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← The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Castle Bromwich

2024-12-31-accounts

The Annual Report Including the Financial Statements of

‘’The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Castle Bromwich’’

Year ending December 2024

(Registered Charity No. 1146681)

Promoting in the Ecclesiastical Parish

the whole mission of the church

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Structure, Governance and 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 1956. as amended and church representation rules.

St Mary and St Margaret is registered with the Charity Commission as ‘’The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Castle Bromwich’’ Charity No. 1146681

The method of appointment of PCC/Trustee members is set out in the Church Representation Rules.

All regular attendees at the church are encouraged to register on the electoral roll which enables them to vote and to stand for election to the PCC.

The PCC/Trustees of

‘’The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Castle Bromwich’’

ex officio 1 Rector Revd. Fiona Harrison-Smith MA, BA(Hons) BMus(Hons)

ex officio 2 Churchwardens Mrs Lisa Wakeman (stepped down 21[st] May) Mrs Anita Low (elected 21[st] May)

ex officio 3 Deanery Synod representatives Mrs Karon Ward Mrs Deborah Bates Mrs Jackie Harris Mrs Lisa Wakeman (stepped down 1[st] October )

9 elected members

Mrs Elaine Jeffs (Treasurer) Mr David Greaves (Lay Chair to 17[th] July) Mrs Shirley Middlemass Mrs Susan Bates Mrs Laura Fallows (Lay Chair from 17[th] July) Mrs Margaret Grady Ms Helen Giles (resigned 21[st] May) Mrs Mary Jones Mrs Tricia Richards Mrs Karol Rogers

Bank Lloyds Bank, High Street, Sutton Coldfield

Independent Examiner

Martin Lawrence, 213 Station Road, Stechford,

Birmingham, B33 8BB

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Aims and purpose

The aims and purpose of the church remains undiminished where the mission, outreach, thanksgiving, and celebration are at the heart of the ethos in our parish. We are an open and inclusive Church and warmly welcome everyone at St. Mary and St. Margaret, whatever their background or previous experience of Christian worship. We are looking to grow every individual as a Child of God through close ties with the Church school and in our wider Church community.

Our Mission is to be relevant in this community and beyond, through loving Christian service.

Our Aim is to be a living, vibrant, witnessing Church at the centre of our Community.

During 2024 we adopted 5 values across all areas of church life; FAITH, YOUTH, ECO, HERITAGE, COMMUNITY

Vision for the Future

In 2019 we started our Transforming Church journey to grow our Church and meet the needs of an everchanging society. We embarked on a journey of reflection to consider who we are, who our community thinks we are and where God is calling us. With the arrival of our new Rector we have begun to look at what this could look like for us and the next steps to achieve all that God is calling us into

1. To be a prayerful and Christ led Church: centered on the needs of the congregation, and wider Community. Caring and compassionate to all that live . and work in Castle Bromwich, regardless of age, culture, needs, or background

  1. To Support our Church School family, fostering a mutual spiritual and pastoral partnership with Children, Teachers, and parents .

  2. To be Open, welcoming, and hospitable – sharing the Love of Jesus with everyone, regardless of who they are or why they join us. Whether new, of long standing or visiting, make everyone feel at home and included as we seek to . broaden the diversity of our outreach and grow new disciples

  3. To provide worship that satisfies the needs of all ages, abilities, and lifestyles, meeting people where they are in their Christian Journey.

5 . To be mission led – taking the word of Jesus out into the Community. Linking up with people, other communities and Churches on joint ventures that . strengthen connection and unity between our different congregations

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6. Provide a regular programme of activities to support Christian journeys. Creating a Discipleship Pathway particularly for new Christians, Children, Youth, . and families to grow their faith

7. To be an Environmentally responsible Church – committed to being stewards of God’s Creation

The PCC is looking at ways in which we can become carbon neutral.

8 . To provide a thriving Christian Ministry for Children, Young People and Families (CYPF) – in the belief that children and young people can follow Jesus and be full members of the Church and are integral to church growth.

Objects and Activities

We have a thriving and inclusive all-age congregation from many walks of life. While many people come from the local community – the village setting of Castle Bromwich with its Hall and Gardens – many others are drawn from further afield and from different Christian traditions. By providing a variety of services and worship styles we hope that most needs are catered for while creating the conditions for discipleship and spiritual growth, development and wellbeing. We also have an excellent relationship with our local church school, St. Mary and St. Margaret CE Aided Primary School, where children participate in weekly clergy led worship, both in the school and in the church setting. Our family church team are working hard to improve these links.

Our Community Hall provides for our own needs while broadening our community outreach by offering a broad range of services and activities that have both deepened and strengthened our local ties while fostering and developing community cohesion.

