2025-12-31-accounts

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THE PARISH OF ST PETER & ST LEONARD, HORBURY, with ST JOHN, HORBURY BRIDGE Registered Charity No. 1147711

ANNUAL REPORTS AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2025

THE PARISH OF ST PETER & ST LEONARD, HORBURY, with ST JOHN, HORBURY BRIDGE Registered Charity No. 1147711

St Peter’s Vicarage Northgate Horbury Wakefield WF4 6AS 01924 576745 vicar@horburychurch.com horburychurch.com horburychurch horburychurch horburychurch

Thursday, 26[th] March 2026

2025 began rather strangely for me, as I undertook a three-month sabbatical from my duties as parish priest. Clergy become eligible to apply for sabbaticals every 10 years, and so having celebrated my 10[th] anniversary of ordination to the priesthood (and therefore 11[th] anniversary of ordination to the diaconate) with you all in June 2024, I felt the time was right to take a period of leave, which enabled me to study, and be refreshed physically, emotionally, and spiritually. At the beginning of this report, then, I want to re-iterate my thanks to all the members of our parish who took on additional responsibilities during this time, especially Fr Daniel, Katherine, Leonard, Mavis and Valerie, and our retired or occasional clergy friends who support you in this time. I hope the fact that I felt confident to leave the parish for this period also shows just how much I value and trust all those who minister here with me. In our Annual Report I always try to express my gratitude to you all – but I want you to know how especially grateful I am for all you did last year to keep everything going in my absence.

During this three-month period, the aim of the game was simply to ‘keep things going’, and that is what everyone did. The regular round of daily offices, masses, baptisms and funerals, children’s work, groups, social activities, concerts, and Lent devotions, all continued, ensuring that the worship of God was at the heart of all we do, that people were being built up in their faith, and that we were continuing to reach out to our local community, whom we are here to serve.

I returned from sabbatical at the beginning of April, as the parish looked forward to hosting the Bishop of Beverley’s 2025 Chrism Mass, and was preparing for the celebration of the Sacred Triduum and Easter. It was a joy once again to host the Chrism Mass on behalf of our bishop, especially so as this was the first Chrism Mass we hosted for our new bishop, Bishop Stephen. As you will be aware, Bishop Tony retired from being Bishop of Wakefield not long before, and so the parish, having previously passed a resolution under the House of Bishops’ Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests, reverted to the episcopal care of the Bishop of Beverley, who provides sacramental and pastoral care for parishes such as ours. Although we knew Bishop Stephen when he was Rector of Barnsley, we have enjoyed getting to know him since as our own bishop, and I know he feels very welcome when he comes to visit us.

The Sacred Triduum and Easter went well, both in terms of execution of the liturgies and the numbers attending. In fact, 2025 was another year of growth for us, which is always something to celebrate. It is easy to become number-obsessed, and we must resist this temptation, but we must also remember that every person who walks through our doors to engage with the Lord is a soul whom he loves and with whom he desires to be in a relationship. Hence we must be grateful that our Holy Week and Easter attendances were yet again positive, that our Christmas figures saw nearly 5% growth, and that there was about 4% growth in attendance at Sunday worship across the year. Split by churches, however, we saw that St Peter’s grew significantly (8%), whereas there was a similar decline at St John’s, predominantly due to the size and age of the congregation, which is something about which we need to remain aware. Attendance at midweek sung masses was fairly static, but our children’s Sunday attendance again grew – this year by 41% - meaning that there has been a growth of 332% since 2019.

Our growth in attendance, especially amongst children, demonstrates that the PCC’s strategy for growth, with particular focus on children and families, is continuing to have an impact, and, as always, I want to thank Katherine and Leonard for the leadership in this area of our parish life, as well as the very large number of volunteers who help run our various groups and activities for these age groups. Your work is not only shaping the church of the present, making us younger, and more diverse, but is securing the church for the future as well, as we inculcate faith amongst our young people.

You will have come to appreciate that the way the PCC and I manage the parish is through a number of Committees and Focus Groups taking responsibility for different matters in our parish life. Practically-speaking, this spreads the workload, but it also says something about how our parish understands that calling God makes to each of us in our baptisms – that everyone is called to be an active part of the Body of Christ, and share their gifts for the good of all, and the building up of his Body on earth. And when I returned from sabbatical in April, our Committees and Focus Groups also recommenced their different work. Below you can read their reports – a report from Katherine about the work of our Children and Youth Focus Group, a report from Leonard about the work of our Organ Restoration Focus Group and general musical progress in the parish, a report from Fr Daniel about the work of the Evangelism Focus Group, a report from Mavis about the Fundraising Committee (rebranded in 2025 as ‘Fundraising’ rather than ‘Social and Fundraising’ to remind us that it’s not just about having a good time, but raising much needed funds to keep things running!) and a report from myself about the work our Grant Applications Focus Group. Added to this we have a Finances and Premises Committee, whose efforts are summarized in the statutory reports and accounts provided by the Churchwardens and PCC Treasurer. Each of these groups, and those who work hard on them, show how things do not remain static in our parish, but that we keep reviewing, keep improving, and keep adapting, in order to fulfil our mission, make progress where we need to, and make our vision a reality.

My sabbatical enabled me to preach at a number of places across the country: at All Saints, Margaret Street, for the national celebration of the Decollation of Charles, King and Martyr; at St Helen’s Hemsworth, where I was able to cover for Fr Robert Hart one Sunday; at St Stephen’s House, Oxford, where the Principal and community welcomed me as I wrote up my research; and at Pusey House, also in Oxford. Later on, I also returned to Hemsworth for their patronal festival. By contrast, during the year we benefitted from others coming to preach for us, and I am very grateful to Fr George Nairn-Briggs, Fr David Nicholson, Fr Mark Naylor (sometime Reader and now curate of Ravensthorpe), Fr Ben Eadon (Priest Administrator at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham), Fr Carl Shaefer (Master of SSC and Vicar of Goldthorpe), and Fr Graeme Rowlands (Shrine Priest at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham), sharing in this teaching ministry in the parish during the year.

Our teaching during 2025 also had a particular focus, with it being the 1700[th] anniversary of the Council of Nicaea – the council of the church which gave us the Nicene Creed, which we use during mass. Our Advent course in 2024 prepared the way for a longer Lent course, focused on the Creed, which Fr Daniel mainly delivered (due to my sabbatical), but which I was involved in the production of through The Society. Our course in the summer, ‘Do this in Memory of Me’, took participants through the mass, whilst our Advent course in December looked at ‘The Holy Family’. From the summer course, we also decided to move the in-person session at St Peter’s to online, to enable more people to participate. This was done on a trial basis, but had the desired effect, and means that our courses can now be accessed by more people.

Celebrations during the year were many and varied, but of particular highlight was our Church Music Festival, held to coincide with our Patronal Festival Weekend. This was the second iteration of this festival in its modern guise – the original having been founded by Canon Sharp in the nineteenth century – and is not only a good thing to do missionally, drawing people from within and beyond our parish to worship, but enables us to celebrate all that music means to us as a church, and all that has been achieved in restoring music to its honoured place within our parish life. For this we have to thank Leonard, who continues to bring to us his high-quality musical expertise, together with a gentle, but firm and ambitious, drive.

Much of the work of the PCC and its officers and appointees, however, often goes unnoticed, and this year, I want to pay tribute especially to our PCC Treasurer who has fought two tiring battles on our behalf – the first to get us up to date with Gift Aid claims, and the second against our photocopier provider, who has re-paid to us a significant amount of money that we expended due to a lack of clear advice in recent years. These have helped us catch up in terms of our income, and together with careful accounting, have given us more stability in our finances, so that we can pay more of our parish share. I am grateful to Carolyn for this hard, and often unrewarding, work, as well as her tenacity at seeing things through!

