2024-12-31-accounts

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St Michael’s Church Elmwood Road

Your local church

Annual Report 20 24

Who we are

We are a Church family with a big heart for our local community.

We want to be a Church where everyone feels welcome and loved, where people find both joy and consolation.

We want to be a place where people learn and flourish and find out what it means to live a wholehearted life by following the ways of Jesus. And how we can all bring love, peace and healing to the world around us.

VICAR’S REPORT

A highlight of the year was the arrival of our new Church chairs that were installed in April. This now gives us not only more comfort but more flexibility in how we lay out the chairs for different services and events. Two particular benefits have been that this has enabled us to welcome back West London Choir who now rehearse again at the Church and to offer a weekly stretch class in the cleared space.

There was, however, one great sadness – when we learnt of the death of our dear friend and Christian brother, Russell Hargreaves, which came as a shock to many. A very large number of people gathered together in our Church on 9 January for the funeral. We gave thanks for Russell’s life and we offered our condolences to his wife Rachel and the family in their grief. We also reminded ourselves of the hope we have in Christ that God is with us in our sadness and that love ultimately triumphs over death.

Once again, there are many people to thank for helping with all we have been doing at St Michael’s over the last year, especially our wonderful Churchwardens, Sue White and James Hawkes; our Associate Priest, Rev Gary Piper; our Licensed Lay Ministers, Sarah Tonks and Simon Wethered; our PCC Secretary, Sue Hardwick; and our excellent Treasurer, Jordan Hiebert. Staff members have also worked hard. We are grateful to Sue Riley, our Administrator; to Jan Cunningham, our Music Director; and to Hansol Kim, our Worship and Youth Leader.

It was lovely to have another Street Party in Elmwood Road in September and I would like to thank everyone who supported this event, which is an important part of our work in the community.

We continue to pray for renewal of the Church and for the many needs of our world around us. Once again it has been a huge personal privilege to serve as Vicar at St Michael’s.

Thank you all for being such a great support.

Yours in Christ Martine Oborne, Vicar

SECRETARY’S REPORT

RETARY’S REPORT	RETARY’S REPORT	RETARY’S REPORT
Membershipof the PCC
Name	Designation	Term Expires
Martine Oborne	Vicar	Ex-officio
Sarah Tonks	LayMinister	Ex-officio
Simon Wethered	LayMinister	Ex-officio
Susan White	Churchwarden & LayVice Chair	Ex-officio
James Hawkes	Churchwarden	Ex-Officio
Anne Glyn	DeanerySynod Rep	Ex-officio
Sue Thackray	DeanerySynod Rep	Ex-officio
Rhian Williams	DeanerySynod Rep	Ex-officio
Sue Hardwick	PCC Secretary	April 2026
Sonia Cromey	Children’s Champion from 2021	April 2026
Chris Fegan	Member	April 2027
Alexis Meissner	Member	April 2027
Ali Arefi	Member	April 2027
Jordan Hiebert	Treasurer*	April 2025
Eric Lofty	Member*	April 2025
Ron Gould	Member*	April 2026
Alejando Gomez	Member	April 2026
*members comingupfor re-election or standingdown

The PCC works with the vicar to discuss ideas/plans and jointly to make decisions. The PCC is responsible for the repair of the church building, the furniture, the equipment and anything that can be moved, as well as other property such as the Centre. It is also responsible for the financial affairs of the parish, and, with the vicar, the PCC has responsibility for the type of services that are held. St Michael’s PCC has 9 elected members, with three members elected each year. Other than the officers, where continuity needs to be maintained, members are encouraged to have a break after they have served a term or two on the PCC. The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, in relation to having due regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. The Standing Committee (SC) is required by Canon Law; it is made up of members of the PCC (Vicar, Churchwardens, Treasurer and Secretary). Its role is to set PCC agendas, as well as deal with urgent matters which it then brings to the PCC for approval.

The PCC meet in the church in the warmer months and on-line during the winter months, when the church can be cold in the evening. This arrangement seems to suit most members. The meetings are held on different nights of the week to fit in with people’s busy schedules. The PCC meetings begin with 15 minutes Bible study and prayer and we aim to balance discussions between mission and business. In 2024 the PCC met 6 times as did the SC.

Areas of discussion and action included work on the centre floor, the new arrangements for the nursery, Eco-church, the Common Fund and safeguarding. The new chairs arrived in spring 2024 and the solar panels have already made a difference to our energy bills. The boiler has had its ups and downs and thanks must go to James Hawkes for making it behave itself and for organising servicing etc! Thanks to all involved in the work involved in making things happen.

There has also been ongoing discussion about Giving and how to improve the giving in the parish.

Do please think and pray about serving as a member of the PCC. The vicar will be happy to give you more information on what it entails. Elected members are expected to prioritise attending PCC meetings – the dates for the year are circulated well in advance. We are looking forward to welcoming a new treasurer in April. Jordan Hiebert has done an excellent job but is ready to step down. The vicar has also been asking for a volunteer to be church warden so that James Hawkes can step down. James has also done an excellent job this year but finds it difficult to commit to the time needed.

