Ilah Hopps FMAAT White Rose Accounts"ng Warter POCKLINGTON EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE 121h March 2026 Easing￿ld & Rask•ff PCC Income and EX￿nditUr￿ for th• yoaf •nd•d 31 December 2025 Year eTrd￿l 31 D￿nbel >)25 Vnre5trict8d Restri￿ Total fvnds funds 2025 Totsi fvnd¥ INCOME Voluntary 4Yving ColkGlk?￿ al s¢r¥ices Gfft recovered Grarts aTKI trust i￿ome Legacies Other gmng Regular gwirvJ 8,012 10,939 8.630 92 15.860 43.837 87,370 797 105 22,276 1,000 201 8,809 11.044 30,906 1,092 16,061 43,837 111,749 7,838 11,896 42,588 3,CM)O 18.104 43,( 126,430 24.379 Othor Income Feès for baptisms, funerals and waddirys FwKJraisirg a¢tnritEs Inier¢sl aryl inveslnEnt I￿rne Parish magair 14,721 14.721 4,320 7.587 1,579 28.207 14,538 2,424 10,876 1,624 29.482 4,320 1,058 6,529 1,579 22.829 5,378 TOTAL INCOME 110.199 29.757 139.956 155,892 EXPENDITURE Church actNltles Adrrinistrator costs Charrf(able donatior Ckrgy aNJ otr*r expe￿eS Deanery comributk) Free will offeriro Mis5bJn cosls 3,120 4.000 1.708 622 69,200 1.581 2,e47 82.876 3,120 4,000 1,706 622 69,200 1,881 2,647 82.876 1,820 4,045 1.711 600 68.(M)O 893 2.380 79.449 Mus Chureh Tunnkng ¢osts 1,659 2.875 563 12,950 8.558 26,605 3,694 5,353 2,875 19,944 37,697 8,SS8 74,427 5,262 3,(A7 11,590 37,379 11,743 69,041 Other runroTrJ costs Professional fees RepaiTS and Trwintenar￿e 19,381 24,747 47,822 Other expendlture Costs of hJndTaising Parish magaane 1,51 1.500 2.042 3.542 1,769 2,042 2.042 3,732 TOTAL EXPENDITURE 111,523 49,322 160,845 152,222 TOTAL SURPLUS IDEFICITI FOR THE YEAR {1.324) 119,5651 {20,8891 3.670 Rag1St*￿ thecharty Cornmwron *numbor 1t45021 Easingwold & Raskelf Parochial Church Council Statomant of assets and liabiliti0$ 08 at 31 Do¢gmb•r 2025 Unr4strkt•Y Rtstrkt¢d Total funds d$ 202$ Total fvnds 2024 Fixed assets Investments 31 TaTrJibb fixed as3et8 2,662 1,991 4,653 3,634 6.296 1,991 8,287 6,296 2,534 8,830 3,634 Curront ￿￿ets Ba￿[ current accounts and cash Bark deposrt accoLrts Debtor8 aThJ prepayrrErls 1th)ts 41 23,240 139.979 2.529 165,748 31,021 54.261 13.140 153.119 2.S29 44.161 209.909 66,586 166,149 1,380 234115 Currnnt liabTrlltlès Creditors and accruals Imte 51 2,604 2.604 2.604 2,604 6,464 6.464 Total assets less current 11ablllt￿S 167.797 47.795 215.592 23Q481 Ac¢umulated funds Irh)te 61 BaL￿n￿ bro￿ht fotward SurplLS IdefKrtI for the year Baknces caritd forward 169.121 67,360 236,481 11,3241 {fj9,5651 (20,889) 167,797 47,795 215,592 232.811 3,670 236,481 These financial Statements, incluswe of the notes sel out on pages 4 to 6, weTe approved by the Parochial Churth Council on 18th March 2026 and sign8d on its behalf by. Reverand Richard Grant Richard Vamey Tr8asuref Chairman 18th March 2026 1811 March 2026 R•gvatw•dwrfh th• Chgtity Cornmi￿￿- numbar 1145021 Easingwold & Raskelf Parochial Church Council Notes to the finanelal alatements- year ended 310ècombèr 2025 General infomiallon EasingwokS & RaskelfParochial Church Council f'PCCI is responsible for the combinèd benefi of the Anglican churches of Sl John the Baptist and All Saints Church in Easingwold and St Mary's Church in Raskelf. A¢countlng conv•ntlon and poli¢i•$ These financial statements have been PrePa￿d on an accruals basis under tha historical cost convention and in accordance with Ihe Church Accounling Regulat#)ns 2006 and The Charities Statement ol Recommende¢l Practice {SORP 2026). The accounting policiès adopted by the PCC remain unchanged from the previous year. Oeprecialion is provided on the cost of tangible fix￿ assets in equal annual instalments over five years, being the estiThated useful economic lrfe ofthe assels. Both the historical cost and ￿rrent value of the freehold land owned by the PCC and currenlty used a car park, are unknown and are therefore excluded from these financial statements., the Lgnd is known as'lhe Chur¢h Field" Unrestricied funds are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and in¢lude those funds destgnated for a particular purpose by the PCC., of the funds in this category, the Easingwold General Fund is wholly unrestricted whilst the Raskeff General Fund is a designated fund. ReStr￿ted funds are those lo wttich specffjic conditions of use are attached,. the PCC has tt¥o such funds- the Easingwold Fabric Fund and the Raskeif R&D Fund. Investments Investments are in quoted funds and are shown al historical cost values. The market values of the investments a￿ as follows". Unrestricted funds- cost £2.662, market value £9,63612024- £10.049) Restricted funds- cost £3,634. market Val￿ £15,561 (2024- £16,209). D•btor8 and prèp4ym•nts 2025 2D24 Gift receivable Grant Teceivable 500 500 Prepaid eosts 1,085 2.529 514 1.380 Cr•ditr•rs and a¢erual$ 2025 2024 A¢crued costs 2.C63 541 6,046 418 6.464 Provision for You and Me ex￿ndit￿re 2.604 Registeredwnh tho Ch8rity Commis￿0Th- nvmber 1145021 Easingwold & Raskelf Parochial Church Council Not￿ to the financlal 8tatement8- yoar ended 31 Dècombw 2025 ltorttlnu￿Tr Ac¢umulated funds The following tab￿ summaTiSèS tha mov8m8nt in gath of the indwidual PCC funds for the yèar ended 31 D8￿mber 2025. UnresIr￿t8d funds EasIngw￿d general fund Raskelt gongralfund Total Income 101,988 105,816 13.828) 162,156 158,328 8.211 5.707 2.504 6.965 9.469 110.199 111.523 11.3241 169,121 167.797 Expendrture Surplvs (deficit) for the year B3lanc8 brought foThvArd Balance carried forward Restncled thnds Eoslngv￿)1d tabth lund Ra8k8ff R&D fund Total Income 23.334 6,423 25,635 (19,2121 50.905 31,693 29.757 49.322 119,5651 67.360 47,795 E4oendilur8 Surplus (deficril for the year Balan￿ brought foward Balance carried forward 23,687 13531 16.455 16.102 Other funds St John the Baptist and All Saints Church in Easingwold is the beneficiary of the inwme of a nurnber of trust funds but is not allowed lo access the capilal of the funds. The York Diocesan Board of Finance {"YDBF) is the SO￿ trust* of each ￿nd and as a result the lunds value are nol included in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Tlje Ki'tty Smilhson Endowment Trust Fund Under the temis of a deed dated 17 January 1992, fund income can be ulilised to support the repair, mainlenan¢e and upkeep of the Church. The undertying investments of the Trust have market value of £234.946 as a131 De(*mber 2025 (2024- £214,308). At the year end there was a balancè of £9,201 in aeeumulated in¢ome not yet drawn down nor reflected in these financial statements12024- £9.5641. The Haztrl Medd P&@elual TmstFund Undèr the tem)s of a deed dated 27 January 1994, fund income can be ulilised to support the rapair, maintenance and upkeep of thè Church and fortho upkeep, maintenance and replacement of furniture, ornaments and robes for the celebration of Holy Communion in th8 Churth. Th8 underlying investments of the Trust have a market value of £169.388 as at 31 Decembar 2025 12024 - £152,121}', the Trust also owns a freehold property valued at £60.000 at the date of the trust deed in 1994. Reyi&tered wlh th@ Charity Comm188Kin. number 114￿21 Easingwold & Raskelf Parochial Church Council Nots* to tho financial $tatomonts- y•ar ond•d 31 D•c•M￿r 2025 lcontlw￿j Other funds l¢ontimtedl Al the year end IheTe was 8 balan￿ of £60,173 in accumulated incl￿8 not y81 drawn dtywn nor reflectd in thesè financial statèm8nts12024- £67,083). The and Mary Smithson EcclesiastKal CharAty Fund income can be utilLsed to support the repair, maintenance and upkeep of the Church. The undertying investments of the Trust have a market value of £221,673 as al 31 De￿rnber 2025 12024- £203,087). At the year end there was a balance of £40,568 in accjjmulated income not yet drawn down nor reflected in these financial statemenis12024- £45,211}- In alldition to these trust funds, the sale of the EasiTrJwold Parish Rooms in 2023 resulted in furtherfunds becoming available lo the PCC. These funds are held by the YDBF underthe temis of the York Diocesan Trust Deed 1896 wh￿￿ allows for IheiT use for a variety of purposes subject lo the prior approval of the YDBF. The value of these Parish Room ￿ndS is not included wrthin thos8 financial statements. Inclusive of a￿￿mUlated income, the value of this fund was £302,372 on 31 December 2025 12024- £289,281). Payments to trustees Sara Beamont received an honorarium of £3.120 (2024 £1,810) in respect of her role as admini%trator for the PCC. Other than for payment, no Trustee or person closety associated with t￿M ￿e￿1Ve￿ any payment from the PCC for seNices reNiered in either 2025 or 2024. Re9isi*ed with Ihe Charty Cornmi5Sb?n. nurnb?r 1145021 ## **REVIEW OF THE YEAR** The full PCC met seven times during the year in addition to the Annual meeting held in May. ## **AIM AND PURPOSES** Easingwold and Raskelf Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social, and ecumenical. ## **SAFEGUARDING STATEMENT** Easingwold and Raskelf PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the “Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have regard to House