A final point to highlight in this report is how much the church here contributes to the wider Church of England. This again is something probably not much appreciated, as we are often occupied with the humdrum of daily life on the ground. However, Leonard and Katherine have worked hard to support others beyond our parish: Leonard is now Diocesan Organ Adviser, and well plugged in to relevant networks; Katherine has supported other Society parishes in the area, and is involved in a network of children’s and youth workers from Society parishes, offering mutual support to one another. I have continued to run the local Society chapter (the Chapter of the Resurrection), and the Society Vocations Group, of which three attendees come from our parish. I have also helped run and taught on the training for Society curates held in Walsingham in November, with the now-Principal of St Stephen’s House, and I look forward to going back down to the House at the end of April to teach on the Leavers’ Course there this year.

Within the Diocese I have continued to assist at the Cathedral as Priest Vicar, and this year was able to offer our best wishes to the Very Rev’d Simon Cowling on his retirement as Dean (and therefore Patron of our parish). It was a delight to us that Canon Philip Hobday succeeded him in both roles, and we look forward to welcoming our new patron to St Peter’s on Ascension Day as our guest preacher. I continue also to serve as an Assistant Diocesan Director of Ordinands, showing that Horbury is committed to the flourishing of all within the Church of England.

In terms of trusteeships, in December I stepped down as trustee of the Number One Trust, but I continue to maintain my trusteeship of the Cleaver Trust, which supports Catholic ordinands within the Church of England, and of the Community of St Peter, Horbury, where, with the reduction in number of sisters, and because of their general health, I have been taking on much more responsibility, which has taken up a significant amount of time. I have also recently agreed to sit on the finance committee of the Fellowship of St John, who support our Children and Families Project in the parish. This shows, in fact, why these things are important – because they are about mutual fellowship, support and upbuilding – and the more we do outside the parish, the more we benefit as a parish, and vice versa .

For all of the above – for all that has been achieved in and for our parish, and for all that I have been blessed with personally in 2025 – I am profoundly grateful. My thoughts echo those of Canon Sharp, who wrote in his poem ‘Horbury’, penned just after the 22[nd] anniversary of his installation here:

‘It is there, where we labour side by side, With the Master, through whom we live, That we find a happiness deeper far Than the earth at its brightest can give.’

CONTENTS
Introductory Letter	1
Contents	5
Aims and Purposes	6
Objectives and Activities	6
Administrative Information	7
Structure, Governance and Management	7
Statutory Reports	10
Non-Statutory Reports	13
Independent Examiner’s Report	22
Financial Statements	23

The Parish of St Peter and St Leonard, Horbury, with St John, Horbury Bridge is a vibrant and living Christian community, on the edge of the city of Wakefield and part of the Anglican Diocese of Leeds. We are one church operating across two sites, and though parish life is both busy and varied, the worship of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, lies at its core. Since the days of Canon John Sharp (Vicar, 1834-99), Horbury has had a long and impressive history within the Catholic tradition of the Church of England, and displays all its hallmarks. The parish is led by Fr Christopher Johnson, who was appointed as Vicar in May 2017. Fr Christopher is supported by a Curate, Fr Daniel Heaton, two Churchwardens, Mrs Mavis Walsh and Mrs Valerie Crowther, and a Reader, Mrs Katherine Brackley.

AIMS AND PURPOSES

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of the Parish of St Peter and St Leonard, Horbury, with St John, Horbury Bridge, has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent, Fr Christopher Johnson, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of the two churches of St Peter and St Leonard, Horbury, and St John, Horbury Bridge.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship in our churches and to become part of our community. Our vision is:

to see those in our pastoral cure come to worship God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, through regular attendance at mass and other public worship, and through daily personal prayer;
to nurture a strong, welcoming and inclusive Christian community, whose values are underpinned by the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ;
for all members of our church to grow in their Christian discipleship through regular Bible Study, with preaching and teaching;
to reach out to the local community, by recognizing and pledging our individual skills and talents for the benefit of all; and
to act as sensitive stewards of the resources we have, so that God’s work can continue to develop and meet the changing needs of our parishioners.

When planning our programme of activities for the year, the Vicar and PCC have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance to charities for the advancement of religion by:

offering people the opportunity to gather together for and participate in public worship, prayer and teaching at our range of Sunday and midweek services and events;
providing pastoral care through baptism, wedding and funeral ministry as well as the visitation of the sick;
providing a ‘gathering place’ for those in particular need or with particular circumstances, through our coffee mornings and social activities, children’s groups and groups for adults, and by giving practical help to people in need;
offering teaching to children and young people and providing opportunity for them to explore matters of faith;
supporting our two church schools and local convent through regular pastoral contact;
delivering catechetical programmes; and
promoting and supporting mission partnerships with other churches, as well as other local organisations.

To facilitate this work it is important that we maintain the fabric of our two churches. Our achievements for 2025 are detailed above in the opening letter from the Vicar, and below, in this collection of reports.

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

The Parochial Church Council is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2025), and a registered charity, number 1147711.

Our correspondence address is: St Peter’s Vicarage Northgate Horbury Wakefield West Yorkshire WF4 6AS Bank: Barclays Bank Trinity Walk Shopping Centre Teall Way Wakefield West Yorkshire WF1 1QS Independent Examiner: Mr Richard Squires 17, Chesterton Court Horbury Wakefield WF4 5QU Insurance Provider: Ecclesiastical Insurance Group Beaufort House Brunswick Road Gloucester GL1 1JZ Architect: Mr Andrew Shepherd Dip. Arch., Dip. Cons., RIBA, FRSA, IHBC 15, Napier Street Sheffield South Yorkshire S11 8HA

STRUCTURE GOVERNANCE , AND MANAGEMENT

The structure, governance and management of the parish is determined by the rules of the Church of England, in particular the Church Representation Rules 2025. This sets out the membership of the ex- PCC, which consists of the incumbent (Vicar), other clergy licensed to the parish, and readers (all officio ), together with the two churchwardens (elected at the Annual Meeting of Parishioners) and members of the laity elected to serve on the Deanery Synod or Parochial Church Council (both of which are elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting).

Governance of the parish is provided by the Vicar, Churchwardens and PCC, whilst day-to-day management is the responsibility of the Vicar, Churchwardens and Officers of the Parochial Church Council. Whether ex-officio or elected, together, all PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish, including deciding on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. New members receive initial training into the workings of the PCC.

The following people served as members of the PCC for all or part of the year 1[st] January 2025 to 31[st] December 2025:

December 2025:
Vicar and Chairman	*Fr Christopher Johnson SSC MA MSt MLitt
Curate	*Fr Daniel Heaton BA
Licensed Readers	Katherine Brackley
Churchwardens	*Mavis Walsh
	*Valerie Crowther
Deanery Synod Representatives	Carol Holdsworth
	AnneMarie Patterson
	Janet Ramdsale
	Gillian Stead
PCC Members	Richard Bunn (from APCM)
	Beverley Gordon
	Sheila Hudson (from APCM)
	Trevor Jones
	*Carolyn Oakes
	Joyce O’Neill (to APCM)
	*Carol Tattersfield
	Michael Turner (to APCM)
	Michael Wood

*Indicates member of Standing Committee

The following appointments were also made by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting or Parochial Church Council during the course of the year 1[st] January 2025 to 31[st] December 2025:

Vice Chairmen	Mavis Walsh
	Valerie Crowther
Sidesmen	M Bamforth; P Beckett; S Dyson; D Haigh; D
	Maycock; J O’Neill; AM Patterson; K Ramsden (to
	25thMay); M Smith; J Yarrow; G Allott (from 25th
	May); M Allott; J Brooke; V Crowther; S Drake; C
	Fitzpatrick; M Goalby (to 25thMay); C Oakes; R
	Sutcliffe; and L Wigelsworth.
Secretary	Carol Tattersfield
Treasurer	Carolyn Oakes
Parish Giving Officer	Carolyn Oakes
Health and Safety Officer	Trevor Jones
Parish Safeguarding Officer	Carol Tattersfield
Safer Recruitment Officer	Lynda Wigelsworth
Electoral Roll Officer	David Holdsworth
Deputy Churchwardens	Beverley Gordon
	Janet Ramsdale

Organist and Director of Music Leonard Sanderman HCT Representatives Vacant Foundation Governors (St Peter’s) Fr Christopher Johnson ( ex-officio ) Janette Skinner Helen Sage Foundation Governors Fr Christopher Johnson ( ex-officio ) (Horbury Bridge Academy) Barbara Panton (to September) Mary Catherine Fitzpatrick (from September)

The existence of the Standing Committee is required under the Church Representation Rules. It meets prior to PCC meetings to set the agenda for the meeting and transact delegated business. The PCC has also continued to delegate its work to the following groups:

Finances and Premises Committee;
Fundraising Committee;
Children and Youth Focus Group;
Evangelism Focus Group;
Organ Restoration Focus Group; and
Grant Applications Focus Group.