If you have thoughts, ideas, concerns, please do share these with the vicar, the churchwardens or a member of the PCC. If you would like to put forward items for PCC discussion, you should submit them to the vicar for consideration by the SC.

Sue Hardwick, Secretary

ELECTORAL ROLL REPORT

The number of those on the Electoral Roll in April 2024 amounted to 174, 10 higher than the number a year earlier and very near to the recent high of 176 recorded in 2018. Of these around 100 were resident in the Parish.

As you know, this year we carried out a full review of the Electoral Roll. The revision of the Roll had not been completed when this report went to press. However, I will announce details of the new Roll at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting.

Ian Peacock, Electoral Roll Officer

WORSHIP REPORT

Sunday services at 9.30am and 11am have been well attended and we’ve been delighted to welcome many new people. Both the Choir, led by Jan, and the Band, led by Hansol, are thriving.

We had a sermon series on ‘The ruthless elimination of hurry,’ where we explored spiritual disciplines that might help us slow down and spend more time with God. After Easter, we started a sermon series on women in the Bible and what these women have to teach us. Over the rest of the year, we looked at a total of 35 women out of the 93 who get a mention in the Bible (compared to about 2,000 men!)

We welcomed two visiting preachers: Revd Angela Sheard from St Martin’s in the Fields; and Revd Folli Olokese who is Lead Director of Ordinands in the Kensington Area.

We had three Messy Church services – Messy Easter in March, Messy Harvest in September and Messy Christmas in December. Thank you so much to Sarah Tonks who took the lead in making these happen, and for all who helped.

We had Mothering Sunday services in March; Harvest services in September; a Service of Remembrance for loved ones who have died in October; and a Remembrance Sunday service in November.

At Easter we had a dawn service by the river as well as a Choir and Band led service on Easter Day.

At Christmas we had a full range of services and events, including a Christmas Fun Event. Thank you, Sue White, for making this happen and, of course, to Father Christmas, who took time out of his busy schedule to visit!

We continued throughout the year to record services and upload them to our YouTube channel so that people can participate in worship online. Thank you Hansol for doing this and thank you to everyone who has helped us on the sound desk and behind the scenes with the tech.

Finally, huge thanks again to Rev Gary Piper for many excellent sermons and fascinating anecdotes on the vicissitudes of being a life-long supporter of both Jesus, and Fulham FC!

Martine Oborne, Vicar

CHRISTIAN MEDITATION

Kathleen continues to lead our meditation sessions on Wednesday evenings in Church. This is a wonderful opportunity to have a complete slowdown and spend about 20 minutes in silence, coming intentionally into the presence of God and waiting to hear God’s voice. Thank you so much, Kathleen.

Martine Oborne, Vicar

CHOIR REPORT

Once again the trebles section, all of whom are young singers who have joined in the last two years, have made excellent progress. New recruits Scott, grandson of bass Nicholas Thompsell, and Charlie, son of tenor Nick Lane, joined the choir in the spring. Sue Hardwick has taken on their coaching and they have sung several treble anthems as well as making an increasing contribution to the soprano line as they learn the repertoire.

Chloe, a choir member since she was seven and a splendid head chorister for the last three years, went up to Durham University in September where she is still singing regularly. We greatly miss her as a soloist but she comes back to sing in the holidays and at occasional weekends. None of the trebles is yet old enough to be appointed head chorister this year, so Jostan has taken over as crucifer and is in training to become strong enough to carry the very heavy brass cross, while Maya and Kennesaw mentor the younger ones.

As well as the usual regular services and festivals the choir joined forces with St Nicholas’s and St Paul’s for some special occasions. We hosted visitors from St Paul’s for an Ascension Day service with their organist Tom Torley at the organ as Jan was away. In the summer we joined St Paul’s choir for a service of thanksgiving for former vicar Michael Riley who died earlier in the year. The shared Advent carol service this year was held at St Nicholas, by candlelight and with solo antiphons by each of the three choirs as well as other splendid advent music. In 2025 it will be our turn to host this event.

The young and enthusiastic head of music at Chiswick School, Zac Moxon, invited members of local choirs, former Chiswick parents and other local singers to join his senior choir Chiswick Voices to sing the Fauré Requiem with Hounslow Symphony Orchestra in March and a number of the adult choir members did this. Fired by its success Zac invited us back to sing Beethoven’s Ninth choral symphony in November, and he has more projects for 2025.

Despite the weather we sang carols round the streets just before Christmas to raise money for Save the Children. Mervyn very kindly hosted us for mince pies and mulled wine afterwards. This took place very close to Christmas due to the full calendar so fewer people than usual were available to sing and collect (very many thanks to Linda, Valdi, Ros and Sarah) and a number of residents had already gone away but we raised over £400 and will plan to set a slightly earlier date in 2025.

