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2020-12-31-accounts

Annual Report and

Financial Statement

of the Parochial Church Council for the year ending 31 December 2020

Rector: The Revd. Dr. D.D. Hannah All Saints’ Rectory London Road

Bank: TSB Bank, 21 High Street, Ascot Independent Examiner: Graham Jennings FCCA, Kirk-Rice Accountants

Charity Commission Reg. 114956

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PARISH OF ALL SAINTS’ ASCOT HEATH

Annual Meetings 2021

The Annual Vestry Meeting and the Annual Parochial Church Meeting will be held on Sunday 4[th] July 2021 following the 10.30 am service

Annual Vestry Meeting

A G E N D A

  1. Opening prayers

  2. Appointment of Secretary for the Annual Meeting

  3. Apologies for absence

  4. Election of Churchwardens

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

This meeting is open to all on the electoral roll of All Saints’ Church

A G E N D A

  1. Apologies for absence

  2. Chairman’s opening remarks

  3. Approval of the Minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting 2020

  4. Approval of the Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting 2020

  5. Matters arising from the Minutes

  6. Electoral Roll and Election of Electoral Roll Officer

  7. Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council on Parish Activities

  8. Churchwardens’ Report

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  1. Financial Review

  2. Report on the proceedings of the Deanery Synod

11. Elections and Appointments:

13. Any other Business:

14. Closing prayer

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Parish of All Saints’, Ascot Heath

Minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting

Held by Zoom on Wednesday 21[st] October 2020 at 6.30 pm

  1. The Meeting opened with prayer. The Rector, Revd. Dr Darrell Hannah, presided over the meeting, which was attended by 27 parishioners.

  2. Appointment of a Secretary for the Annual Vestry Meeting and Annual Parochial Meeting. Sheila Sparks was proposed by Caroline Kallipetis, seconded by Pat Gunton and was duly elected.

  3. Apologies were noted from: Sheila & Roger Shrigley, Brian Bence, Nick and Viv Perkins.

4. Election of Churchwardens.

Brian Bence was nominated for the position of Churchwarden, proposed by Maz Down and seconded by Nick Perkins. This appointment was unanimously accepted and he was duly elected.

Fr Darrell took the opportunity at this point in the proceedings to thank Maz for all her hard work as Churchwarden, particularly for the last 18 months when she had not had a deputy and her time in office had been extended due to the Covid pandemic . Flowers had been sent to Maz from the PCC and congregation of All Saints.

Fr Darrell advised that he hoped by the time of the next APCM there would be a nomination for a second Churchwarden and possible a deputy as well.

  1. This concluded the business of the Annual Vestry Meeting.

Sheila Sparks/22[nd] October 2020

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Parish of All Saints’ Ascot Heath

Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting held by Zoom on Wednesday 21[st] October 2020

The meeting followed the Annual Vestry meeting and 27 parishioners were present.

Chairman: Revd. Dr Darrell Hannah, Rector of All Saints’ Church

1. Apologies were received from: Roger & Sheila Shrigley, Brian Bence, Viv and Nick Perkins.

2. Chairman’s Opening Remarks: Fr Darrell said that his remarks should really refer to 2019 but he would be speaking entirely of 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic. He said that these were difficult and uncertain times, although on the whole as a parish we had been relatively untouched by the pandemic but churches up and down this land and across the world had not been so fortunate. He thought there was more disruption to come and we could not know what the future would hold. He wanted to thank members of the congregation who have stepped up to help in so many ways and also David Norman, Michel Kallipetis, the choir and musicians for making the Zoom services rather special and everyone involved in the variety concert which had shown what a wonderful amount of talent we have in this parish. He then emphasised three points:

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3. Minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting 2019: The Minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting held on Sunday 28[th] April 2019 were approved and will be signed as a correct record.

4. Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting 2019: The Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting held on Sunday 28[th] April 2019 were approved and will be signed as a correct record.

5. Matters arising from the Minutes: There were no matters arising.

6. Electoral Roll: The Electoral Roll report was presented on behalf of Cathy Christie. The revised roll had a total of 198 entries (3 names had been added and one removed.) Cathy Christie had indicated her willingness to continue as Electoral Roll Officer, her reappointment was proposed by Pat Gunton and seconded by Betty Swatridge and accepted unanimously. Fr Darrell thanked her for her work on behalf of the parish.

7. Annual Report of the PCC: The report had been previously circulated as part of the Annual Report and Financial Statement and is attached to these minutes. The report was accepted without comment or amendment.

8. Churchwardens’ Report: Maz Down’s report can be found as part of the Annual Report and Financial Statement for 2019. She said it was strange to be commenting on a report written nine months ago for the scheduled APCM in April. She confirmed that the church log book and other documents in the safe had been up to date, but since lockdown it had not been possible to enter the recent faculties or maintenance works costs or complete the music inventory and the main church inventory. There was also a faculty file which would need attention. She would update Brian Bence in their handover meeting. Maz advised that since last year’s meeting we had had a quinquennial inspection. The inspector had said that “The parish should be congratulated on the overall high level of care and maintenance of the Church and churchyard”. The PCC had started to do items mentioned in the report and those in the first section entitled “Of utmost urgency” had already been completed, and several within the “Urgent” section had also been done. She advised that the PCC would have to find a different inspector in 2024 for the next quinquennial as Michael Poteliakhoff had now retired. Two List B faculty applications had been made and approved. One for a noticeboard to go in the childrens’ corner which will be put in place in due course. The second was for work on the south aisle flashing which Nolan Nixon completed in September. Nolan was thanked for the on-going maintenance he had carried out at King Edward’s and All Saints Halls. Where he had not been able to do the work, approved contractors had been employed. Maz wished to record her gratitude for all the help she had received over the last 18 months when she had been the sole Churchwarden. She said we were very blessed in this parish with very competent people on the PCC who were willing to stand up and do things that a single Churchwarden was unable to do alone. She thanked Nick Perkins for his assistance both in updating policies and writing new ones, for organising a fire training session for Welcomers and installing various safety items in the church, for overseeing the new lease with Village End and many other things for which she

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was very grateful; Steve Warrilow for taking on the responsibility for researching defibrillators; Caroline Kallipetis and Nick Perkins for their time on the Priory Road Cemetery access issue; Richard Hyslop, Steve Warrilow and Fr Darrell for undertaking the risk assessment for the re-opening of the church after lockdown; Julie Deane and Sheila Sparks for undertaking the risk assessment at King Edward’s Hall. She was pleased to report that Brian Bence had already agreed to take over the solar panel project and she had no doubt that with PCC help he would make a very good Churchwarden and she would always be available to assist him if needed. She thanked everyone for the beautiful flowers. Fr Darrell said there was already a date in the diary for a meeting with the solar panel contractors.