The PCC understands that money given for the work of the parish should be spent on the upkeep of the parish, and only kept in reserves for specific reasons. These include planning for significant known financial obligations, having some capital available for unexpected financial obligations, as well as maintaining a commitment to those who are employed by the PCC. In accordance with these aims, it is the policy of the PCC to hold in reserves the equivalent of two months general running costs and an additional one month’s salary cost. In order to keep our two church buildings in good working order, it is also our policy to hold an amount for unexpected building works in the Fabric Fund, which can be comprised of restricted or designated monies. The PCC aims to use any unspecified bequests in developing the fabric of our two church buildings or furthering the mission of the parish to ensure long-term sustainability and promote church growth.

The above information, and Statutory Reports and Financial Statements below, were approved by the PCC on 18[th] March 2026 and signed on its behalf by:

_____ Fr Christopher Johnson SSC, Chairman

STATUTORY REPORTS

Report on the Changes to the Electoral Roll

This is the first report after the revision of the Roll in 2025. Numbers have remained steady for the two churches. The total on the new roll is 80 people. This includes 62 individuals who regularly worship at St Peter’s, and 18 who regularly worship at St John’s. 32 people live outside the parish boundary, and the rest within. 3 individuals from our church community sadly died since the last APCM (only 1 of whom were on the roll): Jenny Scott, Mervyn Ellis, and Barbara Wilby. 4 new individuals have come onto the roll, Jack Foulds (on his 16[th] birthday), Annemarie Nicholson, Cian Gibson and Nadia Myshchyshyn. The numbers of children attending worship continues to grow, but obviously they are not eligible for inclusion on the roll until their 16[th] birthdays!

David Holdsworth, Electoral Roll Officer

Report on the Proceedings of the Parochial Church Council

The PCC has met six times since the APCM 2025. The meetings are well attended, with an agenda that includes regular reports from the various focus groups. Many of the long-term projects are now starting to become a reality. The Grant Applications Focus Group works hard to find suitable funding for the different projects. The parish is continuing to show growth, especially around children and young people.

Carol Tattersfield, Secretary

Financial Statements of the Parochial Church Council

This report is on the 2025 fiscal year for the Parish of St Peter’s and St Leonard’s Horbury with St John’s Horbury Bridge. It is based on the audit figures as presented to the PCC. Income overall, including restricted and non-PCC Accounts for the parish was £206,767.97 and the expenditure was £160,900.57. Which means our deficit of £11,783.83 in the previous year has been cleared. We have reserves held in the Yorkshire Building Society account which enables us to plan for future projects. Our funds are split into Unrestricted and Restricted and are kept in separate bank accounts, so they are used for the intended purposes.

After a two-year battle of numerous phone calls, e-mails and an official complaint, Arena Group have finally reimbursed us with an overpayment we had made of £3,182.71. This was in relation to having two contracts – one with Siemens and the other with Xerox – for the same photocopier. We are grateful they came to this decision, and I passed on the grateful thanks of the Parochial Church Council.

We have sent our usual monthly contributions for the year to the Diocese, totalling £18,000, and topped this up with a further £5,000, which makes a total of £23,000 for our Parish Share in 2025, representing 44% of the request. This is an increase of 2% on the previous year, or £3,000 in real terms. Increasing our contribution to the Parish Share is the PCC’s continual aim, and because of the increased security of our finances, going forward the PCC has agreed to pay an extra £1,000 per quarter on top of the monthly contributions, and will continue to assess if any further contributions can be made through the year. For 2026, our Share request has increased to £57,426, and the PCC has budgeting for a contribution of £26,000 – 45% or an extra £3,000 in real terms.

To allow us to continue with our Children and Families Work and our Choral Project for our children we received the grants listed below, which cover wages, expenses, pension, and tax payments as the members of staff are employed on a full-time basis:

Fellowship of St John £15,000 The Henry Smith Charitable Trust £11,520 St Leonards Hospital Trust £2,000 Ouseley Church Music Trust £3,000 Williams Church Trust £3,000

We remain extremely grateful to the above charities and trusts for their generous grants, which allow us to continue this work.

The Additional Curates Society gave us grants totalling £1,500 towards the work and expenditure of the Curate. We have also received the grants from Horbury Common Lands Trust of £8,000, and the St John’s Guild for the Blind of £13,413.40, to enable our replacement sound system at St Peter’s to go ahead. This is vast improvement on the sound system we had, and enables more people with hearing difficulties to visit the church, so we are grateful for the grants we received.

With regards to the ongoing Lighting Project, we have so far received the following grants into the account:

£10,000 from the Trustees of Ascot Priory

£19,990 from the National Lottery Awards for All

£2,000 from the John Booth Charitable Foundation

£2,500 from Earl Fitzwilliam Charitable Trust

£1,000 from the Community of St Peter

We are grateful for the above support with this project; more information on totals received and pledge is given below in the report from the Grants Application Focus Group.

The utility costs are continually monitored to ensure we keeps costs as low as possible.

Our card income streams and online donations from the church’s website continue to bring a welcome source of revenue, as does the Parish Giving Scheme. Thank you to everybody who has signed up to us the scheme.

In 2025, we did the following events which raised money for either general or specific church funds – the Autumn Fair, the Street Fayre, Flower Arranging Demonstration, Shrove Tuesday Quiz, and monthly Coffee Mornings. We would like to thank everybody who continue to raise funds and contribute to the church, it is much appreciated. This enables us not only to keep both churches looking their best but also allows us to continue providing a place for worship, meetings and get togethers.

I took over doing Gift Aid in late 2024 knowing the claims for all of 2023 and 2024 were outstanding. As of the end of 2025 all the relevant details have been inputted onto the My Giving system. All of 2023 and 2024 have now been assessed and approved by the HMRC, and the funds were credited into the account throughout 2025. Thank you to everybody who has agreed to Gift Aid on their contributions to the church, it continues to help us do the work that we do.

Carolyn Oakes, Treasurer

The Independent Examiner’s Report and Accounts can be found at the end of this booklet.

Report on the Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Churches of the Parish

St Peter’s

In April there was an infestation of bees in St Peter’s. After taking professional advice the nest was eradicated.

The wooden fencing between the churchyard and the vicarage was stained with preservative – as advised in the quinquennial inspection.

A new sound system was installed in June which works extremely well.

The old polycarbonate window protection covers had become unsightly and, after consultation with Ecclesiastical Insurance, and faculty being received, these and the retaining bars have been removed.

The same faculty allowed for the cleaning and restoration of the mediaeval grave stones on the north of the churchyard, which was carried out.

The gutters have been cleared.

The central heating boilers have been serviced and new parts fitted.

Services have been carried out on the fire extinguishers and the clock.

The following works have also been carried out by volunteers:

Joinery and woodwork repairs;
Clearing ivy in the churchyard;
The regular cleaning of the interior of the churches;
The regular cleaning and keeping in good repair of the brass and silver ornaments and communion vessels; and
The laundering of altar linen.

Grateful thanks are given to the individuals and teams who carry out the vital work of making sure both our churches look inviting and function effectively.

St John’s

The following works have been carried out on the church:

Pointing work on the church and path has been completed as required by the quinquennial report;
The heaters have been serviced;
A flue guard has been replaced;
The re-flueing of the heaters is ongoing;
The damaged wall has been re-plastered; and
PAT testing has been done.

A tree which was causing damage has been removed, following the obtaining of necessary permissions.

General cleaning and minor repairs have been carried out by volunteers for which we are very grateful.