Worship and Services

We have a balance of family services, e.g. Baptism services, and more formal communion services.

In 2024, the parish undertook

Our current service patterns are as follows:

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Pastoral Care and Counselling

There are 10 Members on the Pastoral Team and we held 6 meetings during 2024. Over the year we held 4 Luncheon Clubs in the Church Hall which

were well attended, with quite a few new commers. We cater for approximately 42 people from Church and the local community.

Our Summer Outing was on a coach trip on 20th June to Cosford RAF Museum followed by a meal at Albrighton Garden Centre. We had 33 people attend and all enjoyed the day out.

Our Christmas Meal was again held at Castle Bromwich Hall Hotel, where enjoyed an excellent meal. This popular event was attended by 84 people from both our Church and the local community.

We held Coffee mornings on the 2[nd] and 4[th] Wednesday’s of the month in the Church Hall, attendance varies throughout the year .

Bereavement Group meets on the 2[nd] Monday of the month 1.30 – 3pm. We have on average 15 people attending, those who come are very appreciative of the support and comfort they receive by attending this group,

All Souls Service was held on 3[rd] November at 4pm, followed with tea and coffee and time to chat. it was a good Service and well attended. 4pm was a much better time for all who came.

Home Communion is taken once a month to those no longer able to attend Church. This is very much appreciated by those who are sick or housebound.

The Pastoral team continue to send ‘Thinking of You’ cards to the sick and bereaved, and those in need of support.

Baptism Team

Anita Low and Shirley Middlemass manage Baptism bookings.

We had 35 Baptisms during 2024, this included 25 Baptism’s during the 11am Service and 10 Baptisms prior to Thanksgiving and preparation Services.

We have now moved Baptisms to morning only, except in special circumstances. Thanksgiving and Preparation services are now held in the Rectory with Rev Fiona .

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The Mothers’ Union

We continue to meet on a Wednesday for our monthly friendship afternoons, we chat, craft, play games, or discuss interesting topics. It is popular with members and nonmembers alike. We start the meeting with a prayer and always finish with the Grace. Those less active continue to support us especially with prayer, which is a very important part of our ministry.

Highlighted meetings, in March for Mothering Sunday, we made up daffodil posies to distribute to all the ladies in church or at home. In June we held our messy church session, year 2 from school attended along with young families from church. We had a fun afternoon in our Community hall, old and young alike sharing in prayer and fellowship, and working together on a craft to take home.

This year we explored the value of pollinators, especially those that fly. In October we crafted poppies for our new poppy display in church. Finally in December we held our annual afternoon Carol Service which was well attended and once again collected an amazing amount of gifts to donate to women’s aid.

Our members continue to be very active within church life and have been delighted to serve our congregation and community during the past year and we are eagerly looking forward to what 2025 brings.

The Family Church Team

Family Church consists of a group of volunteers from various areas of Church, who join forces in their passion for Family Mission. Our aim is to build a nurturing environment to help families and newer Christians explore their faith in creative ways that they can understand and engage with. We look to explore faith with fun and fellowship, sharing ideas, skills, talents, and resources to support one another and families both practically and spiritually. We work together as a group but also in separate teams. In 2024 we were sad to lose Maralyn a longstanding and dedicated Wayfarer Leader who retired and also Leigh our Baby and Me leader – but both remain a valuable part of the Family Church Team. In addition, we were pleased to welcome Ricky as Youth and Community Worker and Anita and Lisa as Messy Worship leaders.

Listed below are some of the activities that Family Church Team participated in during 2024.

Pancake Race

Community Carols and Nativity Trail

Easter Egg Trail

Christmas Toy/ Gift collection for North Solihull Foodbank Harvest Service and food collection for North Solihull Foodbank Community Rounders

Crafts Corner – Craft activities for during Baptism service in Church All Age Nativity -Christmas Eve Service

2024 was another busy year for all the individual teams that come under the Family Church banner – Individual Teams will provide own reports.

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Community Socials Baby and Me Café Worship Messy Worship Youth and Community

Community Socials

This small team welcomed local small businesses along with Church groups to join together for an Autumn Fayre which was very enjoyable and well supported by the local community. They also organised a Christmas Santa Crafts Workshop that entertained over eighty children and families. There was a Christmas Grotto, visit from Santa and presents – along with crafts and activities. The feedback was very positive, and it proved very popular with local families.

Baby & Me Friendship Café

After a very successful 5 years this valued group for new parents - sadly had to cease in January 2024 due to change of work responsibilities for the leader and lack of volunteers to continue the group. PCC expressed their thanks to Leigh for setting up and running this group which had been well attended.