9. Financial Review: The full financial report can be found as part of the Annual Report and Financial Statement for 2019. Caraline Hedges confirmed that the 2019 accounts had been signed off by Kirk Rice. It was the first year the reports had been done on the Sage package which was working very well. The Cash Handling Policy written by Nick Perkins was working well. She wished to express thanks to all the parishioners and donors for another year of generous giving, and for the support of the PCC, Julie Deane and Martin Pennington. In 2019 funds increased by £10K in part due to improved hall hire revenue and tighter control on expenses. Again the Parish Share was by far the largest outgoing. It was not possible to compare 2019 with 2018 as that was the year we had undertaken a number of larger projects. A sum of money had been moved from the TSB current account to a CCLA deposit account to make it work harder. CCLA is triple A rated and one of the UK’s largest charity fund managers. Martin Pennington, Financial Adviser, had prepared a reserves policy. It is recommended that 3 months expenditure is always kept in reserve, in our case that would be circa £12K per month. We are very fortunate to currently have £129K in reserve. Plans had been underway to review our current investments and one meeting had been held with CCLA. However, due to Covid-19 it had not been possible to proceed any further with this plan at the present time. Caraline thanked Martin for his help and expertise.

10. Report of the Bracknell Deanery Synod: Caroline Kallipetis’s report can be found as part of the Annual Report and Financial Statement. The February 2020 meeting at which Matthew Caminer had spoken was the last live meeting. Since then a meeting on Zoom had taken place in June. Last Saturday, October 17[th] , Bishop Olivia had hosted a quiet morning also on Zoom at which All Saints’ had been well represented. The next meeting is scheduled for 1[st] December when all APCMs should have been held and new representatives in post. Caroline confirmed that she is continuing as lay chair and is going to stand for re-election.

11. Elections and Appointments:

i) Deanery Synod:
Nominee Proposer Seconder
Jayne Strand Caroline Kallipetis Sheila Sparks
Agreed unanimously
ii) PCC:
Nominee Proposer Seconder

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Graeme Carter Sheila Sparks Greta Grant Simon Lagden Maz Down Peter del Nevo Duncan Jones Nick Perkins Sheila Sparks Richard Hyslop Caroline Kallipetis Greta Grant All agreed unanimously

iii) Independent Examiner – Graham Jennings of Kirk-Rice had indicated his willingness to continue as our Independent Examiner. This was proposed by Caraline Hedges, seconded by Matthew Caminer and passed unanimously.

12. AOB: There was no other business.

The meeting closed at 8.15 pm with the grace.

--oo0oo—

2021 ELECTORAL ROLL AND ELECTION OF ELECTORAL ROLL OFFICER:

Cathy Christie has indicated her willingness to continue as Electoral Roll Officer, and it is recommended that she be re-elected.

THE REPORT OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL FOR 2020:

Aim and purposes:

All Saints’ Ascot Heath PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, Fr Darrell, in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of All Saints’ Church, All Saints’ Hall, the Chapel of SS Mary and John, King Edward’s Hall and the clergy accommodation at The Parsonage in King Edward’s Road.

The PCC is required by law to produce an annual report of its activities together with a financial statement identifying how the activities of the parish have been funded.

Objectives and activities:

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and chapel and to become part of our parish community at All Saints’. The PCC maintains an

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overview of worship throughout the parish and in particular with the Ministry Team we try to enable the congregation to live out their faith as part of our parish community through:

Attendance Statistics: 2020 2019 2018
Average Sunday attendance:
Adults ** 93 101
Under 16 ** 15 18

There were no baptisms or weddings during 2020, 1 funeral was held in the church and 1 service conducted at the crematorium.

(** no figures available for 2020 owing to the pandemic)

Structure, governance and management:

The PCC is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC is a Registered Charity.

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. At All Saints’ Ascot Heath the membership of the PCC consists of the Rector, the Curate, Churchwarden(s) and members elected by those members of the congregation who are on the Electoral Roll of the church. All those who attend our services/members of the congregation are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC.

The 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.

The full PCC met six times during the year.

Administrative information:

All Saints’ Church is situated on the London Road, Ascot, SL5 8DQ. It is part of the Diocese of Oxford within the Church of England. The correspondence address is: Parish Office, King Edwards Hall, King Edwards Road, North Ascot SL5 8PD Tel: 01344 884686 Email: office@all-saints-ascot.org Registered charity number: 1149564 PCC Secretary – Sheila Sparks – Email: sheila.sparks@all-saints-ascot.org

Membership:

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Members of the PCC are either ex-officio, elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, or co-opted by the PCC in accordance with Church Representation Rules.

During 2020 the following served as members of the PCC:

Rector: The Reverend Dr Darrell D Hannah (Chairman) Curate: Currently Vacant Deanery Synod The Reverend Dr Darrell D Hannah Representatives: Caroline Kallipetis Jayne Strand Churchwarden: Maz Down (to APCM 2020) Brian Bence (from APCM 2020*) Elected Members: Nick Perkins, Lay Vice-Chairman (APCM 2018 - APCM 2021) Sheila Sparks, Secretary (APCM 2018 - APCM 2021) Greta Grant (APCM 2018 - APCM 2021) Steve Warrilow (APCM 2018 - APCM 2021) Nnamdi Nwakanma (APCM 2018 - APCM 2021) Linda Carrington (APCM 2019 - APCM 2022) Graeme Carter (APCM 2020 - APCM 2023) Richard Hyslop (APCM 2020 - APCM 2023) Simon Lagden (APCM 2020 - APCM 2023) Duncan Jones (APCM 2020 - APCM 2023) Co-opted Members: Caraline Hedges (Treasurer) Martin Pennington (Financial Consultant) Nolan Nixon (Buildings Manager)

Deanery Synod members provide the PCC with an important link between the parish and the wider structures of the church.

*NB: APCM 2020 was not held until 21[st] October 2020 by Zoom

PCC Matters – 2020:

The January 2020 PCC was held as planned in All Saints Church Hall, but by March Covid-19 had arrived and so we met on Zoom for all meetings for the rest of the year. Business has been able to continue to be conducted in a satisfactory manner and minutes of PCC meetings are available to view on the church website as soon as they have been agreed. Hard copies would normally have been posted on the noticeboard in both church and chapel but we have not been able to do this during the pandemic. However, an email copy can always be requested from the PCC secretary.

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Permission was given for the delay of APCM meetings and ours finally took place by Zoom in October. We thank Maz Down for staying in post as Churchwarden for the extra five months and Brian Bence who has taken over from her. No-one completed their terms of office this year, but we welcomed three new members and a returning Simon Lagden. 2021 will see five members complete their three year term.

Owing to the pandemic the church was closed from 18[th] March and only re-opened, following the requisite risk assessment, in July for an 8.30 am Sunday Mass Service remaining open for private prayer for the rest of the day. The church was closed again during Lockdown 2 in November re-opening on 6[th] December as before. Unfortunately due to rising Covid numbers services were suspended again at the end of the year, although it was agreed to keep the church open for private prayer. The first Zoom 10.30am service was held on 29[th] March and continued throughout the year. It was good to see friends from the 8.30 am, the 9.00 am chapel service and the 10.30 am services all joining together with as many as 60+ devices logging-on resulting in a good number of participants. On July 18[th] , thanks to the wonderful efforts of Michel Kallipetis, Jayne Stand and David Norman, a fund raising variety concert was held resulting in an amazing total in excess of £4,000. In December the annual Christmas Eve Crib Service was also held virtually and friends and family invited to join in. The PCC thank everyone who has contributed to all the Zoom services. The plan going forward is to install equipment in the church to enable the streaming of services even when life returns to ‘normal’. We have gained new worshippers through our Zoom services while the church has been unavailable, and those who need to stay at home will be able to join the service over Zoom.

