2021-12-31-accounts

Annual Report 2021

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St Bride’s Church, Old Trafford
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Annual Report 2021

St Bride’s Church, Old Trafford Annual Parochial Church Meeting Sunday 24th April 2022 at 12.30 pm

Our Annual Church Meeting is an opportunity to deal with the business of the church, to discuss issues that are concerned with our community life, and to think creatively about our future as we follow God’s leading.

Inside this booklet are reports on the activities of the church, which I ask you to read, and so be able to come to the meeting with well prepared questions and ideas for discussion.

Thank you for all that you have done and contributed during this past year, but, most of all, thank you for being part of the family here at St Bride’s.

“So then, have your minds ready for action. Keep alert and set your hope completely on the blessing which will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” – 1 Peter 1:13 (GNB)

St Bride’s Church

St Bride’s Way, Old Trafford, Manchester, M16 9NW. Parish Office: 0161-226 3047 Email: [e-mail]

Rector: Rev’d Peter Matthews

St Bride’s Rectory, 33, Shrewsbury Street, Old Trafford, Manchester, M16 9BB. Tel: [phone] Email: [e-mail] Ordained Local Minister: Rev. Viv Eccles c/o St Bride’s Parish Office, St. Bride’s Way, Old Trafford, Manchester, M16 9NW. Tel: [phone] Email: [e-mail] Churchwardens 2021/2022: (vacant)

Parochial Church Council Secretary 2021/2022 Graham Cooper, 119, Northumberland Road, Old Trafford, Manchester, M16 9PY. Tel: [phone] Email: [e-mail]

Bankers: Royal Bank of Scotland, Drummond House Branch, 1 Redhaughs Avenue, EDINBURGH, EH12 9JN. Independent Examiner: Mr. John Holdsworth B.A., F.C.C.A., C.Ed.

The Parochial Church Council is registered charity no. 1146679

St Bride’s Church

Contents

Rector’s Introduction	2
Agenda For Annual Meetings	4
Annual Meeting of Parishioners Minutes	5
Annual Parochial Church Meeting Minutes	6
Electoral Roll Offcer Report	8
Secretary to the PCC Report	9
Fabric Report	10
Safeguarding Report	11
Parish Policy On Safeguarding Children	12
Parish Policy On Safeguarding Adults	13
Treasurer Report	14
Prayer	21
Small Groups	22
St Bride’s Project	23
The Big Breakfast	24
Bizzy B’s	26

Annual Report 2021

Rector’s Introduction

Well done for hanging in there with us through 2021 and welcome to this our St Bride’s Report for the year. Inside you will find descriptions of some of the things we have been able to do as the Covid-19 Pandemic has continued on, and you will also find our financial statements and important policy documents.

A huge thank you everyone for your faithfulness in prayer, service and worship as 2021 has been another difficult year as we all wrestled with staying connected and being a church community even if many of us were still unable to meet in the building face to face.

At the beginning of the 2020 report I had the hopes we would be more prayerful and attentive to the voice of the good shepherd, especially as many of us had the gift of more time. Of course we had changing recommendations, regulations and laws which needed to be addressed, so causing lots of adjustments needed on how we did things, but it was wonderful to see prayer requests still coming onto social media with our Heavenly Father answering and a number of people stepping up where others had had to step back.

We worked our way through first of all Luke’s Gospel and then the Acts of the Apostles focussing on a chapter each Sunday to give us something to wrestle with, talk about in the week and to see what God was telling us from his scripture for today. Seeing why and how the church began and was formed was a help for us at this time.

My hopes for 2022? More prayer and becoming more like Jesus, especially for the communities around us here in Old Trafford. As we connect better with people we will learn of their needs and so, having opportunities to express God’s love, we will need greater patience, gifting and understanding… in other words there will have to be more prayer and more of God’s Holy Spirit so we can become more like Jesus!

Again, thank you, not only for what you have been able to do but for being you and being part of this church family. God bless you. Peter.

Reverend Peter Matthews, Rector of St Bride’s

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Annual Report 2021

Agenda For Annual Meetings 24th April 2022

Meeting of Parishioners

• (Open to everyone on the Electoral Roll plus all Local Government Electors in the Parish)

• 1 Prayer

• 2 Apologies for absence

• 3 Minutes of the 2021 meeting

These minutes were approved by the PCC on 10th May, 2020

• 4 Election of Churchwardens for 2022/2023 Churchwardens are PCC members ex officio.

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

• (Open to everyone on the Electoral Roll of the Church. Non-voting observers are welcome.)

• 1 Apologies for absence

• 2 Minutes of the 2021 meeting

These minutes were approved by the PCC on 10th May, 2021

3 Identification of issues for discussion at the APCM or future PCC meetings Anyone on the Electoral Roll may suggest an item for discussion, but PLEASE be sure to let Peter Matthews or Graham Cooper have notice of the item by Wednesday, 20th April, 2022.