Our service of nine lessons and carols took place on 22 December with a record choir of 29 singers, regular and returning, despite the fact that five of the regular choir were away due to the way the date fell so close the Christmas. The music ranged from Bach to the twentieth century and included favourite traditional carols for the congregation to join in with.

As always, we are keen to recruit new members. Children (from seven up) don’t need musical experience as long as they can read words fluently and enjoy singing. The RSCM Voice for Life programme provides an excellent musical training and singing in an all-age choir gives children a lifelong love of singing and music. Adults of all voices are very welcome.

We currently rehearse at 9.30am for trebles and 10am for adults on Saturday mornings and at 9am before the 9.30am service on Sunday; if you would like to join us, please talk to Jan Cunningham, Director of Music, or any adult choir member, after the service.

Jan Cunningham, Director of Music

BAND REPORT

Our band, which leads worship at our 11am service on Sundays, continues to grow, and we enjoy rehearsing together on Wednesday evenings from 6pm to 7pm. We prepare with prayer and a heart of unity, aiming to create a harmonious sound as one team. As we learn and practise new songs, it’s been a joy for each member to worship and serve the church and community together as a band.

We are excited to welcome Dasha Antonova, who is now helping with sound mixing and lyric slides during worship and will also be joining us on violin. Our vision as a band is not limited to using only modern rock instruments—we want to explore and embrace a variety of instruments to enrich our worship. If anyone feels called to join, you are very welcome!

Hansol Kim, Worship Pastor

SIDESPEOPLE / WELCOMERS REPORT

Many thanks again this year for those who regularly give a friendly face and a warm welcome to people when they arrive to worship at the 9.30 service:

1st Sunday: Alison and Ros

2nd Sunday: Ian and Alexis

3rd Sunday: Ron and Dee 4th Sunday: Ginny and Pierre 5th Sunday: Caroline and John

Special thanks to Norma, who quietly steps in if regulars get called to another task.

When there are joint services, it is these 9.30 stalwarts who are called upon to welcome when the service is held at 10.30.

Our thanks also go all those who step in to welcome worshippers at our 11am services. Although we don’t have a regular rota, your welcoming ministry is valued just the same.

Linda Woods

HOUNSLOW DEANERY SYNOD REPORT

We had three Hounslow Deanery synod meetings in 2024.

The first, in February, was at Christ Church Turnham Green and was about volunteering and how we encourage people to volunteer. It was led by the Venerable Richard Frank, Archdeacon of Middlesex.

The second, in June, was at Holy Trinity Hounslow and was about how we collaborate with the Council and other local partners in our community work.

The third, in October, was at Hope Church Hounslow and explored how we support people in their discipleship.

Martine Oborne, Vicar

FABRIC REPORT

I am very pleased to report that the new chairs we purchased have been a great success, freeing up space for us to use the Church for community events and exercise classes.

The lectern has been cleaned and polished and the cross repaired, and it looks amazing! l want to thank Sally Floyer for organizing the cleaning and all those who contributed financially towards the refurbishment of the lectern.

The roof has a leak and we are trying to raise money to have it repaired.

The room in the centre has had a new lino flooring.

Our thanks go to: all the lovely ladies that help with the flowers to make our church look beautiful; John and Myra and all the team that keep the garden looking so beautiful; Alison who faithfully washes and irons the alter cloths; Peter Wickstead who does lots of minor repairs in the church and who also organized the fitting of the solar panels on the Centre roof, and last but not least thank you to everyone else who helps keep our church clean and tidy.

Sue White, Churchwarden

CHILDREN’S AND YOUTH MINISTRY REPORT

Children’s Church

Our mission statement is: a safe place for children to make friends and learn about Jesus.

Our Bible verse continues to be to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,” 2 Peter3v18.

At the 9.30am service we have one leader and are in the process of recruiting a team of helpers. At the 11am service we have a team of four leaders and four helpers. Where possible, we plan the

sessions following the sermon series using a variety of online resources including Energize. Do take a look at the children’s learning on the display board in the Children’s Aisle.

Throughout the year we have held a number of successful Messy Church events around key church festivals which have been well-attended by families from the congregation and local community. We participate in a variety of craft activities, hear Bible stories and share a meal together. There are a number of Messy Church events planned for this year too.

We would appreciate your prayers for our children as they continue to learn about Jesus and develop their faith.

The Children’s Ministry Team

Youth Club & After School Club

Every week, we gather at the Church Centre to support and encourage young people in their faith and daily lives. Our Tuesday Youth Club continues to be a place where young people grow spiritually, ask meaningful questions about Jesus, and build strong friendships. Seeing their increasing interest in faith, Gary and Hansol have been preparing deeper, more engaging talks to help guide their spiritual journey.

In addition to Bible discussions and faith-sharing, we enjoy various activities that strengthen our sense of community, such as creative projects, sports, and team-based games. These activities provide a fun and welcoming space where young people can relax, bond, and feel encouraged.