Ongoing items:

The future of the Sandridge House site is still at the planning stage with RBWM and the PCC thank Nick Perkins for keeping a watching brief on this matter over the last 12 months.

Caroline Kallipetis has been dealing with the solicitor on the matter of the resident in Priory Road whose land backs onto the lane leading to Priory Road Cemetery who had made a planning application to Winkfield Parish Council for change of use for an outbuilding to the rear of his property to become an independent dwelling. She has also asked the solicitor to register the land in the name of the incumbent as it has now been confirmed by the Church Commissioners that this is correct.

Quotes have been received for solar panels for both All Saints’ Church Hall and King Edward’s Hall. Brian Bence has taken charge of the project and it is planned that a decision regarding installation will be taken in the New Year.

If you are over the age of 16 and have been on the Electoral Roll for at least six months why not consider putting your name forward for election to the PCC. If you would like further information please do not hesitate to contact Fr Darrell or any member of the PCC.

The PCC would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who works so hard to make our church the lively and vibrant community it is. Contributions from various organisations can be found in this report.

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Sheila Sparks, Secretary

Financial Report.

Year to 31[st] December 2020

Despite the significant challenges caused by the Covid19 pandemic since March 2020, the net funds of the Church increased during the year by £16,385 from £815,565 to £831,950. This increase was a surplus of £28,130 on restricted funds mainly for future projects and a deficit of £11,745 on unrestricted funds

Total incoming resources fell 14% and total outgoing resources were reduced by 18%.

The net funds include £612,769 in land and buildings, (these are under the control of the Oxford Diocese) £131,614 in unrestricted reserves and £86,496 in restricted and endowment funds that have limited use.

Total incoming resources (income) decreased by £26,569 from £209,651 to £183,082. The largest reduction was on income from operating activities, ie church halls and fees, which were £18,371 lower. Similarly, income from activities for generating funds, ie Royal Ascot week and other events, were down £5,668. Income from donors planned giving was broadly flat at £103,589 with reductions on services collections of £5,764 being made up by increased gift aid recovery of £4,775. The PCC is enormously grateful to parishioners who increased their giving to the church in difficult times resulting in a small increase on stewardship income. Other voluntary income for the year was £24,167 (including £2,603 from furlough grants) and was slightly higher than the previous year. Most of this other voluntary income is held in restricted funds for future projects, including the Solar Panels project, and was slightly higher than the previous year. Other ordinary and miscellaneous income was down £4,138 in the year.

Total outgoing resources (expenditure) decreased by £34,774 from £204,688 to £169,914. This decrease in expenditure would have been greater but the PCC decided in May to award monthly grants totalling an unbudgeted £9,952 to the Village End Nursery. This grant was given on a controlled process to support the nursery through the peak period of its temporary closure. This has assisted in the continuation of this successful long term association. The major cost of £84,208 for the Diocesan Parish Share was similar to the payments in 2019 and despite efforts to reduce this cost the Diocese did not hold sufficient funds to change its parish share allocations. Naturally the periods of closure of the church enabled good savings on utilities, church maintenance, legal etc totalling £31,960. Expenditure on restricted funds fell from £17,519 to £3,208 as in the previous year there were costs incurred to finish various projects. In addition, we collected far fewer charitable donations than usual, ie Lent Lunches and Christmas Services, so less was the remitted to external charities.

Overall cash balances increased by £16,333 to £170,507 and in addition the CBF fixed interest holdings increased in value by £3,216 to £49,824. The CBF Church of England deposit account holding was increased by £30,499 to £127,473 during the year. This deposit

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fund holds a Fitch Triple A credit rating, but as with cash investments in general, attracts only a notional interest rate.

A net £8,555 was transferred from unrestricted reserves to designated/ restricted reserves in the year. The main item was in respect of the camera system for the church which the PCC considered important enough to set aside funds to enable commencement before fund raising is complete.

The Future.

The budget, set and approved by PCC for 2021, anticipates that a continuation of the Covid 19 pandemic will result in a loss for the year. Nevertheless, this should be well within the cushion provided by the retained unrestricted reserves built up during previous years. As part of the budget preparation, budget assumptions have been made which include a conservative assessment of income but no project expenditure will be incurred unless it has been donation/grant funded.

There are processes in place to monitor current and future finances with enhanced reviews taking place during the pandemic. Financial results are prepared with comparisons to budget and presented for review to a Standing Committee and the PCC committee meetings at least three times a year. In addition, there is a Finance Committee that meets at least twice a year.

There continues to be uncertainty on future income resources, whilst general running costs are largely fixed. In 2019 a new quinquennial surveyor’s report was prepared to identify and recommend maintenance works that would require attention and funding. The PCC considers there are no major expenditure exposures.

During 2018, and after detailed discussion, PCC agreed to formalise its unrestricted reserves policy to protect the church against unexpected financial setbacks. The PCC recognises that the general recommendation to charities is to hold a minimum of three months expenditure/income in reserve. However, as future income flows continue to be unpredictable and expenditure commitments difficult to contain, the PCC of All Saints aims to hold significantly higher unrestricted reserves equivalent to 10 months expenditure excluding grant funded expenditure. This broadly represents the current unrestricted reserves held.

The PCC will continue to closely monitor its resources and plan for the expenditure requirements of the next quinquennial report.

The PCC thank all who, during a very difficult year, have given their most valuable support to the church’s activities and mission ensuring another successful and well managed year.

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Statement of Financial

Activities 1st January to 31st December 2020 All Saints'

Church, Ascot Heath

Unrestricted
Funds		 Restricted/
Designated
Funds		 Endowment
Funds		 Total
2020		 Total
2019
Incoming Resources
Incoming resources from donors
2a
Other voluntary incoming resources
2b
Incoming resources from operating
activities of PCC objectives
2c
activities for generating funds
2d
Income from Investments
2e		 103,589.09
4,599.96
31,801.21
5,890.89
1,476.85		 19,567.27 - 103,589.09
24,167.23
-
31,801.21
5,890.89
1,476.85
103,049.04
22,940.54
50,172.57
11,559.00
1,634.58
Other ordinary incoming resources
2f		 16,156.38 16,156.38 20,295.01
TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 163,514.38 19,567.27 - 183,081.65 209,650.74
Unrestricted Restricted/
Designated		 Endowment Total
Total
Funds Funds Funds 2020 2019
Outgoing Resources 164.27 164.27
Costs of Generating Funds
3a
474.96
Mission Giving and Special Collections
3b		 18,451.92 798.87 19,250.79 16,403.55
Activities directly relating to the work
of the church
3c		 122,552.06 2,318.83 -
124,870.89		 -
155,087.28
Church Management and Administration
3d		 25,537.51 90.00 25,627.51 32,722.13
TOTAL OUTGOING RESOURCES 166,705.76 3,207.70 - 169,913.46 204,687.92
Net Incoming/(outgoing) resources
Transfers between Funds
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Gains on investments
(unrealised)		 -
3,191.38
-
8,555.00
856.80		 16,359.57
8,555.00		 -
2,359.58		 13,168.19
-
3,216.38
-
4,962.82
-
5,799.85
-
prior year adjustment - -
NET MOVEMENT OF FUNDS -
10,889.58		 24,914.57 2,359.58 16,384.57 10,762.67
Balances brought forward at
01-Jan-20 142,504.01 638,749.08 34,312.69 815,565.04 804,802.37
Balances carried forward at
31-Dec-20		 131,614.43 663,663.65 36,672.27 831,949.61
815,565.04