• 4.1 Rector’s Introduction 4.2 Report of Electoral Roll Officer 4.3 Report from PCC 4.4 Report on Fabric 4.5 Report of Parish Safeguarding Officer 4.6 Parish Policy on Safeguarding Children 4.7 Parish Policy on Safeguarding Adults 5.1 Report of Treasurer and Presentation of Accounts for 2021 5.2 Independent Examiner for 2022/2023 6.1 Report of Small Groups 6.2 Report of the Project

• 6.3 Report of Bizzy B’s

• 6.4 Report of Youth Work

• 6.5 Report of Prayer 6.6 Report of our friends the Big Breakfast 7 Election of 2 Deanery Synod Representatives (for 3 years) 8 Election of 3 Members of the Parochial Church Council 9 Selection of Sidespeople

• 10 Issues for discussion at the APCM (as identified above) 11 Praying for the work of the church

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St Bride’s Church

Annual Meeting Of Parishioners Minutes 18th April 2021

In Attendance:

Rowena Ablett, Kwami Ankrah, Angela Cooper, Graham Cooper (minutes), Zekel Daley, Chara Hosie, Rebecca Matthews, Douglas Matthews, Penny Matthews, Rev. Peter Matthews (chair), Clare Myring, John Myring, Linda Penrose.

Apologies were received from:

M-J Sharp.

• 1 Rev. Peter Matthews opened the meeting in prayer. The minutes of the meeting held on 31st October, 2020, which had been approved by the

• 2 Parochial Church Council on 26th November, 2020, were approved. 3 There were no nominations for candidates for election as churchwardens for the year 2021/2022.

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Annual Report 2021

Annual Parochial Church Meeting Minutes 18th April 2021

In Attendance:

James Ablett, Rowena Ablett, Kwami Ankrah, Angela Cooper, Graham Cooper (minutes), Zekel Daley, Rev. Viv Eccles, Scott Hewitt, Susanna Hewitt, Chara Hosie, Douglas Matthews, Penny Matthews, Rev. Peter Matthews (chair), Rebecca Matthews, Clare Myring, John Myring, Linda Penrose.

• 1 Apologies were received from:

Rob Eccles, M-J Sharp.

• 2 The minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting held on 31st October, 2020, subject to the substitution of “5” for “6” in paragraph 10, were approved. The minutes had been approved by the Parochial Church Council on 26th November, 2020.

• 3

• No items for discussion had been notified in advance to the chair or to the secretary.

Officers’ Reports

• 4.1 The Rector’s Introduction was received, and he was thanked for all his work during the last year in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

• 4.2 The reports of the Electoral Roll Officer and the P.C.C. Secretary were received, and thanks were expressed for the reports.

• 4.3 There was no report from the Stretford Deanery Synod, as there had been no elected lay representative to the Deanery Synod from the parish. It was noted that new larger deaneries were due to replace the present deaneries later in 2021.

• 4.4 The Safeguarding Officer’s report was received. She read the Policy Statement on Children, Young People and the Church of St. Bride’s, Old Trafford, which with the appointment of Angela Cooper as safeguarding officer, was approved by the P.C.C. on 26th November, 2020.

• Rev. Peter Matthews read the Church’s Policy on Safeguarding of Adults in the Church, which

• 4.5 was approved by the P.C.C. on 26th November, 2020. He expressed his thanks to Angela Cooper for her work behind the scenes.

• The Fabric report was received. An unresolved leak in the roof above the emergency staircase

• 4.6 was noted.

Finance

John Myring presented the annual financial report noting that the parish share had been

• 5 paid on time, and that there was a surplus at the end of 2020. Although, during the Covid-19 pandemic church members’ financial support had been largely maintained, a reduction of about £6,000 in income was to be anticipated in 2021, leading to an expectation of a deficit exceeding £2,700 at the end of 2021. He gave notice that he would carry the role of treasurer for only one more year, and would assist his successor to take up the role. He proposed the reception of the report and the appointment of John Holdsworth as Independent Examiner for the forthcoming year.

Proposed by John Myring, seconded by Linda Penrose, carried unanimously.

Reports of Activities

• The report on Other Events and Gatherings like small groups was received.

• 6.1 The report on St. Bride’s Youth was received, and thanks expressed to Doug Matthews for his

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St Bride’s Church

Annual Parochial Church Meeting Minutes (cont.) 18th April 2021

• 6.2 service to young people and his service to the church’s technological communications, which had been even more important during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report on St. Bride’s Kids was received with thanks to the team, and attention was drawn

• 6.3 to the new monthly on-line sessions for children and families.

• The report on the Project was received with thanks to Linda Penrose and her team working

• 6.4 with the British Red Cross.

The report on the Big Breakfast was received with thanks to Tony Vino and his team, who had

• 6.5 continued to raise money for the Project during the period when breakfast could not be served because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and who had also introduced more volunteers to assist in delivering the Project.

The report on Bizzy B’s was received with thanks to Charlotte Bushell and her team.

• 6.6 The report on the Church Week-end Away at Scargill House in the Yorkshire Dales was

• 6.7 received with thanks to the organisers, Clare and John Myring. The theme had been community and God’s generous hospitality, and the response following it had been to some extent thwarted by the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic which became effective during the week after the event.

Elections

There were no candidates nominated for the 2 vacancies for lay people to represent the

• 7 church with the clergy on Stretford Deanery Synod for 3 years. (It was noted that in 2021 the deanery was to be amalgamated with 2 other deaneries, but with the same representation from parishes as currently.)