Alongside the Tuesday Youth Club, we also run an Afterschool Club on Mondays and Thursdays, offering local youth a safe and engaging environment after school. Each session welcomes around ten young people who come not only to enjoy games and activities but also to spend time completing their homework in a supportive space. This has become an important part of the club, allowing young people to focus on their studies while also socializing and receiving help when needed.

We are deeply grateful for our dedicated team of volunteers who help make both clubs a welcoming and enriching experience. Ali has been a great support in running the Afterschool Club, ensuring that young people feel engaged, included, and supported in their studies. Aidan Price continues to offer his time and energy, and our newest volunteer, Seula Lee, has already been a great addition. Although Chloe Harvey is now at university after completing her gap year, she remains involved by returning during holidays to connect with the young people. Additionally, Caroline Simonds has provided consistent commitment and valuable input, filling practical gaps and ensuring that everything runs smoothly. Her contributions have been a great support to both the leaders and the young people.

As we look ahead, we are excited to continue fostering faith, friendship, and a strong sense of community. We pray that these clubs will remain places where young people feel encouraged, supported, and empowered to grow in their faith and positively impact the world around them.

Hansol Kim, Youth Minister

PASTORAL CARE AND OCCASIONAL OFFICES REPORT

Thank you so much to everyone who has helped with visiting the sick and housebound throughout the year.

There were two weddings at St Michael’s in 2024. Matthew Leach and Kristina Bill were married in February. Then, in September, Alain Baptiste and Alexandra Coles were married.

There were three baptisms – Alex Hargreaves, Imogen White and Sophie Bouras.

There were three funerals: for Russell Fenton Hargreaves; Helen Mary Cox; and Stephen Thomas Watts. We also had a thanksgiving service for the life of Julian Mackenzie-Charrington.

Martine Oborne, Vicar

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

We continued to bake and deliver bread every week, taking round about eight loaves a week to parishioners as a little gift of love and having a chat on doorsteps to see how people are. Many thanks to Hansol who has done the baking.

We ran ‘Café Together’ lunches in October, providing a hot meal and company for those who came along.

One person who came to Café Together said. ‘I must say I have absolutely adored coming to the Cafe Together each Thursday. As a mum of little ones it is a welcome treat to spend time with other mums during an afternoon. Motherhood is a wonderful journey that can at times be lonely and not without its challenges. Spending time with other parents going through similar experiences allows for an opportunity to learn and share from each other. What I love the most about the Cafe Together is that it’s not just a toddler group and that is it open to everyone in the community. I have met some wonderful people during the afternoons whom I would not usually come into contact with. A wonderful lady who was a midwife years ago and another gentleman who is from Leicestershire like we are to name just two.’

Alphabeats, our Wednesday morning Drop in for parents, carers and Under 5s, continues to be popular.

And our Community Cafe on Thursday mornings has also become popular. Thank you so much to Elaine Hughes and Alison Newbold for all the delicious cakes you have baked for us.

We had a fabulous Pancake Party in February and a wonderful Street Party in September, with live music, a free BBQ and lots of fun and games for all the family including pony rides. We asked people to give us some feedback and tells us what they enjoyed and we had 55 replies. Here are some of them:

The music and the family feel.

A great day for kids and to chase away the blues.

The deep sense of community and chatting to new people. Deepening relationships with friends, a wonderful community atmosphere. So many people enjoying life, a lovely mix of people.

Sunshine, food and music – what’s not to enjoy? Always a spot on our calendar. The united community. And unique church spirit.

People being free to have a good day. The ponies. The food was lovely – I especially enjoyed the cakes. The entertainment was outstanding. Lovely family atmosphere, very jolly delicious cakes.

Free food and nice atmosphere. Free delicious burgers and cakes – brilliant! Popcorn, nail polish and tattoos. The bouncy castles. Never seen such a spectacular Street festival. The children loved every moment of this street party – it was amazing. The people, the kindness and the joy - thank you. Awesome family day!

At Christmas, we did some carol singing around the streets of Grove Park and we had a lovely community Christmas Fun Day in Church.

We also went on some great walks arranged by Alison and Steve Newbold. And we had some interesting talks – one by Peter Oborne on the situation in Palestine at the moment; one by Sue Hardwick on the charity work she supports in Cambodia; and one by Chris Fegan on animal welfare and animal rights.

Martine Oborne, Vicar

Alphabeats

We have a regular group of mums and carers who come on a Wednesday morning. The group is enjoyed by all who attend.

Some of the mums and carers have started to come to our community lunch and also attend Messy Church and the Crib service.

Sue White, Churchwarden

Musical Instrument lessons

Young people whose families may have difficulty affording music lessons have the opportunity to receive free music instruction from us. Hansol teaches drums, bass guitar, and acoustic guitar, providing students with valuable skills and a creative outlet. For those who do not have their own instruments, we have guitars available for use, ensuring that every young person has the chance to begin learning and developing their musical abilities.