Café Worship Team

Café Worship continued to be a vibrant addition to our more traditional Sunday Worship. Our aim is to provide an informal and relaxed style of worship - easier to navigate and understand for individuals and families exploring faith. Sessions begin with - Bible teaching/ videos/ activities crafts – followed by a Worship element with songs and prayers. In 2024 there were challenges with no Audio-Visual system for a number of months – however the team managed to work around this and are pleased to report the system is now working well.

In 2024 CW remained well attended with an average attendance of twenty adults & twenty children. We moved from 2[nd] Sunday to 3[rd] Sunday of the month and to a start time of 11am. There remains a higher proportion of pre-school children and less school aged children/youth – which reflected the general trend in Church. With a team of 3 Leaders, the lack of new volunteers coming forward remained a challenge and a real concern, and going forward may result in a reduction in what we can do especially during holiday periods.

Messy Worship

Messy worship is held on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month and proving to be popular with 16/20 children between infant age and 9 years attending the sessions. All families and children begin in church, then process with their Bible and Cross into the hall,

We start each session with a little prayer, then read the bible verse to work in parallel with the service within church and do a small activity based on that reading.

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The children really enjoyed Mark 4 35- 41 when Jesus calmed the storm, we had plastic tubs filled with water, making waves, each child had a boat that we made then shouted "peace be still" to watch how the waves stopped just like Jesus had said. We also got the large parachute out in the church grounds, where we all shook it and shouted "peace be still" it was lovely as while we were outside the congregation within church heard the children laughing and shouting this.

On Remembrance Sunday, we learnt about the 4 different colours of the poppies and what they represented, purple, black, white and red. The children coloured in poppies in these 4 colours and we made our very own wreath. When we went back into Church for Communion, it was laid in the remembrance chapel within church along with other poppy wreaths.

Youth & Community Work

It was exciting to appoint Ricky Sandiford as our Youth and Community Development Worker in October to work with us 12 hours a week.

My first three months in this new role have been positive, we have worked well as a team focused on our planned targets and aims for St Mary and St Margaret Church and my role as youth and community development worker. I feel that I have been able to blend into the existing team while also being able to contribute with our collective aims and goals, while also being able to work towards my own personal targets and goals that are specific to my appointment. Our Church team has been very supportive and proactive regarding my role and this is apparent with the early positive progress we have made.

We re-established our Warm Welcome Wednesdays that we trialled last Summer, pulling together a team of regular volunteers who have helped us to re-establish the relationships with our families from last Summer, while building new ones. We are also learning with our volunteers to create a deliberate and consistent warm relaxed and friendly environment for ourselves as a Church team and our families and young people. This is vital in my experience in creating a long running and sustainable group, we believe (with continual support from our Church volunteers) that this group falls into this category, and will only grow in both numbers and reputation being a positive reflection of St Mary and St Margaret Church and your Church team and leaders. I had the pleasure of spending time at St Mary and St Margaret School, targeting Years Five and Six. I have familiarized myself with the School’s staff and enjoyed running our Christingle workshop with Fiona and Julie. We did lunch time sessions leading up to our Church Christingle service, rehearsing songs and liturgy. The children delivered an excellent performance on the evening and were an absolute joy to work with as was St Mary and St Margaret school, feedback from both parents and the school was very positive. I have also been working hard on building a relationship with Park Hall School attending an assembly delivered by Water Orton Church and Birmingham City Mission, and I am in correspondence with their head and deputy head, in planning to do some future work with the RE department and some one-on-one work with their students. This is ongoing.

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We have also started a young people’s confirmation group which runs every other week. This is a deep and meaningful space with very encouraging conversations. This has been an important group for the children and families involved and a good start for me in developing young Christian disciples. This has been delivered by myself and Fiona, but we will be encouraging more volunteers to attend this group as it is important for the wider church family to be part of such important discipleship journeys, especially when concerning our young people.

I have been encouraged and supported well by my line manager Fiona, and our leadership team. I have been given the space and time to build relationships with partners, people in the parish and our church congregation, I have also been able to access training when needed. I have been supported in building Christ centred relationships with our young people and their families, building trust and understanding of the dynamics and needs that will enable me to fill this role with greater purpose. I have been able to use my leadership skills freely in establishing myself in this new role and in working with St Mary and St Margaret leadership team. I do feel very positive for the coming months and I am excited about the impact that we could have with the Christian and human development of our young people. I have been meeting with Fiona, my line manager every week. We are constantly developing and adapting our plans to utilise the best way to fulfil my objectives so that we can have as big an impact as is possible within the time that we have. Within this space I am respected and allowed to have opinions and ideas using my experience. Encouraged by feedback from the young people and families that we have worked with, I am very much looking forward to the time that I have ahead in my role.