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----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Funds in 2020 Compared with 2019
90,000.00
80,000.00
70,000.00
2020
20,000.00 2019
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
2020 EXPENDITURE FROM UNRESTRICTED FUNDS
----- End of picture text -----

Caraline Hedges, Treasurer Martin Pennington, Financial Adviser

MINISTRY TEAM:

Well, the year 2020 has been like no other. Even as we all dearly hope it will not be repeated for another hundred years or more, the ministry team has risen to the challenges

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of the pandemic and of meeting almost wholly online, via Zoom. I am deeply grateful to Sheila Shrigley, Pam Davey, LLMs, and Mother Miriam for their hard work and grace and generosity.

When the first lockdown fell in March, we had to find a way of staying in contact as a parish and to worship together from our separate homes. The first week I sent out via email a meditation (in lieu of a sermon). Then, thanks to a suggestion of Matthew Caminer we attempted services via Zoom. It is fair to say that the first couple weeks were a mess, as we stumbled around trying to learn this new technology. Then Michel Kallipetis and David Norman, both of whom had some experience with Zoom, stepped forward and in a very short period of time we developed an online Eucharistic service which has been highly praised both within the parish and without. Guest preachers (including Bishop Olivia, Bishop Andrew, Canon Angela Tilby, Prof. Markus Bockmuehl and the Very Revd. Dr. David Hoyle, the Dean of Westminster) have all commented on our professional looking and yet intimate and reverent services.

During this year, in addition to the guest preachers, we have benefited from sermons from Sheila, Pam and Mother Miriam. Fr Bernard has been also able to re-join us. I am deeply grateful to their contributions to our services. Of course, because of the pandemic, many of the other tasks in which Sheila and Pam take the lead, including pastoral visiting, LYCiG, and the Thursday morning Bible Study, have been on hold much of the year—or have taken other forms (such as phoning). However, Pam and Sheila continued to “deacon” during the services. The ministry team meetings have also moved from a monthly occurrence to a weekly one, so that we can keep tabs on pastoral concerns in the parish (which is more difficult since we cannot not actually see people in person). Julie Deane has joined us for these meetings, which have taken place on Zoom. We organised a Christmas Card delivery to all our parishioners who have not been able to join us on Zoom services. Julie, Sheila, Pam and I hand delivered the cards and visited on the door step about a hundred households. Sheila and I (and others in the parish) have rung around to stay in touch with parishioners. For parishioners who do not have a computer—and so cannot join us via Zoom or even receive Julie’s weekly emailing with news/notices, the service sheet and the sermon from the previous Sunday—Sheila and I (and again others) have shared delivering printed off copies of the weekly emailing at parishioners’ doors. This has led to a good deal of visiting on the door-step.

When in the summer restrictions were eased, Richard Hyslop, Steve Warrilow and I undertook a risk assessment of a socially distanced and “spoken” service in church. After the PCC’s agreement, an 8:30 was offered, alongside the 10:30 Zoom service, from the 19[th] July until the second lockdown just after Christmas. Throughout all these 8:30am Masses, Steve served as a subdeacon and I would like to record my thanks to him.

Although not a project of the Ministry Team, the summer Variety Show was an important event in the life of our parish during lockdown and I need to record my profound thanks to Michel Kallipetis, Jayne Strand, David and Emma Norman and all the participants who contributed acts and performances for the show. The show and the resulting DVD raised a good deal of money for the parish and showcased the wide and varied talent in this parish.

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Looking ahead to 2021 and beyond, we will welcome a new curate, David Saunders, in the summer. He will be ordained deacon at the end of June and will being serving his title with us from Sunday the 4[th] of July.

The Year of our Lord 2020 has been a difficult one, but also one in which we have pulled together and supported one another as a parish. New individuals with real talents have come forward and I am confident that our parish has a bright and strong future. I want to thank the ministry team for their hard work and support during this time. We look toward 2021 in hope and confidence. Thanks be to God!

Fr Darrell

THE CHAPEL of ST MARY and ST JOHN ANNUAL REPORT FOR YEAR ENDING 31[st] DECEMBER 2020

The last Sunday Service to be held at the Chapel was on the 15[th] March last year, after which, due to the Covid restrictions, no further services were held there during 2020 or to date in 2021. A number of parishioners who regularly attended services at the Chapel have, however, been able to participate in the Sunday services presented on-line from All Saints Church at 10.30 each Sunday. We would like to thank Fr Darrell, the ministry team and the “Zoom” team who have used their expertise to make this possible.

During the year, it is with deep sadness that I record the loss of two very long standing members of our congregation. David Bennett who died in the summer, made an enormous contribution to the smooth running of the Chapel and King Edward Hall and will be greatly missed. Likewise, Julie Wood who died on Christmas eve also made a huge contribution to the local community and will be sadly missed. Our deepest sympathy goes out to their families and friends.

Whilst we are extremely grateful for our Zoom services and the opportunity to meet other parishioners in the breakout groups that occur after the services, we are still looking forward to being able to return to All Saints and to the Chapel in the not too distant future. This is particularly relevant since the 23[rd] April 2021 is the 25[th] anniversary of the new Chapel being completed and dedicated by the Bishop. We would naturally wish to be able to celebrate this significant occasion.

Bob Venables

For and on behalf of members of the Chapel Congregation

PARISH OF ALL SAINTS, ASCOT HEATH – SAFEGUARDING REPORT 2020:

The incumbent and churchwardens of the parish of All Saints, Ascot Heath, have certain responsibilities as outlined in the Diocese of Oxford principles and policy for safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults. This report prepared by the safeguarding officer for the parish, states that we are meeting the parish safeguarding responsibilities as outlined in the Parish Safeguarding Policy.

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Summary of key points

1. The Parish Safeguarding Policy is published on the All Saints’ Church website and is reviewed each year at a meeting of the Parochial Church Council (PCC). The last review of the safeguarding policy was at a meeting of the PCC held on March 20[th] 2020.