Valerie Crowther and Mavis Walsh, Churchwardens

Report on the Proceedings of the Deanery Synod

The representatives to the Deanery Synod for the PCC are Carol Holdsworth, Janet Ramsdale, Annemarie Patterson, and Gillian Stead.

There have been three meetings since the last report was written, held in June, November and March. In June a joint Episcopal Area synod was held and the speakers were Erik Peeters, Lay Training Officer, and Jude Smith, Director of Mission and Revitalisation. The November meeting was with the Bishop of Wakefield, who he talked about his vision for the future through his ministry in the Leeds Diocese. Finally, in March, our final meeting was on the progress of the Church of England’s Net Zero target for our churches and ways to improve our carbon footprint.

Carol Holdsworth, Janet Ramsdale, Annemarie Patterson, and Gillian Stead, Deanery Synod Representatives

NON-STATUTORY REPORTS

Bell Tower

There are seven Horbury ringers and all are members of the Yorkshire Association of Change Ringers.

The bells are rung before the 10.30am Sunday Mass. Tuesday evening practice nights are well attended and ringers from Holy Trinity, Ossett and St Michael and All Angels, Thornhill regularly join us.

The ringers are pleased that they have added two more methods to their change ringing - Grandsire and Stedman. Both these are extremely old ringing methods.

Visiting teams who have rung our bells this year are the Archdeaconry of Halifax Ringers, the Leeds Ringers, the Central Branch and the Universities Association Ringers.

A good number of visitors came to view the clock and ringing rooms which were opened during Heritage Day.

Mavis Walsh, Tower Captain

Children and Youth

We have had another busy and fruitful year with our children’s work as this work continues to grow.

We have had on average 16 children attending Sunday Mass across both churches. Children’s activities are provided at St John’s, with a Bible reading, craft and prayer. At St Peter’s, Kids’ Church has continued to grow and we have seen an average of 12 children attend Kids’ Church each week. The sessions continue to follow the lectionary, mirroring what is happening in the main service. We have recently started to introduce an activity sheet for the children to complete as they arrive in church, which helps them to prepare themselves for worship. The volunteer team has continued to grow, and we now have 5 regular volunteers at Kids’ Church who have begun to take a leadership role following recent training.

Kids’ Church also now happens each time there is a special midweek mass as well as through school holidays, which encourages our children and families to attend these additional services. The children at St Peter’s continue to sit at the front of church during mass and this has continued to encourage engagement in mass. The children’s mass books continue to be used and liturgy bags and

books are provided for smaller children during the service if required, to support children’s engagement with the mass.

Rock Solid, our weekly teenage youth group, has seen significant growth this year, with an average of 10 young people attending each week. Whilst some of these young people have made the transition from Peterites, some of these young people have come from outside of the church and are a result of purposeful invitation by our young people. The group has been on several trips, including bowling, shuffleboard and footgolf as well as taking part in an advent and youth retreat alongside other parishes of our tradition.

We have continued to see growth in our weekly baby and toddler groups this year, with an average of 12 families per week at both groups. We have also built a positive relationship with Little Small Steps Nursery, who bring up 6 children each week. The children continue to have a time free play, with a Bible-based craft, a Bible story and singing. We have also had 3 baptisms this year from people within our toddler groups. We once again ran our Teddy Bears Picnic, which was once again very successful and a really good way of keeping in touch with our toddler families throughout the summer.

Last year Peterites saw an average 15 children each week but unfortunately this has dropped to an average of 10 children per week. Some of the reason for this may have been a lack of weekly presence in school due to my maternity leave. We are trying to really push this group and increase attendance once again. We continue to do social activities with the Peterites, which included an end of year summer party, a Christmas film night, a trip to the mining museum and mini golf. We also celebrated 50 years of Peterites in September with mass and refreshments.

This year, we are taking 6 children on Children’s Pilgrimage. 2 of these children have never been on pilgrimage before, so this will be a great opportunity for them. Last year we took 17 young people on Youth Pilgrimage in conjunction with St Helen’s Hemsworth and St Mary’s South Elmsall. We are hoping to increase this number again this year.

Due to the low numbers of children attending messy church, we made the decision to finish this in the summer. We also made the decision to stop baptism brunches, due to chaotic attendance at these, and myself and Fr Christopher have since met baptism families either at home or in church to prepare them for the sacrament.

Family events have continued to be run throughout the year. These have included a children’s Good Friday liturgy, and a family fun day, which despite the poor weather had good attendance. Holiday club is once again planned for February half term with wrap around provision once again been provided.

Termly mass continues to happen at Horbury Bridge Academy, and Katherine goes into school to help prepare the children before each mass, by writing prayers, and rehearsing altar serving and reading. This year Leonard has selected the music and we have gone in to school to look at the readings with the children and consider how they relate to the music. Leonard has also begin playing at these masses and the children’s choir have sung at these. The masses have also been attended by a number of parents.

At Horbury Bridge, Fr Christopher, Fr Daniel and Katherine continue to lead collective worship in both the main school and in EYFS on a rota basis. Stations of the Cross for each class will also take place this year.

At St Peter’s School, Fr Daniel, Fr Christopher and Katherine continue to deliver weekly collective worship in the main school and in EYFS. In addition, Katherine and Fr Christopher have also been doing work alongside Helen Sage (one of our Foundation Governors) to deliver some collective worship training and to consider how we can support both staff and pupil-led worship. Katherine also spends time doing detached work in the playgrounds, with children and staff, which has been particularly important this year as the school has continued to recover from a difficult period.

We also support our schools through governance, and are very grateful to Helen Sage and Janette Skinner for their work at St Peter’s, and to Catherine Fitzpatrick who succeed Barbara Panton in September in representing the Foundation at Horbury Bridge Academy. Thank you to Barbara for all she brought to the role over the past few years.

Zoomers, our online study group, has continued this year meeting fortnightly. We also moved the inperson sessions of our summer, Advent and Lent courses to the Zoomers slot online, which has meant that these courses have been made more accessible to a wider group of people, and numbers have subsequently increased.

We have had the opportunity to meet as a group of children’s leaders this year. This was an opportunity to remind ourselves of the vision for the project, consider how our groups are meeting this vision and also consider what is next for us. We also had some teaching on how we support children and young people with additional needs.

Finally, I would like to express my thanks. From July to November, I was on maternity leave and despite this, all our children’s activities continued to run, and in many cases grow. I am extremely grateful to all of our volunteers who give up their time to support our project and I am especially grateful for all their hard work during my maternity leave. Without our volunteers our children’s work would not be possible.

Katherine Brackley, Children and Families Worker

Curate’s Report

As I said in my previous report, the Church is the ‘congregation of faithful men, in the which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly ministered according to Christ's ordinance’ (Article 19), and that continues to be the brunt of my work as curate: keep gathering people to the Lord Jesus, keep preaching his Word, and keep celebrating his Sacraments. One of the differences this year was that because Katherine was on maternity leave last summer, I led the Wakefield Area’s cohort of children to the Youth Pilgrimage for a time of faith, fun and fellowship down at Walsingham. A good time was had by all. This cohort continues to go from strength to strength, and recently I led for them their Lent retreat, looking at the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16) and how this is fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus (Hebrews 9-10): they were having such a great time studying God’s Word that we ran out of time to play games!

Whilst not particularly public, two big features of my final year in curacy have been Horbury Churches Together and applying for jobs. Since last Easter, I’ve been the acting Chairman of Churches Together as we go through a significant period of change in which Churches Together will be restructured and the Youth Project run independently, in order that both aspects of its work can best flourish. I’ve had four interviews and have currently two more lined up, but the Bishop’s licence for me to be your curate expires on the 1[st] July, so please do keep my next steps in your prayers and do pray for wherever I will go to serve next.

Finally, I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has helped me throughout these four years of my curacy in whatever way, but particularly to those who have been praying for me. Your support has meant a great deal and I have learnt lots.