• The following 4 lay people were elected to sit on the Parochial Church Council for 1, 2 or 3 years according to lots drawn, leaving 1 vacancy for a lay person on the Council:

• 8 Susanna Hewitt (proposed by Doug Matthews and Linda Penrose)

  • Chara Hosie (proposed by Linda Penrose and John Myring)

  • Douglas Matthews (proposed by Graham Cooper and Rachael Smith)

Kwami Ankrah, Rev. Viv Eccles, John Myring, and Linda Penrose continue to serve out the terms for which they were elected in 2020, with Rev. Peter Matthews as chair by virtue of his office as Rector.

There were no items requested for discussion.

• 9

• Church members joined in prayer.

• 10

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Annual Report 2021

Electoral Roll Officer Report

In 2017 a new Electoral Roll was compiled, and in each subsequent year the Electoral Roll has been revised.

In 2022 the revised Electoral Roll will have been published on 27th March, 2022. No new members of the Roll can be added after 13th March, until after the Annual Parochial Church Meeting on 24th April, 2022. To be printed in the Annual Report this report will go to press before 13th March, 2022, but gives information available at the time of writing.

The Electoral Roll on 21st March, 2021, recorded 63 names. Since the last Annual Parochial Church Meeting on 18th April, 2021, no-one has requested that their name should no longer appear on the Electoral Roll, but one member has sadly died.

Since the last Annual Parochial Church Meeting 4 additional members have applied to be recorded on the Electoral Roll.

e recorded on the Electoral Roll.
The Electoral Roll on 28th February, 2022, recorded66	names..
Demographic Composition of the Electoral Roll on 28th	February, 2022.
The fgures for the Roll on 21st March, 2021, appear in brackets below.
18 (17) people live in St. Bride’s parish 27%	(27%)
48 (46) people live outside St. Bride’s parish 73% (73%)
42 (40) people live in Old Trafford 64%	(63%)
24 (23) people live outside Old Trafford 36% (37%)

Of the people living outside Old Trafford 18 (17) live very close to the boundary of Old Trafford.

Graham Cooper, Electoral Roll Officer

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St Bride’s Church

Secretary to the PCC Report

• 1 At the beginning of 2020 the elected members of the P.C.C. were Alison Bell, Angela Cooper, (Deanery Synod representative), Graham Cooper (secretary and electoral roll officer), Robert Eccles, David Henningham, Sam Marriott, Douglas Matthews, Clare Myring (vice-chair), John Myring (treasurer), and Linda Penrose, with a casual vacancy for a lay member and a casual vacancy for a Deanery Synod representative. Rev. Peter Matthews (chair) and Rev. Viv Eccles were members by virtue of being clergy. There were no churchwardens.

• 2 Because of restrictions imposed from March, 2020, by the Covid-19 pandemic the A.P.C.M. was delayed until 31st October, 2020, and the following people were then elected to positions on the P.C.C for the number of years shown in brackets: Kwami Ankrah (3), Douglas Matthews (1), John Myring (2), Linda Penrose (3), and Fred Waters (1), leaving 4 unfilled vacancies, and 2 unfilled vacancies for Deanery Synod representatives. Rev. Peter Matthews continued as chair by virtue of his office as rector. No-one was elected as a churchwarden. Rev. Viv Eccles’ status as a member of the clergy changed because of her age, and she was no longer eligible for a seat on the P.C.C. by virtue of her office.

• The P.C.C. co-opted Graham Cooper, and appointed for the year: Linda Penrose – vice-chair; John

• 3 Myring – treasurer; Graham Cooper – secretary and electoral roll officer.

• The P.C.C. met on 6 occasions. The last 4 meetings were virtual meetings by Zoom because of the

• 4 Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, and only the last meeting in 2020 was a meeting of the newly elected P.C.C. The Standing Committee met between P.C.C. meetings to deal with urgent business and to agree the next P.C.C. agenda.

• The P.C.C. complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline

• 5 Measure 2016 (duty to have regard to the House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).

Each meeting included prayer and usually a Bible reading, routine reports on finance,

• 6 safeguarding, children, youth, maintenance of the building with health and safety, and concluded with a review of how the meeting had gone.

• The P.C.C. responded to a diocesan consultation on proposed new large area deaneries. In the

• 7 proposal Old Trafford would be part of a deanery extending from Flixton to Fallowfield and from Wythenshawe to St. Ann’s Square in the centre of Manchester. Another diocesan consultation concerned new mission districts comprising several parishes: the draft proposal was for a mission district comprising All Saints and St. Matthew’s Churches, Stretford, St. Hilda’s Church, Firswood and Gorse Hill, and St. Bride’s and St. John the Evangelist’s Churches in Old Trafford.

• Other business considered by the P.C.C. included a giving policy, the week-end away, the mission

• 8 action plan, and most notably responding to the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The church was organised for socially distanced attendance, services were live-streamed, and meetings were held by zoom.

Graham Cooper, Secretary

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Annual Report 2021

Fabric Report

Outside space

It was fantastic to see people out in the church garden clearing away weeds as part of their worship on occasion and it’s always great to see things like the bins have been quietly sorted out by Fred Waters, thank you.