Bell Ringers

2024 has been an extraordinary year for St. Mary and St. Margaret's Church in Castle Bromwich. Our bell ringing group has experienced remarkable growth and success in a variety of areas, with a special focus on improving our techniques, engaging with the community, and fostering relationships with neighbouring towers. As we reflect on the year, it’s clear that the church has become a vibrant hub for both spiritual and social engagement, with our bell ringing efforts playing a key role in uniting us all. Achievements

One of the standout successes of 2024 has been the advancement of our bell ringing skills. We’ve made significant progress in mastering 'Plain Bob Doubles,' a challenging yet rewarding method that has greatly improved our technical proficiency and teamwork. The commitment of our bell ringers has been unwavering, and the improvement in our bell ringing performances is a testament to their hard work and dedication.

We have successfully rung for various services, enhancing the worship experience for our congregation. Our bell ringers have been an integral part of church events, ensuring the church’s presence is heard across Castle Bromwich. Additionally, we have had the

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privilege of ringing for weddings, adding a beautiful touch to these special occasions and continuing our tradition of contributing to life’s significant milestones. Strengthening Relationships with Local Towers

In 2024, we have also made considerable progress in forging stronger relationships with local bell ringing communities, particularly with the towers in Sheldon and Coleshill. Through mutual support and shared learning experiences, our bell ringers have had the opportunity to engage with other communities, exchange techniques, and celebrate bell ringing as a shared passion. These relationships have enriched our practices and created a sense of camaraderie and fellowship that extends beyond our church walls.

Community Engagement and Heritage

St. Mary and St. Margaret's has also made a significant impact within the wider community in 2024. Our involvement in community history events and heritage weekends has been a highlight, with the bell tower becoming a focal point for local history enthusiasts and visitors alike. These events allowed us to open the doors of our historic church tower to the public, providing insights into the rich history of Castle Bromwich and showcasing the role of bell ringing in our heritage. It has been heartening to see local families, history buffs, and visitors all coming together to celebrate the church’s past while fostering a greater understanding of our place in the community.

Tower Trips and Church Fetes

In addition to our regular ringing activities, we have organized trips up the tower, offering members of the congregation and local community a chance to experience the bells in action. These trips have not only been educational but have also provided an opportunity for fellowship and connection within our congregation.

Our annual church fete was a resounding success, bringing together church members, families, and the wider community for a day of fun, fundraising, and celebration. The bell ringers played a key role in these events, adding to the lively atmosphere and demonstrating the vibrant, welcoming spirit of our church.

Conclusion

As we look back on 2024, it’s clear that St. Mary and St. Margaret’s Church has made great strides in becoming an even more integral part of the Castle Bromwich community. The bell ringing group’s achievements, both in terms of skill development and community engagement, have been truly inspiring. Through our efforts in bell ringing, service participation, forging new relationships, and promoting local heritage, we have continued to strengthen our ties to the local community and our faith. We look forward to building on these successes in 2025, continuing to grow our bell ringing group, further strengthening our community connections, and contributing to the life and vibrancy of Castle Bromwich.

Choir and Organ

Throughout 2024 the choir have continued to sing at the weekly Eucharist services, Weddings and occasional funeral services and also meet for weekly choir practice on a Thursday evening.

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The choir is a little depleted in numbers with currently six Sopranos, two Altos, one tenor and one bass totalling nine members. Three new members, Anita Shergold, Jane. Cooper and Helen Giles have recently joined prior to Christmas 2024, but Rev. Margaret McLoughlin is no longer able to join us and Lisa Wakeman will very soon, be on a Queen’s College placement. Sue Bates joins us when she is able.

The choir as usual sang at the main liturgical services during Holy Week and Easter

Beginning of October 2024 saw the arrival of something quite different. The musical ‘Born to Love’ began rehearsal at St Clement’s Church and members from both St Clements and St Mary & St Margaret’s churches came together each week to learn this new work that was performed at St Clement’s on December 22[nd] . Many who took part hadn’t previously sang in a choir and on the back of this, both Jane and Anita have joined us having enjoyed the experience.

It proved to be a great success, and we also discovered a number of hidden talents. Hopefully, this will be followed up by my latest work (still being written) which is a musical telling the story of ‘Daniel in the Lion’s den’.

The organ has continued to be a fine instrument since it’s rebuilding and is now regularly tuned and minor tweaks made when Rodney Briscoe from Boggis & Co visits around twice a year.