2. The parish officer for safeguarding produces reports as requested to the PCC on safeguarding matters. National processes for criminal records checking through the Disclosure and Barring System are in place and appropriate measures are taken by the safeguarding officer to verify required documents of identity and residence. The safeguarding of children, young adults and vulnerable adults has been fully adopted. All church members who work with children and those who visit or take communion to the sick or vulnerable adults undergo an appropriate level of checking through the Disclosure and Barring System. The parish has implemented the good practice guidelines published by the Diocese of Oxford. Information relevant for the checking and verifying process for Disclosure and Barring is held responsibly and confidentially.

3. All clergy, lay ministers and volunteer workers are required to undergo selection and training in line with their responsibilities in the church. Clergy and lay ministers are selected and trained via the Diocese of Oxford; volunteer workers complete selection and training in line with safer recruitment principles of the diocese and the Church of England. Training is now available on-line.

4. In 2020 all individuals in the parish in scope under the safer recruitment principles have completed the required application process and have received the appropriate Enhanced Criminal Record Certificates from the Disclosure and Barring Service. Applications are all completed and handled electronically via the new diocesan preferred provider. This provides a much improved turnaround time for applications.

5. The parish safeguarding register has been checked and updated. Disclosure and Barring System certificates are valid for 5 years and are renewed as appropriate.

During the year I attended two safeguarding sessions by Zoom:

1. Safeguarding Area Meeting – Berkshire – 22[nd] October 2020

Approx. 50 participants. Chaired by Lisa Wilkins and Archdeacon Stephen Pullen.

One of the main points to come from the meeting was how important Safeguarding is now in all walks of life. Everyone must realise that it is not just a tick box exercise, or keeping the papers in a tidy folder. We must encourage vigilance in the PCC and the congregation – noone should think “It doesn’t/can’t happen here.”

2. Raising Awareness of Domestic Abuse - 12[th] November 2020

Led by Rebecca Norris-Bulpitt, Safeguarding Assistant and Training Officer. Approx. 14 participants. Areas covered were:

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Again one of the most important things to be remembered is that abuse can and does happen everywhere, it cannot be hidden behind church doors nor should theology be misused to condone abusive behaviour.

Safeguarding Training:

Abuse of all kinds is a very emotive issue at the present time and it is important that we do what we can to take advantage of the help and information available to us.

In this regard the Diocese of Oxford has written to all parishes to advise that it is working towards creating a Church which is safer for everyone. Active engagement with safeguarding training supports all those who have a role within the Church to effectively recognise and respond to possible abuse and implement best safeguarding practice.

To this end the Church of England has developed various safeguarding training modules for Church Officers, the term which applies to everyone appointed by, or on behalf of, the Church to a post or role, whether they are ordained or lay, paid or unpaid.

Training is done on-line and if anyone is interested in taking the Basic Awareness module please contact me and I will be pleased to give you all the details.

Sheila Sparks – Parish Safeguarding Officer

CHURCHWARDENS’ REPORT:

As 2020 was a most unusual year in terms of Churchwarden’s normal duties and responsibilities being carried out in the same way this report inevitably is in a different format than in preceding years.

The first two months of 2020 were spent by Maz Down ensuring that all documents and files kept in the safe were in order to hand over to a new CW after the APCM. The music and main church inventories were updated, and the Logbook checked for entries. Copies of new policy documents were stored in a new extension file.

From the middle of March, the country was in lockdown and entry to the Church building was restricted to the Rector to avoid the risk of any transfer of the Covid-19 virus. The Diocese were very prompt in reacting to the Covid-19 situation and sent regular instructions on how to work with a closed building. Once it became clear that the APCM could not be held in April

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as planned, churchwarden duties all became virtual. The PCC and Standing committee meetings were online using Zoom as was the Sunday Mass.

During the year, any necessary maintenance of the Church was carried out and details recorded in the Logbook. Work could not be carried out inside the Church so a planned notice board in the Children’s corner has not yet been done. A List B application for work on the South Aisle flashing and replacement tiles (identified in the last Quinquennial) was granted by Archdeacon’s approval and the work subsequently done in September.

The APCM which had been deferred to October went ahead via Zoom and Brian Bence was elected Churchwarden.

Brian Bence was introduced to the role of churchwarden with a quick familiarisation of the relevant documents stored in the Church safe. After routine clearances and registration, the new warden was sworn in at one of the few services held in Church in December.

Planning for the two main projects for 2021 was started. The first is to install equipment to enable the live streaming of church services once the Church building is open again and to offer a high-quality service to those that wish to continue supporting the church from home or other remote location. The second project is to install solar panels with battery storage on the roofs of both King Edward’s Hall and at All Saints’ Hall. This will reduce the parish’s carbon dioxide emissions, reduce the electricity bills, and make a statement to the whole parish that the church is taking the climate crisis seriously.

Other more routine activities have been to update the Health and Safety policy and for fire extinguisher checks to be completed.

Maz Down/Brian Bence

PASTORAL CARE TEAM:

Our Home Communions had to be stopped from March because of the pandemic. During the early part of the lockdown, we drew up a list of those who would be on their own at home, or otherwise vulnerable, so that we could ensure that we maintained contact with them. We were able to put many in touch with church members who could arrange collection and delivery of essential shopping for them. We have also contacted hospital chaplaincies when we are aware of someone in hospital for non-Covid reasons so that they may be visited by a chaplain. We have endeavoured to keep in contact with those who are in particularly difficult situations and we look forward to resuming home visits, especially with Holy Communion, when that becomes possible.

Sheila Shrigley

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READERS AND INTERCESSORS:

Our readers and intercessors enhance our services and we thank them for their thoughtful and prayerful contribution to our worship. We have been blessed with a team of people who were willing to participate in services which were live-streamed during the pandemic. As well as reading or leading the prayers on Sunday mornings, they have also joined online for a run-through on the preceding Saturday. This has been particularly helpful for the technical team and has contributed to the smooth running of our services. A group of readers and intercessors also participated in the 08:30 Sunday worship when that was possible in the Church.

We look forward to the time when all the readings and intercessions will again take place in worship at the Church and Chapel.

Sheila Shrigley

THE HEALING TEAM MINISTRY:

All Saints’ Church has a Healing Team Ministry that is available to anyone who would like someone to pray with them and for them, for whatever reason. On most Sundays, a member of the Healing Team stays after the 10:30 am parish mass to be available for prayer, usually beside the font at the west door.

Prayer requests and discussions are confidential and may include a need for personal prayer for oneself, for family members, friends or things happening in our lives. These concerns may be about physical or emotional health and well-being, relationships with God and many other concerns.

Often individuals come to offer prayers of thanksgiving for healing or resolution of a particular concern. The Healing Team meets regularly to pray for people who have asked for prayers and we also include people who are on the Pews News lists.

The Healing Team Ministry was available as usual in church from the start of the year 2020 until the Covid 19 lockdown which started on March 23[rd] . With the suspension of the 10:30 parish mass and the move to an online service, the Healing Prayer group was not able to meet.

However, our prayer ministry has continued throughout the year with each member praying regularly for people who have asked for prayers and for all who are listed in the weekly Pews News. In between lockdown this year and in compliance with government rules for meeting outside, individual members of the team have responded to requests from individual parishioners and also where appropriate, have arranged a socially distanced meeting.