Inside space Decorating:

We left the emergency stairwell to fully dry and will decorate it once we know we are not getting any more leaks. Kitchen:

The kitchen began to get used more and more as the year went on and with information for kitchen users being available it has actually become cleaner and cleaner! Office

The printer/copier came to the end of contract and we purchased a multifunctional printer that will reduce our costs considerably.

Fire alarm and emergency lighting: These have been regularly checked on contract and are working well. Boiler:

The boiler has been serviced and there was a problem that lasted a few months but some sensors were changed and it is back running well.

Signage and work for being COVID-19 secure:

Signage for the building was adjusted as regulations and recommendations changed. Thank you everyone for your understanding, patience and care for others more vulnerable than yourselves. Cleaning:

Cleaning has been an issue but it has been great that those who have been able have come along and done some of the ‘nasty’ jobs around the place. You are stars!

Thank you in particular to Linda Penrose and John and Clare Myring for all the time and effort they have put into making sure so much of this work has been achieved throughout this second difficult year.

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St Bride’s Church

Safeguarding Report

Responsibilities

The Church of England is committed to the protection of all children and adults, especially those who may be vulnerable, for example due to illness or disability. St Bride’s has adopted safeguarding policies which should be reviewed at the A.P.C.M each year. The policies help us to create a safe environment for both children and vulnerable people. They are designed to ensure that volunteers are better prepared to respond to suspicion or allegation of abuse whether the alleged abuse is outside or within the church; also, that the risk be reduced of someone using a position in the church to exploit a person. Safe recruitment and training procedures are in place to enable high standards of care.

No-one should drift into helping

Any vacancies in should be advertised with a job description. Volunteers need to make a ‘Confidential Declaration’ regarding their suitability to be involved in the area of work. The volunteer is required to make a paper application and references will be taken up. There needs to be an interview and if the person appears to be suitable for the role an application can be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Safeguarding Officer is informed of anything that would make the person unsuitable for the role. The volunteer is then required to take complete on-line training prior to taking on their new role. The Diocese provides training throughout the Diocese which the volunteer is required to attend. A record of agreement is signed, and they receive a copy of our ‘Good Practice’ guidelines.

Support

Working as teams and offering encouragement and constructive criticism is the best safeguard against poor morale and slipping standards. The support of our youth and children’s workers with prayer is the collective responsibility of the church.

Risks

If the church does not strive to adhere to the policy, the church’s insurance company may refuse to deal with a claim by a child that he or she has been harmed by the negligence of someone acting on behalf of the church. By their hiring agreement the Arabic Church undertakes to follow our child protection policy.

Practicalities

A new safeguarding board in the narthex has the Children’s and Vulnerable Adult’s Safeguarding Policies on display as required by the Diocese. The Safeguarding Officer’s photograph and contact telephone number are also on display (also required by the Diocese).

A copy of the Diocesan Safeguarding Policy is available in the church foyer where anyone can access it if they so wish.

The church website includes Safeguarding information.

Angela Cooper, Parish Safeguarding Officer

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Annual Report 2021

Parish Policy On Safeguarding Children

This statement was agreed at the Parochial Church Council meeting held on 8th May 2017. It will be read at the Annual General Meeting held in the month of April each year where progress in carrying it out will be monitored. Children and young people are part of our church. They have much to give as well as to receive. We will listen to them. As we nurture them in worship, learning, and community life, we will take into account the wishes and feelings of children and young people.

• As members of this church, we commit ourselves to the nurturing, protection, and safekeeping of all, especially children and young people.

• It is the responsibility of each one of us to prevent, or to prevent the continuation of, any physical, sexual, and emotional abuse of children and young people of which we become aware, and to report any abuse discovered or suspected.

• We recognize that our work with children and young people is the responsibility of the whole church.

• Our church is committed to following the policy and procedures published by the Diocese.

• The parish will adopt good practice guidelines.

• Each worker with children and young people must undertake Diocesan Safeguarding Training, know the guidelines and undertake to observe them. Each shall be given a copy of the Parish’s agreed procedures and good practice guidelines.

As part of our commitment to children and young people, the P.C.C. has appointed Angela Cooper to be the Parish Safeguarding Officer from April 2018.

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St Bride’s Church

Parish Policy On Safeguarding Adults

This statement was adopted by St Bride’s Church at a Parochial Church Council meeting held on 8th May 2017. This policy will be reviewed each year to monitor the progress which has been achieved.

• 1 We recognize that everyone has different levels of vulnerability and that each of us may be regarded as vulnerable at some time in our lives.

• 2 As members of this parish we commit ourselves to respectful pastoral care for all adults to whom we minister.

• 3 We commit ourselves to the safeguarding of people who may be vulnerable, ensuring their well-being in the life of this church.

• 4 We commit ourselves to promoting safe practice by those in positions of trust.

• 5 The parish commits itself to promoting the inclusion and empowerment of people who may be vulnerable. 6 It is the responsibility of each of us to prevent the physical, emotional, sexual, financial and spiritual abuse of vulnerable people and to report any such abuse that we discover or suspect.

• 7 We undertake to exercise proper care in the appointment and selection of those who will work with people who may be vulnerable.

• 8 The parish is committed to supporting, resourcing, training and regularly reviewing those who undertake work amongst people who may be vulnerable.