It is hoped that 2025 will be the start of an exciting new period for music at St Mary and St Margaret’s church and there are a number of plans for events in the near future to raise the profile of our music and worship.

We are appreciative of the input and efforts of every single choir member, who turn up each week, along with the support from the congregation who turn up each week and we look forward to future growth and fellowship.

Stuart Jeffs

The Flower Arrangers

Thanks to the generosity of the congregation, this talented team enhanced our worship with amazing floral displays at Easter, Patronal Festival, Harvest and Christmas. There are also altar flower arrangements in celebration of birthdays, anniversaries etc. which are requested (and funded by) individual members of the congregation.

Church Cleaners

There is a small team of volunteers to whom we are all grateful for their efforts in keeping our Church clean and tidy for the benefit of all who attend. Additional volunteers are welcome to join the team.

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Gardening Group

The gardening group are doing an amazing job looking after our memorial garden and Churchyard. The replanted beds in the memorial garden are now flourishing. The gardens provide a tranquil and relaxing area to refresh the Spirit.

Charity Fund Raising

We continue to support Malawi through Lent collection boxes, Children’s Society collection at Christingle Service and St Basil’s collection boxes during Advent. Ad hoc charity collections take place at times of emergencies throughout the world.

Hall Management Team

The Community Hall is run by the PCC who ensure all Policies and Procedures are kept up to date. The Community Hall office is staffed by a part time Parish Administrator who deals with all hall enquires and bookings as well as supporting the worship team with administration.

The Hall has both a music licence and alcohol licence.

The are several regular paid bookings for the hall, with Yoga classes and courses, Pilates classes, Baby Massage/Sensory Courses, Dance Classes, Mother & Baby exercise class and Martial Arts groups.

The hall is used for their worship on Sundays by Messy Worship and Café Worship. The hall is also used for Wednesday coffee mornings, Bereavement Support Group, Mothers Union meetings, Luncheon Club and Soup and Roll Lunches which continue to be popular with church members and community alike. 2024 saw the introduction of Warm Welcome on Wednesdays after school for families to come and enjoy refreshments and shared activities. These events provide important opportunities for outreach, as they are attended by many people from the wider community, as well as Church regulars.

Safeguarding

We work to provide a safe and caring community, through respectful pastoral ministry, for all our parishioners and congregation. This year we have refreshed our noticeboards to ensure all Safeguarding information is clearly available. Our clergy, Readers and all volunteers who work with children, young people and vulnerable adults, are DBS checked and complete the relevant on-line safeguarding training courses. All members of the PCC keep their safeguarding training up-to-date and, in compliance with the directive from the Church of England, are also DBS checked. Our safeguarding policies and procedures are discussed and approved annually at PCC meetings. The PCC has also appointed a children’s advocate and an adult’s advocate, who sit on the PCC to represent the interests of these vulnerable groups. The PCC has complied with its duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 to have due regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on

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safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. St. Mary & St. Margaret is using the Parish Dashboard which gives us visibility of all policies, procedures and training for our church, related to keeping our church community safe. Our Parish Safeguarding CoOrdinator reports at each PCC meeting and presents a Parish Dashboard action plan at regular intervals for PPC approval. Our Safeguarding Co-Ordinator is also using the Parish Hub which is proving to be a useful tool, giving reminders of training or DBS checks that need to be done or renewed.

Church/Hall Fabric

After 2 cold winters and no heating within church, we've finally completed damp proofing the cellar and installing a new boiler. The damp proofing consisted of having a new larger soak away on the church grounds, digging a large area underneath, allowing excess water to drain away from the church and the cellar, then sealing the whole cellar with a concrete/silicone based compound. When this was completed the new boiler was installed and is up and running.

Following a church tree survey, it was brought to our attention that a large horse chestnut tree at the east gates needed to be removed, unfortunately the base of the tree was rotten. This was removed in September 2024, it’s age was approximately 880 years old. A new little oak tree was planted in close proximity of the horse chestnut tree. The company returned in late November to continue work that was needed on other trees, trimming overhanging branches and removing smaller dead trees, and other larger tasks to assist our church’s gardening team.

Building & Heritage Committee

Once again it has been a busy year with various projects completed and others being considered.

  1. Re-surfacing the Church Driveway

  2. New Boiler and making the boiler room watertight

  3. AV upgrade in the church and community hall

  4. Preparation of a Faculty to introduce renewables i.e. solar panels, under pew heating and heat pump.

  5. To investigate the possibility of creating an external storage facility.

  6. Preparation for a new Quinquennial survey to be done by the Church Architect

Items 1 and 2 have been completed with heating restored to church.