A Healing Team prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus Give us your listening heart

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So that when we pray, We will become a powerful channel

Through which you will touch

Each person with your healing care. Amen

All members of the Healing Team are required to complete an approved training course and to attend external events as appropriate.

Healing Team members 2020: Julia Kellett, Maureen Rayner, Chris Parnell, Elizabeth Gwynne and Pam Davey.

Pam Davey

BRACKNELL DEANERY SYNOD - REPORT TO ASCOT HEATH APCM:

This report relates to 2020, one of the most extraordinary and challenging years we have ever encountered as a Deanery. The previous year’s report was not presented to the parish until October 2020, the APCM having been delayed due to the pandemic. Although I gave an oral update at the meeting, the content of the report related only to 2019, which already seemed long in the past by then! The delay to the APCM was authorized by Bishop Steven as part of a package of measures, which included the extension of the life of deanery Synods, which would otherwise have ended in the summer of 2020.

Bracknell Deanery Synod met at Ascot Priory only once in 2020, in February just before the first lockdown. The guest speaker was Matthew Caminer, his theme being “Living as a Clergy Spouse: How to align the daily reality with your personal identity”. There was a lively discussion after his talk. The other meetings (in June and December) were held remotely by Zoom. This worked surprisingly well although attendances were low.

The Deanery Evensong which was to be held at Ascot Priory during the weekend of the VE day commemorations in May was a casualty of the pandemic and sadly had to be cancelled.

At the June meeting of Synod, elections were held to fill vacancies in the posts of Assistant Lay Chair and Assistant Secretary. Lee Townsend and Malcolm Chalmers respectively were elected unopposed to those positions and are a welcome addition to the team of Deanery Officers. Synod then moved to a discussion in groups on the topic of “Post-Peak Strategic Questions Based on the Five Marks of Mission: a tool to aid reflection” (a Diocesan initiative designed to help us think about the life of the church after the pandemic). Some interesting ideas were fed back in plenary, including how to continue to reach those in our congregations who had not been able to join streamed services and how to retain and embrace those new members of the congregation who had joined since the inception of those services.

A Quiet Morning was held on a Saturday in October on the theme of “Love in a pandemic: the wisdom of Julian of Norwich”. Bishop Olivia led us in reflection and there was time for individual prayer and study. Although this too had to be held by Zoom, there was a good attendance of over 20 people from across the parishes of the Deanery.

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At the December Synod meeting, the last in the extended 2017 to 2020 triennium, we welcomed as guests the new members of Synod elected at 2020 APCMs and a special guest, the Archdeacon of Berkshire, Canon Stephen Pullin. The Archdeacon spoke about Deaneries and the challenges facing us post pandemic. In group discussions a number of themes emerged, including financial difficulties due to closed churches and halls, and the consequent fall in income from collections and rents. Concern was also expressed about the effect of the pandemic on the mental health of our communities.

Caroline Kallipetis served as Deanery Lay Chair throughout the year. Father Guy Cole continued as Area Dean and Mother Tracey Williams served as Associate Area Dean until she stepped down in September. Chris Boutle and Lesley Philpot continued to serve in their respective roles of Deanery Treasurer and Synod Secretary. Jayne Strand was elected at the 2020 APCM as a lay representative of the parish on Deanery Synod from 1[st] January 2021 until the end of June 2023. There remain three vacancies which could be filled at the APCM.

The Deanery Standing and Pastoral Committees met regularly throughout the year and the Lay Chair and Area Dean attended meetings of the Berkshire Mission and Pastoral Committee. The Deanery Mission Action plan is kept under review and updates from the parishes will be welcome.

Parish Share for the deanery was once again paid in full in 2020. This is a magnificent achievement against all the odds, and the Diocese has expressed thanks to the parishes for meeting their commitments. The 2021 parish share has been frozen at the 2020 level by the Diocese and the allocation of the share between the parishes was agreed at the December Synod according to the same formula as in previous years.

Caroline Kallipetis/February 2021

ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH, ASCOT HEATH. MISSION GIVING COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31st DECEMBER 2020.

For the first time in its history, the Mission Giving Committee met online by Zoom on Wednesday 13th January, 2021, to consider the budget of £8,500 for charitable donations for the Year 2020. The Chairman opened the meeting by giving an overview of national giving in the light of the pandemic. A special report by the Charities Aid Foundation concluded that ‘Despite Covid 19, giving remains in line with previous years but restricted in-person fundraising has taken its toll on some key causes, i.e. medical research. There has been a large increase, however, in donations to hospitals and hospices as well as to the NHS.’

The 2020 budget of £8,500 represented the same amount as for the previous year, and the Committee decided to support all but one of the same Charities. It was agreed that the normal donation to the Pilgrim Hearts Trust would on this occasion be redirected to Thames Hospice, which ‘has never needed the support of our community more than at this time’.

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Furthermore, our Rector had raised just over £2000 for Pilgrim Hearts in November, 2020, by bravely doing a sponsored sleep-out in his garden on a frosty night.

In summary, we allocated £1500 to local charities, £1000 to local and national church charities and £6000 to international charities. The three international charities continue to be Karuna Action (which runs a Children’s Home in Albania), Mercy Ships and FACE (Gambella). The Church has been supporting Mercy Ships for 22 years now, and we have made 27 donations since December, 1999. The total amount from all our gifts to Mercy Ships is £23,952 to date, and we are about to add a further £2000 to this figure. Mercy Ships provides training and support to local healthcare professionals and strengthens healthcare systems in Africa.

FACE is a Charity which supports the work of Anglican Churches in Ethiopia and the wider Horn of Africa. We have been supporting this Charity for about 5 years now, and our donations ‘go a long way towards the programme of training for new priests, the relief of poverty, the education of women and the care of their families in that region and in particular in the Gambella region where life for many is especially hard.’

The Chairman conveyed to the Mission Giving Committee members the gratitude and appreciation expressed by the various Charities which we had donated to last year, based on their acknowledgement letters and emails. All Charities had written to say that they had received our donation cheque and were most appreciative.

At the January 2021 PCC meeting, there was unanimous approval for our recommendations for the Year 2020 budget, and the Chairman is currently occupied with sending out letters and donation cheques to the intended Charities. The Mission Giving Committee is very grateful to the PCC for its approval of our recommendations.

Simon Lagden, Chairman

MEN’S BREAKFAST GROUP:

Men’s Breakfast is alive and well, despite all the lockdown regulations. We meet each Saturday at 2.00 pm so that we can include our friend Mike from across the pond. We have continually had 6 to 8 members on Zoom. My thanks to Matthew Caminer for setting this up for us. Discussions on the Gospel - and other things! – last about 1 1/2 hours – full of questions to which we may not have all the answers and a lot of humour. If you want to join just let me know and Matthew will ‘invite’ you. I still have a reservation at Rydal in the Lakes for 13[th] May for our annual weekend of discussion, walking and occasional drinks. More about that later but if you would be interested to join us Covid permitting (£110 for 5 nights B+B) then let me know – duncan.rayner@virgin.net or 01344 622693. Men’s Breakfast has now been running EVERY Saturday without a break for over 30 years. Why don’t you join us?