Over the past year, some of these students have grown in confidence and skill, leading to their participation in a band. They have also been involved in services such as Messy Church and the Crib Service, where they played instruments alongside Hansol as he led worship in song. Their involvement has not only enhanced their musical abilities but has also deepened their connection to the church community and strengthened their faith through worship.

We hope that this ministry continues to have a lasting positive impact on their lives, encouraging them to grow both musically and spiritually while finding joy in using their talents to serve others.

Hansol Kim, Youth Minister

MORNING PRAYER AND BIBLE READING GROUPS REPORT

Midweek Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer and Bible Reading Groups have been well attended. At Bible Reading Group we read all the way from Luke to the end of the Bible!

Martine Oborne, Vicar

ECO CHURCH

We continued to support WildChiswick by hosting a number of events at St Michael’s to promote awareness of our local wildlife.

Martine Oborne, Vicar

CHURCH RETREAT

We had a wonderful Retreat in Bletchingley in October on ‘The Joy of Slow.’ Thanks to everyone who helped with this.

Martine Oborne, Vicar

FUNDRAISING REPORT

In 2024 we raised nearly £11,500 for external charities and local community initiatives. Most notably:

We completed fundraising efforts toward Lalibela Trust’s efforts to rebuild medical stations in Ethiopia and paid out £5,250 (£2,100 of which was raised in 2023).
A concert in memory of John Walton raised over £1,200 for Acton Kidney Cancer.
A fundraising auction raised over £4,300 for our annual community street party.
We kicked off fundraising to fund 150 school uniforms for children in Cambodia to the tune of £900.
Christmas carolling in the local neighbourhood raised approximately £400 for Save the Children.

A big thank you to all who made financial contributions and participated in fundraising efforts!

Jordan Hiebert, Treasurer

PLANNED GIVING REPORT

Thank you to all members of our planned scheme!

Regular donations allow the PCC to budget execute on the church’s financial plans with confidence. In 2024, the number of planned remained flat vs 2023: we had 78 individuals or families contributing to the scheme.

Average weekly giving was also flat, remaining close to 2023’s figure at £15.57 planned giver.

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If you are not yet a part of the planned giving scheme and would like to learn more, please pick up a leaflet at the back of the church or contact me directly. Even a small amount makes a big difference! Jordan Hiebert, Treasurer

ST MICHAEL’S CENTRE REPORT

Bookings for the Centre remain consistent with last year. Since the removal of the pews and the purchase of stacking chairs, we have been able to make more use of the main body of the church. The West London Chorus (formerly the Chiswick Choir) have returned to us and are now welcome regular weekly users of the church space. St Michael’s Players, Perform, Karate, and Fantom Films have continued to regularly use our Centre facilities, and they have, together with the continued presence of the Montessori School, Hounslow Council using us as a Polling Station and our local councillor using our Centre as her “surgery”, brought some well-needed funding. Our new regular bookings from last year are still wit us: Pilates, Stretching Club and Art & Craft Club. Both venues are now being utilised during most school holidays by the Montessori School and Minjee’s Art Club, but we do have a couple of regular slots still available for hire outside of these times – Wednesday and Friday afternoons, so if you know of anyone who might like to book the Church during these periods, please do let us know.

Occasional bookings see the usual events such as talks by WildChiswick, birthday parties and other family celebrations taking place, and we hope these continue to increase in number in the coming year.

We increased our booking fees again for 2025 and these remain competitive with other local venues.

We are still looking at ways in which we can make our Centre a real asset to our community and if you have any ideas about how this can be done, please speak with Martine, Sue White, Hansol Kim or Sue Riley.

Hansol Kim & Sue Riley

ST MICHAEL’S PLAYERS

2024 was St Michael’s Players 75th year.

While we had much to celebrate in 2024, we also mourned the loss of three members of the St Michael’s Players family: Bryony Wilman, Nan Owen, Christine Neyman and Annie Hayes Allan. They were loved by all and their absence is deeply felt. In honour of Bryony - and to mark our 75th Anniversary - we launched the Bryony Wilman Scholarship to support St Michael’s Players aims of interesting its members in the study of dramatic art and presentation by providing financial assistance towards to the cost of a course. Alastair Dewar has been the first to apply and be accepted for studying set design.

Bryony Wilman’s sad demise, catapulted our vice chair, Claire Richmond into the limelight. After a quick EGM the committee re-formed and we got back to our new tradition of performing four shows in the year. These were

The Government Inspector, directed by Guy Fairbank in April,
The Truth, directed by Allison de Frees in July,
Harvey, directed by Alastair Dewar in October, and
Cinderella, directed by Neil Dickins in December.

For both Alastair and Neil these shows marked directorial debuts on St Michael’s stage. All shows were very well received, and audience numbers exceeded our expectations for all shows.

What’s even more exciting is that our reputation for putting on fantastic productions continued to grow last year and so did our membership.

In 2024 we continued with the tradition of play readings, workshops – including some by actress Lin Sagovsky - the Annual dinner, the Spring Social and the Summer BBQ – and we’ll be doing it all again in 2025.