• 9 The parish adopts the guidelines of the Church of England and the Diocese.

• 10 Each person who works with vulnerable people will agree to abide by these recommendations and the guidelines established by this church.

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Annual Report 2021

Treasurer Report

Along with most other Church activities in 2021, the Financial position of the Church has been a challenge. The impact of the reduction in all our activities and interactions throughout the year having an significant adverse influence on our Financial situation. The end result has been that this report shows that 2021 has ended with substantial reduction in our Reserves. Overall, there was a deficit of £5,800, with the large losses in the General Fund and the Project, being somewhat mitigated by a surplus in the fund for Children and Youth Work. After the surplus of last year, the reductions in income have led to a £4,000 loss in the General Fund reducing the funds available. The St Bride’s Project also has a deficit of £3,750, mainly arising from our inability to host Fundraising events that have supported it financially in previous years. General Fund

The General Fund is where the day-to-day Income and Expenditure of keeping the Church running is recorded. In 2021 our running costs exceeded our income by £4,000, a significant change from the surplus of £2,200 in 2020. Overall income reduced by £9,300; over 20%. This has caused by a reduction of £7,600 or 23%, in income from Regular Giving to Church. The reasons behind this are manyfold; people moving to other churches, lockdowns causing people to change their patterns of attendance and related regular giving, and individual’s changes in personal circumstances. Whilst these are all understandable, they come together to all have an impact on our regular income stream and with the related reduction in reclaimed Gift Aid has been the cause of the lower income. Also, with the curtailment of the activities of both the Big Breakfast and Bizzy B’s income from their use of the building continues to be lower than previous years.

A reduction of £3,100 in expenditure is primarily due to a reduction in maintenance costs and the termination of the Curates Honorarium following her retirement in 2010. The deficit of £4,000 in the year reduced the level of the General Fund to £15,900 at the year end, leaving the General Fund in a satisfactory position, although the ongoing challenges of the pandemic and its impact on finances are becoming much clearer.

• Income in the year of £35,500 is significantly lower than the previous year; a reduction

• of over 20%. The overall level of Regular Giving and related Gift Aid has dropped alarmingly; individual members circumstances changed, and we have seen a worrying reduction in the numbers giving regularly during the year. Income from the use of the building continues at a lower level with the restrictions on its use in place throughout most of the year. Donations and Fundraising were still low. Over coming months we will need to focus on recovering the number of regular givers to ensure we take steps to return to a satisfactory financial position.

• Expenditure in the year of £39,500 is 7% lower than in 2020. The major item of expenditure is the Parish Share, paid to the Diocese, which is a contribution towards their costs of providing us with our incumbent. This year it was £18,100, reflecting the small increase in line with our agreement with the Diocese. The costs of running the building have reduced by £2,800. Maintenance costs have reduced slightly as have energy bills with the reduced use of the building. Clergy costs are lower with less activities and the retirement of our Curate during 2020. I am pleased to report that we were able implement our structured giving policy and give donations to activities with which the church has a connection in the year, which we hope and pray will have an impact on the work that they do.

• The proposed Budget for 2022 reflects the impact of known and anticipated reductions

• in giving from members of the Church. This is of real concern and the PCC and all members of Church have a joint responsibility to understand and address this problem. We are hopeful that

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St Bride’s Church

income from the use of the Church building may increase as activities that have been curtailed will resume. Expenditure will be higher, with the increase in Parish Share and provision for increasing costs of maintenance. It is anticipated that Energy cost will soar during the year, which we shall have to work hard to manage. The costs of the office copier have now terminated with a saving of over £2,500 in a full year. Much work will be needed in controlling running costs but the emphasis must be on restoring regular giving to a satisfactory level. It is to be expected that there will be a significant deficit in 2022 of £10,000; this can be funded out of the reserves, but is not a position that can be sustained.

Designated Funds

Overall these showed an overall deficit surplus in the year, but as usual this statement doesn’t reflect fully the blessings and challenges in a number of areas: -

• Youth and Children’s Work – The pandemic continues to have an impact on the work with our Youth and Children, and running costs continue have been significantly lower than previous years. We continue to be blessed that the financial support of this work has continued, and can plan going forward with sufficient resources.

• St Brides Project – the pandemic has meant that throughout the year the Clients could only attend every two weeks and were supported by enhanced cash donations, principally mostly funded by the Red Cross. We received a further Community Grant of £5,000 from Trafford Housing Trust which enabled us to continue to top up the money provided by the Red Cross. Despite them not being able to meet in person for most of the year, our friends in the Big Breakfast and continued to work online to support the Project and there various Fundraising contributed £4,200 in the year. The fund at the end of the year showed a small deficit but this should be eliminated as regular fundraising restarts early in 2022.

• Church Equipment. A further £300 was spent in the year on items to enable the Church to continue to meet online during the year,

• Other Funds – These funds are for income and related costs for Church activities that have taken place over the year.

As I step back from my time as Treasurer, I must share my concern as to the future position of the Finances of the Church. The position over the last 18th months, and looking forward into 2022 and beyond, has trends of income heading downwards and expenditure, with increasing energy costs and maintenance needs resulting in higher running costs. These conflicting trends will give higher annual deficits and reductions in the General Fund; a position that can only continue for a short time until serious financial difficulties are encountered.