Item 3 has had its faculty agreed by the DAC and it is hoped that installation will begin around March 2025

Item 4 is a much longer project which will include our energy consultant and church architect to provide expert advice and guidance to the PCC. The first stage of a faculty application has been considered by the DAC (Diocesan Advisory Council), and we expect some feed back shortly.

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Item 5 is being considered by the PCC. We have had drawings produced for one option, but more work needs to be done to ensure we get this right.

Item 6 we have instructed our Church Architect to carry out the necessary survey in early 2025

Many thanks to all committee members for their help and support over the past 12 months

David Greaves

Coleshill & Polesworth Deanery Synod

The first meeting of 2024 was held on Zoom on Wednesday 7th February 2024.

This was the last meeting in Coleshill & Polesworth Deanery for St. Leonards, Marston Green as they were moving to Yardley & Solihull Deanery. Area Dean Louise thanked the representatives for all their support to our Deanery.

The main focus of this meeting was ‘Growing Faith Conversations’ Michelle reflected on her experience of working with various youth initiatives and engaging young people in the community over the past three years. Particularly during covid it was difficult to watch families struggling with young people, locked in their own homes. She explained how funding became available to set up her youth group which meant “getting out of your comfort zone” and mentioned Emma Sargeant, Adam Larkin and others who helped her along this journey. She believes that young people are coming back to God and has faith in God’s plan. On the way, a few doors opened and some that closed. Listening to God’s connectivity and the leading of the Holy Spirit inspired her to get involved. Michelle posed three questions for churches to explore further: What opportunities are there for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with children,

How can we make our church buildings more accessible to children, young people and families?

Are there things that need to change as we seek to encourage children, young people and families to Jesus Christ? A discussion ensued in the breakout rooms and members shared their ideas for encouraging children to worship.

Environment progress from Linda Nugent – 5 churches in the Deanery had obtained bronze ECO Church awards. Churches were urged to use the Energy Footprint Tool to enable the diocese to keep track of how they are doing on their net zero by 2030 journey and offer support.

The second meeting of the year was held at St Andrew’s Church, Chelmsley Wood on Wednesday 5th June.

We were welcomed to St. Andrew’s by Rev. Andi Thomas.

There was Pathways Presentation by Jerome Turner. His presentation focused on how to register using CofE Birmingham website and gave an overview of what Pathways is and why we have it. There are number of modules which are useful to the Deanery

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including youth provision Flex, usage of bible in Youth ministry, independent learning and journey into spirituality and much more was discussed. What’s missing? The team is also open to suggestions

The main focus of the meeting was a talk about the Racial Justice Board given by Revd Dele and Dawn – The Synod heard from Revd Dele, Chair of the Racial Justice Board about the Regional Racial Justice work and the priorities for the Diocese of Birmingham following Lament to Action. The Church of England Birmingham is one of six dioceses Birmingham, Coventry, Gloucester, Hereford, Lichfield and Worcestershire in the West Midlands working collaboratively to become representatives of all whether black or white and to develop an anti-racism agenda. “If not now, then when?” visible look in our churches is not reflective of the population in Birmingham and our region. Dawn gave a presentation in which she referred to 5 keys areas of commitment: 1. Theological and spiritual sharing and engagement 2. Participation 3. Listening, releasing, resourcing and responding 4. Training and mentoring 5. Youth Those present were encouraged to engage with the Racial Board and to pray about the challenges that lay ahead.

A short Q and A session followed. How can churches engage with people from different cultural backgrounds, the young and wider communities to reflect God’s love? To meet challenges head on. The Racial Justice board is also reaching out to other church denominations. The liturgy is very English, the style of worship to be inclusive of the cultural diversity of the communities were some of the areas discussed. Environmental Update - Linda Nugent, Deanery Environment Champion Linda mentioned about projects that are eligible for the Quick Wins Grant Guide. Minor repairs and improvement grant funding £5000 – 10,000 for urgent and upkeep of parish building guttering, insulation, draught proofing. For further information to contact Ben Smith, who is the Birmingham Diocesan Net Zero Carbon project Manager.

The final meeting of 2024 was held on Wednesday 23rd October 2024 at Kingsbury Sports and Community Centre.