2024 also saw an increase in our online presence – with fantastic posts and reels on social media - and wonderful interviews on Riverside Radio. It all contributed to our ticket sales and the general buzz around the St Michael’s Players. And none of this would have happened without Tessa Dunn’s enthusiasm.

Claire brought a new focus to St Michael’s Players website and spiced it up with a bit of a facelift. If anyone wants to take a trip down memory lane and see what we looked like 10/15 years ago or get a sense of the kind of productions we’ve put on over the years, grab a cup of tea and click through the Archive.

For statistics fans, here are some numbers:

Total audience 1618 (total available 1640)
Society membership 85 (17 new members in 2024)

There is no doubt, St Michael’s Players is currently enjoying a purple patch and we are certainly blessed with an enthusiastic, dedicated and creative membership which allows us to not only produce amazing shows but also offer and support many additional activities, In addition, outside the “official” activities, we have a very active, sometimes too active, WhatsApp group where we can all join in the cornucopia of theatrical and other interests our members have.

On a personal note, I would like to thank Sue Riley and Hansol Kim for their extraordinary helpfulness in managing hall access and working with us to keep the accounts in order.

So here’s to the next 75 years, and on that note, it would be remiss of me not to mention that 2025 kicks off in style with “The Railway Children” by Enid Nesbit (9-12 April) and tickets are on sale as I write.

Claire Richmond (chair 2024) and Chris Hulatt (current chair) St Michael’s Players

THE DIOCESE OF LONDON

The Diocese of London is the largest and most diverse in the Church of England. We have over 500 churches and 750 licensed clergy. We are able to have a church in almost every community, supporting the vision for every Londoner to encounter the love of God in Christ. In 2024, 50 new deacons were ordained and early draft statistics indicate that Average Weekly Attendance in London grew by 7.5% to over 60,000.

During 2024, we have continued working towards our priorities of becoming a younger, safer and more racially just Church. For example:

19 London Youth Apprentices engaged 715 young people weekly and funding was granted to enable the launch of five youth ministers in Hackney and Islington.

In a challenging year for safeguarding, referrals to the Diocesan Safeguarding Team increased substantially, indicating more trust and confidence in the safeguarding service. 789 people were given safeguarding leadership training, and 3,808 DBS checks were carried out.
Churches across the Diocese engaged with Race Equality Week, Racial Justice Sunday, and Black History Month last year, reflecting on racial justice and committing to action.

The breadth of parishes and Bishop’s Mission Orders in London nurtured confident disciples, compassionate communities and creative growth in an amazing variety of ways. They also contributed over £23m in Common Fund, an increase of almost £1m. Alongside £13.2m income raised by the London Diocesan Fund (LDF) and £3.6m from LDF reserves, this paid to provide ministry and support parishes across the Diocese.

St Michael’s is a broad friendly church with a lively vicar and a modern outlook, driven by traditional Christian values.

We seek to be a spiritual haven from the everyday pressures of life in a beautiful church building.

The Revd Martine Oborne vicar@stmichaels-elmwoodroad.org St Michael’s Church, Elmwood Road, Chiswick W4 3DY Tel: 020 8994 3173 www.stmichaels-elmwoodroad.org Charity No. CC:1149114

Annual Finance Report PCC of St Michael's Chrswid( Year ending 31 Dec8mber 2024

Tab18 of Conterrts Independent Examiner's RerM)rt...................................................................................................................... Financial Activities........................................................................................................................................... Financial Activtties by Class.............................................................................. Statement of Cash Flow$................................................................................................................................ Balance Sheet.................................................................................................................................................

Independent Examinerfs Report I rertt0 PCC ofst MIthas Clmwth ClkwKk (the PCC) M my exarninan ofthe accounts of St Mkhaeys PCC fortheyearended D&%mber 31X 2024. As members ofthe Pccyou are respo forthe preparat ofthe KcoEmts in accordance with the requirements of the Clbaritits kt 2011 (Ihe Acfl I report In respertof myeyamrnation of PCCS accounts canied out undersectlon 145 Df the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examinatlon I have folk•wed all the applicabk DI¢tK>Ds Wven by the Charfty Commission urthrse¢tion 145{5)(bl of the ACL I have rnmwed my I confirni that rtt) materfal mattetsfrove come to my attention in onnection vrith the eminatIon gfvmry me ouse to belkne that in any maial rwL L a¢£wnti records were not kept li resrrt of the PCC as requtruj by section 130 the ACL. or 2. the accounts dG liot}rd those fecord% or 3. the aca)unts do not compty wlth the wfKable requirem fomi and CQRtent of accounts Set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) ReEulatirJns 2Q08otherthan any reWrirthat the xcounts8i¥e a Irue and fairvw whlch is TK>t a matwc0nsm as part ofan examination. I have no COnm$ and have come acns55 no ottrr mattets in connertlon the examlnation to whKh ttelon should be dTawTr In this rem, in enable a pn)per under51andir4 of the accounts iv be reached. Name: Frankl Atille FCCA Relevgnt professlonal quallfKatlon OrmeMF1p of wofownal bodles {rfany)-ACCA Address. Build 3 Chiswkk BUSI ParK 566Chi5wN Road. W4 5YA Date: 2V0412025 PCC of St Mrhatrfs chlswk- Ar.,-, FInae Ryrt- Year 31 Deciw 2024