To the people if St Bride’s, I would ask all of us to consider carefully and prayerfully how we are able to respond to this. Thank you.

John Myring, PCC Treasurer

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Annual Report 2021

	St Brides	Church Old Trafford	Church Old Trafford
	Income & Expenditure	12 months to 31st December 2021
Fund Name	Balance at	Income	Expenditure	Balance at
	1/1/21			12/31/21
General fund	£19,895	£35,505	£39,511	£15,889
Destitution Project (Red Cross)	£3,421	£44,143	£47,889	-£325
Youth & Childrens Work	£11,160	£2,775	£200	£13,735
Other Designated Funds	£3,209	£411	£1,059	£2,561
Totals	£37,685	£82,834	£88,659	£31,860
Funds Represented by	12/31/20			12/31/21
Current Account	£500			£500
Cheque presented in 2021 re 2022	£1,170			£1,545
Deposit Account	£30,435			£25,926
Total	£32,105			£27,971
Accounts Receivable - BriRsh Red Cross	£2,545			£2,315
Accounts Receivable - HMRC GiU Aid	£3,035			£1,574
Total Funds	£37,685			£31,860

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St Bride’s Church

		2021	2021		2020	2020
		Income	Expenditure		Income	Expenditure
General Fund	Regular Giving & Collections	£25,857			£33,642
	Gift Aid Claimed	£6,042			£6,839
	Donations	£649			£120
	Income from Use of Building	£2,260			£3,420
	Fundraising & Other Income	£697			£754
	General Fund Income	£35,505			£44,775
	Parish Share		£18,140	£18,140		£17,651	£17,651
	Church Maintenance		£4,322			£6,181
	Cleaning		£0			£365
	Church Running - Gas		£1,950			£1,955
	Church Running - Electric		£2,612			£2,816
	Church Running - Insurance		£1,567			£1,562
	Church Running - Water		£190	£10,641		£564	£13,443
	Working expenses of Curate		£0			£1,012
	Working expenses of Incumbant		£174			£1,142
	Rectory Council Tax		£2,093			£1,999
	Rectory Water rates		£534	£2,801		£275	£4,428
	Parish Training & Mission		£865			£180
	Giving to Other Organisations		£1,000			£500
	Upkeep of Services		£479	£2,344		£1,372	£2,052
	Church Office Phones & Internet		£3,604			£4,436
	Sundries		£1,756	£5,360		£387	£4,823
	Governance Costs		£225	£225		£200	£200
	General Fund Expenditure		£39,511	£39,511		£42,597	£42,597
Designated Funds
Youth & Children's Work	Donations, Gift Aid & Other Income	£2,775			£3,805
Destitution Project	Donations, Gift Aid & Other Income	£8,085			£9,348
	Grants from Organisations	£5,000			£8,300
	Re-imbursement of Running Costs	£31,058			£61,820
Other Funds	Donations, Gift Aid & Other Income	£411			£5,689
Youth & Children's Work	Youth & Children's Work Expenses		£200			£1,619
Destitution Project	Project Running Costs		£47,889			£73,348
Other Funds	Equipment & Relocation Expenses		£299			£1,543
	Other Running Costs		£760			£5,824
	Total Designated Funds	£47,329	£49,148		£88,962	£82,334
	Total For Year	£82,834	£88,659		£133,737	£124,931

17

Annual Report 2021

St Brides Church Old Trafford General Fund - Budget 2022 12 Months to 31st December

			2021	2021	2022
			Budget	Actuals	Budget
				Full Year	Proposed
		INCOME
Regular Giving - Church			£28,350	£25,857	£20,100
CollecRons DonaRons & Fund Raising			£2,640	£649	£500
Income from Use of Building			£2,640	£2,260	£4,240
GiU Aid Reclaimed			£6,615	£6,042	£4,800
Energy Rebates (Solar)			£700	£697	£700
	Total Income for Year		£40,945	£35,505	£30,340
		EXPENDITURE
Parish Share			£18,500	£18,140	£18,500
Gas			£2,200	£1,950	£2,500
Electric			£2,900	£2,612	£3,000
Water			£600	£190	£240
Insurance			£1,600	£1,567	£1,600
Maintenance & Cleaning
Maintenance		& DecoraRng	£7,000	£4,322	£5,000
	Sanitary	& Nappy Bins	£273	£0	£0
Cleaning Contract & Supplies			£700	£0	£1,000
Incumbents and Curates Expenses
	Curates Honorarium		£0	£0	£0
	Vicars expenses		£900	£174	£300
Rectory Costs
		Council Tax	£2,080	£2,093	£2,200
		Water Rates	£575	£534	£555
Ofce & AdministraOon Church Ofce Phones & Internet Church Ofce Copier			£825 £2,500	£915 £2,689	£960 £550
		Audit Fee	£200	£225	£250
		Bank Charges	£750	£514	£540
Services & Mission
		Giving	£1,200	£1,000	£750
	Alpha/Mission		£300	£865	£500
	Church Breakfast		£600	£0	£450
	CCLI & Other Licences		£1,200	£479	£500
Sundries			£1,000	£1,242	£1,200
Total Expenditure for Year			£45,903	£39,511	£40,595
Surplus/(Defcit) for Period			-£4,958	-£4,006	-£10,255
Regular Giving - Youth & Children's Work			£3,255	£2,775	£2,400
Youth & Children's Work Expenditure			£1,000	£200	£1,200