of Bishop’s guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).” The Diocese provides information and support. The PCC has put processes in place for the assessment of the Disclosure and Barring Service through the Churches Child Protection Advisory Service. All members of the PCC are required to have DBS clearance. ## **SAFEGUARDING REPORT** - **I only took over** the role of Parish Safeguarding officer from Laura Varney. I am indebted to her for help and advice as I bed in. - There are no major issues to report but I am working with Laura and the Vicar to work through our Safeguarding action plan. - There are a number of DBS certificates which are out of date and I am working through them using the new online system. - All the paperwork (which will not involve paper!!) will be dealt with using the Diocesan Safeguarding hub and the DBS work via 318 an online company. We very much see safeguarding as a responsibility of all of us, and in particular the PCC **.** Alan Hake/ Laura Varney ## **WORSHIP AND PRAYER** The PCC is keen to offer a range of services during the week that our community find beneficial and spiritually fulfilling, and that everyone will be welcomed at. Our pattern of 9:00 and 10:30 Sunday Services at Easingwold, 9:00 Wednesday services at Easingwold, and 1[st] and 3[rd] Sunday 9:30 services at Raskelf has been preserved during the vacancy (thanks to a wonderful team of retired clergy). While Ignite came to an end, Little Seeds continues as a group for primary schoolage children on a Thursday afternoon and has been well attended. The usual Advent, All Souls’, Lent, and Easter services took place and the Christmas services were particularly well attended. We still regularly stream our 10.30am service on Zoom for those who cannot make it to the church in person. Marko looks after our meditation group at the Galtres. ## **CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE** ## **IGNITE Disbanded in early 2025 .** Sadly, Ignite came to an end early in 2025. We hope and pray that the activities and conversations which took place there will continue to influence those who have been part of the group during its season, and look forward to seeing what may arise in its place in due time. Many thanks to Andrew Neville-Smith for his dedication. ## **LITTLE SEEDS** Andrew Neville-Smith has taken the lead along with volunteers, with Rev. Richard getting involved once he was installed. The group has been running for three years now, and has a solid group of regular attendees, all from Easingwold Community Primary School. We share food together, discuss our weeks, hear from the bible, pray, and play together. It’s very good fun, and we have some wonderful conversations with the children. ## **THE CHILDREN’S SOCIETY** The **CHILDREN’S SOCIETY,** formerly known as The Church of England Children’s Society, is a UK charity, allied to the Church of England. Its aims are to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and young people, and to create a positive shift in social attitudes towards them. We as a parish have supported it for many years both through direct donations, and through individual collection boxes which are held by parishioners and in which loose change can be collected. I am pleased to report that in the past financial year a total of £474 has been forwarded to the Society accordingly. This does not include private donations by individual members of the parish. With many thanks, Ian Peel ## **EASINGWOLD CHRISTIAN YOUTH** As in the last few years there is only myself willing to run a church youth group so there has been no restarting of that group. I have spoken to Richard Grant and the reopening of this group may be possible. We would be able to use the Cozie buildings and facilities which is a much more relaxed setting for the youngsters. Watch this space! Alan Hake ## **OTHER SERVICES** As well as our regular services, there have been 4 weddings 21, funerals, and 11 baptisms at Easingwold and 3 Funerals at Raskelf. Our Harvest service at Easingwold was well attended and followed by a Harvest lunch in aid of Carecent, and the Harvest service at Raskelf was followed by refreshments. The Remembrance Sunday service was in person and on Zoom, and accompanied by a Brass Band from York University. The Armistice Day service was held in the Marketplace. Our Christmas Carol Service at Easingwold was very well attended and complimented by the Easingwold Town Brass Band. ## **CHURCH