Fr Daniel Heaton, Curate

Evangelism Focus Group

The Evangelism Focus Group has organised a number of things over the last year. We’ve continued the three leaflet drops (All Souls, Christmas, Easter) to advertise our services – a big thank you to all our angels who help deliver them! We also had a stall at the Street Fayre again handing out free gospels and tracts. We hope to build on this. We also ran Christianity Explored: we had hoped that it would provide an opportunity for people to explore faith, and whilst it wasn’t well attended from that perspective, it was well received by our existing congregation as a helpful reminder of the key things of our faith and increased their confidence to share it with others.

We also took part in Thy Kingdom Come last year. This is a global, ecumenical prayer initiative that was started by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York ten years ago about specifically praying between Ascension and Pentecost that the Holy Spirit might work in the lives of five people you know that they might come to follow Jesus. We took part in this through a votive mass on the Saturday after the Ascension of ‘Our Lady in the Upper Room’, asking for her intercession for this work, and also celebrated the Vigil of Pentecost, celebrating the work of the Spirit in Salvation History and praying particularly for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the lives of our five people. We hope to take part again this year.

Fr Daniel Heaton, Chairman

Grant Application Focus Group

The Grant Application Focus Group has been one of our most active groups in the calendar year, meeting 9 times in 2025 to discuss and make applications towards the new sound system and lighting and re-ordering projects. Grants from the Horbury Common Lands Trust and the St John’s Guild for the Blind covered the entire cost of the new sound system at St Peter’s which was installed around Easter time. Our focus then shifted to raising money for the new lighting. For this project to become a reality, we need to raise around £282,000, and at the time of writing, 51% of this has been raised or pledged from the following funders:

Number 1 Trust St John’s Guild for the Blind John Booth Charitable Foundation Horbury Common Lands Trust Diocese of Leeds Earl Fitzwilliam Charitable Trust Awards for All Benefact Trust Ascot Priory Congregational and General Wakefield MDC Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust

This was supplemented by our own fundraising campaign, launched following our public presentation on Heritage Day and coinciding with our Christmas leafleting campaign, which has so far draw in £3497.76, including claimable gift aid.

In a real blow to progress, at the beginning of 2026 the government closed the LPOWVAT Recovery Scheme, which would have contributed £25,000 to this project, leaving us 10% down on where we would otherwise have been. Nonetheless, having reached 51% from the above sources, we are now eligible to apply to Garfield Weston, Biffa and FCC Community Fund, who we hope will fund the remaining 49% of the project. Please pray for the success of these applications!

As we awaited the magic ‘50%’ number, the Focus Group did have some time to begin to look at potential funders for the wider re-ordering, a project whose cost are roughly the same as the lighting. We intend to begin tackling this new list of potential funders as soon as we have secured the lighting. We hope securing funds will enable work to begin on the lighting in 2026, and the re-ordering in 2027.

Raising funds for our Children and Families Project and our Choral Development Programme and Organ Restoration are not managed by this group, though Fr Christopher, Katherine and Leonard have been working hard to ensure that funds for this work continue to come in as well, supporting the mission of the church – more about these is given in the introductory letter above, and in the relevant reports.

The PCC remains very grateful for all the external bodies which fund our work, and to those who are working hard in the parish to raise monies to help continue our mission and develop our buildings to make them bright, accessible and welcoming to everyone.

Fr Christopher Johnson, Chairman

Horbury Churches Together

Horbury Churches Together (HCT) brings together all the churches in the Horbury and Sitlington area. This year we have not had a representative on the HCT Business Committee, but Fr Christopher and Fr Daniel are trustees of the charity and attend trustees meetings, which are held several times throughout the year. Cllr Darren Byford stepped back as Chairman during the course of the year, but Fr Daniel was voted in again as Vice Chairman and so guided the trustees through our business, and especially as we began to consult and seek to change the constitution, to separate the work of the Breakthrough Youth Project from the wider work of HCT. This has not proved a quick process, but trustees believe it is in the best interests of the charity, will help us adapt to the present situation amongst the constituent churches, and give new life to both aspects of the charity’s work. As you will know, the Breakthrough Youth Project provides regular groups, activities and opportunities for young people, though other events include joint services and the Whit Family event, as well as the annual quiz, which we hosted at St John’s. Every year the PCC pays a small subscription to HCT for membership, but we have also supported the Youth Project financially, including by sponsoring Jackie Walter who runs the Great North run every year to raise funds for the work.

Fr Christopher Johnson, Trustee

Music and Organ Restoration

In the past years, we have been working on a project of rebuilding the choral tradition that was first established in Horbury by Canon Sharp in the early 1840s, and brought to Horbury Bridge by BaringGould in the late 1860s. We have seen the growth of the choristers in skill and number, the establishment of new choirs, the expansion of choral services, and the continued work towards the restoration of the Harrison and Harrison organ at St Peter’s. These are not separate projects. They are constituent parts of a single shared endeavour: the rebuilding of a musical and liturgical tradition for the life of the parish and for future generations.

As we rebuild the choral tradition in our churches, my mind drifts to the biblical story of the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. Dr Pusey, preaching on this passage, reminds his congregation that God’s work is not usually accomplished through sudden miraculous intervention, but through still, small beginnings, patient labour, and faith passed down from one generation to the next. Like those who rebuilt the Temple, we will probably not see the full and final results of our work, but only a small part of the fruits of our work. That’s not a bad thing – it encourages hope and vision, to do these things ‘not for yourselves alone, but for your children, and your children’s children for ever.’

This year has been about labouring on that long-term vision. In many ways, it has been a year in which that rebuilding has become more visible: not a year of dramatic change, but a year of steady growth, deepening roots, and the continued, steady strengthening of what we had already begun.

Nowhere is this more visible than in our chorister programme. Over the past year, the number of choristers has grown significantly, and we now have 25 children regularly taking part in the musical and liturgical life of the parish. What began as a young, hopeful, and at times fragile initiative has become a firmly established and flourishing part of our common life. The choristers are not simply learning to sing – they are learning to worship. This participation in the heavenly liturgy is even more visible now that our choristers are clothed in new robes and white surplices, as the choir of heaven in the Revelation of St John the Divine. Many thanks to our donors who enabled this, and to the skilled work of the people of J&M Sewing in Newcastle, who made the vestments.

A particularly exciting development this year has been the launch of our teenage choir in September. Meeting on Fridays, this group is already gathering momentum, with six young people currently attending. It represents an important next step in establishing long-term pathways for our choristers, ensuring that their musical and spiritual formation can continue into adolescence and beyond.

This growth has gone hand-in-hand with a significant expansion in our choral provision. In May, the choristers began singing Evensong on Sundays, and in September, the teenage choir added a further service on Fridays. Our parish now celebrates five choral services each week. This means that the parish now sustains the most active parish music programme in the Diocese – busier even than some of our cathedrals. This is no small achievement, and it speaks to the remarkable commitment of all involved.

Such work depends not only on choristers, clergy, and musicians, but on a growing network of volunteers and supporters. I especially want to thank our choir parents and volunteers, and my heartfelt thanks go to our regular volunteers, Maxine, Barbara, Yeshurun, Bea, and Imogen, as well as our occasional volunteers Trevor, Carol, and Janet, for their generous support of our choristers. Many thanks also to our staff team – Katherine, Fr Daniel, and Fr Christopher – for their dedication, encouragement, and care. Together, they make it possible to create an environment in which children can flourish musically, personally, and spiritually.

Our musical life continues to play an important role in the mission and evangelistic work of the parish. We were delighted that Lucas was baptised and confirmed by the Bishop in December, laying claim to the faith which he had sung at Wednesday Evensong for over a year. We are encouraged that other choristers have expressed a desire to explore baptism and confirmation this year.

We have also seen an encouraging growth in attendance. What began as a small number of children at Sunday Evensong has developed into a consistent presence, increasing our average Sunday attendance of children by around 50%. Even when considering only services of Evensong, our children’s attendance places the parish among the top 5% of churches in the wider context of the

Church of England. This growth has not been sudden or dramatic, but it has been steady and sustained, and based in the gradual development of our chorister programme: it is a renewal that was planned, carefully prepared, and is now beginning to be realised.