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Duncan Rayner

WELCOMER (SIDESPERSON) TEAM:

Members of the Welcomer Teams appointed at the APCM in April 2019 continued with their duties at the 8 o’clock and 10:30 services until mid-March when regular in-person services were suspended.

From July a team of six Welcomers undertook duties in pairs at the 8 o’clock Sunday services in All Saints’ Church until these services were suspended.

One new Welcomer was appointed by the PCC but she has yet to undertake any duties.

Nick Perkins

GODLY PLAY/SAINTS ALIVE:

We continue to use Godly Play as our main way of exploring biblical stories with our children on Sunday mornings, interspersed with ‘Creative’ sessions reflecting on recent stories through art and games. Unfortunately due to the Covid 19 restrictions no Godly Play has taken place during 2020. We are extremely lucky to have a fantastic team to run the sessions - Julia, Sarah, Catharine, Caroline, Suzanne and Linda. I must thank everyone for all their help and support.

Caroline Kelly

REPORT OF THE FRIENDS OF ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH ASCOT HEATH:

The Friends scheme aims to foster interest and participation in events and services at All Saints’ church and to raise funds for specific projects connected with the church building and its use.

Members can be part of present or past congregations, local residents and anyone with connections through baptism, confirmation, wedding or funeral; in fact anyone who loves All Saints’ church. Newsletters were sent out to members in Lent and Advent and were well received, especially by those friends that live far afield.

We were, of course intending to have an AGM in the Spring, but the Coronavirus changed all that!

Thus we have been unable to have any fund raising concerts, Royal Ascot Hospitality or Heritage Open Days.

The church building itself has been closed during the pandemic except to allow a regular deep clean, for private prayer (at specified times) and lately for a carefully organised spoken service at 8.30 am each Sunday, with strict obedience to the Government’s guidelines. The

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main 10.30 service has been held very successfully by Zoom each Sunday with music recorded by the choir and musicians and also an opportunity for online fellowship after the service-these services have been well attended and we have, on occasions, been joined by members of the friends from far and wide (do contact the church office for details if you would like to join us).

At present there are no major concerns about the building or its fittings however the amount of money coming into church funds is obviously reduced (though many folk have been very generous especially in donating to the variety concert and subsequent DVD-which together raised in excess of £4,000.00).

With no means of knowing when the pandemic will end and things get back to a “new normal” the activities of the Friends will be very low key, but we will keep in touch and are always pleased to hear from you.

A reminder of subscription renewals was sent out be the secretary in March-thank you to all those who responded.

We are always looking for new fundraising ideas and recruiting more members, so if you are interested please make contact with Pat, David or Caroline.

Caroline Kelly

ALL SAINTS CHURCH CLEANING TEAM:

Our extraordinary church cleaning team have had a challenging year, as since the Covid-19 pandemic took over UK and the three national lockdowns from 22[nd] March (officially, first lockdown started on Monday, the 23[rd] March 2020, but the Sunday Mass on the 22[nd] was suspended, so for us, it started on the 22[nd] ) until today, more than half of our team had to self-isolate in order to preserve their health and lives. Out of 11 regular members, we got down to 4 and we had to ask for more volunteers to join, so we could cover the fortnightly provisional rota for maintaining the Church clean during the pandemic.

The Church was completely closed to public worship until the beginning of August and before reopening it to the public, it needed a thorough cleaning, so Josie and Ron, two external volunteers stepped in to help and did a magnificent job. After that, it was just a matter of plotting the 4 members and other volunteers to a fortnightly schedule, as the Church was going to be open only on Sundays. Just after Christmas the Sunday Mass were suspended due to rising Covid-19 cases in our area, but will be still open for private prayer on Sundays after lunch.

The Church has been kept beautifully cleaned throughout these unprecedented times by our good-hearted, brilliant volunteers – Greta, Bridgit, Elizabeth and Sigrid; we will be forever grateful for their time and effort into maintaining this beautiful Church clean and safe.

During these unprecedented times, with the help of technology, we’ve managed to stay connected to our wonderful parish and we are grateful for being able to see and hear each other, and participate to our Sundays and Holy Days Masses, all possible with the grace of

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God and the All Saints Church members that setup the technology in place and keep these interactive online Services.

Thank you for all the extraordinary efforts on keeping peoples’ hearts filled with hope and gratitude.

Daniela Vasile

FLOWER ARRANGING TEAM:

On the 23 February we cleared the Christmas flowers as Ash Wednesday was the 26[th] and there would be no flowers in Church till Easter. Our first Lent Lunch was on the 29[th] and I decorated the tables with daffodils – a sure sign of spring. We had our second Lent Lunch and on Tuesday 17[th] March everything was closed down. The Church was closed. No Easter flowers, no flowers in the Memorial Window and no pedestals for Ascot Hospitality. A Renewal of Vows was cancelled as was a Wedding. A photograph of our Harvest Loaf was taken as were a few poppies for November. Greta made an Advent Wreath. Christmas was celebrated on Zoom when photographs of previous flowers were incorporated.

We now look forward to the day when All Saints will be open and we can have a Celebration of Flowers.

Vera Miller

MUSIC:

Despite the limitations placed on us all by a year of national and international confinement, music at church continues to flourish albeit using new platforms. At the time of writing, it is nearly a year since the church choirs last met in the flesh. However, both the Senior and Junior Choirs have contributed significantly to the spiritual witness of the All Saints community by pre-recording material in their own homes, for Sunday services broadcast over the internet. In addition, a great deal of effort has gone into putting together other 'zoom' events such as the summer concert and the carol service; all of these things have shown the wealth and range of musical talent to be found at our church as a whole. A huge thanks to the expertise of the church's technical team, without whom none of this would have been possible.

The Senior Choir meets online each week for a social mix of gossip, quizzes and moans about the weather; occasionally, they talk about church music.

The Director of Music has been furloughed for the most part, and therefore has limitations placed on him as to what he can and cannot do during national lockdown. However, he continues to pre-record music for use in online services and does what he can to support the musical life of the church. With the exception of recording hymns, the organ has

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remained silent for the year. Despite this, when last played, the organ functioned well and had held its tuning.

The choirs and all those who contribute to the music at All Saints should be rightly proud of all they have achieved during what has been a most unique experience for us all. We have managed to produce a range and quality of music which many churches have struggled to do.

Mervyn Williams Organist and Director of Music

ALL SAINTS BAND ANNUAL REPORT FOR APCM:

As with all other church activities, the last year has presented significant challenges to All Saints Band, particularly learning how to make successful individual recordings at home that can then be blended into a single ‘performance’ without any combined rehearsal or face to face collaboration. After dipping a toe in the water with an instrumental piece for one service, the Band gave a spectacular rendering of “When the Saints go Marching in” at our Patronal Festival. Then the Band and some members of the Junior Choir combined to provide all the music for the annual Crib Service and, at the time of writing, were busy recording music for Mothering Sunday. Like many aspects of the pandemic, this has brought some benefits. While we have all missed the pleasure and ease of interacting at rehearsals and services, for instance, the Band is now largely playing specially prepared arrangements with individual parts for the different instruments, which is musically far more satisfying than playing out of the book. The Band has greatly appreciated technical support from David Norman, stitching the individual recordings together – no mean feat – and also the superb visuals by Emma to accompany the recordings.