MUSIC** I am grateful to our other organists – John Dunford, Ray Ross and, on a few occasions, Chris Dodd. We have managed to cover all the services at Easingwold and Raskelf. Thanks are due to Geoffrey Coffin for his continued maintenance of the pipe organ in St John’s. At Easingwold a small number of volunteers have continued to sit in the choir stalls at the Sung Eucharist and given a good lead to the singing of the hymns and Eucharist setting. My thanks to them for their valuable support. We had five choral services sung by the Deanery Ecumenical Choir. I am very grateful to John Dunford for his excellent accompaniment on the organ. An Epiphany Carol Service in January went very well with a good congregation. We had three Choral Evensongs on 23[rd] March (Lent) , 8[th] June (Pentecost) and 21[st] September (St Matthew’s Day).In November, the choir sang at the Collation of our new Vicar, Richard, which was a very happy occasion. Then on Advent Sunday we had an Advent Procession with carols and readings attended by some 60 people, the most we have had for an afternoon service. We have much enjoyed refreshments after the services. Some members of the choir were able to sing at the Annual Christmas Carol Service which was again augmented by the services of the Easingwold Town Band. As usual, the church was very full for this event and wine and mince pies rounded off the evening. Easingwold Church has also been used by other groups to hold concerts, particularly the Easingwold Singers. At Raskelf, John Dunford gave an excellent organ recital to raise funds for the essential repairs to the church. Peter Smith (Organists’ Coordinator) ## **BELL RINGING** ## **Easingwold Bell Report 2025** February saw our first social event of the year when we lunched at _The George_ with friends from Thirsk and Kilburn to remember Robert, who had kindly left money in his will for the occasion. In March, during their annual maintenance visit, Cumbria Clocks identified a problem with the clock strike mechanism. This was repaired for us in Steve Webster’s workshop – many thanks to Steve for his help. In May, we rang the bells to mark the anniversary of VE Day. We were delighted to have Arthur ringing with us – an impressive 80 years after he first rang on VE Day in 1945! In October, prior to the Collation Service, we rang a quarter peal of _Plain Bob Minor_ to welcome Richard to Easingwold. We were pleased to be assisted by Mike and Tony from St Mary’s, Thirsk. November brought our second social event of the year. After an incredible 80 years among the bells, ill health sadly forced Arthur to retire. To mark the occasion, we invited Arthur and Sheila for lunch at _The George_ , where we — along with ringers from neighbouring towers — were able to show our appreciation for his remarkable service to bellringing. Unfortunately, we have been unable to progress any of the work identified in the 2021 bell maintenance report, and the bells are becoming increasingly difficult to ring. We remain very grateful for the continued support from the Thirsk and Kilburn ringers. Without their help, we would not have sufficient numbers for regular practice nights and Sunday service ringing. We are always looking for new recruits! Anyone interested is warmly invited to join us in the ringing room (off the balcony) on a Thursday evening around 7:30 pm, or to contact one of the band members. You will be made most welcome. Alizon Leese ## **PUBLICITY** Many thanks to Tim Young, who set up and continues to support our Churches’ website. The site can be viewed on the link: http://easingwoldraskelfanglican.org/. ## **LAY MINISTER’S and Rtd. DEACON’S REPORT** ## **Pastoral Care and Outreach in the Benefice (2025)** Our Authorised Lay Minister, Sara Beaumont, was commissioned at York Minster by Archbishop Stephen Cottrell in the autumn of 2024. Her role is one of support for the clergy, PCC and volunteers as well as outreach in the benefice. ## **Anna Chaplain** Sara is a **c** ommissioned Anna Chaplain with ministry focus for the spiritual support of older people in the benefice. She is available to the congregation at Sunday worship and in the wider community for home communion and visiting. She shares leading the monthly Holy Communion Service at Springhill Court (flats for the elderly) with Chris Peel. ## **Hospital Chaplaincy** In the autumn of 2025 Sara undertook training to become a Volunteer Chaplain at St Monica’s Hospital in Easingwold. She now visits