At major services and events, the impact of our expanded musical life has been especially evident. The Horbury Festival of Church Music, the Civic Service for All Souls, the Advent Procession, the Festival of Lessons and Carols, and the Chrism Mass have all seen strong and growing attendance. It was particularly moving to have fourteen choristers present at the Chrism Mass – a powerful sign of what our young singers can offer to the life of the wider Church community.

Our adult choir remains the bedrock of our liturgical life on Sundays and Solemnities. Their consistency, musical growth, and quiet faithfulness week by week sustain the parish’s worship. Whether leading the liturgy on an ordinary Sunday or rising to the demands of our great festivals, they continue to offer their gifts with generosity and dedication. We are deeply grateful for all that they do, and are always delighted to welcome new members to their ranks.

Alongside our liturgical life, the Organ Restoration Concert Series continues to flourish. With eleven concerts each year and an average attendance of 28, these events have become an established and valued part of our parish calendar. They not only raise funds but also broaden our musical horizons, and invite the wider community to share in our musical life.

The re-founded Horbury Church Music Festival continues to go from strength to strength. Last year’s festival was a great success, not least through the keynote contribution of the Rev’d Dr Hanna Rijken. Planning is already well underway for the next festival, which will feature Fr Adrian Daffern, Senior Cathedrals and Major Churches Officer for the Church of England, as speaker. This developing event continues to establish Horbury as a place of musical, liturgical, and theological engagement.

The plans for the organ restoration project remain stable, though rising costs present some challenges, driven by inflation and the end of the VAT reclaim scheme for Listed Places of Worship. However, we are delighted that the first of our major grant applications has been successful. We can look at the future with joy, hope, and confidence.

At the same time, it is important to speak honestly about the pressures we face. The finances of the choral programme remain stretched, often operating on a very limited budget, and the demands on staff time are considerable. As Fr Daniel prepares to conclude his curacy, the need to expand our volunteer base and build more sustainable structures becomes increasingly important. Without this, there is a real risk that the current pace of growth may prove difficult to sustain. These challenges are real, but they are not insurmountable.

And yet, there is every reason for hope. What we are witnessing in the parish is not simply the growth of a music programme, but the rebuilding of a culture of worship, music, beauty, discipline, and prayer that shapes the lives of our children and young people in profound ways. It is something that has the potential to shape this parish and community. It can shape the lives of ‘your children, and your children’s children for ever’, of which we are beginning to see the very first fruits. This may seem like a lofty ambition for a parish church in a time when our national narrative on faith is about decline and loss, but it is possible, if the work is offered to God in faith, hope, and love.

Pusey writes that it is often a lack of these qualities – especially hope – that prevents us from attempting those ambitious things which could alter the narrative of decline: we do not begin because we cannot see how the work could ever be finished, or we fear that what we do will be too small to

matter. But the rebuilding of the Temple reminds us of our calling – we are simply asked to ‘trust and obey’: to begin faithfully, to labour patiently, and to prayerfully commit the result to God. Again and again, God accomplishes his will through our weakness, as he sanctifies the imperfect work we offer to him in faith.

Much has been achieved this year. Thank you – and thanks be to God! But there is much still to do: the chorister programme must continue to grow, new volunteers must be found and trained, finances must become more secure, and the organ restoration must move forward. But if this work is offered to the glory of God and the sanctification of his people, then we may trust that he will continue to sustain it.

To all then, who labour – however imperfectly – God commands his servant Haggai to speak in blessing: ‘Be strong, and work: for I am with you.’

Prof Leonard Sanderman, Director of Music

Over 50s

Our group continues to meet every fortnight. We had an enjoyable trip to Whitby in the summer and our usual Christmas dinner, followed by entertainment from the school children in December.

Valerie Crowther

Safeguarding of Children and Vulnerable Adults

The PCC has continued to comply with its duty of care of parishioners and to have regard to House of Bishops guidance in relation to safeguarding. The parish takes safeguarding seriously and is constantly ensuring that all protocols are in line with diocesan guidelines. DBS checking is monitored and where necessary the individual is approached regarding renewal of DBS checking. New DBS checks are made when applicable. Safeguarding remains a regular item on the PCC agenda to ensure that all updates and changes that may affect the work being done within the parish are current. All notices and documents related to safeguarding are up to date, and where appropriate, displayed on the churches’ notice boards. All policies continue to have a renewal date and are reviewed regularly to keep them compliant. Safeguarding is monitored for those members of the parish who require it. PCC members have all completed their renewal of compulsory training regarding safeguarding, and the Churchwardens and Parish Safeguarding Officer are up to date with their face-to-face training for safeguarding. The PSO and Fr Christopher now meet on a regular basis to monitor all safeguarding issues and training. Safeguarding incidents are now reported directly online via the parish reporting form and forwarded to the diocesan safeguarding team. The PSO now has a dedicated email address for all safeguarding matters.

Lynda Wigelsworth, Safer Recruitment Officer, and Carol Tattersfield, Parish Safeguarding Officer

Serving Team

The server numbers continue to grow, allowing us to spread duties more evenly across our 6 serving teams. The children are the main reason for this, and Issy, Evie, Francis, Olivia and Thea have progressed to the role of acolyte. Evie and Issy are also having a go with the thurible. Our other servers are also taking up new roles, with Richard and Josh taking up the thurible. We now have 6 fully trained MCs with Richard, Josh and Lucas taking up the challenge of making sure the books are on the right pages. The Sever’s Guild of St Tarcisius meets once a month and has been invaluable in preparing our servers. It provides training for new roles and reminds us how to keep doing our existing roles correctly. As we approach Easter, we again have the honour of hosting the Chrism Mass on 22[nd] March. The Paschal Triduum of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil gives our servers another chance to be involved in these different and wonderful services. Thank you to all the

parents for your help and support with the young ones. There is always room for more servers, so if this is something that interests you, please have a chat with me or Fr Christopher.

Paul Taylor, Head Server

Fundraising Committee, including Community Coffee Mornings

The Fundraising Committee meets to organize events that will raise much needed funds for our churches. Equally importantly it works to provide ways of bringing our congregations, and the wider community, together in a relaxed and enjoyable way.

In 2025 the two big fundraising events of the year took place: the Horbury Street Fayre in June, and the Autumn Fair in October.

The Shrove Tuesday Pancake Party and Quiz, the Assumption Barbecue and the Flower Arranging evening were, as always, successful and enjoyable event. Equally enjoyable was the St John's Day patronal festival of Soup and Christmas treats.

The Lent Lunches of 2025 raised money for the Additional Curates Society and the Harvest Lunch raised money for Wakefield Hospice.

The Fundraising Committee also organises the drinks and nibbles after special services during the year which include St Peter's patronal festival and the Chrism Mass.

Following the APCM of 2025 Valerie Crowther stepped down from the position of Chairman. She has worked extremely hard for many years for the fundraising committee and we owe her our grateful thanks.

Thanks are also due to the members of our congregation who willingly help: moving tables and chairs, providing delicious food and working hard with the inevitable clearing away after events have taken place. This includes the teams of volunteers who run the monthly Saturday Community Coffee mornings at St Peter's.

Mavis Walsh, Chairman

Independent Examiner’s Report on the Accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

	ndent Examiner’s Report	ndent Examiner’s Report	ndent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ members of On accounts for the year ended Set out on pages	The Parochial Church Council of St Peter and St Leonard, Horbury, with St John, Horbury Bridge

	31stDecember 2025	Charity no (if any)	1147711

	23-27

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/12/2025.

Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of basis of report the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have statement come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed: Name: Address:		06/03/2026

	Richard Squires
	17, Chesterton Court
	Horbury
	Wakefield WF4 5QU

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Receipts and Payments Account

	Note	Unrestricted funds	Designated funds	Restricted funds	Endowment funds	Total funds	Prior year total funds
Receipts
Donations and legacies	3a	53,111.02	-	25,728.58	-	78,839.60	50,011.46
Income from charitable activities	3b	10,405.75	-	1,272.15	-	11,677.90	14,067.98
Other trading activities	3c	8,724.64	-	-	-	8,724.64	10,334.94
Investments	3d	16.78	-	-	-	16.78	17.16
Other income	3e	6,160.94	10,582.48	90,765.63	-	107,509.05	78,757.12
Total Receipts		78,419.13	10,582.48	117,766.36	-	206,767.97	153,188.66
Payments
Raising funds	3f	2,706.00	-	-	-	2,706.00	3,303.83
Expenditure on charitable activities	3g	80,561.27	-	54,117.75	-	134,679.02	141,007.15
Other expenditure	3h	741.51	-	22,774.04	-	23,515.55	20,661.51
Total Payments		84,008.78	-	76,891.79	-	160,900.57	164,972.49

Excess of receipts over payments before transfer		(5,589.65)	10,582.48	40,874.57	-	45,867.40	(11,783.83)
Transfers:
Gross transfers between funds - in		9,779.88	-	68,586.94	-	78,366.82	13,330.51
Gross transfers between funds - out		(6,679.65)	-	(71,687.17)	-	(78,366.82)	(13,330.51)
Excess of receipts over payments before other gains		(2,489.42)	10,582.48	37,774.34	-	45,867.40	(11,783.83)
Net movement in funds		(2,489.42)	10,582.48	37,774.34	6.23	45,873.63	(11,802.61)
Reconciliation of funds
Excess of receipts over payments beginning of the year	at	24,970.02	-	51,742.42	405.54	77,117.98	88,920.59
Excess of receipts over payments theyear	for	22,480.60	10,582.48	89,516.76	411.77	122,991.61	77,117.98

Balance Sheet (detailed )

Balance Sheet (detailed)
Class and code Description	As at 31/12/2025 As at 31/12/2024
Fixed assets 0300 Herbert and Ann Shaw Trust Fund Total Fixed assets Current assets 0400 Barclays Current Account 0401 Restricted Account 0402 Building Society Account Total Current assets Net Asset surplus (deficit) Reserves Excess/(deficit) to date Z01 Starting balances Z02 Gains/(losses) on investment assets Total Reserves Represented by Funds General (Unrestricted)	411.77 405.54
	411.77 405.54 7,235.23 5,443.89 91,435.79 48,234.29 23,908.82 23,034.26
	122,579.84 76,712.44
	122,991.61 77,117.98
	45,867.40 (11,783.83) 77,117.98 88,920.59 6.23 (18.78)
	122,991.61 77,117.98 22,480.60 24,970.02

Designated Restricted Endowment Total	10,582.48 - 89,516.76 51,742.42 411.77 405.54
	122,991.61 77,117.98

Statement of Assets and Liabilities (by code)

Class and nominal code	General	Designated	Restricted	Endowment	Total	Lastyear
Fixed Asset - Investments
0300: Herbert and Ann Shaw Trust Fund	-	-	-	411.77	411.77	405.54
Total	-	-	-	411.77	411.77	405.54
Current Asset - Cash At Bank And In Hand
0400: Barclays Current Account	2,111.17	-	5,124.06	-	7,235.23	5,443.89
0401: Restricted Account	(3,539.39)	10,582.48	84,392.70	-	91,435.79	48,234.29
0402: Building Society Account	23,908.82	-	-	-	23,908.82	23,034.26
Total 22,480.60		10,582.48	89,516.76	-	122,579.84	76,712.44
Net total assets 22,480.60		10,582.48	89,516.76	411.77	122,991.61	77,117.98

Approved by the PCC on 18[th] March 2026 and signed on its behalf by:

Fr Christopher Johnson SSC, Chairman

Notes

1 The financial statements of the PCC have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 using the Receipts and Payments basis.
2 The endowment fund, known as the Herbert and Ann Shaw Trust Fund, has to be retained, but the income is for general parish expenses. It is invested in Black Rock.
3 Analysis of Receipts and Payments Accounts

INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM: Donations and legacies 0100 - Standing Order Planned Giving - gift aid 0101 - Standing Order Planned Giving - non gift aid 0102 - Envelope Planned Giving - gift aid 0103 - Envelope Planned Giving - non gift aid 0104 - Parish Giving Scheme 0105 - Cash Collections 0106 - Gift Aid 0108 - General Donation 0109 - Online Giving via Sum Up 0110 - Contactless Machine via EMS 0116 - Organ Project - All Donations - gift aid 0117 - Organ Project - Gift Aid 0118 - Organ Project - All Donation - non gift aid 0119 - Fabric - All Donations - gift aid 0120 - Fabric - Gift Aid 0121 - Legacies 0160 - Grants - Sound System Donations and legacies Totals	Total
	Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment Thisyear Lastyear
	5,908.00 - - - 5,908.00 6,473.00 885.00 - - - 885.00 940.00 1,986.60 - - - 1,986.60 2,627.80 1,496.50 - - - 1,496.50 659.00 28,671.78 - - - 28,671.78 24,943.40 2,611.37 - - - 2,611.37 3,839.80 8,653.81 - - - 8,653.81 523.12 2,128.02 - - - 2,128.02 3,028.96 363.22 - - - 363.22 205.65 406.72 - - - 406.72 854.28 - - 202.16 - 202.16 1,625.42 - - - - - 405.00 - - 835.00 - 835.00 250.15 - - 3,268.02 - 3,268.02 3,635.88 - - 10.00 - 10.00 - - - - - - - - - 21,413.40 - 21,413.40 -
	53,111.02 - 25,728.58 - 78,839.60 50,011.46

b Income from charitable activities 0122 - Magazine 0123 - Fundraising Activities 0125 - Fees - Weddings - Statutory PCC Fee 0126 - Fees - Weddings - Non-PCC Fee Items 0127 - Fees - Funerals - Statutory PCC Fee 0128 - Fees - Funerals - Non-PCC Fee Items 0130 - Candle Sales Income from charitable activities Totals c Other trading activities 0124 - Rental Income Other trading activities Totals d Investments 0132 - Dividends Investments Totals e Other income 0107 - VAT Recovery 0111 - Grants - General 0112 - Grants - Children and Families Project 0113 - Grants - Lighting Project 0114 - Grants - Heating Project 0115 - Grants - Curate 0129 - Collections for Other Charities 0131 - Pilgrimage Income 0133 - Transfer from Closed Accounts 0134 - Flower Money 0135 - Peterites Group - funds and activities 0136 - Special Collection - Bishop Tony 0137 - Reordering/lights 0138 - Visit to Ripon 0139 - Lectionaries 0140 - Visit to York 0141 - Chrism Mass 0142 - Sabine Baring Gould Whit Weekend 0143 – Men’s Group 0144 - Electric - return of overpayment 0145 - Transfer from Yorkshire Building Society 0146 - Children and Families Project activities 0147 - Interest received from Barclays 0148 - Interest received gross from Yorkshire Building Society 0149 - Wedding Fee 0150 - Musical Outreach 0151 - Fabric Five 0152 - Miscellaneous Income 0153 - Clip and Climb - Children 0154 - Gas - returned payment 0155 - Choral Project 0156 - Listed Places of Worship 0157 - Children - Lazerzone 0158 - Evangelism 0159 - Confirmation Gifts 0161 - Bequest 0162 - Harvest Lunch 2025 - Hospice 0163 - Refund - HMRC 0164 - Grant - Stonework Other income Totals Income and endowments Grand totals EXPENDITURE ON: f Raising funds 0226 - Social Events	750.20 - - - 750.20 747.97 6,488.30 - - - 6,488.30 5,089.31 280.00 - - - 280.00 1,188.00 - - - - - 911.00 877.95 - - - 877.95 2,101.40 - - 1,272.15 - 1,272.15 2,069.75 2,009.30 - - - 2,009.30 1,960.55
	10,405.75 - 1,272.15 - 11,677.90 14,067.98 8,724.64 - - - 8,724.64 10,334.94
	8,724.64 - - - 8,724.64 10,334.94 16.78 - - - 16.78 17.16
	16.78 - - - 16.78 17.16 1,282.00 - - - 1,282.00 1,214.00 - - - - - 6,000.00 - - 28,520.00 - 28,520.00 33,459.20 - - 35,490.00 - 35,490.00 - - - - - - - - - 2,250.00 - 2,250.00 1,500.00 - - 647.45 - 647.45 750.05 - - 10,195.50 - 10,195.50 10,897.82 - - - - - - - - 1,032.20 - 1,032.20 1,288.66 101.90 - - - 101.90 261.85 - - - - - 245.00 - - 681.17 - 681.17 658.27 - - - - - 527.00 - - 579.93 - 579.93 1,693.71 - - - - - 607.43 - - 297.32 - 297.32 168.83 - - - - - 4,566.30 - - - - - 275.00 - - - - - 6,265.08 - - - - - - - - 567.50 - 567.50 96.50 719.77 - - - 719.77 637.67 874.56 - - - 874.56 1,075.08 - - - - - - - - 6,213.05 - 6,213.05 1,000.00 - - 1,220.00 - 1,220.00 618.75 3,182.71 - - - 3,182.71 200.00 - - 40.00 - 40.00 170.00 - - - - - 533.02 - - 450.00 - 450.00 3,000.00 - - - - - 971.40 - - - - - 76.50 - - 928.00 - 928.00 - - - 253.94 - 253.94 - - 10,582.48 - - 10,582.48 - - - 413.00 - 413.00 - - - 986.57 - 986.57 - - - - - - -
	6,160.94 10,582.48 90,765.63 - 107,509.05 78,757.12
	78,419.13 10,582.48 117,766.36 - 206,767.97 153,188.66
	2,349.02 - - - 2,349.02 3,083.67