Financial Activities JnuarY- Ue"8mbet 2.)24 Jan. 2024 Jan- 20rJ {pyi INCOME Donati($ and18S G8n8ral Donations Gener Donations (Grft Eligt48} 5,531.69 4,468.83 10.lx.S2 &3.155.99 2,768.09 3.073.37 2,893.36 15.161.33 Give to Grow Service Collections Servl¢e Collections (Gfft Aid EligiNg1 Total Semce Collec0 63,911.93 1.Y24.72 5,407.73 88.07 Faclity Rent Centra Ran Income Church Rent Incom8 TO Facilty Réntal FundraSsing 150 Unrfom% Fund 150 Unilornis Fund (Grfi 8igit491 Tcd 1S) Unilom* FWMI Auction Prc¢8eds Lalibela Trust LaIla Trust (Gtft AKI &igitrJel iAI)8la Tnk8t Otr Fundrdsing Strggt Paty Funthdslng Warrn Wekome Fund T¢)tal Fundr•tsl Gfft Aid Reclam IrDmIng Granls Salas ststutory Fees Ccllocted Total Irwm• TOTAL 75.586.55 1,127.50 62,220.62 1,005.00 qX5.62 35.00 855.00 4,306.CrfJ 3,115.55 4,810.00 1,830.77 250.00 1.290.IJ) 950.00 623.00 8,463.77 20,808.03 12,038.58 20,694.55 4,430.00 3,344.00 2.035.00 196.017.12 196,017.12 2.983.00 196,118.07 196.118.07 EXPENDITURES Accounting Costs AdvertisinglPromolional Card Processing Fees Christmas Fair Costs Common Fund Conlribution Cost ol Fundraigng Faolity Costs Certre Maintenanc8 Centr8 Malor Expenses 1.358.28 924.72 386.77 349.82 439.60 850.00 50.000.00 S5.0.00 41128 2,891.87 10,307.C(I 216.00 6.171.00 PCC ol St Mich8ef5 Chiwd(- Anw4J Fitwc8 ReFtrt- Year 31 k¢wteT 2(J24

Total Jan. 2024 3,010.00 4.508.40 30,512.C(J 4.363.38 18,058.02 TJ.650.67 5.421.91 2.067.81 2.922.48 4.239.00 913.43 5,250.00 Jan. Dec 2LY23 (PY) 2,133.97 2,948.29 9,366.00 4,792.47 24,811.28 50.439.01 5.105.55 1.609.48 1.534.44 4.665.45 Centre Running ctS Church Maintenance Church Major Expenses Church Runniry Costs Utilities Total Fadlty C Insurance MissionNinistry Costs OfficelGenerd Administrative EX8$ Organist and Choir Other PrO1lOnal Outg¢ing Grar Hope School 1,978.45 2.500.00 5250.00 557.74 46.219.07 250.32 SocraVRolroshmant Costs Staff Costs Stafflvolunteef PwTeclation StaLrtory Fae Paymgtts Street Party Costs Travd and Accommodation Upkoep of Servi Youth Club Costs To181 Exp8ndth8 NET OPERATING INCOME 1.454.45 44.451.96 61.98 1.305.00 4,189.71 3.21 1.466.12 1201.73 174277.85 21 WO.22 626.00 3,854.80 5.30 2.123.26 4.485.86 (14,78&54) OTHER EXPENDITURES Church Cgntre DeprecaatM)n Total Other ExF*rnlliurns NET OTHER INCOME NET INCOMEIIEXPENDrruRÈI 14.059.611 (4.059ffj1) 4,059.61 £ (10.Th.93} 14,059.611 {4,059.61) 4,059.61 PCC ol St Mrhaefs Chisw¢k- AwTktal Rewi. Yw 31 Oecertw 2024