the hospital most weeks for conversation and prayer. She is available to be called between regular visits and takes communion as required. She refers to a priest if that is necessary. **Prayer** undergirds all that we do. We ask for prayer for the community in our monthly magazine. There is a confidential Prayer Circle. Individuals are encouraged to pray with the help of a leaflet which has a suggestion for prayer for each day of the month. Ecumenically there is the opportunity to come together each month to pray for all the churches, the community, country and world. ## **Visiting** A small team are responsible for visiting the sick housebound and newcomers. We take Holy Communion to those who cannot attend church. There is a monthly communion service in Springhill Court, plus an ecumenical Songs of Praise there three times a year (shared with the Methodist Church) ## **Caring & Sharing Group** This participant-led group meets in the choir vestry at St John’s after the main service on the first Sunday of each month. Its focus is support for individuals experiencing the emotional challenges of everyday life such as bereavement and long-term health issues. ## **Church Volunteers** We are extremely fortunate that we have a large number of people who serve the church and the town in a variety of ways. These folk support the daily running of the church; support each other according to their interests; and support folk in the wider community. ## **Children** Children are most welcome at our services, and we have an afterschool primary-age group - “Little Seeds” (See separate report). Those coming for baptism have been encouraged by whoever is taking the service. ## **You & Me Group** At Easter the You & Me group held its social meeting at Springhill Court, offering residents the opportunity to join with church members and play a version of Beetle Drive called ‘Bunny Drive’. The games were followed by afternoon tea and there were prizes and gifts of Easter Eggs for all. ## **Other Outreach** As well as individuals volunteering, the church hosts different events during the year e.g. several community group carol services, orchestral and singers’ concerts. We also offered at the beginning of the year to host Warm Spaces on a Wednesday for those in need. We have collected clothes and bedding for the Middlesbrough Asylum Project and encourage Samaritans’ Purse Shoe Boxes for overseas and Cancer Research UK. Sara Beaumont (ALM), Chris Peel (Rtd. Deacon) ## **CLERGY** I only arrived in the parish towards the end of 2025, giving me little to report, but let me first thank you all for such a warm welcome to the parish. Many of those who attended my licensing as visitors have expressed their appreciation for your hospitality, and it’s a delight to have joined a parish who do welcome so well. While many are thanked elsewhere in this APCM report, let me add my own personal thanks here to all who have kept things running so well during the vacancy: I know that most of you have been involved in one way or another! It has been fantastic to join a ministry team so capable, and who care so much for both the church and the parish. I arrived in time to mark All Souls, and this was quickly followed by our biggest civic service of the year, marking Remembrance Sunday. This was a good opportunity to meet many, many people – it was great to see the church so full! We were quickly into Advent, and all our Advent and Christmas Services were well attended – I’m sure some were turning out to ‘look at the new vicar’, but many have returned and let’s pray that we can maintain those numbers! Many thanks to Robin and John, both of whom continue to support our regular services and our funeral ministry – as well as contributing more widely to our church life. Rev. Richard ## **RETIRED CLERGY** Thanks go to the retired clergy who have covered the interregnum. They have ensured the services ran as normal. Robin Davill, John Hetherington and David Senior have continued to be exceedingly supportive in their ministry here along with Trevor Lewis who is often in the area and helps out. Easingwold is extremely fortunate that Robin, John, David and Trevor are here. They are very much appreciated by all who attend their services. ## **VOLUNTEERS** Volunteers are always needed. We would like to thank everyone worked so hard to make the church a lively and vibrant community. They include readers, intercessors, sidesmen, transport, flowers, visiting, teas etc. We