	0237 - Lottery Licence	20.00	-	-	-	20.00	20.00
	0240 - Contactless Device	336.98	-	-	-	336.98	200.16
	Raising funds Totals	2,706.00	-	-	-	2,706.00	3,303.83
g	Expenditure on charitable activities
	0200 - Parish Share	23,000.00	-	-	-	23,000.00	20,000.00
	0201 - Clergy Expenses	2,000.86	-	-	-	2,000.86	2,882.73
	0202 - Children and Families Project - Salaries	-	-	28,948.42	-	28,948.42	30,125.96
	0203 - Children and Families Project - Expenses	-	-	372.08	-	372.08	513.12
	0204 - Organist - Salaries	7,879.80	-	-	-	7,879.80	9,036.75
	0205 - Visiting Clergy - Salaries	42.87	-	-	-	42.87	-
	0206 - Visiting Clergy - Expenses	298.22	-	-	-	298.22	608.71
	0209 - Flowers	-	-	1,205.00	-	1,205.00	1,303.71
	0212 - Utilities - Water	674.24	-	-	-	674.24	537.48
	0213 - Utilities - Gas	5,599.35	-	-	-	5,599.35	6,317.61
	0214 - Utilities - Electricity	2,152.31	-	-	-	2,152.31	10,748.43
	0215 - Insurance	11,185.73	-	-	-	11,185.73	10,657.32
	0216 - Maintenance - Gas	1,165.20	-	-	-	1,165.20	2,175.60
	0217 - Maintenance - Fire Extinguisher	333.51	-	-	-	333.51	345.06
	0218 - Maintenance - Electrician	709.44	-	-	-	709.44	268.80
	0219 - Maintenance - Builders	5,147.20	-	-	-	5,147.20	3,747.84
	0220 - Maintenance - Painters	280.00	-	-	-	280.00	3,888.00
	0221 - Maintenance - Organ	816.00	-	-	-	816.00	834.00
	0222 - Maintenance - Lightening Conductor	-	-	-	-	-	680.40
	0223 - Maintenance - Security	670.80	-	-	-	670.80	334.80
	0224 - Lighting Project	-	-	-	-	-	9,252.00
	0225 - Maintenance - Other Minor	3,136.66	-	-	-	3,136.66	5,273.64
	0227 - Children and Families Project expenses re activities	-	-	1,116.41	-	1,116.41	741.58
	0228 - Evangelism Expenditure	1,148.96	-	-	-	1,148.96	928.00
	0229 - Admin - Photocopier	4,141.75	-	-	-	4,141.75	4,231.85
	0230 - Admin - Copyright Licences	650.55	-	-	-	650.55	635.09
	0231 - Music	-	-	-	-	-	1,638.11
	0232 - Liturgical Expenses	5,747.82	-	-	-	5,747.82	6,650.03
	0233 - Advertising	-	-	-	-	-	146.92
	0234 - Other Stationery	-	-	-	-	-	48.34
	0235 - Subscriptions - Forward in Faith	60.00	-	-	-	60.00	60.00
	0236 - Subscriptions - Horbury Churches Together	70.00	-	-	-	70.00	60.00
	0238 - Architect Fees	3,650.00	-	-	-	3,650.00	1,106.40
	0243 - Misc. Refunds	-	-	-	-	-	200.00
	0245 - Organ Project	-	-	265.33	-	265.33	450.58
	0247 - Sabine Baring-Gould Anniversary Weekend	-	-	-	-	-	4,322.29
	0256 - Father Daniel Heaton expenses	-	-	798.11	-	798.11	256.00
	0268 - Sound System	-	-	21,412.40	-	21,412.40	-
	Expenditure on charitable activities Totals	80,561.27	-	54,117.75	-	134,679.02	141,007.15
h	Other expenditure
	0207 - Choir Fee	-	-	-	-	-	120.00
	0208 - Bellringers Fee	-	-	-	-	-	480.00
	0210 - Vergers Fee/Organist Fee	-	-	254.00	-	254.00	270.00
	0211 - DBF Wedding Fee	-	-	-	-	-	482.00
	0239 - Pilgrimage	-	-	9,469.19	-	9,469.19	10,460.00
	0241 - Special Collection - Additional Curates Society	-	-	647.45	-	647.45	605.34
	0244 - Special Collection - Mary's Meals	-	-	-	-	-	543.98
	0246 - Non-PCC Expenditure	-	-	-	-	-	-
	0248 - Special Collection - Dementia Uk	-	-	-	-	-	41.75
	0249 - Admin- Data Development Fee	120.00	-	-	-	120.00	120.00
	0250 - Administration - Website renewal	-	-	-	-	-	144.00
	0252 - Lectionaries	-	-	692.89	-	692.89	1,881.03
	0253 - Trip to Ripon	-	-	-	-	-	495.00
	0254 - Non PCC - Chrism Mass	-	-	-	-	-	45.22
	0255 - Barclays Bank	-	-	-	-	-	2.00
	0257 - Bishop Tony - Leaving Gift	-	-	-	-	-	300.00
	0258 - Subscription - Society of St Gregory	38.00	-	-	-	38.00	38.00
	0259 - Ordination Gift	-	-	-	-	-	261.64
	0260 - York Trip	-	-	-	-	-	550.00
	0261 - Administration - Leeds DBF Fees	324.00	-	-	-	324.00	259.20

0262 - Churchwarden expenses	33.90	-	-	-	33.90	57.80
0263 - Clip and Climb - Children	-	-	185.00	-	185.00	100.00
0264 - Laserrzone	-	-	-	-	-	148.50
0265 - Director of Musical Outreach - wages pension, tax and expenses	-	-	10,402.68	-	10,402.68	3,256.05
0266 - Safeguarding	16.00	-	-	-	16.00	-
0267 - Church Website Renewal	37.61	-	-	-	37.61	-
0269 - Grants - General Admin	72.00	-	-	-	72.00	-
0270 - Choir Robes	-	-	304.79	-	304.79	-
0271 - Fabric	-	-	405.04	-	405.04	-
0274 - Subscriptions - Yorkshire Historic Churches
Trust	-	-	-	-	-	-
0275 - Stonework	-	-	-	-	-	-
272 - Harvest Lunch 2025 - Hospice	-	-	413.00	-	413.00	-
273 - Unpaid Cheque	100.00	-	-	-	100.00	-
Other expenditure Totals	741.51	-	22,774.04	-	23,515.55	20,661.51
Expenditure Grand totals	84,008.78	-	76,891.79	-	160,900.57	164,972.49

4 Having begun to use MyFundAccounting accounting software in the 2024 financial year, in 2025, the PCC Treasurer was able to standardize the coding so that, for the first time, figures for last year and the present year are comparable.

CONTENTS