Growing Gifts – Revd Catherine Grylls from Mission Support gave a presentation on Growing Gifts and opportunities available to grow into our potential. She also distributed some leaflets about Growing Gifts. There are ten sessions for locally commissioned preachers or worship leaders which are designed to be spread out over five months. She mentioned about Pathways a learning platform resources creative prayer ideas – Jerome who gave a talk to the Synod in June encouraging people to join the platform. She referred to 5 keys areas:

  1. Praying together

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The Synod got into groups to have conversations: Part 1: With the transforming church vision in mind. What lay ministries would be useful in your oversight areas and in your church? What are the blocks to that happening? Part 2: What formation and training for those lay ministries would be most accessible and is most needed. How does Growing Gifts fit into the picture? Synod gave some feedback: People on Growing Gifts shared their experience. More encouragement needed to come from incumbents. Accessibility via online as well as offline. Some Biblical knowledge is required. Catherine stated that if there are five or more people come forward for training, it can be delivered locally. Catherine’s email address is catherine.grylls@cofebirmingham.com

Birmingham Diocesan Synod Update – Delivered by Revd Mark Waterstreet and Roy Baker. Roy gave an update to the Synod. The meeting was held at St John’s and St Peter’s church in Ladywood. Bishop Michael has been in the post 150 days and gave his presidential briefing. Revd Mark Waterstreet mentioned that Ms Sarah Smith, Director of Education asked the School Governing bodies to review their admissions policy and to consider removing faith-based criteria e.g. attendance, as schools were set up to provide free education for all. Other updates were provided by the Oversight Area Formation and Mission Planning, Regional Racial Justice Update, the Safeguarding Team gave progress report on national developments in safeguarding in the Church of England. Roy gave an update on Finance – it has been another difficult year, fourth year in succession funding from Church Commissioners covered this for 2020 – 2022. For 2023, there is a deficit of £799,000. Birmingham Diocese is the poorest diocese. Rev Dr Al Barrett raised a concern how long the Diocese could continue.

Volunteers

We must thank all our volunteers, many of whom work tirelessly in the background but without whom the church and hall would not run so smoothly. Each year we do lose one or two of our older volunteers and we particularly give thanks to these people for their many years of service.

The above report has been compiled by the PCC Secretary with input from the Rector, PCC Vice Chair, Church Wardens and Church Groups on behalf of the PCC/Trustees.

Approved by the PCC on 5[th] May 2025 and signed on their behalf by the Rector

Revd. Fiona Harrison-Smith

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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES Balance sheet at 31st December 2024

Note
FIXED ASSETS
Property - Hall
4a
Property - Church
4a
Bells
4b
Organ
4b
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors
6
Short Term Deposits
Cash at bank and in hand
LIABILITIES; AMOUNTS FALLING DUE
7
WITHIN ONE YEAR
Creditors
Provision for Common Fund
Diocesan Loan
NET CURRENT ASSETS
LIABILITIES; AMOUNTS FALLING DUE
8
AFTER ONE YEAR
NET ASSETS
FUNDS
Unrestricted General
Restricted Legacy ( decoration Fund )
Restricted - Church ( Capital )
Restricted - Hall (Captial Cost )
Restricted - Bells
Restricted Bells ( Capital Cost )
Restricted - Organ
Restricted - Organ ( Capital Cost )
Restricted - Awards for All
Restricted - Youth Worker		 2024
2023
£
£
538098
538098
33006
0
52291
52291
54600
54600
677995
644989
15000
15000
360000
410000
69393
56230
444393
481230
0
0
0
0
0
0
444393
481230
0
0
1122388
1126219
318582
433020
30000
30000
33006
0
538098
538098
13673
13343
52291
52291
5307
4867
54600
54600
4878
0
71953
0
1122388
1126219

Approved by the Parochial Church Meeting on and signed on its behalf by :

Mrs A Shergold

Revd F Harrison Smith

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES For the year ended 31st December 2024

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
For the year ended 31st December 2024
UnrestricteRestricted
Funds
Funds
Note
£
£
INCOMING RESOURCES
Incoming resources from donors
2a
33817
721
Other voluntary incoming resources
2b
7344
0
Income from charitable and ancillary trading
2c
19194
0
Other ordinary incoming resources
2d
570
0
Income from investments
2e
20759
0
TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES
81684
721
RESOURCES USED
Charities
3a
0
721
Activities directly relating to the work of the church
3b
71551
0
Fund-raising and publicity
3c
0
0
Church Management & Administration
3d
13964
0
TOTAL RESOURCES USED
85515
721
NET INCOMING/(OUTGOING) RESOURCES
-3831
0
TRANSFER OF ASSETS
Restricted
110697
Unrestricted
-110697
NET MOVEMENTS OF FUNDS
-110697
110697
BALANCE BROUGHT FORWARD AT
1ST JANUARY
433110
693109
BALANCES CARRIED FORWARD AT
31ST DECEMBER
318582
803806		 TOTAL FUNDS
2024
2023
£
£
34538
40731
7344
16181
19194
16515
570
710
20759
13387
82405
87524
721
476
71551
71656
0
1080
13964
9550
86236
82763
-3831
4762
110697
0
-110697
0
0
0
1126219
1121458
1122388
1126219