are very grateful to you all and that you practice your ministry to others this way. This past year, Keith Atkinson has stood down from organising the readers rota. He has been a joy to work with and we would thank him for his work and for Chris Peel who has taken this on. We would like to thank everyone who helps by name but it is not practicable but there are a few that we would like to mention. Kamal Antoun agreed to take on the role of Treasurer, being supported by Peter Simpson and Laura Varney. He stood down in October and Richard Varney kindly took his place Peter Simpson and Laura Varney continued to support Richard. Pat Allen and Laura Varney have been the churchwardens and have worked very well as a team, encouraging one another as they come across difficult situations. Diane Gallon and Peter Simpson have acted as Lay Chair to the PCC. Hazel Henebury has been our secretary this last year and has been very supportive whilst in this role. Chris Peel deserves a special mention as she has liaised with many different people arranging cover during the interregnum. Thank you all. ## **OTHER ACTIVITIES** Zoom continues twice a month, and this has also been requested for some weddings and funerals and I would like to thank Alan Summerscales. Our magazine remains both in print and online. Many thanks go to those who deliver it, edit it, and provide information for it. Sue Thorn spends her time on the editing, assisted by Rev’d David Senior, Margaret Summerscales organises the delivery, and Michael Hughes who liaises with the advertisers. Thank you to you all. ## **PLANS FOR FUTURE PERIODS** I’m continuing to settle into the parish, and definite plans will follow with time. However, it’s clear that our congregations are growing older, long term sustainability requires us to increase the numbers of young (and young-ish) adults and children who regularly worship in Easingwold and Raskelf. More definite plans will be formed by our PCC in due course, but for now we need to be praying and thinking hard about how we are going to do this, and where God is calling us to focus – both as individuals and as a church. One definite plan is the restoration project at Raskelf – we hope our faculty will be approved early in 2026, at which point we can move onto seeking funding. All going well, we hope work can begin in the summer. In 2026 we aim: - To promote the Gospel and Christian understanding in the Parish. - To make the church as welcoming as possible for families and young people. To continue to stream services, keeping church accessible for those who cannot attend in person. - To provide a supportive environment for clergy to be trained, develop and flourish. - To nurture people’s faith. - To welcome those new to faith and support them as they learn more of God’s goodness alongside us. - To be an inclusive, welcoming church community to all who walk through the church door regardless of age, gender or social background. - To care for the lonely and those in despair. - To continue to give to those in need. - To invite and welcome schools and youth groups into our churches. - To work towards Arocha Eco-church awards for both our churches. Rev Richard ## **CHURCHWARDENS’ REPORT** ## **ST JOHN THE BAPTIST AND ALL SAINTS EASINGWOLD** Much of the past year has been in interregnum and we are grateful for the help and support of our retired clergy, Robin Davill, John Hetherington, Trevor Lewis and David Senior, as well as Adele Rees, who left part way through the year, and Rev Dr Stephen Pope. It was thanks to the loyal support of these that we were able to continue to offer all regular services. Alizon Leese kept the rota filled and Chris Peel provided support and guidance throughout. This system was in place until October, when we welcomed our new vicar, Richard Grant and his wife Tess to Easingwold and Raskelf. In the early part of the year, trees were pruned and shaped, and every effort was made to remove the cypress tree bordering the main footpath into church. Alas North Yorkshire County Council denied our application and despite storm damage, insisted that the tree was healthy and should remain. Repairs to the footpath were therefore carried out, taking care not to damage the tree roots, and the new path is level, with trip hazards removed. A new alarm system was installed on the roof by Minster Alarms and is working well. It has proved much easier to arrange repairs and servicing, given that Minster are geographically