Flnanclal Activitles by Class anua-,y - O&¢e.iibar 20£4 TOTPL INCOME Donatsons and legati8s G8nfjfal Donations General Donations (Gift Aid JgIble) 5,531.69 4,468.&J 10.(KK) 63,155.99 2,768.09 3.073.37 5.841 A6 777 5.531.69 4,468.83 10.000.52 63.155.99 2,768.09 3,073.37 5041.46 78.997.97 0.00 75,586.55 1,127.50 76.714.05 0.00 35.00 855.00 Give lo Grow Sorv8 col0nS Semce Collections (Gift kn EligitrAe) Facilty Rental Cantre Income Church Rantal Incorn8 F¥Allty Rerl81 Fundra15ing 150 Unrforms Fund 150 Unllorms Fund (Gfft Ahy E1[gibl Totsl 150 Unifomts FuTrd Auction Proceeds Lalib81a Trust ljhgr Fundrasing Street Paty FundrsIng Totat Fun(Irthkng Gift Aid Redam InwmiThJ Grants Sales 75.586.55 1.127.50 76.71405 35.00 855.00 4.306.ts) 4,306.00 3.115.55 2C4).00 3.115.55 1.290.00 1,290.00 9,801.55 20.694.55 4.430.00 3.344.00 2,035.00 196.017.12 196.017.12 4.006.55 20.694.55 4,430.00 3B44.00 2,035.00 iV2.Oii. 192.011.sr Ststutory Fees Collectad Totsl Income TOTAL 4,005SS EXPENDITURES Accounting Costs Adv&itisinglPromtstional Carcl Pri)ce&gng Fees Common Flmd Contritxjtion Cost ol FurK1raiyr@ Faty Costs Centre Mantenance cent Major Expenses Gantre Running Costs Church Maintenancg Church Major Expen$8S 1.35828 1,358.28 988.85 439.60 439.60 55.000. 411.28 55,000.00 411.28 0.00 2,891.87 10.307.00 3.010.ry) 4,508.40 30.512.00 2,891.87 10,307.00 3,010.00 4,508.40 30,512.00 PCC ot St Michgels ChiJck-AFal FilW Rw¥t. Year ethg 31 Dvrrter 619

TOTAL 4,363.38 18.058.02 73.650.87 5,421.91 2,067.81 2,922.48 4239.00 913.43 5.250.00 557.74 Church Running Costs Ublities 4,363.38 18.OS8.02 T3.650.67 5,421.91 2.067.81 2.922.48 4,239.00 913.43 Total FadFhy Co818 Insurance Missiorvministry Costs Of[e/G8nl Administrative Eynses Organlst and Choir Other Professional Services Outgolng Grants SocidlR8fr8shmerrt Costs Staff Costs SlaffNolunteer Apprec4alion Statlrtory Fee Payments Strget Paty Costs Travel and Ac0)mmC*glon Upkeep ol Swices Yothh Club Costs 5.196.32 557.74 46.219.07 250.32 46.219.07 250.32 626.00 3.854.80 5.30 3.854.80 5.30 2.1¥8.26 4,485.86 2,1Z3.26 4,485.86 0.785.68 {14,768.54) NETOPERATING INCOME OThER EXPENDITiJRES Church Centr8 D8precHtion Totsl OthBr Expetthwos NET OTHEFI INCOME NET INCOMEIIEXPENDITURÉI (177.77) I1.1.77) 14.059.61} {4059.6i) 4,059h1 £19,518.16) 14.059.611 j4,059.61) 4,059.61 £ {10.708.931 £{1.190. PCC of Si MetS Chisw".cit- Anr.Ld Rewt. YweFong 31 Deceth 2024 719

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Balance Sh88t As o., Decai• oÈr th1 2024 As01D81.2d FIXED ASSET Church Centr Depreciation Told Church Centra Total Tanglbtg assets Ttxd FIx9d Asset CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND Curr8nt- Metro 0rating Current- Metro Pety Cash Total C&%h at bank and tn harN cUF1REry ASSETS Employ88 Cash Advances Undeposited Funds Total Cuffont Assets NET CURRENT ASSETS CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE wrtHIN ONE YEAR 405.961.00 113,671.10 519.63210 519.632.10 519b32.10 405,961.00 1 L19.611.49 515.$72.49 s1572.49 51557149 23,894.38 1,048.09 44,290.55 381.82 7.00 3.194.08 1,7.00 2,979.74 4,679.74 49352.11 28.836.55 Creditors TotaE Trad8 CredttthB Currerrt Lld)Iftt8s Funds Collected for Cxher Charibes Total Currenl Li1[&95 1.267.00 1,267.00 2245.12 1,041.02 312.12 25224.43 NET CURRENT ASss ILIA8ILITIESI TOTAL ASSEtS LESS CURRENT LIA8ILtriES CFIEDITORS: AMOUWS FALLING DUE AER MORE THAN ONE YEAR LDF Loan- Roof Repairs T(rtal Cre•j[to amounts falllng kn after moro yOBr TOTAL NET ASSETS jLIA6ILITIESj CHARIry FUNDS Opening Balanc8 EquTty Rètained Earnings SurplusllDeliatl T1 Chaty frJrKIs 47.044.09 562.616.58 12.493.32 19,444.44 516.809.98 26262.16 110.708.931 516.809.98 462.33 25.899.83 Signed on behaw of the Parochial Church Council of the EcclesHstl Pwish of St Michael Sutton Court.. Rev. Martinè 01)ome Chair Susan Whit& ChurclWMrn PCC Dtsl Mael# PhissY¢k-Anp.EJal Fmance ReFth. Yèar $r•JiF¥J 31 2024

Annual Finance Report PCC of St Michael's Chrswid( Year ending 31 Dec8mber 2024

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St Michael’s Church Elmwood Road

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