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) For the year ended 31st December 2024

2 INCOMING RESOURCES

2 INCOMING RESOURCES
UnrestricteRestricted
Funds
Funds
£
£
2a Incoming resources from donors
Planned giving
Covenants
21629
0
Income tax recoverable on covenants
0
0
Collections (open plate) at all services
4276
0
Sundry Donations
7912
721
33817
721
2b Other voluntary incoming resources
Fete/Autumn Gift Fayre/Christmas Craft Fair
3783
0
Heritage Funding
3561
0
Donation to Community Hall
0
0
7344
0
2c Income from charitable and ancillary trading
Community Hall Letting
12016
0
Fees ;- Weddings / Funerals
6408
0
Church Bells Maintenance
0
330
Church Organ maintenance
440
0
18864
330
2d Other ordinary incoming resources
Tea & Coffee Money
570
0
570
0
2e Interest from Legacy
20759
0
TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES
81354
1051		 TOTAL FUNDS
2024
2023
£
21629
21966
0
5665
4276
4426
8633
8674
34538
40731
3783
4250
3561
11681
0
250
7344
16181
12016
10800
6408
5595
330
120
440
0
19194
16515
570
710
570
710
20759
13387
82405
87524

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS(continued) For the year ended 31st December 2024

3 RESOURCES USED UnrestricteRestricted UnrestricteRestricted TOTAL FUNDS
Funds Funds 2024 2023
£ £ £ £
3a Grants
Missionary and charitable giving: 0 721 721 476
0 721 721 476
3b Activities directly relating to the work of the church
Ministry: dioceasan quota 26000 0 26000 26500
Clergy expenses / Visiting clergy expenses 1698 0 1698 758
Church running costs / Domestice Services 7689 0 7689 8033
Telephone / Broad Band 1601 0 1601 1263
Church maintenance 5232 0 5232 1680
Church Materials 2016 0 2016 1802
Church Administration 3286 0 3286 7796
Community Hall Electric 2460 0 2460 2944
Community Hall running costs 13885 0 13885 14282
Upkeep of churchyard 1200 0 1200 1100
Organist fees / Maintenance 4088 0 4088 2700
Justice Security / Alarm call outs 2396 0 2396 2798
71551 0 71551 71656
3c Fund-raising and publicity
Costs of Fete / Fair 0 0 0 430
Bells 0 0 0 651
Organ 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 1080
3d Church Management and Administration
Heritage spending 3475 0 3475 9550
Legacy Spending 10489 0 10489 0
13964 0 13964 9550
3e Depreciation
Hall Fixture & Fittings 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0
TOTAL RESOURCES USED 85515 721 86236 82763

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued) For the year ended 31st December 2024

5 ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BY FUND

UnrestricteRestricted
Funds
Funds
£
£
Fixed assets
0
677995
Current assets
318582
125811
Current liabilities
0
0
318582
803806
General Fund
Legacy;- Decoration fund
New Facilty Fund (Capital Cost )
Bells ( Capital Cost )
Organ fund
Bells Fund
Organ ( Capital Cost )
Church ( Capital Cost )
Awards for All
Youth Worker
Total		 2024
2023
Total
Total
£
£
677995
644989
444393
481230
0
0
1122388
1126219
318582
433020
30000
30000
538098
538098
52291
52291
5307
4867
13673
13343
54600
54600
33006
0
4878
0
71953
0
1122388
1126219
6 DEBTORS
Income Tax recoverable
Prepayment and accrued interest
Other Debtors
7 LIABILITIES: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
a Accruals and deferred income
b Creditors for goods and services
c Other creditors		 15000
15000
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

M. LAWRENCE & CO. ICAEW CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS CHAR TERED ACCOUNTANTS 213 Station Road Stechford Birn]ingham B33 8BB Telephone . 0121784 5321 Fax . 0121785 0688 Email: admin@mlawrence.org.uk Website: www.mlawrence.org.uk Parochial Church Council of St Mary and St Margaret Castle Bromwich I have examined the Accounts, Statements and Invoices submitted to me, and have f.ound some minor differences, but they are so insignificant that they do not require any adjustments to the accounts of the Parochial Church Council of St Mary and St Margaret for the period 01101124 to 31/12124. Signed . H Lawrence A.C.A. Date . 1&12r A. Lawrence LLB Dip LP Solicitor H. Lawrence ACA Chartered Accountant S. Lawrence ACCA Certified Chartered Accountant