closer than the previous supplier. The churchyard is kept in good condition, thanks to our gardeners. Access Solutions Northern Limited have carried out repairs and services to the automatic porch doors to maintain disabled access to church. We are looking forward to undertaking further work in 2026, looking at repairs to the roof, in line with our quinquennial report and internal repairs following on from that. We are proposing to purchase a new lawnmower for use in the churchyard and are looking into developing a wildflower area there, in line with Church of England eco-church policies. As ever, I am grateful to so many of you for your help during the year, for cleaning and decorating church, for helping change frontals as the Church moves through its seasons, for welcoming worshippers on a Sunday morning as a sides-person. If you would like to get involved in any of these. areas or know a bit about building maintenance and repair and would like to share your expertise, Please don’t hesitate to let me know. Laura Varney ## **ST MARYS RASKELF** Thank you to Rev. Trevor for all his help during the Interregnum and to Rev. Robin for taking Sunday services plus extra services including Harvest, Remembrance and Christmas Eve. Easingwold and Raskelf congregations came together at St. Mary’s for a Benefice service at the beginning of August. This was well received and hopefully will be planned in again. We were pleased to welcome Rev Richard to his first service at Raskelf at the beginning of November. Numbers were down for the Harvest Festival in October due to the terrible weather. For those brave enough to turn out there were refreshments after the service. The collection for RABI raised £160 and a letter of thanks has been received. At the service for Remembrance the collection was for the British Legion. The Carol service with Easingwold town band was very well supported with over a hundred people including the band. As is usual, mulled wine and mince pies was served after the service. Fund raising for the Restoration continued during 2025. Easter delights (open church to see the flowers and refreshments served) raised £646.10. At the Raskelf Community Fete the church provided teas and cakes and raised £563.60. The organ recital by John Dunford with refreshments afterwards raised £376. The Curry night was enjoyed by nearly 70 people. Including a raffle the total raised was £1,365. Once again a big thank you to everyone who supported our fund raising events in 2025. All paperwork for the Faculty application was submitted to the DAC in July. The application was eventually approved with a few minor adjustments to plans. It then went to the Chancellor to approve and issue the Faculty. The 28 day public notices were posted at both Churches. (December ‘25). As at the end of the Church year we were still waiting for approval and the sealed Faculty to be issued. The PCC approved the appointment of a Cost Consultant and once the Faculty is confirmed a costing report will be completed and a bid formulated by the consultants Irving Patrick for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Volunteers still come in regularly to tidy and cut the grass around the church, clear gutters etc. £25 was donated towards expenses. The fire extinguishers have been serviced and the annual lightening protection check _**Pat Allen**_ ## **Mothers Union** This year has been difficult for us, as with low numbers we found that sometimes only 2 people could attend a meeting. So it was decided that we would close the branch and become Diocesan members. With contributions from the congregation we were able to send £160.00 to the Diocese for the running of the caravan in Filey. Also £100.00 was donated to the ChristmasAppeal, this was doubled by the Big Give charity. This was to set up savings groups in rural Uganda. For the future we will continue to support the work of the MU, and perhaps request donations from the congregation. Margaret Summerscales ## **CHURCHES TOGETHER AROUND EASINGWOLD (CTaE)** The Christians Together around Easingwold group ( CTAE) has continued to meet during 2025 with representatives from the Methodist Church, the Parish Church, The Community Church, and the Roman Catholic Church. The meetings are always interesting as we are able to bring other churches up to date about what is happening within the Easingwold District. This year there have been two appointments to our churches. Revd Alex Middleton - Laing to the