The Band has enjoyed welcoming Anna Brecknock (flute) and Michael Hannah (violin) as new players, as well as occasional guest appearances from Mother Miriam (flute). Sadly, the circumstances of the pandemic have prevented us from working with Mervyn this year, and we look forward to resuming our collaboration when things ease. More players, especially younger musicians, would always be welcome: perhaps you are studying an instrument and would like the opportunity to play alongside others, even with the continued challenge of remote recording. Or maybe you have an instrument gathering dust in the attic and would like to blow off the cobwebs. Either way, do get in touch and we can discuss it. There is no audition: you will rapidly discover whether you will feel comfortable!

Matthew Caminer /January 2021

THE ALL SAINTS, ASCOT BRANCH OF MOTHERS UNION 1979 TO 2020:

The branch began in 1979 but by 2010 only 2 members remained. Our new curate Reverend Rosie Webb, a keen supporter and member of MU encouraged us to attend a meeting and we eventually had 22 members. Margaret Armstrong was voted as leader and Joy Appleby

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as Treasurer. The younger mums in the group decided to meet in the evening, the rest of us met once a month on a Tuesday.

Reverend Rosie was appointed to St Andrews Church, in Clewer, we were all delighted for her and went to visit her church and she kept in touch with us throughout. Our branch membership was open to all baptised members of the C of E worshipping at All Saints Ascot Heath Parish. The branch to be self-managed and funded separate to the PCC and maintaining our own bank account. I kept a record of all income and expenditure using a cheque book with 3 signatories, sending the annual consolidated accounts to the diocesan office to be audited and signed off.

Our members organised a calendar for monthly meetings with speakers, outings and fundraising activities. We represented our branch at Deanery meetings and Margaret became a trained guide at Christchurch Cathedral Oxford.

Our main fundraising event has always been a joint effort with all members helping to run a Lent lunch at Kind Edwards Hall. We have done consistently well enjoying fun, fellowship and raising over £400 each time for AFIA (Away From It All). MU have funded holiday schemes for families and people who need a holiday or just time out, perhaps to a holiday camp, days out, coach trips etc.

At Christmas for the past 4 years Father Paul at the Priory Church has made us very welcome, he has composed a lovely Mothers Union Advent Meditation with music readings and prayer and our members taking part. Afterwards my friend Amy Beasley and I set up afternoon tea in the library. A delightful meeting.

The last Advent Meditation was held in December 2019 and I had bookings arranged for the Saturdays during Lent for Lent Lunches supporting different charities. The first MU lunch for AFIA took place on the 29th Feb 2020 - it went well with lots of fun and fellowship as did the lunch of Pauline Richardson for New Beginnings Children's Home, Albania. Sadly then the Coronavirus Pandemic caused everything to be cancelled for the foreseeable future.

The past 2 years have been very difficult for Margaret, her husband Barry was diagnosed with dementia and recently with Parkinsons. She has found it impossible to carry on as lead of our branch. My husband Allan was admitted into Frimley Park Hospital for 4 weeks and I was unable to take over. Margaret emailed all our members but sadly none could help. I had no option but to inform the Diocesan President Maureen Weston that we would have to close the branch. I also closed our account with TSB in Ascot and they sent the remaining funds to MU Oxford. Although our branch has closed we are all welcome to carry on as members of MU and I am pleased to do so. I have thoroughly enjoyed the years that I have worked with Margaret and we have made a good team.

Best Wishes Joy Appleby

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ROYAL ASCOT HOSPITALITY 2020:

The committee remained the same as the previous year and met once early in the year to confirm that all members were willing to continue in the same roles as in previous years.

Following this meeting the website was set up for bookings. Before another meeting could be called the Covid 19 pandemic had struck and the country was in lockdown. Bookings continued slowly but eventually it was obvious that Royal Ascot would be run behind closed doors. All those who had booked parking already were offered a refund. We are grateful to those who decided to leave their fee as a donation to Church funds. This amounted to £1147.50. At the time of writing this report we are awaiting an update from Ascot Authority for June 2021. At present no tickets are being sold.

Maz Down

MESSY CHURCH:

The Messy values are about being Christ-centred, for all ages, based on creativity, hospitality and celebration, it is supported, resourced and enabled by the Bible Reading Fellowship.

Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic with prolonged lockdowns and the social distancing restrictions we have regrettably been unable to hold the usual bi-monthly Messy Church meetings in 2020.

We are hopeful that meetings may resume in the second half of 2021.

Julia Kellett

REPORT FROM 1[ST] ASCOT (ALL SAINTS) SCOUT GROUP:

The Scout Association believes in helping young people develop “Skills for Life”, but it soon became apparent in 2020 that life was going to be vastly different for all of us with the COVID-19 pandemic.

This has been especially challenging for our Scout Group since the majority of the activities we deliver depend on face-to-face meetings and working in teams. Obviously, with lockdown in March, all such meetings had to stop. During the Autumn term, as restrictions were eased, and following Government and Scout Association guidance, we did manage to offer some activities outdoors, in a socially distant way and for restricted numbers. No sooner had we started, the situation changed again, and such meetings had to be stopped as we moved towards the 2[nd] lockdown. Moving into 2021, we decided to offer online meetings using “Zoom” but this is equally challenging since many of the young people have already spent hours in front of computer screens doing home schooling. To maintain attention and interest is difficult but as always, our Leaders do a fantastic job being innovative, creative and as supportive as possible.

Another consequence of the pandemic was the cancellation of the planned VE75 celebrations in partnership with the Church, the local school and others, which was to be

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hosted at our Scout Hut and grounds. This was a huge disappointment, as all of us looked forward to this being a fun event to bring the community together. We hope that once restrictions begin to improve, we can discuss rescheduling this or some other suitable community event.

We also have some changes in our team. Laura Wenham has been appointed as our new Group Scout Leader. Laura has been with our Scout Group for many years – as a Scout herself, and then as a Cub and Explorer Leader. Laura is known to many in the community and will bring lots of experience and enthusiasm to the role. For myself, after 8 years as Committee Chairman, I have announced that I will be stepping down. We expect to identify a suitable candidate soon, to be formally elected at our next AGM.

As we move to better times ahead, I am confident that Laura, together with our amazing Leaders and our dedicated Committee will continue to deliver the benefits of Scouting and those important “Skills for Life” to the young people of North Ascot. In achieving this, we are, as always, most grateful for the support we receive from the Church and to Chris Gunton who actively represents the Church as part of our Committee. We always welcome additional help so please do contact us if you are interested to join our team.

Robert Pickering, Committee Chairman

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