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St 8ride's Church I rEP)rton th¢ fiNanEkAI at¢ments of th¢ PCC foTthey¢aTend￿ 31# ￿MI￿r2021, wbi¢h ¢ s¢t outoN RESPECTIVE RESPOT4SIBILITIES OFTHE FCC ANDTHE EXAMINER A5 mcrnbcr5 of the PCC you nrc responsibk for the w¢paTrtion of the ttsrt¢rtts'. ypy w￿￿Id￿r thwt an avdil 1$ tstst rwuirthl for thig y¢gr undor tht Re8uLqtion And under tion 144121 ofthe Charities Act 2011{th0 2011 Act)￿d thot OD I￿ndent exarninDtion iy nethd. It is my r¢5ponsibility ¢0 is5u¢ihi$ report on.. tho¥¢ ¥thl¢m¢nts under S¢¢tioN 145 ofthr 2011 A¢L follow th¢ ￿ld down in the gen¢ral dirthons 8iv¢n ty tl Ch•rity Commkiiirffl undorsoctioTr 14515Xbl oftho 2011 ACE., and wheiherpthiculer rnatters h&v¢¢om¢ to rny att¢ntion. Thiy irKlwJin8 my thi¢mcThL hD5 been pryred for 4nd onty for thc ¢h8rny's tDJStte A brKly. My work hos b¥¢n undertak¢rt so thot I mi8ht 5tt¢ to th¢ ¢h8Aty'g tru9t¢¢ Ihos¢ rn4tters l am rnquired io sthte to ihem in Bn intyndent 4xaminer'g r¢wft and f4)r no thr purrthe. To ihe fullest •xtont permitted by ￿w, I do not or Aqgurne re5￿8￿billty to onyone othcrthon the chDrity and the thority'i a Wy formy ¢xamiMtion woTk, for thi8 r¢port, iy for th¢ 5¢Bt￿nents I hav¢ JnBdp. BASIS OFTHIS RKPORT My ¢xAminiilon ¢￿￿j oul in ￿OrdIn¢l with the Dir￿1)L￿3 8ivqn by th¢ Chthiy Comrnis5ion. An cxarninfition includ¢5 1 reviow of tho acuuniing Tttords kept by th¢ PCC And ty of th¢ fin￿¢la1 ¥tatoments pTrsentyJ wjth th(¥Se Trwrd5. It al includes considerin8 any un￿$￿1 it¢m8 or dis¢lo$uYt¥ in Ihr fiNn¢ial ¥¢¢ksn8 Aplomiions from Y￿ ￿ trustees C4xwminAany su¢h mg1s. Th¢ pto¢¢dtsreg uThderthk￿ do not provide all the evidence thi would bo required in •• audik ¢onwyently no opini 15 8iven to whether th¢ fin•ncial Jtht¢ment5 prexnt a'trne ond foir viow, ond tho ryr¢ li limiityj 10 IhoK mattrs Kl out in th# ¥thkmenl bplow. INDEPEf4DENT EXAMINERISSTATEMENT In ¢onft•E¢ion wyth my ¢xomin•tion, no mAtt•r kn comttomy otMntion'. whl¢h 8lv41 m¢ tot¢lk¥¢that in •ny rnatrrial Nwtth¢TtyJUir¢m￿ts'. ' to kwx¢wntin8 r¢¢ord$ In a¢¢¢rdatK¢ wsth e¢rtion lJQof tl 2011 Aet., And to prep&Te financ￿1 sthtements whieh a¢eord with the accouniing reCOrds￿d C4Nnply with the Rccounlin8 reqvir¢Tnpntsofthp 2011 have not bE¢n mcl.. or to which, in my oyirtion. AttentKth shollld br drawo in ord¢t to )￿b￿ A PIO understsndin8 of the firhDncial QE¢ments to bt reached. • SIGNED JL 7 3,Lai 2oZL John Thom￿ Holtsworth C Ed. 15 LynrnouthAV¢￿uE, Flil¢￿￿ M41

YIEL

Prayer

During the last year despite lockdowns morning prayer has been able to carry on via zoom which enabled more to join three days a week and now meeting in person- Monday and Wednesday at 9am. We have seen some amazing answers to prayer over the year.

Prayer is the underpinning of all we do at St Bride’s not just on a Sunday - before Bizzy B’s and the St Bride’s Project the volunteers pray together for the day inviting the presence of God and expecting opportunities to show His love.

We have set up a prayer request box and prayer request cards which are being used and those who are in need of prayer receive that, often during morning prayer times, and the request is followed up.

The church WhatsApp has become a way to bring issues and requests for prayer to all those in the group and receive feedback on answers to prayer too.

There is the opportunity to pray in church on Monday evenings at 7pm and every morning except Fridays at 9am.

21

Annual Report 2021

Small Groups

Small groups which meet in the week are one of the ways in which people encourage one another to serve God, keep looking to Jesus, learn to hear his voice, celebrate answers to prayer, and help one another in times of difficulty and doubt. Different groups have different approaches, and over time some start and some finish.