Methodist church and Revd. Richard Grant to the Parish church. We sent a card to Revd. Margaret Young on her retirement from the Parish church, thanking her for the contributions she has made to ecumenical matters over the years. There were a number of shared services and meetings. Many people attend the services bur not many attend the meetings which is a pity as there are so many things happening that can be encouraging and uplifting when they are shared. There was a Lent course open for all and led by Revd David Senior which was attended by representatives from all churches. There were two shared services over Easter on Good Friday 18th April and Easter Day 20th April, on the green. Both were well attended. Father George held a Quiet afternoon on 7th June Pentecost eve at the Catholic Church and this was well received. The joint service called the Priory service was held indoors at the Catholic Church in September because of bad weather At the Annual General meeting on 3rd July we were introduced to Lorraine Jones, the Methodist Children and Family worker who is covering the northern area of York circuit and she gave us a report on the exciting work she will be doing. Over Christmas we had a number of shared events. On 6th December we had a stall at the Galtres Christmas fair which was manned throughout the morning until 2pm.We were there to talk to people about the churches and we gave out books and leaflets and information about the services that were going to take place over the Christmas period. People were encouraged to write a prayer- in some cases only a few words- to hang on a tree. The group was well received and we had interesting conversations with a number of people. It was also a good opportunity for our new vicar Revd Richard to meet the people of Easingwold, for them to see him as a new face and someone they could speak to if they ever needed to in the future. The Methodists held a Blue Christmas on 11th December, for those who have no one to share Christmas with and for whom it is a sad event. The Crib Service on 12th December on the green was well attended though very wet. Revd Richard took charge for the first time. The Carol Service on December 21st had 210 people in the congregation and all five churches in Easingwold provided a reader for the lessons. It was an inspiring event enhanced by the Town Band and the lovely refreshments provided by our wonderful You & Me team. It showed what can be done when churches come together in love and harmony. A very fitting end to a good ecumenical year which raised everyone’s spirits The prayer meetings which meet on the second Saturday each month at 9 am in the Methodist church have gone on all year and are scheduled to start again in 2026 ## **DEANERY SYNOD** The Deanery Synod met 4 times during the year. Many important issues were discussed: - Help with social media and communication. - The role of the deanery synod and how we fit in - Supporting lay and ordained ministry - Growing our deanery - Funding - Making our provision as effective as possible across the deanery - Planning for future whole deanery activities At all the meetings there is an element of worship and fellowship and the chance for all members to learn what each individual parish is doing. Alan Hake ## **YOU AND ME** In 2025 You and Me continued to grow and the events have been well supported. The events held were a Curry Evening at the Cricket club, an Afternoon of Unexpected Tales, Board Games, Drinks at the George, a Beetle Drive and an Easter Egg Extravaganza for the residents of Springhill Court .There were two trips, one to Burn Hall Birds of Prey Centre and another to Ampleforth Abbey .We are gradually seeing more new faces at our events even people who are not church attenders but hopefully will be in the future. Cake, cheese ,conversation and wine continue to be very popular at many events. ## **HEALTH AND SAFETY -** Insofar as the areas that I have information on I can say that the following maintenance items have been dealt with: clock, lightning conductors, gas boiler, fire extinguishers, fire safety in-house inspection/report, first aid boxes, and portable appliances. The repair to the boilers was quite expensive but necessary. Electrical circuits were not due to be inspected until 2029. Other aspects of Health and Safety such as the path are not in my remit. There may be other areas that might also classify as H&S but are dealt with by other people. Alan Summerscales