A Bible study group has met on Wednesday evenings since Covid-19 restrictions eased in the spring of 2021, firstly in the Rectory garden, and later at the home of the Myrings, the Coopers, or M-J Sharp. They have studied the Bible passage from the previous Sunday service, and prayed together. The average attendance has been 5 from a larger pool of attenders, some of whom take turns in leading the study.

On Monday afternoons a group, which is very variable in number and composition, has met to knit and chat together with Linda Penrose. It sometimes includes people who have no other contact with the church. During 2021 the group met in the park or in Shirley Lally’s garden complying with whatever Covid-19 restrictions have been in force.

Every month in 2021 except August an ecumenical men’s group has met for Bible study on one Saturday morning. Until the summer the group met electronically, and from September the group has met in a home and shared breakfast. The group has studied varied Bible passages including working over 3 months through the letter to Titus. The average attendance has been 6 from 4 churches.

Graham Cooper

22

St Bride’s Church

St Bride’s Project

The Project has continued to run for the whole of 2021 under similar covid restrictions as the latter half of 2020. We have met fortnightly and provided the asylum seekers with money instead of food parcels. From September the British Red Cross were able to reintroduce face to face case work so we adapted our setup accordingly to keep everyone safe.

We were very excited to be able to offer everyone a hot drink, cake and biscuits at our last drop in of the year. Each service user received a Christmas gift. Many thanks to all the people who worked together to make that happen, including 7 assylum seekers or former asylum seekers who acted as waiters to ensure everyone’s safety.

As usual there are many people to thank for helping to keep things going, so if you are one of them please consider yourselves thoroughly thanked.

Also thanks to Big Breakfast who have continued to fundraise for us.

Linda Penrose, Project Lead

23

Annual Report 2021

Our Friends, The Big Breakfast

At the beginning of 2021 the Covid-29 pandemic prevented people from meeting to eat breakfast together, but the Big Breakfast team were not dormant. They knew that the destitute failed asylum-seekers still needed support. The team put together a recipe book, which was published late in 2021, and raised over £1,000.00 for the good cause. In November, 2021, the Big Breakfasters broke their long fast with the first Big Breakfast of the year in St Bride’s Church.

In December the pandemic restrictions made another indoor breakfast too difficult, but there was another event outside the church, and many people placed an order for the recipe book.

Tony Vino, Founder of Big Breakfast

24

Annual Report 2021

Bizzy B’s

St Bride’s Bizzy B’s relaunched in September 2021, back in the church building. After lots of praying, cleaning, shopping, rebranding and risk assessing we re-opened the doors to welcome a community of Old Trafford parents and carers to come to Bizzy B’s to connect and spend time together.

We’ve been careful to keep everyone as safe as possible during Bizzy B’s over the last few months. We updated some play equipment and toys and had a clear out of some older, broken toys and ensured everything was cleaned before we re-opened. We’ve encouraged mask wearing and hand sanitising. We leave the doors to the garden open all morning and have some play equipment outside, which gets used in all weathers! We’ve stopped having a communal snack time and instead provide a snack zone which is cleaned regularly throughout the session. We still offer (much needed!) tea and coffee and some treats on special occasions!

It has been fantastic to have Bizzy B’s meeting in person again and we are seeing the group becoming a popular place to be on a Friday morning! (About 40 children and their grownups.) We’ve been really encouraged by how appreciative people are of Bizzy B’s and how pleased people are to be able to meet in such a big, light, bright space. For children to be able play with other children again and grown-ups to connect, make new friends and be encouraged. We’re pleased to welcome a diverse group of people to Bizzy B’s and lots of new families are finding the group and making it their regular Friday morning community.

sharing why it’s the highlight of the Church calendar. As well as Mother’s and Father’s Day.

We look forward to seeing Bizzy B’s grow and thrive as more restrictions are lifted and more families get to know about us. We want Bizzy B’s to always be outward focussed, so new people are welcomed in. We want it to be a diverse group of families reflecting the community of Old Trafford. And for it to be a safe place where people are comfortable at church because of the peace of the Holy Spirit and the love of Jesus the volunteers share.

Our group of volunteers are amazing and even though we’ve had lots of cases of Covid and plenty of winter bugs to contend with, we’ve had enough people each week to make the group happen. It’s been great to reunite our Bizzy B’s team and put Bizzy B’s back in everyone’s diary.

Charlotte Bushell leads Bizzy B’s with faithful members of St Brides helping run the group - Linda Penrose, Clare Myring and Barbara S. We also have a great group of volunteers from the Bizzy B’s community. Nat volunteers in the kitchen, Emma helps out with everything! And some Bizzy B’s grown-ups arrive early or stay late to help with set up and pack down. More volunteers are always welcome, if you know anyone who would like to get involved, do get in touch!

Charlotte Bushell, Bizzy B’s Lead

Throughout the Bizzy B’s year it’s great to mark the Christian calendar and the positive seasonal celebrations to offer a change to what can become the repetitive rhythm of parenting little ones, to bring encouragement and opportunities to share Jesus’ love. We look forward to marking Easter and

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Iv

nnual Fteport 2021